IFA 2014: Asus Launches ZenWatch – Its First Android Wear Powered Smartphone
Asus has just released its first smartwatch, named the Asus ZenWatch, before the annual IFA technology show in Berlin. The Android Wear powered smartwatch is priced at $199, which makes it the cheapest smart wrist device on the market, at this very moment.
The smartwatch has a rectangular shape, with a brown leather belt, which gives it an elegant and fancy touch. The ZenWatch has a curved-display with a quick-release steel clasp. What is worth mentioning is the fact that Asus made available more than 100 different watch faces to choose from, including a range of digital faces, or faces that imitate a mechanical watch.
Regarding its specs, Asus’s first smartwatch features a 1.63-inch curved AMOLED display with 320 x 320-pixel resolution. The smart device is powered by 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and its displays 512 MB of RAM memory. In addition, regarding the storage capacity, the device has 4 GB of storage and provides connectivity via Bluetooth 4.0.
Compared with other similar devices on the market, the ZenWatch is waterproof with IP55 rating and has a biosensor that can measure the heart rate. There are no physical buttons except for one emergency button at the back, which lets users go back to the home screen in case the automatic controls failed to launch, and the device also has an in-built microphone. The battery lasts only a day, which might become quite annoying, especially for those who plan to use it on a long term.
The Android Wear Powered Smartwatch developed by Asus has a customized interface called Zen UI, which is unusual, mostly since Google has banned smartwatch makers from adding their own custom skins on top of the Android Wear.
Along with the customized interface, users will get features such as automatic phone unlock, and Find My Phone to help locate a lost Smartphone. The unique Tap Tap feature makes the phone ring when the screen is pressed twice. It can also mute an incoming call, only by placing your hands on the screen.
Another interesting feature that comes along with the Asus ZenWatch is the possibility to use it as a remote control or time manager. The device can be used as a remote viewfinder and a shutter button for the camera of your Smartphone. This feature is more than welcomed when you want to take a group photo without holding the phone with your hands.
It also comes with a Wellness app that helps you keep track of the steps you walked, the amount of calories you burn, the activity duration, heart rates and exercise intensity. Users can also measure the relaxation level while keeping an eye on the time they have spent resting.
