With Europe’s largest consumer electronics show IFA just around the corner, we’re going to continue our run through of what is going to be hot at this year’s show which takes place in Berlin’s Messe.

In the second part of our IFA preview we’re looking at what pieces of shiny new tech will be coming from Panasonic, Acer, Asus and Lenovo – including everything from TV’s, touchscreen laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Panasonic at IFA 2012

Panasonic is still reeling from the Japanese earthquake and has struggled for profitability from their Blu-Ray players and TVs this year. It’s almost a certainty that Panasonic will have bevy of new Smart TVs on show at IFA. But there’s also the possibility of a new Android handset following on from Eluga, which was shown off at CES earlier this year.

Panasonic also recently announced it was strengthening its ties with 20th Century Fox and will be bundling the Titanic 3D Blu-ray in with a number of its Blu-ray players, so expect this to be a focal point of its conference.

Acer at IFA 2012

New kids on the block Acer always use IFA to show off their best bits of new kit for the year, and 2012 will be no different.

First up, is new Acer Ultrabook the Aspire S7, its been penciled in for a September release date and will cost £1,149.99. It will come with Windows 7, the S7 should get a Windows 8 reboot after the OS hits the public market October 26.

Specs-wise the Aspire S7 Ultrabook is no slouch, by default sports an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, 128GB of SSD storage, 4GB RAM, and HDMI, USB and SD card reader ports. There’s a hefty 12-hour battery life and backlit keyboard which makes the Aspire S7 a compelling alternative to a MacBook.

The Aspire A7 comes in both 11.6- and 13.3-inch flavours, but the thin machine can be beefed up significantly with a number of upgrades, including more RAM and SSD space and the option for a Core i7 chip.

And as one final sweatener there are rumours that a touchscreen could be an optional add-on, though, there’s no word on when and how much it would cost.

Asus at IFA 2012

Although Windows 8 Devices are undoubtedly going to be at the top of everyone’s must-see list at IFA 2012, we’re really hoping that the long-overdue, Android-powered, Asus PadFone makes an appearance. We love this ingenious smartphone-tablet hybrid device and a release date and price would be most welcome. It’s a smartphone, and a tablet and even a laptop if you want.

Back on Planet Earth, there is also the less out-there Asus ZenBook Prime Touchscreen – a touchscreen Ultrabook – and the Asus Transformer Book, which also comes with a detachable screen.

Lenovo at IFA 2012

Lenovo grabbed the headline at CES with their take on the laptop, with their IdeaPad Yoga – it not seen a release yet – so expect to see in the flesh at IFA, hopefully with a price tag and release date.

Don’t be surprised if Lenovo come out with a rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Note, in the form of the Lenovo IdeaTab A2150. There are also rumours of a 7-inch tablet as well as a 9-inch tablets under the IdeaTab name.

We are also expecting another Galaxy Note rival, in the form of the Lenovo IdeaTab A2105. This is according to Android Authority, which reckons there will also be the IdeaTab A2107, a 7-inch tablet and the IdeaTab A2109, a 9-inch tablet.

IFA 2012 Preview Part 2: Panasonic, Acer, Asus and Lenovo is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

With the tech world seemingly on holiday Europe’s largest consumer electronics show is just around the corner. IFA takes place in the first week of September and is the first place to see what gadgets will be released this Christmas and beyond. We’ve scoured the worldwide web and unearthed a few clues of what is likely to be unveiled at this year’s IFA.

Sony at IFA 2012

Sony has had a difficult time in 2012, their newest handheld the PS Vita hasn’t really captured the gaming community’s imagination and Sony posted a substantial loss in their last quarter.

Having bought Ericsson out, IFA would be the perfect place for the Japanese electronics giant to prepare a fight back. You should expect a slew of new Android handsets, TVs, laptops and possibly another attempt at a tablet.

One such handset we’ve been hearing rumours about is the Xperia T – it’s a new flagship handset from Sony and from what we’ve heard it is likely to give the HTC One X and Galaxy S3 a bloody nose. According to recent tipsters the handset will come with a 4.3-inch HD display, dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, 1GB of RAM, Ice Cream Sandwich and a gargantuan 13-megapixel camera.

It’s thought that Sony might unveil a new Android-based tablet called the Xperia Tablet – although details remain under-wraps it is thought the new tablet might come with a kickstand a la Microsoft’s Surface and could be up to 40 percent thinner than the current P & S tablets.

Interestingly Sony’s financial woes actually stem from the Television department and IFA could be the show where Sony changes tack and focuses on quality over quantity. Expect Sony to unveil more Crystal LED smart TV’s and we wouldn’t surprised if Sony announced its plans for online gaming service Gaikia, which they purchased just after E3.

