Kodak engineer Steven Sasson, inventor of the digital camera, has been voted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame. In 1975 Sasson built a camera using solid state electronics, solid state imagers and an electronic sensor known as a charged coupled device (CCD). In 1978, he and his supervisor, Gareth A. Lloyd, were issued a U.S. patent for the first digital camera. The Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame was created in 2000 to recognize the pioneers of the CE industry and has honoured more then 110 industry leaders.

Consumer Electronics Association Press Release

Inventor of the Digital Camera Voted into the 2007 CE Hall of Fame

Steven Sasson, Eastman Kodak Engineer, to Receive Award CEA Industry Forum

ARLINGTON, Va.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Steven Sasson, an electrical engineer at Eastman Kodak Company who invented the digital camera, has been named to the Consumer Electronics (CE) Hall of Fame. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA®) created the CE Hall of Fame in 2000 to recognize the pioneers of the CE industry and has honored more then 110 industry leaders including inventors, engineers, business executives, retailers and journalists.

“We are pleased to honor such distinguished individuals through election to our industry’s Hall of Fame,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Their contributions played a key role in the products and technologies that provide enjoyment and a better and more productive life for consumers all over the world.”

Sasson will join 10 other honorees who will be formally inducted at the association’s annual awards dinner, held in conjunction with CEA’s Industry Forum on October 14-17, 2007 in San Diego, California.

In 1975 while working at Eastman Kodak Company, Sasson accepted the challenge of building a camera using solid state electronics, solid state imagers and an electronic sensor known as a charged coupled device (CCD) that gathers optical information. In 1978, he and his supervisor, Gareth A. Lloyd, were issued a U.S. patent for the first digital camera.

“It is an incredible honor to be included in this group of contributors to the field of electronics, especially for something related to taking pictures,” said Sasson. “The thing to remember about the digital revolution in photography is that it changed how we take pictures. The most important aspect of photography, why we take pictures, remains the same. Our memories are our most important possessions, and the job of this or any other technology is to enable us to make these vital parts of our lives easier and even more valuable.”

The 2007 class also includes Dr. Amar Bose, founder of Bose Corp.; Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft; John McDonald, former president of Casio USA; retailers Richard M. “Dick” Schulze, founder and chairman of Best Buy and William Crutchfield, founder of Crutchfield Corp.; the late attorney James Edward Day, who represented the consumer electronics industry in the landmark Betamax case; the team of Karlheinz Brandenberg, Dr. Dieter Seitzer and Dr. Heinz Gerhäuser who oversaw the development of the MP3 digital music format at the Fraunhofer Institute in Erlangen, Germany; and the late Art Weinberg, a journalist who reported on the industry.

For more information on the CE Hall of Fame, visit: www.CE.org.

About CEA
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $148 billion U.S. consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 2,100 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, digital imaging, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. CEA’s resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry.

CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

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