At IFA last week I took the brave step of leaving my PC at home. For someone whos job it is to create content for websites and YouTube it wasn’t something that was easy to achieve but over the last year I’ve been getting more and more comfortable with my Galaxy Tab and Nokia N8 as an unbeatable combination for when I’m mobile.

I sacrifice a bit of quality to improved battery life, speed and sharing. It worked out well and I’m doing it again next we at the Intel Developers Forum where Ben and I will be from Monday to Thursday.

You can read about my experience with the kit here. Be sure to stay tuned to Ben and myself via twitter and the site while we are at IFA too.

The quality of media created when mobile has improved a lot over the years and I’m sure that I’ll have to take steps to keep up but what I find interesting is that tablets and smartphones are leading in terms of quality. PCs just aren’t keeping up. Apps, location, sharing, always-on, cameras and mobile connectivity are often better on these mobile devices. There will always be times when I want to put my bum on a seat and work with multiple windows and multiple media sources to create higher quality content, but not when I’m on the road.

It’s photo upload time here at Carrypad. We’re sorting through all the images we took at IFA and getting them uploaded for you. You can find hands-on images of the Samsung Galaxy Note below. If you’d prefer video, we’ve got you covered on that front as well with a Galaxy Note hands-on video right here.

Also see official specs, links, stats, and more on the Galaxy Note tracking page in our mobile device database.

We were lucky! Thousands that turned up to see the Galaxy Tab 7.7 at IFA were disappointed to find out that it had been removed from IFA.

We’ve got a good hands-on video up already but here are some images to add to that.

You can also find full specs, stats, links, and more on the Galaxy Tab 7.7 tracking page in our mobile device database.

Following the annoucenement here at IFA I managed to get some hands-on with the Sony Tablet P and Tablet S.

‘Proving that it’s not who makes it first but who makes it better’

Kazuo Hirai announced two tablets at their IFA press conference today. We were at the announcement and watched the presentation.

Availability IN Europe should later this month and the prices were announced as follows.

Tablet S €479 (9.4″ Tablet)

Tablet P €599 (Dual screen)

‘Tablets that fit in the hand and in the pocket’

Offering Sony Playstation compatibility, film and music stores this is something quite unique, especially for Europe. The prices are obviously set to be competitive and to bring as many people.into those stores as possible.

[ Posted via the Galaxy Tab. Ultra-Mobile at IFA 2011. For more IFA coverage, follow me on Twitter. @Chippy ]

I’ve had a lot of hands-on with the Archos 43 [specifications] today and I’m impressed. Somehow that small form factor and low price makes the speed and capability all that more impressive. I’m working on a few other videos but I wanted to show you this one first.

Update: Hands-on thoughts, gallery, videos now available.

IF (and it’s a big IF) you’re able to side-load applications and IF they work on the Archos firmware, you’ve got yourself a great value little entertainment device.

Two more videos coming up soon.

10” consumer tablets don’t seem to make much sense to me. I can’t think of any scenarios that need that much space apart from newspaper and magazine typesetting. Sure, a netbook running a multi-windowing OS could use a whole lot more space but when I look at Android tablets that show one window at a time through apps that were created for a maximum 5” screen I have a problem. Having said that, there’s a special feeling one gets when touching and moving huge web pages smoothly across such an area when the screen is only 50cm from your face. Video becomes more immersive too, especially when it’s good quality. The challenge is to create a large screen at a very low weight. A low price always helps too!

The Archos 101 [specifications and details] does 10” in 480gm. That’s an impressive size/weight ratio and when you add in a price of just $300 you have to agree that Archos have set out in the right direction with the 101.

Its almost no surprise that the Archos 101 doesn’t include Google Applications but there’s a lot more to get excited about. A full range of codec support, USB host (with full-size USB port) and a good level of processing power. It looks good too which is important when you’re aiming for as many coffee tables as possible.

