Domestic consumer electronics brand Elista today announced the debut of its ultra-premium Smart LED TVs in India. Powered by webOS TV, these televisions feature a bezel-less design and offer an immersive viewing experience. Elista is recognized for providing cutting-edge technology at an affordable price point to its consumers, and these Smart LED TVs are a true embodiment of that.
Specs and features
Available in three screen sizes – 43-inch (109 cm), 50-inch (124 cm), and 55-inch (140 cm), the Elista Smart LED TVs feature ThinQ AI which engages with consumers in a two-way conversation and makes it easy for the user to use the Smart TV through his mobile. With this technology, users can easily access the built-in Alexa and manage the device with voice commands. They can also browse their favourite OTT apps with voice commands, the company said in a statement.
The Elista Smart LED TVs powered by webOS TV come bundled with an intuitive, easy-to-use Magic remote with a dedicated hotkey for Netflix and Prime Video, allowing users to get to their favourite shows and apps faster. These TVs are packed in 400nits of peak brightness, 4K Quantum Lucent, and 1.07 billion colours. Users can enjoy truly blur-free visuals through Low-Frame rate content and MEMC @60Hz. This, coupled with future-ready technology, ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode), gives less than 5 ms input lag for an outstanding action-packed viewing experience, it said.
Pawan Kumar, CEO, Elista, said, “The Smart TV industry in India has been evolving at a fast pace. Consumers today are looking for a better experience, better technology and a seamless experience within their budget. Our success stems from focusing on delivering the best-performing products to consumers and offering them premium products that are within their reach. We are one of the fastest-growing companies in the smart TV category, and with the launch of our Elista Smart LED TVs, powered by webOS TV, we plan to take our success in this category a notch higher. We are hopeful that through our Smart LED TVs we will reach consumers willing to upgrade to an unparalleled viewing experience at a budget-friendly cost.”
Backed by Dolby audio, these three models enhance the music listening experience and feature high-fidelity surround sound. From a connectivity standpoint, Elista Smart LED TVs come with Dual-band Wi-Fi to support seamless streaming.
Prices and availability
All the three models are priced attractively at Rs 48,990 for 43-inch (109 cm) and Rs 59,990 for 50-inch (124 cm), and the 55-inch (140 cm) model will retail for Rs 70,990. The Elista Smart LED TVs are available at all leading consumer electronics shops and online platforms.
Elista’s portfolio consists of LED TVs, IT accessories, mobile accessories and speakers, to name a few. The company’s initiatives are motivated by the dual objectives of ‘being vocal for local’ and ‘creating employment possibilities in India.
Consumer electronics brand Samsung launched its 43-inch Crystal 4K Neo TV. The just-launched TV is powered by Crystal Technology. The all-new Crystal 4K Neo TV will be available on Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop, Amazon & Flipkart at Rs35,990.
Powered by Crystal Technology and engineered to elevate the content viewing experience in 4K resolution for new-age consumers, Samsung Crystal 4K Neo TV comes with a brilliant blend of the mesmerizing display, captivating sound features and bouquet of smart features.
Designed to deliver vivid, life-like colours and theatrical sound experience, the television offers Dolby Digital Plus and Adaptive Sound Technology.
Best-in-segment features such as One Billion True Colors for natural representation of every color, HDR10+ for crisp visual details even in dark scenes and Bezel-Less Design are offered in the TV for an immersive viewing experience.
For work-fun balance, the TV is equipped with some smart additions such as In-built Voice Assistance, Universal Guide, PC Mode, and Samsung TV Plus etc. For the ultimate gaming experience and faster frame transition and low latency, the Samsung Crystal 4K Neo TV has Auto Game Mode and Motion Xcelerator features.
Price and Availability
To be available in a 43-inch screen variant, the Samsung Crystal 4K Neo TV will be available for Rs 35,990 on Samsung’s official online store Samsung Shop, Amazon, and Flipkart. Complimentary one-year membership for Amazon Prime and one-year membership for Disney Hotstar will be offered by Amazon and Flipkart, respectively on purchase of the TV from their respective e-commerce platform.
