Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Zi8: Kodak's Newest Home Movie Camera
By James Grahame
Forgive me for digressing into the heretical world of digital imagery, but this is worth a mention. The new Kodak Zi8 is a remarkably good little pocket video camera. It shoots 1080p/720p, has an external mic jack (for those who understand that decent audio is critical to making a video "look good") and includes a macro mode for crisp close-up shots.
Not bad for $180.I can hear the "professionals" in the back row whimpering about the lack of optical zoom, manual exposure and focusing, but the truth is that 95% of buyers rarely use anything but auto mode. This little gadget fits most people's needs perfectly.
Finally - 45 years after the development of Super 8 - Kodak is back at the top of their game with the kind of no-frills movie camera they became famous for. Let's hope the Zi8 is just the tip of the iceberg. I never thought I'd say this, but perhaps it's time to get my hands on a new Kodak.
