4techz

Kunjananthate kada on August 30

2013-07-26T01:56:00.001-07:00

Vattippuram is a calm and beautiful
village where Kunjananthan
(Mammootty) lives with his wife
Chihira (Nyla Usha) and their two
children. Kunjananthan is a grocery
store owner which he inherited from
his father.

MAMMOOTTY: UPCOMING MOVIES

2013-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

1.EMMANUAL

Emmanuel is an upcoming 2013 Malayalam drama film, directed by Lal Jose and produced by S. George.The film stars Mammootty in the title role with Reenu Mathews, Aparna Nair, and Fahadh Faasil, and will release on April 12, 2013.The film follows the character of Emmanuel, a man that works at a publishing house and is placed in a personal crisis after it closes.The hardships and harsh realities he faces forces him to see himself and his life in a new perspective that is often outside of his personal comfort zone
2.KUNJANANTHANTE KADA

Kunjananthante Kada is a Malayalam film directed by Salim Ahmed starring Mammootty in the lead role.directed by National award winning Director Salim Ahamed. Sound editing by Oscar winner Resul Pookkutty. Shooting starts on Feb 2013.It will also mark the debut of Nyla Usha, a popular RJ from Dubai, playing the superstar's wife.Salim Kumar would also be seen in an important role.Jyothish Sankar will be the art director and Pattanam Rashid will be the makeup man.As per the name the movie will be focus on the family story.It would focus on the marital relationship of a grocery store owner. The film with the background of a Kannur village will be the story of a husband and wife who never get along. But it will have a larger context and would be a comment on the current society.

3.LEELA

Mammootty – Ranjith team to join together for ‘Leela’. The malayalam movie ‘Leela – The never ending play‘ directed by Ranjith is based on R. Unni’s famous short story, ‘Leela’.Mammootty will be playing the lead role in the film. The movie will be produced under the banner of Ranjith’s Capitol Theatre and the shooting of the film is planned to start in the mid of 2013.
The cinematograpghy of the film will be handled by Kunjunni, who is the son of renowned cinematographer S. Kumar. (Cinematographer of Indian Ruppee, Calcutta News, Vinodayathra, Vadakkum Nathan etc).
4.BALYAKALASAKHI

Mammootty would get the chance to play yet another character penned by Basheer. Earlier the actor had acted in Adoor's 'Mathilukal', based on Basheer's novel. Its debutant director Pramod Payyannur who would be directing the cinematic version of Basheer's renowned work 'Balyakalasakhi'. Megastar Mammootty dons character of the romantic hero, Majeed. Shahbaz Aman, the famous Ghazal singer, would compose the music for the film. Art Section handled by Santhosh Raman. 'Balyakalasakhi' would be produced under the banners of Living Arts and Aisthis Media.

MAMMOOTTY-UPCOMING MOVIES

2013-02-17T07:35:00.001-08:00

mammooty
1.IMMANUAL
2.KUNJHANANTHANTE KADA
3.BALYAKALASAKHI
4.LEELA
5.GANGSTER
6.15 HOURS
7.DAIVATHINTE SWANTHAM CLEATUS
8.CBI PART 5
9.KUNJHALI MARAKKAR
10.ARIVAAL CHUTTIKA NAKSHATRAM

2012-07-01T02:29:00.001-07:00

                                     EURO 2012: FINAL
                                      SPAIN VS  ITALY
                                                             TODAY AT 12.15AM

WHO WILL BE THE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE.....?

After 23 days, the stage is set for the grand finale of the European Championships. Pre-tournament favourites Spain will fight it out with the surprise finalists Italy in the final on Sunday. Have a look at the key battles that will decide the winner.
Xavi Hernandez vs Andrea Pirlo

Even though he has the best pass completion rate at the tournament, Xavi Hernandez is yet to make the kind of impact he did four years ago for Spain. Blame it on the long club season where he was sometimes sidelined by a nagging calf injury. He was replaced in the semifinal penalty shootout victory over Portugal due to fatigue. Spain is yet to beat Italy in the tournament, and for them to do so they desperately need Xavi to hit top form.

On the other side, Andrea Pirlo was at the centre of most of Azzurri’s goal attempts in the on-going tournament. The Italian playmaker dictated the tempo of the game from deep with short, sideways passes. Not to forget his role as a dead ball expert. Pirlo is key to Italy’s chances of adding another Euro title.

Andres Iniesta vs Daniele De Rossi

The creative midfielder spearheaded most of the Spain’s attacks in this edition and would do the same against Italy on Sunday. Andres Iniesta is yet to find the back of the net so far in the tournament but has the reputation of scoring in the finals. Considering his fitness level and his current form, Italians would struggle hard to stop those killer passes from the midfielder that would split open the best of defenses.

Daniele De Rossi is part of the midfield three and has the job of being a box-to-box midfielder. Although he was equally proficient in passing the ball around and has a great shot in him, what De Rossi is known for is hard tackling and breaking up play, which he has done brilliantly so far. Against Spain he was deployed as a central defender and was Italy`s standout performer, and if Prandelli does decide to revert to a 3-5-2, De Rossi will be back to doing what he does best, take his opponents out of the game. And if Iniesta is nullified, half the job is already done for the Azzurri.

Sergio Ramos vs Mario Balotelli

Sergio Ramos will be the man assigned to stop Mario Balotelli in the final match. He did it quite well in their opening fixture when Ramos came from behind to successfully tackle the Italian striker, when he was one-on-one with Casillas.

On the other side, unpredictable Mario Balotelli proved against Germany how destructive he can get on his day. He has scored three goals in the tournament so far, all in spectacular fashion. However, he had some terrible misses in the tournament as well, which makes him the most unpredictable at times. One could see an excellent contest between the two come Sunday.

