Archive for the ‘Panasonic’ Category

Event Forecast: CES 2023 (5-8 January in Las Vegas, US)

Monday, January 2nd, 2023

Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES 2023 will see more than 3,100 exhibitors from 173 countries, territories and regions.

CES 2023 will take place in Las Vegas in the US from 5-8 January 2023. (Image from CES 2023 website).

CES 2023 will take place in Las Vegas in the US from 5-8 January 2023. (Image from CES 2023 website).

These exhibitors include familiar brands such as Asus, Abbott, Amazon, Belkin, Canon, Dell, Google, Hyundai, Keysight Technologies, Lenovo, LG, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Nikon, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony, and TCL etc.

They will be showcasing the latest in digital health, food tech, automotive tech, NFTs, gaming, smart homes and more.

Below are a selection of the more interesting news from CES 2023 as they are released.

Holiday greetings: Happy Lunar New Year 2016

Monday, February 8th, 2016

Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!

A photo posted by John Tan (@tech4tea) on

It’s Chinese New Year today and the beginning of the Monkey year in the Chinese Zodiac. Happy Chinese New Year!

It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, it’s the year of the Monkey, according to the Chinese zodiac.

We took the photo when our family visited Jigokudani in Nagano back in 2008 to see the unique Snow Monkeys that indulge in the natural hotsprings there amidst the Winter snow.

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Time to say goodbye to the Goat Year

Sunday, February 7th, 2016

Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year, and the last day of the year of the Goat.

A photo posted by John Tan (@tech4tea) on

Saying goodbye to the Goat Year. Today is the last day of the year of the Goat Zodiac. Tomorrow is the traditional Chinese New Year and the beginning of the Monkey Year.

Tomorrow is the traditional New Year based on the Lunar calendar and the beginning of the Monkey Year, according to the Chinese Zodiac.

The curious goat in the photo was grazing on farmland on the mountainside overlooking Zell am See in Austria.

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Intel Core vPro processor family now available in Asia Pacific

Monday, April 6th, 2015

Intel Corporation has announced the availability of its 5th generation Intel Core vPro processor family in the Asia Pacific. The company also showcased a slew of gadgets using its wireless technology.

New clamshell and Ultrabook 2-in-1s, designed and built for business, boast improved performance, battery life and productivity benefits.

New clamshell and Ultrabook 2-in-1s, designed and built for business, boast improved performance, battery life and productivity benefits.

Intel wireless technology offers consumers freedom from wires in devices that include Intel Pro Wireless Display and optional Intel Wireless Docking capabilities.

Intel Core vPro processor-based devices promise built-in security and manageability capabilities that help protect data and enable remote IT access.

Below are more details from the press release.

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New arrivals: Panasonic Toughbook CF-LX3 rugged business laptop

Friday, January 17th, 2014

Panasonic claims the 14-inch Toughbook CF-LX3 is the lightest device of its kind for everyday mobile business computing. Available in Singapore now from S$2,499.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-LX3 has an uneven "bonnet" design on the surface of its magnesium alloy cover for greater strength.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-LX3 has an uneven “bonnet” design on the surface of its magnesium alloy cover for greater strength.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-LX3 is targeted at mobile business professionals combining functionality and portability in a light-weight, shock-resistant body.

By 2015, Panasonic expects the world’s mobile worker population to represent up to 37.2 percent of the total workforce with Asia Pacific (excluding Japan) seeing the largest increase in the total of mobile workers.

With up to 14 hours of battery life, Windows 8.1 Pro, Intel Core i5 vPro processor, built in optical drive, and weighing just 1.29kg, the Toughbook CF-LX3 combines premium performance with a light, durable, and ultra-sleek design.

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New arrivals: Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 rugged 7-inch tablet

Wednesday, January 8th, 2014

Panasonic claims the 7-inch Windows 8.1 Pro fully-rugged tablet is the lightest and thinnest device of its kind . Available in March 2014. Price TBA.

Update (16 January, 2014):

Panasonic has launched the Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet (together with the Toughbook CF-LX3) in Singapore. It will be available in March 2014 at S$2,600.

The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 fully rugged 7-inch Windows 8.1 Pro tablet offers power, flexibility and durability for maximum mobile workforce productivity.

The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 fully rugged 7-inch Windows 8.1 Pro tablet offers power, flexibility and durability for maximum mobile workforce productivity.

Panasonic introduced during 2014 International CES the latest member of its Toughpad family of rugged, enterprise-grade tablets.

The tablet runs Windows 8.1 Pro, on an Intel Core i5 processor, making it easy to integrate into enterprise and government environments.

The Toughpad FZ-M1 has multiple configuration options enabling it to be customised to meet the unique needs of mobile users in various markets such as field services and sales, retail, supply chain and logistics and government.

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Bid to Give to the School Pocket Money Fund with Newstead

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

On April 6 and 7, bid for 20 laptops at starting prices of S$199 each. Proceeds go to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF) to help out needy school children.

Register online by 24March to participate. Click to view flyer.

Register online by 24March to participate. Click to view flyer.

This is the second year that Newstead Technologies is holding its multi-brand laptop charity auction.

