Gadgets Weekly: Sony ZV-E10M2K camera, Samsung Bespoke AI refrigerator and more

Technology companies Sony, Zebronics, Samsung, Fujifilm and others launched new cameras, smart LED projector TV, earphones, accessories and more this week (August 26-September 1, 2024).

DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything happening in consumer electronics.

Sony ZV-E10 II vlogging camera

Sony ZV-E10 II vlogging camera.

The new ZV-E10 II, the second generation of the ZV-E10 camera comes with an upgraded 26MP camera with Exmor R CMOS sensor and Sony’s latest BIONZ XR image processing engine.

Additional upgrades to this model include improved autofocus and video capturing capabilities: Cinematic Vlog Setting, a new vertical format user interface (UI), an upgraded large-capacity Sony Z battery for improved stamina and connectivity for easy live streaming and data transfer. It is compact and lightweight, and fits into a creator’s hand with ease, weighing in at approximately 377gm.

The upgraded kit lens is lightweight and offers improved autofocus (AF) and video performance compared to the first-generation model.

The new Sony camera also supports E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS II (SELP16502), a compact APS-C power zoom lens. But, it will be available separately a little later in the year. ZV-E10M2 camera costs Rs 94,990.

The ZV-E10M2K (Body + 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens, SELP16502) camera kit will released later in the coming weeks.

Samsung Bespoke AI double-door refrigerator

Samsung Bespoke AI double-door fridge.

The Samsung Bespoke AI Double Door Refrigerator series comes in glass and steel finish with multiple colour options -- black glass, black matt, luxe black, elegant inox and refined Inox.

Like the newly launched Bespoke AI washing machine, the latest double-door fridge comes with AI Energy Mode. It optimises power usage by analyzing the refrigerator’s usage patterns, resulting in a 10 per cent reduction in energy consumption. This feature monitors and controls energy usage, ensuring the refrigerator, operates at peak efficiency.

It also supports Smart Forward, a service that provides regular over-the-network software updates. This enables the pre-owned refrigerator to stay updated and relevant to the latest functions.

It also comes with a Convertible 5-in-1 feature. It offers extra flexibility with five conversion modes to suit all storage needs of a modern Indian household. It offers ample space for groceries and leftovers, ensuring organised storage.

Further, the Bespoke AI Double Door Refrigerator series has two evaporators and fans that manage fridge and freezer section cooling, separately. This ensures up to 70 per cent moisture retention, prevents odour mixing and helps maintain optimal freshness for a longer duration of time.

It also features Active Fresh Filter+ to keep the air inside the fridge clean, and hygienic and reduce the risk of food being contaminated by removing up to 99.99% bacteria. It also neutralizes odours, and constantly sterilizes and deodorizes the air through an activated carbon filter.

Other notable aspects are the Power Cool and Power Freeze functions. They enable rapid cooling and freezing, efficiently chilling drinks or freezing food in a short time. This feature is ideal for situations that require quick cooling or ice-making.

And, the Digital Inverter Compressor offers consistent cooling, reduced energy waste, and minimal wear and tear. The company is offering a 20-year warranty.

Samsung’s new Bespoke AI Double Door Refrigerator series will be available in three capacities – 396L, 419L and 465L and will be available at a starting price of Rs 64,990.

Nothing Inc. fastest growing smartphone brand

Nothing Phone (2a).

Driven by the affordable Phone (a) series, Nothing has witnessed robust growth worldwide. It registered a staggering 246 per cent growth in the first half of 2024, compared to the same period last year, reported Canalys research.

During the first half of 2024, Nothing launched Phone (2a) plus the Special Edition variant whilst its flagship Phone (2) launched in July 2023.

Nothing was also the fastest-growing smartphone vendor in the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia and Italy for H1 2023 vs H1 2024.

Even the earphones too, Nothing has emerged as the new favourite among audiophiles.

In terms of the True Wireless Stereo product category, Nothing was the fastest across both H1 2024 (+331%) and Q2 2024 (769%) when compared to the same period in 2023. In Q2 2024, Nothing was the fastest-growing TWS vendor in France, USA, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands

Earlier this year, Nothing unveiled Ear and Ear (a) - featuring industry-first integration with ChatGPT.

Zebronics Zeb Pixa Play 54 Smart LED Projector

Zeb Pixa Play 54 Smart LED Projector.

It can project up to 140-inch image size in full HD resolution on a large canvas. The projector features an intuitive remote control and auto keystone adaptation for hassle-free setup.

