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The best way to customize a supercar is in VR
To paraphrase Robin Williams, buying a $2.8 million supercar is God's way of telling you that you're making too much money. And yet there's a certain thrill in picking out the red leather trim that goes so well with a black carbon-fiber shell. Because that's what I picked to trick out the Pagani Huayra I could buy if I had Zuckerberg-level money. It's also the same way that members of the super rich will customize their own rides soon.
Acer Switch 7 hands-on: A compelling Surface alternative
There are plenty of pretenders to Microsoft's Surface throne, but they often come with compromises that force you to default to the original. Acer is hoping to buck that trend with the Switch 7 Black Edition, a tablet-laptop hybrid that may succeed where so many others, including the Switch 5, have failed.
ASUS' Windows Mixed Reality headset may come with a premium price
After a teaser back in the spring, ASUS is ready to talk in-depth about its Windows Mixed Reality headset... and it's clear that this is a premium design, with the price to match. The headgear (known as the ASUS Windows Mixed Reality Headset) isn't just riding on that funky polygonal look. It's lighter than most with a weight under 0.9 pounds, and ASUS is promising a balanced design with antibacterial protection to help you safely share the headset between users.
Samsung has a 43-inch version of its Frame TV for smaller spaces
Samsung has announced that its art-inspired Frame TV, which launched this past June, will soon come in a 43-inch version. The new model could be a good alternative for people who may not be able to fit one of the existing 55- or 65-inch Frame TVs on their wall, or for those who simply think the others are too large for their taste. As part of today's reveal, Samsung also said that it has partnered with Spain's Museo del Prado, aka the Prado museum, on an experience that will let Frame TV owners display about 1,000 of its pieces. There's no word on pricing or availability yet, but you can expect the 43-inch version to cost around $1,500 since the 55 and 65 are $2,000 and $2,800, respectively.
Samsung Gear Sport hands-on: Promising but incomplete
Samsung may have just unveiled the Galaxy Note 8, but it's not finished with new devices yet. Here at IFA 2017, the company unveiled a trio of wearables with a deeper focus on fitness: the Gear Sport smartwatch, Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness band and the Gear IconX 2018 wireless earbuds. The Gear Sport in particular stands out as a sleeker, more-health-centric version of the Gear S3. The Sport borrows its overall aesthetic from the S3 but has some key differences, including an assortment of new features that are reminiscent of Fitbit's recently launched smartwatch. Samsung hasn't shared how much the Sport will cost yet, but we know it will range between $200 and $350 when it arrives for this year's holiday season.
Samsung's refined Gear IconX earbuds now talk to Bixby
The Gear Fit 2 Pro and Gear Sport aren't the only products Samsung is unveiling at IFA 2017. Today, the company also introduced a revamped version of its Gear IconX wireless earbuds, which feature better battery life (up to five hours of streaming) and support for its virtual assistant, Bixby. That means you can now use your voice to control your music or paired phone, all by simply tapping and holding the side of the IconX earbud. And because runners may be into these, Samsung added a Running Coach mode that gives you real-time, in-ear status updates as you're working out.
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro hands-on: Tiny changes, big improvements
As the all-important holiday season approaches, companies want to make sure their products have a spot on your shopping list. So Samsung's trio of wearables launching at IFA 2017 is timely, especially given how well wearables tend to sell ahead of fitness-related New Year's resolutions. At a relatively affordable $200, the new Gear Fit 2 Pro is poised to be a popular gift. It adds a handful of updates to the existing Fit 2 activity band to make it a better tracker than before, especially for swimmers and runners. During a brief hands-on here at the show, I was impressed by how a few small enhancements helped the Fit 2 Pro feel like a huge improvement on its predecessor.
Watch Samsung's IFA event at 12PM Eastern
Samsung's last big event was just one week ago, but it already has another one lined up. The tech giant is hosting its IFA 2017 presentation at 12PM Eastern -- and as always, you can tune in to its live stream to catch the news as it happens. This year, the focus is likely to be on wearable tech. Samsung has already confirmed that it'll launch a new Gear smartwatch at the German trade show, and it's no secret that the Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness tracker is on the horizon. We wouldn't be surprised if there's more, either. Whatever's unveiled, it's safe to say that Samsung will have plenty to talk about when it takes to the stage.
B&O and LG made a TV you can move with a remote control
A partnership between Bang & Olufsen (B&O) and LG has long been in the offing, and now the fruits of its labor have been unveiled at IFA 2017, in the form of the BeoVision Eclipse. The AV lovechild blends B&O's audio expertise and design craftsmanship with LG's renowned OLED technology to create a top-of-the-line television that predictably boasts a raft of impressive specs, and perhaps less predictably, a fairly controversial design.
Google Assistant is coming to more speakers and appliances
Last May, Google opened up its AI Assistant's software development kit to the wider world of third-party smart devices, including blenders, smart locks and web cameras. At the IFA in Berlin, Google has just announced that even more gadgets will be able to integrate Google Assistant. You'll soon see the digital helper in more speakers, various appliances and home automation systems.
