IFA 2011
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Haier's mind control TV prototype hits IFA, we go foreheads-on (video)
The remote control revolutionized the way we watch television, doing away with the need for frequent trips to the set in order to change channels. One prototype in Haier's portfolio makes the whole remote thing look like a back breaking chore by comparison. The Brain Wave (definitely not a final product name) television protoype showcased at IFA this week brings mind control into the picture, promising users a future where channels can be changed and volume controlled with mere thought. The set is still in the early prototype stages at the moment, however, so we're still a ways away from such life altering precision. At the moment, the only available demo involves blowing up an animated barrel with your mind. Naturally, we had to give the thing a spin. Check out the results after the break.%Gallery-132589%
XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)
There were lots of cool Apple-centric products to been seen around XtremeMac's extremely orange booth at IFA this week, proving that there's still interesting things to be done in the world of iPhone / iPad / iPod docks. At the top of the list is the Soma Stand, a pyramid-shaped dock that folds up for portability. The accessory is mostly speaker, which faces outward, so sound isn't blocked when you've got an iPad on the thing. The Soma Stand should be hitting shelves around October, running around €100 here in Europe. The Soma Travel, meanwhile, works without the need batteries or wires, running directly off the power from your docked Apple device. XtremeMac claims that a docked iPhone 4 playing through the speakers will get about 34 hours of audio playback on a charge. As expected, the thing doesn't get too loud, but it should do the trick for solo listening. The peripheral will run around €50 on its release. The Tango Bar is a style-conscious sound bar with a silver grill that fits in quite nicely with the current generation iMac. The speaker pulls both audio and power from a single USB cable and outputs audio at ten watts. Like the Soma Stand, the Tango Bar will run around €100. Check out video of the Soma Stand after the break.%Gallery-132528%
Pocketbook A10 hands-on (video)
Dulin's Books rolls out PocketBook 360, 301+ ereaders in the US Kobo quietly launches Vox Android tablet with 7-inch display, Gingerbread, $200 price tag Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet...fight! PocketBook, primarily known for its e-readers, introduced the A 10 this week at IFA -- that's "A" for Android and "10" for 10-inches (well, 10.1 inches). The Android in this case is Gingerbread, nothing particularly exciting on that front, in a world that has largely moved on to Honeycomb in all its iterations, but at the very least, the company is doing some cool stuff on the design front in a world of infringingly lookalike devices. The body was reportedly inspired by an airplane wing, encased in white plastic that forms a wedge on the rear. The tablet's a bit on the chunky side, with a row of actual physical buttons located on the bottom of the bezel. On the rear is a white plastic around a soft, rubbery back. The tablet is a bit less exciting on the inside, with 4GB of storage, a 1GHz TI OMAP 3621 processor, WiFi and optional 3G. Not surprisingly, given the company's history, the device is reading-minded, with proprietary software built around the e-book experience and page buttons built in. The company is also looking to possibly position the device for the educational sector. The A 10 should be hitting Europe around October, with a price tag of less that €300. The company is also planning on US availability for the tablet but isn't offering much in the way of specifics on that front.%Gallery-132527%
Galaxy Tab 7.7 disappears from IFA floor, not a trace left behind
Just two days after Samsung unveiled its Honeycomb-sporting Galaxy Tab 7.7, the slate (along with all traces of its existence) has vanished from the IFA floor. All demo models have been yanked from Sammy's booth, branding has disappeared, and even the large poster touting the slate has been covered up. The Korean company hasn't been entirely forthcoming about the reason behind the removal, but a spokesperson did tell SlashGear that the move was voluntary. Given that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is already barred from sale in Germany (and some 7.7 units on display bore a sticker informing handlers it would also not make it to retail in Deutschland), speculation has led many to link the vanishing act to the ongoing legal battle with Apple. For now though, all we have to go on is Samsung's confirmation that the tablet has been pulled, accompanied by a refusal to comment further.
