CES 2016: Bang & Olufsen introduce all-in-one soundbar

What does it mean for a soundbar to be an all-in-one device? Well, it won’t just be able to boost the audio from your TV. In the case of high-end audio maker Bang & Olufsen, its new BeoSound 35 supports music streaming services like Spotify and Deezer so you can already get your music going from there. It also supports Google Cast, Bluetooth connectivity, and AirPlay. Access to it is easy because you can use any B&O remote to control it or even use the BeoMusic app. And, of course, it works with the company’s other audio gear. It promises to beam audio 180 degrees, which is said to be enough to fill a room.

The unit has its own OLED display with on-board touch controls. And it steps a bit away from the usually boxy soundbars with a more pentagonal shape. It has the loud speaker at the center and its tweeters on the ends. Plus, it’s made with an aluminum outer shell to make it look even more striking (and it helps heat management, too). You can opt to wall-mount this or place it on a stand. Of course, this comes with a steep price tag at US$2785 or almost $4,000 when it sells starting April.

Source: Engadget

Apple announces record-breaking Holiday season for its App Store

Apple's App Store had a record-breaking period this past holiday season. In the two weeks ending January 3, customers spent over $1.1 billion (USD) on apps and in-app purchases, setting back-to-back weekly records for traffic and purchases. January 1, 2016 marked the biggest day in App Store history with customers spending over $144 million (USD). It broke the previous single-day record set just a week earlier on Christmas Day.

Possibly an indicator of new iPhones and iPads sold over the holidays with new owners downloading apps (we'll know more on Apple's earnings call on January 26), this latest news reflects Apple's lead in developer communities and app ecosystems.

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CES 2016: Samsung pivots its tablet game to Windows 10 with the TabPro S

Samsung unveiled a new tablet at CES but this one is running Windows 10. The TabPro S is the South Korean giant's dog in the exciting 2-in-1 fight, and answer to Microsoft's Surface line of devices.

Saying that this is "the best of a tablet and a laptop," Samsung has outfitted the TabPro S with a 12-inch AMOLED display, Intel Core M processor, 10-hour battery, 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.

This tablet sports a USB Type-C port for charging and connectivity. Unlike most 2-in-1 tablet makers Samsung will gracefully include the skinny magnetic keyboard case in the package. There's a 4G-LTE variant as well. Pricing and availability are still unknown.

CES 2016: Samsung's new Gear S2 smartwatch will finally work with iPhones

Samsung unveiled yet another generation of its Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatches as part of its CES event in Las Vegas. Showing off two new editions including an 18K rose gold version and another in platinum, the wearables will have NFC for Samsung Pay contactless payments. While the Tizen powered Gear S2 will work with Samsung phones and certain Android-powered phones, Samsung has also made their latest wearable compatible with iPhones.

The extent of the compatibility is still unknown but at least Samsung has made it possible for more uses to consider their Gear S2 devices.