Panasonic announced [JP, PDF] a new electric bike for the Japanese market yesterday, the so-called Lithium Bibi F BE-ENSF63. And while the bicycle looks rather bland, it has own distinct selling point: at just 19.9kg, it’s the lightest e-bike out there, according to Panasonic (among those that come with a shopping basket, at least). → Read More
They have dropped the Xacti brand name, but the three new camcorders Panasonic (which bought Xacti maker Sanyo in 2009) announced [JP] today are essentially Xactis. All models feature full HD resolution and will be released in Japan on June 25. → Read More
Resistive random-access memory (RRAM) is something various electronics companies have been working on for years, but now Panasonic seems to be ready to be the first to start mass-producing the next-generation memory chips, according to a report in Japan’s biggest business daily The Nikkei. → Read More
We covered NTT Docomo‘s smartphone line-up for this summer here, but Japan’s leading mobile carrier also revealed 11 new feature phones today. And here are all of them listed up. → Read More
Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo has announced its summer line-up of cell phones today, and we have squeezed all their nine new smartphones (plus Fujitsu’s Windows 7/Symbian hybrid) into this article for your reading pleasure (click here for a list of all new feature phones). → Read More
It kind of leaked yesterday, but now Panasonic made the Lumix DMC-G3 official. The micro four-thirds camera is the successor to the DMC-G2, and apart from improving just about every technical feature, the new model is more compact and now boasts a touch-based UI. → Read More
A new Panasonic micro four-thirds camera, successor to the DMC-G2, is scheduled to be announced tomorrow in London, according to 4/3 Rumors. It’ll have a new 15.8-megapixel sensor, a 3″ articulating LCD, a more compact body, and a few other notable features. It’s supposed to hit the wire at 8AM in London, which is midnight here in Seattle. We’ll have all the juicy details… → Read More
If you have been watching TechCrunch TV interviews lately, you may have noticed the videos are much sharper, crisper and much higher quality. The reason: we’ve gone HD. We are now using a new workflow with HD cameras and HD video switcher. Our shows from New York (Fly or Die and Founder Stories) have always been produced in HD at AOL Studios. But, now our San Francisco studio has gotten the… → Read More
First a sporty model, now this family-friendly one: Panasonic announced [JP, PDF] the Gyutto, an electric bike that can carry two children (one in the front, another in the back), and which actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. The Gyutto will come with 22- (front) and 26-inch (back) wheels. → Read More
A little bird has told Reuters that Panasonic’s earnings call, due to start shortly, will bring news of huge layoffs in the works. The company is expected to announce 40,000 jobs will be cut from its 380,000-strong workforce. The cuts, which would take place over the next two years, would be the result of continuing “streamlining” in the face of tough competition. Just a little… → Read More
While electric bikes per se are a good, eco-friendly concept, a lot of the models out there actually look pretty boring. Not so Panasonic’s BE-ENZ032 [JP], a sports e-bike that just went on sale in Japan (Panasonic says that the design was inspired by Motocross bikes). → Read More
If you’re like me, you don’t leave the house without a mobile charger in case the cell phone battery goes dry. And that’s exactly the target group for the so-called Chargepad Panasonic announced [JP] today: it’s essentially a device that charges mobile chargers wirelessly (also compare this to Hitachi’s approach by which you charge gadgets, in that case the iPhone, directly). → Read More
Panasonic‘s subsidiary, Panasonic Healthcare, has developed the “Let’s Chat” [JP], a tablet-like device that helps people who can’t speak or use their hands anymore to communicate with others. According to the company, the target group includes, for example, people suffering from sclerosis or those recovering from serious accidents. → Read More
In July last year, Sharp showed the world’s first triple-layer BDXL discs with 100GB capacity. While the discs were great (and enough to store about 720 minutes of terrestrial digital broadcasting), they weren’t rewritable. But the LM-BE100J BDXL Blu-rays, announced [JP] by Panasonic today, are. → Read More
Granted, Panasonic’s so-called “Life Innovation Container” isn’t nearly as cool as the futuristic mobile robot house from Japan we’ve shown you back in January. But the victims of the big earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 still need any help they can get, which means Panasonic’s decision to send one unit of the container to Minami-Sanrikucho is good news. → Read More
