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IFA round-up, day two: crazy headsets, 4K tellies a-go-go

Day two's highlights include a laser-guided beard trimmer, Wi-Fi barista, and tellies, plenty of tellies.

Joe Svetlik Reporter
Joe has been writing about consumer tech for nearly seven years now, but his liking for all things shiny goes back to the Gameboy he received aged eight (and that he still plays on at family gatherings, much to the annoyance of his parents). His pride and joy is an Infocus projector, whose 80-inch picture elevates movie nights to a whole new level.
Joe Svetlik
2 min read

Day two of IFA is over, so what tech treats did it bring us? How about a mental new headset, a Wi-Fi barista, a wallet-friendly Windows 8 tablet, and more 4K tellies than you can shake a remote control at. Oh, and then there's the laser-guided beard trimmer.

Yup, laser-guided. Seriously. 

Sony took the wraps off its bonkers new headset, the HMZ-T3W Head Mounted Display. It's the third generation of its kind from the company, and it doesn't disappoint. Put it on, and you'll see two 1,280x720-pixel OLED displays, mimicking a giant screen -- Sony says it'll resemble a 750-inch screen that's just 20 metres away. It's in 3D, too. Hook it up to your PC, games console, or mobile or tablet using an HDMI cable, and you'll forget the outside world ever existed. Dangerous…

Watch this: Sony HMZ-T3W headset hands-on

It'll be out in November, costing a not-at-all-cheap £1,300.

Philips went all out at IFA, showing off a coffee machine that takes your order over Wi-Fi, an iPad mixing deck, and that laser-guided beard trimmer. On the latter, you can choose lengths from 0.2mm all the way to a scraggly 7mm. There's even an app to show how you'll look with different styles of beard.

Now, it wouldn't be a tech show without plenty of tellies. LG showed off some more affordable Ultra HD goggleboxes, though it wouldn't actually say how much they cost. Hmm. I'm rubbing my soon-to-be bearded chin. It also lifted the curtain on a range of OLED TVs that come with a picture-frame surround to make your telly look like a painting. Very artistic.

Not content with just showing off Wi-Fi coffee machines and laser-guided beard trimmers, Philips also unveiled its first 4K TVs, and some four-sided Ambilight goodness.

Finally, on the mobile side of things, Toshiba announced the Encore, a budget 8-inch tablet that runs Windows 8.

Phew. What a day. For more IFA news as it breaks, check out CNET.com. Or check back here for more UK news.

Impressed so far? What are you most looking forward to from IFA? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook page.