Boycott Panasonic cameras - forced proprietary battery use in firmware

On 20-06-09 20:48, Robert Coe wrote:
On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:34:57 -0400, Alan Browne
wrote:
: Panasonic issues 'battery safety' firmware
:
: Panasonic has released firmware updates for its latest digital cameras
: including the GH1, G1, ZS3 and TS1. The new firmware can identify
: genuine Panasonic batteries and _prevents the use of any third party
: battery packs_. The company says it has taken this move to ensure safety
: of its users against possible injuries because of overcharging, internal
: heating or short circuit in third-party batteries.
:
: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09...vicenotice.asp
:
: What a BS ploy. (And I hope this does not occur to Sony).

Surely you jest. Sony is the company that once sneaked operating system
changes into users' computers to prevent them from "stealing" content from
Sony CDs.

And it cost them dearly in reputation. They will be a lot more careful
in the future.

To date they are not forcing their batteries on people. That is the
point. And their DSLR's support CF cards. And support Minolta lenses.


A few years ago laptop batteries sold by Dell and several other manufacturers
started exploding and starting fires. Some of the manufacturers had to issue
recalls. Who actually made the offending batteries for those manufacturers?
Sony.

Which in an odd way proves my point. More suppliers are better than
fewer. As to the Sony batteries, as unfortunate as those failures were,
it was a near inevitable consequence of making Li-ion batteries -
learning curve.


I think it's fair to say that if there's a way to make an extra buck, it has
already occurred to Sony.

Not according to their financial results. They've had a rough time of
this current climate.





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On 21-06-09 00:39, Kevin McMurtrie wrote:
In articleepednUbel9xv2qDXnZ2dnUVZ_sadnZ2d@giganews. com,
Alan wrote:

Panasonic issues 'battery safety' firmware

Panasonic has released firmware updates for its latest digital cameras
including the GH1, G1, ZS3 and TS1. The new firmware can identify
genuine Panasonic batteries and _prevents the use of any third party
battery packs_. The company says it has taken this move to ensure safety
of its users against possible injuries because of overcharging, internal
heating or short circuit in third-party batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09...vicenotice.asp

What a BS ploy. (And I hope this does not occur to Sony).

Calling for a boycott is a bit strong. It's better to warn people and
let them them decide that Panasonic is full of crap on their own.

I just bought a Panasonic TV a few hours ago. This kind of BS would
make me cancel my order if I could.

I bought a Panasonic television (plasma) and blu ray player at the end
of 2007. Fine equipment - quite pleased.

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"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...

Which in an odd way proves my point. More suppliers are better than
fewer. As to the Sony batteries, as unfortunate as those failures were,
it was a near inevitable consequence of making Li-ion batteries - learning
curve.

There's usually a balance between authority and society, or brands and the
market. I note, Ray Bradbury is railing against the internet and he has a
point. The tiny bit I pay attention to isn't very good, and I get a similar
discomfort with the traditional darkroom versus the digital darkroom.

--
Charles E Hardwidge

"David J Taylor"
wrote in
message om...
PDM wrote:
[]
Would never ever consider buying Panasonic again. Everything I ever
bought doesn't work properly as it should or broke soon after the
guarantee ran out: TVs, freeview boxes (11 and 2 set on fire) DVD
recorders, cameras, et al. High spec but poor component quality, and
their batteries are probably 3rd party crap as well.

PDM

Sorry to hear you've had problems. All the Panasonic items I have bought
have worked perfectly, including three very excellent digital cameras.
I've used both Panasonic original and 3rd party batteries, and had no
trouble with either.

Strongly recommended.

David

Strongly not recommended

PDM

Alan Browne wrote:

Most of these 3rd party batteries, esp. Li-ion, have
the protection circuit built in and this is stated on their product
sheets.

There are some 3rd party batteries that don't, by your own
admission.
(And I am not even talking about falsely labelled capacities and
incorrect claims on product sheets.)

In my part of the world, seatbelts are not considered optional
by the law (nor by almost all people), even if most, nay, almost
all car uses do not include accidents.

And that is what I checked (via the re-seller) when I bought them.

And the part about accidents is proven by statistics, even the
government statistics bureau and the politicans freely says so.

All this is is a ploy to force OEM battery purchases.

All this must be a ploy to force people to wear seatbelts without
any need, right?


Now I wait for statements along the lines "Here I present you
3 dozen old men who were heavy smokers all of their life. See,
smoking doesn't affect your health."

