Feature Articles
Highlights from IFA 2012
IFA 2012 Highlights
For the past week, for any tech news that you’ve read, chances are, it was announced in Berlin, Germany, where IFA, an international trade show where manufacturers get together to show off their latest gadgetry, was taking place from August 31 to September 5 (pre-show events kicked off as early as the 28).
HardwareZone was there, and we started our trip at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event, where the Korean CE giant unveiled a giant of a smartphone called the GALAXY Note II. It crams a 5.5-inch screen, a quad-core 1.6GHz processor, and an 8-megapixel camera into a package that’s just 9.4mm thin. Not to mention it comes with a good dose of S Pen magic. Then came the GALAXY Camera, an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-running camera (yes, camera!), which also happens to be the first Android camera with 3G/4G connectivity. Till now, some quarters are still debating whether it’s more phone than camera, or more camera than phone. After which, Samsung had its one-more-thing moment when it announced the Ativ brand. We took a long hard look at the Windows 8-driven Smart PC and Smart PC Pro, so check it out if a convertible tablet is your thing. And let’s not forget about the Windows RT-powered Ativ Tab, and the first Windows Phone 8 device, the Ativ S.
If there were already so many new gadgets before IFA opened its grounds officially, imagine the deluge of announcements when the show kicked into full gear. If the 29 belonged to the smartphones (read also: the LG Optimus L9), the following day was the TVs’ turn to dominate the headlines. Samsung picked up where it left off the previous night, and wowed us with its 55-inch ES9500 OLED TV and 75-inch ES9000 Smart TV. Sony also announced its first 4K TV, the ginormous 84-inch BRAVIA 84X900. LG reminded us that it too has a 55-inch OLED TV that’s 4mm thin, and Toshiba had an 84-inch quad full HD (that is, 4K) TV on show. For Sharp, we were more intrigued with what it’s trying to achieve with IGZO and ICC. Philips also unveiled its flagship 9000 series, and PFL6900 series of Smart TVs. The latter has an impossibly thin 1.2mm frame. For Panasonic, let’s just say they’re the king of plasma displays.
While Google and Microsoft weren’t physically at IFA, their presence were still felt. Besides Samsung, a slew of Android and Windows 8-related devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops, and what have you) were announced from the likes of Acer, Dell, Lenovo, HP, HTC, Huawei, Sony, Toshiba, and ZTE. With Windows 8 slated to arrive on October 26, it’s not hard to imagine that many PC OEMs are now in a mad rush to have their products be in the first wave of Windows 8/RT-ready devices.
Of course, we also got tons of AV announcements, from players like Epson, Onkyo, Philips, and Yamaha.
If you just can't get enough of IFA, check out the list of news and feature articles we’ve curated for you below.
 Hands-on with Samsung GALAXY Camera (Update)Samsung's new Jelly Bean-powered camera has a 16.3-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, a 21x optical zoom lens, and a high density 4.8-inch touchscreen. Here's a closer look at the quad-core-processor-equipped GALAXY Camera.  Samsung Unveils GALAXY Note II AccessoriesThe GALAXY Note II was recently revealed at IFA 2012 and Samsung has already have a horde of compatible accessories to show for it.  More Yamaha Innovations at IFA 2012Yamaha has a treasure trove of AV solutions to showcase at IFA 2012, including new sound bars, desktop audio systems, and even a high-end CD player with a network-streaming client.  Samsung's Multi View Feature Enables Two Videos on the TV at the Same TimeA much talked about feature on the 55-inch Samsung ES9500 OLED TV at IFA 2012, the Multi View feature takes two video signals and display them on the TV at the same time.  IFA 2012: Panasonic Demos 103-inch Glasses-Free 3D Plasma TV and 8K PDPPanasonic has just unveiled a massive 103-inch glasses-free plasma 3D TV over at IFA 2012, which makes the Toshiba RZ1 looks puny in comparison. Also on show is a 145-inch 8K Super Hi-Vision PDP.  IFA 2012: LG Showcases EA93 21:9 IPS Monitor and 55EM9700 OLED TVThe new LG EA93 is a 29-inch IPS monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio, thanks to its 2,560 x 1,080-pixel resolution panel. Also showcased is the 55-inch OLED TV, which has a thickness of just 4mm.  IFA 2012: Dell Unveils XPS Duo 12, XPS 10 Tablet/Notebook Hybrids and XPS One 27 AIO PCDell announced three new Windows RT and Windows 8 devices at the IFA 2012, with the star of the bunch being the XPS Duo 12, which sports a rotating screen.  IFA 2012: Philips 9000 Series Premium Smart LED TVs AnnouncedTP Vision announced the Philips 9000 series of full HD Smart LED TVs, available in sizes of 46 inches and 60 inches.  IFA 2012: Sony VAIO Tap 20 and VAIO Duo 11 UnveiledIn addition to two new BRAVIA TVs and the MDR-1 headphones, Sony also announced the VAIO Tap 20 tabletop PC and VAIO Duo 11 hybrid Ultrabook at IFA 2012. Both devices run on the Windows 8 platform, and come equipped with Intel Ivy Bridge processors.  IFA 2012: Samsung Flaunts 55-inch ES9500 OLED TV and 75-inch ES9000 LED TVSamsung is showcasing its 55-inch ES9500 OLED TV, as well as the 75-inch LED ES9000 Smart TV at IFA 2012. The latter features a rose-gold bezel and the latest Smart Content.  Hands-on with Samsung ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC ProIn a surprising move, Samsung today announced a brand new category of devices named 'ATIV', running on Microsoft's Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms. In this article, we take a look at the two tablet/notebook hybrid devices, the Smart PC and Smart PC Pro.  Hands-on with Samsung GALAXY Note IISamsung today unveiled the successor to the GALAXY Note smartphone at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event in Berlin. We went up close and personal to find out what to expect on the GALAXY Note II besides its 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display and 1.6GHz quad-core processor. |
