LG Announce Extended Partnership With Sky 3D At IFA

Ahead of the launch of Sky 3D, Europe’s first 3D TV channel, and as LG unveils its impressive new 3D product line-up at IFA, the two companies today confirm they will be expand  their 3D TV partnership.  Sky is formally endorsing LG as its first choice for 3D TVs due to the extra choice offered to consumers thanks to its wide range of passive and active 3D TVs.

The partnership, which will see the two brands embark on joint marketing as well as consumer awareness, education and demonstration activity, builds on a relationship that has already seen over a million people enjoy 3D TV in pubs and clubs nationwide.  From 1 October Sky will start broadcasting its 3D channel to living rooms across the UK and Ireland, with live coverage of the Ryder Cup from Celtic Manor, and will promote LG’s extensive range of 3D TVs to the 2.9 million customers who already have a Sky+HD box and are therefore 3D-ready.

Stephen Gater, Head of Marketing LG Home Entertainment Company, commented: “Making 3D technology a genuine reality in people’s homes relies on the pairing of great hardware and compelling content. Our partnership with Sky recognises just this. Together we are committed to educating consumers about our full 3D TV range and demonstrating how they can best view the new content that will available to them in the home.”

Hilary Perchard, Sky’s Director of Product Management, adds: “We’re delighted to have entered into this partnership with LG.  We believe in giving customers choice and as the only manufacturer so far committed to both active and passive TVs, we believe LG has the breadth of product to offer a 3D TV experience for all Sky customers.  We will work alongside LG in helping raise interest and awareness of 3D as we build up to and beyond the launch of Sky 3D.”

Throughout the rest of the year both brands will be providing nationwide demonstrations of the new Sky content on LG 3D TVs to help consumers understand the technology available and enjoy the immersive viewing experience it offers.  This will take place through a range of retailers, including Sky’s own nationwide network of retail stores.  In addition, LG and Sky will be providing exclusive offers to new and existing Sky customers, which will in turn encourage people to make 3D a reality in their living room.  Details of exclusive Sky customer deals will be revealed shortly.

LG boasts the widest range of 3D TV products available, as the only manufacturer to be offering both an active and passive 3D technology option for consumers. LG’s recently launched 3D plasma TV (PX990) and ultra slim 3D screens (LEX8 and LEX9) expand the brand’s existing range of 3D products ensuring there really is something to suit everyone. LG’s home entertainment 3D product line-up now extends across LCD, LED, Full LED and plasma technologies, along with compatible Blu-ray and home cinema systems – something which SKY recognises as integral to this partnership.

From October Sky will bring consumer the UK’s first dedicated 3D TV channel, offering content from sports and movies to documentaries and entertainment. 

Would you be interested in upgrading to a 3D tv?

Have you seen one in action for your self?

IFA 2010 Preview – TV, Tablets, More TVs, And More Tablets

Europe’s biggest electronics and consumer gadget show starts this week, 3rd September to be exact, and GadgetsAndGizmos will be reporting the latest goings on for all to see (follow us on Facebook to see the latest headlines). There will be over 1,000 stands at this year’s celebration in Berlin, which marks the 50th anniversary, and unline CES this is one is aimed specifically towards the European market making it potentially more relevant to us all (yay).

But what exactly are we expecting to see at this year’s event?

The iZone is a specific section that has been set up for Apple lovers and it will feature the latest tech for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Expect plenty of new apps and hopefully some serious tech wizardry for the latest versions of the devices – there may even be a few upgrades to the devices themselves to speak of.

The IFA eLibrary is a new section of the exhibition and it will specifically concentrate on tablet PCs and ebook readers. If nothing else, you’ve got to marvel at the impact that the iPad has had since its launch.

TVs are going to be a massive feature in one way or another – partially because they always have been but also because of the massive impact that 3D TV is having despite still being in its infancy as a technology. Panasonic and Sony, who have both recently announced that they are working on glasses-free 3D TV are certain to have some decent 3D TV related features.

Organic Light Emitting Diode TVs, or OLED if that’s too much of a mouthful, has been threatened a few times and while it may not have taken off with the same kind of popularity as 3D it is building up an albeit small head of steam now. LG is reported to be preparing to show off a 31 inch OLED TV which will make a very pleasant change from the miniscule 15 inch versions so far available.

Internet Protocol Television, IPTV, is also going to be another feature. Manufacturers are getting to grips with the integration of Internet based services and the streaming of content to their latest TV sets so expect a few announcements and a few exhibitions on this.

Tablet PCs are the rage and any competitor to the iPad is good news for all because it may eventually lead to reduecd iPad prices as well as improved features for the Apple device (not that we’re saying it’s featureless but Flash would have been nice). The 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab is one such device and, guess what? It will include a Flash enabled browser – it looks highly probable that the Galaxy Tab will just be one of several new tablets to be on display this year.

So, plenty to look forward to then.

Will you be at the Messe Berlin exhibtion centre for IFA 2010?

Which tech are you most eagerly awaiting?

Comment below or join us on Facebook and let us know your thoughts.

Design an astronaut’s house

NASA have given out details of a competition for engineering students; design an inflatable home for space travellers.

