Samsung Electronics has announced that it will showcase eight innovative new projects related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are developed from its C-Lab (Creative Lab) program at CES 2019. In addition, eight start-ups which have been spun off from C-Lab will showcase their newly released commercial products.
The eight new C-Lab projects include an in-video virtual ad service ‘Tisplay’, an ASMR sound recording solution ‘aiMo’, an instant video-making service ‘MEDEO’, an AI news analysis service ‘PRISMIT’, a custom perfume making service ‘Perfume Blender’, an auto-adjusting monitor ‘Girin Monitor Stand’, an AI desk light ‘alight’, and a hearing assistant solution ‘SnailSound’.
This announcement will help C-labs to refine the projects and prepare the prototypes that will eventually become finished products to take to market. In addition to these projects, eight start-ups which have been spun off from Samsung C-Lab – MOPIC, LINKFLOW, lululab, WELT, Cooljamm company, MONIT, BLUEFEEL, and analogue plus will participate at CES 2019 to showcase their newly released commercial products. C-Lab is Samsung's in-house idea incubation program that encourages a creative corporate culture and nurtures innovative ideas from Samsung employees.
Inkuk Hahn, Vice President and Head of the Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics said:
We will present promising C-Lab projects leveraging AI technologies ...
Samsung Electronics has announced that it will showcase eight innovative new projects related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that are developed from its C-Lab (Creative Lab) program at CES 2019. In addition, eight start-ups which have been spun off from C-Lab will showcase their newly released commercial products.
The eight new C-Lab projects include an in-video virtual ad service ‘Tisplay’, an ASMR sound recording solution ‘aiMo’, an instant video-making service ‘MEDEO’, an AI news analysis service ‘PRISMIT’, a custom perfume making service ‘Perfume Blender’, an auto-adjusting monitor ‘Girin Monitor Stand’, an AI desk light ‘alight’, and a hearing assistant solution ‘SnailSound’.
This announcement will help C-labs to refine the projects and prepare the prototypes that will eventually become finished products to take to market. In addition to these projects, eight start-ups which have been spun off from Samsung C-Lab – MOPIC, LINKFLOW, lululab, WELT, Cooljamm company, MONIT, BLUEFEEL, and analogue plus will participate at CES 2019 to showcase their newly released commercial products. C-Lab is Samsung's in-house idea incubation program that encourages a creative corporate culture and nurtures innovative ideas from Samsung employees.
Inkuk Hahn, Vice President and Head of the Creativity & Innovation Center at Samsung Electronics said:
We will present promising C-Lab projects leveraging AI technologies ...
Apple is reportedly working on 5th-gen iPad mini and entry-level 10-inch iPad for 2019. The manufacturing is already underway this month. Before the official launch, we are getting to see the first iPad mini 5 case that shows off a couple of interesting details.
There are few notable changes if the leaked case ends up being a legitimate case. There's an oblong camera cutout that matches up with the new iPad Pro camera configuration. This means that the upcoming iPad Mini 5 will be getting a flash to go along with its camera. The rear camera will have a vertical arrangement in-line with current iPhones.
It’s difficult to tell, but it looks like a headphone jack cutout is included with this case in the top right corner. There’s also a cutout in the middle of the device on the edge, bringing up the possibility for Apple’s first-gen smart connector. Although this could also be a functional part of the case not related to Apple’s hardware.
Back in October, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that the iPad mini 5 would arrive in either late 2018 or early 2019. He also mentioned that it would include a “lower-cost panel” but didn’t predict a price point. Considering a low-price ...
ZAAP has launched the Hydra Xtreme latest Waterproof Bluetooth speaker in India. The company claims that Hydra Xtreme next-generation Bluetooth speaker is developed and designed by ZAAP USA for the Indian market. It is water, shock, dust, and snow resistant.
Hydra Xtreme comes with a compass and carabineer clip. It is compatible with iOS, Android & Windows devices. Thanks to its 2000mAh battery, the speaker can give up to 8 hours of play time with just one full charge. Hydra Xtreme further allows the users to accept or reject phone calls, change tracks or adjust the volume all with the help of its built-in microphone.
