Asus Zenfone - affordable Android phone for SE Asia market, starts at RM299

South-East Asia market is not short of high-end smartphones, and a lot of users in this region are using either the latest Samsung flagship, the Galaxy series or the top-end iPhone. But it is also in need of mid-priced to low-but-well-equipped phones. Asus meets this requirement with its latest Zenfone offerings.

The computer maker has launched the dual-SIM Zenfone series, comprising the Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6, all named for their respective screen sizes, for the SEA market.

Asus Zenfone 6: RM899

Asus Zenfone 5: RM599

Asus Zenfone 4: RM299

Asus Zenfone 4, 5 and 6 Specifications

On paper, the Zenfone series specifications are comparable to the medium to high-end models from oher brands such as Sony, Samsung, LG and Apple. Time will tell, however, if the user experience and durability are up to expectations.

	Zenfone 4	Zenfone 5	Zenfone 6
Screen size	4-inch	5-inch	6-inch
Resolution	800 x 480  pix	1,280 x 720 pix HD	1,280 x 720 ix HD
	233 ppi	233 ppi	233 ppi
Processor	Intel Atom Multicore	Intel Atom Multicore	Intel Atom Multicore
O.System	Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.3	Android 4.3
RAM Memory	1 GB	1 GB	2 GB
Storage	8GB internal	8GB internal	8GB internal
Additional	5GB Asus Cloud	5GB Asus Cloud	5GB Asus Cloud
Camera	PixelMaster	PixelMaster	PixelMaster
	18 camera modes	18 camera modes	18 camera modes
Battery	1,200mAh	2,050mAh	3,230mAh
SIM card	dual-SIM	dual-SIM	dual-SIM
Price	RM299	RM599	RM899

New in the offering are features such as What’s Next, which presents the user’s most important information on the lock screen, home screen and notification drawer. Also, there is the Do It Later feature which allows users to focus on the current task at hand by automatically creating reminders to help them follow up on things they may not have been able to attend to.

In real life, this is how the Zenfone measure up in the hand of a user.

Asus Zenfone: Prices and Availability

The phones are expected to be available in Malaysia from end-April 2014. Asus stated that the operating system can be upgraded to the latest Android 4.4 version (KitKat) by the end of the year. Recommended retail prices are as follows:

Asus Zenfone 4: RM299
Asus Zenfone 5: RM599
Asus Zenfone 6: RM899

Read more at Tech News.


TheGreenMechanics: More choices for consumers. Hopefully performance-wise, they are up to standard. Asus is pretty well known in the consumer electronic goods, in particular, computers.

US gave green light for cars to 'talk' to each other

Will you drive a car that would rather 'talk' to nearby vehicles for navigation than to wait for your 'instruction' to maneuver a risky driving situation?

According to report, the US government has given a green light for a technology that'd enable a car to see a crash coming even if its driver doesn't. But for this to happen, it will require automakers to equip new vehicles with technology that lets cars warn each other if they're heading toward peril.

The US federal transportation believes this will have game-changing potential to cut collisions, deaths and injuries.


How the 'talking' works

A radio signal would transmit a vehicle's position, heading, speed and other information. Cars and light trucks would receive the same information back from other cars, and a vehicle's computer would alert its driver to an impending collision.


Vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology allows exchange basic safety data such as speed and position to help avoid collisions. Image: Discovery


Alerts could be in the form of a flashing message, an audible warning, or a driver's seat that rumbles. Some systems might even automatically brake to avoid an accident if manufacturers choose to include that option.


Unlike the technology behind Google's self-driving cars, vehicle-to-vehicle communication is not intended to replace human drivers. Image: US Dept. of Transportation


Your car would "see" when another car or truck equipped with the same technology was about to run a red light, even if that vehicle was hidden around a corner. Your car would also know when a car several vehicles ahead in a line of traffic had made a sudden stop and alert you even before you saw brake lights The technology works up to about 300 yards.

To find out more, you can continue reading at Yahoo News


TheGreenMechanics:

Very interesting preposition here; I have a personal concern, though. The more you take the personal responsibility out of the hands of the driver, the more likely you are to have an accident. Especially so with new, inexperienced drivers.

One day a new driver who has experience only with new high-tech cars gets behind the wheel of a slightly older car without this technology. He thought the car is going to stop for him and banggg! He rammed a nice looking talking car at a busy junction. "Oppss, I forgot this car can't 'talk', sorry."