by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, Technology
By Nishant Arora,
New Delhi : Satya Nadella wants people to love the products Microsoft makes and does not want them to just buy because they feel they have to. This also goes for Microsoft Surface Book 2 that arrived in India on Tuesday.
Microsoft’s shipments of Surface Pro and Surface Book 2 reached over 1 million in the second quarter of this year.
According to global market research firm Strategy Analytics, Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Surface Book 2 devices had second straight quarter of double-digit, year-on-year growth since Q3 2016.
Starting at Rs 137,999, Surface Book 2 (that comes in 13.5-inch and 15-inch variants) is a portable powerhouse that claims to end the barrier between the desktop and the laptop.
Let us see what the 13.5-inch detachable with 8GB RAM, 256GB solid state drive (SSD) and Intel HD Graphics 620 has to offer its Indian fans.
Microsoft has not deviated from the original Surface Book design with Surface Book 2.
This time, the design is outstanding. The magnesium chassis gives a much subtler look than an aluminium-finish body; there are hardly any creaks or weak points owing to a unibody design.
With the latest 8th Gen Intel Core processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics options, Surface Book 2 claims to be up to five times more powerful than the original, and as twice as powerful as the latest Apple MacBook Pro.
Surface Book 2 provides nearly all-day battery life – up to 17 hours of video playback — that is 70 per cent more than the latest MacBook Pro.
What’s more, you get up to five hours of battery life in the detachable mode. To detach, simply press a release button on the keyboard that separates the display from the main laptop body.
Microsoft has placed CPU, RAM, storage, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth and battery into the display. The main laptop body has a bigger battery and houses Nvidia GPU for high-performing tasks.
In a pre-briefing session, it was stunning to observe “PixelSense Display” while moving seamlessly between professional apps, immerse in gaming or simply surf.
Surface Book 2’s crisp “PixelSense Display” and multi-touch Surface Pen as well as “Surface Dial” on-screen support can make powerPoint presentations more effective.
The design has been refined — from the dynamic “fulcrum hinge” for a more stable touch experience — with an improved backlit keyboard and flexibility of both USB Type-A and USB Type-C ports.
The keypad comes with glass-track pad, anti-fingerprint coating and improved multi-finger gestures.
The device is compatible with next-generation Surface Pen and Surface Dial on-screen interaction and ships with 64-bit Windows 10 Pro (Windows Creators Update).
There are two cameras: 5MP front and and 8MP camera with auto-focus at the rear.
For an ever-evolving Indian gamer, Surface Book 2 can handle popular PC games at 1080p and 60 frames per second (FPS) – in some cases even matching the graphics performance of game consoles like Xbox One.
The bigger 15-inch tablet even has a built-in Xbox One wireless support which helps you pair Xbox One controllers and compatible headsets to play with no cords or additional dongles required.
The high-end Surface Book 2 models are also ready for Windows Mixed Reality (MR) games — including the highest-performance virtual reality (VR) gaming experience.
What does not work?
Apart from being a bit bulky, we could not find anything else (at the moment).
Conclusion: If you’re a developer, a digital artist, a designer, an accountant or a serious gamer, Surface Book 2 gives the power of a desktop, the versatility of a tablet, and the freedom of a light and thin laptop in one device.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
By Nishant Arora,
New Delhi : Big and small enterprises in India are going through digital disruption, looking for a modern workplace that responds to their business needs — providing reliable, secure and innovative experiences.
When it comes to the traditional commercial PC market in India, it stood at 1.26 million units in the first quarter this year, with a decline of 9.1 per cent (quarter-on-quarter), says global market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).
Dell, which had 23.2 per cent market share in the overall PC market in Q1, witnessed its commercial business contributing 54.8 per cent share, driven primarily by a re-energised go-to-market approach with channel-enabling initiatives to strengthen channel- and partner-led business.
As IDC forecast the overall PC market in India to decline in 2018 compared to 2017, Dell has just refreshed its commercial desktop line-up.
The second-largest PC player in India, Dell has introduced its new OptiPlex All-in-Ones (AIO) series — that has completed 25 years of its existence — to the country.
At Rs 80,000, “OptiPlex 7460 AIO” comes with a compact 23.8-inch “Infinity Edge” display, optimising screen space with edge-to-edge Full HD IPS display technology and numerous port options.
Let us see if this device can make your workplace smarter.
