Asus has unveiled the Deluxe Special Edition of Asus Zenfone 2 in Brazil on Friday. The feature that makes this phone truly ‘deluxe’ is the fact that it comes with a 256 GB of internal storage.
Other general specifications include, a Gorilla Glass 3 protected 5.5-inch display with a 1080 x 1920 resolution, an Intel Atom Z3580 SoC along with an octa-core 2.5GHz CPU and a PowerVR G6430 GPU. The phone also comes with an additional expandable microSD card slot up to 128GB along with a 4GB of RAM space.
The camera comes with a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. Other connectivity features include, 4G LTE (Cat.6), 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS connectivity, Dual SIM, Dual Active capabilities and the Asus Boostmaster fast charging technology. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery and runs on the Android 5.0 with Zen UI.
Along with all this, the Deluxe Edition Zenfone 2 also comes with an exclusive version of the racing game Asphalt 8, and two new back covers -Black with red, and White with red.
The Asus ZenFone 2 Deluxe Special Edition will be available in Brazil next month. Pricing of the product is unknown for now, as is its availability for other countries.
Apple Inc. has announced the launch of its iSight Camera replacement program for the iPhone 6 Plus. This program is said to help replace the camera module in some of the iPhone 6 Plus devices that have allegedly come with a faulty rear camera.
According to some statistical reports, some of the iPhone 6 Plus models that were sold between September 2014 to January 2015 might have had a component that made photos to look blurry. This particular component also prevents the camera from focusing and could be related to the Optical Image Stabilization, since this device also comes with a much larger screen.
Therefore, all the iPhone 6 Plus models that are facing this problem and have an eligible serial number will get their cameras replaced by Apple, free of cost.This service can be obtained through Apple’s online support team, an Apple retail store, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
The company has recommended users to back up their data to iTunes or iCloud in order to get ready for the replacement process, and iPhones that have other damages need to be fixed first, before replacement of the new camera.
Specifically, this new iSight Camera Replacement Program will cover iPhone 6 Plus iSight cameras for three years after the first retail sale of the unit.
Click here to check if your iPhone 6 Plus eligible for the program.
Recent rumours suggest that the Galaxy Note 5 might actually come with a 4,100 mAh battery after all. These rumours were flying around even before the product released, however, were proved wrong once the Galaxy Note 5 was seen to arrive with a 3,000 mAh battery only.
PhoneArena reports that the Galaxy Note 5 Active model, which will be released in November this year will sport a 4,100 mAh battery. This upgraded device is said to release on AT&T, and along with the new battery will come with an IP68 waterproofing certification.
Even though these rumours remain unconfirmed, we do know that Samsung had once upgraded the Galaxy S6 Active similarly. So, this might after all be good news for Samsung users.
The speculated date of release is – 8th of November 2015.
In a rather bold move by Samsung, the South Korean smartphone company has launched a new promotional offer that is aimed directly at iPhone users. They will now let iPhone users take one of the three new models for the “ultimate test drive” for a full month!
Customers will need to visit the special Samsung website from their iPhone in order to qualify for this offer. Once logged in, you will have your current carrier and then select which Galaxy model you would like to try. Currently, the Galaxy S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5 are on the list.
After choosing the phone you will have to enter some basic information along with your credit card details. Those who continue to use the product beyond the 30-day trial period, will be charged the full price, while those who return it on time will only be charged $1.
After completing all the necessary steps, you will be charged $1 to verify your credit card details and then you should receive your test phone soon. The phone is said to come with a data plan, however, it has not yet been mentioned whether it will be a limited or special unlimited plan for testers.
So, iPhone users, are you ready to give Samsung a chance?
We are all awaiting the two new iPhones that are expected to be launched this September – the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. The 6S is expected to come with a 4.7 inch display, while the 6S Plus might come with a 5.5 inch display.
However, rumours say that the third product is now expected to be launched only in November. This new device is speculated as being the iPhone 6C. According to further reports, Foxconn is planning to increase its workforce in order to manage iPhone output better, and an insider from Foxconn has also allegedly said that they would be making the iPhone 6C for Apple soon.
