NTT DoCoMo, Samsung, Fujitsu, Fujitsu Semiconductor, NEC and Panasonic announced plans on Tuesday to establish a joint venture in which the firms hope to work together to create LTE and LTE Advanced products. The fabless JV will specifically focus on the development of “feature-rich, small-size, low-power-consumption semiconductor products equipped with modem functionality” for LTE and LTE Advanced networks. Products developed by the companies will be sold globally. NTT DoCoMo will invest $5.8 million in the joint venture but it is unclear how much of an ownership stake it will have, or how much the other five companies plan to invest. They hope to have the partnership fully established by March of next year. NTT DoCoMo’s press release follows after the break.

DOCOMO and Five Companies to Set Up Communication Platform Joint Venture Company

TOKYO, JAPAN, December 27, 2011 — NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has reached a basic agreement with five companies —Fujitsu Ltd., Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd., NEC Corporation, Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. — to establish a fabless joint venture company by the end of March 2012 to develop and sell semiconductor products for mobile devices.

The joint venture company, leveraging the six investing companies’ strong backgrounds in cellular communication technology and vast experience in application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) design and foundry manufacturing, will develop feature-rich, small-size, low-power-consumption semiconductor products equipped with modem functionality. The joint venture company will focus on developing products for LTE and LTE-Advanced mobile communication standards. The products will be sold in markets globally.

The envisioned joint venture company will be formed once all parties agree on the details, which are now being worked out through consultation. Following the basic agreement announced today, and as part of preparing to form the joint venture company, DOCOMO plans to invest 450 million Japanese yen, or about 5.8 million USD*, to establish a wholly owned subsidiary, called Communication Platform Planning Co., Ltd. and headed by CEO Mitsunobu Komori, concurrently an executive vice president and Chief Technical Officer of DOCOMO, by the middle of January.

Panasonic announced Friday that it intends to expand its smartphone business into Europe in March 2012, and it hopes the move will be a stepping stone into the global smartphone market. Panasonic didn’t name its first smartphone, but did say that it features an ultra-slim form factor with a 4.3-inch qHD OLED screen. The phone is also waterproof and dust-proof, and will be manufactured in one of Panasonic’s Malaysian factories. Panasonic hopes to sell 1.5 million smartphones in Europe next year, and by 2016 the company aims to be selling 15 million phones cell phones annually, 9 million of which it expects will be smartphones. Panasonic’s full press release follows after the break. 

Panasonic to Expand Smartphone Business to European Market

Tokyo, Japan - Panasonic announced today that it will expand its smartphone business to the European market in March 2012. At the same time, it announced its aim to bring its overseas smartphone sales to nine million units in fiscal year 2016, ending March 31, 2016, using Europe as a stepping stone to the global market.

With the mobile phone market rapidly shifting to smartphone usage worldwide and a steady growth expected particularly overseas, Panasonic aims to tap into this growth with its first global model smartphone for the European market in March 2012.

The main characteristics of the global model are:

1. An ultra-slim D-shaped design for easy portability
2. Slim bezel with high viewing quality Quarter HD (QHD) 4.3-inch large organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen
3. Waterproof and dustproof for ease of handling

Using this as a reference model, Panasonic will expand its lineup, aiming at sales of 1.5 million smartphones in Europe next fiscal year. Furthermore, in fiscal year 2016, Panasonic targets global sales of 15 million units, including nine million in Europe, Asia, China, and the United States and six million in Japan (of which five million are smartphones).

The Panasonic Group created the Systems & Communications Company (SNC) in April this year in advance of its reorganization scheduled for January 2012 in order to handle products and services related to system, network and mobile communications. Within this company, Panasonic will maximize its internal resources, including making use of an existing factory in Malaysia. Currently, phones for the Japanese market are manufactured in this factory but now the same factory is also scheduled to manufacture the first global model as announced.

Panasonic will continue to expand its product lineup and increase sales in a speedy process by thoroughly utilizing the Group’s technological assets and development resources as well as its production and sales sites around the world, thereby strengthening development, production, and sales structure and product competitiveness.

