05/15, 12:59pm
New rumors have Sony, Panasonic discussing OLED panel tie-up
Sony and Panasonic are rumored to be in talks on teaming up to produce OLED panels for HDTVs, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Tuesday. This will help the two companies share the hefty production costs related to the manufacturing of the advanced panels. The negotiations are still in the early stage, the unnamed sources said, and may end up falling apart altogether or see other potential partners jump onboard the partnership.
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04/27, 1:35pm
145-inch flicker free 8K TV developed in Japan
Panasonic and Japanese broadcaster NHK have worked together on a 145-inch plasma TV with a native resolution of 7680x4320. The 8K display, referred to as "Super Hi-Vision" in Japan, is a marked increase in size compared to another NHK collaboration of 85 inches.
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04/26, 4:50pm
Panasonic's Eluga Android phone now in the UK
UK electronics retailer Expansys is now offering the Panasonic Eluga smartphone for sale as an unlocked device. Introduced at MWC, the Android 2.3-powered smartphone is powered by a dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP processor and 1GB of RAM. It is entirely waterproof, however, and an upgrade from the current Android 2.3.5 to Android 4.0 is promised to come this summer.
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04/23, 10:00pm
comScore sees smartphone take hold in Japan
Smartphones have broken the reign of the traditional Japanese cellphone for the first time, comScore found late Monday. As of February, smartphones were overall more popular than keitais, the often feature-heavy but complicated basic phones that have dominated Japanese use for more than a decade. Local brands like Sharp still led at 23.5 percent, but they were either flat or down slightly as frequently foreign smartphone brands took hold.
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04/15, 8:40pm
Panasonic at NAB 2012 unveils sweeping lineup
Panasonic upgraded its pro video lineup in large fashion at the NAB media show with new camcorders, displays, and storage. Heading up the group is the AG-HPX600, what it calls the lightest-ever shoulder-mounted camcorder at under seven pounds. The camera also touts a new 2/3 CMOS sensor and is even upgradeable to add features like AVC-Ultra support, wireless metadata, recording by proxy, and variable frame rates.
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04/13, 5:00pm
Eluga available in Germany now with UK April 24
The Panasonic Eluga is now on sale in Germany, with the UK receiving it on April 24. Amazon.de shows the first smartphone outside of Japan from the manufacturer as available for €406 ($531) unlocked, and in the UK at around £390 ($618).
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04/09, 2:20pm
Panasonic QE-QL301 to power iPads and more
Panasonic took an unusual step into mobile accessories Monday through the unveiling of a new external battery pack. The flagship QE-QL301 can share its maximum 10,260mAh of power between two USB devices at once. At four times the power of even a well-equipped smartphone, it has both the power to give meaningful extra battery life to two devices, including to tablets like the iPad.
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04/05, 6:40pm
Cordless phones ring with same tones as iPhone
Panasonic has announced six new DECT 6.0 Plus cordless landline phones for 2012. Two of the phones, the KX-TG7740 and KX-TG7730 Link2Cell series, let users make and receive either wired or cell calls through their handsets using Bluetooth. The two also let iPhone owners import their cellphone ringtones to provide a consistent ring sound.
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04/05, 5:20am
Panasonic Lumix GF5 official
Panasonic has formally revealed its GF3 revamp, the Lumix GF5 Micro Four Thirds camera, confirming the leaks that preceded its announcement. The camera incorporates a number of advancements over the GF3, but largely retains the same design. On the inside, the GF5 now sports a completely revised 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor paired with the latest Venus processor.
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04/02, 8:15pm
Device provides isolated special effects
Lensbaby has
begun shipping its Composer Pro special effects attachment for mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras. With it, a photographer can reproduce tilt-shift or another specific effect without having to turn to a full DSLR. The Composer Pro works with Panasonic and Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras, Sony's NEX line, and Samsung NX cameras.
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04/02, 8:55am
NTT DoCoMo and firms don't reach pact in time
In a rare instance of backing off of a major deal, NTT DoCoMo said Monday that it had broken up its planned 4G chip alliance. The Japanese carrier along with Fujitsu, NEC, Panasonic, and Samsung had ended their joint venture in chips after an agreement on exact terms "could not be reached" by the end of the fiscal year, at the end of March. The company NTT DoCoMo had made to get ready for the alliance, Communication Platform Planning Co., was being closed and liquidated as a result.
