Go Everywhere with the ASUS ZenFone Go!

Now, more than ever, it is undeniable that smartphones have truly become the centerpiece of our traveling lifestyle. Whether one considers himself to be an adventurous soul, an aimless wanderer, or perhaps simply an explorer-at-heart, every aspect of our travels is made even more fun with our handy smartphone there with us in every step of our journey.

While it seems that choosing the right kind of smartphone may be as challenging as planning your next travel destination, one actually need not look no further than the trailblazing ASUS ZenFone smartphone series, which since its launch last July 2014, has literally taken over the world by storm. And just like the bucket lists and itineraries we are all so accustomed in preparing for a brand new adventure, allow us to list down some of the top reasons why in particular the value-for-money ASUS ZenFone Go (ZC500TG) would be the perfect smartphone to have with you during your road trips and vacations this season.

The Price is Right: Your Best Bet for a Budget-Friendly, High-Value Smartphone

For a retail price of just PHP 5,995.00, the ASUS ZenFone Go is a sure hit for millennial travelers who are always on the look-out for items that will not only be useful to have wherever they go, but will also be  ‘easy on the pocket’ for their budget travels. With its key features and main selling points (read on below), the ZenFone Go will really suit the lifestyles of both road warriors and vacationers alike.

Without a doubt, this smartphone’s very affordable pricing allows you to enjoy new experiences and destinations without having to break the bank.

Every Traveler’s Delight: It’s Compact, Elegant and very Light

They say that the secret to a stress-free travel is to simply pack light, and this could not be any more true for the ZenFone Go. With its light and compact built (weighing only 135 grams), the ZC500TG ensures travelers that you reduce space, weight, and any additional cost for your baggage. Moreover, at is slimmest point, the ZenFone Go is only 5.2mm – ultimately making it comfortable to hold and travel-friendly enough to be placed in your pocket anywhere you go.

And because what is traveling, if not in style, the ZenFone Go also displays the iconic ASUS spin cut-effect, with the concentric lines providing a magnificent visual effect. For added aesthetic, the ZenFone Go comes in three stylish colors of your choice: White, Black or Red.

The Need for Speed: Instant Touching Response

More often than not, nothing says “travel buzzkill” more than having to encounter speed bumps, detours and long waits along the way, most especially if you are in a hurry.

You will definitely not encounter these with the ZenFone Go what with its unmatched instant touching response: The ZC500TG is equipped with a super sensitive and instant 67ms touch response time that keeps up with all your needs even when you are on the go, or in a rush – making this the perfect travel gear for multitaskers and globetrotters.

Loud and Clear: An Audio Experience Like No Other

The ZenFone Go also offers you added entertainment at the palm of your hands as you go about in your travels. The ZC500TG benefits from ASUS-exclusive SonicMaster technology for exceptional mobile-audio experiences. In fact, the smartphone’s ingenuous amplifier design enables the ZC500TG to deliver an output voltage that is up to 25% greater than competing smartphones.

Going the Extra Mile: But Wait, There’s More!

Photo enthusiasts and social media- savvy travelers can also enjoy the ZenFone Go’s camera functions, what with its two built-in cameras, with the main camera having an 8MP, f/2.0 lens.

On top of these, the ASUS ZenFone Go keeps the fun rolling with a high-capacity battery that provides almost 30 hours of 3G talk time and over 10 days on standby. The ZC500TG also packs a powerful 1.3GHz quad core processor for superior everyday performance, and includes intelligent dual SIM, dual-active technology that lets users both deal with and switch seamlessly between business and personal needs.

