Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s face it, it wouldn’t be a proper IFA if we didn’t take some time out of our busy schedules to pop by Haier’s booth for a little alternative TV action. In past years, we’ve seen gesture and mind control, transparent sets and, of course eye-control. The company’s tweaked the latter a bit, hitting this year’s show with the latest prototype. Asked if we’d actually see the set in our lifetimes, the Haier rep we spoke with assured us that the company would have something “soon,” so take that as you will. So, what are the changes from last year? For starters, the set is slimmer. More importantly, it’s got a new sensor from Tobii, which promises sharper eye detection.

We’ve got to say though, as ever, it takes some getting used to. After calibrating, you move you eyes to different parts of the screen to engage different functions — like, say, top for menu and bottom for volume. When your eyes drift up there, a menu will pop up. In the case of volume, you move your gaze (and the cursor in turn) to volume up and blink to select. Why this is better than a good old fashioned remote, we’re still not sure — particularly when moving your head can throw the whole thing off. But we’ve lost our remotes enough times to seriously consider giving it a shot.%Gallery-slideshow79671%

Follow all of our IFA 2013 coverage by heading to our event hub!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

LG announced its new slate, complete with specs, ahead of IFA, but the tradeshow is our first opportunity to see the G Pad 8.3 in the flesh — or in the aluminum package, as it were. The company is positioning this tablet as the first full HD tablet in the 8.0-inch category, and as the device best optimized for one-handed use. Specific as those distinctions may be, they do sound pretty appealing.

First thing’s first: the G Pad 8.3 in our hands today is not the final version that will ship at the end of the month. LG likely has some software kinks to work out, but it’s safe to say that today’s model gives us a good idea of what consumers can expect. The G Pad is part of LG’s flagship G series line, which includes high-end handsets like the Optimus G Pro and the recently announced G2. As such, this guy looks like a bigger version of its smartphone siblings, which is to say it looks quite nice. The bezels are almost non-existent, and the backside features a silver aluminum backing — it’s a nice contrast to the Pad’s black or white plastic finish. The 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel provides the vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles that you’d expect; we’ve seen similarly high caliber displays on other LG devices like the Optimus G Pro.

At 338 grams, the G Pad is extremely light; a rep made sure to point out that some paperback books even weigh more. Less weight means the tablet is easier to hold in one hand — even with LG reps talking up the device’s featherweight footprint, we found it surprisingly insubstantial. More than the weight, though, the device’s 126.5mm width makes it quite comfortable to use. And guess what? It can also fit in a jacket pocket, which may or may not improve your life dramatically. LG utilized data collected by the Korean government about the average hand size in order to arrive at an optimal width for the tablet. We found the slate quite comfortable to grasp with just one hand; it didn’t feel like a stretch to grasp across the device.%Gallery-slideshow79665%

Filed under: Tablets, LG

Comments

We’re at Lenovo’s 2013 press conference, and during the Q&A session, the company’s executives offered a hint as to their lack of plans for Windows RT devices. When quizzed on Microsoft’s moribund operating system, Australian marketing chief Nick Reynolds said that Intel’s Haswell has eliminated the choice between long battery life and good performance. Since, consequently, users can run full-fat Windows 8 and get a full day of use from a single charge, there’s not much call for a low-power version. To us, at least, it seems like it’s not too far away from them saying that we won’t see a follow-up to last year’s RT-running Yoga 11, but we’ll check with our Magic 8 ball just to be sure.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft, Lenovo

Comments

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

Comments

We heard about that 65-inch, award-winning Philips 4K set a while back, and earlier today, we finally got to see the thing trotted out on stage in all of its ultra high-def glory. Turns out it’s also got a bigger sibling, an 84-incher. We managed to get up close and personal with both of the sets on the floor, sitting side by side in Philips’ booth. The bezels on the 9000s are reasonably thin, though not nearly as svelte as we’ve seen on the sort of sets that Samsung and Sony like to trot out. Same goes for the profile — if you’re really interested in the thinnest 4K sets on the market, you’re going to want to look elsewhere — not shocking, of course, as the company is positioning these as budget sets. Ultra high-definition for the people.

The sets are available today in the UK and Russia, priced at €4,999 ($6,588)and and €14,999 ($19,768), respectively. You can get a bit of a closer look at them in the gallery below.%Gallery-slideshow79655%

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Mobile

Comments