Asus Zenfone Zoom and Zenfone 2 Laser getting sizable updates

Asus delivered a pair of updates for two of its handsets -the Zenfone Zoom, bearing the model number ZX551ML and the other for the Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL.

Sadly, the packages in question do not bring Android Marshmallow. They still add a bit of extra functionality and address some significant issues, especially in the case of the Zenfone Zoom. The software bears a version identifier of 2.26.40.72(MR3.2) and according to the official change notes cited below, most tweaks are within the phone's modem and the camera. If we may also note, it is quite refreshing to see a properly kept change log once in a while, not the usual - "Changes and fixes have been made".

1.[Charger] Fixed incorrect charging status after cable out.
2.[Camera] Fixed the bug resuled from previous power-on via shutter key.
3.[Audio] Increase headset detect de-bounce time to improve music auto play when plug out headset slowly.
4.[Modem]Patch for MO MT call failure in some areas in GuanZhou
5.[Modem]Improved SIM drop issue.
6.[Camera] Support more Auto Exposure shutter speed value in Mannual Mode.
7.[Camera] Improved Auto Exposure accuracy in Auto Mode.
8.[Camera] Improved digital zoom image quality.
9.[Camera] ImprovedAuto white balance under artificial light source.
10.[Modem]Improve modem stability
11.[Modem]Improved modem service stability
12.[Modem]Improved modem data service stability
13.[Modem]Improved capability of returning to LTE service
14.[eMMC]Enable eMMC ver5.1
15.[Codec]Disable ALAC
16.[Camera]Fixed occational camera APP drop
17.[SD Card]Add the new Project ID of HW_ID_MP_SD
18.[SDCARD]Fixed drop SD card issue and remove the redundant power
19.[Camera] Improved of Auto White Balance
20.[Camera] Improved Auto Focus Speed
21.[Camera] Optimized image quality
22.[Camera] Fixed the NR zoom parameter failure.
23.Several Apps updated
24.Modified several JP version strings
25.ZenUI support Burmese language (Zawgyi font)
26.Add Dr. Booster Smart and free game speed booster for a faster performance on ASUS mobile devices.
27.E-label update (add ID SKD)
28.Improvement of Auto Exposure accuracy.
29.Improvement of digital zoom image quality.
30.Improvement of Auto Focus Speed

As for the Zenfone 2 Laser, its 1.16.40.1338 update seems to be a lot more modest, but some new interesting features have been pushed to the camera app as well.

1.Several Apps update
2.Fix Simp. Chinese Pinyin input issue when searching "Xu" in dialer
3.Improve ASUS Cell Broadcast overall stability
4.Prevent from having no service after reboot while inserting 2 STK cards into device.
5.Fix "滴滴司机" can not dial issue.
6.Add ZenChoice - Your All-in-One app solutions platform to enrich your device's functionality
7.Powered by both local and cloud engines, and supported by experience with 500,000,000 users and 16-years of history in the PC & mobile security industries. Repeatedly ranked first 
in tests carried out by AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives
8.ZenUI support Burmese language (Zawgyi)
9."ASUS Camera new feature
- Enable Pano Sphere Mode
- Adjusts the color cast of the ambient light in Beautification mode. This feature provides a more natural glow of people's faces in Beautification mode. Tap the sun icon to enable/
disable the feature." 10.Settings: Add "Asia/Manila" timezone
11.Update Theme store feature- A new variety of premium themes now available in Themes app!
12.Add Screenshot sound settings
13.Add Android for Work feature
14.Enable Pano Sphere Mode
15.Several Apps update

Both updatesare already out in the open, so, if you are on an eligible device, be sure to check for an update over the next few hours and leave us some feedback of your experience.

Meizu Pro 6 gets showcased in official picture for the first time

Just one day after having announced the m3 note, Meizu's management is now officially teasing the oft-leaked Pro 6. Well, perhaps not as much teasing as actually revealing it. That's because the first official image showing the Meizu Pro 6 has surfaced today, and it basically confirms the design we've seen so far in all the leaks.

As you can see, we only get a look at the back of the handset, but there's no reason for us to think the front will look any different than what was already portrayed through leaks. Standing out on the back is the arrangement of the laser autofocus and the LED flash which surrounds it, below the camera.

Going by past rumors, the Meizu Pro 6 should come with a 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 21 MP rear camera, a 5 MP front-facing snapper, Samsung's Exynos 8890 chipset, 4 or 6GB of RAM, and a 3,500 mAh battery. Meizu still hasn't announced a date for the Pro 6's unveiling, but the big event is likely to take place next month.

Huawei Honor 5C may launch next week with upgraded chipset

The Honor 5X will soon receive a more affordable sibling, the Huawei Honor 5C. The info is limited, but we're looking at a brand new design and an upgraded chipset compared to its predecessor, the 4C.

The chipset will be a big upgrade - going from Kirin 620 to Kirin 950. That's the same chipset that powers the Mate 8 and substitutes four of the CPU cores for powerful Cortex-A72s, not to mention the more powerful GPU.

The new chipset also brings LTE (which was omitted on the 4C). It's speedy LTE Cat. 6 for up to 300Mbps downloads.

The final piece of info is a date, "4.13," which translates to next Wednesday.

Samsung's Q1 earnings guidance suggests a 10.4% growth in profit

Samsung seems to be looking at an exceptionally good first sales quarter this year. The Korean giant just published its earnings guidance for the three month period in question and it suggests consolidated sales of KRW49 trillion ($43.3 billion), which is a notable year-over-year increase over the KRW47.1 trillion ($40.7 million) in Q1 2015.

