Panasonic - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Analyst: Market for 3D TVs, portables to grow in 2011

  Sales of 3D television sets and handheld devices will surge this year after a weak start in 2010 as manufacturers step up production and marketing, an analyst said on Thursday.

• Self-encrypting drive sales on the up, claims Seagate

  Disk maker Seagate claims it is finally making some headway in its attempts to get businesses to start buying its self-encrypting drive (SED) products, with a tripling in sales in the last two quarters.

• IBM snares 5,896 patents, Apple debuts among top 50 patent winners

  IBM earned more U.S. patents in 2010 than any other company, topping the list of patent winners for the 18th year in a row.

• UltraViolet could mean you'll really 'own' that movie

  A group of Hollywood studios and technology companies has come up with a system for buying digital movies and TV shows that's supposed to do away with the problem of content being locked to a narrow set of devices by the company that sold it.

• Green gadget chargers go massive

  Markets for advanced charging technologies (including solar-powered handsets, solar chargers, wireless power units, fuel-cell battery charging products and public charging kiosks), worth about $1.5 billion in 2010, are forecast to grow at a robust Compound Annual Growth Rate of more than 86 percent to exceed $34 billion in 2015.

• The top 100 best tech products of 2010

  One of the best parts of our job is looking at hundreds of products every year. Many perform well, some are silly, and a select group rises above the pack. Here are the hardware, software, services, sites, and apps that we decided - after much discussion - stood out this year.

• Panasonic to expand Lumix brand to phones

  Panasonic is expanding its Lumix digital camera brand to cell phones and will unveil its first "Lumix Phone" at next week's Ceatec electronics show in Japan, the company said Friday.

• Panasonic unleashes 16-finger, hair washing robot

  Panasonic has developed a hair-washing robot that uses 16 electronically controlled fingers to give a perfect wash and rinse, the company said Friday.

• Panasonic robot gives 16-finger, automated hair washing

  Panasonic has developed a hair-washing robot that uses 16 electronically controlled fingers to give a perfect wash and rinse, the company said Friday.

• Panasonic debuts fast-focusing Lumix GH2

  Panasonic's Lumix GH2 digital still camera, the latest in its line-up of cameras with removable lenses, will go on sale next month and features a speedy auto-focus that takes just a tenth of a second to work. Panasonic says that's the fastest auto-focus yet for any camera of its type.

• MyNetFone signs exclusive VoIP deal with Panasonic

  VoIP and IP company MyNetFone (ASX:MNF) has signed an agreement to become the exclusive Australian distributor for a Panasonic line of VoIP-only products

• Panasonic debuts first consumer 3D HD camcorder

  Panasonic used the broiling, hectic setting of the U.S. Open tennis tourney in New York Wednesday to showcase the capabilities of its first handheld consumer-grade 3D camcorder. On a day so hot and humid that one athlete, Victoria Azarenka, collapsed and had to withdraw from competition, Panasonic showed how the US$1,400 Panasonic HDC-SDT750 handheld unit could record clear 3D video without the large and heavy hardware usually connected with 3D videography.

• 3D content is king at giant tech show

  Most observers agree that more content is needed for 3D to take off in the living room. An important part will be self-generated, Panasonic said Wednesday at the Internationale Funkaustellung (IFA) trade show in Berlin.

• Panasonic shows prototype 3D lens for Lumix cameras

  Panasonic showed for the first time on Wednesday a prototype lens for its Lumix DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras that will give them the ability to capture 3D still images.

• Panasonic debuts first consumer 3D camcorders

  Panasonic unveiled its first two consumer camcorders capable of recording video in 3D on Wednesday.