ASUS announces a budget smartphone, Zenfone Go 4.5 LTE, in India

ASUS has announced the launched of its latest affordable 4G smartphone, the Zenfone GO 4.5 LTE.

The device sports a premium metallic IMR hairline finish with diamond-cutting technology, and measures just 3.6 mm at its thinnest edge. The ergonomic arc design boasts of a physical rear-facing volume key allowing users to adjust the volume or click multiple selfies with easily.

Through our smartphones, we aim to cater to a wide segment of users, and we endeavor to offer the differentiated ASUS technology even in mass segments. We are sure this smartphone will able to provide an enriching user experience and be appreciated by our users across the county.

– Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager, ASUS India

ASUS Zenfone Go 4.5 LTE (ZB450KL) Specifications

• Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ASUS ZenUI
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 1.0 GHz quad-core | Adreno 306 GPU
• RAM: 1GB LPDDR3
• Internal Storage: 8GB; expandable up to 128GB with microSD card | 100GB Google Drive storage for 2 years
• Display: 4.5-inch FWVGA (854×480) | 380 nits | Bluelight filter
• Camera: 8MP front camera | 2MP rear camera
• Battery: 2070mAh
• Dimension: 136.5 x 66.7 x 3.6~11.2 mm
• Weight: 135g

The new variant of Zenfone Go 4.5 LTE is available online starting today and will be available across leading retail stores in the country before the end of the month. The device will available in two types of back cover finish variants – Matte finish in Glamour Red color and with Hairline finish in Silver Blue, Gold, and Silver – at a price of ₹6999 ($103).

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2iafpfS
via IFTTT

Chinese giant Oppo plans massive investment in India

India is an increasingly contested battleground for the world's top smartphone makers. Among them, Chinese companies like Lenovo, Xiaomi and OnePlus have strong presences in the country, which recently beat the US to become the second largest telecom market in the world.

See also:

Where are smartphones made?

August 5, 2016

Now Oppo, the Chinese company that quietly worked its way into the top 5 of global smartphone vendors, announced massive investments into a new industrial park in Noida.

Oppo already had production facilities in Noida, but the new investment will greatly increase its capacity in India. The industrial park, which will cover an area of 1,000 acres, will entail total investments of around Rs. 1,465 crores or $216 million.

Oppo's goals for its Indian manufacturing arm are ambitious. Sky Li, President of Oppo India, said that production capacity could eventually hit 100 million units per year, though the initial target is 50 million.

Oppo's Noida industrial park is projected to begin operations with three years.

Li said that Oppo will continue to focus on upper and mid-range products in the Indian market. "We are creating a trend for the industry and many are following our footsteps on the selfie functionality. Our positioning (in the market) is correct and precise, and that is giving credit to our market research," Li said.

Videos

OPPO F1 Plus review

OPPO R7s Review

OPPO Mirror 5 review

OPPO R7 review

Oppo's venture is the latest in a string of investments made by global mobile companies including Huawei, OnePlus, Asus, and LG. Not everyone is able to keep up though – Acer just announced it would withdraw from India, effectively abandoning one of the world's most important markets.

By 2020, the Indian mobile user base is expected to balloon to one billion subscribers, up from 616 million users in 2016.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2i2x6zN
via IFTTT

Wileyfox will reveal its transition plans away from Cyanogen “soon”

Last week's announcement that Cyanogen Inc would be shutting down its services and OS by December 31 was a big surprise, particularly for owners of the smartphones that use that operating system. One of those smartphone makers is UK-based Wileyfox. Today, the company sent an email to a concerned customer assuring them they are working on transition plans away from the Cyanogen OS.

See also:

Cyanogen: where did it go wrong?

2 weeks ago

The full statement from the Wileyfox rep, as posted by the recipient on Reddit, is as follows:

Our OS Strategy and Software plan moving forward will be complete soon. We have agreed a smooth transition where we will continue deliver constant and consistent software and OS updates. Our plan is to bring our entire Wileyfox portfolio onto Android N, the latest version of Google Android's OS, in a timely manner – while still continuing to protect the range with Google software security updates. We will share our full and final plan in due time.

Judging by the statement, it's possible that Cyanogen's announcement last week may have thrown Wileyfox a curveball, and as such they may have not been ready for the company to shut down its OS and services so quickly. Hopefully, Wileyfox will reveal its full transition plans sooner rather than later.

The smartphone maker started selling devices in 2015, with its Spark and Swift branded phones. Wileyfox recently launched the Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus with Cyanogen 13.1 out of the box in early November.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2i97EH6
via IFTTT

Happy Holidays | Podcast 093

In this edition of the Android Authority Podcast, Joshua Vergara is joined by Jonathan Feist, Joe Hindy and David Imel, a casual episode turns into serious discussion on gaming on mobile, Note 7 airplane nuisances, the Pebble 2 review was fun for Josh and we generally just hang out for an hour and a half.

Best of the season to all of you!

The Android Authority Podcast – discussing topics in Android every week.

