Technologizer

IFA: Still More Photos

Saturday, August 30, 2008

I’m still playing catchup with all the photos I took on the IFA show floor… A company called Vogel’s was showing neat remote-controlled mounts for flat-screen TVs. I hope that the Yellow Pages people don’t get wind of Vogel’s slogan, though: If you told me that Toyota was exhibiting at CES in Las Vegas, I’d assume they [...]

IFA: It’s Not Just a Coke Machine, It’s the Hub of Your Digital Lifestyle

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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In the United States, about the furthest Coke machines get away from their core purpose of selling you a Coke is selling you a Diet Mr. Pibb. In Berlin, where I’ve been visiting the IFA consumer electronics show, I ran across some Coke machines that sell you ringtones, music downloads, and games, and which double [...]

IFA: One Laptop, No Child

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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Unlike most tradeshows in the U.S.–which are open only to grown-ups who are involved in the trade in question–the IFA show in Berlin is open to the general public, and some attendees bring their offspring. In fact, there’s an area called the Kids’ Playground, which is basically a couple of rooms equipped with electronic toys [...]

The T-List: Special German Edition!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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My trip to Berlin for the IFA electronics show is winding down, but I still have stuff to talk about. And it’s a slow news day. So here’s a T-List about my visit–be thankful it’s not in German!

IFA: A Few More Photos

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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My time at the IFA electronics show is winding down, but I’m still catching up on reporting back here on everything I’ve seen on the show floor. Herewith, a few more items… Beko had a booth full of pretty generic looking TVs and other products, but in a world chock-full of electronics companies with pompous taglines, [...]

IFA: Yet Another Monster to Keep Track of

Saturday, August 30, 2008

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In the U.S., we have both Monster the cable company and Monster the job-hunting service. That’s confusing enough–the San Francisco 49ers play at Monster Park (née Candlestick Park), and I can never remember which Monster it’s named after. Here at IFA, there’s yet another Monster on the show floor. This one makes…$1200 ironing board/iron combos that [...]

IFA: Convergence in the Kitchen, Kinda Sorta

Friday, August 29, 2008

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IFA has been doing consumer electronics for far longer than anyone’s called them consumer electronics. (The show dates back to 1924; in 1930, the keynote was given by Albert Einstein, who talked about a newfangled device know as television.) This is the first year that the show’s focus has broadened to include appliances as well [...]

IFA: A Cow-Spotted Yoda Laptop Vesta Makes

Friday, August 29, 2008

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The Empire Strikes Back’s Yoda has appeared on notebooks–of the spiral-bound kind. PC manufacturer has been synonymous with cow spots for more than two decades–but if they’ve ever made a cow-spotted PC, I’ve forgotten about it. And then there’s Turkish electronics and appliance manufacturer Vesta. Here at IFA, they’re showing a notebook that A) has a [...]

IFA: The Luxury of Leather…in a TV?

Friday, August 29, 2008

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The IFA show floor (floors, actually–the event takes place in multiple halls spread over numerous buildings) is full of flat-scren TVs we probably won’t be seeing in the U.S., from companies I’ve never heard of. Some of ‘em look pretty nice, such as those from Loewe, a German company that specializes in stylish sets at [...]

IFA: The First 200-Hz LCD TVs Are Here! But From Who?

Friday, August 29, 2008

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I’ve been spending the day at IFA, the giant consumer electronics show in Berlin that’s Europe’s equivalent of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. I’m having a good time, but one conclusion I’ve drawn so far is that CES has the edge when it comes to major announcements about flashy new technologies and jaw-dropping [...]

IFA Starts Today

Thursday, August 28, 2008

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I’m in Berlin to attend IFA, the giant consumer electronics tradeshow; besides roaming the floors to find stuff to cover here, I’m participating on two panels at the show today. One’s on smart home appliances; the other is on “Guessing Apple’s Next Moves.” Good topics, both–I’ll report back here on where each of the conversations [...]

Meet Miss IFA, the Patron Saint of Consumer Electronics

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

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I’ve attended hundreds of trade shows, but I’ve never been been to one whose spirit is represented by a human spokesmascot. Until now, that is. I’m in Berlin to attend this week’s IFA, a giant event that’s the European equivalent of the U.S.’s Consumer Electronics Show. And IFA has Miss IFA, who “represents the dynamic and [...]