After an underwhelming debut, Samsung’s QLED technology really needed to bounce back in style in 2018. It didn’t surprise us in the least, then, to discover Samsung threw the kitchen sink in with its new Q9FN QLED Series of TVs.
As well as being even brighter and more colorful than last year’s equivalent model, Samsung’s 2018 flagship screens use a completely different lighting system to combat its predecessor’s contrast problems: Full Array Local Dimming rather than edge-lit LED lighting. The FALD panel works in tandem with Samsung QLED Quantum Dots to produce a picture that’s brighter and more colorful than near any we’ve seen come from the South Korean manufacturer.
Do those features alone make Samsung Q9FN the best TV on the market? No, but throw in technology like HDR10+ and Q HDR EliteMax – what Samsung bills as its maximum High Dynamic Range experience that’s exclusive to the Q9FN – and there’s very little doubt in our mind that this is Samsung’s best TV ever.
Update:The Samsung Galaxy X is rumored to land on February 20. Plus, a source claims the Samsung Galaxy X could have two batteries for a total capacity of 6,200mAh.
We could have recently gotten our first real look at the Samsung Galaxy X – or Samsung Galaxy F, Samsung Galaxy Fold or Samsung Galaxy Flex as it might be called – at the Samsung Developer Conference.
Samsung revealed something huge: its first foldable screen, which opens clamshell-style and flattens out for a tablet-size display. The Infinity Flex Display, as the tech is called, is an entirely new direction for Samsung smartphones that required development of new materials and processes to make it functional.
CES is the world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years — the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.
CES 2019 took place this year in Las-Vegas from 6th to 11th of January.
LG – Rollable OLED TV – 65inch
After years of promises, the world’s first truly rollable telly is LG’s 65in Signature OLED TV R9. Forget the clunky name, LG finally has a TV that rolls up and out of the way when not in use.
Turn it on and the TV extends upwards from the base to offer everything a top-class 4K HDR OLED TV should. There is even a “line view” mode that allows just the top of the television to peek out of the base to show a clock and other bits. The TV supports Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s AirPlay 2.
Have you ever wished your toilet was able to talk to you? Probably not. But not content with a Japanese-style heated seat and auto cleaning and drying systems, the US toilet maker Kohler has shoved Amazon’s Alexa into its new loo, too.
The Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet promises a “fully immersive experience” with fancy “dynamic and interactive multicoloured ambient and surround lighting”, built-in speakers and voice control. A snip at about $7,000 – or $9,000 if you want it in black.
“Alexa, flush for me.” What could possibly go wrong?
What if your smartwatch used you as a human battery so it never needs charging? That’s precisely what the Matrix PowerWatch 2 promises, sucking heat from the wearer’s skin to generate electricity, alongside a hidden solar panel for good measure.
The watch is water-resistant to 200m, has a colour screen, shows notifications and will track steps, sleep and health with a heart rate monitor on the back and GPS for runners. It’s compatible with iPhone and Android, selling through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for $199-$395, to ship in June.
Apple, notorious for blocking others from using its technology, has not only started licensing its AirPlay 2 media streaming system to TV manufacturers including Sony, LG and Vizio, but has also announced that an iTunes app will be available on its arch-rival Samsung’s smart TVs.
Expect an Apple TV streaming service to launch this year, then.
The Korean car company Hyundai has unveiled a car that can walk. The Elevate is capable of both “mammalian and reptilian walking gaits” using four articulated robotic legs that extend out from traditional wheel arches but that can fold back down and drive like a regular car.
At least that’s the theory. Experts are sceptical that Hyundai’s “limitless” design will actually work. But if it does, the car that “can climb a 5ft wall, step over a 5ft gap, walk over diverse terrain and achieve a 15ft wide track width” will apparently be brilliant for emergency services and rescue vehicles.
Have you ever wished for a Nespresso machine but for beer? LG’s HomeBrew might be the answer to your prayers.
Pop in one big and three smaller Nespresso-esque capsules and hit the button. The HomeBrew will then produce five litres of beer from a choice of American IPA, American pale ale, stout, pilsner and Belgian witbier. It even cleans itself at the end.
FlashIT 