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04/01, 5:30am
Panasonic shifts smartphone production offshore
In a sign of the times for the struggling Japanese tech giants, Panasonic is said to be offshoring all of its cellphone manufacturing. According to the Nikkei, the shift in production (sub. req.) could happen as soon as this summer, as the company looks to re-enter international markets over the coming fiscal year. Panasonic is aiming to get a competitive edge on manufacturing costs by having its cellphones made in China and Malaysia as currently half of its output is still produced domestically.
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03/22, 7:55am
Panasonic Eluga gets dated for Japan and Europe
Panasonic's extra-thin Eluga smartphone has edged closer to release with more concrete launches for Japan and Europe. Its home country is getting the Android 2.3 hardware as the P-04D on March 29 through NTT DoCoMo. That carrier is getting a special Deep Purple hue instead of the normal black.
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03/19, 4:30pm
Panasonic Lumix GF5 images are leaked online
A site called nPhoto has just shared what appear to be official photos of the upcoming Lumix GF5 camera from Panasonic. They follow up from yesterday's less formal photo leak, and the source confirmed that the ISO range will be the same as that offered by Canon's EOS 7D and 60D DSLRs. This would put it at 100 to 12,800.
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03/18, 1:00pm
Panasonic GF5 to be quick turnaround
Panasonic may have a quick refresh of the Lumix GF3 just a year after it first arrived. Skipping a whole version number out of superstition, the GF5 was briefly shown in an Instagram photo (direct link still active) from Panasonic brand promoter Angelababy of Hong Kong. On the surface, the Micro Four Thirds camera appears very similar to the small GF3, but the grip has come from the GX1.
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03/12, 10:25am
NovelPoint tries to sue most PC builders
An unusually ambitious patent lawsuit filed late last week, and published Monday, is hoping to profit from the rest of the industry's work. Largely unknown NovelPoint Security LLC has sued 35 mostly major companies over two patents for a "method for limiting computer access to peripheral devices" and a "network security system allowing access" based on master tokens. The sweeping nature of the patent includes virtually every major PC and electronics builder, including Acer, Apple, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba.
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03/09, 4:50pm
Panasonic announces 2012 Viera HDTVs are arriving
Panasonic announced it will ship some of its Viera Smart HDTVs that were introduced at CES this month. They include models from the ST50, UT50, and XT50 Plasma series and the E50, ET5, E5, and X5 LED-series TVs. The first of the LED TVs will be sized at 47 inches and ship in March, while 55-inch models are due in April and May.
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03/09, 8:45am
Apple gets absolute lead in Japan phones
Apple now has the top-selling cellphone of any kind in Japan, IDC Japan determined late Thursday. The iPhone 4S launch helped Apple claim 26.6 percent of all cellphone shipments in the country this fall. It may have been the first non-Japanese company to top local ranks, ending a longstanding emphasis on local makers.
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03/07, 4:15pm
Panasonic prices connected 2012 Blu-ray players
Panasonic has just revealed pricing for its 2012 range of Blu-ray players that were introduced at CES, most of which are now shipping. The prices are suggested retail, so should be slightly lower in practice. The entry-level DMP-BD77 is officially priced at $90, with the DMP-BD87 costing $120. Both offer access to video-on-demand over the web, with the former getting an accessory Wi-Fi dongle while the latter has Wi-Fi built-in.
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02/27, 12:50pm
Modern design but midrange hardware
Many of the Android handsets unveiled this week at Mobile World Congress have maintained similar aesthetics, however Panasonic's Eluga and Eluga Plus bring a unique design. The basic Eluga is not among the many unveiled this week with a quad-core processor, though it does bring a dual-core chip that runs at 1.0GHz. Electronista has taken a closer look at the new device, which is one of the more attractive phones at Mobile World Congress.