As for consolidated operating profit, Samsung now expects a figure of KRW6.6 trillion or about $5.7 billion, which constitutes a 10.45% increase over last year. Needless to say, these numbers aren't final, but it is definitely safe to say that the Galaxy S7 flagship duo plays a huge part in the mix.

We recently discussed the formidable sales success the Galaxy S7 has been enjoying with 10 million units shipped in March alone.

SIM-free Apple iPhone SE sells out in the US

Apple may have underestimated the interest the iPhone SE will generate in the US. The SIM-free version of the phone is now sold out on Apple's website with the earliest shipping estimated pointing to the end of April.

Carriers, however, have some stock if you are okay to sign a new contract or renew an old one. IN general the $399 16GB iPhone SE has a slightly better availability than the $499 64GB model, but then again it's understandable why the memory-limited version doesn't get much interest.

Shortage supply is also seen in Honk Kong, where the earliest availability for store pickup is April 16. It's definitely going to be interesting to see if KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is going to turn out right that Apple won't be able to recover from falling iPhone sales this year.

Lumia 650 launched in India

Microsoft has launched the Lumia 650 Dual SIM in India, the newest phone to be launched in the country running Windows 10 after the 950 and 950 XL.

The Lumia 650 Dual SIM is a budget device, packing a 5-inch 720p OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 chipset, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage (expandable to 200GB), 8MP rear/5MP front cameras, 2000mAh battery, and Windows 10 out of the box.

The phone is priced at INR 15,299 ($230) and will be available in black and white color options.

OnePlus One's Marshmallow update in final testing

The Marshmallow update for the OnePlus One is not only in the works, but is in its final testing stage. OnePlus co-founder took it to Twitter to share the good news.

Android 6.0 was promised to One users back in November last year, with a planned release date in Q1 2016, which obviously didn't happen. At this point it's still not entirely clear when the update will actually make it to the masses, as it's dependent on third parties, Carl Pei notes.

Meanwhile, a beta Marshmallow build can be downloaded for the OnePlus 2, for those who want to experiment.

Hermes bands for the Apple Watch will be available separately starting at $340

The Apple Watch Hermes collection has already been available for many months now, both in stores and online. Yet what if you fancy one of those Hermes bands for the Apple Watch but don't want to buy it attached to an Apple Watch? Well, the two companies have actually thought of that possibility.

And from April 19 onwards you'll be able to purchase the Hermes bands separately, sans Apple Watch. The Single Tour versions of the bands will start at $340, while the Double Tour models will cost $490 (and are limited to the 38mm smartwatch). The 42mm Cuff design will set you back $690 and will only be available in the deer brown hue. Once again, for that money you're only getting a band, no smartwatch included.

Also from April 19, Hermes will expand the color versions for its bands with peacock blue, sapphire blue, white, and the Feu orange shade that's associated with the brand. These options will join the existing Fauve (deer brown), Etain (tin gray), Capucine (red), and Bleu Jean (blue) hues in the Hermes portfolio.

Sony SmartWatch 3 is getting the Marshmallow update right now

The Sony SmartWatch 3 is now receiving the Marshmallow update, aka Android Wear 1.4. In about a week, all SW3 users should have gotten the new update, which pushes Google that much closer to updating all Android Wear smartwatches to the new version (isn't it nice when OS updates are centralized like that?).

The 1.4 update brings support for calls using a loudspeaker (for those watches that have one), dictating messages for chat apps (Hangouts, WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat and a few more) and additional gesture support.

PS: The update will arrive over the air, but if you need it now, you can download it from here.

Domino's launches 'Zero Click' pizza ordering app

Domino's has launched a new app on iOS and Android, that takes all the work and effort out of ordering a pizza. With Zero Click, you can order your favorite pizza simply by opening the app.

The app saves your favorite pizza and all the other information required to send you the pizza. Once that is done, you just have to open the app. It waits for ten seconds so you can cancel if you opened the app accidentally, and then automatically places the order for the pizza you have set in your profile. It then displays your order info.

It is a very convenient way to order pizza if you're extremely sure what you want to order. Just make sure you save the app icon somewhere you or someone else won't accidentally launch it.

Samsung Gear 360 costs $350, is coming soon

VR" has been the buzzword at tech events this year and since all the major headsets are heading to consumers soon, the battlefield moved to 360° cameras. Samsung demoed theGear 360 cam at its MWC announcement alongside the Galaxy S7, but we've been waiting until now for the price.

At $350 it's not very pricey for a brand-name action camera (it features IP53 certification). Note that the Samsung Gear 360 is not on sale yet, it's marked "Coming soon" with no exact date of launch.

Still, considering the LG 360 Cam is $200, the Samsung Gear 360 is almost double the cost.

We have Huawei P9 camera samples, check them out

The collaboration between Huawei and Leica paid off big time with the Huawei P9 and its unique camera setup. In case you missed it, it has two 12MP sensors - one for color and one black and white - which serve both to improve low-light performance and to create digital bokeh effects.

We have a couple of shots with the Huawei P9 Plus as well, but we didn't spend much time with it. Check out its samples here.

The dual-camera setup also does video, topping out at 1080p (instead of the expected 4K).

The camera is just one of Huawei P9's great features, read the full hands-on for more details (it includes the TalkBand B3 as a bonus too!).