In addition to their new TVs and AV systems, Philips had a ton of small new gadgets and appliances at IFA 2008 today: new Streamium 160GB micro Hi-Fi systems, the CinemaOne all-in-one home theatre unit, the new version of the Wake-Up Light alarm clock, a cool home messaging system bar, a beer draft machine, a barrage of grooming things, food processors, and the new Senseo Latte Select, which does perfect latte macchiatos in seconds. I'll get an espresso instead, because I was getting quite sleepy right there.

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I saw the 42-inch Philips Essence 1080p at their booth today, and there are three things I like about it beyond its minimalist design with 21mm bezel. Very much in fact:

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Ah Miss IFA, Miss IFA... Miss IFA with your--fake--red hair, Miss IFA with your--real--long legs, Miss IFA with your really big Philips and Swarovski Active Crystals... how much do we love thee? Let me count the ways.

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Philips is working on their own ultra-thin backlighting technology. But compared to the absolutely stunning Sony ZX1 9.9mm-thin TV, the Philips 8mm 32-inch model is a) just too small and b) just a prototype. However, it looks like it uses a similar LED-in-the-corner backlighting technology. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

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As mentioned in the liveblog, Philips has stumped up a new home theatre system that's as small, and almost as round as, a soccer ball—for those of us bored of boring, standard rectangular entertainment gadgets. Though it's tiny, it fits in an iPod dock, a five-channel amp, six speakers and a subwoofer built into the base. It must be pretty cramped inside, since it's just 27cm across, and only 17cm high. The DVD player can cope with DivX, MPEG-4 and WMV, and upscales to 1080p over HDMI and the CD player can read MP3 discs, and it's got USB-in. If that's whetted your appetite, you'll have to wait as there's no info yet on timing or price. But the press release is below.

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We are at the Philips press conference and it has started with... a Senseo coffee machine that can make latte macchiatos? Apparently, the new home appliances part of IFA is big. But there's more, here comes their first TV, called Essence.

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It's been a long while since we mentioned Philips range of Pronto home-control remote systems, but Philips hasn't forgotten them: it's been making the mega-remotes even more mega with the upcoming TSU9800. With a bigger touchscreen (6.4-inches, folks), and an dock that also does ambient lighting, it can also be mounted on the wall of your swanky Wi-Fi-enabled remote-controlled house to let you switch on "audio/video servers" for which it gives "feedback information such as album/DVD art and song information." Philips has also updated the software used to program the remote through a PC, and now ProntoEdit Professional 2.0 lets you drag and drop design your configurations and user interfaces for the 9800. Swish indeed: which is why it's due to cost US$2,400 when it's out in September. Press release below.

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While visiting the Philips research lab here in Amsterdam I came across a company that is getting the Star Trek replicator closer to everyday life. Imagine being able to create any 3D object you want--a World of Warcraft avatar, a chess set, a lamp, a Lego piece you are missing, a house for a train model, or a fully articulated astromech droid--print it remotely, and have it delivered to your house in just 10 days, even without knowing any 3D software. This is exactly what Shapeways does. Not next century, but right now, today.

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I've spent the morning at Philips Research Labs in Eindhoven, Netherlands, and I've seen some pretty amazing inventions that may not be far away from a shop near you. One of the coolest was these magnetic LED tiles that allow you to build any kind of 2D- or 3D-shaped display by just attaching one to the next. The results, combined with the beauty of the animated colour LEDs behind the diffusing glass, are stunning. The way it works seems like magic.

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Remember that LivingColors Lamp that everyone made such a fuss about last year? Well, Philips is looking to capitalise on the success of the original by releasing a mini version that features 256 different colour modes and an updated look. They also ditched the remote this time around for an integrated colour wheel on the device itself, which may or may not be a negative depending on whether or not you have a tendency to lose things. The LivingColors lamp mini will be available starting in December for around US$168.

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