Tag: CES 2015

CES 2015 : Samsung Announces a Diverse Range of Consumer Electronics

Samsung’s keynote at Consumer Electronics Show 2015 brought us some big announcements. One of the main highlights of the show was the the Korean brand’s upcoming flagship TVs; these aren’t just UHD TVs any more but are SUHD TVs now. Other than this, the company also pulled the wraps off Milk VR, portable SSDs and a surprising new Chef Collection.

1.Super Ultra High Definition TV’s

The company launched the much talked about 2015 4K lineup of its flagship TVs called SUHD TV where S stands for Super. SUHD lineup, which uses quantum dot tech, comprising of three series and nine screen sizes that range from 48-inches up to 88-inches. According to the company the new TV lineup will support both 10-bit color and High Dynamic Range.

Samsung 65JS9500

High Dynamic Range or HDR means that the TVs, which will be available in 65, 78 and 88-inch versions, will be bright enough and powerful enough where colour processing is concerned to handle sources mastered to deliver a much wider colour space than you get with the usual industry video standards.

As the company announced previously, all the 2015 TVs will be powered by Tizen OS. The company said that the Tizen smart TVs will automatically search for nearby Samsung mobile devices and connect to them. The home network will allow the content to be easily shared back and forth. “Users can also watch live broadcasts or TV on their mobile devices, anywhere on their home network, even when their TV is powered off,” Samsung said.

Samsung SSD T1

2. SSD T1

The company has also added three new variants of SSD T1 in its offerings. Available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB variants, the drives measure a mere 71 x 53.2 x 9.2 mm, which is smaller than a business card, the company claims. It supports AES 256-bit encryption, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 along with transfer speeds of up to 450MB/s. The SSD T1 models will be made available later this year.

3. Milk VR

The company has entered the virtual reality space with the Milk VR, available exclusively for its virtual reality device Gear VR. It will allow users to stream 360-degree video. Along with Milk VR, Samsung has announced the expansion of Milk Music and Milk Video to the web and smart TVs, respectively.

Chef Collection

4. Chef Collection

The most intriguing announcement was in the lifestyle section. The company introduced the Chef Collection(hardware for the chefs) along with a new app that comes with recipes and tips from expert chefs which will be available for download for free from Google Play starting next month.

The announcements for home products also include new Activ Wash+ technology by Samsung washing machines. The new top-load washer comes with built-in sink, water jet and scrubber and Super Speed technology that helps cut down on wash time.

January 6, 2015
CES 2015: LG Launches the Curvy G Flex 2

The South Korean multinational company has put forward its best innovation early in the CES 2015. The trade show saw the unveiling of the curved and powerful LG G Flex2, which is the second offering in the series. The LG G Flex was launched in the same trade show last year.

The device like its predecessor can be bent, but the body retrieves its original position in 10 seconds as compared to the G-Flex that took around three minutes to heal.

Apart from its curvy body, the device boasts a 5.5-inch full HD Curved P-OLED display, with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It is powered by a Snapdragon 810 Octa-core processor with 64-bit capability, becoming the first device to pack the latest and powerful processing system. The G Flex 2 sports 2 GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Coming onto the camera front, then G Flex2 has a 13MP rear shooter along with OIS+ and laser auto focus capacity and a 2.1MP front snapper for your selfie needs. Furthermore the phone features 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage and has a microSD card support. Above all these, the common glitch is resolved in this handset with the Fast Charge feature. Within 40 minutes of charging, the device can, quite impressively, be charged up to 50 percent.

The connectivity options of the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Smart Ready 4.1, LTE support, USB 2.0 and NFC. The handset will be available in two colour variants – Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red. The sale of the same will first start in the South Korean market after which they will be expanding their reach to other markets. The price and date of availability as of now remains unknown.

