Hasta La Gadget!

The good news for Panasonic in its Q2 earnings release is that it managed to record a 48.8 billion yen ($613 million) operating profit, higher than last year. The bad news however is word of falling sales in its TV business, although we’re not hearing any confirmation of changes in its plans for mobile phones. New CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga is working a new restructuring plan that should help return divisions like its one for TV to profitability, but there will be costs upfront. The company revised its operating profit prediction for the year to 140 billion yen ($1.76 billion) based on the slower sales, and still is looking at a net loss for the year of 765 billion yen ($9.6 billion) due to deferred tax assets. Hopefully any cost-cutting doesn’t affect the quality of its Viera HDTV brand, but Panasonic will have to figure out some way to turn those stellar reviews into overall profits, even as the market continues to shrink. Our suggestion? Get some of those 8K Super Hi-Vision plasmas to market, ASAP.

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile

Panasonic shows $613 million operating profit for Q2, but lowers full year projections originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 04:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Users haven’t exactly been content with Evernote since it took over the Skitch reigns, but that’s not stopping the Smart Notebook creator from pushing out constant updates to its Android offering. To go along with the handy tweaks from earlier this month, Evernote’s now updated Skitch with a completely redesigned user interface, the addition of a couple of fresh tools (Pixelate and Highlighter), as well as, naturally, a much-improved integration with its own cloud-based service — not to mention the ability to sync with Evernote, though said application would have to also be installed on your device. This new version of Skitch is available to download now via Google Play, and be sure to share your first impressions with us in the comments below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Skitch for Android brings revamped UI, complete integration with Evernote originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How amped is Microsoft to get developers into the Windows Phone 8 Store? The company announced today at Build that it’s lowering developer registration to $8 — that’s down from $99. Got to get in there quick, however — that price is only good for the next eight days. Seems to be some kind of theme here, no?

Update: Looks like the discount situation is a little more involved than just that. According to Microsoft, “You’ll be charged $99 USD or equivalent in your local currency, and we’ll refund the difference in the next 30 to 45 days.” Ninety-two percent discounts don’t just happen overnight, after all.

Filed under: Mobile, Microsoft

Microsoft drops Windows Phone Store developer registration to $8 for eight days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now Windows Phone 8 has arrived with Xbox Music in tow, what’s next for Nokia Music? Well, at a press briefing this week in London, it told the assembled tech press that its still going — and Nokia’s even adding features. The music service is apparently continuing to expand, with new tracks being added weekly — Nokia’s mix radio currently houses 338 curated mixes in the UK alone, across pretty broad selection of music genres. And yep, there was a mention of K-Pop.

New functionality improvements include an immediate share-to-Facebook option, while the Gig Finder feature nestled within the music app picks up improved search skills, capable of checking specific venues and areas, along with the ability to buy tickets for — and get directions to — future gigs. The app’s new audio equalizer has 18 presets while you’ll also be able to tweak the seven-channel system to your own personal preference. On top of that, Dolby tech is also embedded in, with Dolby headphone (a signal processing upgrade) in attendance on both the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. Nokia also affirmed that the upgraded app will be included on its hardware that gets bumped up to version 7.8. We’re just about to get our review model and will give the new features a full rundown as soon as we can.

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Mobile, Nokia

Nokia Music gets upgraded for Lumia 920 and Lumia 820: Equalizer, Dolby support, Facebook connectivity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time we saw Steve Ballmer star in a commercial for Microsoft, he was extolling the virtues of a 286-based PC running the glory that was Windows 1.0 — in 1986. You can imagine the surprise we got 26 years later when Microsoft premiered an ad featuring the now-CEO during its Windows Phone 8 event. If you were expecting that same kind of unbridled enthusiasm Crazy Eddie once used to hawk underpriced TVs, you may be either pleased or disappointed. It’s a very level-headed and well-spoken Ballmer this time around, with the executive calmly highlighting the advice he gets through his HTC Windows Phone 8X from people like his wife and a certain Billy G. Besides evoking nostalgia, the pitch is an illustration of what Windows Phone’s live tiles can do as well as a reflection of Microsoft coming full circle — as it was two decades ago, Redmond is fighting for market attention at a time when new interface concepts are challenging its main business. We’re just glad there’s fewer plaid business suits in 2012.

Continue reading Steve Ballmer returns triumphantly to Microsoft ads for Windows Phone 8, now with less Crazy Eddie (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

Steve Ballmer returns triumphantly to Microsoft ads for Windows Phone 8, now with less Crazy Eddie (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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