It supports 3800 lumens brightness, and connectivity options, including Bluetooth v5.1, HDMI, USB, and AUX OUT, ensure seamless compatibility with a wide range of devices.

Additionally, it has a built-in speaker to deliver clear and immersive audio. It can also be paired with any of the wide range of Soundbars from Zebronics.

Powered by a quad-core processor, the Pixa Play 54 offers smooth performance and effortless navigation. It supports thousands of OTT apps and screen mirroring (Miracast and iOS) options.

With 50,000h LED lamp guarantee, it promises to deliver long-lasting service without the need for replacements. It costs Rs 10,999.

New Asus ROG, ProArt and Zenbook series PCs with AMD chipsets

Asus Vivobook S14 series.

The new Vivobook S 14, and Zenbook S 16 series come with 14.2-inch and 16-inch 3K Asus Lumina AMOLED display panels. They come with US MIL-STD 810H durability ratings and are capable of performing in extreme conditions.

They are powered by AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. They can deliver with up to 50 TOPs NPU, and feature secure FHD IR camera with Windows Hello support, along with an ASUS ErgoSense keyboard with customizable RGB backlighting and a large touchpad for a comfortable and responsive user experience.

Vivobook S 14 is designed for extended use, the laptop offers up to 17 hours of battery life, fast Type-C charging, and a range of I/O ports connectivity.

And, the Zenbook S 16 can last up to 18 hours from the 78Wh battery. It supports fast charging via Type-C ports. Connectivity options include USB 4 Type-C, for both display and power delivery, plus an HDMI 2.1 and SD card reader.

S 16 comes equipped with 32GB LPDDR5X-7500 memory alongside 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. The 14-inch model features 24 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a 512 GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The Vivobook S 14 OLED (M5406WA-PP962WS) is priced at Rs 1,29,990. The Zenbook S 16 (UM5606WA-RJ310WS) is priced Rs 1,49,990.

Asus ProArt PX13

ASUS ProArt PX13 series.

It is a 13-inch convertible AI-ready laptop. It weighs just 1.38 kg and measures 15.8 mm thick. It is ready to carry around with ease. It also comes with MIL-STD 810H military standards and can work in extreme weather conditions.

It is powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 Processor with a 50 TOPs NPU. It has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU with up to 95W TGP drive graphics performance.

Its 13-inch 16:10 3K ASUS Lumina OLED touchscreen offers exceptional visual clarity with a 0.2ms response time, and 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage.

It has Dialpad integration with touchpad, ProArt Creator Hub, and stylus support to deliver advanced Usability. It also supports the latest (Dual band) Wi-Fi 7 technology for stable and super-fast wireless internet connectivity. The ProArt PX13 (HN7306WU-LX001WS) prices start at Rs 1,79,990, in India.

Asus ROG TUF Gaming A14 series

Asus ROG TUF Gaming A14 series.

The TUF A14's design is sleek and functional, featuring a lightweight 1.46kg chassis that’s just 16.9mm thick, featuring an aluminium lid with a minimalist finish.

The 14-inch 2.5K 165Hz G-Sync display supports 100 per cent sRGB coverage. It supports Wi-Fi 6E, dual USB Type-C ports with DisplayPort, and USB 4.

It’s equipped with the cutting-edge AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, featuring four Zen5 and eight Zen5C cores, totaling 12 cores with 24 threads clocked up to 5.1 GHz, paired with an integrated Radeon 890M iGPU reaching 2.9 GHz speeds.

The integrated Radeon 890M iGPU sets new benchmarks, while the option to pair it with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 ensures unrivalled gaming performance, with a max TGP of 110W in Manual mode. The laptop supports up to 32GB of LPDDR5X dual-channel memory at 7500MHz, allowing for seamless multitasking, and comes with up to a 2TB M.2 Gen 4 SSD for ample storage, plus an additional SSD slot.

A robust 73Wh battery provides long-lasting power, supporting 50 per cent fast charging in just 30 minutes and 100W Type-C charging. The laptop also features a MUX switch and Nvidia Advanced Optimus, ensuring optimized performance whether gaming or extending battery life.

The TUF Gaming A14 (FA401WV-RG037WS) is priced at Rs 1,69,990.

Samsung Innovation Campus hackathon winners announced

Samsung Innovation Campus hackathon 2024 event.

Samsung earlier this week conducted a hackathon followed by an award ceremony for the students graduating under Samsung Innovation Campus, the flagship CSR programme of the brand.

Conducted in Bengaluru, the initiative hosted 1,100 undergraduate engineering students with theoretical and project training in cutting-edge technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things).

