Electronics put on a show in Berlin

Tantalizing tablet computers, eye-popping 3-D TVs and nifty home appliances vied for attention at Internationale Funkausstellung, the huge European electronics show that recently took over Berlin.

Droid me, please?

Already a major factor in mobile phones, Google's Android operating system is fueling the first generation of tablet PCs and handheld media portables that could loosen Apple's stranglehold on the market.

Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab slate computer boasts a feature set that some users will find superior to the first-gen Apple iPad -- including a smaller, lighter design with 7-inch (vs. 9.7-inch) screen, dual cameras for video capture and conferencing, and a seven-hour battery, plus mobile network connectivity for making calls as well as transferring data.

But you'll want to use a Bluetooth headset rather than hold this handful to an ear.

Samsung will team with mobile phone companies to make the Galaxy Tab "affordable" by locking into a service contract.

Toshiba's Folio 100 looks like an iPad clone, with its 10.1-inch touch screen and slim metallic frame. It offers video calls with an embedded webcam, runs Adobe Flash 10.1 (missing on the iPhone) and comes preinstalled with the Opera Mobile Web browser, e-book reader and office productivity suite.

The Connect packs a camera for video and shooting stills, boasts FullSound and Surround for Movies audio processing, and delivers the goods through serious, sound-isolating earphones.

Sony re-Connects

Ironically, Sony used to offer a digital music download service, also called Connect. By year's end, the company will introduce a new, cloud-based streaming service, Music Unlimited, giving consumers instant access to millions of songs on a bunch of Sony products.

3-D in your face

There's a handsome new addition to Philips' exotic line of wider-than-widescreen (21:9 aspect ratio) flat-panel TVs. It's a 55-inch, LED backlit (and Ambilight-enhanced) charmer that also delivers ultra-scoped 3-D movies without those pesky black bars.

Panasonic introduced the first 3-D video camcorder for consumers, the HDC-SDT750 ($1,400), designed to home-grow in-your-face movies, James Cameron-style.

And Panasonic confirmed at IFA that it will offer the 3-D Blu-ray version of Cameron's "Avatar" in December exclusively to buyers of Panasonic 3-D sets. Others won't have access to this blockbuster in its "native" state until sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Homestyle gizmos

In January, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will finally add smart appliances to its product mix. Here are some introduced at IFA that I'm hoping will be coming stateside:

• Bosch Avantixx 7: The first combined laundry washer and dryer that promises "no compromises" in serving both ends.

• Miele InfoControl Plus: iPhone app keeps track of Miele kitchen and laundry product operations, including "Smart Grid" models programmed to run in nonpeak energy hours.