panasonic

Hot water has a way of transforming things; coffee, tea, and soup would all be very different without it. Like any transformative technology, it all has to start somewhere. Sitting on the kitchen countertop, electric teakettles are convenient devices that heat water quickly and efficiently. No matter what they look like on the outside.

The Panasonic NC-ZK1V Kettle with High Quality Stainless Steel and Violet Finish ($179.95; also available in a cool smoke finish) can become part of a kitchen's routine without blending in. The distinctive appliance, Panasonic's Breakfast Collection, is one way to deck out your … Read more

They say we eat with our eyes first, yet that is only half the story. Clearly, whoever this "they" is either has a terrible sense of smell or a very bad cold. Eyes are great for getting a sneak peek of what's to come, but it is the nose that knows before all. Naturally, some edibles have more odiferous enticements than others with breakfast having a pretty big hold on olfactory actions. However, bacon and the scent of toasting bread are not the beginning of the story.

Wafting into the bedroom first thing in the morning, the … Read more

Today's HDTVs are packed with Smart TV suites, fancy picture processing, and other extras that add functionality and/or affect picture quality. For a serious gamer, none of that matters compared to the responsiveness of the TV, and often the extras just get in the way.

The culprit is input lag. That's the term for the delay, in milliseconds, between a TV receiving a signal and the results of that signal appearing on the screen. Those milliseconds are irrelevant for TV shows and movies, and they don't even matter for most games -- the majority of gamers probably wouldn't even notice if their TV was laggy. But if you're an attentive, skilled gamer, especially one who plays "twitch" games like Call of Duty, Halo, or fighting games, especially in online multiplayer environments, input lag can mean the difference between virtual life and death.

CNET just started testing for input lag, and so far we've corralled a handful of 2013 TVs. Here are five of our favorites so far, in ascending order of lag in Game mode -- or the least laggy picture mode, if Game isn't an option. For reference, we grade under 40ms of lag as Good, 40 to 70 as Average, and more than 70 as Poor.

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Back in April something happened here at CNET that has never happened before: a TV was given a perfect 5 stars, as well as an Editors' Choice Award. We don't throw around "Spectactular" reviews all willy nilly, so this was a big deal. Such a big deal in fact, we decided to give our users a chance to win* one for their very own.

However, we aren't going to make this too easy! We want you to share a photo of your old outdated tech. Simply snap a photo of your retro tech, "like" … Read more

If you look at CNET's lists of best TVs this year, or any recent year, chances are good there's a plasma TV made by Panasonic at the top. That's because they consistently offer excellent picture quality for the price.

Sure, Samsung's plasmas also do very well, and for that matter we've lauded a number of LED LCD TVs by Vizio, Sharp, Sony, and others. We've also given plenty of flat-out bad reviews to Panasonic's LCD TVs, and even to the cheapest Panasonic plasma last year (this year's version, the X60, just started shipping). But no combination of brand and technology has done as well in our reviews over the last few years as Panasonic's plasmas.

So if you're thin-slicing the hopelessly confusing and BS-riddled TV market in search of your next set, you could do worse than simply asking yourself the question in this article's headline. The breakdown below, arranged in ascending order of price (prices current as of press time), should help with the answer. … Read more

Last year Panasonic introduced intrusive advertising in the form of pop-up banner ads on its Smart TVs, and unfortunately the company has decided to continue the practice this year.

But that's not the only potentially annoying thing about the new interface. When you first turn it on the TV also defaults to a new Home screen filled with apps you'll mostly never use, like a calendar. Your actual TV show is relegated to an inset window until you actively select and expand it.

Banner ads are the way of life for Web sites and many apps, as advertising … Read more

Panasonic has been "kicking goals" for years with its plasma range but has struggled to produce competitive LED LCDs. While its performance is seemingly a bit better than the previous model, which put up one of the worst pictures of last year, the new DT60 still flounders against its 2013 peers.

The DT60 offers a striking design, probably one of the company's best ever, and nifty features such as voice search. Its picture quality is just mediocre though, for while color is better than last year, black levels are similarly poor -- and I simply expect much … Read more

Panasonic has posted another hefty annual loss as the consumer electronics giant continues to struggle.

The Japanese company on Friday reported a loss of 754.3 billion yen ($7.42 billion) for fiscal 2013, which ended in March. In fiscal 2012, it posted a loss of 772.2 billion yen. Sales for fiscal 2013 declined 7 percent from the previous year to 7.3 trillion yen ($71.9 billion).

Panasonic had put into place a vast restructuring plan meant to pull the company out of its tailspin, but it conceded today that the results were far below what it was … Read more

Welcome to the start of a new franchise here at CNET -- the first episode of Hooked Up! It's the only show where the world of celebrity and technology collide.

This week, Kevin Frazier checks out Cee Lo Green's Las Vegas show "Loberace" and the technology that's involved in creating a massive production that only Las Vegas can do. Cee Lo also talks about his personal health goals, Goodie Mob's comeback, and their search for the next big music artist.

I'll also break down some of the best ways to bring the biggest … Read more