Panasonic’s line of Toughbook notebooks can handle a whole heap of abuse, and the company is now cleverly expanding into the tablet market with the same basic principles of durability and security. Panasonic on Monday unveiled its Toughpad family of Android-powered devices, with both 7 and 10-inch options. The first model, the Panasonic Toughpad A1, is a 10-inch tablet that features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of storage, FIPS 140-X compliance, optional LTE or WiMAX connectivity, GPS, a drop rating of 4 feet and 10 hours of battery life. Panasonic’s tablets will also be able to withstand a wide range of temperatures and are resistant to dust and water, in addition to sporting anti-reflective and anti-glare displays. The first Toughpad, the 10-inch A1, will go on sale starting in Spring of 2012 for $1,299, and the 7-inch Toughbook B1 will go on sale later in 2012. Panasonic’s full press release can be found after the break.

PANASONIC UNVEILS TOUGHPAD™ FAMILY OF PROFESSIONAL-GRADE ANDROID-POWERED TABLETS

World’s most reliable 10” and 7” tablets deliver the enhanced security, advanced device management and application eco-system required by business and government users

Secaucus, NJ, November 7, 2011 – Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable handheld and tablet computers since 1996, today unveiled the Toughpad™ family of professional-grade Android™-powered tablets (#Toughpad), which includes a 10” and 7” device. The devices—targeting mission-critical and highly mobile workers—will be supported by an eco-system that includes an enterprise focused app store, peripherals, developer tools, deployment support and more.

The 10” Toughpad A1, available first, is ideal for highly mobile outdoor workers in markets like aviation, construction, field sales and the public sector, where exposure to extreme environments is a constant challenge and the consequence of a failure is significant. The device can also be used as a tool to optimize business processes as a cost effective pen / paper replacement. The 7” Toughpad B1 targets similar markets, but in applications where screen real estate is not as critical and where device mobility and portability are critical.

“Panasonic has been a leading force in the government and enterprise mobile computing space—including tablet, convertible tablet, and handheld devices—for over fifteen years,” said Rance M. Poehler, President, Panasonic Solutions Company. “For many manufacturers this is new territory, but it’s currently one of Panasonic’s growing product categories. Because of this, we have the unique ability to apply our market knowledge, intellectual property, engineering and R&D resources to deliver an Android-powered tablet that is radically different from the largely consumer-based devices on the market today. The Toughpad tablets are developed from the inside out to address the needs of the business users. As a result, our customers will get the most rugged, reliable and enterprise-appropriate tablets in the world – helping to drive efficiency and productivity in ways that were never possible. The Toughpad tablets will be backed by our world class service and support infrastructure, including our U.S. dedicated hot-line support, 2 day or less service turn-time, and our customer facing field engineering staff.”

Panasonic has created a purpose-built line of Android-powered tablets, designed with enhanced security, long product life, and advanced device management in mind. The Panasonic Toughpad family will allow government and commercial enterprises, as well as SMBs, to realize the true potential of tablet computing without sacrificing security and while delivering a high return on investment.

Enterprise-class Security
Enterprise-class mobile computing requires an enhanced level of device security that is not available in today’s tablet market. To address this need, the new Toughpad family is designed with security in mind. The Toughpad A1 incorporates security embedded at the hardware level and offer technologies like hardware and software encryption, enhanced VPN, dual factor authentication, trusted boot and device management. This enhanced level of device security means the Toughpad A1 will be compliant with FIPS 140-2 for Federal government use and HIPAA ready for healthcare environments.

The Toughpad™ family can be managed with a custom set of low level controls that provide IT Administrators with unprecedented power over their Android-powered devices. This level of mobile device management (MDM) is essential for successfully deploying and managing Android-powered tablets in the field. These controls allow IT managers to distribute applications in a one-to-many environment, secure devices from unauthorized use and many other granular features not found in consumer-grade Android-powered tablets.

A Rich Application Environment for Government and Enterprise Mobility
Besides having access to the existing selection of Android Market™ applications, the Toughpad is supported by the Business AppPortal™, an enterprise-focused app store offering best-of-breed vertical market specific solutions as well as applications addressing broad enterprise concerns, including Mobile Device Management, security and virtualization.

This highly secure, cloud-based user storefront allows IT Managers and developers to store, download and test applications for use on their Toughpad devices. Panasonic will also offer private application stores within the Business AppPortal, which businesses can customize to meet their specific needs.