Because the world of 3D isn’t confusing enough already! Yes, a new standard is rising, led by Panasonic and joined by a number of partners. M-3DI is a new “can we all just agree on this” standard for active-shutter 3D systems. What differentiates it from the systems that don’t follow its standard? Nothing, it appears, except that M-3DI devices will all work with each other. I guess that’s… → Read More
Panasonic Japan today announced the SV-ME870 [JP], a portable, digital 7-inch VIERA TV. There are quite a few of these devices available in Japan, but this one is probably the “mobile TV” with the most features on board at this point. → Read More
DP Review has posted their (as usual) exhaustive and technical review of Panasonic’s latest micro four-thirds camera, the DMC-GH2. We’ve been looking forward to this one, and it doesn’t disappoint: it addresses some of the failures of the GH1 while improving and expanding on the feature set and ameliorating noise issues. I’m still waiting on the Fujifilm X100 (or… → Read More
If you thought the face recognition technology from NEC we’ve shown you last year was impressive, think again: Panasonic is working on a system that can recognize 64 faces and compare 32 faces at the same time. The maker, Panasonic System Networks, says that’s up from only 8 faces the previous system (NV200) could register. → Read More
Word comes today that consumer electronics giant Panasonic is joining the Linux Foundation at the Gold level, which is the Linux Foundation’s second highest tier. Panasonic joins AMD, Cisco, HP, Google and other big names at the Gold level, confirming beyond any doubt that Linux is an integral part of the consumer electronics market. Panasonic had been a founding member of the Consumer Electronics… → Read More
While e-bikes are struggling on their way to enter the mainstream in other places of the world, makers in Japan are already starting to segment the market. Panasonic today announced [JP, PDF] the BE-ENSK63 for the local market, an e-bike specifically aimed at “junior high-school students”. → Read More
The official word from Panasonic is that “changes in the market and in our own strategic direction” caused the cancelation of the Jungle gaming system. In other words, Panny suits finally came to their senses and decided it’s a bit too late in the game to bring a whole new platform to market. With Sony rolling out the powerhouse NGP handheld and Nintendo moving towards 3D bliss… → Read More
It turns out Fujitsu isn’t the only Japanese electronics company still producing Windows tablets: Panasonic today announced [JP] the so-called BizPad, a device with a 6.5-inch screen specifically aimed at – you guessed it – businesses. → Read More
Panasonic today announced [JP] what it says is the world’s first gesture-controlled TV, meaning the device doesn’t require you to use the remote control or touch the screen (at least for basic operations). Instead, you can change channels by waving your hand to the right or left in front of the display (if you’re 5-10cm away), thanks to the 2 motion sensors the TV comes with. → Read More
Panasonic just outed two camcorders for the adventurous types among us. These cams pack 1080p recording modes, electronic image stabilization, mild waterproof/shockproof casings and high megapixel stills. You know, the type of things for extreme sports or general parenting. The pistol style-HX-WA10 and candy bar-ish HM-TA20 should hit retailers by the end of April at competitive prices. → Read More
Panasonic today announced [JP] the SV-MV100, a new media player with a special feature: it’s powered by Android 2.1. And it’s specifically designed to make it easier for users to view TV, and connect to the web and Panasonic home electronics. → Read More
The news has become muted regarding <a href="fuel cells and their future role in energy supply in recent years, but it seems we’re getting there step by step: Panasonic today said that it has developed a new type of home-use fuel cell [press release in English], which is more efficient and cheaper than its existing solutions. → Read More
Companies and institutions from the US filed 44,855 applications in 2010, down 1.7% from last year, but enough to keep the top spot among all companies for a second straight year, according to data released yesterday by the World Intellectual Property Organization. → Read More
Panasonic has announced [JP] a total of ten new 3D TVs yesterday, two LCDs and eight plasmas. The LCD TVs will be part of the VIERA DT3 series, while the plasma models will be branded as VT3, GT3 and ST3 (glasses are required to view pictures in 3D for all of these displays). → Read More
Panasonic, makers of cameras, will sell these new cameras. These cameras include the FX78 with 5x optical zoom and “smart touch screen” and the ZS10 with 16x optical zoom. They will attempt to distribute these cameras for as long as they’re salable and then make new ones. Eventually they will end up on Woot.com. Then they will poison a landfill. → Read More
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