Samsung at IFA 2012

Samsung made quite a splash at last year’s IFA after they announced the Galaxy Note – the missing link between tablet and phone. The Note has been somewhat of a surprise success and could pave the way for version two, which could be unveiled to the public at this year’s IFA.

Though Samsung has conquered the high-end smartphone market, their performance in the tablet market hasn’t been quite as assured. Could IFA be the place where they unveil a new version of the Galaxy Note 10.1? The tablet is expected to make the jump to a quad-core power plant and could be unveiled in Berlin once again.

Samsung will also have new smart TV’s on show as Michael Zoeller, European marketing director of Samsung Televisions, said the new range would sit above its current ES8000 series. This was also confirmed by Samsung in July, with the ES9000 sporting a 75-inch screen and Angry Birds capability.

Samsung is also likely to unveil a new OLED TV range for the second time, but this time it’s thought you might actually be able to buy them. You should also expect a slew of new laptops, Ultrabooks and notebooks all to coincide with this year’s Windows 8 release.

Microsoft at IFA 2012

The Redmond tech giant isn’t known for its IFA unveils, but this year the company is riding a wave of excitement for Windows 8, their first tablet Surface and Windows Phone 8. Pretty much every laptop, Ultrabook and desktop will be running the new version of Windows – so Microsoft will be a big player at this year’s show.

Centre stage for Microsoft, apart from Windows 8, will of course be their Surface Tablet – and it should give us Europeans some much need face-time before the tablet hits shelves around October.

Toshiba at IFA 2012

Toshiba grabbed a few headlines last year with its glasses-free 3D TV, not only because you don’t have to wear a pair of silly glasses, but because it was priced at an eye-watering £6,999. A consumer friendly version which is substantially cheaper could be the catalyst to leave those ugly glasses behind as a museum piece and start a new revolution in the TV market.

LG at IFA 2012

LG has historically used IFA to show off its new TV technology but this could be the year that it focuses more on mobiles as it tries to wrestle smartphone domination from the likes of Samsung and Apple. Expect new handsets on the show floor that will be running LG’s own quad-core chip called the L9.

Philips at IFA 2012

Philips’ fall from grace over the last 10 years has been colossal, from humble beginnings the company can be credited with inventing the compact disc (CD) and DVD with Sony. But, unfortunately, the last few years and seen the TV maker fade into obscurity. Well, they’ve signed a deal with Hong Kong-based TP Vision to help them make TVs. So, expect to see Philips at IFA with a new range of TV’s as well a lot of audio goodies.

We’ll be covering what will be on show from Asus, Acer, Lenovo, LG and Panasonic tomorrow – so stay tuned.

IFA take place in Berlin from August 29 to September 5.

IFA 2012 Preview: What’s Going To Be Hot At This Year’s Show is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

While all the major computer manufacturers faced decline in their shipments, HP was hit worst during the quarter. Its shipment fell 16.2 percent globally and 26.1 percent in the US market.  Acer also showed 18.4 percent decline in global shipments, while its PC demand in the US fell by 11.4 percent on year over year basis. Dell and Toshiba also suffered 4.5 percent and 2.2 percent drop in US demand.

Globally, Asus and Lenovo showed improvement during the last quarter of year 2011. Lenovo increased its sales volume by 23 Percent and Asus also performed well with 20.5 percent increase in its PC demand. Dell also registered 7.8 percent growth globally. Overall, HP, despite its slide, managed to retain its top position globally and in the US.

While fourth quarter also saw Ultrabooks chipping away at PC’s market share, but the newly released contraptions are not the main reason behind the decline. Ultrabooks are expected to increase their visibility in 2012.

PC Shipments Suffer Setback in Q4: Mac Grows on is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

We’re back with our second installment of our top tech predictions for CES 2012. In this part we will be looking at computing, tablets and mobiles. We’ll cover everything from what Microsoft has planned for Windows 8, Intel-powered Ultrabooks and everything you should expect when it comes to mobile phones and tablets.

Home Computing 

Xbox 720 aside Microsoft is expected to the have more details on its new Windows 8 operating system at CES. Steve Ballmer is expected to give an opening keynote speech where he is expected to show off the tablet-friendly OS.

So far the tech world has only seen a developer preview of the new OS, with a beta expected to the ready for February – so it’s expected that Ballmer & Co will take to the stage for the last time and announce the exact date of the beta. So keep your eye’s peeled.