The device, with a powerful 8th gen Intel Core processor, has glare-free, matte touch option on 4K screen that provides smooth hands-on interaction.
It is designed with a tool-less chassis, has an ergonomic stand and lockable port covers conveniently placed at the back.
The articulating stand helped tilt the display forward, backward or recline to a 60 degree angle. The stand also made touchscreen interaction comfortable.
A key part of the device is the wireless keyboard and mouse for a clutter-free experience. The wireless mouse comes with fingerprint reader, offering secure login and online access without passwords.
The device features a reliable, built-to-last chassis that has, according to Dell, undergone extensive testing — including military-grade — as well as component, accessory and lifecycle testing.
The OptiPlex 7460 AIO offered a smooth, lag-free workflow while using creative software like QuarkXPress and Photoshop, among others.
On the security front, the device has Dell “Data Guardian” feature which includes added support for an organisation’s existing data classification structures that delivers enforcement and controls beyond a company’s network.
This can help businesses safeguard critical files by setting access permissions inside or outside IT ecosystems, adding on-screen watermarks for an additional level of security, and enabling controls that extend to file usage and sharing.
Dell’s “Endpoint Security Suite” solution, powered by Cylance, claims to stop up to 99 per cent of malware.
The desktop also offers 2.5 inch 2TB 5400rpm SATA Hard Disk Drive, an optional Intel Optane Memory 16GB and dual storage and RAID support.
Called redundant array of independent disks, RAID is a way to pair multiple drives together to improve performance, redundancy or both.
In addition, Dell is also offering an optional 2.0MP 1080P FHD or infrared pop-up webcam that supports Windows.
What does not work?
The device comes with a DVD drive but a 4K-compatible Blu-ray burner would have been a better inclusion.
Conclusion: For enterprises, the device is ideal but even individual creative professionals can explore the Dell OptiPlex 7450 AIO to keep at home.
Desktops are still the leading form factors for businesses in India and the Dell device turns out to be a powerful business desktop.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Pop-up cameras in a smartphone? Well, marriages may be made in heaven but on Earth, smartphones are definitely leaning towards cameras, introducing sliding structure that nearly mirrors the way a semi-DSLR camera works.
Chinese smartphone player OPPO did it first with “Find X” earlier this month and now its arch rival Vivo (when it comes to camera technology) has brought “NEX” into the country with a retractable selfie camera.
Vivo has equipped NEX with high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage for Rs 44,990.
Here is what we think of the bezel-less device.
Talking about the major USP — the 8MP pop-up selfie snapper — it did take some good selfies.
Once we switched to the selfie mode, the retractable camera popped out beautifully with a robotic sound (that can be turned off too) and yes, it is not fragile or flimsy but sturdy and can withstand accidental scratches and dents. It will retract if not in use.
We were also able to click some wonderful shots with NEX’s 12+5MP rear camera outdoors. Images shot in low-light conditions were not bad either.
Ditching the trend of “notched” devices — that shot to popularity after Apple introduced the iPhone X — the Vivo NEX sports a 6.59-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED screen, making it a true all-screen flagship device.
Like most top-of-the-line of flagship smartphones of 2018, the NEX sports a gorgeous glass sandwich design. The rear is glossy and has a cool mesh pattern with a slight curve.
What makes it truly innovative and futuristic is the 6.59-inch Super AMOLED display with a full HD+ resolution. Vivo has also done away with front speaker grill, thus, giving NEX a neat, all-screen look.
The screen here doubles as an earpiece, using Vivo’s “Screen SoundCasting” technology wherein the speaker system is inbuilt, as part of the screen display with no visible apertures or speaker mesh.
This feature is similar to what we have seen in high-end OLED TVs.
The fingerprint sensor, like the Vivo X21, is integrated into the display and it is better and faster this time.
The re-engineered ambient light and proximity sensors also work beautifully through the display.
The display is bright, vivid and big enough to render 91.24 per cent screen-to-body ratio to the smartphone. Viewing angles under direct sunlight was a pleasure too.
The smartphone packs in 4,000mAh battery which was good enough to last a day and a half on a single charge.
What does not work?
While the “Screen SoundCasting” feature in the phone sure is futuristic and lets users have a completely bezel-less experience, we had to place the smartphone carefully against the ear to be able to hear the other person properly in noisy environments.
