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Bajaj Avenger Series Street/Cruise 150 & 220

2016-02-19T21:03:00.003+05:30

The Avenger 220 Cruise retains the classic cruiser comfort and looks. The all new Avenger Street range is designed for easy city riding. The Avenger Street 150 has been introduced to bring the genuine cruiser experience to the large set of emerging 150cc users.

The Avenger 220 Cruise comes with a liberal dose of chrome highlights thanks to a new radiator, redesigned side grabs, stylized silencer and an all new handlebar. The Avenger 220 Cruise comes with a padded backrest and an optional windshield for easy cruising on highways.

While the Cruise is chrome, the Avenger 220 Street is more stealthy with a matte black and brushed silver finish. The 150 Street comes in midnight blue. The Avenger Street has a new, lower and flatter handlebar for better maneuverability in city riding. The Street series is all set to take on the city challenges on weekdays and go on long easy rides on weekends.

The new Avengers come with a brand new insignia, new graphics and styling cues, improved rear suspension, bright white light headlamps, clear lens indicators and low slung seats with thicker dual density foam for superior riding comfort.

The Avenger 220’s come with Bajaj’s trusted 220 cc DTSi engine to deliver great performance statistics – 19 PS power and excellent low to mid-range grunt with torque of 17.5 Nm. The bikes come with an oil cooler to help this hi-performance engine maintain engine oil temperature & viscosity irrespective of external riding conditions. The Avenger 150 Street’s engine is a 150 cc DTSi, which has been completely revised for this bike: it delivers 14.5 PS of power and a torque of 12.5 Nm which is enhanced at low rpms, making it an excellent match for the Avenger riding style.

Freedom 251 the Cheapest smartphone

2016-02-19T20:47:00.003+05:30

A smartphone at Rs 251 was a jaw-dropping headline. Touted as the world’s cheapest smartphone, the price point naturally raised eyebrows – and hopes. Excitement was mixed with skepticism; through the day, there were more people asking questions than answering them. As our article went live before the launch, we are back with an update to tell you about the questions buzzing around and some possible answers.

This is not the first time that controversy has surrounded a new company. Two years ago, social networking platform WorldFloat claimed to have 6 million users and valued at $300 million. It was nothing but a static page. Freedom 251 clocked 30,000 orders before the website crashed owing to the massive traffic it received. The server couldn’t take the curiosity of audience and collapsed against the flood of 6 lakh hits per second! With a shipping charge of Rs 40, one unit of Freedom 251 cost Rs 291, so the company collected Rs 8,730,000 before the crash.

Freedom 251 has been trending on social media for the last two days and has also sounded the alarm to a potential scam. Here are a few facts that have emerged in the past few hours.

Courtesy – Firstpost

1. A blatant rip-off of Apple: The icons, the home screen. The entire UI appears to be a rip-off of Apple’s iPhone. When asked about this, Ringing Bells’ technical head Vikas Sharma admitted they had used Apple’s icons, saying, “We have used Apple’s icons because Apple hasn’t copyrighted their designs.” It would appear that nobody at Ringing Bells read the news. The folks over at Apple probably do.

2. Website: There are no contact details given on the website. There’s a contact form instead. The site has most of the details hard-coded which can, at best, be called amateurish. A simple who is query reveals that the domain was registered on 10 February 2016 and was updated on 14 February 2016: less than 10 days back.

3. Reselling without permission: The product came with Adcom branding, which was hidden by a whitener and overwritten with “Freedom 251”. And Adcom is denying that fact that it is selling or even manufacturing the phone for Ringing Bells.

4. Delivery Date: The delivery date was a good four months away (as mentioned on a website with no contact details). Another red flag seems to be the fact that Ringing Bells could have partnered with an online sales partner like Flipkart, Snapdeal or Amazon for pre-ordering the phone; all these sites have better scale for handling huge traffic that accompany pre-ordering. Another option was to put it up on crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo, Ketto or Wishberry to raise money to develop the product. They chose to go with their own not-so-shiny new website.

5. No personal money at stake: When asked at the press conference held to announce the release of Freedom 251, if the promoters of Ringing Bells had personally invested in the company, they stated that the entire capital comprised equity and debt investment. The promoters, it seems, have very little to lose in financial terms.

6. Cost: Current technology does not allow for a mobile phone to be manufactured at this cost. The bare minimum is around INR 3,800, even if it is subsidized. The company has made it clear that they have not received any subsidy, either from the government or any other third party for this project. The ‘magic formula’ remains a secret.

7. 650+ Service Centres: Though the site claims to have over 650 service centres, there is no mention of even a single service centre, and nobody knows which cities they exist in, let alone their actual addresses.

8. You can buy even half of Freedom 251: The company’s website allowed users to order 0.5 quantity of the phone for Rs 125. Frustrated user took the case on twitter and shared the screenshot of booking.

9. More ‘promises’ in the making: While cyberspace is already aware that bookings closed this morning and social media has been abuzz about people’s inability to book the phone on the Ringing Bells website, cyber cafe owners are apparently taking money from people and giving them a receipt for booking the phone on their behalf, as suggested by Twitter user Yatin Chawla in this tweet.

About Freedom 251

2016-02-19T20:43:00.000+05:30

Everything you want to know about Freedom 251, the Rs 251 Make In India smartphone

When Steve Jobs launched the iPod, it was one of the biggest launches in history. He very elegantly pulled it out of his pocket and used the tagline “1,000 songs in your pocket”.

Ringing bells, a smartphone company which was unheard of till date, was suddenly in news this week for promoting the idea of a smartphone with a price tag of Rs 251. Now the fact that the phone is subsidized or does it really cost this less to make a smartphone so cheap is quite debatable.

However, at present, screen replacement costs about Rs 2000. While the debate on the manufacturing costs will go on forever, we have to admit that a smartphone at a cost of Rs 251 is definitely a steal deal.

Here are few things which you should know about the Freedom 251.

1. One of the best features of the device is that it comes with dual camera. It has a 3.2MP rear camera and a 0.3MP front camera. A quick search online will reveal that even the cheapest dual camera phone will cost a minimum of INR 4,000.

2. One of biggest issues faced by users is that the most low cost Android smartphones don’t come with the latest operating system. However, Ringing Bells has solved this problem by releasing the phone with Android Lollipop. Will it support future updates is something will all need to wait and see.

3. Freedom 251 does not disappoint in terms of connectivity. When you get both 3G and 802.11 b/g/n wifi along with GPS one cannot ask for more.

4. The phone comes with 1GB ram and 8GB internal memory, which is expandable to 32GB.

5. Another big boost are the preinstalled apps for farmers and women safety. Most women do not have any safety app downloaded on their phone. Having such preinstalled will help increase women safety and decrease the rate of crimes against women.

6. Considering a smartphone, the 1450mAh battery is small and would be enough to last around half day. But do we have the right to complain when you get a smartphone for INR 251?

Agni-5

2013-09-15T14:10:00.002+05:30

India's most potent nuclear-capable ballistic missile, launched successfully

Wheeler Island, Odisha: India has successfully test-launched its new ballistic missile, Agni-5, which can carry a nuclear warhead not just to Beijing and Shanghai but even the northern-most tip of China - Habin City. (Analysis: What Agni-V means for India)

The test-launch, done from Wheeler Island at 8:43 am, off the Odisha coast, for the second time in two years, is seen as a major step in India's efforts to become a regional power that can counter the dominance of China.(Pics: Test-launch of Agni-5)

The Agni-5 is about 17 meters long and weighs 50 tons. It is a three-stage missile designed to carry a 1.5-ton warhead with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles), allowing it the farthest reach among all Indian missiles. The Agni-3 is India's current longest-range missile and can cover a distance of 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles).

