Posts in category: Sunset Special Markets News

CMF, a new sub-brand by the London-based consumer tech company Nothing, launched on Tuesday with a portfolio of three debut products — Buds Pro, Watch Pro and Power 65W GaN.

“With CMF, we aim to democratise great design in a market segment that has often been overlooked,” Akis Evangelidis, Co-founder of Nothing, said in the launch announcement. “Through our inaugural products, including Buds Pro, Watch Pro, and Power 65W GaN, we’re combining elevated design with advanced technology to deliver an uncompromised user experience at a relatively accessible price point.”

CMF Buds Pro

They house a 55 mAh battery in each earbud, which, as per the company, allows for up to 11 hours of music playback on a single charge (with ANC off). The listening time also extends to up to 39 hours with the charging case on a single charge. The case also supports fast charging that can enable a 5-hour listening session in 10 minutes of charging.

The earbuds come in three colour options — Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Orange.

CMF Watch Pro

CMF’s smartwatch, dubbed the Watch Pro, features a square 1.96-inch AMOLED display with a 58 fps refresh rate and peak brightness of 600+ nits. It offers health tracking with support for 110 sports modes and GPS. CMF claims up to 13 days of battery life for the device with its 340 mAh battery. It is also rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.

It is available in two colour options — Metallic Grey and Dark Grey, priced at Rs 4,999 and Rs 4,499 respectively.

Power 65W GaN

“The CMF Power 65W GaN charger is compatible with all major fast charging protocols, including PD3.0, QC4.0+/3.0/2.0, SCP, FCP, PPS, AFC, Samsung 9V2A, DCP, and Apple 2.4A,” CMF added.

It is available in Dark Grey and Orange colour options and is priced at Rs 2,999.

Availability

The CMF Buds Pro and the Watch Pro will be first available at the sneaker store Superkicks starting September 30, with limited drops at its Delhi store with special launch prices up to Rs 500 off.

Myntra and Flipkart users can also avail early access and purchase all three products during the limited drop sale on Flipkart and Myntra on September 30 at 12 pm. The products will be available at a special launch price of Rs 2,999 for CMF Buds Pro, Rs 3,999 for Watch Pro (Dark Grey), Rs 4,499 for Watch Pro (Metallic Grey) and Rs 2,699 for Power 65W GaN (Orange).

CMF products will be available on sale for everyone starting with Big Billion Days on Flipkart and also on Myntra. They will also be available in offline stores including Vijay Sales and leading retail partners.

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sony Electronics Inc. and Olivia Rodrigo today announced the release of LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo designed and tuned in collaboration with three-time GRAMMY-winning, multi-platinum-selling, singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. Based off Sony’s LinkBuds S noise-canceling truly-wireless headphones, the new limited edition LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo feature Custom EQs (special equalizers) tuned by Olivia and her producer Daniel Nigro for optimal listening of her albums GUTS and SOUR on any music streaming service and come in a unique violet marble pattern styled by Olivia and made with factory-recovered plastic and reclaimed water bottles.
For more information and to pre-order LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo please visit https://electronics.sony.com/audio/headphones/truly-wireless-earbuds/p/wfls900nv.
“I’m so excited that I got to design a limited edition LinkBuds S in the color violet. The sound is incredible, and I can’t wait for my fans to experience GUTS in this way,” says Olivia.
“These headphones are meant to deliver a listening experience that is a personal extension of Olivia Rodrigo’s creative intent and unique sound,” says Hiroshi Nakamura, Head of Personal Entertainment Business Unit, Sony Corporation. “As a company that puts creator vision over everything, Sony aims to connect artists with their fans in innovative ways. Olivia’s authenticity and commitment to her fanbase is one we wanted to honor with this amazing LinkBuds S partnership.”

Listen Like Olivia with Her Custom EQ:

The LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo includes two special equalizers customized for Olivia’s music that can be accessed through the Sony|Headphones Connect app1, allowing fans to listen like Olivia.

Sustainability & Design:

When designing the LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia chose an environmentally-conscious design using factory-recovered plastic, reclaimed water bottles, and recycled plastic materials from automobile parts to create parts of the case and body of the headphones 2. Due to the variation in material, the headphones host a violet marble pattern that causes no two pairs of LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo to be the same.

LinkBuds S Noise-Canceling and High-Resolution Audio Wireless:

Just like the LinkBuds S, the LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo feature noise-canceling, High-Resolution Audio Wireless, and host an ultra-small and lightweight design so fans will be able to comfortably listen to their favorite album all day long. Smart features such as Adaptive Sound Control and Auto Play senses the user’s behavior and automatically adjust sound settings to provide the right sound for the moment. The LinkBuds S combines innovative ambient sound that lets the listener interact with the world around them with high-quality noise-canceling technology allowing them to focus on their favorite track from Olivia and nothing else.

