IFA 2008

August 29, 2008 Gizmag’s Noel McKeegan reports that one of the more interesting products to see first light of day at IFA this week was LG’s new N4B1 Network Attached Storage (NAS) for home and small business users. The system goes beyond just data sharing and provides advanced integrated data management including a built-in Blu-ray drive and version management. Available in two- and four-bay configurations, LG’s N4B1 accepts hard drives as large as one terabyte and makes it possible to share a single Blu-ray, DVD or CD among many users by creating a virtual disc library. After inserting a disc, the NAS can create and store an image of the disc which is then accessible by all of the users on the network. This not only saves time, but also reduces wear and tear on discs. Very cool! Read More

August 29, 2008 In the ongoing quest for manufacturers to differentiate their product in the compact digital camera market, the feature sets keep growing and growing and the killer app at IFA this week was undoubtedly high def video in digital cameras. With mobile phones fast catching the compact camera market in basic functionality, the integration of HD video was a no brainer and Sony’s new Cyber-shot T500 is the first to deliver in this marketplace. In addition to producing MPEG4 HD (1280x720 ) movies at 30fps with stereo sound, the T500 produces a 10.1 megapixel still image and switches instantly between still and movie modes at the touch of a comfortably placed button on top of the camera. You can even grab crisp still images (1280x720 pixels) without interrupting video shooting and a new ring-type adjustment allows easy zooming of the Carl Zeiss lens throughout the 5x range while you’re shooting movies. Read More

August 28, 2008 German speaker manufacturer ELAC was showing off what they dubbed ‘probably the world's smallest hi-fi subwoofer’ IFA 2008 this week. Their 2.1 desktop speaker system is made up of two satellite speakers and the 2010 BT MicroSUB, which contains four amplifiers, (two for the two bass drivers and two for the two connected satellites), in a unit that measures just 21.8 cm tall, 15.0 cm wide and 17.8 cm deep, and weighs just 4.8kg. Read More

Revox of Switzerland manufactures a wide range of audio equipment that implements functional technology into everyday items. Two of its more notable products are speakers designed to replace traditional ceiling lights and bass speakers that double as stylish leather seats. Read More

At this year’s IFA (the world's largest Consumer Electronics trade fair) in Berlin, Siemens unveiled its new speedMatic dishwasher featuring Zeolith drying technology for speedier drying times. The triple-A energy efficiency rated dishwasher can complete a standard 50C program in just 125 minutes or use its varioSpeed function to reduce program time by a further 50%. Read More

August 28, 2008 Sony has announced a 200Hz LCD TV at IFA. The new Z4500 LCD TV uses Sony’s proprietary Motionflow 200Hz system to calculate three additional frames for every original, upping the frame rate from 50 to 200 frames per second. A complementary image enhancement technology called IB Reduction (Image Blur Reduction) boosts the sharpness of the final picture by improving the original, frame by frame, before it is processed by the Motionflow 200Hz. The result is the smoothest and clearest motion reproduction to be achieved by an LCD to date. Read More

August 28, 2008 Sony is showing an extraordinarily slim new 40-inch Bravia HD LCD TV at IFA this week that measures a barely believable 9.9mm at its slimmest section. The compelling elegance of this wafer-thin display is hugely enhanced by a super-fast wireless connection so there are no signal cables to spoil the elegant simplicity of the design. Instead, the screen uses what Sony has dubbed ‘Bravia 1080 Wireless’ to carry the audiovisual signal from the separate Media Receiver to the screen in real time. Read More

August 28, 2008 The use of synthesised Virtual Reality to train people using frightfully expensive machinery where mistakes are not an option was pioneered by the aviation industry with flight simulators and the technology found application in the automotive industry to refine the development of human-machine interfaces and is beginning to be applied to all manner of high value pursuits. Undoubtedly, the use of a CAVE (Computer Aided Virtual Environment) in the design of products and carefully-crafted user environments is certainly the way of the future for all industries once the enormous expense can be justified, and now German premium household appliance designer Miele has introduced the technology into its design process, becoming the first company in the sector to avail itself of the technology. Read More

One of the world's biggest consumer electronics fests gets underway in Berlin this Friday and IFA organizers promise an even bigger event this year - 122,000 square meters of display space and 1,245 exhibitors including 807 from 63 countries abroad (almost twice the number of countries represented last year) and more gear on display including for the first time, domestic home appliances. Gizmag will again be there to bring you the best of the show - stay tuned in coming days. Read More