Google Expedition, their latest Cardboard solution, heading to the classroom
Imagine being a student studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and your teacher is able to transport you to Verona, Italy, the setting for the play. While there you are able to examine up close a location like a centuries-old building known as “Juliet’s House” which is home to the supposed inspiration for the Capulet family. Such a field trip would be cost prohibitive for most classes and a logistics nightmare, but virtual reality can get students close. Although it is not yet to the level of stepping onto a holodeck, Google is helping make this happen through a program to provide their virtual field trip system called Expeditions that uses Cardboard free to schools.
The virtual reality kits from Google are another step as the company tries to get a foot in the door of schools and their younger, captive audiences. Indirectly Google has had much success as their low cost Chromebook devices from various manufacturers are popular with school systems. In addition, there about 45 million students that use Google’s Apps for Education platform thanks to their school’s decision. The addition of Expeditions may be yet one more “touchpoint” for Google.
As currently configured, the Expeditions toolkits come with Cardboard viewers and an ASUS smartphone. Teachers can tap into a variety of existing tools like Street View as they guide their students. Google is also working with a 16-camera system built by GoPro to produce custom content for use in the classroom.
Thus far about 100 virtual trips have been developed by Google in collaboration with teachers. Locations include places like the Great Wall of China, Independence Hall and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Google is currently providing the kits for free to schools. However, they could start charging at some point in the future.
source: The New York Times
via: Engadget
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‘Oculus Ready’ PC program offers VR-ready rigs for less than $1,000
Oculus Ready is a new program that offers officially licensed, Oculus-branded PCs from Alienware, Dell and Asus. These rigs will be ready to run the consumer Oculus Rift when it launches in Q1 2016, with at least the minimum specs of 8GB RAM, an Intel i5 processor and NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290. All of the manufacturers will offer Oculus Ready PCs for less than $1,000, Oculus announced during its second annual Connect conference.
Oculus also showed off some of the games coming to the Rift, including Gang Beasts, Adr1ft, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Battlezone. For developers, version 1.0 of the Oculus Rift software development kit launches in December. A second SDK, this one specific to Oculus’ Touch motion controls, will be available to developers before the Rift launches in 2016. Oculus Touch will launch with Oculus Medium, a 3D sculpting tool.
These games and many more will be shipping next year for the #Rift! Tune in: http://t.co/fmSRmeDvLh #OC2 pic.twitter.com/oBMhfm3js1
— Oculus (@oculus) September 24, 2015
Asus Zenfone Go launched in India for INR 7,999
Asus has managed quite a feat: in just two years, the company has become a force in the smartphone business. According to Counterpoint Research, Asus is one of the fastest growing smartphone brands in the world, alongside Chinese company Vivo.
Asus’ owes its solid growth to the well-priced Zenfone line, which has been especially successful in Asia. The latest entry to the series, Zenfone Go, has just launched in India, targeting the crucial entry-level segment.
The Zenfone Go comes with a quad-core MediaTek MT6580 SoC processor, 2GB of RAM, a 5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display and just 8GB of internal storage (expandable). Other specs include an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front shooter, a 2,070-mAh battery, 3G connectivity, and Android 5.1-based Zen UI.
These specs are pretty basic, but at INR 7,999 ($120), the Zenfone Go is on par with or better than competitors in its price range, including Android One devices or the Micromax Yunique.
The Zenfone Go is now listed on Flipkart as Coming Soon, and will also be available through Asus’ brick and mortar presence in India, as well as other retailers. Coming in black, white, or red, the device offers 100GB of Google Drive storage as a freebie and one year of warranty.
ASUS and Vivo are the fastest growing smartphone brands, says Counterpoint
2015 has already been an eventful year for the smartphone industry. Major bands, such as Samsung, HTC and Sony, have struggled to rebuild their profitability, while India has quickly become one of the most competitive markets in the world. There’s a lot to mull over, but fortunately Counterpoint Research has published its data for Q2 2015 which neatly summarised how the smartphone market is looking this year so far.
Globally, smartphone shipments shipments are up again and there has been a big growth in LTE adoption. Half of all handsets shipped this year are LTE capable, with China seeing a fourfold increase and India witnessing 12 fold growth in LTE shipments this year.
In terms of market share, Samsung remains the top player, despite a year of struggling profits. The Korean giant holds 21 percent of the global smartphone market, followed by Apple on 14 percent. Huawei has been one of the big winners in the past twelve months and company now sits comfortably in third place with 9 percent of the market. Xiaomi and ZTE make up the fourth and fifth spots with a five percent share each.