The device is not water resistant which means it would be a bit difficult to freely carry it to the pool or when it is drizzling.
The AI-powered dual-rear shooter misses out on optical zoom.
Conclusion: Vivo sure deserves appreciation for turning a concept phone into a mass production device and manage to deliver an almost bezel-less experience. We would recommend the phone to those looking for an innovative flagship smartphone which also packs a hefty battery — and a unique pop-up front camera.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, Sales, Technology
By Vivek Singh Chauhan,
New Delhi : With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brand in India in the second quarter of 2018 — registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot.
Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch “Honor 9N” with “Full View” display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country.
The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.
Let’s see if “Honor 9N” (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position.
The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There’s a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish.
At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect.
The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle.
Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support.
We did not find any major lag. However, it stammered a few times while using heavy-duty apps and playing games.
On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor’s custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction.
The device that houses 3,000mAh battery performed reasonably. On a single charge, it lasted for around 12 hours with moderate use, including surfing and video data consumption.
“Honor 9N” is powered by 3MP+2MP dual lens cameras with LED flash and phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) technology that increases the focusing speed using planar image phase detection.
The camera department did a decent job, delivering sharp images with a nice amount of saturation and contrast along with ample details in the bright light conditions.
The device also comes with “AR Lens” along with quirky background to add fun element to the pictures.
A 16MP selfie shooter that is equipped with the “Portrait” mode captured sharp images with enough detailing.
The fingerprint sensor worked well. Also, a single speaker on the bottom gave nice output.
What does not work.
Both the cameras gave us good output in the bright-light conditions. However, they failed to deliver the same in low-light conditions as we found images to be grainy at times.
The company’s so called “Smart Face Unlock” feature at times did not work properly.
A fast-charging technology could have made the device more impactful.
Conclusion: “Honor 9N” offers decent look and feel with satisfactory battery and performance. At this price point, the device looks set to give some competition to the segment leader Xiaomi.
(Vivek Singh Chauhan can be contacted at vivek.c@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Sony which has a sizeable presence in the Indian audio market has introduced Sony SRS-XB41 Bluetooth speaker for music aficionados in the country.
The device, essentially a successor to last year’s XB40, has brought slight changes to its form factor.
At a first glance, the wireless speakers looked like it is built to perform and last. Here is our review of SRS-XB41.
The Rs 16,990 device sports a slightly bigger form factor that its predecessor XB40 and for good.
At over 1.5 kgs, it is tad bit heavier and measures 291-mm x 104-mm x 105-mm in size.
The basic controls lie at the top of the device which lets you connect it to a smartphone (via Bluetooth), as well as increase or decrease the volume.
A panel at the rear side of the device remains hidden under a flap, which lets you access the advanced controls.
Underneath the flap, you will find a DC input for charging the device, a Micro-USB input and a USB output to charge other devices as well.
The “WPC” button lets you connect more than one speaker together via Bluetooth.
When it comes to the design language, the Sony XB41 features a soft fabric lining on top of the speaker grilles. It covers almost all of the front fillet of the device.
With IP67 rating, Sony has now made the XB41 completely water resistant which makes it a perfect companion for a pool party (its predecessor was splash resistant only).
Another high point is “party lights” that came to life as soon as the device is switched on.
Similar to the previous iteration, the lighting pattern on the SRS-XB41 consists of an outer ring around the speaker grille with flashing LEDs on either ends of the speaker.
The 58-mm drivers, with their own LED lights, also lit up when we played music. The company has designed the lights to work in sync with the beats.
Listening to a song alone in a room, or if you wish to go out camping with friends on a weekend, this device won’t disappoint you.
The speakers performed well with ample battery back-up even on a windy day thanks to its size.
It is pertinent to say that the “Live Sound” feature — that involves the directional use of sound to emulate a surround sound experience — makes it a perfect fit for party enthusiasts.
Another key highlight is deep bass which is actually more than you would imagine.
What does not work?
Typically, those looking for a Bluetooth speaker would look for portability to some extent and this device does not fit the bill when it comes to that.
However, that does not mean you can not carry the speakers with you but doing that would definitely need some effort.
The quality of the microphone was poor and we faced issues while using the device for making or receiving calls.
Conclusion: Sony SRS-XB41 speakers would appeal to a specific breed of music listeners, especially electronic dance music (EDM) or house music fans. Nonetheless, you can try it for a completely different experience.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
