5 of the Coolest Gadgets at IFA 2024: Acer Project DualPlay, Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC
The IFA tech showcase is in full swing, with some of the biggest names in the hardware space converging in Berlin, Germany to announce their latest innovations.
The European tech show is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as it runs from the 6th to the 10th of September, and there’s been no shortage of cool and eye-catching gadget reveals at the event.
Here are five that grabbed our attention:
Acer Project DualPlay
Are you a laptop gamer that prefers the use of a controller over mouse and keyboard? Well, Acer’s latest concept laptop, dubbed Project DualPlay, might just be for you. Push a button on the laptop and the touchpad pops up, revealing a full controller you can use to game on-the-go.
Acer redesigned its popular Predator gaming laptop to include a cutout under the keyboard that can hold the custom gaming controller. The back of the controller is the laptop’s trackpad, and electromagnets allow it to attach to the laptop when not in use. What’s more, the controller can be split into two gamepads to function like Nintendo Switch Joy-cons. When the controllers are released, two 5W speaks also pop out from the sides of the laptop.
Project DualPlay remains a concept for now, so don’t expect to find it in stores anytime soon.
Dreame’s Concept Vacuum Can Scale Elevated Surfaces
Robot vacuums are steadily getting better and better at cleaning our houses for us autonomously, but for the most part, they’ve always been limited to flat surfaces. That could soon change thanks to Dreame’s latest breakthrough.
The Chinese appliance manufacturer at IFA 2024 unveiled a concept vacuum equipped with a pair of retractable legs that can push it up and over elevated surfaces. The company said the solution, which it calls Pro Leap System, allows the vacuum to scale steps as tall as 1.5 to 2 inches in height, though stairs are still a no-go. The concept vacuum also features dampened suspension and shockproof sensors to keep it safe.
Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC
Lenovo’s latest concept laptop, the Auto Twist AI PC, can transform and change form factors through voice commands. You can, for instance, ask the laptop to open on its own by simply saying, “Hi Twist, Open Laptop”. You can also say, “Hi Twist, Open Tablet Mode,” and it’ll swivel the display 360-degrees to hide the keyboard. Even cooler is that it has a Dancing Mode, where the display does 180-degree turns as it plays a video of a ballerina.
As cool as all this looks and sounds, don’t expect to find the Auto Twist AI PC in the market anytime soon since Lenovo said that it’s very much just a proof-of-concept right now.
Anker MagGo 3-in-1
One of the biggest advantages of wireless charging is that manufacturers are given a lot of freedom when it comes to a charger’s form factor. Anker’s new MagGo 3-in-1, for example, can fold into a macaron-like puck, while offering three wireless charging pads: a Qi2-certified 15W charger, a 5W Apple-certified Watch charger and a 5W Qi charger with a USB-C power input port. It provides a convenient and portable way to charge your Apple devices, namely your iPhone, AirPods and Watch, all at once.
The Anker MagGo 3-in-1 costs US$90 and will be released in mid-September.
Ki Wireless Power Transfer
Your kitchen countertops could soon be cable-free, with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) demonstrating its new wireless power transfer protocol, Ki, at IFA 2024. The new protocol can deliver power wirelessly via a kitchen countertop, allowing you to operate compatible kitchen appliances without needing to plug them in. It works like the wireless charging protocol for mobile devices, Qi, similarly using magnetic induction. But Ki can deliver more power and can operate appliances requiring up to 2.2kW.
The IFA tech showcase is in full swing, with some of the biggest names in the hardware space converging in Berlin, Germany to announce their latest innovations.
One such innovation is the Acer Project DualPlay, a concept laptop with a detachable game controller.
Among other cool gadgets showcased at the show include the Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC and the Anker MagGo 3-in-1.