Fujifilm X10 hands-on (video)
We really like Fujifilm's X100 -- it's a solidly-built camera, with an APS-C sensor, f/2 lens, and a rather unique hybrid optical / electronic viewfinder. But the X100 carries a $1,400 sticker price, and that 23mm lens -- as sharp as it may be -- is permanently fixed to the mount. That's why we were rather exited when Fuji announced its X10 earlier this week. Would this be a much more capable (and affordable) replacement for the X100? Turns out it's not -- well, not exactly -- though this latest model is certainly a better fit for the consumer market. We had a chance to go hands-on with an early prototype on display at the company's IFA booth, and while some features (notably the pop-up flash) weren't yet functional, we're told it's a rather accurate representation of what we'll see when the X10 hits stores in late October, priced within the €499-599 range (about $715-860). The first thing you'll notice with the X10 is that, well, there's nary a power button in sight. Instead, you'll rotate the 28-112mm f/2-2.8 manual zoom lens to fire it up. There's also no aperture ring, unlike its more powerful sibling, and manual focus is handled electronically, instead of directly on the lens. Upon closer inspection, you'll find that the X100's slick hybrid viewfinder has been replaced with a strictly electronic one. And what about image quality? We weren't able to take away any sample pics, but with a much smaller 2/3-inch sensor, we haven't a doubt that images won't look nearly as good as those shot with Fuji's better-equipped model. To compensate for that, the camera's EXR mode can bump the resolution down from 12 megapixels to six, in turn capturing higher quality images in low light. We're looking forward to checking out a production version sometime this fall, but in the meantime, thumb through the images below, or jump past the break for a video overview.%Gallery-132595%
S-Walker Electric Transporter hands-on (video)
In an IFA galaxy far far away lives the China Pavilion. And on the far side of the outer ring of the China Pavilion, buried amongst a plethora of steamers, curling irons, and television mounts, you may stumble upon the S-Walker -- though you're just as likely to miss it. And what might an S-Walker be? Well, if we're being precise, it's a "Speed-Walker, Sky-Walker, whatever," according to its German booth master. Luke would be proud. Lesser beings may recognize it as a KIRF Segway, designed in Germany and handmade in China, just a mere ten days ago. Its biggest strength lies in price -- the thing is expected to retail for €2,500 (about $3,550) sometime in the middle of next year. We suppose this yet-to-be-released electric transporter is here to serve warehouse workers, couriers, and the millions of college students who every day dream of zooming across campus atop a pair of motorized wheels, but simply couldn't justify spending an entire semester's tuition on a Segway. We spent a few minutes riding the world's first (and only) functional S-Walker around the rather deserted International Hall, and while very much still a prototype, the battery powered contraption felt peppy enough and responded accurately to commands, moving forward as we leaned to the front, and backing up as we shifted weight to the rear. You control direction using a small handlebar-mounted joystick, rather than by leaning from side-to-side as you would on a Segway. The designers capped speed at 10 kilometers per hour for the IFA demo, but production models will be boosted to 30 km/h, and it's theoretically capable of reaching 100 km/h (but that'll likely require some potentially-illegal hacking on your part). Roll on past the break to see the S-Walker in action. And may the force be with you.%Gallery-132596%
Archos 80 G9 and 101 G9 hands-on (video)
So, so many tablets this week at IFA. Archos's pair of Honeycomb slates may not have garnered the same sort of excitement as, say yesterday's Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 or Toshiba AT200, but there are a lot of interesting things going on with the 80 G9 and 101 G9. From an aesthetic standpoint, these are pretty nice looking devices (the 80 and 101 look largely the same, save for the difference in footprint and screen size), though they're not quite on-par with the two aforementioned tablets, in terms of build. Among other things, they're a bit on the chunky side and have fairly considerable bezels. Like those devices, the G9 tablets run Android 3.2, though a decidedly less skinned up version than Samsung's device. And their 1.5GHz processor assures that they can handle the OS with ease. Archos's tablets also have a few tricks up their collective sleeve. Flip the devices over, and you find a kickstand on one side and a slot on the other than opens up to reveal a USB port designed for the company's proprietary 3G stick. Also pretty awesome is the ability to configure their hard drives up to 250GB -- a fairly staggering sum in the tablet world. We got to spend some hands-on time with both -- check out a video after the break.%Gallery-132525%%Gallery-132524%
Creative Zen X-Fi3 hands-on (video)
