Panasonic

Last week, Panasonic announced that it was considering cutting its plasma production after next year; this is especially troubling, as its 2013 lineup looks like the company's best yet.

Panasonic TVs like the ZT60 and VT60 could (finally) give our reference TV the Pioneer Kuro a run for its money, and for a much more affordable price. We're not conspiracy theorists, but for one reason or other sometimes the best products just aren't the most successful. Watch out, Apple's rumored TV!

Panasonic's sad news got us thinking about the many other products that have gone … Read more

Panasonic confirmed this week that it's in discussions over whether it will jettison its plasma TV business. For me, it's deja vu as yet another Japanese manufacturer struggles to sell high-quality televisions.

In 2008, the Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD became one of the greatest TVs ever developed -- and it is still among CNET's reference TVs after five years. But producing the best TV didn't translate to profits, and Pioneer exited the TV market in 2009. The company is now best known for car and home audio.

Television is, pardon the pun, Panasonic's most visible … Read more

This week, it's all about the specs.

The next iPad Mini and Nexus 7 get release dates, but they'll apparently get something even more awesome: high-res screens. The next Google phone is rumored to do something so crazy that makes both of us go into a frenzy of punning. Oh, and Panasonic is bleeding money. Poor Panasonic.

And rounding out this week's rumors: one Apple analyst is sure that the next iPhone will have a killer feature that will put it ahead of the smartphone pack. What could this killer feature be? Leave us a comment and … Read more

Although Panasonic plasmas are widely considered some of the best on the market, the company might actually be thinking about getting out of that business.

Panasonic is currently contemplating whether it should leave the plasma business behind, Japan-based newspaper Nikkei reported today, according to Reuters. The move would be part of a broader strategy on Panasonic's part to reduce its reliance upon televisions and fix its ailing operation.

In a statement to Reuters, Panasonic didn't rule out the move, saying that it's "considering a number of options" for its TV business, but so far, "… Read more

Move over, mobile payments. NFC is finding other ways to make itself useful.

In fact, paying for items with one's phone seems to be the least common use for the close-range connectivity technology right now, at least based on gadgets unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. Rather, essentially all products using NFC shown at the recent confab employed the technology in one of two ways: To set up a sort of digital handshake between a mobile device and another gadget or as a way to share information between products with just a tap.

I can't tell you how many times last year I told people, "Just get the Panasonic ST50 plasma." A lot. More times than I shaved, surely.

Turns out I'll be saying it a lot at the beginning of this year, too, at least until the TV sells out.

One of the most important products announced at CES 2013, at least as far as I'm concerned, was its direct successor, the Panasonic ST60 series. So with the ST50 still available for sale and the ST60 launching in March or April, the natural question is whether to … Read more

LAS VEGAS--I have independent confirmation that Danny DeVito is indeed a gadget hound.

Besides being one of the stars of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia," and acting in, producing, and directing a litany of Hollywood blockbusters, including "Hoffa," "Romancing The Stone," and "L.A. Confidential," my cousin Rob (a movie costumer) says the trailer DeVito uses on location is always packed with the latest consumer electronics.

DeVito is going to be all over CNET's CES coverage today. First, he is scheduled to appear at the CNET stage to talk about … Read more

It may feel like it's been running for months already, but today is actually the first official day of CES. But even after yesterday's whirlwind of product announcements, there are still plenty of new electronics to savour, and we've got stories on them all at ces.cnet.com. But if you don't have time to pick through everything, here's the news that mattered the most.

Despite having a press conference yesterday, Panasonic saved its most interesting revelations for today. First is its answer to Sony's concept 4K OLED TV, its own concept model that's very similar. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic is ready to go to the next level in PC and tablet resolution. Is anyone else?

Ultra HD/4K televisions blanket this year's Consumer Electronics Show like freshly fallen snow, but Panasonic is standing alone demonstrating 4K technology in a personal computer. The company's 4K tablet prototype on display at its booth has a ridiculous 3,840x2,560-pixel resolution and 230 pixels per inch packed into a 20-inch IPS LED-backlit LCD display.

The 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro has a 2,880x1,880-pixel resolution at 220 ppi. There isn't a 20-inch display currently in a … Read more