Other computer related news expected from Microsoft is their decision to start supporting ARM processors with Windows 8. We’re not whether they will support both desktops and tablet architecture with Arm. But, it could be that we’ll see some Windows tablets in the future with ARM processors and more traditional desktops and laptops sticking to tried and tested Intel power plants.

Intel

Intel Chief Paul Otellini is set to deliver one of the keynotes at CES, and is expected to show off some new Ivy Bridge hardware, which should be in the form of Ultrabooks, although Ivy Bridge, the follow-up to Sandy bridge, isn’t expected until later 2012.

Graphics cards-wise AMD is likely to be on hand at CES to show off their new Southern Island, 28nm graphics card, which are expect to hit retail stores by Q1 2012. Nvidia is also expected to show off their 28nm cards too, but it’s not know whether the Kepler architecture cards will be shown on the show floor or behind closed doors.

One of the main draws for many at CES will be: Ultrabooks. This is because Intel is throwing a lot of money at the manufacturers to make a line of laptops that will reinvigorate the ailing laptop market. Over the last 3 years we’ve seen an explosion of Netbooks, then Tablets and Intel now hopes the consumers will jump on board their ultra-thin Intel-powered laptops. They are essentially MacBook Air’s, but, running Windows. From what we’ve seen of Ultrabook they do make Windows laptops cool, but with a hefty price tag and increased competition from tablets they might be too expensive for hard-up consumers to stomach.

Mobile Technology

The Mobile industry tends to make its announcements at the MWC in Barcelona, but with such a competitive marketplace many companies are likely to steal a march and get some of their announcements out before the rest of the competition. Tablets will also be big business at CES, with many manufacturers making the switch from dual-core Tegra chipsets to the new Tegra quad-core chipsets.

HTC

HTC has yet to give a UK release for their Jetstream tablet – so we’re not expecting that tablet but something entirely new – known as the HTC Quattro. It’s the usual 10-inch tablet that we’ve seen so many times over the last 12 months. For us, it’s not the hardware that is keeping Google from competing with Apple, but the fragmentation of the Android OS – especially the app marketplace – which is way off the quality and reliability of Apple’s own app store.

HTC will no doubt have several mobiles on the show floor at CES, but, they tend to make their products for different markets – so many of the new handset may well be US-only for the time being. But you should expect details on the HTC Edge, HTC Ville and possibly some quad-core phones too.

Acer

Acer is expected  to show off a new tablet, which will hopefully be a bit more exciting than the rather drab Iconica A500. This time around they’re hoping that the A700 might grab some positive headlines – especially as it’s thought to come with a 1080p resolution screen.

Samsung

Samsung is expected to show off the follow-up to the Galaxy S2, it’s been the at the centre of plenty rumour-mongering – so it’s highly likely that they could unveil it at CES and once again grab a decent head start over Apple and the iPhone. It’s expected to be dramatically different from the previous version as Samsung wants to move it away from the iPhone and avoid any further legal action.

LG 

LG is expected to show off a new Android 4.0 mobile called the Optimus U1, which could be worth keep an eye out for, especially if they managed to get it out to retailers with Ice Cream Sandwich in toe before the competition.

Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson might use CES to the finally officially unveil the Xperia Arc HD, which has been the subject of many leaks recently. It’s expected to come with a 4.3-inch LCD display, with an impressive 1280×720 resolution, a matte finish and for the first time the Arc will have the power to match its looks. The current Arc only has a single core, which by todays standards is like a pocket calculator.

Sony will want to make a splash at CES, they are in the process of buying the mobile company outright, so a good showing at the show would allay any fears from nervous shareholders and investors.

Nokia

Nokia is expected to unveil its next Windows Phone at a Window Phone-themed press conference, there’s no word on whether the reported Lumia 900 will make it to the UK, but the phone is expected to come with a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, better battery life and their fantastic Carl Zeiss 8 megapixel camera.

We’ll be reporting all the latest news from CES – so stay tuned from the 9-13 of January.

CES 2012: Gaj-it’s Top Tech Predictions Part 2 is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Acer and Lenovo are planning to use Windows 8 for their upcoming tablets. These top notch companies will also use Intel’s Clover Trail platform. However, since Windows 8 is still in the development mode, you will have to wait for some time before you get to lay your hands on these devices.

Intel is also setting its eyes on mobile phone and tablet processor market. The company is looking to unveil its Medfield processor in the first half of this year. The processor is specifically designed for tablets and smartphones. However, Acer and Lenovo said to be waiting for Clover Trail processors, which are likely to hit the market in the second half of the year. Given these constraints, it looks like Acer and Lenovo would be able to release their Wintel tablets in late 2012 only.

