Tech wrap: Xiaomi launches, Microsoft outage, Asus laptop and more

We saw a lot of launches today, of which majority came from Xiaomi and a few from others like Asus and Timex. Xiaomi launched several new home appliance and wearable products today while Asus launched a high-end laptop and Timex introduced a new smartwatch in the country. In addition, Google made its Meet video conferencing service better by introducing noise cancellation in video calls. 

More on this in our daily tech wrap.

Xiaomi launches Automatic Soap Dispenser, Smart LED Bulb in India

Xiaomi on Tuesday hosted the third iteration of its Smart Living event in India. At the event called the Mi Smart Living 2021, the company launched a host of Internet of Things (IoT) devices including the Mi Watch Revolve and the Mi Smart Speaker. The company also launched the Mi Automatic Soap Dispenser and the Smart LED Bulb at the event.

Microsoft 365 suffers major outage, multiple services like Outlook, Teams stops working for users

Roughly about four hours ago, Microsoft announced on Twitter that a recent change it had introduced lead to a major outage that affected users' access to multiple Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook.com and Microsoft Teams. While Microsoft rolled back the change, they said that they were “not observing an increase in successful connections after rolling back a recent change” and that they were “working to evaluate additional mitigation solutions while we investigate the root cause”.

New Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker with Google Assistant also launch in the country

Xiaomi launched several new home appliance products in India and one of them was the new Mi Smart Speaker. This speaker is priced at Rs 3,999 but will be available from mi.com, Flipkart and retail stores at a special introductory price of Rs 3,499. Users will also get free Gaana subscription for a year upon buying the product.

Timex launches the 2nd-Gen Helix Gusto 2.0 fitness bands in India starting at Rs 2,495

Timex Group India has announced the launch of a second-generation fitness band - the Helix Gusto 2.0. The smart band comes with a big 2.4 cm colored display. It comes with dual coloured bands and is an upgrade to the previous band. The Helix Gusto 2.0 comes with a five-day battery back-up, SOS Alert, calorie consumption tracking, daily activity tracking and heart rate monitoring.

Here’s the new Xiaomi Mi Watch Revolve that launched at ₹10,999

Xiaomi has announced its first smartwatch in the country - the Mi Watch Revolve. The Mi Watch Revolve comes with an AMOLED display which comes with capacitative touch screen support. The smartwatch comes in two colours - Midnight Black and Chrome Silver. There are also five band options that you can choose from including one leather one. 

Google Meet adds noise cancelling for video calls, but you might have to wait to get it

Google is adding noise cancellation for video meetings on the Google Meet app. The feature is rolling out on Android and iOS both. However, some Google Meet users will have to wait a little longer for the feature to reach them since Google is first bringing it to G Suite Enterprise for Education and G Suite Enterprise users.

Xiaomi also brings its Mi Band 5 in India

Mi Band 5 is priced at  ₹2,499. It is going to be available on October 1 via mi.com, Amazon India and Mi Home. It will be soon available on other platforms. Mi Band 5 comes with a bunch of health-focused features. It includes 11 work out modes such as outdoor running, power walking, cycling, indoor running, pool swimming, freestyle, indoor cycling, elliptical, jump rope, yoga, and rowing machine.

Asus launches laptop with two screens, ROG Zephyrus Duo 15: Here’s how much it costs

Asus has just unveiled its unique yet high-end laptop in India, the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. The highlight of the device is its ScreenPad Plus, the second screen that lets creators and gamers do more than what they can with a single-screen laptop. The Zephyrus Duo 15 (GX550) starts at  ₹2,79,990 and will be available from September 29 from Asus Exclusive Stores, ROG Stores and e-commerce firms – Flipkart and Amazon India.