The Bluetooth speaker comes with 12 watts 250 mm drivers and passive subwoofers which is capable of delivering pure sound and rich bass experience. It comes with Bluetooth 3.0 that connects to your Smartphone, Tablet, and Laptop etc. in less than 6 seconds. Hydra Xtreme comes with a micro USB charging cable, 3.5 MM Aux-in cable, Carabiner, Compass.
The ZAAP Hydra Xtreme Bluetooth Speaker is priced at Rs. 3,299 and is available from Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Zaaptech.com & selected retail stores.
Sony just launched the WH-CH700N, the company's latest mid-range wireless noise cancelling headphones in India. The Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancelation (AINC) analyzes background sound and adjusts it for optimal performance on airplanes and other noisy environments. You can activate the feature with just a press and hold of the NC button. It has NFC connection to parit with NFC-enabled devices and comes with Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) feature.
The companys says that theheadphones will be optimized for Google Assistant with an update. The headphones are also equipped with built-in microphone for voice assistant commands and hands-free calls. Users can attend to calls without even taking their phone out of the pocket or bag. It offers up to 35 hours of battery life and has Quick Charge that gives 60 minutes of playback from 10 minutes of charge.
Sony WH-CH700N headphones highlights and specifications
Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation (AINC) analyses background sound and adjusts it for optimal performance on aeroplanes and other noisy environments. Just press and hold the NC button on your headphones to activate it.
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology makes complex set-up sequences a thing of the past. Simply touch selected NFC-enabled devices to the on-body N-mark for a quick, ...
Huawei's Honor brand just announced V20, the company's latest top-end smartphone in the 'V series' in China, as it had promised. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ screen with 91.82% screen-to-body ratio, 25-megapixel front camera with just 4.5mm cut out. It is powered by Kirin 980 SoC with GPU Turbo 2.0, liquid cooling and 8GB of RAM. It has a 48-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX586 1/2-type (8.0 mm diagonal) sensor, uses 4-in-1 light fusion that outputs better low-light images at 12MP resolution and 4-times improved HDR support.
It also has a TOF 3D secondary rear camera that lets you play games using 3D gesture recognition by capturing body movements. It has Link Turbo automatically analyze users’ usage models and network conditions to switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi or 4G networks and boost downloading speed by simultaneously adopting both networks. It has a V-shaped texture on the glass back, metal frame, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and packs a 4000mAh battery with support for fast charging.
Honor V20 specifications
6.4-inch (1080 x 2310 pixels) FHD+ LCD IPS display with 96% NTSC Color Gamut
HUAWEI Kirin 980 (2 x Cortex A76 2.6 GHz + 2 x Cortex A76 1.92 GHz + 4 x Cortex A55 1.8 GHz) processor with 720 MHz ARM Mali-G76MP10 ...
Reliance Jio Infocomm is said to be working with partners to bring in affordable Android smartphones with large-screens that can cater to the large mass of customers. Jio is in talks with US contract manufacturer Flex for locally producing about 100 million smartphones Jio seeks to rapidly enhance its market share by signing on a majority of those now using feature phones.
Jio already works with multiple handset brand partners including top-tier brands such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO giving offers to cut down the effective cost of a smartphone to make it affordable for first-time buyers. This latest movie is in a bid to target India's 500 million feature phone users who would switch to smartphones if the effective price points for the service and handsets were attractive.
The company says that there are billions of people who are on devices which do not support good data experience or rich content experience, for this reason, it introduced the JioPhone to offers various experiences and more content services of Jio like television, cinema, music, even YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp. At this moment, no exact timelines are known as to when to expect Jio large-screen smartphones, so, stay tuned.
Sunil Dutt, head sales, channel development at Reliance Jio, said:
We ...
Huawei's Honor brand introduced the Honor V20 smartphone in China yesterday. Now Honor India has started teasing the launch of the global variant of the smartphone - Honor View20 in the country on Amazon.in. You can also click 'Notify Me' to get notified about the launch in the country.
To remind you the phone has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ All-View screen with 91.82% screen-to-body ratio, 25-megapixel in-display front camera in the small 4.5mm cut out. It is powered by Kirin 980 SoC with GPU Turbo 2.0, NINE liquid cooling and up to 8GB of RAM. It has a 48-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX586 1/2-type (8.0 mm diagonal) sensor, uses 4-in-1 light fusion that outputs better low-light images at 12MP resolution and 4-times improved HDR support, has AI scene detection to recognize over 60 categories and 1500 scenarios.
