Navigon Pedestrian Navigation Systems Unveiled at IFA

Topic: IFA 2009

In a few months, I'll be spending some time wandering around Europe and working from the road. I've put together a fairly comprehensive list of the gear I'll need to make my journey in comfort, and after the IFA conference I might be adding another item to it. The Navigon series of pedestrian navigation systems are built specifically to cater to European travelers. They come at a variety of price points, each with different features and specs.

According to Engadget there will be four different models. The 8410 and 8450 Live will be the high-end devices, complete with 5" glass touchscreens and Real City 3D photo-realistic navigation. Both Live models also offer real-time traffic, weather, and speed camera updates in 32 different European nations. That sounds incredibly useful, but it isn't cheap; the service costs $115/year, on top of roughly $715 for the device (the 8450) itself (plus another 60 Euros/year if you want the digital TV service).

Posted on Mon, 7 Sep 2009 11:09:45 CDT | by Robert Evans

IFA 2009: Toshiba Camileo S20, H30 and X100

Topic: IFA 2009

Toshiba introduced at the IFA 2009 the new Camileo S20, H30 and X100 camcorders.
The new Toshiba Camileo series shoots high quality video in almost all lighting conditions, thanks to an optimized night mode that captures high levels of detail, even in low light. All models also double up as high quality digital still cameras, delivering excellent quality snapshots at resolutions of 5MP (Camileo S20) and 10MP (Camileo H30 and Camileo X100). Read more

Posted on Sun, 6 Sep 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

IFA 2009 Highlights

Topic: IFA 2009

The IFA 2009 consumer electronics show is now in full swing and open for the general public. The IFA 2009 will go on until Wednesday. Most of the new product announcements have been made and there have been some nice new products that have been unveiled at this year's IFA.

3D for the home gets pushed by several companies again at the IFA. I am still not convinced that 3D is ready for home use. The best 3D experience you can get is still in 3D enabled cinemas. Read more

Posted on Sat, 5 Sep 2009 05:00:00 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

IFA 2009: Sony BDP-S560 and BDP-S760 Wi-Fi Blu-ray Player

Topic: IFA 2009

Sony unveiled at the IFA 2009 two WiFi enabled Blu-ray player with the Sony BDP-S560 and Sony BDP-S760 (photo).
Both the Sony BDP-S560 and BDP-S760 are offering Wireless-N connectivity, freeing you from the need of having an Ethernet port near your TV in the living room.
The new Sony Blu-ray players are also Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) enabled, which means that by pressing a single button on the WPS enabled router a secure connection from your player to the wireless network is established. Read more

Posted on Sat, 5 Sep 2009 04:40:44 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Toshiba BDX2000 Blu-ray Player Unveiled at IFA 2009

Topic: IFA 2009

Toshiba unveiled their first Blu-ray player at the IFA 2009. After the company's defeat in the HD format war, it took a while for the company to decide to join the winning Blu-ray camp.
The Toshiba BDX2000 supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) needed to play Blu-ray discs with online content (Bonus View). Read more

Posted on Sat, 5 Sep 2009 02:52:55 CDT | by Luigi Lugmayr

Sony and Panasonic: 3D Wars?

Topic: IFA 2009

Okay, so Sony's confirmed that they're bringing 3D to all PlayStation games in 2010. (Engadget) Meanwhile, over at IFA 2009, 3D technology is also making lots of noise. Panasonic has a prototype (StuffTV) for a 3D player and augmented-reality system, and Sony is getting ready to unveil a series of Dolby Real 3D DVD players.

It looks like we're heading straight for a 3D revolution. Both Sony and Panasonic are getting ready to throw a lot of money behind new lines of 3D players. The technology has finally advanced far enough to be practical for mainstream adoption, and people seem pretty psyched for the chance to watch 3D movies and play 3D games on their own television. As the early adopters here, Panasonic and Sony stand to make a lot of money when 3D takes off.

