Asus Zenfone 4 Smartphones: Rumors and News
Why it matters to you
Asus is rumored to replace its sprawling Zenfone 3 range with new, higher specification models in the next months.
Asus certainly made the most of the Zenfone 3 range in 2016 and even early 2017, having launched a wide variety of spin-off devices, including the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, Zenfone 3 Laser, and most recently, the Zenfone 3 Zoom. Where does it go from here? Rumors are beginning to spread about the arrival of the Zenfone 4, Asus’ replacement to the Zenfone 3. Details are slim at the moment, but here’s what we think we know about the Zenfone 4 so far.
Zenfone 4 Max
A GFXBench leak, discovered by GizmoChina, alongside a brief listing on Asus’ support website that has since been taken down, have given us what could be our first look at the upcoming Zenfone 4 Max. The GFXBench report deals with an Asus device code-named X00ID, and the device that was mentioned on Asus’ site is known as ZC554KL. As GSMDome notes, the latter follows in Asus’ device-naming strategy, indicating a successor to last year’s Zenfone 3 Max, which was dubbed ZC553KL.
The handset named X00ID is rumored to feature a 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 display powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor. The GPU on board is an Adreno 505, and the device has 3GB of RAM to work with, alongside 32GB of storage — 9GB of which are taken up by the operating system.
More interestingly, the spec sheet mentions two rear-facing cameras — a 12-megapixel shooter capable of recording 4K video, and another 5-megapixel shooter. The camera at the front is said to be 7 megapixels.
GSMDome states that the name ZC554KL indicates a number of characteristics about the device — a primary one being the 5.5-inch display, as designated by the “55” in the name. If this is indeed the case, both reports may point to the same device — however, they disagree as to the nature of the processor. GSMDome believes a midrange Snapdragon 625 or 660 system-on-a-chip could be in the cards for the Zenfone 4 Max, while GizmoChina speculates it will see a Snapdragon 430.
The 625 was featured in the Zenfone 3 line, and the 660 is an updated version coincidentally set to be revealed this week. The 660 is rumored to debut in the upcoming Nokia 8, as well as Xiaomi’s Mi Max 2. The lower-powered 430 powers the Nokia 6, and GizmoChina expects to see it in the Zenfone 4 Max based on the Adreno 505 GPU listed on the GFXBench spec sheet.
It’s still early days in terms of news about the Zenfone 4 Max; as always, take these rumors with a grain of salt.
A range of devices
A January 2017 report published by DigiTimes, which has a hit-and-miss reputation with rumors, said Asus plans to launch the Zenfone 4 range in May 2017. The information was apparently sourced from the supply chain in Taiwan. It’s interesting to note we’re told Asus will launch “smartphones,” plural, which points to another set of Zenfone devices, rather than a single model. The Zenfone 4 phone launch may coincide with the Zenfone AR being put on sale.
The Zenfone AR may also give us a hint at what’s to come from the Zenfone 4 series. The rumor says the new phones will have higher specifications than Zenfone 3 models, but will end up costing more to buy. Announced during CES 2017, the Zenfone AR is an impressive device, with a Snapdragon 821 processor, a giant 8GB of RAM, and a big 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. If just one Zenfone 4 model takes after the Zenfone AR, we’ll be excited.
We may have to wait for such a phone. At the end of 2016, and then again after the New Year, an Asus phone with the model number X00GD was spotted after it was registered on China’s TENAA regulatory board website. Believed to be a mid-range member of the Zenfone 4 family, its standout feature is a large 4,850mAh battery, which considering it’s only powering a 5.2-inch, 1280 x 720 pixel screen and a 1.5GHz octa-core processor, should provide plenty of standby time. Other specifications include a 13-megapixel rear camera, and either 2GB or 4GB of RAM.
If Asus follows the Zenfone 3 range, we should see a standard Zenfone 4 and a Zenfone 4 Max, along with an even larger Zenfone 4 Deluxe. Although the Zenfone 4 name is being used at the moment, Asus has used it before, back in 2014 when the number four was used to denote the screen size of the phone. It’s not certain the company will want to reuse it this time.
We’ll keep you updated with Zenfone 4 news and rumors here, so check back often.
Article originally published on 01-20-2017 by Andy Boxall. Article updated on 05-08-2017 by Adam Ismail: Added GizmoChina and GSMDome reports.
Graphene speaker produces sound with good (non)-vibrations
Why it matters to you
Bye-bye standalone speakers! A graphene speaker could lead to touchscreen displays that produce their own sound, as well as images.