Iker Casillas vs Gianluigi Buffon

Two goalkeepers - Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon - will lead their respective sides for the final on Sunday. Having won the 2006 World Cup title, Buffon can add another title should Italy beat Spain. At 34, Buffon pulled off some blinders against Germany in the semi-finals and denied them more than once.

Spain’s custodian Iker Casillas has conceded only a solitary goal so far in the tournament. He proved his worth against Croatia when he pulled out a stunning reflex save off Ivan Rakitic`s header. In the penalty shootout against Portugal he pulled off a save from Joao Moutinho to take the Spanish team to the finals. Often untested for large periods of the match, Casillas is always alert and comes up with the goods when called for.

Team India to tour Sri Lanka in July

2012-06-19T09:12:00.002-07:00

India's five-match ODI series and one T20 International against Sri Lanka will be played from July 22 to August 7 across three venues.
Sri Lanka tour marks the beginning of a fresh season for the senior national team after enjoying a two and half month break post Indian Premier League.
The Indians, who arrive on July 19 will play their first of the five ODIs at the Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium in the southern port town of Hambantota on July 22.
The second ODI will also be played at the same venue on July 25 followed by the third and fourth ODIs at Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 28 and 31st respectively.
After a four day break, Indians will be playing the fifth and final ODI in Kandy on August 5 followed by the only T20 international at the same venue on August 7. The matches will be played at the Pallekele stadium.
The team will depart for the two and half week tour on July 19 and will be back on August 8. The cash-strapped Sri Lankan cricket administration is eager to host India. India currently is Sri Lanka?s largest inbound travel market.

FIXTURE

July 22: 1st ODI (Hambantota)
July 25: 2nd ODI (Hambantota)
July 28: 3rd ODI (Colombo)
July 31: 4th ODI (Colombo)
Aug 5: 5th ODI (Kandy)
Aug 7: 1st T20 International (Kandy).

The Amazing Spider-Man – review

2012-06-19T08:24:00.001-07:00

Marc Webb's successful synthesis of action and emotion, together with a terrific performance by Andrew Garfield, means that this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive

The gear-shift in the superhero movie is now unmistakeable. Where once they aimed to essentially replicate the experience of reading a comic book, they now strive to be edgy, risk-taking dramas that do more than simply pay lip-service to their characters' emotional lives.

That, anyway, is the theory; and it explains why the studios turning them out have been hiring more and more unlikely directors to see them through. Christopher Nolan, plucked to re-energise the Batman series after completing the gritty, noirish Insomnia, may have started the trend, but Marc Webb – hired on the strength of a single film, the indie rom-com 500 Days of Summer – is arguably the most extreme example.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the fourth in the recent series, which began in 2002; it was originally intended to be a continuation of them until original director Sam Raimi left the project. Thus reborn, Webb's film has returned to the meat of the first of Raimi's Spider-Man films: how grumpy suburban teen Peter Parker has arachnid-like superpowers foisted upon him, then turns crime-fighter and romancer, before facing off against a transforming supervillain.
This Spider-Man film, which we are forced to call a "reboot", tinkers extensively with the story as presented by Raimi. Parker, as played by Andrew Garfield, is no hapless super-nerd, but a mumbling, shambling skateboarder who, though perhaps not extra-strength catnip to the ladies, has no trouble in catching their eye. Moreover, the central love interest here isn't girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson, but the considerably kookier Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), promoted from a more incidental role in Spider-Man 3.
Perhaps most radically, we are also introduced briefly to Parker's parents, never seen, and only rarely mentioned, in the Raimi films. Parker's abandonment issues have nevertheless loomed large in all Spider-Man films, and those looking for deeper shading of Parker's emotional make-up will no doubt be pleased to see them.
Be that as it may, Webb successfully treads a fine line between keeping the hardcore superhero-movie fans happy and injecting a dose of meaningful affect. Parker is generally reckoned to be the most "relatable" figure in the superhero canon, but the pastel-bright synthetics of the earlier movies did little to dispel the sense that the comic-book world could only construct its characters out of clunking great blocks of melodrama.
In re-engineering Parker into the introspective, uncertain male more typical of his previous film, Webb is aided by a terrific performance from Andrew Garfield, who brings a genial unflappability that allows him to negotiate the often-ludicrous demands of the superhero plotline. At the same time, Webb also shows an unarguable facility for the more traditional action elements of the story, and the 3D certainly helps: he pulls off some properly nauseating shots as Parker dives off skyscrapers, rescues kids from falling, and the like.
It's the successul synthesis of the two – action and emotion – that means this Spider-Man is as enjoyable as it is impressive: Webb's control of mood and texture is near faultless as his film switches from teenage sulks to exhilarating airborne pyrotechnics. It's only towards the end, when there is no choice but to revert to CGI – as Rhys Ifans' Lizard goes on the rampage – that The Amazing Spider-Man gets a little less amazing: cartoony reptilian carnage has just lost its power to enthral if it's rather obviously happening inside a computer.

official website : http://www.theamazingspiderman.com/

2012-06-19T04:19:00.000-07:00

2012-06-19T01:15:00.000-07:00

GALLERY

Mozilla Junior iPad browser breaks cover

2012-06-18T04:53:00.001-07:00

Mozilla Junior iPad browser breaks cover

Mozilla's Firefox is the browser of choice for many, but it's been conspicuous by its absence from iOS.

Well Mozilla is looking to rectify that with its new Junior browser.

It's still a prototype at the moment, but has been in development for some months now. "We wanted to make something entirely new," said Mozilla's Alex Limi in a presentation. "We wanted to look into how we could reinvent the browser for a new form factor."

According to Limi, Safari on the iPad is "a miserable experience" (though he would say that), though he does admit it's the best option for browsing on iOS. Until now.

