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Over four days in January, those who shape the future gather in Las Vegas. Here, brands, markets and economies are built in what’s far more than a tradeshow. And in 2014, there’s more opportunity than ever to get in front of those who matter. The only question is why wouldn’t you be here?
RESERVE YOUR FUTURE NOW
Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center | Las Vegas Hotel & Casino | The Venetian January 7-10, 2014 | Las Vegas, Nevada | CESweb.org 2 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
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[CONTENTS] MARCH 2013 The Camera Industry
An ever-changing industry with more components and accessories than an average tech-head really knows about. Covered in this covered story are the opinions of the experts themselves, the professional photographers - as well as the industry leaders who make up the camera industry.
54 Bugati’s Success Diary
There are very few automobile makers in the world that draw an awe as much as Bugati. Especially with their Veyron line-up of supercars, there is really nothing wrong that the company can do. Read about their rich history and how they came to be the giants that they really are.
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CELLENCE
Best Tablet
Apple iPad 4th Gen The other contenders were: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (N800), Microsoft Surface, Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, Google Nexus 10.
Tech Awards 2012 AFTER 3 months of continuous voting, we finally have reached our winners for the Best Gadgets of 2012! We hope you, our fans and voters, have enjoyed the time voting and watching the fortunes of your favourite products sway in the months following the announcement of our shortlist. So, without further ado, here’s a look at our winners -
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Best Smartphone
Samsung Galaxy S III The other contenders were: LG Optimus G, HTC One X+, Nokia Lumia 920, Apple iPhone 5 Not many will doubt the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S III was a revolutionary smartphone at its time, with blazing fast performance and unmatched hardware quality for the asking price. It was only much later that other manufacturers caught up with their own quad-core powered, 8MP camera-equipped super-smartphones, but the Koreans got there first – and our voters and fans have loved this phone ever since. A proud winner and a deserving one at that!
Even though the Note 10.1 gained a lot of momentum in our voting systems, it was eventually the Apple iPad 4th Gen that took away the coveted prize. With an improved graphics experience and the updated iOS, the iPad 4 was always going to be a winner – but the iPad is now facing stiffer competition than ever before. But, the people have spoken, and the iPad 4th gen is the winner.
Tech Awards
The votes have been cast and the results are in. We’re presenting the Best Gadgets of 2012 to all of you - our avid readers and fans, and we’re sure you are as excited to know the results as we were! Best Notebook
Macbook Pro 13” Retina Display
The other contenders were: Samsung Series 9, Acer Aspire S5, Asus Zenbook UX31A, Dell XPS 15
Another Apple product that has always been a favourite between the nerds and the masses alike, so it came as no surprise to us that the Macbook won out- beating quite stiff competition from the likes of Samsung especially. The amazing display and the excellent build quality and smooth performance all were in favour of the Macbook, making it a worthy winner in this category.
Best Phablet
Best Computing Accessory
Samsung Galaxy Note II
Logitech Mini Boombox
The other contenders were: LG Optimus Vu, HTC Droid DNA, Micromax A100, Karbonn Smart A24
The other contenders were: Creative Inspire S2 Wireless, HP PhotoSmart 7510 Inkjet Printer, ADATA External Hard Drive HE720, D-Link DIR-505
The original Galaxy Note was a heck of a phone, but the Note II came out and literally blew the entire competition out of the water! The innovative stylus and multi-tasking options were brilliant and the Note II really stood out with the performance it gave in graphics, multimedia and business apps too. The battery life was another note-worthy item, with the Note II easily able to out-last any droid in the market. No wonder the voters put it ahead of the competition and it easily beat out the competition in this category!
Computing accessory and Logitech are almost synonymous, but the Mini Boombox is quite a lovely product, which has got rave reviews from every corner of the tech world. It is therefore not surprising to find it beating out the competition and be crowned king as the best computing accessory for the year 2012.
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SHUTTERBUG – Lomography
Lomography is an old and almost forgotten art in the field of photography, which is slowly making a comeback. If you don’t know much about it, then we suggest turning over to the pages that contain the in-depth look at this art and get yourself updated!
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The BB10’s are here!
Finally officially launched in India, we’ve got an exclusive look at the redux line of BB products running on their upgraded OS 10. Have a look and keep yourself updated about the Blackberry’s making the noise this quarter. .
SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE
Smartphones have been around for a while, but they keep changing in overall functionality and performance requirements ever so often. It is hence good to know about whats new in the market and how should you decide what’s best for you.
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PLORE
BEST GAMING APPS
All That You Need To Know About The App Universe
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By Malik Sumrani
N
okia was probably the first ones to create phones that were Java based and allowed third party app installations on its devices. You must have heard about J2ME in the early 2000’s. This is probably what led to the birth of the app industry. Developers saw an opening to create apps that could work like a charm on your phone and change the purpose behind purchasing the phone. Gone were the days when people purchased phones just to make calls or text messages, people now wanted more... More apps, More storage space, More entertainment, More of everything. And within less than 10 years, the world saw Web 2.0, rise of social networks, apps focusing on personal preferences and what not. Finally came in cloud computing. With the progress in devices and gadgets, more and more apps have been developed over the years.
Android operating systems progressed from Android 1.0 to the recent one Jellybean, iOS has progressed from 1.0 to the recent one 6.1 and so on. These upgrades have provided great impetus to the app industry as developers can create apps that not only offer a great experience but are also extremely high end.
ANGRY BIRDS Without a doubt the most popular game since its inception in 2010, Angry Birds is a game that is capable of frustrating a person and delighting them at the same time. Using a catapult to fling the “Angry Birds,” the players are required to smash a castle of wooden boxes and other obstacles to defeat their enemies - the thieving pigs. With several different scenarios like Rio, Space, etc created of this addictive game.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
Now let us look at the volume of the app industry. Currently, the industry is worth an estimated 7 billion dollars and an expected growth of more than 100% in the next year to come. With more than 11 different operating systems, 49 prominent manufactures and 8,000 different devices currently in the market, all of these operating systems have a minimum of five applications per device.
FRUIT NINJA
Some operating systems like Android are a developers bliss and the upcoming Ubuntu would be nothing short of a fiesta for a developer. As far as iOS, Windows, Blackberry and Symbian are concerned, they are not open sourced and developers cannot tweak too many apps as per their liking. The app industry does experience several challenges too. The greatest one being the jailbreaking of devices that enables users to download apps for free and thus affecting revenue for app companies. Secondly, the other challenge being the slow growth of different connectivity mediums like cloud computing, 4G and so on.
Developed by Australia based Halfbrick Studios, Fruit Ninja is a simple game for those with quick fingers. The user has to simply slice the fruits on screen using a blade controlled via the touch pad. The user is expected to go into a slicing frenzy in the game. From extra points upon slicing multiple fruits to game modes like Zen, Arcade, etc Fruit Ninja is lots of fun combined with some serious need for finger - eye coordination.
Platform iOS
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Platform iOS, Android, Windows and Symbian
FREE!
The App Universe
TEMPLE RUN A game from Imangi studio, Temple Run is an endless runner wherein the player takes the role of an explorer attempting to steal an idol from a temple and is being chased by Demonic Monkeys. With several power ups and characters, the game has been an absolute rage amongst smartphone users. There are several objectives to challenge the players too. Recently, the developers launched Temple Run 2, which offers a whole new dimension to this endless running game.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
STREET FIGHTER IV The classic fighting game from Capcom received a warm response when it was launched for Apple users. The arcade game sticks to being the way it was originally on coin operated machines. One of the only games that offer a true fighting experience, Street Fighter offers fantastic graphics and brilliant gameplay.
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The most popular apps according to the category are covered in this in-depth look at the app universe. Right from casual to business, from fun to productive - we’ve covered the entire app sections from every corner and featured it in this article for your reading enjoyment.
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[CONTENTS] MARCH 2013
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CELEB STUff wITH NEIL NITIN MUkESH 3G and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Confused? Well, he's not only coming in a movie with this confusing title, but he is also quite a tech-freak. Read his in-depth interview to learn more about the man and his musings. 6 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
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FROM THE EDITORS DESK
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okia has finally released their Lumia 520 taking the windows to the masses, HTC ONE has been unveiled raising the bar again, Samsung are readying their Galaxy S IV launching on 14th March in New York and Apple is already making some noise about their next wave of innovations, which will be expected at the time of their annual conference. Google, not to be outdone, recently showcased their Google Glasses to an awe-struck audience and showed how the digital world is now mixing with the real world. I personally encourage you to check out the YouTube video right away if you haven’t already. It really will be a game-changer if Google can get its act on the design and execution spot on.
These little battles will continue to happen throughout the year and we will be there to cover them as and when they happen. But, it’s these battles that keeps the brands on their toes and eventually enriches the experience of the end-user. Haven’t we seen it before, with Nokia being a little complacent with their dominance in mobile-phone sales and in came Apple and Google’s Droids with their touchscreen smartphones that really took the thunder away from Nokia.Push to the wall they innovated, adapted to the change and then come up with a much improved UI to appeal to the users, who were now spoilt by iOS and Android. I’m really glad that Nokia came back, and hard, and have now released an amazing product in partnership with Microsoft. The PureView technology on their cameras is another amazing achievement by the Finnish phone makers, and newer innovations like City Lens and wireless charging – there is no doubt that they will now be swinging back to the top. The Next one to watch is the Z10 from the house of the Canadian giant, which has almost every geek in the country talking about it. And these are all comeback talks for BB who seem to have lost a lot of ground to iOS and android and to get these divorcés users back to its fold is never going to be an easy task. It’s going to be an interesting game to watch out, and the betting lines are open now to place your bets, the smartphone space is getting hotter and hotter. Let me now come back to the “issue” in hand where we’ve got the changing dynamics of the Camera Industry covered and got the industry experts (professional photographers) as well as business heads of brands talking to us. Just to be in Sync we had Neil gracing our cover, who is a pro photographer himself and has so many well taken shots that it can give any established Ace Photographer something to think about. There is lots more including our readers verdict for tech awards for 2012 which has kept exhibitmag.com busy for the last two months. enjoy the “issue” in Hand with a promise of more Tech gyan for your lifestyle coming in the Next Month.
Ciao
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Publisher & Chief Editor RAMESH SOMANI EDITORIAL Deputy Editor Chaitanya Tapase (editdesk@exhibit.co.in) Editor - exhibitmag.com Malik Sumrani (editorial@exhibit.co.in) & Social Media Manager Christophe Brisset, Ipsit Roy, Ronnie Ganguly, Contributing Editors Shannen D., Sanjoy Alexander, Tom Clark, Arnab Banerjee, Apoorva Shah Consulting Editor N.K. Goyal (Govt. of India - Chairman, Emeritus TEMA)
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The publishers apologetically announce that they cannot be liable incase of any errors and/or omissions in the publication. The content, opinions and views in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are requested to cross check from specialists before acting on the information which are mainly targeted for general use and may not be apt for the readers’ circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. Edited, published, printed & owned by Ramesh Somani for Exhibit Technologies Pvt. Ltd., “Diamond Chambers” Block - II, Floor 10 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013 9, Unit - 9I, 4 Chowringee Lane, Kolkata - 700016. Printed at CDC Printers Pvt. Ltd., Tangra Industrial Estate - II, 45 Rabrindranath Chowdhary Rd, Kolkata - 700015. Place of publication - 3A, Auckland Square, Kolkata - 700017.
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PECT
LAUNCHES OF Videocon A27
Micromax A35
Samsung Galaxy Rex 90
Videocon’s latest offering in the budget Android phone category, the phone is powered by a 1 GHz Broadcomm processor with 3.75G capabilities, which brings in a super combination of smart features and attractive packaging to the consumers. Running on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Operating System, the phone delivers an engaged mobility laden end-user experience. Its high resolution 4.0-inch WVGA Capacitive Touch screen, Dual SIM-Dual Standby, long charge 1500 mAh battery, FM Radio with Recording, Dual Camera Expandable Memory up to 32 GB, A2DP Bluetooth & GPRSEDGE-HSPA-WCDMA capabilities.
In a bid to take over the budget Android Phone market, Micromax has launched this new phone. The A35 is a full capacitive touch screen phone, runs on Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) and is powered by a 1GHz processor, which help you achieve your desired tasks much faster. Equipped with a 2.0 MP rear camera and a 0.3MP front camera, the phone captures all your favourite moments in supreme clarity. The A35 comes with an expandable memory up to 16 GB.
Earlier this month, Samsung announced their REX series out of which Rex 90 is the most elite one. With a screen size of 3.5 inches, this budget phone has dual SIM capability. With a fully capacitive touchscreen, the phone has a 3.15 megapixel primary camera. With 20 MB of internal memory, the phone has an expandable memory up to 32 GB via a Micro SD card. With 490 hours of standby battery, the phone offers Wi-Fi connectivity too.
`4,250
`6,400
`5,999
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THE MONTH Casio CTK 6300IN Finally Indian market has a keyboard that has been tweaked to suit our taste. The keyboard has rich features like 61 keys full size keyboard, accentuated by dual body colour, which makes it more stylish and sophisticated. The on board buttons for Indian tones and rhythms give consumer an access to 20 Indian tones and 12 Indian rhythms. Moreover, this keyboard comes with 700 tones and 210 rhythms for playing diversified music formats. The keyboard is highly equipped with additional feature like all new equalizer modes (Powerful, Bass Boost, Bright and Soft) making this keyboards’ music more joyous, rocking and stunning. Furthermore this keyboard is packed with many other powerful features comprising 17 track sequencer, 32 channel mixer, digital effects, tone and rhythm editor, SDHC memory card slot, registration memory, touch response, pitch bend wheel, etc. making this keyboard a full power packed keyboard.
MapMyIndia LX 340
F & D’s A100
MapMyIndia, one of India’s leading companies in navigation system devices launched the LX 340. it is equipped with a wide 4.3-inch touch screen, an elegant matte-black finish, entertainment features (for playing music, movies and photos on the go), and Don’t Panic software, a brand new, fast, smart and easy to use GPS navigation software interface, powered by India’s best 3D and house-level maps from MapmyIndia. Its prominent features include Door-to-door navigation to house addresses in 39 cities, 7.08 million points-of-interest across various categories, 4,551 cities at street level with localities, streets, landmarks, 5,79,000 towns and villages connected by complete highway network across India and 3D landmarks across India and 2D building footprints across 36 cities.
Call it a new-age variant of the 70s’ boombox, this video-music machine from F&D is an edgy new gadget that has more functions than its simple and minimalistic looks confirm. Firstly, enabling connections to play anything from videos, visuals and music by supporting a wide range of formats, it’s all that one needs these days. You can simply plug and explore a vast universe of multimedia content effortlessly simply by plugging in to the USB or the card slot, supporting MMC/MS/SD memory cards of any device in home: LCD/LED/Laptop/TV (with USB)/Music System/Home Theatre etc.
`8,990
`16,995 `1,285
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Mobile World Congress kicked off with the expected fanfare at Barcelona on 25th February. Exhibit visited the event with high hopes from some of the best brands and we were not disappointed. From flourishing exhibitions to innovative products, there was buzz all across the venue for all 4 days. From speeches from head honchos of some of the top corporations in the world to jaw dropping products, there was everything at this event. In her opening keynote speech at this year’s Mobile World Congress, GSMA Director-General Anne Bouverot offered an honest assessment of the state of today’s mobile industry. “We now have over 6.6 billion connections… mobile is changing the world in a way none of us ever thought possible a few years ago. However, against the backdrop of this tremendous growth, the mobile industry is facing some significant challenges. We are facing a
very difficult global economic environment, we see maturing markets, we see increasing regulatory pressures around the world, and those are some of the things that mobile operators and players in the mobile industry have to confront… This is a difficult balancing act and this will define the future of our industry for the years to come.” E-Commerce Will Change With shopping going digital, at the event there were several who had their reservations on how one could sell electronics over the web. Right from concerns over payments and gateways to warranties, all was discussed at length. Mobile technology is bringing enormous upheaval to both retail and payment activities, according to the keynote speech made at Mobile World Congress by John Donahoe, President and CEO of eBay. “We will see more
changes in how consumers shop and pay in the next three to five years than in the last five to ten years,” said Donahoe in his presentation. He compared what’s coming to the impact on the media industry of the Apple iPad. “We are on the verge of the same thing with payment and retail.” Visa too had lots to say about the convergence of mobile payments. John Partridge, Visa President, declared that the financial and mobile communication industries have successfully come together at “an extraordinary moment” for both sectors. “We have arrived at a moment of convergence when the power of global payments networks can be securely integrated with some of the world’s most advanced mobile communications networks,” he stated. “The work we will do will make it possible for people born within the last 5 years to never have a physical wallet.”
