Kodak Strikes Digital Photo Deals Company Forms Alliances To Expand Use Of Digital Photography

Eastman Kodak Co. said Tuesday it has made agreements with a number of technology companies, including IBM and Microsoft, to push digital photography to a broader audience.

The company also announced alliances with Sprint Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co., Kinko’s, Sega Ltd. and Wang Laboratories.

The agreements will yield new products and services that will reach the market within six to 12 months, Kodak said.

The company also said it would soon begin selling a digital camera aimed at the amateur photography market. The camera, priced just under $1,000, will hold up to 48 images. They can then be loaded into a personal computer for use.

The company said it had come up with a way to transmit photos in a manner that significantly reduces bandwidth and memory requirements, part of the reason few people outside the commercial world use digital photos.

Kodak plans to market digital-oriented products with a logo that says “Kodak Digital Science.”

Some products from the alliances:

Kinko’s will test-market Kodak imaging services at more of its copy centers around the country.

Kodak will manufacture optical storage media for IBM and IBM will market Kodak CD-related equipment.

Kodak and Hewlett-Packard will jointly develop and market a wide-format ink-jet printer and other products for photo printing.

Microsoft will help Kodak create kiosks that produce photographs and photo CDs.