Panasonic’s latest multimedia audio system available

Remember our news back in October [CEATEC 09- Live] Panasonic All in One Multimedia Hands-On about the launch of this all-in-one multimedia device which serves not only as a photo frame but also an i-Pod dock, CD player, video player etc.? It's been announced to be also available in the US in this December.

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Panasonic's new D-Dock is simply slick and beautiful

Some may say that our new D-Dock SC-HC4/HC3 revived B&O influence in its design, but personally I don’t care that much here as I am quite fond of this new D-Dock.

Specs-wise nothing breath taking, the SC-HC4/HC3 offers a 2x20W output at 6Ω, can be connected to the entire iPod line-up, has a FM and AM Radio tuner, a CD player, a SD Card reader and supports AAC, MP3 and WMA files.

Finally, only the SC-HC4 version will be capable of transferring or ripping any CDs into SD or SDHC cards at a speed up to 8x.

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Panasonic's Night Color Series, when White Turns Black

For December Panasonic announced the Night Color Series, a new “Carbon Black” series of house appliances that includs fridge, microwave, rice cooker… Nothing amazing per se, but having the entire series could make your house really unique from others.

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Lumix GF1, Redefining Power and Compactness - The Review

The Lumix GF1 is Panasonic's latest micro four thirds camera and their most compact… While I haven't tested too many micro four thirds, I got the chance to play with a G1, GH1 and Olympus E-P1 and got a pretty good idea of what to expect… Hey, after all I'm the proud owner of a GH1 which happens to be my dedicated camera when shooting most of my Let’s Visit Tokyo videos (some were shot with our beloved 5D MK II). So far I'm impressed with the Micro Four Thirds Technology, and the GF1 literally blows my mind and gave me a lot of satisfaction.

Panasonic Lumix GH1 Specs
- 20mm + 7-14mm + 14-140mm HD Lens with optical image stabilizer
- 12.1 Megapixel resolution
- Live MOS Sensor
- 720/30p with HDMI 1080i output
- 3” Free-angle LCD
- ISO Range : Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / Intelligent ISO

First Impression
The GF1 is the direct competitor to the Olympus E-P1, and while I was very pleased with the E-P1 overall GF1 body quality is even better. Slightly lighter and smaller that the E-P1, the GF1 is also made from better material and we like the E-P1 has a metallic body that feels comfortable/good in your hands. Despite its compact size, the GF1 tries to keep the same ergonomics as its older brother. If you own or have used a GH1, the GF1 isn't much different in terms of button design, with an exception with the Q.MENU button, placed differently and and hard to get used to… Same applies for the video recording button placed next to the shutter… Both the GF1 and GH1 share the same menu, UI and so on.

Like the E-P1, the GF1 doesn't feature a viewfinder, its 3” LCD is really fantastic and way better than the Olympus'. If you really feel the need for a viewfinder you can get an optional one that you can place on top of the camera where you would usually place an additional Cobra style flash.

The Olympus E-P1 is very well built, but I was very disappointed by its lens quality that felt cheap, mainly due to choice of plastic… Panasonic gave their lenses, both the 20mm, 7-14mm and 14-140mm HD lens the best attention possible, and each feels just right, like a real professional lens, something that once gives you’re the satisfaction and shoots some excellent photos and videos.

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Panasonic Introduces 24GB and 32GB SDHC Cards

Panasonic just introduced new Class 4 SDHC memory cards of 24GB (RP-SDP24GJ1K) and 32GB (RP-SDP32GJ1K), both dedicated for HD cameras.

With a maximum transfer rate of 15MB/s, the 24GB version should allow you to record three hours of video, while the 32GB version will let you shoot around four hours..

Available November 14th.

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