For some reason, true wireless earphones (one ear bud for each ear) are really hard to get right. Apple’s AirPods were the pioneers — and they are really good, plus they work with all devices, including Android and Windows. At the same time, we have seen expensive options from Bose and Sony that sound good for regular audio but have an inexcusable folly — if you are watching video on your device, they just can’t sync the audio to the video.
Samsung has nailed the basics with the 2018 edition Gear Icon X. There’s no problem of syncing whether you are watching streaming video or video on the device. It comes in a smart charge-carry case that charges using USB-C. The case offers LED indicators for charging and a Bluetooth pairing button. Multiple sizes of ear tips and wings are included in the box. We found the fit to be just right: secure enough for a workout or a run without feeling uncomfortable. Once you get the right ear tip for you, it sounds great and blocks out a majority of ambient sound (it is noise isolation, not noise cancellation).
The ear buds are really tiny and lightweight. Both ear buds have a touch-sensitive surface rather than tiny, fiddly buttons. Using a combination of taps and swipes, you can play/pause, answer/end calls, skip tracks and increase/decrease volume.
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For advanced functionality, you need to get the Samsung Gear app. You can then enable an audio exercise coach, track workouts, change equaliser settings, switch on ambient sound to be more aware of your surroundings (with different levels of pass through), manage notifications (it can read out notifications to you) and even transfer music to the ear buds.
From Premium To Mid-Range, Honor, Xiaomi, Blackberry Plan Big Tech Launches
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By Karan Bajaj
It has just been one week into August and we have already seen major product launches by various brands.
ET does a roundup of some of these interesting products along with a few big ones expected to launch soon.
By Karan Bajaj
It has just been one week into August and we have already seen major product launches by various brands.
ET does a roundup of some of these interesting products along with a few big ..
Read More
Price: Rs 19,999 onwards
After making a mark in the sub Rs 15,000 segment, Honor is now planning to get a foothold in the premium mid-range with the Honor Play. This is a performance focused phone and is the first to come with Honor’ GPU Turbo feature that enables smoother gaming along with battery improvements. The phone has a 6.3-inch notch style display and all metal body. Hardware specifications include an octa core Kirin 970 AI processor, 4/6GB RAM, 64GB storage and a 3,750mAh battery with fast charging support. You get a rear dual camera setup: 16MP + 2MP and a front 16MP selfie shooter. Other features include rear fingerprint scanner, face unlock and USB Type-C port.
Price: Rs 19,999 onwards
After making a mark in the sub Rs 15,000 segment, Honor is now planning to get a foothold in the premium mid-range with the Honor Play. This is a performance focused phone a..
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Price: Rs 85,000
Within 2 months of its global launch, Leica has launched the C-Lux in India. The compact camera features a 1-inch size 20MP sensor capable of 4k video recording. There is a 24-360mm Leica lens which offers a 15x optical zoom with optical image stabilization. Other specifications include ISO up to 25600, 49 focus points, 1/16000 shutter speed and 10 fps continuous drive speed. It comes with a 3-inch touchscreen and an electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage. It has built-in flash, stereo microphone, mono speaker, SD card slot, micro HDMI and offers wireless image transfer plus remote control over WiFi. Weighing 340 grams, the Leica C-Lux has a rechargeable battery that offers up to 370 shots and support charging via USB.
Price: Rs 85,000
Within 2 months of its global launch, Leica has launched the C-Lux in India. The compact camera features a 1-inch size 20MP sensor capable of 4k video recording. There is a 24-360m..
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Price: Rs 39,999
LG has launched its flagship smartphone in the G series range — G7+ ThinQ. Powered by top of the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, the G7+ comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It has a 6.1-inch 19.5:9 IPS display with a notch and a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels. There is a 16MP (f1.6, OIS) + 16MP (f1.9) dual rear camera setup with phase detection and laser autofocus capable of 4k recording in 60p. On the front is an 8MP camera with f1.9 aperture. Other features include expandable storage, Hybrid dual SIM slot, 3,000mAh battery with fast charge support, rear fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port and Android 8.0 with face unlock.