Although brands like Huawei and Xiaomi are grabbing lots of headlines for pinching market share, ASUS is actually the fastest growing smartphone brand, having seen its shipment increase by 500 percent compared with one year ago. The Zenfone 2 has been particularly popular in a number of markets. Vivo has seen similar gains, with shipments growing fourfold over last year, although neither of these companies make it into the top 5.
Regional markets look quite a bit different than the global picture, although Samsung remains the dominant brand in most of the markets. Europe and Latin America remain firmly in Samsung’s camp, while in the US, Apple is the largest manufacturer with a third of the share, followed by Samsung, LG and ZTE. Speaking of Apple, the company now apparently generates more revenue that all other smartphone manufacturers combined, as long as you exclude Samsung.
Asia remains by far the most diverse market in the world, with four major manufacturers all capturing between 10 and 15 percent of the market each. As we have seen before, growing demand in the Indian and Chinese markets is drawing in a large number of manufacturers all looking to secure themselves a share.
Compared with last year, Samsung has certainly taken a hit in a few of its previously dominant regions, which has been reflected in the company’s poor financial performance. Apple has overtaken Samsung in the US and a range of companies have managed to close the gap in Asia and also slightly in the Middle East too. However, smaller brands are having a mixed time globally. While Huawei, ASUS and Vivo are doing well, Lenovo/Motorola, LG and Sony are struggling to break out into larger market shares.
You can check out the full infographic at the source link below.
ASUS’s affordable 2-in-1 with reversible USB 3.1 is now on sale
The 11.6-inch, 1,366 x 768 TP200SA also gives you a tablet, albeit a heavy one at 2.65 pounds, since the screen only flips around and doesn’t detach. Still, it makes for a cheap, lightweight travel notebook, even though you wouldn’t want to do any 3D rendering given the relatively feeble Celeron CPU. Other specs match the T100HA — 4GB of RAM, 64GB expandable eMMC storage and USB 3.0 (sans Type-C connector, unfortunately). However, it costs a bit more at $349, meaning the more versatile T100HA looks like the more desirable model if you’re looking for a cheap Surface alternative. Slideshow-322328
Source: ASUS
[Deal] Nexus Player and ASUS Nexus Player controller only $49.99 and $29.99 from Best Buy
Google’s Nexus Player console and the wireless gamepad for the Nexus Player are only $49.99 and $29.99, respectively, through Best Buy for a limited time. The Nexus Player normally retails for $99.99 and the ASUS wireless controller for $39.99, so this is a deal you don’t want to miss!
Google’s Nexus Play has seen similar deals as of late, with some wondering if this means another Nexus Player is on the way. In fact, a FCC filing from last week indicate that these new Nexus Player rumors could be true. And it just might be possible that we’ll hear something at Google’s even next week in San Francisco.
In the meantime, you can get your hands on the Nexus Player and its wireless gamepad by hitting one of the source links below.
Anyone picking one up?
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Nexus Player and ASUS Nexus Player controller only $49.99 and $29.99 from Best Buy
Asus now has a $229 ZenFone 2 variant with 4GB RAM
When Asus introduced the ZenFone 2 earlier this year, many took to the terrific tech it packed inside. Two variants were released in the United States: a reasonably priced $199 model that included 2GB of RAM, and a slightly pricier $299 model that featured an impressive 4GB. As months have passed, Asus has brought forth siblings including the ZenFone 2 Laser, the ZenFone 2 Deluxe, and ZenFone Selfie, none of which have yet to officially see a release in North America. There is a new model available, and it looks to be the best possible deal for those eager for higher-end specs, but with a priority on value-for-money.
Just announced is a $229 variant of the cheaper ZenFone 2: it includes all the specs of the lower-end model but adds on an extra 2GB of RAM. The $30 price difference makes it now much more affordable for those who were hoping for a bit of future-proofing yet not willing to go all out and spend for the premium model. Note that at the moment, only a black color option is available, however given the ease of swapping the rear cover, it shouldn’t be too difficult to change that if desired.
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For those in need of a recap, the $199 model includes a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, a 1.8GHz Intel Atom Z3560 Moorefield SoC, 16GB of on-board storage, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front facing camera, microSD support, Dual-SIM LTE support, and Android 5.1. As mentioned the new $229 variant retains these specs yet bumps the RAM up to 4GB.
The $299 model, on the other hand, features the same core specs but comes with a 2.3 GHz Atom Z3580 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of on-board storage.
