IFA 2011: all the latest announcements

News
By Paul Douglas
published

Tablets, 3D TV, laptops, phones and more

IFA 2011
IFA 2011 is showering us with new tech

IFA, the world's largest consumer electronics and home appliance show, opened its doors for the 51st time on 1 September 2011.

For five hectic days, this annual extravaganza of all things electronic will redefine the consumer electronics landscape for the next 12 months.

IFA 2011 is not just another gadget show. It's a technology event on an enormous scale. Last year, the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin attracted over 230,000 visitors. And yes, it is open to the public.

TechRadar is out at IFA in force - check out our IFA day one highlights video below.

Here's what's been announced at IFA 2011 so far:

Sony

Sony has officially named its two Android tablets - what was once known as the S1 will now be called the Sony Tablet S, while the Sony S2 is now the Sony Tablet P. We will be seeing both slates hit in Wi-Fi form from the end of September 2011 and while UK prices weren't confirmed, Sony said that the Tablet S will go on sale from $479 and the Tablet P from $599.

Sony tablet s

Dixons then followed up by opening Tablet S pre-orders and in the process announcing its Sony Tablet S UK price. The official Sony Tablet S UK price starts at £399.99 for the 16GB Wi-Fi only model. You can pre-order the 16GB Wi-Fi and 3G version for £499.99, or go for a bit more storage with the Wi-Fi only 32GB model for £499.99.

Sony also unveiled a 6-inch eReader - the Sony Reader Wi-Fi PRS-T1 - which weighs just 168 grams and is 8.9mm thick. The PRS-T1 features a one month battery life, is available in black, white and red and will allow borrowing from local libraries.

PRS t1

In the PC arena, Sony showed off its VAIO L 3D - or Vaio VPCL21S1E/B to give its full name - an all-in-one desktop with a 24-inch Full HD Vaio LED backlight display, and to its notebook collection, it's added a 15.5" model to its VAIO S Series. The 15.5-inch screen is Full HD affair, with an optional 'glasses-free 3D' panel so you can watch 3D Blu-rays simply by popping it over the screen.

For a more portable and ridiculous-looking 3D experience, Sony has made the Sony HMZ-T1 official. First shown at CES, this wearable personal 3D viewer streams content from your Blu-ray player or PS3, among other devices, STRAIGHT INTO YOUR EYES.

HMZ-T1

Also unveiled at IFA by Sony was the SMP-N200 Network Media Player, allowing people to turn any television into a connected TV.

SNP-N200

Sony refreshed its arc line-up at IFA 2011, with the company announcing the Sony Xperia Arc S.

Also from Sony:

Our video of the key Sony products from our team at IFA in Berlin is below:

Samsung

Samsung treated us to three new cameras at this year's IFA. The 18x superzoom WB750 compact brings a BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS sensor and, for the first time in a compact, Samsung's own DSP 3 key component. Next up was the MV800 'Multiview' camera, billed as the world's first compact to feature a flip-up screen to make it easier to shoot from unusual angles.

Completing the trio is the NX200 compact system camera, featuring a 20.3 megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, 100 millisecond advanced autofocus and HD video recording.

NX200

Also from Samsung comes the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7, which was outed ahead of the press launch. The tablet features a 7.7" super AMOLED screen, 5100mAh battery, and is running Android 3.2 with Samsung's TouchWiz overlay on top. The tablet will come in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, and features a 2MP camera on the front and a 3MP snapper on the back. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was officially unveiled shortly after.

Samsung also unveiled its 1.4GHz dual-core processor-packing, 5.3-inch screened Samsung Galaxy Note. That processor makes the Galaxy Note the world's most powerful smartphone - and the display specs completely blow the iPhone 4 away.

More on the Galaxy Note:

Samsung revealed its aluminium styled Series 7 Chronos laptop range ahead of the show opening. The Chronos 700Z5A is powered by the Intel Core i7 quad core processor and comes with a 15.6-inch screen, while the slightly lower-spec Chronos 700Z4A has a 15-inch screen and an Intel Huron River Core i5 2467M processor.

