Best of IFA 2012: live from Berlin
We've arrived at Berlin's IFA 2012 consumer electronics show, where events will kick off on Wednesday, August 29th. Samsung is expected to unveil its new Galaxy Note, an Android-powered Galaxy Camera, and a transforming Windows 8 tablet. Sony made the trip as well to launch a rumored 84-inch 4K TV. We're also expecting to get prices and shipping dates for the 55-inch OLED TVs made by Samsung and LG. So hold tight, all we know for sure is that there are bound to be surprises.
Unlike 3D, 4K TV is one gimmick you'll actually care about
Ever since moving to 1080p HD displays, the TV industry has been struggling to find its next great sales pitch. Picture quality hasn't improved dramatically, OLED TVs remain mostly a mirage, and the repeated attempts to make consumers care about obvious gimmicks like 3D have fallen flat. In the absence of a real advantage to distinguish the latest TV model from the trusty high-def screen you might have bought a few years back, companies have had to enter a debilitating price war. But now...
Hype-emitting diodes: can anyone ship an OLED TV?
When it comes to OLED TVs, I start to feel like Roy Batty. The things I've seen on trade show floors are almost beyond articulation: TVs so thin that they make the latest superphone look fat, contrast ratios high enough to challenge Pioneer's legendary Kuro, and nearly 180-degree viewing angles. What amazes me to this day is that you can find all of these components of desire coexisting within just one display.
Whether produced by Samsung, LG, or Sony, OLED televisions have been the perennial...
The iPhone 5: see how the rumors look and feel (video)
Among the more anonymous booths at IFA this year, a mockup for Apple's next-gen iPhone has surfaced, looking like a fully realized compendium of all the rumors and leaks we've been hearing about the device. It has an elongated screen, a shrunken dock connector, a repositioned headphone jack, and a two-tone back cover. First spotted by GSM Israel, the mockup is making sporadic appearances at one particularly keen case maker's stand, usually ensconced in color cases.
We were told volume...
Samsung adds Google TV to its Smart TVs: Chrome, YouTube, and Google Play store (video)
Although, yes, this is technically Samsung's first Google TV device, a more accurate description for what we saw today at IFA would be that the company is adding Google TV-related apps to its already expansive SmartHub suite. But those three apps arguably make up the entire Google TV experience: Chrome (without Adobe Flash support), YouTube (updated from its previous version to be much snappier and support keyboards), and most importantly the Google Play store (with "most but not all of the...
Samsung OLED Multi View stacks two separate videos on one gorgeous 55-inch TV (video)
The "multi view" concept isn't new, even if it still lacks a quick-and-easy description. In essence, it's two videos signals stacked on one another — using special polarizing glasses not entirely unlike 3D specs to "isolate" a (two-dimensional) signal and thereby allowing two or more people to watch different videos on the same TV. LG has it with Dual Play and Sony with PlayStation 3D Display.
Samsung's demonstration at its IFA 2012 booth didn't play up the multiplayer gaming aspect like...
Samsung Galaxy S III running Android Jelly Bean: our first look
It's perfectly understandable that recent Galaxy S III purchasers are anxious to hear Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will make its way to Samsung's flagship, and now we've finally found the updated version on the device at IFA 2012 in Berlin. The Galaxy S III in question is Vodafone Germany's yet-to-be-released LTE variant (GT-i9305), and, completely as expected, it's no different than what we saw on the Galaxy Note II earlier this week. Many of Android 4.1's changes are obscured under Samsung's...
Samsung's ultra high-resolution 'dual display' laptop and other crazy prototypes
While Samsung's Ativ hardware is relatively tame — especially compared to some other Windows 8 tablets we've seen this week — the company did section off a part of its IFA booth to show off a few experiments in industrial design. Quarantined behind the glass were various Windows 8 laptop / tablet hybrids that range from familiar ("Slide" and "Swivel") to slightly less so ("Binder" with a slide-on keyboard and "Pop Up" with ports only visible on the hinge) and even an asymmetrical "Memo...
