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Huawei's Honor is bringing the slider phone back
How to solve the problem of too much screen? After Honor showcased its new gaming phone to the IFA masses, it had a surprise extra announcement: The Honor Magic 2 (What? Never heard of the original Honor Magic?) It looks to be a phone that's (once again) all screen, no bezel, but has another solution for where to hide the pesky front-facing camera: In a slider component behind the front. Like the T-Mobile SideKick, and decades-old Samsung and Nokia phones, it looks like Honor are betting on the slider to solve the problem of all-screen smartphones. It's not the dumbest solution, Oppo's Find X does a similar trick, albeit with an internal mechanism. It's early days, though and other details are scant. You can expect advanced safe fast-charging and Huawei's next smartphone chip, the Kirin 980 -- which hasn't even been announced yet. Watch the unveiling after the break: We've skipped to the main part.
ZTE's next flagship phone fine-tunes video from any source
It's been a crazy year for ZTE. It was lumped together with fellow Chinese tech giant Huawei in a Congressional bill in January that sought to ban government agencies from working with the pair, and again when US intelligence agencies warned users against buying devices from either. ZTE was later slammed with an export ban that prevented it from conducting business in America, and only recently came to a settlement agreement with the Commerce Department. The company is now under a ten-year probation period, and the ban has been suspended, just in time for ZTE to scramble to present a new phone at IFA 2018.
Honor's affordable gaming phone is designed for 'PUBG'
Honor, a spin-off brand from Huawei, makes decent middleweight smartphones that are often, well, kind-of unremarkable. This time is different. Honor is going after a specific smartphone audience: The mobile gamer -- especially if you're into PUBG Mobile. The Honor Play was officially unveiled at IFA today, and all the major features are aggressively aimed at gamers. While there are no plans for a US release, the Play is priced keenly enough, at 329 euros (roughly $380) that, heck, some mobile gamers might even bite.
Bang and Olufsen's BeoSound Edge is its own giant volume dial
Bang and Olufsen never lets me down at IFA. If it's not TV stands that move, it's speakers given a form you've never imagined before. Take Beosound Edge, the company's new, pricey wireless speaker that looks like a cake tin or a shiny hole into darkness.
We're live from IFA 2018!
As summer comes to a close, Engadget heads to Berlin for Europe's biggest tech show, IFA. Judging from our sources and early leaks, it looks to be a quieter event than previous years. That said, the big companies like Samsung, Sony, LG and the rest have plenty to show us -- there's bound to be something beyond European TV pricing and very expensive home appliances. It's already started, and we're hoping for some surprises from Chinese tech companies later in the week. You can catch all our reports, videos and stories right here.
The world's first planar magnetic wireless earphones don't come cheap
Planar magnetic headphones are the HiFi tech du jour via impressive (but pricey) recent models like the Blue Ella and Audeze Sine. Now, RHA has brought the tech down to a tiny new size with the CL2 Planar earphones. Not only are the buds very compact, thanks to a 10mm transducer and 16 micrometer diaphragm, but they're the first ever planar magnetic wireless headphones, says RHA.
Europe's biggest tech show finally delivered
As we wind down after trawling IFA's labyrinthine halls, covering everything from phones to washing machines, wearables to haunted pianos, we wanted to point out the most notable things to come out of Europe's biggest tech show -- and it was quite the show this year. If you don't read anything else, read this. And if you do want even more, you can find everything else right here.
'Seal' swim analyzer measures your stroke form and power
Samsung and Speedo aren't the only companies targeting swimmers with new products at IFA 2017. In addition the mobile giant's Gear Fit 2 Pro and Gear Sport earlier this week, Platysens, a startup based out of Hong Kong, is doing something different with its Seal swim analyzers. Still at the prototype stage, these wearable rings help swimmers measure their hands' movement and force as they push through the water, letting them use that data through a companion app to learn more about things like their stroke distribution. They can check whether their left hand is weaker than the right one, for example.
You'll look like 'Robocop' with this smart cycling helmet
Bike helmets should be about safety first and foremost, but that doesn't mean you can't rock one that's also stylish. Livall's BH51, introduced at IFA 2017, is exactly that. This cycling helmet is designed to protect your head whilst offering a sleek commuter design, enhanced by a strip of bright red LEDs on the back that you can light up every time you break or turn -- they are controlled through a remote on the handlebar. Aside from that, the BH51 can pair with your phone via Bluetooth, making it possible to take calls or listen to music directly from the helmet. With the stereo speakers, you can get your audio fix and be able to pay attention to the outside world simultaneously.f
Sports brands are giving wearables another shot at success
Wearables are only as good as the apps they're compatible with. And companies making health-focused products, like smartwatches, fitness bands and even hybrids of these two, are starting to realize that. But in order to have applications that lure people to your platform, whether you're Apple, Samsung or Fitbit, often it's better if you have a hand in developing them. That's why, especially at IFA 2017, many tech firms are teaming up with brands from different industries to add a new element of usefulness to their wearables. In some cases, that often includes special-edition products created between two companies.
