by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Markets, Technology
By Hardev Sanotra,
Las Vegas : In a bid to reach out to a large segment of buyers, Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo launched three new products here to bring tech advancement in the fields of tablet/PC, Virtual Reality (VR) and smart home devices.
Introducing the products on the second day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 here, Matt Bareda, Vice President, Marketing for PCs, AR/VR and Smart Devices at Lenovo said that its rollout in the second quarter will be a “game changer” that will bring in the hands of the users whatever is possible in the computing space.
The tablet/PC combines the capability and versatility of both and Lenovo ensured that the battery in the newly-launched Lenovo Miix 630 2-in-1 detachable — that runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC platform — lasts for 20 hours with full video playback.
The Miix 630 houses Windows 10 S that gives users the power and productivity of a laptop with the always on, always connected mobility of a smartphone.
Priced at $799.99, the 12.3-inch tablet is connected to the keyboard magnetically and has a digital pen for easing up usage. An attached, hinged flap acts as a kickstand and can assume a wide range of angles.
Windows 10 S enables Cortana, the voice-enabled digital assistant on the Miix 630 that comes with a biometric facial recognition. The Miix 630 is just 15.6mm (0.6 in) thick and weighs just 1.33 kg.
The Miix 630 (keyboard and Lenovo digital pen included) starts at $799.99, expected to be available beginning in the second quarter this year.
“It brings in a tablet/PC format the concept that we are all used to in mobile phones — always on. No need to shut it down every time your usage is over,” said Bareda.
The new Lenovo “Smart Display” home device aims to connect, inform, entertain and control with the help of Google Assistant, while sitting in the kitchen or drawing room.
The Lenovo “Smart Display” with the Google Assistant built-in basically looks like a mash-up between a tablet and a smart speaker.
Powered by the Qualcomm “Home Hub Platform” based on the Qualcomm SDA 624 SoC, the device ensures a robust Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
It can reach out to Internet for all the information that one requires, while also connecting people remotely through audio and video.
The device — in 10 inch and 8 inch formats — will not only bring all entertainment to the screen on command but also has the capability of controlling all features of a smart home through voice command and can act as a video monitor for rooms or outside.
“You can tell the Google Assistant to pull the latest movie for showing, connect to a friend through video, show who’s at the door and bring the video on the latest dance steps that you want to practice,” Bareda said.
The company has put in a physical camera lock to obviate any accidental streaming out of live video from home or elsewhere.
“This feature, although simple, was arrived at after interaction with users to protect privacy,” Bareda added.
The 10-inch “Smart Display” is priced at $249.99 and the 8-inch device at $199.99. Both will be available for users early summer this year.
Lenovo also extended its AR/VR range by launching “Mirage Solo” — a standalone Daydream VR headset with camera that is aimed at providing live streaming to users, thus bringing the near reality of a remote event taking place.
The dual camera, as a separate unit, can upload live pictures through the mobile phone or Wi-Fi to YouTube for those with the headset to experience it anywhere.
“The camera is capable of capturing the depth of field, as opposed to just flat images and its simple and easy to use,” said Bareda.
The main advantage of this device is that it’s standalone and does not have any cable connected to it which had been the bane of all such VR or AR devices. You can move anywhere with ease and watch 180 degree images in 3D.
Bareda said that earlier launch of the AR/VR headset linked to Star Wars was a resounding success and the latest device would bring in more capabilities as it has tied up with Google Daydream 2.0 platform.
The device will come with a launch of “Blade Runner 2049” in early second quarter, but the company is keeping the price under wraps for later announcement.
The company also launched “Lenovo Mirage Camera” with Daydream technology to let users capture their own VR video in 180 degrees, and then watch it on Lenovo Mirage Solo.
(Hardev Sanotra is in Las Vegas at the invitation of Lenovo. He can be reached at hardev.sanotra@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Technology
As thin as a AAA – battery at just 10.4 mm and weighs only 1.1 kg with 13.3-inch edge-to-edge display, the device will be available in India from July 25 with a starting price of Rs 1,19,990
New Delhi:(IANS) Style and luxury with powerful performance. With these words, HP Inc on Tuesday unveiled the world’s thinnest laptop HP Spectre 13 in India which is as thin as a AAA- battery at just 10.4 mm and weighs only 1.1 kg with 13.3-inch edge-to-edge display.
The device will be available in India from July 25 with a starting price of Rs 1,19,990.
Coming with a jaw-dropping design, Spectre 13 is equipped with sixth generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, 8GB RAM and hyperbaric cooling technology that helps the device draws cool air and directs it over the processor rather than just venting heat out, thus keeping the device cool with peak performance.
“Targeted at the youth, the launch of Spectre 13 is to make our mark in the premium market in India. We are already the leader in the overall Indian PC market and with this device, we will push our innovations and experiences deeper into the domestic market,” Ketan Patel, Director, Personal Systems Business, HP Inc India, told IANS.
“India is poised for a technology leap and Spectre 13 will fulfil the requirements of the young millennials. It is truly a non-compromised product when compared with the rival premium products in the same category,” Patel added.