Purpose-built for Real-world Mobility
The Toughpad A1 has a high brightness, 10.1” XGA capacitive, multi-touch, daylight-viewable screen so mobile workers, in markets like supply chain logistics, utilities and the military, can easily see critical data and operate the device regardless of lighting conditions.

The Toughpad A1 offers a stylus and active digitizer, enabling flexible data entry in the field, as well as signature capture and handwriting recognition functionalities—ideal for sales, customer service and mobile point-of-service environments. Other features include integrated cameras, a serviceable battery, multiple options for peripheral connectivity and battery life that will accommodate a full day of work.

The new Toughpad family is designed to meet many of the same durability standards as Panasonic’s Toughbook PC product line. The devices have MIL-STD-810G ratings for drops as well as ingress protection ratings for resistance to dust and water. The Toughpad A1 is also rated for use in a wide range of temperatures. This elevated level of durability results in tablets that deliver reliability in almost any environment, assuring maximum mobile worker productivity.

The Toughpad A1 offers optional 4G (LTE or WiMAX) mobile broadband as well as Bluetooth® v2.1 + EDR, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and satellite GPS.

Panasonic Toughpad™ A1: Select Features and Specifications
Operating System
Android™ 3.2 (Honeycomb)
Processor
Marvell 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Storage
16GB
Optional Storage
MicroSD optional up to 32GB
RAM
1GB LP-DDR2
Display
500 nit, daylight readable, 10.1” XGA (4:3), capacitive multi-touch with anti-reflective and anti-glare treatment and built in ambient light sensor
Battery Life
10 hours (serviceable battery)
Weight
2.13lbs (without pen)
Drop Rating
4 ft.
Ingress Protection
IP65
Temperature rating
14F to 122F (operational)
Inputs
Micro-USB, microSDHC, micro HDMI
Camera
5MP rear, 2MP front
Connectivity/Comms
4G (LTE or WiMAX), 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR, Satellite GPS
Security Features
Hardware-level security, FIPS 140-X and HIPPA compliant, cable lock slot
Dimensions
10.5 x 8.3 x 0.67 in.

Pricing and Availability
The Toughpad™ A1 will be available in the Spring of 2012 starting at $1299. The Toughpad B1 will be released later in 2012, with more details coming closer to availability. Both devices can be purchased through authorized Panasonic resellers.

Sales inquiries for Panasonic’s Toughpad family of Android-powered tablets should be directed to sales.psc@us.panasonic.com or 877-803-8492.

The Toughpad family comes standard with the industry’s most comprehensive 3-year warranty.

Panasonic will offer a full set of professional-grade accessories to support the Toughpad line, including cases, mounts, printers, keyboards, magnetic stripe readers, Smart Card Readers and multi-unit storage and charging solutions.

More information on the Toughpad tablets can be found at http://www.PanasonicToughpad.com

Images of the Toughpad can be found on the brand’s Flickr page; various Toughpad videos can be found on the brand’s YouTube page and an article discussing enterprise tablet computer deployment considerations can be found on the brand’s blog – Toughbloggers.com.

Follow the Toughpad™ Brand (#Toughpad):
The Panasonic Toughpad brand can be followed on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Toughbloggers.com.

About Panasonic Solutions Company
Panasonic Solutions Company empowers people whose jobs depend on reliable technology. The company delivers collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for customers in government, healthcare, education and a wide variety of commercial enterprises. Products and services within the company’s portfolio include Panasonic Toughbook and Toughpad mobile computing solutions, projectors, professional displays (including both plasma and LCD), and HD and 3D video acquisition and production solutions. As a result of its commitment to R&D, manufacturing and quality control, Panasonic is known for the reliability and longevity of its products. Panasonic Solutions Company is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC).

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic Solutions Company’s full line of products can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at www.panasonic.com/business-solutions.

Android and Android Market are trademarks of Google, Inc.

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NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu, NEC and Panasonic are discussing a joint venture with Samsung that could be created as early as next year, Reuters reported recently. The companies will develop new smartphone baseband chips in an attempt to compete directly with Qualcomm, which currently has an 80% grip on the baseband chip industry. NTT DoCoMo will be the majority owner in the Japan-based joint venture and the total investment is expected to be about $390 million. The joint venture will help each firm cut down procurement costs. Samsung has considered using the new chips in its future family of GALAXY-branded handsets, but the group will also sell the new chips to other smartphone manufacturers. NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic and Samsung have not yet announced formal plans for the venture.

