Review
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October 2024
ertonline.co.uk
confusing Messe grounds. And of course, there were plenty of left-field surprises to see…
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The latest iteration of Samsung’s Ballie AI companion robot is also able to double as a mobile video projector. It can cast TV shows and movies onto conveniently clear walls, with nothing but a voice command. Looking a lot like a downsized R2D2, this perambulating sphere is able to autonomously complete tasks around the home, can interact with SmartThings connected devices, will monitor your household pets for you when you’re away, and even answer phone calls. Sadly, Ballie remains a concept product for now, but its consumer appeal is obvious.
Size doesn’t matter
The big Samsung booth, in its regular City Cube location, was light on new product announcements, but majored on AI concepts and themes.
One Samsung prototype that caught my eye was a transparent Micro LED display. As it’s assembled from Micro LED display blocks, any aspect ratio or size is achievable. On the Samsung booth it presented animations of a cat, virtual fish and weather updates, all looking beautifully bright and sharp. Back in the real world, Panasonic surprised with a flurry of product announcements. It unveiled its new party Speaker, the SC- BMAX5E-K, complete with dancing LED light show, as well as new wireless headphones and earphones, the RB-M600B and RZ-B120W. Stablemate Technics added a new Midnight Blue colourway for its highly regarded EAH-AZ80 True Wireless earbuds, as well as a new vinyl turntable, the Technics Grand Class Turntable SL-1300G. Perhaps the big Technics surprise though was its SC-CX700 wireless Hi-Fi active bookshelf speakers. Beautifully finished and sounding remarkably good on the Panasonic booth, these new enclosures are very much
aimed at the buyer of KEF’s popular LS50 range, and its rivals. With direct connections for analogue turntable and TV over HDMI ARC, this speaker looks to be a strong alternative to everyday soundbars.
SharkNinja had everyone drooling with its Ninja Slushi frozen drink maker; a viral hit for the brand, the Slushi can produce a frozen drink from virtually any liquid – all without ice. The demand for custom cocktails is clearly immense. I was also rather taken with LG’s PuriCare air purifier, which comes with a dome shaped seat for your cat. Said heated seat even has weight monitoring functionality! The system comes with an attachable step to help elderly moggies get up. It’s part of the LG ThinQ smart home stable.
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A real showstopper! In the run up to the event, I heard more than a few concerns that IFA might underperform, as it rebuilds after the Pandemic. But wandering throughout the many halls, it was buzzing. Canadian rocker Bryan Adams kicked things off with a high energy concert in the IFA Sommergarten! Organisers reported attendance was up 18 per cent from last year, and official figures revealed that more than 215,000 visitors attended, including more than 133,000 trade attendees from 138 countries. In total, there were more than 1,800 exhibitors to visit, all dotted around the perennially
Personally, I don’t see why cats should have all the fun… An upsized version I can clamber onto for a warming snooze sounds just about purrfect. Maybe LG will have one ready for IFA 101?!
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