IFA 2014 is under way and we've got six team members on the ground in Berlin to bring you the latest news as well as hands ons with all the hottest new gear.
IFA is, of course, the spiritual home of the Samsung Galaxy Note, traditionally sees the launch of awesome new TVs and AV gear from the biggest brands and has been the birthplace of more best-selling mobile devices than a pair of conjoined octopus twins could shake sticks at.
So if there's one week to keep TechRadar open in a browser tab as you work, it's this one - we're expecting the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a three-pronged Sony Xperia Z3 attack and a smorgasbord of other exciting gadget launches.
You'll find every hot IFA 2014 story ticking through the TechRadar homepage but we'll also be updating this page minute-by-minute so that you can keep track of all the hot tech news as it filters through from Berlin. Stick with us, it's going to be a fun week!
Samsung has just launched the much-anticipated Galaxy Note 4, and while it might not attract as many initial "oohs" and "aahs" as the Galaxy Note Edge, this is another solid effort from the South Korean company with plenty to get excited about. Leaving the big design alterations to its edgey sibling, the Note 4 arrives with the same 5.7-inch screen that was attached to the Note 3. But Samsung has boosted the viewing quality with a Quad HD Super AMOLED (2,560 x 1,440 resolution) display, which will adapt to different lighting conditions. And it's just as well, because the camera has also jumped up from 13MP to 16MP and now lets in 60% more light for improved images, so you should have some decent snaps to make use of that rich display.
Read: Samsung launches new Galaxy Note 4
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review
Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 3
Read: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung has announced an impressively unique smartphone at IFA 2014, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which takes advantage of the Korean company's impressive bendable OLED technology. Taking the same 5.7-inch display found on the Samsung Galaxy Note, the new Galaxy Note Edge drapes one inch of the screen over the left-hand side of the handset. Not only does this give the Galaxy Note Edge a strikingly attractive look, but Samsung is promising that the side part of the screen could have game-changing implications for how we interact with our smartphones.
Read: Samsung announces crazy new Galaxy Note Edge
Hands on: Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review
There's no doubting Samsung's intent to conquer the wearable market. In a very short time, the manufacturer has released more smartwatches than can safely fit on one wrist. This scattershot approach to the market is no bad thing. It seems that Samsung is using its throwing its R&D weight around, testing all shapes and sizes to see which fit best with the general public. And that is where the Samsung Gear S comes in. The Samsung Gear S is Samsung's effort at making a smartwatch that isn't a companion device to your mobile phone but one that stands alone.
Read: Samsung launches Gear S smartwatch
Hands on: Samsung Gear S review
The Samsung Gear VR has been officially announced, and as expected it's a virtual reality headset accessory that uses the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as its display. As one of this year's more out-there announcements, the Gear VR is a virtual reality headset onto which you attach your phone. The Samsung Gear VR is designed for use with the Galaxy Note 4. The phone clips onto the front of the Gear VR headset, providing the display that would otherwise add substantially to the cost of the thing.
Read: Samsung's Gear VR headset is real
Hands on: Samsung Gear VR review
Asus has announced the ZenWatch, with its Android Wear offering boasting a stitched leather strap and 2.5D curved glass. The smartwatch arena is becoming increasingly competitive, but Asus is hoping that its design cues can make it a popular option. The watch will support the Asus ZenUI Wellness app with its 9-axis sensor and pair with any Android phone from 4.3 up.
Read: Asus launches the ZenWatch smartwatch
Asus has unveiled a new ultra affordable laptop, the EeeBook X205, at IFA 2014, resurrecting the once popular Eee brand that was synonymous with the netbook era. Available in Europe later this year for €199 (about £165, $260, AU$280), it promises to solve some of the issues that ultimately led to the doom of the netbook.
