Panasonic re-entering the smartphone market

Japanese electronics giant, Panasonic , has announced that it is to re-enter the smartphone market next year.

The company, which pulled out of the mobile market in 2006 is reported to be launching new models, based on Google’s Android operating system, in Japan in 2011 and worldwide in 2012.  They hope to be able to compete with Apple’s iPhone and Samsung ‘s Galaxy S .

Panasonic have acknowledged that they are late in joining the crowded smartphone market, but, hope that their models will stand out through their connectivity with other Panasonic devices.  They have announced ambitious forecasts predicting world sales of 15 million handsets by 2015.

Long-term verdict of the Droid X? Still Verizon’s best.

photo © 2010 þä½ | more info (via: Wylio ) This past Summer, Verizon was running a promotion called the Droid Landing. In select cities across the US, the company would send out GPS coordinates showing where you could find a Droid X of your very own. I was at the Nashville event, running frantically to get my hands on one and missed it by mere moments.

Shortly after the event, Verizon was kind enough to lend us an X for a short-term review . At the time, I stated that the X didn’t feel as solid as the original Droid, and I still agree with that statement. However, after using it for over 2 months now, I’m completely sold on the X as the best phone in Verizon’s lineup.

Age is the killer of any technology. Almost immediately after I bought my Droid, I wanted a faster phone. The X, in 6 months, still feels as new as it did the day that I took it out of the box. So far, there isn’t an application in the Android Market that has made it choke or even feel sluggish. With the somewhat recent 2.2 upgrade, it’s even faster than when I first reviewed it.

I’m still not a huge fan of the Motorola extras, but some of the widgets are useful. One thing that has annoyed me, though, is that Google Voice text messaging wants to signal me  both in Google Voice and in the Text Messaging application. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to get that to change. Eventually, I just turned off notifications for the standard texts and ignored the problem, but that’s not an answer.

Photo quality on the X has stood the test of time, as well. I haven’t yet found an Android phone that bests the shots that come out of it. The Galaxy S line came close, but there’s something that’s simply more refined about the X’s pictures. I can’t, however, say the same for video. If you’re doing video outdoors, in bright light, it’s brilliant. Take it in any other conditions and you’ll be left wanting. However, it’s worthy of mention that the X does do amazingly-accurate video of things in stage lighting. It’s perplexing, but true.

Given that my phone is a demo, I haven’t bothered to keep a case or screen protector on it. While I’m gentle with my devices, accidents happen, but the X has nary a scratch on body or screen. Given my initial reservations about the phone, it’s good to see that Moto has kept a solidly-built device.

So where does that leave us, counting highs and lows? I still recommend the Droid X on an almost daily basis. If you’re on Verizon, or thinking about heading over, then it’s the phone you need to buy. The Galaxy S would hold that title had Verizon chosen to keep Google on it, but removing Google from a Google phone is a sin that no Android buyer should forgive.

If y ou’re in the market to buy a new phone today, then the X is the one that you need. If you can wait, I would. We have it on pretty decent authority that you’ll want to see what comes out at CES, as a new HTC and Motorola LTE line of LTE devices should be coming soon. However, you have to ask yourself whether spending that money is wise, or if you’d just be throwing it away .

Amazon confirms plans to launch the Kindle in China

Amazon is hatching plans to release the Kindle in China after the company revealed it is in talks with the government and copyright agencies in the country.

The US firm has not put a time frame on a possible arrival on its e-reader, as discussions remain ongoing, although it did reveal, according to MENAFN , that it will initially look to introduce less complicated, user-friendly products to build demand in the country. The company also ruled out any possible partnerships with local content providers.

China is a hugely important market for the company with Amazon VP Marc Onetto revealing that the country is its fastest growing market, with profits up 80 percent.

News of the potential arrival of the Kindle comes just one day after Amazon rebranded its Chinese operation . The company dropped “Joyo” – which it inherited after purchasing the local e-commerce website in 2007 – to bring its China in line with its global branding.

The Kindle will face strong competition in China, as and when it emerges. The iPad is – like the iPhone – one of China’s most desired gadgets, however a series of devices from Android and local manufacturers compete for attention. The market place is about to get even more crowded with a tablet running Alibaba’s Aliyun operating system (OS), manufactured by Chinese firm Tianyu set to debut before the end of the year.

Amazon will need to keep relations positive with the government to ensure its Kindle Store does not suffer the same fate as Android Market. The app store was blocked earlier this month, becoming the latest in a long line of issues for Google in China.

Given that some of the titles in the Kindle Store may be deemed unsuitable by the Chinese government, it remains unclear how Amazon would provide content in China.

Kindle users got a significant perk last week when Amazon ‘shipped’ Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography a day earlier than scheduled. Kindle owners were the first to get hold of the title, which was subsequently released on the Apple iBookstore hours later.