Gizmag Team

Sony finally threw its hat in the tablet ring at IFA 2011 by announcing the market launch of the Sony Tablet S and Tablet P (previously codenamed S1 and S2). The biggest point-of-difference from other Android tablets and the heavyweight champ iPad is form factor - the Tablet S gets an unusual asymmetrical shape and the Tablet P throws the conventional tablet format away completely with its clam-shell, dual-screen design. Having stated its intention to become number two in the tablet marketplace and setting pricing identical to that of the iPad 2, Sony is certainly aiming high with this one. Read More

Samsung showed its new Note smartphone today at IFA, just 12 months after it showed the Galaxy Tab to great acclaim, and when history judges the 5.3” supersized smartphone it just might play a much greater role in the development of the personal computer form factor. The incorporation of a stylus and the 1280×800 high-resolution Super AMOLED screen give the thin android phone additional functionality by way of both sketching and note-taking and when Gizmag's Tim Hanlon tried the phone with its 1.4GHz dual-core processor, he's now thinking of trading in his Galaxy SII. “I'm sold” reported Tim from Berlin. Read More

Toshiba has taken the wraps off a 55-inch, 16:9 ratio LED backlit TV with glasses free 3D capability and Quad Full HD resolution. That's a massive 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, or in other words, four times as many pixels as a 1920 x 1080p TV. We've just checked out the Toshiba 55ZL2 on the floor at IFA and the consensus is that it looks great. Read More

A new compact point-and-shoot camera with a 3-inch flip-out LCD screen is among a barrage of products just showcased at Samsung's IFA 2011 press conference in Berlin. The 16.2 megapixel MV800 gets the "MultiView" tag due to its 3.0-inch wide flip-out capacitive touch screen LCD Display, which is hinged at the top of the unit so that it can tilted up or down to add versatility to shooting and help you line-up self portraits. Read More

Sony has been quick to commercialize the prototype 'Personal 3D Viewer' HMD (Head Mounted Display) we first saw at CES earlier this year, announcing a much-changed version at IFA in Berlin a few hours ago which will be known as the HMZ-T1. Like most Sony product, the new HMZ-T1 will attract premium pricing, landing in stores in time for Christmas with a price tag in the vicinity of US$780. That's still a lot cheaper than a Bravia though, and the twin hi-def (1280 x 720) 0.7-inch OLED screens simulate a real 750-inch movie theater screen at a viewing distance of 20 meters. The advantage of the OLED technology is that it has very fast (0.01 millisecond) response times, rendering smooth life-like video of the fast-moving imagery encountered in gaming and watching sport. Two of Gizmag's team tried the new HMDs ... Read More

Samsung has unveiled LTE (Long-Term Evolution) versions of its GALAXY S II smartphone and GALAXY Tab 8.9. On show this week at IFA 2011, the devices get a processing boost to go along with access to blistering 4G download speeds of up to 100Mbps. Read More

A formidable strength-to-weight ratio combined with properties like high temperature tolerance have seen carbon fiber used in the construction of airplanes, bicycles, yachts, automobiles and now ... err, bags. Lamborghini, a company that has invested heavily in the development of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) for supercars like the Aventador and Sesto Elemento concept, has just announced a line of carbon fiber bags. Read More

It seems like only yesterday, but Lego Technic has been with us now since 1977, and in that third of a century, the technical building blocks have no doubt stimulated the young minds of hundreds of thousands of would-be engineers. Off-road trucking manufacturer Unimog (Universal Motor Gerät) celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, so the two companies got together and produced a functioning (with pneumatic crane with working gripper arm) 1:12-scale model. You can buy the 2,048 piece kit for GBP155 (US$255). Great detailed images inside. Read More

The teasers keep rolling in ahead of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) with Kia releasing images of a new four-door sports sedan concept. The powerplant is rumored to be a V8, but all we know for sure about the as yet unnamed car at this stage is that it seats four, is rear-wheel drive and, as you might expect from a concept car, it "signals the company’s distinctive new design direction." Read More