XPS Duo 12: the wacky rotating display makes a comeback, reveals a better Dell along the way
Dell hasn't been sending the best signs to consumers lately: the company has continued to reiterate that it is focusing on enterprise after years of falling behind to HP and Lenovo. Consumer sales dropped 22 percent last quarter. Despite all of this, it looks like the upcoming release of Windows 8 has given the company some energy: here at IFA Dell has unveiled its primary converged devices for the new operating system: the XPS Duo 12 and the XPS 10. The latter is another entry in what's...
Sony Xperia TX video preview
Sony's IFA 2012 announcements were primarily about the bigger picture, both in terms of the company's One Sony strategy and in the literal sense that the Japanese giant showed off its first 84-inch 4K TV. Still, almost out of habit, Sony also refreshed its Android smartphone lineup with a trio of new handsets: the Xperia T / TX, the Xperia V and the Xperia J.
The distinction between the two versions of the flagship T device is actually bigger than Sony would have you believe: The Germany-only...
Lenovo's Gianfranco Lanci on the PC Plus era and the threat of Microsoft's Surface
Fresh off his company's manifold Windows 8 device announcements at IFA 2012, Lenovo's Gianfranco Lanci sat down with us for a few minutes to discuss the present state of the PC industry. It's become something of a nebulous term these days, the PC industry, what with the definition of the personal computer undergoing a transformation into new form factors and types of functionality, but Lanci appears unfazed by this period of flux. He defines the PC world in terms almost equivalent to the...
Acer Aspire S7: now this is what I call an ultrabook
With the deluge of Windows 8 tablets, convertibles, and touchscreen desktops on the horizon, you might think the world's forgotten all about the regular old laptop. But Acer hasn't. Persisting with its ultrathin Aspire S line, the company has brought the Aspire S7 to IFA 2012 and my first encounter with it has been nothing short of a revelation. The S7 is slim to the extreme yet still has a rigid build thanks to a mix of aluminum and magnesium construction. It also includes the requisite...
Toshiba's 84-inch 'Quad Full HD (4K)' TV coming first half of 2013 to US and Europe
In a little over a week, we have seen three companies make headlines with 84-inch, 4K-resolution TVs for the consumer market — LG's set is out now in Korea with global expansion in September while Sony's XBR-84X900 will be available "this holiday season." Toshiba's own "Quad Full HD" (presumably 3840 x 2160) television won't be making it out this year, but a first half 2013 release still makes it one of the first to break the new upper echelon of resolutions.
Powered by Toshiba's CEVO...
Dell XPS Duo 12: a swiveling Windows 8 tablet and ultrabook convertible
Dell has announced the XPS Duo 12, a new convertible ultrabook made for Windows 8. It features a 12.5-inch, "Full HD" (we assume 1920 x 1080 pixels) touchscreen with edge-to-edge Coring Gorilla Glass, and is powered by Intel hardware — up to Core i7. If this all sounds a little familiar, that might be because we first caught wind of the XPS Duo 12 via a leak in May.
The XPS Duo 12 can be used either as a laptop or slate, thanks to a flip hinge, and when in laptop mode it has a...
Watch this: Samsung's Mobile Unpacked event at IFA 2012 in all its magical weirdness
Samsung usually puts on a strange show when it has an "Unpacked" event and the event it staged this year at IFA was no exception. With the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Camera, a set of Windows 8 devices, and the first-ever Windows Phone 8 device, it was certainly full of new details and new gadgets. It was also emceed by a magician who oversaw the magical puns and a cameo by Wim Wenders. It's not Samsung at its most surreal, but that's an awfully high bar. Check it out in full, below, and then stop...
