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Aug 30

Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 gets official outing at IFA 2012: 9-inch 1280 x 800 display, Tegra 3, Android 4.0 (hands-on video)

Lenovo hasn’t taken much care to enshroud its trio of newly announced Android slates in any kind of secrecy. The tabs have been teased on the company’s site for some time, but that’s not holding the Chinese outfit back from making an official announcement at IFA 2012. Taking a slight step down in size from the S2110, the 9-inch IdeaTab A2109 ups the internal ante of its more premium stablemate with a 1.2GHz quad-core Tegra 3 buffered by 1GB DDR3 RAM, while also packing in a 1280 x 800 LED display, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing / 3-megapixel rear cameras, SRS sound, ports for a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB and micro-HDMI. And for users more accustomed to quality builds, the slate shouldn’t disappointed as its rear encasement is of the all aluminum variety and lending to its 1.3 pounds (570g) of bulk. Storage for this Android 4.0 slate is not as robust as its larger counterpart, but the 16GB allotted is expandable via microSD. The tab’s already available online and at BestBuy, so if you want to call this your own, prepare to part with $299.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 hands-on

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 gets official outing at IFA 2012: 9-inch 1280 x 800 display, Tegra 3, Android 4.0 (hands-on video)

Filed under: Tablets

Lenovo IdeaTab A2109 gets official outing at IFA 2012: 9-inch 1280 x 800 display, Tegra 3, Android 4.0 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 gets formal unveiling at IFA 2012: a ruggedized, 7-inch Android 4.0 slate (hands-on photos)

Posted in: Today's Chili

Lenovo just announced its IdeaTab A2107 at IFA here today. The ruggedized Android 4.0 slate, powered by a dual-core MTK Cortex A9 CPU clocked at 1GHz, adds a buffer of protection to its 7-inch expanse with a soft matte, roll cage enclosure — perfect for the accident-prone or the outdoorsy demo it’s being marketed toward. The entry-level tab’s 1024 x 600 display is no screamer, putting it on par with the very 2011 Kindle Fire, but the company has loaded it up with radios for WCDMA / GSM, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio via built-in antenna. As far as storage goes, users will be able to choose among WiFi-only or 3G models in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB configurations, all expandable via microSD. No pricing or release information has been made available, aside from a vague September 2012 window, so if you’re keen on this modest tablet, sate your appetite with the gallery below.

Gallery: Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 hands-on

Filed under: Tablets

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 gets formal unveiling at IFA 2012: a ruggedized, 7-inch Android 4.0 slate (hands-on photos) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Panasonic’s 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

Tucked away into a dark corner of Panasonic’s booth is the clear highlight of the outfit’s IFA 2012 showcase: a 145-inch 8K plasma display panel. Developed in partnership with Japan’s NHK, the prototype is merely a proof of concept for the broadcaster’s planned 2020 launch of Super Hi Vision TV. In person, the flat screen is truly awe-inspiring, offering such richness of detail that even up-close we weren’t able to discern any pixels, while colors appeared balanced and natural. Overall, the image quality — 16 times that of regular full HD — nearly apes the real-world images it replicates. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait sometime before this tech trickles down to the mass market level. In the meantime, content yourself with a brief video demo after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic’s 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video)

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Panasonic’s 145-inch 8K PDP eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Samsung 22-inch Transparent Showcase Panel eyes-on at IFA 2012

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What’s the future of advertising? If Samsung has any say so, it’s going to be transparent showcase displays. Here at IFA 2012, the company demoed one such 22-inch, fishbowl-like case outfitted with a see-through front panel capable of transmitting video imagery, in addition to hosting a physical product within. The glass enclosure’s no mere dummy unit, as it’s also outfitted with speakers, a built-in PC, LED strip and offers the option to include a touch screen. To highlight just what this kit’s capable of, a looped Gucci ad played on its front screen, transitioning from near solid to completely transparent. It’s really something that needs to be seen IRL, but take a tour of the gallery below to get a glimpse of what’s to come.