Rough Timecodes:
43:00 – Joe does not like mint and chocolate

Links to Podcast

RSS Feed
iTunes
Stitcher
SoundCloud
Direct Download

Relevant Links

Android Authority Forums – Podcast discussion
Note 7 investigation complete – what went wrong?
Best holiday lists

Follow our Hosts

Joshua Vergara Twitter | Google+	Joseph Hindy Twitter | Google+
Andrew Grush Twitter | Google+	Jonathan Feist Twitter | Google+
Nirave Gondhia Twitter | Google+	John Dye Twitter | Facebook
Lanh Nguyen Twitter | YouTube	David Imel Twitter | Instagram
December 2016 giveaways
SoundGuys – Powerbeats3 giveaway TabTimes – iPad Pro 9.7 giveaway	VRSource – Oculus Rift and Oculus Touch giveaway Charged – DJI Mavic Pro drone giveaway

Recorded on December 22nd, 2016 – Hosted and produced by Joshua Vergara.

"Please don't unsubscribe! (Also, we're sorry.)"

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2hIwgp6
via IFTTT

Snapchat’s acquisition of Cimagine could signal a big push into AR

Snapchat looks like it will be adding some augmented reality features to its messaging app in the near future. The company has reportedly, and quietly, acquired an AR startup in Israel called Cimagine, and the price was allegedly between $30 million to $40 million.

See also:

These are the Snapchat Spectacles

2 weeks ago

TechCrunch reports that Cimagine, which launched in 2012, created technology that allows companies to show how their products look in the real world with virtual devices. Coca-Cola was among its many clients before the acquisition by Snap Inc, the recently renamed parent company of Snapchat.

Snapchat has already become a hit among many users for its animated stickers that can be superimposed on a person's videos. It also recently began selling Snapchat Spectacles, in special flash sales in many US cities. While these are more of a marketing gimmick than a real push to sell hardware, it could offer a glimpse into the future of Snapchat. It's possible people could wear future versions of those glasses to see AR visuals selling products and services in the real world.

Do you think that Snapchat is about to enter the augmented reality market in a bigger way with this new acquisition? Let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments!

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2iy704Y
via IFTTT

New ASUS Chromebook quietly goes on sale at Newegg for $499

This post originally appeared on our sister site, TabTimes.

A new ASUS Chromebook is now on sale at Newegg, but the impressive looking $499 notebook still has not been officially announced by the company itself. The ASUS C302CA is available for immediate shipment, however, which likely means an official reveal is very close to happening.

See also:

Acer shows off its foldable touchscreen Chromebook R13

August 31, 2016

According to the listing, the ASUS Chromebook C302CA has a 12.5-inch 1080p touchscreen display that can flip 360 degrees, much like the early Chromebook Flip from the same company. Inside, there is an Intel Core M3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of on-board storage, along with a microSD card slot that adds even more storage. The all-metal body of the notebook, combined with its battery, makes it weigh 2.65 pounds. The listing also shows it has two USB-C 3.1 ports and a backlit keyboard.

We would expect that ASUS will officially reveal this notebook next week as part of its CES 2017 announcements, but if you really want to jump in to get this Chromebook, there's no stopping you from simply ordering it right now from Newegg. There's no word on if this new Chromebook will be able to run Android apps from the Google Play Store. So far, just tiny handful of Chromebooks can support Android apps on the stable version of the Chrome OS, although a few more can run those apps on early developer builds.

See it at Newegg

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2ibqiR3
via IFTTT

Today only, get a lifetime subscription to Windscribe VPN for less than $50

The AAPicks team writes about things we think you'll like, and we may see a share of revenue from any purchases made through affiliate links.

For today only, Windscribe VPN is offering a lifetime subscription for just $49.99.

Virtual Private Networks are becoming increasingly necessary for internet users as security concerns are on the rise. VPNs let you browse anonymously from any of your devices, preventing ISPs or malicious third parties from tracking your behavior or accessing your personal information.

Windscribe is an excellent option for both power users and VPN noobs. Rather than being just a VPN service, Windscribe is a complete security suite that includes a desktop application and a browser extension. The setup process is intuitive and straightforward, unlike other VPNs which occasionally require frustrating configurations.

Once Windscribe is setup, it will hum pleasantly in the background, protecting your information online.

Windscribe VPN in a glance:

• Mask your physical location from 3rd parties w/ an encrypted tunnel
• Access geo-locked content from anywhere
• Avoid most ads while you're browsing
• Torrent securely & share files w/o worrying about your ISP snooping on you
• Use on all your devices simultaneously
• Get protected by the top-notch firewall that protects you in case of connectivity loss
• Leave no trace or logs while you browse

Lifetime subscriptions are normally $900, but as part of a Boxing Day promotion, Windscribe is knocking them down to just $49.99.

This is the highest value option, but their other subscriptions are also discounted, and if you recommend a friend, you get $10 back:

• 1 Year Subscription $19.00 $108.00
• 3 Year Subscription $29.00 $324.00
• 5 Year Subscription $39.00 $540.00
• Lifetime Subscription $49.99 $900.00

If you're ready to start browsing in a safer and more secure way, now's the time to act! Click the button below for more information.

Learn More

The AAPicks team only spotlights legitimate, verified deals. If you're not satisfied with this product, Tech Deals offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out at aapicks@androidauthority.com.

from Android Authority http://ift.tt/2i8yBun
via IFTTT