Optimised for iPad

Junior is a full-screen experience, with no tabs or address bar. Instead, you get two buttons about a third of the way up the screen - a back arrow to take you back, and on the right a plus symbol. Tap the latter and you'll be able to open a new page, browse recent pages, and bookmarks.

It's a bold move ditching tabs, but makes sense making use of the iPad's screen real estate.

You can also make separate user accounts for your friends and family. Swipe to the left on the main navigation page and you'll see a user login menu where you'll find options like private browsing. Passwords will mean no one can see what you've been looking at.

Junior isn't expected for a while yet, but it certainly looks like it'll stand out from the many clones doing the rounds. What's most interesting is how the team are working to the iPad's strengths - like the big screen - rather than just slapping a desktop version onto it.

Acer Unveils Three New Tablets

2012-06-18T04:50:00.000-07:00

Acer, long known for its laptop lines, has decided to throw its hat into the tablet ring. Specifically, the company on Tuesday announced three new tablets: a 7-inch and a 10.1-inch Android-based tablet, and a 10.1-inch Windows-based tablet. As of press time, there were no official model names.

The 7-inch Android tablet has a touch screen with a 1,280-by-800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has a front-facing HD Webcam and support for HDMI. It will have a dual-core processor (no word from which chip maker), as well as Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.

The 10.1-inch Android tablet, measuring about 13.3mm thick, sports an aluminum chassis accented with a glossy finish around the bezel. It has a capacitive touch screen, and, like its 7-inch counterpart, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also features a built-in HDMI port and 1080p capability. The 10.1-inch Android tablet has a unit 10-point multitouch and gyro-meter control for running and playing HD and online 3D games.

The 10.1-inch Windows tablet measures about 15mm thick and sports a high-resolution display. It will run on the next-generation AMD platform and have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity. It sports two 1.3-megapixel cameras—one rear and one facing front—a strange design choice. Why not just have a camera that can swivel, as with the Dell Inspiron Duo? Unlike its Android-based counterparts, the 10.1-inch Windows tablet comes with a docking device that include a full-size keyboard and additional connectivity options.

According to Acer, the 10.1-inch Windows tablet will be available this coming February, while the two Android-based tablets will be rolled out in April 2011. Prices are still to be determined.

Also on Tuesday, Acer unveiled an unnamed, 4.8-inch smartphone for AT&T, a dual-screen laptop it called Iconia, a media-sharing system known as Clear.fi, and a digital platform known as "alive."

EURO 2012 : Ronaldo brace dumps out Dutch

2012-06-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Portugal advanced to the quarter-final of Euro 2012 thanks to a 2-1 win against hapless Holland at the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv.

The Dutch, needing a 2-0 victory at the start of the night in the hope of advancing to the knockout stages made the perfect start after just 11 minutes.
Arjen Robben picked out captain Rafael van der Vaart on the edge of the penalty area and the Tottenham playmaker shifted the ball onto his left foot before bending a stunning strike into the far corner past Rui Patricio's despairing dive.
Six minutes later, Gregory van der Wiel gifted Helder Postiga an excellent opportunity to restore parity, but the striker's effort was deflected wide of the target.
Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg then denied Cristiano Ronaldo with a superb point-blank save.
But Portugal did eventually level things up just before the half-hour mark as full-back Joao Pereira picked out Ronaldo with a deliciously precise through ball and the Real Madrid man stayed onside and kept his nerve this time to find a small gap between Stekelenburg and the post.
Despite second half Dutch pressure, Portugal took the lead with 16 minutes remaining thanks to a classic counter-attacking move.
Joao Moutinho found Nani down the right and the winger's slide rule pass was collected by Ronaldo who kept his cool to fire home his second of the night.
Ronaldo came close to bagging his hat-trick in stoppage time, but he was denied by the post.
The 27-year-old responded to criticism of his form with a mesmerising display topped by a goal in each half to ensure Portugal finished the 'group of death' as runners-up behind Germany.
Apart from a fine early strike from Van der Vaart, Holland were poor, ensuring a team considered among the pre-tournament favourites finished bottom of Group B without a point to their name.
Portugal will now face the Czech Republic in the last eight of the tournament at the National Stadium in Warsaw on Thursday night.

Perfect start

The match was 11 minutes old when Holland's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals were given a shot in the arm.
Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben weaved a path to the edge of the area where Van der Vaart was waiting to steer an inch-perfect finish into the bottom left corner.
A moment of madness from Gregory van der Wiel almost saw Holland concede the advantage but, having inexplicably passed the ball to Helder Postiga, he watched in relief as the Portugal striker shot wide with only Maarten Stekelenburg to beat.
Stekelenburg then kept out a well-struck header by Ronaldo, who would not be denied in the 28th minute.
The initial damage was done by Joao Pereira's defence-splitting pass and Ronaldo rewarded his vision with a composed first touch and slick finish.
Nani missed narrowly, but it was Portugal's captain who was the prominent figure on the pitch as he twice went close to seizing the lead.
Holland's defence was in danger over being over-run with Ronaldo cast at their tormentor in chief with Portugal pushing for a second.

Attack

The Real Madrid forward continued to attack the Dutch early in the second half, but his side should have trailed in the 53th minute.
Wesley Sneijder crossed from the left to the unmarked Ron Vlaar only for his clumsy attempted header to drift off-target from close range.
Postiga had a goal disallowed for offside before Fabio Coentrao was denied by sharp reactions from Stekelenburg, who then frustrated Nani from point-blank range after a marauding run by Ronaldo.
The Portugal wingers combined once again in the 74th minute, and this time Holland cracked.
A swift counter attack ended with Nani feeding a long pass to Ronaldo who dummied his shot, took the ball into space and prodded home.
Van der Vaart curled an effort onto the right post as Holland produced a strong finish, but there was still time for Ronaldo to hit the woodwork.

