Asus to release a xenon flash dongle for the Zenfone 2
Alongside the launch of its latest Zenfone 2 smartphone in Taiwan, Asus also announced a new xenon flash dongle. The accessory is designed to dramatically increase the brightness of the camera flash compared with the standard dual-LED flash setup.
The xenon flash dongle connects up to the handset via a USB cable and then sticks to the back of your phone. It then syncs up with the camera app for a “400 times” stronger flash when taking a picture in low light conditions. Unfortunately, we don’t know if the dongle works exclusively with Asus smartphones or if it can be used with all Android devices.
Asus also announced a similar, smaller circular “LolliFlash” accessory, which is a dual-tone LED torch designed to add a little color to your pictures. It has its own battery and doesn’t communicate with the host device like the xenon flash dongle does, but can be secured into the headphone jack of any smartphone for stability when taking pictures. The LolliFlash comes with a set of color filters, either red, yellow or blue, which double up as protective covers.
Asus has not announced the prices or release details for either of the two camera accessories yet.
ASUS will soon let you add a xenon flash to its phones
Remember the good old days when phones came with a powerful xenon flash instead of just LEDs? Well, thanks to ASUS, you’ll soon have the option to add one to an Android phone — or at least to an ASUS one, anyway. The ZenFlash came to us as a surprise announcement at today’s ZenFone 2 launch in Taiwan: It’s a xenon flash dongle that connects via USB OTG, and you can stick it onto the back of your phone for that “400 times” stronger flash. Alas, it’s still early days so there’s no further detail on this device. No price, no date and no confirmation on whether the ZenFlash will work on non-ASUS Android phones.
The second surprise of the day was the circular LolliFlash, which is essentially a basic dual-tone LED torch (with its own battery) that can be secured onto the headphone jack of any phone. Unlike Lenovo’s version, there’s no communication between the LolliFlash and its host; you simply leave the light or lights on before you take a shot — especially a selfie. It’ll even come with a set of three color filters — red, yellow and blue — that double as protective covers, but we imagine most users will just leave them at home. Again, ASUS has yet to announce commercial availability, but we can’t imagine this simple device can cause much damage to one’s wallet.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, ASUS
Intel powered Asus Zenfone 2 launches in Taiwan
Announced earlier at this year’s CES, the Asus Zenfone 2 has now gone on sale in Taiwan, with a number of versions costing anywhere from NT$4,990 ($160) up to NT$8,990 ($290), all of which very reasonable.
The Asus Zenfone 2 range is spit into a number of configurations. Some come with slightly different Intel Atom Z3580 or Z3560 SoCs with varying clock speeds, there’s a choice between 720p and FullHD displays, up to 4GB of RAM, and 16/32/64 GB internal memory options. Fortunately, all models come with LTE connectivity, dual-SIM and microSD card slots, and Android 5.0 Lollipop.
The list below should help you get your head around some of the options and their prices.
ZE551ML (4GB) – NT$8,990 ($290)
- 2.3 GHz Intel Atom Z3580
- 5.5-inch 1080p display
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal memory
- 13MP rear camera & 5MP front camera
- 3,000 mAh battery
ZE551ML (2GB) – NT$6,990 ($220)
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB internal memory
- Rest, same as above
ZE550ML – NT$5,990 ($190)
- 1.8 GHz Intel Atom Z3560
- 5.5-inch 720p display
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal memory
- 13MP rear camera & 5MP front camera
- 3,000 mAh battery
ZE550CL – NT$4,990 ($160)
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560
- 5.5-inch 720p display
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal memory
- 8MP rear camera & 2MP front camera
- 2,500 mAh battery
All of the handsets are available from Taiwan’s largest carriers and can also be bought through Asus’ online store. As for a global roll-out, Asus states that the Zenfone 2 will be making its way to markets around the world in the coming months, with launch events planned for China, Hong Kong, France, Russia, Japan, Indonesia, India, and the United States.
For a closer look at the Asus Zenfone 2, check out our hands on and first impressions from CES.
Asus Zenfone 2 with 4GB of RAM becomes available to pre-order for $440
Ever since the Asus Zenfone 2 was announced in Las Vegas last month, we’ve been waiting for news of its availability and pricing. One reason for the excitement has been that that the Zenfone 2, or at least one variant anyway, is one of the very first smartphones to boast 4GB of RAM. And now it’s available to pre-order via AliExpress for $440.
As alluded to above, the Zenfone 2 comes in two variants, with the lower model sporting a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 Quad-Core processor running at 1.8GHz, along with 2GB of RAM. The higher-powered model uses the 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 Quad-Core CPU, running at 2.3GHz and backed up with 4GB of RAM. Apart from those differences, both models share the same hardware:
- Android Lollipop with brand new Asus Zen UI.
- MicroSD card support, up to 64GB.
- 16GB/32GB/64GB Internal Storage.
- 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 Full HD IPS display (443ppi).
- Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3.
- 5MP Front-facing camera,f/2.0-aperture, wide-angle 85-degree lens.
- 13MP Rear-facing camera,f/2.0-aperture, auto-focus with Dual-colour flash and Zero shutter lag
- Dual Micro-SIM support
- GPS/ A-GPS/ GLONASS
- 3,000mAh battery, fast-charging technology
- 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9mm (thinnest point of 3.9mm)
- Weighs 170 grams
The 2GB model is available to pre-order on AliExpress for $299.90, a bit more expensive than Asus’ previously announced price of $200. The 4GB model Zenfone 2 has a pre-order price of $439.90. Both the 2GB/4GB models up for pre-order have 64GB of internal storage, and they are available in Ceramic White/Osmium Black/Glamor Red/Glacier Gray/Sheer Gold colours. As yet, there is no firm date on shipping.
