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IFA Day 3: TVs, TVs and more TVs
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-6020{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-6020, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-6020{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-6020").style.display="none";}catch(e){} At long last, today is the day that the general public is allowed into the hallowed halls of Berlin's Messe to bask in the glory that is IFA. Unfortunately, much of that glory is old and we've seen a big chunk of it before. Still, you should take a peek in the clip above to see what was on the show floor. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub!
Toshiba's convertible 4K laptop is somehow light, stylish and thin
Yes, 4K devices (that aren't TVs) are everywhere at IFA 2015. If it's not a Sony smartphone packing a ridiculous high-resolution display, then it's Samsung's Ultra HD Blu-ray player -- the first of its kind. Toshiba's getting involved too, with a convertible 4K 12.5-inch laptop. As is the case with most of the PCs and laptops spotted this year at Europe's biggest tech show, the Satellite Radius 12 has Intel's latest sixth-generation Core processor to power it, but still only measures 0.6 inch thick and weighs 2.9 pounds -- quite a feat for a convertible with a 4K display. (Especially since we can still remember Panasonic's hulking 4K tablet from a few years ago.)
Here's how to watch Microsoft's IFA keynote
Unlike Sony, Samsung, Huawei and others, Microsoft isn't putting on a flashy press conference at this year's IFA. That said, Nick Parker, Corporate VP of the company's OEM division, will be taking to the stage to deliver a keynote speech entitled "Windows 10 lights up new devices" roughly 30 minutes from now. Given Parker's position and the brief keynote summary, we imagine he'll be touching on the broad range of devices powered by Microsoft's latest OS -- including some of those announced over the last few days from the likes of Acer, ASUS, Lenovo and others. While we don't expect any surprise announcements from Microsoft itself, never say never. We'll be there, of course, and if you'd like to join us, jump on the livestream and settle in.
IFA Day 1: 4K Smartphones and water-cooled laptops
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124847{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124847, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124847{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124847").style.display="none";}catch(e){} IFA started with a bang as Sony whipped out the Xperia Z5 Premium, a smartphone that comes with the "world's first" 5.5-inch 4K display. That was swiftly followed by the launch of Huawei's Mate S, a phone that's designed to kill the iPhone 6 Plus by basically copying its every design feature. Then there was ASUS' new gaming laptop that's so powerful it needs its own water pump to keep it cool. We took some time to bring you the most exciting announcements from the show floor, so don't hesitate before hitting that play button. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub!
Samsung teases Galaxy View tablet at the end of IFA event
Samsung is making a habit of teasing its next announcement at the end of launch events. After today's Gear S2 official reveal, the company teased a new tablet: the Galaxy View. Of course, details are quite scarce right now, but we do know that the slate sports a Surface-esque kickstand that's either built in or added by a case. The device maker only offered the hints of "think bigger" and "a new dimension of entertainment" alongside the promise that we'll get more info next month. And when those specs emerge, you can bet we'll bring you the latest. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Bang and Olufsen's BeoPlay A6 is a $1,000 wireless speaker
Luxury audiovisual brand Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has just announced a pricey wireless speaker, the $999 BeoPlay A6. The style evokes the back of a chair, gently curving and covered in designer fabric from Danish studio Kvadrat. Apparently, this isn't all about looks, though. B&O says its unique shape "enables sound to fill an entire room whilst creating ambience in multiple areas of a house." The interface for the A6 is pretty interesting too. It's all based around swiping and tapping the top of the speaker. A swipe right, for example, turns the volume up. Holding the center mutes, and a quick tap skips the track. Perhaps not the most intuitive control scheme ever, but a cool talking point nonetheless.
Samsung finally has an elegant smartwatch in the Gear S2
Few companies have churned out as many different smartwatches as Samsung, so it's little surprise the company is showing off a new one -- the Gear S2 -- at IFA. What is a surprise, though, is how much more elegant, more polished the S2 feels compared to just about all of Samsung's previous attempts. After years of seemingly blind iteration (and just a little bit of hands-on time), Samsung finally seems to have a stylish, if somewhat controversial smartwatch on its hands.