Personally I still think that 7” makes more sense for a single-window experience but if you’re looking for an impressive gift for yourself, big is always better right?

Full specifications are in the database, a Chippy hands-on is shown below and we hope to be testing this out further as soon as we can. Note that the test devices at IFA were all running Android 2.1 Android 2.2 will, without a doubt, speed this up to very acceptable levels.

Not quite as far down the line as some of the other Android tablets we’ve seen at IFA is this, the Interpad from E-Noa. [specifications] It’s a 10” capacitive touch device based on a Tegra 2 platform and will launch without 3G, camera and Google applications towards the end of this year at 399 Euros. That’s not quite up to the Archos 101 offering on the tablet right now but with 1024MB of RAM and the Tegra 2 platform, this is certainly a good one for hackers to think about! Android 2.2 is promised.

E-Noa will produce a ‘street’ version with the necessary specs for Google Market in early 2011. Price and full details unknown but we’re told it will have GPS and 3G. That would put it in the 450-500 Euro space.

Full gallery here or click on any of the images below for larger versions.

We’ve just come from a meeting with Samsung where they pulled out a rather nice keyboard accessory…

Full gallery here.

This was a prototype. Pricing not known but we’re guessing it will be well over 50 Euros.

Video coming very shortly.

Update: Product page now available.

Update: We got hands-on at IFA.

We won’t spend too much time reminding you of the Camangi Webstation. Despite a nice look, it was a rather weak entry into the tablet market. The Camangi Market launched at the same time and promised to offer tablet-focused apps. With just 80 apps (that I can find) its no wonder that the new Camangi product will have Google applications and the all-important Market.

The Sheng Tung Development Co., Ltd. are a supplier of Tawanese good and partner to Camangi are at IFA this week. They’ve posted information about the new, FM600 model on the IFA website. I’ve highlighted the important features.

We’ll be heading to their booth as soon as we can. (Probably on Friday)

Android 2.2 with 7” Mobile Internet Device ( MID ) / Tablet / Mobile Phone.
The worldwide first release 7” Android 2.2 system.
Capacitive touch screen with best multimedia experience.
Latest Google service and full internet function. Support Android Market, Youtube online watch, Fring, Facebook, Skype, Twitter….social network platform. Google Map & Navigation in 7” screen enlarge the view.
QR code access convenient the life. Dual cameras are for webcam and camcorder to take photo & video.
Support SIM card 2G/3G signal, it just become a smartphone with large screen when SIM card slot in.
Dimensions: 179.4 x 110 x 11.05/11.25 mm
Weight: Approx. 410 g
Display : 7” WVGA (800x480) capacitive single-touch screen
Chipset : Qualcomm MSM7227 600 MHz (Snapdragon)
O.S. : Android 2.2
Internal Memory: 512MB RAM/512MB ROM, Memory Card support up to 32GB
Connectivity: WLAN 802.11 b/g , Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 3G SIM card slot
GSM Quad-band 850/900/1800/2100, UMTS (WCDMA) 900/1900/2100, GPRS Class 12 , GPS/AGPS
Interface: mini-USB (USB 2.0); 3.5mm audio jack
Camera: Main camera: 3 M Auto Focus, second camera: 300K VGA
Battery: 3240 mAh Li-Polymer battery, support PC USB charging
Less than 3 hours charging with 5V/2A AC adaptor (power-off mode)
Battery Life: Standby: up to 25 days
Talk time: up to 26 hours (GSM) / 9 hours (WCDMA)
Video playback & internet browsing: up to 5 hours
Others : G-sensor, E-compass, Vibration, microSD (TF) slot/SDHC
Video formats support: 3GP, MP4, AVI
Default: Calendar, Clock, Calculator, Browser, Camera, Cam Coder, Music, Gallery, eMail, Phone, Contact, Messaging
Pre-installed Application: Aldiko, Document-to-Go, File Browser, Note Pad, eReader
Google Applications: Android Market, Google Maps, Google Mail, Google Talk, YouTube, Navigation and more.