Sound is the result of a pressure wave in the air. A regular speaker creates this wave by physically moving back and forth, regardless of whether it’s a magnetic coil-driven speaker or a membrane-based one. Thermo-acoustic sound generation is different. It causes the necessary pressure wave not by physically moving a component, but by periodically varying the temperature of the air next to it.
To achieve this, a material is required that’s able to heat up and cool down very rapidly, at a rate comparable to the frequency of the generated sound. That rules out a lot of metals because, although they conduct heat quickly, they turn out to be too good at storing heat over a long period of time.
The answer? According to a new piece of research coming out of the U.K.’s University of Exeter, it could be to use all-around wonder material graphene to create a non-moving solid-state audio device that may one day replace your existing bulk sound system.
“Graphene is great at conducting heat but, as it is just a single sheet of atoms, it has really poor capacity to store heat,” Dr. David Horsell, a professor of physics who worked on the project, told Digital Trends. “As a result, it can heat and cool at a very high rate indeed – enough to generate sound at audible frequencies and at much higher, ultrasonic frequencies.”
There are several possible applications for the work of Horsell and his colleagues, which go beyond merely acting as a replacement for regular hi-fi systems. One is to incorporate the tech into ultra-thin touchscreen technologies, which would no longer need separate speakers as a result, since the screen could be made to produce sound on its own — courtesy of a thin, invisible layer of graphene.
Another possible use-case concerns ultrasonic imaging or treatments in healthcare, since being small and potentially able to be produced on flexible substrates could allow a host of new medical techniques to be realized down to very small scales.
“There are two key aspects of the work we want to explore next,” Horsell continued. “The first is an issue with efficiency: Can we increase it enough to make graphene-based speakers compete with current, established loudspeaker technologies? For this, we need to look at exactly how the power we put into the graphene is dissipated. The other aspect we had not expected is that if you ‘listen’ closely to the graphene, it can start to reveal secrets of its inner workings. We have already seen that small nonlinearities in the conduction in graphene [are] translated into a specific frequency of sound output. We want to explore this further to see what other details we can discover just by listening to graphene when we question it with different electrical signals.”
An article describing how the researchers were able to combine speaker, amplifier, and graphic equalizer into a chip the size of a human thumbnail was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Google Home can play hours of fireplace and nature sounds
Why it matters to you
Playing soothing ambient noise has been noted to help people stay productive while working.
Google Home, Google’s artificial intelligence-imbued smart home speaker, can walk you through recipes, place restaurant reservations, start your car, and recap the day’s most significant events. But that is not all it can do. Thanks to a recent update, Google Home can serve up soothing ambient sounds that reduce stress and aid in concentration.
Choosing a track is simple. Following up Google Home’s “OK Google” activation phrase with, “Help me relax,” or, “Play ambient noise” starts a random track. You can specify its length by saying, “Play an ambient noise for two hours,” or select a track by asking, “What other ambient sounds do you know?” and choosing one from the list.
The current selection includes:
- Relaxing sounds
- Nature sounds
- Water sounds
- Running water sounds
- Outdoor sounds
- Babbling brook sounds
- Country night sounds
- Oscillating fan sounds
- Fireplace sounds
- Forest sounds
- Ocean sounds
- Rain sounds
- River sounds
- Thunderstorm sounds
- White noise
The Google Home is powered by Google Assistant.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Google Home’s mellow soundtracks are good news for productivity. According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, moderate-level ambient noise — about 70 decibels, equivalent to a passenger car traveling on a highway — enhances performance on creative tasks.
The new ambient sounds feature comes on the heels of another Google Home improvement: Expanded home automation support. In May, Google brought products from Logitech, TP-Link, Wink, Rachio, iHome, Emberlight, Artik Cloud, and Leviton into the fold, adding to a growing list of partners. In March, it brought on August, Lifx, Wink, First Alert, Vivint, Best Buy, Insignia, Frigidaire, Anova, and Geeni.
More recently, Google introduced 25 new actions — third-party apps — for Google Home, including one that lets you listen to hundreds of bird songs and a voice-activated virtual concierge. The Bird Song Skill by Thomptronics can play more than 200 bird sounds and test your knowledge with a song quiz. And Virtual Concierge tells vacation renters at The Lodge in Palmer Lake, Washington, about things like Wi-Fi passwords, nearby restaurants, and activities.
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Google said that more than 175 actions have been added to Google Home since the launch of Actions on the Google Assistant platform last December.