No final announcement about this has been made by Apple Inc, but they are expected to unveil their 2015 iPhones on the 9th of September and then launch them on 18th September 2015.
16 year old, Anmol Tukrel is an Indian-origin Canadian citizen who is now challenging the Google search engine. He has designed a personalised search engine that he claims is 47 percent more accurate than Google and is 21 percent more accurate, on an average.
This search engine was created as part of a project for the Google Science Fair, which is a global online competition open to students aged 13 to 18 years. He said that he took a few months and approximately 60 hours to code the engine. This is what he told Times of India:
“I thought I would do something in the personalized search space. It was the most genius thing ever. But when I realised Google already does it, I tried taking it to the next level.”
Tukrel’s development is also said to be the only computer with around 1GB of free storage space, a python-language development environment, a spreadsheet program and an access to Google and New York Times. Reports also suggest that, in order to test the accuracy of his search engine, he limited the search quest to this year’s articles from New York Times.
This development is also said to take into account location or browsing history, but also tries to understand context and meaning.
So, does India already have the next Google CEO in the making?
New reports suggest that smartphone sales in China have fallen for the first time in their second quarter. This report come as a surprise, since China is the world’s biggest market for smartphones.
Sales had dropped by 4 percent making it the first year-over-year fall said Gartner Inc, a market research company.
“China has reached saturation — its phone market is essentially driven by replacement, with fewer first-time buyers,” said Anshul Gupta, research director at Gartner.
They also said that the worldwide smartphones sales grew at the slowest pace since 2013, with China accounting for 30 percent of the total smartphones sales during this second quarter.
However, Apple’s smartphone sales rose to 14.6 percent from 12.2 percent, a year earlier. In fact, the iPhone sale in China rose by 68 percent to 11.9 million units. These numbers are attributed to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Samsung is also said to have suffered a fall to 21.9 percent from 26.2 percent, despite the introduction of the S6 models.
Huawei on the other hand, reported the highest sales growth rate at 46.3 percent due to strong international sales and 4G smartphone sales in China. So, let’s hope that China’s smartphones that have taken India by storm, positively impact China too.
Having a smartphone with endless battery is something most of us dream about. Karbonn has launched the new Aura 9 smartphone with a 4,000mAh battery in India, today. This phone is priced at Rs. 6,390 and offers up to 10 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time.
The Karbonn Aura 9 comes with a 5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) IPS-LCD display and a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM space. It has an internal storage of 8GB that is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card slot.
On the camera front, it comes with an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera. Other connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots, 3G support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The device is run on the Android 4.4 KitKat OS and also supports the Smart Gesture Control feature that allows for quick navigation, even when the phone is locked. Apart from the powerful battery, another ineteresting feature is that the Karbonn Aura 9 will come with a support for 21 regional languages.
Here are the specifications:
Features
Karbonn Aura 9
Display
5-inch HD, IPS-LCD display
Resolution
1280×720 pixels
Processor
1.2GHz quad-core
OS
Android 4.4 KitKat
RAM
1GB
Storage
8GB internal storage with microSD card expandable up to 32GB.
Rear Camera
8MP with LED flash
Front Camera
5MP
Connectivity
dual-SIM card slots, 3G support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0
Huawei has released a new smartphone in Beijing called the Honor 7i with a flip-up camera at the back.
The flip up camera at the back allows you to use the Honor 7i’s rear-facing camera as a front-facing camera as well. It can actually be set at any angle within 180 degrees and come with a 13MP sensor with a f/2.0 aperture. The special features include, Auto Exposure, Auto White Balance, Automatic Face Recognition and Auto Smile Shutter. The camera is also said to be able to provide low-light performance due to SLR grade iSP.
Another interesting feature is it’s side-placed fingerprint scanner. The other features of this phone also include a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD Negative display, along with 3GB of PDDR3 RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 616 64-bit octa-core processor and comes with a 3100 mAh battery. Other connectivity features include a dual-SIM and 4G LTE connectivity.