Via IFA Website.

Update: There’s a Camangi II too. It’s running a Samsung Cortex A8 CPU and a 5mp cam.

Update2: We were told at IFA that this product won’t have the Google Market and aplications. I think we’ll have to wait and see though because details are very unclear right now.

I’m already testing and charging my kit for IFA because on Thursday morning I’ll be on my way up to Berlin to start coverage. The 2nd of Sept is a press and launch day and we expect Samsung to launch the Galaxy Tab in the morning. Unfortunately I’ll still be in the train but I’ll be watching out for news. In the evening we’ll get to see the Tab at the Showstoppers event. We’ll also have a chance to speak to HP.

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On Friday we’ll be hitting the floor and covering as much as we can for you. We’ll give Toshiba a visit to find out about the ‘Smart Pad’ (and the plans for the AC100) and we’ve got a good list of other events and booths to attend too. There’s a tweet-up in the evening.

On the 4th we’re covering the floor again but in the afternoon we’re attending the Intel Software event where we’ll get some Atom, AppUp and MeeGo info and hopefully, hands on with the WeTab.

The 5th will see us on the show floor again so you can expect a big bunch of content both here and over at UMPCPortal going into the following week.

As for equipment I’m afraid its nothing really new again. I’ve got the good old Gigabyte Touchnote and the Canon S2IS that I use for photos and video. The Xperia X10 will be my phone but I’ll also take the N82 as a Flickr Camera and backup. The suspicious looking MiFi and Power-Pack combo will do its job as the roaming hotspot. I used the same setup at Computex and you can read more about that here.

I’ll also be taking the Toshiba AC100, the Viliv N5, S10, X70, S5, U820 and the UMID BZ to the Intel meet-up on the 4th so I’ll have a few backups should anything go wrong!

And once IFA is all over, we’re off to California for the Intel Developer Forum. More about that soon.

Meet:Mobility Podcast 54 is available.

In this show recorded on Friday 20th August 2010, Chippy, JKK and guest, Joanna Stern (Engadget) attempt to round-up 6 weeks of mobile computing news and talk about the netbooks and tablet possibilities for Q4 2010

Full show notes, listen and subscribe links over at Meet:Mobility.

You can also find the podcast on iTunes (Please, please help us by rating the show on iTunes.) You can also subscribe via RSS.

One of the events I’ll be attending around the IFA consumer show is the Intel Software event at the Homebase Lounge. It runs throughout the 4th September and focuses on netbooks, tablets, related Intel platforms and software including MeeGo and AppUp. There will be presentations throughout the days and experts and community members around to talk to. I’m not 100% sure but I think Sascha and I might do a MeetMobility podcast there too so if you’re in the area for IFA or just want to come along for day of developer-focused Atom and MeeGo-related information and discussion (along with a few drinks and some food!) check out the event Facebook page. It’s in German but Google’s translation works well.

Oh, one other thing, apparently there’s going to be a surprise device there for hands-on. I have no idea what it is but I bet it will be something that is launched at IFA which probably means a Moorestown or Oaktrail-based tablet running MeeGo. I’ll also be bringing a bunch of Atom devices too so there will be some more chances for hands-on.

I’ve just posted a two-part article over at UMPCPortal that looks at some recent news, looks forward to some expected products, highlights some events in September and provides a general update of where we are today in the mobile handheld world. Much of it focuses on consumer products that you readers of Carrypad are interested in.

In the article I talk about the Huawei S7, RIMs Blackpad, Samsungs tablet, the Smartbook Surfer, Interpad (new in the database,) Eking, the Huawei E583C hotspot, ICD, Notion Ink and a bunch of devices that are on our ‘watchlist.’ We’re also going to IDF and IFA events in September so you’ll see some information about that too.

Check out Part 1 here.

…and Part 2 here.