Digital Journal – Walking into the 2006 Panasonic Canada Consumers Electronics Show at the Toronto Congress Centre, your eyes are bombarded by the stunning visuals on display. It’s almost too much at first: a pillar of plasma TVs straight ahead, with a wall of projection screens covering the far back wall; rows of digital cameras grouped beside a projector dishing out a looping slideshow; massage chairs rumbling softly while a next-generation stovetop turns one area into a kitchen of the future.
After a few moments, you get used to the array of electronics, and you learn to sidestep the many tech heads and dealers winding their way through the show. Here, the gadget-friendly shopper could spend hours salivating over new camcorders or plasma screens or even bagless vacuums soon to be hitting store shelves. Panasonic knows how to make anyone interested in technology.
Panasonic Canada is unveiling its complete 2006 lineup with much fanfare, and there’s good reason for the buzz. Besides tweaking already popular gadgets, the company also plans to introduce several products making their Canadian debut.
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Ian Kilvert, Panasonic Canada’s General Manager of Corporate Communications, shows off the company’s new line of TVs and digital cameras. |
One such product is a new Core Trainer that resembles a horse saddle. And much like a wannabe wrangler, the user can ride ’em good since the seat swerves and dips to build core body strength. Riding the Trainer feels a bit foolish at first, but once the seat begins to tilt and throw the body off balance it’s apparent how it could be seen as an innovative addition to any home gym. Retailing for $2,500 and due out in the summer, the Core Trainer features a nine-stage speed adjustment with three movement programs, adjustable stirrups and a 15-minute program timer.
From gadgets that promote exercise to ones that satisfy the epicurean desire, Panasonic also introduced a fascinating entry into the home appliance market. The Induction Heating (IH) Cooktop line brings innovative technology to a traditional family activity. The IH Cooktop uses induction heating to allow for uniform cooking, made possible by a spiral coil that generates a magnetic field transmitted through metal cookware. Essentially, the chef can place his hands on the heated elements and not feel a thing. But a pot of water will boil faster than you can say “Bam!”
“This technology is the first of its kind coming to Canada,” says Wanda Day, corporate communications specialist for Panasonic Canada. “Quite frankly, it’s miraculous.”
New products aside, Panasonic was also keen to highlight its updated line of popular electronics. Starting with its home theatre division, the company displayed 61-inch projection TVs with DLP technology, beside a 58-inch high-def plasma screen retailing for $3,600. The company also showcased a 1,200 watt five-disc DVD-audio system ($700) and a wireless version due out in a month costing $450.
But let’s not forget one of the big drivers in consumer electronics, the digital camera. Panasonic is pushing its line of small and slim Lumix digital still cameras, featuring some of the more stylish designs in the market. The newest addition to the lineup is the FX7K, a 6-megapixel beaut complete with 2.5-inch LCD, Optical Image Stabilizer (for those shaky shots) and 12x optical zoom. It retails for $600 and is best suited for the serious photographer who wants to ensure she or he gets top-notch shots.
Amidst the gadgetry fanfare, one of the busiest Panasonic staffers was able to answer questions on Panasonic’s future in the electronics industry. When asked what Panasonic Canada was most interested in highlighting today, Ian Kilvert, general manager of corporate communications, replied, “Our flat-panel screens, displaying stunning picture quality, are very impressive. Plus, we plan on taking a share of the digital camera market with our wide range of digital cameras.”
Kilvert also mentioned how Panasonic is standing behind Blu-ray, the new DVD format poised to battle HD-DVD in the burgeoning format war. While no Blu-ray player was available in the showroom, Kilvert said consumers can expect one in the future.
For now, the technology fiend should be truly satisfied with Panasonic’s latest goodies, designed for both form and function. It’s always a pleasure to see a company eager to please the geek inside all of us, whether that geek wants to tighten his abs, watch a high-def DVD or snap a pic on the go.
