September 6, 2010 at 12:44Thoughts on IFA: 3D, tablets and other imposed crap
So I returned from the IFA exhibition, but our materials on it have not yet ended - now in Moscow the active phase of editing the footage in Berlin begins, today a video with all IFA tablets should appear.
And while I'm thinking about trends. The main trend has remained the same - three-dimensional television, aggressively imposed on the population, which is visible in Germany even without glasses: in all large supermarkets in Berlin, 3D demo zones are installed, and the amount of advertising for three-dimensional TVs is off the charts. Everything is clear: when the production of televisions became less and less profitable, brands desperately needed a new driver, because the HD-picture with all the special effects no longer gave a wow effect. They took cardboard glasses with colored glasses from the mezzanine, dusted off them, rebranded them and - voila! - For many years now, the television industry has been rolling in the 3D direction. Let me remind you that the first 3D-TV was shown here, on IFA, back in 1998. Manufacturers are not stopped by the fact that that when viewing a three-dimensional picture, many eyes begin to hurt and headaches appear, they do not think about it yet, and forge furiously while hot. It seems to me that soon a series of lawsuits awaits the manufacturers from those whose health turned out to be undermined, and in the future 3D films will be accompanied by the inscriptions “not recommended for viewing by children and who have contraindications for health”. Be that as it may, this train cannot be stopped already, and those brands that did not have time to jump onto its bandwagon did it at IFA 2010.
Technology leaders, meanwhile, have consolidated their position. For example, Panasonic was the first to offer a complete, complete 3D ecosystem, logically assuming that consumers just need to watch the “three-dimensional”, but they also need to produce it. This is so far the only company that produces the whole range of consumer products of this class: on Panasonic cameras you can shoot 3D images on an amateur SDT750 camera, using the company's Blu-Ray / 3D players you can play it, and, of course, broadcast it on 3D TVs. Moreover, not only LCDs, the Japanese were also the first to give out "three-dimensional plasma" - a new model range of 3D / FullHD-TVs of the GT and VT series. Only Samsung has similar developments, however, Koreans do not focus on their marketing efforts, focusing on LED technology. The Dutch company Philips performed smoothly, having prepared my existing models for a 3D picture, and it was at the Philips booth that I first heard at IFA the term 3D-Ready, similar to the recent HD-Ready. High-end cinema television with an aspect ratio of 21: 9 turned out to be “ready” for 3D. But another trend of the company, which Philips has not particularly pedalized yet, is particularly impressive - the Dutch are actively developing technologies for watching 3D television without glasses, and, apparently, next year they will show commercial samples. This is already quite interesting - so far the main limitation of this technology is that the picture looks three-dimensional only from a right angle. However, not 3D alone - LG, for example, in the new LEX8, in addition to supporting three-dimensional images, had a super-slim design (1.25 cm thick!) And added a good sound, for which two seven-watt speakers are responsible. Besides,
The second trend was also obvious, he migrated from two previous IFA exhibitions, at which TV manufacturers found out that the consumer, it turns out, wants to go online from the TV without getting up off the couch. And give them not the “bare” Internet, but already specially selected, configured and optimized for viewing on large screens and controlling from the remote control. In this trend, technological developments are no longer so important as the ability of companies to negotiate - lawyers actively interacting with online content providers went into battle, and whoever finds an approach to more companies will win. Almost all large companies have their own Internet TV projects: Philips, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba ... Most often, “television” lends itself to video (Youtube) and photo hosting (Flickr), weather and news services, Sports online resources and communication services - both text messengers (Gmail) and voice messengers, for example, Skype. Manufacturers use various adaptation technologies - they re-invent browsers, develop all sorts of widgets, but everything goes to the same thing: soon Internet services can be used on a TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies. Soon, Internet services can be used on TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies. Soon, Internet services can be used on TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies.
