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ASUS Malaysia recently announced that they would hold a roadshow for various ASUS products that would include the ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG), ASUS Transformer Book T100 and ASUS ZenFone smartphones at Centre Court in Mid Valley Megamall from 20 august 2014 to 24 August 2014. The roadshow would include various activities and the chance to redeem ASUS Zen Owl premiums and freebies. In addition, the first 50 customers in the queue on 23 to 24 August will get the chance to purchase certain ASUS products (ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG), ASUS Transformer Book T100, etc.) at just RM1 or get free ASUS accessories. Lucky draw winners who Like the ASUS Facebook Page and fill out the Zen Owl Survey Form may also win either an ASUS Fonepad 7 (FE170CG) tablet or ASUS ZenFone 4 (A450CG) smartphone. Check out the full promo in this article.

In the race to get an edge-to-edge display smartphone it seems like Sharp has reached the finish first with their newly announced Sharp Aquos Crystal and Aquos Crystal X smartphones. Both have nearly no bezels making it seem like the smartphones are nearly all panel but there is still a metal side casing for each. Tech specs are quite high end with the Sharp Aquos Crystal X offering a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 5.5-inch display with full HD 1080p pixel resolution. The Aquos Crystal X measures in at 139 x 73 x 11m which may not be very thin but is certainly compact for a 5.5-inch display smartphone. The Sharp Aquos Crystal offers tech specs that include a 1.2GHZ quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage, 5-inch display with 720p pixel resolution, 2040 mAh battery and Harmon Kardon audio technologies. The Aquos Crystal is even more compact at 131 x 67 x 10mm with both smartphones set for release in Japan and eventually the US. No Malaysia release dates or pricing yet, but we expect more bezel-less smartphones to come soon.

Huawei's earlier invite for the IFA 2014 event included fingerprints, hinting that a device or two could come packing with a fingerprint scanner. Right on the money, some leaks of a smartphone bearing the Huawei brand and coming with a fingerprint scanner have appeared. Turns out, it could be the Huawei Ascend G7 as it offers tech specs that include a 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and 720p display which are decidedly midrange. Personally, it doesn't look at all like the super slim Huawei Ascend P7 but it could be the shell keeping it that way. No news on Malaysia pricing or release dates so stay tuned for the Huawei IFA 2014 event happening on 4 September 2014.

ASUS recently posted a teaser image for what "incredible" things they may bring to IFA 2014 and the teaser image clearly shows what we assume to be a smartwatch face. The quote that came with the teaser, "Time has been transformed, and we have changed, Khalil Gibran" also points towards an ASUS smartwatch. Previously, when we asked our ASUS Malaysia peeps they said ASUS is interested but didn't have anything concrete yet, as such we also don't have any tech specs or details to share. As it is, we assume it will run Android Wear and hopefully be priced affordably enough to make it attractive. The IFA 2014 event will start on 3 September 2014 so stay tuned for more developments.

The super-slim 6.5mm thin Huawei Ascend P7 remains one of the best looking and most capable slim and thin smartphones currently available and this has been recognized internationally by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). EISA have since awarded the Ascend P7 with the European Consumer Smartphone 2014 - 2015 award with special focus on the smartphone's beautiful design, capable 8MP front and 13MP rear cameras and affordable RM1499 pricing. Here is what Huawei had to say about it:

“We are thrilled to be presented with this award, and see it as firm evidence that we are challenging existing industry standards by redefining smartphone design, camera experience, and connectivity. We have even more surprises up our sleeves for IFA 2014 as we work to Make it Possible for more people around the world to enjoy great technology.” Shao Yang, Vice President of Marketing, Huawei Consumer Business Group. 

While it usually offers benchmark scores, the AnTuTu site is also rather infamous for revealing the tech specs and features of upcoming smartphones and mobile devices. It appears that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 could be one of the latest devices to appear on the AnTuTu site. This listing reveals the Galaxy Note 4 tech specs to include a Samsung Exynos 5433 processor with ARM Mali T760 graphics. Other tech specs include 3GB RAM, 16GB of storage and a 16MP rear camera along with Android 4.4.4. Unconfirmed but anticipated tech specs for the Galaxy Note includes a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display. The AnTuTu listing has since revealed that it will pack a resolution of 1440 x 2560 and we expect the camera to be the same 16MP ISOCELL camera sensor currently available on the Samsung Galaxy S5. Many are hoping that the Note 4 will be enough to revitalize Samsung's decline, but rather than head for the premium flagship area we think the battle they need to win will be in the midrange and entry level, something which Samsung is currently lacking. No Malaysia release dates or pricing is available yet, but stay tuned for the Samsung UNPACKED event on 3 September 2014 for more information.

Goophone has already come out early with a clone of the still unreleased Apple iPhone 6, so it should not come as a surprise that they have also come out with the Goophone N4, a clone of the upcoming and still unreleased Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. While the actual Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has yet to be confirmed, the Goophone N4 certainly looks like how it would come out as, right down to the super slim bezels and large 5.7-inch display. Tech specs and features for the Goophone N4 include a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor, 3GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 5.7-inch display with full 1080p HD display and 3200 mAh battery. While these aren't bad tech specs at all, the graphics for this processor are usually slower than normal. While we don't think you can fool anyone with the Goophone brand so clearly displayed, it could still get sold as a possible Galaxy Note 4 smartphone by some third-party sellers, so be careful about any offers before the Galaxy UNPACKED event expected on 3 September 2014.

Xiaomi has recently announced their MIUI 6 system for Android smartphones. Featuring a flatter design with pastel colours and stunning effects, the overall design is beautiful even if it is borrowing heavily from the latest iOS design. We won't say who is copying who exactly as even Apple has borrowed any number of features from other operating systems as well, but it isn't easy to make a beautiful copy of something beautiful, and for this Xiaomi should be commended. That being said, the overall interface is a lot more simple and should offer many more features for Xiaomi's smartphones and mobile devices in the future. For now, the MIUI 6 system is still under beta testing with a Developer build expected to arrive in early September 2014 while the final version is slated for October 2014. Do check out the Xiaomi MIUI 6 videos for yourself below:

The Nokia Lumia 830 has been rumoured to be coming during the IFA 2014 but already, pictures of the midrange smartphone have appeared. What makes the pictures all that much more interesting is that it is indeed packing in a PureView image sensor despite being aimed for the midrange market. While most industry watchers have pointed out that the Nokia Lumia 1020 is nearing it's expiry point, it doesn't look like the Pureview sensor on the Lumia 830 is the same 41MP PureView sensor on the Lumia 1020. This is because it isn't as raised or as thick and could likely just be a 20MP PureView sensor or perhaps even less. Other tech specs for the Lumia 830 include a 4.5-inch display and 4G LTE connectivity. Again, no specific Malaysia release dates or pricing details but we should find out soon at the coming IFA 2014 in September where the Lumia 730 is also rumoured to be coming as well.

The upcoming rumoured Meizu MX4 smartphone has apparently been photographed with a picture showing the smartphone to have nearly no bezels. While the rest of the design follows the Apple iPhone right down to the rounded corners and circular home button, the screen looks to be much bigger. Rumoured tech specs include a versions that will have a 5.5-inch screen with 1536 x 2560 pixel resolution along with a version offering a 5-inch screen and 1080 x 1800 pixel resolution. Other tech specs include 3GB of RAM, a 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera. No Malaysia release dates or pricing yet and it will likely never come to Malaysia unless through third-party sellers. However, the Meizu MX4 is rumoured to be priced around $320 (RM1011) perhaps to give the Xiaomi Mi 4 some competition.