TRANSIT by Soen portable Bluetooth speaker comes to India at Rs. 12,990

TRANSIT by Soen, a California-based company that specialises in high-end audio equipment, is a compact, premium Bluetooth speaker set that sports 1.3" x 6.6" x 3.8" dimensions and weighs around half a kilogram. The speaker is powered by a rechargeable battery that gives around 8 hours of playback time on a single charge. It also comes with a built-in mic, which means you can pair TRANSIT with your phone for hands-free calling.

We had a chance to spend some time with the speaker and our overall impression was extremely positive. TRANSIT exudes quality from first glance at the packaging of the product, to the time you hold the speaker in your hand, and of course when you start listening to music.

Transit by Soen..................

The build quality is excellent and the speaker comes with a magnetic cover that snaps on to offer protection from dust and accidental damage when not in use. The speaker can lie flat on its back or you can push a button to bring out the kickstand, which makes it ideal for placing on, say, a bedside table. The retail pack comes with a USB charger, a Micro-USB cable, documentation, as well as a 3.5mm audio cable (for the aux-in port).

TRANSIT by Soen has a flip power button on the side, with the pairing button sandwiched between the volume up and down buttons at the top. The Micro-USB and aux-in ports are at the side as well. Getting started by pairing the speaker with our smartphone was simple enough, like most Bluetooth speakers.

As far as the audio quality is concerned, we were impressed by the clarity of sound, which did not distort even at maximum volume. However, we found ourselves wishing that the speaker could go a notch louder. The bass performance was impressive for a speaker this size; probably the best we've come across in a compact Bluetooth speaker.

As stated earlier, the company claims 8 hours of audio playback on a single charge, but we did not get a chance to test this claim in the limited time we had with our unit.

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Facebook Launced Dislike Button for Messenger

Facebook has updated its Messenger app that includes a 'dislike' button.

However, the 'dislike' option is only available on the desktop and mobile versions of Facebook Messenger, Fox News reports. The dislike button is not available for the news feed and cannot be used in statuses and other posts.

In order to access the new sticker pack, users will have to download it from the Sticker Store inside the Messenger app.

While a "like" sticker was already available on Facebook Messenger, the new set of finger stickers was added only now, after having been created during a hack a ton that took place this fall.

Facebook is said to be mulling launching a 'sympathize' button.

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Acer Iconia W4 tablet with 8-inch display, Windows 8.1 launched at Rs. 24,999

Acer has launched the successor to the Iconia W3 tablet, the Iconia W4 in India. The Acer Iconia W4 32GB variant will be available at Rs. 24,999, while the 64GB variant of the tablet will be available at Rs. 26,999.

Acer launched the Iconia W4 for the US in October this year.

The Acer Iconia W4 tablet runs Windows 8.1, Microsoft's latest operating system for desktops, notebooks and x86 tablets. Windows 8.1 brings new additions like enhanced searching and sharing features Internet Explorer 11, improved touch optimisation and brings back the 'Start' button.

The tablet is powered by 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3740 'Bay Trail-T' processor coupled with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM. The Acer Iconia W4 tablet features an 8-inch IPS (1280x800) display and sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus camera and alongside a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Iconia W4 comes preloaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 for creating and editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. The tablet also supports additional storage up to 32GB with the help of microSD card. Connectivity options on the tablet include Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI and microSD slot.

The company also bundles a keyboard with the Iconia W4 tablet, which features leather cover that folds out, also serving as a tablet stand.

Acer had unveiled its first 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet, the Acer Iconia W3, back in June at Computex 2013. It is powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 processor with a 1.8GHz dual-core chip. The tablet comes with a 1280x800 pixel resolution LED-backlit display. It also has a 2-megapixel front facing camera and a 2-megapixel rear camera.

Connectivity options on the Iconia W3 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB and Micro-HDMI, lacking USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports seen on previous Windows tablets from Acer. The device weighs 540 grams and is 11.35mm thick. Acer promises around eight hours of battery life for the tablet which happens to be pretty good for its size.

Acer Iconia W4 tablet key specifications

    8-inch IPS (1280x800) display with Zero Air Gap technology
    1.8GHz Intel fourth generation (Intel Bay Trail series) Atom processor
    32GB/ 64GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
    Windows 8.1
    5-megapixel rear autofocus camera
    2-megapixel front-facing camera

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Vodafone Music mobile streaming service launched in India

Vodafone India today launched what it is calling a unique service - Vodafone Music - which will allow its customers to experience a 'new age of entertainment via mobile Internet'.

"Vodafone Music is designed to perfectly fit the digital generation. It's simple, immediate and unique.

"This service offers a large selection of music genres with incredible personalisation that enables our entire customer base to enjoy and discover new music for free at the touch of a button," Vodafone India Chief Commercial Officer Vivek Mathur said here.

This service offers a wide range of music content, which consumers can access on their WAP browsers or through an application.

Vodafone Music, a platform is developed by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, offers features like audio and video streaming and downloads, and an advanced search option.

The advanced version of the service will also include features like cloud sync, radio, playlist sharing, predictive search.

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LG, Samsung to launch 105-inch curved UHD TVs at CES 2014

LG and Samsung have announced that their 105-inch curved ultra high definition televisions will be unveiled at CES 2014. Both (LG and Samsung) have not revealed any details about availability and pricing of the 105-inch curved UHD TVs.

According to Samsung, its 105-inch curved UHD TV features a new proprietary picture quality algorithm that can deliver optimized colour and feeling of depth. In addition, the television comes with 'Quadmatic Picture Engine' which as per company's claims can deliver all content in UHD-level picture quality. The Samsung's 105-inch curved UHD TV boasts of a screen resolution of 5120x2160 pixels with 21:9 aspect ratio.

Commenting on the announcement, HS Kim, executive vice president of Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics said, "We are happy to unveil the 105-inch Curved UHD TV, the culmination of Samsung's advancements, following the world's first Curved UHD TV at IFA 2013. You will experience a true curved TV optimized for consumer viewing environments at CES 2014."

Features.......

LG's 105-inch curved UHD TV (Model 105UB9) also boasts of a resolution of 5120x2160 pixels.

The LG's 105-inch curved UHD TV uses LCD instead of the OLED, which the company claims uses improved TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology to prevent colour leakage and offers a good viewing experience from any angle.

LG Electronics' Vice President and head of the Home Entertainment Company's TV division, In-kyu Lee said, "We're proud to reveal our 105-inch curved ultra HD TV at the world's largest technology event. Claiming the world's first and the world's largest titles, LG's 105UB9 employs cutting-edge technology to provide a truly unique viewing experience

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