ASUS Zenfone Live Review: Only suitable for frequent live broadcasters on social media

ASUS has been doing well with its Zenfone Series in market especially after the launch of Zenfone 2 Series with multiple models to cater (confuse as well) different needs of different type of customers. With Zenfone 3 the company has definitely upped its ante with doing away with the bulky plastic body and larger size phones to slim and beautiful metallic phones, though charged a bit higher the series still made a break through change in product design language and sturdiness. Apart from these phones ASUS has time to time also tried to cash on different features or requirements which are already popular or are required by the smartphone users. ASUS Zenfone Selfie, Zenfone Deluxe, Zenfone Max series phones are good examples for such criteria. These devices had performed good in market as well. A couple of months ago ASUS had launched another such 'required' phone named ASUS Zenfone Live , as the name suggests this phone is specially launched keeping in mind the increasing trend of broadcasting live videos on social media among the users. So is this the phone we really need or it is just another marketing gimmick? Let's find out.

ASUS Zenfone Live

Build and Design:

The first thing you notice when you pick the phone is that the phone is very light in weight at just 120 grams, second the phone is comfortable to hold and gives a good grip along the curved edges, though the color treatment makes it feel like a metallic body phone but it is actually plastic.On the front side there is 2.5D glass on top of the display which is generic across almost all models from ASUS, there are three capacitive navigation buttons on bottom which are back, home and multi tasking from left to right. On the top however you will notice a front camera along with LED flash apart from ALS and proximity sensor.

On the back the camera is on top left corner supported by an LED flash light. The ASUS branding goes in the center of the phone. On the right edge of the phone you will find volume rockers and power button. The feedback from all the buttons is tactile and we didn't faced any issue in our 2 weeks usage. On the left edge of the device you will see a SIM tray, on the top there is a headphone jack and bottom houses the speakers and micro USB port.

Specs and Features:

On the specifications part we are bit disappointed as at this price point you will get far superior hardware specification devices from other brands. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz and Adreno 305 GPU. The device comes with 2 GB RAM and has 16 GB internal storage on board which can be further expanded via micro SD card if you don't use the hybrid second SIM slot.

On camera side, the front camera has a 5 MP resolution accompanied by an LED flash for clear selfies in low light , rear camera is of 13 MP resolution with LED Flash. The display is  5 inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1280x720 pixel.

For connectivity the device offers 4G LTE, GPS, FM Radio, Wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0.

On the software front the device runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 with familiar ZenUI skin on top. One of the constant feedback ASUS keeps receiving is number of pre-installed apps which can not be un installed by user that amounts to a lot of bloatware in your phone. This can be a turnoff for people who like to see their phone clean of any non-used apps. The ZenUI however provides lots of customization options such as wallpapers, themes, icons, locking apps etc. 

There is a dedicated app named BeautyLive pre-installed on the phone which is basically a live beautify app. This app can help you post live videos on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. The app also helps in reducing background noise so that the sound experience is better than what we see in regular live videos.

The camera of the phones are rather mediocre in performance, the rear camera shoots good images in bright settings however in low light it struggles to capture the details required from the shots. The camera app comes with familiar modes such as Auto, HDR, panorama, night mode, high resolution mode etc. The front camera is somewhat satisfactory and the beautification features (can be controlled on a scale of 1-10) enhances the overall image by fine tuning the skin tone and facial features.

Verdict:

ASUS Zenfone Live seems to have a single objective to help users broadcast themselves live on social media when it comes to 'smart phone' features. The hardware from processor to battery doesn't really stand in line with the price (INR 9.999/-) for two reasons first the hardware is not the latest and second competition is offering way too much for this price point. Having said that the phone can be a good buy for those who post a lot of live videos on Instagram or Facebook like Fashion bloggers or bloggers who do a lot of self-videos on YouTube.

Read More

Videocon Telecom forays into Indian Security and Surveillance market; launches CCTV brand WallCam

Videocon Telecom announces its entry into fast growing Rs 6600 Cr Security and Surveillance market with its new brand of ‘Videocon WallCam’. The brand will bring in wide range of security and surveillance products with its prime focus on Video Surveillance products to cater Enterprise, Government, institutional and retail (residential and small commercial set-ups) segments.