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02/24, 11:40am
LSI chips will allow for multi-network modems
Japanese wireless provider NTT DoCoMo has teamed up with hardware makers NEC, Panasonic, and Fujitsu on developing a rare large-scale integration (LSI) chip for modems that supports GSM, WCDMA, HSPA+, and LTE networks. The companies have developed both the software and hardware intellectual property. An engineering sample of the chips exists, and testing on major mobile networks has been completed.
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02/21, 9:55pm
Smartphone said to be followed by tablet
After teasing the Eluga smartphone early this week, Panasonic is reportedly set to introduce yet another Android-based handset next week at Mobile World Congress. Unnamed sources have told Pocket-Lint the company will announce a higher-end device with a larger touchscreen dual-core processor and a front-facing camera.
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02/20, 10:15am
Panasonic Eluga teased ahead of MWC
Panasonic teased first details of its promised first smartphone outside of Japan on Monday. The Eluga will be very thin yet water- and dust-proof while dominated almost exclusively by its 4.3-inch, 540x960 OLED display. Along with supporting NFC beyond Japan, the Android phone will serve as a remote for Panasonic TVs, although whether it's through Wi-Fi or infrared wasn't explained.
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02/13, 7:00pm
Will still make recorders in 2 factories elsewhere
Panasonic has finally stopped making VCRs for its domestic market. The company disclosed that it ceased production of the outdated tape-based recording and playback devices at the end of last year. Once its existing inventory is exhausted, the company will stop selling the players in Japan.
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02/07, 4:15pm
Three Japanese to merge chip-making business
Three large Japanese electronics makers are involved in talks on merging assets to build computer chips. Renesas, Fujitsu and Panasonic will at first spin off their separate chip design and development divisions to create a joint company, according to Japan's Nikkei newspaper (login required). The three are doing so in order to better compete in the industry for devices and vehicles.
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02/06, 1:15pm
Qualcomm pushes for 300Gbps in-flight broadband
Mobile chip and network gear maker Qualcomm has now proposed an in-flight wireless network that would bring speeds as fast as 300Gbps. It would use spectrum in the 14GHz to 14.5GHz bands for this, and the so-called Next-Gen AG system would use about 150 towers located throughout the US. The network would use familiar airwave techniques to get ther, including a time division duplex communications mode and orthogonal multiplexing, which stitches together multiple signals into a coherent whole.
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02/03, 8:00am
Panasonic takes big setback from Sanyo costs
Panasonic compounded the troubles at Japanese electronics firms on Friday after it anticipated a steep $10.2 billion yearly loss for its fiscal 2011, which ends in March. The record drop was blamed near exclusively on the costs of buying Sanyo and its Electric division, including reorganization and write-offs. President Fumio Ohtsubo apologized, but promised corporate reform that could produce a "V-shaped" turnaround in performance.
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01/31, 9:55pm
Leak corroborates earlier reports
Both Panasonic and Samsung are reportedly engaged in talks that may lead to a financial partnership with Olympus. Details posted in the Mainichi newspaper corroborate earlier leaks surrounding a potential deal with Samsung, while also pointing to separate negotiations with Panasonic and another Japanese company.
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01/31, 6:30pm
Drop in demand affecting other LCD makers as well
For the second time in a year, Sharp has announced that it will be cutting production of LCDs screens in its Sakai City (Osaka) Japan production facility. Nikkei is reporting [subscription required] that the company plans to reduce its output by one-half. Sharp will continue pushing out the screens at these levels for at least one month, and possibly longer.
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01/31, 1:00am
Panasonic CES 2012 camera lineup gets priced
Panasonic's Lumix line got one more update Tuesday night with pricing for the five point-and-shoots we saw at CES. The range-leading SZ1 and SZ7 cameras will cost $180 and $200 each. Both have 25-250mm equivalent lenses, with differences mostly revolving around 720p video in the SZ1 and going to 1080i in the SZ7.
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01/31, 12:45am
Panasonic TS4 and TS20 rugged Lumix cams show
Panasonic's Lumix line got further upgrades Tuesday with two new rugged cameras. The TS4 is its new, toughest camera and can withstand water depths of up to 40 feet, drops of up to 6.6 feet, most dust, and temperatures down to 14F. Like some of the newest rugged cameras, it has an altimeter and a barometer log, although it now has the new GPS system of the ZS20 to load map data from a DVD for advanced geotagging.