Read [Reuters] Read [PCWorld]

As Netflix continues to barrel into living rooms across the country, the thriving company announced new agreements Tuesday that will enable one-click access to its streaming video services on compatible partner devices. The new deal will place a dedicated Netflix button, complete with the Netflix logo, on remote controls that ship with various consumer electronics including Watch Instantly-enabled televisions, Blu-ray players and set top boxes. Manufacturers on board include Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Dynex (Best Buy’s in-house brand), Haier, Memorex, Boxee, Iomega and Roku. The deal is big news for Netflix, and it stands to substantially increase brand visibility. Netflix claims that there are currently more than 250 devices on the market compatible with its streaming video service. Hit the break for Netflix’s full press release.

Streaming From Netflix Will Soon be Even More Convenient With Netflix One-Click Remotes Introduced by Major Consumer Electronics Makers

Members to Benefit with a Netflix One-Click Button on Remote Controls for New Internet Connected TVs, Blu-ray Disc Players and Other Devices that Stream from Netflix

LOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) today announced that streaming from Netflix on TVs will soon be as easy as one click of a remote control as a number of the world’s leading consumer electronics companies have joined in a development effort to place Netflix-branded one-click buttons on remotes that operate Internet connected TVs, Blu-ray disc players and other devices that connect the Internet to the TV.

Beginning this Spring, buttons that specify “Netflix” – including some featuring the iconic red Netflix logo – are planned to be situated prominently on remote controls that operate certain new Blu-ray disc players from a variety of companies including Best Buy’s in-house Dynex brand, Haier, Memorex, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba.  Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba also will place the Netflix one-click button on remote controls for select new Internet-connected TVs.  Remote controls for the Boxee, Iomega and Roku set-top boxes also will feature the Netflix one-click remote.

“For members who want even more convenience when instantly watching TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix, the answer is about to be right in their hands,” said Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt.  ”No more turning on the TV, going to a home screen and searching for the Netflix icon.  With the Netflix one-click remote, it’s simply a matter of pushing the Netflix button to instantly watch any of the vast selection of TV shows and movies available to stream from Netflix.”

The Netflix one-click remote is the latest in a series of rapid technological advancements by Netflix to enable Netflix members to instantly watch TV shows and movies streamed by Netflix over the Internet.  Today there are more than 250 Netflix ready devices on the market.

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Here’s a bit of good news: Hulu has just announced that its Hulu Plus premium subscription service will shed $2 from its monthly price tag. As the press release reads: “The monthly price for Hulu Plus moving forward is just $7.99. Any current subscribers who joined during our preview period will receive a credit for the difference from the $9.99 preview price. This credit will automatically be applied to their next billing cycle.”

But the juice doesn’t stop there.  Hulu has also announced the following promotions:

• One free week trials for all new subscribers. In addition, current subscribers who joined during the preview period will receive a credit for one week of Hulu Plus toward their next month’s subscription.
• Two free weeks of Hulu Plus for both current subscribers and friends they invite through our referral program. Subscribers can learn more by clicking on the “Referrals” tab on their Hulu profile page.
• 11 weeks ($20 worth) of free Hulu Plus with the purchase of a Sony BRAVIA connected TV or Blu-ray player through January 31, 2011. (See sony.com/huluplus.)
• One free month of Hulu Plus with the purchase of a Roku device through December 15, 2010. (See roku.com/hulu.)

The release also notes that the service is launching on Roku today and will be coming to “Internet-connected Vizio, LG Electronics, and Panasonic Blu-ray players and HDTVs; TiVo Premiere DVRs; the Xbox 360; and Western Digital’s WD TV Live Hub Media Center and WD TV Live Plus Network Media Player,” in the coming months. Updates to the Hulu Plus iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Samsung, and PlayStation 3 players will be made available this week.

Anyone reconsidering Hulu Plus after the price drop?