Blackberry Playbook Wi-Fi 16GB

2012-06-17T04:44:00.001-07:00

SD Price
Rs 12999

Key Features

BlackBerry Tablet OS
5 MP Primary Camera
3 MP Secondary Camera
7 Inches(17.8cm) TFT LCD Touch screen
1 GHz Dual Core Cortex A9 Processor
Full HD Recording
Wi-Fi Enabled
Internal storage 16GB
Email , Push mail
Document Viewer
Audio Video player
Bluetooth v2.1, Supported Profiles (EDR, A2DP)

EURO 2012 : TODAY LIVE Portugal vs Netherlands

2012-06-17T04:39:00.002-07:00

Big Match between Netherlands vs Portugal in Group B at the Stadium Metalist, Kharkiv (17/06/12). Dutch favorites to win the Euro will face serious opponents to be able to qualify for the last eight.
Portugal in the first meeting of the German defeat by a score of 1-0, Mario Gomez became the hero winning “Der Panzer”. In this third meeting of the Dutch against the party life is to die for both teams.
While the Netherlands in Group B at the first meeting of a dark horse team defeated Denmark 1-0. While the second meeting of “Team Orange” will face the European Cup winners 3x successful germany beat Portugal in the first meeting.
The Netherlands is one of the favorites in Group B will undergo the party life and death to be able to qualify for next round her. The Netherlands is currently coached by Bert Van Marwijk led to believe that in the Netherlands at Euro 2012, after the last world cup dutch able to advance to the finals under the cold hand of Bert Van Marwijk.

Idea introduces ID 918 dual-SIM Android smartphone for Rs. 5,994

2012-06-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Competition in the budget smartphone segment continues to heat up, as Idea Cellular launches its dual-SIM Android touch phone – ID 918. The device is already available at online retailers such as Flipkart with a price tag of Rs. 5,994.

Speaking of specifications, the Idea ID 918 runs on Android 2.3 operating system. It comes with a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixels resolution, 3.2 MP primary camera and a 1,300 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver 4 hours of talktime and 200 hours of standby time. The device has 150MB built-in storage and supports up to 32GB microSD card. The device comes loaded with a 2GB card. For connectivity, the Idea ID 918 smartphone supports 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Check out the full specifications of the new Idea ID 918 here.

Idea is also offering special introductory data services worth Rs. 2,300 with Rs. 259 pack, along with the new 3G smartphones, supposedly making them the best buys in their respective segments. The Rs. 259 pack features free subscription to Idea TV for 3 months, 2GB of data per month for 3 months, and 10 minutes of talktime free every day for 90 days. This special introductory offer is available for both prepaid and postpaid users.

Idea's new ID 918 will be pitted against a plethora of other Android-based budget smartphones in the market. Micromax recently launched A52 and A45 smartphones. Spice also launched its low-end Android smartphone with a similar price range – the Spice Mi-280.

EURO 2012 : Italy vs Croatia

2012-06-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

Italy 1-1 Croatia

The final whistle is blown. An absorbing affair comes to a close and the spoils are shared. Andrea Pirlo's free-kick gave Italy a first-half lead, but they could not build on it, and Mario Mandžukić popped up in the second half with his third of the tournament to earn Croatia a draw.

Italy's Andrea Pirlo scored Italy's goal to claim the Carlsberg Man of the Match award.

Mario Mandžukić celebrates his third goal of UEFA EURO 2012 to deny Italy their first win.

SAMSUNG Star II Duos C6712

2012-06-13T20:18:00.002-07:00

Dual Standby
Born to Flaunt
Born to Customise
Born for 24 x 7 Networking

Best Buy Rs. 6,480/-*

Features

Dual Standby

You can have the convenience of owning two phones while only having to carry around one compact mobile. Great for separating business phone calls from private ones, this Dual SIM mobile gives you the freedom to choose between SIM cards when making phone calls, and take advantage of optimal operator’s tariffs, too.

Born to Flaunt

The Star II Duos has a gleaming presence with its jet black sheen. A subtle touch with your finger, and the 8.1cm Capacitive TFT Touch screen comes to life. Revealing the splendid clarity and vivid colours that lead to the best-in-class touch user interface. Truly, the Star II DUOS is bound to hit the limelight.

Born to Customise

Your phone, your screen. That’s what the highly intuitive TouchWiz 3.0 feature of the phone promises. It allows you to tailor make your shortcuts, modify or add to your home screens and makes every job of the phone far more convenient. For instance, the Social Hub puts together all your mails, messages and social networking updates on the phonebook itself. The drop-down quick panel gives you quick access to activation of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi as well as a single touch access to new mails or messages even if you are in the middle of your favourite music album. All in all, the phone makes your life a lot easier.

Born for 24 x 7 Networking

Do it now. That’s the new mantra of the Star II Duos. So, if it is a joke, a poke or just any message, share it at that very instance. You’ll be well connected anytime, anyplace with the Push Instant Messenger service on Yahoo that runs in the background even when minimised. There are also Facebook & Twitter clients that give you a clean, customised & updated view of your social networking account anytime you feel like it.

Born for Universal Mail

Stay connected even while on the go. The Star II Duos is equipped with the fastest and widest Wi-Fi connectivity. The brilliant Push Mail with Activesync unites mails and contacts from an exchange server, letting you know when a new mail arrives. It also gives you access to easy mail setup for popular services like Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail. Its Bluetooth 3.0 makes pairing with other devices extremely fast and convenient.