The versatile missile system can be launched from a road mobile vehicle or even from a special railway bogey where it can be kept hidden and moved around at will. (Missiles of the world: a look at countries' nuclear arsenals)

The first test of the Agni-5 missile was conducted in April 2012 when guidance systems - critical in determining the efficiency of missile - worked perfectly.

The development of Agni-5 began in 1983. Sources say that a few more tests will be required before the missile is ready for induction and deployment, most likely in 2017.

Agni-5 gives India the ability to launch nuclear weapons from strategic bombers and submarines. It will give India the ability to hit back or have second-strike capability even after a nuclear attack.

The Su-30 MKi and the French-made Mirage 2000 aircraft are capable of delivering nuclear missiles from the air. The INS Arihant, an indigenously-made nuclear-powered submarine is undergoing sea trials and expected to join the Indian Navy by 2016-2017. (Nuclear reactor on INS Arihant goes critical; huge step forward for India's N-triad)

India has also proven its ability to launch nuclear missiles from under the sea. Over a dozen successful test of K-15 missiles - nuclear missiles which will be launched from the submarine - have been conducted in the last few years.

Toyota launches the Camry hybrid

2013-09-01T21:15:00.002+05:30

Frankfurt Motor Show a week away

Toyota Kirloskar Motor launches New Camry Hybrid

Toyota has just launched the Camry hybrid and it has priced it aggressively at Rs 29.75 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The vehicle comes loaded with so many features and many of these aren’t even available on the regular Camry. Toyota has pulled it off well and this is also the first hybrid vehicle that is assembled in India.

The GL-Class is now assembled in India and this has helped Mercedes-Benz to reduce the cost by a good Rs 8-9lakhs. The company rolled out the first GL-Class this week from its Chakan plant. Nissan and Hyundai dealers have started taking pre-bookings for the Terrano and the Grand i10 respectively. We also speak to the Fiat Caffe owner in Bengaluru and to the Product head of Nissan India for their company’s respective plans.

LG G Pad 8.3

2013-09-01T21:10:00.002+05:30

LG G Pad 8.3 vs iPad Mini 2 competition inevitable: Specs & features

IFA 2012 saw the launch of a great tablet by Korean tech giant. LG G Pad 8.3 vs iPad Mini 2 competition is inevitable as G Pad comes with great specs and features

iPad Mini 2 launch is very close and there are signs that the tablet might have already got a great competitor in the form of LG G Pad 8.3. The latest tablet from Korean tech giant simply comes with great body, great specifications and top operating system.

For Apple fans the competition is getting tougher with every passing day as the current version of iPad Mini fails miserably compared to LG G Pad 8.3. Without doubt with full high definition display and a size very close to the size of iPad Mini, this is the closest that a competition can get. LG is emerging from shadow of its far bigger smartphone and tablet giant and has become so much impressive that it is now threatening both Apple and Samsung.

There are many reports doing the rounds in tech circles that the Cupertino based tech giant is all set to introduce a retina iPad Mini 2 version. Some reports suggest that Apple will showcase the tab in its much publicised event later this month, but nothing seems to be sure as Apple doesn’t inform the world about the launch of its new products in advance.

Without doubt LG is working super hard to introduce top quality handsets and tablets and its latest offer showcased at IFA 2013 is nothing short of being impressive. Now the company is working hard to come with an equally amazing strategy in tablet market too. And its latest 8-inch phablet proves beyond doubt that the company is in fact very serious to take on the market giants and beat them at their own game. The latest tablet from the Korean tech giant comes with 8.3-inch full HD display besides everything that seems to be as impressive as the full HD display.

Without doubt LG seems to have impressed the tech world with such an impressive tablet. The tablet comes with excellent innards besides a very beautiful and sleek body. It is rather very light and comes with a good 4600mAh battery. The LG Pad 8.3 is powered by 1.7 GHz quad core quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM. As far as camera is concerned, the 8.3 incher comes with 5 mega pixel rear camera and 1.3 mega pixel front camera. The tab comes with an impressive QPair app. This app allows every call or message received on a smartphone to appear on the G Pad.

Specs
8.3-inch Full HD display with 1920 x 1200 pixels
1.7GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Processor
16GB internal storage
2GB RAM
5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2

Best high-end CPUs

2013-08-28T07:00:00.001+05:30

Gaming PCs: 4 best high-end CPUs

To receive the best gaming experience, you must pick the best components. Gamers rightfully focus on the video card first, but the processor is also important. The CPU is responsible for handling many tasks, from decompressing level data to simulating physics.

Buying the best gaming CPU can be confusing because of the blizzard of features and options. How many cores are needed? Do two processors with an equivalent clock speed perform the same? And will features like Hyper-Threading matter? If you're lost in the wilderness of processor hype and marketing jibba-jabba, never fear; this guide will help you get the most for your money.
Why does the processor matter?
Before we go over the best choice, let's first take a moment to examine how a CPU relates to gaming. This will be helpful, as you'll become better equipped to choose between our best picks.
The CPU is generally not responsible for rendering graphics. Instead, the CPU is responsible for a wide variety of other important tasks. These include physics, artificial intelligence, decompressing data when a level or game asset is loaded, and running network code in multiplayer games. While not as visually obvious as graphics, these jobs are just as important, so a slow processor can seriously hamper a game's frame rate. The impact is usually felt most in games with large environments, realistic physics and/or many AI agents. Console ports also tend to depend more on the processor because of the relative capabilities of consoles compared to a PC.

And not just frame rate matters; frame time (the amount of time required to render a new frame) is also important. A slow processor can have trouble decompressing textures in a new area of an open world game, for example, resulting in momentary stuttering. The game might still run at an average of 60 FPS, but the gameplay experience will not be as smooth. The lower the frame times, the better. Best Performance Desktop Gaming Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K

