Normally I’d be more up in arms about something like this — as far as I’m concerned, once I purchase a device I should be able to do whatever I want with it — but this is really more of a virtual recall than hardware DRM. It seems that Panasonic, worried that third-party batteries might prove troublesome in their cameras (wouldn’t be the first time), has created a battery authentication process to make sure your power source is approved. Nice of you to do so, Panasonic, but don’t you think a warning dialog would have accomplished the same thing?

Panasonic’s Toughbooks have legendary strength but I doubt any of us ever considered them tough enough to survive a white tiger or Asian elephant. I didn’t. The last “durable notebook” I tested failed with a 4 foot drop. But the Panasonic Toughbook that Forbes tested took a .22 bullet and still booted after being used as a chew toy. Impressive.

Even though LCD is clearly the dominant technology in the TV market, Panasonic still believes in the merits of plasma displays. The company currently showcases a new 85-inch monster plasma TV [JP] at the InfoComm in Orlando, Florida (the screen size is equal to that of four 42-inchers combined).

Now, the smart thing to do when faced with the prospect of a long aeroplane flight is to load up on Benadryl (or Ambien, if you have money and a cooperative doctor) right before boarding. That way you sleep for the duration of the flight—no having to worry about crying babies for you! But, for the sake of this here post, let’s say you want to, or have to, stay awake for a certain amount of time. You know who’s got your back in this instance? Panasonic, of all people, what with its “iPod merge” in-flight thingamabob

The evaluation of data transfer speed rates for SD/SDHC cards is determined by the so called “Speed Classes”, which were constituted by the SD Card Association (yes, there is an association for that). So far, the fastest SDHC cards reached speed class 6, meaning the producers guarantee data transfer rates of at least 6 MByte/s. But now Panasonic in Japan unveiled cards belonging to the speed class 10 category [JP].

Panasonic Japan has announced [JP] a new line of colorful and “jewel”-studded earphones specifically made for women. The so-called Moon Jewel earphones will be offered in 12 different colors, based on astrological signs.

How much would you guess the “world’s lightest” HD camcorders weighed? Two pounds? Nope. Try half a pound. Panasonic announced today that the HDC-SD10 and HDC-TM10 are coming to America.

Panasonic launched the VIERA R Series today in Japan [JP], consisting of a total of seven new plasma and LCD TVs. The first TVs of the series will be available over here starting July 1, with Panasonic not yet saying anything about sales in overseas markets.

Panasonic in Japan announced two new camcorders yesterday [JP], the HDC-TM350 with 64GB of internal memory and TM30 with a 32GB HDD. The company claims that with a weight of 227g, the TM30 is the lightest camcorder of its kind in the industry. The other device is the world’s largest capacity full HD camcorder. Not bad.

OLED TVs sure offer phenomenal picture quality, but even now, 2 years after Sony launched its XEL-1, we still wait for large-screen versions. Samsung showcased a 40-inch OLED display last year (pictured). Now Panasonic might be onto something bigger. The company is planning to develop the world’s first OEL panel that’s sized at “40 inches or larger” by fiscal 2010.

We already told you about pricing on the Lumix GH1 yesterday thanks to J&R, but it’s never official until the manufacturer says it is. Panasonic announced this morning that the GH1 will be available in the US for a “suggested retail price of $1499.95” and only in black. That is all.

This is what the players will be pimp’n soon ’cause everyone needs a Blu-ray player in their car. People have been stuffing PS3s into their cars since the gaming system came out, but the Panasonic CY-BB1000D is the first in-dash unit to sport a Blu-ray drive. The fun doesn’t stop with just the Blu-ray drive. Nope, this unit is loaded, playa.

The press release is long on talk and short on actual information, but it looks like Panasonic is looking to simplify the workflow for 3D content with this crazy-looking camera. It has, as you can see, two lenses.

After that it’s pretty much a mystery.Are they splitting a sensor? Are there two? Is the LCD 3D? It’s all very vague at this point.

Panasonic announced the DMP-BD60 in Japan today [JP], a Blu-ray device, which is at the same time the company’s first without a recording function. Panasonic is marketing the $500 player as a low-priced machine that people can use as a second device, for example in their bed rooms.

Toshiba Corp. (6502) announced yesterday it plans to convert Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) into a wholly owned subsidiary. TMD is an LCD manufacturing joint venture formed by Toshiba and Matsushita (now Panasonic). The joint venture produces around 10% of small LCD panels. It’s second only to Sharp in this market segment.

Panasonic is stuffing some streaming goodies into it’s latest plasmas and set-top Blu-ray players. These services were demo’d at CES this year, and we’re glad to hear that they will be implemented. This Viera Cast builds upon past builds and adds connectivity options to Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, Picassa, along with others without the need for a set-top box. So, now you can get streaming content from your cable box, Xbox 360 or PS3, HTPC, and also your plasma TV.