The new skills, actions, and integrations follow the launch of multi-account support in early April. A machine-learning algorithm can distinguish between up to six different voices — once enabled, Google Home personalizes responses to questions about upcoming calendar appointments, lists, music, and more.
It will only get better. In an interview with Backchannel earlier this year, Fernando Pereira, Google’s lead natural language scientist, predicted that artificial intelligence would help Google Home become “more fluent, more able to help you do what you want to do, understand more of the context of the conversation, [and] be more able to bring information from different sources.”
There’s no such thing as the Surface Pro 5, says Microsoft Devices VP
Why it matters to you
Microsoft likely won’t reveal the Surface Pro 5 until the company can enhance the Surface Pro 4 design with something
Now that Microsoft’s education-themed event is behind us, all eyes are focused on the company’s next press event on May 23 in Shanghai. As usual, Microsoft isn’t providing any hints about what it plans to reveal during the show, but instead is providing a skyline view of the city from a wooden rooftop deck. The shiny surfaces tease a possible Surface Pro 5 reveal, but if the latest comments from Panos Panay are any indication, that’s likely not going to happen anytime soon.
“There’s no such thing as a Pro 5,” Microsoft’s VP of Devices said. “When it’s meaningful and the change is right, we’ll put it on market.”
Microsoft released the Surface Pro 4 2-in-1 device on October 26, 2015. It built upon the Surface Pro 3’s foundation by incorporating a thinner bezel to enable a larger viewing area. It’s also thinner and lighter overall, and is powered by sixth-generation Intel Core processors clocked up to 2.20GHz (3.40GHz turbo).
That said, with the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft seemingly hit its design sweet spot with the overall Surface Pro product, and the firm sees the device as a competitive product for at least five years starting from its retail release. Thus, consumers who were holding off on the next Surface Pro launch may be waiting for some time, as Microsoft won’t produce a fifth-generation model until it’s “meaningful” and when “the change is right.”
“Meaningful change isn’t necessarily a hardware change, which is what a lot of people look for,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Where’s the latest processor?’ That’s not what I mean. I’m looking for an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line.”
He gave a few examples, such as a significant drop in the weight or/and a huge advance in battery power. On the weight level, consider that Microsoft has managed to increase the screen size of its Surface Pro device while reducing the overall weight since the introduction of the original Surface Pro in February of 2013.
Take a look:
Surface Pro
Surface Pro 2
Surface Pro 3
Surface Pro 4
Release date:
February 2013
October 2013
June 2014
October 2015
Processor:
Intel Core i3
Third-gen
Core i5
Fourth-gen
Core i3/i5/i7
Fourth-gen
Core m3/i5/i7
Sixth-gen
Screen:
10.6-inches
1,920 x 1,080
10.6-inches
1,920 x 1,080
12-inches
2,160 x 1,440
12.3-inches
2,736 x 1,824
Size (inches):
10.81 
6.81 (H)
0.53 (D)
10.81
6.81 (H)
0.53 (D)
11.50
7.93 (H)
0.36 (D)
11.50
7.93 (H)
0.33 (D)
Weight:
2 pounds
1.984 pounds
1.76 pounds
1.689 pounds (M3)
1.733 pounds (i5/i7)
As the chart shows, Microsoft hasn’t released a new Surface Pro device since October of 2015. Since then, Microsoft has seemingly focused on its Surface Book line along with Surface Hub and the just-announced Surface Laptop. And as Panay pointed out, Microsoft may not extend the Surface Pro line until it can make a radical change in design just like it did between the Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3.
However, one last thing we’d like to point out is another comment made by Panay. He used the term “Surface Pro Next,” which seemingly backed up his claim that “there’s no such thing as a Pro 5.” That seemingly points to another Surface Pro overhaul. But when?
There’s no such thing as the Surface Pro 5, says Microsoft Devices VP
Why it matters to you
Microsoft likely won’t reveal the Surface Pro 5 until the company can enhance the Surface Pro 4 design with something
Now that Microsoft’s education-themed event is behind us, all eyes are focused on the company’s next press event on May 23 in Shanghai. As usual, Microsoft isn’t providing any hints about what it plans to reveal during the show, but instead is providing a skyline view of the city from a wooden rooftop deck. The shiny surfaces tease a possible Surface Pro 5 reveal, but if the latest comments from Panos Panay are any indication, that’s likely not going to happen anytime soon.
“There’s no such thing as a Pro 5,” Microsoft’s VP of Devices said. “When it’s meaningful and the change is right, we’ll put it on market.”
