series8
Latest
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.
Samsung's Series 6 / 8 plasma HDTVs are well connected
We knew CES would deliver internet-lovin' HDTVs, but we had no idea Samsung would be bringing along so many. In case LCDs aren't really your bag, the company has also managed to bring along the Series 6 and Series 8 plasma sets. Both lines are hailed as the "greenest plasmas yet" thanks to their Energy Star 3.0 ratings, and they're also among the first TVs to be wireless DLNA-compliant. Both lines are obviously compatible with the Yahoo!-powered Internet@TV functionality, and the Series 8 checks in at just over an inch thick with an inbuilt ATSC tuner. Comically enough, Sammy doesn't even bother mentioning what sizes these things will arrive in (and definitely no price / release date), but it sure does stop to gloat about all this newfangled technology.%Gallery-40659%
Samsung Series 8 / Series 9 LCD HDTVs head north to Canada
Don't fear, Canadians -- Samsung's freshly announced Series 8 and Series 9 HDTVs are coming your way, too. Specs wise, everything is looking the same, though the pricing is expectedly higher. In the US, the 46-inch LN46A850 is going for $2,699.99, while Canucks will be asked to hand over $3,199.99; the 52-inch LN52A850 sells for $3,399.99 in America, yet it'll go for $3,799.99 in the Great North. As for the 9 Series? Try an $800 premium on the 46-inch LN46A950 ($3,999.99) and the 55-inch LN55A950 ($4,999.99). Feel the pain this September.Read - Series 8 bypasses security, enters CanadaRead - Series 9 gains passport, cleared for Canadian entry
Hands-on with Samsung's new holiday lineup
We got a gander at Samsung's fancy new tellervisions and other stuff, and while the basic design language hasn't changed a whole ton in recent years, there's always something new going on. We're particularly enthusiastic about the new Series 8 LCDs, which manage a standard complement of ports in 2-inch thick form factors -- none of that ports-in-the-base nonsense. The cute little InfoLink RSS widgets (pictured) are also quite the welcome addition to Samsung's lineup, since these days we really can't be bothered to lift our phone up to eye level and check the weather on there. We bet you think we're kidding. Samsung is always droning on about the "Touch of Color" design, which is present in all its new televisions, along with its new computer monitor / TV hybrid displays. The flavor of the month is a new honeycomb pattern worked in with the color, but we really couldn't care less -- we'd rather watch TV. Elsewhere in the event we got to handle Samsung's new cameras and camcorders. The new TL34HD is a particular stunner, though we do prefer the older black / blue color scheme. Nothing could have prepared us, however, for the SC-MX20. While in press photos it appears to be just another cheap-ass YouTube camcorder (which it is), in person the build quality and amazing color choices really blew us away -- and trust us, no one is more surprised than we are by this fact. Most everything on display will be available next month.%Gallery-28422%
Samsung unveils 46- / 52-inch Series 8 LCD HDTVs
Might want to slow down there, Samsung -- don't want to pull anything by cranking out too many new HDTVs at a time. Yep, Sammy's letting loose a few more sets today alongside the Series 7 plasmas and Series 9 LCDs: the September-bound Series 8 LCD HDTV line. The Series 8 850 (rose accents) and Series 8 860 (deep blue accents) only differ in color, while they both pack a 1080p Ultra Clear panel, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology, a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, InfoLink RSS reader, DLNA certification, 4-millisecond response time and twin down-firing speakers with an integrated subwoofer. You'll also find a built-in NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM TV tuner, a DNIe Pro video processor, swivel stand and four HDMI-CEC ports (among others). The pain? $2,699.99 for the LN46A850, $3,399.99 for the LN52A850, $2,799.99 for the LN46A860 and $3,499.99 for the LN52A860. Got all that?