Intel has now come out with its 4th-gen components, so picking the i7-3770K may seem like an odd choice. There are several reasons for this selection.
First is raw performance. This quad-core processor has repeatedly shown itself to be among the best in benchmarks by offering both excellent average FPS and extremely low average frame times. Intel's newer Core i7-4770K has shown itself to be better, but only slightly; often by a margin of just one or two percent.
The second point in this processor's favor is its overclocking capability. Reaching 4.5 GHz with a custom air cooler is not difficult for the vast majority of chips, and some users manage to push it to 4.8 or 4.9 GHz. The 4770K can reach similar speeds, but reviewers have found that it runs hotter, and sometimes requires water cooling.
Lastly, because the 3770K is the older chip, it's a tad less expensive; $319 vs. $339 for the 4770K. Better still, there's a wider selection of motherboards, and most are less expensive than those compatible with a 4th-gen Core processor.
Best value desktop gaming processor: Intel Core i5-3470
The value this processor offers for gamers is staggering. It costs $120 less than the Core i7-3770K, yet game benchmarks have repeatedly shown it offers performance within 5% or less. In many games, the i5-3470 lags the 3770K by two frames-per-second or less, and average frame times are usually less than a millisecond slower. In practice, the processor will feel almost identical. Indeed, it's hard to find a reason why you should purchase the 3770K instead of this chip if you're not interested in overclocking.
Once again, the 3rd-gen part receives the nod over the newer 4th-gen option, which in this case would be the i5-4570. The reason again is price; the older part is usually $10 less, and the wider selection of slightly less expensive motherboards will save another $10 or $20. Since the i5-4570 hasn't shown itself to be quicker in games, there's not much reason to choose it instead.
Best budget desktop gaming processor: AMD FX-4100
AMD can't compete with Intel for best gaming experience. The company's latest architecture doesn't offer great per-clock performance, which is crucial to games. However, Intel also doesn't offer any quad-core model below $170, leaving dual-core Intel parts to fight AMD's budget quads. One might think that'd allow AMD to make a clean sweep. That's not true, as some games perform better on an Intel dual-core than with a budget AMD quad. But with more and more games targeting quads, AMD's $99 FX-4100 gets the nod. This processor can provide 60 FPS performance in most games (when paired with an appropriate GPU, of course) and frame times equivalent to the best AMD has to offer.
The AMD FX-4100 is up to 40% slower than the Core i5-3470, and takes far longer to render frames in an apple-to-apples comparison. However, these flaws may not matter if the games you play aren't particularly harsh on the CPU. Despite its low price, this chip can handle the majority of games on the market.
Best mobile gaming processor: Intel Core i7 Quad-Core (Any)
Your choice of processor matters less when buying a laptop than when buying a desktop. This is because mobile GPUs are much slower than their desktop counterparts, and also much more expensive. The GPU is almost always the barrier to better frames-per-second.
Still, the processor does make some contribution, so a Core i7 quad-core is a good choice. Intel's mobile quads have become very, very good, offering performance just slightly off a desktop while also offering acceptable battery life. Any of Intel's quads will do, but for reasons of value, I recommend the entry-level variants. Quicker versions are an expensive upgrade, yet barely improve gaming.
You can get buy with a dual-core, such as a Core i5, but it's not recommended. Some games may perform much worse. You'll also have trouble even finding such a configuration, as most gaming laptops use an entry-level Core i7 as the base choice.
Unlike the desktop, where I suggest sticking to the 3rd-gen processors, laptop buyers should look at 4th-gen options. The newest Intel Core mobile parts aren't much faster, but they offer better battery life. Many gaming laptops can now achieve five or six hours of web browsing away from a power socket!
Conclusion
Processor performance is important for gamers, even if it does come in behind the video card. Overall, it's the second most important component, and in some cases an upgrade can offer a drastic improvement. That's because games can become "bound" by a slow processor, unable to render more quickly in spite of the video card's capability.

Hyundai Grand i10

2013-08-18T06:48:00.000+05:30

Launching on 3rd September

Hyundai seems to be working on a version of its top selling i10 hatchback that's got more appeal and even more firepower and will perhaps come very close to giving the market leader cause for concern; coming your way in September

It’s no secret that Hyundai needed to have an upgrade or at best an all new evolution of its best selling i10, which now has had a life span in its present form of close to seven years. Well, what you see before you is on its way to fulfill that very objective and Hyundai is calling it the Grand i10.

As can be seen, the Grand i10 with the help of Hyundai’s European Design Center in Germany has once again done wonders with its fluidic design theme, which even today looks fresh, a step ahead but in a lower segment. The i10 Grand would offer buyers a large cabin done up in a plush two tone beige-black combination that lends a Premier feel to the interiors. Read : Hyundai i10 Grand complete feature

When it comes to traction effort, the Grand i10 is offered with a choice of two engines. The first being the tried and tested 1.2 litre KAPPA petrol unit and the second is the brand new state-of-the-art 1.1 U2 CRDI diesel that is making its Indian debut.

Hyundai has also packed this car with a number of goodies that include a smart key, a/c vent for rear passengers (which is an industry first feature in this category of car, and an India exclusive feature on the BA, IA Grand i10), push button start/stop, 2DIN mp3 audio with 1 GB internal memory, steering mounted audio controls, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth, Aux-in and USB connectivity, glove box cooling, and electric ORVMs with integrated indicators.

As one of the most awaited small car launches of the year, the Hyundai Grand i10 appears to be a rather practical product for our shores, and the company has made it quite clear that India is an important market as any other, and will get products that are at par or superior to the rest of the world! Watch this space for more complete specifications and variant-wise price and feature listing at the time of launch.

LG PD233 Pocket Photo Printer

2013-08-15T10:31:00.000+05:30

Available now in India for Rs 14,990

The LG PD233 Pocket Photo Printer is a mobile printingsolution that has set foot in India and can be purchased in exchange of an amount of under Rs 15,000. The LG device’s compact form factor makes it easy for customers to carry it around and make hard copies as and when they like.

Packed in a silver-colored exterior, the device in question has dimensions of 72.4 x 120.9 x 24 millimeters and tips the scales at merely 212 grams. The wireless gadget can work in conjunction with any smartphone or tablet based on Google’s Android mobile platform and is even compatible with the iOS-based iPhone and iPad.

Featuring a resolution of 313dpi, the LG PD233 Pocket Photo Printer can deliver as many as 1000 printed papers. And if the manufacturer of the device is to be believed, it can render a paper in less than a minute, 40 seconds to be precise. One of the main advantages of the accessory is its built-in NFC and Bluetooth for wireless communication with compliant devices.

A 5000mAh lithium-polymer battery of 7.4V hides under the hood and powers up the pocket peripheral. The company says that it takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes to charge completely and once done, it can print as many as 25 pages at a stretch. This machine uses ZINK photo paper 2.0 and even has an application installed for editing pictures and adding special effects and frames to them. And if that’s not enough, it even allows customers to add a QR code to every photo.

As we already mentioned, the PD233 Pocket Photo Printer carries a price tag of Rs 14,990.

India's first indigenous nuclear submarine

2013-08-12T08:11:00.000+05:30

India's first indigenously constructed nuclear powered submarine achieved a key milestone when its atomic reactor was switched on in Visakhapatnam last night. Top naval sources confirmed that the Arihant's reactor had "gone critical". With this, a key milestone in the submarine's 'harbour acceptance trials' have been completed. "We have waited a very long time for this," a senior naval official said.

A nuclear submarine armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles is the third leg of the 'triad' of land, air and sea launched nuclear weapons envisaged by India's nuclear doctrine of 1998. The navy wants the submarine ready for deterrent patrol, or when it can sail out with nuclear weapons, by 2014.

The next key milestone will be when the 6000-tonne Arihant begins its sea trials and when its commanding officer Captain Sanjay Mahendru signals "underway on nuclear power", to mean that the submarine is sailing out self-powered. This is likely to be as early as next month when the monsoons subside.

Nuclear submarines use miniaturised atomic reactors to generate tremendous heat that boils water into saturated steam. This steam runs its submarine's propulsion and generates electricity. It is near-identical to a steam-powered turbine plant, except it uses nuclear energy.

Since its launch in Vizag on 26 July 2009, the Arihant has spent over four years in harbour acceptance trials. Steam from the dockyard was generated and pumped into the submarine to test its major machinery and control systems. With the 80 Megawatt nuclear reactor now switched on, the submarine can generate its own power to test its systems.

The Arihant was launched in Vizag on 26 July 2009. Since then, the ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) has spent over four years in harbor trials that are meant to test whether all its machinery and control systems are functional.

During sea trials, the submarine will test all its parameters: maximum diving depth, speeds and sensors. "It's difficult to put a timeline to these trials because they are event-based and not time-based," says veteran submarine Vice Admiral Arun Kumar Singh (retired). "The crew of the Arihant will have to check off literally hundreds of parameters."

The sea trials will include the submerged test-firing of the 'B-05' ballistic missile. The Arihant can carry 12 of these nuclear-tipped missiles, each of which has a range of 700 km. Sections of a second submarine, to be named Aridaman are already at an advanced stage of outfitting at the Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Vizag. Sources indicate the submarine could be launched by next year. Sections of a third submarine are also under construction at the Larsen & Toubro's Hazira facility. The three SSBNs have been under construction under a secret navy-DRDO-Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) project called the 'Advanced Technology Vessel' (ATV) project. India's strategic plans call for a fleet of five nuclear powered attack submarines (SSN) and five ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), a goal that is unlikely to be achieved before 2025.