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Today, Panasonic announced that they will add Twitter to the list of built-in web entertainment technologies on their VIERA CAST enabled HDTVs and Blu-ray disc players. The company already offers Skype, Netflix, Pandora, Fox Sports, Amazon Video-On-Demand, YouTube, Picasa, Bloomberg, and weather services on VIERA televisions with the IPTV functionality built-in. Panasonic’s VP of corporate development had this to say:

Since we introduced Panasonic VIERA CAST IPTVs three years ago we have added more and more of the top entertainment and social networking sites in the world. The addition of Twitter to VIERA CAST further strengthens the interactive options Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now use to communicate with family and friends worldwide.   Consumers with VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVS can now tweet on Twitter, video chat via Skype, share videos on YouTube and digital photos via Google Picasa right from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Maybe the future of HDTV isn’t in 3D and ridiculous refresh rates… maybe it’s applications? We’ve got the full press release for you after the break. Let us know if functionality like this is something that interests you, or if you think it is just something that will get in the way of your television-viewing enjoyment.

PANASONIC LAUNCHES TWITTER ON VIERA CAST PLASMA HDTVs

Consumers Can Now Tweet – One of Many Ways to Communicate – On Their Panasonic VIERA® Plasma HDTV.

SECAUCUS, NJ (August 17, 2010) – Panasonic, a worldwide leader in High Definition technology and built-in TV web entertainment announced the activation of Twitter® on Panasonic VIERA CASTTM enabled HDTVs. Twitter will also be available on VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Players at a later date. The planned addition of Twitter, a real-time global information network, was announced in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Twitter is the latest feature to be added to VIERA CAST, Panasonic’s proprietary IPTV function. Earlier this year, Panasonic added SkypeTM voice and video calling1, Netflix™, Pandora, and Fox Sports to an already robust list of popular entertainment and information sites including Amazon Video-on-Demand™, YouTube™, Google’s Picasa™ Web Album, Bloomberg and a weather service.

Twitter is an information network that enables its users to send and read other user messages called Tweets — text-based posts of up to 140 characters. Twitter has achieved enormous growth since its founding in 2006. Proof of that is evidenced by the fact that there are 70 million Tweets written per day by more than 145 million users worldwide.

For 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs, Panasonic also introduced USB connectivity which enables the addition of a wireless LAN adaptor (802.11b or faster), a keyboard for more efficient site navigation and communication, and USB memory which supports AVCHD video and JPEG photos. VIERA CAST requires no external box or PC2 and is accessed via a single button on the television remote control. There is no fee to use the VIERA CAST functionality (some VIERA CAST services such as VOD have a separate fee structure).

“Since we introduced Panasonic VIERA CASTTM IPTVs three years ago we have added more and more of the top entertainment and social networking sites in the world,” said Merwan Mereby, Panasonic’s Vice President, Corporate Development. “The addition of Twitter® to VIERA CAST further strengthens the interactive options Panasonic VIERA HDTV owners can now use to communicate with family and friends worldwide. Consumers with VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVS can now tweet on Twitter, video chat via Skype, share videos on YouTube and digital photos via Google Picasa right from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Panasonic VIERA Plasma HDTV’s featuring VIERA CAST:
Ø VT25 and VT20 Series of Full HD 3D Plasmas:
Ø G25 Series:
Ø G20 Series:

Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Players featuring VIERA CAST (Twitter not yet available):
Ø DMP-BDT350 (Full HD 3D)
Ø DMP-BDT300 (Full HD 3D)
Ø DMP-BD85
Ø DMP-BD70V
Ø DMP-BD65
Ø DMP-B500 (Portable)

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In a world where BlackBerry, Android, iPhone, Symbian, Windows Mobile and webOS dominate the mobile OS space, it’s been tough for LiMo to get a little love. Sure Android and webOS are Linux-based, but it’s just not the same. In an interesting move, Panasonic and NEC have chosen to go with LiMo — unveiling nine new devices that will feature the open-source operating system. Japanese mobile carrier KDDI and touchscreen company Immersion Corp are teaming up for the project but LiMo is hoping to the move grabs the attention of larger manufacturers such as Nokia, Samsung and LG. Good luck with that. With less costs involved in running open source systems it could be more enticing for manufacturers to look to LiMo in the future. The mobile OS space is already pretty cluttered however, so don’t expect LiMo to start popping up on anything relevant from amongst the big boys any time soon.

