From the Editor's Desk: So long, IFA 2013

Well, that's it, Berlin. You've been a blast, but IFA 2013 is over for us. I'm on a plane (or two) home, but a few things we learned this week:

• Samsung is still the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Like it or not, it's just the way it is.
• It'll be really interesting to see how the Galaxy Gear does. I love the idea of it. I hate that it's initially locked into the Note 3, and I'm lukewarm on it being locked into Samsung devices.
• I get it, but I want to use what appears to be an exciting sort of accessory with other phones. Period.
• The Sony QX10 is far more fun to use than I think any of us imagined.
• The Xperia Z1 is impressive, but those bezels ...
• The LG G Pad 8.3 is nice, but a big question mark is pricing and availability. The paired notifications are pretty cool.
• Schnitzel is awesome. I'm making every meal like that from now on. (Or at least for the next couple weeks, until my wife drops an ultimatum.)
• (This happens every trip. Go to San Diego? Eat everything on a tortilla for the next couple of weeks.)
• (Maybe even done better than the Italians?)
• PNS>ATL>AMS>CDG>TXL is no way to get to Berlin. Well, better than not getting to Berlin, I suppose. But that made for one hell of a trip over. Thanks, mechanical delays.
• Driving past Brandenburg Gate is pretty incredible. And it's a beautiful drive through the Tiergarten.
• Definitely gotta come back to Berlin.
• I switched from the Moto X to the LG G2halfway through this trip. While I prefer a smaller phone, I think, it's definitely usable. I'll write up some thoughts this week, I think. (Our unit has pre-production software that's not quite final, so we'll hold off for a full review until we get a U.S. version, I think.)
• Timely really is that good of an alarm clock.
• I spent a little time Saturday in the MobileGeeks.de Techlounge, hanging with pals Sascha Pallenberg and Nicole Scott. See if you can spot me on a replay, I guess.

That's it for now. Thanks again to everyone for sticking with us through all the IFA coverage. We'll be back to the states this week.

Via: From the Editor's Desk: So long, IFA 2013