IFA 2014: IFA 2014: all the latest news and hottest hands ons LIVE from Berlin

IFA 2014: all the latest news

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!

Toshiba at IFA 2014:

Toshiba Chromebook 2 shows off a sharp new look

And the Windows Encore Mini

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

Toshiba launches bargain-basement Encore Mini Windows 8.1 tablet

Low-end thrills with zero frills

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 launches U Series Ultra HD 4K TV

New features for 2015

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

Acer at IFA 2014:

Acer Liquid Z500 is a low-cost 5-inch smartphone

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 lifts lid on convertible Aspire R 13 and R 14 Series

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 joins cheap Windows 8 tablet fray with Iconia Tab 8 W

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

Lenovo at IFA 2014:

Lenovo doubles down on gaming with Y70 Touch laptop, Erazer X315 desktop

Plus, the Intel-powered Tab S8

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

IFA 2014: what we're expecting to see

Every September, the luminaries of the tech world (minus Apple) gather in an exhibition hall in Berlin to launch their must-have products. IFA 2013 saw hundreds of companies launching what seemed like a million new laptops, but what does it have in store for us this year?

This feature will be constantly updated so check back to see if your favourite gadget rumour will become a reality Berlin this September.

Galaxy Note 4: return of the Phantom Phablet

The biggest launch that'll almost certainly happen at IFA 2014 is the debut of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the update to Samsung's market-leading, finger-stretching phablet, the Galaxy Note 3.

The previous Notes have been launched at past editions of IFA, and Samsung has all but revealed to the press that the Note 4 will arrive at IFA. An invite came to TechRadar and other outlets stating: 'Ready? Note the date!' Not the most subtle of hints.

What's slightly less certain is what the Note 4 will offer over the Note 3. Screen size is one of the important questions: the original Note launched with a 5.3-inch screen, and the Note 2 and 3 have rocked 5.5 inches and 5.7 inches respectively.

Although it's entirely possible that the Note 4 will continue this trend and push things up to 5.9 inches and beyond (after all, Sony's Xperia Z Ultra is a whopping 6.4 inches), but rumours like a leaked Antutu benchmark point to a 5.7-inch 2,560 x 1,440 display.

It's also a safe bet to assume that the Note 4 will see an improved processor - probably following Samsung's tradition of an Exynos-powered 8-core behemoth for the European market, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon (most likely the 805) for North America. RAM and graphics will probably get upgrades as well, to keep a more pixel-dense display humming along.

Word has also been spreading of a curved display - not curved like the slightly bonkers Galaxy Round, but tapering off towards the edges to make the bezel disappear. This is off the back of a patent filed by Samsung last year, but it makes sense, given Samsung's history with curved phones and curved TVs, and its willingness to burn R&D money hand-over-fist to make the next big breakthrough.

Software-wise, you can expect the Note 4 to launch with a version of Android 4.4, with Samsung's custom TouchWiz UI running on top. Even though the new version of Google's operating system, Android L, will launch around the same time, it's doubtful Samsung will be able to get the OS up and running in time for an early-September launch.

Another phone that may feature from Samsung is the Galaxy Mega 2. If it arrives this will essentially be a big handset with middling specs. The screen could be as large as 6 inches (if rumours are anything to go by) and while it will be an upgrade to the Mega, it won't pack the premium specs of the Note 4.

Sony Completes the Trilogy

Another big smartphone we can look forward to with sweaty gadget-paws is the coming of the Sony Xperia Z3, the rumoured follow-up to the Z1 and Z2. Early leaks point to small spec bumps being the order of the day here, with an upgrade to a Snapdragon Qualcomm 801 processor, 1080p display (good news, since the display has historically been one of the failings of the Z line) and an upgrade to Android 4.4.

Design-wise, you can expect the Z3 to retain the Omnibalance design (which basically boils down to lots of right angles) of its predecessor, along with the waterproofing that's proving increasingly common on flagship smartphones.

Launching alongside the Z3 will supposedly be its 4.5-inch sidekick, the Z3 Compact. Sony impressed with the Z1 Compact, a premium Android phone with a relatively small screen, and it looks like the same winning formula might be applied to the Z3 Compact, with whisperings of a 2.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a 20-megapixel camera. If that turns out to be the case, small-handed Android lovers could be in luck.

Tablet-wise, IFA hasn't always been the most exciting show. New (or upgraded) models from the usual suspects - Samsung, Asus, HP and Archos - will most likely be on display, but there won't be anything quite as exciting as a new iPad.

Let them eat smartwatches

Wearables, on the other hand, are normally a Really Big Thing at IFA. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Gear, its somewhat-maligned debut smartwatch album, at IFA 2013, and fitness trackers and smartwatches will almost certainly be everywhere at this year's show.

Samsung, LG and Motorola have already announced their Android Wear smartwatches, but there's a chance that we'll see watch launches from Sony, HTC, or any of the hundreds of keen startups that want a piece of the wrist action.

The strongest rumours we have had so far are LG hinting that we may see LG G Watch 2 in Berlin and Sony probably pushing the Sony SmartWatch 3.

There's also a good chance that we'll see a new Tizen-powered smartwatch from Samsung. Although the South Korean giant has made a good stab at an Android Wear-powered smartwatch in the Gear Live, Samsung's never been one for hedging its bets, so there's a chance we'll see an updated Galaxy Gear smartwatch (or three) at IFA.

The latest rumours suggest that we may well see a circular Samsung Gear smartwatch in Berlin, alongside the SIM-packing Gear Solo.

Another company that has heavily hinted that we will see a smartwatch on its stalls is Asus. An invite to TechRadar under the heading: 'Time has transformed and we have changed' pretty much guarantees we will be seeing some Android Wear from the company soon.

Then there's Microsoft. While we haven't had any hints that there is a smartwatch launching at IFA 2014, it will be launching a smartphone - the sequel to the Nokia Lumia 1020, possibly the Nokia Lumia 1030.

Don't forget the laptops

It's easy to forget when everyone's harping on about tablets, wearables and the death of the PC, but laptops are still big business. Asus has traditionally used IFA to launch a handful of new Ultrabooks.

It's been on the innovation warpath recently, launching a Windows laptop with a 4K display in June, and it has a long tradition of slightly wacky products like the Transformer Pad laptop-tablet hybrid, so expect to see something unusual alongside Ultrabook upgrades in September.

Lenovo also has a history of debuting new hybrid laptop/tablets at IFA, with the review-topping Yoga 2 being unveiled last year. Given the success, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a Yoga 3 finding its way into Berlin.

Television time

Where IFA 2013 was the year of the 4K TV, you can expect this year's TV gimmick to be curved screens. Samsung, LG and Sony have had prototype and high-end curved TVs or show for a good year now so it's a fair bet that IFA will see those technologies tricking down to lower-end sets, or into the ranges of slightly less premium TV brands.

There's also a chance that Panasonic - which has been resolutely ignoring the OLED and curved TV trends - will finally debut a curved model. It's worth remembering, however, that big TV innovations and launches traditionally happen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January, so you might have to wait until then if you want more eyeball-bending electronics.

• Apple won't be at IFA, but you can still read our predictions for its future

from Techradar - All the latest technology news http://ift.tt/WagO9p