ZenWatch 2 unveiled at Computex: now in two sizes, refreshed design, and magnetic charger
At the Computex technology trade show in Taipei, Asus just unveiled the second generation of the Android Wear ZenWatch 2. Following the well-received original from last year, and confirmed to launch by Asus brass, the ZenWatch 2 brings aesthetic refinements and small functionality improvements that make the package a bit more attractive.
The ZenWatch 2 is available in two sizes: the bigger one is the same size like last year, with a 41 mm face and 22 mm band, while the smaller edition is 37 mm with an 18 mm band. Asus seems to have taken to heart criticism about its wearables being too large for many users; however, it’s not clear for now whether the smaller version features a smaller display or is simply more compact.
The displays are OLED and protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3, while the processing tasks are handled by an unnamed Qualcomm chip (probably the same Snapdragon 400 as in the predecessor).
The new ZenWatch 2 features a crown on its side, which is supposed to feature some functionality, though Asus has not specified what to expect. The device features better water and dust resistance – now at IP67 – and a new magnetic charging system that replaces the cradle system found on the original ZenWatch. Speaking of charging, battery life should be improved, said Asus, without adding any details.
On the software side, Asus highlighted the improved Remote Camera app and a totally redesigned Wellness app.
The ZenWatch 2 will be available in silver, gunmetal and rose-gold with a variety of straps made of rubber, leather, or metal. If you’re the fancy type, there will even be a Swarovski encrusted band.
No details on the ZenWatch 2’s price and availability, but we’ll keep you posted.
Google Calendar: No more texts for you
If you’re someone who has relied heavily on Google Calendar and the ability to receive text messages from the service, with reminders for upcoming events, we have some bad news. Google has announced that the texting service attached to Google Calendar will cease to exist, and no more texts will be sent after June 27th.
Starting on June 27th, 2015, SMS notifications from Google Calendar will no longer be sent. SMS notifications launched before smartphones were available. Now, in a world with smartphones and notifications, you can get richer, more reliable experiences on your mobile device, even offline.
Now if you are using Google Apps for Work, Education or Government, you have nothing to worry about. Google has decided to keep the text messages coming with Google Calendar for those users.
Google recommends either finding a calendar application that you are comfortable with, or installing the Google Calendar application on your Android device or iPhone. While in the day and age that we live in now, this isn’t the end of the world.
Notifications can be set, and there are literally hundreds of different calendar apps available across iOS and Android. So, this isn’t really too much to be concerned with. However, it’s interesting to see Google shutting down this service that’s been around since before smartphones were readily available to the world.
If you are currently subscribed to the Google Calendar SMS notifications, you can opt out via two different ways. The first being through the web interface, and the other through a text message. In order to opt-out of the Google Calendar SMS through the web interface, here are the steps you need to follow:
- Open Google Calendar
- Click the Settings Gear in the top right
- Select Settings
- Open the Calendars tab
- Click Edit notifications
- Uncheck the boxes in the SMS column
- Click Save
If you want to just send a simple text message to cancel the notifications, simply text “STOP” to “GVENT” (48368). Once completed those reminder notifications will cease to occur, so be sure to have your backup plan in place before proceeding.
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Project Abacus aims to get rid of all those passwords
Are you tired of typing in the same passwords over and over again? Well that’s your first mistake, in regards to using the same passwords. But seriously, passwords are becoming more and more frustrating, since just about everywhere requires some type of unique password just to check Reddit or your email, or Pinterest. Anyways, one of the many things introduced or announced at this year’s Google I/O was from the same team that is working on Project Ara (the modular phone).
Google’s ATAP team is working on a little project called Project Abacus, which is being developed to take some of the burden off of your brain when it comes to remembering your password. Project Abacus will eventually (hopefully) take over the traditional password as we know it, and will take a few different signals into account to determine whether it’s really you using your phone. This project will analyze the way you type, walk, and talk then use that data to determine who is using your phone.
So if someone that isn’t you is using your phone, Project Abacus will be able to tell the difference and immediately go through a series of security measures to ensure that your private and sometimes vital information, is protected. If executed correctly, with the influx of devices with fingerprint scanners, these phones will be able to feel like they’re a version of Fort Knox for your information, in the palm of your hand.
Now it hasn’t been mentioned exactly how this will be rolled out, or put into effect, or what kind of effect it will have on your password library. However it’s pretty darn cool to see what “smaller” projects the various divisions of Google are working on. We’ve already seen what ATAP has up their sleeves with Project Soli, Vault, and Jacquard, so go ahead and add Project Abacus to the list.
