We've finally arrived in Berlin to cover the Internationale Funkausstellung 2012, otherwise known as IFA 2012. The sun is shining and the German summer is so far proving enjoyable.

Other than that, most booths – including the likes of Acer and Lenovo – are bustling with life as contractors get things ready for the opening of the event proper, which is on Friday 31 September.

All the major technology players are here with the notable exception of Apple. Panasonic will be having a press conference this afternoon followed by Sony and Samsung Mobile (which has a massive presence here) this afternoon.

We’re expecting to see the official launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 during that special Unpacked event. The phablet, one may suspect, will be a bigger version of the Samsung Galaxy S3, with the S-Pen thrown in.

For the latest updates on IFA 2012 over the next few days, head over to our dedicated IFA 2012 index page and check our preview of the event, from James Laird.