IFA 2007 roundup and final post

BERLIN, GERMANY--One man, two days, 26 halls and a pair of sore feet later, yet we managed to cover barely one-fifth of the consumer electronics show at IFA 2007. Sprawled across 160,000sq m (about the size of 20 football fields) on the grounds of ICC Berlin, the annual tradeshow is neither for the faint-hearted nor the weak-minded. We hope it has been an equally exciting time for you as it was for us bringing you the highlights to some of the latest and hottest gadgets at IFA. This post wraps up our two-day tour here in Berlin and, before we sign off, we'll leave you with some pictures of the event.
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Loewe Connect: A fusion of style and functionality

Loewe--a brand that is synonymous with design and style, even though our wallets are likely to protest. And we like how aptly the product catalog puts it: What looks better in your living room--a PC or another piece of designer furniture? Needless to say, we chose the latter, and with good reasons. At IFA Berlin, the company showcased its new Loewe Connect range that integrates the functionalities of a PC into the TV. We could access digital content or connect to a home network with a special dLAN 200 AV adapter by plugging directly into a power socket. The best part is this sweetie comes with a built-in antenna to go wireless. So basically Loewe wants you to believe its new panels are all you'll ever need at home. The first units with a diagonal screen size of 94cm will be available in Europe from next January, while the 106cm and 80cm editions are expected in March and May, respectively.

Bolod brings 3D to your LCD

Now's the time to officially snigger at those blokes wearing cheesy headgear so they can enjoy the same 3D experience you're getting from your LCD screen, sans external aids. The Chinese company is already selling LCDs ranging from a 17-incher to a 61-inch model based on its autostereoscopic display technology from the Mainland. The one you see on the right? It costs about 10,000 euros. We guess it's not meant for the average consumers' home, yet.

Some of the company's clients include familiar names like Microsoft, Siemens and Lenovo. According to a representative, you don't need any special device to enjoy the three-dimensional experience because of the parallax barrier principle, the in-depth explanation of which is better left on the brochure. Just in case innocent passers-by don't know, the company made an effort to paste a slip of A4-size paper next to the screen to inform that the optimal viewing distance is 1.4m from the screen. Latecomers who don't get prime front-facing standing space won't have to worry, either, as the panel has a 140-degree viewing angle. Frankly, we got a little dizzy with the out-of-screen effect. If that's what we can expect in the future, we can't imagine how much we have to spend on doctor's fees.

Sharp's prototype 52-inch LCD TV is almost paper-thin

The keyword is, almost. But really, the panel nearly disappeared along with the crowd in the background when we took a picture from the side. It's quite an amazing feat if you ask us. The prototype measures 29mm at its thickest point and only 20mm for the main display section. We didn't see any wires or sockets at the back of the unit, so we're guessing the tubes holding up the TV have some sort of wiring in them. Actually, we're just concerned about when we're getting one of these in our Labs. For those of you who love crunching numbers, this 52-inch prototype has a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, 150-percent color reproduction in the NTSC gamut and weighs 25kg. Not too heavy to carry home we suppose.

Casio overclocks camera with 60fps shooting rate

Drats, we totally missed the press conference yesterday when some lucky folks got upclose with Casio's new prototype camera. Now, we can catch it only from outside a transparent box since the company wasn't exactly for the idea of freeing the shooter from its cage. What a bummer. Initial specs point to a 6-megapixel CMOS sensor, 60fps burst rate (increases to 300fps when you drop to VGA-resolution), 12x optical zoom, 2.8-inch 230K-pixel LCD and CMOS-shift optical image stabilization. While you're at it, you might want to check out LG's KU990 camera-phone with a 120fps burst mode as well. First it was the megapixel race. Now it's about who can shoot faster. Don't these guys have better things to do?

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