It is much more surprising that, as a result of convergence, the Android mobile platform made it to IFA - they brought it here on their fragile touch screens, tablets, they are also “tablets”. Thank you, Apple: if earlier, after the very first iPhone was released, most manufacturers had long been aware of the prospects of the product and turned their nose away from it, now this is not observed - after the iPad came out, those companies that can produce tablets immediately started developing. At IFA 2010, several brands made their debut with tablets. So, the main characters of the “zero” day (the day for the press) were not televisions, but tablets - Galaxy TAB from Samsung and Toshiba Folio 100. And if the Koreans, without further ado, “jumped” from the Galaxy S smartphone, leaving their 7-inch the tablet the ability to call then the Japanese put a more serious technological-ideological concept under Folio. Like, you can watch the same content on different screens, and if you join the Toshiba Places and Marketplace programs, it will be convenient to do this from TVs, laptops, smartphones and now Toshiba tablets. New services make it easy to upload data to the network from any device, view them and share content, and they are not strictly tied to specific gadgets, this is also a kind of rethinking of Apple hardware and service ideas, but so far everything looks foggy. ViewSonic monitor maker debuted on the tablet market with its ViewPad, and LG, whose product is logically called Optimus PAD. Although the Koreans did not dare to show the tablet to the general public - apparently, there is something to tune. Android was discovered not only on tablets, but also in the players - Archos, with tenacity worthy of a better application, is moving its multimedia harvesters to Android, although, frankly, the future of these products seems vague to me, especially considering the price policy of the French. Philips has updated its GoGear multimedia portable device line with the Connect mini-player, which is essentially an Android mobile phone, but without a cellular module (3.2-inch resistive display, all Google services in a wide range).
As you know, Apple refuses to speak at technology fairs, traditionally inviting everyone to the MacExpo exhibition, but the presence of this company is felt at every large event of its kind. So, for the first time, a separate iZone zone appeared at the IFA, emphasizing the relevance of iProducts. Here are all kinds of accessories for Mac laptops, iPhone phones and iPad tablets. Although similar accessories are regularly found at company stands - for example, Philips actively pedaled a music dock designed for iPad, although, of course, you can also install an iPhone in it, since the connector is the same.
So, the jubilee, 50th in a row international exhibition of consumer electronics IFA 2010 was one of the most striking in recent years. And although “non-core” IFA tablets are to blame for this in many ways, there was something to look at and besides them. Not the fact that this is the beginning of a revival of the culture of techno-fairs, which have recently somehow lost their former authority. I think that the IFA organizers very much asked brands to preserve their high-profile announcements until September, as in the good old days, in order to celebrate their anniversary louder.
And while I'm thinking about trends. The main trend has remained the same - three-dimensional television, aggressively imposed on the population, which is visible in Germany even without glasses: in all large supermarkets in Berlin, 3D demo zones are installed, and the amount of advertising for three-dimensional TVs is off the charts. Everything is clear: when the production of televisions became less and less profitable, brands desperately needed a new driver, because the HD-picture with all the special effects no longer gave a wow effect. They took cardboard glasses with colored glasses from the mezzanine, dusted off them, rebranded them and - voila! - For many years now, the television industry has been rolling in the 3D direction. Let me remind you that the first 3D-TV was shown here, on IFA, back in 1998. Manufacturers are not stopped by the fact that that when viewing a three-dimensional picture, many eyes begin to hurt and headaches appear, they do not think about it yet, and forge furiously while hot. It seems to me that soon a series of lawsuits awaits the manufacturers from those whose health turned out to be undermined, and in the future 3D films will be accompanied by the inscriptions “not recommended for viewing by children and who have contraindications for health”. Be that as it may, this train cannot be stopped already, and those brands that did not have time to jump onto its bandwagon did it at IFA 2010.