This tiny thing in our hands above is the latest PMP from Creative. Portability is clearly the thing here -- the Zen X-Fi3 is extremely tiny and light. It has a little color screen on it, as well, but don't get too excited on that front -- unfortunately the player doesn't sport a touchscreen, so you've got to use the controls on the bezel, which aren't particularly responsive. The interface, fittingly, is also pretty barebones on that front, offering the basic sort of scroll-through menus that defined music players for years. The highlight of the device -- aside from its exceedingly small size -- is its Bluetooth transfer capabilities. The X-Fi3 keeps with the company's commitment to audio fidelity, thanks to the apt-X codec, which supposedly offers audio quality similar to a wired connection when streaming. On that front, the device also handles FLAC files. The player will run €99 and €140 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, here in Germany. It should be going on sale in the middle of this month.%Gallery-132510%
LG Hom-Bot 2.0 Smart Robot Vacuum Cleaner hands-on (video)
Smile, you're on Vacucam! LG's Hom-Bot (RoboKing in the US) was zipping around its own special playpen on the stage at the company's IFA booth today, picking up the occasional speck of dust and using its dual cams to spy on bloggers and Germans, while also diligently avoiding a plastic family dog along its ten-square-foot cube of real estate. The bot's Smart ThinQ technology enables it to interact with an Android or iPhone app, which you'll use to watch a live video feed from its built-in cam, send it rolling to a specific point in the house in "Patrol" mode, or adjust settings. You can also log in remotely, assuming your Hom-Bot is powered up and has a WiFi connection. Official US and Euro pricing and availability hasn't been announced yet, but an LG rep suggested we'll see it in the €500-700 range (about $710-995 US). Cameras and interactivity are nice and all, but that's a lot to spend on any vacuum cleaner. Today's trade show sneak peek is probably the closest we'll be getting to this pricey little vac, so roll past the break for some super action footage.%Gallery-132520%
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 goes LTE for T-Mobile at IFA
What secret could this Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 hold? Check out the little LTE logo hiding out on the back of the device. Yep, T-Mobile's aggressively magenta-ed out IFA booth was showcasing this beauty, as a way of showing off the European carrier's blazing LTE speeds. Hardware, it seems, was incidental to the company's demos -- but boy howdy do we care. The T-Mobile reps didn't offer up much in the way of information on that front (in fact, they mostly tried to move us along to the next LTE-capable device for more speed demos), but the company's paperwork highlights the device's 32GB capacity, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and Android 3.2 operating system. The hardware itself should prove quite familiar to anyone who's ever spent time with a Galaxy Tab -- same brilliant glossy screen, same smooth plastic back. Not much is available, so far as pricing and availability, though the T-Mobile representative that we spoke with believes the thing will be hitting the network in Q4. Update: AndroidOS.in is reporting that the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE will hit German airwaves in December. [Thanks, TMO_lover] %Gallery-132518%
LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)
Samsung took IFA by storm yesterday with its now-legendary "S Pen" (that Galaxy Note comes bundled), so it's only fair that LG gets its chance in the spotlight with a pen of its own. The company's Pentouch comes with a plasma TV in tow, and lets you do super-slick stuff to your productivity suite -- you can mark up Word docs, handwrite URLs in the browser, highlight elements in your PowerPoint presentations, or even flick one of those little red balls of fluff in Angry Birds. $2,199 will net you a 3D-enabled 60-inch LG PZ850 with Pentouch TV -- a non-3D model is available for $1,699, and there's a 50-inch version as well, priced at a mere $1,099. You'll need to collect quite a few ingredients before you can get cookin' here, including the TV, the pair of included pens, and a computer to pump content to your TV. If you're planning to use the display with kids, a printer might be a good idea as well, so your little ones will have a platform to preserve all those on-screen sketched masterpieces (this thing puts coloring books to shame). Everything seemed to work as described (note: this isn't a touchscreen, so you'll need to use the pen), though the software did hiccup once while attempting to hand-write the Engadget URL. We see this being more of a hit for enterprise use, since there isn't really any need to mark up photos or tap the screen to launch apps in your living room. Still thinking about taking the plunge? Jump past the break for a video walkthrough (yes, and yet another clip of Angry Birds).%Gallery-132488%
Samsung CEO says 'never' to webOS
Honestly, it never made much sense to begin with. Between Android, Windows Phone 7 and Bada, what could Samsung possibly want with another mobile OS? Yet, the rumors persisted that Sammy was going to snatch up, or at least license, HP's recently quasi-retired tablet and smartphone platform. Well, the speculation can officially be put to rest -- Samsung CEO Choi Gee Sung told a group of reporters at IFA that the company would "never" pursue a webOS deal, and bemoaned the trend of "acquiring an operating system." Of course, things could change, but we wouldn't count on it -- sounds like the company's developers already have plenty on their plate.
