SEOUL, KOREA – Once a conference that was quiet and full of European washing machines, Berlin-based electronics extravaganza has world’s electronic companies from all over the world showcasing their new line of products. As IFA gets bigger every year, Samsung GALAXY Note 3 and Samsung GALAXY Gear has generated much of the buzz at this year’s IFA. Undoubtedly, there will be products that might have missed some headlines that respectfully deserve the attention. Here are some products that made some consumers hearts melt at the IFA this year.
Lenovo Group Limited creator of multimode computing, announced at the 2013 IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, a broad expansion to its portfolio of multimode devices. The new lineup starts with two new Yoga convertibles: the Yoga 2 Pro, successor to the original 360° flip and fold 13.3-inch Yoga, and the new ThinkPad Yoga, built to take business users to new heights with its multimode design and business-heavy features. Additionally, Lenovo is bringing multimode computing to mainstream laptops and desktops with the new dual mode Lenovo Flex 14 and 15-inch laptops and Flex 20 all-in-one (AIO) desktop. These machines give consumers all the productivity of a PC plus one extra mode, essentially giving them two powerful devices at one affordable price.
Users will instantly notice the Yoga 2 Pro’s impressive, eye-popping 13.3-inch display: Its QHD+ super high resolution 10-finger touchscreen displays images in 3200X1800 resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio, equivalent to four times the visual clarity of the original Yoga’s HD+ (1600X900) screen and the highest screen resolution on the market today. The 350-nit screen features IPS 178° wide angle viewing for great views from nearly any line of sight.
Unbelievably thinner and lighter than before at 15.5 mm thin and 1.39 kg, the extra mobile Yoga 2 Pro lets users easily enjoying computing in each of its four modes: laptop, tablet, stand and tent. Yoga 2 Pro also features advanced technologies including choices of up to Intel 4th generation Core i7 ULT processors, Windows 8.1, up to 512 GB SSD, Intel WiDi for streaming content wirelessly to a TV, Dolby Home Theatre v4 and up to nine hours of battery life1. It also features a new backlit keyboard and comes in its signature Grey or Clementine Orange color. The recently introduced Yoga 11S will also be adding choices of up to 4th generation Intel Core i7 processors.
A full-function laptop and tablet, Yoga 2 Pro infuses new smart features including Yoga Picks, a concierge-like tool that suggests suitable apps based upon the device’s mode, custom apps and voice control. For example, in tablet mode, Yoga Picks suggests apps like Birizzle, a popular touch game, and Zinio, an e-reader. In tent mode, it offers the painting app, Fresh Paint and Rara music streaming. Additionally, Yoga 2 Pro comes with apps created especially for its four modes. In laptop mode, Phone Companion lets users copy content from documents or websites/pages and send the information to their phones as a text message. Yoga Photo Touch allows users in tablet mode to edit or retouch photos using their fingers on the 10-point multitouch screen. Built for stand mode, Yoga Camera Man lets users take photos with effects like lomo, 4-in-1, macro, GIF and more to photos, and Yoga Chef in tent mode taps into Yoga 2 Pro’s motion control and voice control to advance recipes from cooking apps. Also available for Yoga 2 Pro is the N700 multimode wireless mouse, sold separately, that rotates 180° to double as a pointer so users can switch between desktop work and presentations.
ASUS announced Zenbook UX301 and UX302, two flagship Ultrabook with sleek design and a lid protected by scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance.
First glimpsed at Computex 2013, the new Zenbook UX301 and UX302 are next-generation Ultrabooks based on the award-winning Zenbook, launched in 2011. The new models feature a metallic ‘spun’ metal design that’s a Zenbook hallmark, but a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 adds a sheer high-gloss finish that’s as hard-wearing as it is stunning. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has the same durability and thinness as Gorilla Glass 2, but Corning’s proprietary NDR glass composition gives superior scratch resistance, reduced scratch visibility and improved toughness. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has three times the scratch resistance of Gorilla Glass 2 and offers a 40% reduction in the number of highly visible scratches, with a 40% improvement in retained strength if a deep scratch does occur.
The new Zenbook is powered by 4th generation Intel Core processors for seamless multi-tasking performance and outstanding energy efficiency. A high-end 28W Core i7-4558U dual-core option makes light work of even the most demanding applications, while optional 512GB RAID0 SSD storage turbo-charges performance even more. Models feature either Intel Iris™ graphics, or NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M graphics with Optimus technology for incredible game visuals at high resolution and detail settings. A 13.3-inch display available with a 1920 x 1080 Full HD and 2560 x 1440 WQHD resolution means the new ASUS Zenbook gives incredibly sharp images and text. IPS (In-Plane Switching) display technology also ensures rich and accurate color with wide 178-degree viewing angles, while 10-point multi-touch gives smooth and responsive fingertip control with Windows 8.
Sony introduced two “lens-style” QX series cameras that bring new levels of fun and creativity to the mobile photography experience. The innovative Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 and DSC-QX10 models utilize Wi-Fi connectivity to instantly transform a connected smartphone into a versatile, powerful photographic tool, allowing it to shoot high-quality images and HD videos to rival a premium compact camera. It’s an entirely new and different way for consumers to capture and share pictures.
With a distinct lens-style shape, the new cameras connects wirelessly to a smartphone, converting the bright, large LCD screen of the phone into a real-time viewfinder with the ability to release the shutter, start/stop movie recordings, and adjust common photographic settings like shooting mode, zoom, Auto Focus area and more. Once pictures are taken, they are saved directly on both the phone and the camera, and can be shared instantly via social media or other common mobile applications.
Patrick Huang, director of the Cyber-shot business at Sony states, “With the new QX series cameras, we are making it easier for the ever-growing population of ‘mobile photographers’ to capture far superior, higher-quality content without sacrificing the convenience and accessibility of their existing mobile network or the familiar ‘phone-style’ shooting experience that they’ve grown accustomed to” Huang further adds, “We feel that these new products represent not only an evolution for the digital camera business, but a revolution in terms of redefining how cameras and smartphones can cooperatively flourish in today’s market.”
The new compact, ultra-portable cameras can be attached to a connected phone with a supplied mechanically adjustable adapter, or can be held separately in hand or even mounted to a tripod while still maintaining all functionality and connectivity with the smartphone. They can also be operated as completely independent cameras if desired, as both the DSC-QX100 and DSC-QX10 cameras have a shutter release, memory card slot and come with a rechargeable battery.