Posts Tagged ‘Panasonic’
Nikon developing a direct competitor for Canon PowerShot G11
Looks like Nikon is suffering from a little camera-envy as one of the company’s execs has revealed they’re in the process of developing a direct competitor for the Canon PowerShot G11.
In an interview with Amateur Photographer, Nikon UK senior product manager Kevin Egan said that the PowerShot G11 is the “benchmark by which other compact digital cameras are measured.” Quite the compliment, indeed.
But that also means Nikon doesn’t want to be left in the dust. Thus, Egan also told the photo mag that Nikon has an upcoming Coolpix camera waiting in the wings ready to take the G11 on. A lot of the details are debatable though, as the sensor will come down to something between a DSLR or an already-existing higher-end Nikon Coolpix compact camera.
What’s really so special about the Canon G11? Quite a bit, namely speed, design and photo quality, which is what it really all comes down to sometimes. And it packs a lot of power into in a compact body that starts around $450. It’s also Canon’s answer to the Micro Four Thirds system, although I’d be interested to see them (and Nikon) come out with some more direct competition for Olympus and Panasonic.
While there hasn’t been a release date announced yet, Electronista is speculating that we might get some more information at a March 8 press conference, especially after a number of bizarre mailings went out in France that reportedly only Nikon users received. Could this be what those images were referring to?
What would you like to see in a Nikon competitor?
Samsung’s Broadband HDTVs to Come With Skype
First announced at CES with Panasonic and LG TVs, Skype will now come embedded on Samsung’s LED 7000 and 8000 series models of high-definition televisions. The embedded Skype software allows Skype users to make video and voice calls through the TVs.
Samsung, the global market leader in televisions, will begin shipping TVs with Skype software in the Korean market today, and worldwide in the first half of 2010.
“Our consumers want their televisions to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for entertainment and communication delivered with the highest quality,” said Kevin Kyungshik Lee, Vice President of Visual Display at Samsung Electronics. “Including Skype on our TVs meets that expectation perfectly. We’re thrilled that Samsung’s consumers can now use our TVs to experience the rich video and voice communication that hundreds of millions of Skype users worldwide enjoy.”
The debut of Samsung’s Skype-enabled televisions reinforces Skype’s commitment to making its video and voice calling capabilities available on a full range of Internet-connected devices, including TVs.
The Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 series televisions include Samsung’s free Internet@TV service, which allows access to select online content. Consumers who connect the TVs to the Internet can easily attach a FreeTalk TV Camera for Samsung provided by In Store Solutions (ISS), available at www.skype.com/store, making it possible to place and receive voice calls and High Quality Video calls. Voice calls will use Skype’s SILK audio codec, which enables super-wideband audio quality.
Using the TVs’ remote controls, consumers can create free Skype accounts, log into their existing accounts and navigate via a simple Skype interface accessible on the televisions’ screens. Skype video calls will be free, as will voice calls between Skype users.
Skype to Offer Video Service on LG, Panasonic TVs
Privately held Skype has forged deals with consumer electronics makers LG Electronics and Panasonic in a bid to move its Internet video service beyond the desktop computer to the living room TV.
The service, which includes free video calls between Skype members, will compete with consumer video conference services being developed by bigger companies such as networking giant Cisco Systems Inc and Polycom Inc, which plans to develop consumer video services with International Business Machines Corp. Skype, a former eBay unit, said both LG and Panasonic will have high-definition TVs supporting its service around mid-year. Both television makers will embed the Skype technology in television models with Internet connections and will sell separate Web cameras that have built in microphones for television viewers who want to use Skype.
Skype said Panasonic will support Skype in its VT and G series televisions in the United States, with screen sizes up to 65 inches. LG will embed Skype in 26 new LCD and plasma screen TVs, which will also come in a range of sizes. Both LG and Panasonic are expected to demonstrate the service this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual gadget showcase in Las Vegas. Skype also plans to announce support for high-definition video services on computers at the technology show, including partnerships with makers of high-definition Web camera suppliers faceVision and In Store Solution.
