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Sennheiser launches the MD 421 Kompakt – an appropriately named, compact version of legendary all-rounders, the MD 421 and MD 421-II

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2 years ago

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“Anything. This is the mic for that.”

SINGAPORE, Oct. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — They say that if you’ve heard music, you are most likely to have heard the MD 421, a Sennheiser microphone featured in countless award-winning performances and productions over the past six decades. Now Sennheiser launches the MD 421 Kompakt, an incredibly versatile microphone that delivers the same legendary performance, but in a truly multipurpose package — including a completely redesigned mounting clip. The MD 421 Kompakt features a cardioid pick-up pattern and remarkable dynamic range, delivering crystal-clear sound reproduction in live sound and recording applications.

“The MD 421 is an incredibly versatile microphone. Since its inception in 1960, it excelled as a studio and a vocal microphone, but was also used a lot in broadcasting, where it appeared with many celebrities of the time. Today, its successor, the MD 421-II, which launched in 1998, is an all-rounder for multipurpose miking and well known to be used on drums, guitar cabs and horns,” says Bertram Zimmermann, Manager Live Sound & Studio. “It works on anything, capturing the sound source with precision, detail, and rich sound.”

“With the MD 421 Kompakt, we’re offering the same legendary sound and ability to handle high sound pressure levels, but with an incredibly compact form factor,” adds Jimmy Landry, Category Marketing Manager MI.

Compact design, same great sound

To give the MD 421 microphone its compact dimensions all while retaining the large-diaphragm capsule and the pristine sound of the much bigger MD 421-II, the bass roll-off switch was eliminated. “While this feature made total sense when the MD 421 was designed, and was carried over to the MD 421-II, this functionality has long since been taken over by mixing desks and DAWs,” says Zimmermann. “Omitting the switch allowed us to create a relatively small microphone body, making the Kompakt an ideal tom mic, but also a versatile tool for any recording or live application.”

Sound-wise, the MD 421 Kompakt delivers the same detailed and authentic reproduction of the sound source that the MD 421 and MD 421-II have become famous for. The microphone’s frequency response of 30 Hz to 17 kHz faithfully reproduces both high and low frequencies, with a bass tube ensuring an accurate and extended low-end response. The sound is rich and full-bodied, and incredibly clear and detailed at the same time.

The MD 421 Kompakt also provides effective feedback rejection, and is able to handle exceptionally high sound pressure levels even in demanding environments.

New clip

The clip of the MD 421 Kompakt has been entirely redesigned, and is now part of the microphone housing for easy, worry-free mounting. “The clip is the one thing that users have always criticised,” remarks Landry. “The new clip is an integral part of the mic, and the optional drum clamp securely screws into this clip, ensuring fail-safe mounting on drums.”

Rugged all around

The MD 421 Kompakt is designed to withstand the rigours of touring and heavy studio use. It features a rugged frame with a stainless-steel basket, and a gold-plated XLR-3 connector. A protective inner chassis enclosure reduces the exposure to dust and humidity.

Availability and pricing

The MD 421 Kompakt is available now for EUR 279 (MSRP), the version for drums comes complete with an MZH drum clamp and retails at EUR 299 (MSRP). The MZH drum clamp included with the drum version is also available separately for EUR 19 (MSRP). The MD 421-II will remain in the portfolio alongside the MD 421 Kompakt.

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SOURCE Sennheiser Electronic Asia Pte Ltd

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From China Mobile’s Call Upgrade to the Commercial Launch of “Calling + AI” by Leading Operators: AI Is Reshaping the Value of Native Calling

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July 25, 2026

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BEIJING, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 15, 2026, China Mobile announced a comprehensive upgrade to its traditional calling services, ushering in a next-generation calling experience defined by HD, intelligence, and security. This milestone not only marks a major leap in telecommunication innovation but also reflects a global, inevitable shift: the transformation of basic communication into intelligent, inclusive services.

Breaking Experience Barriers and Redefining the Paradigm of Basic Calling

Overcoming the limitations of traditional, voice-only interactions, China Mobile has leveraged its mature VoLTE/VoNR network foundation to deeply integrate AI models with HD audio and video capabilities. Without requiring users to change their phones or SIM cards, seven core AI functions are now seamlessly embedded into the native dialer interface.

These upgrades include Live Captions bridge communication gaps for the elderly and hearing-impaired; HD video calls and AI noise reduction create a crystal-clear, immersive calling experience; AI anti-fraud intercepts high-risk calls in real time to safeguard users’ assets. Furthermore, the introduction of Data Channel (DC) technology and visual call menus transforms standard calls into agile, interactive service windows, enabling multi-party collaboration and seamless business transactions directly within the call. Through this initiative, China Mobile has successfully evolved traditional calls from a mere voice pipeline into a secure, integrated information hub.

“Calling + AI” Becomes a Strategic Consensus Among Global Leading Operators

From a global perspective, China Mobile’s call upgrade is not an isolated milestone, but a microcosm of the global telecommunications industry’s broader transformation. Throughout 2026, major operators worldwide are accelerating the commercial deployment of “Calling + AI” solutions:

Deutsche Telekom launched Magenta AI, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance calling across all scenarios;T-Mobile US introduced a network-side, real-time translation service covering over 80 languages, effectively breaking down cross-border communication barriers;Saudi stc rolled out English-Arabic bilingual simultaneous interpretation, which has now entered large-scale commercial trials;South Korea’s LG U+ launched its ixi-O intelligent calling assistant, shifting the user experience from passive responses to proactive smart interactions and earning three prestigious GLOMO industry awards.