Read: Asus resurrects the Eee PC
Asus has unveiled the Zenbook UX305 at IFA 2014, which it claims is the "world's slimmest 13.3-inch QHD+ laptop", measuring a svelte 12.3mm at its thickest point. That's a whisker (or two) thinner than Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air (17mm), before you ask. It features a similar tapered wedge design to previous Zenbook models, and Asus hasn't held back on the bling, fitting it with "diamond-cut metallic highlights". It weighs 1.2kg and houses Intel's new Core M processor with a 128GB or 256GB SSD for storage.
Read: Asus ZenBook UX305
The 13-inch Chrome OS laptop scores an all-new design that's sharper, thinner, lighter and more angular than the original Toshiba Chromebook. Better yet, the new Chromebook 2 comes with an FHD option – that is, a 13.3-inch 1,920 x 1,080 IPS panel – for $329 (about £199, AU$354). (Yes, there is still a 1,366 x 768 model for $249, or around £151/AU$268.) And this time around, Toshiba roped in audio partner Skullcandy to specially tune this Chromebook's speakers for deeper bass and more precision vocals.
Read: Toshiba launches Chromebook 2
As part of its big IFA 2014 reveal, Toshiba has announced a little Windows 8.1 tablet, the low-cost Toshiba Encore Mini. While there's currently no price information available, we bet – or hope – that the Toshiba Encore Mini is heading for a bargain-price future. It's a 7-inch Windows tablet with a rather low-res 1,024 x 600 pixel display. That's lower in resolution than most of the Android tablets you can get for £100-120 today, such as the Asus MeMO Pad HD 7. Aside from a low-end screen, the Toshiba Encore Mini offers an Intel Atom Z3745 SoC processor and 1GB RAM. That's the same processor used by the Acer Iconia Tab 8.
Read: Toshiba's new Encore tablets
Toshiba is showing off its next generation Ultra HD 4K TV at IFA 2014, with the U series aiming to convince us that it's time to upgrade from our tired old Full HD television. Although Tosh is at pains to point out this is only a prototype, the company will launch the U series in 2015.
Read: Toshiba launches new 4K TVs
Toshiba has announced two new 11.6-inch Satellite devices, the convertible Radius 11 and the CL10-B, both pitched at the more cost friendly end of the market. The Radius 11 can be shifted into multiple form factors including laptop mode (duh) tablet mode, audience mode, presentation mode and tabletop mode.We reckon you'll use at least two of those, but the option is always nice.
Read: Toshiba offers up low-cost convertivle Radius 11 laptop
Acer has announced a low cost smartphone at IFA 2014, with the Liquid Z500 very much focused on the music-loving youth market. Boasting what Acer is calling "CD quality" audio and "powerful and advanced" front facing speakers - which do, in fairness, bring DTS Studio Sound.
Read: Acer Liquid Z500 is a low-cost 5-inch smartphone
Acer has used the IFA 2014 expo in Berlin to unveil a pair of convertible Windows 8.1 laptops toting more positions than a Yoga manual. First up, the Aspire Aspire R 13 features a 13.3-inch, Gorilla Glass 3-equipped display that rests on what Acer calls an Ezel Aero Hinge, which allows it to rotate 180 degrees and into six different positions.
Read: Acer launches convertible Windows 8.1 laptops
Acer has added a new Windows 8.1 tablet to its line-up, the Iconia Tab 8 W, which complements rather than replaces the Iconia W4. The device has surfaced at IFA 2014 and, like many of its competitors, uses Intel's Reference platform. It comes with familiar components: a quad-core Intel Atom BayTrail-based Z3735G processor clocked at 1.33GHz, an 8-inch IPS display with a 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution, two speakers, microSD, microHDMI and microUSB ports plus a 9.75mm profile and weight of 370g.
Read: Acer Iconia Tab 8W
Joining in on the PC gaming craze that grows more mainstream every day, Lenovo announced two new devices that are ready to push pixels. Following in the footsteps of the company's seemingly successful "Y" line of gaming laptops is its first 17-inch gaming laptop, the Lenovo Y70 Touch.
Read: Lenovo's new gaming PCs and tablets
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