A festival for gadget geeks? Call it Tech-chella

MANILA, Philippines - Imagine a brightly lit hall filled with the latest state-of-the-art gadgets, and innovations that you can touch and try out, presented with chic visual merchandising. Now imagine that spreading across several halls much like the SMX convention center — but 30 times the size. That was IFA 2013 in Messe Berlin, Germany. 

I’m no techie. I consider myself to be average, techie- wise. I can work new gadgets but I don’t understand processor speak. So I didn’t quite know how IFA (stands for Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin or the Berlin Radio show, one of the oldest industrial exhibitions) would be relevant to me. A “techies’ Willy Wonka factory,” I thought. As a Samsung endorser, I was part of the Philippine team that attended both their launch and IFA last Sept. 4 to 6, and little did I know I was in for a treat!

1. I had never, until IFA, seen every single person at an event on their laptops and phones the entire time while a show was ongoing.

Having your head hanging down, glued to a screen, was normal. The venue: the chic Tempodrom in the city of Berlin. The event: Unpacked Episode 2, where the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and Galaxy Note 10.1 was launched. There was panic when Twitter updates wouldn’t post, collective keyboard and clicking sounds, and loud gasps, shrieks and applause as Samsung executives presented the new gadgets’ features. 

2. Put your hand to your ear and make or take a call, and take photos and videos on your watch with just one swipe: Welcome to the future.

The most talked-about gadget at the launch was undoubtedly the Samsung Galaxy Gear. (Stuff the Jetsons and Dick Tracy would have loved!) It was only a matter of time before a “smart watch” hit the market; the question was which company would put it out first. Galaxy Gear basically acts as an extension to your phone (not only compatible with the Note 3, updates will be available for the Note 2, S3, S4, others soon) flashing your calls, e-mails, messages, without you having to pull out your phone. With just one swipe, you can take photos and videos. It acts as a pedometer, a calculator and many other things, aside from being a watch. Plus it looks and feels quite good on the wrist. Many are already eyeing it as a gift for loved ones this Christmas, as it is set to retail for around P15,000.

3. This is Generation Instant.

Everything now has to be within reach in a few seconds. Signs of impatience? Or do we just want to be efficient? (Both, perhaps.) The most impressive features of the new Samsung Note 3 in my opinion are what they call the S Pen’s “dot, circle, square” feature. Hover the S Pen over the screen and a dot appears that opens up to a menu. Encircle any page you are on that you want to save, and it automatically bookmarks content and the online link. Draw a square (of your desired size) on the page you are on and your favorite daily apps (like the calculator and calendar) appear on screen without you having to “X” out the app you are using. Price range is said to be around P30,000 to P35,000 for this gadget.

4. Geeks definitely rule the world.

I have always believed that geeks (being one myself) rule the world. I thought IFA would be some tech convention I would not be able to relate to, but it was much more than that! To everyone dreaming to have, to design, and to furnish their own home, you will go nuts like I did. Halls and halls of all the top international brands and countless rows of the newest, most sleek, most beautiful consumer gadgets and home appliances for you to feast your eyes on. (Thank you to all the geeks who made this possible!) Sony, Panasonic, Siemens, Miele, Bosch, Grundig, Philips, Braun, Kenwood, Canon, Nikon, Toshiba, Beko, Samsung — and the list goes on and on. In the Samsung hall you will find the world’s largest Ultra High Definition TV at 110 inches, a new printer that you literally just tap to print, the world’s largest 98-inch Ultra HD commercial display, transparent displays, Slim Fry (fry without oil), Motion Sync (vacuum with ease), and many, many more products. 

5. It was totally Tech-chella.

It had the same mood as those big music festivals, only instead of music uniting everyone, it was technology. And instead of the shortest denim shorts, the attire was button-down long sleeves. But it had the same energy, the same vibrancy, the same passion. Right outside the halls were rows and rows of food stalls and food trucks with music playing in the air. Everyone seemed to have a skip to their step as they kept up with the schedules of showcases and demos. You can’t purchase any of the drool-worthy items, but there were a lot of freebies. 

I truly enjoyed being a non-techie in a techie world because more than just a showcase of who can do what, it transported me to the future that is actually now, and made me dream the biggest dreams.