Latest news with #speakers
Gizmodo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Lenovo Tab Plus Review: An Unmatched Audio Experience Among Tablets
I've never really been one to blare music out loud on a tablet, but the older I get, the more I realize my values do not reflect those of the broader populace. There are plenty of people who like to do just that, and I guess if they're home alone or they simply do not care about irritating anyone in their direct vicinity, then more power to them. It's hard to say what's so irritating about sound coming out of a tablet, but if I had to take a stab, I'd say it's often the quality of the audio that makes it feel more like noise and less like music or dialogue in a movie. And while I'll still never condone polluting the air with tablet noise, if you're going to do it, I'd prefer it to be as crisp and clear as possible. That brings me to the point, and by 'the point,' I mean Lenovo's Tab Plus. The Tab Plus, as you might've pieced together, is a tablet made by Lenovo that focuses on something specific—entertainment. In fact, Lenovo's marketing even goes as far as to describe the Tab Plus as an 'entertainment tablet.' What makes a tablet an entertainment tablet, you ask? By Lenovo's estimation, it's a bunch of speakers and a kickstand that pops out the backside so you can prop it up on a table (or your chest if you're lazing in bed). Those speakers may be one of the first things you notice when you inspect the Tab Plus for more than 10 seconds, since they're pretty obviously jutting out from either side of the glass slab. If you're looking at them and thinking, these things better have some juice, then you'll be happy to know that they definitely do, both on paper and in practice. Lenovo Tab Plus Solid tablet with a one-of-a-kind speaker system. Pros Cons Let's start with the on-paper part, though. There are a grand total of eight JBL speakers on this thing, which feels excessive to an extent, but that's also kind of the point—this is an entertainment tablet, after all. Specifically, Lenovo includes four tweeters and four woofers for a mix of highs, mids, and lows, and a total of 26W of power. To put that into context, Samsung's Galaxy Tab A9+, which is comparably priced, only has 1W speakers. It may seem unfair to compare Lenovo's Plus-branded tablet versus the Galaxy Tab A-series, but it's hard not to, given the deep discount running from Lenovo right now, which marks this tablet down from $350 to $200. It's also worth noting that all of the Tab Plus' speakers are also tuned by Dolby Atmos, and, as a result, the tablet carries some of the virtual surround sound branding on the side. Dolby has gone a little wild with throwing its branding on all sorts of products over the past few years, but if the Tab Plus is any indication, it still means something. Which brings me to the other side of this speaker-filled coin: how does all of this actually sound? In short? Pretty damn good for a tablet. I ran the Tab Plus through a few tests, which really just involved cranking up the volume and either watching or listening to things, and I think all of that overkill on the speaker stuff paid off from an audio perspective. I listened to a Japanese funk mix on YouTube and was able to pick up on some nuances—there's obviously not much low-end, but the tablet speaker bar is so subterranean, and the fact that there's any at all is a feat. For Netflix viewing (I watched an episode of Our Planet), the speakers are more than sufficient, but depending on what you're watching, you may not want to crank the volume on max for dialogue-heavy audio. I watched a YouTube video about the history of bread and noticed that the creator's voice started to get a little grating after a few minutes, but I guess you could say the same for most YouTube videos being watched at full volume. Speaking of cranking to max volume, you can do that with the Tab Plus if you so choose, but obviously, the higher volume you listen at, the more distortion creeps in. But even if there's more distortion at max volume, there's still far less than other tablets, which would be fully unlistenable while maxed out. So, the audio side is a standout in the world of tablets, but what about the other piece of the puzzle? What about what you ingest with your eyeballs? Screen-wise, there's nothing luxurious happening here. The Tab Plus comes with an 11.5-inch 2K LCD screen with a 2,000 x 1,200 resolution. The peak brightness is 400 nits, and it has a 90Hz refresh rate. Again, this isn't going to blow anyone away (there's no OLED display), but it's serviceable, and the screen feels fairly fluid while you're mindlessly scrolling through it. My main complaint, if we're comparing to the competition, is that it's not incredibly bright, which can make watching content in full light or outdoors kind of… meh. Specifically, the Tab Plus' 400 nits of brightness falls short of aforementioned competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, which comes with a peak brightness of 570 nits. That being said, the Tab Plus does have a higher resolution and an LCD display compared to the Galaxy Tab A9+'s 1,920 x 1,200, so depending on your priorities in a tablet, that battle may even out. If you're going to be watching lots of videos and listening to a lot of stuff on this tablet, you're probably wondering about battery life since video playback has a pesky tendency to eat up battery. The Tab Plus, according to Lenovo, is rated for 11 hours and 50 minutes of HD video streaming at full brightness, and while I didn't sit and watch Netflix for 12 hours straight, my testing definitely corroborates that. Performance-wise, the Lenovo Tab Plus comes with a MediaTek Helio G99 processor and 8GB of non-upgradeable RAM. Android 14 is preinstalled, though you can install Android 16 if you so choose. This isn't a device you're going to want to mine Bitcoin on, but for doing all the stuff the Tab Plus is actually built for, like browsing the web and watching stuff, it felt to me like more than enough power. It's worth noting there are two cameras on here, too, but like with any tablet, they're hardly the point. Both the front- and rear-facing cameras are just eight megapixels, which is fine because all you're going to want to do with them is use face unlock or scan a QR code, respectively. I can confirm that for using face unlock, the front-facing camera works just fine. Ultimately, though, the Tab Plus is designed to do one thing, and that's play things at adequate volumes with a quality that doesn't suck and give you a nice enough screen to take said content in through your eyeballs. And if that's the goal here, I'd say that Lenovo accomplishes it. Again, a tablet that's focused mostly on entertainment isn't for everyone, but if it sounds like something that might be for you (like, if you spend lots of time mindlessly scrolling YouTube in your bed), then I'll have you know that Lenovo delivers on its promise of a tablet-sized entertainment machine.
