You remember that scene at the end of Return of the Jedi, with all the Ewoks celebrating? That’s the Android community right now: a bunch of hairy dudes dancing around, celebrating their victories over oppression.

Instead of the Emperor, the opressor is HTC’s anti-tamper system, and instead of blowing up the Death Star, their victory is … finally perma-hacking the T-Mobile G2. See? This analogy totally works. Sort of. Not really.

The nutshelled story so far, for those who are just tuning in: the G2, while a pretty great handset, has an interesting.. feature. At first glance, it couldn’t be hacked — at least not permanently. Any changes made to the handset’s firmware would be lost the instant the handset was reset, preventing the hardcore crowd from permanently achieving the low-level, full system administration (“root”) access they wanted.

Early this morning (and after weeks of work), the pretty-much-unstoppable bunch over at XDA have triumphed once again. User Scotty2 achieved permanent root access on the G2, while user unforgiven512 has written up an instruction guide so all can partake.

Before you dive in, however, heed their warning: “THIS COULD PERMANENTLY BRICK YOUR PHONE, INSTEAD OF ROOT IT IF YOU DO THE EVER-SO-SLIGHTEST THING WRONG.” Ready to throw caution to the wind? Have at it.

• 3.7″ S-TFT LCD display (800×480)
• 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal, MicroSD slot (comes with 8GB)
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• HSPA+ access where available
• 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, 720p video

Pros:

• Beautiful and solid construction
• Screen extremely bright and sharp
• HSPA+ really is ridiculously fast
• Quick and responsive in every way

Cons:

• Perhaps a little too solid (heavy, bulky)
• Keyboard not my style (may be yours)
• Troublesome slide mechanism – damn thing keeps pinching me
• “Vanilla” Android 2.2 may not be enough, yet pre-installed apps too much, for some

Full review:

I’m not going to lie: the G2 was the first phone I was really looking forward to since the Nexus One. I’ve been using a G1 as my “actual” phone (as opposed to a review phone or backup) and I thought it would be appropriate to jump from one to the next. As it turns out, while I can’t say I’m disappointed exactly, I think the G2 isn’t a match for me. The thing is, they’ve made it a bit more extreme in a few ways, ways that will be extremely compelling for some people, but put off others.

Hardware

Let’s start with the phone itself. I haven’t had anyone see this phone without admiring it. The two-tone grey/metal body and black screen bezel make it look a little MacBook-ish at first glance, but on close inspection it has an understated and confident style that make it look simultaneously high-tech and accessible. The front is pleasantly symmetrical, and the back is pleasantly asymmetrical. There is a feeling of solidity and quality throughout, with no piece feeling cheap or out of place. Whoever HTC had on the ID team for the G2 should be given bonuses. It’s a thing of beauty.

It’s also a thing of mass. On being handed the phone, many have remarked that while it feels very solid, it’s also surprisingly heavy. At 6.7oz, it’s an ounce heavier than the larger Epic 4G and two ounces heavier than an iPhone. Sure, that doesn’t seem like a lot, but I assure you that it’s noticeable. Not that it’s uncomfortably heavy, but it will drag your pocket down, and when it falls, it sounds like you’ve dropped a dumbbell.

The sliding mechanism is a complicated one, and not everyone will dig it. I think it’s great when it works, but I feel this is one of the areas of the G2 in which the designers got ahead of themselves and made something that’s more cool than functional. It doesn’t really slide so much as it rises and falls in an arc, and not even a shallow arc. There’s a good third of an inch or more between the two halves of the G2 sandwich when you open it up, and although I know this is probably not the case, those little hinges don’t look like they’re going to last two months, let alone two years. But people said the same thing about the G1′s unorthodox slide method.

The thing that bothers me about the slide mechanism on the G2 is that it’s easy to get it wrong. Most slider phones require only that you apply pressure on the horizontal. With the G2, you must apply horizontal pressure, but only from below. If your thumb is even slightly above the horizontal, the slight downward pressure that creates acts against the mechanism, preventing the screen from sliding. It doesn’t sound like much of an issue, but think about it. You’re cradling the phone in your right hand. Where is your thumb? Above the phone. You have to reach across it and down to slide out the keyboard with that hand, and it is very close to impossible to open it from that position. In the left hand it’s child’s play, but in the right it’s way more difficult than it should be.

