Smart home
A 40-Minute Orbital Exclusive With Realme’s Madhav Sheth
On this week’s episode of Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital host Akhil Arora and Reviews Editor Jamshed Avari speak with Madhav Sheth, Vice President of Realme and Chief Executive Officer of Realme India, Europe, and Latin America, who takes us behind the scenes at Realme.
Sheth says that with the arrival of the Realme GT series, the company has departed its earlier Realme X family. The new series is, however, claimed to be built on the legacy of the Realme X lineup and is aimed to deliver a flagship-like experience at compelling price points.
Realme GT Review: An All-Rounder at the Right Price
“You will see very soon a lot of GT products coming in the portfolio from Realme,” Sheth says. He also indicates that the company is planning to bring new Realme GT phones next year with 125W fast charging support.
Unlike its other series, Realme is aiming to deliver a full-fledged, all-round experience through the Realme GT series, the executive tells us during the conversation.
“You do not pay the price for logos, you pay the price for the technology. And I think if you are paying for the price of the technology, you should feel it. And that’s what GT is all going to be about,” he mentions.
Realme GT series expanded with the addition of the Realme GT Neo 2 on Wednesday. The new Realme phone comes with features including a 120Hz display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC to compete against models such as the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G, Mi 11X 5G, and Poco F3 GT.
The Realme GT Neo 2 also comes with 5G connectivity and 65W fast charging. It is the third model in the Realme GT series after the Realme GT 5G and Realme GT Master Edition that is going on sale in India. Realme GT Neo 2 price in India starts at Rs. 31,999 for the base 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and goes up to Rs. 35,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model.
Realme GT Neo 2 First Impressions: This One’s for the Gamer
Alongside the Realme GT series, Sheth talks about Realme’s ongoing research and development in India. He also touches upon the existing ‘Make in India‘ move by manufacturers like Realme to localise their production in the country.
“Where India is at this point of time is all about assembly and the semi-manufacturing,” he says, adding that he is optimistic on seeing the country moving towards the direction of reaching complete local production over time.
Sheth also highlights the growth Realme achieved so far in the ongoing festive season sales. He says that the company managed to generate Rs. 3,500 crores of sales during the sale and became number one brand on Flipkart across product categories including smartphones, laptops, and audio and ANC (active noise cancellation).
Alongside online sales, Realme is planning to grow its offline presence in the country. Sheth says that there are plans to have 1,000 offline stores next year where it would showcase its entire ecosystem of products to consumers.
We also ask Sheth on how Realme is differentiating the experience while launching multiple products on a regular basis. He says that the aim of hosting a number of product launches is to grow the community.
“It’s not about whether we are launching so many products at the same time or where people are getting confused, but they are all different categories of products. We are giving more choices to the users. We are getting more options for the users to select from what their current portfolio is all about in the market,” he says.
Realme GT Neo 2T Colour Options Teased, Tipped to Be Launched in India Soon
Later, the Realme India chief also talks about why we’re seeing 5G phones all around despite the fact that telecom networks are yet to roll out their next-generation cellular services.
You can listen to our complete wide-ranging 40-minute conversation with Sheth by hitting the play button on the embedded player above.
Orbital is available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Gaana, JioSaavn, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Also, don’t forget to follow the Gadgets 360 podcast wherever you’re listening. Please rate us and leave a review.
New Orbital episodes release every Friday, so make sure to tune in each week.
Smart home
Amazon Fire TVs to Carry Freely Streaming Platform in Boost for BBC, ITV
The deal is a win for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, whose joint venture, called Everyone TV, launched Freely earlier this year, allowing viewers to stream both live TV and on-demand content for free when they purchase smart TVs carrying the service.
The tie-up will help take content from the four public broadcasters – which are required by UK law to offer programming beneficial to the public interest – to more British households, through smart TVs using Amazon’s popular Fire operating system.
“A deal of this kind, between a technology giant and those working in the public interest, is remarkable,” Everyone TV Chief Executive Jonathan Thompson said.
“It represents a significant development in widening the availability of Freely and therefore ensuring UK audiences can access free TV well into the future.”
Freely’s launch in April marked the first time all four of Britain’s public service broadcasters joined hands to set up a streaming service, as they look to future-proof live TV in the age of streaming.
Freely offers 70,000 hours of on-demand content, more than any other major streaming platform in Britain including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV, according to data from London-based Ampere Analysis.
Everyone TV has also signed a deal with TV manufacturer TCL, which will include Freely in their new 2024 smart TVs, it said.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Smart home
Samsung Expands Passkeys to TVs and These Other Devices
Passkeys Support for Home Ecosystem
According to Samsung, it will expand Passkey to TVs powered by its proprietary Tizen operating system (OS) beginning with 2025 models. Its refrigerator equipped with AI Family Hub and other home appliances supporting AI Home will also support sign-in using more secure Passkeys.
Furthermore, its home ecosystem devices will feature support for web browser-based login by scanning QR codes.
In addition to the expansion of Passkeys, Samsung also announced that Knox Matrix — a blockchain-based, multi-device security solution — will now be available on more devices including TVs and home appliances.
Other Announcements
Samsung introduced new updates to SmartThings at its developer conference. One of the newly announced features is Home Insight which is claimed to analyse user data, usage patterns, device history and other statistics collected in real time. This will offer a better home experience to users, according to the company.
Additionally, all Samsung products with screens will now feature SmartThings Hub for improved connectivity with partner devices. It also includes Edge AI which adds AI capabilities to the existing connected home devices. The company also announced partnerships with Schlage and Aqara smart key developers for adding the SmartThings Door Lock function to the Digital Home Key inside the Samsung Wallet app. This change will take place next year.
Tizen OS is also getting AI functionality. Samsung devices powered by a neural processing unit (NPU) will provide personalised experiences. It will be able to control aspects such as echo and noise levels while watching TV or improve notetaking by analysing the user’s writing styles. Its Multi-Control feature is also being expanded to smart monitors and TVs powered by Tizen.
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Smart home
Apple Might Introduce a New Smart Display Device Next Year
Apple Smart Home Display
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed in his Power On newsletter that Apple is looking to enter the smart home segment with new devices. The company already has its HomePod in the segment, however, it has not seen much popularity. To reinvent the space, the tech giant is reportedly taking the help of robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and a new operating system.
According to the report, Apple is working on two tabletop devices, and each would feature a smart display. The high-end variant is said to come with a robotic limb whose purpose is currently unknown. It is also said to feature a giant iPad-like display.
The report mentioned more information about the lower-end device. The device is said to feature a smart display that can be used for FaceTime and controlling home appliances. The device reportedly has an internal code name of J595. It is not clear whether the device will also feature a robotic appendage.
As per Gurman, the device could be launched next year. However, it is not clear whether it will be introduced in early 2025 or later in the year. The price is said to be $1,000 (roughly Rs. 83,740) or more. The most interesting development is that Apple is reportedly working on a new operating system dubbed homeOS to run these devices and its existing smart home lineup including HomePod and HomePod mini. The basis for the OS is said to be tvOS, which powers the Apple TV.
Further, it is said that the new smart home devices with integrated displays will also feature Apple Intelligence. It is unclear how the tech giant wants to incorporate AI features into the device. However, the lower-end device is said to be able to run apps such as Calendar, Notes, and Home. The device will also be able to run smart home appliances and act as the central hub for it.
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