Posted on Fri, 4 Sep 2009 10:35:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

iPod Cases With Camera Holes At IFA 2009

Topic: IFA 2009

Okay, so cameras coming to the next generation of iPod devices is probably the worst kept secret in Apple history. We've known for months that they were a given, and every additional piece of news we hear just solidifies the case even more. Today, word has come from the IFA show in Berlin that Hama is showing off its new next-generation iPod cases. According to ipodnn, both of the cases have cutouts for cameras.

Based on these cases, it appears that the iPod touch has a camera located in the top-center area of its back. The nano's camera, however, was placed in the bottom-left and seems to require a longer cutout. There were no iPod classic cases to be found. iPodnn notes that Hama's cases also broke the 4th generation iPod Nano before it's release last year, so this leak is fairly trustworthy.

Posted on Fri, 4 Sep 2009 10:50:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Samsung X3: The Hottest CULV Yet?

Topic: IFA 2009

So far, IFA 2009 is proving to be a very big conference for Samsung. They've unleashed a new line of netbooks and a slew of other devices, but none of those are quite as cool as the X3, Sammy's contribution to the CULV market. CNET reports that the X3 is an ultrathin, 4 pound notebook with 14", 15.6", and 11.6" screen options.

Samsung claims that the X3 will have a 9 hour battery life, which is made more impressive when you consider that this baby packs a dual core Intel processor of some type. It also comes with a 6 cell battery that is said to deliver six hours of constant video playback. The whole X series of notebooks will come with wireless HSPA, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, 3 USB ports, VGA, and an HDMI port.

Posted on Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:30:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Toshiba JournE Touch: The Tablet/Media Box?

Topic: IFA 2009

More and more people every year are using media boxes. Manufacturers have started to take note of this, and now an increasing number of products are being launched that have media box functionality. The Zune HD is a perfect example. It's a media player, but with HDMI out and its own TV interface, it also makes a solid choice for a media box. According to Gizmodo, Toshiba is getting in on the game as well; their JournE Touch media tablet is built for use in the living room.

The JournE is a 7" tablet that runs on Windows CE. It has an ARM processor inside, and it can run a full web browser and access things like Picasa, YouTube, Flickr, and IM clients. It comes with WiFi enabled and its (separately sold) base station has USB and HDMI outlets. At $350, this machine isn't too terribly expensive. With the base station, you could hook it up to your TV and use it as a cheap, tiny media box and browsing device.

Posted on Thu, 3 Sep 2009 11:45:00 CDT | by Robert Evans

Phillips Wireless HDTV Link at IFA Show

Topic: IFA 2009

Cables, have they ever been anything but trouble? They get tangled with each other and random detritus on the floor, make vacuuming a hassle, and cause hours of frustration when you actually have to unplug everything for a move or a new gadget. The more we can do to get rid of cables, the better. That's why the Phillips Wireless HDTV Link (via Engadget) has me so excited.

This HDMI transmitter and receiver pair allows you to place your actual A/V components up to 20 yards away from the set. The base station comes with two HDMI connectors and two component connectors. It can handle 1080i and 1080p video. We've got no expected release dates yet, but when it does hit this pretty little black box will retail for $850.

Posted on Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:06:50 CDT | by Robert Evans

Creative Announces Zen X-Fi2 Media Player At IFA

Topic: IFA 2009

Are you in the market for a touchscreen media player, but not one that costs as much as the iPod Touch or the Zune HD? If so, you might want to plant your eyes on Creative's Zen X-Fi2 multimedia player this holiday season. This new touchscreen player was debuted yesterday at the IFA conference in Berlin. It's got a very slim profile, and appears to be just a 3" LCD touchscreen with a very minimal frame.

Techtree reports that this media player can handle iTunes Plus, FLAC files, WMV9, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4/5 and XviD formats. It comes with a microSD slot, a TV out capability, a built-in microphone and an FM radio. It comes in three sizes; 8GB ($130), 16GB ($180), and 32 GB ($230).

Posted on Thu, 3 Sep 2009 11:00:00 CDT | by Robert Evans