*This is Press Release

Tech Guide: Here’s the Ultimate List to Have in Mind When Looking for That Perfect Smartphone for You

Tech Guide: Here’s the Ultimate List to Have in Mind When Looking for That Perfect Smartphone for You We’re breaking down the ‘insider secrets’ and top tips in order for you to maximize your smartphone experience Manila, Philippines (2 November, 2015) — In this modern digital age, even the tech-savvy among us admit that they too can get easily get lost in the sea of products and devices that are advertised to be the supposed latest ‘game-changer’ in the tech industry. And as such, nowadays one must be even more vigilant in choosing what kind of smartphone that can really keep up with his basic needs. And though many may say that making that decision is easily more said than done, on the contrary, one only actually needs to just look for certain essential factors that should be present for you to get that perfect smartphone experience attuned to your lifestyle.  And with the Holiday rush clearly in full-swing already, we are out to lend a helping hand by conveniently listing down and summarizing these factors into the four basic yet important must-haves – some often overlooked – that would make just anyone and everyone’s lives easier when deciding what particular smartphone they should purchase. At the end of this brief and informative article, you will surprise yourself by now wisely knowing what specific factors and features you would first want to consider before purchasing that smartphone really meant for you. Choose a smartphone with at least 1GB RAM Random Access Memory, or RAM, is the smartphone part that few of us think about, and yet it’s absolutely vital to everything we do. If your smartphone lacks memory then your stuff will soon slow to a crawl — and that’s why we recommended a smartphone with at least 1GB of RAM. Why 1GB? Because apps are always growing in size, so you need enough memory to run everything you want. Consider Facebook — that’s about 70MB alone. Now launch Twitter, and that’s another 60MB or so. Instragram? That needs around 30MB. And all that just for starters! Now think of everything else you might use on a daily basis! You can see how quickly it all adds up — and that’s before you think about any documents you might open in these apps, or pictures you might view, or games you might play, or what Android needs for itself. So, RAM’s really important — now let’s break down a bit more… ·         Why 1GB RAM? Remarkably, many low-cost smartphones have less than 1GB RAM. It’s important to check, else that ‘bargain’ smartphone might burden you with 768MB or even a mere 512MB of memory. Seriously, it’s just not enough — and you’ll feel the pain every day. Apps will run slowly, and even switching between tasks will feel like it takes forever. And in the future you might not even be able to run some apps because a lack of memory. This chart shows why buying a smartphone with less than 1GB of RAM is a mistake: Running Apps RAM Required Remaining RAM Facebook 70MB 307MB Used by Running Apps 85MB Used by Other Apps & System 608MB RAM Available Twitter 60MB Instagram 30MB Whatsapp 23MB Email 15MB Path 9MB BBM 100MB With a 1GB smartphone, such as any ASUS ZenFone model, you’ll have plenty of RAM to spare — even with all these apps running. On a lesser model, with just 512MB of memory, you’ll pretty much have reached the limit! ·         Why 2GB RAM? If you think you’ll need more RAM and even better performance then consider a smartphone with 2GB RAM or more. The Android 5 (Lollipop) operating system, for instance, gobbles up loads of of memory just for itself — so 2GB gives Android and everything else on your smartphone more room to work. Also, some of the newest applications out there demand a lot of memory to run properly. So, remembering our table above, a smartphone with 2GB RAM would leave you 1.6GB left to run more apps — and that’s plenty for most things you’ll want to do! Choose smartphone with at least 8GB storage As with RAM, it might surprise you to learn that many affordable smartphones are fitted with only 4GB of internal storage — and honestly, that’s just not enough nowadays. Why? Well, we’re happy to explain… ·         Many apps will install only to internal storage For starters, many apps can be installed only on the device’s internal storage — so promises of expanding the memory by inserting a micro SD card are worthless in this regard. Of course, if you remember our earlier table you might think 4GB is plenty. But think again! Android 5.0 (Lollipop) along takes up around 3GB, leaving a paltry 1GB for your own apps and content. And you can pretty much forget being able to upgrade to later versions of Android, as you won’t have enough space to do the job. And don’t forget that many apps grow as you use them, so with a 4GB smartphone you’ll very quickly run out of space — and your device will be effectively useless to you. Here’s another simple table to highlight the problem: Running Apps Storage Needed Remaining Storage Facebook 340MB Total Used Storage 6.06GB 2GB Storage Available Twitter 60MB Instagram 30MB Whatsapp 85MB Email 48MB Path 12MB BBM 85MB Internal Apps 2.85GB Android System 2.55GB Now this example below considers an 8GB smartphone with lots of popular apps in use and with typical storage requirements, leaving a comfortable 2GB of storage remaining to play with. Now imagine this same suite of apps on a 4GB handset — and you’ll see why you need to avoid such devices! ·         Choose smartphone