News
Huawei Launches new MatePad and Huawei Sound X in PH
More devices for the new normal at home
We’re probably going to be stuck home for the foreseeable future, so it’s best if we’re surrounded by things that can be helpful in our daily new normal. With that in mind, Huawei just launched two new devices — the new Huawei MatePad and Huawei Sound X.
Huawei MatePad
It’s a 10.4-inch slate with an 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. That’s plenty of space for whatever you can imagine to use a tablet for — productivity, binge-watching, gaming, etc. You name it, it’ll feel immersive on that display.
Helping with that immersive feeling is the quad-channel Harman Kardon speakers with Histen 6.0 3D stereo. If that sounded foreign to you, what it essentially promises is a deep bass and a crisp sound.
Powering the device is a Kirin 810 chip. It should be powerful enough to support most tablet activities. These include the aforementioned streaming of shows, switching between apps, and you know, the usual.
It also has an e-book mode if you simply want to shut everything out and spend some quality time with an equally quality reading material.
Lastly, it’s compatible with the M Pencil. If you’re into the arts, you can channel your creativity with this tool.
Huawei Sound X
It’s the first-ever dual-subwoofer Hi-Fi speaker, co-designed with French audio brand Devialet with premium hardware, a stylish exterior, and next-level software. Devialet is a global audio brand known for its High-Fidelity products.
It’s not a smart speaker in the way that there’s a voice assistant integrated like the Google Home or the Amazon Echo, but it does have some ‘smart’ qualities.
For instance, it will work seamlessly with your Huawei P40 series phone. Gently tapping your phone against the Sound X transmits audio to the speaker.
The audio, Huawei says, is lossless and low-latency and can be tweaked thanks to a proprietary EMUI 10.1 multi-device control panel. Think of like Huawei’s own version of Apple’s AirPlay.
Another thing that Huawei is proud of about the Sound X is how compact it is compared to other speakers that promise to deliver the same level of hi-end audio. It’s able to deliver 60W of bass despite being relatively smaller than other speakers with the same capability.
Pricing and availability
The Huawei MatePad will retail for PhP 20,990 (US$ 425). But Huawei has a limited time offer for this device. Between July 31 and August 2, 2020, consumers who buy the Huawei MatePad in that limited period gets a freebie package worth PhP 8,171 which includes :
- M Pencil (Php 4,990)
- MatePad Flip cover (Php 990)
- 15GB Cloud storage for 1 year (Php 388)
- Huawei Video TVB 3 months membership (Php 540)
- Huawei Video Mango TV 1 month membership (Php 99)
- Booky Prime Membership for 3 months (Php 597)
- Viu Premium Subscription for 3 months (Php 297)
- Pesoloan Php 150 Cashback
- Gcash Php 70 Voucher
- Paymaya Php 50 Voucher
Acting quick is the key to acquiring this incredible MatePad bundle, as the promo is strictly on a first come, first serve basis.
Meanwhile, the Huawei Sound X will retail for PhP 19,990 (US$ 405) and will be available starting July 31, 2020.
The MatePad promo and Sound X will be available on Lazada, Shopee and select retail partners.
WhatsApp is about to get an extra later of protection. After thriving on number-based chatting, the platform will soon add usernames, eliminating the need to share your number with strangers.
Usernames are the standard way of maintaining your anonymity online. Though most platforms today require users to log their email addresses or phone numbers, establishing a username can prevent other users from seeing this information way too easily.
Today, Meta has started rolling out reservations for WhatsApp usernames. The feature itself isn’t available yet, but early adopters can grab theirs as soon as the setting becomes available on their app.
To access the reservation, users can go to Settings > Account > Username. Of note, this isn’t available for everyone yet. But if you want to take dibs on a specific name, be on the lookout for the setting.
As for the username itself, users can reserve anything as long as it’s unique. Business owners and creators can also use their Facebook or Instagram handles as their WhatsApp usernames.
The feature, once it launches, will stop users from accessing your phone number when messaging. Similarly, other users will now need your exact username to start a conversation. Users can also set a separate code to protect conversations further.
SEE ALSO: Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
For Apple, the next holy grail is a foldable iPhone. However, for Samsung who’s already had an iron grip on the foldable market for years now, the next evolution might be a rollable phone.