What Caught Our Attention At MWC It would be fair to say that we were expecting several big announcements. WIth HTC, Samsung, Sony all using the event as a launch pad to showcase their finest products, we found some of these to be extremely impressive. Here are the products that we found quite impressive.
Keynote Speakers Franco Bernabè Chairman, GSMA & Chairman & CEO, Telecom Italia Group
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Chet Kapoor CEO, Apigee
Randall Stephenson
President and CEO, AT&T
Manoj Kohli MD and CEO (Intl), Bharti Airtel Ltd
Peter Bale GM, CNN Digital
Nokia Lumia 520 and 720 Nokia recently launched the Lumia 920, which belongs to its high - end range of Windows phones. This time around they unveiled the Lumia 520, which is a low - end device. It has a similar design to the others in the same category. What it offers is a 4-inch WVGA display, 8GB of storage, and a 5-megapixel rear camera. Nokia has nixed NFC support, and there’s no front facing camera for Skype and other video calling apps. The Nokia 720 is a mid - range device has a thin and light body that puts it on par with HTC’s 8X. The Lumia 720 weighs 128g vs. the 185g of the Lumia 920, and it’s 9mm thin vs. the 10.7mm thickness of the Lumia 920. It’s noticeable when you use the device with one hand and the unibody design looks great for this mid-range device.
Sony Xperia Tablet Z Sony went on to announce its first offering of the event. The Xperia Tablet Z has a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display, same 1.5GHz quad-core processor (now outed as a Snapdragon S4 Pro), and same airy design at 495g and a world-beating 6.9mm thick. Other features include an eight-megapixel camera, water- and dust-proofing, NFC, and a universal IR blaster. The Tablet Z runs Android 4.1, with an update to 4.2 coming post-launch. As for pricing, Sony is matching the iPad: the Tablet Z will cost around $499 for a 16GB model and $599 for 32GB, both in black.
Huawei Ascend P2 Huawei was the first mobile phone manufacturer to open the event by announcing its flagship device. Equipped with a smooth, thin, remarkably light. this device definitely feelt like a flagship. The 8.4mm-thin handset has a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 720 “infinity edge” display. In terms of hardware, there is a 1.5 GHz quadcore processor that Huawei is calling “the world’s fastest smartphone.” It also comes with a 16 GB storage and 1 GB RAM.
Keynote Speakers
Drew Houston Founder and CEO, Dropbox
Hans Vestberg President and CEO, Ericsson
Dennis Crowley Founder & CEO, Foursquare
Stephen Elop President & CEO, Nokia
Vittorio Colao Chief Executive, Vodafone
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PECT
HTC ONE is HERE!
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After several weeks of rumours, Taiwan based HTC has finally unveiled their latest super smartphone. Rumours going around had this phone pegged as M7, but this power-packed phone will compete with the likes of iPhone 5, Blackberry 10 and others in that league – and is simply called the HTC One. It will be loaded with Android 4.1 - Jellybean operating OS. In a bid to capture the market once again, HTC have left no stone unturned with this phone. HTC One has been equipped with the best hardware available at the moment. The phone, which has a metal design, is packed with at 1.7 GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor. It has a 4.7 inch screen with 1080P resolution and features 2GB RAM. On the looks of it, it might not seem that different from the HTC Butterfly, but this is where the similarity ends. With 32GB or 64GB internal storage being available there is no support for microSD card. It has a 2.1 mega pixel front camera and a 4.3 'ultrapixel' rear camera, which is one of its key features. Apart from this, it will be equipped with a layer of the brand new Sense 5.0 UI. The most prominent changes which HTC Sense brings to the table are Blinkfeed and Zoe. Blinkfeed feeds relevant news and social network
updates to the user directly on the device’s homescreen. Zoe on the other hand, utilizes the camera to take short clips, which it automatically combines into entire stories. This whole gives the Sense UI 5.0 a new look and feel, which we are sure the users will love. At the launch event in the US, an HTC official said, "For years, people have been misled about what is important in a camera - what matters is not pixel count, but pixel size. Bigger pixels let in more light, it's simple physics... We're trying to balance out what a lens can support and what a sensor can support. We're talking about real image quality, not just megapixels for the sake of megapixels. The era of the megapixel is over." HTC claimed that the camera in its new phone can capture 300% more light than the cameras in existing phones. It can also produce better HDR pictures and videos. Just like the camera in Lumia 920, the camera in HTC One features optical image stabilization. Considering that HTC have announced the phone a week before one of the largest events in the mobile industry - The Mobile World Congress, this must be considered as a bold move. The phone would be available for sales by March end or April begining.
BODY Dimensions -137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm (5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 in) Weight-143 gms DISPLAY Type- Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size -1080 x 1920 pixels, 4.7 inches (~469 ppi pixel density) Multitouch- Yes Protection -Corning Gorilla Glass 2 - HTC Sense UI v5 SOUND Alert types-Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones Loudspeaker -Yes, with stereo speakers 3.5mm jack -Yes - Beats Audio sound enhancement
IN DIRECT COMPETITION
Nokia Lumia 920
Simply because the Lumia 920 has one of the best cameras around and performs exceptionally well even in low light conditions. Plus, the Windows 8 experience is the most unique of the lot, but it does lack in the apps department.
MEMORY Card slot -No Internal -32/64 GB, 2 GB RAM DATA
GPRS-Yes EDGE -Yes Speed-HSPA+; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL WLAN-Wi-Fi 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot Bluetooth -Yes, v4.0 with A2DP NFC -Yes (Market dependent) Infrared port-Yes USB -Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL) CAMERA Primary -4 MP, 2688 x 1520 pixels, autofocus, LED flash Features -1/3'' sensor size, simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, OIS Video -Yes, 1080p@30fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., video stabilization Secondary -Yes, 2.1 MP, 1080p@30fps, HDR FEATURES OS -Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) Chipset-Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 CPU- Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300 GPU-Adreno 320
Apple iPhone 5
Not only because of the excellent camera, but also the amazing build quality and stunning display. HTC One does offer a larger sensor on a cell-phone cam that the world has not seen yet, but there is no doubt that it will compete with iPhone 5 and maybe even beat it easily.
Sony Xperia Z
With a brilliant water and dust resistant body and a 13MP camera, the Sony seems like the closest competitor to the HTC One. But the skin on the Sony smartphones and Bravia engines for the display have been around for quite some time – so the HTC has a leg ahead in this area.
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CELLENCE
All About The $80 Million A Year Man
- Michael Jordan
T
he man turned 50 on 17th February, 2013 but he sure still knows how to churn money. The National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Apart from being instrumental in making NBA popular all across the Globe, Michael Jordan has been a successful entrepreneur who sold his name and teaching the world the fine art of turning a name into a brand. Jordan earned an estimated $80 million last year from corporate partners Nike, Gatorade, Hanes, Upper Deck, 2K Sports, Presbyterian Healthcare and Five Star Fragrances. Jordan's other business ventures include six restaurants, a North Carolina car dealership, a motorsports team and his 80% stake in the Professional Basketball team Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan's income grosses higher than most other athletes not only in Basketball but also in other forms of sport. Air Jordan, a collaboration in between Michael Jordan and Nike has been one of his most successful business ventures. Jordan signed up with Nike in 1984, and till date, more than 25 years later it is still one of the largest brands in Basketball shoes industry. Controlling more than 58% of the US Basketball Shoe industry, the lone brand outshines major giants like Puma, Adidas and even the parent company Nike.
What Makes MJ This BIG There is a simple answer to why the man is such a business giant POPULARITY. Ask an Indian to name any 5 Basketball players, Michael Jordan will feature in that list. This is not simply because he acted in "Space Jam," it has more to do with the fact that he promoted himself
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as a brand. Being a top player, for a top team like Chicago Bulls, he associated himself with the right brands. Nike has been there with MJ right from the start. They went to ride on his personality so much so that he became the face of their "In Your Face" marketing campaigns all throughout the years. Jordan connects with his fans through most available platforms. He has 22 million Facebook fans, making him the fourth most popular sports personality on the social media site. Being synonyms with the word Basketball across the globe is what makes the man a sellable proposition. He always ensured he was in the news for one or the other reason and thus remains a name till date.
Timeline of Michael Jordan's Life Events 1984: Joins Chicago Bulls and Wins a Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics. 1985: Ties up with Nike and launches Air Jordan 1. Officially becomes a name in the sports marketing segment. 1993: Retires from Basketball for the first time. 1994: Joins Chicago White Sox as a free agent. Thus, starting his Baseball career. 1996: Starts his film career by acting in Space Jam. 2001: Comes back from retirement to play for Washington Wizards. 2003: Retires for the second time from Basketball. 2006: Takes over the operations at Charlotte Bobcats. Observe the timeline closely and you will realize the man was always in the news, revolving around some sport on the other. He knows where his audience lies, where his fans lie, where his loyalists lie and has learnt to cash on these aspects over the years.
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PECT
Built Like A Boss
The Oppo Find 5 Quick First Look
When the whole world was going gaga over the ‘slim’ new iPhone 5, a company in China was quietly going about its business and thinking about releasing its own iPhone killer. Yes, it would be slim and lightweight. But, it would be on a larger 5-inch form factor. And the display resolution would be 1920x1080. That’s right, full HD on a 5-inch display. We’ve already seen how such smartphones can look and feel with our experience with the HTC Butterfly, so we can expect more of the same with the Oppo Find 5. Although it is still not officially available in India, there are ways to get it imported here, if you really want it that bad. So why is the world taking notice of this rather unheard of smartphone? Besides the fact that they have now started launching their phones in UK and US, their incredible spec-sheet and sheer performance is mind-blowing. And the build quality of this is truly stunning. Move over Samsung Galaxy’s plastics and even the iPhone and also the Nokia Lumia 920. The Oppo Find 5 outdoes them all. And some.
What Makes It Tick
The Oppo Find 5 is one of a series of Android phones we'll see this year to pack a 5" screen of 1080p resolution. Just like them, it has a powerful quad-core processor and a robust GPU - and neither is this a whim but a necessity (every frame on the screen has more than double the number of pixels of a 720p screen). Oppo has taken a page from the Sony playbook and equipped the Find 5 with a 13MP camera capable of HDR video. The camera also jumps on the HFR bandwagon with a 120fps mode (though only at VGA resolution). On the up side, Oppo has done a very good job of the design - the Find 5 looks like it belongs to a high-end smartpone line (we mean that in a good way) and the steel frame gives the phone a sturdy feel. It is fairly thin at 8.9mm and the curved back makes it feel thinner still. It's got proper battery backup too - 2,500mAh is more than what many direct rivals typically have. The missing LTE is not quite the deal-breaker just yet, but it's a part of the future-proofing of a 2013 flagship. Non-expandable storage is another issue for a phone boasting a massive Full-HD screen and Dolby Mobile. If you get the 16GB version, you risk running short and quite quickly at that. Find 5 is certainly an ambitious project and on paper it's pretty well executed there's skill and character aplenty.
Crisp Bright Display
Though it wasn’t the first smartphone released in the world which had an astounding pixel density of 441ppi, it still was the first to announce that they are going to come up with such a display. Even though they were beat 20 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
by HTC, Oppo has still done an exemplary job with the Full HD IPS LCD on the Find 5, which is protected by Gorilla Glass 2. From all accounts, it does seem like Oppo has created a winner which will blow the Super AMOLED’s and Retina Display’s out of the water. Text rendering, multimedia and gaming is bound to look spectacular. In terms of detail,
that is, the candy-colored icons may not be to everyone's taste. Not all apps however, have icons optimized for such high resolution yet (even most tablets don't have that many pixels), so some get upscaled. That makes them look softer, but the pixel density is so high that they still look good, although clearly lacking the level of detail of the bespoke icons.
New Interface
EARLY JUDGEMENT
The Oppo Find 5 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with plenty of custom touches to it. Everything is rendered at 1080p resolution but thanks to Project Butter and the powerful Adreno 320 GPU, the running is extra smooth. Oppo has swapped out the lockscreen with its own. Actually there are two lockscreens out of box (each with an alternative view). The default one is the simple swipe-to-unlock kind and dedicates most of the screen real estate to the wallpaper. An optional charging status widget is all there is. Overall, the interface on the Oppo Find 5 is fast and smooth. It's fairly functional too - the customizable toggles in the notification area are nice and the homescreen can be tweaked to your liking too.
Oppo doesn't have a history in phones, but you'd never tell just by looking at the Find 5. It's a beautiful device with killer specs and, better still, it's priced lower than the competition. We are really loving the idea of a phone with the 5-inch screen and the 1080p resolution (plus things like great viewing angles and that coveted laminated look) – that make for an amazing picture. However, we worry about the screen glass (it doesn't seem particularly tough) and the dead pixel is another issue. Anyway, beyond that the Oppo Find 5 seems to get most things right - the Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset offers plenty of processing power (enough to handle the resolution), the 13MP camera is good if not great (plus movie HDR is a very rare feature), there's good battery backup (2,500mAh), NFC, Dolby Mobile and a recent enough version of Android.
SPECS
-5" 16M-color 1080p IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 441ppi pixel density -Android OS v4.1.1 Jelly Bean with custom UI -Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU; Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset -13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging, HDR -1080p video recording @ 30fps with HDR mode, continuous autofocus and stereo sound; 120fps HFR mode -1.9 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording -Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out -GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS -16/32GB of built-in storage -MHL-enabled microUSB port -Bluetooth v4.0
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AWESOME FOURSOME Looxcie HD Looxcie has been around with their wearable cams for a while, but now they’ve upped their ante with a HD version as well! It’s a camera that you can strap onto your cap, sleeve or any place where it will not threaten your life – and not only capture the moments as you see them, but – stream them too! Oh yes – live streaming, as well! It’s time to have a close-up look at the newest model wearable camera ready for 1080p recording, direct-to-Facebook live streaming, and the ability to connect to your smartphone for remote control – the Looxcie HD. This machine builds on the abilities of the past with the original Looxcie Bluetooth video camera that impressed all in April of 2011. Back then the camera was an ear-wrap sort of situation while here we’ve got a slightly larger machine, made for mounting to your hiking backpack, your helmet, or basically anything flat that you’ll be able to stick to with the sticky pads included in the box. This machine is roughly the size of a harmonica, able to fit in your pocket quite easily with the included soft material drawstring bag. Also in the box is a Ball Cap Clip, a Helmet Mount, and a Bike Mount, the helmet mount including a couple of stickers and mounts so you can work with more than one helmet if you do so desire. Though the camera is not meant to be tossed down a flight of stairs, it is delivered in such a form as to be damage resistant – you won’t have to worry too much about dropping this device out of your pocket onto a hard surface, essentially.
Almond+Router/Smart Home Hub A router is generally not the coolest ‘showoff gadget’ to any geek – usually most folks can’t wait to it stash away, out-of-sight and still hope it will maintain its signal while being banished to some forsaken corner of the home. However, the Almond+ AC Touchscreen Wi-Fi Router + Smart Home Hub from Securifi might change that perception. For starter, black won’t be the only color it will comes in (much to the relief of style-conscious geeks) and secondly, it has a 2.8-inch touchscreen built into it that allows for necessary configurations to be done the router – a feature that truly showcase what post-PC era really means. Apart from being intuitive to use and looking awesome, the Almond+ is equipped with the latest wireless protocol, the 802.11ac standard, for high speeds over 5GHz and on top of that, it features Zigbee and Z-Wave integration for home automated control. The latter allows you to include compatible Zigbee or Z-Wave products such as door sensor, lighting control, thermostat et cetera, and manipulates them directly via the wireless router’s UI. As you might have expected, these controls are synced to the cloud and also accessible via a free iOS and Android app, thus making them the perfect low-cost home automation solution.
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OF THE MONTH SOUL’s Party In A Box Florida’s SOUL Electronics, probably best known for its SOUL by Ludicras premium headphones, has announced the immediate availability of its Party in a box P910 boombox. Originally launched way back at CES 2012, the multi-speaker wireless music streamer features a built-in iPhone/iPod/iPad dock, has an FM radio, both USB and aux inputs, and can also be used as an instrument and vocal amp, a karaoke machine or PA system. It also sports twin analog VU meters, so that party guests can see exactly how much sonic oomph this baby is pumping out. SOUL says that the Party in a box P910’s combination of an onboard digital signal processor with built-in 12-setting EQ and eight side-firing speaker drivers (dual 6.5-inch subwoofers, two 3-inch midrange speakers and four 1-inch tweeters) and twin 1.5-inch midrange drivers to the front offers room-filling performance with a “superb balance of deep bass with crystal clear mids and highs.” In addition to the delivery of aptX CD-quality audio to the P910 from any Bluetooth-enabled device, users can hook up just about any music player via the included 3.5mm auxiliary input jack or connect an iPhone, iPod or iPad to the integrated 30-pin dock. Videos from the docked Apple device can be viewed on a big screen TV or projector courtesy of the unit’s HDMI output port.
OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator OCZ’s Neural Impulse Actuator marks a new era in gaming. Rather than being a substitute for a mouse, the nia is a pioneer new peripheral to be used in conjunction with your mouse for a more immersive gaming experience. The nia is compatible with any PC game using keyboard input…past, present, or future. Predefined profiles included with the software allow the gamer to develop their own nia – memory to launch the desired behavior of their character and shoot with the “blink of an eye”, without lifting a figure. Nia translate electrical biosignals of your body directly into computer commands and take advantage of total immersion into game play. Customize behavioral profiles of your character and let your subconsciousness take over. Playing computer games with the nia as opposed to a standard keyboard is different, meaning that the user needs to forget some of the learned habits and to acquire a different set of skills in order to interface with the computer. The nia takes just a few steps to configure and gamers can be literally up and running in your favorite game in a matter of minutes. Just like there is conventional memory and muscle memory, the user will also develop nia memory and within a short period of time, the body will remember the reactions it underwent to achieve the desired actions on the computer.
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PECT
Finally Revealed: Sony finally gave a sneak peek to the world to the latest offering of one of its premier gaming console series - The Playstation. At an event in New York, the Playstation 4 was finally revealed to leave the world awe struck. Let us look at everything that the event and Sony had to offer us. Here is what you can look forward to.. Hardware The Playstation 4’s hardware is remarkably similar to that of the XBOX 720. PS4 would be based around AMD technology, both for its CPU and GPU elements. The eight-core Jaguar AMD CPU and the powerful 1.84TFLOPS AMD GPU would offer a gaming experience like never before. This is not all, the PS4 GPU has 50% more compute units than the XBOX 720. In simpler terms, the console will function faster. PS4 Cloud Gaming The gaming console will be equipped with the ability to instantly share and stream video, as well as allow a friend to take over the controls to help out. This will take co - operative gaming to a whole new level. We can only wonder, how far will social gaming go. Considering the bandwidth limitations in India, this feature may not hold good for us. Pre - Owned And Used Games To Get Phased Out With the decrease in revenue for many game manufacturing companies, Sony PS4 has filed a patent that comprises of RFID or NFC tags to game CDs. In simple terms, users would no longer be able share or purchase second hand games. The patent states that, “a game playing system [including] a use permission tag provided for use in a game disk for a user of a game, a disk drive, and a reproduction device for reproducing the game.” Essentially, this means that a device similar to an RFID or or near-field communication (NFC) tag built into the game disc would tie it to a particular console or console user.
PS4 SPECS Here’s the official listing of the PS4 specification, released after the event.
In one of our conversations with Ian Livingstone, we were informed that XBOX 720 might opt for this technology in order to curb piracy. This surely is a move that would be beneficial for game manufacturers but not for gamers. Dualshock 4 Controllers Sticking to its original design and appearance, Dualshock 4 controllers have been nicely sculpted, it has what appears to be a grippy underside, and every facet is redesigned, while still keeping the iconic layout largely intact. There is a small touchpad right above the analogue stick. There’s also a new Eye device with two 1,280x800 resolution cameras – 4x the previous camera’s resolution. This gives increased accuracy to pick up the existing Move controllers or the new DualShock 4. Pricing And Launch The price of the product is still unknown. Nothing was revealed at the event. But one can truly estimate that it will be around the price for which Microsoft launches its XBOX 720. Playstation 3 is currently available for a little under Rs. 25,000, so one can probably expect this device to be anywhere around Rs. 35,000. This we are guessing. One can expect the console to be launched by the end of this year. Looks like 2013 is going to be a year where XBOX 720 and the Sony Playstation 4 would compete with each other head on.
Memory
AUX
GDDR5 8GB Hard Disk Drive
Optical Drive (read only)
Built-In Main Processor Single-chip custom processor CPU: x86-64 AMD ‘Jaguar’ 8 cores GPU: 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon™ based graphics engine
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AV Output HDMI Analog-AV out Digital Output (optical)
BD 6xCAV DVD 8xCAV
Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)
I/O and communication Super-Speed USB (USB 3.0)
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PLORE
GETTING SMARTER WHILE WATCHING TV! Come March, and we will join Discovery Science as it travels the world to meet the inventors and innovators behind the latest cutting edge science and technology in its new series HOW TECH WORKS. Shot exclusively in High Definition, the 13-part series features an eclectic mix of all things science and explores the emerging technologies. ‘How Tech Works’ will be hosted by Dr. Basil Singer. A quantum physicist, science geek, television presenter, skateboarder and kite surfer, Dr. Basil Singer is a man of many talents. Not afraid of a bit of adventure, he is an “extreme scientist” and is equally adept at freezing atoms
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to the point of absolute zero or catching monumental air with his kite board. When he’s not filming science shows or explaining the physics behind break dancing, Dr. Singer can be found in the lab at the family business, Singer Instruments Co. Ltd, in Somerset, England. As both manager and senior physicist, it is his job to build and develop robots and scientific instrumentation for institutions worldwide that do research on cancer treatments. A self-confessed nerd, Dr. Singer has a profound passion for science, particularly physics. While working toward his Ph.D., Dr. Singer froze atoms to three micro
Kelvin — that’s three millionth of a degree above absolute zero, the coldest temperature in the universe. This data helped him and other scientists observe the behavior of electrons as they whizzed around the nucleus inside the atoms. The results of these experiments could one day see us develop teleportation devices and supercomputer brains the size of a grain of sand. Some of the technological advancements featured in the series are:
•How World’s largest Commercial Planes Retire: Repainting commercial airplanes is
one way to give them a new lease on life. But eventually all planes come to the end of the road, or should we say runway. And when that happens it’s time to recycle them. HOW TECH WORKS takes you to Southern England to check out a rather interesting recycling facility. Tiny Cotswold Airport is a destination no plane wants on its flight plan. Because when a plane lands here it never leaves. This is Air Salvage International, a place where perfectly good airplanes get ripped to pieces. Once a plane lands here everything of value is stripped. These aircrafts are worth more as spare parts than they are as flying aircrafts. The engines, all of the avionic items, everything from the cockpit, the seats, air conditioning, thydraulics, flying
controls, nearly 2,000 parts, they’ll be sent away, they’ll be tested and made sure they’re perfectly air worthy and then they’ll be reinstalled onto another aircraft. That means the next plane you fly on might have a used aileron, engine or even its landing gear salvaged from the one ripped at this airport.
•Brain Controlled Wheel Chairs: We all recognize and appreciate the creative power of imagination. The ability to dream and design is the inspiration behind all sorts of technological advances. But, what if your thoughts were literally able to control the things that your body can't? We’re talking about extreme mind control. And we present to you a team of garage gurus, who are putting that concept to good use. What happens if your mobility is so compromised, you can't manipulate a joystick to drive your wheelchair? To come up with a solution, a team of experts is working on Brain Controlled Wheel Chairs. In addition to being hooked up to your brain signals, the wheelchair also has ten sonar sensors and two webcams. And with them, it can detect and avoid obstacles.
•Predicting an Avalanche: Avalanches are extremely difficult to predict because the snow of an avalanche is constantly changing. Even tiny fluctuations in the weather can have huge impacts on its overall strength. Montana State University has built a subzero lab which is a precisely controlled cold research environment where researchers can reconstruct one of natures’ deadliest weapons, an avalanche. To investigate how snow crystal’s shape affects the strength of a snow mass the research team is building a mini avalanche inside the lab. For 24 hours they blast their snow pack with a metal halo lamp which mimics a bright sun. They set a refrigerated ceiling to a frigid minus 50, which simulates a cold cloudless sky. Now because snow is translucent, on a sunny day short wave solar radiation penetrates into the snow pack which warms it up below. But when there’s no cloud cover the long wave radiation
that bounces back escapes from the environment and it makes the surface cold. And this large temperature difference in the top few centimeters causes what’s known as radiation recrystallization which changes the structure of the surface crystals into long slippery skinny grains that just don’t bond together. Disrupting a layer cake of snow like this on a steep mountain slide would almost certainly create an avalanche. Studying this artificial is what helps scientists recognize the possible causes and timing of an actual one. There’s still lots of unanswered questions in the understanding that the specific weather patterns that create certain snow packs and knowing exactly what it takes to break them. But thanks to this lab we’re getting closer than ever before.
Wave Glider: An incredible robot explorer called the Wave Glider is about to begin its record-breaking journey across the Pacific Ocean autonomously. They might not look like hearty ocean adventurers, but these robotic explorers roughly the size of a surfboard, have ocean scientists drooling. It’s the first vehicle that’s been able to operate in the ocean for indeterminate amounts of time not constrained by having to get back for its crew to have to eat food, see their families or for the vehicle itself to need refueling. And it allows a new type of ocean research that’s really never been possible before. It can stay out in the ocean for long periods of time because it uses wave power to move forwards and solar power to operate its electronics. They send data such as salinity, temperature and wave data and oxygen levels. They also monitor algae blooms and maybe even hurricanes as they develop offshore. It’s about opening a window into a part of the world that’s difficult for humans to observe. We get mostly information about the ocean on a regular basis from satellites. Hundreds of miles away looking down making amazing inferences about what’s happening on the ocean, but they’re not really there. They can’t actually measure what’s happening. Wave Gliders can.
So – come March, Tune In to Discovery Science and Get Smart! 27 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
It Is All About "10" For Blackberry in 2013 PLORE
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A
fter weeks of publicity Blackberry finally unveiled OS 10 along with its new series of phones Z10 and X10. And after a couple of weeks, the rebooted BB line is now in India. With a price tag of Rs. 43,490 the Z10 will be available in the Indian markets by the time you will be reading this article. One of the last few attempts by the Canadian company to recapture the market, Blackberry is trying to shed its image of being someone who does not progress with the times. Right from operating software issues to the design of the phone itself, Blackberry had a lot on its plate that had to be reinvented. Blackberry have also announced a device with a keyboard that will hit the shelves in April, called the Q10 (possibly the internationally branded X10) and confirmed Ranbir Kapoor as their new brand ambassador. So here is what Exhibit thinks about the new Blackberry OS 10.
BlackBerry HuB This feature truly gives a feel of advancement to the old, stuck up Blackberry. Now you can check all your conversations like E-Mails, BBM's, etc with a single swipe. Very similar to how the notification panel functions in an iPhone or an Android Phone, this feature is truly a great addition.
all New keyBoard
berry phones in India has also seen some new, visible and beneficial changes. With inclusion of voice and video chat, BBM is now headed towards a completely different transition.
BlackBerry BalaNce Quite impressive in the way it has been designed, it allowed us to separate our work profiles from our personal ones. This not only includes settings but also content like apps and other data. From the looks of it, Blackberry no longer wishes to a phone for those with "Suits."
THe Browser Finally Blackberry included HTML5 support for their browser. This included the ability to use multiple tabs. It was not only faster but also seemed a lot more efficient now. No longer would users how to wait before a page loaded.
BlackBerry reMeMBer A blend of memos, tasks, etc, the "Remember" feature allowed us to organise and manage information like ideas and collect content such as websites, emails, photos, documents, and other files. Then like a To-Do list, lets you create tasks, assign due dates, and track your progress.
BlackBerry world
The feel of the new Keyboard is a lot better than the old one. Typing with this one is not only swift but also quite error free.
The app world has also undergone changes as now it offers. Apart from the 70,000 apps, it will now also allow users to download videos and music.
BBM
Overall, this is a great update for Blackberry users. "This is an entirely new operating
The feature that has been the USP for Black-
system," said company spokesman Nick Manning. "We think it's the first entirely new mobile operating system in about five years." Not only functionality wise but also it gives the professional phone an extremely youthful appeal.
THe New devices After years of focus on QWERTY keypad phones, Blackberry finally chose to move ahead with the times and create a phone that can compete with touchscreen giants like iPhone's and Galaxy's. At the event, Blackberry unveiled two new Smartphones, namely Z 10 and X 10. Thankfully, they have finally decided to drop the confusing phone names like Curve, Bold, Storm, etc. Both phones have been launched abroad and have received mixed reviews. For Research in Motion, this is a make or break situation in the Indian market. Having dominated for a brief period, they were dethroned only a couple of years ago with masses choosing iOS and Android and terming the BB OS as an outdated one. The devices too were perceived to be professional in appearance. For a while, masses were purchasing the phone only for its BBM feature but that too lost its charm to Smartphone Apps.
Both Z10 and X10 are aimed towards
different sets of consumers. While Z10 focuses towards those who are fond of the touch screen and a larger screen size, the X10 sticks to its traditional, serious QWERTY approach. Both phones are equipped with the latest OS, high - end cameras, and lots more.
Specifications
Z10
X10 (or Q10)
RAM Primary Camera Secondary Camera Display
2GB 8 Megapixel 2 Megapixel 4.2 Inches
2 8 2 3
Processor
Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait
Dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4470
Memory Network Support Display Type
16 GB Internal 2G, 3G and 4G Capacitive Touchscreen
16 GB Internal 2G, 3G and 4G TFT
GB Megapixel Megapixel Inches
Research in Motion can now only hope and wish these phones take off and become an instant rage. If not, they could be looking at the dark side of the tunnel, at least in Indian Markets.
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TRA
This Nanocopter Records Your Story MeCam, a device created by Always Innovating that was unveiled at CES 2013 managed to get a lot of attention at the event. When we were there, we could not help but notice the number of people exploring the product and leaving their booth impressed. This Nanocopter has the ability to record the daily events of a person’s life and then upload them to various social media platforms. The MeCam consists of a miniature video recorder and chip mounted on a platform surrounded by four rotor blades that keep it in the air. The device does not require a remote control and instead relies on voice command technology. Users can tell it to move up or down, or select the ‘Follow Me’ function – which uses 14 sensors and three stabilization algorithms to ensure the camera is always at close proximity. A sound filter strips any recordings of motor noise. Video can then be streamed through iOS and Android Smartphones and uploaded onto social networks. What can one use it for? These video capturing Nanocopters can be used for several purposes. Mostly personal, but the device can be used to record some of - Capturing daily fun moments of a person’s life like your children’s soccer matches. - Recording a personal blog at the end of each day. - Record whacky videos while you play a prank on your friend. Prominent features of the Nanocopter • • • • •
No Remote Controls. Control the Nanocopter by Voice Commands. One - Click True Panorama. 14 Real - Time Sensors. 3 Stabilization Algorithms. Live streaming on to your Phone or your Tablet.
With the era of Nano technology dawning up on us, this could surely be the way forward. Now all you need to say is a “Follow Me” and the camera will record everything you want it to. Priced at only $ 49, who would want to miss this piece of technology.
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PECT
House of Marley Arrives On Indian Shores
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Embodying Bob Marley Family‘s value of equality, unity, sustainability and charity, his son Rohan Marley provided a first look to its brand new range of earth-friendly watches, leather bags along with an array of audio products ranging from in-ear and on-ear headphones to portable speaker docks and audio systems. Bringing them to the Indian terrain is Focal Audio Systems Pvt Ltd., the sole distributor of House of Marley in India. All of these products are made of sustainable materials, without compromising on the superior quality of sound and design, and a portion of the proceeds are given back through 1Love.org to approved charities. “When we started, we made a promise and a commitment to our planet and Marley fans,” says Rohan Marley, on behalf of his family. “Today, we are continuing to work hard to deliver on that promise by creating extraordinary personal audio products and accessories that reflect our commitment to a global movement, and expresses our love of music, craft, the planet and people.” House of Marley’s personal audio and accessory collections embody the Marley family’s values of sustainability, humanity, authenticity and integrity. House of Marley products are sold in markets worldwide, including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. House of Marley donates five percent of annual profits to 1Love, the global movement sparked by the Marley family that provides funding to charities and causes focused on youth, planet and peace. House of Marley offers an amazing collection of on-ear and over-ear headphones and audio systems along with leather bags and watches that are sure to conquer the heart of good music’s real lovers in India and create trendy fashionable statements.
In Conversation with the man himself, Rohan Marley.
Tell us something about "House of Marley" in detail. House of Marley has been a legacy of the Marley Family towards creation of sustainable audio technology. We make use of several recyclable resources like recyclable aluminium. The idea is to give back love. Like our association with the Light of Life trust we wish to support people and create opportunity. The more we can create them, the more we can give out through the House of Marley. For us it is a sustainable movement.
You are tied up with Focal Audio Systems in India, what activities will they exactly handle for you? They are our official distributors. They are the ones who will carry the name of House of Marley in India. It is pact with them where they will be our official representatives. They understand what House of Marley and the Marley Family legacy and will carry it for us in the country.
