Gadgets Weekly: Asus ROG Ally X console and more

Technology companies Asus, Samsung, Garmin and others launched computer screens, laptops, handheld gaming console, smartwatches, accessories and more this week (June 3-9, 2024).

DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything happening in consumer electronics.

Asus ROG Ally X console

The new ROG Ally X series.

It sports a 7-inch full HD (1920 x 1080p) display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and supports up to 500 nits brightness. It also comes with Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus with Gorilla Glass DXC coating.

It boasts a redesigned chassis with an all-new black colourway, slightly deeper handles and a more rounded shape for improved comfort. The buttons and sticks are arranged at a slightly more ergonomic angle, with a slant to the triggers, making them easier to press. The macro buttons on the back are also smaller, to reduce accidental presses while keeping them easily accessible.

The joysticks have been replaced with new, more durable modules rated for a 5-million-cycle lifespan. It has stiffer springs for a more familiar response curve to longtime controller gamers. The D-Pad has been similarly improved, with more precise eight-direction input for fighting and retro games.

Also, the company has incorporated new fans, which can push up to 24 per cent more air through a third vent, while keeping the panel up to 6 degrees Celsus cooler to the touch.

Based on customer feedback from the previous console series, the company has replaced the original XG Mobile port with two USB-C ports on the ROG Ally X, one of which is Thunderbolt-compatible for wide interoperability with third-party docks and external GPUs.

The new ROG Ally X series.

It is powered by an 8-core 4nm AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, which can clock 5.10Ghz CPU speed. It comes paired with a 12-core 2.7GHz AMD Radeon Graphics card (8.6 Teraflops), 24 GB LPDDR5X RAM (7500 MHz dual channel), runs Windows 11 OS, and is configurable up to 1TB storage and houses an 80Wh battery with 65W fast charger support.

It also comes with a 2-speaker system with smart amplifier technology with Doly technology, AI noise-cancelling technology, and a built-in array microphone.

The new Ally X also features a 3.5 audio jack, one microSD card slot, one USB-C (v3.2 Gen 2), and one USB 4.0 (Thunderbolt compliant for super-fast data transfer). It costs $799 (approx. Rs 66,686).

Samsung Odyssey OLED, ViewFinity and Smart Monitors

Samsung Odyssey OLED, ViewFinity and Smart Monitors.

The new Odyssey OLED G6 is a 27-inch QHD (2560 x 1440p) monitor. It supports a 16:9 aspect ratio, 360Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms GtG response time, which helps in delivering a good gaming experience.

The new Odyssey OLED model features Samsung OLED Safeguard+, a new proprietary burn-in protection technology. This technology is the first in the world to prevent burn-in by applying a pulsating heat pipe to the monitor. Additionally, the Dynamic Cooling System evaporates and condenses a coolant to diffuse heat five times more effectively than the older graphite sheet method, which prevents burn-in by reducing temperature at the core. The monitor also detects static images like logos and taskbars, automatically reducing their brightness to provide another means of burn-in prevention.

Samsung’s new OLED Glare Free technology also preserves colour accuracy and reduces reflections while maintaining image sharpness to ensure an immersive viewing experience, even in daylight.

Samsung Odyssey OLED

The Odyssey OLED G6 supports a peak brightness of 250 nits. It also comes with FreeSync Premium Pro technology that keeps the GPU and display panel synced up to eliminate choppiness, screen lag and screen tearing. Odyssey OLED G6 comes in black colour and will be available starting at Rs 92,399

Smart Monitor M8 comes in 32-inch size with 4K UHD resolution. It features an NQM AI processor, which uses artificial intelligence to upscale the lower resolution content up to nearly 4K, and Active Voice Amplifier Pro uses AI to analyze background noise in the user’s environment to optimize dialogue in the user’s content.

Samsung M8 series.

The 360 Audio mode allows computers to pair smoothly with Galaxy Buds to create an immersive sound environment. The built-in SlimFit Camera also makes it easy to conduct video calls through mobile applications with the Samsung Dex feature.

It comes with Smart TV apps and Samsung TV Plus, which offer access to a wide range of streaming services and live content, without needing to boot up a PC or connect to other devices. The new M8 series' price starts at Rs 15,399.

The new ViewFinity series is one of the most eco-friendly computer monitors in the industry. It comes with 10 per cent recycled plastic and has no chemical sprays on the plastic components. The packaging also uses glue instead of staples for easier disassembly.

Samsung ViewFinity series.

ViewFinity monitor comes in two sizes--27-inch and 32-inch-- with UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, support peak brightness of 350 nits and a refresh rate of 60Hz. They support HDR10 content, one billion colours, to ensure accurate colour representation.

It also comes with TÜV-Rheinland-certified Intelligent Eye Care features to reduce eyestrain during prolonged work periods.

The ViewFinity S8 (S80UD) model includes a new KVM switch for easy connection and switching between two different input devices, as well as a USB-C port that allows users to charge devices with up to 90W of power. The new ViewFinity screen's prices start at Rs 21,449.

Oppo to bring 100 generative AI features to 50 million phones in 2024

Oppo Find X7 Ultra features vegan leather-based cover on the backpanel.

Oppo earlier in the week pledged to bring 100 generative AI features across its entire smartphone lineup. It aims to make AI accessible to 50 million users by the end of 2024.

It has secured 5,399 AI patents globally and is working with Google, Microsoft, and MediaTek, to bring the best user experience on the Oppo phones.

It promises to improve user experiences in areas such as image processing, natural language processing, and smart charging. With over OPPO is at the forefront of AI innovation, ensuring data privacy and security.