Dell's Inspiron 7000 Gaming laptop comes with a GTX 1060 now
Dell's Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming has always been a solid, if unexciting, option among entry-level gaming laptops. With its latest refresh, Dell is making things a little more interesting with some improved graphics options, ports and a refreshed design. Most of the spec options are identical to the last model. There's a choice of Intel's 7th-gen i5-7300HQ or i7-7700HQ, anti-glare 1080p and 4K panels, between 4GB and 32GB of RAM and various hard and solid state drives for storage. The main improvement is graphics: While the current 7000 Gaming tops out at an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti, the latest adds the option for a 6GB GTX 1060 Max-Q, a more-powerful card. Although the full-fat GTX 1060 is marketed as "VR-ready," the Max-Q edition with its reduced energy draw (6OW versus 80W) may struggle with some titles. Inside there's also 2x2 802.11ac WiFi as standard, an improvement over the 1x1 chipset in the previous model.
Watch Acer's IFA 2017 showcase in under six minutes
Didn't get up early enough for the first salvo of new gadgets from IFA 2017? Don't worry, we've got your back. Acer kicked things off with its press event this year, unveiling its latest all-in-one PCs, ever-evolving hybrid laptops and a new push into 360 cameras -- including one for looking after your pooch. You can never get enough pet-gadgets, right? We've condensed everything worth talking about, all into a tidy six-minute package.
ASUS' new ROG Strix gaming laptop is built for FPS players
ASUS' IFA welcome mat is scattered with laptops, and it's not just more slender ZenBooks. The company's gaming arm, ROG, has recast its Strix gaming laptop in two different editions, each dedicated to a different type of game. First up, the SCAR edition, which was built for first-person shooter gamers "looking for a competitive edge". That edge involves the newest eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processors, and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 10 in the way of graphical might. You'll be staring into either a 15-inch or 17-inch screen, with a 5ms response time and smooth 120Hz refresh rates. ROG says this will eliminate motion blur, while also contradicting itself and teasing an even smoother 144Hz, 7ms display option also in the works.
We're live from IFA 2017 in Berlin!
Part of the Engadget crew may have just wrapped up Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, but another set of staffers has arrived in a different part of the country to start IFA 2017. This year, at Europe's biggest tradeshow in Berlin, we're expecting to see products from a handful of major tech companies. That includes Acer, LG, Samsung and Sony, which are all expected to unveil products ranging from brand new smartphones to wearables and smart appliances. Sony, for one, is said to be preparing to launch the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact, while Samsung could show us the next iteration of its Gear wearable lineup. Whatever it may be, we'll be bringing you the action live from the event, so be sure to stay tuned and don't miss a beat. Even though the IFA show floor doesn't officially open until September 1st, and runs through September 6th, you can expect to see stories from us starting today. Hopefully you'll like what you see.
Acer's all-in-one 360 camera has an LTE connection
Acer has introduced two new cameras at the IFA trade show in Berlin, and while both are 360-degree LTE-connected devices, they serve different purposes. The Holo360 is an all-in-one device that you can use to shoot, edit and share spherical 6.9K photos and 4K videos. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 mobile processor gives it the power to stitch videos in real time, and its three-inch touchscreen display gives you a way to edit your creations without having to use a phone or a computer. In addition, you can livestream and upload finished products directly from the device, since it runs Android Nougat. No need to bring a laptop anymore if you want to share videos and photos of vacations and events on the go.
Acer's Switch 7 hybrid tablet has dedicated graphics without a fan
Acer's Switch 5 tablet wasn't something to write home about. The kickstand was clever, but what else was there to lure you away from, say, a Surface Pro? The company has a better answer today. It's launching a slew of new PCs at IFA 2017, and the headliner has to be the Switch 7 Black Edition. While the 13.5-inch slate is larger and heavier (2.5lbs) than the Switch 5, it's also the first fanless 2-in-1 to pack dedicated graphics -- in this case NVIDIA's GeForce MX150. You probably won't be playing Destiny 2 on this machine, but the extra visual oomph should help with video streaming and creative apps while giving you enough peace and quiet to concentrate.
Alienware's 34-inch curved monitor supports NVIDIA G-Sync
Gaming monitors are becoming more specialized and less useful for regular movies thanks to widescreen and often curved designs. Alienware is a good example with its latest 34-inch displays, the curved AW3418DW and flat AW3418HW (or the "A W 3 4 1 8 H W," as some genius Alienware typography designer wrote it). Both use 21:9 widescreen designs, with 3,440 x 1,440 and 2,560 x 1,080 resolutions, respectively.
Deezer now streams high-quality audio to more than just Sonos
Deezer Elite brought high-quality music streaming to Sonos speakers back in 2014, but until now, the service wasn't available on audio gear from other companies. Starting today, you can access the renamed Deezer HiFi tier from Chromecast Audio or any speaker that has Chromecast built-in. That opens up the options to devices from the likes of Sony, Samsung, Bang & Olufsen, Onkyo and Pioneer -- just to name a few.
Zeiss VR One Connect puts PC games on mobile VR headsets
PC-powered VR gaming requires a minimum $500 investment just for the headset, but Zeiss and Steam have introduced a cheaper way to do it. The Zeiss VR One Connect runs SteamVR games powered by a PC, but sends a pre-rendered display signal to a smartphone installed in a mobile VR headset. You can then game using a pair of Zeiss wireless controllers, connected by Bluetooth to your iOS or Android smartphone with a screen between 4.7 and 5.5 inches.
The first water-resistant BlackBerry will ditch the keyboard
TCL, the Chinese conglomerate that produces phones under the BlackBerry name, is going to broaden its appeal to more than just keyboard devotees. The company has revealed to Engadget that it will launch a full touchscreen device under the BlackBerry name at some point in October. It may not be a Z10, or even a Storm (or Thunder), but if you were looking to get your mitts on a keyboard-free BlackBerry, it's coming.