It also has a TOF 3D secondary rear camera that can calculate distance based upon the time-of-flight of a light signal, and has functions including depth sensing, skeletal tracking and real-time motion capture to play 3D motion games. It features a V-shaped texture on the glass back using nanolithography technology to develop an invisible nano texture on the body. The fourth generation of nano-vacuum coating and invisible aurora ...
Samsung's S10-series is set to be announced in February. With the launch inching closer, there are still so many details that we aren't aware of. We hear the company is working on bringing a 5G variant in the U.S., Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors for the first time, in-display fingerprint sensors, and even display cutouts in the devices.
We have heard a lot of rumors, leaks, but we are yet to see a device in the wild to confirm any of these reports. The latest One UI beta firmware on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 consists evidence of one specific Galaxy S10 model, the possible colors the Samsung Galaxy S10, that Samsung is working on integrating the use of ToF sensors for assistance in biometric authentication, and details of the exact shape and size of the rumored Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+’s display cutouts.
The Galaxy Note 9 One UI firmware has evidence of a new device code-name that has not yet been publicized along with references to the other Galaxy S10 device code-names that have previously been rumored (beyond0, beyond1, beyond2, and beyondx). There's also a new device code-name from a file named “boltq5gvzw,” suggesting that this is a 5G-capable smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset ...
LG has introduced its latest soundbar lineup; SL10YG, SL9YG, and SL8YG head of CES 2019. The company's new sound bars deliver superior sound quality thanks to its collaboration with Meridian Audio.
The soundbars can up-mix two-channel audio to multiple, distinct channels without generating any distortion, the Meridian Upmixtechnology increases sound immersion by improving the sound field while upgrading the clarity of vocals and lead instruments.
The soundbars support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Users can also add the Wireless Rear Speaker Kit to achieve a more cinema-like experience. LG's new lineup comes with built-in Google Assistant allowing users to control their LG sound bar and get information with a simple command.
Kim Dae-Chul, head of LG Home Entertainment Company's audio and video business said:
LG's 2019 sound bars deliver amazing performance tuned in close partnership with Meridian Audio with the convenience of smart AI connectivity. The high-quality sound and versatility of our newest lineup takes home entertainment to a whole new level and satisfies a growing demand for premium soundbar solutions that provide impressive listening experiences, greater convenience, and stylish, modern aesthetics.
LG, at the CES 2019 is all set to unveil an updated version of its wearable CLOi SuitBot alongside a lineup of improved service robots which are nearing commercialization. The wearable LG CLOi SuitBot supports the lower body to reduce stress when lifting and bending.
The original CLOi SuitBot was unveiled last fall in Berlin, the updated LG CLOi SuitBot supports the waist and augments the user’s own muscle power to reduce the risk of injury and fatigue when performing physically demanding tasks such as lifting and lowering heavy loads. SuitBot increases the user’s flexibility by enabling 50-degree extension and 90-degree flexion of the waist and activates when the wearer bends at a 65-degree angle, disengaging when standing in an upright position.
The wearable robot lasts upto four hours on a single charge and recharges in just one hour. PorterBot, ServeBot, and CartBot are designed for environments such as airports, hotels, supermarkets, and malls to assist customers, transport luggage, deliver meals and carry groceries. The new LG CLOi service robots comes with the updated autonomous navigation system as well as enhanced connectivity to allow for communication with mechanisms such as elevators and automatic doors.
Using AI technology, LG CLOi robots analyze customers’ usage patterns to constantly learn ...
Samsung Electronics has announced Remote Access which is a new feature that will be available on its Smart TV lineups starting 2019. The Remote Access feature will provide wireless connectivity with PCs, tablets, and smartphones allowing consumers to remotely control compatible programs and apps through their Samsung Smart TV.
With Remote Access, input devices, including keyboards, can be connected to a Samsung Smart TV, making it easier for users to control their on-screen content. This eliminates the need for a separate HDMI cable connection. Users can remotely access a PC in their room through the TV in their living room to perform various tasks including surfing the web or playing games from their TV’s screen using a connected keyboard and mouse.