-Wolfgang

Alan Browne wrote:
Panasonic issues 'battery safety' firmware

Panasonic has released firmware updates for its latest digital cameras
including the GH1, G1, ZS3 and TS1. The new firmware can identify
genuine Panasonic batteries and _prevents the use of any third party
battery packs_. The company says it has taken this move to ensure safety
of its users against possible injuries because of overcharging, internal
heating or short circuit in third-party batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09...vicenotice.asp

What a BS ploy. (And I hope this does not occur to Sony).

Okay, I'll boycott them. Again. Isn't the fact that they're noise boxes
already enough of a reason to avoid them at all costs?

On 21-06-09 13:13, Charles E Hardwidge wrote:
"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...

Which in an odd way proves my point. More suppliers are better than
fewer. As to the Sony batteries, as unfortunate as those failures were,
it was a near inevitable consequence of making Li-ion batteries -
learning
curve.

There's usually a balance between authority and society, or brands and the
market. I note, Ray Bradbury is railing against the internet and he has a
point. The tiny bit I pay attention to isn't very good, and I get a similar
discomfort with the traditional darkroom versus the digital darkroom.

You keep raising objections to your own progress with digital
photography. Take the Nike attitude.

Ray Bradbury is one of the brighter lights of fiction, esp. science
fiction coupled to social realities. I can see how he would see the
negatives in the internet. However, like all double edged swords, the
internet has its overwhelmingly positive side as it does its negative -
people need to focus on getting positive value from it.

A friend of mine, no wilting flower where it comes to technology,
marketing and media, has all but sworn off reading or listening to the
news. It has become to him a mind distracting repetitious blur that has
almost no bearing on his life.

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On 21-06-09 13:34, SMS wrote:
Alan Browne wrote:
Panasonic issues 'battery safety' firmware

Panasonic has released firmware updates for its latest digital cameras
including the GH1, G1, ZS3 and TS1. The new firmware can identify
genuine Panasonic batteries and _prevents the use of any third party
battery packs_. The company says it has taken this move to ensure
safety of its users against possible injuries because of overcharging,
internal heating or short circuit in third-party batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09...vicenotice.asp

What a BS ploy. (And I hope this does not occur to Sony).

Okay, I'll boycott them. Again. Isn't the fact that they're noise boxes
already enough of a reason to avoid them at all costs?

Doesn't count if you're not in the market... ;-)

I don't know that they're noise boxes. From most of what I hear/read
Panasonic make very good digital cameras, both 4/3 and other. That's
not to say they could be as good as an APS-C or FF. Their best noise
performance is limited to a narrower ISO range, that's all.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...
On 21-06-09 13:13, Charles E Hardwidge wrote:

There's usually a balance between authority and society, or brands and
the market. I note, Ray Bradbury is railing against the internet and he
has a point. The tiny bit I pay attention to isn't very good, and I get a
similar discomfort with the traditional darkroom versus the digital
darkroom.

You keep raising objections to your own progress with digital photography.
Take the Nike attitude.

Ray Bradbury is one of the brighter lights of fiction, esp. science
fiction coupled to social realities. I can see how he would see the
negatives in the internet. However, like all double edged swords, the
internet has its overwhelmingly positive side as it does its negative -
people need to focus on getting positive value from it.

A friend of mine, no wilting flower where it comes to technology,
marketing and media, has all but sworn off reading or listening to the
news. It has become to him a mind distracting repetitious blur that has
almost no bearing on his life.

I'm taking a balanced view, and that was really the point behind my comment
so there's no violent disagreement here.

I've stopped watching broadcast TV, don't read the media, and don't vote for
similar reasons.

I think, it's important to find yourself as much as finding the shot and, in
some ways, they can be the same thing.

--
Charles E Hardwidge

Charles E Hardwidge wrote:


I'm taking a balanced view, and that was really the point behind my comment
so there's no violent disagreement here.

I've stopped watching broadcast TV, don't read the media, and don't vote
for
similar reasons.

I think, it's important to find yourself as much as finding the shot
and, in
some ways, they can be the same thing.


You're right Charles...
Hearing every day that America is on the verge of a depression after
I've already decided to come home (from 30 years in Australia) is
disturbing enough but to learn that my home is also home to a bunch of
retirees behaving badly... bigots who stick their head in the sand and
ignore the even more frightening fact that they created the mess in the
first place is even more disturbing.

I wouldn't have know anything about it if I'd simply bought a book and
not watched TV!


--
You don't stop laughing because you grow old,
You grow old because you stop laughing!