Videocon WallCAM products

In addition to basic Video Surveillance products such as AHD (Analogue high definition), IP (Internet Protocol )& wireless cameras, DVRs & NVRs, Video-Door Phones, intrusion alarms etc; the brand will also offer customized security solutions to institutional, corporate and government sector including PTZ (Pan, Tilt & Zoom) and vandal proof cameras, mobile vehicle cameras, access control systems, scanners and detectors, number plate reader solution, central monitoring system, boom barriers, X-Ray baggage inspection system, cloud storage with secure remote access etc.

The company has finalized its range of products to be offered in the institutional and retail market segments, and is now scouting for system integrators and Distributors for its Go to market. The company is also seeing a lot of synergy from its existing business lines including its Broadband business for IP based solution, cloud storage and access; and DTH business for installation of CCTV. 

Videocon is already engaged in select Government and Enterprise Security & surveillance projects and has bagged many prestigious accounts in the domain, and with the launch of its own brand, VideoconWallCam is eyeing 15% of the organized player market share by the end of FY 2019 and aims to be among the top 3 players in the category by 2021. 

Riding on its diversification into new business verticals like security and surveillance, smartphone accessories, smart homes & city solutions and Mobile VAS, Videocon Telecomis targetingtopline revenue of INR 300 Cr during the FY 2017-18.The company’s existing business lines including Broadband & FTTH business in Punjab, Haryana & Himachal Pradesh; Wholesale ILD Carrier business; Smart Solutions and Tower business are projected to contribute a topline revenue of INR 1358 Cr during theFY taking the total consolidated revenue to INR 1658 Cr in the current financial year.

Announcing the company’s foray into the new verticalMr.Arvind Bali, CEO, Videocon Telecom said, ‘The currentVideo surveillancemarket of approxRs 3650 Cr is 55% of the overall Rs 6600 Cr security & surveillance market and is projected to growat a CAGR of 26% and reach Rs9150Cr by 2021, which is 2.5 times the current market size. The growth will be driven by households,including small commercial establishment(Shops& offices) segments and the key success factor for market expansion will be affordability, ease of use (plug n play), and quality.This is where Videocon as a brand has its expertise in.We are all set to enter this market in a big way and capitalize on brand acceptability, manufacturing capabilities, R&D, distribution strength and reach.”

Talking about the ‘WallCam’ brand, Mr Bali further added, “Why ‘WallCam’, there is a very interesting background behind this. The term CCTV is a technical lingo and stands for Closed circuit television, while what we are selling is surveillance cameras. There is no product name to identify the category with, and this is where our marketing team came up with this interesting thought of a brand name which could represent the product category, something similar to Handycam for mini-camcorders, and Walkman for mini music players. Our objective is to make our brand ‘Wallcam’ a synonymous to CCTV cameras.”

Read More

Link Aadhaar with PAN Card in 2 Simple Steps

So, if you are one of those who have not linked your Aadhar with PAN card or you have relatives or friends who were unable to do so, you can now help yourself and others in just two simple steps. As it was rumored earlier that if you don't link your Aadhar with PAN till 30th June, 2017  the PAN card becomes invalid. We would first like to clear that , it is not the case. Your PAN card is still valid and no need to panic. However, make sure you link the both at earliest possible opportunity, which can be well; right now while reading this blog post. It won't take more than 5 minutes of yours.

Pre-Requisite:

Keep your PAN Card Number and Aadhar Number handy.

Step1: 

Go to Income Tax India's Link Aadhar webpage from below link.

https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/e-Filing/Services/LinkAadhaarHome.html

Link Aadhar with PAN Form

Step 2:

Enter your PAN Number, Aadhar Number, Name as per Aadhar

Enter the code shown in image as per captcha and Click on Link Aadhar button below the form.

Note: If your DOB and Gender matches in PAN records with that of Aadhar but Name doesn't exactly match in PAN records then user have to do extra validation in form of Aadhar OTP to verify and proceed with the Linking activity.