Gallery: Samsung 22-inch Transparent Display eyes-on

Filed under: Displays

Samsung 22-inch Transparent Showcase Panel eyes-on at IFA 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Visualized: Samsung’s human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi

Posted in: Today's Chili

That’s the last time we take a taxi in Berlin. After a fairly harrowing journey across the city to tonight’s Samsung IFA event, we reached our destination and spotted a clearly superior mode of transportation: a fleet of pedal-powered cabs sporting Galaxy Note 10.1s in the back. Of course, we probably would have spent more time admiring the glory that is Berlin, rather than the 10-inch screen, but it’s nice tp have the option there when we need it.

Gallery: Samsung’s human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi

Continue reading Visualized: Samsung’s human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi

Filed under: Tablets, Transportation

Visualized: Samsung’s human, Galaxy Note-powered taxi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video)

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84 seems to be the magic number at IFA. 84 inches, that is, when it comes to 4K TVs. Sony announced its jumbo 4K set at yesterday’s press conference, and now Toshiba has returned with a matching high-res model of its own. The Toshiba set has a slightly sleeker housing, aided by the fact that it didn’t have side-mounted speakers as with Sony’s flavor — though, if you’re able to afford a (yet-unpriced) TV of this caliber, a premium surround-sound rig better be on the agenda as well. The picture quality, as you might expect, was fantastic. You’ll see individual pixels once you’re within a few feet of the display, but given its 84-inch footprint, you’re going to want to position yourself quite a distance from the panel in order to take it all in.

Toshiba had three sets on display, running through loops of game play, cityscapes and some decked-out human models. The ambient setting was favorably configured, and with ideal content colors were vibrant and the picture was incredibly bright and sharp during our demo, even when viewed from a slight angle. There was a hint of reflection, but only when a dark image popped into frame, despite a multitude of visual noise in the area. You’ll need to see Toshiba’s 84-inch, 3,840 x 2,160-pixel TV in person to get the full effect (perhaps after it launches early next year), though you can take a (low-res) peek in our gallery below and the video after the break. You can also get a feel for the size — keep an eye out for the Galaxy Note in the bottom left corner in the shot above.

Gallery: Toshiba 84-inch 4K TV eyes-on

Continue reading Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video)

Filed under: Displays, HD

Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Haier’s Eye-Control TV set, we go eyeballs on (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

Okay, okay, the transparent TV was neat, but will it actually change the way we watch television? Not likely — not any time soon, at least. And while the mind-controlled set we saw last year was certainly cool, it didn’t offer much in the way of accuracy. This Eye-Control TV, on the other hand, certainly takes a step in the right direction. To use the set, you sit in front of a black rectangular sensor positioned at chest height. There’s some calibration involved when moving from person to person, chasing a circle around the screen with your eyes. Once calibrated, you’re good to go.

You use your eyes for basic TV controls — changing channels, adjusting the volume, things like that. Switching involves looking at an element of the screen and giving a big blink to select — the display seems adjusted in such a way that normal blinks won’t trigger it, so you’re less likely to accidentally set something off. You look down to adjust the volume. A control panel will show up, and from there, you can move the slider left or right by looking at the volume up and volume down icons — you can also select mute from here.

To change channels, look at the top left-hand corner of the screen and blink. That’ll bring up a UI featuring large pictures of videos. Look at one and blink at it to select it. The system can also be used to view and toggle between still images. The use of pictures certainly seems the most intuitive method for navigating around videos — there’s a definite learning curve here, and it’s hard enough to select pictures — we couldn’t really imagine toggling through small text. As with the transparent television, this doesn’t feel quite ready for market — it’s a compelling concept, none the less. And using the human eye to control a display that you’re already staring at anyway does seem to have some merits. Check out an eyes-on video, after the jump.

