Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

It is widely known that the future of Blu-ray is in 3D and a feasible idea for this was shown by Panasonic at the CEATEC show in Japan although it was pre-production.  However they have now made a bid to be king of this future market with a proposal to the BDA (Blu-ray Disc Association) regarding a way of producing two way (left and right eye) full High Definition discs.

MORE »

Panasonic is already a sizable company, but they are going to get that little bit bigger with the confirmed takeover of Sanyo.  Sanyo have been struggling recently, and it’s probably not a coincidence that their downturn coincides with the economic crisis that we are facing.  Nevertheless, they are still worth a substantial $18.5 billion which will boost Panasonic’s value to around $107.8 billion, making it one of the biggest consumer electronics companies.

The reason behind this is that this takeover will give Panasonic access to two key technologies in the shape of solar panels and batteries which will help them greatly in their own hand-held electronic products, in fact, Sanyo is the market leader in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries.  They will also acquire a company specializing in portable gadgets which generates $4 billion per annum in revenue.  Continued after the break.

MORE »

The pre-Black Friday deals keep pouring in.  Not satisfied with actually making all their money on the day after Thanksgiving, some companies have been cutting prices early. 

If you’re in the market for an HDTV, 6th Avenue has the Panasonice Viera TH-42PZ80U 42” 1080P Plasma HDTV for just $807 and free shipping.  If you’re a NY or NJ resident, your price will be higher since you have to pay sales tax up front.  That’s a pretty good deal on this TV since it usually runs for about $900-$1300 at various stores. 

To get the TV at that price, go to 6ave.com and make sure you use the coupon code AFL5 at checkout for 5% off. 

Go get the TV at [6thAve]
via [BFads.net]

• Sprint’s Cyber Monday deals: free Centro and 5 others
• Gadgetell Video Review: Kodak Zi6 HD camcorder
• Deal of the Day: Buy Uncharted 160 GB PS3 bundle, get LittleBigPlanet free

  This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Follow to see me call out:

• LG and its ridiculously square phone
• AT&T thinks Android is on crack
• Sprint thinks we want to watch football (American) on our phones.
• Moto wants to be on crack
• and our own Natesh who finds more than his share of obscure gadgetry

MORE »

Despite media reports across the world, Panasonic is remaining mum on the question of whether they are indeed planning acquire Sanyo.  Reuters and the Tokyo press are reporting that their sources say the deal is done and will be formally announced in a press conference on Friday.

Sanyo, the world’s largest manufacturer of lithium ion batteries, has been struggling and would most likely welcome the sale.  The new company that will result will become Japan’s largest electronics manufacturer and prove a formidable rival of Hitachi.  Together the two companies would have revenues of over 11 trillion yen, which equals a little over $100 million US.

MORE »

Today we’ve got a guest post by Scott McGrath.  Scott has worked in the IT industry as a consultant and Sysadmin for 12 years, and has enjoyed communications gadgets since he got his Fisher Price telephone at 2 years of age.  Like what he said?  Hate what he said?  Go over to Scott’s blog at http://www.scamwagon.com and let him know.

Believe it or not, I’m in the market for a cordless phone.  Before you laugh, there’s actually plenty of reasons I maintain a land line, not the least of which is the fact that I have poor cell coverage at my home, and not the most of which is the fact that cellular usually can not hold a candle to the real deal PSTN or good VoIP line, in terms of quality.  Cordless phones still have life since some can pair to your cell phone so you don’t have to rush to find that tiny handheld when it rings.  If you’re a Skype user, you can be untethered with some cordless phones.

Continued after the break.

MORE »

In much the same way Blu-ray hopes to eventually ‘kill’ the inferior DVD, DVD has finally buried VHS.  “Old news!“ I hear you cry, and yes, I appreciate that the VHS has been facing this impending doom for a while, but the day has finally come where we can officially say that it is a thing of the past.

Up until now JVC, the developers of VHS, have been the only major company to still make standalone VHS players, with companies like Panasonic blaming the obviously empty market for them stopping production.  The last film to be released on VHS, “A History of Violence,“ was released in 2006, completing 30 years of VHS dominated home visual entertainment, which started with “The Young Teacher.“  Continued after the break.

MORE »

Tru2way is coming and Panasonic is putting it in their VIERA TVs!  Yeah!  That’s great!  Now what is tru2way?!

Well tru2way is the consumer-friendly name for a technology that lets you have access to all kinds of cable television guides, on demand services, and actual cable television without the need for a convertor box. 

Panasonic is working with Comcast to show off tru2way in Denver and Chicago right now.  Other cable systems will roll out the service over time.  More after the break.

MORE »

We have known Panasonic as a brand for a very long time.  However, Panasonic was just that, a brand of Matsushita Electric.  Now, Matsushita Electric has changed its name to “Panasonic Corporation.“ 

The company has had “Matsushita” in its name since 1918.  In Japan, the brand was known as “National.“  This really signals Panasonic’s understanding that consumer electronics is a global endeavor and there needs to be consistency in its brand around the world. 

The transition in Japan will be complete by March 2010.  To prove they are serious about this change, they even changed their stock symbol on the NYSE form MC to PC. 

Source [Panasonic]

• Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang announces resignation
• Panasonic makes a move for 3D Blu-ray
• Classmates.com gets sued by user: His friends weren’t really looking for him

Those who have been looking for tough and ruggedized notebooks will be glad to know that Panasonic is coming out with three Toughbook 8 notebook models - the F8, W8 and T8. 

All three notebooks with their Intel Core 2 Duo Processors are lightweight, ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 kgs courtesy of their magnesium alloy casing and chassis. Panasonic put in flexible internal connectors so the Toughbook can withstand lots of abuse.  The hard drives and LCDs are shock mounted to keep them protected.  Also, don’t worry about dumping liquids onto the keyboard because it is spill-resistant.

MORE »