The Gadgets Chronicles: IFA Edition

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The drone revolution, Samsung’s plan for a smarter 2016, and a few interesting Kick-starter Quickies.

06:30 – Good Morning!! Ian shook the hotel a few times last night. But it was pretty restful night.
07:30 – Breakfast. All mod cons were provided, but there were no traditional German offerings, whatever they may be.
08:54 – Arrived at Messe Grounds. If Messe is German for “big”, they really aren’t kidding around.

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10:00 – DJI conference kicks-off the day.
The Chinese tech-company and leading drone manufacturer was founded in 2006. The DJI Phantom quadcopter launched its Phantom 3 line earlier this year with capabilities of filming in 4K. DJI at IFA2015 will be launching five revolutionising upgrades for the series 3 phantom line with the potential of enhancing the possibilities of aerial filming. The features include: Follow Me; Course Lock; Way Point; Home Lock; and Point of Interest. By far, the most stunning new feature is Follow Me. Coordinates are set on your smartphone, enabling the drone to follow you on what seems to be a very cool auto-pilot concept. Think of all those amazing bike rides you could film!
11:00 – The Samsung press conference is packed! Guests are assured that the tech giants are “In Sync with Life”.

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During the presentation Samsung feature the much talked about Sleep Sense. The device has the ability to connect to other home peripherals to essentially make sleep easier. Samsung did not specify which products it will support as of yet. And no release date or price has been indicated. I guess we’ll have to sleep the good old fashioned way for the time being. What they have specified however, is that its contactless sensor collects data with an accuracy over 97%.

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Samsung Car Mode. The upcoming Edge+ and a number of other Samsung smartphones will be incorporating a newly devised car mode app. The features of this app will allow drives to use their phones safely while on the road by having texts read out, playing music, using maps and navigational apps – all of which can be accessed through the function buttons or display screen in your car. Sounds a lot like Apple Car Play and Android Auto to me, but I’m sure Samsung-ers will appreciate the company jumping on the band wagon (or hatchback).
Speaking of cars, Samsung also revealed that they teamed up with WV allowing connectivity between the Samsung Gear S2. The app will allow users to check certain conditions of specific VW vehicles from a remote location via their smartwatch. As random as it sounds, Samsung revealed that the app could advise users where the car is, and if it has been locked. I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely an app I could do with. If only it could locate my keys too. No mention of that yet though.
12:30 – We headed to the Samsung stand, fresh off the presentation to check out their latest products and gadgets. Products on show were The Samsung Sleep Sense, The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, The Samsung Note 5 and the eagerly awaited Samsung Wireless 360 Audio System, and the first Ultra HD Blu-ray DVD player.

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15:00 – The Sharp press conference explains their technological advancements on aftersales online connections, where technicians can be reached online via the smartphone app for a better after sales experience.
15:45 – The Panasonic stand.
We got the chance to see and review their first OLED 4K TV, and its connected audio system. Panasonic also presented NUBO, the very first 4G home security camera. Not much else was given regarding NUBO but Panasonic did promise that more information will be on its way soon. And interestingly, Panasonic is westernising a staple gadget in Japanese commerce: the home battery. Considering the consistency in power cuts we experience, I’m guessing this product will have a significant mark-up in Malta alone.

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While filming at the Panasonic Stand.

17:15 – We have a break. No Kit Kats at IFA so we settle for coffee and cake.
18:00 – IFA Showstoppers.
This years’ IFA Showstoppers featured gadgets from small companies – some even concepts featured as kick-starter campaigns – all of which are due to be introduced to market in the next two months. The gadgets we came across included camera lenses that attach to smartphones, a small hearing aid that can be connected to various multimedia devices, a smart kettle and coffee machine, a GoPro gimble stabiliser and sports headphones.
20:45 – Just finished Showstoppers. Now time to eat.

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21:30 – Done with IFA. Day one: successful. BED TIME!
22:15 – Back to the hotel. Time to start transferring footage. Sleep will have to wait a little longer. Although Sam is a little preoccupied watching ‘Scandal’ – I kid you not!

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11:30 Lights out. Alarms set for 06:30 again. As for the Apple Watch pedometer; we clocked 18Km on our first day. On the plus side, we brunt 1,131 😉

What do you think Gadgeteers? Does the Samsung Sleep Sense *make* sense? OLED 4K TV – are you digging it? Do the new Phantom features excite your inner child like it did mine? Check out the full run down of the day and Ian’s thoughts on the products by viewing the following Facebook video, and let us know what you think.

DAY 2 round up- from GADGETS on Vimeo.

Over and out!

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