Because the screen part is thin, also, and because there is very little bezel on the sides of it, I tended to hit my email icon when I opened the phone (it unlocks automatically). That’s something you can get used to, but it’s still annoying. The volume button is also placed right where I tend to grip it, but that may not be a problem for you.

And as a last note on the slide mechanism, this little bastard keeps pinching me! Because the arc has a near-vertical start and end, there is room for a tiny bit of your finger or palm to get stuck in between. Now, some of you may say I just have flabby palms. But I tell you that is not the case. I’ve developed a method of avoiding being pinched, but hasty or negligent operation results in a little nip. Bad G2! No biting!

There are external buttons for the camera, power, volume, and battery release. They all have different feels, which I suppose is intentional. The volume button is a bit too easy to hit (it’s long and activates easily) while the power button is a bit too hard (it’s nearly flush with the case, and tilted back somewhat). The camera button is great, though, allowing you to hold it halfway down to focus and then trigger the exposure at will. The battery release is snappy, convenient, and hard to hit by accident. The charge port is about a quarter of the way up the left side — not convenient for any kind of cradle, but not as bad as having one on the top.

Under the attractive back panel you’ll find the battery, of course, which must be removed in order to switch SIM and MicroSD cards. I would have preferred being able to swap SD externally, but it’s not that big of a deal, especially with the size of MicroSD growing.

The face buttons (home, menu, back, search) all activate willingly and I rarely hit them by accident. Their activation area is pretty small, but I almost never had to look to hit the correct button. The trackpoint was responsive and worked just as well as a trackball, which is not much of a surprise. I would have preferred a matte finish on it… but really, that’s beyond nitpicking.

The 3.7″ “super LCD” display is super indeed. It’s extremely bright, perfectly visible in daylight, and showed colors extremely well. Its 800×480 resolution isn’t quite the pixel density of the iPhone 4, but is still excellent. Contrast is excellent, and at minimum brightness it gives out very little light (great for clock/alarm apps like Bedside). No complaints at all about it.

While there is an LED that lights up at the top of the phone when you’re charging, it is not used for notifications. Instead, the trackpad has a soft backlight that pulses on and off. I understand they were going for a monochrome thing, but color LED notifications are extremely practical and I wish the G2 had them. The subtle light-up notification is at least tasteful, however.

Keyboard

I suspect I may be in the minority on this one, but I didn’t particularly enjoy using the G2′s keyboard. The keys feel crisp when I press them with my index finger, but under my thumb they feel soft and smooshy. It feels a bit cramped vertically, though the spacing seems adequate objectively. I just don’t know what it is about the keyboard, but I can’t seem to type confidently, even after using it for more than a week straight. The slightly raised border at the bottom also interferes with my pressing of the bottom row of keys.

I can’t describe it adequately, and it’s certainly just my opinion (it’s clearly not bad), but I just didn’t enjoy the keyboard on this phone. It may be totally different for you, but I recommend getting it in your hands before pulling the trigger. They should have them on display all over the place, so take the time to stop in to a T-Mobile store and give it a test run.

Camera

The camera is 5 megapixels and has both autofocus and an LED flash. The results I got were mixed, and I wouldn’t say this is a particularly good example of a camera phone. It’ll take pictures when you need it to, sure, and on Facebook or printed out as 3x5s they’ll look fine, but the usual artifacting, noise, and smeary look of the small sensor camera are present in every shot. The flash, however, is powerful and shots taken with it turned out pretty decent.

Here are a couple sample shots; click for full resolution. You can really see how terrifying the sensor smear is on that one with the tree, and the exposure ain’t so hot either.

The stock camera app isn’t a powerful one, but I found it responsive and good enough for most basic shots. Touch to focus would have been really nice, though, and although I don’t like them I know people appreciate in-camera effects and presets.

Software and performance

Although the G2 is running a processor that’s 200MHz slower than other high-end smartphones on the market, it felt more responsive than any I’ve used. It installed, launched, and quit applications without the slightest hesitation. Navigation in my picture galleries and music collection was quick, and so was media when launched. Touches, drags, and gestures were accurate and it never ignored or forgot any interactions, as some phones do when they’re “thinking.” Angry Birds played as smoothly as it does on my iPad.

The browser is your basic Froyo browser, and it performs admirably here. Multi-touch is in full effect and I feel I’m truly getting the same mobile full-internet experience that I’ve always envied on iPhones.

The software kit shipped with the G2 is extensive: it comes with many “optional” Google applications pre-installed: Earth, Sky Map, Translate, Listen, Finance, Navigation, Latitude, and a few more. The idea they’re approaching, of course, is that eventually they’ll be able to provide you with pretty much everything you need pre-installed, minus a few personal apps and games.

