IFA 2008

September 2, 2008 Grundig's disco-ball-esque speakers blasted funk in the 70s, and now the company is releasing a model for a new generation to enjoy. The Audiorama 9000 is set for an October release, for an RRP of €1100. The speaker set consists of two deep mid-range chassis, and incorporates a hyperbolically diverted treble system that provides clear 360 degrees surround sound without the “lattice fence effect”. Read More

With Apple’s Macbook Air firmly in its sights, Samsung was showing off the new X360 laptop at IFA in Berlin and touting the new model as, “fully featured and lighter than air”. Both claims turn out to be true with the X360 claiming the title of the world’s lightest 13.3-inch laptop coming in at just 2.8lb, (1.27kg), which is just under the Macbook Air’s 3lbs, (1.36kg), while featuring 3 USB ports, HDMI and VGA out, ExpressCard/34 slot, a 7-in-1 memory card reader, Ethernet socket and a 128GB SSD. Read More

The ELAC 3D-13 is a fully active loudspeaker that is a modern solution for stereo listening from a single compact enclosure, replacing the more conventional pair of hi-fi stereo loudspeakers and amplifier. Designed for people than have no room for a conventional stereo setup, or those that never sit at the apex of the stereo triangle (the sweet spot), it uses a 3D speaker to transmit sound in all directions to flood the room with music. Read More

August 31, 2008 Emanating from a small Slovenian village of the same name in 1950, Gorenje is quickly forging a name for itself in the manufacture and design of quality and innovative household goods. Its SmarTable will not harm that cause. The SmarTable is a unique prestigious table with a remotely controlled refrigerator and lift, integrated in the table's central cylinder foot.The SmarTable's fundamental value is in freeing the table from its direct environment of the kitchen, in the common sense of the word, and in paving the way for its placement into any room of choice. If your guests were not aware of its capabilities, the SmarTable is capable of a spectacular entrance when its platform raises up with the next course. Showtime indeed, and very clever, and an innovation certain to find its way into some of the world’s most exclusive dinner parties. Read More

August 31, 2008 The Olympus LS-10 is a pocket-size Linear PCM compact recording device that captures audio in the highest quality. It perfect for use on the go, and enjoys a fine reputation with musicians, journalists and podcasters (gotta be a joke in there somewhere). Olympus trotted out an infrared remote control and an exceptionally effective windshield for the LS-10 at IFA this week that make it even more attractive to these oft maligned professionals. The mandatory introductory stunt at IFA was to have a guitarist record a song in a sound proof phone box (pictured) and then play it backed - it worked ... impressive sound reproduction meeting promised CD quality. Read More

August 31, 2008 Gizmag editor Noel McKeegan was quite bullish about the prospects for the Korean Prinics photoframe he saw at IFA in Berlin this week. “How many times does someone say, “can I get a copy of that?”, said Noel. “Photoframes are where digital imaging meets the real world – it’s where you put you most special pics on display, and quite rightfully, you don’t want to necessarily give away the original digital file. So this is the ideal solution!” The top-of-the-line model boasts an eight inch LCD screen and produces borderless 6” x 4” pictures, and can even produce ID photos at the touch of a button. Read More

August 30, 2008 Among the forest of flat screen TVs on display at IFA 2008, Samsung's 52" UltraSlim LCD TV grabbed our attention in terms of sheer head-turning good looks. While not achieving quite the wafer thin profile of the Sony ZX1, which is under half an inch (9.9mm) at its thinnest point, Samsung's offering makes up or this with a silkily attractive design which looks almost as good from the back as it does from the front. Read More

Philips has shown the second generation of its Wake-up Light at IFA 2008, while Lenco, is displaying a multi-colored approach on the same theme. Both lights are designed to mimic the natural process of waking up with the sun and, hopefully, make it just that little bit easier to get out of bed in the morning. Read More

The concept of the Boombox is no doubt reminiscent to many of our readers of people walking the streets with large objects the size of a sheep on their shoulder, doing irreparable damage to their hearing and conveying their lack of taste to everyone within shooting distance. Those readers, like yours truly, should get set for a brain reconfiguration with this story. The US$300 Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player looks like a boombox but it ain’t – it has an integrated amplifier, high-performance speakers and an 802.11g wireless network connection. With it you can listen to your digital music in any room of your home. There are no wires to connect. Just plug it into a power outlet. Then, using your existing home network, you can listen to the music on your computer, podcasts, Internet radio stations, and subscription services, even when the computer is off. Read More