IFA 2016: It’s a wrap!
And just like that, IFA 2016 has come to an end — at least for us. While the event runs through September 7th, our editors are getting ready to head home to their respective countries. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of content on the way, so keep your eyes peeled to the site. Until then, enjoy our video recap of the best (and worst) things we saw this past week here in Berlin.
Acer’s 21-inch ‘laptop’ gives ridiculous a new name
Acer’s made gaming laptops before, but none of them are quite like this. The behemoth you see here is the Predator 21X, which is the most redonkulous notebook I’ve seen in my life. The term desktop replacement is quite literal here, as it has a massive 21-inch curved display. Indeed, it’s apparently the world’s first laptop to have such a distinction. And if that isn’t ridiculous enough, it actually has two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards with SLI under the hood. Two.
I checked it out here at IFA and it looks even bigger in person, if you can believe that. It is simply massive. An Acer spokesperson even told us it weighs a whopping 8 kg (17.7 pounds). Still, that giant screen with its 2,560 x 1,080 resolution does do a lot to immerse you in gameplay, and I can see it being used to watch movies as well. But the insanity doesn’t stop there. Underneath that massive display is Tobii’s eye-tracking tech, which lets you simply look at an enemy target to aim rather than having to fiddle around with a mouse or keyboard. I had a go at it after a brief tutorial, and I have to admit it was pretty fun to just press a spacebar to fire rather than having to deal with the WASD keys as well.
Speaking of that keyboard, the Predator 21X is equipped with rather gorgeous mechanical one, complete with Cherry MX switches and RGB illumination. It was a joy to type on, and I can see its appeal to those who love the feel of clicky keys. What’s more, the trackpad on the Predator 21X actually transforms into a number keypad — you simply turn it over to go from number puncher to hardcore gamer (and vice versa). It’s a feature we’ve seen before, but it’s still cool to see it here.
The Predator 21X is a giant in specs as well as in size. Along with those two NVIDIA cards, it also has the latest 7th-generation Intel Core processor, a 4.2-channel audio system with Dolby Audio support and 5 system fans, three of which are AeroBlade metal models for even better cooling. There was no specs given regarding battery life, but there’s no way you’d want to leave this without power for long anyway.
Pricing and availability is still yet to be determined, but Acer tells us it should start shipping early next year. Still, we bet something like this will likely cost more than your average gaming rig. Better start saving your pennies now.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
DJI exec hints at future pocket-sized camera drones
It’s a simple question: How would you sell my Dad a drone? Right now, most drone buyers are professionals, hobbyists or video enthusiasts. That leaves a pretty big number of people not currently browsing for a quadcopter. At least, not yet. My Dad is one of those people, so if you can sell him one, you’re onto something. When I asked that question to Adam Najberg, DJI’s Global Director of Communications, his answer was simple: “Size is going to be an issue. Also ease of use.” So something smaller and simpler. No surprises there. But Najberg represents one of the biggest names in drones, so when he tells me what such a drone might look like, I listen.
“If I can take it out of my jacket pocket and throw it up into the air, or just put it on the ground and push a button, and it goes up and it takes a photo […] that’s the kind of functionality.” Right now, DJI makes no such product. It’s current consumer series, the Phantom, is probably what most people think of when they imagine a quadcopter. It’s portable, with a backpack, but not small by any measure. The flagship Phantom 4 is easy enough to fly, but my pops is unlikely to get past the manual. There are already several “selfie drones” available or in production, but nothing that’s really nailed it. DJI is well placed to change this.
It was here at IFA, that DJI chose to announce the $300 Osmo Mobile. A hand-held steady grip for your phone. This is the first product DJI has made aimed at, well, everyone. Previous Osmo grips came with a 4K camera built-in, and were priced way out of the casual user’s range (until recently, starting at over $700). DJI already has enterprise solutions, and caters to the build your own crowd, so it only follows that the next audience to tap is, well, that elusive everyone else.
A current trend in consumer drones is the use of 360-degree cameras and VR headsets. These are two hot technologies right in general, but I’m not sure how practical they are for mass-market drone appeal. After all, 360 video and VR don’t really gain much by adding a drone into the mix, at least not for most people. Najberg agrees. “We’re hearing that people want this, but we need to hear it from a big enough swath of the market.”
The biggest clue as to where DJI is looking next, perhaps, might not be the Osmo Mobile, but the phone it holds. Much like both VR and 360 cameras, the key to getting people excited about them is make it work with tech that we already have. Google’s Cardboard/Daydream, Samsung’s Gear VR or the latest mobile-friendly 360 cameras, they all have the phone at their center. DJI realized that the phone in everyone’s pocket made them a potential customer for the Osmo Mobile, so why not its drones?
Parrot, Ghost and (my new friend) Dobby all make drones that replace the traditional hand held radio controller with an app on your phone, so when Najberg tells me “What it comes down to is, if you have that phone in your pocket, it can become a controller for a lifestyle drone… then why not?” It’s hard not to imagine where this could be applied to DJI. For now though, the company’s keeping my old man guessing.