Unfortunately, T-Mobile felt the need to install a few extra uninstallable apps. Photobucket and Web2Go are the most obvious, and Facebook and Twitter are non-removable as well. In fact, all the apps it comes with are non-removable, Google or not. It’s a bit disconcerting that this thing ships with more apps than I had in total on my G1.

There are a few bugs I noticed, though others haven’t affected me (like the random power-off issue mentioned in the comments). The keyboard backlight, for instance, tends to just shut off or turn on whenever it likes, whether I’m SMSing, emailing, or what have you. And I’ve noticed a lot of extra notifications — one email causes the phone to ding twice. By and large it’s a pretty polished experience, though; I don’t recall seeing any apps hang, fail to rotate, etc.

HSPA+ speeds are a little hard to gauge right now, but the G2 performed above normal 3G speeds even with only one “H” bar. Latency was extremely low, which is great when browsing the web. In an informal test against another phone running on 3G, I had a CrunchGear post fully loaded on the G2 before the other had even started rendering the page (both having launched from Google at the same time). It really felt nearly as fast as broadband on my desktop browser, though of course quite a bit smaller. How it compares to 4G I can’t say, but right now the areas where you have both good 4G coverage and good HSPA+ coverage are pretty few and far between, so I doubt many people will have to choose between them over the next few months. Incidentally, though, I’d go with the G2 over the Epic 4G now that I’ve played with them both.

The best speeds I got were around 8Mb/s, which is to say between 900KB/s and 1MB/s. I have no doubt that the phone could easily manage the maximum theoretical speed of the HSPA+ network, which is around 21Mb/s. The important thing is that I never felt limited by the network, as I often do even with a good 3G signal.

Conclusion

My favorite part of using the G2 was how everything seems to work together, and work well. There has clearly been much optimization, and having an app download, install, and launch all within four or five seconds is thrilling. My least favorite part was the hardware, though admittedly the hardware is still better than 90% of the phones out there. If you want what is essentially a Google-powered pocket computer weighing down your jacket, the G2 is an absolutely smashing phone. If you need something lightweight and simple, the G2 is overkill by miles. I’d go so far as saying this is the premier Android handset on the market right now, if the form factor is to your liking. Highly recommended — but as with any other major tech purchase, get it in your hand before you pull the trigger.

Product page: T-Mobile G2

At face value, the HTC G2 for T-Mobile seemed no harder for the Android modding community to crack into than any of the handsets that came before it. Once the hackers really had a chance to tear into it, however, something strange started happening: it… repaired itself. Hacks could be made, but they’d disappear as soon as the handset was reset.

Understandably, these temporary hacks just weren’t enough for some folks. Though much of the hardware hacking community is already attacking the issue full force, a group of users have come together to speed up the process with the oldest trick in the book: by throwing money at it.

A dozen-or-so users from the XDA-Dev forum (notorious for being the hot bed of mobile hacking talent) have started pooling up their cash for a “bounty” of sorts. The first person (or group of people) who can knock out the G2′s protection system and provide the community with a root access hack that is permanent, complete, and user-friendly walks away with a heavier wallet along with the standard adoration of their peers.

As of right now, the bounty is up at $631 bucks. About $400 of that has actually been sent in, while the rest is all just verbal pledges. Sure, it’s not yacht money — but walking away with bit o’ cash is always nicer than leaving with nothin’ more than a thank you note.

I have a confession to make: I know a little more than nothing about DSLR cameras. I *think* I know how to use the P setting but that’s about it. Still, like many others, I want art-quality photos so this commercial spot for the Panasonic Lumix G2 is clearly aimed right at folks like me. It’s good.

Some of us at CrunchGear and MobileCrunch can’t get enough of T-Mobile’s G-series phones. Considering there were only two – the G1 and now the G2 – it’s pretty impressive that these ur-Android devices have such a rabid following.

Even given the massive number of Android devices now floating around, it’s interesting that each new iteration is just a bit better than the last. The G2 reminds me of a Nexus One on steroids and the UI and form factor is a winner – it’s as thin as the N8 that we just got in but it blazes through apps like a Ferrari.

I’ve taken a few shots of the device and I’ll be carrying it this weekend and will report back next week. Thus far I’m quite impressed, especially the super-great little pop-out keyboard.

