All the camera functions are good -- focus, white balance and response speed are fine. Movie mode is particularly impressive. However, that is not what this camera is about.

Kodak promise that you will get “email and online picture sharing without a computer” and “on-the-spot sharing of up to 1500 photos” plus wireless printing with the company’s wireless equipped EasyShare printers.

We have seen the camera demonstrated and all of these functions work. How? We are told that there are wireless receiver points all around the CBDs of the biggest cities. Via these nodes pictures can be sent to Kodak’s Gallery service for which they charge to store images. There is a short free trial period for new owners of the EasyShare-one.

However, when we tried the most elementary connection between the EasyShare-one and our home wireless network we could not connect. The camera scanned for networks and identified ours but when we entered the WEP security code number the camera rejected the connection. We tried every permutation of firewall and security setup and it would not connect. We could have phoned Kodak for technical assistance, but this option is not available to the normal customer so it would have been cheating.

The EasyShare-one also identified a wireless node in a city hotel showing that it does have promise for the peripatetic photographer.

Like this: The LCD viewing screen is superb. The fact that it swivels is a bonus.

Dislike that: The Kodak EasyShare-one goes against the company philosophy of making picture taking and processing simple. It is too difficult to use. And do you want to trust your picture storage to an unseen company in America?

Parting Shot: Wireless networking for data transfer is becoming a fact of life, but at the moment it suits nerds better than it does real human beings. A wireless digital camera is like a mobile phone -- it will become the norm when it can be turned on and expected to work without first fiddling under the bonnet.

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