ASUS has recently introduced the newest addition to the ASUS Zenbook family and it’s the ASUS Zenbook Flip S. It’s the world’s thinnest convertible at 10.9mm which is thinner than the Macbook and it only weights 1.1kg. And yes, this notebook Just like the ASUS Zenbook 3, the notebook will be thin and portable but still powerful.
Inside the ASUS Zenbook Flip S is an Intel Core i7 processor with up to 16GB LPDDR3 RAM 2133MHz. The notebook also supports up to 1TB PCIe 3.0 X4 SSD. The notebook also has a fingerprint sensor and it supports a stylus for its touchscreen that has 1024 pressure levels.
Other features of the ASUS Zenbook Flip S is the support for fast charging that lets you charge the laptop by 60% in just 49 minutes. Some of the features that you probably might be interested with are the Harman/Kardon sound, support for Windows Hello, and the fingerprint scanner for the added security.
The ASUS Zenbook Flip S feels like the ASUS Zenbook 3. It’s premium, thin, and yet it’s really powerful. Of course, the hinge is different to make it flip up to 360. Not only that, the bezels are quite thin too which makes the overall footprint of the laptop small.
The 4K UHD display of the ASUS Zenbook Flip S and it supports a stylus that lets you draw anything on the screen similar to the one on the ASUS Transformer 3 Pro. And yes, the display looks really damn good.
We just took a short hands-on of the ASUS Zenfone AR. In case you’re familiar with it, the smartphone has been launched last CES. The smartphone not only packs the world’s first 8GB RAM on a smartphone, it also supports Google Daydream and Google Tango which is made for Google’s own VR platform and also for AR technology respectively.
Google Tango lets you interact with the world with Augmented Reality similar to how the Pokemon Go’s AR works however this time, the Google Tango is more accurate and there are more sensors on the phone that lets you see and interact with the world using the aps that supports Google Tango. The smartphone supports motion tracking, area learning, and depth perception that’s why interacting with the AR is accurate.
The ASUS Zenfone AR is actually slimmer than I expected. The smartphone has 5.7-inch display but despite that, it feels good to the hand because the ASUS Zenfone AR sports a smooth curve that feels right to the hand. Unlike most of the ASUS Zenfone 3 smartphones, the Zenfone AR packs a different back design and a fingerprint sensor that is placed on the home button on the front.
The camera setup at the back is not really that bulky despite packing 3 cameras and sensors that lets you do Augmented Reality. The smartphone packs a camera similar to the ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe which is a 23-megapixel rear camera with IMX318. The camera of the smartphoneis nice but it isn’t the best one in the market right now.
The Google Tango feature of the ASUS Zenfone AR is really amazing. It’s not as immersive as the one on the Hololens but it is still amazing on how accurate the Google Tango is. You can interact with the augemented reality accurately and in some apps, you can place an object where you wanted to and even when you walk around, the ASUS Zenfone AR can correctly and accurately recognize the position and depth of your place. However, we’re still not sure what are the apps that will be a game changer but if you’re in the industry of selling furnitures, houses, and most big objects that would take some space, the ASUS Zenfone AR’s Google Tango is really a nice feature.
The ASUS Zenfone AR is expected to be release in the country soon.
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 has just been unveiled today and it packs a juicy 5300mAh battery inside and then there’s still the massive 6.44-inch display that is perfect for watching movies and playing games. The Mi Max 2 will surely last in terms of the battery life as this one packs a 5300mAh battery and then there’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor which is really a power saver. Check out the full specs of the smartphone below:
Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Specs
6.44-inch Full HD Display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 Processor
4GB of RAM
64GB/128GB Storage expandable via MicroSD
12-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash
5-megapixel front camera
Dual SIM
LTE
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
Fingerprint Scanner
5300mAh battery
Android 7.0 Nougat
The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 will be available on June 1 for RMB1699 (Php12,330) for the 64GB and RMB1999 (Php14,506) for the 128GB
PLDT has just announced the next generation of their TVolution streaming box for their subscribers and this time, PLDT will be working with Roku Inc. to bring you the best solution for delivering content via streaming.
And yes, the Philippines is the first in Asia to stream in the Roku Streaming Platform. The Roku TVolution Boxes that you’ll be getting will be perfect with your PLDT Home DSL, Ultra, or Home Fibr connection as the TVolution because you only need to add an additional monthly service fee of P299 for the Roku TVolution Box.
The new TVolution streaming box will give offer services such as Iflix, Netflix, Youtube, and even Cignal TV! Yes, you only need an internet connection to have the biggest TV provider in the Philippines.