Best Buy Mobile Launches Pre-Sale of the T-Mobile® G2™ with Google™
The pre-sale begins Friday, September 10.
Best Buy Mobile today announced the T-Mobile® G2™ with Google™ will be available for pre-orders starting Friday, September 10. It will launch in stores October 6 and will retail for $199.99 with new two-year activation.

By adding the T-Mobile® G2™ with Google™ to its assortment, Best Buy Mobile furthers its position as the place for consumers to research and purchase the smart phone that is right for their needs. Best Buy Mobile has the most under smart phones under one roof, including the iPhone 4, HTC EVO 4G (Black or White version), the full line of Samsung Galaxy smart phones and the BlackBerry Torch, among others.

The G2 is T-Mobile’s first phone on its advanced network that lets consumers connect at 4G speeds. It has the Android 2.2 operating system, an exclusive hinge design (HTC calls it “Z-Hinge”) that opens up to a QWERTY keyboard and a full touch screen 3.7” S-TFT WVGA with clear images and wide viewing angle.

Pre-orders can be made by visiting any local Best Buy or Best Buy mobile standalone store.

At Best Buy Mobile, consumers can compare the latest devices from popular carriers and plans in store or online. For more information on the T-Mobile® G2™ with Google™, and other smart phones available at Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com/mobile.

[via Electronista]

Just to recap, the G2 and G10 are the latest from Panasonic using the Micro Four Thirds format. They both sport a 12.1 megapixel sensor and a 3″ LCD screen. Both shoot in 720p, and come with a 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 lens in the basic kit. The G2 also has an LCD touchscreen that is capable of folding out and twisting to whatever angle (within 180 degrees side to side and 270 degrees up and down). The G10 is a little more basic, but has a software set designed towards the beginning user. The G10 also has a standard LCD display instead of the touchscreen/rotating display. Pricing is still not available yet, but we should know about a month before release.

Here’s the press releases for all the gritty technical details:

LUMIX DMC-G2, WORLD’S FIRST* INTERCHANGEABLE LENS SYSTEM CAMERA WITH TOUCH-CONTROL MOVABLE LCD

Panasonic LUMIX G2 Features a 3-Inch Touch-Screen, Allowing for Quick and Intuitive Setting Changes, such as Focus, with a Single Touch

Secaucus, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today announces the LUMIX DMC-G2, the world’s first* digital interchangeable lens system camera with a movable LCD that allows for touch-control, and the successor to the award-winning and revolutionary LUMIX G1, which was the world’s first Micro Four Thirds digital camera. The intuitive touch-control shooting elevates the camera’s operability, letting the user adjust auto focus (AF) simply by touching the subject on the large 3.0-inch 460,000-dot high- resolution LCD. The LUMIX G2, also shoots 720p High Definition video using the AVCHD Lite format, and joins the LUMIX G10, also introduced today, as the latest models in the LUMIX G Micro System.

With the touch-screen operation, users can even snap a photo by touching the LUMIX G2′s screen. Additionally, the touch-screen operation excels not only for shooting but also during playback. Users can touch one thumbnail viewed among many to quickly and easily see the full size of the desired photo. Also, to view images one-by-one, photos can be dragged across the screen to browse as though flipping the pages of a book.

“With the LUMIX G2, Panasonic is pleased to continue to lead the evolution of the Micro Four Thirds platform and also be the first in the industry to offer a touch-screen interchangeable lens system camera,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “Touch-operation is a user interface with which many consumers are both familiar and expect, and we think the LUMIX G2′s touch-operation makes it easier and quicker to take photos and videos that have professional-like effects.”

Using the touch-screen operation, once a user locks onto a subject, the LUMIX G2 enables AF Tracking and will track the subject as it moves within the frame. Then, with a touch on the screen, users can select the part and the size of AF area with the 1-area AF. The Multi-area AF sets a group of AF points according to the composition. While using the manual focus, users can enlarge a subject by touching it and then choosing to enlarge it by 1x, 5x or 10x and then smoothly moving the part by dragging it on the screen. With this touch operation, menu settings can be changed quickly; cutting the time it takes to navigate using standard cursors. However, all setting changes can still be done using the control pad, if preferred.

The LUMIX G2 records 1280 x 720 HD videos in the AVCHD Lite format, which increases recording capacity and is highly compatible with audio-visual equipment. With a dedicated video record button, users can easily start recording a video. To complement its high-quality video capabilities, the LUMIX G2 features advanced audio options, as sound is recorded with Dolby Digital Creator and an optional accessory stereo microphone can be attached. A Wind Cut function further enhances the sound as it helps reduce noise caused from background wind.

