Gadgets Weekly: Dyson OnTrac headphones and more

Technology companies Dyson, Samsung, Sony, Dell, and others launched mobile phones, computers, accessories and more this week (July 15-21, 2024).

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

Dyson OnTrac headphones

Dyson OnTrac headphones.

Each ear cushion is said to be crafted from ultra-soft microfiber and high-grade foam for superior comfort and acoustic seal. It has multi-pivot gimbal arms and a uniquely positioned battery in the headband to ensure balanced weight distribution. It also boasts a custom Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) algorithm which uses 8 microphones, sampling external sound 384,000 times a second. This combines with superior materials and carefully designed internal geometry to cancel up to 40dB of unwanted noise.

With 40mm, 16-ohm neodymium speaker drivers and advanced audio signal processing, the Dyson OnTrac will be able to ensure that every note or word is delivered with precision. The headphones can reproduce frequencies from as low as 6 Hertz to as high as 21,000 Hertz, providing deep sub-bass that users can feel, and clear highs at the upper end of the frequency range.

The company says that the speaker housing is tilted 13-inches towards the ear for a more direct audio response. With The MyDyson app, users can control in-ear and external volume. The app can also alert users to potentially harmful levels. The MyDyson app also enables owners to choose between three custom EQ modes: Bass Boost, Neutral and Enhanced.

Dyson offers multiple colour options for OnTrac headphone cups.

With a full charge, it can deliver up to 55 hours of battery life, that is equivalent to two weeks of listening even with ANC enabled.

The company has used a Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) manufacturing process for the three variants of headphones-- CNC Aluminium, Copper, and Nickel ear caps. The Ceramic Cinnabar variant has a ceramic-feel painted finish. In addition to these four colourways, customers can customise their Dyson OnTrac with custom outer caps and ear cushions in various colours and finishes.

It costs $499.99 in the US. The company has confirmed to launch of the new Dyson OnTrac in India later this year.

Sony BRAVIA 3 series 4K smart TVs

Sony BRAVIA 3 series.

The company is launching the new BRAVIA 3 series in six sizes-- 43-inch (K-43S30), 50-inch(K-50S30), 55-inch (K-55S30), 65-inch(K-65S30), 75-inch (K-75S30) and 85-inch(K-85S30).

They come with Sony's proprietary 4K HDR Processor X1. It can enhance picture quality through advanced algorithms, ensuring clarity by upscaling non-4K content to near-4K resolution with 4K X-Reality PRO.

The processor can deliver vibrant colours with TRILUMINOS Pro technology, which produces a broader palette of natural shades. It optimises contrast with Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, offering deeper blacks and brighter whites. The Object-Based HDR Remaster feature adjusts colours and textures for a more lifelike picture, while Super Bit Mapping reduces colour banding.

With Motionflow XR, the new Sony TVs will be able to deliver fast-moving action clearly and smoothly, as it increases the number of images displayed every second for smoother motion while controlling LED backlighting and reducing image blur for clearer pictures.

It houses X-Balanced speakers, which come paired with Dual Bass Reflex technology and Dolby Atmos system. It promises to deliver clear, multidimensional audio and richer bass. This innovative design ensures immersive sound experiences for movies, music, and games, offering exceptional audio performance in a compact form factor.

Sony BRAVIA 3 series.

With Dolby Vision technology, the BRAVIA 3 series can deliver cinematic visuals with striking highlights and deeper darks, creating an engaging home theatre-like feel. Also, the new TVs run Google TV OS and support all major OTT apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5 and more.

For now, the company is offering two variants-- 55-inch (K-55S30) and 65-inch (K-65S30)-- for Rs 93,900 and Rs 1,21,900, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy M35 5G

Samsung Galaxy M35 5G series.

It sports a 6.6-inch full HD+ (1080×2340p) super AMOLED Infinity-O Display with 120Hz refresh rate, and supports up to 1,000 nits peak brightness. It is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus+ shield. It also features hybrid dual-SIM slots (nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 or microSD card), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a type-C port.

Inside, it comes with a Samsung Exynos 1380 processor with Mali-G68 MP5 GPU, Android 14-based One UI 6.1, 6GB / 8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB internal storage(expandable up to 1TB), triple-camera module--50MP (with f/1.8, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation) + 8MP ultra-wide angle camera (f/2.2) + 2MP macro camera (f/2.4) with LED flash on the back, a 13MP front camera (f/2.2), and a 6,000mAh battery with 25W charger.

The new Galaxy M35 5G comes in three colours-- light blue,.dark blue and gray. It will be available in three configurations-- 6GB RAM + 128GB storage, 6GB RAM + 256GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs 19, 999, Rs 21,499 and Rs 24,499, respectively.

Dell XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus series Copilot+ PCs

Dell XPS 13 (left) and Inspiron 14 Plus(right) series computers

The new XPS 13 is equipped with the Snapdragon X1 EliteX1E-80-100 CPU, while the Inspiron 14 Plus features the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-64-100 processor.

Both laptops can deliver all-day battery life. They are powerful enough to run generative Artificial Intelligence applications-- Live Captions, Windows Studio Effects and more.

Thanks to Qualcomm Hexagon NPU and Copilot+ feature, users can create AI-generated images locally on the device with the Cocreator app.