LG's new G Pad II really isn't anything new
LG's never been scared of trying new things when it comes to smartphones, even pioneering the strange-yet-convenient back-button placement other manufacturers have copied since. By comparison, the company has played it safe with its G Pad tablet range, none of which have had any particularly standout features. And after briefly playing the LG's new G Pad II 10.1 here at IFA, it seems like the company is quite happy sticking to its rather unexciting formula. Last year, LG opted to release three sizes of tablet, but for now at least, the G Pad II only comes in the one form factor, with a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 display.
Withings unveils a sleep-savvy clock and more Android support
Like the idea of Withings' Aura improving your sleep cycles, but don't need a $300 gadget tracking every last nuance of your slumber? You're in luck. Withings is rolling out a lower-cost device, the $190 Connected Alarm Clock, that keeps the sleep-regulating light and sound patterns while ditching the biometric sensor. And speaking of audio, both the clock and the Sleep System are getting a Spotify tie-in -- you can now use the streaming service's music catalog to fall asleep or wake up, complete with suggested playlists based on both their effectiveness and your genre tastes.
Google's new Street View app lets you add your own spherical photos
In the midst of IFA's volley of tech hardware news, Google Maps has announced a spin-off Street View app that allows you to upload your own spherical photos. Yes, you're now a human Street View car. The app lets you not only shoot photo spheres from your phone but also connect directly to spherical cameras, like Ricoh's Theta camera series. The announcement came alongside the latest Theta camera, which is of course compatible with the new feature. It sounds like Street View will turn into a combination of Google's own photography and crowdsourced spheres. Charles Armstrong, Google Maps product manager, said the new app will allow "people all over the world to explore user contributions, Google's own imagery, and their own published photo spheres through a seamless world map of landscapes, landmarks, business interiors and more."
Ricoh's upgraded its Theta spherical camera in all the important ways
Ricoh's Theta camera was a novel, but pricey experiment: a stick-shaped camera that took completely spherical stills (and later, video.) There was also the unfortunate problem of spreading a typical point-and-shoot camera resolution over an understandably bigger 360-degree digital canvas, which resulted in noisy images low on detail. Ricoh's Theta S camera, which launches globally next month, looks like it'll improve on its predecessor in those areas and more. The new camera roughly doubles the resolution of images it can take over the last Theta camera, and an upgraded f2.0 lens (like the optics found on high-end smartphones) ensures more light and less noise and blur. (The results of the last model were often lacking when there wasn't a strong light source.)
TomTom's newest fitness watch plays music too
As sales of satellite navigation units slowly dry up, TomTom is making the gentle transition into a fitness and wearables company. That's why the firm decided to smash up its existing range of bulky running watches in favor of a ground-up rebuild. The result is that TomTom is launching the Spark, which looks pretty much like the previous generation of devices, albeit after a very good diet. The most notable addition to the range this year is Bluetooth music playback, although that's made matters a little more confusing than in previous years.
LG's roll-up keyboard is cute, but predictably uncomfortable
Getting anyone at all interested in a new portable Bluetooth keyboard is quite the feat, but LG has just about managed it with its new, quirky roll-up peripheral. The Rolly, as it's inventively named, is intended for those who want to be a bit more productive with their tablet time, and I've had a brief tinker with it here at IFA. The benefit of having a keyboard that rolls up around its battery, of course, is that it takes up the least amount of space in your backpack. And neat, the Rolly certainly is. The magnets that run down either side of the key grid are no weaklings, keeping the thing tightly wound and generating a satisfying snap as you roll it up.