The 3.0-inch touch-operation LCD has a wide-viewing angle and rotates 180° from side to side and tilts 270° up and down, providing approximately 100% of field of view. This free-angle LCD with a touch-screen operation makes it possible to both view and touch the screen from any angle. The double Live-View function offered by the high-resolution, 460,000-dot free-angle Intelligent LCD and 1,440,000-dot 1.4x (0.7x) Live View Finder allows users to see the settings’ results before pressing the shutter.

The 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor featured in the LUMIX G2 offers the best of both worlds – the outstanding image quality of a CCD sensor, and the lower power consumption of a CMOS sensor. Advanced technology enables it to read four channels of data simultaneously, helping the LUMIX G2 to deliver 60 frames-per-second Full-time Live View images, while faithfully reproducing high-resolution images with fine detail and rich gradation. Plus, with the high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which has been re-engineered to further improve image quality.

The new high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II supports the new image processing technology Intelligent Resolution, which enables the recording of beautiful photo and HD video with high quality signal processing. With Intelligent Resolution technology, three areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation – are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges increased clarity, while simultaneously giving a moderate accentuation to the textured areas so they look finely detailed. For the soft gradation areas, the improved noise reduction system of the Venus Engine HD II is applied to achieve a smoother effect. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way, resulting in images that are naturally clear.

For users looking for additional creative options for both photos and videos, the LUMIX G2 delivers. While shooting HD video, users can set the camera in “P” mode – to change the aperture for professional-like movie effects where the images blur into focus. For still photos, the LUMIX G2 features the My Color mode with a total of seven preset effects – Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, and Silhouette while also keeping the Custom mode, which lets users manually set the color, brightness and saturation levels and save their favorite settings into memory.

On the other hand, for beginner users not yet ready for manual modes – the LUMIX G2 features iA (Intelligent Auto), a popular setting in the LUMIX point-and-shoots that automatically engages features and settings for optimal image quality by detecting the shooting environment. Panasonic iA is available in both still photo and video recording settings and a new dedicated iA button, which illuminates in blue when engaged, makes it even easier to use this handy feature.

Other features of the LUMIX G2 include:
• Dust Reduction System: If dust or other foreign matter gets inside the camera when you’re changing lenses, it could cling to the image sensor and show up as a spot in your photos. The Dust Reduction System in the G2 helps eliminate this possibility by placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.
• Included Software: PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition makes it possible to sort and organize photos. Videos can be uploaded directly to YouTube using the built-in YouTube uploader – even in HD quality. It also lets you create a 360-degree rotation panorama file in .MOV files. The software is compatible with the Windows 7.

The Panasonic LUMIX G2 will come equipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for a wide variety of scenes, everything from dynamic landscape to portrait. Additionally, the LUMIX G2 is compatible with all Micro Four Thirds System lenses, allowing users even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera.

The LUMIX DMC-G2 and other LUMIX G Micro System digital cameras can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds standard via an optional mount adaptor DMW-MA1 and with the prestigious Leica M/R Lenses via DMW-MA2M or MA3R. Other accessories include external flashes, filters, a remote shutter, HDMI mini cables and a variety of stylish straps and bags. To learn about the Panasonic LUMIX Micro Four Thirds System and all the available accessories, visit www.panasonic.com/lumix. The Panasonic LUMIX G2 will be available in red, blue and black models and pricing and availability will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date.

PANASONIC LUMIX G10, WORLD’S LIGHTEST* DIGITAL INTERCHANGEABLE LENS SYSTEM CAMERA WITH A VIEWFINDER

Compact and easy-to-use, the LUMIX G10 shoots high-quality photos and HD video and is an approachable alternative for users new to system cameras

Secaucus, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today introduces an addition to its Panasonic LUMIX G Series, the LUMIX DMC-G10, the world’s lightest* digital interchangeable lens camera with a viewfinder, which packs a host of advanced digital camera functions designed to be easy-to-use for users new to system cameras. The new compact and portable LUMIX G10, which can record High Definition (HD) video in addition to high-quality still images, joins the LUMIX DMC-G2, also introduced today, as part of the Panasonic LUMIX G Series.