Born to do more

The Star II Duos goes beyond being a phone. It has a 3.5mm ear jack with 3D sound effects that lets you experience the finer touches to music tracks. And the expandable memory of up to 16GB lets you store more music, more fun. What take the enjoyment further are the exclusive Samsung Apps - your gateway to a whole new world of exciting applications.

Euro 2012: Gomez strikes twice as Germany shred Holland's nerves

2012-06-13T19:19:00.003-07:00

Germany's Mario Gomez sweeps home his second goal of the night after seeing off the challenge of Holland's Jetro Willems

The European Championship is unremitting. The match appeared to tilt when Robin van Persie trimmed the Dutch deficit to 2-1, but Germany were the more poised side. Holland are without a point in the group and do not have a full say in their own destiny any longer. Germany lead with two victories but the Dutch, with none at all, still have theoretical prospect of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Their manager, Bert van Marwijk, was barely heartened by that, knowing that his side, in practice, are on the verge of elimination – they need to beat Portugal by two goals and for Germany to beat Denmark. The outcome in Kharkiv virtually stripped the Dutch of hope. Van Marwijk was wisely intent on complimenting the victors.
"Germany has a very good team," he said, "with lots of passing. They can score as they please. They're definitely favourites." Van Marwijk's opposite number did not make a pretence of modesty. Instead he took pride in detecting weakness in the defensive midfield pairing of Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel. "We knew it could be dangerous if we got into those spaces," said Joachim Löw a little smugly.
Animosity born of Germany's invasion of the Netherlands in the second world war may have receded to an extent, but this match still had an early intensity. Germany hit a post as early as the eighth minute with a volley from Mesut Ozil that also brought a partial save by Maarten Stekelenburg. By then van Persie had faltered when allowed an opportunity and sent his finish direct to the goalkeeper.
If the Arsenal forward was ill at ease, he is not alone in finding it as hard to fend off tension as it is to elude centre-backs. Indeed the opener from Germany in the 24th minute was particularly creditable for the confidence and technique that set it above the general tone of the night.
It was too easy for Bastian Schweinsteiger to pass the ball straight through the middle, but Mario Gomez still reacted beautifully, spinning to shoot beyond Stekelenburg. Holland's angst would have bitten deep then with a recognition that they were being outplayed. There is little mercy in the tournament. The European Championship can take pride in its intensity while it is still limited to 16 countries, but anxious coaches must wish there was more room for error. This match posed a great challenge.
The aim was simply to play well in defiance of the tension of the match and the overtones that this fixture carries. There are, too, expectations that have to be endured by footballers and their managers. Germany and Holland are, respectively, third and fourth in the world.
In essence, the Germans and Dutch must have seen a marvellous opportunity at this tournament if they could just survive the rigours of this group. Holland found it hard before the interval to demonstrate that they were peers of the Germans. Löw's men were easily identifiable as the bunch who won all 10 of their qualifiers for Euro 2012.
The misleading solace for Holland, such as it was, lay in the briefly delayed ruthlessness of the Germans, In practice, they understood the rich potential of counter-attacks when their opponents were obliged to take risks if they were to escape this second defeat. The execution was ideal for the next goal, seven minutes from half-time. Schweinsteiger slid a pass from the right into the path of Gomez, whose crushing drive flew past Stekelenburg.
The lead could have been greater but it did not appear even then that Germany would rue the occasional bout of wastefulness. Holland were unrecognisable as a side ranking high in the world under Van Marwijk's management. They could not reach the stability that would have been a start in countering ebullient and expert opponents.
Recoveries are not wholly impossible but they are hard to engineer in a tournament set at such a pitch. Sides seldom get an easy game in which to establish some poise. Holland would have understood that in the wake of the Denmark game, but the decisiveness of Germany in those opening 45 minutes had been unanswerable.
It might have been an exaggeration to claim that Holland still had hope but there seemed nothing left to lose. The introduction of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart was intended to add the sort of edge that might cut the opposition's lead. Even so, the principal difficulty lay in keeping this contest taut.
There was a danger that Holland would gradually be drained of whatever traces of optimism were still left in them. Some of the hunger was gone from the match, but Germany were thorough, striving to attack if only to drain a little more hope out of the opposition.
Even their defender Mats Hummels demanded two saves in quick succession from Stekelenburg. Some of the tautness went out of the game, with Germany confident of the points and Holland as convinced of inevitable defeat.
These are sides that each have a taste for adventure, but only Germany seemed wise to indulge it. Holland, for their part, strove to show that there was still hope within them. Jérôme Boateng suffered for that when an attempt from Lukas Podolski smashed against him.
Holland, all the same, had not despaired. The gap was closed to 2-1 by Van Persie's unanswerable drive from the left. Belatedly there was tension to the night, but it soon vanished once more.

Video: Jaguar destroys an XF...

2012-06-12T09:44:00.002-07:00

This is what happens to the really rather lovely clay models of cars once a design is approved - they get SMASHED WITH AXES AND HAMMERS.

Don't believe us? Then click below and watch three Jaguar engineers whack the badger out of a model of the XF saloon, which received its facelift last year (and we were there to drive it. There's one in the Top Gear garage too).

Now enjoy the gloriously wanton destruction, then tell us if you can think of a better stress reliever...

Batman’s Lambo Aventador spotted at Silverstone

2012-06-12T09:41:00.001-07:00

Next month, your computer will quietly implode. Internet forums across the globe will enter meltdown, telephone lines will crackle with interference and comic-book fanboys will be unable to construct decipherable sentences.
This is because the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises will hit cinemas. And it'll probably be good, not least because Bruce Wayne will drive a Lamborghini. A Lamborghini Aventador, to be precise. The Lamborghini Aventador in the picture above, to be utterly pedantic.
You'll recall that last weekend, the one-make racing series fielded exclusively with Lamborghinis - the Super Trofeo - hit Silverstone. And amid lots of rain and some racing occurring, we managed to find this little snap of Bruce's daily driver resting menacingly on a special stand. The pic, uploaded by Lamborghini UK's Twitter feed, was posted with the simple line: "THE Bruce Wayne car".

