I just got back from Berlin, Germany where I attended Showstoppers, a companion event to IFA which is Europe’s version of CES. And just like CES I produced a dispatch from the event!
Lenovo sponsored my trip again this year, covering travel but not influencing what I covered, and I was able to see a wide mix of concept ideas, shipping products, and quirky tech that you don’t always come across in the U.S.
At Lenovo’s press event I saw a few different concepts and new products. One that stood out was a concept laptop with a pivoting hinge that gives the display extra vertical space, potentially useful for editing, coding, or browsing. Lenovo’s new Legion Go 2 handheld is about to ship with detachable controllers, an OLED display, and robust ports, while their Legion Pro OLED gaming monitors push into high refresh rates and slim designs. Other Lenovo highlights included affordable Idea Tab Plus tablets, higher-end Yoga Tabs, a new aluminum-clad ThinkPad X9 line, and even some concept gear like a Smart Motion dock that physically tracks your face and keeps the laptop pointed at you.
Over at Showstoppers, I came across a number of smaller companies showing interesting devices. DigiEra had a chunky handheld tablet PC called the HoloMax with 3D display capabilities and powerful specs. BlackView showed off a rugged smartphone with built-in VHF and UHF radios, essentially combining a walkie-talkie and phone into one device. Momax introduced inexpensive Find My-compatible trackers with some extra safety features like a loud siren. Ugreen displayed a six-bay NAS powered by Intel’s Core Ultra processors and outfitted with Thunderbolt. Anker had a massive $5,000 portable projector and sound system called the Nebula X1 Pro, clearly aimed at outdoor movie nights.
There were also plenty of niche gadgets and fun experiments: a waterproof point-and-shoot camera for kids from Agfa Photo, keyboards from Epomaker with detachable screens and unusual switches, a SwitchBot robot that plays tennis with you, and the Hover Air camera that autonomously follows you around with no need for a remote control. Belkin had some new budget-friendly earbuds, car chargers, and magnetic wireless chargers, while Charge showed an SSD with integrated cooling and hub functionality.
This event is much more fun to watch than read. Check out the video and see all of my previous dispatches here!
I’ll have a mini-dispatch coming up in late October from a Pepcom event. Stay tuned!