Beforce you start scribbling down ideas and dreaming of the cash prize on offer you might want to check the rather demanding criteria thet have set.  The blow up house has to last a quarter of a century with no maintenance work or resource consumption and a near zero carbon footprint.  However, it is also has to give the hardy astronauts a comfortable and useable living space. Pretty wallpaper and pot plants are optional.

Another NASA snippet (put the kettle on Malcolm, it’s a NASA double bill today) is that on the 29th of July they are going to present the first live Tweet from outer space. One small tweet for man…etc etc…

Google Street View to continue

Google’s wonderful Street View images may have landed the company in soapy bubble for allegedly capturing information which could have broken US secrecy laws. The company are facing investigations over data previously collected. However, ardent fans will be delighted to see the roving cars which have brought us Horse Boy, the stars of Wayne’s World and CIA secrets will be back on the streets of Ireland,  Sweden, Norway and South Africa from next week, with more countries to follow after that.

Google advise that they will now collect just photos, rather than the WiFi info which caused the stir in the first place. The fantastic Street View service is sure to continue attracting browers eager to see different places, unusual sights and a bit of controversy as lets face it, it wouldn’t be Google without a little of that.

Who are the top UK internet retailers?

The results of the just released survey by Hitwise probably won’t surprise anyone in terms of the site in first position. A few eyebrows may be raised at some names futher down the list,however.

Retaining the first position and still the undisputed UK internet retail champion is, of course, Amazon.co.uk.

A new name to appear on the list is Amazon.com. The American version of Amazon.co.uk comes in at sixth.

Argos, Play, Apple and Tesco occupy the positions 2 to 5 and show they we buy a wide variety of goods online these days. It also proves that not only the most hi-tech, cutting edge companies and sites attract our online custom.

Microsoft confirms cheaper Xbox 360 Slim planned

The announcement of the slimmed-down reboot of the Xbox 360 console went down well at the E3 conference last week and Microsoft has now said that a cheaper edition of this new device will be arriving later in the year.

The cheaper, slimmer Xbox 360 will be replacing the Arcade version of the current model, which sits on shelves at about £130. Microsoft says that its replacement will cost somewhere between the £150-170 mark and although it will not have the huge 250GB hard drive of its big brother, it will still get the sleek, black finish and the cooler, quieter operation which will be a boon to current Xbox 360 owners.

Both the full and half fat versions of the Xbox 360 Slim will be ready to operate with the new motion gaming accessory from Microsoft called Kinect. This set top device will also be bundled with the consoles for a price increment of somewhere in the region of £100 for those who are keen to start moving their feet and getting into the game in a weird, mirrored virtual reality kind of way.

Keen observers recently noted that the revamped Xbox 360 is missing one key component that almost defined its predecessor; the red LED that accompanies the green power light. This LED would light up when an internal error was detected and it became known as the red ring of death. Its removal either suggests a greater confidence in the new hardware, or Microsoft’s attempt to disassociate its latest offering from former woes.

Samsung announces two new Bada-based smartphones

After championing its in-house Bada smartphone operating system with the Samsung Wave, the South Korean firm has announced that two more handsets will be arriving with Bada on-board.

The Wave 2 and the Wave 2 Pro are the suitably named smartphones in question and they have made their world debut at the CommunicAsia conference this week.

The difference between the Wave 2 and the Wave 2 Pro seems to be the inclusion of a QWERTY keypad on the pro handset, marking it out as suitable for the business market.

Reports suggest that neither of the smartphones will have 3G network connectivity, which would seem to be an oversight if Samsung is aiming for international availability. However, Wireless N and Bluetooth 2.1 are included, which may take the sting out of the omission of 3G.

The displays will be 3.2 inch LCD units, which is another minor letdown after Samsung’s recent spate of AMOLED displays impressed most industry observers. The three megapixel camera on the rear is also slightly underpowered and it makes these smartphones feel less like sequels than entry level prequels to the high end original Wave.

Samsung’s Bada platform has several useful features, including the social hub that pulls together all of your social networking and messaging services into a single interface. The Touch Wiz software is sitting on top of Bada, so it should be fairly finger friendly, although the inclusion of the full QWERTY on the Wave 2 Pro will definitely appeal to messaging fanatics who do not trust the accuracy of touchscreen technology.

iPhone 4 Announced

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a host of partners and colleagues took to the stage at the WWDC event in San Francisco on Monday in order to unveil the iPhone 4.

The latest addition to Apple’s smartphone line up represents the biggest step forward since the first iPhone was launched in 2007 and it has got even the cynics excited, desperate to get their hands on a retail version.

Read more

BBC One HD announced

The BBC has unveiled its plans to launch a high definition version of BBC One, which is set to begin broadcasting in the autumn.

At the moment the only way in which to get HD content from the BBC is to tune into BBC HD, which represents an amalgamation of various programs shot and shown in HD format from across the BBC’s catalogue, but it does not marry up directly with any of the BBC’s main channels. More on bbc one hd

Win A England world cup skin for your favourite gadget

The summer is here and we have some exciting gadget news and reviews on the way for you. We also have a bunch of new stuff for you to win and thought we would kick it all off with some world cup based gadgets courtousy of Exspect . Entering is simple. Enter the competition

<Next Page » 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next Page »