Asus to launch Zenfone 3 phones in India today, might launch ZenPad 3 too

                              


Asus will launch Zenfone 3 series phones in India. There are three phones in the Zenfone 3 series - Zenfone 3, Zenfone 3 Deluxe and Zenfone 3 Ultra. These phones were first unveiled at the Computex event in Taipei in May this year. Meanwhile, we are also expecting Asus to launch its recently announced ZenPad 3 tablet during the event as well.

                            


The Zenfone 3 comes in gold, blue, black, and white colours. It has Corning Gorilla Glass coating on both front and back panels while an aluminimum frame protects its internals. The Zenfone 3 has a 5.5-inch LCD screen, a Snapdragon 625 processor, a 16-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera, a 3000 mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor, USB-C 2.0 port, 4GB RAM, and an expandable storage slot that can hold a micro SD card of up to 64GB. The Zenfone 3 is priced at $249 or Rs 16,755 respectively.


The Zenfone 3 Deluxe and Zenfone 3 Ultra have metal unibody. The Zenfone 3 Deluxe has been announced in gray, silver, and gold colours. It has a slightly bigger 5.7-inch 1080p OLED touchscreen, Snapdragon 820 processor, a 23-megapixel rear camera, USB-C 3.0 port, and 6GB RAM. The Deluxe is priced at $499 or Rs 33,577 approximately for the 6GB of RAM plus 64GB internal storage variant. A 256GB of Zenfone 3Deluxewill be launched later.


The Zenfone 3 Ultra has a huge 6.8-inch LCD screen that comes with full HD resolution. It is powered by a Snapdragon 652 processor and 4GB RAM. It too has a 23-megapixel rear camera, USB-C 3.0 port but comes with a bigger 4,600 mAh battery. The Zenfone 3 Ultra comes in gray, silver and pink colours. The Ultra has a price tag of $479 or Rs 32,238 approximately.


ZenPad 3 8.0 has a 7.9-inch IPS (2048×1536p) display that comes with anti-fingerprint coating. It comes with the 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, which is paired with Adreno 510 GPU. The tablet runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system that is wrapped under ZenUI 3.0 and for power, it comes bundled with a 4680 mAh non-removable battery which claims to offer up-to 11 hours of battery life.

The Asus ZenPad 3 8.0 comes in two variants - one with 2GB RAM with 16GB internal storage and the other with 4GB RAM with 32GB of internal storage. The ZenPad 3 8.0 memory can be further expanded by up-to 128GB via a micro SD card. The tablet has an 8-megapixel rear camera on the rear, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling. Besides, the tablet offers 4G/LTE, WiFi (802.11 ac/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS, USB Type-C, stereo speakers and a gyro and e-compass sensor. The tablet measures 205.4 x 136.4 x 7.57 mm and it weighs around 320 grams.

Xiaomi Redmi 3S, 3S Prime launched in India at Rs. 6,999, Rs. 8,999

                         

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime in India. The device features a metal body and is available in two variants, one with 2GB RAM/16GB expandable storage and the other, Redmi 3S Prime, with 3GB RAM/32GB expandable storage. The devices are available in gold, dark grey, and silver colour variants and are priced at Rs. 6,999 and Rs. 8,999 respectively. The Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime will be available from August 9, while the Redmi 3S will be available from August 19. Both devices will be available exclusively on Mi.com and Flipkart without pre-registration. The phone features a 5-inch HD display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC. The device also features 13MP camera at the back with PDAF, while at the front is a 5MP camera. The Redmi 3S Prime also features a fingerprint scanner located at the back of the device. While the device is smaller than the Redmi Note 3, it features a larger 4100mAh battery, which the company claims to last up to two days with moderate use. The Redmi 3S was already launched in China a couple of months ago.


The Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime will be up against the likes of the Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus, Coolpad Note 3 and even the 2GB RAM variant of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. Judging by the specifications, Xiaomi has a very impressive device on its hands and the company might be able to emulate the success of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 with the new phone. Stay tuned for a full review of the new phone.

Google's video-calling app Duo

   

                                        
Announced at its I/O developer conference earlier this year, Google has finally made its video calling app - Duo, available to the general public. The app boasts features like end-to-end encryption and claims to deliver a great user experience. Duo is set to take on the likes of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.


Here's all you need to know about Google's newest video calling app.
The 'Knock Knock' feature

Google Duo app comes with an interesting feature called 'Knock Knock,' which previews a short video of the caller before the call is picked. Once the user answers the call, the audio turns on and the two parties can start the conversation. Android users can use 'Knock Knock' directly from the lockscreen without opening Duo. On the other hand, iPhone users will have to launch the app to check who's calling them.

'Knock Knock' can be disabled

'Knock Knock' is only available with contacts that are in a user's phonebook. Users can also block any other users from calling them by disabling the 'Knock Knock' functionality. This feature can be altogether disabled from the app's settings.

User friendly interface

Duo flaunts an immaculate and simple user interface. Before a call is started, users can see icons to start a video call with their recent contacts. During a call, options are presented that can be used to mute audio, switch cameras and hang up the call.

Works well on slow connections

Google claims that Duo can operate well even on slow network connections . Although all calls on Duo are in HD quality, the app can automatically adjust the video quality based on network strength.

Multi-platform

Like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger is also multi-platform and is available on both iOS and Android.

Bottomline

With Duo, it seems that Google has managed to pick up quite some features from competing instant messengers (IMs) like WhatsApp and made them better with additional features like search functionality. Duo's features are likely to make things easier for users, as they will get search, booking and video calling features in one app. How well Duo manages to do against competitors like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, is something only time will be able to tell.

courtesy - TOI

Samsung to Launch 5000 mAh Battery phone in India

A Samsung phone packing in a mammoth 5,000mAh battery is set to be launched in India sometime next month, according to a new report. The phone in question is likely to be an ‘A series pro device," the report notes.

A Samsung A series Pro device with 5,000mAh battery - does that ring a bell? Yes, the handset could very well be the Galaxy A9 Pro (2016), which has already made its international debut - it was first launched in China back in March this year.

                               

Needless to say, none of this has been officially confirmed by the South Korean company