The Very Latest in Home Electronics & Gadgets: IFA 2011 Update

 

First comes a very clever device that is designed to reduce the risk of a crash due to tiredness when driving.

The Anti Sleep Pilot (ASP) has been developed by Denmark’s Troels M. Palshof, together with sleep researchers and with traffic and electronics engineers and while not strictly brand new (it’s already available in the US for example) it uses a combination of user entered information on tiredness levels and any other “risk factors” (whatever they might be is not yet clear but presumably factors such as problems relating to illnesses such as diabetes) at the start of the journey and the driver’s reaction times. 

 

The ASP, a round device about the size of a small “sweet tin” indicates at regular intervals that it should be touched and it measures reaction times accordingly, notifying you when a break is needed based on the performance over time of your reaction to touching the thing when instructed to do so. It uses both optical and acoustic warnings to alert you when to stop and have a break. Apart from it being distracting in its own right,a anything that can reduce the number of sleep related crashes (apparently it is running at about one in five crashes at the moment i n the UK) is a good idea.

 

Samsung has been busy announcing a raft of new kit not least of which are the new, premium Series 7 Chronos notebook and Slate PCs. The new Chronos notebook includes a thin and compact aluminium chassis with Intel’s Core i7 Quad Core processor beating at it heart alongside Samsung’s ExpressCache technology, that provides an extra 8GB of flash memory on the motherboard. This means a much faster start-up as well as increasing the overall performance. Web browsing is also two times faster (based on Microsoft Internet Explorer) while the device takes just two-seconds to wake up.

 

Samsung has also done something clever with the screen, its high quality display incorporates Samsung’s latest ‘MAX screen’ technology enabling “users to experience up to an extra inch of immersive viewing without sacrificing mobility or portability because the 15” display is contained within the form factor traditionally associated with a 14” model” it says here.

 

 

The Samsung Series 7 Slate PC announced at IFA is aimed at: “users in need of maximised productivity in a mobile working environment”. And to do this the new Windows 7 based Slate PC delivers a desktop PC’s performance with the usability of a tablet, the key benefit being users can multi-task effectively on a slate using a customised touch interface.

 

The new Slate is just 0.5-inches thick and weighs only 0.86kg, making it eminently portable, it’s powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and has a 11.6-inch screen and is powerful enough to “serve any business user at their desk or on the move”. 

 

When connected to a docking station – complete with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse – the slate operates just like a desktop PC, of course it can also be removed and used as an ultra-portable device. You get multiple input methods including the clever touch screen, a keyboard and a digital pen, so it’s great for “presenting, creating and capturing content on the go, without limitations” according to Samsung.

 

Sony has been beavering away on the computer front too with its Tablet “S” and Sony Tablet “P” marking the launch of its first two tablet models that combine “unique hardware, content and network services with seamless usability to create an exciting new world of network entertainment experiences”. Okay…

 

They’ll be available in Europe from the end of September 2011, with the “Sony Tablet” S optimised for “rich media entertainment” on a 23.8cm (9.4”) touchscreen display. It has a powerful NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 mobile processor inside allowing use of the web plus your favourite content and applications on its high resolution screen. The WiFi version weighs in at 598g (approx.) and its unique asymmetric design “conveys a sense of lightness for hours of comfortable use”. The Wi-Fi/3G version of the Tablet S will be available from November 2011.

 

The “Sony Tablet P” is geared for “mobile communication entertainment”, with an innovative folding design and dual screens for maximum portability. Weighing just 372g (approx.), “Sony Tablet” P features the same NIVIDIA® Tegra™ 2 mobile processor as the “S” version and offers connectivity via Wi-Fi and 3G mobile networks. Dual 13.9cm (5.5") touchscreen displays can be folded to achieve pocketable dimensions of just 79x180x26mm (approx.). 

 

(Wi-Fi only models are equipped with Android™ 3.1 (To be upgradable to Android 3.2) and Wi-Fi/3G models are equipped with Android 3.2). Both “Sony Tablet” models feature front and rear facing cameras for still and video image capture. USB 2.0 port and SD card slot simplify direct file transfers from other devices such as PCs, digital cameras or camcorders.

