If you get a bunch of geeks and around a table who are really in the home theater and HDTV’s, at some point of debate over the pros and cons of plasma versus LCD TVs will take place. The plasma fans say their preferred technology is brighter and offers more contrast. The LCD brigade will say their preferred technology last longer.

The life span argument may finally be settled thanks to Panasonic. It announced that new plasma 1080p TVs have been added to its VIERA plasma line that can last for up to 100,000 viewing hours before the TV dims to half brightness. Panasonic’s 720p VIERA TVs are good for up to 60,000 hours.

When it comes to digital cameras you can go with the simple point-and-shoot camera or you can opt to go for the more difficult to use, but infinitely more flexible DSLR camera. For most users the point-and-shoot camera is the better option and many of the newer point-and-shoot cameras are starting to add features that were previously only found on DSLRs.

Case in point is the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 digital point-and-shoot camera. The camera has a 10.1-megapixel 1/1.63-inch CCD developed specifically for the camera and can shoot RAW format images. Panasonic says that the special CCD used in the camera is 40% more sensitive and saturation is increased by 35% compared to other Panasonic 10.1-megapixel cameras. The CCD can also capture images in three aspect ratios including 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9. The camera also features a Multi Aspect mode that shoots images in all three modes at once and allows users to pick the one they prefer.

Going on summer vacation is lots of fun, but for the gadget hound that likes to take their camcorder with them to the pool or beach it can be a bit unnerving with the risk of getting sand or water into your camcorder leading to the death of your gadget. If you want to film your snorkeling expedition with a normal camcorder you can forget it.

Panasonic has a new camcorder that can not only withstand rain or getting a drink spilled on it, but can actually record video underwater. The Panasonic SDR-SW20 can record video and still shots at 640 x 480 in up to 5-feet of water.