The Roke TVolution Box is available for PLDT subscribers starting this May and you only need to add a Monthly Service fee of P299.
Samsung Galaxy S8 is the boldest smartphone that the company has ever created. The smartphone aims to get the trust of the people back to the company after the Samsung Galaxy Note7 fiasco. In this review, we will answer the question that I get a lot of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Is it the best smartphone on the market? Does it have a good camera? Is the smartphone really that good in performance and design? Well, check out our review of the smartphone to know more about it.
A bezel-less and sexy design
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is the sexiest smartphone in the market right now. There. I said it. Some might disagree with me but I’ll tell you why the Samsung Galaxy S8 is the sexiest smartphone in the market for me.
As you could see, the Samsung Galaxy S8 packs an all-glass design similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge which means that Samsung still delivered the same design language and identity despite having an almost bezel-less display. The curves at the back of the smartphone make the Samsung Galaxy S8 really ergonomic and this year, Samsung has opted for on-screen capacitive buttons instead of the hardware buttons in which we have seen on most Samsung smartphones. Well, it isn’t a big change when it comes to experience but it’s a big change for Samsung when it comes to their identity in their smartphones.
Since there’s no home button on the front of the smartphone, the fingerprint scanner of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is placed at the back. Actually, I’m having a hard time recognizing the fingerprint scanner when I’m not looking at it as it is placed just beside the camera but no worries because if you have a case for your smartphone, you would easily feel and recognize the fingerprint scanner.
The smartphone also packs a USB Type-C which is expected on a flagship smartphone and thankfully, Samsung didn’t ditch the 3.5mm audio jack on the smartphone which is the feature that was now missing on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Oh and the speaker? The speaker of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is great and the AKG earphones bundled with it? It’s the best one that I had on a smartphone.
An almost bezel-less curved display
Aesthetics is one of the things that you would surely love on the Samsung Galaxy S8. I believe this smartphone is the sexiest in the market right now. Its light, the quality of the smartphone is premium and the great screen-to-body ratio of the smartphone is just astonishing.
Since both the front display and the back features a curved glass which is by the way, really ergonomic but really confusing when you’re getting your pocket form the hand as you won’t easily feel which is the side of the smartphone in where you can find the display.
Speaking of display, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has the best and gorgeous display on all smartphones. Why? First, it’s a Super AMOLED display which means that the smartphone is vivid and saturation of the display was really great. Another thing to love about it is its curved display. It might not be ideal for watching videos due to the black bars on the side due to its ratio and for some games that don’t support the display ratio, the display of the smartphone still has a really great quality. The saturation of the display is great and using the smartphone outside isn’t a problem. I really appreciate that Samsung has used this display ratio as the smartphone looks thinner but taller which makes the smartphone ergonomic and yet, still packs a large screen size.
Godlike Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S8 packs an Exynos 8895 processor inside instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. Nonetheless, the Exynos processor inside the smartphone has a Godlike performance for a smartphone. Whether you want to play games like NBA 2k17, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Dragon Nest II, or whatever that games are or using heavy applications such as photo and video editors, the Exynos 8895 won’t have a problem with that.
I have a love-hate relationship with its TouchWiz UI. Yes, it really looks good and the new effects were really awesome especially when you received a notification in where the edges of the screen light up and then an oval pops up on the screen. It might be a small feature but it really adds to the feel and eye candy on the TouchWiz UI. The interface and colors look really well too and they’re just perfect for the Galaxy S8.
So why do I hate it? Well, I don’t really hate the interface it’s just that after a few weeks or months of use, I do experience some lags. But of course, not all people will get to experience what I experience because I’m a heavy smartphone user. So yeah, there are some lags here and there but it mostly happens when I have a lot of apps that are running. But don’t worry because closing apps or restarting the smartphone would make it lag-free again. But yeah, it’s a little bit of hassle.
Bixby Voice is not useful. Yet.
One of the reasons why I didn’t push through with the review of the Samsung Galaxy S8 before was the lack of Bixby Voice and as of this posting, the Bixby Voice is now available on the Samsung Galaxy S8.
For a new voice assistant, the Bixby Voice did a great job when it comes to voice recognition and its functions however it really needs more support for apps but hey, Samsung did a great job on Bixby. It’s actually easily to activate Bixby, you only need to press and hold the dedicated Bixby button and then say your command. It’s actually useful if you don’t want to look at your smartphone. However, Samsung still needs to improve Bixby Voice even more but again, the Bixby Voice does really have a bright future if they continue to improve it. Especially the Bixby vision, the feature that lets the smartphone recognize an object by just taking a photo. Well, the Bixby Vision doesn’t fare well and it couldn’t recognize some objects really well.
