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.
