Panasonic Plasma Displays for Cell Phones - A Lie

A press release appeared yesterday on the Web, on trusted sites that usually publish press releases, announcing that Panasonic, the giant Japanese electronics manufacturer, together with AbleComm, will soon roll-out plasma displays for mobile phones. These miniature plasma displays would offer an image quality unequaled by any of today's cell phone screens, requiring only 1.5 volts to function, hence significantly increasing the battery life-time. The first phones to feature plasma displays were reported to come via AT&T, to go hand in hand with the carrier's new Mobile TV service.

The plasma-news was obviously received with enthusiasm by the mobile world, knowing that Panasonic is capable of incorporating revolutionary technologies into cell phones. However, shortly after the publication of the press release, the announcement was retracted and declared invalid. In consequence, most of the web sites that published the press release replaced it with texts like: "We are advised by AbleComm, Inc. that journalists and other readers should disregard the news release, Panasonic To Put Plasma Video Displays in Cell Phones, issued earlier today over PR Newswire, as the entire news release is completely false." Readers can see this for themselves, at the Yahoo! Finance website for example, found at this address.

Now, the press release looked like a normal one, and it even contained declarations from Panasonic officials. Moreover, Panasonic already produces plasma displays, for quite a number of years, mainly for TVs, hence the possibility to make them for cell phones too was (is) a high one. But after the announcement was denied, we don't know what to think anymore.

We can't possibly dare calling Panasonic a company that lacks professionalism, but until some official declaration appears, their mobile phone plasma displays can only go as being a lie. So, which is it, Panasonic? A lie, or an unveiling that you decided (quickly after it was made public) that it should have stayed unannounced for a little longer? We'd be glad with the second version.