The LinkBuds S allow the listener to experience High-Resolution Audio Wireless, thanks to Sony’s industry-adopted audio coding technology, LDAC 3. All music will be restored back to high-range sound with the use of DSEE Extreme that upscales digital music files in real time4, allowing the listener to appreciate all the fine details in their most-loved tracks.

Pricing and availability:

The LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo will be priced at MSRP USD $199.99 and available in the United States for pre-order today at Sony.com and authorized dealers.

For U.S. preorders, please visit: https://electronics.sony.com/audio/headphones/truly-wireless-earbuds/p/wfls900nv

For full LinkBuds S specifications, please visit: https://electronics.sony.com/audio/headphones/truly-wireless-earbuds/p/wfls900nv

360 Reality Audio Collaboration:

As part of the overall collaboration, Olivia’s new album GUTS has been mixed and released in Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, a new immersive music experience powered by Sony’s 360 spatial sound technology. Individual sounds from the album such as vocals, chorus, piano, guitar, and bass, among others, have been placed in a 360 spherical sound field, bringing fans closer to Olivia’s music. GUTS can be enjoyed in 360 Reality Audio with most headphones through compatible music streaming services such as Amazon Music Unlimited and TIDAL1.

Sony “For The Music”:

As the preeminent platform for creative freedom, Sony has built a committed relationship with creators in the field of music production and has been an ever-present bridge connecting creators and consumers with its audio products, delivering authentic music experiences worldwide. Sony is building off this legacy by putting creator vision over everything with its new “For The Music” audio brand platform for its premier audio products and services as a means of providing artists and fans with the most immersive music experiences.

Sony’s “For The Music” fosters end-to-end collaboration with artists, from creation to consumption of music. Most notably, “For The Music” champions artist development, supporting creative endeavors including specialty content, activations, experiences and more, all to benefit music fans. Additionally, the platform facilitates artist access and input on professional products (professional headphones and microphones) and tools (such as 360 Reality Audio and 360 Virtual Mixing Environment) to improve content creation approaches, and to enhance listening experiences for fans through consumer products (such as headphones, wireless speakers). To learn more about the “For the Music” Brand platform, please visit forthemusic.electronics.sony.com.

The coastline along Cancun, Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya is full of beautiful resorts with lavish pools and extensive menus. But, many are quite similar following the same format for fun in the sun. Hotel Xcaret Arte takes a different approach offering an upscale resort experience that leans heavily into Mexican design, art and culture. It is truly immersive, and in many ways feels like a museum and a resort merged into one outdoor oasis.

As a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, it participates in the I Prefer Hotel Rewards program, allowing members to earn and redeem points during their stay. For an all-inclusive resort, that’s a great offer. The audience of the resort is a balanced mix of American and Mexican guests, which is proof that the cuisine and experience truly reflects the heart of this nation. Here are five reasons why Hotel Xcaret Arte should be your go-to choice when visiting Playa del Carmen.

The gardens

After your complimentary airport transfer, arriving in this hidden-away resort is such a pleasant surprise. So extensive is this resort that it hardly seems like it has 900 suites. You will rarely see more than a few dozen at any one time. It’s an all-inclusive, adults-only property welcoming guests over 16.

You’ll want to pay attention as your butler greets you upon arrival and walks you to the room. It’s a massive resort with winding pathways (including some hanging bridges), fountain-lined walks, and rows of trees and flowers recreating a jungle-like feeling. Birds and iguanas abound. The developers showed respect for nature in the construction. They kept as many trees and plants in place as possible, but those that did have to be moved were replanted elsewhere.

Every twist and turn leads you to another exotic scene from people stand-up paddle boarding in cenotes surrounded by lush greenery to the caves with soaking pools in the spa leading to a cliff overlooking a pond. You will want your camera with you everywhere you go here. Mayan influences blend in with the natural surroundings, all notable in the architecture. You’ll even notice the ancient Mayan system of numbers used around the grounds. It’s easy to learn once you crack the code.

The pools

You cannot walk far without discovering a new swimming pool. The largest has an infinity edge and swim-up bar in the center of the resort. Another is reserved for guests in Casa de las Artistas. On the rooftop of each building, additional pools are available to all guests with different amenities. In the music-themed building, music is piped in to enjoy under water.

No detail seems to have gone missing. Pool staff patrol the edges offering sunscreen, towels, chilled water and after-sun gel. Rolling carts and stands prepare popular Mexican snacks to order while roving bartenders keep cups full.