What are your expansion plans in India? Do you plan to set up stores or cross sell via electronic stores? We are new here so at the start we would just test the market and see how the people engage with us. As of now we don't plan to set up stores, we would be selling via our outlets.
Tell us something about your family's charitable organization "1Love" and about its work. At 1Love, we tie up with likeminded and cause minded charities who believe in giving back to the people and the community. We also tie up with local charities that believe in similar principles. We are associated with several charities in USA and across the globe. Just like in India we have the Light of Life trust.
Your Father was a music legend, you never considered music composition?
I think India will grow in a lot of areas. It is the second largest population in the world, there is obviously a large market. India is a global leader in technology, fashion , lifestyle, etc. It is a beautiful market for us to establish ourselves in. They truly believe in sustainability.
I did consider it once. But i was not as focused as my brothers. My mind goes everywhere. I do so many things, I am a farmer, I have the House of Marley but for composing music one needs to be really focused. It is like one has to be an expert at playing a musical instrument in order to compose music. I am not there yet. To be a musician, one has to be a master. I just love music, some day when I learn music like my brothers I may become a musician. Right now my focus is one One Love and the House of Marley
How are you associated with the "Light of Life " trust.
What are your other interests?
Light of Life and House of Marley are in a partnership where a part of proceeds would go to the trust. This is to support the country and to support the youth, the elderly, the handicap, etc. The Light of Life believes in humanitarian principles just like us and it is wonderful to be associated with them.
Like I spoke earlier, I love helping people and creating a sustainable movement.
So, how was the event last night? How much funds did you manage to raise for the trust.
I do miss my teenage years but I have the joy of watching them play. I used to become very angry when I used to play football and I don't like being angry. I used to become really aggressive. I used to be that way when I was young but now I am focused more towards sustainability and the House of Marley.
Having been a successful brand in several countries across the globe, why choose India now? Do you feel there is a market for personal audio and lifestyle in India?
I had a great time here. Meeting the people, the press, etc and discussing House of Marley, My Family, etc was great. In monetary terms, we don't have the actual numbers but it was sufficient. We did well, we accomplished what we planned.
Lastly, you used to be a Football player.. Don't you miss that?
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CLUSIVE
Tête-à-Tête With
Ian Livingstone
I
an Livingstone the fantasy author and entrepreneur was in the city and Exhibit caught up with him for an exclusive interview. Being ranked 16th Most Influential Person in UK's digital Economy, he is currently the Life President of Eidos.
Some of the accolades he has received include, In 2002, the BAFTA Interactive Special Award for outstanding contribution to the industry in 2002. appointment as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2006 New Year Honours, and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours, both for services to the computer gaming industry. In 2011, Livingstone received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Bournemouth University. In a candid conversation, we spoke to him about everything from his favourite video game to issues like piracy.
Here is the exclusive interview.
In general, what is your opinion on the gaming industry today? The gaming industry is growing at an incredible rate with annual sales of US$ 50 34 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
Billion. It has been predicted to grow to US$ 90 Billion by 2015. It is mass market entertainment. It is no longer an entertainment choice for children, now everyone plays games. If you want high end cinematic experience in gaming you have games like FIFA, Tomb Raider, etc for hardcore gamers. Other game enabled platforms like Smartphones, Facebook, etc
have created something for everybody. It has grown because of the active involvement of a gamer rather than a passive involvement like watching a movie. A player is in control of the action in a game whereas a director is in control in case of a film.
Do you think gaming giants like
Electronic Arts, Sega, Eidos, Rockstar, etc are dominating the market or is there still room for new players?
Yes. I think we are witnessing it right now. There is an explosion of independent companies making games on several platforms. Flash based games over the web, smartphones, etc and on operating systems like Android and iOS. Some major players are emerging from Asia. The games have moved from a box product to a service, from analogue to digital. These things are giving opportunity to a lot of new players. Social games on smartphones and over the web are growing phenomenally.
As a child, which was your favourite video game?
As a child, most of these gaming technologies did not exist. I have played several board games but with the changing times I moved to digital gaming. Over the years, since 1996 I have been a fan of Tomb Raider. Apart from this, I like playing Championship Manager. I am also fond of playing Clash of Titans on my tablet. I have played Facebook games like Farmville and Village Life. The amazing thing about gaming today is that there is something to suit every mood.
Tell us something about Games Workshop
I started Games Workshop with two school friends Steve Jackson and John Peake. We first started distributed Dungeon and Dragons in UK. Then we also launched War Hammer. It continues throughout the day and we sold the company in 90’s and now it is public company. The magazine has a monthly circulation of 2,50,000.
Having been ranked as the 16th most influential person in UK’s digital economy, how does that feel?
It feels great. What I have done is managed to convince the secretary of the state for education in Computer Sciences. It is a very important skill to have. 2 years ago, we looked at the whole scenario of computer science and figured the problem lied in the education and the curriculum. Children were learning how to use word, powerpoint and excel. But they were given no insight on how it was made. They were users but not makers of technology. Which was sad, as they could read but they could not write, they could play games but no create them. We realised that computer science was an important aspect that needs to be added to the school curriculum. The secretary of state took it into consideration. This is one of the reason why I received the title of being the 16th Most Influential Person in UK’s Digital Economy.
According to you where is the gaming industry headed? With the growing piracy concerns, how can gaming companies tackle it? Piracy is a major issue that does not occur to people that they are doing a crime. One is not paying for something they are using. It is no surprise that people are doing whatever to tackle piracy. We have copyright laws but people ignore the law. So they have to be challenged in other ways. If you pirate
a free game, that is still good for the game manufacturer as the revenue models still exist. Tons of game console makers are taking precautions too. Microsoft recently announced that the XBOX 720 will have a system wherein each CD will be watermarked in such a way that CD’s would work only on one dedicated console.
RPG’s, Sports, Arcade or Simulation, which of these genres appeal to you as a gamer? I am too old to be good at FIFA. My dexterity is going down. Although I do love the game. I like simulation gaming.
What is your opinion on the Indian Gaming industry.
I think there similar talent here and the ability to make games. The domestic market here is very big. Everyone is equipped with a certain gaming device like a smartphone or something. A 1.2 Billion user market is a potential one. If one wants faster growth, they have to look at the global market. One has to also look at the cultural issues. Indian companies are looked upon as outsourcing houses, not full production but that will change.
You have been involved with Tomb Raider, what is the groundwork and pre planning that goes behind creating an extensive game like this one. It is a huge team effort. You can imagine that it is a huge team and it takes number of years to create a game like Tomb Raider. The team comprises of highly skilled computer artists, animators, programmers, artificial intelligence programmers, designers, storytellers, script writers, musicians, etc working together to bring out this wonderful cinematic experience. So the skills required to making a game are huge. In a game you have to create a game engine on which the entire structure will sit. These are wonderful alive worlds being manipulated by the player in real time. It requires expertise and creating that code is phenomenal.
How important is character creation in fantasy games? Lara Croft has became a phenomena and as a character it immediately rings a bell.. Can you throw some light on that?
The character has to resonate with the human spirit. Lara Croft has survived the test of time in a similar way like James Bond has. Males like Lara Croft and females like Lara Croft and you can be Lara Croft in the game of course. In the new Tomb Raider, it plays to the core strengths of the original franchise. Its core strengths are exploration, adventure puzzle solving and combat. In this game, it is all about survival. There is an element of gritty realism. All this makes the new Tomb Raider a wonderful experience. 35 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
CELLENCE
Tech Start - Up Of The Month Olacabs, a cab service with a difference is our Tech Start - Up of the Month. What impressed us about this company is the aspect on how they are using technology to their benefit and to serve their customers better. A young and energetic company based in Mumbai, nothing excites them more than using technology to bring the same efficiency and customer experience to the car rental industry that you expect from flights!
The Product Ola is a cab service provider in three prominent cities of the country, namely Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. They allow users to book a cab via an app on their Smartphone apart from the conventional phone call and Internet booking method. Via GPS, a user can trace where their cab is in the city, approximate time it would take to reach them, approximate time to reach the destination and so on. Apart from these benefits, the charges for the cab service are far lesser than its competitors.
The Founder
Bhavish Aggarwal, Co - Founder and CEO
Bhavish drives the company's vision and manages customer and partner relations. He graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2008 and worked at Microsoft Research for 2 years after that. He had a wonderful time there, filing 2 patents and publishing 3 papers in International Journals. But the entrepreneurial itch was too hard to resist and he decided to quit his job in August 2010 and moved to Mumbai to start Olacabs! Apart from being a young entrepreneur, there is more to this lad. He loves cycling and playing squash. He is also fond of photography.
Their Offering This cab service is a lot different than many others. They have not only adopted technology but they also use it for offering something that no one else offers. They have a free iOS and Android app that allows users to book cabs, receive invoices and so on. Here is how simple it is to make the most of their service via the app.
1. Set your pickup location 2. See all the available cabs close by 3. Tap "Ride now" to book your ride 4. Get instant confirmation with driver details 5. See your ride en-route on the map 6. Pay only after completion of your ride You want to schedule a pickup for sometime later? Just use "Ride later" and plan ahead. You can also invite friends to use our awesome service and earn Ola Money.
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CELLENCE
Bugatti
By Malik Sumrani
"Majestueux" is an understatement If you are confused with what does the word "Majestueux" means, it means Majestic in French. Yes, it truly is an understatement if we try to define this luxury car brand in one word. Buggati has been around for more than 100 years now and has witnessed several ups and downs. This success diary focuses on the rise, the fall and the revival of one of the most prolific car brands across the globe.
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The Commencement
The Fall
Founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti, the car company from the very beginning, focused on unique constructions and high aesthetic standards to enthral the public. They spawned a virtually boundless passion in those fortunate enough to own such automotive works of art. Right from the very beginning they believed in offer high quality for an even higher price.
Like so many car manufacturers at the beginning of the auto age, Bugatti was a family business. Ettore Bugatti's oldest son Jean Bugatti took over the company at the end of the 1920s. Jean was the brains behind the Type 41, known as the "Royale" that was aimed towards high-end customers. The massive, 13-liter luxury car cost twice as much as a contemporary Rolls-Royce and never found many buyers. This probably in that era was one of its biggest drawbacks. It was aimed at those with a great buying power. But, apart from business decisions what went horribly wrong for the company was Jean Bugatti's unfortunate death in 1939. He passed away while testing a race car. 8 years later, Ettore Buggati too passed away in 1947 leaving the highly coveted car business in the hands of the youngest son Roland. One of the major reasons that crumbled and stunted the growth of the brand was the constant strikes from the workers too. Financially, up to a certain period, the French government too provided the funding for certain projects but post World War II, that stopped and thus the family heirloom had very little or no choice on their hands.
The origins of this outstanding company’s history are intrinsically tied to that classic automotive era of the interwar years, and the image of Bugatti in this period was influenced most significantly by the sport of motor racing. Not only the company drivers but numerous amateurs, too, secured hundreds of Bugatti victories. The private drivers, however, were of a kind that would be unimaginable in modern-day Formula 1 races. Many industrialists, affluent publishers, and a large number of noblemen were in motor racing, which was a costly and a very hazardous hobby. Bugatti became a well known brand in the racing circuit. Several cars from the brand would participate at various Grand Prix's and compete against some of the top car makers across the globe. Some of the popular victories included Voiturettes Grand Prix and the one at Le Mans.
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CELLENCE
More Post War Chaos After World War II, many European car companies struggled to survive. The war had left the entire European continent shaken, drastic change in the business environment and above all monetarily weak. Bugatti suffered heavily during this phase. Roland was not left with much choice and chose to shut shop rather than face bankruptcy. 30 years later, came the moment where the brand could rise once again. Italian Romano Artioli revived the brand by introducing the EB110 in time for Ettore Bugatti's 110th birthday in 1991. Despite the tiny signature horseshoe-shaped grille, there were only about 150 EB110s produced, and the company's second coming was cut short in 1995. Once again Bugatti was staring at the dark side of the tunnel. Much Needed Help Arrives And The Giant Rises Once Again In the year 1998, German car maker Volkswagen bought the Bugatti name and reopened the factory in Molsheim (the place of the original factory). In 2005, Volkswagen delivered on its promise to live up to Etttore Bugatti's standards for speed and luxury with the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, and milliondollar supercar with more than 1000 hp -- and that distinctive horseshoe-shaped grille. The car went on to be a rage all across the globe and turned the fortunes around for Bugatti. Since then there has been no turning back. Bugatti has gone on to become one of the most successful car manufacturers in the world.
Timeline of events in Bugatti History 1909 Founded in Molsheim, France by Ettore Bugati. 1911 Bugatti started participating in races and winning most of them. 1914 - 1918 Started producing aircraft engines for the World War 1. The workforce at the Molsheim plant was over 1,000. 1921 Bugatti becomes immortal at Brescia. Wins most top positions at Voiturettes Grand Prix. 1926 Ettore Bugatti's dream of "The Royale" was realised as the car was unveiled. 1928 Jean Bugatti takes over the business. 1936 Workers go on strike at the Paris factory and this started the downfall of Bugatti. 1937 Under Jean, came the first major motor sports victory. Bugatti struck gold at Le Mans. 1939 Jean Bugatti passed away while testing a car. Ettore once again took control of the business. 1947 Ettore Bugatti passed away and the youngest son Roland took charge of the company. 1950's Post World War II, Bugatti shut doors due to the economic slowdown and to avoid bankruptcy. 1991 Italian Romano Artioli tried reviving the brand by introducing EB 110. 1998 Volkswagen buys Bugatti 2005 Bugatti Veyron is launched. One of the most successful cars from the brand till date.
Bugatti 37 A - 1928
Bugatti 101 - 1951
Bugatti 57S - 1940
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Comparitive Financial Stats Of The Volkswagen Group Having taken over Bugatti, Volkswagen Group has grown in immense proportion each year. Here we are comparing the half yearly report of 2011 with 2012.
A careful study of the above stats indicates that Sales and Profits have been on the rise. There has been a decline in the cash flow which only indicates credit sales. But overall, there has been healthy growth.
Key aspects of the financial report
• Sales revenue rises 22.6 percent to €95.4 billion (€77.8 billion) • Operating profit up 6.7 percent to €6.5 billion (€6.1 billion) • Share of global passenger car market improves to 12.4 percent (12.3 percent) • Automotive Division net liquidity at €14.9 billion
The Market Leading Bugatti Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is one of the highest selling cars that are manufactured in Molsheim, France by Bugatti Automobiles. The Super Sport version of the Veyron is the fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of 431.072 km/h (267.856 mph). The original version has a top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph). It was named Car of the Decade (2000–2009). A number of special variants have been produced. In December 2010, Bugatti began offering prospective buyers the ability to customize exterior and interiors colours. German inspection officials recorded an average top speed of the original version of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph) during test sessions on the Ehra-Lessien test track on 19 April 2005. This top speed was verified by James May on Top Gear in November 2006, again at Volkswagen Group's private Ehra-Lessien test track. The car is available in India only to a select few and exclusive ones.
The Future Market Changing Bugatti Bugatti 16C Galibier The Bugatti 16C Galibier is a luxury 5-door fastback concept car. At an invitation-only show held at the Molsheim, France assembly salon on September 12, 2009, the car was unveiled for those who were present. The 16C Galibier uses a front-mounted, 8.0 L twin-supercharged W16 engine that delivers power via permanent four-wheel drive. The design comprises of a hood which opens in two parts along a central hinge. The 16C Galibier features the longitudinal rib.
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PECT
A Junior Luminary Announced The Nokia Lumia 520
Lumia’s Newest Baby With the launch of the Lumia 920 and 820 in India, Nokia is now trying to competing with the affordable budget smartphones that have been ruling the roost for quite some time now. So, we have now seen the launch of the Lumia 520 which is the replacement for the Lumia 510. Priced rather competitively at $180 (Rs 9,500 approx) this will certainly take on the budget smartphones segment head-on, with its Windows 8 goodness. But is it any good? Build & Design At only 9.9mm thick, this is quite a slim smartphone and at only 124 gms is quite light-weight too. The structure is true to the Lumia family of smartphones and feels quite
nice, though we will have to wait for a review unit to fully see if this phone feels like a plastic cheapo phone or not. Overall, from the pictures, we see a very well-built handset with a typically Nokia polycarbonate chassis. Another Nokia signature is the range of bright colours the phone will be available in; red, cyan, white, black and yellow are the options for potential buyers. These can be swapped around as well, but you will have to buy them all separately.
512MB of RAM and Adreno 305 GPU, this is quite a tempting combination for the asking price. Not to forget an internal storage of 8GB and microSD card support up to 64GB. There’s also a 5MP snapper, but no flash. Ouch! Wi-Fi gets boosted with dual-band support too, and only NFC missing, this is quite a sweet deal for a Windows 8 phone on a budget.
