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ASUS has recently announced the global release for the ASUS PadFone X, which was earlier tied to AT&T in the US. Looking much like a PadFone Infinity, the PadFone X has tech specs which include a 5-inch smartphone combo with an 8.9-inch tablet. Other tech specs for the PadFone X include a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, full HD display resolution, microSD support, a 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 1MP front camera for the tablet and 2300 mAh battery. The tablet gets a 4990 mAh battery while the smartphone can also support certain 3G and 4G LTE bands.

Local smartphone manufacturers Ninetology recently introduced their Ninetology Z1T smartphone which features support for Malaysia's 4G LTE networks. Other tech specs include a 1.4GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, up to 32GB microSD support, a 5-inch IPS display with 720p pixel resolution, 13MP f/2.2 rear camera, 1.6MP front camera, 2000 mAh battery and Android 4.3. Set for a possible 15 June 2014 launch, the price for the Z1T still hasn't been revealed yet as Ninetology are currently holding a Guess the Price contest. The price range in the contest goes from RM299 to RM999 but if you get the answer correct you may win a Ninetology Z1T smartphone. Check out the Ninetology Z1T site for more information.

Confirming rumours about a plastic encased HTC One (M8) variant, HTC have announced the HTC One (E8) for global markets. Running off of a Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM, 15GB of storage and microSD support up to 128GB, the plastic unibody of the HTC One (E8) is lighter at 145g but thicker at 9.9mm. Other notable tech specs and features include a 13MP rear camera with BSI sensor, f/2.2 aperture and a single LED flash. The front camera has a 5MP sensor while other features include dual-SIM support and 3G HSPA+. While it packs in 4G LTE support it is currently just for Chinese networks with the HTC One (E8) coming to other markets in early July 2014. While there are still no pricing or Malaysia release dates we expect the HTC One (E8) to arrive in Malaysia sometime afterwards.

Trying to find a very thin smartphone in the midrange market can be quite difficult (unless you're willing to try out the Huawei Ascend P6 and others) but Sony has added one such thin midrange smartphone to the market with the announcement of the Sony Xperia T3. At just 7mm thin, the smartphone offers a uniquely sized 5.3-inch Triluminos IPS display with 720p pixel resolution. The display also uses the Sony Bravia Engine 2 while the overall phone design follows the Sony OmniBalance super thin slate with metal sidings school of design. Keeping the costs down, the back is not tempered glass but is instead matte plastic with a choice of either black, purple or white.

Dell has recently announced two 64-bit Android tablets with the new Dell Venue 7 and Dell Venue 8. Powered by Intel's new 64-bit Intel Atom processor, what makes it even more interesting is that both tablets will run Android 4.4 KitKat right out of the box and be priced from $159.99 (RM517.25) to $199.99 (RM646.57). The Venue 7 tablet is packing a 7-inch display with 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z3460 processor while the Venue 8 has an 8-inch display with full HD resolution and 2.13GHz dual-core Intel Z3480 processor.

While we covered the recent 64-bit ASUS MeMo Pad in Japan, ASUS have officially announced 3 new tablets powered by the new 64-bit Intel processors. These include the ASUS Fonepad 8 (FE380CG), ASUS MeMo Pad 7 (ME176C) and the aforementioned ASUS MeMo Pad 8 (ME581CL). Featuring a thinner design with slimmer bezels, the tablets not only mark the first of Intel's 64-bit mobile processors but also one of the first devices to have Intel's LTE modem. All of the tablets utilize the new ASUS ZenUI and as such, should also come with a while bunch of useful apps from time schedulers to a messaging app. The tech specs for the ASUS Fonepad 8 (FE380CG), ASUS MeMo Pad 7 (ME176C) and the aforementioned ASUS MeMo Pad 8 (ME581CL) are listed below:

• ASUS Fonepad 8 (FE380CG)
• 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 (64-bit)
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB / 16GB storage + 5GB ASUS WebStorage
• 8-inch display (IPS, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, Anti-fingerprint)
• 5MP rear camera + 2MP front camera
• Features dual-front speakers, ASUS SonicMaster audio, 5.06mm bezel
• 120 x 214 x 8.9mm | 328g
• Supports 3G, GPS phone/SMS capabilities
• Android 4.4 KitKat

ASUS recently announced their new Transformer Book V, which at first seems like a normal tablet + keyboard convertible, but upon a closer at the back, also comes with a 5-inch smartphone. The device works in all modes, either as a notebook computer, tablet or smartphone. While the smartphone does dock into the back of the tablet, both devices are separate. In notebook computer mode, the system offers an Intel Core processor and 1TB of storage to complement the 12.5-inch display. While each device can be stand-alone, they can be synced to share data, allowing you to pick and choose the form factor you want for the device you need.

Apple recently made several announcements at this year's WWDC 2014 and one of the biggest was that of iOS 8, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. Powering your Apple iPhones and iPads, iOS 8 brings a number of innovations to the fore including an improved Health hub app, a more useful Siri, notifications that you can take action on and widgets. Other notable features include the addition of a new predictive and learning QuickType keyboard along with support for third-party keyboards so you can eventually download SwiftKey or other onscreen keyboards if you don't like the new QuickType. Other new features of note include Family Sharing where you can share media with family, better integration with iCloud Drive for more storage on the Internet and Spotlight which works like a combination of the search on Windows 8 and Google Now. Improved Maps and other features round off the new additions.

After our earlier reports on the 7-inch phone tablet from Samsung, the company has finally made it official by announcing the Samsung Galaxy W for SK Telecom in South Korea. The phone tablet or phablet is the first 7-inch smartphone device from a major brand to hit the market. Offering thinner bezels and the same artificial leather backside as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the phablet provides a 7-inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Other tech specs include a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB storage with microSD support, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 4G LTE-A, 3200 mAh battery and Android 4.3. The new Galaxy W weighs in at 245g, which is about 46g heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 and comes in black, red and white. No news when it may come to Malaysia or for how much but it is currently priced at 499400 won (RM1573).

Samsung has officially announced their first Tizen based smartphone with the Samsung Z. Featuring the same artificial leather backside as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 it stands apart from other Samsung Galaxy devices with rather sharp corners compared to the much rounder design on the Samsung Galaxy S5. Tech specs and features for the Samsung Z include a 2.3GHZ quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage with up to 64GB microSD, 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 8MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera.