Another day, another tablet makes its way to the scene, although this is slightly different from the rest by virtue of being a hybrid slate. We have seen the Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 drop by the FCC sometime in the middle of June, so that alone gave the game away that the device itself should be well on its way. Well, fast forward to IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany, and we have the official announcement of the Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 hybrid slate that first appeared to the masses at CES 2012 as the IdeaTab S2.
Just what kind of specifications does it pack underneath the hood of this 10.1” convertible device? You will find a 1280 x 800 IPS display that sports 420 nits of brightness, a skinned version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for easy interaction, a Qualcomm dual-core 8060A 1.5GHz processor, a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera and a 5-megapixel shooter at the back, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity. We have more photos of the IdeaTab S2110 right at the end of the story, so head on after the jump. (more…)
The folks at Lenovo have re-revealed the Ideatab S2110 at IFA 2012 this week, making another tablet hook up with the keyboard crew to make a convertible tablet/notebook for the Android universe along with a couple of lovely smaller tablets by the name of A2109 and A2107. The S2110 tablet has a 10.1-inch IPS LCD display with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution and 420nit brightness attached to a keyboard dock that’ll have to flipping back and forth between tablet and notebook at will. You’ll have 10-finger touchscreen abilities here as well as a powerful Qualcomm 8060A/8260A 1.5GHz dual-core processor (aka a dual-core Snapdragon S4) under the hood.
This tablet comes with up to 32GB of eMMC internal storage and works with a projected 10 hours of battery life. With the keyboard dock you’ll have 20 hours of battery life as well as a slightly thicker and not quite as light experience. Without the dock you’ll have a unit that weights in at just 580g. On the back of this device (on the tablet end of the business) you’ll be working with a 5 megapixel camera with Auto Focus and a single LED flash bulb – on the front is a 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat. Inside you’ve got 1GB LP-DDR2 memory as well as Bluetooth 4.0, built-in FM Radio, and wi-fi connectivity.
You’ve also got a G-sensor, Gyro-sensor, E-compass sensor, and Ambient light sensor as well. On the tablet you’ve got a microUSB port as well as microHDMI, SIM card slot for mobile data (details incoming), and headphone jack. This device works with Google Play as well as the Lenovo App Shop for apps and media. The Ideatab A2110 is available right this minute for $399 USD throughout the USA.
Also being shown today by Lenovo in their first big showing of the set are the Ideatab A2107 and A2109. Both tablets run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and work with a metal alloy roll cage coming straight from the ThinkPad lineup. The A2107 brings a 7-inch display with a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 4.0, built-in FM radio, 720p HD resolution, and both a wi-fi and a 3G model. The A2109 is the manufacturer’s current 9-inch tablet model running Android bringing with it an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor.
The 9-inch S2109 (slightly different from the A2109) has been on the market in the USA for several weeks now for right around $299 while the A2107 will be appearing later in 2012 with a price and a more specific tune on which processor it’ll be carrying as well! NOTE: the S2109 was introduced earlier this year with a slightly different processor – not quad-core Tegra 3, but TI dual-core!
At IFA 2012 Lenovo has revealed their next generation of affordable, thin, and light computers with the IdeaPad S Series Laptop lineup. This set of devices brings a balance between performance and portability with Lenovo providing more power than a netbook and longer battery life than your traditional notebook. The IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 laptops each bring an affordable price to the market as well.
Each of the S Series notebooks measures in at 21.9mm thin and weighs in at 1.8kg. The entire S Series also works with either a 3rd generation Intel Core or AMD A-Series processor under the hood, and each come with a lovely metallic finnish on their outer bits. These units are finished in a variety of colors including crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink, too!
The differences between these devices are in their components, each of the units having just a few changes from the next. With the Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 you’ll be working with Intel’s 3rd Generation Core i3 or i5 processors. With the IdeaPad S405 you’ll have the option to work with up to an AMD A8 quad-core processor. Each of the units has up to 500GB of hard disk storage – save the S405 which has up to 1TB of HDD – and both the S400 and S405 have another storage option as well. Both the S400 and S405 have an available 32GB solid state drive to boost your speed on your boot time as well as the responsiveness of your applications.
Each of the S Series machines will be appearing with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Professional and will be eligible for the Windows 8 update program from Microsoft. Each of these units also works with Lenovo’s Quick Start “Instant On” functionality to hit the internet in mere moments. You’ll also have Lenovo OneKey Rescue System for your data right out of the box. Each S Series laptop has an AccuType keyboard as well for easy comfortable typing with individually rounded keys across the whole grid. The S Series’ intelligent touchpad also has functions for Windows 8 with both scrolling and zooming features.
Every unit in the S Series lineup has up to a 14-inch HD widescreen display, HDMI out port, Dolby Advanced Audio v2 certification, and stereo speakers besides. The Lenovo IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 will be available starting today through your favorite Lenovo retailer in the USA. Depending on what features you’d like or model you opt for, this lineup will be starting at $499 USD.