High-definition Skype services will work on computers with a 1.8 Gigahertz processor and a high-speed broadband connection of about 1 megabits per second upward, Skype said.
Panasonic Launches 12.1 MP Slim FP-series Digital Camera
Panasonic has announced the new Lumix DMC-FP8 digital camera as part of its new FP-Series.
The Lumix FP8, with 12.1 megapixels, features a 28mm wide-angle, 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD and 4.6x Leica DC lens with folding optics in a stylish body.
The FP8 also features advanced functions including high-speed Auto Focus (AF) and Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) suite of technologies. It has a high-speed start-up of only 0.95 seconds and iA now includes Power Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) which features double the repression power compared to the previous image stabilization system, MEGA O.I.S. The hand-shake generated when pressing the shutter button, or when shooting at night with a slow shutter speed, is significantly minimized by the improved Power O.I.S. to help reduce blurry photos.
“We realize that consumers are looking for fashionable and slim digital cameras that still take high-quality photos and feature advanced photo settings,” said David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “With the Lumix DMC-FP8, we are giving users that sleek and compact design, while not compromising the advanced, yet easy-to-use features and technology for which the Panasonic Lumix line of cameras is known.”
The FP8′s design has intricate detailing which features blue LED cursor buttons that glow when pressed, and it has a centered back panel. In the Face Recognition mode, up to three people can be simultaneously recognized to show their names on the monitor once registered.
Other features of the DMC-FP8 include:
- HD Movies with VIERA Link Networking – Records dynamic HD motion pictures in 1280 x 720p at a smooth 30 fps, in addition to WVGA (848 x480) and normal VGA (640 x 480). With HD component output capability, the user can enjoy watching photos and video in stunning HD quality by simply connecting the camera to a television via an optional component cable (DMW-HDC2).
- Scene Modes – Twenty-seven scene modes are available with the FP8, including the High Dynamic mode which helps to capture a scene with moderate exposure, even though the scene may contain both bright anddark areas together.
- PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0 – Included with the FP8, this software allows users to view, edit and archive captured photos and videos with greater ease. The new PHOTOfunSTUDIO 4.0 features dramatic speed-up of operation and also allows users to store and sort for photos by a specific, recognized face in the image.
The Lumix DMC-FP8 will have a suggested retail price of $299.95 and will be available in September 2009 in black, red and silver.
60 GHz Wi-Fi Products Now Possible 7Gbps
Wi-Fi and WiGi are teaming up to bring three spectrums to consumers, including 7 Gbps transfers.
Monday the Wi-Fi Alliance and the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) jointly announced a cooperation agreement that will allow Wi-Fi equipment to access the 60 GHz frequency band, and to provide better speeds in the current 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. Devices that will support all three bandwidths will be able to achieve up to 7 Gbps although the range will most likely be limited to in-room transfers. Still, this is good news for consumers who want to stream Blu-ray movies to a living room HDTV.
“60 GHz device connectivity will be an exciting enhancement to the capabilities of today’s Wi-Fi technologies,” said Wi-Fi Alliance chief executive officer Edgar Figueroa. “It will expand the utility of Wi-Fi, used by hundreds of millions of people every day. From its inception, the WiGig specification was designed to work on a wide variety of devices, making it a compelling input as we begin to define our certification program for 60 GHz wireless.”
In a separate announcement, WiGig said that it published its unified wireless specification for the unlicensed 60 GHz spectrum. It also launched its royalty-free Adopter Program which allow members to develop products that use the spectrum “to deliver multi-gigabit-speed wireless communication.” Cisco, Hitachi, Panasonic, and Toshiba have already jumped on board, and may have tri-band products ready by the end of the year.
“With this announcement today, and with our new partnership with the Wi-Fi Alliance, we are one step closer to fulfilling our vision of a unified 60 GHz ecosystem,” said Dr. Ali Sadri, WiGig Alliance president and chairman. “We welcome all companies to join with us as we continue to drive the industry forward.”