Hardware & Software
Markets like India will surely be where Nokia will expect the Lumia 520 to do really well, and with a fairly impressive spec sheet it should. If Nokia play their cards right, they will be back in the smartphone domination game in a year or so, with the help of such products.
The 4-inch IPS LCD screen has a resolution of 800x480, which isn’t great but good enough to compete with the budget phones in this price bracket. On the plus side, the phone has a rather decent Qualcomm CPU which has two Krait cores clocked in at 1Ghz. Coupled with
Early Thoughts
Specifications 4” IPS LCD WVGA resolution 1 Ghz dual-core processor Adreno 305 GPU 512MB RAM 8GB internal storage microSD card support up to 64GB 5MP primary cam no flash 1430 mAh battery
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PERTISE
SMARTPHONE BUYING GUIDE What do you want to note before buying a smartphone?
By Chaitanya Tapase
With a feature set as long as some mythology books, purchasing a smartphone isn’t always as easy as it might appear. Hence, we are here to your rescue! Some specs should always be looked at, but naturally, budget constraints always dictate our final purchase. Thankfully, we have a lot to choose from, in every budget bracket – and there are always some gems that shine brighter than the rest. But if you are the type who wants to make an informed decision before purchasing your next smartphone, rather than relying on your nerdy cousin, this is the perfect guide for you.
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PERTISE
Display: Looking at any smartphone display gives you a clear indication of its sharpness, brightness and viewing angles. Pixel density (or, how many pixels are packed into a square inch of space) might be harder to gauge. Hence, it’s imperative you understand what every type of resolution means and look for the magical ppi (or pixels per inch) number. The higher this number is, the better. A higher end phone should have ppi count of more than 310 and a mid-range phone around 280 and budget smartphones around 250.
For every other feature set, here is a quick do’s and don’ts list •Avoid any Android mobile with QVGA resolution (240X320) as most apps as well as games no longer support it. •Avoid mobiles with odd resolution like (768X1024 or 600X1024) as it'll lead to same problem as above •Try to go for the mobile with highest PPI (pixel per inch) as lower PPI means blurry images and text. •AMOLED/IPS doesn't mean that display will be better rather AMOLED means better black level whereas IPS means better viewing angle. •Gorilla Glass is prone to scratches so a scratch guard is always recommended.
Processor: Just like a PC, the processor is the central unit that keeps running all the software inside your smartphone. It is dependent on exactly what purposes you want to use your smartphone for, so if you want to play casual games on it, ensure you have a bigger processor with multiple cores. You might have do a little digging and asking to find out exactly what processor is running on a particular smartphone, but with the below list of do’s and don’ts you will be covered in this department as well -
•Avoid any Android mobile with ARM11 processing core as those are no longer supported by majority of the apps or by Google itself. •Clockspeed doesn't matter. You can get 1Ghz processor based Android for just 3k which mayn't even support the basic games. •All Android mobile processor has a GPU integrated into the processor/chipset. •Irrespective of mobile or manufacturer, if chipset is same then GPU will be same as well. •Performance wise Cortex A5 < Scorpion < Cortex A7 < Cortex A9 < Krait < Cortex A15. Performance scales equally with increase in cores.
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Memory: Another parameter which is similar to a PC, you will have to ensure a good amount of memory is present in your smartphone depending on what kind of tasks you want to perform with it. If you tend to be an expert multitasker and love to play games, edit documents and use a whole lot of apps – then you will surely need to keep the below points in mind •To run smoothly Android mobile need 512MB or more ram depending on the display resolution and processor. Less ram means slowdown. •You get roughly 50% free ram for use once your mobile boots up as GPU & Android system requires system ram. •Rom memory is not same as internal memory. Rom memory is the total memory whereas the free memory is the internal memory. •Mobiles with more than 5GB storage have multiple partition: apps memory (dedicated to apps) as well as user accessible memory.
Battery: More multitasking and more multimedia to use and share means that battery life is one of the crucial factors that never gets looked at. Ensure you keep the below points in mind •Check that the mobile ships with at least 1500mah battery else get ready to charge 2 times per day. •Bigger display will require more battery so if screen size is 4.5"+ check that battery is more than 2000mah. •AMOLED is a real battery saver so expect more battery backup. •Try to avoid mobiles with integrated battery as if there is any kind of problem, turning off mobile can be a bit difficult.
OPERATING SYSTEM Unfortunately if you go the Apple route, you only have one choice – the iOS operating system that will be built into your iPhone. But, if you go for Windows 8 or Android 4 (and above) phones – you will find loads of various kinds of phones to choose from. Windows 8 has come up leaps and bounds from its initial 7.0 version, but it’s still not as good as Android. Of course, we have some other players here as well like BB’s rebooted OS 10 and Ubuntu to look forward to, but the major player in the world market right now is – Android. Hence we have made so many references to that OS and it’s also easier to compare Android phones than it is to compare, say, Windows 8 phones. 45 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
PERTISE
Spec Summary: Mobiles
Lowend
Midrange
Highend
Price
Below 15k
Below 25k
Above 25k
Processor
Cortex A5 dualcore/ Cortex A9 dualcore
Cortex A9/Scorpion dualcore
Cortex A9 quadcore/ Cortex A15/Krait dualcore
RAM
512 MB
1 GB
1 GB+
Display
WVGA/FWVGA resolution, 200+ ppi
qHD/HD resolution, 250+ ppi
HD resolution, 300+ ppi
Internal Memory
1GB+
5GB+
15GB+
Other Features Connectivity:
If you want to use your smartphone to keep updating your social networking status’ and checking-in to various hotspots you visit, you might want to ensure that the smartphone has all your connectivity needs in-built – 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi – and also Bluetooth.
Gimmicky Features:
If we thought that dual-sim was just the beginning of some crazy number of slots, we were so wrong. 3D TV’s came in with 3D displays for smartphones and gaming pads and even more crazy stuff! We won’t give a 2nd thought when we such gimmicky features, they really aren’t worth even the paper on which they are mentioned. Strictly – stay away.
BOTTOM LINE There is no sure shot, one stop formula to buying that perfect smartphone. You need to weigh in all your requirements, look at the options and then carefully decide what suits your needs the most. Just because your best friend has been raving about his smartphone abc, does not mean it will work just as brilliantly for you. Simply because the smartphone was great for multimedia, but not so good with multitasking with apps – a feature you simply had to have in your smartphone. So, be careful – and stay away from the gimmicks – and keep all the points highlighted in our buying guide in mind. We’re sure you can’t go much wrong with it.
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Toughness:
With growing competition, usually the only novel way to sell a product normally means introducing a feature that has not been seen in any of the competition. We’ve seen water-resistant, heat-resistant and dustresistant smartphones for a while – and at CES this year we even saw Sony Xperia coming out with a completely waterproof camera.
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TRA
What is your Social Media Personality? By Malik Sumrani
In current times, everyone is hooked onto social media. People love to rant about anything under the sun. They want to complain about their bosses, there is a Facebook status.. They want to crib about the food cooked at home and there is a Tweet. An average Indian who is a subscriber of any social media platform posts at least twice a day. We can easily categorize our friends depending upon their actions on various social networks each day. Let us stick to the largely used ones, namely Facebook and Twitter. Some love ranting on them as if it is their personal diary while some are just way too quiet. Find out right here what are the different kinds of Social Media Personalities The One With The Cute Baby Those who belong to this personality kind love to over share pictures and videos of their babies. It can be an "Aww" moment for like twice or thrice for one's friends but anything beyond that is just being over board. This personality kind feels that there is no baby in the history to have experienced such funny and surprising moments.
Who belongs here: New Parents
The Political Honcho Those who belong to this personality kind love to share their political opinion to the world. Right from what steps the government should take towards the upcoming elections to why did XYZ throw a chair in the Lok Sabah assembly. They love to rant about their favourite politicians and often resort to open regionalism.
Who belongs here: Those Looking To Make A Career In Politics
The Silent One Those who belong to this personality kind barely make any posts on social networks. They like to silently sit and monitor what the rest of their friends are up to. They are probably sitting and judging others by their actions too.
Who belongs here: Loners
The Blabber Mouth Those who belong to this personality kind love over sharing. They just don't apply a filter to what they write about and land up giving up intense details about things they usually would not talk about. This could range from revealing a closet couple to the world to just talking about household situations that they shouldn't have.
Who belongs here: Those with lots of free time
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The Abusive One Those who belong to this personality kind are always abusing via status messages or tweets. The love to talk about social situations by adding their own element to it. The use the "F" word as freely as one uses punctuations in their sentences. They have their own lingo and some abbreviations like "WTF, STFU, FML" are their favourite ones.
Who belongs here: Highly frustrated souls
The Beauty Queen Those who belong to this personality kind are always shamelessly bragging either about their beauty or about the brands they own. Most common posts would comprise of "Just bought a Louis Vuitton." In most of their pictures they pose with a pout and an arm on the waist. They try being humble in their approach and have a similar set of friends who would pass comments like "HAWWTTT" on their pictures.
Who belongs here: Rich brats and Party animals
The Suspense Killer Those who belong to this personality kind take pleasure in killing the suspense for others. They always post giving out details about a film or a TV series that they ideally should not have. They love to act like a buzz kill of several others and often garner hate comments and responses. They are very capable of going for a movie on the first day (first show preferred) and then post a status, "Kajol is the villain in Gupt."
Who belongs here: Attention seekers
The Nice One Those who belong to this personality kind are well aware about what they should be posting and what they shouldn't be. Their pictures are not very over the top and they often post interesting things like quotes and funny one liners that garner likes. They don't care too much about who responds and who does not like their post.
Who belongs here: Those savvy with the social media
The Over The Top Lovers Those who belong to this personality kind are easily identifiable. Like the name suggests, they love to overtly express their love to one other on a public platform. They would often comment on one another's pictures and mention their pet names. You will find several "I miss you" or a "Muah" on the timeline. Their friends may think it is quite embarrassing but they don't.
Who belongs here: Mushy Couples
Now start categorizing all your friends on the basis of these social media personalities. For all you know, your cousins will also feature amongst these too. Afterall, who doesn't friends who crib and those who are nice.
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PERIENCE
Aliens Colonial
Marines -
A Homage To Most Alien Movies By Malik Sumrani
L
ike the name suggests, the game follows a simple storyline of a clash of Aliens with the Marine Forces. The setting is an aftermath of the James Cameron film Aliens. In this first person shooter the player dawns the role of a United States Colonial Marine named Cpl. Christopher Winter. Stuck in an Alien base, the player is on a rescue mission to save as many fellow Marine comrades as possible and uncover a mystery. The player has an access to an arsenal of weapons comprising of flamethrower, pulse rifle, smartgun, shotgun, pistol, RPGs, and robotic sentry turrets. To add an element of realism to the game, players will also be able to use welding torches to seal doors and motion trackers to detect unseen enemies. Aimed towards making it a scary experience, almost like a "Doom" the developers Gearbox Software and Publishers Sega have got some of it right and some of it wrong. Players are competing against Xenomorphs or the alien race for survival. Several aspects have been created to scare the players and not to forget the graphic Alien blood that splatters all over is quite fascinating. Sound effects do compliment this above average game but there is a lot more that they could have done right in this game.
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Review
Verdict
We tested the game on a desktop computer and we were not too pleased with it. Although, the game offers amazing gameplay and storyline, it is the graphics that disappointed us. Not to forget, the game is set in a pitch dark environment, maybe to scare players when Aliens jump in to attack on them but it certainly failed to scare us. The player can be controlled with ease but the controls get a little complicated when playing in co-op mode.
Considering it is a sequel to one of the greatest Alien movies of all time, it does take you back in time and make you feel nostalgic. That fact itself will keep you glued to the game for a couple of weeks. If one dismisses this aspect, the game could have been a better product had the graphics, animations and above all the environmental aspects had been given more importance. A great storyline alone cannot be considered as a great feature for a game. The co-op mode is fun but there are several First Person Shooter's out there that offer equal or more entertainment.
The game offers a campaign and a competitive mode. In campaign mode a single player can try to deal with the aliens all alone, in the competitive he alongside a friend, in split-screen mode can try taking care of them. There are several modes in which one can take on their friends via Steam connectivity. Team Deathmatch, Extermination, Escape and Survival are all equally challenging and fun when competing with friends. We tried playing online as Aliens and we found them much harder to control than the Marines.
Platforms Playstation 3 XBOX 360 Windows PC
Exhibit Rating: 2.5/5
Price: ` 2499 (for XBOX360 and PS3) ` 999 (for PC)
EXHIBIT RATING
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CLUSIVE
Preview - CeBit 2013 CeBIT returns in 2013 again as by far the biggest trendsetting event for the digital economy, public administration and all those with an interest in ICT. A huge selection of innovations are on display in Hannover from 5 to 9 March. Journalists were able learn about important trends and news in advance of the trade fair, at the CeBIT Previews in Munich and Hamburg. “CeBIT has always been the place for fostering innovation and creative impulses. CeBIT Open Innovation takes this one step further by creating a virtual space for creative idea development. We invite all companies that want access to ICT-savvy target groups to utilize this new platform,” said CeBIT Chairman Frank Pörschmann when introducing the initiative in Munich. So, What Happened At The Preview? - The German Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM) wants to bring the “Shareconomy” and its underlying ICT processes to life at CeBIT. - ECM (enterprise content management) solutions will also trending at CeBIT in 2013, with their ability to offer efficient digital archiving of a company’s entire information capital. - Huawei will be presenting agile data centers and BYOD (bring your own device) solutions for sectors ranging from education, healthcare and transport to the energy industry.
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- Siemens Enterprise Communications would be using audio and video technology to bring the “amplifyTEAMS” theme to life and demonstrate how communication can intensify cooperation between geographically distant teams and maximize companies. - Fujitsu, the leading Japanese provider of ICTbased business solutions, is placing the cloud, big data and mobility at the heart of its CeBIT appearance. - Electronics expert Pearl brought several new products to the CeBIT Preview. The highlight was the simvalley mobile PW-315.touch wristwatch and mobile phone. - AOC and Philips used the CeBIT Preview to present their new 21:9 cinema display monitors. Compared with conventional 16:9 models, these ultrawide displays have the advantage of eliminating the annoying black bands along the top and bottom of the screen for Cinemascope movies. - BenQ, market leader for DLP projectors, was also at the CeBIT Preview. Its W1500 with full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixel) and 3D display is a flagship product for home cinema fans. The CeBIT Preview offered exciting premieres every half-hour – from the latest hardware to security apps for Smartphones.
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The Evolving Camera Industry By Chaitanya Tapase
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Film To Digital
Photographers Speak
With computers dominating our way of living, it was an inevitable for the camera industry to lose its love for film and move towards the digital medium. Initially there were a lot of hiccups and people were really sceptical if this move was really meant for the camera industry at all. But, how wrong they were.
We thought getting the initial views by pro photographers would be a good way to get things going. After all, they have been doing this for a living and are the ones who have been using the actual digital medium we are covering here, the most – the digital camera.
Ever since the first digital camera was introduced to the world, there was always a need to improve. But within a decade the digital camera industry has come up leaps and bounds over what the film camera industry had achieved. Its evolution is almost as fast as the computing industry, which certainly makes a lot of sense when we compare both these industries together.
Progress Of Digital Medium With Web 2.0 exploding in such a big manner, the user became the creator. He was ready to upload any amount of data and create blogs to keep a track of his personal life in the digital world. This also lead to an explosion of sharing of information between individuals who joined various communities to see what individuals from various parts of the world were doing to achieve the kind of images that they were posting. It wasn’t so exclusive any more, the world of photography was more open, just like so many exclusive industries of work like it. The added advantage that the world of photography had, though, that it didn’t always take the most high-end or most expensive camera to achieve the best images. Sometimes, enough skills and understanding of the lighting conditions with interesting subjects and a fairly good camera were all it took. This got a whole line of enthusiasts involved in this art. Which was quickly integrating itself with the science of making brilliant cameras, which worked in the digital era. With as much awesomeness as the film cameras did – and some. But, it wouldn’t be enough for us and us alone to talk about the Camera Industry and the Art of Photography in India. So, we picked out a couple of famous photographers as well as industry leaders to know their thoughts on the subject. We can step in with our thoughts as well, every now and then, but let us first introduce you to our expert panel.
