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TomTom unveils GO 950, GO 750 and GO 550 with IQ Routes at IFA
Here lately, all of the buzz surrounding TomTom has been focused intently on the outfit's iPhone app and accompanying car kit. But over in Berlin, the company seems entirely more interested in showcasing some new wares that fall into its core product category. Making its debut at IFA, the GO x50 lineup is comprised of the GO 950, GO 750 and GO 550, all of which tout the company's IQ Routes technology to get you from point A to point B in the very least amount of time. The trio promises to calculate routes faster than ever before, and they also include the planet's largest collection of historical speed profiles. Once you're on your way, the units can tap into RDS-TMC services in order to take current road conditions into account and get you from point A to point B in the least amount of time. Also of note, these three now feature voice command and control, and each ships with an active dock with integrated RDS-TMC information. The x50 lineup is scheduled to ship this autumn for undisclosed amounts, with the GO 950 packing maps for the US, Canada and 45 European nations and the GO 750 / GO 550 offering maps in select regions of Europe only.
Philips 56-inch 21:9 3D TV's future is so bright we had to wear shades
If you haven't noticed, 3D is going to be big in 2010. Not at Philips though, at least not yet. Instead of charging in to the market like Sony, Philips is willing to hedge its bets and wait on consumer demand. Consumers, of course, are waiting for content. And hey, maybe everybody's wrong and quad-HD will be the next big thing to drive TV sales. Regardless, Philips wants everyone to know that its technology is ready when you are so its got a 3D prototype Blu-ray player and stunning 3D version of its 56-inch Cinema 21:9 TV here at IFA in Berlin. While the idea of watching movies in 3D sounds like a novelty, the idea of gaming in 3D is downright compelling -- awkward passive polarized glasses be damned!
Eyes-on Panasonic's Full HD 3D plasma and Blu-ray combo
We just got a real eyeful of 3D, courtesy of Panasonic's upcoming 1080p plasma and Blu-ray 3D setup. The system uses synced shutters, and was easily some of the best "consumer" 3D we've seen -- almost on par with a theater experience, other than the fact that the screen was a whole lot smaller, at 103-inches. Unfortunately, while Panasonic is heavily touting 3D at IFA this year, just as Sony did at its own presser, there isn't much hard news to show for it. The plasma and Blu-ray combo was actually announced a full year ago, and the only word we have on release at the moment is "next year." Obviously, readily available 3D content plays a big part in this, and we get the impression that Avatar is syncing up nicely to be available on some sort of 3D home video format by the time it's ready for a disc release -- we've certainly seen enough teaser clips and trailers of it by now, anyway. To be honest, the 3D setup was seamless enough in our demo room that sometimes it hardly felt 3D. Avatar was especially "shallow" on the 3D scale (no pictures were allowed of the presentation, not that they would help), and we've yet to see anything mindblowing on that end. If anything, Panasonic's presentation was more an opportunity to be "blown away" by the company's awesome PowerPoint skills, if anything, so feel free to follow along in the gallery below.
Engadget German at IFA 2009: early morning roundup
Just in case you haven't heard, we're letting you in on a little secret here: Engadget German is the official blog of IFA 2009, so we figured we'd give you a small taste of what's going down in Deutschland in case you've yet to make it over. Our well-traveled compatriots have already dug up a few gems at the show, with the most notable being the Dension Wi Drive. Put simply, this system enables users with HDD-based entertainment systems in their vehicles to access files and playlists whilst at home. 'Course, it seems as if this would be all the more helpful done in reverse, but hey, you've got to start somewhere. There's also a few new headphones from the good folks at Sennheiser, and a new take on the old range booster from Wi-Ex. Have a look through the read links below, and just in case you're wondering -- yes, you can expect English translations directly on their site for the best IFA has to offer going forward.Read - Dension Wi DriveRead - New Sennheiser headphonesRead - Wi-Ex zBoostRead - Creative Inspire S2Read - New Audio-Technica earbudsRead - Alien-inspired Altec Lansing speakersRead - Hello Kitty YP-U5 audio player
Panasonic adds 58- and 65-inch models to heralded V10 NeoPDP family
To say that Panasonic's existing lineup of V10 NeoPDP sets were widely adored would be grossly understating things, so it makes sense to see the outfit unleash two new sizes in the family over at IFA. In the midst of mindless bragging about a Full HD 3D system that absolutely no one will be interested in until 3D content delivery is sorted, Panasonic has managed to confess that two new V10 sizes will be produced. If you'll recall, the set was already available in 42- and 50-inch flavors, but if those just felt too small for your palatial den, the new 58- (TX-P58V10E) and 65-inch (TX-P65V10E) models just might fit the bill. Specs wise, everything here will remain the same; a 1080p panel, 600Hz sub-field drive technology, VIERA CAST functionality for pulling in web content, THX certification and a laughable dynamic contrast ratio of over 2,000,000:1. There's no exact mention of a price or release date, but you can bet we'll be hounding the booth attendants for those tidbits as soon as we track 'em down.