“The LUMIX G Micro System has revolutionized the photography industry ever since the release of the Panasonic G1, the world’s first interchangeable lens system camera based on the Micro Four Thirds System standard,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “We continue to expand this award-winning LUMIX G Series, and with its easy-to-use features and compact size, we expect the G10 to attract a lot of new users who want to step-up from their point-and-shoots.”

The LUMIX G10, with its incredible compact body and portable design, uses a mirrorless structure as part the Micro Four Thirds System standard, eliminating a number of components that are found in a conventional interchangeable lens camera, including the mirror box and optical viewfinder unit. This innovative structure allows for the LUMIX G10 to be the world’s lightest system camera in a compact digital camera design that is a desired feature for new users. Adding to its lightweight body, the LUMIX G10 will come equipped as part of its kit, with the newly announced LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens. The new lens offers a versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for shooting a wide-range of scenes, from dynamic landscape to portrait.

Panasonic designed the LUMIX G10 to be easy to use offers iA (Intelligent Auto) mode – with its shooting assist functions that have proven extremely popular in LUMIX compact cameras. Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto), an easy shooting mode with automatic optimization according to the scene in either photo and video recording, is helpful to beginner users unfamiliar with an interchangeable lens system camera. With the new dedicated iA button, which illuminates in blue when engaged, activating this mode is even easier and can be used to shoot both photos and videos.

When shooting still photos, iA offers the following: MEGA O.I.S., which helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control, which reduces motion blur by adjusting the ISO sensitivity if the subject moves; Intelligent Exposure optimizes exposure for each part of an image, preventing blocked shadows and blown highlights and helping ensure that gradation and details are reproduced properly; Intelligent Scene Selector detects the most common shooting situations – Portrait, Night Portrait, Scenery, Night Scenery, Close-up and Sunset – and switches to the appropriate Scene mode automatically – no setting changes needed.

The LUMIX G10 can record 1280 x 720 HD video in Motion JPEG, QVGA, VGA and WVGA formats. Users can enjoy recording HD videos while taking advantage of the high quality lens and the flexibility to change to other lenses. Even users new to recording videos will find the LUMIX G10 makes it easy. Panasonic’s iA for video offers the following: Optical Image Stabilizer (O.I.S.) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom; Face Detection** automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast, and skin complexion; Intelligent Exposure continually checks the ambient light level and adjusts the exposure setting as conditions change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows; Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Close-up, Scenery, and Low Light modes according to the situation to optimize visual quality.

With AF Tracking, the LUMIX G10 can lock onto any subject and keep it in focus even if it moves – making it easy to get beautiful, clear shots of moving subjects, such as children and pets. Simply aim, lock, and shoot. The Face Recognition function remembers registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people. In playback, you can choose to display only photos that contain a specific registered face using Category Playback. The contrast AF system adopted by the LUMIX DMC-G10 is not only accurate and easy to use, but also very fast. Users can choose from a wide range of AF modes, including AF Tracking, 1-area AF, Face Detection AF/AE and 23-area AF.

The LUMIX G10′s Live View Finder, with a resolution of 202,000-dot equivalent, 1.04x (0.52x*) retains the viewability of an optical viewfinder and displays information about its settings that users can see without removing their eye from the subject. The 60 fps Live View is powered by the Live MOS sensor, which takes signals directly from the image sensor and sends them continuously to the LCD, in real time. Both the Live View Finder and LCD provide approximately 100% field of view. This allows the user, when composing a shot, to check the framing accurately from corner to corner. The 3.0-inch large 460,000-dot high-resolution LCD with wide viewing angle automatically controls the brightness according to the situation as an Intelligent LCD.

The 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor and the new Venus Engine HD II help to separate chromatic noise from luminance noise and apply the optimal noise reduction to each, so users can capture clear and beautiful images even when shooting at high ISO sensitivity levels. The high-speed, high-performance Venus Engine HD II, which has been re-engineered to incorporate the new image processing technology, Intelligent Resolution, enables the recording of beautiful photo and HD video with high quality signal processing. With Intelligent Resolution technology, three areas – outlines, detailed texture areas and soft gradation –are automatically detected. The outline parts are enhanced effectively to give edges increased clarity, while simultaneously giving a moderate accentuation to the textured areas so they look finely detailed. For the soft gradation areas, the improved noise reduction system of the Venus Engine HD II is applied to achiever a smoother effect. Apart from the uniform enhancement of sharpness, the innovative technology Intelligent Resolution precisely performs signal processing pixel by pixel in the most effective way, resulting in images that are naturally clear.

All Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras are equipped with the highly-efficient Dust Reduction System. If dust or other foreign matter gets inside the LUMIX G10 while changing lenses, it could cling to the image sensor and show up as a spot in your photos. However, with the Dust Reduction System, it helps eliminate this possibility by placing a supersonic wave filter in front of the Live MOS sensor. Vibrating vertically around 50,000 times per second, the filter repels dust and other particles effectively.

Other features of the LUMIX G10 include:
• My Color mode with a total of seven preset effects – Expressive, Retro, Pure, Elegant, Monochrome, Dynamic Art, Silhouette. Also includes Custom mode, which lets users manually set the color, brightness and saturation levels. For beginners, the LUMIX G10′s full-time Live View function lets users see how these settings will affect the images before they shoot, making it easier to capture the exact mood or atmosphere desired.
• Scene modes total 26, including the Peripheral Defocus mode, which lets users take a photo where the foreground is in focus and background is blurred – or vice versa. This popular effect can be intimidating for a beginner, but in the Peripheral Defocus mode, by simply selecting the objects to be blurred and focused using the camera’s keypad, it is simple for photographers of any level.
• Exposure meter can be displayed in the P/A/S/M shooting modes. The correlation between shutter speed and aperture is shown, with a color-coded warning system that alerts users when the settings are not in the proper range. For those new to system camera digital photography, this makes it easy to learn proper settings both visually and logically, enhancing their photography skills.

The Panasonic LUMIX G10 is compatible with Micro Four Thirds System lenses, allowing users even higher levels of performance in a digital interchangeable lens camera. In addition to LUMIX G lenses, the LUMIX DMC-G10 and LUMIX G Micro System can use any interchangeable lens that complies with the Four Thirds standard via an optional mount adaptor DMW-MA1 and with the prestigious Leica M/R Lenses via DMW-MA2M or MA3R.

Pricing and availability for the Panasonic LUMIX G10 will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date. It will be available in black. To learn about the Panasonic LUMIX Micro Four Thirds System and all the available accessories, visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT STANDARD ZOOM LENS FOR LUMIX G SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS

SECAUCUS, NJ (March 7, 2010) – Panasonic today introduces a new interchangeable lens for its LUMIX G Micro System, the ultra-compact and lightweight LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens offers versatile zoom range of 14-42mm (35mm camera equivalent: 28-84mm), making it suitable for a wide variety of scenes, everything from dynamic landscape to portrait. The LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens will be part of the kit lens for the latest additions to the LUMIX G Series of digital cameras: the LUMIX DMC-G10 and LUMIX DMC-G2, also introduced today.

The new LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens incorporates Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), which makes it easy to shoot clear photographs, even in low-lit situations, by suppressing the blur caused by a shaky hand. Adopting an inner-focus system driven by a stepping motor, the superior optical design realizes outstanding smoothness to support the high-speed AF (Auto Focus) system of LUMIX G cameras. When mounted on any of these cameras, this new lens allows users to maximize all of the AF system’s functions.

With its minimum focus distance of 30cm even at full zoom, this lens provides a maximum photographic magnification of 0.32x (35mm equivalent). Seven aperture blades make up a circular aperture diaphragm to produce an attractive smoothness in out-of-focus areas even when shooting at a large aperture. The LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm/F3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens system uses multi-coated lens elements that reduce blur, helping to deliver superior performance. This new lens system also features excellent contrast even at its highest zoom level. The inclusion of an aspherical lens improves optical performance by minimizing distortion, even at the 28mm wide end. For more information on the Panasonic LUMIX G Series digital cameras, lenses and accessories, please visit www.panasonic.com/lumix.

The G2 is a 12.1 megapixel camera. It’s a micro four thirds mount of course, with ISO from 100 – 6400. You will be able to shoot video with the G2, and it supports up to 30fps in HD resolution (1280×720). Of course no word on price of availability, but we should know that on the 7th when it’s officially released.

The G10 is also a micro four thirds camera, with a 12.1 megapixel sensor. Honestly, all the stats look the same as the G2, so it’s unclear at this time what the major difference is between the two cameras. This could be due to an error in the leak or some other related issue, we’ll definitely let you know more once the official release is available.

There’s no doubt about it: T-Mobile isn’t getting the HTC Hero. At least, not in the US.

