ifa
Latest
IFA is planning a 'full-scale return' with an in-person event in September
Health and safety will be a priority, but organizers don't expect this year's edition to set new records.
A year of tech events without tech events
Apple’s big press events and its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) wield arguably even more influence on the world of tech.
TCL fleshes out its mobile line-up with two affordable tablets
The TABMAX's 10.36-inch IPS LCD screen makes it the clear standout here -- like the company's smartphones, the TABMAX uses TCL's NXTVISION image processing to try and crank up detail and saturation.
TCL's latest true wireless earbuds are a $120 AirPods alternative
TCL’s true wireless MOVEAUDIO S200 earbuds will cost less than €100.
Qualcomm is bringing 5G to its entry-level Snapdragon 4-series chipsets
Qualcomm plans to scale its 5G tech to entry-level 4-series chipsets.
IFA will be one of the first big in-person tech events post-lockdown
IFA 2020 will go ahead as an in-person event after all, but attendance will be extremely limited due to COVID-19 precautions.
Catch up on Nokia's IFA 2019 event in under 10 minutes
Nokia hosted its IFA 2019 event yesterday in Berlin, where the Finnish brand revealed some new products for your smartphone-averse friends and family. The Nokia 110 and Nokia 800 Tough are modernized candybar dumbphones, while the Nokia 2720 Flip is -- you guessed it -- a flip phone. The company also announced iterations to its midrange Nokia 6 and Nokia 7 smartphones, emphasizing their triple camera setups and photo processing muscles. Nokia's Power Earbuds are getting an update as well: The new case can charge the earbuds up to 30 times.
Everything Lenovo announced at IFA 2019 in less than 10 minutes
In case you missed Lenovo's IFA 2019 press event, or you want to watch the highlights again, we've condensed the whole thing down to just under 10 minutes. Lenovo's Yoga laptops will now have Intel's 10th-generation CPUs, and the Yoga C940 got a few additional AI-based updates. Lenovo revealed its Smart Display 7, its latest take on the Nest Hub. That seven-inch display comes with a built-in camera, which could be handy if you like to make video calls. And the company announced an Avengers game, called Dimension of Heroes, for its Mirage AR headset. That's good news considering at launch the headset only came with one game: Star Wars: Jedi Challenges.
Sony's 40th anniversary Walkman is a cassette-free nostalgia fail
Even though it's a long time since cassettes have truly been in vogue, it's still disappointing Sony's 40th anniversary Walkman doesn't let you play music from magnetic tape. If you do pick up the NW-A100TPS, you'll have to make do with a cassette tape interface and screensaver, the color of which changes depending on the type of file you're playing.
Google Assistant's Ambient Mode turns Android devices into smart displays
Google wants to put your device to work even when it's charging or resting on a living room table or kitchen counter. Today at IFA, the company announced Ambient Mode for Google Assistant. The new feature will turn the latest Android devices into smart displays.
HMD's Nokia 7.2 could be the new mid-range smartphone to beat
The Nokia 7.1 was a fan-favorite, so a sequel was all but inevitable — what's more surprising is just how ambitious it is. HMD just pulled back the curtain on the Nokia 7.2 at IFA in Berlin today, and if nothing else, it's a clear sign that the Finnish company is aiming for the top of the mid-range smartphone pack.
Live from Samsung's IFA 2019 press event!
Samsung already revealed the Galaxy Note 10 a few weeks ago, but the company is still hosting a press conference here in Berlin for IFA 2019. Between then and now, the Korean giant has announced the Galaxy A90 5G, brought HDR10+ to 8K TVs and shown off the Exynos 980 CPU and Modem. We'll be there live and expect more info on the return of the Galaxy Fold to be the major news of the day. Of course, it's Samsung, so you never know what other surprises may be in store.
What to expect at IFA 2019
There's just one big technology show before the end of the year, IFA, where we'll see the last goodies revealed before everyone goes into buying mode. As usual, a team of Engadget's finest will descend upon Berlin in the first week of September to uncover all of the best things being shown off. Before we do, however, you can whet your appetite with what we're expecting, or at least hoping, to see when we land.
