Launchpad: Sennheiser OCX685i

For fitness freaks

German audio brand Sennheiser,in partnership with Adidas,launched its sports series in-ear headphones. These are water- and sweat-resistant and have a strong build. OCX 685i is among the best in this series at Rs 5,490. It has great sound quality,a comfortable fit and a fairly strong build. The earphones,which come in a soothing blue colour,play every instrument distinctly. During tests,we found that the earphones fit very well and don’t fall off as your ears hold them in place. The material used is soft,and one can barely feel the earphones even if they are worn for long hours. The noise cancellation,however,could have been better.

Acer Iconia W3

Rs 27,999,value for money: ***

Switching to touch

Taiwanese MAJOR Acer unveiled three Windows 8 touchscreen devices – Iconia W3 tablet,Aspire P3 convertible ultrabook and Aspire R7 notebook. The Iconia W3 is an 8.1-inch Windows 8 tablet. The display,at 1280×800 pixels,is sharp,bright and offers good viewing angles. The tablet is powered by Intel Atom chipset,2GB RAM and 32GB memory. Acer says its 6800mAH battery lasts up to 8 hours. Acer is offering an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard holds the tablet upright for typing. The W3 will cost Rs 27,999 till end-July,and Rs 30,499 after that. The Aspire R7 notebook has a 15.6-inch touchscreen display and costs Rs 74,999.