Read More

Strengthening after sales service, Huawei-Honor launches 17 Exclusive Service Centers across India

Huawei already has 250 authorized service centers across India

Huawei world's number three smartphone manufacturer today announced launch of its 17 exclusive Service Centers across India. These new service centers are located in Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Indore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana.

This is in line with Huawei’s strategy to provide a consumer centric after sales experience to all their customers.

"A great product is not enough to build a strong brand."  - Mr. P Sanjeev, Vice President Sales, Huawei India-Consumer Business Group

These new Exclusive Service Centers are located in prominent locations and will provide first-class support and repairs for Huawei/honor devices exclusively. These state-of-the-art centers will ensure less waiting and faster turnaround time with guaranteed quality repair. Equipped with the best in class amenities, these exclusive service centers are manned by Service Personnel’s providing professional, dedicated one-stop service for customers, through strict trainings and certification requirements.

Other than handsets repair, replacement, hardware and software check and updates, Huawei exclusive service centers will also provide appointment booking, free recycling of your waste mobile phones and other electronics products and special service for the selected model user (VIP Services).

Mr. P Sanjeev, Vice President Sales, Huawei India-Consumer Business Group, said, “A great product is not enough to build a strong brand. To ensure consumers are fully satisfied with your product in case of issues, the brand needs to have a very robust and great after sales services. That is how trust is built towards a brand. At Huawei, we always believe in putting the customer first. As customer satisfaction is one of the most important aspects, with the launch of these Exclusive Service Centers we can now assure best in class after sale services to our consumers. Huawei will continue to invest in building a strong foundation of world-class service centers offering additional piece of mind to our customers.”

For the digital users, Huawei has also launched an app called ‘HiCare’ which allows customers to register their device, find nearby service stations, schedule a call back or opt for an online chat to fix their issues.  The HiCare App comes pre-loaded on both Huawei & Honor devices and can also be downloaded via Google Play store. The app also provides customers with tips to better manage their devices.

These exclusive service centers are located in Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Indore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Gurgaon and Ludhiana. Apart from these Huawei also has 250 authorized service centers. 

Users can find the nearest exclusive service center at www.consumer.huawei.com/in support/service-center/index.htm.

Read More

GST effect: ASUS Zenfone 3 Line Up gets price cut of Rs 3000/-

On midnight of 30 June- 1st July India witnessed launch of biggest tax reform in country's history in form of GST. Now GST effects are being seen in terms of price changes in markets for the affected commodities. While the reaction is mixed within the public, organisations do have something to cheer or fear. Amidst all this, the chaos is settling down and GST benefits or burden is being transferred to the end consumer. Thankfully our smartphones market have got something to cheer again and that is evident in recent price cuts from different brands after GST rates are announced.

ASUS one of the most prominent brand which has established itself in market with its sub brand Zenfone is offering a discount of upto 3000/- Rs on its Zenfone 3 series most popular smartphones the Zenfone 3 and Zenfone 3 Max variants. The price cut will be applicable across all platfroms including online and offline sales channels.

Below is the existing and updated pricelist of the models benefited from the recent announcement.

Series	Original Price	New Price
Zenfone 3 5.5 [ZE552KL]	19,999	16,999
Zenfone 3 5.2 [ZE520KL]	17,999	15,999
Zenfone 3 MAX 5.5 [ZC553KL]	15,999	14,999
Zenfone 3s MAX [ZC521TL]	14,999	12,999
Zenfone 3 MAX 5.2 [ZC520TL]	12,999	10,999

Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India said, “Both Zenfone 3 and Zenfone 3 Max series have received an overwhelming response in India, and we are happy to offer a new exciting price for both the models. We are sure that, with this price, both the series will be the best buys in the Indian market.”

Though the presser didn't mentioned this price cut related to GST, however the timing suggests otherwise. GST effect or not, but this announcement is surely going to up the ante for pricing war and benefit the end customer. So if you are in search of a new phone then this is one of the best time to buy one.

Read More