PHOTOGRAPHERS Akash Das
(Wildlife Photographer)
Kaustav Saika
(Fashion Photographer)
Akash Das, the senior of the two, has been capturing wildlife for many years now. He has travelled the world doing what he loves the most and is the only photographer to have been featured in Limca Book of World Records for his unique work and has been instrumental in changing the look of Indian advertising, particularly fashion advertising. Kaustav Saikia, on the other hand, is a leading fashion and art photographer from Kolkata. He shoots major campaigns for famous fashion designers and brands, and his photographs appear regularly in newspapers, magazines and online publications across the nation. We asked them how their experience so far had been as a photographer, and Akash’s response was clear and simple – “Wildlife photography has always been my passion. I do it as art form and not to document various species. It is very close to my heart. Working at my own terms has given me great exposure, freedom to experiment, satisfaction and recognition in India and Europe.” Kaustav’s reply was more open: “I started shooting in 2006 and since then it has been a great journey so far, with a new learning experience almost everyday. I have met some amazing creative brains that inspire and stimulate; as well as inflated egos that teach how to deal with extreme situations and improvise! I have shot for brands like Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Ritu Kumar, Satya Paul, Rohit Bal, etc and every shoot has been an experience in itself and has helped me evolve.” Akash thought that the photography industry isn’t evolving that fast though it is certainly growing quite fast. Kaustav agreed on the point and also pointed out how photographers were now coming out of unexpected corners of India. We then asked Akash about the latest trends in Wildlife Photography to which he replied, “Photographers in India are changing, now they have started appreciating nature and wildlife more and more mainly due to the exposure to the wildlife channels.Even a decade ago you had couple of hand full wild life photographers.Today you cannot count them, therefore, the latest trend in India is go to the jungle in a ‘group’ and capture some quick wild life frames.” Kaustav had this to say about Fashion photography: “Social media has become a big influence in our lives including fashion, and fashion photography. Instagram in particular has brought sophisticate filter effects to the mainstream, which had been the domain of digital artists and excellent re-touchers.” Of course, we couldn’t conclude our tete-a-tete without asking about their favourite camera and lens combo. Akash picked out the Canon 1DX with 17-35mm f2.8 and 500mm f4, whereas Kaustavchose the Canon 1DsMk3 + 50mm 1.2, for the sharpness and clarity of the final picture. We also wanted to know if there was a camera out there which they were yet to buy, and couldn’t afford- unsurprisingly Kaustav chose the Hasselblad and Akash coolly stated that he has always been greedy for more equipment and would like to purchase Canon EOS 200 to 400mm lens, which he doesn’t have. As far as camera accessories were concerned, they were both unanimous in their love for Sandisk Extreme Pro cards to store all their images, and have them captured as fast as they are shot. Naturally, other accessories have also come in a long way too, but we’ll cover them later.
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Heads of the Camera Industry, India Mr. Sajjan Kumar VP - Imaging, Nikon India Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Sriwant Wariz National Marketing Manager, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Kenichiro Hibi Managing Director, Sony India
Mr. Manish Sharma Managing Director, Consumer Products Division, Panasonic India Industry Leaders Join In
It’s imperative to also understand the viewpoint of the various camera brands that are currently plying their trade in India. Since we’ve already introduced these elite gentlemen to you, let us also tell you their responses on the various topics that we spoke about, with them.
CAMERA INDUSTRY IN INDIA The first question on our mind was about the evolution of the camera industry in India. Mr Sajjan Kumar, who has been the VP of Imaging at Nikon India since Oct 2008 started things off by stating, “In the recent past, photography industry in India has seen a great evolvement. The Indian digital camera market is witnessing an exciting phase. Growing availability and accessibility are one of the reasons for the rapid growth that the digital camera market is seeing in India. To engage with the customers, imaging players are revolutionizing their products consistently and introducing features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, advanced shooting modes, in built GPS and more. In recent past we have seen that although D-SLR as a category has small base but growth is higher in this category compared to other products. We expect such trend to continue. Also a new category of digital cameras, mirrorless cameras has emerged which is changing the dynamics of the market. These cameras have a comparatively lower body weight and are more compact vis-a-vis DSLR cameras.” Mr Sriwant Wariz, who handles marketing for Fujifilm India, was more philosophical with his response to the same question. He said, “To comment on Industry status for Photography is complex. This is because almost all the industries are directly or indirectly dependent on photography. Let us take an example: Advertising industry is highly dependent on pictures and thus have a huge requirement for Digital Photographers on the other hand if we see an auto manufacturer, then they are indirectly linked because even they would require to market their product through ads or brochure or other marketing material, which is making it as a small requirement of product photography.”
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TRENDS IN THE CAMERA INDUSTRY But, we do live in an ever-changing world. The camera industry has understood the limitations of the digital format that pro photographers had been grappling with over the years, and they are now almost all but gone. Enthusiast photographers are now seeking more functionality and better image quality with each passing year, so how do camera manufacturers keep up with these demands and more? Plus, what are some of the up and coming trends in the industry that camera manufacturers in India are keeping up with. Mr Kumar replied, “The photography industry in India is pacing up with the modern trends of the world. In today’s time one could see a huge advancement in not just technologies but there has been a positive shift in people’s attitude which has resulted in newer and better trends. We at Nikon believe in walking hand in hand with the latest trends and technology so that consumers can be benefited. The persistent and strong demand of cameras can be attributed to the growing numbers of modern cameras that enable the wireless exchange of images with other mobile devices, direct upload of images on the computer hard drive, display on television screens, wireless or computer less transfer of images to social media or on the cloud. In lines with these technologies Nikon has recently launched an android camera COOLPIX S800c, equipped with 16 megapixels and a 3.5-inch, 819k-dot touch screen, the COOLPIX S800c can enable you to directly upload your photos through Android Apps and Wi-Fi®.” Mr Wariz also had similar thoughts, “The Black & White photography is emerging and the return has become a trend these days. While some may enjoy fashion & portrait, others may consider Wedding, Wildlife or Nature. Camera manufacturers are continuously updating their technology such as Wi-Fi enabled or Android based etc. Fujifilm has come up with a different league of cameras called X series. It has premium compact cameras with large sensors and also consists of cameras with the emerging technology – MILC (Mirror-less Interchangeable Lens) Technology.” Mr Sharma from Panasonic India added, “The struggle to stuff in as many megapixels as possible is still on. But the latest fad is the trickling down of the heavy duty technology to compact segment. We are seeing more pixels, interchangeable lenses (and hence better controls over lighting), Faster aperture lenses, Full HD video recording, everything
you admired in a hefty DSLR. Compact camera segment is the battle ground right now. Manufacturers are adding features like picture sharing through Wi-Fi connectivity, pre and post shutter picture capture for that professional timing and much more.”
PREMIUM COMPACTS Whereas point-and-shoot cameras have been around for quite a while, there are some categories which are exploding more in the past few years only. One of them is the Premium Compacts that have come up a big way in the past few years. During the end of last year we had the pleasure of reviewing the Sony RX-100 and it was a brilliant compact premium camera, with excellent dynamic range and controls that were easy to use and operate with. We asked Mr Hibi from Sony India about it and also about the upcoming products with similar unique features. He replied, “The Full-Frame Imaging sensor camera range from Sony caters to a niche segment of audience especially travel enthusiasts aiming to capture the best picture quality across various frames. For professional photography, we introduced the new NEX range that lets users personalize and design their pictures across various creative options.
DECLINE IN POINT-N-SHOOT CAM SALES? All the good stuff in the camera industry should not hide the fact that most users are spoilt for choices with great cameras on their cell phones, that they don’t really wish to own a point-n-shoot camera. Or maybe that was just a small portion of the crowd, so it was best to ask these industry leaders their thoughts on the same subject. Mr. Kumar from Nikon stated, “With the much higher demand for smartphones and given the fact that cameras are getting smarter, mobile imaging is entering a new dimension. There’s no deny that people are getting inclined towards these upgraded camera technologies present in smartphones but camera in phone and a point and shoot/ DSLR camera are actually non-comparable. As digital camera prices are becoming more affordable, customers will be lured to upgrade to cameras for better experience in photography and superior quality of photographs. Factors like image quality, advanced shooting modes,
DSC-RX1 the successor to Sony’s award-winning DSC-RX100, is packed with a 35mm full-frame sensor, wide aperture F2 fixed-focal and is perfectly proportioned for travel, street photography as well as portraits and day-to-day shooting.” There have been a lot of other premium compacts that have also come out in the recent past. Especially with the likes of the Canon Powershot G15 and Panasonic Lumix series. But, in the past 2 years we have seen more cameras released in a category which we have not fully explored yet. The micro-four thirds, which has every camera enthusiast must have tried at least one in the recent past.
MICRO FOUR THIRDS Ah yes! The micro four-thirds format have become quite popular in the past 2 years or so. We’ve seen so many cameras in this format and are hearing about more and more to come out soon. The advantage these cameras have are quite apparent. You can use inter-changeable lenses on a body which is almost as small as a compact camera and still has features that can match most DSLR’s in the market. The ability to shoot in RAW mode and a fast auto-focusing mechanism are added advantages. Last year we ourselves reviewed quite a few micro four-third cameras and most of these were rather good. But will this trend continue in the coming years too, with more micro four-third cameras being launched by more camera makers? Mr Wariz thought that it will, and added “As the technology is evolving, we have seen a rise in not only micro four third camera sensors but lot of other high-end professional cameras also. We have also seen a technology shift in compact cameras with large sensors and Wi-Fi etc. Mirror-less Interchangeable Lens is one such technology which will definitely see a growth in the coming years.” Mr. Kumar from Nikon was a bit more elaborate. He replied “Definitely, the micro four-third cameras are truly a futuristic offering which is set to define and cater to a whole new set of consumers. These cameras have the lightweight advantage of a small point and shoot with DSLR like capabilities at affordable price acting as a perfect camera. These cameras offer a complete unique experience to users, with the lenses they offer, you can carry a few of these in your photo-vest, get a real lightweight carbon fiber tripod, and you’re off to the races. This segment is definitely going to see a tremendous growth and to pace up with this growth Nikon is proud to have Nikon 1 in this revolutionary segment. With this latest offering, Nikon has pioneered a whole new category in the market, with cameras that cater to users who want to capture and share high quality images and videos effortlessly. The Nikon 1 series is an advanced camera with interchangeable lenses that opens the door to a fresh way to capture pictures and High Definition (HD) movies. The camera is a simple to use conduit for creativity, seemingly anticipating a consumer’s needs in any situation. The Nikon 1 is for photo enthusiasts who value interchangeable lens versatility and desire a small form factor.”
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quality of lens supported with optical zoom and image stabilizer also attract these users to digital cameras.” Mr Sharma added, “As I’ve said before too, compact camera is the new battle ground for the imaging product makers. To some extent, there have been reports of a downward trend in sales of the compact cameras since smartphones their conquests. As mobile phones already give you the option of sharing your pictures on the go, it makes sense to carry something small that gives you the freedom of sharing it at that very moment, apart from making calls instead of keeping separate devices for everything. Moreover, the cheap Chinese brands have captured a big chunk of the Indian market making it difficult for even the top smartphone brands to reach out to this segment. Camera makers are trying to fight back with the smart converging technologies.” Mr Wariz from Fujifilm replied back to us saying, “May be in global scenario, but definitely not in India because the number of Smartphone users in India is still very small and needs lot of growth to actually penetrate in Point & Shoot camera share.” Mr. Hibi concluded the session on this topic by adding, “Point-andshoot cameras and smart phones are different product categories, and cater to different consumer segments. Cameras offer photo quality that is significantly better than a smart phone. Sony points-and-shoots have advanced features like Superior Quick Focus, Optical Steadyshot technology and Superior iAuto, which makes them more versatile than the smart phone.”
HOW DSLR AND HIGH-END CAMS ARE COMING ALONG Pros have always loved their DSLR cameras and the lenses that can be customised according to the subject, the lighting conditions and what not. Enthusiasts have been picking up DSLR cameras as well, alongwith other high end cameras that offer inter-changeable lenses as an option. One such high-end camera that we had reviewed last year is the Fujifilm X-Pro 1. So we asked Mr Wariz about upcoming products from the X-series, to which he replied, “We have already launched XE1 which is the second Interchangeable lens camera launched by Fujifilm after X-Pro1. Apart from that we have launched premium compact point & shoot under series XF1. The company is expected to launch X20 (successor to X10) and X100s (successor to X100) soon in India.” Another great innovation has come from Sony. When they announced the RX-1, it was the smallest and lightest full frame DSLR camera in the world. And it still is. While the likes of Nikon, Canon, and the rest have been launching an array of digital cameras in the DSLR category – Sony has not been in the same form. They have a few cams in the Alpha series, but the RX-1 astounded everyone with its sheer compactness and ability. Mr Hibi elaborated on the device when he said, “We launched DSC-RX1- a full-frame Imaging sensor equipped compact camera in the beginning of this year (January’13) at Consumer Electronics Imaging Fair 2013. It is among the first compact cameras for serious photographers. DSC-RX1 features a full-frame sensor making it the first fixed-lens full frame camera in the market. The camera has a fixed 35mm F2 lens enabling for a great low light performance and shallow depth of field ordinarily difficult to achieve. Targeted at the professional photographer, this camera has now paved the way for a lot of future developments in compact cameras.” Next up, we looked back at the lightest full frame DSLR camera from Nikon – the D600, which is certainly a lot bigger and heavier than the Sony RX 1, but was still quite small and light when it was launched last year. So we spoke to Mr Kumar from Nikon India about it and also upcoming launches in the D series. He stated, “The D600 has
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been a flagship product for Nikon and we are happy to know that this product has made a great mark in DSLR segment in India. With the, smallest and lightest Nikon FX-format D-SLR, the Nikon D600 boast a CMOS image sensor with 24.3-million effective pixels and an EXPEED 3 image-processing engine that offers superior definition with a range of advanced features and splendid image quality. The D600 has strongly appealed to semi-professionals and professionals who are looking to shoot high-quality images at high sensitivities. As the Indian photography market matures, we are witnessing strong growth for the D-SLR category and we at Nikon are aiming to provide photographers with more and better choices. We have a few products planned up for the near future but the specifications of the same is not yet out, though we will definitely see new and advanced Nikon DSLR’s that will escalate the photography experience among Indian consumers.”
VIDEO RECORDING USING DSLRs Not a lot of pros would rely on DSLR’s for video recording, though the quality of recording from these cameras has increased considerably in the past few years. Plus, most DSLR camera makers are now providing audio jacks built into the camera, which will let the pros control the audio levels as well – provided they use the appropriate accessories. Of course, with control over aperture and ISO levels being a given, DSLRs do tend to take some nice videos at any rate. Although, the level of finesse and colour sharpness might not be as great as some special video recording cameras. We could also talk about such cameras, but that will be way too much information on just a single topic of discussion. So, what has been the major changing points of video recording in DSLR cams in the past few months? Well, for one thing – colour peaking has been introduced in some DSLR cameras whereas others are about to follow suit. Moreover, we also have various functions as time lapses and super slow-motion video playback possible, due to the amazingly fast frame rate. There is something else too, which hasn’t been around for that long. Nor is it present in too many cameras. RAW mode for video capture. We spoke to Nikon India about it and Mr Kumar said, “Uncompressed video recording is available in our flagship cameras like D4, D800 and D800E. Nikon brought this revolutionary feature in these D-SLRs to cater to the growing demand of Full HD video recording feature in the D-SLRs. Both these bodies have a full frame sensor that gives a broadcast quality output to the user.” Of course, the issue with shooting videos in RAW (or any uncompressed format) is space usage. RAW images themselves take about 15-20 MB of space of your SD card, whereas JPEGs of the same resolution only take about 4-8 MB. So, you can imagine how difficult it will be to manage space on SD cards once you start recording videos in such a format. There are some unique solutions thrown in for such dilemmas though, by companies that may not be that well known in India. Blackmagic, for example. Which lets you capture uncompressed videos on SSDs (Solid State Drives). Yes, it’s true. You can check out videographer extraordinaire, Philip Bloom, giving an in-depth review of this device on YouTube. It’s really something!