We’re live all week from Berlin, Germany, for IFA 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Android Central’s Top Picks from IFA 2016!
The best of the best from Berlin.
There’s a lot of tech here at IFA in Berlin, as is often the case. OK, that’s one hell of an understatement. There’s a LOT of tech here at IFA. Some from the usual players. A whole lot from folks we’ve, frankly, never heard of.
And that’s maybe the hardest part of these jaunts. Not the jet lag. Not the time away from home. No, it’s sorting through all the awesomeness that gets crammed into the Messe Berlin and put on display for the world to see.
But we’ve managed to narrow it down a bit. Here, now, are Android Central’s Top Picks from IFA 2016.
ASUS ZenWatch 3
We were maybe expecting a little more Android Wear than we ended up seeing. But what we got was pretty darn good. The ASUS ZenWatch 3 is one of the first entries into the new generation of Android Wear. Three buttons. A fully round face (and that’s the big new feature for ASUS). And looks that might well surprise you. It’s also one of the first to use the new Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor.
Read: Hands-on with ASUS ZenWatch 3
ASUS ZenPad 3S 10
You think it wouldn’t be too hard to find a good Android tablet. But there are some that stand out from the fray. And the ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 has been one of those this show. It’s a 9.7-inch QXGA (that’s 2048 by 1536) tablet that’s as slim as it is good-looking.
Huawei MediaPad M3
Take a Huawei phone and make it really big. That’s the Huawei MediaPad M3. In fact, you could almost call it a huge Nexus 6P-type device, if only for the one thing that continues to weigh like an anchor on the Chinese company’s devices. That’s the software, of course.
Read our Huawei MediaPad M3 review
Huawei Nova / Nova Plus
Huawei dropped not just one phone on us, but two — the Nova and Nova Plus. The former very much looks like a smaller Nexus 6P, actually. The latter scales things up both in size and internals, and is a very capable mid-ranger.
Read our Huawei Nova and Nova Plus preview
Lenovo Yoga Book (Android)
If there’s one thing folks are talking about at IFA, this is it. A folio-style tablet, erm, laptop, it’s got a 10.1-inch display on one side and a sort of giant glass trackpad on the other, connected with Lenovo’s incredible watchband hinge. Its pen input is incredible. It’s a crazy thing. And it doesn’t break the bank. (There’s also a Windows version, if that’s how you roll.) Our only real question is how well the flat keyboard will work in everyday use.
[Check out our Yoga Book hands-on!)(http://www.androidcentral.com/lenovo-yoga-book-aims-be-what-pixel-c-never-was.cta).large
Moto Z Play & Hasselblad True Zoom Mod
Want the modular fun of the Moto Z, but don’t want the high-end price tag? That’s where the Moto Z Play comes in. And along with it we have the incredibly interesting Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod, which gives you a 10x optical zoom with a 12MP sensor, all in that same Moto Mod size.
Read our Moto Z Play Preview
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier and Classic
Samsung’s Gear S2 won over a lot of smartwatch skeptic. The Gear S3 — in its two new versions, Frontier and Classic — looks to continue that trend. Samsung’s packing even more functionality in there, and it’s coming at these watches from a watch-first standpoint. While the tech stuff may have second billing, it’s definitely not been done with any less attention to detail.
Read our Samsung Gear S3 preview
Sony Xperia XZ
If you’ve been confused by Sony’s move from the Xperia Z brand to the Xperia X brand, well, this phone’s not going to help with that at all. But what you need to know is that Sony’s flagship design is in good form. If only there weren’t one or two features that continue to dog the Japanese manufacturer. Still, this is a very capable phone.
Read our Sony Xperia XZ review
Sony Xperia X Compact
If you want a small phone — and we don’t just mean “not huge” — then there’s only one place to turn. That’s Sony. And it’s back with a new Xperia X Compact that takes things down to 4.6 inches, with a 720p display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor.
Check out our Xperia X Compact hands-on!
ZTE Axon 7 Mini
Love the idea of the ZTE Axon 7 but want something just a bit smaller? This is it. This 5.2-inch phone scales things down in all the right places while keeping things plenty speedy.
Check out our Axon 7 Mini hands-on
What are your favorite new Android gadgets from IFA? Shout out in the comments!
Telltale’s second ‘Batman’ episode arrives September 20th
Telltale took its sweet time readying the first episode of its Batman adventure game series, but you won’t have to wait too long to see what happens next. The studio has announced that the second episode, Children of Arkham, arrives on September 20th on Windows (through Steam), PS4 and Xbox One. Mum’s the word on what happens in the next episode (some PAX West guests will already know by the time you read this), but it’s reasonable to presume that it’ll continue to balance Bruce Wayne’s attempt to balance his normal life with his vigilante side.
There’s more on the way, too. If you insist on a disc-based copy, you can buy the previously unveiled retail version (which includes the first episode and a season pass for the rest) on September 13th. And you should hear about more platform support this month — if you aren’t willing to switch devices just to follow the Caped Crusader’s exploits, you may be in luck.
Source: Telltale Games
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