with 8GB internal storage Only with this about of storage will you be able to download, install and run the apps you want, and allow them the space they need to expand as you use them. It’s also the only way to ensure you’ll be able to update to newer versions of Android, when they become available. And while we’re here, we should say that ideally you should go for a device with more than 8GB of storage — but now you understand why 8GB is the absolute minimum! Choose a smartphone with superior camera quality For most of us, our smartphone camera is now our main camera. Because we now take it with us wherever we go, it is essential to choose a smartphone with a great camera — and great camera features! So, while the megapixel (MP) resolution is important, there’s more to grabbing a great smartphone snapper. Here’s what to shop for: ·         Fast Focus Near-instant focus is important, those precious moments are gone in the blink of an eye — and you’ll kick yourself if you miss the chance to capture your child’s first smile. So, look for a smartphone a fast auto-focus, and preferably one with a laser auto-focus that works as fast as 0.03 seconds. ·         Backlight Handling You can’t guarantee the lighting of the locations where you shoot, so shop for a smartphone camera that offers a great HDR function — because this will capture the best photos, even when there’s a lot of light in the background. ·         Night Vision A smartphone that can see in the dark? They exist — if you shop wisely! With a good low-light feature, you’ll capture great photos even when illumination is at a minimum, ensuring your subject is clearly visible and without noise or blur. ·         Skin-Tone Retention It’s bad when photos look washed-out because the smartphone’s LED flash compensates for skin tone. That’s why a smartphone with a dual-tone LED flash is very important, as it allows the smartphone to deliver the perfect light combination to keep skin tones looking beautifully natural. Dual-LED features have different names, such as Real Tone flash. ·         DSLR-Grade Controls It is best if your smartphone has a manual mode that allows you to control every aspect of its camera. With this feature you can fine tune the shot for every scenario, and apply creative effects that you’ll never experience from automatic mode alone. ·         More Megapixels And after all of the above, take into consideration the megapixel – because more of them means more detail captured. Also look for features like ‘Super Resolution’, which combine multiple shots into one ‘Super Resolution’ photo for incredible detail. Choose a smartphone with a long battery life And finally… the battery! It’s the forgotten black brick that takes up most of the room inside your smartphone, and yet it’s the part that powers everything — so you need one with both the juice and durability to do everything you need. Here’s what you need to know: ·         Battery capacity is the most important thing… It might seem obvious that capacity is the most important aspect of a smartphone battery —and it is. Measured in milliampere-hour (or mAh), the bigger it is, the better. But there’s actually a bit more to it than that, because different smartphones consume those milliampere-hours at different rates. So be smart when you shop and consider these factors: o    Does the smartphone have a power-efficient processor? Many low-cost smartphones have inefficient processors that also produce a lot of heat. o    Is the antenna engineered to acquire the best reception? This is important because if your smartphone has a bad signal, it’ll use more power — and that’ll reduce the battery life. o    Has the manufacturer installed bloatware? If your smartphone is pre-loaded with lots of useless apps, they could be consuming power in the background — so buy a device that lets you remove unwanted apps. ·         …but don’t forget the battery type You’ve probably never given the TYPE of battery a second thought — but you really should. The most common type today is lithium-ion (or li-ion), and these are actually okay. But forward-thinking brands fit better lithium-ion-polymer (li-polymer, or li-poly) cells. The benefit of li-polymer cells are several: o    Li-polymer batteries have longer lifecycles o    Li-polymer batteries are easily moulded, often resulting in thinner smartphones o    Li-polymer don’t suffer from the ‘memory effect’, so can be charged at any time with degrading usefulness. ·         Battery-saving software features And before we go — a last word about software. Not all Android smartphones are equal, and some do more than others to extend battery life. So, check out what the manufacturer adds to Android to keep your smartphone’s cells in good shape! -###-   AVAILABILITY & PRICING For the latest information on the ASUS ZenFone 2 product portfolio series, may refer to http://bit.ly/IncredibleHolidaysMobile. NOTES TO EDITORS ASUS Global Press Room: http://press.asus.com ASUS PH Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ASUSph ASUS PH Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ASUSph ### About ASUS ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the world’s best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today’s digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,326 awards in 2014 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC™. ASUS has more than 16,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of 5,200 engineers. Company revenue for 2014 was approximately US$14.5 billion.