Samsung jumps into Ultra HD Blu-ray, as Fox provides the movies
Today Samsung is the first company to announce an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, taking the lead in 4K and HDR video. Following up on its big Ultra HD push at CES and the movie-streaming/download tech that has arrived in the months since, Samsung is ready to push super-high-resolution movies (four times the resolution of Blu-ray, and 64 times as many colors) on discs too. There's not much detail available on its new player, although we expect it will cost less than the $1,000 price its first Blu-ray player commanded nearly a decade ago and it should launch early next year. Joining the tech company on its IFA 2015 stage are Fox execs, with President Mike Dunn proclaiming the studio is committed to releasing its slate of upcoming movies in Ultra HD with HDR day-and-date with the Blu-ray and Digital HD releases. That includes Fantastic Four, Maze Runner, Kingsman: The Secret Service and more.
Samsung's SleepSense tracker shuts off the TV when you snooze
Samsung has just revealed its take on the sleep-tracking concept with a new device called SleepSense. Rather than making you wear something on your wrist at night (which is a non-starter for a lot of folks), Samsung proposes that you slip the flat, disk-like device under your mattress, like similar devices from Withings and Misfit. It will then monitor your heart rate, breathing and movement during sleep with a claimed 97 percent accuracy. That information is transmitted to a smartphone app, which gives you an "individual sleep score" based on seven factors, including total sleep time, the number of times you awoke and the percentage of REM sleep.
Samsung's next-gen SmartThings home hub goes on sale
The next generation of SmartThings hardware is now available after a lengthy delay. Samsung purchased the home automation company just over a year ago, but was optimistic when it said the next-gen hardware would arrive in April. The hub, sensors and app (available on iOS and Android) are now good to go, however, along with developer tools to get other companies on board. The new hub improves on the last version in a couple of key ways. It no longer needs an internet cloud connection to function, and can run autonomously for 10 hours on a battery if the power is cut.
Watch Samsung's IFA 2015 press event here!
Samsung presumably has spilled the beans on its new Galaxy Note phones already. And it has a new smartwatch. And a new tablet. But there's a hall full of baying tech journalists. We're sure Samsung has more to tell us. You can watch it all go down right here. The show starts here in an hour at 11AM CEST here in Berlin, which translates to an early bird 5AM ET. Get your Nespresso or Keurig pod at the ready, because it's Samsung and it likely has an Internet of Things to talk about. You'll be able to watch on UStream or Samsung's YouTube channel. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
Panasonic is reviving Technics' legendary DJ turntables
Ask DJs about their favorite turntables and they'll frequently swear by Technics' SL-1200 -- even though it hasn't been made since 2007, the super-reliable deck is still the gold standard for vinyl spinners. If you're one of those enthusiasts, you'll be glad to hear that Panasonic is bringing Technics turntables back as part of a larger revival for the audio brand. Many of the details are still under wraps, but the turntable set will have a new direct-drive motor that should improve the audio quality. The gear won't show up until some point during Panasonic's next fiscal year (sometime between April 2016 and March 2017), but more development time is likely a good thing. After all, the SL-1200 thrives precisely because its makers were careful to preserve elements that worked well -- a rushed product could easily hurt more than it helps. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
At last, Motorola reveals a Moto 360 you can take to the gym
Let's be real: As pretty as the new Moto 360 is, it definitely isn't ready for the gym. That's where the new Moto 360 Sport comes into play. The company hasn't said anything about price or when we'll be able to take these things out for a torturous run -- hell, there wasn't even a live model to play with -- but there's still more going on here than you might expect.
Lenovo's Phab Plus is a phablet because of course it is
"Phablet" may be a horrible word, but it was a pretty accurate descriptor when Samsung launched its then-massive Galaxy Note way back in 2011. Since then, it's become difficult to find a premium smartphone that doesn't have a screen measuring well over five inches, thus making the term phablet a bit unnecessary. That is, unless you're Lenovo. Today at IFA, the company is officially introducing two phones called the Phab and Phab Plus, and their screen sizes are as ridiculous as their names. The higher-end Phab Plus sports a monstrous 6.8-inch, 1080p display while the Phab comes in at an even larger 6.98 inches. Let us pause, and remember that it wasn't long ago that 7-inch screens were solely the domain of small-ish tablets. These aren't so much phablets as they are tablets that can make phone calls.
