Sean Captain

[Tom’s Guide]
Having released the Lumix CM1 in Europe last month, Panasonic announced its plans to bring the camera/phone to the U.S. this year at CES 2015. Panasonic hopes to sign deals with carriers to offer the phone subsidized on contract. Unlocked without a subsidy, it will run about $1,000, the company reckons. Panasonic handed me the CM1 for a few hours to put it through its paces. I didn’t have enough time to call this a full review; but it’s a lot more detailed than a quick hands-on.
[Read the rest of Exclusive Tests: Panasonic CM1 Is Real Camera, and Phone]

[GeekBeat.TV]

Mark from Sharp came by CES Live to show Rene and Sean their Beyond 4K Ultra HDTV TVs. They talked about the pixel tech of their TVs and the quality of the high resolution displays. Mark revealed that the TVs will upscale existing content. The company is also launching Smart TVs featuring Google’s Android TV platform.
[See original on GeekBeat.TV]

[Tom’s Guide]
Every year, when consumers think there is nothing more that TV makers can come up with, they surprise with new products to entice viewers into making an upgrade. In past years, a single theme often dominated the New Year releases, such as 1080p, 4K, 3D or OLED. This year, innovations span a wide range, from color to resolution to smart features to games and slick design — and from the affordable to the purely aspirational.
[Read the rest of Hottest TVs for 2015]

The best new shows and movies this month, on Tom’s Guide.

[Tom’s Guide]
TCL is a household name in China and may become one here as the company makes a push into the U.S. market. TCL has been more about value than top-notch performance, and the 55FS4610R doesn’t break new ground in terms of technologies. However, set-top-box maker Roku played a big role in creating this TV — not just in the interface, but also in pushing for quality components throughout the set.
[Read the rest of TCL Roku 55-Inch TV Review: Smart TV Done Right]

[Tom’s Guide]
Sony’s a5100 is a scaled down version of the already petite Alpha a6000 mirrorless camera (see review). It packs some of Sony’s best tech: not only a large sensor, but also Sony’s superfast phase-detection autofocus technology and powerful Bionz X processor. Sony’s interface, while improving, is still clunky. But, overall, I recommend the a5100 to mirrorless camera shoppers, including those hungry to develop advanced photo skills.
[Read the rest of Sony a5100 Review: A Great Mirrorless Camera for Beginners]

[Tom’s Guide]
After years of general statements encouraging net neutrality — the idea that Internet service providers (ISPs) should treat all Internet traffic equally — President Barack Obama today (Nov. 10) came out definitively in favor of the cause, in both written and video statements. Is this a toothless pronunciation by a second-term president whose party just lost control of the Senate? Or does he have solid legal rationale and authority to back up what he said? It may be a little of both.
[Read the rest of Obama’s Net Neutrality Statement: What it Really Means]