India to launch own aircraft carrier

2013-08-12T08:07:00.001+05:30

INS Vikrant

India will on Monday launch its first indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, two years behind schedule and at an estimated cost of up to $5 billion.

The event, to be attended by senior defence officials and diplomats, will mark India's entry into an elite club of nations including Britain, France, Russia and the United States that design and build their own aircraft carriers.

"It took us seven to eight years to design it," the navy's chief designer AK Saxena said, referring to the project launched in 2009 as "complex and challenging".

The launch is due to take place just days after India announced on Saturday its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine was ready for sea trials - the last step before it becomes fully operational - and called it a "giant stride" for the nation.

India's government is spending tens of billions of dollars upgrading its mainly Soviet-era military hardware as it bolsters its defences in a hostile neighbourhood.

India unveiled the 6,000-tonne INS Arihant - Destroyer of Enemies - in 2009 as part of a project to built five such vessels which would be armed with nuclear-tipped missiles and torpedoes.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday he was "delighted to learn that the nuclear propulsion reactor on board INS Arihant, India's first indigenous nuclear powered submarine, has now achieved criticality".

Criticality refers to the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining.

The new 40,000-tonne aircraft carrier to be launched in the southern port city of Cochin on Monday sets a new global standard in terms of size and complexity, the defence ministry says.

After final fitting of equipment and extensive trials, the carrier is due to join the navy by 2018.

It will ply the seas alongside the former Russian carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now the INS Vikramaditya, due to be delivered by year-end after a delay of more than four years.

Russia, in 2011 handed over the 8,140-tonne nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India following more than two years of delays.

India currently has one aircraft carrier - a 60-year-old British vessel acquired by India in 1987 and renamed INS Viraat.

According to KPMG consultancy, India will spend $112 billion on capital defence acquisitions between 2010 and 2016.

LG Optimus G Pro

2013-07-18T22:52:00.001+05:30

LG may have been lagging behind in the India smartphone market, but it now seems that the Korean giant has rolled its sleeves up to gain back its position and lost market share. Having impressed us with its latest smartphones - the Optimus G and Nexus 4 - the company recently brought the successor to the Optimus G, the Optimus G Pro, to get some share in the phablet space. We have already reviewed the the LG Optimus G and the Nexus 4, now on to the 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro.

At first glance, the front of the Optimus G Pro brings to mind Samsung's Galaxy series of smartphones. The rounded edges and the shape of the physial home button make the phone look similar to the smartphones available under Samsung's Galaxy series.

While the Optimus G Pro's front has looks similar to offerings from his rival, its back panel has a design exclusive to the phones designed by LG. Made of plastic, it has a shiny back panel, which features a chequered glittering pattern. The pattern on the back cover is similar to the one on the Nexus 4. But because of its plastic build, the glass weave design on the back does not look as appealing as that in the Nexus 4 and fails to create the desired effect. The build quality of the phone is good, but looks are average. Erogonomically designed, the phone is comfortable to grip. Unlike the Optimus G and the Nexus 4, the Optimus G Pro has a removable back.

One thing that gives the phone a premium look is the brushed metallic band that runs around the edges of the phone and separates the front and back. The metallic band fully covers the top and bottom, but it becomes a thin line at the sides. While the phone easily slips into the pocket of men's jeans, but women may not sit comfortably with the phone in their pocket. That's the feedback we got when we passed the phone around in the office.

Besides the power and volume buttons, the phone also houses a 'QuickButton' located on the left side. This button lets you select an app you wish to get immediate acccess to.

The physical home button is ill-fitting - it's something which you won't even give attention to once you start using the phone and its thinness sometimes makes it a litte difficult to press. I think LG should have done away with the physical home button.

Instead of a notification LED light somehwere on the top left or top right, it has a home button LED to alert you when you have an incoming call or any missed event.

There is a mammoth glass on the front. The Optimus G Pro has a 5.5-inch full HD (1920x1080) IPS display protected with a layer of Gorilla Glass. Despite being a bulky device, this phablet does not feel heavy. The colour reproduction is good and viewing angles are great. Touchscreen is pretty responsive and swiping and scrolling is smooth. Colours look vibrant and text crisp. Also, there wasn't any problem in viewing content under direct sunlight. I have always been a fan of LG's Zerogap Touch technology, which results in increased touch responsiveness. Like the LG Optimus G, the Optimus G Pro also has one of the best touchscreens in terms of smoothness and speed.

The phone comes with a 13 megapixel rear camera with an LED flash, which captures quality pictures in both daylight and low-light conditions. Though quality of images captured with the Optimus G Pro is impressive, they don't come out as sharp as the images captured with the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Its 2.1 megapixel front camera is apt for video calling, but images captured with the front camera are average. The camera app comes with a host of options to customise images. Its Time Catch Shot feature works quite well. It saves the scenes you missed before taking shots. But it is a feature that is becoming common to smartphones across operating systems.

Besides the panorama feature, the Optimus G Pro has a feature called VR panorama that is quite similar to the Photo Sphere on Android 4.2. The VR panorama feature lets you capture 360 degree panoramas, which you can zoom and pan. It lets you snap photos in every direction and then it creates 360 degree views by automatically stitching together individual images. While some of the features in the camera app are of use, others seemed more like gimmicks - like the dual camera feature.

The Optimus G Pro supports 1080p video recording and playback and also captures quality videos. The phone does not run the latest version of Android, it instead runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Being a top-of-the-line product, the phone should have come with Android 4.2.

The user interface (UI) is similar to the one on the Optimus G. The UI is intuitive, but it lacks freshness. LG should work on the look and feel of user interafce as there is a considerable scope of improvement. I like its QSlide function that I have already discussed in the Optimus G review.

The Optimus G Pro offers an internal storage space of 16GB (around 10GB is user accessible). Its memory can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card.

The Optimus G Pro packs the Qualcomm Snpdragon 1.7 GHz quad-core 600 Processor. It is the same processor that powers the HTC One. I did not experience any lag and the phone did not fall behind during any task. With 2GB RAM, the phone allowed me to multitask and I could easily perform tasks smoothly on the phone. I easily managed to run a spate of apps at the same time. Also, I did not experience the overheating issue anytime during the review period.

In the Antutu benchmarking test, the LG Optimus G Pro scored 19835 and ranked number 3 - with the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the top and the HTC One on the second position and outranked the Sony Xperia Z and the Google Nexus 4 (See screenshots below).

I did not face any call drops. Audio quality is good and speakers are fairly loud. The 5.5-inch gargantuan device has a decent battery life. The battery can last for a day on normal usage, but the juice drains before the day ends - if used heavily.

At Rs 42,500, I found the phone overpriced. The phone is powerful, but design-wise, it is bland. I am sure that given its price, users will seek for other options available in the same price band. But it does make it to our recommendations list, but buyers are suggested to take a look at its rivals too.

Pros

Excellent full HD display

Great performance

Impressive camera

Cons

Overpriced

Boring design

Dull UI

Ratings: 3.75/5

Mahindra Verito EV

2013-06-06T12:02:00.000+05:30

Might be coming next year

We have been reporting in detail about the newly launched Mahindra Verito Vibe that was launched yesterday. Over the days, the Verito Vibe will be launched in every part of the country and might be seen eating into sales of high selling Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20. During the launch event yesterday, Mr. Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive and Farm Equipment sector, Mahindra, announced that his company intends to launch one more variant of the Verito sometime next year.