While it might not be as huge as the Super Hi Vision panel lingering in the same darkened theater, Panasonic’s new 103-inch demonstration display has the ability to offer up a 3D view to five different viewers — as long as they’re in the right visual sweet spot. The effect is subtle, natural, although colors felt little bit muted compared to the 145-inch prototype, with the demo videos drawing us in to its demo reel, rather than pushing out an image. The plasma display panel prototype is also glasses-free, with the 4K2K screen able to push out enough pixels to offer these multiple viewing angles. Again, there’s no substitute for being there yourself.
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.
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.
Wearable displays have jumped in attention over the past twelve months, with the arrival of Google’s Glass driving interest, but Sony continues to push virtual big-screen entertainment rather than augmented reality. The HMZ-T2 Personal 3D Viewer was a quiet surprise at IFA, replacing last year’s T1 with a more compact, lightweight version using a pair of 720p HD OLED screens to create a virtually vast individual screen. Read on for our hands-on first impressions.
Where wearables like Google Glass focus on overlaying digital data on top of the virtual world, Sony’s headset hopes to take you away from it. The two OLEDs are enclosed in a white and black plastic visor – you can see your feet below you, but nothing ahead of you – and though they’re each only 0.7-inches diagonal, the effect is of watching a considerably larger screen at a distance of several feet.
The first struggle is getting it to fit. Perhaps I have an unfeasibly large head, but getting the adjustable strap – which pulls on like a baseball cap, from back to front – to sit snugly but still allow the visor to sit in my eye-line proved tricky. You also need headphones, either a set of in-ear buds plugging into the HMZ-T2 itself, or a separate pair of cans that you put on secondly. There’s a padded piece that rests against your forehead, and while we were able to ignore it initially, we could imagine it might get uncomfortable after watching a full feature film.
Once you’ve actually got it on, though, the result is impressive. The screens may be 720p not 1080p, but you don’t notice at that distance: the overall effect is of crisp visuals that are bright enough to be clear but not so much as to hurt your eyes. Meanwhile the 3D effect is excellent: none of the shimmer or shudder that you can suffer using regular 3D TVs.
Controls are hidden on the lower side of the headset, though they’re quite small and – since you can’t actually see them when you’re pressing them – could do with being larger for more straightforward navigation. A dual display switcher, meanwhile, allows for two players to game on the same console, one using the TV as normal and the other seeing their own personal view through the HMZ-T2.
Sony HMZ-T2 hands-on:
Sony isn’t talking price yet for the T2, though its predecessor came in at around $800. That gets you a big TV for home viewing or a couple of tablets for on the move, though the latter are never really going to provide the same visual experience as the former. The HMZ-T2, however, might well prove a sufficient alternative, and that’s before you get into the possibility of hooking up computers or other devices to take advantage. Expect it to hit shelves later in 2012.
Philips has announced several new audio products that fit into the company’s Fidelio range at IFA 2012 in Berlin today. The new products are all audio focused and include new portable speakers, headphones, and more. The products include the Fidelio Portable Speaker, Fidelio X1 headphones, Philips Urban Micro sound system, and the Philips Soundbar.
The first of the products is the Fidelio Portable Speaker. The portable speaker is offered in three different finishes, including leather, metal, and wood. Philips is being rather coy with the details right now offering no hardware specifications on the Portable Speaker. The device is aimed at people using a smartphone or tablet to listen to music on the go, so presumably it features Bluetooth technology inside.
The next product is the Fidelio X1 headphones. Philips says that they are designed from the finest materials and constructed for a high-quality listening experience. The headphones have an acoustic open back architecture and are designed to be comfortable for listening for extended periods. The headphones also have an attractive retro style. Again, we have no hard technical details on the product.
The Philips Urban Micro is an integrated sound system with a rectangular, minimalist design. The device appears to have a CD slot on the top of the rectangular box, and an iPhone dock for playing music. The speaker inside the rectangular box are angled precisely to allow stereo sound to be produced from one speaker. The stereo system is also very small allowing it to fit just about anywhere. Philips has also unveiled a new Soundbar that features an orientation sensor to adjust the speaker depending on its position for ideal sound performance. It has an integrated subwoofer and comes in silver, black, and orange colors. It also has integrated Bluetooth to allow you to stream music from mobile devices.
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.
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.
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Another day, another tablet makes its way to the scene, although this is slightly different from the rest by virtue of being a hybrid slate. We have seen the Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 drop by the FCC sometime in the middle of June, so that alone gave the game away that the device itself should be well on its way. Well, fast forward to IFA 2012 in Berlin, Germany, and we have the official announcement of the Lenovo IdeaTab S2110 hybrid slate that first appeared to the masses at CES 2012 as the IdeaTab S2.