The spa here is simply epic with a roster of treatments that are customizable from massage to beauty services. They begin with a visit to the apothecary-like shop where the staff helps you pick your preferred aromatherapy oils. After a treatment, guests can lounge in the hydrotherapy pool, whirlpools, heated or chilled plunges, and relaxation areas. There are also experience showers, saunas, steam rooms and ice rooms.

Wander down to the private beaches for more places to relax. There is a bar on one of the hanging bridges that crosses the cenote. Be sure to stop there and laze in an overwater hammock before heading down to the sand.

The cuisine

Unlike other all-inclusive resorts, the cuisine here is far from average buffets and the standard a la carte favorites. It is truly world-class. Almost a dozen famous Mexican chefs inspired the menus here, including Michelin-starred Paco Méndez. Don’t expect your standard Mexican, Japanese, Italian and American steakhouse eateries here. In fact, it is completely different from any other all-inclusive.

Let’s start with Mercado San Juan, the main buffet restaurant designed to look like a Mexican market. It is sensory overload with bursts of color everywhere from crates piled high with fruits and vegetables, pinatas hanging from the ceiling, Mexican art everywhere and live action stations preparing food from every corner of the nation.

For three meals a day, the staff carves meats, scoops homemade ice cream, mixes smoothies, prepares tacos to order and stuffs chiles with cheese. There are probably 20 different kinds of sauces and flavors you can add to every station. Weekly brunches add mariachi bands and even more menu options. It’s top-class.

On a rooftop, there is a 100% vegan restaurant serving plant-based food, another Mexican venue and a poolside option. Other restaurants include a Lebanese-Oaxacan fusion restaurant blending flavors from both legendary cuisines into one menu and a gourmet tasting room preparing molecular cuisine similar to what you would expect in London or New York. The latter are reserved for guests staying in the premium oceanfront building, Casa de las Artistas, or carry a surcharge. Late at night, the number of bars is plentiful, and the speakeasy winding through the staff areas behind the scenes is a secret favorite.

The culture

Mexican culture surrounds you here. It starts with each of the main buildings designed around different themes like art, weaving, literature, design and dance. The décor of each building delves into that topic exposing guests to beautiful tiles and art on the walls. Sculptures, books, furniture and even in-room welcome gifts continue the storytelling of Mexican traditions and pastimes.

Each building also holds complimentary workshops allowing guests to participate in Mexican activities. There are pottery and painting classes, weaving workshops and dance lessons. Both the products and the memories you make are yours to keep.

Local artists and photographers have their works on display around the resort. Rotating exhibitions are common, but some have become so popular that they are now permanent fixtures. Even in the sun, it is common to see people wandering every nook and cranny to snap photos of these whimsical pieces.

Up on the hill is a gorgeous chapel with beautiful views of the water and resort. This is a popular spot for weddings and social functions. There is also a separate conference area where splashing fountains, colorful art and air conditioned meeting space lures groups. If you prefer to stay put, chances are you will encounter one of the entertainers that breaks into dance near the dance building or can partake in painting a watercolor canvas in the spa.

If you tire of the onsite culture, head to the resort’s numerous theme parks. They include a water park, zoo and history venue showcasing ancient Mayan culture. Entry is free for guests. You’ll discover everything from zip lining through the jungle to cave exploration and entertaining shows.

The suites

Each of the accommodation buildings is different in design and color scheme. The focus is to highlight that building’s cultural theme. For example, Casa de las Artistas (which fronts the beach and has its own private pool) has hand-painted furniture unique to each room. Mosaic tiles in the showers are painted in a neighboring village.

The views from balconies are exceptional, but vary depending on the building. Some open directly to their own pools while others seem to float amid the trees. No matter what the view, you can feel like you are floating since they have hammocks (they also have free minibars if you want to float a different way). Inside, the beds have pillowtop mattresses, incredible duvets and four pillows that are so fluffy, but don’t squish when you lean on them. They are heavenly.

Designers wanted bathrooms to be as panoramic as the guest rooms. Open-plan vanity areas permit direct views of the balcony. The showers have translucent glass panels that are just low enough so your eyes can peer off into nature without losing privacy. Even the water closets have special dimmer switches on a window that turns the toilet view opaque or transparent. From the jetted soaking tub (call your butler if you want a bubble bath prepared), you guessed it, it faces the window.

Spa-branded toiletries fill the room and spa offering another nod to Mexican ingredients. Bedside power outlets are convenient, desks have more charging ports and minibars come loaded with local snacks and candy replenished daily. During turndown service, the doting staff delivers small gifts from reusable water bottles (the property has a commendable eco-focus) to small wicker baskets filled with Mexican sweets. In the closet, a take-home tote bag has more Mexican designs.