Lenovo, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Samsung and others used the kickoff of the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin, which runs Aug. 31 through Sept. 9, to introduce armloads of new devices. These products, from smartphones to all-in-one PCs, are intended to sustain them through the holiday shopping season and beyond, to help them participate in a tablet market growing more competitive with the upcoming launch of Microsoft Windows 8, and to make an impression on consumers and office workers alike before several big announcements later this year from Apple, whose products have a way of shifting the entire industry. The show's early offerings, a few of which we've collected below, are most notable for featuring a new form factor& laptop-slash-tablets, or hybrids, if you prefer& that seek to prevent a user from choosing between the two. Connected, they're said to offer a true laptop user experience, while disconnected they offer the freedom and flexibility of tablets. Whether Android or the most robust Microsoft offering is your cup of tea, the show featured something for everyone (even a splash-proof model). - ...