Of course, we confirmed Bruce would be driving an Aventador in The Dark Knight Rises last year after this very car was snapped on set, sporting ‘Gotham City' licence plates. A perfect fit, it would seem, for the billionaire playboy with a penchant for rubber-clad violence.
And speaking of Batman, fear not: that affable, light-hearted, cheery merchant of knuckle-flavoured vengeance will of course, drive that ruddy outrageous motorbike-thing, judging by the nifty film trailer.
Reckon the 6.5-litre, 700bhp, V12-engined Lamborghini is a good match for ol' Bruce? He drove a Murcielago in The Dark Knight, don't forget...

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL500 driven REVIEW

2012-06-12T09:38:00.001-07:00

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL500

Let's get straight to the point; Mercedes's new SL is one of those cars that immediately feels right. Nothing to assimilate, or acclimatise to, simply an immediacy that speaks of engineers looking pleased with themselves and a hell of a lot of boxes ticked. The art of the unobtrusively useful. Mind you, it should be pretty well honed by now - the SL is 60 years old. Merc's had some time to get the recipe right.
The mechanisms by which the SL has evolved aren't exactly witchcraft, but have that pleasingly practical feeling that means they'll add up to something positive. So, the structure is now pretty much all-aluminium, saving roughly 110kg over the basic bones of the old SL. Poring over the technical specs, there's everything from cold-cast aluminium bolt-in bits to extensive use of aluminium alloys, depending on location, load and function. Welding the damn thing together must be a nightmare. There's even a hint of magnesium (behind the fuel tank and in the roof frame); the only traditional high-strength steel components are inthe A-pillars for roll-over protection, should you manage to flip it.
Rigorous attention to fat-free detail pays dividends. Even though there's generally more kit, the 435bhp, V8 SL500 is 125kg lighter than the previous version all-up, and the 306bhp, V6 SL350 goes some way better by managing a generational weight loss of 140kg. You don't need to be a physics professor to work out the advantages: the SL500 will produce an entirely respectable (for this amount of performance) 31.0mpg and 212g/km of CO2 on the combined cycle, and the SL350 an impressive 41.5mpg and 159g/km of CO2. Decrease the weight, and you can have more performance in terms of speed or efficiency, depending on which takes priority. Everybody wins.
Obviously, standard stop/start helps (a particularly unobtrusive system on the 500), as does a standard-fit 7spd 7G-Tronic Plus auto gearbox optimised for environmental benevolence. But don't let the eco flag-waving distract you; the SL500 will stamp its way to 62mph from rest in an authoritative 4.6secs, with the SL350 not all that far behind at 5.9. Both top out at the regulation 155mph. So, not slow, by any means.
It can do wiggly bits in between, too, though the impressive economy and emissions figures take a battering in the process. That very rigid new structure gives the suspension a decent platform to push from, meaning that although the car rides with a plushness that's genuinely surprising, it suffers none of the slop usually associated with convertibles. Standard suspension is semi-active and features adjustable damping, but the cars we drove were all equipped with Mercedes's full-house ABC (Active Body Control) - and it's very, very good. Sweet and supple when cruising, taut and clingy when you go faster. It smothers bumps in a slightly digital way, and the electromechanical Direct Steer variable-ratio steering rack doesn't help the feeling, but generally there's no point at which you wonder what the engineers were thinking; this is one rounded car.
In fact, the SL is a big surprise - so capable of the glide that when you realise how far you can push the cornering speeds, you get mightily impressed. It just hangs on and on - fighting understeer until the very end of your bravery. Of course, the 4.6-litre V8 thumps away like an elephant heart, all easy power and low urge, winding the horizon back through the windscreen with a kind of idle nonchalance.
And the detail backs up the little surprise-and-delight journey you travel with the SL. The roof stows in a slick 14secs and looks fabulous up or down. The ergonomics are relaxed and spacious for two, with plenty of storage. Even the electric draught-excluder that pops up out of the rear deck has a mechanism sheathed in a set of sliders so that there are no exposed working parts. In fact, the only thing that really made me squirm even slightly is the design of the new headlights, which look slightly... bulbous in a car with such distinct musculature running through the rest of the surfacing. But it's a cool-looking thing - not as aggressive as the SLS, but with enough long-bonnet, short-bottom to give off all the right big GT cues.
So the SL500 is lovely. And works really well. But, saying that, I have a sneaking suspicion that the as-yet-undriven SL350 might be the real-life sweet-spot in the range - and traditionally it's been the SL of choice and has previously accounted for 68 per cent of sales. It's exactly 100kg lighter again than the SL500 (1,685kg plays 1,785), comes equipped with over 300bhp and is capable of 40+mpg. Which will be more than enough in pretty much all cases that don't include showing off at the bar. There'll also be an SL63 with a 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8, but that's another story.
At the time of going to press, final UK pricing was still to be confirmed, but expect a rise over the price of the last generation, if not a huge leap. Prices have been confirmed for Europe at €93,534 for the SL350 and €117,096 for the SL500, inclusive of 19 per cent VAT. It sounds a lot, but the standard kit list is long and the experience defiantly premium.
Sometimes, swimming through a sea of such an insistent detail audit, such grinding attention to micro-perfection, makes a car into something less than it should be. Dull. It's very hard to have a striking overall vision when the view is held in committee. And we all like a bit of passion in our cars. But the SL isn't like that. It's quite, quite brilliant, but softly lit. It's a grower. There's not a great deal of shock and awe about anything it does, just a quiet, thoughtful, rigorous take on what a GT convertible should really be about. The difference being that we shouldn't ever mistake compromise for genuine breadth of ability.