January 6, 2015
CES 2015 : Asus Brings Out Zenfone 2 and Camera-focused Zenfone Zoom

Asus, Taiwanese smartphone maker, has launched two new variants of its blockbuster phone, Zenfone at CES 2015. The Zenfone 2 and Zenfone Zoom, both are based on the same hardware platform and run on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

The Second Gen Zenfone flaunts a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS display, with evidently narrower bezels than its earlier devices. In fact, the company claims that the phone features 72 percent screen-to-body ratio. As for power, the smartphone is powered by Intel’s 64-bit Atom Z3580 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz, and it is paired with 4GB of RAM.

On the software side ASUS is now packing Android 5.0 Lollipop and the latest version of its Zen UI custom overlay. On the photography front, the smartphone features a 13-megapixel “Pixelmaster” camera with an f/2.0 aperture, zero shutter lag, and according to the company, “the world’s best HDR technology.”

On the front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie snapper with different features including a Beautification mode, which offers real-time image enhancement, skin softening and brightening, blush and colour correction, eye enhancement and cheek thinning. The Zenfone 2 gets its juice from a 3,000 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities.

On the other hand, the Zoom boast the similar specifications as Zenfone 2 but with serious focus on imaging. The Zoom sports a 13MP camera that has 10-element lens, 3X optical zoom, and optical image stabilization. The back of the smartphone is reminiscent of the Nokia Lumia 1020.

The Zenfone 2 is priced at $199 (Rs 12,600 approximately), and will be available later this year in March. However, the availability and price of the Zoom is yet to be announced.

January 6, 2015
CES 2015: Lenovo Unveils Robust and Compact ThinkPad Stack Accessory System

Accessories are meant to make life easier. If you are a normal computer user and don’t require add-ons together with your system then this might not sound interesting to you. But for frequent commuters, it’s quite tedious task to pack and unpack different accessories like external hard drives, battery pack, Bluetooth speaker, wireless hotspot and others along with cables to connect them. For them, laptop bags are more of a heavy, stuffed pack without an option to lighten it.

The Chinese multinational computer technology giant Lenovo remains on the forefront in taking initiatives for bringing out comforting technology for users. This time again, the company has come up with ThinkPad Stack keeping in mind regular travellers. Just pile the modules on top of each other, and share power and data. The list of peripherals includes a 10,000mAh battery pack, which is of $50, a 1TB USB 3.0 hard drive of $200, a Bluetooth speaker of worth $90 and an LTE data hotspot costing $200.

The pricing might open your eyes wide for a second, but it’s hardly a big deal for a cable-free and compact accessories’ pile at this price. The company has spotted the nerve of its potential consumers and said that people will be willing to pay extra to save space and time. The modular system will be up for grabs in mid-April.

Along with this, Lenovo rolled out one more surprise. The company has built up a programme called WriteIt, which is an app through with you can write down anything on your tab with a pen. The app taps into the accessibility layer of Windows 8, allowing users to write in any text field. The feature is, for now, restricted to Lenovo tabs only. You can get an idea of the app from the below picture:

January 5, 2015
CES 2015: VoiceBridge transforms your Mobile Device into a Landline

SwissVoice has announced a new device called the ‘VoiceBox’ at its press event at CES 2015, which allows a user to make and receive calls on their mobile devices using their existing fixed line without additional costs.

Designed for both personal as well as professional use, the device has a box like structure that can connect your landlines to smartphone and tablets. Voice Bridge can connect upto 5 devices to a fixed line. The device should come in real handy in situations where everyone wants to use and share their existing fixed line numbers on several smartphones and tablets in the same house or office. An ideal choice for start ups or SOHO companies as they can easily have a conversation in conference mode.

While away form home, Voice Bridge sends instant notifications to your smartphone of any incoming call courtesy of a feature called ‘Follow Me’. As it can fully integrate your smartphone’s address book, you can call back with the touch of a button from your smartphone.

The device uses PSTN line and acts like a standard PSTN line, so there’s no need to modify the home setup. Meanwhile, there’s also no need for Wi-Fi pairing or setting up a user account. Voice Bridge is failry easy to setup as it comes with a plug and play installation. Users will simply need to plug the voice bridge box to their Wi-Fi Router, download the app from the App Store or Google Play and launch the app on their smartphone or tablet.