Series 7 chronos

Samsung has also announced the PC Series-7 tablet, which can be docked to use as a Windows 7-running desktop PC, complete with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Windows 7 tablets haven't exactly set the world on fire, but we'd love to see this running Windows 8.

Also from Samsung:

Philips

Philips has been busy developing a host of new Full HD 3D TVs with integrated internet, LED display panels and the ability to convert 2D to 3D. So the 9000, 8000 and 7000 TV ranges have all seen an update.

IFA also saw Philips announce a new range of Cinema 21:9 TVs (dubbed Platinum and Gold) to bring smarter and smoother 3D plus the next generation of internet TV.

Also from Philips:

LG

LG announced its new LW980T flagship TV range, combining 'the latest in 3D technology and SmartTV'. The new range, which will be available in 47- and 55-inch screen sizes, uses LG's Nano Full LED backlighting for a brighter, clearer picture. At the same time LG also announced its new HX906TX 3D surround sound system, featuring Dolby-certified 360 audio.

Plasma TVs are on LG's IFA launch list, too, with the PenTouch range of plasma TVs which allow people to draw and sketch straight onto the screen. We thought this was so you could draw moustaches on BBC news readers, but it turns out that using a connection to a PC you can draw and sketch and organise photos using the dedicated pen.

LG has also teamed up with Philips and Sharp on Smart TV apps. The three firms aim to create a standard for connected TV apps by collaborating on a common approach - and they've invited others to join.

HTC

HTC graced us with a couple of new Windows Phones: The HTC Titan, and our favourite name for a phone ever, the HTC Radar. HTC Titan brings 4.7-inches of Mango while the HTC Radar was given its official debut, with a release date set for October.

HTC titan

Toshiba

Toshiba has revealed that its AT200 tablet (aka the Toshiba Excite) will be just 7.7mm thick when it lands with Honeycomb 3.2. Spec-wise, it carries a 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM to boot. Its high resolution display is a 10.1-incher, with resolution coming in at 1280x800 - the same as the Samsung Galaxy Note we saw earlier.

Toshiba at200

Toshiba has also bolstered its 3D TV line-up with the launch of the TL Series, which it says brings "exceptional value" Full HD 3D sets. We don't know how exceptional said value is as Tosh hasn't announced a price or release date yet. You'll need to factor in the cost of the active shutter glasses, though, as these are sold separately.

Or how about the UK's first glasses-free 3D TV? If you can step away from the 'exceptional value' end of the TV store, then you might be interested in the Toshiba 55ZL2. The high-end 55-inch ZL2 offers up face tracking, Resolution+, Auto-calibration, 2D to 3D conversion and smart TV features. The 3D is provided by lenticular lenslets, which can apparently offer up nine different viewing positions.

Also from Toshiba:

Lenovo

Lenovo has delivered one of the first Intel Ultrabook implementations. The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s runs various implementations of Intel's ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) variants of its Core i series processors and features SSD drives. A UK release date is, as yet, unknown but we don't think it'll be too long before you see it on UK streets.

Dell

"Thin and powerful" notebooks are all the rage what with Intel's hope that we'll start calling them 'ultrabooks' and stop buying MacBook Airs; and the Inspiron 14z is Dell's latest solution.

Netgear

Netgear announced three new products designed to help you stream your entertainment around the home. The networking company revealed a smaller powerline networking set, the Powerline Nano Dual-port Set; the Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV and Blu-Ray; and the Universal Push2TV Wireless PC to TV Adapter, which broadcasts content from a Windows PC screen to HDMI-compatible TV.

Creative

Creative unveiled its new Sound Blaster gaming headsets, including the Tactic360 Sigma, Tactic360 ION, Tactic3D Wrath and Tactic3D Omega.

Sound blaster headset

Paul Douglas

Global Editor-in-Chief

After watching War Games and Tron more times that is healthy, Paul (Twitter, Google+) took his first steps online via a BBC Micro and acoustic coupler back in 1985, and has been finding excuses to spend the day online ever since. This includes roles editing .net magazine, launching the Official Windows Magazine, and now as Global EiC of TechRadar.