Apple has them. Verizon does, too. And T-Mobile, Sony, and Garmin have all made the move as well.

Now add Panasonic to the mix of a brand that’s opened its own store in North America.

The 300-square-foot Panasonic Experience Store has opened in Edgewater, New Jersey, which sits west from Manhattan.  The store may be small, but it serves a key purpose for the electronics giant. It will be staffed by product managers so they can get a firsthand understanding of what consumers are seeking when they come to buy a product, NorthJersey.com reports.Continue reading...

For the past several years, automotive brands have focused on going "green," but now they are distinguishing themselves with “connectivity.”

The more auto brands can make your car feel like a rolling information and entertainment center -- a 3,000-pound extension of your iPhone, Droid, and Garmin -- the more they figure you’ll want to own one.

Several auto brands recently underscored the growing importance of connectivity at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Audi announced advancements in its navigation system and web integration, and General Motors said it will advance its OnStar “telematics” brand with some innovations in the upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.Continue reading...

Are you a brand owner or manager? Are you worried Google may soon make your brand irrelevant? No? Are you sure?

When Google announced its mobile phone navigation service on Wednesday, shares of heretofore strong GPS brands like TomTom and Garmin drove off the cliff. A cliff that, thanks to GPS, they should have seen coming. Why? Because Google's service is free. Google plan for monetizing the GPS service seems to be -- surprise! -- selling advertising.

The GPS brands are trying to do... something. TomTom released a branded GPS iPhone app. The company claims it has been downloaded 80,000 times. Though, bad news for them, Google says it will make its maps, now only available for the Motorola Droid, available for iPhones and other devices soon. Garmin introduced a widely panned hybrid GPS-cellphone called a "desperate move" by analysts.Continue reading...