The SIC (Samsung Innovation Campus) Hackathon journey began with a rigorous ideation phase, where students submitted over 500 capstone projects. A competitive selection process led to 50 teams participating in a mentorship program under the guidance of experts from SSIR, and training partners, CoCreate and Skyrim Innovation. The grand finale showcased the qualifying teams' ground-breaking solutions to a distinguished panel of judges comprising SSIR leadership, VTU dignitaries, and industry experts. The event was a culmination of months of hard work, dedication, exceptional talent, and ingenuity of the participating students. Notably, standout ideas with potential for deep tech products were awarded, highlighting the initiative's role in fostering entrepreneurship among tomorrow's innovators.

Winners of the SIC Hackathon 2024 from VTU:

Samsung Innovation Campus hackathon 2024 event winners.

First Prize (Rs 3 Lakh scholarship): Arihant Patil and Aenessa Vaz from KLS Gogte Institute of Technology, Belagavi for their innovative solution- Electro Relief from Primary Dysmenorrhea

Second Prize (Rs 2 Lakh scholarship): Kshiti Gaddigoudar, Omkar Pote, Pratham Jadhav, Chandan Parasharam Kangralkar and Narayan Sabale from Jain College of Engineering, Belagavi, for their innovative solution- Design and Development of Soft Robotics Glove for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Third Prize (Rs 1 Lakh scholarship): Vishal M Koti, Siddhartha Mahesha Pundit and Srivathsa Nadig from Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru for their innovative solution- Bark up the Right Tree: Treatment of Used Books to remove ink

Appreciation Award 1 (Rs 50,000 scholarship): Prarthana Nandi and Ankush Shreeshailappa Nagathan from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru, for their commendable efforts- Workflow Augmentation and Virtual Assistance

Appreciation Award 2 (Rs 50,000 scholarship): Kiran Bastwad, Suchit Malalikar, Sushant Kadam and Ajinkya Jadhav from Jain College of Engineering, Belagavi, for their commendable efforts- Wireless Multi-Functional Data Transfer and Charging Dock

All qualifying teams were awarded with certificates acknowledging their efforts in the SIC program.

New Beats headphones and speaker series

Beats earpones and speaker series.

The new Beats Solo 4 series headphones promise to deliver upgraded, powerful sound, and personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking tech. It has UltraPlush cushions and with a full charge, it can last up to 50 hours of battery life and it supports lossless audio via USB-C.

It will be available in three gorgeous colours-- matte black, slate blue, and cloud pink-- for 22,900.

The Beat Sold Buds come with custom-built acoustic architecture. It has ergonomically designed acoustic nozzles and laser-cut vents to deliver improved audio performance while relieving pressure for added comfort.

The retail package comes with four ear tip sizes (XS, S, M & L) to securely fit a diverse range of ears, to deliver passive noise isolation for a good listening experience. Each earbud features dual-layer transducers designed to minimize micro-distortions across the frequency curve, ensuring high-fidelity sound with good clarity and detail.

With a full charge, it can last for 18 hours. It comes in four colours-- matte black, storm grey, arctic purple and transparent red-- for Rs 6,900.

The new Beats Pill comes with a fresh new design language. It can deliver better sound than ever before and is lighter and more portable than its predecessor. It features an all-day battery life of up to 24 hours, USB-C audio and charging, IP67 dust and water resistance and native iOS and Android compatibility.

The Beats Pill will be available in matte black, statement red and champagne gold for Rs 16,900.

Fujifilm X-T50 mirrorless digital camera

Fujifilm X-T50 mirrorless digital camera series.

It comes with compact form factor and weighs 438g. It features the back-illuminated 40.2MP X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor, the high-speed image processing engine X-Processor 5, and a 5-axis, up to 7.0-stop in-body image stabilization function.

It new model can capture high image quality, high performance and high mobility. Combined with the new standard zoom lens --FUJINON XF16-50mmF2.8-4.8 R LM WR-, it can be used for still image shooting in all situations.

The company for the first time has incorporated a Film Simulation dial on the top plate. This allows the owner to easily switch between 'Film Simulations', a key feature unique to the company that enables a wide variety of colour tones. The X-T50 also incorporates a new round-shaped design that achieves both high holding performance and compact size.

The new Fujifilm camera supports a total of 20 'Film Simulation' modes including 'REALA ACE, which combines natural true-to-life colour reproduction and crisp tonal gradations. It can deliver a wide variety of colour expressions for users to select photographic films according to the subject or scene.

The high pixel count of approximately 40.2 megapixels is utilized by the digital teleconverter function. The captured images can be magnified 1.4x and 2x.

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