Watch: F16 jet vs Lambo Aventador

2012-06-12T09:33:00.002-07:00

Hmmm, doesn't this all feel a bit... familiar? Some Top Gear chins developed inexplicable itches upon seeing this video of a Lamborghini Aventador drag racing a F16 fighter jet.
Because, well, we've kind of done something similar. Something Eurofighter-shaped. Something Richard-Hammond-in-a-Bugatti-shaped.
A Danish chap decided - correctly - that bedroom-dwelling Internet types deserved something more extravagant than the hotly anticipated follow-up to Man Makes Engine Noises. Said Dane wanted to see if Lamborghini's Aventador, that 700bhp weapon of noise and angles and fury, could take an F16 fighter plane.
Clearly, he felt the need, the need, for speed.
While your information-addled cerebrums can probably work out the result of such a race, it's definitely worth a watch. If you want something with a bit more power, have a click of this link here. It contains a Bugatti Veyron, a really quite large fighting plane, and a Richard Hammond.
And if you want something with a bit more Lamborghini,

France V England : UEFA Euro 2012 Match Report

2012-06-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

France came from behind to force a 1-1 draw with England on Monday as a cagey between the Group D rivals ended in a stalemate in Donetsk.
Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott headed England into a 30th-minute lead to leave Roy Hodgson's men dreaming of the perfect start to their campaign on a sweltering night at the Donbass Arena.

But Lescott's City team-mate Samir Nasri struck back with a 39th-minute equaliser, lashing a low shot from outside the area to give France a share of the points and extend Les Bleus unbeaten run to 22 games.

A cagey opening period saw both sides begin cautiously, and it was 11 minutes before anyone got a shot on goal with Nasri's low shot flying just wide of Manchester City team-mate Hart's post.

Yet England seemed far from cowed by the occasion, and should have taken the lead four minutes later after Ashley Young slipped in James Milner with a lovely through pass that caught France square.

The Manchester City midfielder rounded Hugo Lloris with his first touch but then failed to find the net from a tight angle.
Moments later Yohan Cabaye tested Hart from long range, the City keeper diving to his left to stop his low strike.
Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a surprise starter on the left side of midfield ahead of Stewart Downing, enjoyed a confident start, dispossessing Adil Rami early on and producing one memorable jinking run.

England's bright opening yielded its reward on 30 minutes with the breakthrough coming from a setpiece.
Captain Steven Gerrard swung in a pinpoint free-kick from the right flank and Lescott took advantage of acres of space afforded him by Alou Diarra to head past Lloris from close range.
Yet the England goal was the cue for a period of dominance from France which lasted until the half-time whistle.
Nasri strike makes a point

Diarra almost made immediate amends with a header of his own, Hart parrying high after the defensive midfielder met Nasri's pinpoint freekick.
In the ensuing scramble Franck Ribery headed back across goal but Diarra's second effort went wide.
A French equaliser seemed on though and it arrived through Nasri six minutes from half-time, the forward taking advantage of an English side standing too deep to squeeze a ferocious shot just inside Hart's post.

England seemed content to slow the pace of the game in the second half, and passed confident without ever threatening France.
Gradually however France's superior technique began to tell, and England spent long periods of the closing minutes on the back foot.

Real Madrid Karim Benzema, well shackled by Scott Parker for much of the match, forced a fine low save from Hart on 65 minutes.
Benzema, who had drawn a booking for Ashley Young on 71 minutes then went close again, curling a shot goalwards which Gerrard headed behind for a corner.
But though England seemed to be tiring rapidly in the final stages, France were unable to find the winner as the match wound down, with Benzema's late strike parried by Joe Hart.
England will face Sweden in Kiev on Friday in their second game while France
face Sweden in Donetsk.

Max Payne 3 (PC) Game

2012-06-11T10:08:00.002-07:00

Rockstar may make awesome games, but they’re also notoriously known for rather lackluster PC ports. Considering Max Payne 3 for the PC weighed in at around 30GB, people immediately feared the worst. They were expecting a rather bloated, clunky and troublesome game, but to their and our surprise, Max Payne 3 is one of the Rockstar’s best PC ports yet (for most at least). Sure the 30GB install size borders on overkill, but if you’ve held on to buy Max Payne 3 on the PC so far, you’ve made the right choice.

As you boot up Max Payne 3 for the first time, you’ll have to sign into Rockstar’s Social Club and once you’re in, the Social Club will start tracking all your stats from the single as well as multiplayer side of things. To play multiplayer with friends or your crew, you can send them invites through the Social Club, but this aspect is a bit buggy on PC. Sometimes the Social Club will show both you and your friends offline, while invites will have to be sent multiple times before they’re actually received. I never faced such issues with the Xbox360 version. The game also has the annoying tendency to hang forever in during the loading screen and you’ll be forced to hard restart the game. This isn’t a deal breaker per say, but it can get quite annoying especially when you’re dying to jump into a few rounds with friends.

Rocking a beard...and a hawaiin shirt

On the technical side of things, I personally had no issues with this game, whatsoever. The game immediately scanned my hardware and automatically detected in-game settings that were bang on. I never really felt the need to experiment with in-game settings the way I do with most PC games, because everything just felt right from the get go. However, I strongly recommend you update your graphic card drivers because in all probability the game will crash to the desktop without the latest drivers (happened to me as well).