A 12-month no-cost EMI from leading banks such as SBI and HDFC Bank can be availed while purchasing the TV.
Sandeep Singh Arora, Senior Director, Online Business, Consumer Electronics, Samsung India said that the Crystal 4K Neo TV is a perfect amalgamation of cutting-edge technology and chic design that offers vibrant colours with great depth and deeper contrasts for an immersive content viewing experience. Available at an attractive price point and bundled with exciting financing options, we are positive that the Crystal 4K Neo TV will enable consumers to upgrade to superior in-home entertainment.
The best laptops not only help you stay productive the whole day, capable of tackling your day-to-day work but also your best comfy partners on a weekend. These are actually comfortable to use the whole day without making your eyes ache and leaving them all red. Furthermore, these are more power-efficient and ensure that you won’t run out of juice unexpectedly.
Today laptops are not just something that only professionals could use. With the world shifting more towards the Digital age as Covid kicked in, it has become a necessity for students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs. With these, you get the options to continue to work on your professional skills as well as keep in touch with your side activities like studying, gaming, and researching. So if you too are planning to gift yourself or your loved ones this little pack of opportunities, then here is the list of upcoming laptops set to launch in the Indian market this month.
Best upcoming laptop launches in 2022
The list includes options from various price segments and you can pick whatever suits the best to you. Give a read to their specifications and thank us later!
Lenovo Slim 3
Infinix InBook X1 Slim
HP 14s-dr2514TUHP
Asus X415JA-BV301W
Lenovo Slim 3
Lenovo is already winning hearts with its notebook computers. The audience has appreciated the design and showered their affection for every variant of it. Now, the brand is all set to launch its upcoming Lenovo Slim 3. The upcoming laptop is expected to launch with a price tag of Rs. 52,990. These notebook computers from Lenovo, not only are more portable but way more flexible than the traditional ones. The device, with Windows 11 OS, with a battery life of up to 7.5 hours and a hard drive capacity of 512GB, makes the perfect system for the user.
Infinix InBook X1 Slim
Infinix INBook X1 Slim is an upcoming laptop and is the slimmest & lightest in the segment and has a powerful built-in Intel Core processor. It has an aluminium alloy metal body and will come with a 65 W type C charger. Also, the device provides a battery life of 50Wh. The weight of the laptop is 1.24 kg with 14.8 mm thickness. It will be available in four colours – green, blue, red and grey.
HP 14s-dr2514TUHP
Laptop with an expected price of Rs. 45,900 is available in natural silver and has an Intel Integrated UHD graphics processor. Moreover, the screen size of the laptop is 14 inches (35.56 cm) and the screen resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels. The interesting part about this device is its fast charging. The laptop has an adapter of 65 W and provides a battery life of 12 hrs. It’s best for workaholics, as it would help them to increase their pace of work.
Asus X415JA-BV301W
ASUS brand which now comes under firms which launch laptops has become famous among gaming laptops and is preferred by gamers. The expected price of the device is Rs 33,990. The device has a display of 14 inches and a screen resolution of 1366 x 768. The device runs Windows 11 and can entice users with its unique feature, a fingerprint scanner.
Digital addressing platform Pataa Navigations has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for enabling access to Indian Space Research Organisation’s Geospatial Services and APIs for the development of the addressing system in the country.
The MoU was inked in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of IN-SPACe headquarters in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. “When the strength of government institutions and the passion of India’s private sector will meet, not even the sky will be the limit,” the PM said on the occasion.
This is a historical moment for the country as it is a massive step towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat, the dream of PM Modi and every Indian, more so, as both IN-SPACe and Pataa are indigenous brands.
With the coming together of both these brands, India can look forward to a better addressing system, the lack of which costs the country a whopping loss of 75,000 crores annually.
The Department of Space (DoS) has been monumental in the use of geospatial technologies in the country through its activities in aerial and satellite data acquisition, data supply, mapping, applications and nationwide operational projects like Bhuvan, VEDAS, MOSDAC etc.