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01/31, 12:25am
Panasonic ZS15 and ZS20 improve shooting at edge
Panasonic used the lead-in to the CP+ show to introduce even more Lumix point-and-shoot cameras past what it showed earlier in the month. The 20X, 24-480mm ZS20 as the flagship hopes to cure some of the problems of compact superzooms with a new internal structure and nano surface-coated lens that hope to cut back on lens flares and ghosting. A new GPS system both handles the usual geotagging and can even load map data from a DVD like one would car navigation, filling in much more information for 82 countries, such as landmarks.
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01/30, 7:10pm
Downloads DVD in 60 seconds
Panasonic is using a tablet with an integrated WiGig prototype radio to provide a proof-of-concept of the ultra high-speed wireless technology. With it, the company is showing off the ability of transmitting data at 1Gbps speeds over distances of up to three feet. Panasonic hopes to miniaturize the technology and have it available on an SD card when it ships actual products.
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01/26, 11:30am
Japan's Astrodesign also joins the standard
Two Japanese camera lens manufacturers have signed onto the Micro Four Thirds standard pioneered by Olympus and Panasonic. They include Kenko Tokina and Tamron, while a third Japanese company, Astrodesign, has also jumped onboard, though it makes video measuring equipment and not lenses. This should give those how have bought into the new type of camera, which allows for interchangeable lenses on digital camera bodies that are smaller than DSLRs, more options for lenses.
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01/25, 5:05pm
Panasonic adds SX and NX, also intros J10
Panasonic today unveiled two 12.1-inch notebooks in its home country. The Let's Note SX1 and SX2 offer Intel Core i5 processors in a compact, ruggedized magnesium form factor with batteries that provide up to 16 hours of run-time. Panasonic is also offering the J10, a 10.1-inch laptop targeting business customers.
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01/12, 6:45am
Panasonic trims line-up, drops hard disk models
Panasonic this week launched its 2012 range of camcorders. This year, the company has trimmed its product line-up and dropped its hard disk-based models instead opting for non-moving flash memory. As can be expected, the Panasonic camcorder range has added a number of new features designed to capture user interest.
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01/10, 6:00pm
Panasonic intros five new Lumix point-and-shoots
Panasonic brought five new Lumix point-and-shoot cameras to CES and we got some initial impressions. They include the mid-range FH6 and FH8 and the entry-level S2. All cameras felt really light, with their construction largely plastic.
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01/10, 4:15am
Panasonic hatches 2012 TV range at CES 2012
Panasonic has announced a huge lineup of new TVs for 2012 at CES. Previously reserving the large screen sizes for its line of plasma displays, Panasonic has now introduced two new lines of IPS LED LCD displays, the DT50 and the WT50. The new sets come in 47- and 55-inch sizes, which are surrounded in by an ultrathin metal silver metal frame.
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01/05, 8:50am
Canon G1X to carry large sensor and wide aperture
Wells Fargo has leaked virtually every camera designer's plans for CES and PMA next week but has provided unusually large amounts of detail for major Canon releases. The PowerShot G1X is Canon's long-awaited if indirect response to mirrorless rivals and carries a large, 1.5-inch, 14.3-megapixel CMOS sensor to let it take in more light and detail than most compacts. Although the 4X, 28-112mm equivalent lens is still non-removable, it now has a wider maximum aperture of f2.5 (better than f2.8) to improve low light and soften backgrounds.
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12/27, 12:15am
Samsung, Pana, DoCoMo may co-create by late March
(Update: official details) Samsung, Panasonic, NTT DoCoMo, Fujitsu, and NEC are working together on smartphone processors, according to apparent slips from the industry early Tuesday. A joint venture as cast by the Wall Street Journal would probably have Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo have majority control over the project, which would go live by late March. Little else is known other than that official news could come as soon as later on Tuesday.
