3DTV: The next big thing or next big flop?
Panasonic is showing off a 50-inch plasma TV which aims to bring 3D TV from the movie theater to the home theater. That's all well-and-good, but even if the company has managed to fix the persistent headaches, awkward motion and other issues that have plagued 3D in the past, does it actually add anything to the experience? We talk to John Biggs from CrunchGear and Nate Lanxon from CNET UK, who aren't totally sold on the idea either.
What's your take? Are you eager to have a 3D set in your living room? Sound off in the comments, or send a video response to our YouTube Channel.
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Panasonic GH1 micro 4/3rds DSLR cam gets $1499 price
Panasonic's relatively slim Lumix DMC-GH1 DSLR camera, which is the first micro 4/3rds camera to shoot video, has hit online retailer J&R for $1499. CNET's Lori Grunin thinks the price is accurate, but that the average street price of the camera will be a more palatable $1299 including lens. UPDATE: Panasonic confirms the price.
More talk of Apple and Verizon, plus Blu-ray’s consumer expansion
Apple and Verizon have been in the "traditional" less-credibly sourced rumor mill for a while, but an anonymous source told USA Today that the companies have been in advanced talks to bring the iPhone to Verizon. Mike Rose, of TUAW, says he thinks it's starting to seem more likely, given that Verizon's next generation wireless network would bring some compatibility that their current gen phone couldn't match. I'd agree with that, but that means by the time Verizon's network is rolled out and AT&T's exclusivity is up (2011) there'd have to be a pretty rapid deployment to have broad iPhone coverage... either that or Verizon would have to beg T-Mobile for roaming agreements, because you know AT&T wouldn't give in. On the flipside, James Papadopoulos of TechSpank, thinks their might be some people out there who haven't yet jumped on the iPhone, and since it adds competition in the marketplace, iPhone contracts might finally be able to drop in price.
Also, Panasonic released a in-car Blu-ray player last week which had us thinking: Why would anyone install a Blu-ray player in their car? James says what we're all thinking: It's simply ridiculous. Why would anyone want to watch a 1080p movie on a small screen while they're driving? Mike posits that it's the obvious extension of a large Blu-ray library; regardless of which screen people are watching it on, they'll want to have one library for every arena. I'm thinking before Blu-ray ever catches on, technologies like LTE and other wireless standards will catch up, so people can watch their library from any internet connected device— including their car.
What's your take on either of these topics? Are you waiting for AT&T to lose its stranglehold on the iPhone before you jump ship? Is Blu-ray worth thinking about, even in your car? Sound off in the comments, or leave us a video reply on YouTube.