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Android – Google’s Best Strategic Move Ever? Android controls 70% of the Smartphone volumes in 2012. Over the last 4 years, ever since Google launched Android, this has been one huge success story. In this post, i am looking at the 3 factors that have fueled the Android’s success story. The success generated by Android is across three key levels – Present day revenues for Google,Access to mobility for Google and generating intelligence and information about the user – creating profile and semantic patterns which is the future of advertising as we know it. While Google’s intent behind Android was such that it was not completely shut out of the mobile Internet by a dominant OS provider. The initial fears were around the dominance of Microsoft which in the post 2007-iPhone era came to be Apple. However, it just did better – it went on to become the dominant OS in Mobiles and handhelds itself. We all know that Google makes almost all of its money on ad revenue – 94% of Google Q4 revenues were based on advertising. Of this $8bn was generated by mobile devices of which, analysts now expect $5bn of 2013 Google Ad revenue to be from tablets alone! That makes it seem like a pretty solid investment for Google to pay whatever it does to be
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the default search engine in iOS ($1 billion/annual), since the iPad still holds close to half of tablet sales. Android is Google’s footprint on mobile- An Android device, properly signed into a Google account and running all the Google Apps, generates an endless stream of little bits of ‘signalling’ information, way beyond what Google gets from a desktop search user even if they’re using Chrome. It knows where the user lives and works, how he commutes – and which phone numbers on web ads he dials. All interactions with Search, Maps and anything else can be linked together. Android, allows Google to tie searches and advertising to individual people and places. In the long term, the data that Google gets from Android users is probably just as important as Pagerank in understanding intent and relevance in search. The real structural benefit to Google from Android now comes from the understanding it gives of actual users, and the threat comes from devices that do not provide this data. It is quite possible that even Google didnot see the scale of success of Android – Not only did it mark Google’s entry on mobiles, it also is generating revenue and most valuable user information.
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UBUNTU: The New Player In the Mobile OS Market Do we want a new player?
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he Mobile OS market is already bursting at the seams, so it does not really seem like an apt time for another company to come in with a completely new OS of its own. Especially at a time when an old player like Blackberry is rebooting its own OS and trying to make a comeback and win back its lost audience. So why would a new player want to make an entrance now? Does it really justify a move that many think is not well timed? We suppose only time will be a judge of that. In the meantime, let’s take a look at this new player and see what it really has got to offer. When Canonical whipped back the curtain from its upcoming Ubuntu for smartphones, it set off a flurry of blogosphere speculation about the open-source operating system’s chances on the open market. Ubuntu is already one of the most-used Linux distros out there, and it seems the geeks among us won't have to wait very long before they get to use it on smartphones as well. Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has confirmed that smartphones running on Ubuntu would be released October this year.
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Shuttleworth didn't mention any OEMs or the hardware for the smartphones. However, those itching to get their hands on the OS have reason to rejoice, as Shuttleworth stated that a ROM of Ubuntu will be available for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus by the end of February 2013. He also said that the operating system will make its debut in two major markets this year, but didn't reveal which countries they might be. Shuttleworth did state that North America is a key market for Canonical. It is likely that the company will release its smartphones in lesser-developed markets too.
The Challenge At this early stage, Canonical is pushing its mobile Ubuntu platform as capable of powering not only smartphones, but also laptops and desktops— just plug your mobile device into a convenient thin-client dock, and start working on a larger screen. “We expect Ubuntu to be popular in the enterprise market, enabling customers to provision a single secure device for all PC, thin client and phone functions,” Jane Silber, CEO of Canonical, wrote in a Jan. 2 statement.
(Canonical works with the open-source community to support Ubuntu worldwide, making its money from consulting services related to the software. Its mobile Ubuntu is separate from Ubuntu for Android.) Despite the attention from the tech media, Canonical faces some sizable challenges if it wants Ubuntu to become a muscular competitor in the mobile arena. For starters, it needs to convince hardware vendors to actually build devices that run the operating system. Those as-yethypothetical vendors wouldn’t have an issue with actually building such devices, given the system requirements for an entrylevel Ubuntu smartphone: a 1 GHz Cortex A9 processor, between 512 MB and 1 GB of memory, and multi-touch capability. A higher-end Ubuntu “superphone” requires a quad-core A9 or Intel Atom processor, a minimum of 1 GB memory, and both multitouch and desktop convergence support—again, not a huge issue for any manufacturer.
The Market Scenario But which company would actually build such a device? Apple and Research In Motion and Nokia are all out of
the running, for very obvious reasons. Motorola, as a subsidiary of Google, is also unlikely to leap on the Ubuntu bandwagon. While Hewlett-Packard has flirted with smartphones in the past, most notably after its Palm acquisition, the company doesn’t seem too focused on that segment at the moment. That leaves manufacturers such as HTC, which currently offer devices running either Google Android or Windows Phone. But given Android’s popularity, it might prove difficult for Canonical to convince these manufacturers to do more than release a token Ubuntu device—especially if Google and Microsoft apply counter-pressure. As the Android manufacturer with biggest sales and highest profile, Samsung would have the breathing room to launch an Ubuntu experiment—if it wasn’t already toying with alternate mobile operating systems: Bloomberg is reporting that the manufacturer intends to start selling smartphones based on the open-source Tizen OS. Although the Tizen project resides within the Linux Foundation, Samsung and Intel run Tizen’s all-important Technical Steering Group. (Samsung also manages Bada, another operating system for mobile devices.) “The Tizen was born as Samsung hoped to lighten its
growing dependence on Google on concerns that its top position in the smartphone market may weaken following the GoogleMotorola tie-up,” Byun Han Joon, an analyst with Seoul-based KB Investment & Securities, told the newswire. “Intel always wanted to boost its presence in the mobile CPU market.”
What Makes Ubuntu Smartphone OS Tick? Anyone who has used Ubuntu on the desktop will find Ubuntu for smartphones bears a few similarities. Unity – Canonical’s desktop UI, which includes a strip of app icons along the left side of the screen – can be found on the mobile build too. It’s hidden most of the time, but can be revealed from within any app using a horizontal swipe from the left edge of the screen. Recently accessed apps live here, but you can also access a full list from elsewhere in the OS too. The version of Ubuntu for smartphones being show on the show floor of CES 2013 was an alpha build, and as you might expect, limited to just core functionality – a homescreen with a large icon grid of recently accessed apps and music, a rudimentary photo library, as well as pages for individual contacts. A downward pull from the top of the screen opens an Android-style tray, but dragging to the left or
right without lifting your finger cycles through alternate pages of settings and notifications from various apps. Cool, right?! Though there are certainly bits of Android and features of iOS to be found – and even a card-style task manager of recent apps reminscient of WebOS thrown in for good measure – it’s hard to easily compare Ubuntu’s mobile operating system to any other OS. That’s not to say the experience comes across half-baked, but rather, quite the opposite; Canonical appears to be thinking hard about creating new design paradigms and user experiences that build on more natural touch gestures, with swipes from the corners and sides, as well as some of the best aspects of other competing mobile platforms. But just as interesting is what Ubuntu for smartphones doesn’t borrow. Though both Ubuntu and Android share a Linux base, you won’t find Canonical using any Google code. There’s not even a Java virtual machine for apps. Rather, desktop and mobile Ubuntu are cut from the same digital cloth, which means that apps written in QT, OpenGL and HTML5 can be designed to run seamlessly across both environments – similar to how there are universal binaries for iOS.
Key features of Ubuntu for phones •Can run on entry level smartphones with configuration of 1Ghz Cortex A9 processor, 512MB – 1GB memory and flash storage of 4-8GB eMMC + SD •Current android devices can be used to run this OS (Ubuntu for phone uses the same drivers and kernel that is used by Android) •Supports Web apps and Ubuntu native apps using QML •Supports HTML5 apps •Apps can be published in Ubuntu Software Center store and can be consumed in all Ubuntu form factors (TV, Desktop and Mobiles) •Backed by canonical
Reality Bites Unless Canonical can enlist significant hardware partners to build top-of-the-line devices, then Ubuntu risks becoming a minor footnote in the history of smartphones. Without widely available devices, customers simply won’t sign on, and developers won’t devote the resources necessary to build apps and other software that every mobile platform needs to survive.
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Google Glass – It’s in your hands. Eyes, actually!
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magine walking around an unknown road in the city but knowing who everyone is. Sounds a bit far-fetched? Well, not if Google has its way! After many years of cooking these glasses in their R&D labs, Google have finally decided to launch them “officially” in 2013, for under $1,500. That’s roughly about 82K in INR. That’s not too expensive for knowing all the strangers that roam around in your street, now is it? We’re not really sure *how* Google have managed to makes these glasses so smart, but apparently how it works is – you put them on, and magically you are connected to the world wide web. A small corner on the top right corner will always keep showing you data on where you are, what you wish to share and who you are bumping into. So, if there was a
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perv who has been harassing you for a while, you can easily walk up to him and shout his name out! If that won’t scare the cats out of him, we don’t know what will. Moreover, the Google Glass lets you take instant images of your surroundings and share it with your loved ones. Or, take pictures of any of your body parts and share those too. Well, it’s really up to you now isn’t it! Plus, you can post these images to social networking websites too! Be it Facebook, Twitter or Google+. What’s more if you want to look at some famous piece of art, for reference, you can simply ask these amazing glasses to do a Google image search for it. And instantly you can re-create it, the way you want it. Or create a caricature of the art. Again, it really depends on you.
Still not convinced? Well, how about this. You are stuck at a store and don’t know what you should buy for your wife/gf. Or both. And naturally, the easiest solution is to click an image and share it with the best friend of your wife/gf. Yes, you could technically do that with a smartphone too, but imaging standing at a lingerie store hold that sexy gift your woman and clicking a pic that is clear enough to send to that annoying best friend of hers. You’d really want to avoid such situations and this is where the discrete Google Glass comes in handy. Always placed in front of your eyes, it is the perfect companion for all your needs. Just up to your imagination on how you really want to use it. The possibilities are truly limitless.
Heavy and Powerful
Harman Kardon CL `9,990/-
The box of these headphones itself weighs at least a KG, this is what took us aback but then it is Harman Kardon packaging, you would expect they would impress from the very start. The product is made only for iPod, iPhone and iPad, this may disappoint few souls.
Specifications Type: On-ear style High-performance driver: 1-5/8” (40mm) Frequency response: 16Hz – 20kHz Cable: 4’ 7” (1.4m) Remote: Apple three-button (MFI) Case: Premium carrying case
First Impressions
These headphones have some serious weight, this is due to the metal headbands. Just like the packaging, the headphones are quite fancy looking. We attached the 3.5mm jack to an iPhone and there was pure bliss. The true bass experience is quite satisfying. The way these headphones are designed, the closed back offers great noise reduction. The rectangular design of the ear pieces fit perfectly too. One setback was the detachable metal bows, even while simply adjusting the headphone they land up in the palm of your hands. This was quite irritating.
but they could have possibly tried reducing the weight of the product. They are very comfortable on one’s ears but one cannot put up with it for long hours. The steel hinges connectors scare you at times as you feel they may snap the main wires. We experienced no trouble using the microphone. It works perfectly the way it should be. The sound and voice reception on both ends was crystal clear.
Verdict
For the price at which they are offered, just under `10,000 it is quite steep with several substitutes being available for less. Yes, they do offer fantastic performance but these headphones are meant only for those who would not use it roughly.
Review
On performance grounds, and purely on performance these headphones are quite superior. The headphones are equipped with a unique baffle that creates air flow that extends low frequencies. As a result, CL headphones provide better bass. The novelty element to these headphones are the exchangeable metal bows that could have been avoided. The idea of using metal for the body was quite good
EXHIBIT RATING
Reviewed By: Malik Sumrani
69 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
A Lot More Than Just Earphones The JBL J22i `2,990
Specifications High-performance JBL drivers Apple three-button remote with built-in microphone Silicone sleeves Flat elastomer cables and rubber slider Rugged strain relief Gold-plated jack with extension ring
When we received the earphones, looking at its packaging the first thing that we noticed was that it is made only for iPad, iPod and iPhone. This kind of did not go down to well with all the “Android Loyalists” at the office. So, we decided to test the earphones on an iPhone.
First Impressions
After unboxing them, you would notice that the white and grey combination is quiet catchy. With the trademark JBL “Orange” coloured insertions, on looks this is a fancy looking set of earphones. So, plugged in and all set we played the first song “It’s my life” and we loved the deep and powerful bass experience that these earphones offered. Another element that impressed us was the flat wires instead of round ones. These don’t tangle irrespective of how you treat them. The carry pouch is quite effective too.
Review
The music quality that these earphones offer is quite superior. As claimed by JBL, the product does bring out the intensity in the music with its deep, accurate JBL Pure Bass. The slip resistant silicone sleeves don’t cause pain to your ears inspite of using it for long hours and the ambient noise reduction is very effective. We used it on a computer while working, followed by a walk and then a bike ride, all this in a span of 4 hours and not even once did we feel like re-adjusting the earphones. As far as the mic is concerned, it is quite effective but does not live up to the expectations. Arguably, the only let down of the product, during calls the opposite person struggled to hear our voice clearly.
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Verdict
The JBL performance drivers are probably one of the only differences that separates this product from its competitors. Although, it does seem like a product that will offer value for money, spending this kind of an amount for a pair of earphones is a little steep. As an earphone to listen to music and only listen to music, it is a great pick but you can surely avoid the microphone.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Malik Sumrani
Moves Like Jagger
Logitech’s Rechargeable Touchpad T650 `4,995/-
Specifications First Impressions
A flat bread-like device to ensure all the gesture controls are fully utilized for all Windows 8 devices? Well, it may sound a bit far-fetched, but Logitech has already come up with a unique touchpad that just does that. We might have been a bit confused when we first laid eyes on it, because it just looks like a plain flat slate! But, it’s so much more. And oh, do we have it covered here for you.
Review
The minimalistic look and all metal body really go in favour of this Touchpad from Logitech, which weighs in only at 210 gms. Which is just slightly heavier than the Lumia 920 on a larger surface, as this Touchpad is larger and wider than any phablet in the market. But the real idea is to enable the user to ensure all the gesture movements are utilized of Windows 8, even if you have a non-touch surface. So, once we turned the switch on and put the Bluetooth adapter into the laptop, it immediately picked the drivers up and installed them without a fuss. That enabled multiple finger scroll and gesture control on our slightly older laptop on which we had recently upgraded to Windows 8. The fluid movements on this ‘new’ trackpad was a whole lot more fun as it essentially became a touchscreen interface on a non-touch display. I especially enjoyed toggling between screens with the left to right finger sweep as well as the 4 finger sweep movements. Basically if you can get used to all the finger
and gesture movements on a touch-friendly Windows 8 tablet, then you can certainly enjoy the same experience on a non-touch display using the Logitech Touchpad. The battery life of the product is quite good, though, and it can certainly last for really long hours without you ever worrying for another re-charge. But if you do want to recharge it, then you simply use the USB cable and continue using the touchpad while it charges itself up. There is a small LED indicator on the top right that lets you know if the Touchpad is charged or not. The mechanical click works well if and picks up left and right click quite well though it is not as sensitive as I would have liked it to be. Apparently you can also connect this to up to 6 compatible devices, but since we just had one Bluetooth adapter, we could not test it on multiple devices.
129 mm x 134 mm x 12 mm Touchpad 2.4 Ghz Unifying Receiver (In Package) Windows 8 or 7 Support USB port
Verdict
At 5K, this is perhaps not the most affordable solution to a touch-friendly OS on a non-touch laptop/desktop. But, if the newly introduced Windows 8 UI has left you a bit flustered and you wish to continue with it on your sturdy old PC/laptop then this handy Touchpad is just the device you should be investing in. Especially considering the great build quality and battery life, it really feels worth the price.
Extras
The really clean and minimal look has been extended to the panels too as the front panel houses the microUSB port and the right side has the On/Off switch.
EXHIBIT RATING
Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
71 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
Musically Yours
The Cowon EM1 Earphones `1,150/-
Specifications Dynamic Canal Type Earphones 10 mm driver unit 20 Hz to 20 KHz Frequency Response 103dB Sensitivity (at 1mW) Y type cord, 1.2 mm length
First Impressions
Tangle free earphones with an in-line remote/ mic built in?! Wow! Isn’t that what every audiophile wants while enjoying his music on the go. Unfortunately, not all earphones can give you excellent performances on all the devices you own. So, looking at the spec sheet and build of these Cowon EM1 earphones, we were expecting it to be really good for mobiles and some laptops. But how good were they really?
Review
The tangle free rubber wiring ensures that no matter how you put these earphones in your pocket, they always are really easy to untangle when you remove and use them. There is a marker on the right earphone with ‘R’ engraved in it, but not on the left – although since the in-line mic is on that side, you’d easily figure that one out even without looking closely (and you DO need to look closely to see that R!). Anyhow, the 3.5mm stereo plus is not a right-angled one (thankfully!) and has a good tapered shape on its rear end which makes it easier for a user to remove it from any audio jack. The canal type earphones also have a nice padded design which is curved to match the thickness of our fingers and makes it easier to hold. Little things like these really added to the overall experience. Unfortunately, however, the earphone did not seem to work seamlessly on all devices. Certainly not on Android smartphones, but on iPhones and
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iPod’s they really excelled. Same with desktops and laptops too, especially the depth of sound and loudness. Clarity wasn’t pitch perfect, with the mids and lows especially suffering a few places, but was not that bad overall. The bass was strong, but not punchy. We even tried testing it out on YouTube 3D sound videos and were quite impressed with the overall sound quality that was being rendered in both left and right channels. Long-pressing the play/ pause button on the in-line remote activated Siri on the iPhone 4S, but as always, was a bit of a frustrating experience. But that was more to do with the Siri software, not the EM1. The mic was fairly good in its part, providing an added feature that let you being plugged in with the earphones while continuously using your iPhone.
