Panasonic may shut down European smartphone business

Earlier this year, Panasonic made a big re-entry in the mobile manufacturing business when it launched two handsets in Europe. The handsets, Eluga and Eluga Power, had specifications that could match the best in the business. The latter came equipped with a display of 5 inches and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. However, as per a Reuters is to be believed, it appears that the company will be shrinking its mobile phone unit by withdrawing from Europe.

As per the report by Reuters, sources have informed it that Panasonic Corp may cut its mobile phone unit by withdrawing from Europe within six months, prompting a possible writedown on the business in the year ending next March 31.

Panasonic may shut down European smartphone business shortly after restarting it

Earlier this year, Panasonic launched the Eluga Power running Google’s latest operating software, Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), right out of the box and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, as compared to the 1GHz processor found on the Eluga.

At the time of the time of the announcement, Panasonic claimed, “In developing the ELUGA power, we refused to compromise and remained ambitious. That’s how we’ve managed to deliver the convenience of a 5-inch HD screen and superfast charging, make it water and dustproof, as well as add impressive features like NFC and a 1.5GHz processor. All in a slim, pocket-friendly and stylish smartphone.”

Like the Eluga, the Eluga Power features some nifty specifications such as having dustproof and waterproof abilities, NFC capabilities and the super fast charging feature. Speaking on the last feature Panasonic states, “In just 30 minutes Panasonic’s big-screen, big-battery smartphone can reach 50 percent charge capacity – and with its 1800mAh battery the ELUGA power is perfect for those who need their phone to work as hard as they do.”

Here is a quick look at the specifications of the Panasonic Eluga Power:

• 5-inch LCD HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720
• 8MP camera with AF, digital zoom of 8x and full HD 1080p video recording capability
• 8GB internal memory
• Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, USB 2.0
• NFC capability
• EDGE / HSPA+ / HSDPA14Mbps / HSUPA 6Mbps
• GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, UMTS 900, 2100
• Waterproof and dustproof

The report by Reuters went on to state that Panasonic's new boss, Kazuhiro Tsuga, has pledged to revive the company by cutting money-losing or barely profitable businesses. He has said he will announce a restructuring plan by the end of March.

The report added that Panasonic had stopped the sales of mobiles in 2005, but had come back this year with an aim of selling 1.5 million smartphones by this business year.

The report ends by stating, “Panasonic said in December it wanted to increase global mobile phone sales to 15 million by March 2016 including 9 million overseas. That target is unlikely to be reached, the sources said on condition they were not identified.”