Panasonic has announced today it will be funding environmental research and public education with the appointment of the newly-created Panasonic Chair in Environmental Sustainability at Macquarie University, Professor Tim Flannery. Panasonic Australia has pledged AU$690,000 over three years to support the initiative, which is part of what the company calls the “Green Revolution”. Tim Flannery …

It’s only a few hours until the iPhone 4 arrives in shops, and Tesco Mobile is cutting it close with the announcement of its tariffs for Apple’s next-gen blower. After doing some funky stuff with deals on the iPhone 3GS, Britain’s most galactically huge retailer has stuck to a familiar pricing structure this time around. Rather than a mix of …

According to a leaked Verizon memo, the Droid appears poised to see Android 2.2 sometime next month. This would be Motorola’s first handset to see the update, even ahead of the just-announced Droid X. The image, obtained by DroidForums also goes on to pinpoint a timeframe for the Droid X. If true, look for the update to drop four to …

Apple Store employees giving out free smart water to people in line. for the 14th St. store. Note that this is a full city block away from the start of the line. Caroline McCarthy/CNET It’s finally here. The much-anticipated iPhone 4 is hitting store shelves on Thursday at 7 a.m. local time in each time zone where it’s available. CNET …

Application developers see Apple’s iOS as the top mobile platform for now but have high expectations for Google’s Android, according to a survey released Wednesday. The “Q2 Mobile Developer Survey” (PDF) was conducted by Appcelerator, which makes the Titantium platform for developing mobile and desktop apps. The survey gauged the opinions of mobile app developers on the six major platforms: …

It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Apple demoed video chatting that uses the front-facing camera during the iPhone 4 announcement on June 7. However, many expected Apple to introduce a Skype-made solution akin to Skype’s iPhone app instead of video chat service crafted in-house. The result of Apple’s mobile video chatting efforts is FaceTime, which can be roughly considered an …

DC Comics–home to pop culture icons Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (and lesser-known characters like Jonah Hex and The Losers)–announced Wednesday that it would be distributing its comics digitally in a deal that resembles those of its competitors, but with some unique twists. The publisher has partnered with ComiXology and the PlayStation Network to digitally distribute its comic books on …

Editors’ note: This is a guest column. See Robert J. Shapiro’s bio below. The familiar, one-size-fits-all flat monthly fee for Internet use is likely headed for the technology junk pile–and it’s a good thing for most consumers. One fee for unlimited broadband access–and the same fee for everybody signing up for a particular service–helped drive the extraordinarily rapid spread of …

Have you had stereo Bluetooth problems with your iPhone 4? Josh P. Miller/CNET It seems that antenna issues are not the only problems surfacing with the new iPhone 4, or at least that’s what one of our readers has experienced. Al, a Buzz Out Loud listener, wrote in to report that his Jabra Stone and Kensington A2DP headset would not …

Research in Motion on Thursday reported first-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street estimates but missed the analysts’ targets on revenue. The company also announced a share repurchase plan. (Statement, in PDF.) For the quarter, the company reported revenue of $4.24 billion, up 24 percent from the year-ago quarter. Net income came in at $768.9 million, or $1.38 per share, up …