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Eastman Business Park Monuments

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (DavidStoklosa) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:39:24 EDT

The Eastman Business Park (EBP) continues to increase its own brand awareness with newly updated monument signs in two key locations - - on the corner of West Ridge Road and Lake Avenue, and at the entrance of what is known as Building 28, located at 200 West Ridge Road.

This is just one example of our ongoing efforts to market the site as a viable and attractive opportunity for businesses looking to relocate and/or expand in the Rochester area. We're working hard to ensure our message is received loud and clear....that the Eastman Business Park is unparalleled in its offerings and advantages to a wide variety of industrial and manufacturing tenants.

Visit us at eastmanbusinesspark.com for more information on what we have to offer.

Stay tuned for more exciting activities happening at Eastman Business Park, and be sure to share our story with others.

Kodak to be featured on Green Magazine TV

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (MicheleRicks) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:06:06 EDT

Kodak OLED technology will be featured on Green Magazine TV Thursday, June 25 at 8:30 am on the Time Warner Cable Channel 36, Dish Network Channel 182, and DIRECTV Channel 278.

The show is about companies that are leading the way to a more sustainable future. Kodak's continued innovations in OLED technology will make the world a better place, with applications in both flat panel display and solid-state lighting. Kodak's compelling OLED "Green" impact will ultimately result in panels having fewer sub-components for ease of recycling, absence of heavy metals requiring special handling (such as mercury), and lower energy consumption.

We are proud to know that all OLED products will use Kodak's invention of OLED technology. Kodak's leadership role in OLED technology represents what Kodak is all about ... "Making the World a Better Place" for many generations to come.

Here is the clip about Kodak OLED technology...

RANDOM TRIVIA: The host of Green Magazine TV, Tristan Rogers, has connections to Rochester, NY (headquarters of Kodak). He has played Robert Scorpio on the soap opera General Hospital for many years. General Hospital is set in a city that looks suspiciously like Rochester, NY - it even has the same area code! When some of the show's best-loved characters, Luke and Laura, returned in the 90s, they shot the outdoor scenes right here in Rochester. A couple of scenes stand out for fans of GH - Luke and Laura jumping from a helicopter over a waterfall (shot over our city's High Falls) and driving a pink Cadillac down Main Street.

As long as we're playing Six Degrees of Separation ... Kodak is connected to Vincent Pastore of The Sopranos (he showed us all how he feels about pricey ink), who is currently a cast member on GH.

Moon Mapping: The Original Series

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (MichaelDeLuca) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:52:27 EDT

With last week's launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA is taking the first steps to send a new generation of astronauts to the moon. This mission is designed to map out the terrain of the moon, identify resources on or near the surface, and better understand the radiation environment - all with the goal of aiding in the design of a future lunar outpost.

Just before the launch, I wrote about how Kodak CCD Image Sensors will play a key role in this mission. But you may not know that this isn't the first time Kodak technology has been involved in a space mission to map the moon.

1960's Lunar Orbiter

In the mid 1960's, NASA was in a situation similar to where they are today - looking to send astronauts to the moon, but needing high-resolution images of the surface to evaluate potential landing sites for the Apollo missions. To get those images, NASA knew they would need to send spacecraft to the moon to map the lunar surface, but since the technology didn't exist then to use high-resolution digital sensors (as NASA is doing today with the LRO mission), they needed a different approach.

One that Kodak developed.

Imaging Unit of Lunar Orbiter

Looking at it now, the solution that was devised for these missions was really amazing. As described on NASA's web page for these missions, the imaging unit in these Lunar Orbiters consisted of a dual-lens camera (to capture both high- and low-resolution pictures), a film processing unit, a readout scanner, and a film handling apparatus. Film passed through the camera as the unit orbited the moon, capturing images of the lunar surface as it flew by. The film was then processed and scanned, and the images were then transmitted back to Earth - basically, the entire unit was a combination camera, mini-lab, and TV station.

All operating while orbiting the moon, over 200,000 miles from Earth.

First view of Earth taken from the moon (from Lunar Orbiter 1)

The Lunar Orbiter missions were an unqualified success, collectively photographing 99% of the moon's surface with a resolution of 60 meters or better, and providing the information needed for the safe landing of the Apollo missions. Today, one of these imaging cameras - made for a Lunar Orbiter mission that never flew - is on display as a part of the Technology Collection at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. Todd Gustavson, curator of Technology from George Eastman House, has put together an excellent video podcast about this imaging system - be sure to check it out.