The DoS has also played a major role in the setting up of a large number of state level remote sensing application centres and their data repositories, with spatial analytics portals that helps respective state governments in addressing specific issues at state level.
Pataa has developed an app for enabling users to create unique customized short codes for their long and complex addresses with added features like voice directions, precise geotagged location, route suggestions, landmark selection, photos and more.
Pataa will head in bringing an addressing revolution in India by enabling people to have satellite image based digital addresses. The collaboration would be for the services of ISRO portals, namely Bhuvan, VEDAS, MOSDAC through this MoU.
Both parties are interested in evolving indigenous addressing solutions by exchanging combination of the satellite imagery/maps and address system through ISRO portals. This alliance will be beneficial for geo boundary which in turn will benefit rural India by making loan, seed, tech facilities etc. available to the rural population. Apart from that last mile reach for ecommerce, loan facilities, quick reach of ambulance will be availed by all.
Rajat Jain, co-founder, Pataa, said, “This is an exciting opportunity. We are looking forward to working with the highly-proficient scientists of India to bring an address revolution.”
India-based mobile accessories and electronics brand VingaJoy, has launched a pocket-friendly wireless karaoke mic. Named VingaJoy KR – 2001 Rockstar wireless karaoke mic comes with the latest Bluetooth 5.0 version and works within 10 metres of range.
Priced at Rs1699, the KR – 2001 Rockstar wireless karaoke mic also features a TF card slot to play MP3 music files or plug-in any device via Aux.
For continuous power backup to enjoy extended playback and music streaming, the wireless karaoke mic features a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery of 1200 mAH.
The portable, light weight and easy to carry wireless karaoke mic is equipped with the Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio jack, to allow users to wirelessly connect the unit with smartphones. It can record songs into your phone and share them with your friends.
Its wider compatibility and supports of devices such as PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets make it a unique.
The dynamic disco lights containing four colour modes make this wireless karaoke mic really rocking when it comes to organizing house parties. A perfect companion for Karaoke nights makes it another reason to hold in house parties, calling friends and giving voice to your Favourite Music.
According to Lalit Arora, Co-Founder, VingaJoy, the Karaoke feature not only enhances the party ambiance but also singing as it makes people happy while reducing their level of stress. Be it travel, office or house party, the speaker is engineered impeccably to give the finest possible user experience.
The launch of KR – 2001 Karaoke Mic is aimed to fuel the aspirations of consumers to live life uninterrupted enjoying every moment. Our aim is to provide luxury in sound that makes your life deeply satisfying.
VingaJoy KR – 2001 Rockstar wireless Karaoke Mic can be purchased at your nearest retail stores.
With smartphones becoming our go-to device for almost every activity, chances of falling prey to a cyberattack cannot be ruled out. Although it’s not your only threat point in today’s digital world as we are also surrounded by / or dependent on a number of other smart devices, the issue of cyber threat / attack has taken a monstrous shape and that calls for an immediate attention to be on our guard. Kunal Bajaj, Chief Business Officer, eSec Forte Technologies, in a conversation with Ramesh Kumar Raja, speaks more about this issue the world is facing today and the services it provides with the integration of new technologies. Excerpts:
Data security is said to be as essential as national security in today’s smart world. How do you look at its current situation in India, especially when mobile phones are there in every hand?
Data security has gained prominence in the backdrop of widening internet connectivity and affordable mobile handset devices. India, with its 1.3 billion population, is at the cusp of the digital revolution, which along with huge opportunities also comes with its own share of challenges.
The most crucial issue among these challenges is related to data security. Specifically in India, the issue is contentious as we lack solid and robust cybersecurity law, although some progress has been made recently on this front. Experts suggest that it’s absolutely essential for all the stakeholders to work together to build an ecosystem that will help curb the menace of a data breach, infringement of privacy, and leakage of sensitive information.
It is heartening to witness that the government has started working on the sensitive issue with serious intent and the proposed Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill 2021 can be considered a step in the right direction.
There is a global hullabaloo on Pegasus. How do you look at its implications in India? What needs to be done to avoid such incidents?
