On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

According to IDC, global tablet shipments are down by -8.6% Y-o-Y to reach 36.4 million units in Q3 2018-- with declines in both slate and detachable/hybrid tablet shipments.

Slate tablet shipments account for majority of market with 31.6m units, a -7.9% Y-o-Y decline. Detachable tablets, in the meantime, see a 13.1% Y-o-Y drop on shipments reaching 4.8m.

"The detachable market has failed to see growth in 2018, a worrying trend that has plagued the category off and on since the end of 2016," the analyst says. "In October we finally saw the highly anticipated refreshes of Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface Pro, as well as new products by Samsung and Google, which lead us to believe that the last quarter of the year will turn the detachable category around, at least for the time being. Increasingly sparse are new products by the top-tier PC OEMs as they remain more focused on their convertible portfolio, a move that will ultimately affect the overall trajectory of the detachable market going forward."

KEF announces a more compact (in terms of both size and budget) followup to the LS50 wireless speakers-- the LSX, a two-speaker wireless system complete with both Airplay 2 and aptX Bluetooth 4.2 support.

Aimed as a high performance alternative to soundbars and monophonic smart speakers, the LSX feature a 4-inch version of the KEF Uni-Q driver array, as paired with the bespoke Music Integrity DSP control algorithm. The speaker pair employs four Class-D amplifiers, one for each drive unit, together with dedicated twin DACs offering a path up to 96kHz/24-bit (using the optional wired connection between the 2 speakers) or 48kHz/24-bit in wireless mode. The companion KEF control app provides adjustable EQ setups, while an output allows customers to add a subwoofer.

A firmware update brings voice control to a selection of Panasonic 4K TVs through the addition of compatibility with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Available now for European owners of Panasonic TVs, such as the latest 77-inch 4K HDR OLED TV, the update allows users to connect an Alexa- or Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker to the TV. The functionality provides some voice controls, including turning the TV one and off, changing the channel and adjusting the volume.

The OlloClip Connext X line of iPhone accessories selection gets a pair of additions-- the Pro and Intro series, offering more choices for both enthusiast and more casual smartphone photographers.

The Pro and Intro series lenses are compatible with the Multi-Device and iPhone X clips, as well as any future iPhone attachment clips. The Pro Series consists of a Super Wide and a Telephoto lens, with the Super Wide lens providing a wider field of view with the least amount of distortion and the Telephoto lens offering x2 magnification.

As for the Intro series, OlloClip offers a combination of Wide Angle and Macro lens. The Intro Wide Angle lens has a slightly more spherical effect than other wide angle lenses from the company, and is aimed at selfies, group video chats or simply capturing a bigger picture with a smartphone camera. Unscrewing the lens reveals a Macro lens transforming the smartphone into a digital magnifier.