A tennis ball retriever powered by Ubuntu

A couple years back, Haitham Eletrabi, CEO of startup Tennibot, was practicing his backhand against a ball machine when he came to a frustrating realization: He was spending far more time cleaning up balls than hitting them.

His solution, Tennibot, is a Roomba-inspired robot that scours the court targeting balls for autonomous pickup.

It's a quirky application of autonomous mobility, but what caught my eye was the speed of development. In just a couple years the Tennibot team has gone through multiple prototypes and software builds to arrive at a product they plan to ship in January 2019.

A host of recent breakthroughs account for that accelerated development cycle, which has become the norm in robotics. Rapid prototyping, single board computers, and plummeting sensor prices are just a few.

But nothing has had more impact on the creation of robots in the past decade than open source operating systems and middleware.

Tennibot is a great example.

"To develop an advanced robot like Tennibot, which equips state-of-the-art perception and sophisticated planning algorithms, a versatile operating system that allows a short prototype-testing cycle is very important," writes Sarah Dickinson in the Ubuntu blog.

Tennibot has some pretty hefty route planning and perception capabilities. The team first built their robot using Arduino and the Raspberry Pi boards but quickly scaled up to a beefier board, which is when Ubuntu became the clear choice for Tennibot's OS.

"We needed something that was both light and compatible with libraries and existing software," Lincoln Wang, Tennibot's CTO, told the Ubuntu community in a recent post. "Given the geographical spread of where the Tennibot would end up, our final choice needed to have remote upgrading capability too. And of course, both for ourselves plus our users who are not tech savvy, it needed to be solidly tested and stable."

Ubuntu also integrates with the Robot Operating System (ROS), an open source middleware that's become the most widely used framework in the field.

After adopting Ubuntu and getting used to its quirks, the Tennibot technology team finished development in just three months.

"Ubuntu's potential for customization makes it very easy to be integrated into embedded hardware," according to Wang. "The advantages of using Ubuntu improved the efficiency of our product development significantly."

Tennibot is wrapping up a Kickstarter campaign in the next few days with a goal of achieving necessary minimum orders from their suppliers. The founders have already surpassed their funding goal, and the first robots should ship in January.

That's the pace of robotics development these days. Long live open source.

Sources: zdnet

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Everything You Need to Know About Drone Racing

In case you did not know, drone racing is rapidly growing in popularity. It is basically a sport where drone pilots tend to build agile and extremely fast multi-rotors (also known as drones). Although racing drones is done through various perspective systems, the most common one is none other than FPV (first-person view) system. The latter is a type of drone flying where pilots utilize cameras, making them appear as if they are actually inside the cockpit. While some of them use the ever-popular FPV monitors, others settle themselves with FPV goggles in order to capture a more immersive experience.

It holds true that drone racing is already on a takeoff, though it is still in its infancy stage. But given the acceptance and popularity, it has accumulated since inception – especially with the existence of The Drone Racing League – this will eventually become a huge thing in the next few years or so. There is no doubt that this kind of racing is here to stay, so it is only right for interested individuals to get into the sport now.

Equipment Needed to Get Started

Of course, for you to get started with drone racing, you need to have the right components. First and foremost, you are going to need a racing drone. From there, make sure you have all other important things, including battery charger, good controller, video receiver, and other miscellaneous items. And to experience the thrill of racing drones, get yourself some quality FPV goggles. Below is a detailed explanation of these different components:

