Nokia to Enable Photo Printing from Cell Phones

Nokia and Kodak have announced a collaboration agreement that will offer Nokia mobile phone users convenient solutions to store and print digital images. Users of Nokia imaging phones, such as the Nokia 6600, will be able to upload, store, share and order prints of pictures with their handset using the Kodak Picture Center Online service. Nokia and Kodak will also jointly develop kiosk printing services and other retail printing solutions to empower mobile users to turn their favourite pictures into prints.

The rollout of the Kodak Picture Center online service has already started in Europe and will be followed by countries in Asia-Pacific in the second half of 2003. In the Americas, Kodak already offers its Ofoto service, with a similar functionality, to users of the Nokia 3650 imaging phone.

"This initiative is a strong demonstration of Nokia's dedication to bring new value to the digital imaging market through the benefits of mobility," says Juha Putkiranta, Senior Vice President, Imaging Business Unit, Nokia Mobile Phones. "The collaboration leverages Nokia's expertise in mobile imaging devices and knowledge of mobile consumers, and Kodak's expertise in photography. By matching the complementary skills of Nokia and Kodak, two world-class brands, we are able to provide the mobile marketplace with best-of-breed mobile printing solutions for the benefit of our customers."

With the Kodak Picture Center Online, owners of a Nokia 3650, Nokia 7650 and Nokia 6600 phone with an integrated digital camera can store their snapshots to an online photo album. Thanks to a Kodak application on their handset, users can also simultaneously order prints from the service. Later, the user can access and retrieve the picture from the virtual photo album, forwarding it again to another Multimedia Messaging -enabled and compatible device such as a mobile phone.

The Kodak Picture Center Online application will be distributed in sales packages of the Nokia 3650 and Nokia 6600 devices. The Kodak Picture Service Online application can also be downloaded from the Nokia and Kodak websites free of charge for existing users of the Nokia 7650 and Nokia 3650 imaging phones."

Posted to the site on 17th June 2003