Gallery: Haier Eye-Control TV hands-on

Continue reading Haier’s Eye-Control TV set, we go eyeballs on (video)

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Haier’s Eye-Control TV set, we go eyeballs on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Haier’s 46-inch transparent display shows up at IFA, we go eyes-on (video)

Posted in: Today's Chili

After last year’s awesome mind-controlled and small transparent television, we made naturally a beeline to the Haier booth on the floor of this year’s IFA. While it wasn’t yet fully unpacked, we were still pretty impressed with what we saw. The first stop on the visit: this year’s version of the transparent TV prototype. So, how’s it different than its predecessor? For one thing, it’s a lot bigger. At 46-inches, this set feels a lot less like a toy. In fact, it’s actually intended for retail usage, and as such, the company had it set up in front a group of mannequins showing off the fashions of Kaska Hass. You can see them quite well through the other wise of the set in the videos and images.

The display is connected to a Windows PC at the moment, a tower visible in a nook below the set. You can use touch to control the interface — it’s capable of detecting up to six touch points at once. We used the display to open Quicktime and launch a video, playing, not surprisingly, some footage of Kaska Hass fashion shows. The touch was fairly responsive, the image, on the other hand, is quite dark and not particularly hi-res, particularly when surround by a booth of much nicer sets.

Again, keep in mind, this isn’t intended to be a consumer technology — at least not for the time being, and retailers may well not be quite as picky as people sitting in their living room — and, like a lot of the more forward thinking products, it’s not quite ready for prime time. Still, you can check out a video of what we saw after the break.

Gallery: Haier 46-inch transparent display eyes-on

Continue reading Haier’s 46-inch transparent display shows up at IFA, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment

Haier’s 46-inch transparent display shows up at IFA, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 30

Dell XPS One 27 Hands-on

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The Dell XPS One 27 isn’t a new all-in-one PC, but with Windows 8 and full multitouch it really comes into its own. Fronted by a huge 27-inch Quad HD LCD – that’s 2560 x 1440 – and mounted on an adjustable stand, it’s an interesting alternative approach to all-in-ones to what we’ve seen from the other big name in the marketplace, Apple’s iMac.

Dell’s plastic bezel isn’t as attractive as the brushed metal of the iMac, but the materials don’t feel cheap, just more subdued. The company is aiming for business as well as home users, who might be more conservative but still want a machine that will last.

As for the stand, that’s reasonably stiff so as to support the heavy screen, but once you get it moving it’s no problem tilting and raising it to suit standing use. We’d like to see it lift a little higher, though being able to tilt the touchscreen back and interact with your fingers is a good compromise, and almost like a smaller version of Microsoft’s SUR40.

Windows 8 touch still has to fully convince the market, and while the Metro-style UI is suited to finger interaction, regular Windows apps have hopelessly small buttons on a 2560 x 1440 screen. How much of a problem that will be to end-users will depend on what software they use most often.

Dell will announce pricing and exact specifications for the XPS One 27 later in the year, when Microsoft releases Windows 8 officially.

Aug 30

Dell XPS 10 tablet eyes-on

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Dell is playing things coy with the XPS 10 tablet, keeping things behind glass for the most part, but we managed to coax the 10-inch slate out for some hands-off photography. Actually playing with the Windows RT tablet isn’t an option here at its IFA launch, unfortunately, but we’ve at least seen how slick Dell’s industrial design is for the metal slate.

It’s obviously from the XPS family, bearing the same crisp edges as the ultrabooks already on sale, and at 10mm thick it’s akin to the iPad that it will inevitably be compared to most frequently. The LCD screen is bright, crisp and vivid – again, Dell isn’t saying specifics, but it’s HD resolution and most likely an IPS panel, just as has been used on XPS ultrabooks – but we obviously couldn’t test touchscreen responsiveness.

The keyboard dock is slim and will suffer shortened key travel too as a result; again, that’ll take more prolonged access to figure out for sure. It’s also yet to be seen whether the top section of the slate will overbalance the dock, something we noticed affecting Samsung’s ATIV Smart PC Pro.

So, plenty of questions, and the specter over them all is price. Can Dell bring the XPS 10 in under the cost of the new iPad, and will that include the keyboard dock? We’ll know more closer to Windows RT’s official release date.