With the DESKTOP Copilot feature, it will offer seamless cross-device functionality between Oppo's Android phone and Microsoft Windows PCs. Further, It plans to integrate Microsoft Fast Transcription and Neural TTS for enhanced voice and text conversion on phones.

With Google collaboration, it plans to integrate Google Gemini LLMs, including AI Toolbox with AI Writer and AI Recording Summary.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GA605

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16.

It boasts CNC-milled aluminum chassis, with a customizable Slash Lighting array on the lid. It also features an ROG Nebula display with an OLED panel that supports NVIDIA G-SYNC. It supports a 16:10 aspect ratio, 2.5K resolution, and 240 Hz refresh rate. Also, the screen comes with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 certification.

Under the hood, it comes with AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor with Radeon 890M graphics and runs Windows 11 Pro. With 12 CPU cores and 24 threads, a built-in AMD Ryzen AI XDNA 2 NPU is capable of 50 TOPS (trillions of operations per second), which is more than enough to run any generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI)-based video/image editing tools, real-time transcribing and language translations smoothly without any sign of lag-ness.

ROG Zephyrus G16 comes with 32 GB of LPDDR5X-7500 memory, along with support for the new SD Express 7.0 standard for ultrafast SD card performance. In addition, it’s the first ROG laptop to support WiFi 7, capable of higher speeds with less congestion when paired with a compatible router. Its price starts at Rs 1,89,990.

Google NotebookLM with Gemini 1.5 Pro now available worldwide

Google NotebookLM.

Search engine giant earlier this week launched a new NotebookLM with Gemini 1.5 Pro (Large Language Models).

The NotebookLM helps users understand and explore complex material. The user can upload big PDFs or any source document to the NotebookLM app and get summaries in simple bytes of information in formats such as FAQs, Briefing Docs or Study Guides.

It can also understand images, diagrams and videos. It can even instantly voice interviews to transcripts, or a corporate meeting recording to get summaries. It is now available in 200 countries worldwide.

Garmin Forerunner 165 series

Garmin Forerunner 165 series.

It comes slim and lightweight design with a 43mm case size. It comes in colourful, dual-shot bands.

It flaunts an AMOLED touchscreen display and comes with a built-in GPS for accurate pace and distance and wrist-based heart rate.

It has dedicated storage to store songs to to listen to music on the go, without a phone using a wireless headphone, by downloading playlists directly from the Spotify or Amazon Music accounts.

Garmin Forerunner 165 series.

Garmin Forerunner supports 25 activity profiles, including trail running, open water swimming, pickleball, tennis, and more. With Pulse Ox feature, it tracks blood oxygen saturation level.

It has advanced sensors for 24/7 tracking of heart rate, sleep, stress, and physical activities. It also boast Training Effect feature that offers inisights to users on how workouts are affecting fitness and understand their benefits. It costs Rs 33,490.

Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED (MQ149CD) portable monitor and Asus ZenScreen Smart (MS27UC)

Asus ZenScreen Duo OLED (MQ149CD) portable monitor and Asus ZenScreen Smart (MS27UC)

Asus earlier in the week during the Computex 2024 event, unveiled two new portable computer monitors.

The ZenScreen Duo OLED MQ149CD features a 14-inch 16:10 FHD dual-OLED display, which can fold out to 21 inches for increased productivity. Its 360-degree foldable hinge and fold-up stand support both landscape and portrait mode.

And, ZenScreen Smart MS27UC is a 27-inch UHD IPS monitor and the first Google TV smart monitor from Asus.

It supports wireless display, features built-in 5 W Harman Kardon speakers and offers multi-platform live streaming. With HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, USB Type-C (PD 90 W), USB Hub ports, dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth® 5.0, it provides versatile connectivity and access to thousands of apps via the Google Play Store. Both will be launched in global markets in the coming weeks. Price details will be revealed during local launch events.

Portronics Bella 2 charging stand

Portronics Bella 2 series.

It boasts three induction charging pads for simultaneous multi-device charging and a configurable digital alarm clock for convenient access. It supports 15W wireless charging. It costs Rs 2,499.

OnePlus community sale

OnePlus Community sale June 6-11.

OnePlus has kicked off another round of community sales in India. It is offering a discount on the recently released limited edition OnePlus 12 glacial white series.

Also, prospective buyers of the premium foldable phone OnePlus Open can claim a complimentary OnePlus Watch 2 for free across all channels from June 4 in India.

On mid-range OnePlus Nord CE 4, customers can avail an instant bank discount of Rs 2,000.

The company is also offering Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 discounts on the OnePlus Pad and Pad Go, respectively at authorised retail stores in India.

OnePlus is offering Rs 2,000 off on the company's latest WearOS-based OnePlus Watch 2.

Google Indian Language Programme 2.0

Google Indian Language Programme 2.0 website (screen-grab)

In this year's edition, Google is collaborating with Mediology to deliver the ILP's second edition, with a focus on next-generation tools for newsrooms working with Indic languages.

It offers personalised roadmaps addressing site performance, content formats, native apps, GA4 migration, and ad optimization.

The company will also offer News Consumer Insights (NCI) and Real-Time Content Insights (RCI) dashboards for real-time audience analysis and data-driven content strategies.

Google will also train journalists on how to work on the latest generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) tool Pinpoint. It is a powerful research tool to explore vast document collections. The training will be in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Marathi.

Interested journalists can apply for the Google ILP 2.0 programme and the registration window will be open (here) up to June 16.

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