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 ]

Sony unveils superabundance of projectors at InfoComm

Whoa there Sony, try not to get too excited all at once, okay? Over in Vegas today, said outfit has unleashed a veritable smorgasbord of projectors on the world, primarily ones aimed at businesses and large venues. Each of the VPL-EX50, VPL-EX5 and VPL-EW5 beamers include the company's BrightEra technology and should go well in classrooms, while the XGA VPL-FX41 comes in with 5,000 lumens to light up even the largest rooms. Moving on, we've got the WXGA+ (1,366 x 800) VPL-FW300 and the VPL-FH300 (pictured), which offers an even nicer 2,048 x 1,080 resolution. 'Tis a shame that last one is stickered at $40,000. Hit the read link for more details (pricing included) on the whole lot.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: 4k,BrightEra,infocomm,infocomm 2008,Infocomm2008,projector,sony,VPL-EW5,VPL-EX5,VPL-EX50,VPL-FE40,VPL-FE40L,VPL-FH300,VPL-FW300,VPL-FX40,VPL-FX40L,VPL-FX41,VPL-FX41L ]

Motorola slashing 20% of its research division

Another month, another round of layoffs over at Moto. This time, we're seeing 120 out of the 600 positions in Motorola Labs -- the unit responsible for researching pretty much everything ranging from handsets to radio technology -- slashed; another 180 are "being reassigned to work in individual business units." According to the company, the moves from Moto Labs "will help R&D teams work with their business partners to optimize R&D investment and focus on projects that deliver the greatest value for Motorola," though your guess is as good as our as to what that actually means. Granted, we wouldn't normally support hacking off a good part of your innovation department, but given Moto's state right now, it seems to us like they they need development a hell of a lot more than they do research.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: development,job,jobs,motorola,rD,research ]

Motorola slashing 20% of its research division

Another month, another round of layoffs over at Moto. This time, we're seeing 120 out of the 600 positions in Motorola Labs -- the unit responsible for researching pretty much everything ranging from handsets to radio technology -- slashed; another 180 are "being reassigned to work in individual business units." According to the company, the moves from Moto Labs "will help R&D teams work with their business partners to optimize R&D investment and focus on projects that deliver the greatest value for Motorola," though your guess is as good as our as to what that actually means. Granted, we wouldn't normally support hacking off a good part of your innovation department, but considering that it's been stuck in fail mode for far too long, maybe this really is for the best.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: development,job,jobs,motorola,rD,research ]

Meridian's Ferrari-branded F80 home entertainment system priced at $2,995

We fully expected that Ferrari logo and lacquered paint job to add a stuff premium to Meridian's F80, but this is undeniably insane. The "transportable home entertainment system," which has been hovering about since last March, is at long last ready to be purchased. Finding prospective buyers, however, will likely be challenging. The unit is now available in silver, yellow, white, black and the obligatory red, and each one will set you back a dumbfounding $2,995. We're thinking the unit itself would go for around three bills sans branding, but apparently Italian ponies aren't cheap.

[Via: Engadget ]
[Tag: expensive,f80,ferrari,luxury,Meridian,price,priced,pricing,release,sound system,SoundSystem,speaker,speaker system,SpeakerSystem ]

Vita Audio adds a splash of luxury to R4 iPod / DAB radio

Nothing says sexy like a sleek wood trim, wouldn't you wholeheartedly agree? Vita Audio obviously does, as it's ?499.99 ($980) R4 integrated music system just screams lavish. The all-in-one unit packs an iPod dock, slot-loading CD / MP3 / WMA-music disc player, USB port, DAB and FM tuner with RDS, front and rear auxiliary ports, built-in display, alarm clock function and the firm's detachable RotoDial remote. For those not feeling the rich walnut veneer, there's also a high-gloss white (surprised?) version available for ?50 ($97) more. Sadly, the "coming soon" tidbit leaves us clueless as to how long you actually have left to save up for either of the pricey systems.
[Via: ShinyShiny ]
[Tag: dab,expensive,ipod accessory,ipod dock,ipod sound system,IpodAccessory,IpodDock,IpodSoundSystem,luxury,r4,uk,vita audio,VitaAudio ]

Telnet "hack" allows for network remote control of TiVo

It may not be very practical just yet but, as Zatz Not Funny's Dave Zatz points out, this recently discovered telnet "hack" for network remote control of a TiVo certainly offers no shortage of potential. Apparently, this one arose out of TiVo's deal with Creston to allow for integration with their home automation framework which, fortunately for those that like to dabble in such things, simply involved having TiVo HD and Series3 units listen to port 31339 for connections from a Crestron device. As Zatz notes, however, there's nothing to stop any device from telnetting to the TiVo's easily-findable IP address using the aforementioned port and inputting IR codes command line-style. Currently, that's made even less practical by the fact the codes need to be entered quickly to avoid being timed out, but we're sure it's only a matter of time before folks devise some slightly more useful means of exploiting this interesting find. Until then, you can head on past the break for a little taste of the current level of iPhone-to-TiVo interaction.

[Via: Zatz Not Funny! ]
[Tag: telnet, tivo, tivo hack, tivo hd, tivo series 3, TivoHack, TivoHd, TivoSeries3 ]

Sony breaks out 2.1 BRAVIA DAV-F200 home theater system

Truth be told, we knew this gem was waiting in Sony's pocket, but it finally came clean and made things official over in Europe. The 2.1 BRAVIA DAV-F200 home theater system features S-Master digital amplification, which delivers a potent 135-watts of power to each speaker (including the subwoofer). The firm also threw in its S-Force Front Surround technology to help convince your mind that 2.1 is really 5.1, and as for the integrated DVD player, it plays nice with MP3 / photo / DivX discs, too. Better still, the unit includes 1080p upscaling over HDMI along with a built-in USB port for listening to WMA / AAC files, and there's even optical / coaxial digital inputs for other external sources. Regrettably, there's no word on a price nor US availability, but we can say for certain that those across the pond can claim their own this June.


[Via: Pocket-lint ]
[Tag: 1080p, 2.1, bravia, BRAVIA Sync, BraviaSync, DAV-F200, dvd player, DvdPlayer, europe, home audio, home theater system, HomeAudio, HomeTheaterSystem, sony, sound system, SoundSystem, upconvert, upconverting, upscaling ]

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 ]