Acer Plans to Launch Windows Tablet in 2012: Lenovo Joins In is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Lately, there had been rumors that Acer may be abandoning its tablet PC plans. In response, the company has clarified that it is still on with its tablet PC agenda. The company also confirmed that it is looking to increase its reach in smartphones market as well. The company founder Stan Shih said that despite initial setbacks, the company is not planning to wrap up its tablet and smartphone programs. He also added that the company had faced teething problems in notebook market as well.

While Acer will continue with its tablet and does not have any plans of downsizing its operations, it will be striving to optimize its product offering. In the coming days, Acer is likely to prune its tablet range and go ahead with only viable models.

Acer to Continue Pursuing Tablet Dream is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

Allen Burnes, VP of the company’s THBG division, said, ‘As a technology of the future, NFC is a priority for Acer as it can be used for multiple purposes: payment, transport, tickets, loyalty cards, cultural information… and that’s without having explored the thousands more applications that will follow.’

Liquid Express is a mid range smartphone. It is equipped with 3.5’ screen and a Qualcomm 7227 processor. The phone also sports a 5 MP camera with flash. Acer Express runs on Android version 2.3 or Gingerbread. The phone is available in Titanium finish. It is currently available for free with Orange UK and T-Mobile UK. But of course, you will need to enter into a 24 months contract with these companies. T-Mobile’s subscription plans start from £15.32 per month, while Orange UK has priced its contract at £20.50. With the increasing use of NFC technology, this phone seems like a nice sensible bet.

Acer’s First NFC Enabled Phone Liquid Express Arrives in UK is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

A few companies like Asus and Acer have already launched their ultrabooks, which have met with mild response and consequently these companies have now slashed their orders by 40 percent. According to DigiTimes, the orders earlier stood in the range of 250,000 and 300,000, and now have been cut down to the range of 150,000 and 180,000.

The report also stated that the new Windows based Ultrabooks do not compete well with Apple MacBook Air. However, the industry is still trying to maintain its optimism as the report states, “Notebook players are putting their focus on after May 2012 with expectations to see surging demand in October 2012, when Windows 8 launches.”

There are quite a few factors behind the sluggish performance of the category. Ultrabooks by Acer and Asus have been priced in te vicinity of $1,000, which is not a very attractive price point. However, Intel is now planning to change the trend by introducing Ultrabooks in sub-$1,000 range. However, this strategy is not translating well in reality. Apple’s MacBook Air, on the other hand, is thriving well.

Ultrabooks Go NetBook Way: Manufacturers Cutting Back Production is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The latest phone from Acer comes with a 3.6 inch WVGA display, which is capable of giving 800 x 480 pixel resolution. The phone will run on 1 GHz single core Qualcomm CPU and will also have 8GB of internal storage. Apart from this, it has a 5 MP camera with the LED flash. The phone weighs 126 grams and with dimensions of 11.6 x 5.9 x 1emm, it is a bit on the chunkier side. The phone supports Bluetooth and Wi Fi connectivity and has the usual features of light sensor, proximity sensor and A-GPS.

Acer has pointed out that the phone comes with Fast Charge technology, which enables you to juice up this phone 2.5 times faster than other phones and tablets. While, most of the features of the phone are pretty run of the mill, Allegro sure has a fine form factor. The phone will be available in dark blue iceberg color and in white color. The phone is likely to come with a price tag of 299 Euro, which indeed is an attractive price point. Keep watching this space for more updates.

Meet Allegro: Acer’s First Windows Phone! is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com

The study also concluded that PCs are maintaining their downward slide. In the third quarter of the year, PC shipments grew by 3.2 percent to reach 91.8 million units figure. The growth rate is well below the projected rate of 5.1 percent growth rate. The decline clearly shows that the people are moving away from PC set up and are more inclined to use their mobile devices for computing purpose. However, if we look at the dismal sales performance shown by the tablets, barring iPad, then it looks like that the major companies are failing in an epic way.

While one giant from Asia is rising, the other one seems to be going in the opposite direction. Acer reported decline in its market share and revenue. Acer had built its position on low-end notebooks, which are losing market in favor of tablets. Dell, on the other hand, is consoling itself by claiming that its profitability and revenue has increased as it is focusing on high-end computing solutions. Since, PC segment is losing its steam, Dell would do itself a favor if it stops patting itself on its back and start concentrating on tablet segment, where it has failed spectacularly.

HP is the Biggest PC Company: Lenovo Bags Second Spot is a post from: UK Gadget and Tech News, Reviews and Shopping Site - Gaj-It.com