Microsoft released the Surface Pro 4 2-in-1 device on October 26, 2015. It built upon the Surface Pro 3’s foundation by incorporating a thinner bezel to enable a larger viewing area. It’s also thinner and lighter overall, and is powered by sixth-generation Intel Core processors clocked up to 2.20GHz (3.40GHz turbo).
That said, with the Surface Pro 4, Microsoft seemingly hit its design sweet spot with the overall Surface Pro product, and the firm sees the device as a competitive product for at least five years starting from its retail release. Thus, consumers who were holding off on the next Surface Pro launch may be waiting for some time, as Microsoft won’t produce a fifth-generation model until it’s “meaningful” and when “the change is right.”
“Meaningful change isn’t necessarily a hardware change, which is what a lot of people look for,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Where’s the latest processor?’ That’s not what I mean. I’m looking for an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line.”
He gave a few examples, such as a significant drop in the weight or/and a huge advance in battery power. On the weight level, consider that Microsoft has managed to increase the screen size of its Surface Pro device while reducing the overall weight since the introduction of the original Surface Pro in February of 2013.
Take a look:
Surface Pro
Surface Pro 2
Surface Pro 3
Surface Pro 4
Release date:
February 2013
October 2013
June 2014
October 2015
Processor:
Intel Core i3
Third-gen
Core i5
Fourth-gen
Core i3/i5/i7
Fourth-gen
Core m3/i5/i7
Sixth-gen
Screen:
10.6-inches
1,920 x 1,080
10.6-inches
1,920 x 1,080
12-inches
2,160 x 1,440
12.3-inches
2,736 x 1,824
Size (inches):
10.81
6.81 (H)
0.53 (D)
10.81
6.81 (H)
0.53 (D)
11.50
7.93 (H)
0.36 (D)
11.50
7.93 (H)
0.33 (D)
Weight:
2 pounds
1.984 pounds
1.76 pounds
1.689 pounds (M3)
1.733 pounds (i5/i7)
As the chart shows, Microsoft hasn’t released a new Surface Pro device since October of 2015. Since then, Microsoft has seemingly focused on its Surface Book line along with Surface Hub and the just-announced Surface Laptop. And as Panay pointed out, Microsoft may not extend the Surface Pro line until it can make a radical change in design just like it did between the Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3.
However, one last thing we’d like to point out is another comment made by Panay. He used the term “Surface Pro Next,” which seemingly backed up his claim that “there’s no such thing as a Pro 5.” That seemingly points to another Surface Pro overhaul. But when?
Nvidia shows off its multi-user VR system at GPU Technology Conference
Why it matters to you
You’ll soon be able to collaborate and interact with other uses in the same virtual reality space, thanks to Nvidia’s work with multi-user VR systems.
So far, virtual reality (VR) has been a largely solo affair, with VR systems aiming to provide enough performance to create an immersive VR experience for a single player. Not nearly as much attention has been paid to creating shared experiences involve multiple users.
Nvidia is one of the main players in PC-level VR solutions, with its GeForce and Quadro GPUs being optimized not just for gaming and high-end professional graphics, but also for driving VR systems. The company has also been working on creating multi-user VR systems, and it has just introduced a new proof of concept aimed at letting multiple players experience the same virtual worlds.
The system is being shown off at the GPU Technology Conference (GTC), where Nvidia is demonstrating a number of VR technologies. The prototype is a massive system, stocked with four Nvidia Quadro P6000 GPUs that run four virtual machines on a PC server and uses HTC’s Lighthouse tracking system.
Via the combination of graphics power and HTC’s Vive Business Edition headsets, the system can power VR for four people who share the same physical space. It’s intended to show how multi-user VR systems can be created for applications like amusement parks, arcades, and military and first-responder emergency training. The system can be packed into minimal space and require minimal power and cooling, allowing for portable systems that can be quickly deployed.
While the system was originally conceived for multi-user VR, Nvidia hopes it will have other use cases. Mixed-reality spectator view is one concept, in which participants wear head-mounted displays driven by some virtual machines while others drive observer cameras.
As Tom Kaye, senior architect at Nvidia, puts it, “The possibilities are endless. With the addition of remote management and reliability features, such as multiple templates, clone on boot and remote rebuilds, we could see system builders working to create a robust, ready-to-deploy multi-user VR appliance.”
