panasonic

Compact megazooms, also known as travel zooms, are some of the most popular cameras on CNET. That's likely because they offer wide-angle lenses with long zooms, giving you a lot of shooting flexibility, but without the bulk of larger dSLR-style megazooms.

The front-runners here are the Panasonic ZS20 for its price and performance, the Canon SX260 HS for its photo quality, and the Sony HX30V for its balance of photo and video quality, performance, and features. Now's a good time to pick these up, too, as their 2013 updates should be arriving in the next few months.… Read more

While the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 isn't perfect, it's still my favorite choice for snapshooters looking for a faster, better camera but one that's similar enough to a point-and-shoot that they're not forced out of their comfort zone.

The GF3's small size, well-designed touch-screen interface, fast performance, and solid photo quality -- and, for its type, a more-or-less reasonable price -- make it a compelling option. With the DMC-GF5, Panasonic makes some subtle updates and enhancements that improve on the GF3 for that same snapshooter.

The most important physical change is the new grip; the GF3's was very slippery, and this larger rubberized grip is a huge improvement, especially if you need to shoot one-handed.… Read more

First, Panasonic's upcoming SC-MC07 Compact Wireless Stereo Speaker reminded me of a UFO. Then I thought Chipwich or some Drake or Hostess snack cake.

Whatever image it conjures up, the $69.99 SC-MC07 streams music wirelessly from smartphones and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The unit is powered by AA batteries or an included USB cable.

I got a quick sound demo at a recent Panasonic press event and like a lot of these small Bluetooth speakers, it plays louder than you'd think for its size.

Wondering what that logo on the top is? Well, Panasonic says you'll be … Read more

If you like the sound of the excellent Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20, but can live without the built-in GPS, definitely check out the DMC-ZS19.

For $50 less than the ZS20, the ZS19 has no GPS receiver for geotagging photos, but it keeps everything else including its 20x, f3.3-6.4, 24-480mm lens, 3-inch touch screen, and 14-megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor.

Read the full review of the Panasonic Lumix ZS20.

Rice doesn't lack for vitamins and minerals. Or smartphone apps.

There is little left that smartphones cannot do. Or rather, to be more precise, there is little left that smartphones are not capable of controlling. The distinction is an important one. Ultimately, we are the controller. But sometimes it is just more fun to press a button on the phone rather than on the target device.

The new SR-SX102 rice cookers from Panasonic are controllable via FeliCa-enabled smartphones. (FeliCa is a contactless RFID technology developed by Sony Corporation.) Hover the phone over the designated area on the rice cooker (that would be the blue mark) and suddenly the smartphone becomes a sort of remote control for the rice cooker.… Read more

The very first image of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 was supposedly leaked by a trigger-happy Instagram user named Angelababy who posted the image to her user profile, according to 4/3 Rumors.

A quick check of her account shows the image has since been removed, but the rumor site speculates that Angelbaby could be a model involved in a commercial shoot with the new camera. … Read more

Not to be outdone by Samsung, Panasonic has also announced full pricing and availability for its 2012 line of Blu-ray players. Panasonic's quoted prices are "suggested retail pricing," so expect these players to be a little cheaper when they hit the streets.

Panasonic's 2012 Blu-ray line Panasonic DMP-BD77: $90 Panasonic DMP-BD87: $120 Panasonic DMP-BDT220: $150 Panasonic DMP-BDT320: $200 Panasonic DMP-BBT01: $270 Panasonic DMP-BDT500: $350

All of Panasonic Blu-ray players are available now, except the higher-end DMP-BDT500 and DMP-BBT01, which will be released in May.

Panasonic released most of the information about these players back at CES … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--I'm here in Barcelona, going phone crazy at Mobile World Congress. Tucked in among the huge, monster-powered smartphones is a new blower from Panasonic that's bearing the Lumix branding proudly worn by its superb line of cameras.

Panasonic hasn't had much to show off in the mobile line in a long time, but has unveiled the new Eluga and Eluga Power smartphones to us hungry tech journalists. The Lumix range of phones, however, dispense with the slim and sleek designs but pack lenses and sensors you'd normally expect to find on some of its dedicated compact snappers.

The Lumix Phone 101P that I had a hands-on with packs a 13.2-megapixel sensor--bigger than the sensors you'd normally get in phones, which should hopefully result in more detailed images. At just under 10mm (less than half an inch) thick, it's a tad bigger than many new phones we've seen this year, but it is waterproof, so taking some snaps in the rain shouldn't be a problem.

Read more of "Panasonic Lumix Phone shows potential in hands-on pics" at CNET UK. … Read more

Soon LG and Samsung won't be the only TV makers to offer the ability to control your TV by talking to it.

Yesterday Nuance Communications announced that its Dragon TV voice control platform would be shipping with some Panasonic TVs in Europe this year.

Plans for a US introduction were not announced, and a Panasonic representative I spoke to didn't have any additional details. I don't expect the company to incorporate voice control into its already-announced 2012 TVs, via some kind add-on USB microphone for example, but it is a possibility. I'd be surprised if 2013 … Read more