Price: Rs 39,999
LG has launched its flagship smartphone in the G series range — G7+ ThinQ. Powered by top of the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, the G7+ comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage..
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Price: Rs 86,999 onwards
Weighing just 1.25kg, the Surface Laptop has a 13.5-inch touchscreen in an all metal body. The screen has a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels and comes with Surface Pen support. Its spill resistant keyboard is covered with soft-touch Alcantara fabric and comes with backlit keys. The Surface Laptop is available in choice of 8th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 processor, 8/16GB RAM and up to 1TB SSD storage. Even with its sleek design, the Surface Laptop basts of a battery life of up to 14.5 hours. Ports include USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort, Surface Connect port and a headphone jack.
Price: Rs 86,999 onwards
Weighing just 1.25kg, the Surface Laptop has a 13.5-inch touchscreen in an all metal body. The screen has a resolution of 2256 x 1504 pixels and comes with Surface Pen supp..
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Price: Rs 34,990
If you are one of the BlackBerry loyalists, Optiemus Infracom has launched a premium fulltouch BlackBerry smartphone in India. The Evolve X features a 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It runs Android 8.1 on an octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor with 6GB RAM, 64GB storage and a 4,000mAh battery. You get a 12MP + 13MP dual rear camera setup, 16MP front camera with front flash, rear fingerprint scanner, expandable storage (up to 2TB supported) and USB Type-C port. Other features include support for wireless charging, Dolby Atmos for audio and FM radio.
Price: Rs 34,990
If you are one of the BlackBerry loyalists, Optiemus Infracom has launched a premium fulltouch BlackBerry smartphone in India. The Evolve X features a 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect display..
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Price: Rs 16,999
Mi A2 is Xiaomi’s successor to the Mi A1 — its Android One smartphone. The phone runs on an octa core Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and a 3,000mAh battery. You get a 5.99-inch 18:9 display (2160 x 1080 pixels) with an aluminum body but lacks a 3.5mm audio jack. In the camera department, the Mi A2 has a dual camera setup on the rear — 12MP + 20MP with f1.75 aperture while the front has a 20MP selfie shooter with f2.2 aperture. Other specifications include rear fingerprint scanner, USB Type-C port, dual band WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, IR blaster and Android 8.1. The phone will be upgraded to Android 9 later this year. A variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB RAM will be launched in the coming weeks.
Price: Rs 16,999
Mi A2 is Xiaomi’s successor to the Mi A1 — its Android One smartphone. The phone runs on an octa core Snapdragon 660 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and a 3,000mAh battery. You get..
The device has 4GB of built-in storage to serve as a standalone music player. You can transfer music tracks (or audio books, podcasts) to the Icon X and listen to these without having your phone anywhere near you. Finally, a cool feature called Find my Gear helps you locate one or both ear buds (by playing loud beeps on them) if you have left them lying around somewhere in the room.
You get up to 5 hours of use on a charge, and when you are running low, a 10-minute charge in the case will give you an hour of listening or talk time. The only thing we could have wished for is the ability to simultaneously connect to two devices. Right now, you have to disconnect from one to connect another. If you need something versatile for your workout that also sounds great, we recommend the Icon X and Jabra’s Elite 65t.
While we see many new launches at trade shows like CES and IFA, it’s the crowdfunding platforms and tech breakthroughs that actually keep innovation alive through the year.
Here's a round up some of the unique products we’re betting on.
(Text: Karan Bajaj)
While we see many new launches at trade shows like CES and IFA, it’s the crowdfunding platforms and tech breakthroughs that actually keep innovation alive through the year.
Here's a round up some of..
Read More
NEX is Vivo’s latest all-screen smartphone design.
They’ve announced two in the range already: NEX A and NEX S. NEX A has a Snapdragon 710 processor with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage while the NEX S has a Snapdragon 845, 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage.
