Filed under: Features

As we bid IFA auf wiedersehen, we’d like to take a look back at a few chance moments shot from Berlin by our pal Ethan Rasiel. It probably won’t be until CeBIT before we’re back in Germany again, so until then, enjoy!

Andhere we have the PM80.

You can’t see, but they billed the FM20 as being “Like Early Morning Dew.” Seriously!

Shouldn’t that be Schokolade?

The real deal.

Samsung busted out the “Upgrade version of Q1 with HSDPA” for our benefit — it’s the Q1P, remember?. Oh, it’s WiBRO ready, too. Thanks!

Portaprojectors from Toshiba.

Mess o’ Toshiba gear, including the Gigabeat V.

We were particularly interested by this Surf@home II unit from O2. It’s an HSDPA / UMTS WiFi router with a friggin’ display. Give.

The O2 Xda Cosmo. Yeah, we got one of those.

Obviously!

Torpedo case mod? But of course.

Should you find a bomb in a suitcase, always cut the glowing bright purple wire.

Rollin’ on 20s.

The so-sexy Clearaudio Ambient.

Huzzah for PSP knockoffs with GPS!

It’s Nedo!

Ah, zee eluzeeve Zony Ericzon Z610i.

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Filed under: Portable Audio

Just a few days back, Sansa-manufacturer SanDisk was shot down by Sisvel and forced to take down its displays at Berlin’s IFA expo, but it seems that some fast-acting (and talking) lawyers have somehow reversed the decision just in time for SanDisk to show their products on the final day of the show. Tangled in lawsuits concerning MP3 patent violations, the company still insists its playback technology isn’t infringing on any patents, but Sisvel maintains its insistence that SanDisk should be included in the nearly 600 companies that pay royalties to the licensing firm. Apparently SanDisk wasn’t the only company forced to put its show on hiatus, as 19 other outfits had products unexpectedly seized for “similar violations.” Sisvel isn’t going down without a fight, however, as it has already filed an appeal to have the reversed order un-reversed — while it may seem a bit redundant (to say the least), it’s certainly not out of character for the sue-happy Sisvel, who proudly joins the growing list of “you’ve got to be kidding me” lawsuits.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Yet more news outta IFA today, with Samsung taking the occasion to announce a new compact digital camera for anyone looking for a little widescreen action. The SDC-MS61 is a six megapixel cam with a 3x optical zoom that’ll take pics at up to ISO 1600, as well as 30fps MPEG-4 video in 16:9 aspect ratio (which should give your home movies that much-needed cinematic edge). You’ll also be able to view those vids properly thanks to the camera’s 3.0-inch widescreen LCD on the rear. The MS61 will also double as a webcam and an MP3 player/recorder, although little details like price and availability have yet to be made readily available.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

So Acer’s upcoming MP-340 PMP doesn’t really hold a candle to the last media player we saw from the company — it’s pretty sparse in the video codec department and has a smaller, lower-resolution screen — but on the plus side, it’s infinitely more pocketable and probably a whole lot cheaper. Unlike the MP-500 which preceded it, this model’s got just a 1.8-inch, 160 x 128 TFT display (a little too small for extended viewing sessions, in our opinion) and only supports H.264-formatted video; however, you’re still getting a 20GB hard drive, MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM compatibility, along with voice recording and the obligatory JPEG photo playback. Also on board are an SD slot for a little expansion action, two headphone jacks for sharing that tiny screen with a friend, a 10-hour rechargeable battery (with the screen off, of course) and a number of preloaded games, including everyone’s new favorite, Sudoku. Since this model is officially debuting at IFA in Germany next month, pricing and availability are still a closely guarded secret, but if you happen to be in Berlin from the 1st through the 6th, try to stop by the Acer booth and smooth talk that info out of the booth babes company reps for us.

[Via MobileWhack]

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