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News from TCL

TCL, one of the world's best-selling consumer electronics brands and leading technology companies, made a number of announcements regarding new and forthcoming products at the IFA 2020 extravaganza.  I have selected three of these announcements for this report.

As somebody whose scalp has more grey (almost white) hairs than the original brown, I decided to start with a product aimed at the senior generation.  According to Pew Research, nearly 20% of seniors live alone for various reasons and this fact can raise concerns regarding safety and the ability to cope with family members.  As a result TCL has come up with this next product which is the MOVETIME Family Watch MT43A.  This wrist watch, providing 4G connectivity, offers the wearer a range of facilities that include hands-free two way calling, automatic fall detection, heart rate monitoring and medication reminders.  I wonder how it would handle my irregular heart beat. 

According to Sharon Xiao, GM of the Smart Connected Device Business Group at TCL Communications, "TCL is utilising modern wearable technologies that can help seniors continue living independent lives while providing peace on mind for families and care-givers."  The TCL watch comes in Dark Grey and Black with a 41 x 48.5 mm AMOLED touch display and optimised larger icons, watch face and graphics designed to appeal to seniors.  The watch features daily activity tracking and sleep monitoring to help ensure the wearer's life style follows a regular pattern.  It also has automatic fall detection and will send an immediate alert, within 60 seconds, if such an incident occurs, to assigned emergency contacts.

Due to be available in Autumn, the watch is expected to be priced at 229 Euros.

The second of my choices is the new MOVEAUDIO S200 true wireless headphones.  Supplied with their own multifunction case, which provides charging facilities and protection when not in use, will be available in black or white.  On their own, the headphones can deliver 3.5 hours of battery power for streaming audio.  This figure rises up to 23 hours of power when used in conjunction with the charging case.  Sharon Xiao believes this addition to the company's audio line up will "expand our true wireless portfolio with a focus on ergonomic design, audio quality and of course value.

The MOVEAUDIO S200 headphones make use of ENC noise reduction technology to reduce background noise to help ensure crystal clear calls.  Built into the headphones to filter out external noise and focus of the wearer's voice.  Each of the earbuds making up this kit features a highly precise and sensitive coil to enhance both deep bass and gentle acoustics.  Wireless connection is via Bluetooth 5.0 with dual-Bluetooth transmission to improve low latency when viewing movies or playing games.  This headphones also feature a smart wearing detection facility so that they can automatic pause and restart the music from where you left off when taking off or putting on this listening device.

Due to arrive at the end of September, the MOVEAUDIO S200 product will have a 99 Euros price tag.

My third choice, featuring the company's NXTPAPER display technology, covers a pair of  tablets.  The products are the TCL 10 TABMAX and the TCL 10 TABMID models.  Before moving on to the tablets, a few words on the company's NXTPAPER technology which is the result of two years of research and design.  This technology provides  Full-HD definition offering a paper-like visual experience in full colour with no flicker and no harmful blue light.  According to TCL, its NXTPAPER technology has 25% higher contrast, is up to 36% thinner and is more than 65% more power efficient than a typical LCD screen.

The TCL 10 TABMAX has a 10.36 inch FHD+ display with a 8.3 mm narrow bezel and a widescreen layout.  Supplied with a stylus, you can draw, write or doodle on the screen as if working with paper.  Making use of its front mounted 8 megapixel camera (there is also a 13 megapixel rear camera) and an advanced dual-microphone system, that can pick up your voice and use a noise reduction feature, TCL feel this device can handle high-definition video calls.  To help provide eye protection, the tablet will signal an alarm if it detects that a user is within 25 cm from the screen.  Parents have the option to implement Kids Mode to set up an appropriate UI and parental controls.  Integration with Google Assistant means you can manage tasks by voice.

Both 4G and Wi-Fi models will be available in Q4 priced at 299 Euros and 249 Euros respectively.

Suitable for use by children, the TCL 10 TABMID is powered by a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 665 processor with an octa-core CPU and high-performance GPU.  With a body that a 8.5 mm thick and weighs 325g, this model has an 8-inch FHD IPS display.  A 5500 mAh battery is expected to deliver all-day use while a one touch fingerprint sensor provides easy log-in and security protection.  The tablet has a 5 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel camera at the rear.

Due in Q4 this tablet will offer WiFi and 4G connectivity with a 229 Euros price point.

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