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On Monday, April 20, Panasonic and NEC are expected to unveil nine devices that run on the Linux-powered LiMo operating system. While not much is known about the soon-to-be-announced devices at this time, proponents of open source operating systems will apparently have plenty of cause for celebration in 2009. Current members of the LiMo Foundation include Motorola, NEC, Panasonic, LG and Samsung, though the latter two have yet to unveil a single LiMo device to date. Still, the foundation does have an all-star line-up of carriers backing it up as NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have all announced they will be carrying LiMo devices at some point this year. While there might not be too much to account for at the moment, the LiMo picture is apparently about to get a whole lot clearer.

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For those that are in a “rougher” industry than us, you might already be carrying a Panasonic Toughbook. If you are, you’ll know that the fully-ruggedized models are pretty huge. But if you don’t require maximum roughness, Panasonic has come to market with their lightest model yet, and we’re definitely intrigued. The new Toughbook F8 is the lightest 3G-ready notebook to hit the market, but that’s not the best part. The best part, if you’ve been keeping up with all things hip, is that the 3G option is actually Qualcomm’s Gobi chip. That makes it possible to practically use any carrier in the world. Got Verizon at home but frequently travel outside the country? You’re good to go. We’ve ever heard reports of people using both Verizon and AT&T domestically depending on where they are traveling. That’s pretty hot! Here are some of the specs from the new notebook:

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SP9300, 2.26 GHz (6MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM standard, expandable to 4GB
• 160GB HDD, shock-mounted
• Integrated DVD Multi Drive
• 14.1″ 1280 x 800 WXGA anti-glare TFT active matrix color LCD
• TPM Security Chip, v1.2
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/draft-n
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (with XP downgrade option)
• Dimensions: 9.9″(L) x 12.8″(W) x 1.0″/1.9″ front/rear (H) (without protrusion)
• Weight: Approximately 3.7 lbs
• Battery life: Approximately 6 hours
• Wireless on-off switch (WWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR
• Optional integrated Gobi(TM)  3G global mobile Internet (EV-DO and HSPA)

Now if only their tablet was this small and light… we’d be all over that! You know, since we’re going to keep mocking our Dell Latitude XT for being a piece of crap. The Panasonic F8-series is set to hit in November for an estimated street price of $2,499.

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Panasonic announced on Friday the 12MP Lumix DMC-G1, the world’s first camera based upon the new Micro Four Thirds standard. Announced in August by Olympus and Panasonic, the micro four thirds standard allows for reduced size and weight in both camera bodies and camera lenses by removing the mirror box from the lens design. Sacrificing a true to life optical viewfinder for a mirror-less Live View electronic viewfinder, the distance from the lens mount and the image sensor (flangeback distance) has been cut in half. The lens mount itself has also been decreased by 6mm. Smaller flangeback distance and smaller lens mount = Lighter cameras and smaller lenses. No more lugging around a 10lb gear bag as the new G1 weighs in at a mere 385 grams (0.85 lbs) and has shrunk 6-8mm in size; while still retaining the overall shape, feel, and performance of a heavier, full-bodied DSLR. Sweet! It is expected in the US in November 2008. The folks over at Imaging Resource got their hands on a pre-production model and have done a hands-on review. Click on the link to see how this new lightweight contender performs.

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As the economy continues to decline and unemployment rates continue to rise, now is a tough time for everyone. Particularly tough perhaps, if a big part of your business involves selling luxury items like HDTVs. In times of economic crisis people most often forgo big ticket items such as plasma and LCD TVs and opt to spend their money on, say, food and fuel. If you’re not one of the unlucky Americans hit hard by the current state of the union however, you might as well take advantage of some serious and wide-spread price dropping. The HDTV price cuts are manufacturer-instigated in most cases so the result will impact retailers across the country. While these new prices at major retailers still might not be the lowest you’ll find on the internet, it’s safe to assume eventually the price drops will be reflected in non-brick and mortar pricing as well. If things like a warranty and knowing for a fact that you won’t be screwed by some shady fly by night website, we say stick to the major shops and enjoy these cuts that bring most price points down to at least near-internet levels. Hit the read link to check out the full list of price drops, which includes 30 different HDTV models. The new pricing ranges from $100 off to $500 off; even up to $700 off taking a few new Best Buy sales into account.

[Via Unplggd]

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