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HP's Elite Slice is a modular PC that actually looks good
I think HP's completely sick of making traditional-looking desktops and is out to make them look like anything but. In addition to a PC that looks like it was shoved inside a Bang & Olufsen speaker, the computer maker also released the Elite Slice modular desktop. And it looks like a cross between Discman, a router, and a set top box. Despite that weird combination, I actually really like the Elite Slice -- not just for its looks, but also for what it does.
Bosch and Drop team up on smarter kitchen tech
Many appliance makers are forming partnerships to drag their lineups into the smart home era, but Bosch's alliance may be something special. It's teaming up with Drop (of smart scale fame) to add intelligence to kitchen devices. The two are starting modestly: if you have a Series 8 oven with Home Connect support, you can already use Drop to control the appliance as well as monitor the temperature and time. However, the companies have grander things in store.
Nubia's 'bezel-less' Z11 smartphone launches worldwide
You probably still don't know a lot about the Nubia smartphone brand if you live outside of China, but the company is bent on changing that: it's launching its latest flagship, the Z11, worldwide. The phone touts a "bezel-less" design with a 81 percent screen-to-body ratio, which both gives it a seamless effect and makes its 5.5-inch, 1080p display easier to manage in your hand. Nubia is definitely playing up the looks -- it's offering a posh black gold version (above) on top of more pedestrian gray and silver variants.
Lenovo's two new tablets include a lower-cost Surface Pro rival
Lenovo's hoopla at IFA may be focusing on its creative-minded Yoga Book, but there are two new bread-and-butter tablets that are worth your attention, too. The 12.2-inch Miix 510 is a Surface Pro-alike for people who want a reasonably speedy 2-in-1 Windows tablet, but aren't willing to pay a premium. It sports a lower-resolution display than the Miix 700 (1,920 x 1,200) and is both heavier (1.9 pounds without the keyboard attached) and thicker (0.39 inches), but it promises to be more powerful. You can have up to a 6th-generation Core i7 processor inside rather than a Core M, and up to a 1TB SSD -- if it weren't for the maximum 8GB of RAM and 7.5 hours of battery life, the new Miix could easily go toe-to-toe with Microsoft's current flagship slate. There's even optional LTE data, which has been sorely missing on the Surface Pro line.
Lenovo's Yoga Book is part tablet, part sketch pad
Let's face it: Tablets are on the brink of death, and it's difficult to get excited about a new slate these days. And even though tablet-laptop hybrids are taking off, that market is cornered by Surfaces and iPad Pros. So I wasn't prepared to be as thrilled as I was by Lenovo's latest offering. The Yoga Book, based on my experience with a preview unit, is not merely a mimicry of Microsoft's Surface Book; it has impressively innovative features and a well-thought-out interface that make it a solid hybrid in its own right.
Hasselblad reveals a MotoMod that replaces your Moto Z's camera
Remember the days before the Moto Z launched, when a mysterious camera MotoMod was leaked along with a handful of other snap-on accessories? Remember when the Z and Z Force launched, and that camera was nowhere in sight? Well, the wait is (almost) over. Motorola just revealed the fruit of its close collaboration with Hasselblad today -- the $250/£200 True Zoom -- and it's set to launch on September 15th.
Samsung's Gear S3 watches are more elegant (and rugged) than ever
Samsung's Gear S2 was far from perfect, but it was still a big step forward for the company's smartwatch ambitions. At last: a Tizen-powered wearable with a decent selection of apps and a control scheme focused on a rotating bezel that bordered on brilliant. Samsung couldn't let that progress go untouched, so it just pulled back the curtain on two new neat-looking wearables: the Gear S3 Classic and the Gear S3 Frontier.
Live from Samsung's IFA 2016 press conference!
Samsung's already announced the Note 7, so there's clearly nothing else for the company to reveal, right? Nope, since the Korean conglomerate is here at IFA with a glitzy pre-show press conference that's got something to do with time. Given that it was around this period last year that the firm unveiled the Gear S2, it's reasonable to assume a follow-up is coming. If you're curious for what's ahead, join us here live at 12:00pm ET and we'll take you by the hand and lead you through the quagmire. We're live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Garmin debuts action camera with voice control and 4K video
If you've been looking to buy an action camera, Garmin's latest one might be worth considering. The Virb Ultra 30 is feature-packed, with things like an LCD touchscreen, 4K video at up to 30 fps, 3-axis image stabilization and livestreaming to YouTube. Most notably though, this new shooter supports voice commands, letting you control it via phrases such as, "Okay Garmin, start recording." Similar to the Virb and Virb XE action cams, the Virb Ultra 30 also comes with GPS and other sensors that show you how far, fast and high your movements are. When you combine all of that, you get a strong alternative to products including GoPro's Hero4. Like what you see? It's available today for $500/£450.
Acer's latest PCs include the first curved screen laptop
You no longer have to stick to your desk to enjoy a flashy curved display. Acer is unveiling flood of new laptops at Germany's IFA show, and the highlight by far is the Predator 21 X -- according to Acer, the world's first curved screen laptop. As the name suggests, opening up this gigantic gaming portable reveals a 21-inch curved, ultra-wide display that promises more immersion than you're used to with portable gaming. It 'only' touts a 2,560 x 1,080 resolution, but NVIDIA G-Sync support should give you smoother, game-friendly output.