Given the fierce competition that now exists in this mid-to-upper range price point, it makes sense Asus would want to make their product as appealing as possible. The ability to get 4GB of RAM at such a low price is definitely a selling point for those interested in specs but not prepared to spend excessively on a mobile phone. While this new variant may only include 16GB of storage, the presence of microSD card support means that users can swap expandable storage modules as they like and thus manually increase the amount available .
What are your thoughts on this new variant? Does the extra 2GB of RAM justify the $30 price jump, or is it just a better idea to go for the full $300 and get a faster SoC and 64GB of RAM? Leave us your comments below and tell us how you feel!
Amazon is selling the ASUS ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage
Today, the ASUS ZenFone 2 re-debuts with a higher amount of RAM. The handset, which has been applauded as one of the better unlocked devices on the market, originally launched with two models that differed in RAM and storage: 2GB of RAM / 16GB of internal storage or 4GB of RAM / 64GB of memory. The price of those models stands at $199 and $299, respectively. The new model keeps the internal storage at 16GB but raises the amount of RAM to 4GB. And the price is an affordable $229.
Via: Liliputing [Amazon]
Come comment on this article: Amazon is selling the ASUS ZenFone 2 with 4GB of RAM and 16GB of storage
Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week – September 12th, 2015
Even though the big IFA 2015 trade show has officially come to a close, we’re still committed to bringing you the best Android-related coverage on the web. A number of major gadget manufacturers have recently announced some interesting products, and we’ve been lucky enough to go hands-on and even unbox some of the new offerings.
The much-anticipated Moto X Pure Edition has finally arrived on our doorstep, and we wasted no time unboxing it and giving you our first impressions. We’ve also brought you some hands-on coverage of the new Huawei Watch and ASUS ZenWatch 2, which you definitely don’t want to miss. If you managed to miss any of our video coverage this week, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. Here are the videos you don’t want to miss this week.
Unboxings and first impressions
Moto X Style / Moto X Pure Edition unboxing and first impressions
Motorola has really hit it out of the park with previous Moto X devices, but how does its newest flagship offering compare? Lanh goes hands-on and gives you his first impressions on the Moto X Pure Edition.
Huawei Watch at IFA 2015
What’s perhaps the most highly-anticipated smartwatch of the year, we finally got to go hands-on with an (almost) finished version of the Huawei Watch.
ASUS ZenWatch 2 first look
The ASUS ZenWatch was one of our favorite Android Wear devices of 2014, and now we’re going hands-on with its successor. Take a look at the video above for a brief overview of the new ASUS ZenWatch 2.
ASUS ZenFone Zoom first look
First announced at CES 2015, the ASUS ZenFone Zoom offers up a 13MP rear-facing camera with OIS, laser autofocus and much more. Check out our hands-on and first impressions video above for more information.
Acer Predator 8 Tablet first look
When it comes to gaming tablets, the space is quite small at the moment. With that said, there may be a new device to pick from soon. Lanh goes hands-on with the newly-announced Acer Predator 8 Tablet.
Huawei Mate S Force Touch hands-on
Apple recently delivered a new feature called 3D Touch with its new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, but the Cupertino-based tech company isn’t the first smartphone maker to bring this feature to the table. Check out our hands-on with Force Touch on the Huawei Mate S.
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3C, Pop Star and Pop Up
Alcatel OneTouch had a huge presence at IFA this year, announcing three new budget-friendly handsets, the Idol 3C, the Pop Star and the Pop Up. Below you can find a brief overview of the new smartphones along with our hands-on and first impressions videos for each device.
Reviews
Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 review
Xiaomi has released some killer budget-friendly smartphones in the past few years, and the Redmi Note 2 is no exception. Bailey is here to walk you through just what this sub-$200 device has to offer.
IFA 2015 wrap up
Our best of IFA 2015!
IFA 2015 was home to some of the most exciting gadget announcements of the year. Check out the video above to see what devices made the top of our list!
IFA 2015 recap
Want to know more about what went on at the big IFA trade show in Berlin? Don’t miss our IFA 2015 recap video attached above.
The best
Best portable projectors of 2015
There are tons of awesome portable projectors out there, some even powered by our favorite operating system. Check out Krystal’s roundup of the best portable projectors of 2015.
20+ best NVIDIA Shield Console games
Do you happen to own a NVIDIA Shield Console? Are you looking for some great new games? If so, we’ve got you covered. Here are the 20 best games available on the NVIDIA Shield Console at the moment.