• Racing Drone – There are two ways for you to get a good racing drone. The first one – and perhaps the easiest – is to purchase a drone that is already pre-built with almost everything you require. The second option is to build the drone yourself. If you are new to racing drones, the second option is probably the safest way to go.
• Controller – Here, it is important that you get a controller that could last. And remember: It is as important as the drone. Also, a controller can be called a transmitter or a radio. The former, however, is a completely different hardware and some enthusiasts use two kinds. The first one is a standard transmitter, which is accompanied with a receiver used in controlling the drone. The second one is called a video transmitter and, as the name suggests, it is used for acquiring a live feed of whatever the drone sees.
• Video Goggles – Most, if not all, pilots opt to video goggles or FPV goggles. They are better compared to traditional screens in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness. When you use goggles, you will not burden yourself with sun glare and any other visual distractions. You simply wear them on your head, allowing you to feel comfortable while piloting the device.
• Batteries – This is perhaps the most important component in drone racing, and you actually need lots of them. The most common one in drone racing is 14.8v 1300mah 60c. This battery has the best power-to-weight ratio on the market; hence, it is a recommended buy. It is also capable of handling higher currents and, more importantly, can last longer.
• Charger – Do not just buy a charger; buy a good charger. Keep in mind that LIPO batteries are nothing alike to AA batteries. They need to be charged and handled with utmost care but do not overcharge them. Although LIPO batteries are not really fire hazard, using a cheap charger can put you at risk. So, as much as possible, go with the ones that offer efficiency and quality.

Why Drone Racing is a Great Hobby

By essence, it is all about perfecting the FPV flight experience. FPV first came to light in RC over than a decade ago, with model airplanes being its initial output. But when it comes to thrill, there is nothing like racing drones. It simply revolutionizes the game through the combination of agility and power. Sure, the flight camera is fixed, but your flight experience is nothing close to being boring.

In addition, this hobby offers top-notch portability and variety. For starters, racing drones are small, somewhat akin to a frisbee. But perhaps the most interesting thing about it is that you have all the gear needed to operate it. You can easily place them in a backpack and you are off to go. The key benefit to this portability is the fact that drone racing will soon become an accessory in your life. For instance, you can hike up on any mountain and bring the equipment with you. It is just unmatched!

Introducing The Drone Racing League

It is a crime not to mention The Drone Racing League (DRL) when talking about drones. It is a US-based league that primarily features professional drone racing. Pilots here race one another with the use of FPV drones. They bring up the heat by racing through 3D courses, with speeds peaking over 80 MPH.

The first season of The Drone Racing League was launched sometime in January 2016, hosting at least five professional races. Interestingly, races were conducted in different places in the country at popular venues like the Miami Dolphins NFL HardRock Stadium. And mind you, the said season was broadcasted around 40 countries, with over 75 million fans tuned in.

The coolest thing about the DRL is the fact that all drones are developed in-house. And by doing so, the league is able to create a certain level of playing field which is fair and acceptable. So, when you see a pilot win a race, you will not have any doubts about him/her winning. Instead, you will have a clear understanding of why he/she actually wins the race.

Sources: techpatio

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The Apple Watch will get automatic workout detection, walkie-talkie mode, and better notifications

Apple’s popular smartwatch will be getting a new software update later this year in the form of watchOS 5. It will add new features for health and fitness tracking, as well as software that aligns with the screen time limitations that are coming with iOS 12 on the iPhone and iPad.

For health and fitness features, watchOS 5 will let you challenge your friends to competitions up to seven days in length. It will also include new workout types for yoga activities and hiking. Runners will benefit from improved tracking for your pace and cadence. Perhaps most significant is the new automatic workout tracking, which will prompt you to track an activity when it detects that you might be working out. It will even work retroactively if you don’t start the tracking right at the beginning of your workout.

WatchOS 5 will also bring a new way to communicate with other Apple Watch wearers, which works similar to a walkie-talkie. Press a button on the side of the watch, speak, and the other person will hear what you have to say. They can then respond with an audio clip of their own.

The Siri watch face is getting enhanced with sports, maps, and heart rate information, as well as shortcuts to the new Siri actions that are coming with iOS 12. It will also support third-party apps, according to Apple. Apple is also eliminating the need to say “Hey Siri” to wake Siri — you’ll be able to just raise your wrist and talk to it.

Notifications are getting improved with more actionable features as well, so you can respond to messages or triage them easier from your wrist.