90 Seconds on The Verge: Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
This is what Vlad Savov wants you to know about Berlin. Potsdamer Platz is absolutely gorgeous and a must-see. A quadriga is a chariot drawn by four horses harnessed abreast, and the Berlin Quadriga was designed by Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1793 as the Quadriga of Victory. This is what the rest of The Verge team wants you to know about Berlin: a beer stein at our hotel bar is less than €3 and there is, alas, no discount for buying in bulk. Join us for a very special 90 Seconds on The...
Samsung Ativ Tab: hands-on pictures and video with the 9.9mm Windows RT slate
Samsung's Ativ Tab tablet has just surfaced here at IFA 2012. It features a Snapdragon S4 APQ8060A processor running at 1.5GHz, a 10.1-inch HD (1366 x 768) display, USB 2.0, uHDMI, and a microSD card slot. Samsung describes it as having "complete" Windows 8 functionality, fitting it within a very thin 9.9mm profile and a 762g weight.
The Ativ Tab also runs on Windows RT and includes Microsoft's Office 2013 Home and Student Edition. Check out the pictures below and we'll be back...
Samsung Galaxy Camera announced: 16 megapixels, 21x optical zoom, and Android 4.1
What happens when you combine a pocket camera with an Android smartphone? Samsung's answer is the Galaxy Camera. Running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on a massive 4.8-inch HD LCD display, the Galaxy Camera aims to take the best of Samsung's camera and phone departments and mix them up for something altogether unique. There's a 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor within what is otherwise an unmistakably camera-shaped body, equipped with a retractable lens that provides 21x optical zoom.
On the...
Samsung Ativ S officially announced: Windows Phone 8 with a 4.8-inch 720p display
Samsung is the first manufacturer to officially announce a Windows Phone 8 device: the Ativ S. As we revealed just a short time ago, it has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and an 8-megapixel rear camera paired with a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. Microsoft announced the device on its Windows Phone blog just ahead of Samsung's unpacked event, noting that it's only 8.7mm thick, has 1GB of RAM, and comes in either 16GB or 32GB models, both of which come with...
Samsung Galaxy Note II official with 5.5-inch screen and Android Jelly Bean (video preview)
After dominating IFA 2011 with its Galaxy Note introduction, Samsung is hoping to repeat the feat today with the Galaxy Note II. Now thinner and lighter, the new Note device comes with a redesigned S Pen stylus, a bevy of new software features layered atop Android 4.1, and an enlarged 5.5-inch display. Oh, and it now runs on a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos processor.
The display resolution is the same as very similar to the original Note, 1280 x 720 versus 1280 x 800 on the older model,...
Sony enters the 4K TV era with the XBR-84X900
Sony has just officially announced its new 84-inch 4K television at its IFA 2012 press conference, the company's first 4K TV, and its first TV with passive 3D viewing. Sony says the new XBR-84X900 television is capable of upscaling content to 4K (that's a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160) from any source, including things like digital photos from the PlayStation 3. As you can see from the picture above, the panel is a sizable stand-up unit with two long vertical speaker bars — Sony says the TV...
Sony VAIO Duo 11 'hybrid-style ultrabook' announced, coming late October
Leaked earlier this week, Sony has just announced its VAIO Duo 11 hybrid Windows 8 tablet that features a full backlit keyboard tucked away on a sliding hinge (what Sony calls the "Surf Slider") — a somewhat different take on the portable PC than Microsoft's design for the Surface. It's got a pressure-sensitive digitizer with a choice of two pen tips for writing feel, an 11.6-inch 1920 x 1080 "OptiContrast" panel, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB or 256GB SSD stuffed into a shell that...
The Verge is live from IFA 2012!
We've just arrived in Berlin, Germany, for IFA, the annual consumer electronics trade show. The show doesn't officially open until Wednesday, but we've been able to walk around the convention center, where Samsung and LG are vying for both most prominent OLED TV advertisement and largest number of flags. Samsung is set to unveil the successor to its Galaxy Note on August 29th, along with a transforming Windows 8 tablet. Sony is rumored to be launching an 84-inch 4K TV, and we're also...