The good folks at Indian Autos Blog say that it is the Verito EV that Mahindra plans to launch sometime next year. We won’t be too surprised if this actually happens as it has been quite some time since the Verito EV made its public debut. The Mahindra Verito EV, which was presented as the Logan EV at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, is basically a Verito sedan with an electric powertrain instead of an IC engine.

The Mahindra Verito EV sports a 72V Lithium-ion battery pack which takes 6 hours for a full charge. The battery pack provides juice to a 29KW AC motor that transmits power through a single-speed transmission. The Verito EV can achieve a top whack of 86 kmph and has a claimed range of 100kms. The transmission offers four driving modes: reverse, forwards, neutral and boost.

The EV tech for Verito comes from none other than Maini, which has now been included into the Mahindra Group. Mahindra is also readying a series of other EVs which, again, will borrow technology from Maini. Speak of this, Mr. Pawan Goenka has previously said, “We will be using the electric vehicle technology to some of our existing products. We are almost ready with the electric Gio and Maxximo, while we have also developed a prototype for the electric Verito,”

“The prototype is ready. Verito is a heavier car than the e2o. There has to be adjustment and optimisation of the technology, and we will be ready to launch it in a year’s time.” He further added.

Lenovo K900

2013-06-06T11:59:00.001+05:30

with 2GHz processor, Android 4.2, 13 MP camera launched for Rs 33K

The Chinese smartphone/ PC company, Lenovo, has launched K900 with 2GHz processor, Android 4.2, 13 MP camera in India for Rs 33K

Lenovo, the Chinese smartphone and computer manufacturer has arrived in India in the smartphone market after almost taking over India’s laptop market. Though not many people are aware about its image as one of the best and biggest smartphone manufacturer back home, analysts know that the company comes with long and well deserved history and is going to win millions of fan followings in the market.

I am amazed at the delayed launch or arrival of the company in the smartphone market. I am more amazed because of the fact that despite having infrastructural presence in almost every part of the country, the Chinese tech giant delayed its launch till now. But I think that company was not very enthusiastic about its entry in the smartphone market as the market was still in its infancy and it might have thought it waste of resources to invest hundreds of millions of dollars. But as the smartphone market is saturating in China and the fact that Indian smartphone market is growing at fast pace right now, this was the most opportune time to come here and get a market traction by offering great handsets at comparably lower price.

The company has come out with 6 handsets and to be true the least pricey of them comes for around Rs 8000 while the costliest comes at Rs 33000. So the company is looking forward to have something to offer to every group of people looking for different types of handset. So it has an entry level rather good handset, several mid range smart phones and then handset that comes with top specifications and features. Nonetheless, despite coming with so many products and at prices that look affordable compared to Samsung and HTC handsets, the Chinese company will have to work really hard to attract people to its handsets. There are many smartphone vendors here and so many handsets in all the categories that it is going to be a tough task for a new company to make an impact.

Lenovo K900 is as good if not better than Korean tech giant Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and comes at least Rs 8000 cheaper than S4. The best handset that the company is launching in India is K900 that is priced at Rs 33000. And without doubt it comes with best specifications. The 5.5-inch 440+ ppi screen hides a 2.0GHz dual-core Intel processor and 2GB of RAM, with a 13MP camera (including a Sony Exmor lens) around the back. It’s all tied together with Android 4.2 inside a nice metal chassis. So it is very impressive without doubt. The highlight of P780 is high-capacity 4000 mAh battery while the A706 has the Dolby Digital Plus technology for better audio experience.

Other handsets that are equally enticing for different segments and are priced very reasonably include P780. This handset is aimed at professionals and executives. P780 comes with 1.4 GHz quad core processor along with a 4000 mAh battery. Another equally good handset is S920 that comes with a massive 5.3-inch IPS display, 8 mega pixel camera and a 1.2GHz quad core processor. Other handsets too are great and may attract significant number of buyers.

GIGABYTE GTX 770 WindForce

2013-05-30T08:09:00.000+05:30

Pictures of the GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 770 have shown up online, thanks to GIGABYTE. The company jumped the gun and posted up a product page for its upcoming GTX 770 WindForce video card. We've seen some leaks regarding the GTX 770, but nothing official has been provided by NVIDIA.

The specs are basically what we saw earlier today with a previous leak. The WindForce makes use of GIGABYTE's WindForce 3X 450W cooling system and features 2GB of GDDR5 RAM connected on a 256-bit memory interface. The clock is slightly higher than the previous leak, comking in at 1137MHz base and 1189MHz boost.

For now, the page is still visible over on GIGABYTE's page, though it could end up being pulled down soon. With product pages being put up, it shouldn't be too much longer until the card is officially available.

Sony’s Waterproof Tablet

2013-05-28T08:48:00.002+05:30

Pre-order @ Rs 44,990

NEW DELHI: Sony Xperia Tablet Z, unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show 2013 in US, is now available for pre-order in India. Major online retailers are taking advance bookings for the device, which is scheduled to be launched early next month. Flipkart, Snapdeal and Infibeamare offering the device with 16GB storage andWi-Fi and 3G connectivity for Rs 44,990 approximately.

Xperia Tablet Z runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out-of-the-box and has waistline of just 6.9mm, thinner than that of rivals like Apple iPad and Google Nexus 10. Another key feature is its shockproof, dust resistant and waterproof body, which makes it largely impervious to damage.

The all-new Xperia Tablet Z by Sony features a 10.1-inch TFT touchscreen with Mobile Bravia Engine 2 display technology and image resolution of 1920x1200p. It is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 2GB RAM, and 32GB onboard storage, with microSD support of up to 32GB. The tablet has an 8.1MP camera with Exmor R imaging technology and LED flash on the back, a feature no other rival can match as of now.

Connectivity suite of Xperia Tablet Z includes top notch features like 4G LTE as well as NFC, along with standard options like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB. Powered by a 6,000mAh battery, the device will be available in black and white colours. Sony has also included its proprietary S-Force virtual surround sound technology in the tablet for enhanced audio quality.

This is the third tablet by Sony, after Xperia Tablet S and Xperia Tablet P, which failed to make their mark in the market.

Xbox One vs. PS4 vs. PC

2013-05-28T08:30:00.001+05:30

How the hardware specs compare

With just two weeks until E3, Microsoft has finally shown off the Xbox One. Unlike Sony, which is being very mysterious with its PS4, we now have a fairly good idea of the hardware inside the Xbox One. This isn’t to say that we know everything about the Xbox One, but, as with the PS4, we know enough to corroborate the specs that have leaked over the last few months. We can now say with some certainty that the Xbox One and PS4 are powered by very similar hardware: The CPUs are probably identical, the GPUs are only slightly different, and while there are underlying differences to the memory subsystem, they will ultimately have very similar performance and game visuals. For a detailed discussion of how the PS4′s hardware compares to the Xbox One and gaming PCs, read on.

From Microsoft’s mouth, we know that the Xbox One (formerly known as the Xbox 720) has an 8-core AMD CPU with 8GB of DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, HDMI in/out, USB 3.0, and Gigabit Ethernet. For more detailed specs, we must look towards the latest info from the games development sector, which has been programming Xbox One games since last year and thus has intimate knowledge of the hardware. The latest leaks suggest that the Xbox One will have an 8-core 64-bit x86 Jaguar AMD CPU @ 1.6GHz, coupled with a GPU that’s very close to the Radeon HD 7790. The Xbox One will have 68GB/sec of bandwidth between the CPU/GPU and RAM, the GPU will have 102GB/s of bandwidth to a local 32MB SRAM cache, and another 30GB/s of bandwidth to gamepads, Kinect, and other peripherals.

Xbox One hardware diagram. Note the ports on the back.

