A YEAR after jumbo flat-screen televisions wowed crowds in Berlin, the hype ahead of this year's IFA trade show surrounds the tiny screen of a new Fujitsu Siemens mini-laptop.
The world's largest consumer electronics trade show opens its doors in Berlin today and organisers are hoping to top the 220,000 visitors who passed through the exhibition's 30 halls last year.
For days, tech bloggers have been salivating over early images of the mini Amilo system, so far the worst-kept secret of the show.
It's the latest entry in the mini-laptop sector brought to life by Asustek a year ago with its Eee PC, offering mobile computing for under €300. No doubt other computer manufacturers will have their own models in the rapidly growing sub-notebook segment.
At the same time, expect more "bigger is better" behaviour in the television segment. Several manufacturers have promised to top existing screen records of 3.8m (12ft 4in) in Berlin.
Japanese electronics giant Sony has booked the largest stand - 6,000sq m (19,685sq ft) of floor space - and is promising to fill it with revolutionary products.
It will need to do better than the offerings in the pre-show leaks: a candy-coloured Walkman weighing just 50g and a new range of even bigger Bravia televisions.
This year's big television trend is for flatscreens to get even flatter. Several manufacturers are promising LCD televisions with a depth of just 3.8cm (1.5in). Prototypes at the event will show the next stage, just 1 cm (0.4in) thick.
Having televisions that practically melt into the wall will have a knock-on effect on speaker technology: boffins are promising new "sound bars" as well as "sound projectors" that generate a full surround sound experience from just one box: goodbye living room speaker cables.
Philips is hoping to fill that freed-up living room space with a holy grail of the media industry: 3-D home entertainment. It will present its first "3-D on Blu-ray" device, allowing users to experience three-dimensional films at home. "Our 3-D displays give the viewer an exciting, entertaining and engaging 3-D experience, making them ideally suited for professional use in digital signage for retail, point-of-sale advertising, gaming applications in casinos, games and 3-D visualisation," said Jos Swillens, chief executive of Philips 3-D Solutions.
The most interesting part of the Philips launch is that, besides the traditional 3-D glasses solution, it is presenting "WOWvx technology" screens that promise to deliver 3-D images without glasses. Expect crowds at the Philips stand.
At the low end of the market, there are no shortage of consumer hits: bluetooth-enabled MP3 players and stereos, a new generation of internet radios and digital cameras, and even new satellite navigation devices with built-in digital television tuners.
What makes IFA unique is that it begins as a trade-only fair before opening to the public, stoking interest and building hype in upcoming gadgets.
New this year is a section reflecting growing consumer interest in environmentally-friendly, low energy home appliances, products that are increasingly converging with consumer electronics. "We expect the integration of the domestic electric appliance industry to lead to increased popularity for the consumer lifestyle products of both sectors, as well as intensified interest in the IFA among international trade visitors and the media," said Dr Rainer Hecker, chairman of GFU, the organisers of the show.
Expect to see new generation induction cookers, high-speed ovens and multifunctional washing machines. Can the fridge with an iPod docking station be far behind? It's a smart move in a year when the economic slowdown begins to bite and many companies are watching for a slowdown in consumer electronics spending.
For those still with money to spend on luxuries, several manufacturers are presenting solutions for a wireless, networked home. One of the most innovative products is the "Z-Wave" wireless system, allowing people to kit out their existing home appliances, lights and central heating with receivers, allowing you to control your household by remote control via your mobile phone.
Push a button and your house gets into morning mode, another button push and your living room automatically sets up the perfect conditions to watch a movie. You'll never leave home again.
The show is open to the public from today until September 3rd.