Remote Access allows users to directly control their devices connected to a TV with a keyboard and mouse. Additionally, web browser-based cloud office service can be accessed through Remote Access, so users can now access files and work on documents from their Smart TVs. Remote Access can be used anywhere thanks to VMware Horizon. Samsung has integrated its proprietary Knox security technology into its Remote Access features.
Shankar Iyer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, End-User Computing at VMware said:
Samsung and VMware share ...
Amongst consumer electronics, very few brands have managed to create an iconic brand identity towards a design language. Apple comes to mind with their iPhones and iPods before that. LaCie is another such brand whose orange rubber sheathed hard drives are the de facto choice for content creators around the world. With a promise of exceptional resilience to the elements, they are the perfect choice for photographers, filmmakers and others who live out of their suitcase and need something to keep up with their lifestyle. We've got the LaCie Rugged Secure hard drive with us for review, and we've been putting it through its paces. Here's what we think about it.
The design of LaCie's rugged portable line hasn't changed much in years and that's just as well since it is quite an iconic design. Additionally, it is surprisingly rugged. A thick rubberized frame encases the drive from any and all corners where it could get damaged. It also covers the drive enough from the top and bottom to ensure it doesn't get hit directly when falling flat. The design by Neil Poulton is hence both functional and a style statement of sorts. Under the sleeve is a standard metal encased ...
A few months back, OnePlus emerged as the top mobile brand in India's premium smartphone segment. This five-year-old company reached the summit right after capturing 30% of the market.
With that being said, the company has achieved another feat recently as the successful 2018 comes to an end. According to IDC report, OnePlus has emerged as the most preferred premium Android smartphone brand. In addition to it, 90% of OnePlus buyers first choice is OnePlus as it offers the latest specifications, and they trust the brand.
OnePlus enjoys brand loyalty
OnePlus is one of the few companies that enjoys brand loyalty. Talking about brand loyalty, OnePlus enjoys 31%, better than Samsung at 25%. In the premium Android segment, OnePlus was the most preferred brands with 21% of Apple customers shifting to OnePlus.
Reason to buy OnePlus smartphones
Considering the present scenario, most of the people consider purchasing a new smartphone with high RAM and processing speed. OnePlus, as a brand, is a synonym of speed with high RAM. In a survey, users were asked about top reasons why they would consider OnePlus. To that 23% of
respondents wanted to experience a new brand, 17% wanted to try out new features while 12% wanted to experience OxygenOS.
OnePlus ...
Last month ASUS confirmed that the 5Z will get the Android Pie update by the end of January 2019, and at the launch of Zenfone Max Pro M2 earlier this month, it once again confirmed the same. Today the company has started rolling out Android 9.0 (Pie) update for the phone in Taiwan, earlier than expected.
The update has the version number 90.10.138.157_20181222, is 1048MB in size, but it still has Android security patch for November, 2018. You can download the OTA Zip here and flash it manually, if you are running version 80.30.96.221 on ZS620KL model. Global roll out should begin in the coming weeks.
Source 1, 2
HMD Global keeping its promise has started rolling out Android 9.0 Pie update to Nokia 5.1 Plus which is also the cheapest phone in India to get Pie update. Since the update has started rolling out, it might take some time to reach everyone.
Finally pic.twitter.com/OXx0K9zeYv
— Hellboy (@TopobarLayek) December 27, 2018
Android P includes Adaptive Battery that uses machine learning to prioritize system resources for the apps, App Actions that helps you raise the visibility of your app and help drive engagement using machine learning, and Slices are a new way to surface rich, templated content in places like Google Search and Assistant.
The update on Nokia 5.1 Plus is around 1.3GB and also includes Android security patch for December, 2018 alongside all Pie features to Nokia 5.1 Plus. It is very rare to see tier one brands pushing software updates to even budget phones and HMD Global must be appreciated for timely updates. It recently rolled out Pie update to Nokia 7.1, 6.1 Plus, Nokia 8.