The other big difference is the fingerprint scanner: NEX A has a conventional one on the rear while NEX S has one under the display.
Both have a 6.59-inch super amoled displays with a screen to body ratio of 91.2% and 4,000mAh battery.
Since the front is dominated by the screen, Vivo has placed the 8MP front camera in a unique (motorised) pop-up mechanism.
On the back is a 12MP + 5MP dual camera setup with 4-axis optical image stabilisation.
(Image: www.vivo.com)
NEX is Vivo’s latest all-screen smartphone design.
They’ve announced two in the range already: NEX A and NEX S. NEX A has a Snapdragon 710 processor with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage while the NEX S ha..
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This amazing design from Oppo has an allscreen design — it has a 6.4-inch curved OLED screen with a screen-to-body ratio of 92.2%. Look around the phone and you won’t see a camera module or any sensors anywhere.
So where are the cameras? Everything is hidden in a motorised pop-up system that comes up when you’re unlocking the phone (face unlock) or when you launch the camera app.
Up front is a 25MP camera with iPhone X-style 3D facial scanning systems (dot projector, flood illuminator etc) while the rear has a dual 16 + 20MP camera setup.
Specifications include a Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage and a 3,770mAh battery.
(Image: www.oppo.com)
This amazing design from Oppo has an allscreen design — it has a 6.4-inch curved OLED screen with a screen-to-body ratio of 92.2%. Look around the phone and you won’t see a camera module or any senso..
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This is the world’s first, professional-grade, 360-degree, 3D, 8K, VR camera. It records true 3D video and captures still photos at 12k resolution. It’s also capable of automatically stitching images together for a 360 degree photo.
In terms of features, you get six-axis image stabilisation, HDR image/video capture, RAW format support, dual SD card slots for storage, HDMI output, Ethernet and WiFi.
The built-in artificial intelligence (AI) chip does object detection to ensure that your subject is always in focus. It also supports 3D VR live streaming on Facebook and YouTube.
The 4,800mAh battery inside gives you up to 60 minutes of continuous shooting. A companion app lets you preview and control the camera.
(Image: www.en.detu.com)
This is the world’s first, professional-grade, 360-degree, 3D, 8K, VR camera. It records true 3D video and captures still photos at 12k resolution. It’s also capable of automatically stitching images..
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TicPods Free are a new generation of wireless earbuds. To start, TicPods feature automatic in-ear detection — music pauses when you remove them and it resumes when you put them back. Next, it has intuitive touch controls for various actions.
With the TicPods, you don’t need to take out your smartphone — you can hear who’s calling and accept/reject the call, control music playback as well as activate your voice assistant. There is active noise cancellation plus noise isolation too. They’re IPX5 water resistant and come blue, orange or white.
Like most wireless earbuds, it comes with a charging carry case and total battery life is about 18 hours. These are also the only wireless earbuds that give you the option to buy a single earbud if you lose one of them.
(Image: www.indiegogo.com)
TicPods Free are a new generation of wireless earbuds. To start, TicPods feature automatic in-ear detection — music pauses when you remove them and it resumes when you put them back. Next, it has int..
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GoSho is an ultra-compact (just 3.5-inches square), cube-shaped DLP projector capable of a showing a 200-inch wide-screen display. It offers a brightness of 180 ANSI lumens, an 8,000:1 contrast ratio and can display up to 2k resolution.
For wired connectivity, it has HDMI input and a USB port. It also has built-in WiFi for streaming and support for Apple Airplay.
The 11,000mAh battery inside can deliver up to 4 hours of continuous play. What’s more, you can even pair it with Google Assistant or Alexa and control it via voice.
(Image: www.gosho-1byone.com)
GoSho is an ultra-compact (just 3.5-inches square), cube-shaped DLP projector capable of a showing a 200-inch wide-screen display. It offers a brightness of 180 ANSI lumens, an 8,000:1 contrast ratio..
