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Walyou

BlackBerry introduces new retro designs for their flagships
Intel Atom-Powered Asus Zenfone 2 Goes on Sale
The Apple Watch sports a hidden oximeter

BlackBerry introduces new retro designs for their flagships

Posted: 30 Apr 2015 11:23 AM PDT

Say what you will about BlackBerry, but they aren’t quitters. Their next big phone, BlackBerry Venice, might include some retro goodies for nostalgic fans.

Canadian company BlackBerry has had it rough as of late, with diminishing returns on their mobile business that seem smaller and more irrelevant with each new phone they release. Still, that doesn’t mean they’re going down without a fight, and their latest project (without an official name as of now) might combine retro look to please their old fans along with high-end specs.

While there is no official name for this project, the rumor mill claims these new models might be named “BlackBerry Slider” or “BlackBerry Venice”, and have a 5.1 inches screen capable of a 1440 x 2560 resolution, with a slight curvature not unlike the Galaxy Edge – will it be this what it takes to make them relevant once again?

These phones will sport an 8 core processor, along with a 5 mpx front camera and a 16 mpx rear camera, which aren’t particularly impressive but more along the standard line. Still, the true gem in this model is its slider body, not unlike the models they released some 10 years ago.

These phones along with the most recent version of Passport and a Porsche limited edition are all that BlackBerry have in store for users this 2015, which is already raising questions on the company’s future, but at this point in time media sees everything they do as a signal of impending doom – so let’s see how these perform.

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Intel Atom-Powered Asus Zenfone 2 Goes on Sale

Posted: 29 Apr 2015 01:55 PM PDT

Announced at CES 2015 and initially scheduled for a March launch, Asus Zenfone 2 is now available internationally through official distributors and resellers.

When Asus designers drew the Zenfone 2, they were clearly inspired by the LG G3, considering that both of them have buttons on the back, just below the camera. That’s not to say that the Taiwanese company didn’t bring anything new to the table. On the contrary, it’s great that Asus has decided to take a different take on the design, and in the process it departed from the same old rules of placing the power button and the volume rockers on the sides of the device. In fact, the iF Design Award that the Zenfone 2 received this year emphasizes Asus’ contribution to the original design.

The Zenfone 2 isn’t different only in terms of design, but also as far as the chipset is concerned. Whereas most mobile manufacturers these days turn to Mediatek or Qualcomm to power their devices (Huawei, Samsung and Xiaomi being the most notable exceptions), Asus decided to give Intel a chance to show its mobile muscles. In that aspect, the 4GB RAM version of Zenfone 2 was built around a 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 chipset that includes a quad-core CPU running at 2.3Ghz and a PowerVR G6430 GPU. While packing the same GPU, the 2GB RAM version is actually powered by a Intel Atom Z3560 SoC with the quad-core CPU running at 1.8Ghz. Add to that the fact that the Zenfone is running Android 5.0 with ZenUI on top, and we’re talking about a real performance beast here.

For the display, Asus went with a 5.5-inch FHD display that’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the back, the Zenfone 2 has a 13MP camera with dual-LED flash for more natural colors in low-light conditions, while selfie lovers might make more use of the 5MP camera in the front.

As for connectivity, the Zenfone 2 sports GPS/GLONASS/QZSS/SBAS/BDS, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and 4G LTE support in numerous bands, depending on the country. The international model works without any problems all around the world, so you shouldn’t worry about that.

Touted as the first smartphone with 4GB of RAM, the Zenfone 2 is actually available in several different versions, depending on the storage, the actual amount of RAM, and the chipset powering the device. Hence, there are versions with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of ROM, regardless of the amount of RAM, that are furthermore differentiated by the color of the body. Thus, there are five different colors to choose from: Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red, Ceramic White, fact that takes the theoretical number of available options to 30. Talk about variety, eh?

Zenfone 2′s Li-Po non-removable battery has a capacity of 3000mAh. Assuming that the software is optimized properly, users should get more than a day’s worth of battery life without any problems. It should be noted that the 4GB RAM version of the phone comes with a 18W BoostMaster adapter that enables users to charge the battery to 60% in just 40 minutes.

The 4GB RAM/32GB ROM version of Asus Zenfone 2 can be purchased now on GearBest for $312.89 by using the coupon code ASUSZ4GB at checkout, while the 2GB RAM/16GB ROM runs cheaper, at $244.98 with coupon code ASUSZ2GB. Considering the build quality, the design, and the software this 4G phablet comes with, it definitely represents one of the best Android devices you could buy with that kind of money. Ironically, both versions are more expensive on Amazon, and considering that GearBest also offers free shipping, the price difference might make the wait worth it.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Mlais M7 64-bit Android phablet, or the UMi Hammer Android smartphone.

The Apple Watch sports a hidden oximeter

Posted: 29 Apr 2015 01:16 PM PDT

The Apple watch has a hidden feature in its repertoire, sporting a hidden oximeter that the Cupertino team decided to keep disabled so far.

The iFixit team found a very interesting feature in the Apple Watch after disassembling it: a small pulse meter that could also double as oximeter, as to calculate the ammount of oxygen in the users’ blood.

The iFixit team are infamous around the web for opening up pretty much any gadget they come across and show its insides for the entire Internet to see. The Apple Watch is no exception, so here’s what they did to it. And, amongst all the stuff they found, the most interesting is this oximeter, used to measure the oxigen in blood. Along with the pulse meter, these two features would be pretty useful as to monitor the users’ health and fitness.

According to the iFixit team, Apple didn’t bring this detail up when promoting the model because of the FDA’s normatives (the Food and Drugs Administration of the USA) – otherwise, it would make no sense to put something so expensive inside a gadget and then not use it nor even announce it.

Another motive could be that the FDA’s authorization is still pending, and that all it’s required is a software update to activate it. Regardless, now that this detail has come to light, it’s expected that the Cupertino team will come forward and explain why this oximeter is there, and why is it not being used.

The disassembling at iFixit also brought attention to the high complexity of the gadget, which is why they recommend only experts to open it and tinker with it. The biggest difficulty came when they had to remove the base board of the watch, as all the components were soldered. While each one of those can be replaced on their own, breaking this board pretty much renders the whole watch useless. Now you know: don’t mess with it.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, Apple Cuts Healthcare Features From Apple Watch and Apple shows their Apple Watch and the new Macbooks.