What do you think about what the ATAP team is hoping to do in regards to getting rid of the traditional password altogether? Is it a good move, bad move, or are you indifferent because you use a service such as 1Password or Dashlane to keep all of your passwords protected. Just as a friendly reminder, be sure to change or update your passwords at least once every six months. Just for the sake of security.
The post Project Abacus aims to get rid of all those passwords appeared first on AndroidGuys.
FBI slip-up leaves Megaupload, other seized sites hosting nasty ads
The FBI might want to continue brushing up on its internet skills. The agency’s online division forgot to renew the web domain it uses to host seized websites, leading to a “black hat SEO” marketer taking over sites like Megaupload and temporarily filling them with malware- and scam-laden ads. Law enforcement officials eventually got their former domain suspended due to an “ongoing criminal investigation” into the malware, but the address’ ultimate fate remains up in the air. Suffice it to say that the mistake is ironic — the FBI inadvertently contributed to the very sort of digital crime it’s trying to stop.
The FBI killed #Megaupload and seized our domains. Now they have lost control and http://t.co/9Qud4d8xWp is linking to porn, malware & scams
– Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) May 28, 2015
Filed under: Internet
Source: Ars Technica, TorrentFreak
ASUS ZenWatch 2 gives your phone’s battery a tiny boost
It’s only been half a year since we reviewed the stylish ZenWatch, but ASUS is already back with its second attempt in the Android Wear space. At Computex, the company announced the appropriately named ZenWatch 2 which, unlike its predecessor, comes in two sizes: one to go with 22mm straps like before, and the other with smaller 18mm straps. If you go with the larger one, you’ll get a bonus feature: it can actually double as a tiny mobile power bank to give your phone some emergency juice! ASUS hasn’t quite explained how this will be implemented, but we imagine there’ll be a special cable involved.
While the overall designs are similar to that of the original model, ASUS has now added a button on the side, though we prefer the cleaner look without it. As to what it does, we’ll come back to that when we hear more. Like before, both versions of the ZenWatch 2 feature an AMOLED screen with a piece of 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 on top, and they are powered by an unnamed Qualcomm processor — hopefully one that will at least add another day’s worth of battery life.
For those looking for other excuses to upgrade from the previous model to this, the latter does have an improved dust and water resistance rating of IP67 (same as its fitness-centric counterpart, the VivoWatch). It comes with a more convenient magnetic charger cable instead of the old snap-on plastic cradle, and the recharge time has apparently been improved as well. On the software side, the ZenWatch 2 has an improved Remote Camera feature to go with your phone, and it’ll also work with a “completely redesigned” ASUS Wellness smartphone app for tracking your running and cycling activities.
As for customization, this time you get three colors instead of just one for the body: silver, gunmetal and rose-gold. Similarly, ASUS will be offering a range of straps made out of rubber, soft leather and metal in different colors. If you’re feeling adventurous, there’ll be an optional leather strap with Swarovski crystals embedded all over it.
There’s no price nor launch date just yet for the ZenWatch 2, but keep your eyes on here as we’ll likely hear more at Computex.
ASUS ZenPad S 8.0 has a sharp screen, slim body and plenty of RAM
Just as we heard last week, ASUS is now launching a new family of stylish Android tablets dubbed ZenPads, which will replace the MeMO Pad series. These will come in 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch flavors with cellular variants; but it’s the light yet powerful ZenPad S 8.0 that’s caught our attention so far. For one, this 6.6mm-thick, 298g-heavy metallic slate comes with a sharp 2,048 x 1,536 (324 ppi) IPS display which has a 4:3 aspect ratio, so it’s going head to head with the iPad Mini here. And with Intel’s 64-bit Atom Z3580 chip plus 4GB of RAM, you needn’t worry about its performance. Better yet, you get front-facing stereo speakers that are enhanced by DTS for some virtual surround sound action. If you’re into handwriting or drawing on tablets, you can buy the optional Z Stylus which supports up to 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity.
Additionally, there’s a regular ZenPad 8.0 that features a similar design to the ZenPad S 8.0. While the technical details are scarce at the moment, we do know that it’ll have a range of interesting and good-looking accessories: the Zen Clutch and Zen Case for protection, the Audio Cover for adding 5.1 surround sound, and the Power Case that extends the battery life to up to 15 hours. This tablet family also includes the low-end 7.0 model with a 1,024 x 600 screen resolution, and a larger 10.1 model with an optional keyboard (likely a Bluetooth dock); but again, we’ll have to get back to you on the detailed specs as well as pricing and availability for them all.