Nokia 500 hands-on
What's this, then? It's the Nokia 500, hanging out in the Vodafone booth. The 3.2-inch handset is awaiting an official release on the European carrier, which should be hitting around the October time frame here in Germany, according the rep we spoke with. Still no word on pricing from the carrier, but it was suggested to us that the handset would likely run €99 or less, on contract. We managed to get some hands-on time with the Symbian Anna handset, and can't say we were all that impressed by the hardware on what feels like a relatively low end phone for Nokia, a company that has offered up some of the best hardware designs in the business. The screen feels quite narrow, and the device itself a bit chunky. The phone has 256MB of RAM and a 1GHz processor, which do the job reasonably well, though the Anna interface will likely leave something to be desired for many smartphone users. There's also a five megapixel rear-facing camera and an microSD slot -- oh, and the rep we spoke with seemed particularly excited about the different color back plates, which will be available for the phone. It's not the most exciting phone out there from the Finnish handset maker, but for those looking for a relatively low-cost smartphone from the company, the 500 certainly gets the job done.%Gallery-132475%
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%
LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs
It's a good time to be a stylus fan. Not only has Samsung debuted its handwriting-friendly Series 7 Slate and Galaxy Note tablets, but LG is also bringing the stylus into the living room with its new series of PenTouch plasma TVs. Available in both 50-inch and 60-inch varieties, each TV comes with a pair of Touch Pens that let you either control the TV and included software like a calendar and photo gallery, or simply draw on it to your heart's content. As if that wasn't enough, the top-end 60-inch model is also a 3D TV, and include one pair of active shutter glasses -- it'll run you $2,199, while the non-3D models come in at $1,699 and $1,099. Unfortunately, you'll also have to supply your own Windows PC to take full advantage of that touch-functionality.
Samsung announces Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 handheld
It got a bit overshadowed by the Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab 7.7 earlier today, but Samsung also quietly introduced a new basic handheld / PMP at IFA: the Galaxy S WiFi 3.6. As you can probably surmise, it's a slightly smaller version of the Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 (also known as the Galaxy Player in the US), with it boasting a 3.6-inch HVGA display, Android 2.3, a 1GHz OMAP processor, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot, GPS, a mic for VoIP calls, and dual cameras (2 megapixels 'round back and VGA on the front). Unfortunately for those elsewhere, this one is only confirmed for the UK so far, where it will sell for £149 and £169 (or roughly $240 and $270) in early October.
Boogie Rip eWriting pad stylus-on (video)
Hey, remember that new product from Improv Electronics that we told you about yesterday? We managed to sneak in some time with the device today at IFA, and we have to say, we like what we see. The Rip (that's "Record. Image. Preserve.") is the latest addition to the Boogie eWriter line, devices that let you scribble notes and drawings and can be wiped away with the press of a button (think a more legible Etch A Sketch). The Rip ups the ante with the addition of a microUSB port, which lets you transfer notes as PDFs to your computer. Improv was careful to point out that the device is currently in prototype mode, so we won't hold too much against the company for the product's plasticy feel -- though, if its predecessor is any indication, the final version likely won't be too far from this one, and the company confirmed that the final version will have the same charcoal color. And while the product is indeed plasticy, it certainly feels sturdy. More after the break.%Gallery-132358%
Toshiba announces Camileo Clip, X200 and X400 camcorders
Not surprisingly, Toshiba is covering all the bases at IFA today, with it now also announcing its latest batch of camcorders. That includes the Camileo Clip pictured above (which actually has a clip 'round back for hands-free shooting), as well as the more traditional Camileo X200 and X400, all three of which record 1080p video and rely exclusively on SD cards for storage. The X200 and X400 also, of course, steps things up quite a bit in terms of features, the standout ones being a 12x optical zoom on the X200 and a 23x zoom on the X400. Still no word on prices for any of them, but Toshiba says they'll be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year (in Europe, at least). Hit the PR after the break for the complete list of specs.
Lenovo announces IdeaPad A1, the $199 Android tablet, we go hands-on (video)
If you thought you couldn't get a real Android tablet from a brand you've heard of for less than $200, think again. Lenovo's just announced the IdeaPad Tablet A1, a 7-inch Android unit that we got a sneaky first glimpse of back in July. Now it's real, and it's cheap, it's running Gingerbread, and while it doesn't hold a candle to the Galaxy Tab 7.7, it honestly feels like something far above its price point. Read on for our impressions. %Gallery-132315%
Toshiba AT200 hands-on (video)
Toshiba knew what we wanted at today's IFA press conference, and naturally, it saved the best for last. The company unveiled its AT200 tablet at the show today, and really, as predicted, the thing does seem like a serious competitor to Samsung's popular Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet is quite thin and well-built (it was on lock down, so we can't quite attest to its "lightest" claims), unlike a number of its Android brethren. The brushed metal backing also adds a level of sturdiness lacking in the Galaxy Tab 10.1's plastic rear. More details and a video after the break. %Gallery-132335%