Other new features include a new Podcasts app, the ability to play background audio, and a customizable Control Center. The Apple Wallet app will also support student IDs from a handful of universities. Apple will be releasing watchOS 5 for the Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch later this year. It will not be compatible with the first-generation watch released in 2015.

Apple did not announce any new Watch hardware today, but it did release a new strap to commemorate Pride month along with a matching watch face.

Sources: theverge

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Top 10 iPhone apps to consider with push notification for productivity in 2018

What’s productivity? There are many definitions of productivity. For me, productivity is doing more work in less time. It’s also about organizing stuff and prioritizing activities. Classic productivity is all about meeting career goals without foregoing hobbies. It’s about smart time and task management. Each and every year, around this time, I compile a list of the best 10 iPhone apps that help you become more productive throughout the day.

Use the following apps to level up your productivity. Let’s get started.

1. Dropbox

There are hardly any reasons to not have this awesome app installed in your iPhone. The moment you sign-up for Dropbox, you are provided with 2 GB of free space. 2 GB is a lot of storage space. Want to reward yourself with more free space? It’s easy. Just invite friends on Facebook and Twitter. For every potential sign-up, you will be provided with some free space. And yes, you can always upgrade to a Pro or Business plan.

The best thing about this app is that you can seamlessly share and store your videos, pictures, documents, etc. You need not worry about complicated data back-ups. Dropbox backs up your content and here is yet another awesome feature – If you accidentally delete a file, you can restore it almost immediately. Dropbox stores your file for 30 days before it is permanently expunged.

Dropbox is an indispensable project management and collaboration tool. You can keep yourself abreast of changes made to all files or a particular file within a specific folder by receiving mobile push notifications.

2. AP Mobile

Are you in a hurry? Don’t have enough time to watch the news on the TV? Don’t worry.

You can use AP Mobile app to your advantage. It sends you breaking news in every possible category – videos, technology, local news, health, travel etc. via mobile push notifications. It’s one of the best news apps available in the App Store. Don’t believe me? In 2014, Business Insider named it one of the world’s greatest apps. This app lets you curate your newsfeed so that you are not lost in a whirlpool of news.

3. ToodleDo

This is a super powerful to-do list app. The basic version of this app doesn’t have any exhaustive features. As a matter of fact, the basic version lacks collaboration tools and supports no more than 30 items per outline. For all intents and purposes, the basic version of ToodleDo is of little relevance to ambitious entrepreneurs.

There are three paid tiers – Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The Silver account is well endowed with many collaboration features. You enjoy the convenience of adding subtasks and creating customizable alarms. You can make use of the built-in scheduler. And yes, you can track your productivity through graphs. The Gold account has all the features present in the Silver account and lets you add attachments up to 10 GB. The Platinum account is a notch above the Gold account. It promises 99.9 % uptime.

Push notifications notify you of upcoming tasks.

4. ReQall

Sometimes, we are too busy to put things on paper. And when we don’t take the trouble of listing down important things, we may forget them. By all means, productivity then goes for a big time toss. ReQall is a gorgeously designed app which lets smartly manages your information. You just need to open this app, speak to it and see the magic- ReQall converts your speech into a to-do list. More importantly, this app notifies you of upcoming tasks.

5. E* Trade Mobile Pro

Entrepreneurs should have multiple streams of income. It’s important to diversify earnings. E*Trade mobile pro is a famous name among financial circles, stock brokers and investors. For beginners, this easy-to-navigate app is nothing short of a blessing!

There are a plenty of features that help you open a managed portfolio after having a discussion with a financial investor. This app is well endowed with interactive charts, real-time quotes, graphs etc.

You can receive alerts on stocks through push notifications.

6. BillMinder

This app sends you to push notifications and reminders on bills. Thanks to this app, you will no longer forget paying your bills on time

7. Zillow Real Estate

More often than not, entrepreneurs travel from one place to another for reasons galore- to deliver investor pitches and presentations, to negotiate and clinch deals with vendors and suppliers etc. It may take months to streamline processes and establish a robust supply chain. In such cases, entrepreneurs may look for homes to stay. This is where Zillow comes into the picture.