Technology leaders, meanwhile, have consolidated their position. For example, Panasonic was the first to offer a complete, complete 3D ecosystem, logically assuming that consumers just need to watch the “three-dimensional”, but they also need to produce it. This is so far the only company that produces the whole range of consumer products of this class: on Panasonic cameras you can shoot 3D images on an amateur SDT750 camera, using the company's Blu-Ray / 3D players you can play it, and, of course, broadcast it on 3D TVs. Moreover, not only LCDs, the Japanese were also the first to give out "three-dimensional plasma" - a new model range of 3D / FullHD-TVs of the GT and VT series. Only Samsung has similar developments, however, Koreans do not focus on their marketing efforts, focusing on LED technology. The Dutch company Philips performed smoothly, having prepared my existing models for a 3D picture, and it was at the Philips booth that I first heard at IFA the term 3D-Ready, similar to the recent HD-Ready. High-end cinema television with an aspect ratio of 21: 9 turned out to be “ready” for 3D. But another trend of the company, which Philips has not particularly pedalized yet, is particularly impressive - the Dutch are actively developing technologies for watching 3D television without glasses, and, apparently, next year they will show commercial samples. This is already quite interesting - so far the main limitation of this technology is that the picture looks three-dimensional only from a right angle. However, not 3D alone - LG, for example, in the new LEX8, in addition to supporting three-dimensional images, had a super-slim design (1.25 cm thick!) And added a good sound, for which two seven-watt speakers are responsible. Besides,
Internet + TV
The second trend was also obvious, he migrated from two previous IFA exhibitions, at which TV manufacturers found out that the consumer, it turns out, wants to go online from the TV without getting up off the couch. And give them not the “bare” Internet, but already specially selected, configured and optimized for viewing on large screens and controlling from the remote control. In this trend, technological developments are no longer so important as the ability of companies to negotiate - lawyers actively interacting with online content providers went into battle, and whoever finds an approach to more companies will win. Almost all large companies have their own Internet TV projects: Philips, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba ... Most often, “television” lends itself to video (Youtube) and photo hosting (Flickr), weather and news services, Sports online resources and communication services - both text messengers (Gmail) and voice messengers, for example, Skype. Manufacturers use various adaptation technologies - they re-invent browsers, develop all sorts of widgets, but everything goes to the same thing: soon Internet services can be used on a TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies. Soon, Internet services can be used on TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies. Soon, Internet services can be used on TV in the same way as TV channels. By the way, at IFA 2010, a number of companies introduced several new applications based on open standards that transform the usual teletext into something completely new, this service, of course, is also based on Internet technologies.
Tablets
It is much more surprising that, as a result of convergence, the Android mobile platform made it to IFA - they brought it here on their fragile touch screens, tablets, they are also “tablets”. Thank you, Apple: if earlier, after the very first iPhone was released, most manufacturers had long been aware of the prospects of the product and turned their nose away from it, now this is not observed - after the iPad came out, those companies that can produce tablets immediately started developing. At IFA 2010, several brands made their debut with tablets. So, the main characters of the “zero” day (the day for the press) were not televisions, but tablets - Galaxy TAB from Samsung and Toshiba Folio 100. And if the Koreans, without further ado, “jumped” from the Galaxy S smartphone, leaving their 7-inch the tablet the ability to call then the Japanese put a more serious technological-ideological concept under Folio. Like, you can watch the same content on different screens, and if you join the Toshiba Places and Marketplace programs, it will be convenient to do this from TVs, laptops, smartphones and now Toshiba tablets. New services make it easy to upload data to the network from any device, view them and share content, and they are not strictly tied to specific gadgets, this is also a kind of rethinking of Apple hardware and service ideas, but so far everything looks foggy. ViewSonic monitor maker debuted on the tablet market with its ViewPad, and LG, whose product is logically called Optimus PAD. Although the Koreans did not dare to show the tablet to the general public - apparently, there is something to tune. Android was discovered not only on tablets, but also in the players - Archos, with tenacity worthy of a better application, is moving its multimedia harvesters to Android, although, frankly, the future of these products seems vague to me, especially considering the price policy of the French. Philips has updated its GoGear multimedia portable device line with the Connect mini-player, which is essentially an Android mobile phone, but without a cellular module (3.2-inch resistive display, all Google services in a wide range).
Apple trail
As you know, Apple refuses to speak at technology fairs, traditionally inviting everyone to the MacExpo exhibition, but the presence of this company is felt at every large event of its kind. So, for the first time, a separate iZone zone appeared at the IFA, emphasizing the relevance of iProducts. Here are all kinds of accessories for Mac laptops, iPhone phones and iPad tablets. Although similar accessories are regularly found at company stands - for example, Philips actively pedaled a music dock designed for iPad, although, of course, you can also install an iPhone in it, since the connector is the same.
Summary
So, the jubilee, 50th in a row international exhibition of consumer electronics IFA 2010 was one of the most striking in recent years. And although “non-core” IFA tablets are to blame for this in many ways, there was something to look at and besides them. Not the fact that this is the beginning of a revival of the culture of techno-fairs, which have recently somehow lost their former authority. I think that the IFA organizers very much asked brands to preserve their high-profile announcements until September, as in the good old days, in order to celebrate their anniversary louder.