What to expect at this year's IFA
IFA, one of the world's largest consumer electronics trade shows, starts this week in Berlin. It's not quite as big as CES, but it can offer good insights into what lies ahead in the holiday shopping season. IFA is often the place where companies announce washing machines and kitchen appliances, but there's usually plenty of phones, wearables, PCs and TVs too. Here's what we expect to see at IFA this year:
I had to smile for my free cup of coffee at a trade show
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-601847{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-601847, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-601847{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-601847").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Coffee, pens, non-existent free WiFi, and USB sticks are the four spirit animals of any tech show. But what if a company wants you to be happy before you've got your cup of morning sunshine? That's DigitalSTROM's gambit, using its sensors and Intel's RealSense 3D camera to detect when you're smiling before delivering your daily caffeine hit. Sensing a grimace could prove more practical.
Jawbone's fitness trackers will track more of your fitness
"Basically, we're fixing all of the things that people hate," is how one Jawbone rep here at IFA 2015 describes this mid-lifecycle update to Jawbone's range of wrist-worn fitness trackers. When we reviewed the Up3 earlier this year, we described it as a feature-packed disappointment, since while the wearable had potential to be useful, the execution was bungled. That's why the company has spent the last few months working on a firmware upgrade that, it's hoped, will make the device much more attractive to new customers.
All the news you need to know from IFA 2015
The Engadget team has been in Berlin, Germany for over a week, but now it's time to go home. This year's IFA, Europe's biggest tech show, didn't leave many surprises behind. That said, we did come across some fancy new wearables (mostly smartwatches), 4K TVs and an avalanche of Windows 10 PCs. Not surprisingly, though, a few smartphones also made their debut here -- including Sony's Xperia Z5 family and Huawei's answer to the iPhone 6 Plus, the Mate S. Beyond these announcements, the IFA 2015 show floor was filled with high-tech home appliances, sub-par food and attendees from all over the world trying to get a glimpse at the latest technologies. Here are some of the things we saw during our time at the event.
Finally, a 4K TV worth watching
If curved screens and the apparent threat of 8K leave you cold towards 4K, maybe Philips' focus on the back of its UHD TVs will get you to open up your wallet. The company's brought its crazy, dreamy projection-backed prototype TV into mass-production in the form of a 65-inch UHDTV. Pico projectors dotted around the perimeter of the Ambilux TV transmit the image (which can be broadcast TV, media, games or apps) outwards behind the frame. The gif shows the result: a constantly changing glow of glorious multicolored light. It's like an optical smoothie for the eyes. The TVs will go on sale in Europe before the end of the year. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub!
This is the smartwatch that luxury brands should be making
A short walk from the sounds and screens of Sony's heaving IFA booth, a handful of the company's employees have a small stand of their very own. On it, they're showcasing the Wena Wrist, a smartwatch side-project the small team has successfully crowdfunded through Sony's First Flight platform for employee pitches. Smartwatch may not be the best definition of the lo-fi wearable, though, since the face itself is as dumb as they come.
Samsung's 360-degree wireless speakers take aim at Sonos
Samsung's biggest announcement at IFA 2015 was the Gear S2, its long-rumored round smartwatch. But, as expected, that's not the only thing the company is showing off in Berlin, Germany. The R1, R3 and R5 are new wireless, multi-room speakers designed to take on Sonos. What makes them different than most of the competition, though, is their 360-degree enclosure -- Samsung says the ring-radiator technology powering them helps fill any room with sound. Compared to the last-generation models, the speakers revealed here at IFA are not egg-shaped, but rather feature a more tubular look. (You could always go for the R7, if that's what you're looking for.)
Here are the best things from Europe's biggest tech show
Big tech shows. Sometimes they amaze. Other times they can leave you a little cold -- it just depends on what you're looking for. This year's IFA, held in Germany and blessed with a mix of torrential rain and sun, is a good example of exactly that. The show has a reputation for filling halls with refrigerators and washing machines (which can sometimes be interesting), but here's the finely-honed highlights. If you somehow missed our IFA reportage all this week, start here.
Here's the world's first Ultra HD Blu-ray player
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-519620{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-519620, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-519620{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-519620").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Samsung has announced the first (consumer ready) Ultra HD Blu-ray player, alongside word that movie studio Fox is already getting its releases ready for the new format. That means 4K movies, yes, but also compatibility for HDR video. Here's a closer look at the curved UBD-K8500 player -- perfect for that new curved Ultra HDTV, right?
The 5 best wearables from IFA 2015
Wearables playing a big role at major trade shows isn't a surprise, and neither is the fact that most of the ones we've seen at IFA 2015 are smartwatches. Samsung, Motorola and TomTom all introduced new timepieces this week, while Huawei finally revealed pricing details for the Watch it announced earlier this year in Barcelona. Aside from TomTom's Spark and Samsung's Gear S2, the other smartwatches on this list are powered by Android Wear, with prices ranging from $299 to $799 -- although Motorola and Samsung have kept some info to themselves. Either way, join us as we recap the wearables that stood out here in Berlin, Germany.Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