ASUS Collaborates with Country’s Premier Icons for Design and Style for #ZenLooks

ASUS Philippines teams up with world-renowned industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue, together with the trendsetting duo of David Guison and Arisse de Santos, for this regional competition that offers Filipinos the one-of-a-kind chance to be the designer of their own ZenFone 2 case

ASUS Philippines has joined forces with the crème de la crème of the country’s creative elite to encourage more Filipinos to showcase the diverse beauty of local culture, as well as their unique eye for design, for the #ZenLooks competition.

Internationally acclaimed and multi-awarded industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue and style authorities David Guison and Arisse de Santos are onboard to help amplify the call for their fellow Filipinos to join in by creating their own designs for this competition, which invites individuals to submit an original case design for the ZenFone 2 inspired by the Philippines’ national colors.

Nature’s most captivating hues inspire Cobonpue
Fresh from accolades received for the outstanding venue design he conceptualized for the recently-concluded and highly-publicized APEC 2015, Cobonpue focuses his attention on the shades and shapes of nature as his design inspirations for #ZenLooks.

On partnering with ASUS Philippines for the competition, he says, “I feel humbled to be a part of a global movement that allows Filipinos to express their creative identities through a personal must-have that accompanies them in their day to day. Our mobile phones, and what we do with them, say a lot about who we are and what we love.”

Admitting his personal affinity for the ZenFone 2, he declares, “It’s the perfect phone for this campaign. As a designer, the ZenFone 2 allows me to express my personal aesthetic. It’s very important that a device latches on to its owner’s views. And as for its performance, I like that it doesn’t compromise speed and promises such a rich photography experience for anyone who appreciates style.”

He concludes, “#ZenLooks is consistent with my personal advocacy of creating original and unique designs while promoting local culture. It’s a collaborative effort between the ASUS team and aspiring artists to produce an art piece inspired by the Philippine’s iconic elements.”

Guison pays tribute to one of Ilocos Norte’s most scenic spots
As his way of reminding himself that the Philippines has so much to offer in terms of beauty and travel experiences, Guison zoomed in on the Kapupurawan rock formation in Ilocos Norte, admittedly also one of his favorite scenes, for his case design.  A travel enthusiast himself, he reveals, “I always feel the need to document everything, so this image is a note to myself that there are 7,107 islands in the Philippines to explore.”

Having previously worked with ASUS as an intern, Guison shares, “I am very honored to be working with ASUS again as I have a deep appreciation for the brand. The ZenLooks campaign inspired me so much as well since I love travelling and capturing everything – which also makes the ZenFone 2, with its superb camera, a great phone match for the campaign.” And with his many blog followers, this stylephile is likewise excited to encourage others to express their own brand of creativity through the competition. “My readers are very talented and they have a keen eye for style, so I'm sure they will rock this design contest by ASUS. Plus, it's not every day you get to collaborate with such an established brand.”

It’s a play of watercolors for de Santos
The lifestyle blogger harnessed her love for watercolors in her ZenFone 2 case design. Commenting on the strong platform the competition provides for creative self-expression, de Santos says, “#ZenLooks is a great springboard for Filipinos to showcase their skills and creativity, not to mention pay tribute to the beauty of our country for the whole world to see. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re encouraged to do this with the ZenFone 2, which is classy and sleek and can match any personality or mood.”
She encourages her readers to add their personal touch to their case designs. “Envision what you want for the final look, and embrace the opportunity to use your creativity to show everyone why the Philippines is worth experiencing.”

