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Asus has shown off a host of new competitively priced products at IFA 2014 including its debut smartwatch – the ZenWatch – and new notebooks and tablets.
The stainless steel ZenWatch was presented to the world at the Asus press conference by Mitch Yang, Asus’ design center VP. It has curved glass, a stainless steel edge and will be priced at less than £199 launched in time for Christmas.
Powered by Android Wear and featuring the ZenUI interface, the ZenWatch has multiple digital watch faces to choose from, Google Maps integration, a heartrate monitor that measures the user’s ‘relaxation level’,
Users can double-tap the watch’s screen to find their smartphone (running Android4.3 or higher) by making it ring, or they can cover the watch face with their hand to mute an incoming call.
The watch also has a remote camera feature and can be used to control Powerpoint presentations.
Yang said: “Our design philosophy is ‘Start with People’. We want to deliver a seamless digital experience for everyone to enjoy. With our ZenWatch, you will always be connected to everything that matters in your life.”
See bigger pictures of the Asus ZenWatch in PCR’s Facebook gallery here:
Asus also revealed the Zenbook UX305 – the ‘world’s slimmest 13.3-inch QHD+ laptop’ which weighs 1.2kg and is powered by the new Intel CoreM processor and a 256GB solid-state drive (SSD). It has a QHD+ resolution of 3200 x 1800 pixels and is available in a new Obsidian Stone colour with Zenbook’s signature spun-metal finish, or a Ceramic Alloy shade.
Next up was the EeeBook X205 – an 11.6-inch laptop that weighs less than 1kg and is designed for on-the-go students and young professionals. It’s powered by Windows 8.1 with Bing and will be available in four colours – black, white, gold and red. It will be available from November 2014 starting from £169.99.
The MeMO Pad 7 (ME572C) is a 7-inch Android tablet powered by an Intel Atom 64-bit quad-core processor. It’s 8.3mm thin and weighs 269g, with a pixel density of 323 pixels per inch and wide 178-degree viewing angles. Available in three colours – Burgundy Red, Champagne Gold and Gentle Black – the MeMO Pad 7 (ME572C) will be available from John Lewis with an MSRP of £179.99 this Q4.
Asus also introduced the exclusive ProSieben Entertainment Pad in partnership with media firm ProSieben and Intel, an 8-inch tablet that will be available exclusively to customers in Germany.
Finally, Asus revealed that one million ZenFone smartphones have shipped since launch.
ASUS Corporate Vice President Eric Chen added: "The success of ZenFone reflects our desire to create the most extraordinary phone that can empower everyone,” said Mr. Chen, adding: “It is our great pleasure to announce that the LTE version of ZenFone will be available in Europe during the fourth quarter of this year."
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