NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Nov 8, 2011) - Panasonic System Networks Company of America today announced that it has been named an International CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for the KX-TG9471B multi-line telephone system. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 32 product categories.

"Panasonic takes great pride in receiving recognition as an honoree in the International CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Awards," said Bill Taylor, President, Panasonic System Networks Company of America. "The company is focused on developing innovative products that integrate the latest technology with advanced design features. This award represents our company's commitment to continue its leadership position in the communications technology industry, offering reliable, affordable, flexible communication solutions that exceed the lifestyle needs of our consumers."

The new KX-TG9470 series is a multi-line answering system that includes one corded and one (KX-TG9471B) or two (KX-TG9472B) cordless handsets. Contact Sync, a feature exclusive to Panasonic KX-TG9470 series, lets users connect the phone to a PC allowing for incoming calls to trigger a pop-up contact in Microsoft Outlook, making caller information and notes from previous conversations available at a user's fingertips. This unique feature also offers users the ability to make outgoing calls directly from their computer by clicking on a contact name in the Outlook address book.

Additional key phone features include a large white backlit LCD on the base unit, which allows users to easily see who is calling at a quick glance, and night mode, which gives users the ability to program each handset to not ring at certain times of the day, such as at dinner time. A Two-Line operation function is perfect for small business or home office, allowing two conversations to be held at once on separate lines using the corded and cordless handsets.

The prestigious Innovations Design and Engineering Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)^®, the producer of the International CES, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. The Best of Innovations honor is awarded to the products with the highest judges' scores and will be featured in the Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase at the 2012 International CES.

Panasonic's KX-TG9471B will be displayed at the 2012 International CES, which runs January 10-13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Innovations entries are judged based on the following criteria:

• Engineering qualities, based on technical specs and materials used
• Aesthetic and design qualities
• The product's intended use/function and user value
• Unique/novel features that consumers would find attractive
• How the design and innovation of the product compares to other products in the marketplace

Products chosen as an Innovations honoree reflect innovative design and engineering of the entries. Examples may include the first time various technologies are combined in a single product or dramatic enhancements to previous product designs.

Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering honoree products are featured on [ www.CESweb.org/Innovations ], which lists product categories, as well as each product name, manufacturer information, designer, description, photo and URL.

About Panasonic System Networks Company of America
Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic System Networks Company of America is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: [ PC ]). A comprehensive business-to-business solutions provider, the company develops and delivers reliable, affordable, and flexible solutions for communication, collaboration, security and productivity. The complete suite of solutions addresses Cloud-based services, other home and business communications, security and surveillance systems, retail information systems, office productivity solutions, and high definition visual conferencing, keeping Panasonic customers connected, informed, accessible and secure. Information is available at [ www.panasonic.com/psna ]. Additional company information for journalists is available at [ www.panasonic.com/pressroom ].