What the show has in store
IFA is so very nearly upon us. Throughout the halls of the Messe Berlin, the world’s tech giants prepare to do battle. New products are announced, innovations are unveiled, companies lay down their cards to be judged. You can expect Pocket-lint to be overflowing with exciting news over the coming days, before the show opens to the public.
IFA was once about radio, then all about TV, but this year there could be plenty of exciting stuff happening on the mobile front. With Photokina (the IFA of photography) coming up in September, expect camera launches to be few and far between. Whatever happens, IFA will set the standard for must-have tech this Christmas in Europe.
Of course, you can read all our IFA 2012 news, as it happens, on our dedicated IFA 2012 home page.
Smartphones
IFA should be big on mobile, especially where Samsung is concerned. Most will be trying to get any major plays they have in the smartphone market out before Apple’s big iPhone launch rumoured for mid September.
Galaxy Note 2
Samsung’s replacement to the original Note “phablet” has been confirmed for launch at IFA on 29 September. After a full specs leak, we are all but set up on the Galaxy Note 2 front. Expect a 16:9 720p screen, quad-core processor and 8-megapixel camera. Read more.
HTC Desire X
A bit of mid-range fun from HTC in the form of a new Desire phone. While we can’t be absolutely sure this is going to pop up at IFA, it is entirely possible. Rumours point to a less-than-exciting 4-inch Super LCD screen, 1GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera. Ice Cream Sandwich is a nice, but necessary, touch. Read more.
LG Optimus G
The Optimus G is all about display. This is a phone LG?is particularly proud of and could be a serious rival to the Note’s thunder. A 320ppi pixel density screen sounds exciting enough, as is its ability to put out 470 nits of brightness while using 70 per cent less battery power. It has been?announced?for Korea, but with LTE moving into Europe, will it make a European debut? Read more.
Acer Liquid Gallant
Ice Cream Sandwich and a dual-SIM slot (option) make this Acer phone more exciting than its previous efforts. The 4.3-inch screen with 960 x 540 resolution is a lot less exciting, but then this phone is likely to be a mid-range or budget piece of kit. Read more.
Acer normally has a run of?announcements?for IFA, so we’re sure there will be more to come.
Sony Xperia SL
Sony quietly slipped out the Sony Xperia SL with no fanfare, but we’re expecting it to feature in Sony’s keynote speech and hope to get to play with it on the stand. It features a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, a 4.3-inch HD display and 12-megapixel camera. It sounds like little more than a refresh of the Sony Xperia S, but arrives with Ice Cream Sandwich. Read more.
Sony Xperia J
Also doing the rumour rounds from Sony is the Xperia J. This is an affordable Android handset which, judging by the design of the case, looks to pick-up on some of the design points of the Xperia Arc – and that was a?beautiful?device. Expect a 4-inch display backed by lower-spec hardware. Read more.
Tablets
Windows 8 tablets are likely to be a talking point of IFA this year. The operating system is due out on 26 October alongside Windows 8 RT, the tablet version of the OS. IFA could easily become the showcase event for Windows tablets set for release at Christmas. Naturally, expect Android to be making an appearance on tablets also.
Sony Xperia Tablet
Leaked slides of a new Sony tablet running possibly on Jelly Bean have appeared, followed by more-detailed press shots. Pegged as a successor to the less than successful Sony Tablet S, launched at IFA 2011, this could make good on Sony’s plans for portables. Expect an appearance at IFA after the Sony keynote. Read more.
Sony Vaio Duo 11
Another tablet/hybrid from Sony, this one is going to be based on Microsoft’s new operating system. Featuring a fold away keyboard and a stylus, something fairly new to the Windows tablet market. We don’t have many details on the tablet yet, but expect an announcement at IFA. Read more.
Samsung Windows 8 tablet
In keeping with its teasing tradition, Samsung has hinted at a Windows 8 tablet hybrid announcement for IFA. The teaser suggests a full Qwerty keyboard and a touchscreen. There is also something that looks like a stylus included in the tablet. Read more.
Cameras
As we said previously, it is likely that cameras are held back for Photokina although don’t expect IFA to be entirely barren. Not a lot yet, however, but Pocket-lint will be running about making sure any exciting camera news is covered. We’ve seen recent leaks from Sony and Fujifilm, both of which look convincing.
Samsung Galaxy S camera
Quite a stir could be caused by this Samsung camera. Rumoured to be running on Android, this snapper is likely to draw on Samsung’s current Galaxy design philosophy, while adding a powerful lens and top-quality sensor. Said to be about twice the thickness of a Galaxy S III and with a 10x optical zoom and 16-megapixel sensor, it might be quite a camera – or a work of fiction. Read more.
Televisions
IFA likes a good telly and with the excitement of 3D all but over, who knows what could be talk of the televisual town in Berlin this year? We might see a few 4K displays and possibly even something in Super Hi-Vision, but in all likelihood IPTV and Smart televisions are going to be the biggest deal.
Samsung super luxury TV
Samsung already has quite a big set of televisions that we would say are luxurious. Not luxury enough apparently, and the big S has announced plans to roll out something really swish at IFA. We can only guess at this point, but we imagine the words 4K will be uttered. Read more.
LG TM2792 Personal Smart TV
This 27-inch Full HD IPS display features things such as 3D and smartshare, which lets you browse music and movies on your smartphone. The small screen size suggests this is something that will be a second screen. Given its appearance at IFA, it will likely hit the shop shelves sooner than you think. Read more.
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Televisions Smartphones Cameras Tablets Laptops IFA2012 Features
IFA 2012: The gadgets we’re expecting to see originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:58:00 +0100