The Kodak EasyShare-one comes with Kodak EasyShare Software version 5.1 for Windows and Macintosh. The software also includes QuickTime for playing movies, but no movie editing options are available. The program has several tabs running down the left side of the screen: My Collection, Print at Home, Order Prints Online, Email, Creative Projects, and Kodak EasyShare Center. Across the top of the screen are options pertaining to the chosen tab. For instance, the Print at Home tab has buttons across the top for the printer setup, paper alignment, to-do lists, and other options. Users can browse through photos at any time with the My Collection browser and select individual pictures to edit. The editing options include Crop, Rotate, Red-eye Reduction, Enhance, Scene Balance, Color Balance, Scene Effects, and Fun Effects. There is also a Help button to explain editing functions, such as the ambiguously named Scene Balance that adjusts the brightness of the image. The Fun Effects setting was the most interesting editing tool to play with. There are four buttons – Spotlight, Coloring Book, Cartoon, and Fisheye – that apply amusing effects to the picture.

The beauty of a wireless camera is that it won’t need jacks, ports, and plugs. Nevertheless, the Kodak EasyShare-one includes them. A rubber port door covers the DC in and mini-USB / A/V out jacks. The A/V out jack can be selected to transfer in NTSC or PAL format. There is a connector on the bottom of the camera that sits atop the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 or Camera Dock Series 3.

The Kodak EasyShare-one has more direct print options than most digital cameras. Not only is it compatible with PictBridge, but it can also print to Image Link compliant printers. And because the EasyShare-one has a Wi-Fi card, users can sit in their living rooms and wirelessly send pictures to their home printers (granted they too have wireless cards). The EasyShare-one uses its SDIO Wi-Fi 802.11b signal to transfer images to the printer at a rate of 11 MB per second. If there are several wireless enabled printers, computers, or camera phones, the Kodak EasyShare-one will sense them with its Apple Rendezvous technology; users need only to select the device they want to transfer images to. I used this system to select the Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3, which also has a dock for the camera. Users can crop images before sending them to the printer, but users cannot access the features located on the printer itself. The Printer Dock Series 3 has a red-eye reduction button on it that I found very useful because the EasyShare-one produced a lot of red eyes. However, this feature was only available when I physically docked the EasyShare-one onto the printer. The Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 produces waterproof 4 x 6-inch prints and is wireless and Bluetooth enabled. The printer charges the camera’s battery when it is docked.

 

The EasyShare-one package includes two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and a battery charger that plugs straight into the wall. Kodak goes above and beyond by offering two batteries so they can be switched out. The skinny KLIC-5000 battery can also recharge within the camera when it is docked in a Series 3 printer or dock.

The Kodak EasyShare-one provides the most internal memory by far of any compact digital camera. With 256 MB, the EasyShare-one successfully bridges the gap between a digital camera and a digital photo album. The camera also has a slot for SD or MMC cards and can accept cards up to 1 GB.

 

Wi-Fi-Enabled – The Kodak EasyShare-one was the first consumer Wi-Fi digital camera announced and one of the first to be released. This could be the next big thing in digital photography, as the marketing research Yankee Group estimated that Wi-Fi use in public HotSpots climbed 600 percent in 2004. Wi-Fi allows the EasyShare-one to wirelessly send photographs to a printer or even e-mail them. So now if you’re vacationing on the West Coast and want to send a picture to your sister on the East Coast, you can do it in a matter of seconds. The Kodak EasyShare-one includes a wireless card that must be popped up from the top of the camera for it to search for and communicate with wireless networks. The camera can sync with your wireless home network, even if it’s encrypted – you just have to enter the password. You must also choose your country’s Kodak EasyShare Gallery URL and enter your password for photo e-mailing. The EasyShare-one can sync with other wireless devices as well, including the optional Kodak Printer Dock Series 3 (when it has an optional wireless card as well). When the digital camera is searching for networks, it will provide a list of those it found from computers, printers, and other devices. Users must then choose which device to connect to so they can e-mail, print, or otherwise transfer photos wirelessly.

 

Virtual Keyboard – This Kodak has a virtual keyboard that lets users enter text for folder names, picture labels, and e-mail messages. The keyboard is complete with numbers, letters, caps, shift, tab, space bar, and even a “.com” button to make typing e-mail addresses easier. The virtual letters are quite small though, so a direct hit from the stylus is required. Sometimes when users keep hitting ‘e’ and the camera registers a ‘w’, the LCD screen just needs to be calibrated; this can be done in the setup menu.

 

Self-timer - The Kodak EasyShare-one has a self-timer that can be selected to capture photos 2-60 seconds after the shutter release button is pressed – a far more expansive selection than most cameras provide. Users get a countdown with the LED on the front of the camera.

 

Two-year Warranty – Register the Kodak EasyShare-one within 30 days and the camera is covered for two years. Most digital cameras come with a one-year warranty, so the EasyShare-one goes above and beyond.   

 

Limited Time Offers – From now until June 2006, EasyShare-one owners can get a free bound book of their favorite photos and ten free prints on the Kodak EasyShare Gallery. A certificate comes with each digital camera with a password for the free gifts. Users can also sign up for a free 30-day trial of T-Mobile HotSpot Internet access service.

 

Selectable Sound Themes – There are several sound themes to choose from, although I can’t say that I understand how the names of these themes relate to the actual sounds. The options are Shutter Only, Standard, Dew, Skies, Dunes, and Days. All of these sound like different electronic beeps to me. If you’re not into making noise at your photo shoot, the Sound Volume can be turned off; it can also be turned to Low, Medium, or High.

 

Box Contents – When you purchase the Kodak EasyShare-one, you won’t just get a digital camera. A Kodak Wi-Fi card will come included as well as a wrist strap, two rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, a wall-mount battery charger, a leather case, an audio-video cable, a USB cable, Kodak EasyShare Software, a Getting Started kit, and a camera insert to fit the optional camera or printer dock.