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Checklist For Successful Media Briefings: Delivery And Follow Through
With the groundwork prepared in advance, now it's showtime! The first part of this post focused on the groundwork of preparing for the press conference itself. Here we look at how to conduct yourself during and after the event for maximum impact. It's Showtime! 1. Keep Your Remarks Short and Simple Convey your key messages with a high-level view to what's new and why it's important. Don't feel obliged to demonstrate the breadth of your expertise. The more you wade into the weeds of detail or ramble into distant realms, the more you dilute your impact. Avoid sector jargon, acronyms, and marketing buzzwords like 'holistic' and 'growth hacking.' As noted previously, journalists in your audience may be newcomers and you don't want to lose them. Even sector specialists will appreciate simple explanations and real-life examples. Simple terms also leave less room for mistakes and misinterpretation. 2. Breathing and Reading Remember to breathe. Many speakers get so nervous or high from adrenaline that they speak at the speed of light. That makes it hard for the audience to understand what you're saying. It's also tough on your body. Take a breath at the end of each sentence. Added benefit: Pauses bring gravitas to your delivery. Don't read your script -- or the PowerPoint -- line by line. The folks in the room or online can see your slides. What they need from you is an understanding of what's important and why. Highlight and summarize the essential takeaways. 3. Manage the Question-and-Answer Session Some may advise you to "plant" questions in the audience to make sure the Q&A stays in your comfort zone. While you might have a friendly face prepare a first question to break the ice, if the session seems rigged, journalists will catch on fast. I attended one such Soviet-style briefing when I was a journalist. In my experience, the founders or CEOs of family-held companies are more prone to wanting – or even expecting -- softball questions. I call that the 'Ivory Tower effect.' They're not used to being challenged. A well-rounded CEO will be more familiar with journalists' common practices, including tough questions. Most importantly, save the conclusion of your presentation for after Q&A. When you take the final question, immediately pivot to your conclusion. This gives you a chance to restate your key messages so they remain fresh in reporters' minds as they leave the screen or room. 4. Don't Play Favorites Online briefings offer the opportunity to choose questions from the chat or to select certain journalists to speak and not others. Systematically avoiding certain topics or people can raise eyebrows, however. In general, if you are convening journalists to a briefing, you should treat them equally. If questions go too long or are off topic, offer to pursue the discussion later, one-on-one. If you're holding a hybrid briefing, don't forget to take questions from the online participants. It's Not Over Until It's Over In sports we say, 'swing all the way through the pitch,' because it's in the follow through that your swing gains power. Delivering your remarks is connecting with the ball. Following through, knocks it out of the park. 5. Remain Available After the Event When I was a journalist, I used to receive news releases from a blue-chip company after the stock market close. I could never ask follow-up questions though because the communications team had already gone home. The Communications Director had decided that life was easier that way and he was right: journalists stopped calling because they knew no one would answer. They had to rely on the press release contents. In today's fast-paced world, that clearly is not possible. Still, too often busy execs will leave immediately after a briefing, thinking their job is done. In fact, that can short-change your event. As part of your briefing schedule, make sure you and other key experts, as well as your PR team, remain available to manage follow-up queries and interview opportunities. In addition to providing more depth and color for better coverage, this contributes to establishing or maintaining good relationships with journalists and their media outlets. 6. No Thanks Many clients have asked if it's appropriate to send a thank-you note to a journalist after a positive story. As a former journalist, I feel strongly that it's not. Reporters are doing their job and not doing you or your company a favor; a thank-you note could imply otherwise. Journalists I know are uncomfortable in such situations. The best approach is to maintain a good working relationship and keep treating them as the important stakeholders that they are. Invitations to lunch for 'background' conversations are a good middle ground between a 'thank you' and 'we're keeping it professional.' Using my checklist for laying the groundwork in advance of press events sets you up for a successful media briefing. Additionally, following these simple steps during and after the presentation will help achieve your media objectives.