The biggest news from IFA 2018
We're wrapping up our coverage of IFA 2018, and things just seemed... quieter in comparison to last year. There were next to no new wearable announcements, plenty of mid-range phones, but only one premium smartphone. Meanwhile, PCs followed the trend seen at both CES and CEATEC, with shrinking bezels on high-spec laptops from ASUS. Your go-to IFA topics (huge TVs, curious home appliances and mobility tech) only had a few things to show off. That said, there were new moves in audio -- especially if you're in the market for wireless headphones or smart speakers -- and Samsung brings 8K TVs one step closer to reality. We sum up everything worth knowing from last week in Berlin. It's the best of IFA 2018.
Sony's new HX99 compact camera does things your smartphone can't
At a time when everyone is carrying around a generally capable camera inside their smartphone, compact cameras have struggled to stay relevant. Barring Sony's own wonderful RX100 series and Fujifilm's X100F family, the world of point-and-shoots is usually an unremarkable one. Sony's only camera announcements at IFA 2018 were intriguing, at least. It revealed two cameras, the Cybershot HX99 and HX95, which cram a technically impressive 30x, 24-720mm f/3.5-6 equivalent zoom lens into a 1.5-inch wide camera frame that feels very similar to the premium RX100 series. Both compacts join the Cybershot camera family, meaning they are cheaper than Sony's aforementioned premium compact camera series. The HX99 -- the one I tested -- is priced at €520 (around $610), making it pretty much half the price of the latest RX100 models.
RHA's high-end planar magnetic earbuds sound incredible
Planar magnetic headphones don't use the magnet-and-coil driver typical to most cans. Instead, they use a fixed but flexible diaphragm that undulates to create sound. RHA is the first company to concentrate this technology into wireless earbuds (the kind that are tethered to a Bluetooth collar that hangs around your neck). The CL2 Planar earphones are an impressive, and expensive, engineering feat, but how do they sound?
Get a fridge that helps you sous vide
Sharp's newest fridge freezer doesn't have a water fountain or a voice assistant. Instead it houses a vacuum-packing slot that will help keep produce fresh for longer, reduce food waste (leftovers!) and, yes, even prep food for that millennial cooking style of choice -- sous vide. The VacPac Pro fridge-freezer had its debut at IFA 2018, and doesn't require proprietary bags. You can use any sealer bag, and the slot will suck out the air at the touch of a button -- which we proceeded to do on some plastic fruit.
Huawei's new P20 Pro color options add some sophistication
The P20 Pro is arguably the best camera phone out there. However, the main color option you'll find in (non-US) stores and websites is the divisive purple-blue-pink oil-slick effect. Eye-catching? Yes. For everyone? Less so. Alongside all the news of high-end mobile chips and far too familiar-looking smart speakers, the company revealed a selection of new options. We think the leather-backed black and brown P20 Pro models are pretty darn slick, upgrading the phone from anonymous big smartphone to classy hardware.
Samsung found a new smart home evangelist in 'Family Guy'
Samsung gives me smart home fatigue. Enough about Smart Things, enough about how a thousands-of-dollars TV can connect to a new thousand-dollar fridge or washing machine. Enough beautiful families showcasing features in beautiful houses that I can only dream of living in. Samsung's leaning on augmented reality and some Family Guy branding to show the kind of tasks that can be accomplished with connected home assistance -- and make it a little more, well, friendly. With Samsung Galaxy Note 9 in hand, I pointed the camera at an AR doormat to calibrate to the empty room, transforming it into the Griffin household you know and love/tolerate.
Lenovo's new Yoga Book replaces the keyboard with an e-ink screen
Last year, Lenovo surprised us with a novel concept. What if there was a laptop the size of a tablet with a touch-sensitive surface in place of a keyboard? That notion birthed the Yoga Book, a tablet-digitizer hybrid that had a 10-inch display on one side and a smooth, flat surface facing it. Long story short, we were excited about the premise, but ultimately disappointed by the terrible typing experience on what the company called its Halo keyboard.