A decent work day battery life
The Samsung Galaxy S8 packs a 3000mAh battery. Samsung learned its lesson from the Galaxy Note7 and Samsung has made big improvements when manufacturing their battery and speaking of battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S8 can last a workday if you’re a casual user or just doing some light tasks such as browsing the Facebook and the web but if you’re a heavy gamer, be sure to get a power bank with you. The charging time is really fast on the Samsung Galaxy S8 too. It only takes a few minutes before you can charge a smartphone up to 60%.
The Amazing Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S8 might only have a single camera but it’s definitely one of the best ones in the industry. The smartphone got a 12-megapixel dual pixel sensor at the back with f1/.7 aperture. We also got an 8MP front camera with the same f/1.7 aperture. Overall, both cameras pack an amazing performance whether you use the smartphone on low light or on decent lighting conditions.
Another cool new feature of Galaxy S8’s camera is the stickers and also some effects. Well, they’re really cute and I’m pretty sure that those people who love Snapchat or Instagram’s stickers, they’ll definitely love the stickers on the Samsung Galaxy S8 as this one is already built in on the app itself.
The rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the best in the industry. The photos that I took using the Samsung Galaxy S8 are sharp and they are really good. The colors are on point and it can shoot really well whatever condition you are in. However, for a flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S8 lacks a dual lens camera at the back and unfortunately, if you are into bokeh or portrait mode, the Samsung Galaxy S8’s selective focus doesn’t work well. But again, the Samsung Galaxy S8 still has one of the best cameras in the industry. Check out the photos that I took using the Samsung Galaxy S8:
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Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is probably the best Android smartphone to get right now in the Philippines (Well, as long as the Galaxy Note8 isn’t out yet). You got a great camera, great design, a great performance, and a great battery life. There’s a chance that you’re reading this after the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, well, the Galaxy Note8 is a more refined and better version of the Galaxy S8 but if you want a cheaper and still a great flagship smartphone with a really good hardware, well, the Galaxy S8 is here folks. It’s currently the best smartphone to get (But again, as long as the Galaxy Note8 isn’t out yet)
Vivo Philippines has just launched the Vivo V5s in the country. It’s an upgraded version of the Vivo V5 and it now comes with a larger storage but it still comes with a 20-megapixel front facing camera which is really good for selfies. The other specs of the smartphone will still be the same. It will still have a MediaTek MT6750 processor and 4GB of RAM inside.
If you are a big DOTA 2 fan then you probably know that the country’s biggest eSports event will happen this weekend at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Different shoutcasters and teams will be in the country including EG, OG, Newbee, Team Secret, Invictus Gaming, Team NP, Faceless, and the Philippines own’ Clutchers. And yes, some of these teams are already in the Philippines for the Manila Masters this weekend as they battle out for the USD250,000 prize pool.
There will also be side activities and meet-and-greet with the participating teams, a cosplay competition, and games at Manila Masters 2017. Oh and if you’re there, be sure to check out the DOTA 2-themed Smart base in where you can take home some exciting prizes.
Fans of Ragnarok Online in the country who wants to play on Closed Beta may finally download the clients at their website. You can now download the full client of Ragnarok Online however, you’ll not be able to play it because the CBT of Ragnarok Online Philippines will start this June. You can download the client in zip or exe in full client or split file.
Ragnarok Online Philippines will start its CBT this mid-June and it will start with two servers — Thor and Loki. You may now register an account and download the client at http://ragnarokonline.com.ph/
In a post made by the ASUS Republic of Gamers Facebook page, they’ve just teased their upcoming ASUS ROG notebook that is expected to be revealed this Computex. This notebook is expected to run the latest Ryzen Mobile CPUs and it is also expected to run the latest RX500 series GPUs. Here’s the short teaser video posted by ASUS Republic of Gamers in their Facebook page:
Well, we still don’t have any infos regarding about its specs so stay tuned because we will be going to Computex to cover the latest ASUS notebooks that will be launched in Taiwan.
The most affordable ASUS Zenfone of the year, the ASUS Zenfone Live, has something that others smartphone cannot offer and it’s the live beautification. This feature lets you add beautification while doing a live stream on Facebook, Instagram, or on YouTube. Not only that it has an interesting feature but the ASUS Zenfone Live also boast an affordable price tag of P6,995. Interested? Check out our review of the ASUS Zenfone Live below.
