Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 Review

The ZenFone series of devices have had a rollercoaster-like existence in India. From the soaring success of the first generation ZenFone to the hit or miss attempt at making it a high end product, the company hasn't shied away from experiments either. The ZenFone series became a catch all of sorts with interesting devices like the ZenFone Zoom and ZenFone AR also falling under the same branding. As it goes though, it is the value segment that rules the roost in India. Asus went back to the drawing board and has created a brand new device specifically for India and our initial impressions put it as rather impressive. Let's dive in for a closer review of the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1.  ASUS Zenfone Max Pro (M1) specifications 5.99-inch (2160×1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with 1500:1 contrast ratio, 85% NTSC color gamut, 450 nits brightness 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 3GB RAM with 32GB storage, 4GB /6GB RAM with 64GB storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo) Dual SIM (nano + nano) 13MP rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, secondary 5MP camera 8MP ...

Nokia X6 (TA-1099) receives Bluetooth certification, three new unknown models get certified

HMD Global recently confirmed  that the Nokia X will be announced on May 16th in China and also showcased the phone at the Sanlitun experience store. Nokia TA-1099 got certified by  TENAA in China that confirmed the complete specifications of the phone. Now the phone has received Bluetooth certification that confirms the name as Nokia X6 and Bluetooth 5.0 support for Snapdragon 636. In addition three new models -  TA-1075, TA-1105 & TA-1116  have been certified in Russia but the name has not been revealed yet. Nokia X6 rumored specifications 5.8-inch (2280 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 3GB LPDDR4 RAM with 32GB internal storage / 4GB / 6GB LPDDR4 RAM with 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary rear camera 16MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor 3.5 mm headphone jack Dimensions:  147.2×70.98×7.99; Weight: 151g 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS 3000mAh battery with fast charging We should know all the details when the phone goes official next Wednesday. Source | Via 1, 2

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 Camera Samples

Asus launched the Zenfone Max Pro M1 last month. We already brought you the unboxing and benchmarks of the smartphone, here we have the camera samples from the smartphone. The phone packs a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, 1.12μm pixel size, f/2.2 aperture along with a secondary 5-megapixel camera to capture the depth information for portrait shots. It has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with soft LED flash and f/2.2 aperture. The company already said that it is using OmniVision sensors. The camera UI is has shutter button on the right, option to switch to video camera and preview window. On the left here is a settings menu, option to switch to dual-camera portrait mode, Beautify, toggle between front and rear cameras,  different scene modes (Mono, Sepia, Negative, Solarize, Poserize, Aqua, Emoss, Sketch and Neon) and option to select several modes (Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Flowers, Backlight, Candlelight, Sunset, Night, Beach and Snow). Flash toggle, Timer, option to adjust ISO, Exposure, White Balance, Redeye reduction and more options are available in the settings. Beautify mode lets you choose High, Mid, Low or turn it Off. There is also custom option to choose whiten and soften intensity. Coming to the image quality, the daylight shots are good, ...

Sony Xperia XZ Premium, XA1 Ultra and XA1 Plus get a price cut in India

Sony today announced price cuts for its Xperia XZ Premium, XA1 Ultra and XA1 Plus smartphones in India. The Xperia XZ Premium that was launched in July last year is now available for Rs. 49,990, after a price cut of Rs. 10,000 from the launch price of Rs. 59,990. The Xperia XA1  Ultra that was launched back in July last year for Rs. 29,990, already got a price cut to Rs. 27,990 in September. Now it is getting another price cut and is now available for Rs. 22,990. Finally, the Xperia XA1 Plus that was launched for Rs. 24990 back in September last year has received a Rs. 5000 price cut and is available for  Rs. 19,990. Looks like the company is clearing the stocks of their old smartphones that it has not sold. Still Sony's mid-range segment doesn't have a solid smartphone that is affordable. The company is yet to launch its flagship Xperia XZ2 smartphone in India that was introduced at the MWC earlier this year. Last month it announced Xperia XZ2 Premium, the company's first smartphone with dual rear cameras.

OPPO demos world’s first 5G video call using 3D structured light technology, coming to smartphones soon

OPPO today has announced that it has successfully demoed world's first 5G video call using 3D structured light technology. The demonstration reproduced a 3D portrait image on a remote receiver using portrait information collected structured-light 3D camera of an OPPO phone and 5G NR terminal prototypes from Qualcomm. The company has utilized a customized OPPO R11s with the integrated structured light camera. It collected the color and 3D depth of the target object using RGB and the structured light camera of the phone. The information is transmitted from a 5G environment and was able to finally display the target object in a remote display screen. With high speed (eMBB), large capacity (mMTC), and low-latency (URLLC), the 5G technology is a new start of mobile telecommunication industry. The Mobile internet is reducing the boundaries between the physical world and digital world, while 3D content will be a factor to further improve the immersive user experience. OPPO also mentioned that it is committed to providing innovative application by utilizing 3D structured light technology. Earlier this year OPPO announced 5G pilot program with Qualcomm Technologies, and it will be one of the first smartphone manufacturers to launch 5G handsets in 2019.  OPPO said that it will commercialize the application of 3D structured light technology in smartphones in approximately ...

