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ASUS ZenFone 6 goes all out with Snapdragon 855 and new Flip Camera

A different approach to avoid the notch

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ASUS ZenFone 6 | GadgetMatch

ASUS‘ entry to the 2019 smartphone game may be a little late this year, but the Taiwanese company made sure that it’ll be worth it. True to their new “Defy ordinary” tagline, ASUS’ new smartphone is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

First and foremost, the ZenFone 6 is now ASUS’ main flagship phone. The ZenFone lineup started as a modest budget lineup from 2014 and it took five generations for it to become ASUS’ primary high-end phone — no need for “Z” or “Deluxe” monikers.

Since the ZenFone 6 is now a full-blooded premium smartphone, it has all the bell and whistles you’d expect from a 2019 flagship phone with a few extra surprises. For starters, it has an All-Screen NanoEdge display that’s free of any notch or hole-punch for the front-facing camera. The phone features a 6.4-inch IPS panel with a Full HD+ resolution, topped with Gorilla Glass 6.

ASUS ZenFone 6 | GadgetMatch

Inside, the phone is rocking a Snapdragon 855 chip paired with up to 8GB of memory and up to 256GB of storage using UFS 2.1. In order to keep up with the phone’s speed, ASUS has once again redesigned ZenUI (now called ZenUI 6) and it’s almost like pure Android. Additionally, ASUS has promised to bring Android Q when it launches later this year and even Android R in the future.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the ZenFone 6 is its cameras. In order to get rid of any display cutouts, ASUS resorted to a new and rather unique motorized Flip Camera. With this approach, the ZenFone 6’s main camera is also its selfie shooter.

ASUS ZenFone 6 | GadgetMatch

ASUS’ Flip Camera houses a 48-megapixel Sony IMX586 sensor with an f/1.79 aperture and 6p lens. It’s accompanied by a secondary 13-megapixel ultra wide-angle shooter with real-time distortion correction, dual-LED flash, and laser AF system.

With the main camera acting as the front camera at the same, the ZenFone 6 is practically the ultimate selfie phone.

The device stays true to the traits of a ZenFone including the large 5000mAh battery — one of the biggest we’ve seen in a flagship-specced phone. ASUS has no special fast charging tech, but the ZenFone 6 supports the universally available Quick Charge 4.0 standard through USB-C.

The rest of the phone’s features include stereo speakers with dual NXP amplifiers, 3.5mm headphone jack with Hi-Res Audio output, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Face Unlock.

The ZenFone 6 will be shipping in Europe on May 25 starting at EUR 499 or roughly US$ 560 for the base variant with 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage. The 6GB+128GB configuration will go for EUR 559 (US$ 625), while the top 8GB+256GB model is priced at EUR 599 (US$ 670). It will only be available in four Asian markets: Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and India.

SEE ALSO: ASUS ZenFone Max (M2) Hands-on: Still a great budget contender

Apps

Bard is now available to try for Google One users

Join the waitlist now

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The race for artificial intelligence is a hot trail. Amid the unbridled popularity of ChatGPT, several companies have started pushing their own language models out the gate. Google, eager to compete in the emerging industry, has now opened Bard to users.

Today, Google has started issuing invitations to Google One subscribers for a chance to try the new chatbot. Subscribers can enter a waitlist to test the technology for themselves.

In essence, Bard acts the same as ChatGPT. Users can talk to the bot conversationally, and it will respond perfectly, as if you were talking to another human being. It’s a language learning model. By talking to so many users, the model can learn the best way to reply to certain prompts.

Although Google has access to its search engine, Bard is currently meant to complement it. The company warns users that the chatbot is still prone to occasional mistakes. As an example, it gave the wrong scientific name for a plant. While this example is innocuous, there can be more nefarious errors that the developers are still trying to fix. With a wider test now open to the public, Google hopes to fix more egregious mistakes ahead of a wider launch.

For now, if you subscribe to Google’s premium subscription service, you can wait in line to try out the new technology.

SEE ALSO: Google is working on a ChatGPT competitor called Bard

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Gaming

EA is delisting classic Battlefield games

And Mirror’s Edge

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EA is a mixed bag nowadays. Formerly one of the biggest names in gaming, the company’s public reception is more varied these days. However, no one can argue against the studio’s earlier eras with more notable titles. Unfortunately, that era is coming to a more definitive close. EA is officially delisting a few notable Battlefield titles and the original Mirror’s Edge from digital stores.

In an official statement from the company, EA has announced the retirement of four online titles this year. Starting April 28, users will no longer be able to buy Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Mirror’s Edge online. Additionally, the online services for these games will cease on December 8.

Still going strong today, the Battlefield franchise is EA’s answer to the Call of Duty franchise. While the latter focuses on more arcade-like shooting, Battlefield tries to infuse more strategic gameplay into historical and modern-day shooting.

On the other hand, Mirror’s Edge is a classic first-person parkour adventure. At the time, the title was notable for its fluid movement and easy-to-read visuals. It even spawned a sequel, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.

Anyone who owns these titles can still play through them after April. However, come December, players can only go through the offline single-player campaigns of these games.

SEE ALSO: Blumhouse is getting into gaming

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Apps

TikTok enlists users’ help to fight against ban

Ahead of a hearing this week

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TikTok is in for another fight. Recently, the American government upped its efforts to ban the video-sharing platform from the country. The company is preparing to fight back. Ahead of a potential ban, it is enlisting the help of its most precious resource: TikTok users.

Today, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared a video to update the entire community about his impending congressional hearing later this week. In the video, the CEO thanks the American userbase in helping the platform grow, enumerating important numbers ahead of the hearing. For example, TikTok now has 150 million users — which, Chew notes, is half of the population of the United States — and 7,000 employees in the country.

The video then goes on to share the government’s plans to ban TikTok, potentially taking the app away from the big numbers that Chew mentioned. Further, the CEO is asking all these users to share what they love about the app in the comments of the video.

@tiktok

Our CEO, Shou Chew, shares a special message on behalf of the entire TikTok team to thank our community of 150 million Americans ahead of his congressional hearing later this week.

♬ original sound – TikTok

For years, the American government has hounded the app over its Chinese ownership. The company — especially parent company ByteDance — has the potential to act as a conduit for Chinese surveillance, the government argues. The company has tried to counter these claims by increasing its employees in the country.

Now, the fight is coming to a head with several government bodies and other countries banning the app outright. It’s unknown how Chew is planning to attack the incoming congressional hearing. However, it’s likely that the company will leverage user feedback to buoy the app as an essential part of the current American landscape.

SEE ALSO: UK starts banning TikTok

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