Rumors, rumors and more rumors
Exclusive: LG’s Nexus 5X release date and pricing
Google will probably release two new Nexus smartphones this year – one made by Huawei, and the other, LG. We’re very certain that the latter will be officially named the LG Nexus 5X and that it will most likely come to the Google Play Store on September 29th. There are a few more details you might not know about the handset, so take a look at the video above for more info.
- Exclusive: LG’s Nexus 5X coming September 29 for around $400
- LG Nexus 5X shows up in clearest image yet
- You can get a good look at what the LG Nexus 5X looks like from these case renders
BlackBerry Venice rumor roundup
Oddly enough, BlackBerry’s upcoming Venice Android phone might be one of the most anticipated and controversial smartphones of the year. There have been tons of rumors floating around lately, so we’re here to compile all of the speculation into one place. Check out Jayce’s video coverage above, and don’t miss Edgar’s written version below.
Android Apps Weekly
Adblock vs YouTube, Humble Bundle, new Google Wallet – you don’t want to miss Joe’s newest episode of Android Apps Weekly!
ASUS Zenfone Zoom hands-on
ASUS first introduced this camera-centric smartphone back during CES 2015, but it wasn’t quite ready for launch at that time. ASUS took the opportunity to showcase this multi-faceted device once again at the ongoing IFA event in Berlin, and we got to spend some time with it. We go hands-on with the ASUS Zenfone Zoom!
It’s obvious right off the bat that the focus of this device is on the camera, and from the back, the camera optics of this device actually makes it look like a typical point-and-shoot camera, and only when you switch over to the front is when you get the feel of a standard, everyday smartphone. The phone features a mix of metal and plastic construction, with the metal frame giving the device some rigidity, while plastic can be found everywhere else.
The plastic back cover is removable as well, which allows for access to the microSD card slot and the SIM card slot. Taking a look around the device, the headphone jack and the microUSB port are at the top and bottom respectively, and the right side houses not only the volume rocker and the power button, but also a dedicated two-stage camera shutter button and a video record button.
Many of the specifications of the Zenfone Zoom are similar to the Zenfone 2 that was also first launched back in January, including a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 panel. If the display is anything like its counterpart, there may be some issues with outdoor visibility, but it should get the job done very well otherwise.
Under the hood, the Zenfone Zoom is packing the same processing package as the high-end version of the Zenfone 2, with its quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz, and backed by the PowerVR G6430 GPU and 4 GB of RAM. The performance of the Zenfone 2 is fantastic, and that should continue to be the case with the Zenfone Zoom as well. 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage can further expanded via microSD card by up to 64 GB, which will likely prove necessarily with the focus on taking a lot of pictures with this device. There is also a non-removable 3,000 mAh battery to be found, which should comfortably allow for a full day of use, if not more, assuming that ASUS has managed to fix some of the battery drain issues that plagued the Zenfone 2.
Of course, the big story here is the primary camera that the device packs. The Zenfone Zoom comes with a 13 MP rear shooter with a 3x optical zoom, with optical image stabilization, and a laser auto-focus system, all of which should allow for a great camera experience. The 10-element lens design also allows for 12x digital zoom. ASUS also claims that the Zenfone Zoom will offer a DSLR-like experience, courtesy of a new Super Resolution mode that can create shots up to 52 MP, along with a manual mode that allows for instant adjustment of the shutter speed, exposure, white balance, ISO, and many other Pro level grade settings. Whether it is good enough to replicate the quality of a DSLR however, remains to be seen.
While the camera unit does dominate the back, it isn’t as jarring as is the case with some other implementations out there, allowing for quite a good feel in the hand. ASUS is certainly quite proud of how thin they’ve managed to keep this phone, touting it as the world’s thinnest smartphone that features 3x optical zoom. All the zooming is done internally, so you won’t be seeing any physical movements on the outside either.
On the software side of things, the Zenfone Zoom is running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, with ASUS’ Zen UI on top. You can expect to see a lot of the Zen UI features that were seen with the Zenfone 2 here as well, including a pretty solid amount of pre-installed applications that most people are going to consider bloatware.
So, there you have it for this quick look at the ASUS Zenfone Zoom! This device could well be the solution for anyone in the market for a smartphone that puts the camera at the forefront, and if ASUS continues to follow their great pricing strategy they used with the Zenfone 2, the Zoom may be quite affordable as well. Pricing information is still to be confirmed though, but as far as availability is concerned, the ASUS Zenfone Zoom will be coming to Europe by the end of the year, with the color options limited to black or ceramic white.
AIVAnet 