Berlin
Latest
Hands-on with Panasonic's Strada CN-GP50N
We finally wrangled some Panasonic reps around midday, then promptly convinced them to let us take the Strada CN-GP50N GPS navigator for a spin... in our hands. At a glance, the device comes off vaguely like a TomTom high-end model, or similarly-classed device, though we take a little issue with the kinda-sorta fugly UI, which produced violent 1997 flashbacks in the staff. Also, the interface seemed a bit slower than it should, with brief but noticeable pauses every now and again. Our word to Panasonic? Fix it up! Check out the gallery to see what we're lamentin'.%Gallery-6750%
Philips's IFA booth tour
The word was white for Philips' showing at IFA. White, white, and more white. They also managed to throw just a few Aurea televisions up on the walls (to give it that colorful accent). Here's our walk-through of all the money-dripping action (including the off-limits-to-the-public press and dealer section, replete with sit-down cafe). Be sure to note the super-gigantic television, and the odd, colored block game that the company had people playing. Oh, and check out those swinging interpretive dancers showing you what the Philips product line feels like. Hit the gallery and take yourself on a magical journey.%Gallery-6749%
Hands-on with the JVC GZ-HD3 camcorder
We've gotten our hands all over the new JVC GZ-HD3 1080i camcorder, and we thought we'd share the good fortune with you. If you'll recall, the new GZ-HD7 kid-brother rocks a 60GB internal hard drive, allowing for something like five hours of 1440 x 1080, 30Mbps recordings. The camera is light and small for the feature set it packs (although it gets some stiff, stiff competition from the new Sanyo HD-1000), and the design is pretty much the plain-jane basics you've come to expect from JVC. Check the gallery and see for yourself.%Gallery-6747%
Hands-on with the Philips SHD9100 wireless headphones
You can't really do too much hands-on'ing with headphones, since it defies the whole point of the things in the first place, though we've done our best with Philips' new SHD9100 wireless headphones. As you can see, they look just like regular headphones... but without a wire. The full-ear pair also has a handsome charging / transmitting base, which would probably class-up any music fan's domicile. Take a look at the stunning / breathtaking photos and see for yourself.%Gallery-6722%
Hands-on with the Philips PVD1075 portable DVB-T player
If you're in Europe or Asia (or anywhere that has DVB broadcasts, for that matter), and in the market for a portable DVB-T solution, we suppose you could do a lot worse than the Philips PVD1075; a sleek, skinny package which does a whole bunch of media playing. At a glance, the little guy doesn't seem like too much of a heavy hitter, and honestly, the screen didn't blow us away, but if this fits your lifestyle (and we're not sure what that lifestyle is), then perhaps you should take a much, much closer look -- like in our gallery, for instance.%Gallery-6714%
Philips' Power4Life wall adapters spotted at IFA
While Philips didn't have a working model of its new Power4Life modular energy system (including Power2Go and Power2Charge), we did come across this base unit, wall units, and adapters splayed lovingly on a pedestal somewhere deep within the plush company booth. It's not much to see, but supposedly (i.e., according to Philips' press releases) these things are going to change our lives. Take a look at the brief gallery for a taste of things to come.%Gallery-6721%
Hands-on with Hitachi's DZ-BD70E and DZ-BD7HE Blu-ray camcorders
That's right folks -- you've read about them, you've dreamed about them, you've written lengthy, iambic poems to them, and now you get to see our gigantic hands on them. As you may remember, the Hitachi DZ-BD70E and DZ-BD7HE are the first ever Blu-ray camcorder models; the former recording direct to disc, and the latter rocking a hybrid disc or 30GB hard drive situation. Both cameras are largely the same, though the DZ-BD7HE seemed to be slightly larger, which makes sense. They've got a very comfortable feel when you're shooting with one, and we certainly could imagine ourselves filming HD "videos" with either. Check out the gallery for a plethora of exciting photos.%Gallery-6720%
Hands-on with the Philips WAC3500D Streamium home stereo
We're refraining from screaming, "This is WAC!" at the sight of this, but we're not holding back on the photos. We happened across Philips' WiFi-sporting home stereo while we were making our way through the company's luxurious booth (complete with sit-down restaurant and everything), and we thought we'd stop and smell the musical-roses... er, yeah. Not much to write home about here, save for (of course) the built in networking capabilities, though we've got to say the design is a no muss, no fuss affair, which is just fine as far as we're concerned. Take a look at the gallery and form your own opinion.%Gallery-6713%
Hands-on with the Sony BDP-S500 Blu-ray player
It's not like it's too big of a deal, but we happened by this new Blu-ray player from Sony while we were on our mass-wanderings amongst the gadgetry at IFA, and we thought we'd share a few images. Really nothing to write home about, though it does have a snazzy sliding front panel (the one that appears mirrored) -- but we couldn't say what that panel's function actually is. Maybe you can figure it out, so have a look at the gallery.%Gallery-6691%
Hands-on with Sanyo's Xacti DMX-HD1000, the world's smallest 1080i camcorder
Ever wanted a full, 1080i camcorder that looked just like the Super-8 your dad used to shoot sun-soaked home movies with back in the 1970s? Well, you're in luck, because Sanyo seems to be sharing your nostalgic vibes this year, particularly in the case of the Xacti DMX-HD1000, the world's tiniest, full-HD video camera. We got our chance to manhandle this minuscule (yet powerful) camcorder at IFA today and honestly, it's like holding a gun... a memory gun. Deep, right? Take a look at the totally ill photo gallery and let us know your thoughts on the matter.%Gallery-6690%
Samsung adds 225UW VoIP display to lineup
Samsung announced a few new items at IFA today, but one of the more interesting finds in its treasure trove of mysterious electronic goodness were two LCD displays equipped with built-in 2.0-megapixel webcams, 1680 x 1050 resolution, 10/100 ethernet ports, and four or two powered USB jacks (the 220TN and 225UW, respectively). The 220TN, which you've probably seen already, rocks an onboard 500MHz CPU and an embedded version of Windows XP, thus alleviating your need for a PC (even for Skype). Its new kid brother, the 225UW, can't make that same claim, though the specs are dangerously similar (save for that pesky "look-ma-no-hands" processor action). No word on pricing or availability, but you'll know as soon as we do.