The new XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus will be available for prices starting at Rs 1,69,990 and Rs 1,19,590, respectively at Dell stores, DES, large format retail partners such as Croma, Reliance Retail and Vijay Sales along with, multi-brand outlets and Amazon.

Google kicks off 2024 class of Startups Accelerator: AI First programme in India

2024 Class of Google for Startups Accelerator- AI First

The search engine giant, earlier this week hosted I/O Connect 2024 event in Bengaluru.

It announced the new class of Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First programme in India. It picked 20 AI-first startups from a wide range of sectors from gaming to manufacturing, selected from over 1,030 applications across the country.

The list of startups picked by Google includes-- 3DAILY, Figr, Hypergro.ai, Kommunicate, Kroop AI, LearnTube, MarianAI, Meritic, Merilin AI, Privasapien, Segwise.ai, SellerApp, Simplismart AI, SpotDraft, Supersourcing, SwitchOn, upliance.ai, vidyo.ai, VisualDub.ai and Vodex.ai.

The programme starts with a week-long, in-person boot camp at the Google Bengaluru office. And, Google will work closely with these startups for the next three months, supporting them in tackling their main technical and business challenges and helping them scale human-centred and responsible AI solutions from the ground up.

The programme will include exclusive training, credits for Cloud infrastructure, mentorship from industry leaders and various Google teams including Google Cloud, Google DeepMind, Android, and Web and access to a global network.

Samsung registers overwhelming response for Galaxy Z Fold6, and Flip6 series in India, begins early delivery of devices

Samsung unveiled Galaxy Z Flip6, Fold6 and several smart wearables at Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event.

Samsung recorded more than 40 per cent higher pre-orders of Galaxy Z Fold6 and Galaxy Z Flip6 in the first 24 hours as compared to the previous iterations-- Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 series.

Now, the company has begun delivering the devices a few days early in India before the official July 24 release.

The Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 are the slimmest and lightest Galaxy Z series devices to date. They come with a perfectly symmetrical design with straight edges. The Galaxy Z series is also equipped with enhanced Armor Aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, making it the most durable Galaxy Z series yet.

Inside, the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 are equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the most advanced Snapdragon mobile processor to date. The processor is optimized for AI processing and offers enhanced graphics along with improved overall performance. The Galaxy Z Fold6 also comes with a 1.6x larger vapour chamber for longer gaming sessions and ray tracing supports life-like graphics on its 7.6-inch screen that offers a brighter display of up to 2,600 nits to deliver more immersive gaming.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 comes in three storage options— 12GB RAM + 256GB, 12GB RAM + 512GB and 12GB RAM + 1TB— for Rs 1,64,999, Rs 1,76,999 and Rs 2,00,999, respectively.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip6 comes in two variants— 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB + 512GB storage— Rs 1,09,999 and Rs 1,21,999, respectively.

Bumble app gets security update to report AI-generated profiles

Bumble app update brings security option to report AI-generated profiles on its date service.

In a recent Bumble survey, 71 per cent of Gen-Z and Millennial respondents felt there should be limits to using AI-generated profile pictures and bio-data on dating apps.

To curb such unethical practices, Bumble has rolled out a new update to its dating app. It offers an option for users to report profiles, which they think are fake created using generative AI apps.

"An essential part of creating a space to build meaningful connections is removing any element that is misleading or dangerous. We are committed to continually improving our technology to ensure that Bumble is a safe and trusted dating environment. By introducing this new reporting option, we can better understand how bad actors and fake profiles are using AI disingenuously, so our community feels confident in making connections,” said Risa Stein, VP of Product at Bumble.

Motorola Razr 50 Ultra hits stores in India

Motorola Razr 50 series.

It features a 4-inch (1272×1080 pixels) QuickView pOLED LTPO display, bigger than the predecessor Razr 40 Ultra series (3.6-inch).

Also, it supports variable (1-165Hz) refresh rate and is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus shield.

When you flip open, the device features a 6.9-inch FlexView full HD+ (2640×1080p) pOLED LTPO foldable display. It also supports 1-165Hz refresh rate, 10-bit HDR 10+, up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, and Dolby Vision.

Razr50 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm's 4nm class latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor, which can clock a peak CPU speed of 3.0Ghz. It comes integrated with Adreno 735 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, Android 14 OS, 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.0 storage and a 4,000 mAh battery with 44W TurboPower fast charging. It also supports 15W wireless charging support and 5W reverse charging.

Motorola's premium flip phone houses a dual-camera module— a main 50MP camera (with 1/1.95-inch sensor, f/1.79 aperture, OIS: Optical Image Stabilisation), and a 50MP 2x telephoto camera (with 1/1.95-inch sensor, f/2.0), along with LED flash.

Motorola Razr 50 series.

Inside, it has a 32MP selfie camera (f/2.4) for video calling.

Motorola's latest phone also supports Google's generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) Gemini feature. It can do live audio transcription, summarise notes and do more.

The new Razr 50 Ultra comes in three colours-- Midnight Blue, Spring Green and Peach Fuzz (Pantone's Colour of the year 2024). The company is offering the device in one variant (12GB RAM + 512GB storage)-- for Rs 99,999. For a limited time, it can be bought for as low as Rs 89,999 via bank offers.

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