Play spot the difference with ASUS' ROG Strix gaming laptops
Gamers are a broad and diverse community, and treating them all as the single customer with a single set of needs isn't smart. That's why ASUS is trying to break the one-size-fits-all mold with its ROG Strix edition laptops, which it initially showed off earlier this year. The two devices, the Scar and Hero editions, are designed to cater specifically to both FPS and MOBA players, respectively.
Nokia 8's dual-camera is good, but rival phones offer more
The Nokia 8 broke cover in the run-up to IFA 2017, so while it wasn't officially launched at the show in Germany, it's one of several phones vying for your cash ahead of a certain company's next phone. It's the most accomplished Android phone that Nokia has made, but with Nokia's tradition of pushing mobile-imaging forward, how does it fare against the mighty cameraphone competition in 2017? We took an early device around Berlin to see how it fared.
Yamaha's smart pianos work with Alexa and teach you how to play
Of the many things we expected to see at IFA 2017, cutting-edge instruments weren't one of them. But Yamaha is using its time in Berlin to showcase the Clavinova all-electric smart pianos, which use an iOS device and LEDs above each key to teach you how to play. With the Smart Pianist application, which will also be available on Android next year, you can learn how to play tracks in real-time thanks to blue and red lights that will come on every time you're supposed to hit a key. (Red LEDs are placed above white keys, blue above the black ones.) Not only that, but if you can read music, there's a chord chart being displayed on the iPad in real-time for whatever song you're playing.
Bosch's stain scanner knows what you spilled on your shirt last night
German technology giant Bosch is mostly known for making home appliances. And at IFA 2017, the company is showing off a concept that it hopes can add a new dimension to those products. The X-Spect is a portable device that detects fabric composition, scans stains and figures out what your food is composed of. As pictured above, it looks a lot like a TV remote, and it features a tiny screen and capacitive touch buttons that let you browse through menus. Right now, Bosch is demoing the X-Spect, which weighs a mere 200 grams (less than half a pound) alongside one of its WiFi washers to deliver "optimal" cycle recommendations.
Samsung's 'AI-powered' washer is just trying to save you time
IFA 2017 isn't all about smartphones, smartwatches and cute droids. The event is also a chance for companies to showcase their latest innovations for home appliances. Samsung did its part this year with the WW8800M washer, which sports technology called QuickDrive that promises to complete a full load of laundry in just 39 minutes --typically, it's about 70. The company says it's able to do this without compromising washing performance, energy efficiency and fabric care, something that will matter deeply to people who are extra conscious of how they do their laundry. Oh, and it says AI is involved.
Samsung's 43-inch Frame TV is like a fancy art piece for your wall
When Samsung announced The Frame TV earlier this year, it quickly became a product of interest for people with minimalist taste. That's because it's essentially designed to double as an art piece, and its aesthetics can easily blend in with any paintings you may have on your wall. It launched in June in both 55- and 65-inch size, but at IFA 2017, Samsung unveiled a new 43-inch model. This may be a good option for those of you who maybe liked the looks of the TV but would prefer it in a smaller size.
Windows 10 Mixed Reality headsets are coming on October 17th too
In addition to Microsoft debuting Windows Mixed Reality on October 17th, as part of the Fall Creators Update, its hardware partners will also have their VR headsets ready to go on the same day. That's not a major shock, though it's a surprise to see that computer makers have moved from the inexpensive, $300 price Microsoft was originally aiming for. Headsets from HP, Lenovo, and Dell will cost $350 on their own, or $450 together with motion controllers. Given just how important motion tracking is in VR, it wouldn't make sense to go without those controllers, either.
Sony put me in a fake plane to test its noise-cancelling headphones
Sony makes an awful lot of headphones. Ranging from the cheap-but-passable to premium and pro-level items, it's been in the personal audio game for a long time. This year, it's following up on its award-winning wireless noise-cancelling MDR-1000X cans with the WH-1000XM2, adding more features and augmenting its already-capable noise cancellation skills. Naturally, at a show like IFA, that might not be enough to hold the attentions of Engadget's official audio dilettante (me), so Sony made a faux plane fuselage, equipped with some lounge chairs, Sony's top hi-def audio players and those new cans. It also threw in some fake plane background noise for testing purposes. Welcome aboard.
Parallels makes Windows apps work with your MacBook's TouchBar
If you're one of those Apple users who likes (or needs) to run Mac OS and Windows side by side, you'll probably be into Parallels Desktop 13. Especially if you have one of those MacBook Pros with a TouchBar. The latest version of the software makes certain apps on Microsoft's platform fully compatible with Apple's digital OLED strip, including all the major web browsers and the entire Office Suite. For instance, if you're running PowerPoint for Windows through Parallels, you can use the TouchBar to do things like bold or italicize the text on your slides. You can also customize functions based on which app you're using, just as you would on the Mac OS interface.
Watch LG's showcase from IFA 2017 in under eight minutes
LG kicked off day 2 of IFA with a new smartphone, and it's a looker. The V30 comes just months after the company's flagship G6 landed, but this could well be the better phone. There's the OLED display with a distinct lack of bezel, and a lot of camera smarts -- and that's just the start. Watch how LG unveiled it all right here. You've got eight minutes, right?
