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IFA 2013 preview: what to expect
CES 2013 was a decidedly sleepy show by most accounts, but this year's IFA is shaping up to be anything but. Devices set for a reveal are still under proverbial lock and key, but chatter, teases and leaks have painted a fairly full picture of what we can expect to see in Germany: smartwatches and wearables, Haswell hardware and phones with 4K shooters. Join us past the break to get up to speed on what Berlin might dish out this week.
IFA 2012 wrap-up: Galaxy Note II, 84-inch 4K TVs, Windows 8 convertibles and much more
Europe's premier consumer electronics trade show has further cemented its status on the industry's radar, thanks in no small part to Samsung, Sony and a shocking number of 84-inch 4K TVs. Since Wednesday, we've welcomed a brand new Galaxy Note, a healthy heaping of smaller mobile phones, a few cameras (including that Android stunner) and enough laptops and tablets to keep us computing well into the fall. From your perspective, the show ran silky smooth, though Berlin's mobile data plague continued to take its toll on our productivity, while the Messe's absolutely insane sprawl left us with a few well-worn shoes. As always, we still had a blast bringing you all the latest gear as it hit the floor, and German hospitality (and beer) made the setbacks a bit more bearable. Since there's oh so much to get through, we're sorting out our grouping of news and hands-ons from major manufacturers, followed by some smaller device makers and a few one-hit wonders -- all tidied up just past the break.%Gallery-164013%
Samsung Unpacked at IFA 2012: watch it online now
Couldn't make it out to Berlin for Samsung's Unpacked event? No worries -- Sammy has re-packed its deluge of tablets, phones and Android-powered cameras for your viewing pleasure. Go ahead and relive Sammy's self-proclaimed magic at the outfit's Facebook page or with the embedded video after the break.
We're live from IFA 2012 in Berlin!
Have you ever visited a state fair in the US? Picture the fairgrounds -- perhaps enlarged several fold -- filled to the brim with ultra-slim televisions, giant smartphones, tablets, laptops and enough washers and dryers to keep the entire population of Germany's wardrobe squeaky clean. That's IFA. There may not be any deep-fried Oreos at this Messe (though you will find plenty of Brezels and Bier), but there's more than enough to keep us entertained for a full week, and then some. The fun kicks off tomorrow afternoon with Sony's annual press conference, followed by Samsung Unpacked where we expect to see a Galaxy S III-like successor to last year's blockbuster Note. Then chaos ensues, when the two dozen exhibition halls open to the public, and tens of thousands of curious consumers mix with industry reps and journalists, pushing and shoving their way to the hottest gadgets from every category, be it high-end home theater or personal grooming (read: electric toothbrush/water flosser duos). Rest assured that we'll focus our efforts on the former, and you can stay on top of all the news as it happens using our "ifa2012" tag.
LG Optimus Sol hands-on
Lenovo LePhone S760 shows up with Android 2.3.5 and 3.7-inch AMOLED display Bell confirms arrival of LG Optimus LTE, hasn't settled on a name AT&T officially adds LG Nitro HD to its LTE fold on December 4th for $250 The Nokia 500 wasn't the only fresh handset that popped up at the Vodafone booth here at IFA, this morning. We also managed to sneak in some time with the Optimus Sol. The device is reasonably slick for what the company appears to be framing as a relatively low-end phone. At its center is a bright, glossy 3.8-inch Super Amoled display. The Sol runs Android 2.3 with a single-core 1GHz processor -- which the company points out should be fine for those not doing heavy duty work on the thing. It certainly handled what we could throw at it during our hands-on time. The handset is thin and is reasonably light, compared to the Optimus 2x, which aside from the large four-inch display, looks fairly similar. It should be coming very soon -- some time later this month, most likely, for Vodafone users here in Germany. According to an LG representative, it should run roughly €300 off-contract.%Gallery-132471%
Philips Fidelio for Android speaker docks get your little green robot bumpin'
Philips' line of smartphone-connected sound systems has been all up on iOS for quite sometime, but now Fidelio's ready to show Android some love. The outfit just outed three new Android-ready speaker docks -- the AS851, AS351 and AS111 -- and is set to debut the flossy Fidelios at IFA this week. These new docks are so anxious to get close to your Android handset, that they're rocking a micro-USB connector that adjusts in three dimensions to allow just about any phone to stand tall in portrait or kick back in landscape. Either way, the phone syncs the jams via Bluetooth and a dedicated app. The biggie of the bunch, the AS851, promises "lifelike, distortion-less music" and 30 watts of RMS power, while the smaller AS351 lets you take the show on the road with both AC and battery options and bumps 10 watts of RMS. The smallest of the three, the AS111, is dubbed as a bedside companion. There's no word on pricing or when the docks will have your Android getting up with the get down, but we do have full PR for you after the break.%Gallery-132393%
Samsung's IFA app unveils Galaxy Tab 7.7, Wave 3 and Galaxy Note
We're about a week away from this year's IFA, but that's no reason for the tech teases to dry up. According to a report on This Is My Next, a bevy of product logos from Sammy's Android trade show app were unearthed by a tipster searching for clues in the APK. Among the soon-to-be unveiled products are the new Galaxy Tab 7.7, Wave 3 and Galaxy Note. While we've haven't heard much about the Note, we aren't really surprised to see a 7.7-inch (we assume) iteration of the OEM's popular Honeycomb tablet and an update to its Bada OS-running Wave smartphone line. Not to worry folks, you won't have to live with the suspense for long -- we'll be reporting live from Berlin before you know it.
Sony's Bravia ZX1 not US bound, possibly Amimon pre-WHDI based
We're got a tipster telling that Sony's new 9.9-mm thin, wireless Bravia ZX1 is absolutely, without a doubt, based on Amimon's WHDI (pre-standard) wireless technology. Not surprising given Sony's and Amimon's collaborative effort to make WHDI a proper standard. Still, when we asked Sony, they gave us a sly grin followed by a, "no comment." Sony was willing to confirm a "guaranteed" 1080i transmission at a range of up to 20-meters. Amimon, on the other hand, can transmit 1080p / 30fps at distances up to 30-meters, you know, just as long as you're not separating devices with a wall of Kevlar and Kryptonite. Sony also told us that we can expect the thinster to land in Euroland before Xmas, but not the US where it would seem they have a different, non-integrated wireless model prepping for release. We'll see at CES in January if not earlier.