Panasonic commandeers 'Avatar' Powersuit for IFA display of force
Panasonic's IFA press event is just underway, and you know what that means: a whole bunch of TVs. 3D TVs, to be exact, and Panasonic has teamed with James Cameron's flagship 3D feature Avatar to push those wares. Best sign of this blossoming friendship? A few tons of movie prop guarding the Panasonic booth entrance. Hide your pristine wildlife and mystical native forms of understanding, people!
Panasonic issues mildly revamped PT-AE4000 1080p projector at IFA
Panasonic's PT-AE3000 has gone over quite well in the home theater space, with its 1080p resolution and gorgeous image quality winning over more than a few projector junkies. But given that there's always room for improvement, the outfit has today introduced the PT-AE4000, an ever-so-slightly refreshed version that looks essentially identical to its predecessor. The Full HD native resolution and 1,600 ANSI lumens remain unchanged, though the contrast ratio has been bumped from 60,000:1 to 80,000:1 and Panny has outfitted it with a new "red rich lamp" and dynamic iris. Finally, this beamer supposedly eliminates those nasty Cinemascope issues that some users were seeing on the AE3000, though the estimated £2,000 ($3,255) asking price still feels a bit steep when you consider the alternatives.
Video: Sony confirms it's 'bringing home 3D' starting in 2010
As it turns out, yesterday's report was spot-on. Sony today announced that it is bringing the experience of looking absolutely ridiculous in 3D glasses home to the living room. The initiative is "starting in 2010" and will expand through BRAVIA LCD HDTVs, VAIO machines, PlayStation 3, and Blu-ray discs... and not in the press release, but we clearly see a CyberShot digital camera in the promotional video (look out, Fujifilm). It's hard to say from the wording if all the listed product lines will go 3D next year, but from what we gather there'll at least be BRAVIA sets in time for that Christmas. Curious see the zaniest video this side of the second dimension? Well, we don't have that, but you can giggle your way through Sony's promo after the break.
Sony first-party studios developing 3D games
The IFA 2009 kicked off with a keynote from Sony's CEO Sir Howard Stringer. As revealed by Stringer, Sony plans on introducing 3D tech in a number of new products, from TVs to Blu-ray movies, to video games. "Today, 3D is clearly on its way to the mass market through technology, distribution and content," Stringer said. However, he notes that the mass acceptance of 3D will meet the same stumbling blocks as HD. "As with high definition a few years back, there are a variety of issues yet to be addressed. But the 3D train is on the track, and we at Sony are ready to drive it home."MCV reports that Sony has already produced a number of 3D games via its internal development studios, but won't announce the games "until an industry 3D standard has become apparent." This move should be unsurprising, considering the tech demos presented at CES earlier this year, with MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, WipEout HD and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue all running in 3D.While we're not entirely sure consumers will jump on the 3D bandwagon as soon as next year, the technology is already slowly proliferating. The recently released Invincible Tiger on PSN, and the upcoming Avatar, can both run in 3D -- provided you have a TV that can support the still-in-development tech.Source - Financial Times: Sony to throw its weight behind 3D TVSource - MCV: Sony: 3D TV 'in every home' next year
Video: Hands-on Creative X-Fi2, you get what you pay for
Look, you can't expect a cheap, touchscreen media player to cut through polygons like a hot knife through butter. That's just not how it works. And that 3.0-inch screen on Creative's new X-Fi2? Resistive. We had a chance to go hands on with Creative's little stop-gap (until the Zii can make it to product) touch-screen player here at IFA and it's pretty much exactly what we expected... or maybe a little worse. The touchscreen responded so poorly to touch mashes that we asked Creative to reshoot the video out of embarrassment on their behalf. We're not exaggerating. Still, it's not a final product (there's still tweaking to be done to the firmware) and you do get a lot of play for the buck (32GB for $230) if that's all you're looking for when it drops later this month. Watch the demo after the break -- do it!
