Do you know why people hate movie studios? Why, increasingly, they’re driven to download content illegally, even though they’re perfectly willing to pay for it? Because of crap like this: More »
Much ado has been made of weather-resistant cameras, but it’s all a moot point if the memory card dies, isn’t it? Panasonic wants that level of survivability in its SDHC and SDXC cards, and its new UHS-I-level SDAB and SDUB lines are tested for the kind of abuse that could see the camera give up the ghost first. The cards can take the kinds of punishment that we often associate with rugged gear, such as temperatures from -13F to 185F, immersion in 3.3 feet of water for half an hour and the usual steep drops. It’s beyond this that the resistance levels become truly exotic: the cards are also built to survive zaps of electricity, proximity to magnets and exposure to X-rays. If it all becomes too much to bear, the design will even fuse on the inside to prevent fire burning the card from within. Those who like what they see will only have to decide whether or not they want the SDAB range’s 95MB/s read speeds and 80MB/s writes or are willing to settle for the SDUB line’s respective 90MB/s and 45MB/s transfers. We have yet to see if or when the SD cards cross the Pacific after their September 8th launch in Japan, although we hope so — with that kind of extra-tough design, our photos are more likely to endure than we will.
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Storage
Panasonic preps SD cards that survive heat, water and X-rays, will probably outlast you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 05:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Waterproof, Shockproof, Anti Magnetic, X-Ray Proof, Freeze proof, here you are Panasonic new SDHC and SDX Cards!
Announced for an early September launch these new SD cards comes in two different flavors with the SDAB Series offering a 95MB/sec reading speed and 80MB/sec writing speed with capacity ranging from 8 up to 32GB and the SDUB Series also available in 8, 16 and 32GB but also in a 64GB SDXC version that offer however a 90MB/sec reading speed and a 45MB/sec writing sped.
Sony, LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp will no longer be marketing their TVs and Blu-Ray players as “WiFi ready” in Australia unless they’re actually ready to connect to a WiFi network. Many products labeled as such often require the additional purchase of a $100-$120 AUD ($80-$100) dongle, and the ACCC, the country’s US FTC doppelgänger, has ordered the makers to stop the practice. It all started when a customer complained to the watchdog after feeling burned when his “WiFi ready” TV… wasn’t. The fact that similar terms were being used on products that actually have built-in adapters was another strike against the practice, according to the regulator from down under. However, if you happen to reside somewhere else in the world, it’s caveat emptor, as usual.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Aussie regulator raps TV makers for touting ‘WiFi ready’ products originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The 3D feed of the Olympics is the most ambitious 3D broadcast in history. It employs 50 3D camera rigs, manned by 80 souls who are split into three teams, which scurry around London from event to event. Obviously, it’s incredible to watch, but is it enough to make the effort and cost of watching in 3D worth it? More »
The fractious on-again, off-again love affair between NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu and NEC has taken another turn. After dissolving a partnership to build a common LTE platform that included Samsung and Panasonic, the trio have rekindled their love over a candlelit dinner. The gang are stumping up the cash to bankroll Access Network Technology, a venture to build, wait for it, LTE platforms for smartphones and tablets, with each party bringing its own R&D and IP knowhow to the table. There’s no word on how jilted lovers Samsung and Panasonic feel about the team-up, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t shed a private tear and think about the good old days.
Filed under: Cellphones
NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu and NEC rekindle love and LTE partnership, Samsung and Panasonic left in the rain originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 07:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Greenery may fulfill a superficial need to improve the landscape aesthetic, but plants play a much more critical role in regular life function, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Panasonic is among the companies attempting to replicate this natural procedure through artificial means, and it looks like the Japanese electronics maker is well on its way towards a viable solution. Presenting at the International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy this week, Panasonic announced the development of an Artificial Photosynthesis System, which uses a nitride semiconductor to convert water and carbon dioxide — a byproduct of factories and power plants — into an organic material called formic acid, which is used in the manufacturing of dyes and fragrances. Covering the planet in formic acid wouldn’t necessarily represent progress, but assuming demand isn’t exceeded, it certainly beats CO2. Best yet, Panasonic claims that the system converts the substances at plant-like efficiency rates, or 0.2 percent. Hit up the PR after the break for a more granular look at the company’s creation.
Filed under: Science
Panasonic Photosynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Panasonic’s financial year runs from summer to summer, so its first-quarter results for 2013 just hit the wire. The figures proudly show that the company has managed to turn around the losses it suffered so badly in the previous period — with $23 billion in turnover generating a tidy profit of $164 million. While sales dropped by six percent compared to the first three months of the year, it’s been reducing fixed costs and restructuring each segment of the business to ensure a return to profit making despite the worsening financial crisis in Europe. The company’s even been able to stick some cash into the savings account, tucking $16.6 million into the piggy bank for a rainy day.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Panasonic’s 2013 Q1: things are looking up with a $164 million profit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Most point-and-shoots have an integrated lens cap that closes off, protecting the delicate glass underneath the moment you’re done taking shots. DSLR’s and other interchangable-lens cameras? Well, you’ve got to remember to put those covers back on yourself. The X-Cap, however, brings that automated protection to your fanciest of cams with a simple add-on that wont interfere with your picture taking (provided it’s mounted right). It’s pretty self explanatory really, you can see the Taiwanese designed and manufactured cap in action after the break and hit up Engadget Chinese for an interview with the designer.
Continue reading X-Cap automatically protects your lens even if you forget
Filed under: Digital Cameras
X-Cap automatically protects your lens even if you forget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Adapters to fit Canon’s EF lenses on Micro Four Thirds and NEX camera bodies most definitely aren’t new. Without any electronic link, though, that Lumix GX1 or NEX-F3 owner has had to focus by hand, sometimes without any aperture control — what year is it, 1930? Kipon wants to make sure you’ll never have to stoop to that level again through a pair of new adapters that keep the electronic controls working. As always with these parts, there’s likely to be catches: we don’t know the prices and ship dates, for one, and lens conversion can still hurt the autofocus speed. Even so, anyone who’s been hoarding (or simply envious of) Canon glass now doesn’t have to eye an EOS-M just to get a mirrorless camera with the lens adapter they crave.
Filed under: Digital Cameras, Peripherals
Kipon preps Canon EF lens adapters for Micro Four Thirds, NEX cameras with electronic control originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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