VoiceBridge will be launched in the US, South America and Europe in the first quarter of 2015 priced at $99.

January 5, 2015
CES 2015 : Lenovo Refreshes Its ThinkPad Lineup With New Offerings

PC maker Lenovo has announced a whole new range ThinkPad laptops at Consumer Electronic Show 2015 at Las Vegas. The company has refreshed the ThinkPad line along with a new accessory system, ThinkPad Stack which is aimed to let the enterprise-focus units be a mobile solution.

The company has added some iterations based on users review of previous gen ThinkPads. The physical function keys are back in the refreshed version which were removed in the previous gen X1, leaving users with an “adaptive” panel whose touch-sensitive buttons changed depending on the task at hand.

The physical function keys are back in the refreshed version which were removed in the previous gen X1

Additionally, Lenovo undid some of the changes it had made to the touchpad. Whereas the last-gen model had a clickpad with zero buttons, this year’s model returns the two right and left clickers that used to sit at the top of the pad, the ones meant to be used with the signature red pointing stick.

Both the flagship Ultrabooks in Lenovo’s offering are getting updated for 2015. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a portable 14-inch laptop with a high-resolution touch screen (optional) with a thin and light rugged case.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2015)

Also launched is ThinkPad X250, a 12 inch laptop that works with the company’s Power Bridge technology for flexibility while traveling. The X250 is only 0.8 inches thick and 2.88 pounds. Power Bridge is a dual battery system that allows the user to configure it on the fly for maximum battery life or lowest weight.

Lenovo added 4 new ThinkPads in the 450 series, the T450s, T450, E450, and the L450. The T450s is a 14-inch laptop that is larger than the two flagship models noted above (0.83 inches, 3.5 pounds). It is also a Power Bridge compatible notebook for extending the battery life when needed. The T450 is another 14-inch laptop that is larger than the T450s (0.88 inches, 4.0 pounds). The L450 is a 14-inch laptop that does not have a touch screen option (the others do have touch available). It is a thick notebook and heavier than the others (0.96 inches, 4.25 pounds).

Lenovo ThinkPad T550

Among these, Lenovo also launched T550, addressing users who prefer large screen size, sporting a 15.5 inch screen with high-resolution display (2880 x 1620). It comes with up to 16GB of memory, up to a TB of HDD (or 512GB SSD). The company has added a number of ports and jacks to turn it into a true desktop alternative. The powerful laptop is also portable and travel friendly at 0.88 inches thick and around 5 pounds.

The E ThinkPad lineup has been refreshed with the announcement of the E550 and the E450. The E550 boasts a 15.5 inch screen while E450 stands at 14 inch. Neither of the ThinkPads comes with the touch screen variant, however, there is an option of optical drives. Both models can be configured with up to 1 TB of HDD or 128GB of SSD. The E550 and E450 are 5.2 pounds and 4 pounds, and 0.94 inches and 0.87 inches thick respectively.

Lenovo ThinkPad E450 and E450

Lenovo announced all the ThinkPads will be available in February except for X1 Carbon which will be available later this month. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon starts at $1,249, X250 at $1,149 and L450 at $699. The T450s, T450 and T550 starts at $1,099, $849 and $999, respectively. While starting price for the E450 and the E450 is $449.

January 5, 2015
Sony Xperia Z4 Teased With an Abstract New Video

January is the month when CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics trade show comes to town. CES 2015 is just a few weeks away, but the buzz around it is already heating up in this excruciating winter. Sony has put its foot forward and posted a new video which might be a teaser for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4.

Sony hasn’t had a good time with the market in the past couple of years, and they have seen their profits shrink year by year. The company is in a major re-invention period, and it is currently focusing on bringing itself back to profitability even if that means losing 25-30% of their market share in the smartphone business.

The video posted by the company is titled ” Welcome to the New World”. It shows a girl licking a lollipop that seems to signify that the device will run on Android Lollipop. There have also been rumours that the new flagship device from Sony will feature a Snapdragon 810 processor which would make it one of the first devices to feature this latest chipset. The company had previously launched the Xperia Z3 at IFA Berlin last September and keeping with its six months update schedule; the new flagship is ready for the world. The Xperia Z3 was appreciated for its design and features but was berated for being too pricey.

