Philips 9000 series 4K TVs eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/philips-9000-series/

We heard about that 65-inch, award-winning Philips 4K set a while back, and earlier today, we finally got to see the thing trotted out on stage in all of its ultra high-def glory. Turns out it's also got a bigger sibling, an 84-incher. We managed to get up close and personal with both of the sets on the floor, sitting side by side in Philips' booth. The bezels on the 9000s are reasonably thin, though not nearly as svelte as we've seen on the sort of sets that Samsung and Sony like to trot out. Same goes for the profile -- if you're really interested i! n the th innest 4K sets on the market, you're going to want to look elsewhere -- not shocking, of course, as the company is positioning these as budget sets. Ultra high-definition for the people.

The sets are available today in the UK and Russia, priced at €4,999 ($6,588)and and €14,999 ($19,768), respectively. You can get a bit of a closer look at them in the gallery below.%Gallery-slideshow79655%

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Mobile

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Lenovo's mid-range 'Flex' line includes two Yoga-like laptops, a portable all-in-one (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/lenovo-flex-14-15-20-hands-on/

It's pretty much a given that everything we love about flagships will eventually make their way into more affordable products. And why shouldn't that include the form factors themselves? In addition to unveiling the Yoga 2 (as well as the ThinkPad Yoga for business), Lenovo is trotting out two additional convertibles, with prices that put them squarely in the middle tier. Meanwhile, the company also announced the Flex 20, a 19.5-inch, battery-powered all-in-one that's basically a smaller, cheaper version of the Horizon PC announced earlier this year.

Starting with the laptops, the Flex 14 and 15, as they're called, each resemble the Yoga in that the screen folds backward, allowing you to use the notebook in different positions. Here, though, it only goes 300 back degrees, not 360, meaning you can't use these products in tablet mode. Basically, then, your choices are to use it as a traditional notebook, or fold the screen over into "Stand" mode (pictured above), with the screen facing outward, and the keyboard planted face-down. %Gallery-slideshow73860%%Gallery-slideshow73861%

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Lenovo

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Lenovo Vibe X stuffs 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core chip into slim and light body

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/lenovo-vibe-x-ideaphone-s960-mt6589t/

While Lenovo's Snapdragon 800-powered phone has yet to make an official appearance, the Chinese company's gone ahead and unveiled its other quad-core flagship device: the Vibe X aka IdeaPhone S960. Much like most of its recent siblings, this Android 4.2 slate is powered by a MediaTek SoC -- the quad-core 1.5GHz MT6589T, specifically, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. There's also a 5-inch 1080p IPS display and a 2,000mAh internal battery, along with a 5-megapixel, 84-degree front-facing camera plus a 13-megapixel main imager on the back. As you'd expect, the camera app will come with face enhancement features for your bad skin days, and Lenovo also teases a "full-featured" photo app that lets you organize your photos (with tags and folders), as well as making puzzles with them.

Thanks to Gorilla Glass 3 and the "premium polycarbonate body" (with "fabric-like surface" and side chrome accents), the overall package weighs 121g only and is just 6.9mm thick -- the same thickness as the slightly larger but metallic, Intel-powered K900. Also, while the Vivo X3 with the same MediaTek chip and battery capacity is way thinner at 5.75mm (sorry, Huawei!), do bear in mind that its 5-inch display only has a 720p resolution.

There's no price nor a date just yet, but as with most Lenovo phones these days, we've been told that the Vibe X will not be entering either Europe or the US. As the Chinese saying goes: you can quench thirst by thinking of the plums. By "plums" we mean the press release and our first impressions after the break. %Gallery-slideshow79651% %Gallery-slideshow79657%

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Lenovo

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Samsung announces the world's first curved UHD TVs at IFA 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/samsung-reveals-the-world-s-first-curved-uhd-tvs-at-ifa-2013/

You didn't think Samsung was done announcing TVs at IFA yet, did you? This time, Samsung's folded two of its new TV notions into one set, announcing the world's first curved Ultra High Definition TVs. They don't appear to be OLED (so our money's on LED), but the new screens will be available in both 55-and 65-inch sizes. the company saying that differently-sized curved UHD TVs sets will come, "based on consumer response", so if people are buying 'em big, these high-pixel curves could get bigger too -- Samsung's range of flat 4K TVs now stretches to a one-percenter-baiting 98 inches. At almost the same time, Sony has just taken the wraps off its own curved display, a 65-inch LED TV -- but it's not UHD. Hyun-suk Kim, executive VP of Visual Display, reckons the new TVs are another milestone for the company, and will "invigorate" the UHD market, one that's only just taking its first steps.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Hands-on with the LG G Pad 8.3 (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/05/hands-on-lg-g-pad-8-3/

LG announced its new slate, complete with specs, ahead of IFA, but the tradeshow is our first opportunity to see the G Pad 8.3 in the flesh -- or in the aluminum package, as it were. The company is positioning this tablet as the first full HD tablet in the 8.0-inch category, and as the device best optimized for one-handed use. Specific as those distinctions may be, they do sound pretty appealing.

First thing's first: the G Pad 8.3 in our hands today is not the final version that will ship at the end of the month. LG likely has some software kinks to work out, but it's safe to say that today's model gives us a good idea of what consumers can expect. The G Pad is part of LG's flagship G series line, which includes high-end handsets like the Optimus G Pro and the recently announced G2. As such, this guy looks like a bigger version of its smartphone siblings, which is to say it looks quite nice. The bezels are almost non-existent, and the backside features a silver aluminum backing -- it's a nice contrast to the Pad's black or white plastic finish. The 8.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 IPS panel provides the vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles that you'd expect; we've seen similarly high caliber displays on other LG devices like the Optimus G Pro.

At 338 grams, the G Pad is extremely light; a rep made sure to point out that some paperback books even weigh more. Less weight means the tablet is easier to hold in one hand -- even with LG reps talking up the device's featherweight footprint, we found it surprisingly insubstantial. More than the weight, though, the device's 126.5mm makes it quite comfortable to use. And guess what? It can also fit in a jacket pocket, which may or may not improve your life dramatically. LG utilized data collected by the Korean government about the average hand size in order to arrive at an optimal width for the tablet. We found the slate quite comfortable to grasp with just one hand; it didn't feel like a stretch to grasp across the device.%Gallery-slideshow79665%

Filed under: Tablets, LG

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