According to several Korean sources, Samsung’s next project is a rollable phone. Samsung Display is currently discussing the technology with the company’s smartphone arm for a potential consumer-ready product.
As is normal with new technologies, it might take a while for a rollable phone to enter the market. Samsung is reportedly planning a 2028 release for the device.
As for the name, the brand might settle for the Galaxy Z Slide. With how Samsung names its devices, “Slide” makes sense.
Now, a rollable phone has been a dream for a few other brands. For example, LG, before they gave up on the smartphone market, dished out a concept for a rollable display in the TV and the smartphone space. Sony, Motorola, OPPO, and TECNO have also experimented with the technology.
With its resources, Samsung stands to be at the forefront of the rollable market, just as it did with the foldable phone. But, as always, take the rumors with a grain of salt. There’s still quite a bit of time before 2028 arrives. The brand can easily change its mind.
SEE ALSO: Samsung brings the Galaxy Z series into Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Cameras
DJI Osmo Pocket 4P launches with dual lenses and a 1-inch sensor
The biggest upgrade yet to DJI’s compact gimbal camera
The original Osmo Pocket launched in 2018 as a pocket-sized gimbal camera for people who wanted smooth footage without carrying a full rig. DJI has been building on that idea ever since, and today, with the Osmo Pocket 4P, they made the biggest jump yet.
A significant change
The most significant change in the Osmo Pocket 4P is the introduction of a dual-lens system. While previous Osmo Pocket models limited creators to a single, fixed field of view, the 4P provides two distinct options.
The camera features a wide-angle lens backed by a new 1-inch CMOS sensor alongside a 60mm medium-telephoto portrait lens boasting an f/1.8 aperture and 3x optical zoom. This second lens fundamentally changes how creators shoot on the ground.
At the 60mm focal length, backgrounds compress naturally to separate the subject from the environment without relying on artificial software rendering, offering an invaluable tool for capturing people at events, during travel, or throughout daily life.
The wide lens captures 17 stops of dynamic range through what DJI calls LOFIC technology, which handles high-contrast scenes like backlit windows or golden hour without blowing out the sky or burying the shadows.
Advanced sensor tech, color latitude
For high-contrast environments, the wide-angle lens captures an impressive 17 stops of dynamic range utilizing DJI’s new LOFIC technology.
This hardware addition allows the camera to effortlessly manage difficult lighting scenarios, like backlit windows or golden hour horizons, keeping the sky intact while preventing shadows from turning muddy.
On the color processing side, DJI has introduced a 10-bit D-Log 2 profile capable of recording over a billion colors. This shift provides editors with significantly more latitude to grade footage in post-production, avoiding the limitations of a baked-in, in-camera look.
High-speed motion, smart framing
In terms of capturing motion, the 4P supports 4K slow motion at 240fps, making it ideal for fast-moving subjects that benefit from a stylized, slowed-down perspective.
A slow shutter video mode is also included, allowing users to organically capture light trails in low-light environments. Physical stabilization continues to rely on a mechanical 3-axis gimbal, drawing directly from the heritage of DJI’s professional Ronin systems.
Weighing just 230 grams, the compact unit incorporates ActiveTrack 8.0 to handle automated subject tracking, maintaining precise focus through the entire 12x digital zoom range — a feature that proves essential for solo creators who need the hardware to handle framing duties.
Practical updates for daily use
DJI has also focused heavily on the realities of on-the-go shooting. The 4P introduces gesture controls, letting users trigger subject tracking or start recording without physically touching the device.
A new 4K Live Photo mode automatically captures a 1.5-second clip alongside every still image, while the main sensor allows for high-resolution 37-megapixel photos that offer plenty of room for cropping in post-production.
The battery charges from zero to 80 percent in just 18 minutes and delivers up to 210 minutes of runtime on a full charge.
Furthermore, files transfer via USB 3.1 at speeds up to 800 MB/s, ensuring that offloading a full day of content is a near-instant process.
Price, availability
The camera launches in both classic black and pearl white, accompanied by a modular accessory ecosystem and DJI Care Refresh protection plans.
It retails for PhP 37,790 for the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Standard. Meanwhile, the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P Vlog Combo retails for PhP 42,290.
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