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BornRich: Panasonic has now taken wraps off its next generation of mobile video entertainment systems for vehicles. The two new in-dash DVD monitor receivers are fully compatible with Panasonic’s optional expansion module for multiple digital devices.

So they can hook up to devices simultaneously such as iPods, camcorders or video game consoles, a DVD/CD changer, TV tuner or Bluetooth wireless phone kit.

The 7-inch CQ-VD7005 and 6.5-inch CQ-VD6505 enjoy high resolution LCD touch screens with DVD video playback, Dolby Digital, and DTS surround sound.

Both the devices come equipped with Radio DSP, en suite private mode for autonomous front and rear seat playback and five screen tilt positions.

Other salient specs include 18FM and 6AM presets with preset scan.

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SmarthouseNews: Sharp has announced that it will establish a new LCD panel plant and facility for the mass production of 10G LCD panels and thin-film solar cells.

The LCD panel plant will be the first in the world to use tenth-generation (10G) glass substrates (2,850×3,050mm), 60 percent larger than the 8G substrates used at Kameyama Plant No. 2.

A 10G glass substrate will yield six LCD panels in the 60-inch class, eight panels in the 50-inch class, or 15 panels in the 40-inch class, making it possible to fabricate LCD panels for large-screen TVs with extremely high levels of efficiency.

Construction is slated to start in November of this year, with production operations scheduled to start by March 2010.

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PCWorld: New York taxi drivers have promised to strike sometime in September if GPS technology is installed in 13,000 cabs as planned.

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance, representing about 8,400 drivers, has likened the GPS systems to privacy-invading ankle bracelets worn by homebound prisoners.

Drivers are worried their bosses will track their whereabouts even when they are off-duty, according to statements by six drivers and Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai.

The alliance plans to announce a strike date in mid-August.

However, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission has touted several benefits of the GPS and related technology for accepting credit cards for taxi fares.

Riders could watch the route the taxi is taking real time on a screen, using the system called eTaxi, according to TLC officials.

In addition to allowing riders to pay by credit card, TLC said the system will eliminate paper forms for recording pickups and drop-offs and will provide real-time traffic information.

In addition, GPS could be used by police to track down taxis in emergencies, TLC officials said.

Cities that already have such systems have reported drivers make more tips, TLC added, noting that the majority of taxi drivers have already chosen a system prior to the Oct. 1 date when installations begin.

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PC World: Sony has introduced its first car audio/video system that features Super Audio CD (SA-CD). It also has an iPod input. The new system will cost about US$800 (approx. 586 euro) when it ships next month. Sony also introduced a lower-end car stereo that also features an iPod input, for $280 (approx. 205 euro).

The XAV-W1 is a double DIN-sized vehicle entertainment system that can work with 5.1 surround sound. It comes with a 7-inch video screen that lets you watch DVD videos in addition to listening to Super Audio CDs and regular CDs. It decodes Dolby Digital and dts Digital Surround signals. It can also decode JPEG video and Windows Media Audio and MP3 formats.

SA-CD uses a higher sampling frequency and can produce higher-quality audio than convention Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology, according to Sony.

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SiliconRepublic: Apple revealed today that music downloads from its online iTunes music store has reached the three billion mark.

In fact, numbers from market research firm NPD Group suggest that iTunes is now the third largest music retailer in the US, online or offline, having overtaken both Amazon.com and retail chain Target.

From a catalogue of more than five million songs, Apple began offering DRM-free (digital rights management) music on 31 May, meaning customers can now keep as many copies of their downloaded songs as they want instead of the previous five copies.

iTunes’ success, however, is not music to everyone’s ears. Popular rap artist Eminem has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Apple, claiming that in selling his music through iTunes Apple is violating copyright.

Previously the rapper successfully sued Apple for use of his song in an iTunes ad that never made it to air.

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The Register: Digital radio has come along way in a short time and thankfully the DAB market in now maturing with a wider range of choice that offers not only the variety of DAB stations, but also more features to more effectively exploit the digital nature of the medium.

The growth in popularity of DAB radio in recent times has encouraged many new brands into the market with varying degrees of success. Many of the newer brands have, at least according to some of the more established players, actually held the format back with inferior products which has to some extent dampened consumer confidence.

So it’s really good to see a new company that does just the opposite. Scotland-based Revo, got its first break in the DAB market when it bought out the Revo in Car DAB Digital Radio Adapter in 2005. This product, which turned an ordinary car radio into a DAB model, won several awards and gave the company the momentum to follow up with products like the Pico+.

At first glance the product looks like a straightforward compact portable DAB radio, but this little gem (just 16.7cm high and 10.3cm wide) packs more features into a DAB of this size than we have seen before.

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Engadget: There was a time in the not-too-distant past when if your apartment, dorm room or palatial mansion smelled like Cheetos, Diet Coke and unwashed laundry, there was simply nothing USB-related you could do about it. Sure, there were wall outlet fragrance “plug ins,” scented candles, canned air fresheners, and of course windows which could be opened — but not one of those was USB-powered. Of course, those days are long gone, because a random Chinese sweatshop has dreamed up another modern-day marvel: the USB oil burner. If you’re like us (and we think you are), there’s nothing you want to do more than pour scented oil into something that plugs into your computer.

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Absolute Gadget: Plans appear to be afoot that will link Sony’s PSP to a PS3 Sixaxis or PS2 gamepad. A US patent has been filed for a “control docking unit” that would allow a PSP to be controlled using one of the Sony gamepads. The patent application, number 20070174531, details how the stick and buttons of the gamepad could be used to provide “additional functions, features and enhanced operations”. Both a wired or wireless link could be used.

Of course this has led to intense media speculation that the controller could allow the PSP to be hooked up to a TV and make the handheld a full-blown console. We have also seen rumours floating about that the Control Docking Unit could be built into future Sixaxis controllers.

Of course it would be really good to have a PSP act as a second screen to a PS3 game, imagine if the PSP could tell what’s behind you in Resident Evil. Spooky!

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