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The Panasonic LUMIX FX77 includes a touchscreen makeup studio

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Panasonic LUMIX FX77 Is a Point-And-Shoot With a Virtual Makeup Studio
You’ve probably never stopped and looked at a just-taken photo on your digital camera and thought “Gosh, I wish I’d put on a little more eyeliner”—but your girlfriend probably has. The 12.1-megapixel LUMIX FX77 lets you add lipstick and rosy cheeks to images right on its 3.5-inch touchscreen display. It also features an SDXC memory card slot, a 5x optical zoom and Leica optics, optical image stabilization, HD video capability, and an HDMI port.

Panasonic LUMIX FX77 [Red Ferret via Slashgear]

Smart Surfboard Is Jam-Packed With Sensors To Track Board and Rider Performance
The SurfSens surfboard, developed by Pukas and Tecnalia, is loaded with a GPS compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, strain gauges, and pressure sensors. Data is recorded on a stick of flash memory. These tools are used to measure the performance of both the riders and the board, which Pukas will use to improve their surfboards’ design and features in the future.

The Future of Surfing [Singularity Hub via Gizmag]

I Double-Dog Dare You To Get a Random Tattoo From the Automatic Tattoo Machine
Auto Ink, a DIY CNC-ed tattoo machine, assigns operators a religion (at random), then inks the corresponding symbol onto that person’s arm. There are so many bad ideas wrapped up in this one device, I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s just hope it has an easy to reach manual kill switch, at the least.
Automatic Tattoo Machine [Makezine]

“Megaphones” Hide Speakers Inside Their Familiar Shape
When you want to blast sound into your living space, what better shape to signify that than that of a megaphone? These megaphones are built of wood instead of plastic, and would house legit hi-fi electronic speaker components instead of the voice amplification circuitry you’d find in a regular megaphone.

Megaphones [Yanko Design]

Giant Slide to Unlock Magnet Faux Simplifies Life
Don’t you wish you could slide to unlock everything? It’s so easy a baby could do it (no really, there’s proof on YouTube). Well, some things are definitely better left secure, but you can always pretend with this 17-inch Slide to Unlock magnet. For $6.99, you can affix it to your fridge, the car, or anything else made of metal.

Slide To Unlock Magnet [Perpetual Kid via Craziest Gadgets]

Geminoid-F, A Realistic Humanoid Robot That Blinks and “Breathes”
The first Geminoid robots were developed in Japan in 2005. The Geminoid-F hails from Denmark, and although less complex than its predecessor, its ability to look like it’s breathing and performing involuntary muscle reactions help it jump over the unfortunate gap of robotic creepiness referred to as the uncanny valley.

Incredibly Realistic Robot [SayOMG via Crunchgear]

The Looksoflat Lamp has an almost two-dimensional appearance

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Looksoflat Lamp is Like A Flattened Version of Pixar’s Luxo Lamp
The Looksoflat Lamp looks like it’s been flattened by a steamroller. It sheds a thin, rectangular area of light using LEDs (the only light source slim enough to fit inside its frame). Not too much else known about the lamp, except that it’s “coming soon.”

Looksoflat [Looksoflat via Oh Gizmo!]

Lenovo and Tobii Team Up To Create The World’s First Eye-Controlled Laptop
The forward-looking thinkers at Tobii and Lenovo envision a future where hand-swiping based motion controls are just too much work. Solution: Notebooks with built in eye control sensors. Twenty Windows 7 running prototypes were developed, and although the technology won’t be appearing in homes for at least a few more years, the eye control-based experience is already extremely accurate and well developed.

World’s First Eye-Controlled Laptop [Tobii via Engadget]

Panasonic Debuts Blu-Ray 3-D Home Theater Systems and Slim Bar Speakers
Today, Panasonic introduced three new Blu-ray 3-D home theater kits, the SC-BTT770, SC-BTT370 and SC-BTT270, which feature iDevice docks and use Cinema Surround Plus technology for optimal movie theater-style surround sound. And to make sure you’re comfortable with your 3-D viewing experience, a 3-D Effect Controller lets you adjust image depth. The SC-HTB520 home speaker system is encased in reflective, stainless black mesh that’s dust and fingerprint resistant. It supports Stream Out for 3-D image signals, is Audio Return Channel (ARC) compatible, and comes with a wireless Down Firing Subwoofer.