Incidents of privacy breach and recording of sensitive information using the Pegasus software is just the tip of the iceberg. In actual sense, these events point toward a larger issue that both industry and regulators need to address at a very grassroot level.
In India too, there are allegations and counter-allegations by the political leaders of their phone tapping using the same Pegasus software, although nothing concrete has come to the fore – at least for now. However, if we consider the brighter side of these infamous incidents then we can utilise this as an opportunity to strengthen our cybersecurity laws and come up with a system to provide superior protection to the users’ privacy.
In order to avoid the recurrence of such incidents, it is absolutely essential to have comprehensive data protection and privacy preservation laws in place. As mentioned above, the industry and the regulators have already been working on building a superior system of tracking the leaked information. Further, by providing legal teeth to the framework the crimes in the space of cybersecurity can be reduced considerably. In addition to the legal recourse, spreading awareness about data security and its existing provisions can also prove helpful in reducing the instances of data breaches among the masses.
“There are allegations and counter-allegations by the political leaders of their phone tapping using the same Pegasus software, although nothing concrete has come to the fore – at least for now. However, if we consider the brighter side of these infamous incidents then we can utilise this as an opportunity to strengthen our cybersecurity laws and come up with a system to provide superior protection to the users’ privacy”
eSec Forte has created a niche for itself in providing cybersecurity solutions across sectors. Which is the fastest and strongest growing platform for you in today’s time, especially when mobile devices have almost dwarfed PCs, and iOS and Android have made their significant places?
The tremendous appeal and the growth in the mobile handset category have proved to be a game-changer for the digital revolution. eSec Forte offers a number of services under different platforms such as Managed Security Services, Transformation Services, Compliance Management Services, and Security Assessment Services among others.
All these platforms are very well received by clients cutting across industries and specifically, in the area of compliance management and security assessment, the organisation is witnessing tremendous growth and unprecedented response. The trend is aligned with the changing needs of the consumers where the use of mobile phones is becoming increasingly prominent, even dwarfing the desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.
How has been the response to the services that you provide?
Our services are very well-received by the clients cutting across segments and this has become specifically true in case of the data managed security services and transformation services. Even the compliance management system is increasingly finding approval among the clients in the wake of changing circumstances.
Rapid adoption of Cloud and IoT technologies are resulting in growing complexities pertaining to data security, network infrastructure, and security regulation & compliance, thereby boosting demand for cybersecurity solutions and services across the country. What’s your take on this especially when threat points have increased?
Looking at the multifaceted issues related to cybersecurity, we have adopted a holistic and all-encompassing safety approach to our solutions. eSec Forte has been involved in building one-stop solutions for companies related to their all internet safety and security needs. All our solutions related to Security Services, Transformation Services, Compliance Management Services, and Security Assessment Services are comprehensively built keeping in mind the broader safety challenges associated with the sector. The distinguishing characteristic of our services is the inbuilt safety mechanism that ensures that all concerns related to data management and privacy are addressed comprehensively.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are said to be the new disruptors in the tech world. Are you adopting these technologies?
Absolutely, yes! In fact, we have already started integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into our products and services. Both of these new-age innovations are very conducive to planning, implementation, diagnosing, and controlling various aspects of cybersecurity solutions and we have received absolutely phenomenal results from this integration. In the coming times, we are further going to step up the level of integration and make AI and ML an integral part of our solutions.
What are the areas of growth for eSec Forte in the country?
While there are many avenues for growth, we are specifically focusing on compliance and security assessment services. Both of these segments are witnessing unprecedented growth and with enhanced digitalization in place, the challenges related to compliance management and security assessment are bound to increase. Keeping in mind this future scenario, we have intensified our efforts and put more investment to come up with advanced solutions on both these fronts.
Other players such as Quick Heal, McAfee, Norton, etc. too have aggressive plans for India. What will be your strategy to be a leader in the market?
In a country like India, competitive intensity is always going to be on the higher side. This is the fact and we fully acknowledge and recognise this reality. In order to be a number one player in our segment, we have specifically started focusing on providing holistic solutions for all customer needs relating to cybersecurity and internet safety management.