They can enjoy the convenience of receiving mobile push notifications of new listings that match their requirements.

8. Occasions

Don’t you think it’s important for employers to treat their employees with respect? A friendly text message now and then will break all communication barriers. And guess what, you can level up your communication skills by wishing your prospects and employees on their respective birthdays and anniversaries. Believe me, it can be a simple sentence like this.

Hey Lisa, Trillion wishes on your birthday. God bless you with everything!

Such messages work wonders. But it’s not possible to remember the dates of each and every one of your iPhone contact. You can use Occasions app for receiving push notifications of birthdays and anniversaries.

9. Remember the Milk

This app lets you create and share to-do lists with your employees, relatives and family members. Its free version is definitely worth trying. It has enough features such as cutting-edge design, connect to Google calendar and Evernote, send push messages for mobile phones, etc. Its premium version has many perks – advanced sharing privileges, generous collaboration, etc. Coming to the desktop version, it runs on Linux, Windows, and Mac. The mobile version runs on Android, iOS, and Blackberry

10. Hours

We often lose track of time. We fail to track the time spent on productive tasks vs the time spent on trivial stuff. This is where Hours comes into the picture. Thanks to Hours, an estimate on ROI of time is obtained at the end of every week. This way, we can distance ourselves from unproductive stuff.

Mobile push notifications are known to increase conversion rates by more than 3 times. It’s important for digital marketers to choose the best mobile push notification services and initiate campaigns.

Are you thinking of designing a productivity booster application? Ensure that it’s well equipped with push notification services.

A big shout out to all my dear entrepreneurs – Leverage the immense potential of the above mentioned iPhone apps. You will see amazing results. My best wishes are with you all. If you have any queries, shoot them in the comments. I shall reply in a day or two. Cheers!

Sources: techpatio

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Microsoft confirms it’s acquiring GitHub for $7.5 billion

Microsoft is acquiring GitHub. After reports emerged that the software giant was in talks to acquire GitHub, Microsoft is making it official today. This is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s second big acquisition, following the $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn two years ago. GitHub was last valued at $2 billion back in 2015, and Microsoft is paying $7.5 billion in stock for the company in a deal that should close later this year.

GitHub is a large code repository that has become very popular with developers and companies hosting entire projects, documentation, and code. Apple, Amazon, Google, and many other big tech companies use GitHub. There are 85 million repositories hosted on GitHub, and 28 million developers contribute to them. GitHub will now be led by CEO Nat Friedman, the founder of Xamarin, who will report to Microsoft’s Cloud and AI chief Scott Guthrie. GitHub CEO and co-founder Chris Wanstrath will now become a technical fellow at Microsoft, also reporting to Guthrie.

It’s easy to imagine why Microsoft would want to acquire GitHub. Microsoft killed its own GitHub competitor, Codeplex, in December and is now the top contributor to GitHub, Microsoft now has more than 1,000 employees actively pushing code to GitHub repositories. Its popularity among developers could see Microsoft earn some much-needed trust and respect from developers. In bigger enterprises and slower moving businesses, the fact Microsoft has acquired GitHub will make it more trusted to use for projects and source control, simply because Microsoft is already trusted across many software and services by these companies. “We will accelerate enterprise developers’ use of GitHub, with our direct sales and partner channels and access to Microsoft’s global cloud infrastructure and services,” says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Trust and respect won’t be easy for Microsoft to win, though. Developers are already voicing their concerns about Microsoft’s past abuses and the company’s botched acquisition of Skype and Nokia’s phone business. GitHub itself hasn’t scaled well and has faced its own issues over the years, and there are legitimate concerns that Microsoft will need to address. GitLab, a GitHub competitor, claims it has seen a 10x increase in the number of developers moving their repositories over to its service, an early sign that there’s some developer unrest.