The Honor 7i is up for pre-order today starting at 1,599 Yuan (approx Rs.16,382). However, there are no reports suggesting if the company will release the product outside Asia or not.
We have covered Samsung’s newly released handsets – the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Both devices created a frenzy before its release, however some users might have been disappointed when they found out that neither of the products came with a dual-SIM nor an expandable storage. Worry no more because according to reports, both these handsets will soon be available with a dual-SIM mode. But, there are no reports of the devices to include an expandable microSD slot yet. All other specifications will be the same.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ Dual SIM is reportedly available for purchase on eBay, from a seller in Singapore. The seller also claims to have all four colour options in his stock and has priced the device at $999.99 (approx. Rs.65,469). The device will be shipped to the purchaser via FedEx, say reports.
There have been no official reports as to which markets will be getting the dual-SIM models however, going by the previous sales production techniques of Samsung, we can probably expect the dual-SIM versions to become available almost everywhere, soon.
With time, we have given super (read smart) powers to our phones, laptops, cars and even, washing machines. Next in line, is Super Stationary. It’s helpful, needed and makes us wonder why no one thought of it before. A product which comes under this category is the WorldPenScan X. Using this portable pen, you can scan sentences from a physical document and convert it into editable text. More so, it understands and translates over nine languages. The gadget is available for $149 (approx. Rs. 9723).
It started off as a Kickstarter project, and 264 backers contributed $34,652 to get the project rolling. On paper, it sounds like an extremely useful device to have around. So, here we check out if the device is worth the hype.
Overview
Its basic function is to scan and transfer data onto any mobile device or PC. An added perk includes, translating sentences into multiple languages. The box includes, the pen, a much-needed user manual, a standard charging cord and documentation. Once you unbox the device, to get started you need to install an app onto your PC or your mobile device. Since we’re constantly on the go, we decided to pair the pen with the iPhone 5. We downloaded the app which accompanies the device called ‘WorldPenScan X’. This device can be paired with Android devices, Windows, as well as Mac. In the box, they’ve provided a CD with the needed software. If you don’t have a CD Drive on your laptop/PC, you can download the software from their website (click here.)
Download the iOS app here and the Android app here.
Build Quality and Design
The WorldPenScan X resembles old-school fluorescent-coloured highlighting pens, which were the reason our dreary school books were covered in multiple colours. It is slightly large, so tedious to hold over a period of time and has an outer covering of shiny, slippery plastic along with a plastic cap. To ensure that dust doesn’t settle within the scanner, we’d strongly recommend you hold on to the cap. To clean the scanning port, use a soft brush and wipe it clean frequently.
The plastic is complemented with a rubberised panel on the device, which helps with the grip and ensures that it can be used for long hours. Other than the slippery body, the build is solid and its size ensures that the device is handy. Thanks to the sturdy build, you’re okay with tossing it into your bag.
Coming to the app, its interface is simple to understand and easy to use. Pairing the device couldn’t have been simpler – all you need to do is turn on the Bluetooth of your phone and launch the app. At the same time, make sure that the Pen Scanner is turned on; and you’re good to go.
Sharing options
The UI
Quick Translation
Capturing the words
Usage
The device does require charging however it isn’t necessarily tedious. We charged it once fully, and it has been in use for a few days now. Once you have gotten past connecting your smartphone to the WorldPenScan X, using it on an everyday basis, is a breeze. After using it for a few weeks, here are some of the points we noted:
It doesn’t have a LED indicator to indicate the usage or battery feature.
Secondly, while it is an ingenious device, it is not so accurate. It has a tendency to pick up letters which weren’t in the document being scanned.
You cannot be flippant while using the scanner, the words need to highlighted slowly and carefully.
If the wheel isn’t properly pressed it fails to deliver accurate results.
One of the major disappointments would be that it cannot read someone’s handwriting. No matter how neatly you try and write (we tried.)
Lastly, the scanning side of the device has an extremely helpful arrow which gives a clear idea of where you should be pointing the pen scanner at.