Forbes
07-07-2025
- General
- Forbes
Give ‘Em A Break To Keep ‘Em Awake
Think of each presentation you deliver as a commitment to your audience. You have certain content they want to know, or need to hear, or at the very least, are required to listen to. Your obligation is to make sure they can digest the information as effortlessly as possible. Your presentation is likely not the most important meeting of their day. Make it easy for them to grasp your ideas or suggestions. Everyone has a limited attention span. People can take in only so much information before they need a break either from the sound of your voice, the influx of new ideas, or the uncomfortable chair they're sitting in. Here are some suggestions for how to incorporate those breaks, starting with the simplest and briefest, to the more complex and significant. 1. Pause more between sentences. Pauses are essential, not only so you can breathe, but so that the audience can process your idea. Some people think they should plow through their content as quickly as possible as a courtesy to their listeners. In fact, talking too quickly and not pausing undermines your effectiveness. Imagine that your brain has a small 'waiting room' at its entrance. When you hear an idea, it sits in that waiting room waiting for a moment of silence so the inner door in that room can open and sort the information into the right room in your brain. If that moment of silence never comes, the waiting room gets packed with more and more information to the point where it's full and can't take in any more. Then, your brain shuts down and you stop listening. You need the moment of silence so you can truly grasp the idea. Therefore, the pauses aren't just a kindness to the audience; they're an essential part of effective communication. 2. Use rhetorical questions. If you're running a meeting, you have the luxury of stopping after sharing a key point and asking the group for their reaction to your ideas. You can't do that in a large presentation setting; it's just not practical. You can, however, create the impression that the presentation is more akin to a conversation, and, again, slow the delivery of information and give the audience a break from hearing your innovative ideas. Using rhetorical questions wakes up the audience because it creates the illusion that you are looking for a response and that their participation is needed. Here are some examples: a. When you have finished sharing the substance of your idea and are about to discuss the benefits of your recommendation, start by asking: So, why should you care? What's in it for you? How will this help you do your job better? b. If you want to head off skepticism, start your assessment of challenges to your idea with: What are some likely pain points with this new process? Why is this method better? And if you have a sense of humor, try: 'What could possibly go wrong,' you might ask? c. If you're at the point where you are wrapping up and moving on to next steps, ask: Where do we go from here? How do we execute on this idea? When you ask a rhetorical question, you break the flow of the conversation because the quality of your voice changes, the pacing changes, and the mood in the room changes because you're moving from monologue to dialogue, even though you are then going to answer the question yourself.3. Ask questions that actually require the audience to respond. As I lawyer, I know the old adage of never asking a question you don't know the answer to. However, when you are giving a presentation, asking questions of the audience breaks up the flow and wakes up the room, but you must do it strategically. Ask closed-ended questions that require a 'yes' or 'no' response and are narrow enough that you know you'll get the response you need. Raise your own hand as you ask the question, so it's clear how you expect the audience to respond. Make sure the questions are clear enough that audience members understand implicitly what you are looking for. For instance, if you're presenting information about a new technology platform your company is introducing, asking, 'How many of you have ever been frustrated when the crashed?' Don't ask questions that seem leading or manipulative. 'Isn't hard to use?' sounds like a set up. Getting audience members to simply raise their hands in response to a question may seem like a minimal engagement, but in fact it's a significant disruption for each audience member individually. For that moment, they weren't able to sit back and take in info or scroll through their emails on their phone. They had to first decide if they were going to raise their hand or not, and then, for some, they had to engage. It gave them a break from the roll they had been playing a moment earlier. 4. If you're running a more extended training session, break up the content with an opportunity for the audience members to talk to each other in small groups. These breakout sessions come in three forms, each of which is applicable to a different setting. For both in-person and virtual presentations and programs, many people use polls. There is lots of great polling software available. Polls are helpful on occasion, but the person using the poll is interacting with technology. It might be better for them to interact with each other or you. Regardless, if your goal is to break up the talk and wake up the audience, polls work well. In all of these cases, your goal is to interrupt the flow of the delivery so that you keep the audience's attention. Alternating between talking at people and engaging with people is the key to an effective and more enjoyable experience for all of you.