What’s New
New system navigation, settings menu, and notifications
Adaptive Battery power prioritization for users’ most commonly used apps/services
Adaptive and optimised brightness levels
Predictive Application Actions
Google Security patch 2018-12
ASUS has started rolling out new update for the Zenfone Max Pro M2 smartphone that brings front camera portrait and EIS support when recording videos using the front camera, as it had promised at the launch event earlier this month, however it is yet to receive AI camera features.
The update also fixes notch issues with some apps like Instagram, YouTube and other apps. The company also says that it has improved audio quality, fingerprint unlocking, touch improvements and display edge
The ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M2 v15.2016.1811.177 update is 458.11MB in size, including Android security patch for November 2018 and is rolling out gradually. You can download the 1.6GB ZIP file from here and update manually. Check out the official change log below.
Optimize Camera effect
Update audio parameter
Upgrade Fingerprint FW
Upgrade Touch FW
Improve display edge
Upgrade Google Security Patches for November 2018
JioCinema, Jio’s digital app and Disney India have partnered to bring Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Lucas film to Jio users across age groups. The app now has dedicated Disney branded section on the homepage with content spanning across movies, animation, series and shorts.
Through this association, Jio users can get access to stories ranging from Disney Classics, Pixar animation, movies from Marvel and Star Wars along with a host of international as well as locally created content which they can enjoy on-the-go. With content available for the entire family, the app also offers a diverse collection of series and movies for kids and teens along with Marvel kids’ animation shows.
In addition to this, the app also brings in a unique character customization option where fans can choose from their favourite Disney, Marvel, Pixar or Star Wars character such as Mickey Mouse, Captain America, and Lightening McQueen and browse the entire range of content available on that character.
The Jungle Book, The Lion King and the ever-so-popular tales of Disney Princesses like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and more heartwarming stories and memorable characters from Disney like
Hannah Montana to blockbuster original movies like Descendants and more
Mickey Mouse, ...
Instagram seems to be quietly testing the horizontal feed for some users which is a huge shift from vertically scrolling user experience. It accidentally wide-spread the rollout of the horizontal feed and reverted back to the original layout owing to the increasingly negative comments from users.
Sorry about that, this was supposed to be a very small test but we went broader than we anticipated. 😬
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) December 27, 2018
Due to a bug, some users saw a change to the way their feed appears today. We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal. We apologize for any confusion.
— Instagram (@instagram) December 27, 2018
The company previously tested the feature back in October in the Explore section of the app. The new feed layout basically turns all posts into a horizontal arrangement where you scroll through right/left much like the Instagram story to advance. There is a scrolling bar at the top to show you how far you’ve progressed. Thanks to the horizontal feed, each post is given the spotlight at any given time.
The comments appear with a flick upward. The downside to the new layout is that you can only advance a single post at a time. The new layout makes it easier to access ...
According to reports, Apple is said to begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019. This will also be the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will make the iPhones in the country.
Most importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the high-end models in the X-series, potentially taking Apple’s business in India to a new level. The work will take place at Foxconn’s plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the report. Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi in India, will invest 25 billion Indian rupees to expand the plant.
This will include the investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister M C Sampath told Reuters. The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs. This move will also help both Foxconn and Apple to limit the impact of a trade war between the United States and China. Until now, Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corp’s local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.
Apple launched the iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, since it began selling the newer versions; the iPhone XS and XR, globally this year. ...
According to sources, Google said to be planning on launching two Pixel smartphones; dubbed Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite XL on Verizon in early spring 2019. An exact announcement date and pricing are not yet known. We have already started hearing rumors and leaks about both the smartphones adding more weight to the possible launch.
The Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite XL will be the first smartphones from Google in the mid-range segment since the Nexus 5X. While we don't know much about them for certain, leaks so far have suggested a Snapdragon 670 or 710 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, headphone jack, and 12MP rear and 8MP front cameras. The regular Pixel 3 Lite will have a 5.5" screen, while the larger XL will have a 6" display.
The phones might get the same camera optics as the original Pixel 3 series, but with inferior performance, and far more limited storage. The Pixel 3 Lite is codenamed “Sargo” and we have heard rumors of the same back in October in the ARCore code. Externally, the Pixel 3 Lite looks very similar to the regular Pixel 3 with regular 18:9 aspect ratio and tall display. The fingerprint sensor is present on the rear along ...