Microsoft won’t be able to address the general concern that important tools and internet services keep being consolidated into the hands of a few big tech companies. “When it comes to our commitment to open source, judge us by the actions we have taken in the recent past, our actions today, and in the future,” says Nadella, in an attempt to ease concerns around Microsoft’s acquisition.

For all the concerns, there are plenty of reasons to see this as a positive for Microsoft and GitHub users. Microsoft has been actively pushing open source technology, and the company has open sourced PowerShell, Visual Studio Code, and the Microsoft Edge JavaScript engine. Microsoft also partnered with Canonical to bring Ubuntu to Windows 10 and acquired Xamarin to assist with mobile app development. These are moves that have been met with surprise by developers initially, but that have earned respect. It’s essential that Microsoft stewards the GitHub community forward to earn even more trust and developer love. The Microsoft old isn’t the Microsoft of new, and this GitHub acquisition is a chance for Microsoft to prove that even further.

Microsoft has struggled with developer love for years, and it’s a big part of the reasons Windows Phone failed and that its Universal Windows Apps platform hasn’t taken off. Microsoft has spent recent years improving Windows 10 so it’s a respectable development box and tools like Visual Studio Code — which lets developers build and debug web and cloud applications — have soared in popularity with developers.

The question around this acquisition will be what Microsoft does with GitHub in the future. LinkedIn has largely remained separate, with some integrations into Microsoft’s Office software. Microsoft’s Minecraft acquisition has been managed equally well, and it’s likely that GitHub will need to stay as separate as possible to maintain developer trust. However, we could start to see even closer integration between Microsoft’s developer tools and the service. At Build last month, Microsoft continued its close work with GitHub by integrating the service into the company’s App Center for developers.

Microsoft clearly knows it needs to treat this acquisition with care. “Most importantly, we recognize the responsibility we take on with this agreement,” explains Nadella. “We are committed to being stewards of the GitHub community, which will retain its developer-first ethos, operate independently and remain an open platform. We will always listen to developer feedback and invest in both fundamentals and new capabilities.”

Sources: theverge

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5 Latest Apps for International Calling

International calling is a necessity in today’s world. Globalisation and increasing need of interaction among people worldwide bring about the need to make international calls. As the world proceeds further into the 21st century, multinational companies are spreading out more. Also, the number of international travelers and globetrotters contribute to this increasing demand. But despite the improvements of the telecommunication network, the high call charges are still an obstacle. Be it for making international calls or on an international roaming, it always punches a hole in one’s wallet. The high charges for these call feature always restrict people and they often end up paying a lot more than they intend to.

While you may be already acquainted with the popular apps of Whatsapp, Skype, and Google, there are many other players who are gradually making their place in this vast industry. The winning factor for these new apps is the number of eye-catching features that they present apart from the mainstream ones. And with their rapid growth, these apps seem promising enough to give a try.

Here are the 5 latest apps for international calling:

1. Ajura:

Ajura is one of the latest apps to offer international calling facility and is suitable for travelers, international businessmen and lot more. Ajura connects calls through real phone lines thereby cutting down heavy international call charges. This eliminates chances of bad reception or calls drop. With Ajura one can make calls to Africa, Europe, Asia, Middle East and numerous other countries at very low call rates.

Some of the prominent features of Ajura are:

• Ajura offers 3 types of calling options, namely: Ajura out, GSM call-back and GSM callout.
• Mobile Top-Up facility is available with secured payment modes. With Ajura there are no hidden charges or expiry date for the purchased minutes.
• Roaming feature of Ajura offers low-cost international roaming to multiple destinations. One has to activate the roaming option before leaving their home country.
• Ajura offers unlimited global numbers with a long validity. The numbers link the calls to one’s preferred mobile number.

2. Roamer:

Claiming to help a user avoid massive network charges, Roamer is an app which enables one to make and receive calls abroad with one’s regular number without paying roaming charges. Missed calls and free voicemail facility is available for when there’s no Wi-Fi connection.