Google highlights how it manages user data; Google Cloud is now fully GDPR compliant

Google last announced that it is committed to GDPR compliance across G Suite and Google Cloud Platform and the company today, ahead of the new law coming into effect has highlighted some of the key steps and changes it has taken. Firstly, Google is updating its current Privacy Policy for users to quickly understand what information it is collecting, and why it collects. It is also updating the navigation and organization of the policy to make it easier for users to find what you’re looking. The policy also includes explanatory videos and illustrations. Google also clarified that despite the change in privacy policy, it doesn't affect your current settings or how your information is processed. Google is also making changes to the My Account section by improving both the controls and the clarity of information in My Account. Within the 'My Account' section users can choose what activity is saved to your Google Account and also provides a simple on/off toggle to control everything. In the My Account section, users can view/delete data including search history, location history, browsing history, take a Security Checkup or Privacy Checkup of the account, manage or mute the ads you see on Google, and see an overview of all the Google products that you are using. The company also ...

Vivo schedules an event in India on May 29, X21 with in-display fingerprint sensor expected

Vivo just sent an invite to launch a new smartphone in India on May 29th. The invite has a big 'X' so it will be 'X series' smartphone, which will likely be the X21 that was introduced in China back in March. The under-display fingerprint sensor version was also launched in Singapore last week. It is not clear if the company is planning both the standard version with rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and the top-end version of the phone with under-display fingerprint sensor. There is also X21i that got certified in China today with Helio P60 SoC and a 24-megapixel front camera. Vivo X21 specifications 6.28-inch (2280 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 Super AMOLED display Octa Core Snapdragon 660 AIE 14nm Mobile Platform (Quad 2.2GHz Kryo 260 + Quad 1.8GHz Kryo 260 CPUs) with Adreno 512 GPU 6GB RAM, 128GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 12MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, secondary 5MP camera with f/2.4 aperture 12MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture In-display Fingerprint sensor Dimensions: 154.45 × 74.78 × 7.37mm; Weight: 156.2g 3.5mm audio jack, AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ...

Chrome OS to get Gboard, app shortcuts, Picture-in-picture and more with Android P

Google has confirmed at the I/O 2018 that it is bringing some much-needed features like Gboard, app shortcuts to Chrome OS later this year and  Android P for Chrome OS will bring support for Picture-in-Picture mode just like Android. These new additions will help developers and Chrome OS users as well.  The Chrome OS 69 update will bring Android virtual keyboard; Gboard with its expressive features like GIFs, stickers, and emoji adjusted and scaled to match the width of the Pixelbook. Chrome OS apps also again support app shortcuts, with notifications, actions, and system controls to Pin. https://youtu.be/6kIZ_u4QE9U Chrome OS 69 that is coming this fall will also bring multi-channel USB, AAudio, and Audio MMAP. Google demoed the DJ app running from a Chromebook. Android P update for Chrome OS will bring the much-needed support for Picture-in-Picture with controls. Android Studio on Mac, Windows, and Linux gets full Chrome OS emulator with a full image. Via 

FCC announces US net neutrality rules will end on June 11

The Federal Communications Commission announced that USA net neutrality rules will expire on June 11, meaning that new regulations on how consumers can access the internet will take effect will change. The FCC back in December 2017 annulled the open-internet rules set in 2015. The open-internet rules set in 2015 bars service providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging consumers more for certain content. However, the new rules set by FCC requires the internet service providers whether it will block or ask to pay extra to access the content. However,  Comcast Corp, Verizon Communications Inc, and AT&T Inc promised not to discriminate against legal content after the net neutrality rules expire. Furthermore, a group of 22 states led by New York and others have sued with an aim to block the new rules from taking effect and the Senate voting may take as early as next week to reject the December repeal. These rules make the internet service providers put their profits before the consumers they serve and some internet service providers have already clarified that might eventually offer paid fast lanes for some future internet traffic. Ajit Pai said that internet providers were given 30 days to comply with the new transparency rules so that everyone ...

Google clarifies its AI voice calling Duplex system will identify itself

Google at the I/O 2018 event this week introduced one of the most controversial Assistant feature; Google Duplex which mimics itself as human and makes appointments. While the question arises on how ethical this feature is, Google just clarified in a statement that the experimental system will have “disclosure built-in.” This means that whatever shape Duplex takes in the future, it will involve some kind of verbal announcement to the person on the other end that they are in fact talking to AI. Google Duplex is not a fully functional feature yet, Google just showcased a glimpse of the feature at the I/O event and said that it will start testing the feature in the coming days. Google Assistant sounds much more lifelike thanks to Google's partnership with of DeepMind’s new WaveNet audio-generation technique and other advances in natural language processing. At the demo the conversation sounded much more lifelike the voice is so convincingly with the use of phrases like“uh” and “um.” However, Google says that it doesn't know how that disclosure would sound yet and it needs further testing is needed to see the reactions. Though Google didn't state that it has all intentions to disclose beforehand on stage during the demo, it did clarify ...