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12/19, 1:35pm
Next Generation Secure Memory standard detailed
A coalition of companies have proposed the Next Generation Secure Memory standard to lock down movies and other content stored on flash memory. Panasonic, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony, and Toshiba are working on a system that would put unique IDs on embedded and removable storage like SD cards and encrypt content based on public keys. The move would let studios offer movies on a non-disc physical format but theoretically keep it from being freely copied without relying on protection in the file itself.
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12/09, 5:45am
Panasonic hatches global smartphone plan
Panasonic has announced plans to enter the highly competitive smartphone space with a new Android line that will start in Europe with a view to expanding to the US and beyond. It will mark the first time in six years that the company has sold phones outside of Japan and comes only weeks after the company signaled a shift away from consumer electronics to alternative energy technology. It aims to move 1.5 million units in the next fiscal year and ultimately 15 million units a year globally by 2016.
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12/08, 11:50am
Leica V-Lux 3 upscales latest Panasonic long zoom
Leica continued its recent tradition of upscaling Panasonic compact cameras on Thursday by unveiling the V-Lux 3. A close cousin of the Lumix FZ150, the superzoom centers on a 25-600mm (24X) equivalent, f2.8-5.2 lens. It makes a rare step down in resolution, from 14 to 12.1 megapixels, but the CMOS sensor both helps in low light as well as offering the same 1080p, 60 frames per second video and 12 frames per second burst still shooting as its Panasonic counterpart.
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12/07, 11:25pm
Schmidt hints Google TV may be pushed by volume
Google chairman Eric Schmidt made an aggressive prediction at the Le Web conference in Paris (video below) that Google TV would dictate the TV landscape by summer 2012. He believed that the "majority of televisions you see in stores" should have the Android-based OS build inside over the course of the next several months. No indication was given of which companies were involved and how many of their models would make the leap.
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11/29, 12:25pm
Deals on camcorders, HDTVs, and more
Today's deals from DealNN include price breaks on camcorders, HDTVs, and more. JR.com is still offering discounts on many of its Cyber Monday deals, such as the Panasonic HDC-TM900 32GB High Definition Camcorder with 12x Optical Zoom, a 3.5-inch widescreen touch LCD display, and 3D support. Currently featured at DealNN, this camcorder is available to purchase for only $699 and offers savings of up to $400.
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11/24, 6:55pm
Panasonic said in carrier talks for smartphones
Panasonic's rejuvenated plans for an international smartphone launch were revived after a potential scoop from Japan's Nikkei [sub. required]. The Japanese electronics firm was reportedly in talks with a major carrier that operates at least within Europe. Asia and North America were also part of the plans, the business paper said.
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11/17, 12:50pm
Panasonic looking for PR firms in phone launch
Panasonic is looking for a PR firm to help it market smartphones outside of Japan, PRWeek reported on Thursday. The move would mark a return to the smartphone market, which Panasonic last visited in 2005 by selling smartphones in Japan. The new devices would be Android-based and be sold in several countries in 2012.
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11/10, 5:25pm
Supports new cameras from Nikon, Sony, Olympus
Apple has posted a new Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update, v3.9. The patch extends support for different RAW formats within Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11. Newly supported camera lines include Nikon's 1 J1, 1 V1, and CoolPix P7100, as well as Sony's NEX-5N, Alpha SLT-A65, and Alpha SLT-A77, and Olympus' PEN E-PL1s, PEN E-PL3, and PEN E-PM1.
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11/07, 9:05pm
Panasonic Toughpad A1 and B1 official with Android
Panasonic formally launched into Android tablets on Monday night by rolling out the Toughpad. The 10-inch A1 and seven-inch B1 are considered "professional-grade" and have the durability more commonly associated with Toughbooks. Either can meet US military 810G specs for resistance to shock, dust, water, and sometimes temperature, and they have extras intended for years-long use, such as removable batteries.
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11/07, 12:40am
Panasonic Lumix GX1 made official
Panasonic as anticipated switched its focus back to more experienced photographers with a new compact Lumix Micro Four Thirds camera. The GX1 is the first in the small-body series to get an upgraded 16-megapixel CMOS sensor and has better low-light performance along with an ISO 12,800 sensitivity ceiling. Customization is also once again more important: it now has C1 and C2 modes that support a total of four user presets, two programmable buttons, and a thumb wheel.
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