The synchronized efforts of these global leaders confirm that basic calling services have officially entered a new era of AI integration. Deeply empowered by artificial intelligence, “Calling + AI” has become the definitive blueprint for the intelligent transformation of the global telecommunications industry. As operators continue to refine these native capabilities, the traditional voice network is poised to reclaim its position as the most secure, ubiquitous, and valuable entry point in the AI era.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/from-china-mobiles-call-upgrade-to-the-commercial-launch-of-calling–ai-by-leading-operators-ai-is-reshaping-the-value-of-native-calling-302834622.html

SOURCE China Mobile

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Trip.com Group Sincerely Accepts Administrative Penalty Decision Issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China

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5 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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SINGAPORE, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: TCOM; HKEX: 9961) today announced that it has received the administrative penalty decision issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

Trip.com Group sincerely accepts the decision and will adopt rectification measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to implement the decision’s requirements. The Company will strengthen its long-term governance mechanisms and strive to contribute to the sustainable development of the travel industry.

Trip.com Group’s management team will host a conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026 (or 8:00 PM Hong Kong Time on July 27, 2026).

The conference call will be available on Webcast live at: http://investors.trip.com.

All participants must pre-register to join this conference call using the participant registration link below:
https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BIb78e08d8f18340c4882a7e4ab961906b.

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for this conference call, including dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the number provided, enter your PIN, and you will join the conference instantly.

For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Trip.com Group Limited
Email: iremail@trip.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripcom-group-sincerely-accepts-administrative-penalty-decision-issued-by-the-state-administration-for-market-regulation-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-302834599.html

SOURCE Trip.com Group Limited

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NAVER Partners with Brookfield and NVIDIA to Expand Korea’s National AI Factory Infrastructure Buildout

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6 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NAVER, Brookfield and NVIDIA announced an expansion of Korea’s sovereign AI factory infrastructure. New investments will increase the initial NVIDIA DSX™ AI factory deployment from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts.

Announced during Korea President Jae Myung Lee’s AI Summit visit to San Francisco, the planned 200-megawatt expansion will be built with the NVIDIA DSX platform at NAVER’s GAK Sejong hyperscale data center in Sejong, South Korea. The expanded infrastructure will provide Korea- and U.S.- based AI innovators with access to production-scale AI compute for building next-generation models, agents and AI-powered services.

Under the terms of the agreements, Brookfield will fund up to $9 billion as the exclusive capital partner, NVIDIA will invest $1 billion and NAVER will fund the remaining amount to finance the $10 billion project.

This builds on NAVER’s June announcement to extend its GAK Sejong data center with NVIDIA DSX, with a long-term path to gigawatt-scale sovereign AI infrastructure serving Korea’s enterprises, industries, government organizations and global AI cloud customers. Combining Brookfield’s capital with NVIDIA’s computing platform, the investment supports NAVER’s AI factory deployment.

“NVIDIA’s strategic investment and our infrastructure supply agreement with Brookfield have propelled NAVER’s vision for the AI Factory business into a robust execution phase,” said Haejin Lee, Founder and Chairman of NAVER. “Leveraging the solid partnerships with our global partners, we will drive technological innovation, foster a sovereign AI ecosystem, and spearhead efforts to strengthen South Korea’s AI competitiveness.” 

AI Factory Expansion and Open Model Collaboration to Fuel AI Innovators

NAVER, as an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, provides deep expertise in operating hyperscale infrastructure powered by the full-stack NVIDIA AI platform. The 200-megawatt AI factory, featuring NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Blackwell platforms, will establish a dedicated resource pool for emerging AI companies, providing the compute, software and support needed to develop and deploy competitive AI models and applications at scale.

This expanded infrastructure also builds on NAVER and NVIDIA’s collaboration on open model development for agentic and physical AI. NAVER is advancing its HyperCLOVA X models to be based on NVIDIA Nemotron™ 3 Ultra open models with its proprietary data and training expertise. NAVER is also the first Korean company to join the NVIDIA Nemotron Coalition, contributing to open model development across pretraining, post-training and reinforcement learning.

NAVER plans to launch an AI agent platform in Korea in the second half of the year, powered by NVIDIA Agent Toolkit software including NVIDIA NemoClaw™ blueprints. NAVER is also developing a Seoul World Model using proprietary urban street-view and spatial modeling data, built on NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models.

About NAVER

Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s largest Internet company and one of the world’s top tech companies. Leading cutting-edge technologies, NAVER operates the No.1 search engine in Korea and holds various business portfolios encompassing commerce, fintech, cloud, AI and robotics.

NAVER recorded sales of KRW 12.04 trillion (USD 8.18 billion) in 2025. TEAM NAVER continues to enhance its business portfolio and expand its global presence across Japan, North America, and Europe, while pursuing innovation through continuous research and development in future technologies.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naver-partners-with-brookfield-and-nvidia-to-expand-koreas-national-ai-factory-infrastructure-buildout-302834577.html

SOURCE NAVER

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