10 Businesses Not Long for This World

Yes, including digital ones

(NEWSER) - It's the end of an era: Eastman Kodak, the company that invented the hand-held camera, announced today that it intends to stop making them in an effort to save money—and yes, that includes digital cameras. It will also stop making pocket video cameras and digital picture frames, reports the Democrat and Chronicle . Executives say the move is a "logical extension" of their current strategy, and will save Kodak more than $100 million a year. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. More»

It uses data hidden in old photos to scan the web for new ones

(NEWSER) - The Consumerist takes note of a nifty website that might help you track down a stolen digital camera. The site, stolencamerafinder.com , works on a relatively simple formula. You drag and drop one of your old photos taken with the camera, and the site extracts signature data from it and scans the web for matches. (You can also type in the serial number.) If the thief has uploaded a photo to, say, a Facebook page or another site with a profile, you might have your culprit. Of course, it's then up to you to figure out how to get it back. More»

Picture-perfect phone closes the shutter on camera phone rivals

(NEWSER) - Adding a camera to a phone isn't exactly a novel concept, but the Motozine ZN5 breaks the mold by making it a proper digital camera instead of a feeble afterthought, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. For quality, he raves, "the ZN5’s photos trump anything offered by any carrier in the United States." More»

It will make enough film to last through '09, then turn focus to digital

(NEWSER) - The Polaroid photo company, whose familiar white-bordered snapshot has become an "icon," is leaving film behind to zoom in on digital equipment, Bloomberg reports. The Massachusetts company was founded in 1937 and in 1948 released the first instant camera, pulling in huge profits—but with the popularity of digital cameras, Polaroid has faced “a technologically driven decline,” said COO Tom Beaudoin. More»

From the Netherlands to Japan to L.A., a Guardian scribe picks his faves

(NEWSER) - Not all bookstores are mega-style these days. Some are even built in churches, theaters, and 19-century buildings. A Guardian scribe lists his top 10 booksellers worldwide:

1. Maastricht, Netherlands: Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen. Owners converted an 800-year-old church into a divine bookstore.
2. Buenos Aires' El Ateneo. Once a theater, its stage is now a cafe where readers flip pages and sip coffee.
3. Porto, Portugal's Livraria Lello. Started as a bookstore in 1881, it boasts stained glass ceilings and ornate wood carvings.
4. Secret Headquarters comic shop in Los Angeles. Nestled in hip Silver Lake, this boutique is for the refined comic lover.
5. Borders in Glasgow. Okay, so this one's a chain—but it's tucked into a neo-classical 19th-century building.