Features of Roamer:

• Roamer advertises low call rates for multiple destinations around the world.
• Roaming operates on Wi-Fi, 3G or other similar internet connection. One can link the roaming option to local SIM cards.
• Push notifications ensure that the user knows about calls even when Roamer is off. For account recharges prepaid packages are available to choose from.

3. Vyke:

Suitable for work, dating, travel, web forms and more, Vyke is helpful in a number of situations. Based in London, UK, Vyke app provides role-based mobile communication. Vyke helps a user to maintain the privacy of their personal phone number. To give one the control over mobile life Vyke app lets the user decide when to be available.

Some features of Vyke are:

• Free calling and free chats, low-cost calls, caller id visibility.
• Customisation for Vyke profile and personalized voice mail.
• Extra mobile numbers are available. Vyke also offers another business line without the need for an extra device.

4. Talkpanda:

TalkPanda app enables its users to make unlimited calls to international destinations with free calling credits. In this app, one can earn free virtual credit by completing actions on a single tap. Thereafter one can exchange this credits for balance to make calls anywhere around the world.

Features of TalkPanda are as follows:

• Gives access to make international calls to over 200 countries.
• Free from any network glitch and works on all WIFI, 4G, 3G, EDGE.
• Outcall packages are available for countries like Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, USA, Canada, Philippines and lot more.

5. TalkU:

TalkU app offers the facility of making calls and sending messages free of cost. For now, this app is available for iOS and Android platform only. TalkU allows sharing of various multimedia files and one’s location with other TalkU users.

Features of TalkU:

• TalkU offers free calling to multiple destinations. Also calling landlines and other similar numbers are available at an affordable rate.
• File sharing, group chats, conference calls are also available.
• TalkU also provides phone numbers to receive calls and texts. One can also purchase credits from inside the TalkU app.
• In addition to others, walkie-talkie feature is available between TalkU users only.

So, what are you waiting for? The new generation of apps presents a varied range of features which mark a turning point in the technological developments. With regular updates and interaction with their consumers, these apps aim to achieve complete satisfaction from their users.

Sources: techpatio

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ASUS REPLACED THE TOUCHPAD ON ITS NEW ZENBOOK PRO WITH A 5.5-INCH TOUCHSCREEN

Unveiled at Computex 2018, the Asus ZenBook Pro is the new pinnacle of Asus’ premium laptop range, and it comes with an attention-grabbing new feature: a smartphone-sized touchscreen in the place of the regular touchpad. I got to grips with the two ZenBook Pro models and their so-called ScreenPads here in Taipei, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well implemented and potentially use this apparent gimmick feature is.

Unlike Apple’s limited and unhelpful MacBook Pro Touch Bar, the Asus ScreenPad doesn’t take anything useful away like physical keys. It resides exactly where the laptop’s touchpad usually does, and it works exactly as a regular touchpad does. But the ScreenPad is “the world’s first smart touchpad,” in Asus’ words because it can also serve as a multifunctional touch-enabled display, a sort of dumbed-down smartphone that’s integrated with your Windows PC.

Spanning 5.5 inches with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, the ScreenPad can be turned into your app launcher, calculator, calendar, or numeric keypad. It can also play back YouTube videos via a Chrome extension, or it can simply extend the ZenBook Pro’s main display. I tried using it in all those various ways, and it wasn’t terrible. I quickly adapted to the switching between modes — which is done by pressing F6, no need for hunting around settings and menus — and where something wasn’t obvious, it only took a little trial and error to figure it out. Perhaps the biggest confusion stems from the extender mode: that’s when I can drag a browser window directly off the main display and onto the ScreenPad. In that circumstance, I expect the ScreenPad to still be a touchscreen, but it just works as a touchpad, meaning I have to manipulate what’s on it with the cursor.

I know my praise sounds faint, but given the difficulty of inventing a whole new paradigm of interaction like this, I think Asus has made a promising start with its ScreenPad. Physically, this pad has a nice matte finish that feels good to the touch and reduces glare.