A major plus – the device automatically switches off when it detects it is not in use. This, we suspect, is the reason for its long battery life. However, you can’t charge it and use it at the same time.
We do wish that they had added a bigger head, since the device fails to read fonts bigger than a certain size. We tested multiple font sizes, anything above the standard 25pt, the pen has trouble reading.
Conclusion
While it has small issues that it needs to overcome, it serves the purpose. It manages to convert printed documents into editable text, which is quite a feat. If even a small part of your everyday work life revolves around copying text from a document, we’d strongly recommend you invest in the WorldPenScan X. Even though the device itself needs certain refinements, it’s a step in the right direcion. We’d recommend every office to have it’s own World Scan X. Like we said, it is the Stationary from the future.
Reports suggest that Asus will now launch a new smartwatch and a new smartphone at a press conference on the 2nd of September at IFA-Berlin 2015.
Asus has posted a video on their official Facebook page that shows new products, like a new monitor, a new smartphone and a new smartwatch. Reports suggest that the smartphone could be the ‘Z00TDA’ handset which is said to come with a 5.5-inch FHD display of 410ppi pixel density, an octa-core chipset paired with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB internal storage with support for a microSD card. This new device is also rumoured to be powered by the Android Lollipop and will come with 4G LTE connectivity and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera sensors.
Apart from Asus, Samsung is also planning to launch its smartwatch Gear S2 while Sony gets ready to launch its next flagship smartphones – the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Ultra. Other companies such as Huawei, Microsoft and Acer are also expected to launch products at this event. So watch this space for more details on the IFA-Berlin 2015 and more.
Here’s a very new and modern looking (by modern we mean quirky and awkward obviously) phone for you, playfully termed as the “FrankenBlackBerry”. BlackBerry has partnered with Android and come up with this device, so, it is basically a BlackBerry Android Phone! Didn’t see that coming did you?
A rendering of this device was leaked by Evan Blass on Twitter. The picture shows us a device that runs on Android with a 16:9 display as compared to BlackBerry’s traditional square screen. No, this phone does not look like a remote control. Never.
Further reports tell us that it’s even a slider, you know, so that the tall phone fits in your pocket, because – 2005. We all know how stylish a slider is, Gossip Girl taught us that, however, unfortunately the slide phone could be less durable, heavy, thick etc which would make typing slightly uncomfortable.
But then again, no pain no gain. If Samsung and LG can come up with Android supporting flip phones then why not? However, there have been no official announcements or reports about this device, though it could be a device that could work due to nostalgia – just like Terminator Genisys.
We told you that Google’s Project Ara had been delayed and now we know why. It turns out that the futuristic phone failed its drop test and caused the the Project Ara team to rework the phone’s current model, completely.
They themselves tweeted explaining why the delay was caused saying that the phone wasn’t fairing well, when dropped. This can pose to be a huge problem when phones today are made durable, at least for typical falls. Google will now have to see how to fix the Project Ara jigsaw, without it falling apart.
Project Ara’s creators now say they’re “testing a signature experience” to attach its modules. It’s not easy to put together a phone that allows you to interchange its core components and we hope that the team can demonstrate its revised design as soon as they’re done with finding the missing link.
WhatsApp has recently opened up access to its web service for Apple iPhone users. This service allows you to send and receive messages on your computers and phones.
This function is still being rolled out, and hence may not be available to all users immediately, but those of you who have the latest version of the WhatsApp app should be able to find a “web” menu option under the “settings”.
“Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device – this means all of your messages still live on your phone.” – WhatsApp Blogspot
However, the feature works through the internet, so, the phone has to be connected to the internet, otherwise the conversation will drop out and all the users’ texts will remain on the phone. The web can sync data with the phone app that allows messages to be received and sent, within the browser. In order to sync your iPhone with the web client, you will first have to scan a QR code from WhatsApp’s website using your phone.
The WhatsApp web client had been launched in January 2015 and has since been available to Google, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia operating systems. However, this is the first time it has been available for Apple’s smartphone device.