In 2004, the Kodak organization involved in this work was incorporated into the Space Systems Division of ITT, where they continue developing imaging systems for earth-orbiting satellites today. But through programs like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (as well as other orbiters around Mars and Venus, plus the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station), Kodak still remains a key participant in the space program, providing world-class imaging technology that is used throughout the solar system.

Just as we have for over 40 years.

Thoughts from Display Week 2009

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (MicheleRicks) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:47:57 EDT

During the first week of June, I was in San Antonio, Texas for the Society for Information Display's annual trade show. This is typically a techie show where you can find all the latest innovations in display technology, i.e. LCD screens for mobile phones, TVs & laptops; big plasma TVs; and newer technologies, like Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) and e-paper. This year's show did not disappoint in that area, but there was also something new to be found on the show floor and in the technical symposiums - new lighting technology for a more sustainable world.

You are probably wondering what lamps have to do with laptop screens, right? It turns out that the organic layers you use to make an OLED for a TV can be used to make a flat "light bulb." This new "light bulb" is really a solid state light source that can greatly reduce the amount of electricity needed to provide the world's lighting and eliminate certain heavy metals, like mercury, from the light fixtures in our homes and workplaces. You can see a video of the OLED light panels Kodak demonstrated at Display Week on YouTube:

RANDOM TRIVIA: Even though Kodak is headquartered in Rochester, NY, we found our very own Kodak Building in San Antonio.

Thanks to our intrepid scientist, Tom Pawlik, we can fill in that question mark! Kodak was part of the International Exposition HemisFair in 1968, whose theme was to celebrate man's desire to go higher and farther in his constant search for achievements.

To that end, the 622-foot Tower of the Americas was constructed in HemisFair Park and was the tallest observation tower in the Western Hemisphere, at the time.

Kodak has returned to San Antonio, 41 years later, to demonstrate some our latest achievements. Just as San Antonio's HemisFair Park has evolved into the tourist-mecca that is the Riverwalk, Kodak has progressed from photography to new technologies for lighting and displays.

Kodak W1020 Digital Frame review

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (JenniferCisney) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:42:32 EDT

The Washington Post featured a review of the Kodak W1020 Digital Frame by PCWorld.

"The Kodak W1020 frame ($160 as of 5/7/2009) stands out thanks to its ease of use (in most respects), with or without Kodak's proprietary software."

You can read the rest of the review here.

Father's Day Gift Ideas

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (JenniferCisney) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:13:04 EDT

Father's Day is coming up and here are a few suggestions from experts.

Consumer Reporter and Senior Editor of BehindTheBuy.com, David Gregg featured the Kodak W1020 Wireless Digital Frame and Kodak M380 Digital Camera as "A fun way to strengthen your relationships and bring you closer together with dad..."

You can read see the rest of David Gregg's Father's Day list here.

Yahoo Tech also called out the Kodak Z980 Digital Camera as a high tech gift for fathers.

"Upgrade from that lame pocket camera to something with massive zoom."

The Yahoo Tech article can be found here.

Some great ideas for making Dad feel special this year!

Kodak's New Conductive Film for Transparent Electronic Devices

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (TomHoehn) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:24:11 EDT

Bruce Graham, Director of Communications in our CTO had the opportunity to ask Brian Schell, a Kodak Formulation Scientist, some questions about Kodak's new conductive film for transparent electronic devices. Here is the scoop:

Bruce Graham: I understand that the new technology that Kodak planning to introduce is used for transparent electronics. Where would I run into this kind of technology in my daily life?
Brian Schell: The area where most people encounter transparent electronic is probably the touchscreen display, like the ones you see in today's smartphones. Transparent electronics are also used in a range of display, lighting and photovoltaic applications.

BG: Indium tin oxide (ITO) is widely used for these types of applications today. Why replace it with something new?
BS: To lay down ITO, you need a vacuum deposition process, which is slow and expensive. Polymer materials can be coated onto a film much faster and so the finished product is far less expensive. The Kodak process uses an aqueous solution which has less environmental impact than metallic vapor. Vapor deposition is usually carried out at fairly high temperatures, which can damage the film that is being coated whereas conductive polymers can be coated onto film at much lower temperatures. The material used to coat the film is thermally stable, clear and durable. So there really are a lot of advantages to using this new technology.

