Panasonic and Sanyo change status to "it's complicated"

You know you've heard it from two lovebirds in junior high: "we're not going out, we're just talking." In a completely bizarre way, that's about the best way we can sum up what's apparently going on between Panasonic and Sanyo Electric. According to an unnamed company official "familiar with the negotiations," Panny is already in talks with Goldman Sachs, Daiwa Securities SMBC and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking about snapping up a "controlling stake in its smaller rival." Reportedly, these "talks" are at the so-called preliminary stage, and dialog regarding dollars and cents (and yen, probably) has yet to officially occur. Still, the insider asserts that a formal acquisition proposal will be submitted soon, potentially enabling Panasonic to quickly grab a "world-class" (wait, really?) battery operation and give it a leg-up in the exploding solar energy market. Stay tuned for more -- you know the unpredictable always happens on Saturday nights.
[Via: Bloomberg ] [Tag: acquisition, business, buy, buyout, industry, japan, merge, merger, panasonic, sanyo, sanyo electric, SanyoElectric ]

MyVu Crystal a worthy travel companion, available now

Surely you remember Veronica Belmont posing with the MyVu Crystal / Shades at CES earlier this year? Yeah, the former unit is finally available to order for the three people in attendance who care, and better still, a recent review by PC World asserts that this thing actually isn't a half bad travel companion. Imagery was said to be "crystal-clear" (har) and battery life was more than reasonable, but look, even the reviewer admitted that he "wouldn't be caught walking down the street" with 'em on. Purchase accordingly.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: Crystal, head-mounted display, Head-mountedDisplay, ipod accessory, IpodAccessory, mhd, myvu, video glasses, VideoGlasses ]

World's first projector cellphone is also an iPhone clone, in Rome

Ok, not Rome, but somewhere in China. But Shenzhen wouldn't have rhymed now would it? Anyway, you're looking at what's scheduled to be the world's first projector phone from ChinaKing (aka, CKing). The bits of information we scraped off the machine translated text reveals an LCoS-based projector that relies upon a LED light source and manual focus adjustment. This brick (and we mean brick) is supposedly capable of projecting a 30-inch, 640 x 480 pixel image for up to 2-hours at a time. 2-hours you say, not possible! Perhaps you forgot about the 666 day battery. Nah. A couple more pics after the break.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: breaking news,BreakingNews,china king,ChinaKing,cking,clone,kirf,projector ]

Brionvega's Alpha LCD / DVD combo is deliciously sexy, on sale

There are times when form overcomes any missteps in function, and we'd probably say this is one of those times. On the downside, Brionvega's 19-inch Alpha LCD / DVD combo display tops out at 1,280 x 1,024 and obviously boasts a 4:3 aspect ratio, but it can be equipped with a digital DVB-T tuner. Beyond that, you'll find a 1,200:1 contrast ratio, 350 nits of brightness, five-millisecond response time, 160-degree viewing angles and a small array of ports. There's also a pair of three-watt stereo speakers in there, and the integrated DVD player even handles VCD, SVCD and MP3 discs. If you've found yourself overran with disposable income, you can grab yours in orange / silver / black for €1,950 ($3,016) and up.


[Via: RetroToGo ]
[Tag: alpha, Brionvega, europe, on sale, OnSale, order, retro, uk, vintage ]

Apple looking to Immersion for haptic technology on iPhone?

Immersion, the same folks responsible for adding haptic technology (force feedback from touch panels, pretty much) in a fleet of Nokia handsets, could be looking to do the same with Cupertino's one and only. While VibeTonz isn't specifically mentioned by name, a recent report (which should certainly be filed as a rumor for the time being) is suggesting that bigwigs from both outfits are in ongoing meetings "over licensing and implementation issues of iPhone haptics." Interestingly enough, this news is flowing hot on the heels of Immersion appointing Clent Richardson as president and CEO; if that name rings a bell, he previously spent five years pretty high up the ladder at Apple. Of course, all the signs pointing to yes doesn't mean anything in and of itself, so we'll just twiddle our thumbs a bit longer and hope to have some feedback for 'em soon enough.

[Thanks, Chris]

Read - Rumors of Immersion bringing haptics to iPhone
Read - Clent Richardson becomes president / CEO of Immersion

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: apple, feedback, haptic, haptic feedback, HapticFeedback, Immersion, iphone, partner, partnership, rumor ]