ASUS’s updated 32-inch 4K monitor does full Adobe gamut
Following the $2,200 ProArt PA328Q semi-professional 32-inch, 4K 16:9 monitor announced at last year’s Computex, ASUS is back with a follow-up model dubbed PA329Q. The most notable improvement here is it now delivers 100 percent Adobe RGB color gamut, as opposed to just sRGB; plus it has a 16-bit internal lookup table instead of just 12-bit. For those who are into video production, you’ll also appreciate the added support for the BT2020 / DCI-P3 color space. The new display is otherwise almost identical to its predecessor: you get the same set of ports (1x HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.2 and 4x USB 3.0) and the same 10-bit display color. Each unit is also factory pre-calibrated for high consistency, though it also boasts “the highest compatibility with major hardware calibrators,” should you wish to do it yourself. We’ll come back with more info regarding availability if we hear any.
ASUS’ fancy all-in-one packs a 3D camera and speedy USB 3.1
PCs with integrated Intel RealSense are still hard to come by these days, so excuse us for getting a little excited with this new ASUS all-in-one. Specifically, it’s the 23.8-inch Zen AiO (Z240IC) that comes with said 3D camera technology, which offers gesture control and 3D face recognition (for authentication); but you can also go for the smaller 21.5-inch Z220IC variant if you don’t mind missing out on RealSense. Similar to the iMac, the Zen AiO consists of an aluminum unibody that tapers to 6mm-thick edges; though it’s gone with the “subtle Icicle Gold” as its flagship color, and finished with horizontal brush lines on the back. ASUS’ iconic concentric circle brush pattern can also be found on the chin below the screen.
Spec-wise, we’re looking at up to Intel Core i7 with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, up to PCIe Gen 3 x 4 SSD and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M with 4GB of dedicated video memory. Combining these with the machine’s 16-watt speakers (six drivers in total), gaming should be pretty fun on it. ASUS also claims that the Zen AiO is the world’s first all-in-one to feature USB 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity, meaning it does data transfer at up to 10Gbit/s, which is twice as fast as USB 3.0. Unsurprisingly, the machine has a reversible Type-C USB 3.1 port as well.
Sadly, that’s all the info we have at the moment, so stay tuned as we wait for more from ASUS at Computex.
ASUS ZenFone Selfie is all about its 13MP cameras
Selfie. What a word. It became a thing as front-facing cameras on phones improved dramatically in recent years. Until now, the HTC Desire Eye is one of the first that comes to mind in this category, but it’s about to face a direct competitor who’s also from Taiwan. ASUS has just announced the ZenFone Selfie which, as you can tell, is all about taking selfies. Both its front and rear cameras feature a 13-megapixel resolution and dual-tone flash, though only the main f/2.0 camera has fast and low-light-friendly laser auto-focus (something that even the flagship ZenFone 2 lacks). That said, the front f/2.2 camera makes up for the loss with a wide 88-degree field of view, thus making it easier for group selfies (“wefies?”).
The rest of this Android phone looks almost identical to the ZenFone 2. You get the same 5.5-inch 1080p LCD (but with tougher Gorilla Glass 4 instead of its predecessor), the same backside volume rocker and the same curved body for a comfortable grip. The less obvious change here is the processor: ASUS has opted for Qualcomm’s mid-range, octa-core Snapdragon 615 over the chips from its close buddy, Intel.
Little else is know about the ZenFone Selfie, so stay tuned as we dig for more info at Computex.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
OnePlus 2 is still due in Q3 2015, June 1st announcement is to announce discounts to OnePlus One
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Enigmatic smartphone manufacturer, OnePlus, started teasing some interesting material last week with the tagline “Time to change”, prompting some to eagerly suspect that OnePlus was about to announce its new smartphone. Luckily, we have the truth, straight from the horse’s mouth – the horse being Carl Pei, OnePlus’ co-founder. In an interview with AusDroid, Pei confirms that the OnePlus 2 – which is to be written specifically with a numeric “2” – is still on track for a Q3 2015 release, and that the June 1st announcement is nothing to do with that device.
What we know now is that the announcement is for a number of discounts coming to OnePlus’ existing device, the OnePlus One. The announcement is still to be made, but it’s expected that the price of the 64GB Sandstone Black variant will be brought down to $298 USD and the 16GB Silk White version will come down to $248. That should help clear out the OnePlus warehouse, which OnePlus has been very careful to keep only lightly stocked due to their low margin strategy.
Are you excited for the OnePlus 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: AusDroid via Phone Arena
The post OnePlus 2 is still due in Q3 2015, June 1st announcement is to announce discounts to OnePlus One appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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