Launched by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali and his wife Meera at an event in the capital, the premium notebook has full HD IPS Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display and Bang & Olufsen audio with Quad Speakers Sound.
High-gloss copper accents reflect a hand-polished, jewellery-like finish and an innovative hidden piston hinge creates the illusion of a hinge-less design to offer an unmatched premium look-and-feel.
An innovative hybrid battery split into two thinner pieces delivers the same wattage as a single battery for up to 9 hours 45 minutes of charge.
It has three full function USB Type-CTM connectors, including two of which support ThunderboltTM, to provide a fast, versatile I/O (input/output) connection.
“We are at the forefront of delivering industry-leading innovation and HP’s Spectre 13 is a beautifully crafted Notebook and a reflection of what many millennials aspire to be — exceptional, cool, dazzling, standing out from the crowd, but making an impact,” added Rajiv Srivastava, Managing Director, HP Inc. India.
The device packs in a lightning fast PCIe solid-state drive (SSD) with storage up to 512GB with up to 8GB of memory.
Being skinny is the new buzzword and HP Inc — while re-jigging their notebook portfolios for the premium segment — have joined the race to shed weight and go thin in recent months.
“The awe-inspiring Spectre 13 is everything that an artist would want to see in a technology product. The colour, the sleek design, the craftsmanship and sheer elegance of the HP Spectre inspired us to create something that is equivalent in the fashion world,” Ali said.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Technology
By Nishant Arora
New Delhi:(IANS) Gone are the days when laptops were marketed as fastest, smartest, biggest or best on the list. Being skinny is the new buzzword and the global computer and laptop giant — while re-jigging their notebook portfolios for the premium segment — have joined the race to shed weight and go thin in recent months.
So if you have deep pockets, opt for an Apple MacBook Pro, a HP Spectre or a Microsoft Surface Pro. All have gone thin to an extent that a “size zero” device looks a certainty soon.
Here we are.
Apple MacBook Pro 13 is 18 mm thick, weighs 1.58 kg (with 13.3 inch diagonal retina display) and can be purchased at nearly Rs.106,900 (base model) in India.
Touted as the world’s thinnest notebook, HP Spectre is 10.4 mm thick, weighs 1.1 kg with 13.3-inch edge-to-edge display and costs $1,249 (arriving in India this June and local price is yet to be announced).
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 (tablet-cum-laptop) weighs about 786 grams with 12.3-inch PixelSense touchscreen display and is 11.5 mm in thickness with type cover and 8.4 mm thin without type cover. The device starts from Rs.108,470 (base model).
This premium segment is buzzing with the word “thin” and according to experts, the new strategy may work wonders if prices also come down — in realistic terms — to attract new customers, especially in a developing country like India with a huge consumer base yearning for quality.
“No company like Microsoft will bring the price of its Rs.1.08 lakh Surface Pro 4 down to Rs.60,000. They may extend some offers like zero percent EMI and all, but no, they will not compromise with the quality at a time when they are selling high on the new ‘thin’ strategy,” Vishal Tripathi, research director at global market consultancy firm Gartner, told IANS.
“Even if the prices of some high-end laptops or convertibles come down, there is no surety that the product will disrupt the market as of now. This premium market is not all about money; its about the use case,” he added.
According to Gartner, in 2015, desktops and notebooks were expected to contribute 9.2 million units while 829,000 high-end ultra-mobile devices like Microsoft’s Windows 8 Intel x86 products and Apple’s MacBook Air were expected to be shipped.
Tripathi is wary of the fact that if anything comes down in the consumers’ price bracket, the quality is surely set for nosedive. “People will not buy these high-end devices at low cost if they see quality going down. They will scout for alternate devices which fulfill their requirements even at a high cost,” he told IANS.
The consumer market of PCs in India has not moved from 8-10 percent in terms of penetration since a long time. Enterprises in India are extending the life of the product at a time when everyone is looking for different revenue channels.
“There will not be an increase in sales until these high-end devices become affordable with quality intact. There has to be some realistic price adjustments. Currently, the prices are still northwards,” he emphasised.
According to him, there is no doubt that the overall PC market is going to go down as mobility has emerged.
“People are still not buying premium laptops and if you are looking at it from India’s prospective then, yes, the cost is playing a big role here,” he added.
While the “HP Spectre is the thinnest notebook in the world and unlike the majority of other super-thin PCs on the market, this laptop doesn’t compromise on power or features,” said Anneliese Olson, vice president of personal systems business, HP Asia Pacific and Japan, at a recent HP event in Macau. Rightly said as this is one thing that is going to create the difference in the long run.
As the giants go ballistic over the arrival of the “thinnest laptop or convertible age”, one thing is clear: If they compromise on quality while lowering the cost to capture a bigger pie of the market then that will come with a heavy price.
Soon, you can buy two dazzling ultra-portables — Apple’s 12-inch MacBook and Dell XPS 13 — in India.
The chorus for the “thinnest” machines will only grow in the days to come and before the “thin” paves the way for the “super or ultra-thin detachable” age where these machines may appear like a plain A4 sheet paper resting on your workstation, soak in the experience.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
