Top 10 best and worst from IFA 2011
Roundup of all the action from this year's consumer electronics show in Berlin
V3 was at IFA in Berlin this week where major manufacturers including Sony and Samsung unveiled flagship products that will hit the market in time for Christmas.
We've rounded up some of the highlights and lowlights from Berlin, where we saw everything from Sony chief executive lay down the gauntlet to Apple and Samsung as well as Ford unveiling its cloud-connected concept car.
Best
5. Lenovo offers unique alternatives to MacBook Air and iPad 2
Lenovo sneaked under the radar to deliver some exciting products - including its high-performance U300s ultrabook and a budget Android tablet.
The U300s is touted as being a MacBook Air killer, and we were intrigued by the unique book-shaped design, which gives it a thickness of 14.9mm from edge-to-edge. Not only that but the 13.3in device features the second-generation Intel Core processors, 4GB of DDR3 RAM and up to 256GB of SSD storage.
Meanwhile, the IdeaPad Tablet A1 is a budget 7in running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and featuring a Cortex A8 1GHz processor. With a price of $199, and with unique features such as offline-GPS navigation, the tablet could possibly find a niche in the market, considering that cut-price HP TouchPads went down a storm.
4. Sony Reader Wi-Fi impresses
In an attempt to take the fight to the phenomenally popular Amazon Kindle, Sony refreshed its range, adding crucial functionality to its Reader device.
The 6in Reader Wi-Fi (PRS-T1) was beautifully crafted and weighed in at 168g and with a thickness of 8.9mm. We were very impressed by how light and comfortable it was to hold, and the touch screen made it easier to use than the Kindle.
As the name suggests, Wi-Fi functionality is a key addition, but Sony has also struck a deal with Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling to integrate with the forthcoming Pottermore web site. This looks like a shrewd business move that could help boost the popularity of its device with younger readers.
3. Stringer keynote
Sony has spent a large part of 2011 in the headlines for the wrong reasons, so it was refreshing to see Sir Howard Stringer, chief executive of Sony, acknowledge the firm's turbulent time in a lighthearted manner.
Turning serious, Stringer also took direct swipes at Apple and Samsung and signalled Sony's plan to dominate the tablet market. However, with many high-profile manufacturers such as Dell and HP struggling to make an impact in the mobile market, it will be interesting to see if Stringer will have to eat his words this time next year.
Top 10 best and worst from IFA 2011
Roundup of all the action from this year's consumer electronics show in Berlin
2. Ford Evos gives a glimpse into connected future
Ford continued to make its presence felt at key technology events. The US car giant took to the stage to unveil its Ford Evos cloud-connected concept car, giving attendees a glimpse into what the future will hold for personal transportation.
Highlights included the car's ability to synchronise with a work schedule, remember personal music and temperature preferences, charge wirelessly and even detect adrenaline levels using its built-in heart rate monitor.
1. Samsung steals the show
Despite having its hands full with defending itself in multiple lawsuits, Samsung came to IFA with an army of products, and it delivered.
The Korean manufacturer introduced products across its entire portofolio but the star attractions were the Samsung Series-7 Chronos laptop and Galaxy Note.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was definitely the pick of the Android devices on show, while the Galaxy Wi-Fi 3.6 smartphone also outshone the competition. However, with these latter two devices looking suspiciously similar to the iPad 2 and iPod Touch devices respectively, they are no doubt going to be thoroughly scrutinised by Apple's legal team.
Worst
5. Sony Tablet P disappoints
Although it is still early days for Sony in the tablet market, we were a little disappointed by the firm's dual-screen tablet, which looked like a Nintendo DS, running Android.
Despite packing an Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz processor, Android Honeycomb 3.2 and 3G, we can't help but feel that Sony could struggle to shift the device, especially with a price tag of £499.
4. Dell fails to shine
While Acer, Lenovo and Toshiba unveiled eye-catching ultrabooks, Dell chose instead to add to its Inspiron line of laptops and announced that it would bring Android Honeycomb to the Streak 7.
3. HP and Motorola go AWOL
After conducting a fire sale of its TouchPad and Pre 3 devices and throwing the future of its PC business into the air, HP was unsurprisingly nowhere near the event.
There were no also no products on show from Motorola, which was acquired for $12.5bn acquisition by Google, last month. But we're expecting big things come CES 2012.
2. No Steve Ballmer keynote
With many of the chief executives at IFA going through the motions - think Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and you get the general idea - we missed the unpredictability and passion of Microsoft head honcho Steve Ballmer.
Yes, we know that IFA is mostly a show about consumer electronics and home appliances, but we would have loved to have seen Steve make a dramatic entrance even if it was to tell us just how great Windows 8 is going to be.
We missed the dancing monkey, his brash yet endearing delivery and passion for everything Windows, Windows, Windows!
1. Calculator mouse anyone?
Those mad scientists down at Canon thought is would be a good idea to combine a calculator with a mouse and then tell the whole world about it.
Needless to say that the X Mark I Mouse Slim is a piece of technology that we can comfortably live without, although we may come to regret this when filling out our tax return at the 11th hour next year.