Date April 6 & 7 (Weekend)
Time 5.30 to 7 pm
Venue Jurong Point Shopping Centre
Location Main Atrium, Level 1

SPMF is the adopted charity of Newstead Technologies, and helps children from low-income families by providing them with pocket money for school and regular coaching programmes for English and current affairs knowledge.

In the first Bid to Give charity auction in May 2011, a total of S$50,000 was raised with the highest bid for a single laptop going for S$1,759.

Online registration is open for interested participants up to March 24.

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IT Show 2013 promotions: Panasonic notebooks and tablets

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Panasonic is at IT Show 2013 at Marina Bay Sands at Level 1, Booth 1528.

Click to view or download Panasonic promotions during IT Show 2013.

Click to view or download Panasonic promotions during IT Show 2013.

Check out Panasonic’s business notebooks and ruggedised tablets.

The FZ-G1 runs on Windows 8 while the FZ-A1 runs on Android 4.0 (S$1,499).

Their latest is the Windows 8 Pro Ultrabook CF-AX2 which debuts at IT Show 2013 at S$2,899.

The monitor flips over to convert the Ultrabook into a tablet. IT Show 2013 at Marina Bay Sands at Level 1, Booth 1528.

Happy Father’s Day

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

Yay, it’s Father’s Day today! To all fellow fathers out there – Happy Father’s Day!

DIY ice-cream for Father’s Day. Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 using “Cute Dessert” Scene Mode.

DIY ice-cream for Father’s Day. Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 using “Cute Dessert” Scene Mode.

And for those looking to do something different for your father or the father of your children, here’s something you can try – especially if he’s allergic to dairy products or diabetic.

Delicious & healthy! No post-processing on the photo except cropping and resizing. I’m impressed with the sharp focus (despite being hand-held) and vibrant colours.

Delicious & healthy! No post-processing on the photo except cropping and resizing. I’m impressed with the sharp focus (despite being hand-held) and vibrant colours.

Thankfully I’m neither of these but it was fabulous to be served with a big dollop of this home-made ice-cream first thing in the morning of Father’s Day.

So here’s the how-to, courtesy of mamatimes.wordpress.com.

Keep a couple of bananas until the skin turns slightly black cos some netizens say they have to be really ripe. Slice them up and put them in the freezer.

You can add other fruits, like strawberries. Just toss them into the freezer. Once frozen, throw the lot into a food processor and you’re done.

What’s left is the dressing up and topping. You can add rainbow candies, grounded peanut or chocolate chips or powder. Enjoy!

New MIL camera: Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Panasonic has launched a new Micro Four Thirds mirrorless interchangeable lens (MIL) camera.

It is available now at S$1,099 for either the single-lens or twin-lens kits (details within).

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5 comes in five colours: Black, White, Red, Brown, and Gold (limited edition).

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5 comes in five colours: Black, White, Red, Brown, and Gold (limited edition).

The LUMIX DMC-GF5 is the latest member of the LUMIX G Micro System.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5 remains compact despite having a built-in pop-up flash.

The GF5 remains compact despite having a built-in pop-up flash.

As an MIL camera, it marries the image quality and lens-changing flexibility of DSLRs with the compactness of point-and-shoot cameras.

The DMC-GF5 includes a built-in flash, 12.1-megapixel High Sensitivity Live MOS sensor and an improved Venus Engine for image processing.

Maximum ISO settings reach a maximum of 12,800.

The DMC-GF5 has a 920,000 dots, 3-inch touch display, which allows the user to choose where to focus and to release the shutter upon focus.

When powered off, the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5X is compact enough to fit in the trousers pocket.

Compact enough to fit in the trousers pocket.

Touch zoom is also available simply by mounting the LUMIX G X Power Zoom Lens (H-PS14042 lens or H-PS45175).

The DMC-GF5 uses Contrast Auto-Focus (AF) to capture and lock on to fast-moving subjects within 0.9 seconds.

There are 23 scene modes with pre-canned settings for various photographic situations.

A Creative Control mode increases filter options to 14 from 6 in the DMC-GF3.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5 has a 920,000 dots, 3-inch touch display.

The GF5 has a 920k dots, 3-inch touch display.

The new filters are: Soft Focus, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, One Point Color, Cross Process, Low Key, Toy Effect and Star Filter.

The existing six filters are the conventional Expressive, Retro, High Key, Sepia, High Dynamic, and Miniature Effect filters.

A dedicated video record button records 1920 x 1080 Full HD video with stereo sound, in either AVCHD or MP4 format.

The DMC-GF5’s Intelligent Auto (iA) mode includes AF Tracking, Face Recognition, Intelligent D-range Control, Scene Selector and ISO Control.

Nice muscular design in the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5.

Nice muscular design in the GF5.

iA Plus mode adjusts exposure compensation and white balance for superior image output.

A newly added angle detection sensor makes it possible to tell whether the photo was taken horizontally or vertically, whatever lens is used.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5 is available now and is priced at S$1,099 for either of two kits:

  • GF5X: Body with 14-42mm LUMIX G X lens
  • GF5W: Body with 14mm F2.5 pancake lens, and 14-42mm standard kit lens

Note: the Micro Four Thirds lens has a crop factor of 2, so a 14-42mm lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length range of 28-84mm.