BG:What led you to start researching new uses for these coating technologies?
BS: We had been using PEDOT materials for years as an anti-static material on many of our film products. A few years back, my management asked me to start looking at ways that these materials could be used to make conductive coatings. With recent advances in the properties of the materials and our coating processes, we believe that we can offer conductive films that have some great properties.

BG:How has Kodak's expertise in coating processes come to play in this space?
BS: Kodak actually does inline coating during the casting of the film. This means that we melt PET pellets, which allows us to produce conductive films at exceptionally-high speeds. We are also able to coat both sides of a fim and to lay down multiple coats onto a single film. To do this, Kodak has leveraged its expertise in materials science and experience in sophisticated coating operations.

BG:What problems had be overcome before the product could be commercialized?
BS: We had to find the right way to apply the material so that it would keep as much conductivity as possible.

BG:How would you compare these conductive films to other technologies in the electronics space?
BS: These films (with the conductive coating) serve much the same purpose that a silicon wafer does for conventional semiconductors. They are used as the foundation to build electronic devices, but the films are used in applications that require transparency (displays) or flexibility (touchscreens).

BG: What is the commercial name of this new technology?
BS: It will be marketed under the name KODAK ESTAR film.

For more information, see the PET/ CTA information on kodak.com

Thanks for sharing B.G. and B.S.

Report from Society for Information Display (SID) 2009

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (TomHoehn) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:09:22 EDT

This just in from our Kodak folks at SID 2009...

Live from San Antonio, Texas, USA -Today was the first day of the SID Symposium and, despite the economic context, there is a lot of excitement in the display industry. The keynote speaker from LG Display noted that new display technologies such as 3D, wall-sized displays, and flexible displays will enable a new round of growth in display. During the conference, there were many examples of both 3D and flexible display technologies. There is clearly more growth in this industry's future!

The conference drew over 3,000 participants and over 180 exhibitors. The KODAK booth featured new OLED lighting technologies and KODAK's new highly conductive ESTAR film was announced. There was considerable interest in this new film, notably from touch screen makers who find the conductivity in our film a good match for their requirements. Other companies in the flexible display market using PET were also interested. One speaker actually stated that larger format e-books will be the growth engine for flexible displays, which is good news for companies supplying films into this industry.

The current economic conditions have had an impact in this industry. There is an overcapacity for display manufacturing and this situation is driving the need for cost reduction. Companies are however moving forward with technologies that will provide exciting new products such as 3D displays. It's obvious that there will be opportunities to create value with innovative new display technologies. KODAK's ability to provide coated films produced inline with film production is an important step in this direction.

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Camera by Kodak

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (JenniferCisney) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EDT

If you are planning a wedding you might be excited to hear about the new one-time use Disney's Fairy Tale Wedding Camera by Kodak.

Wrapped with a Cinderella's coach design they are perfect for your guests to take pictures of your special day!

"Making single-use cameras available to wedding guests is a great idea," said professional wedding photographer Isabel Gomes. "The candid snapshots that guests take provide the happy couple with another perspective and tell the complete story of the wedding and the reception, complementing the vision of their hired photographer. Some of these images are classic, reminding the newlyweds that, yes, everyone really did have a great time. Doing so with a KODAK camera means you can trust that you will get great images every time."

And for a limited time, if you order 20 or more cameras you get a Kodak digital picture frame - FREE!

The Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings camera by Kodak is available at disneyweddings.com

To see some great wedding photos visit this blog post about Isabel Lawrence Photographers over on 1000 Words blog.

Wired says Kodak's Little Black Box Spreads Media-Streaming Love

undisclosed@pluggedin.kodak.com (JenniferCisney) — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:39:17 EDT

Wired reviewed the Kodak Theatre HD Player and gave it 8 out of 10 stars.

"Color us pleasantly surprised then by Kodak's new Theatre HD player. Within minutes of hooking up this unassuming little black box to our TV, our skepticism vanished faster than Arctic Sea Ice."

"All told, it took us less than 10 minutes to get the Theatre HD up and running. And once we started streaming up HD videos and browsing friends' Flickr feeds, it was frankly hard to stop."

You can read the entire review on wired.com.