Hasta La Gadget!

LG took a backseat in Android tablets for a while, but now the company is back with the LG G Pad 8.3, a higher-than-Full HD slate borrowing tech from the LG G2 smartphone. Having flirted with dual camera arrays and glasses-free 3D displays, LG has gone back to basics with the new G Pad, aiming […]

Sony unveiled a mountain of new gear at its IFA press conference yesterday, but for whatever reason it decided to quietly slip this beauty out under all the noise. Comparable to the 55-inch OLED set that Samsung unveiled at CES, Sony’s new 65-inch, 1080P, S990A is the first set to put a gentle curve on LED flatscreen technology. And since LED sets are pretty common these days, it means the S990A is available for pre-order right now for just $4,000, compared to the $9,000 that Samsung wants for its curvy offering.

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Lenovo’s already outed a lengthy list of Ultrabooks to kick off IFA, but the company has even more up its sleeve today. Meet the new 7-inch S5000 Android tablet, which the company is billing as “thin and ultra mobile.”

At 7.9mm (0.3 inch) thick and weighing 236 grams (0.54 pound), the slate is a bit thinner and lighter than the Nexus 7 and ASUS’ MeMo Pad HD 7, though that slim profile seems to be the main standout feature. The display sports a rather standard 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution for enjoying Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and a 1.2GHz quad-core Media Tek 8389 processor runs under the hood. Beyond that, the S5000 offers rear (5MP) and front-facing (1.6MP) cameras, and you have the option to add 3G HSPA+ connectivity in select countries (excluding the US). Lenovo says the 3,450mAh battery nets up to eight hours of use over WiFi. In Europe, at least, this will start at 199 euros for the 16GB WiFi model, with the 3G version priced at 249 euros. As far US availability, though, “4Q 2013” is about all we have to share. For now, though, follow on for some first impressions. %Gallery-slideshow79652%%Gallery-slideshow77213%

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

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When the original Lenovo Yoga came out, everyone seemed to have the same complaint: when you flipped the screen over into tablet mode, you had to rest your hands against the keyboard on the other side. It didn’t matter that the keyboard automatically disabled; it felt awkward to press your fingers into flappy keys instead of a smooth surface. Well, Lenovo seems to have taken that criticism to heart: the company just announced the ThinkPad Yoga, a 12-inch, business-friendly model with a keyboard that flattens as you flip the screen back into tablet mode. How does this so-called Lift and Lock system work? Here’s the short version: as you flip the display over, a mechanical setup causes the platform between the keys to rise so that it’s level with the buttons. Meanwhile, the keys get clamped in place so you can’t press them. Finally, folding the screen over causes a set of feet to pop out so that there’s some buffer space around the keys when you place the “tablet” face-up on a flat surface (a handy thing when you’re working on grimy airplane tray).

As you can imagine, a design like this requires a reinforced hinge, along with extra space inside the chassis; for now, at least, Lenovo doesn’t know how to put a keyboard like this in a super-skinny machine, which is why you’re not going to find it on the new Yoga Pro, the replacement to the Yoga 13. At any rate, it’s not a perfect solution — you can still feel the individual buttons — but at least they stay put. Also, it works much more quietly than you might expect. To be fair, our expectations were low in that regard: when Lenovo first told us it was working on a self-flattening keyboard, we envisioned a machine with a noisy motor inside, similar to the failed Acer Aspire S5. After watching a demo, though, we were impressed by how little it creaks — and a Lenovo rep promised it would make even less noise by the time it ships.%Gallery-slideshow73559%

Filed under: Laptops, Lenovo

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We’re guessing that a few companies have been eyeing GoPro’s position at the top of the action-cam market with envy. That’s why Toshiba is launching the Camileo X-Sports, a boxy action camera that strongly takes after that aforementioned leading brand. The small, 94-gram (3.3-ounce) unit comes with a 2-inch LCD display, a 12-megapixel CMOS sensor and the ability to shoot 60fps video. There’s a 10x digital zoom paired with an ultra-wide angle lens, micro-USB and mini-HDMI ports and the battery promises to last 1.5 hours when shooting 60fps and over two hours at 30fps. It’ll also connect directly over 802.11 b/g/n WiFi to a nearby smartphone or tablet, so you can use the larger device as a viewfinder for your more arty powder shredding montages. The retail package will also come with a bundled waterproof casing, wristband remote control as well as several mounts, and will be available in Europe before Christmas for €250 ($330). %Gallery-slideshow79648%

Filed under: Cameras

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