Top technology companies such as Dyson, Leica, Apple and Vivo, among others launched new air purifier, Mac PCs. smartphones, camera and related accessories including Wi-Fi routers this week (November 8-14).
DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest prominent personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything that's happening in the world of consumer electronics.
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air purifier
UK-based technology major Dyson, earlier in the week, launched the new Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air purifier and heater in India.
“Harnessing Dyson’s expertise in chemistry, sensing, filtration and fluid dynamics, Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air purifier machines are engineered to be the total air purification solution for your home - removing ultra-fine particles, odours, gases and destroying formaldehyde, continuously," said Charlie Park, Global Category Director for Environmental Control.
The LCD panel shows real-time data on particles and gases the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic machines are automatically sensing. The device boasts an innovative proprietary Dyson algorithm that can process the input from three sensors and then make use of the laser to measure and detect ultrafine particles. A separate sensor detects the amount of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) such as formaldehyde, benzene, and Nitrogen Dioxide. A third sensor measures relative humidity and temperature, the company said.
It can also detect odourless and harmful formaldehyde gas. The new Dyson Pure Hot+Cool air purifiers have in-built heating functionality. With thermostat heat control, the machine can automatically keep the room at the target temperature. The heating function will switch to standby mode once the target is reached and will switch back on once it senses a drop in the temperature.
Also, the Dyson air purifiers have patented Air Multiplier technology and 350 degrees oscillation. It can project 290 litres of purified air per second to every corner of the room.
To avoid a cooling effect in winter, the Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air purifier features a unique diffused airflow mode which can be used when you want to purify the air but don’t want cool air blowing on you, alongside the forward fan mode.
Another unique aspect of the new Dyson device is that it has only air purifier in the market to be fitted with vacuum-sealed H-13 Glass HEPA and Activated Carbon filters.
"Nine metres of condensed and sealed borosilicate microfiber filters capture 99.95% of ultrafine pollutants as small as 0.1microns, including allergens, bacteria, pollen and mould spores. Activated carbon filters, which have been coated with Tris (Trishydroxymethylaminomethane) to increase absorption efficiency, remove odours, domestic fumes and gases including Nitrogen Dioxide and Benzene, " the company said.
Add to that the new Dyson Cryptomic technology has a unique catalytic coating, with the same structure as the Cryptomelane mineral. Its billions of atom-sized tunnels are the optimal size and shape to trap and destroy formaldehyde, breaking it down into tiny amounts of water and CO2.
Consumers can download Dyson Link (available for iOS and Android) on their phone and once installed, they can track indoor and outdoor pollution, temperature and humidity levels.
They can also use it to control the machine and see how many hours of filter life it has left.
The machines come with full Over the Air Update Capability (OTA) – meaning Dyson owners can continue to get the most advanced Dyson software even after purchasing the machine.
Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Cryptomic air purifier costs Rs 61,900 in India.
Garmin Venu SQ smartwatch
Venu Sq sports a bright display, sleek design. It has more than 20 built-in indoor and outdoor sports apps including Pilates, yoga, strength training, running, pool swimming, cycling, golf and more. There is separate Garmin Venu SQ Music edition and it comes with on-device music storage for phone-free listening.
It also comes loaded with health monitoring features including advanced sleep with Pulse Ox2, respiration tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts (high and low), menstrual cycle tracking, stress tracking with relax reminders, hydration tracking and more.
The new Venu Sq supports battery life of up to six days in smartwatch mode and up to 14 hours in GPS mode.
The new Venu SQ for Rs. 21,090 and the Venu SQ Music is available for Rs 26,290.
Schneider Electric: Wiser + APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1000
The new APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1000 is a high-performance computer and electronics UPS. It promises to protect computers, Wi-Fi, entertainment and smart home devices against damages from unexpected power grid disruptions, surges and even lightning.
The APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1000 provides the ability to adapt the UPS for optimal performance in specific power environments or generator applications. It maximizes useful battery life by widening the input voltage window or tightening the output voltage regulation. Provides notification of changing utility power and UPS power conditions. Its periodic automatic battery self-test ensures early detection of a battery that needs to be replaced. It Provides early-warning fault analysis on batteries enabling timely preventive maintenance. Enables fast battery replacement, lowering Mean Time to Repair (MTTR). Reserves power capacity and run time for connected equipment that require UPS battery back-up while providing surge only protection for less critical equipment. Gives higher application availability by correcting low and high voltage conditions without using the battery (not available on all models). The LED informs users of potentially dangerous wiring problems in the wall circuit.
The UPS preserves battery life and maximizes runtime by correcting low voltages without discharging the battery. It can also reserve power capacity and run time for connected equipment that require UPS battery back-up while providing surge only protection for less critical equipment.
On the other hand, Schneider Electric’s home automation solution called Wiser can transform an ordinary home into a Smart Home. It makes every switch and appliance in the home a connected device. The owner can control and access their home from anywhere and anytime through an app on their mobile phone- available on both Android and iOS. It also works through Alexa and Google Assistant. The company says it can set up the Wiser+UPS package in less than 4 hours with no rewiring and damage. Applications supported by Wiser include, Residential applications, AC Controls, Fan Speed Control and Lighting control- On/Off or Dim lights in the house remotely.
Schneider Wiser comes in three options- Prime Package, Grand Package and Luxury Package for - Rs 31,999.00+ taxes, Rs 63,199 +taxes and Rs 70,999 + taxes, respectively. And, the APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1000 with LCD, 230V costs Rs 9,400 + taxes.
Leica Q2 Monochrom
Leica Q2 Monochrom features a newly developed full-frame monochrome sensor, a fast Leica Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 ASPH (aspheric lens), prime lens, fast and precise autofocus and OLED viewfinder technology.