Our constellation of products and services is unique and comes with a number of distinguishing parameters that are superior to rival offerings. Further, we exercise the highest level of customer-centricity and our responsive customer care cell ensures that all queries of our clients are addressed quickly without any delay.
Can you please tell us about the security trends that will dominate the market in 2022?
As mentioned above, the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning will become one of the dominant trends this year. In addition, threats related to Cloud Security and mobile devices will dominate the scenario of cybersecurity solutions. Further, the industry will continue to witness a surge in investment to provide solutions against data breaches, manual intervention errors, and targeted ransomware among others.
“The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning will become one of the dominant trends this year. In addition, threats related to Cloud Security and mobile devices will dominate the scenario of cybersecurity solutions. Further, the industry will continue to witness a surge in investment to provide solutions against data breaches, manual intervention errors, and targeted ransomware among others”
What are the challenges that eSec Forte foresees?
There are many challenges that both our organisation and industry at large have to contend with in the coming times. One of the biggest challenges is to keep up pace with the constantly changing business environment and come up with innovative solutions aligned with the needs of clients and the industry. The threats related to privacy and data security are also on the rise which mandates the upgradation of the current solutions available commercially in the market. This, in turn, will require more investment in future products which is again a challenge from both financial and technical perspectives. In addition, there are challenges related to the overall security management and changing nature of the regulatory framework that eSec Forte is preparing to handle in the future.
After the successful group extension, exporting backup, and redesigning the interactive location feature, WhatsApp is coming up with a new feature. WhatsApp is set to roll out a new API feature to let the users know about all their missed calls. The new feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo in a post that says, “WhatsApp is now rolling out a new feature that helps users understand why they missed calls: the support to detect when the do not disturb mode is enabled on WhatsApp beta for iOS.”
Reportedly, the feature will be first made available to the WhatsApp Business account and iOS users. If the testing goes well, then the instant messaging app might bring this feature to all the other users. Here’s what we know about it!
WhatsApp will soon give details of your missed calls
iPhone, when put on DND silences all the incoming calls and does not even give miss call alerts to users. They can only see the notifications when the DND is removed or they can manually check for any missed call. However, with this new feature, WhatsApp will let you know with a tag if your call was silenced by the DND.
WABetaInfo says, “When you receive a WhatsApp call and your notifications are turned off because they do not disturb mode is enabled, there will be a new label available right within the call history: it will indicate that you missed the call since it has been silenced by the do not disturb mode.”
As you can see in the above screenshot, in the call history, you would be able to see a new tag on the missed calls when your device was on Do Not Disturb mode.
Previously, WhatsApp allowed Business users to rename their linked devices. Notably, the missed call feature will only work when the Business account user has activated the do not disturb feature.
WhatsApp API missed calls: Availability
Reportedly, the current API update is only rolling out iOS 15 in the test flight. So those who are currently running or have updated their devices with the new iOS 15 update will see a new label under the missed calls section- “Silenced by Do Not Disturb.” There’s no information available on whether the platform is planning to extend the feature to Android and Desktops.
WABetaInfo also reported that “WhatsApp has rolled out a new Do to Not Disturb API for Missed calls. It is currently running in the Beta version of iOS. With this API, WhatsApp will detect if your Do Not Disturb mode is turned on or off.” It also added that “This information is not shared with WhatsApp or who is calling you. It will only be available in the local database of the app. In addition, since this is an iOS 15 API, your WhatsApp should be on at least iOS 15.”
Also, one important thing to note about this upcoming functionality is that the API is only supported for iOS 15. This is currently in the lead for iPhones. Additionally, iOS 16 is coming very soon, so we don’t know about its future. However, indeed we can say that every iPhone 6s and later will be able to access it.
Notably, the caller won’t be able to see detail, it is only confined to the receiver’s history. Also, if you still cannot see the feature, you can check the version of your current iOS version. And then update to the latest one.
