We’re not sure why, but Panasonic loves to trot out human exhibits whenever it wants to promote new additions to its camera line. Here’s what they used at IFA 2010 in Berlin. Unfortunately, we’re too freaked-out to remember anything about the camera.
An IFA 2010 moment of Zen originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s not the full-on demo you’re probably hoping for, but Sony devoted a section of its sprawling, city-within-a-city of a booth at IFA 2010 to diving into some of the capabilities its Google TV-enabled televisions will be offering when they launch in the US before the end of the year. The two-plus minute video loop runs through web search, Google Maps (which looks pretty awesome, we have to admit), YouTube and Picasa functionality, app favorites, and picture-in-picture, which means you don’t have to miss those first few precious minutes of Iron Chef America while you look up desserts that use eggplant. Interestingly, we stopped by Logitech’s booth today, who insisted there wasn’t a Revue anywhere near the show — despite the fact that beta units are in the field, the launch is coming up, and these guys are probably all looking to strike content deals with European providers right about now. In other words, we’ve got a sneaking suspicion there are Revues (and fully-functional Google TV sets from Sony) on the premises, they’re just locked away in meetings where our press badges are… shall we say, “frowned upon.” Follow the break for the full video.
Continue reading Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010
Sony shows off Google TV (or a video of it, anyway) at IFA 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re suckers for wireless speakers, but they have to work. We’re not the least bit interested in streaming technologies that stutter from interference or compress the audio to preserve bandwidth. That’s why Libratone caught our attention here in Berlin with its new Libratone Beat — the “world’s first high-end active speaker with wireless technology,” or so they claim. The speaker features one 5-inch bass, two 3-inch midrange drivers, and two 1-inch ribbon based tweeters. In all we’re looking at 50W of bass output and 2x25W at the tweeter / midrange. There’s even a 3.5-mm mini jack to tether devices. The big question here is will they be worth the MSRP €595 / $655 when they start shipping across Europe and the US in January?
Well, we can’t say for sure. After all, we could only listen to the speaker on the very crowded (and noisy) floor of the IFA trade show. But what we heard sounded decent and did manage to stream audio over its proprietary transmission technology even at a distance of about 50 feet. Very impressive considering the high concentration of WiFi hotspots and other wireless devices in use within just a few feet of the Libratone booth. Here’s the catch: a dongle is required to communicate with the speaker — a small version for the iPod / iPhone / Pad or a larger USB stick for your laptop — both included with the purchase price. On the plus side, multiple Beats can play at once — just wander into range of one or multiple Beats and they’ll start (and later stop) playing automatically. Nice.
Libratone Beats wireless speakers begin playing when you enter the room originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Paul Miller not included.
Drift into a peaceful slumber with Panasonic’s self-rocking Relax Chair Yasumi originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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“Rugged” is one of those terms thrown around pretty loosely by the consumer electronics industry. So when Klipsch, a name that’s not exactly synonymous with husky men in the saddle, rolled out a rugged version of its S4i in-ear speakers under the Image S5i Rugged moniker, well, we just had to put them to the test. But first we had to give these $129.99 ‘buds a listen… from the very noisy floor of the Messe Berlin convention center. Fortunately, the oval ear tips did an excellent of job of isolating most external sounds, thus allowing us to hear a rich reproduction of lows and mids with a noticeable emphasis on bass. Not a surprise since the Image S5i headphones feature the same acoustic characteristics as the Image S4i and Image S4 headphones that came before them.
But what we really wanted to know was how that “moisture-resistant” (not waterproof) Apple-compatible three-button remote / mic would hold-up to a torture test. Fortunately, the Image S5i Rugged managed to keep the music playing and under control even after a generous bath of bottled water. Rugged and classy? Looks like iPod, iPhone, and iPad owners just made a new friend.
Continue reading Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video)
Klipsch Image S5i Rugged in-ear headphones earn our respect (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember that iriver Story Touch Edition e-reader we spied last month? Well, iriver is showing it off at IFA this week, with plans to release the little 6-inch touchscreen device in Europe and Korea in the next week or so. We played around with it a bit, and while the 800 x 600 E Ink screen resolution is a little disappointing, and the resistive touchscreen layer impacts readability in a small but noticeable way, the software is certainly pleasant, and iriver is up to its usual standard in hardware design. There’s a small included stylus that slots in at the top of the screen (or the bottom, the screen auto-flips vertically based on how you hold the device) but while the stylus is fun for drawing notes, all you really need is a light tap or swipe with your fingers to operate the device. With 2GB of storage, a €229-ish pricetag for the WiFi-free version (there’s another WiFi version coming with an email app and a lightweight browser), and that low resolution screen, iriver probably wouldn’t have much luck going up against the Kindle and its ilk in the US, but they’re hoping to carve out a niche in Europe and Asia, and we can’t begrudge them that.
Gallery: iriver Story Touch Edition preview
iriver Story Touch Edition preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We were a bit surprised to find LG’s prototype Windows Phone 7 device for developers, soon to be unveiled officially as the Optimus 7 when released in its production form, hanging out in the wilds of IFA. Nevertheless, there it was, streaming DLNA content to a WiFi enabled TV. LG worked with Microsoft to develop a custom DLNA media sharing capability for its GW910 handset. Just one of the ways hardware partners are able to differentiate themselves on the otherwise locked down Windows Phone 7 platform. It certainly makes sense that LG would play to its strengths in the television industry as it moves to market with the device as early as next month according to our sources. Watch the trick flip-to-TV photo sharing interface in action after the break.
Continue reading LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October
LG Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 prototype flicks photos to TVs, launches October originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Walkman section of Sony’s booth at IFA this week has an automatic information system that pops up specs on a central display for each model as you pull it away from its base, but there was one unknown model chilling out that popped up nothing more than a “coming soon” message when you yanked it out. What gives, Sony? Why the mystery and suspense? Why are you doing this to us? Well, a little digging through the menu system reveals that it’s the NWZ-S754, presumably the follow-on to last year’s S745. Given the lack of specs we weren’t able to glean much, but both the black and silver units on display were 8GB models; naturally, we’d assume larger capacities are also in the cards when it launches. The display was contrasty enough so that we’re thinking it could be OLED, which would make sense — they do OLED on a number of other Walkmen models already — and the “Mickey Mouse effect” of the button layout has been diminished a bit. That’s good or bad, we suppose, depending on just how hardcore of a Disney fan you are. More details when we have ’em.
Unannounced Sony Walkman NWZ-S754 unearthed at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Now that the Nintendo 3DS is announced using a parallax barrier display, we bet that many of you were hoping to see a 10-inch 3D tablet or laptop with a similar glasses-less display. Hell, we were… until we actually saw Sharp’s prototype 10.6-inch parallax barrier display here at IFA in Berlin. Unfortunately, the panel at this larger size suffers from some very serious vertical shadows (check the video) unless you’re right in the sweet spot and alligned with the barrier’s precision slits at a distance of about 20 inches. Even then, it’s very hard to maintain your position, and the 3D effect isn’t all that dazzling. Fortunately, this 3D (640 x 768) panel also functions in 2D (1280 x 728) mode. Guess a 3D tablet that requires glasses isn’t so crazy after all. Wait, yes it is.
Continue reading Sharp’s 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video)
Sharp’s 10.6-inch parallax barrier display makes us love our 3D glasses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Update: We’re not sure why Fujitsu isn’t playing it up more, but it looks like the T580 actually uses a dual-input capacitive display with an N-trig digitizer.
Continue reading Fujitsu announces LifeBook T580 with four-finger multitouch
Fujitsu announces LifeBook T580 with four-finger multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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