UAE Moments
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- UAE Moments
Big Sound Is Coming: LG's New xboom Line Nears Launch
If you're serious about sound, mark your calendar—July 2025 is going to be loud. LG is dropping not one, but three all-new xboom speakers, each designed for a different kind of music lover. Whether you're planning a beach party, cleaning the house with music blasting, or just want great sound that moves with you, there's a speaker in this lineup that's got your vibe covered. The Star of the Show: xboom Stage 301 Co-created with none other than the Stage 301 is your go-to for serious parties and next-level sound. It's got 120W of power, a 6.5" woofer, dual 2.5' midrange drivers, and AI tech that actually adjusts your sound based on the genre and your space. And the dual-bar lights? They don't just glow—they respond to your music. Add in karaoke features, DJ effects, a replaceable battery for up to 24 hours of play, and Auracast™ multi-speaker syncing, and you're looking at a speaker that's more like a portable stage. Portable, Stylish, and Built Tough: xboom Bounce Think of the Bounce as the lifestyle speaker that never stops. It's small enough to grab and go, but inside it packs a punch: track-type woofer, dual dome tweeters, AI sound and lighting, and a whopping 30 hours of battery life. It's also IP67 water and dust resistant, meets military durability standards, and includes a versatile strap you can hang, sling, or loop however you like. Small But Mighty: xboom Grab If compact is your thing, the Grab is your match. With a smart upright design and easy hand strap, it's perfect for spontaneous road trips or backyard playlists. It offers 20W + 10W output, clear sound with dome tweeters, dual passive radiators for bass you can feel, and all the same smart tech as its bigger siblings. And yes, it's also IP67 rated and super easy to pack, carry, and recharge. All Three Have: AI Sound & AI Calibration (no more fiddling with settings) Auracast™ for multi-speaker connection Dynamic lighting that actually changes with your music And seriously, they all look good anywhere Want to be one of the first to get your hands on them? Keep an eye on LG's UAE Speakers page—these are expected to launch July 2025. Big sound is coming. Be ready for it.
Phone Arena
05-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
At $120 off, the JBL Xtreme 3 is an extremely great deal
Save $120 on the JBL Xtreme 3 at Walmart! $209 95 $329 95 $120 off (36%) The JBL Xtreme 3 is a tough, party-ready speaker with bold sound, a rugged build, and an IP67 rating to match. The best part? It's currently $120 off its regular price at Walmart! Act fast and snatch one for less now! Buy at Walmart After all, the JBL Xtreme 3 may be an older device but it still delivers great sound. Plus, with its PartyBoost feature, you can pair it with other JBL speakers to create the ultimate party atmosphere. Of course, a proper speaker for gatherings must also have a durable design. That's why our friend here also boasts a solid IP67 dust and water resistance rating. This means it's fully dust-proof and can survive water submersion of up to 3 feet for about 30 minutes. In other words, you can take it anywhere with confidence, knowing it can handle sand, water, and even a few accidental spills. Receive the latest mobile news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Overall, the JBL Xtreme 3 is still worth getting, especially at its current discounted price at Walmart. So, if it fits the bill for you, don't hesitate! Act fast and save today! After all, the JBL Xtreme 3 may be an older device but it still delivers great sound. Plus, with its PartyBoost feature, you can pair it with other JBL speakers to create the ultimate party course, a proper speaker for gatherings must also have a durable design. That's why our friend here also boasts a solid IP67 dust and water resistance rating. This means it's fully dust-proof and can survive water submersion of up to 3 feet for about 30 minutes. In other words, you can take it anywhere with confidence, knowing it can handle sand, water, and even a few accidental life is also pretty solid, offering up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge. In addition, it can double as a power bank, charging your phone while blasting your the JBL Xtreme 3 is still worth getting, especially at its current discounted price at Walmart. So, if it fits the bill for you, don't hesitate! Act fast and save today! As we recently reported, Amazon is selling the well-liked JBL Xtreme 4 at a massive $130 discount , bringing its price to just under $250. But while this is truly a phenomenal deal, and we encourage anyone in the market for this particular model to take advantage of it, a third-party seller at Walmart is offering a hefty price cut on its predecessor, making it a better choice if you want a powerful speaker at an even lower much lower? Well, the JBL Xtreme 3 can now be yours for only $209.95. That's a whole $120 off its usual price of $329.95. There is no telling how long this deal will last, though, so if you're looking for a loud speaker to enhance your gatherings, be sure to grab this bad boy for less now while you can.