It boasts 47.3-megapixel full-frame monochrome sensor that promises to capture both highly-detailed still pictures and 4K video at ISO sensitivities up to 100,000 and, together with its Leica Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 ASPH. lens ensures exceptional imaging performance. The fast initial aperture of f/1.7 guarantees optimum picture quality in even the most difficult lighting situations, the company said.
It also supports extended integrated digital zoom function up to 75 mm. With this, users get even more flexibility for composing the pictures. In addition to the uncropped 28 mm focal length of the camera lens, a crop factor can be chosen to simulate exposures made with focal lengths of 35, 50 or 75 millimetres. The selected crop is displayed as a bright-line frame in the viewfinder and on the rear display panel. The cropped image from the framing selected is saved in JPEG format with correspondingly reduced resolutions of 47.3, 30, 14.7, or 6.6 megapixels. The uncropped image is always saved simultaneously as a DNG file with the full resolution of 47.3MP.
It also comes with IP52 rated protective sealing against dust and water spray.
The company is offering optional accessories such as protectors and carrying straps in premium-quality leather in different colours, as well as bags and wrist straps in various designs. Other include Leica SF 40, SF 60 flash units, the SF C1 remote flash control unit, additional thumb rest and a handgrip with matching leatherette.
The Leica Q2 Monochrom is available for sale at Leica Store India, Connaught Place, New Delhi, and is also available on Leica India online store for Rs 4,11,000 (GST extra).
Linksys E-Series E5600 Wi-Fi router
Linksys, a part of Foxconn launched the budget-friendly E5600 WiFi 5 router in India.
It can cover up to 1,000 square feet. The router can handle up to more than 10 devices at speeds up to 1.2 Gbps making it the ideal router for gaming, streaming and web surfing. The E5600 WiFi 5 router is also equipped with advanced security features such as Parental Controls and separate Guest Access that allows users to give guests access while keeping unwanted guests out of the network.
Linksys E5600 WiFi 5 router is available for purchase at Amazon for a special price of Rs 3499 for a limited time. MRP is Rs 4,999.
Apple's all-new M1-powered Macs
New MacBook Air
The new MacBook Air comes in a sleek and compact form and yet, with the M1 Silicon ( having 8-core CPU + 8-core GPU), it can deliver more than 8.5X better performance and graphics rendering 9X faster compared to the previous generation.
Thanks to an efficient M1 chipset, the new MacBook Air can deliver up to 15 hours of wireless web browsing and up to 18 hours of video playback — the longest battery life ever on a MacBook Air series.
In India, the new MacBook Air prices start at Rs 92,900 and students, who plan to buy through an education plan, can avail of it for a special price of Rs 83,610.
New MacBook Pro
With the M1 chip and macOS Big Sur, the 13-inch MacBook Pro promises to deliver buttery-smooth performance. The 8-core CPU, when paired with the MacBook Pro’s active cooling system, it can clock CPU speed up to 2.8x faster than the previous generation and this will enough to smoothly compile code, transcode videos, editing high-resolution photos, and other heavy-duty tasks.
The company says that the 8-core GPU is up to 5x faster, allowing users to enjoy super-smooth graphics performance whether they are designing a graphics-intensive game or a new product.
And with M1, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is up to 3x faster than the best-selling Windows laptop in its class. Also, Machine Learning capability is up to 11x faster, and for on-device ML tasks that use the Neural Engine, it is said to the world's fastest compact notebook range in the market.
In India, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro prices start at Rs 64, 900, and students, who plan to buy through an education plan, can purchase it for a special price of Rs 58,410.
New Mac Mini
M1 chipset of the Mac Mini houses an 8-core CPU and promises to offer up to 3x faster performance than the previous generation and can be used to heavy-duty tasks like high-resolution video editing and others. Also, its 8-core GPU can deliver up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease.
Also, Apple says that Machine Learning (ML) workloads also take a quantum leap forward with up to 15x faster performance over the previous generation.
And when compared to the best-selling Windows desktop in its price range, the Mac mini is just one-tenth the size, yet delivers up to 5x faster performance, the company added.
In India, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro prices start at Rs 64, 900, and students, who plan to buy through an education plan, can purchase it for a special price of Rs 58,410.
Vivo V20 SE Emerald Green
The new phone features a refreshing green gradient inspired by the sea and like the deep sea has a hint of blue around the edges. The Vivo V20 SE Aquamarine Green colour variant will be available for sale starting from November 10, 2020, on Vivo India e-store, major e-commerce websites and all mainline retail partners stores across India for Rs 20,990.
It features a sleek design and 3D body curves which is complemented by high polymer material to fit comfortably in your hand. On the front, it sports a 6.44-inch full HD+ (2400×1080p) AMOLED display with an in-screen fingerprint sensor at that base and a camera on top. It has a 90.12% screen-to-body ratio.
Under-the-hood, it runs Android 10-based FunTouchOS powered by 11nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core processor paired with Adreno 610 graphics engine, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable up to 1TB), and a 4,100mAh battery with 33W fast charger in-box. Within 30 minutes, the phone can power up from zero to 60%.
As far as the photography hardware is concerned, Vivo V20 SE boasts a triple-camera module-- main 48MP (with Samsung GM1 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 6P lens) backed by an 8MP 120-degree wide-angle camera (with f/2.2 aperture, 5P lens), a 2MP depth sensor (with f/2.4 aperture, 3P lens) and LED flash.
On the front, it features a 32MP snapper with f/2.0 aperture and supports Super Night mode, Aura Screen light, and Multi-style Portrait features.
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