Other companies are using the system for their own solutions, such as MonsterVR, a community-driven VR development studio and Cavrnus, which focuses on collaborative VR solutions. According to Anthony Duca, Cavrnus founder and CEO, ““When NVIDIA shared this system with us, we knew it would be an ideal solution for our collaborative VR platform for our most demanding users. The feedback and reaction to the multi-user, virtualized system, particularly in the engineering and defense markets, has been tremendous.”
Anyone who’s attending GTC can check out the system in person. Nvidia partners who are interested in building their own multi-VR systems can check out Nvidia’s design guide for more details.
WhatsApp continues to make app safer, adds encryption to iCloud backups
Why it matters to you
Want to ensure that your messages are as safe as possible? WhatsApp now encrypts iCloud backups.
WhatsApp is getting even safer to use than it already is. The company has quietly added new security features to the iCloud backup feature of the messaging service, and now WhatsApp iCloud backups will be encrypted.
The move represents the closing of a potential loophole in the end-to-end encryption of WhatsApp, and should ensure that you can more easily keep your private messages private. According to some reports, iCloud backup encryption has been a feature for a few months now, but it only recently became known. One security company, however, claims to have been able to get around the encryption.
The company, called Oxygen Forensics, can only circumvent the encryption in a specific scenario: when it has access to the SIM card with the same cell number that WhatsApp uses for verification to generate the encryption key. What that means is that, for example, police with access to a SIM card could potentially use it to gain access to encrypted messages stored in iCloud.
Encryption is a growing concern among consumers, especially considering recent reports about government spying, and the fact that new hacks and malware are discovered all the time. WhatsApp has long been a trailblazer in bringing end-to-end encryption to users, and completed a rollout of the encryption to all of its platforms and users in April 2016. Not only that, but the company has resisted demands from governments asking for access to user data. As a result, the app has been blocked multiple times in Brazil as a penalty for refusing to hand over data.
These battles over user data and encryption are only likely to continue to heat up over the next few months, as governments repeatedly demand access to data, and companies continue to refuse to comply with those demands. In the meantime, however, your iCloud WhatsApp backups are now a little safer.
Google has updated the Google I/O app for 2017
Google I/O is coming soon. Get the app today.
Google has updated its useful and well-designed app for Google I/O 2017, the upcoming annual developer conference that begins on May 17.
The app offers all the fixin’s you’d expect from Google: the ability to log in using your I/O credentials and check schedules for planning, along with quick links to video feeds when they’re live. This year, Google is trying to avoid any long lines by allowing attendees to reserve seats to popular events, like the What’s New in Android session on the first day that always fills up quickly.
Along with the schedule, the app has a map of the Shoreline Amphitheater and surrounding area to make it relatively easy to find where you’re going, and quick reference to the Wi-Fi password, travel information from the various hotels and more.
The company says that every session will be livestreamed this year, so even those not planning to travel to Mountain View should download it for a quick place to get all the latest information.
Are you attending Google I/O, or planning to follow along at home? Let us know in the comments!
Eye tracking is coming to HTC Vive: Here’s what you need to know
aGlass brings eye tracking support to the HTC Vive – here’s what you should know!
Following the release of several high-end VR headsets, hardware manufacturers are beginning to search for the “next big thing” in virtual reality. While wireless VR and improved visual fidelity are seeing heavy investment, various new technologies are emerging which promise to deliver a more immersive experience. Enhanced tracking is one of these areas of interest, in an attempt to further bridge the gap between your physical body and the virtual world.
Eye tracking looks to be one of the more interesting technologies, potentially offer huge leaps in immersion and performance. With companies like “FOVE” taking orders for VR headset sporting full eye tracking, we’re already beginning to see small companies push for technology. But what if you could use eye tracking on your existing VR hardware?
Read more at VRHeads!
Win a free Nintendo Classic and Bluetooth controller from Modern Dad!
It’s contest time again, boys and girls! Up for grabs this time is one is one of the hottest gaming gadgets of the past year — the Nintendo Classic!
No need to mince words here; Nintendo in its infinite wisdom has decided to cease production of the throwback Nintendo Classic — a diminutive (and updated) version of the original NES. It was tough enough to buy in the first place, having been sold out for months.
I’ve enjoyed the hell out of it. But now it’s time to find it a good home. And I’m throwing in a wireless controller just because. This contest is open to anyone, anywhere, so long as it’s legal where you live and you promise to appreciate the awesomeness that is video games from the 1980s.
So let’s get to it! This one’s open for a week. Use the widget below to enter or hit up moderndad.com/contest for more.
Win a Nintendo Classic from Modern Dad!
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