IFA 2014: all the news from Europe’s biggest tech show – The Verge

Xperia Z3 is coming to T-Mobile, but that’s just the beginning of Sony’s US adventure

2014-10-04T00:02:22-04:00

Exactly a month ago, in the maelstrom of news coming out of IFA in Berlin, T-Mobile quietly disclosed what might have been expected by many: it'll offer Sony's next flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z3, in the US later this fall. T-Mobile has been the only major American carrier to embrace Sony's Xperia family in recent times, however that relationship is now intensifying and should be followed by others soon as well. Whereas earlier Sony flagship handsets would take many months to reach the US market after their European debut, the timeline for the Z3 on T-Mobile suggests it is pretty much imminent. Moreover, when queried about the Xperia Z3 …

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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 and Gear S Swarovski editions scream of opulence

2014-09-07T06:00:55-04:00

This summer, Samsung and Swarovski formalized an agreement to collaborate on producing special edition accessories for the Korean company's devices. It started with the Galaxy S5 and Gear Fit and, at IFA this week, it continued with a pair of grandiose new limited editions. The new Gear S Tizen smartwatch and the Galaxy Note 4 Android phablet will both come with exclusive silver and gold variations that are adorned with densely packed Swarovski crystals. The effect upon the eyes is searing, particularly when set against the Swarovski-encrusted demo area in which Samsung was showing the two devices off.

The Swarovski glitz actually goes nice …

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Nest’s Matt Rogers: ‘we don’t sell ads, we sell products’

2014-09-07T01:59:05-04:00

Nest co-founder, former Apple intern, and Nilay Patel's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge nominee, Matt Rogers was on hand at IFA 2014 to deliver one of the opening keynotes for the show. Announcing that the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest Protect fire alarm are coming to the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, and France later this month, Rogers also took some time to detail the company's founding principles. Among them is the belief that Nest is a guest in every customer's home and it must respect and maintain the trust shown with every purchase.

You don't have to connect your Nest thermostat to the internet or to any other devices capable of communica …

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The Galaxy Alpha is Samsung’s most beautiful phone ever

2014-09-06T15:15:30-04:00

I've already written about the subtle but important upgrade that Samsung made to its Note series with the addition of a metal frame to the new Note 4 and Note Edge devices. But preceding them on the announcement calendar was the similarly metal-rimmed Galaxy Alpha, which until today looked like a promising alternative to the Galaxy S5. Now that I've held it in my hands, I can say it's so much more than that.

The Galaxy Alpha is terrifically thin and light, though that's not the first thing you'll notice about it. It happens to be damn good looking too. The sheen from those polished edges makes all the difference, combining with the lustrous …

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Samsung’s bendable TV is more impressive flat than curved

2014-09-06T09:20:02-04:00

I came, I saw, and I still don't know what Samsung has conquered. Creating a 105-inch TV that can bend on command is an undeniable feat of engineering, but it doesn't seem like anyone stopped to ask why we'd actually want one. Samsung's massive new prototype TV takes pride of place in the entryway to the company's grand IFA venue. It flexes back and forth between a flat and curved state with a smooth and unhurried motion. There's a pretty lady to one side and a blue-shirted demo dude to the other who'll explain how awesome the technology is.

I've seen this act before, when an LG rep with a clicker excitedly kept switching modes on its benda …

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Why phone companies care more about the camera on the front than the back

2014-09-05T12:13:09-04:00

At IFA yesterday, two new smartphones were announced with 8-megapixel cameras. That could be said pretty much every September for the past three years, but what's peculiar about the HTC Desire 820 and Lenovo Vibe Z2 is that their high-resolution cameras are on the front of the device: designed to help people take pictures of themselves rather than the world around them. Both also have 13-megapixel rear cameras, of course, however no one's talking about them. The age of mobile photography is transmogrifying into the era of selfie - and smartphone makers are changing their phones to keep up.

Selfie phones are all the rage at IFA

HTC and Lenovo …

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What difference does sapphire make in smartphone displays?

2014-09-05T09:10:58-04:00

The increasing use of premium materials in smartphones has gone hand in hand with the trend of them being presented as lifestyle and fashion items rather than mere gadgets. This year has seen the HTC One set a new design benchmark for Android (and now Windows Phone) handsets, Samsung switching to using real metal in its phones, and Sony refining a design language built around tempered glass and aluminum. But the hot new story is sapphire. Apple has committed an entire factory in Arizona to the full-time production of the ultra tough and scratch-resistant material, and all signs point to it planning to use it in the display for at least one o …

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Stop trying to sell me wrist-worn smartphones

2014-09-04T14:07:30-04:00

Smartwatches have a big problem.

I don't blame Google or Android Wear. Hell, I don't even blame LG, Motorola, Asus, Sony, or Samsung. These guys are all trying to get ahead of the incoming iWatch and deliver products that will, at least momentarily, sate our constant urge for novel gadgets. But they're all completely insane if they think their oversized Android Wear and Tizen wrist devices can be considered smartwatches. These are chopped-down smartphones that are nonetheless still far too large to be attached to the average human wrist.

Everyone seems to be going down the same route of trying to shrink smart technology to the size of a wa …

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This is the LG G Watch R

2014-09-04T10:00:19-04:00

Work on the G Watch R, says LG, began more than two years ago. This fully circular smartwatch may be running Android Wear and competing against the likes of the Moto 360 and Asus ZenWatch, but LG argues that it's the product of a long-term project rather than a kneejerk reaction. The 1.3-inch OLED screen on the G Watch is the first mass-produced round display of its kind, which is indeed the sort of innovation that takes years of planning to complete. LG has committed just as much time on the design, which has been inspired by the forms and styles of luxury cars, classical watches, and other jewelry. Set to launch in October, the G Watch R m …

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Lenovo’s ThinkPad Helix laptop / tablet hybrid is now thinner and cheaper

2014-09-04T08:30:02-04:00

The Lenovo Helix was one of the more interesting concepts we've seen in the ongoing effort to merge tablets and laptops, but it suffered from some design implementation issues and a high price point. Lenovo's trying to fix both of those issues with the a newly-updated Lenovo Helix model - while the tablet portion still weighs in at a somewhat-hefty 1.8 pounds, its now 15 percent thinner than its predecessor. Hopefully that'll help with the somewhat top-heavy awkwardness we felt when using the original Helix. The screen stays the same size at 11.6 inches and features a 1080p resolution, just like the original model.

Rather than use full Inte …

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