 

Samsung has also announced new digital cameras including the 16.2-megapixel Samsung MultiView MV800. This is an ultra-slim digital compact with a “MultiView” 3-inch flip out touch sensitive display making it easy to use and compose shots from almost any angle. It also boasts Live Panorama mode which can “scan” a scene while the shutter button is pressed and allows you to quickly check you captured the entire shot, such as large groups of people before committing them to memory.

 

It features 12 Smart Filters for adding funky finishes to images such as a watercolour look or a cartoon capability to transform the images you shot even further. And a clever Pose Guide helps when shooting portraits while a built in Storyboard Maker helps you build a slide show or a movie – all shot on the camera.

 

Two other new cameras announced by Samsung include the WB750, the companies longest zoom ratio compact to date featuring a 18x-optical zoom lens and a 12.5-megapixel sensor and movie recording at up to 1000fps and Full HD video capture. 

 

 

Meanwhile the new Samsung NX200 compact system camera (in that it has interchangeable lenses) sports an APS-C-sized CMOS 20.3-megapixel sensor, HD movie capture, iFunction lens technology something that allows you to control a range of control parameters directly from the els without taking your eye of the shot.

 

Sony has also unveiled some new digicam kit revealing its Sony Alpha NEX-5N digital compact system camera. Of the NEX-5N Sony says it is: “Ultra-responsive and compact” and features a 16.1 megapixel sensor and Full HD 50p video.

 

The camera boasts Sony’s Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor technology, its new BIONZ processor enabling ISO 25600 high sensitivity shooting and Full HD Movie with 50p/25p capability. You can manual focus the lens and it features full manual P/A/S/M exposure controls and improved audio quality. 

 

It has a Tilt-angle 7.5cm (3”) Xtra Fine LCD touch-screen and easy-to-use Photo Creativity interface worth 10 fps continuous shooting (In Speed Priority Continuous mode) and it has a very neat-looking, slimline magnesium alloy body, just 23.3mm slim (Distance from front of body to LCD monitor screen surface). 

 

A pop up flash and the “fastest release time lag” of just 0.02-seconds making it the fastest of “any interchangeable lens camera in the world” according to Sony.

 

FUJIFILM has also unveiled a new enthusiast oriented digital camera in the shape of the X10.

The X10 is intended to set “new standards in the premium compact camera sector”. Its key features include a large 2/3-inch EXR-CMOS sensor with 12-megapixel resolute and high speed FUJINON lens with a 4x optical zoom. 

 

The camera also has an outstanding optical viewfinder, something many manufacturers are doing away today, in order make their cameras smaller (and cheaper) so is a welcome addition on this new Fuji. You also get full manual setting options and it has a built-in high performance flash, Full HD video and a precision-made metal body. Fuji claims the X10 is “aimed at demanding and ambitious photographers”.

 

Sony has come up with a clever bit of gear sure to be hungered after by gamers and movie enthusiasts alike and it is the companies new Personal 3D Viewer

 

 

Sony says with the new HMZ-T1 you can: “Enter your own personal world of High Definition 3D entertainment with the Personal 3D Viewer”. It provides an “immersive, High Definition 3D world of movies, Play more, see more, with OLED screens for gaming” and you get a “real cinematic experience with 5.1 virtual surround sound”.  

The new device is worn on the head and looks a little like the vision visor worn by the character Geordi La Forge from the TV show Star Trek The Next Generation, (but it’s much bigger). Sony says of the device:  “Experience something really new and exciting, not just an upgrade of what’s gone before”. 

 

The “Personal 3D Viewer” is the “world’s first 3D compatible Head Mounted Display equipped with high definition OLED panel”, it is a wearable headset with twin OLED displays and importunely simulated 5.1 surround sound (imagine how big (and heavy) it would be if you had four speakers and sub woofer to carry around on your bounce as well!) and is a truly immersive way to enjoy movies and games in High Definition and 3D. 

 

Philips has also been busy with IFA announcements. First is a new range of Fidelio docking speakers for both Android and Apple iPhone users. The Android Fidelio dock AS851 looks great, and creates a “more effective structure for acoustics”. The curved design works in conjunction with the precisely tuned bass pipes to create deep, tight bass reproduction with superb crystal-clear sound. Philips Digital sound processing gives realistic, distortion-less music and a 30W total output power” it says here.