Hands-on with the super-tiny Sansa Clip
Are you interested in a really, really small DAP? As in: so small you will most definitely lose it some place, like, say... between your car seat cushions, or in a pile smooth skipping stones? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to look into Sansa's Clip -- just about the teeny-tiniest media player we've ever had the pleasure of handling. Actually, the thing feels pretty good when you get your mitts on it, sort of like a shrunken iPod, with a really nice, clear OLED display. At the low prices they're asking for these ($40 for the 1GB, $60 for the 2GB), you can probably afford to lose a few. Check the gallery -- we promise you won't have to squint... much.%Gallery-6677%
Hands-off with the impossibly thin Sharp LCD prototypes
The ultrathin Sharp LCD prototype we saw yesterday at the company's press conference has made an appearance on the showroom floor (though out of our reach for fiddling with, provided it had any buttons), and boy is this thing... uh, thin. As you can see by the photos, the display practically disappears when you get around the side of it, and for those of you wondering about cabling, there's nothing to see when you peek at the back, though we suspect that those tubes / bars holding the things up may have something to do with getting an image on these behemoths. Check the gallery for a full view of your television-watching future.%Gallery-6672%
LG's KS20 and KU990 vs. the iPhone
The silent, yet eerily palpable rivalry betwixt LG and Apple continues, secretly, growing subtlety with every new phone release (as you can see in the Windows Mobile-based KS20). Or maybe these two companies just love this design -- certainly Nokia is fond of it. It's hard to say really, but what isn't hard to say is that these phones do look alike, and there's no way around it. Please forgive the German showgirl for the upside down iPhone handling -- they haven't had the fortune of holding them here. After the break, be sure and note the UI of LG's KU990 -- the company's other widescreen touch phone -- and its familiar look. One thing's for sure: they all smudge the same.
Hands-on with the Samsung T10 PMP at IFA
When we first heard about the "animated menus" of the T10, we had our doubts, but after playing around with the youth-oriented PMP, we've decided it gets a thumbs up. The ultralight, ultrathin media player felt practically weightless in our hands, but its screen was bright and crisp, and those frenetic, PaRappa the Rapper-like animations definitely make for an interesting UI -- certainly like no other player on the market right now. Check out the gallery for pictures which will shock and amaze.%Gallery-6649%
Hands-on with Samsung's YP-S5 PMP at IFA
Our unreasonably good fortune continues, as we've gotten to have a go with the Samsung YP-S5, another new entry to the company's PMP lineup that adds a sliding set of external speakers to the mix. After ducking past Samsung's "helpful" booth staff, we got to toy with the small-screen media player, which was awful light, but admittedly very attractive. Samsung pushed its design-conscious vibe at the press conference, and it really shows with these new players. Want to check it out for yourself? Hit the gallery for loads of exciting shots.%Gallery-6648%
Hands-on with the LG KU990
We wanted to get down and dirty with LG's other touchscreen phone -- the KU990 (AKA the Viewty) -- a 5.1-megapixel cameraphone that also does Flash, but the company's staff would barely even let us get close. It's true: the German showgirls and Japanese press handlers were less than forthcoming with the goods, but after a round of strong drinks and some serious sweet talking, we got to demo some of the phone's functions -- though there appeared to be a lot more lurking beneath the surface. Check the gallery for some "hands-on" action, and feel free to write letters suggesting LG's people to lighten up.%Gallery-6645%
Hands-on with Samsung's YP-P2 widescreen PMP
We got our grubby mitts all over Samsung's new YP-P2 "palm theater" at IFA, and we'd thought we'd share all the widescreen havin', movie playin', music listenin' action with you. The player is extremely light and thin, but still feels pretty substantial in your hand (it's not tiny). The screen isn't quite as clear as something like the iPhone, though it definitely holds its own. The UI is clean and ultra simple, sporting easy-on-the-eyes lists for most sections, and a familiar icon grid for your main apps. The touch screen response was extra-lively, even for our gigantic paws. Check the gallery for more photos than you can shake a stick at. No... seriously, you can't shake a stick at them.%Gallery-6643%
Hands-on with Casio's 60fps digital camera
You asked for it, you got it. Some sweet, sweet pics of the wild new 6 megapixel Casio prototype. You know the one -- 60fps bursting at full resolution or 300fps VGA video? Believe it or not, the camera is surprisingly light, will use SDHC storage (which won't last long at these resolutions), and is expected to ship sometime in 2008. Hey, that's what they told us. Peep the gallery for all the hotness.%Gallery-6640%
Panasonic debuts new Viera HDTVs and DSLR hotness at IFA
We've just gotten back from the Panasonic press conference at IFA, where the electronics giant unveiled a couple of interesting new products, including a new lineup of HDTVs, and the brand-spanking-new Lumix DMC-L10 DSLR camera. Here's a brief rundown of all the hot action that you missed, including an Olympics-esque runner dashing across the stage (all for show, folks).