A very light smartphone
The first thing that you’ll notice when you hold the smartphone is that the ASUS Zenfone Live is very light. It’s probably the lightest 5-inch Android smartphone that I’ve ever reviewed. How much this smartphone weighs? Well, it’s only 120 grams. I know, it’s really light and sometimes you won’t even notice the ASUS Zenfone live is in your pocket.
The smartphone is made up of plastic and the design of the smartphone is just simple. While at the front is a very familiar look which resembles most Zenfones that are available today. On the side of the smartphone, you can find the volume rocker and the power button. While on the other side is the sim card tray which can house two sim cards or a sim card and a microSD card.
At the top of the smartphone is the 3.5mm audio jack while below the smartphone houses the micro USB port and the speaker grill. And speaking of the speaker grill, the ASUS Zenfone Live has a decent speaker for its price and the microphone can really take some good audio which makes the smartphone really good for livestreaming.
The Display
The ASUS Zenfone Live is an affordable device so I didn’t expect too much from its display but hey, the ASUS Zenfone Live’s display is already fine for media consumption, the colors are good, the display was fine, and it does have a better display than most smartphones in its price range. Well, I really appreciate that ASUS has really done a good display as this one is really made for live streaming which means that the smartphone really needs a good display. Using the smartphone outside won’t be a problem but it’s a little bit dark if you’re playing with it under direct sunlight.
Inside the smartphone is a 2650mAh of battery and actually, the ASUS Zenfone Live lasted long that I expected, I was able to use this smartphone from 8 AM up to 5 PM before running out of juice. That’s actually pretty good.
The BeautyLive App
The BeautyLive app on the ASUS Zenfone Live is the app for the smartphone that lets you do live beautification on different popular apps such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Oh and don’t worry about the other live streaming apps because Bigo and other live streaming applications would work well with the BeautyLive App. So how does that work? Well, it’s easy. The BeautyLive app appears like a Chat head on top of the app whenever the front camera is on and then you can control how much beautification will be added to your live stream.
The ASUS Zenfone Live is still running the ZenUI which was also used by the other Zenfones and yes, the smartphone is still filled with bloatware that most of you won’t probably need those. In case you’re not familiar with ZenUI, the interface is easy to learn and use. If you are just a new Android user, you won’t get confused with it.
If you need power or some oomph in gaming then you might have a problem with the ASUS Zenfone Live and it might be a dealbreaker to some because the ASUS Zenfone Live is only running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 2GB of RAM. I know, that processor is a little bit old but it could run basic apps just fine however if you’re planning on using the smartphone for gaming, you might have a problem with that as the smartphone can not handle too much of it.
I’ve tried playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the ASUS Zenfone Live and it’s actually having a hard time running it even at the lowest settings.
Camera
The ASUS Zenfone Live’s cameras are a very important hardware as this smartphone is made for live streaming. And the camera? It isn’t the best smartphone that you can get for its price that but it sure is enough for live streaming. The quality? Again, it’s good for its price but not the best one that you can see. At well-lit conditions, the shots weren’t washed out however sometimes, you could still notice some grainy shots.
At low-light, the ASUS Zenfone Live cannot do really well as this it produces soft and darker images. And if you’re planning to use the ASUS Zenfone Live mainly for live streaming at low0lit conditions be sure to look for a decent lighting. Oh, and by the way, the ASUS Zenfone Live also comes with a front LED light so you can take brighter selfie videos and photos but unfortunately, you cannot use that on livestreaming. Check out the shots that I took using the smartphone below.
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Verdict
The ASUS Zenfone Live is an affordable smartphone that is made solely for one reason – live streaming. The smartphone doesn’t have the best hardware inside that can run the latest games and it doesn’t also have the best camera out there but the ASUS Zenfone Live can do its job well when it comes to beautification on live streaming, a long battery life, and a very light profile.
The ASUS Zenfone Live isn’t for gaming but if you love live streaming on Bigo, Facebook, Instagram, or on YouTube then you should probably look into the ASUS Zenfone Live.
The ASUS Zenfone Live is now available for P6,995.
RAFFLE
Want to own an ASUS Zenfone Live too? Well, here’s your chance to get one because we will be giving away an ASUS Zenfone Live that comes with the BeautyLive Kit! Yup, Not just the ASUS Zenfone Live but also some freebies that come with the smartphone. Here’s the mechanics:
Answer the question “Why ASUS Zenfone Live is perfect for livestreaming?” by sharing this post and also answering the question on your Facebook post.