 

Philips’ Fidelio SoundRing is, well exactly that, a docking speaker shaped like a ring and is available in versions with and without a built-in battery. The two models, the DS3880W and DS3800W feature two forward firing and two side firing drivers, helping provide an immersive and natural, room filling sound without the listener needing to be positioned directly in the speakers sweet spot.

 

 

Philips also unveiled an entire range of new flat panel TVs including a new version of the astonishingly beautiful Cinema 58” 21:9 Platinum and the new 50” PFL7956 21:9 Gold set – as part of the new seven series with the companies clever passive Easy 3D system. The 21:9 TV range provides a TV aspect ratio that means no black borders top and bottom when playing a widescreen movie on a “normal” TV.

 

Philip’s new TV range also includes the 46PFL9706, the EISA 3D TV of the year, with its special Moth Eye Filter and staggering 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

 

This so called Moth Eye anti reflective filter is inspired by nature and uses special nanostructures similar to those found in a moth’s eye. This anti-reflective filter works with the companies LED Pro screen technology to allow the TV to produce the deepest possible blacks and minimises reflections at the same time making 3D images appear as if floating in space. Very clever indeed.

 

Sony has announced another clever bit of kit too, something oft seen in sci-fi action movies, a b it of kit in the shape of digital video recording binoculars. The Sony DEV-5 and Sony DEV-3 give you get Full HD (1920 x 1080) video (DEV 5) recording with stereo sound, up to 20x magnification (for the DEV-5), SteadyShot Active Mode optical image stabilisation (for clearer viewing and recording) what Sony calls a “Minimal ‘stealth’ design” with ergonomic controls, HDMI connection to HD television or 3D TV and Geotagging with GPS (on the DEV-5 only). And they look cool too.

 

Sony’s new Blu ray player is the BDP-S185 and is reminiscent of the companies PS3 gaming console. With it you can enjoy Full HD movies, online entertainment and a stylish design allowing you to watch Blu-ray and DVD movies in High Definition, Stream movies, music and more from the Sony Entertainment Network and Easily share entertainment via USB and save energy too as it sues 47% less power than its previous counterparts.

 

In terms of arguably more mundane kit for the home, Dyson has (ahem...) Endeavoured to clean up again with it’s latest vacuum cleaner that’ll “follow everywhere you go” The latest development from the famed British appliance manufacturer is the The DC37, which runs on a ball and follows closely behind its user. 

 

“This ball technology gives much greater manoeuvrability and represents a distinct addition to our product range”, explains Erich Geisser, General Manager, Dyson Germany. Okay sounds cool but what else? Well, for a start the suction end is very clever, so clever in fact that it can identify what kind of surface it is cleaning using the aid of air pressure and a surface sensor that automatically causes the brushes to retract as soon as it registers a carpet, thus eliminating the need for foot pedals. 

 

The DC37 series also makes use of Dyson’s famed “radial root cyclone” technology to ensure that all minute particles of dust can also be removed. This vacuum cleaner will be in the shops in October 2011.

 

In terms of other interesting accessories, Apple Mac users have been treated to a Solar powered keyboard developed by Logitech. The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac comes in five colours, can be powered by light – even ambient indoor light – and can operate for up to three months in total darkness on a full charge.

 

SatNav get’s a Twitter revamp via TomTom’s new version of TomTom HD, that now has a version of Twitter that has been specially developed for navigation systems. In use, once a driver has decided on a destination, TomTom HD calculates the fastest route. Prior to starting the journey, with Twitter the user can send details about the destination to any followers, and the arrival time is constantly updated during the journey.

 

And Philips’ will launch one of the world’s first personal media players to be powered by Android. The GoGear Connect media player with “Android Gingerbread” (that’s the code name for it’s latest 2.3 upgrade) gives full access to the hundreds of thousands of apps and games on the Android Market.

 

The player, features inbuilt Wi-Fi and a bright high quality 3.2” capacitive touch screen, to allow users access all of the usual Android apps such as email, web browsing, YouTube and unlimited gaming.

 

It also features Philips patented FullSound, Sound Personalisation and Surround for Movies so no matter what is being listened to and where that is coming from, listeners can always enjoy the best possible sound quality.

 

• Check back soon for reviews of all the kit mentioned here and more from the last few days of announcements from IFA.