Have a look at the video right here:

December 23, 2014
Countdown Starts for CES 2015 – Here’s What You Can Expect

Consumer Electronic Show (CES) can simply be explained as a 3-day long extravagant exhibition of geeky stuff in Las Vegas. The event has been a launching pad for many concept devices and this year as well, we’ll be seeing some exceptional innovations for the first time. With new segments in the tech industry mushrooming and touching every corner of our lives. This year’s show is expected to be heavily focused on the Internet of Things (IoT) and latest automobile tech. Along with this, many global smartphone makers are expected to show off their devices including Huawei, Alcatel, Lenovo among others.

Here’s what you can expect from the Consumer Electronic Show 2015:

1. TVs

Since the commencement of this annual show, televisions have been the primary focus. CES has been the wonderland of colour televisions, HD TVs and almost every new technology that has shaped the television industry. This year at CES, we can expect to see more 4K TVs from LG and Samsung. LG has already confirmed that it will be showing off the new quantum dot-enabled 4K LCD TV. The new display technology uses nanocrystals placed in front of the LCD backlight to increase the range of colours, saturation and brightness over traditional LD displays. Samsung is also expected to launch TVs with similar technology, considering the traditional rivalry between of both South Korean electronic giants.

4K content streaming is also expected to go big at this year’s show. With Sony expected to launch a new range of 4K TVs, Sony Pictures will surely be coming up with more of 4K content to use those extra pixels. Along with this, 4K disc format is also said to make its debut at the CES 2015. However, we are not sure if it’s the right time.

2. Smartphones

Probably, the biggest announcement in the smartphone segment will be the Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 810 processor. LG looks geared to continue its smartphone bending tradition by revealing the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015. The original G Flex featured LG’s flexible OLED display, but the structure of the phone itself was rigid.

Huawei, the Chinese firm, is trying mightily to break into the US market along with Alcatel and Lenovo. So, we can expect some big announcements from these companies. Also trying to get hold of the market is Microsoft. The company has avoided CES for the last couple of years, but Microsoft may make push its smartphones this time. And of course, there will be a vast amount of stages devoted to smartphone cases, headphones and other accessories.

3. Wearables

Last year’s CES saw the introduction of wearables. Subsequent launch of Android Wear fuelled the wearable segment and exploded the market with strings of new wearables. This segment has now started to congeal into a more manageable market. This CES should bring heart rate sensors to the must-do list of every fitness bands, which earlier were restricted to counting stairs, steps and sleep.

Well, not much can be said about the launch of new devices. It is expected that Apple Watch may finally start to sell. Other than that, not too many wearables are expected to launch this year.

4. Virtual Reality

Google’s much controversial Glass eyewear has proved to be a breakthrough in the VR segment, which encouraged more companies to join the race. A bunch of big names are expected to announce their VR devices at CES 2015 including Oculus Rift, Sony’s Project Morpheus and Samsung’s VR headset.

CES has a long history in the entertainment industry. There is no way big game makers will be losing the chance to show off their new VR headsets. We can expect new games, movies and apps to be announced at CES 2015.

5. Auto Tech

In 2010, Ford CEO Alan Mulally took the stage of CES. Since then, autombiles have become a significant part of the show. This year, many big brands like Ford, Audi, Mercedes, Hyundai, Toyota and more will be present at the CES. Toyota stole the show last year with its hydrogen-powered car and we can expect to see more next-gen fuel cars this year; at least we hope to. Along with this, we can expect to see some driver-less cars too but not from Google, as it doesn’t usually drop by CES .

Also, with Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay on full consumer mode, we can expect car-makers to show off some new models equipped with these automobile communication systems. Navigation systems and head-up display on windscreens are also expected to go big at the CES 2015. We can also expect a peek into the future of car infotainment system, which is somehow still in a nascent stage.

This CES is warming up to be quite an exciting event, from which we can expect many new launches and perhaps a few surprises.

December 19, 2014