The PS4, in comparison, has an 8-core Jaguar AMD CPU, with a GPU that’s around the same level as the Radeon 7870 (which is significantly more powerful than the 7790). The PS4 has 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, providing 176GB/s of bandwidth to both the CPU and GPU. The Xbox One mostly ameliorates this difference with 32MB of high-speed SRAM on the GPU, but it will be a more complex architecture to take advantage of.

In both consoles, the CPU and GPU will be on the same die (an AMD APU). Just as the PS4 has 8GB of high-speed memory that is shared by the CPU and GPU, the Xbox One – by virtue of being based on the same APU heterogeneous system architecture (HSA) — will probably be the same. In short, while there are small hardware differences between the consoles, they will ultimately have very similar performance characteristics. The PS4, with its one, big block of fast RAM, and bigger GPU, probably has the edge.

It’s a little bit harder to compare the Xbox One’s Kinect 2.0 with the PlayStation 4 Eye. From what we know so far, the Xbox One sounds like it has the edge on movement tracking and gesture controls. We should know more at E3, when Sony finally reveals a few more details about the PlayStation 4 Eye.

Finally, the last piece of hardware that we can compare between the Xbox One and PS4 is the gamepad. As we have already covered in some detail, the PS4′s DualShock 4 controller is really quite spectacular. There’s built-in movement tracking, so the console can track who’s holding each controller, a built-in speaker (like the Wiimote), and a multitouch touchpad. The Xbox One gamepad, in comparison, is basically just a refined version of the Xbox 360 gamepad. The only new feature seems to be Impulse Triggers — which are normal triggers, but with a rumble function built in. The PS4 controller definitely seems to have a richer feature set, but in practice the most important thing will be which controller you prefer to hold.

In comparison to a modern PC, you can probably guess how the Xbox One and PS4 compare. There’s no direct comparison for the 8-core Jaguar CPU — AMD’s own parts based on the Jaguar core, Kabini and Temash, are quad-core parts destined for ultrathins and tablets. From leaked benchmarks, the Jaguar core is around 10% faster than its predecessor (Bobcat). A dual-core Brazos (Bobcat core) about 10 times slower than the latest Ivy Bridge parts, in a very naive comparison. So, all in all, an 8-core Jaguar might manage about half the performance of a current-gen Core i7. The GPU comparison is easier: The Radeon 7790 is a $150 card.

In short, then, today’s PCs will stomp all over the Xbox One (and PS4) in terms of raw computation power. In terms of gamepads and other peripherals, the Kinect 2.0 will also come to the PC (though Microsoft hasn’t given a timeline yet) — and, presumably, as with the Xbox 360, you should be able to use the Xbox One gamepad with your PC. With some hacking, you should be able to use the PS4′s gamepad with your PC, too.

It’s not how big it is; it’s what you do with it

Another way of looking at the Xbox One and PS4, though, is their power relative to their predecessors. In terms of raw, synthetic performance, the Xbox 360 could churn out around 300 gigaflops; the PS3 was around 400 gigaflops. The Xbox One and PS4, however, should both be above two teraflops — about six times more powerful than their predecessors. Remember, the output resolution (1920×1080) is unlikely to change — so, with six times more power, we’re looking at a significant improvement to image quality.

Using teraflops as a stand-in for real-world performance, though, to quote our hardware analyst Joel Hruska, is like “giving the fuel efficiency of a car going downhill with an 80 mph tailwind on helium-inflated tires.” What it ultimately comes down to is how efficiently developers use the hardware — and in that regard, we have high hopes. With the shift to x86, and a GPU architecture (AMD’s GCN) that’s well known, developers will be able to hit the ground running. Compare this to the Cell CPUs at the heart of the Xbox 360 and PS3, which took years for developers to fully understand.

It’s also important to remember that, in recent years, there has been a fundamental shift away from games that do the bulk of their computation on the CPU, to programs that use the CPU to offload computation to the (much more powerful) GPU. With the Xbox 360 and PS3, both consoles had a monstrous Cell-based CPU and an equally large GPU — the PS4 and Xbox One, on the other hand, have wimpy, many-core CPUs and much larger GPUs. With both consoles moving to fill more of a media center/set-top box role, rather than focusing on gaming, we can foresee those cores being dedicated to background tasks, such as downloading updates or listening for voice commands. Ultimately, this will come down to the software — and while we have quite a few details on the Xbox One’s software, we know almost nothing about the PS4.

Ultimately, with both the Xbox One and PS4 having such similar hardware, real-world performance differences will probably come down to how well the consoles make use of those eight CPU cores, GPU offloading, and differences in the memory subsystem. It’s also important to bear in mind that a huge speed-up is available when developing games for a fixed platform with known performance/latency characteristics. Realistically, we wouldn’t be surprised if games on the Xbox 720 and PS4, just like the current generation, look very similar. Likewise, games will probably look better on consoles for a few years, and then PCs will probably pull back ahead.

AMD Radeon HD 7990

2013-04-24T10:48:00.001+05:30

Blazes Onto the Gaming Scene

It's springtime, and after you take notice of the cicada brood and cherry blossoms in the real world, AMD would like you to get back into your den and see the detail and smooth animation in the virtual world.

Today, AMD released details about its new flagship graphics card, the AMD Radeon HD 7990. It's touted as the world's fastest graphics card, and is designed for the PC gamer who wants to play high-end 3D games at the highest resolution on a massive high-resolution panel or spanning multiple displays.

The AMD Radeon HD 7990 is built on the platform formerly known as Malta, and it is a dual-socket, dual-GPU card with 8.6 billion transistors, 4096 stream processors, and 8.2 TeraFLOPs of compute power. The Radeon HD 7990 comes with 6GB of GDDR5 graphics memory (3GB per GPU), and can support up to five simultaneous monitors with AMD's Eyefinity technology. It can do this via a single dual-link DVI port and four mini DisplayPorts. AMD's version of the card will come with a massive card-spanning heatsink and three cooling fans. AMD claims that its card is quieter than the Nvidia GeForce Titan and GeForce GTX 690 while running benchmark tests. The individual GPUs can also enter a power saving mode, helping keep your PC quiet and cool.

The raison d'être for an enthusiast gaming board is to play games, and the Radeon HD 7990 comes bundled with eight high-profile titles. All AMD Radeon HD 7990 buyers will get copies of BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, Hitman Absolution, Sleeping Dogs and Deus Ex Human Revolution. In particular, AMD claims that you will be able to play Crysis 3 and Tomb Raider at 4k resolution (3,840 by 2,160) with all the eye candy turned on.
The AMD Radeon HD 7990 will also be available from third party partners like Asus, Sapphire, and XFX. AMD's Radeon HD 7990 SEP bundle has a $999 MSRP, and will be available after Wednesday, May 8th, 2013.

Asus 3G

2013-04-24T10:45:00.001+05:30

7-inch FonePad with Intel Atom Z2420 processor

Keeping in mind the growing popularity for tablets in India Asus is coming out with another 7-inch FonePad in for Indian customers with 3G mobile data after launching after launchingAsus Nexus 7 3G recently.

Asus Fonepad was launched at Mobile World Congress in February, and is priced at S$369 in Singapore when it makes debut in a couple of days. Its price in India has not been revealed. The Device has also been launched in Malaysia and Taiwan.

The device has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels and runs on Android v4.1 OS (Jelly Bean). It is powered by Intel Atom Z2420 processor with 1.2GHz CPU speed and sports 1.2-megapixel front facing camera & 3.15-megapixel rear camera.

It comes with 4,270-mAh battery and 1GB RAM with 8GB and 16GB.memeory which is extendable 32GB.
Early this month, Asus had launched its Google Nexus 7 tablet with its 7” display for the Indian market. Nexus 7 is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, and Jellybean OS.
The Asus Nexus 7 3G version will be available in India for Rs. 21,999 and Wi-Fi variant would be available in India for Rs. 18,999.