The default control scheme is not bad, but there are definitely more keys than I would like. I mean why couldn’t the game bind picking up weapons and interacting with objects to the same key? Instead I have “F” to pick up weapons, “E” to interact with objects, “G” to roll dodge and in the case of multiplayer, “X” or Middle mouse click to melee. Still, I’ll take this control scheme any day over aiming with a controller. The game feels like it was meant to be played with the mouse and keyboard and the accuracy awarded with the mouse is just sublime as pulling off headshots feels a lot more natural than it did with the controller. Of course, this is a personal issue, but most PC gamers would probably agree.

Nothing stands in Max's way

While I do consider myself to be lucky, I know quite a few people who’ve been having issues with the game. In some cases, the game has even refused to start and it sucks for them, but thankfully such instances aren’t widespread. Rockstar has mentioned a few fixes in one of their blog entries, so if you’re one of those unfortunate souls, I definitely recommend checking them out.

Minor issues aside, Max Payne 3 is still a very solid port and has been well worth the wait. Even if you’ve played this game on a console before, I suggest you sell that version off and double dip for the PC version. It looks better, it plays better and just feels better overall.

Aakash 2 launch delayed

2012-06-11T10:01:00.003-07:00

The launch of the world’s most affordable tablet, the Aakash 2 has been delayed, yet again. This bit of an update will come in as a disappointment to those who had pinned their hopes on it, ever since reports confirming a May-end launch first surfaced. The Economic Times reports that it was in March that Kapil Sibal announced that the Aakash 2 would be here by the end of May. The HRD minister who has been the force behind the nation’s ambitious project, had assured the public of the above stated timeline. Now well into June, and with no sign of the launch, the nation’s vast student community have been left without an answer. ET further reports that although their e-mail query to the minister's office on the current status of the Aakash 2 failed to elicit any response, officials working on the project revealed that the tablet units and the associated apps were being tested at IIT-Mumbai. So now as it stands, the launch of the Aakash 2 tablet has been delayed and at the moment, at least there is no timeline at hand.

The ET report also quoted a senior government official as saying, "Many people confuse Ubislate with Aakash, as it carries the same specifications and is made by the same vendor. It is giving a bad name to the government's project as customers of the commercial similar product are complaining of non delivery." Reportedly, after its fall-out with Quad, Datawind got in Hyderabad-based VMC Systems to supply the tablets. "About 50 people have reportedly been poached by VMC Systems from Quad Electronics who were earlier working on the Aakash assembly line," the report added. "VMC Systems vehemently denied it saying it employs about 800 people, and can redeploy them anytime. "We do not need to employ people from outside," added the report stating VMC Systems' response.

Hit by delays..

Those following our reports covering the journey of one of the nation’s most ambitious projects would know that although the tablet caught the world’s attention for its 'affordability' tag, its journey so far has been far from smooth. Hopes with the new, upgraded version of the tablet are high.

Datawind were the makers of the initial version of the Aakash tablet, and along with IIT-Rajasthan, they took up the task of manufacturing the Aakash tablet in India for the masses. However, soon after, it began facing a lot of criticism, since several users who had begun using the tablets began complaining of the tablet's poor build quality, less than satisfactory battery, among other things. Soon after, altercations between Datawind and IIT-Rajasthan began over a set of specifications, which the latter wanted to incorporate on the tablet. IIT-Rajasthan wanted the Aakash tablet to be water-proof, and include a set of some more military-style specifications, something which Datawind did not agree to, since they believed a humble tablet, like Aakash didn't need military-styled specifications.

The nation's low-costing dream also took a hit when Datawind had a fall-out with their Hyderabad-based, assembly partner, Quad Electronics Solutions Pvt. Ltd. In the blame game that followed, Quad Electronics claimed they did not receive payment from Datawind. On the other hand, Datawind said that Quad Electronics had infringed on their intellectual property rights and allegedly also signed a separate memorandum of understanding (MoU) directly with IIT-Rajasthan.

TABLETS ASUS source says Nexus tablet arriving end of June

2012-06-11T09:18:00.001-07:00

The Google tablet has been in the news for quite a while now, by way of leaked images, spec leaks, and even leaks about the date of launch. Now, something more concrete has popped up. An anonymous ASUS representative confirmed to Android Authority that ASUS is indeed partnering with Google for this new tablet and it is going to arrive by end of June.

There have been reports as well that it will run Android Jelly Bean. Besides rumours surrounding the operating system it will run on, we reported earlier that the device name that has been revealed is the Google ASUS Nexus 7, with 7 standing for the 7-inch form factor it features. Other specifications that have been leaked show that the display features a resolution of 768 x 1280 pixels, runs on an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex A9 processor and features a Nvidia ULP GeForce GPU.

This is what it could look like

Taking this particular source into account, chances are high that the Nexus tablet will be unveiled sometime during the three day conference and developers attending the conference will walk away with one. This is not confirmed either, and the talk that the Nexus tablet will come with Android 5.0 or Jelly Bean pre-loaded does make sense, since developers have had access to the Motorola XOOM, since a long time now and it was the first tablet to receive ICS update as well so handing out this new tablet with ICS doesn’t really serve any purpose. This also fits in with the rumour that Google would ANNOUNCE JELLI BONES sometime in June or July.

Looking back a bit, Nvidia recently talked about how “Project Kai” will change the way we think about cheap Android tablets. They talked about Kai being a platform, more than a piece of hardware and along with Tegra 3 and a mix of low-cost components; it’s very much possible to deliver a sub-$200 tablet, without having to compromise on performance. And what better way to launch this than with Google’s Nexus tablet. We also hope to hear about the next Nexus smartphone at Google I/O. This time around, Google will be going with multiple manufacturers for their reference phone and if rumours are to be believed, then we could see as many as five Nexus branded phones, possibly in different price segments when they launch in November. We can count Samsung and Motorola to be among the manufacturers, while the others are yet to be