Panasonic 3D Speaker Bar and Blu-ray 3D Home Theater Kit [Slashgear]

Verizon CFO Says It’ll Switch To Tiered Data Plans As Early As This Summer
Fran Shammo, Verizon’s CFO, said that Verizon will be implementing a tiered data plan in the not-too-distant future—as early as this summer. The plans will be based on speed, consumption, or a combination of both. The company waited to initiate this plan because it didn’t want to scare off potential iPhone 4 buyers.

Verizon Will Move to Tiered Data Plans This Summer [BGR]

Teeny Tiny Brando Wireless Router Fits Into Your Pocket
Measuring 6 cm long and 1 cm high, Brando’s EagleTec Nano Size Wireless N-Router makes even your iPhone look fat. It can provide a 150 Mbps data transfer rate for multiple users. It also supports auto IP address assignment for devices and 64/128-bit WEP, WPA and WPA2 wireless data encryption.

EaglTec Nano Size Wirless N-Router [Brando via Crunchgear]

Folding Mobile Phone Concept Awkwardly Combines Smartphone and Tablet
The 360 Compact Folding Mobile Phone Concept reminds me of one of those foam play mats from preschool, except with touchscreens on each face. Theoretically versatile, this dual jointed flip phone could lay flat with all 3 screens displaying information, or be propped up to provide an angled viewing and typing surface.

360 Compact Folding Mobile Phone Concept [Yanko Design]

After setting its LED pricing for the year to come, Panasonic has finally set its plasma HDTV info in stone. Again matching the information leaked from retailers, the MSRPs (before any retailer discounts) range from the 65-inch TC-P65VT30 sticking at $4,299 down to the $599 720p TC-P42X3. Also of note is the inclusion of not only the previously announced S30 series without 3D technology or the new Infinite Black 2 panel (unlike the step-up ST30 models) but there will also apparently be a V30 line without the 3D fittings, although there’s no specs, prices or ship dates mentioned. Last year the only top of the line model available was the VT25, although there was a 2D only V20-series plasma available in Australia and other regions. 3D or no, things appear to be looking up for plasma TVs, with shipments jumping nine percent last year. Check the press release after the break for all the details, but we’ll have to wait until the TVs to arrive to find out if Panasonic is going to be able to hold onto its crown again.

Continue reading Panasonic celebrates higher plasma TV sales for 2010, sets prices for 2011

Panasonic celebrates higher plasma TV sales for 2010, sets prices for 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Even while its newest plasmas are starting to show up on store shelves Panasonic so far is only issuing a press release with pricing and availability for its 2011 LCD HDTVs so far, confirming much of the retailer info leaked to HDGuru recently. While the 37- and 32-inch DT30 (pictured above) will both ship in April for $1,299 and $1,199, respectively and include the newly upgraded Viera Connect (now with Hulu Plus) smart TV platform, 3D features and more, some of the lower end lines like the E3 and X30 series will make do with a stripped-down Easy IPTV package featuring just the basics — Netflix, Amazon VOD, Napster, Pandora, Facebook and CinemaNow. Check the full release after the break for all the details, we’ll just be waiting around for the big boy VT and GT plasma TVs to make landfall in the coming weeks assuming the rest of the early info holds true.

Continue reading Panasonic confirms pricing, ship dates for 2011 LCD TV models

Panasonic confirms pricing, ship dates for 2011 LCD TV models originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re drowning in interchangeable lens options, but that’s far from being a bad thing. For those that finally caved and picked up Panasonic’s Lumix DFC-GF2, we’re interested to see how you’d change things if given that golden opportunity. Are you satisfied with the size, weight and design? How’s the low-light performance? Would you alter anything about the lens selection? Introduce a version that changes colors with the seasons? Go on and get creative in comments below — the GF3 needs some ideas, you know?

How would you change Panasonic’s Lumix DFC-GF2? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 23:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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