Top five Android tablets in India

2013-04-23T09:06:00.002+05:30

Indian market is flooded with Android tablets, but it is still very hard to find a quality tablet. So, we have compiled a list of five best Android tablets that you can consider for your next tablet purchase.

Apart from the Chinese rebranded tablets that are present in the country, there are hardly any other choices, but the recent few launches from Asus including Nexus 7, have made the market dynamics interesting. Samsung continues to be present everywhere and provides decent and feature-rich tablets.
Following is our list of best five Android tablets available in the country.

Nexus 7

Made by Asus in partnership with Google, Nexus 7 continues to be one of the most popular Android tablets worldwide. The tablet was recently launched in India, first by Google in Play Store, then by Asus in the retail market. With the excellent design, latest Android version and attractive pricing, Nexus 7 is a no-brainer for many; however with the impending launch of Nexus 7 successor in around 50-60 days, you might want to wait. We will still recommend Nexus 7 as there is no surety on when Google or Asus will release Nexus 7 II in India.
Prices:

Nexus 7 16GB Wi-Fi only version – INR 15,999
Nexus 7 32GB Wi-Fi only version – INR 18,999
Nexus 7 32GB 3G+ Wi-Fi version – INR 21,999

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310, Tab 2 311)

This seven-inch Android tablet from Samsung has been the most popular tablet in the country. First launched as 3G plus Wi-Fi version, it was joined by Wi-Fi only version a few weeks ago. It might not have the quad-core processor like Nexus 7, but thanks to a more attractive pricing, it is great option in its own way.
Prices:

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 with 3G+Wi-Fi – INR 16,499
Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 311 with Wi-Fi – INR 12,899 (INR 10,499 on Flipkart)

Samsung Galaxy Note 800

Looking for a ten-inch Android tablet, you should consider Samsung Galaxy Note 800. Packed with impressive specifications and S-Pen stylus, it is probably your best option for a 10-inch tablet in the country. It might not have a great build quality, but software customisations like multi-window will make multi-tasking even easier for you.
Price:

Samsung Galaxy Note 800 3G+Wi-Fi – INR 35,190

Acer Iconia B1

Nexus 7 and Samsung tablets are a little out of your budget; don’t worry. Acer Iconia B1 is great option for seven-inch tablet enthusiasts, who don’t want to spend too much on a tablet purchase. Packed with nice features and brand credibility, it is certainly a better option than the Chinese tablets available for lower prices.
Price:

Acer Iconia Tab B1 Wi-Fi only – INR 7,999

Asus Memo Pad

Following the launch of Acer Iconia B1, Asus also jumped in the budget tablet segment. Memo Pad takes cue from Nexus 7’s excellent build quality, thus it is one of the best made budget tablets that you can find in the market. The specifications might not be earth-shattering, but I would still recommend it over rebranded options available in the country. You can always spend 6K more and get yourself a Nexus 7 tablet.
Price:

Asus Memo Pad Wi-Fi only- INR 9,999

Fujifilm X100S

2013-04-23T09:03:00.002+05:30

Review: Fujifilm X100S is a camera for the experts

Someone at FujiFilm really likes the retro look, so much so that the company is dishing out one Rangefinder lookalike after the other. But here is a disclaimer before you read any further: the FujiFilm X100S is an enthusiast camera and certainly not an expensive replacement for a point-and-shoot.

This camera has a single focal length lens which makes it great for portraiture, street photography and maybe some macro, but this camera has absolutely no zoom that amateurs relish so much.

Thanks to the retro design, the X100S is a sturdy piece of equipment like its predecessor, the X100.

There are dials on the top for shutter speed and exposure and a lens ring to shift aperture between F2 and F16. There is a 2.8-inch LCD, but no touch screen.

The X100S is quite easy to use. Set both the shutter speed and aperture to A and you have a full auto mode. For more manual control you can change one of the two or both.

The viewfinder shifts to electronic as soon as you squeeze the trigger. And just before the actual click you get a flashing preview of what your image will look like. You can also change the modes to use just the viewfinder, the electronic viewfinder or the LCD.

The USP of this camera and its differentiator from the X100 is its 16.3MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor with on-sensor phase detection auto-focus. Well, this is supposed to be much faster and we could feel it, quite literally. You can actually feel a whirring within the camera when it is trying to lock on to a subject. But this AF lacks a bit in macro mode and we often had to shift to manual focus to get really close to some tiny subjects.

But all this effort is not wasted as the results are stunning, with the colour reproduction being among the best we have seen in a while.

If you are one of those with a fascination for clicking flowers and faces, then this is just the camera for you. There is film simulation and other custom settings that let you make the best in both these scenarios.

But the sad part about this camera is its low-light performance and this is despite the F2 aperture and fixed focal length. Take this indoors and you might not get anything registered unless you go beyond ISO800. We clicked some indoor pictures in natural light at a shutter speed of 30 and aperture of F2. However, the picture started showing only after ISO400. Thankfully, the flash has many modes and option.

The video quality is good and the colour reproduction is really subtle here too. The only issue here is the lack of a dedicated video mode button. You need to go down the drive menu to select FullHD video, which can be a bit frustrating at times.

The X100S is a niche camera and it excels when asked to do some specific things. However, we don't recommend this to someone who does not understand the nuances of how to use a fixed lens camera. On the other hand, if you are an advanced user looking for a compact option then this is a good option.

Fujifilm X100S Rs 74,999

Zen Ultrafone 701 HD

2013-04-23T08:54:00.000+05:30

Rivals Micromax’s flagship with a better price proposition

The high-definition Canvas phone seems to be feeling the heat right now, with Zen having launched its Ultrafone 701 HD in India, slapped with a price tag of Rs. 11,999. This quad core Android-based smartphone has features that are almost identical to those of Micromax’s current flagship, and to top it off, its maker has granted it a retail value that’s much less than that of the Canvas handset. And with the latter dealing with frequent supply issues, the new phone has a good chance to gain some ground.
No e-retailer apart from Snapdeal has a listing up for it as of now. The said portal is offering it through pre-orders that can be acquired for as less as Rs. 101. Those who decide to do so shall be granted vouchers on their email ids. These customers will then be immediately notified when the phone becomes available, for them to be able to snap it up quickly. Incentives have also been declared for pre-ordering consumers. These include a flip cover, a back panel and a screen guard.

As far as its specifications are concerned, they will be of no newness to those who know about the Micromax’s high-definition Canvas offering. With a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen placed on its front panel, it boasts of a 720p resolution for its visuals. It scores a point over its adversary in the OS department, as the 4.2 version of Android Jelly Bean can be found in it, instead of the 4.1 variant which its rival houses.

Its internal aspects are dominated by a 1.2GHz quad core processor and 1GB worth of RAM. 3G, Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth are all in place, apart from a dual SIM functionally that has become a customary aspect for most of the smartphones being launched in the nation nowadays. An 8MP primary camera and a 3.2MP secondary snapper aside, potential buyers will also be able to spot 4GB of internal hoarding capacity and a microSD card slot compatible with 32GB worth of added storage.

As mentioned above, the Zen Ultrafone 701 HD has been slapped with a competitive tag of Rs. 11,999, and can be pre-ordered now through Snapdeal. A proper release date for the device is still unknown.

Kawasaki Ninja 300

2013-04-18T07:39:00.000+05:30

Launched in India @ INR 3.5 lakhs

The much hyped Kawasaki Ninja 300 has finally been launched in India! We are reporting LIVE from the launch event at Pune and the new Ninja 300 has been launched at a price of INR 3.5 lakhs (ex showroom, Delhi).

