Hasta La Gadget!

Lenovo is expanding its IdeaPad line to include some new S Series ultraportables. Today the company announced the 13.3-inch S300, the 14-inch S400 and the (also 14-inch) S405. These models sport a metallic finish, with color options including crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink. All three models measure 0.86 inches (21.9mm) and weigh 3.97 pounds (1.8kg), and, aside from screen size, the main difference between them is processor type. The S300 and S400 will be available with Core i3 or Core i5 CPUs, while the S405 will ship with an AMD chip (up to a quad-core A8 processor). Storage options include a 500GB, 750GB or 1TB hard drive, and the S400 and S405 are configurable with a 32GB SSD. Lenovo says you can expect up to five hours of battery life from these machines. They’ll go on sale in August (aka now) for $499 and up. Though all models will ship with Windows 7, they’ll be eligible for an upgrade to Windows 8. Check out our hands-on below.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up

Filed under: Laptops

Lenovo announces IdeaPad S300, S400 and S405 notebooks for $499 and up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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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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.

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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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.

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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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.

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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