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Berlin-based tech show IFA 2015 is in full swing and we’re seeing plenty of hot new tech products, from smartwatches and phones to washers and fridges.
The show is huge and there’s a lot to see, so we understand if you didn’t get the chance to check out every new product as it was announced. Here’s a run-down of the top news and best products we saw during the first full day of the show. For even more IFA news, check out CNET’s coverage.
The latest smartwatches
Samsung’s newest smartwatch takes aim directly at the Apple Watch with a spinning dial around the screen. Easier to turn, it helps you navigate menus and apps in a way that’s apparently more fluid than spinning the crown on Apple’s model. It also claims 2-3 days of battery life. There are two models, plus one with cellular connectivity built in, so it can make calls sans smartphone. Get the full details in CNET’s hands-on .
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Get ready to run with this new GPS and activity-tracking watch. What makes the TomTom Spark special is that you can load music on to it, to record your workouts and keeping you energized during them too. It can also connect to your smartphone over Bluetooth and track your sleep.
A rocking smartphone
Built by the company famous for its amps, the London is a smartphone for music fanatics. It has similar details to Marshall’s amps and speakers, with an all-black textured rubberized design and a scroll wheel for the volume controls. The sound is supposed to be killer, with two front facing speakers and not one, but two headphone jacks.
Monster batteries, ultracrisp screens, predatory impulses: These are the phones of IFA 2015 (photos)
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Home entertainment
Samsung Ultra-High Definition Blu-ray player
The future of HD videos at home is (almost) here. Samsung showed off its first ultra-high-definition (UHD) Blu-ray player, the UBD-K8500. The slim, curved device promises four times better resolution and 64 times higher color expression compared to standard Blu-ray. It can even upscale the video from older Blu-ray discs to bring them to UHD resolution. That means your old discs will look great too with this player. No exact price yet, but expect it to come in at “less than $500” (roughly £350 or AU$700) when it goes on sale next year.
Enlarge ImageAndrew Hoyle/CNET
LG has two new 4K TVs to show off, both flat, but priced around the same as its curved models. The 65-inch model is $6,999 US and the 55-inch goes for $5,499. Both will go on sale in mid-September.
For a smarter home and life
Haier Smart Window Refrigerator
See what’s in your fridge without even touching the door with the Haier Smart Window Refrigerator. It has a see-through door that lets you peek inside when you walk up to the appliance. Open the door to grab something, then close it, and the translucent window disappears. It’s pure magic and a bit of cool technology.
KitchenAid Chef Touch Sous Vide Collection
Sous vide fans in the US will have to wait to get their hands on a revamped version of KitchenAid’s Chef Touch Sous Vide Collection. That’s because it’s going on sale in Europe first, (France and Italy planned). The new machine does triple duty — it’s a vacuum sealer, steam oven and freezer in one. It’s made specifically for sous vide fanatics willing to pay a whopping roughly 10,000 Euros (converted, $11,140 USD, £7,300, $AU15,870) for it.
Enlarge ImageTyler Lizenby/CNET
Samsung SleepSense and SmartThings Hub
Need a better night’s rest? Samsung’s new SleepSense bed sensor fits under your mattress and tracks your sleep quality throughout the night. The company also announced at revamped smart-home tracker, the $100 SmartThings Hub . It acts as a central hub for all your smart devices to connect to and communicate with each other.
Forgot to throw in a pair of socks or towel with the load of laundry you just started? Samsung’s new WW8500 AddWash front-loading washer has a separate smaller dollar that lets you add items or extra detergent to a cycle without stopping it all together.
Smarter than your average string of lights, Philips’ Hue Lightstrips Plus let you adjust color and control the light from your smartphone. These new strips let you add 1-meter extension strips to boost the length from 2 meters up to 10 meters. They also offer a wide range of color, including natural tones of white light.
Philips smart gadgets for your life
Philips is also offering a basket of new smart devices, from a baby thermometer and ultrasound monitor to location-tracking devices for the elderly set.
The most eye-popping tech of IFA 2015 (pictures)
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Cameras and more
The third generation of Ricoh’s spherical camera advertises to make it easier than ever to take a 360-degree image with a single button press. The tiny, pocketable camera also records spherical video. With the camera, you can record photos and then upload them to Google Map as a Street View image.
Digital note-taking meets pen and paper with Wacom’s new Bamboo Spark folio. Using a smartpen and connect case, you can sketch, draw or scribble notes on a piece of paper and still capture them digitally so you can import them to your phone, tablet or computer. The folio uses electromagnetic resonance technology and special ink in the pen to record what you write or draw.