Here is all the ‘text’ you might wish to go though before heading to the nearest Bajaj-Probiking dealership with your cheque book.

The bookings for the Kawasaki Ninja 300 have been open since some days now and the booking amount for the bike is INR 40,000. It is being said that the deliveries of the bike would start within 3 weeks. In India, the bike has been launched in two colours- white and Ninja green.

The new Ninja 300 looks similar to the latest generation of the Ninja 250 and is definitely more stylish and modern than the earlier generation of Ninja 250 that is on sale in our country. The Ninja 300 has a more sculpted look and comes with a wider front fascia that sports a twin headlight setup instead of the old 250’s single headlamp unit. Other big change that is quick to catch attention is the part digital instrument panel instead of the old 250’s all analogue setup that missed out on a fuel gauge but came with a lot of memories of the 80s.

The new Kawasaki Ninja 300 has a definite power advantage over both the new and the earlier generation of the 250cc variant. The new Ninja 300 comes with a slipper clutch setup that makes the bike the first low capacity sportsbike in India to boast of such an arrangement. The new Kawasaki Ninja 300 has a maximum power output of 38.45 bhp @ 11,000 rpm and a peak torque figure of 27 Nm @ 10,000 rpm. The makers of the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 claim that the new bike has been endowed with enough low end torque for comfortable city riding.

We are pretty sure that the new bike will open gates to a new segment in Indian performance bike market. The new bike would also tickle the taste buds and satisfy the hunger of all those Indian performance bike aficionados who have been wishing more from entry level 250cc sportsbikes.

India spec

Kawasaki Ninja 300 Technical Specifications

Engine type – Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Parallel Twin
Displacement – 296 cm3
Bore x stroke – 62.0 x 49.0 mm
Compression ratio – 10.6:1
Valve/Induction system – DOHC, 8 valves

Maximum power – 29.0 kW {39 PS} / 11,000 rpm
Maximum torque – 27.0 N.m {2.8 kgf.m} / 10,000 rpm

Fuel system – Fuel injection: ø32 mm x 2 (Keihin), with dual throttle valves
Ignition – Digital
Starting – Electric
Lubrication – Forced lubrication, wet sump
Transmission – 6-speed, return

Frame type – Tube diamond, steel
Rake/Trail – 27° / 93 mm
Wheel travel, front – 120 mm
Wheel travel, rear – 132 mm

Tyre, front – 110/70-17 M/C 54S
Tyre, rear – 140/70-17 M/C 66S

Steering angle, left / right – 35° / 35°
Suspension, front – 37 mm telescopic fork
Suspension, rear – Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock and 5-way adjustable preload

Brakes, front – Single 290 mm petal disc Single balanced actuation dual-piston
Brakes, rear – Single 220 mm petal disc Caliper: Dual-piston

Dimensions (L x W x H) – 2,015 mm x 715 mm x 1,110 mm
Wheelbase – 1,405 mm
Ground Clearance – 140 mm
Seat height – 785 mm

Fuel capacity – 17 litres
Final Drive – Sealed chain

Primary reduction ratio – 3.087 (71/23)
Gear ratios: 1st – 2.714 (38/14)
Gear ratios: 2nd – 1.789 (34/19)
Gear ratios: 3rd – 1.409 (31/22)
Gear ratios: 4th – 1.160 (29/25)
Gear ratios: 5th – 1.000 (27/27)
Gear ratios: 6th – 0.857 (24/28)
Final reduction ratio – 3.000 (42/14)

Clutch – Wet multi-disc, manual

Curb Mass – 172 kg / 174 kg (ABS)

KTM 390 Duke

2013-04-18T07:32:00.001+05:30

India launch in 30-45 days

The upcoming KTM 390 Duke ceases not to go out of news! Only a couple of hours back, we reported that the the KTM 390 Duke would come to us with a price tag that would be in vicinity of INR 2 lakhs and now it has emerged that the new bike would be launched in 30-45 days. What’s more? It is being said that the deliveries of the bike would commence in June. The launch of the upcoming KTM 390 Duke is easily among the most anticipated bike launches in India today and the upcoming 375cc variant of the Duke will not just cater to the naked street bike loving crowd but will also appeal to those who want maximum bang for their buck.

Regulars here would have already seen a video which gives us a hint about the 390 Duke’s performance. The video shows the bike hitting a speedo indicated 100kmph in less than six seconds and reaching 130kmph in around 10 seconds.

Going by the rave reviews from international media, the KTM 390 Duke benefits from a well sorted out handling package and is one really nimble bike. Combined with a peak power of 44 bhp, the new KTM 390 Duke should be one really fun to ride bike. This is not all as there are enough reports suggesting that the bike would have a really decent fuel efficiency figure.

The production of the new bike has already started at the Chakan manufacturing facility of Bajaj Auto Ltd, the India partner of KTM. The aggressive price tag at which the bike would come is courtesy heavy localization.

We can’t stop day dreaming about the day we will get to have a rendezvous with the upcoming bike. Stay tuned for more details.

KTM 390 Duke Technical Specifications:

Engine: 4 stroke water-cooled single cylinder

Engine capacity: 373.2cc

Torque: 35Nm at 7,250rpm

Power: 44HP at 9,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed

Dry Weight: 139Kg

Power-to-weight ratio: 316.5PS/Tonne

Clutch: Hydraulic operated

Fuel system: Bosch EFI

Ignition system: Bosch EMS83

Panasonic launches ToughPad

2013-04-16T10:28:00.003+05:30

Windows 8, Android tablets

Panasonic India today unveiled four new rugged mobile computing devices for the Indian enterprise market. The company showcased tablets based on Windows 8 as well as Android platforms, as well as handheld computers for logistics industry. These devices are aimed at industries like automotive, aviation, telecom, utility, retail, manufacturing etc and will not be retailed to consumers.

These are latest additions to the Panasonic ToughPad series, which was launched in India in October last year with the unveiling of ToughPad A1 model. The manufacturer aims to give mobile workers reliable and secure access to their data and applications in challenging environments.

Toughpad FZ-G1 is powered by Windows 8 operating system and combines the functionality of a personal computer in a rugged package. This device comes with a 10.1-inch screen with 1920x1200p resolution. It supports 10-finger multitouch as well as a digitiser (stylus). It runs on a 2.9GHz Intel i5 processor and packs 4GB RAM (maximum up to 8GB).

The all-new FZ-G1 has HDMI, USB and 3.5mm earphone jacks, all secured under a flap, and the company says that it can add more ports, depending on the needs of clients. This model is IP65 certified (water and dust resistant) and can withstand being dropped from a height of 120cm. Priced at Rs 1.75lakh, this tablet weighs 1.1kg, supports 3G and offers battery life of 8hours.

Panasonic ToughPad JT-B1 is the Android tablet that boasts of IP65 certification and can survive a fall from 150cm height. The device is powered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and will not be upgraded to later versions of the OS. Under the hood is a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP chipset, with 1GB RAM. On the back, Panasonic ToughPad JT-B1 touts a 13MP camera with LED flash, while a 1.3MP unit is used in the front. The device offers battery life of up to 8 hours and costs Rs 69,000.

The company also announced two handheld computers that find application in logistics industry. Both the devices run on Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Professional operating system and are suitable for one-hand operations. The ToughPad JT-H300HT is an IP64 certified model that can withstand a drop from 2metre height and costs Rs 45,000. Model JT-H320HT is semi-rugged and boasts of IP54 certification, with 2metre drop specification; it is priced at Rs 16,000.

With its ToughPad and ToughBook line-up, Panasonic aims to capture 40% of the country's rugged devices market, currently valued at $5 million.