Sony VAIO X slimster hands-on
Daaaamn. We just got back from our time with the Sony X-series and it's making us rethink the entire definition of thin as the word is applied to ultra-portable laptops -- see how it casually jockeys our 15-inch MacBook Pro workhorse in the pic above. Sony's X-series is so thin that it's dangerous: on one hand, it'll cut a jugular or cake with little effort, and on the other, it has just enough flex to make us worry about its ruggedness. But this isn't Sony's first experiment with this form factor and the carbon-fibre frame and aluminum keyboard should help with rigidity when this goes production in both glossy- and matte-plastic finishes. (The displays were all matte, at least for now.) The new X is followup to the rarely seen VAIO X505 that was available in limited markets early in the decade -- only then it wasn't sporting an Atom, 2GB of memory, or a 31Wh removable battery. According to Sony, the choice of an Atom processor is far from decided and is only on display to run the engineering prototypes here at IFA, so there's still hope for at least CULV internals when this thing ships. Unfortunately, access to the rest of the internal specs were software blocked and Sony was zipped tight on details. Further visual inspection reveals a pair of USB jacks, SD/Memory Stick slot, WWAN SIM slot, and folding feet on the bottom to prop up the lappie so you can attach an Ethernet cable in the mechanically yawning RJ45 jack or a Kensington lock. Unfortunately, the only video output option is VGA. Nevertheless, the Windows 7 box we tested performed as expected for such a small device -- lethargically, but capably for casual internet browsing and tweeting. And honestly, we could see ourselves dropping a premium (less than $2,000 we're told) for this 11-inch ultra-portable as opposed to the VAIO P. At least now we know what Sony meant when they said they wanted their products to be aspirational. See the new X up close with its X505 cousin in the gallery. Trust us, it's worth a look. P.S. It'll be announced with official specs in October with units available for retail about a week after Windows 7 launches.
Sony announces VAIO X ultraportable
Sony just announced the VAIO X at IFA 2009, a half-inch thin ultraportable with an 11.1-inch screen and a new all-day battery that "will set the new standard for stamina." The machine's built of carbon fiber, so it weighs just a pound and a half, and we're assuming it's CULV-based, although there's no hard specs at the moment. We're racing to find out more, we'll let you know. Update: We grabbed some shots of the X in the flesh, but they won't let us hold it, and specs are still a mystery. Update 2: Well, no wonder the battery lasts all day -- we're told the VAIO X currently has an Atom processor, although final specs haven't been locked in. Still -- Atom? Whatever Sony's going to charge for this thing is way too much.
Live from Sony IFA 2009 press event
It's Berlin and it's Sony: that should be enough to whet the ol' curiosity. We're here live at the Sony IFA 2009 press event hoping to get a glimpse at Sony's European, nay, global strategy from this day forward. Good thing for us, Sony has given us permission to blog on its WiFi network. Yay!
Engadget is live from IFA 2009 in Berlin, Engadget German tapped as official blog of the show!
Interesting fact about Berlin: all the buildings here look like spaceships! Also, the city plays host to the IFA tradeshow each year, a sprawling landscape of gadget treasure, and we're here to pick up where we left off last year. Today we've got a Sony press conference to look forward to, and tomorrow we'll be hit by a tidal wave of announcements from the rest of the industry -- or at least that's the plan. We'll also be hitting up the show floor soon enough with our pals from Engadget Spanish and Engadget German, the latter of which has been dubbed the official blog of the show! Engadget German will also be hosting a reader meetup on Saturday at the convention center, so stand by for more information on that. Naturally, all of this will take place within massive buildings that look like spaceships.
