Panasonic Looking to Join Smartphone Race with Android

Panasonic is looking to capitalize on the gaining popularity of smartphones and hopes to monetize off of the Android platform by releasing its own smartphone in Japan in 2011. The company says that it plans to enter broader markets outside of Japan in 2012 with its Android phones.

Japan is a very competitive market for smartphones and Panasonic has committed to offering differentiating features to set its Android smartphones apart from other competitors; Sharp, which has recently released three Android smartphones for Japan, is differentiating its offerings by utilizing its glasses-free 3D screen technology and will be expanding availability of those phones to other markets outside of Japan. For its part, Panasonic is looking towards networking capabilities to ensure that its phones can interact with other Panasonic products–a natural fit for those would be with Panasonic TVs much like how Samsung is offering a remote app on its Galaxy S smartphone to work with Samsung WiFi-connected TVs.

Via: Panasonic