Asus has worked with Microsoft to develop Office integrations for the ScreenPad, so you get access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint shortcuts and adjustments on it. The pad can also function as a neat music and video playback controller, and Asus says it will support Spotify controls with it. The ZenBook Pro’s maker is going to release a ScreenPad developer kit and is maintaining a website where all the compatible apps are listed, the majority of which will be found on the Windows Store. Knowing Asus’ poor track record with developing software and the Windows Store’s dire lack of popularity, I’m not brimming with confidence that this initiative will flourish, but I give Asus credit for trying.

ASUS ZENBOOK PRO 15 (UX580) SPECS

CPU: Intel Core i9-8950HK or Core i7-8750H or Core i5-8300H

Display: 15.6-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) LCD or 1080p LCD; optional touchscreen

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB

Dimensions: 365mm x 251mm x 18.9mm

Weight: 1.88kg

Memory: Up to 16GB

Storage: 1TB or 512GB PCIe SSD, 512GB or 256GB SATA SSD

Wireless: 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5

Ports: 2x USB Type-A, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with Thunderbolt 3, 1x HDMI 1.4, MicroSD card reader

Audio: Harman Kardon-certified Asus SonicMaster Premium audio system

Battery: 71Wh, rated for 10 hours

Besides having a touchpad it deems to be the next step in adaptive computing, Asus has plenty of other good things to boast about with the ZenBook Pro. The 15.6-inch model of this laptop offers a 4K touchscreen with great color fidelity and bezels thin enough to make it the size of a more conventional 14-inch laptop. The 14-inch version, in turn, has roughly the same footprint as my 13-inch MacBook Pro. These are well-built laptops, too, with aluminum on the top, bottom, and wrist rest of each. I could live without Asus’ signature concentric circle design, which the company calls “classic,” but I find evocative of some of the less successful models in its mobile PC range.

While testing the ScreenPad as a music controller, I was wowed by the quality of the speakers on the larger ZenBook Pro. Asus has built an audio system that produces loud, rich sound with none of the tinniness and feebleness of typical laptop speakers. The 2016 MacBook Pro that I use has very good speakers, but the ZenBook Pro is markedly better. The improvement is so obvious that I can be sure of it even after only a brief listen.

Asus says that it designed the ZenBook Pro with creators in mind. That’s the big demographic that PC makers are chasing at this year’s Computex: photographers, video makers, designers, basically anyone who can find a use for a few extra CPU cycles. The common thread to all classes of digital creators is that they work with visuals, so Asus has tried to maximize the color accuracy of the ZenBook Pro’s screen, and it’s received certification from Pantone (though I couldn’t get an explanation of what that mark of approval signified). The ZenBook Pro offers 132 percent coverage of the sRGB color space and 100 percent of Adobe RGB.

The smaller 14-inch ZenBook Pro has one of Asus’ ErgoLift hinges, the purpose of which is solely to elevate the keyboard for a more natural typing posture. I can’t say how much of a benefit that is in long-term use, though I don’t see Asus sacrificing any other design element for it, so I’m fine with its inclusion. Given my preference for smaller laptops, I did find the 14-inch ZenBook Pro the much more appealing of the two. In terms of specs, it has a lower ceiling than its larger sibling, maxing out with a Core i7 CPU, a GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q, USB-C ports without Thunderbolt 3, and an IR camera for Windows Hello instead of the fingerprint sensor of the Pro 15.

Asus is putting the ZenBook Pro 15 on sale in mid-July for a starting price of $2,299. Its 14-inch counterpart will follow in the fourth quarter of the year, offering superior battery life of up to 13 hours. Both will come in Asus’ favored shade of so-called Deep Dive Blue.

Sources: theverge

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<a href="http://sltechnozone.blogspot.com/2018/06/asus-replaced-touchpad-on-its-new.html">ASUS REPLACED THE TOUCHPAD ON ITS NEW ZENBOOK PRO WITH A 5.5-INCH TOUCHSCREEN</a>