Acer's Ion-powered Aspire Revo 3600 packs dual-core Atom 330
Remember that Gateway QX2800 we peeked back in July? Looks like Acer's finally issuing its own version of the nettop here at IFA with the introduction of the Aspire Revo 3600. Design wise, everything is pretty much the same as on the original AspireRevo, with the major differences coming on the inside. Rather than packing a paltry 1.6GHz Atom 230, Acer has outfitted this bugger with a dual-core Atom 330, NVIDIA's Ion graphics technology, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, an HDMI socket and VESA mount compatibility. There's no word on an expected price, release date or OS, but we're hoping to get our mitts on the unit itself as well as those missing details when Berlin opens its doors to tech lovers across the globe here in just a few hours.
Sony to debut 3D BRAVIA TVs by end of 2010, also eyeing 3D VAIOs, Blu-ray films, and PS3 games?
The Financial Times has it on good word what the major unveil in Sony chief Sir Howard Stringer's keynote tomorrow at IFA 2009 will, so much so that it's quoting him with phrases he hasn't even said yet. According to the report, the company is making a huge push into the third dimension, with 3D BRAVIA HDTVs hitting the retail channels by the end of 2010. Also on the menu is 3D-compatible PlayStation 3 titles (which we've kind of heard before), VAIO laptops, and Blu-ray movies, but it's unclear from the article if they shares the same 2010 timeline. Polarized glasses will be required for use, but hey, just consider it a fashion statement. We're now very anxious to see how close Sir Stringer sticks to this purported script for tomorrow's big event.
Qualcomm forbidden to use "smartbook" by order of German court
And so it goes. In similar fashion to the psion "netbook" debacle, the German entity of Qualcomm was just hit with a restraining order for its use of the term "smartbook" as followup to the smackdown issued on a German blogging site over the weekend. The preliminary injunction issued by a German court comes at the request of Germany-based Smartbook AG that claims it is being confronted with an "absurd" and "bold attack" on its brand name. The decision calls for a €250,000 fine in case of non-compliance with risk of arrest for contempt. Really Smartbook AG, arrest? We imagine a number of vendors are frantically scribbling out the term "smartbook" from its placards that will be on display at the big IFA show in Berlin later this week.
Samsung's YP-R1 now really official, ships next month
It ain't the first time we've seen a gizmo take a backwards approach to launch, and we get the feeling it won't be the last. After leaking out, getting reviewed and hitting the all-revealing FCC, Samsung's mildly exciting YP-R1 portable media player is finally an official product in the megacorp's product line. Expected to debut at IFA here in just a few days, the 8.9 millimeter-thin player will boast DivX compatibility, a 2.6-inch touchscreen, TouchWiz interface and a Beat DJ feature that enables owners to add in their own crackly voice and space-themed sound effects to songs. We don't expect the $180 starting price to budge much, though exact pricing details should be uncovered in Berlin within the next few days. As for shipping dates? It'll march out next month in Europe, with "other markets including Russia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan to follow."
LG's 15-inch OLED TV on sale in Korea this November, overseas in 2010
LG bared the fruits of its OLED labor last week with a new set of photos of its gorgeous 15-inch screen, and now comes word from Reuters that it's gearing up to become consumer reality. The company will be showing off the model at next week's IFA trade show, and then expects to start selling it in Korea this November, followed by overseas sometime next year. Excited? You bet. Affordable? Price unknown, with Sony's two-year old 11-inch XEL-1 still retailing for $2,500 in the US -- and worse elsewhere -- you can expect to be sacrificing a pretty penny for small-screen bliss. LG also plans to show off a 40-inch OLED in the "not too distant future," but don't expect to be seeing that hit retail shelves for a good long time to come. [Via OLED-Info]
After bigger, thinner and brighter, Samsung planning even faster LCDs for IFA
The jury is still out on whether 200 / 240hz motion technology (last year's prototype pictured above) provided an appreciable difference but that won't stop Samsung from bringing 400 / 480hz (PAL / NTSC standards) LCD HDTVs to IFA 2009 next month. This is the second time we've heard rumors of a spec bump in motion technology, using black frame insertion instead of more complicated (& expensive) tech to create new frames from existing ones. LG has already demo'd its 480hz LCDs and the two will surely race to get a bigger number on store shelves, but we'll need an eye-on before determining if it's an upgrade worth waiting for.[Via GadgetCrave]