Road to #ZenLooks: Incredible Catwalk featuring Kim Jones
Following a global introduction that launched an exciting design partnership with Italian vlogger and YouTube personality Marzia Bisognin (better known as her handle “CutiePieMarzia”), #ZenLooks likewise took off with a regional prelude highlighting a collaboration with Filipina-British fashion icon Kim Jones, which saw the popular blogger and style connoisseur going on a whirlwind 7-photo sartorial journey across seven countries in Southeast Asia in seven days with ASUS to unravel the region’s ultimate fashion story using the ZenFone 2.

Cobonpue, Guison, and de Santos all laud ASUS’ choice of Jones as the campaign’s regional ambassador. “Kim Jones as a style icon seamlessly displays what it means to travel in style. She reflects the caliber and passion of this beautiful campaign.” Guison agrees: “Kim has consistently produced quality content for her brand and she outdid herself yet again with this campaign. I enjoyed following her adventures with the ASUS team. One day they were in the busy mosques of India, the next day they were in the floating markets of Vietnam. It was exhilarating!” De Santos adds: “Her classy and sophisticated style sense makes her the perfect fit for the Incredible Catwalk.”

ZenLooks Week 1 Winner

Over 4,000 design submissions from the Philippines so far
With influential and talented Filipinos the likes of Cobonpue, Guison, and de Santos now joining the campaign, ASUS Philippines Marketing Manager Jamie Zaldivar is confident that the competition will see an increasing representation of Filipino creative minds.

“To date, we have already received over 4,000 amazing case design submissions from the Philippines,” she says. “We have always experienced great support from Filipinos every time we launch global and regional campaigns, and this is certainly no different. It’s a great testament of how we as a people are passionate about being part of a creative movement.”
With just 2 weeks to go before the competition comes to a close, Zaldivar calls on Filipinos to get creative and join in. “Not only will you get to express yourself and your love for your country – you’ll also get to share it with the world. Plus, awesome prizes from ASUS Philippines are up at stake.” These include a ZenFone 2 deluxe (worth Php17,995) and the limited edition case designed by CutiePieMarzia for weekly winners; and, if chosen as the Grand Winner, the chance to collaborate with the ASUS design team to have his or her winning case design manufactured.

ZenLooks Week 2 Winner

Zaldivar concludes, “We hope that Kenneth, David, and Arisse’s designs will inspire other Filipinos to keep the entries coming. We are so excited to have these three onboard as together, they represent and advocate the best of Filipino design, style, and culture, culled from their individual perspectives and experiences.”
Deadline for submission for the #ZenLooks design challenge is December 6. To join and create your entry, visit the #ZenLooks Facebook Application at https://asuscampaign.com/zenlooks/ph/.



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About the ZenFone 2
The ZenFone 2 delivers a world-leading photography experience and a powerful all-round performance, all while looking luxuriously stylish. It packs:
A 13MP/5MP PixelMaster Camera that captures stunning, high resolution photos with zero shutter lag.
Industry-leading Low Light mode to capture up to 400% brighter photos at night, or in low-light, without a flash.
Real Tone flash to ensure warm skin tones and accurate color.
Backlight (Super HDR) mode to capture vivid, evenly-exposed photos in challenging backlit scenes, ensuring 
foreground subjects stand out clearly and are free of shadows.
Selfie Panorama to capture wider angel selfie photos, allowing group shots.
For those seeking fine-grained control over camera settings like ISO, shutter speed and more, Manual Mode offers users a DSLR-like experience right on their smartphone.
A gorgeous all-new ergonomic design with a bright 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display.
A super-fast 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom processor with 4GB RAM and 4G/LTE connectivity.

AVAILABILITY
Zenfone 2 is available in all authorized resellers nationwide. Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.