In the UK, it’s a whole different story. The word just came straight out of T-Mobile UK’s mouth (well, their Twitter account – but that’s the closest thing to a mouth they’ve got): the HTC Hero is coming to T-Mobile UK at the end of this month, and will be known as the G2. Better yet, it’s free for anyone willing to drop £40 a month for a year and a half.

One interesting thing to note here is the name choice. Everyone expected a G2 to follow the T-Mobile G1, and now it has.. in the UK. We know for a fact that the Hero isn’t coming to T-Mobile US – so what about the G2 name? Will T-Mobile US use the G2 label for an entirely different phone? Will they skip straight to “G3″? This is all bound to get pretty confusing.

[Android Community via IntoMobile]

Supposedly, HTC is working with Qualcomm to identify an alternative solution to maintain selling their handsets in Germany. With the HTC Dream – aka G2 – launch right around the corner, the company needs to work fast with in court or in the development lab to ensure the handset launches on time.

Could this be an early sign the HTC and T-Mobile will buddy up once again for the G2? Maybe. The T-Mobile logo does sport the one-less dot design that’s unique to the United States market, but that alone isn’t exactly solid proof. So far the only word about the HTC Magic is that it’s a Vodafone exclusive handset, which doesn’t sit well with American mobile users. However, why wouldn’t HTC bring it Stateside?

Could this be an early sign the HTC and T-Mobile will buddy up once again for the G2? Maybe. The T-Mobile logo does sport the one-less dot design that’s unique to the United States market, but that alone isn’t exactly solid proof. So far the only word about the HTC Magic is that it’s a Vodafone exclusive handset, which doesn’t sit well with American mobile users. However, why wouldn’t HTC bring it Stateside?

If we are to believe this Vodafone ad (and who are we to doubt the Internet), the European carrier will be the exclusive provider of HTC‘s next Android phone, the Magic. The phone does somewhat resemble early spy shots so we could be looking at the real deal, folks.

We hear it comes packing with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, and a 3.2 digicam. Perhaps Vodafone and HTC were planning a MWC09 announcement or even a CTIA reveal. After all, as it seems that most handheld manufacturers are announcing their first-gen Android handsets, we can think of no better time to announce HTC’s second go around at the OS.

arron la via Talk Android

arron la via Talk Android
[PSGallery=285wo6syn7]

If this one turns out true, it looks like T-Mobile’s followup to the G1 might be on the shelves as early as next month. Note the emphasis on “might” there – while there’s nothing red flagging it as false, we’re taking this one with the finest grain of salt we have to spare.

Be it that the specs pan out, the G2 should be a pretty substantial step up from the G1. Not only would the camera get bumped up to 5 megapixels (from 3.2), but it’d be sporting a secondary (and presumably front facing) VGA camera as well. The list also claims Stereo Bluetooth connectivity and Video Capture, indicating that the G2 might be the first we see of the the “Cupcake” release we heard about yesterday. Curiously absent is any mention of a physical QWERTY keyboard, though “Full Touch screen” is right up there at the top; the “Cupcake” docs do mention onscreen keyboard support – might the G2 drop the input method that made the G1 so appealing to many touchscreen naysayers?

We’re not doubtful that a G1 sequel is in the works, mind you – the naming scheme probably ends with a number for a reason. It would just be surprising to see it so soon. Based off what we know of other Android handsets in the works, this would be the second Android-powered handset to be released. That works out to T-Mobile getting not only one, but two Android handsets before anyone else – something I’d imagine might upset the other US carrier (namely, Sprint) in the Open Handset Alliance. Not to mention early adopters – other Android handsets are coming, that’s for sure, many of which will likely outspec the G1. But to make the G1 obsolete with a sequentially advanced followup just 3 months after its release seems absurd.

We don’t believe it.

[Via Cellphone Signal]

Asus has won a place in my heart for not making a gaming laptop that sucks. Its new G1 and G2 laptops are pretty much the same aside from the ultra-gnarly neon lights on the side and screen size. Enough with the small talk though, I know you want the details straight up. The G1 is the 15.4-inch WXGA/WSXGA model that comes in green and has a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce Go7700 graphics chipset while the G2 is a 17-inch WXGA behemoth with a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1700 GPU. Both can be configured with Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, up to 2GB of RAM, 802.11b/g wireless, a DVD burner with Lightscribe technology, and up to a 160GB SATA hard drive. But hold up, I’m not finished. You also get a custom made backpack to carry your G1 or G2 and a special mouse as well to get your game on. How can you say no to that? Thought so.

ASUS G2 & G1 Gaming Notebook Series