Poco is gearing up to launch its Poco F4 5G smartphone globally including in India. Some specifications of the POCO F4 5G have been confirmed by the brand. The recent addition to its popular F series, POCO F4 5G has been on the leaks for a couple of days. The latest is related to the price specifications of the upcoming smartphone.
According to the leaks, the upcoming smartphone is expected to be priced around Rs 35,000. This has been shared by an authorised Xiaomi Retailer. According to the updates, the POCO F4 might come in a single variant globally. If report is to be believed then POCO F4 5G might be priced Rs 26,999 and with bank offers, it is said to go as low as Rs 23,999.
The new F series device Poco F4 5G is expected to be launched this month. Earlier, POCO teased the image of the upcoming device to confirm the global debut of the Poco F4 5G which is a rebranded version of Redmi K40S.
Recently POCO confirmed that its upcoming device POCO F4 5G will feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 1- powered smartphone in April. POCO F4 GT is the recent addition to its popular F series, launched with Snapdragon’s flagship chipset and liquid cooling technology. The specs for the upcoming POCO F4 5G have not been revealed yet, but the company did announce new information that can actually help to make a guess. Here is all that we know about it:
Earlier, POCO’s Indian branch confirmed that their upcoming F4 5G will feature Snapdragon 870 SoC. The smartphone maker is yet to reveal any other detail of the upcoming device. POCO is likely to introduce the F4 5G by the end of this month.
Read Here:
Talking about other specifications, POCO F4 5G will come with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage that could be further expandable. According to POCO, these features will offer impressive speeds and the best in the segment.
POCO F4 GT was released with the flagship chipset, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.
Other specifications of POCO F4 5G
The upcoming POCO F4 5G is expected to have performance similar to Redmi K40S as it is the rebranded version of the device. The POCO F4 5G is likely to feature a higher-resolution primary lens (64MP instead of 48MP). A 6.67″ FullHD+ AMOLED screen paired with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 20MP selfie unit, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and a 4,500 mAh battery with 67W charging as well are other specifications of the POCO F4 5G.
Realme has added another stunning smartphone to its V-series portfolio with the Realme V20 5G. The V-series from Realme is the China-exclusive lineup that has never made it outside of Realme’s home market. The smartphone from this V-series is very stylish and offers amazing specs that are worth boasting about.
Realme has now expanded its budget-smartphone portfolio with an all-new V20 5G. The smartphone was silently launched in the offline market and is not available at any online listing so far. The latest smartphone offers a MediaTek Dimensity processor with 5G-connectivity. Here’s all that we know about the smartphone so far!
Realme V20 5G: Specifications
Talking about the features, the brand has not yet revealed much about it though we still have some standard specs about the phone. The Realme V20 5G features a 6.5-inch LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels. The screen also sports a teardrop notch design on the front.
Coming to the powerhouse of the smartphone, it sports the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset under the hood to handle all the multi-tasking. Furthermore, it is also equipped with 4 GB RAM paired with 128 GB of built-in storage. It is still unknown whether the device will feature the latest Android 12 OS or support the older Android 11 OS. Unfortunately, the device does lack a fingerprint sensor, which is definitely a bummer.
As for the optics of the phone, it features a 5MP selfie camera at the front. At the back, it features a dual-camera setup with a 13MP primary lens and 0.3MP auxiliary sensor. The alignment of the camera looks very similar to the recently launched Oppo Reno-series phones.
The Realme V20 5G packs a good 5,000mAh battery that also supports 10W fast charging. It comes equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack. The device measures 8.1mm in thickness and weighs around 184 grams.
Realme V20 5G: Price and availability
Talking about the price of this smartphone, the Realme V20 starts at CNY 999 (INR 11,596) in China. Since Realme has never launched V-series phones outside of China, the V20 is also unlikely to arrive elsewhere. Additionally, even if it’s planned to launch outside, we can expect it to come under the brand’s C-series smartphone. The C-series is the budget offering from the Chinese smartphone brand. The Realme V20 is also available in two gorgeous colours: Ink Cloud Black and Star Blue.