Via: PhoneArena
Source: AliExpress
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ASUS refreshes their tablet/phone hybrid lineup with the Fonepad 7
ASUS has announced a refresh in their massive Fonepad line with the Fonepad 7. The device features some decent upgrades over previous models, plus Android 5.0 Lollipop right out of the box.
The 7-inch, 1280 x 800 tablet sports a Intel processor under the hood, keeping up the trend with the Fonepad lineup. You’ll also find 2 GB of RAM, up to 16 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 5 megapixel rear camera. The Fonepad 7 supports 7 LTE bands for a wide range of wireless compatibility, and the speakers are located on the front of the device, which is a nice touch.
The tablet/phone hybrid won’t blow you out of the water, but since it’s going to retail for around $250, it’s not a bad deal. It might not be for everyone, but ASUS has had some decent success with their Fonepad line, so don’t expect it to disappear anytime soon.
source: ASUS
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ASUS definitely plans to release smartwatch not using Android Wear
Back in January Asus let it be known they were working on a successor to their Zenwatch smartwatch wearable. Part of their plans include extending battery life by looking for some new chip technology and possibly an alternative operating system to Google’s Android Wear. CEO Jerry Shen revealed late last week that the company is working on a solution that does not involve Android Wear as the way to achieve longer battery life in a smartwatch, although the Zenwatch successor may still get Android Wear.
According to Shen, “we will have another (smartwatch) that is not based on Android Wear and features a longer battery life.” The other smartwatch he is referring to is something other than the second-generation Zenwatch which Shen says will use Android Wear. A non-Android Wear device could be announced alongside the next Zenwatch or it could be the third-generation of the device that gets the alternate operating system.
As part of their future strategy Asus is looking at a Mediatek system-on-chip that is still under development to power their forthcoming wearable devices. Combined with a new operating system, Asus hopes to squeeze seven days of life out of a single charge.
source: Focus Taiwan
via: G for Games
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ASUS won’t be dropping Android Wear, but we can expect a new smartwatch companion in the future
The smartwatch game has been slowly heating up over the last year or so. Much of that is thanks to Google and the Android Wear platform that gave manufacturers a simple to implement OS that would connect to Android devices everywhere. Many of the big players got involved right out of the gate and continue […]
The post ASUS won’t be dropping Android Wear, but we can expect a new smartwatch companion in the future appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
A future Asus smartwatch won’t use Android Wear
A couple of weeks ago, Jonney Shih, chairman of Asus, began talking about the company’s plans for future smartwatches. Longer battery life was one of the key improvements that the company wants to make, but Asus stated that it may need to leave Android Wear behind to accomplish this. Speaking this Friday, Asus CEO Jerry Shen reaffirmed that the company will be ditching Android Wear for at least one upcoming smartwatch, in order to achieve longer battery life.
No exact hardware details were given out about the new smartwatch, but previously Shih had suggested that Asus was targeting battery life that would last seven days. Shen also let slip that the non-Android Wear smartwatch may be powered by a new MediaTek SoC, which is said to still be under-development.
“We will continue to work with Google on Android Wear, and we will have another (smartwatch) that is not based on Android Wear and features a longer battery life,” – Asus CEO Jerry Shen
Despite the talk of an Android Wear alternative, Asus stated that its second-generation ZenWatch will still make use of Google’s wearable platform.
Instead of abandoning Android Wear completely, the company appears to be planning a separate smartwatch line that will offer a longer battery life at the expense of some of Google’s platform features. Previously, Asus also announced that is has two lower cost “wristband-like” devices in the pipeline, which will focus on the health and fitness market.
Asus will introduce new ZenFone 2 models
According to news out of Taiwan today, Asustek is readying new variants of the ZenFone 2. These new variants will be powered by Qualcomm and MediaTek. The reason for this diversification is Asus‘ goal to double its smartphone shipments this year and to top 17 million units by year’s end.
The lower-priced Qualcomm variant will debut sometime in the second quarter with a target for the mainstream audience. The MediaTek version will debut in India where 3G phones are popular. That version is set to debut sometime in teh second half of 2015 as a direct-successor to the Intel version.
source: Focus Taiwan
via: G for Games
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Asus equips upcoming ZenFone Zoom with HOYA lens
At CES 2015, Asus had a spectacular release event that introduced the world to the first smartphone running 4 GB of RAM, among other awesome features. This smartphone I’m speaking of is, of course, the ZenFone 2.
There was, however, a brief bit about a ZenFone Zoom and how it’d have a 13 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom and a 10 element lens. Official details from Asus have been fairly scarce on the device, so many were left wondering how all of that goodness would fit inside a thin smartphone.
Details are beginning to emerge that answer that question. It appears that Asus may be utilizing the HOYA lens to accomplish such a feat.
What is a HOYA lens, you might ask? If you go to the HOYA Corporation’s website, you’ll find specs for the lens like this handy chart:
Originally announced back in 2013, the Japanese company’s HOYA lens is a “lens unit with 3x optical zoom and optical shake reduction that features the industry’s thinnest size of 6 mm in depth.”
It’s not said whether HOYA has made any improvements on the lens unit since then, but this should give us some idea of what to expect.
Source: HOYA via WhatsOnTech
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