Sony and Panasonic to co-develop cheap OLED panels for TVs

Sony and Panasonic have announced plans to jointly developnext generation OLED panels for use in televisions and large-sized displays. The two companies will each utilize their core and printing technologies to mass produce low-cost panels starting next year.

The venture might seem like a desperate attempt to remain afloat but with other vendors dominating the television market and the technology behind it, it might not be a bad idea after all. The duo will work together to develop the panels but each will continue to sell their own branded products.

The two companies are well-versed in producing sets as it was Sony that introduced the world’s first OLED TV back in 2007 with the XEL-1. This set had a screen size of 11-inches, a native resolution of 960 x 540 and was the world’s thinnest television at 3mm when it debuted.

LG and Samsung are responsible for a large portion of television profits. Sony has had an especially tough time in this market as their television line hasn’t been profitable in eight years. Last month they announced the largest loss in the company’s 55-year history. They plan to turn things around with the “One Sony” initiative that will focus efforts on gaming, mobile and digital imaging.

New OLED sets from Sony and Panasonic could reach customers by late 2013 or early 2014 and with any luck, some of the savings in development costs will be passed along to the buyer.

Panasonic announces Android-based Toughpad tablets

Panasonic has officially announced a new line of rugged Android tablets today that will sell under the Toughpad moniker. Just like the company's Toughbook products, the 10-inch A1 and 7-inch B1 Toughpads are designed to withstand mountains of abuse, from extreme temperatures between 14 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit to 4-foot drops as well as dust and water spills. The new tablets are aimed at users operating in heavy-duty usage scenarios, such as utility crews on the road, military staff in combat situations, or engineers doing the rounds at a construction site.

The Toughpad A1 will arrive in spring 2012 for a hefty $1,299. That will get you a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, a daylight-readable LED-backlit display (1024x768), 1GB of DDR2 memory, Wi-Fi, options for WiMAX or LTE connectivity as well as 3G networking, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, 10-hour battery life, and ports for microUSB, microSDHC and HDMI.

In addition, the Toughpads will sport enterprise-class security features such as software and hardware encryption, dual-factor authentication and enhanced VPN. Panasonic says the tablets should meet security standards like FIPS 140-2 for government use and HIPAA for medical use. They also include custom device management controls, which should make them easy for IT administrators to deploy, and access to Business AppPortal for curated enterprise apps.

Clearly, this isn't the thinnest and prettiest tablet on the block -- the A1 weighs in at a hefty 2.13 pounds, compared to the iPad 2 and 10-inch Galaxy Tab, which weigh in at around 1.3 pounds. Then again, Panasonic is going for a niche market here where security, reliability and durability are key selling points.

Unfortunately, while the A1's specs look competitive by today's standards, by the time this tablet actually arrives on the market it might feel a bit dated next to tablets running Android 4.0 powered by quad-core chips. The 7-inch Toughpad B1 will launch even later in 2012, though no specifications or pricing details have been revealed so far.