Interestingly, the smartphone was first planned to be launched under the name Realme V21, but the company seemingly had different plans. Also, it is launched in the offline market of China, so it’s really difficult to find it listed online for the time being.
With audio industry growing like never before in India, many domestic electronics manufacturers have joined the bandwagon in bringing in products that are not just affordable but also giving a tough competition to the established global players. World of Play, co-founded by Vikas Jain of Micromax and Sandeep Banga, is one such brand that is scaling its highs with one after the other offerings. The company recently launched PlayGo Muze speaker along with BudsLite TWS earbuds and Flaunt neckband. PlayGo Muze is a Bluetooth-enabled portable Karaoke speaker which is made for the party lovers, whether at home or while travelling. Priced at Rs 2,499, the speaker has a lot to offer in terms of specs and features, and here is what we felt about this device after using it for a couple of days.
Build and Design
The PlayGo Muze comes in a Military Green colour which looks decent, and is made of a good quality plastic, which doesn’t look fragile in any way. Having a rectangular design with curved edges, the speaker comes with two woofers on the left and right sides, and four tactile control buttons on the top (offering functionalities like play/pause, backward/forward, volume up/down). Even though it looks a bit bulky, the speaker offers you a comfortable grip in your hand owing to its evenly-distributed weight. Besides, there is a sling strap inside the box, in order to carry it around easily.
The front of the device has an LED display (on the top) which exhibits the modes of function. The company’s logo/branding is placed on the left side of the metal mesh with two 10W speakers underneath both sides. On top of the back is a compartment housing an on/off slider button, a micro-USB charging port, a microSD port, a USB port, a karaoke mic port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a red indicator showing charging status. On the bottom of the speaker are two rubber stands that hold the surface firmly and do not slide. Although there is no mention of any IP-rating, it’s a good choice for harsher environments, as splashes and dust mean nothing to it.
Overall, the PlayGo Muze speaker is sturdily built and will give you a sophisticated feeling if you carry it outside. It looks slightly pricier than it is.
Functionalities and Performance
Here you get almost all necessary connectivity options that one would expect in a Bluetooth speaker. It pairs fast and easily wirelessly, having a Bluetooth range of 33 feet (up to 10 metres), besides offering facilities like Aux, SD, FM and USB. Setting up this Bluetooth speaker is very straightforward. Once paired, the PlayGo Muze will connect automatically the next time you turn on Bluetooth on your device.
Having two 10W speakers, the all-new PlayGo Muze pumps out 20W in total – this is enough to give you a thrill in a mid-sized room. In terms of audio quality, it offers a good amount of treble but lacks a lot in terms of bass despite having two exposed woofer drums on the sides. Besides offering good lows, the mid ranges and the highs are also magnificent. However, there’s a little bit of distortion at the highest volume, which is quite common with many speakers at the given price point. Moreover, the frequency range of 20Hz～20KHz is not bad.
The best part with this speaker is the Karaoke mode which delivers a good performance. PlayGo also provides a basic external microphone which can be plugged into the speaker. Taken as a whole, the PlayGo Muze is definitely not good for bass-heavy songs but delivered a good performance on songs with a low bass.
In terms of FM, the radio quality was a hit and miss. Interestingly, the PlayGo Muze also has a TWS function which will allow you to pair another Bluetooth speaker to get an immersive sound, but we were unable to take advantage of this feature.
Battery
The PlayGo Muze is powered by a 2,400mAh Li-polymer battery, which claims to offer up to 7 hours of playtime on a single charge. Standing tall to its claim, the battery performed really well during our review, as we mostly used it with mid-level of sound for nearly an hour every day a week. Since there is not fast charging available, it takes around 4 hours to charge fully via the micro-USB port.
Conclusion
The PlayGo Muze offers a decent look and size with Karaoke feature which is good for a small gathering to enjoy a musical evening at home or while travelling. It’s sturdily built and has multiple connectivity options, besides offering you a powerful battery. One area where this device will disappoint you is its bass, which is definitely not good as it delivered a lacklustre performance on bass-heavy songs during our review. Price-wise, it offers a good deal, which you cannot ignore.