Remote & Mic
The basic play/pause functionality worked really well in the remote, but nothing much else. Also, the mic was good for closed and quiet environments, but not so impressive with loud and outdoor ones.
Verdict
For the asking price of just over 1K, these set of earphones are not that bad. Especially if you own an iPhone and are looking to use them occasionally on laptops. If you want to use them on your Android phones, however, there would be no point – as they don’t seem compatible with them. On laptops, desktops and other heavy computing devices they performed really well, but the bass is not as punchy nor the mids and lows are that crisp. But, for casual listening they do the job quite well.
EXHIBIT RATING
Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
Diving In Fearlessly
Antonio Bernini’s Dive Pro `26,495/-
Specifications 24 hr chronograph 3 Piece Case mounted with screws 30 ATM Water Resistance Helium escapement valve Screw down case back Screw in crown & push pieces for security & water resistance Stainless Steel case with IP black bezel & side bridges Plinth dial
Verdict
Even if you look beyond the shortcomings of this watch, it is slightly hard to recommend it on what we’ve seen and tested. If you are a diver and don’t mind a chunky wrist watch which gives you precise timing before and after your dive (without worrying about manual corrections), then this could be the best gift for you. But, if you are looking for class and superb build quality, then you might need to look at other options.
First Impressions
We never thought we’d be testing out wrist watches for our loyal fans and avid readers, but there is a first for everything. And this certainly is a first for us – reviewing a wrist watch that claims to be waterproof to a depth that has not been claimed by most other watch-makers. But does that really mean that you should shell out about 26K of your hard earned money for it? Let’s find out.
Review
As soon as you are done removing this wristwatch from its attractive box, you will notice the sheer size of this metallic beast. Having such a chunky wristwatch might not be to everyone’s liking, but it does have the right specs and the appropriate amount of goodies to make you want it. Not just the stainless steel strap, but also the 24-hour chronograph function. There are 6 hands but customizing or
figuring out how to exactly do this was mighty confusing. The 3-piece case is mounted with screws and is understandably sealed securely – so that it can withstand water pressure till 30 meters of depth and still not skip a second. Some of the competition will lack this feature, and the Antonio Bernini achieves this by the help of a helium escapement valve. To actually test this, we really couldn’t go deep sea diving (mostly because we all are terrible at swimming) but we thought we could do the next best thing. Which was to drop the watch in various buckets of water and see how it fared. In a fish bowl, a regular bathing tub, and some water storage tubs till about 8 feet in height – the watch worked without any hiccups. But wearing this thing and diving and just keeping it in water for testing are two different things. With the sheer weight of this wristwatch (largely due to the helium valve), it might not make it ideal for deep sea divers. Plus, to com-
pensate for the weight added on by the valve, the glass covering the dial is not sapphire and perhaps a bit prone to scratches. The Stainless Steel body itself is not perhaps the best in class, which might throw off some people. Especially those who value classy products that last for many years without losing much sheen. On the plus side, the watch is quite a looker – it will certainly catch the attention of all your friends and even shopkeepers who are trying to sell their own watches to you!
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
73 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
Yet Another Budget Tablet The Zync Z1000 `10,990/-
First Impressions
Oh, it’s another budget tablet with decent specs to lure the consumer who doesn’t want to spend too much on the premium ones like the iPad. Most of these come in a 7-inch form factor, but there are some which are slightly higher and the Funbook is 10-inches. So, in this over-crowded melee of budget tablets, we have another player – the Zync with their newest offering – the Z1000. It’s got the usual suspects, but also has calling functionality via a SIM-card slot. But again, that’s not something new, so does it really stand out or fade in with the crowd?
Review
Although the build quality of the tablet is quite good and it doesn’t feel very plastic – although the screen has a bit of glare and not the best colour contrast. Still, for a budget tab its rather good and quite nice to view your multimedia files. Unlike other tablets, there isn’t a plastic border around the Zync Z1000’s display. It has the glass panel that extends from the display onto the border. It isn’t ground breaking, but it is a little different than what we are used to seeing. The back of the Zync Z1000 has a glossy black finish that will get littered with your fingerprints from the minute you touch the device. The rear also houses a 2MP camera. For a tablet priced at Rs. 10,990, the Zync Z1000 is a well-built device. It is slightly on the heavier side at 650 grams, but that isn’t a bad thing as it is still comfortable for prolonged use. The problem arose when using the tablet for
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prolonged time, which gave us a few issues with stutters and lags and even unresponsive apps and webpages. The benchmark scores for this 1.5Ghz powered device confirmed that it really isn’t in the same league as some of the budget tablets, which have now upgraded To dual-core processors and good GPUs too. For the most part, the UI of the Zync Z1000 is stock Android with a minimalistic skin that won’t make a difference to most users. If you want access to the plethora of apps available globally, you can get that from the Google Play store. And the device has the potential to run almost all the apps from the Play store. The Z1000 also has a SIM card slot that not only gives you access to data transfer but to make calls as well. You will do better off using a headset, as the device is unusually large to hold near your ear (though there is no earpiece on the device). It does have a loudspeaker but then, it obviously isn’t the most convenient way to speak in public.
Battery Life
A whopping 7,000mAh battery powers the Zync Z1000 and this is where the tablet is a definite performer. In the continuous video playback test, it lasted for about 6 hours, which is very impressive. You can expect the device to last through the day with ease, with above average use.
Specifications 9.7” TFT Capacitive Touchscreen Display 1.5 GHz Processor Android OS v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1GB RAM 8 GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 32GB 2MP rear cam, 0.3MP front cam
Verdict
Even for a budget tablet, the stutter and lag is quite unacceptable and really would lead to frustrations rather than enjoyment of owning a mobile tablet with calling functionality. Go for it, only if you wish to own a large screen tablet for light multimedia and browsing consumption.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
Innovative and Convenient Music Design
Portronics Pebble `3,499/-
Upper Panel - Touch Controls Left Side Panel - Aux in, Micro SD Card, 3.5 mm Jack Port and USB Port Right Side Panel - Power and Lock Button and Reset Slot.
Specifications LED Digital Display 3.5 mm Jack Touch Controls Bluetooth, Auxiliary, Micro SD Card and USB Connectivity Built in Mic for Calling
First Impressions
Most of you who see the product will agree with us that it looks like a mouse. When we first received it, we were quite astonished with its size. Having reviewed several other portable Bluetooth audio devices, all of them had a very different built then this one. We sure were looking forward to see what Portronics had to offer in this highly competitive product line. The device is packed in a simple box which is not too fancy and comes along with a USB cable, an Auxiliary cord, a carry sling and a storage bag.
Review
Only on appearance grounds it may appear like a fragile product, but when you actually start using it you realise that it is quite rough and tough. The speakers are located underneath and this does hamper the performance of these speakers. The upper panel from which
Verdict you control the device is touch operational and thus you must use the lock key at all times. The different modes like PC, Bluetooth, Micro SD and Auxiliary work effortlessly. In terms of sound quality, the performance of the Portronics Pebble is neither average nor exceptional. It is just about right. The sound quality is quite good and with a maximum volume of 40 we could conveniently play music from one floor of the office and hear it on the other. The device has no bass, thus affecting music quality. The irritating part of the device is the touch controls. We had to struggle a lot when it came to changing songs, volume, switching modes and so on. Not only would you have to tap it several times, it also freezes leaving you helpless. The calling feature works just fine over Bluetooth.
Overall, it is a product that works satisfactorily. Yes, it can offer good performance but also is capable of playing hours of music non - stop. It does lack on the sound quality and functionality front, but at the price at which it is offered it is surely a great product. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a 5,000 and above budget and you wish to purchase a portable audio device, Portronics Pebble hands down is a great option.
EXHIBIT RATING
Reviewed By: Malik Sumrani
75 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
As Average As It Gets
The Sony Vaio Duo 11 Notebook `89,990/-
Specifications 11.6 inches Full HD TouchScreen Intel Core i5 Process 1.7 Ghz 4 GB DDR3 RAM Windows 8 64-bit 128GB Flash Memory HDD Intel HD Graphics 4000 1.3 Kgs
First Impressions
As we’ve witnessed of late, the biggest tech giants are on a roll to create the perfect hybrid – laptop cum tablet – whose main purpose is to make our life more convenient. Thus, enter – The Sony Vaio Duo 11 – one of the first few pc-sliders to hit the market. I was awfully excited to open it, like a child on a sugar rush of sorts. Would it really hold up our expectations of being the ninja of hybrids? Let’s find out.
Review
As you already know, the Vaio Duo 11, is a convertible notebook, which means it functions as a laptop and a tablet, as and when you’d like it. This transformation has been achieved by what Sony calls the, “Smooth Surf Slider Design”, a spring loaded sliding hinge mechanism. All you have to do to change from tablet to laptop is lift the back edge of the screen and it will automatically slide up into a laptop-like position, giving way to its keyboard. What Sony may call smooth, isn’t necessarily so, because it feels awkward and flimsy, like it may just break in your hands anytime, forcing you to be a little too cautious. Besides the screen can’t be adjusted whatsoever, so you’re stuck with two positions at the most. Now that I’m almost done obsessing with the build, we come to the screen. This
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piece has a 11.6 inch screen with an astounding 1920 x 1080 resolution, along with the Gorilla Glass which thankfully protects it from dust and scratches, because when shut (i.e. in tablet mode) the screen feels too exposed. As far as the touch is concerned, it works fine in the tablet mode but it becomes unresponsive at times when used like a laptop. We go further down to the keyboard where I was quite intrigued at the absence of a trackpad, which was replaced by an optical mouse in between the letters. I am sure they did this to take up less space, but it wasn’t a well thought out decision. Also, this keyboard leaves absolutely no place for any palmrest, which is again a (huge) negative point for the Vaio Duo 11. The other features includes stuff present in every other laptop – 2 USB 3.0 ports, card slot, Ethernet Port and your regular 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. The Vaio’s staggering boot time, (maybe 4 seconds tops?) is an amazing boost for your day-to-day activities. Two thumbs up for that. As far as sound and video quality are concerned, it is better than what most laptops have to offer – then again, what else would you expect with its 1920x1080 resolution? Just when you start thinking, this piece just might be okay, its short battery life makes you change your mind. After watching a few videos for about 2.5 – 3 hours, I was prompted
to connect the charger. Aargh! So much for uninterrupted hours of pure entertainment after a stressful day at work!
Verdict
Given the amazing hybrids coming up, this Japanese Giant has to buck up as far as the Duo 11 is concerned. I am in favor of the gorgeous resolution, Intel Core i5 Processor and the 128GB SSD. But, its weak build was absolutely appalling, along with the tiny keyboard, problematic touch and the short battery life. Sony may have hoped to create the ultimate Windows 8 PC, but it’s just an awkward combination between the two. It’s good, just not great and there is definitely a colossal room for improvement.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
6-inch Electrifying Stuff? The Swipe MTV Volt `12,999/-
Specifications 6” TFT capacitive touchscreen 2 Ghz dual-core processor Android OS v4.1 (Jelly Bean) 512 MB RAM 8MP rear cam with flash, 1.3MP front cam 4 GB internal storage, microSD card support up to 32 GB 3200 mAh Li-Ion Polymer battery
First Impressions
A 6-inch phablet for a sub-15k asking price? It’s true and you better believe it! It looks every bit as good as the Galaxy Note II, but for that kind of price we are expecting a performance that can perhaps keep up with the mid-range droids rather than the high-end beast like the Note 2s. The one concern that immediately struck us was the sheer size and weight of the MTV Volt, which at 239 gms is heavier than 2 iPhone 5s!
Review
Whereas MTV is co-branding the Volt from Swipe to reach out to the younger audience, we are not sure that a phone this size will really appeal to them. We never got used to it, in fact the weight and size factor combined proved to be quite a downer! Not to mention the fact that even on such a huge screen estate, the resolution was a mediocre 854x480. Which meant that everything looked unusually large and blown out and even blurred, including some icons! Certainly quite a different look compared to the Note II, from which this phablet draws its inspiration from. Even the icons and the ‘nature’ theme is the same! We then moved on to checking the benchmark scores of the Swipe Volt which has an ARM based
dual core 1 Ghz processor along with a meager 512 MB of RAM. Unsurprisingly, we got rather modest scores for the Swipe Volt, which can be compared to older dual-core phones like the Motorola Atrix and LG Optimus 2X. Some games like Beach Buggy Blitz refused to work, whereas other new ones like Temple Run 2 were good fun on this device. What’s even stranger is the fact that the phone auto-rotates with motion even on the home-screen, with the icon drawer occupying the lower part of the screen when in landscape mode and the notification area occupying the top. If that wasn’t strange enough, we noticed the huge 3200 mAh battery not lasting for more than 6 hours with moderate usage. Especially if we kept using Wi-Fi and 3G on one of the two SIM slots, the other only for voice calling and messaging. The internal memory also seemed to run out of space, even though there was 1 GB of free space still left. On the plus side, we quite liked the sturdy build and the back grip especially, which made holding and operating the smartphone a real pleasure.
Panels
The top panel only has the 3.5mm audio jack, the left panel is blank with the right panel
hosting the screen lock key and the volume rocker, which is rather difficult to reach out to when using the phone with one hand. The bottom panel has only the micro USB port.
Verdict
Even though it is designed and almost a copy of the Galaxy Note II, it is nothing like it. The MTV co-branding is nothing more than their logo on the back, as the phablet is certainly not as cool as its made out to be – nor as powerful, nor as efficient. If it’s a big screen on a budget, only then would it make sense to buy this phablet – but be very weary of the weight factor too!
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
77 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
The Komplete Tablet
Karbonn Smart Tab 10 - Cosmic `10,490/-
First Impressions
With another tablet added to the flourishing budget tablet category, Karbonn Smart Tab 10 is arguably one of the best available budget tablets purely on looks. After un-boxing the product, we were taken aback by the weight of the product. Yes, it is bulky. When we used it for the first time, we were impressed by its performance. Packed with a 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Dual Core processor, this tablet does offer some impressive speed. In terms of design, the tab is simple one with a secondary camera and the menu key in front and buttons and ports on one side and speakers on the other. Having used several budget tablets, we were keen to explore this device further.
Review
The Karbonn Smart Tab 10 - Cosmic is a great budget tablet. We started playing Angry Birds on the device and we had no complains. Providing a screen size of 9.7 inches the product offers great resolution. The Android 4.1 - Jellybean operating system not only offers smooth operation but also a heavily responsive touch. Over Wi-Fi, we accessed the internet (we used Chrome) and it works like a charm. The battery life is also good as it lasts easily for a day upon usage and 2 days on standby.
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But, there are cons to this device as well. The camera does not offer great performance neither in well lit areas nor in dim lit ones. The VGA front camera is also very average, just about good enough to make video calls. The sound quality is also poor both on loudspeaker and in ear. Karbonn also chose to skip 3G connectivity, which was another let down. The internal storage capacity is only 1.5 GB, which is absurd. Considering that one of the USPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of the product is supposed to be its HD gaming capability, where would you store these. It is a proven fact that games lag when they are installed on an external storage component.
Specifications 9.7 inches capacitive touchscreen display Android OS 4.1 - Jellybean 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 Dual Core Mali 400x2 GPUs 6000 mAh battery 2 MP Primary Cam, VGA secondary cam 1.5GB internal storage, microSD card support up to 32GB 1GB RAM
Verdict
Overall, the Karbonn Smart Tab 10 - Cosmic is one of the best budget tablets in the market currently. Considering it is priced at Rs. 10,490, the features of this tablet are quite good. It is not only a good looking tablet but it also offers great performance. Right from connectivity to functionality, it gave us only few aspects worth complaining about. Yes, the camera and the sound quality did fail to impress us, but from a budget tablet we did not really expect much.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Malik Sumrani
Small Price Offering With A King Size Experience!
Videocon A 30 `Rs 8,490/-
Specifications 4 inches TFT LCD screen Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich 5 Megapixel Primary and 0.3 Megapixel Secondary Camera 4 GB internal storage, microSD card support up to 32 GB Dual SIM
First Impressions
Videocon A 30 is one of those budget Android Phones, which you do want to consider purchasing but it fails miserably in impressing you on the looks that you would not pick it up. A white back panel and black from the front, this bar phone would only impress you once you switch it on. From a shelf placement perspective, it loses interest but on performance it impresses. With a touchscreen that is 4 inches in size, the phone is trying to make an impression on two of its aspects - price and the hardware.
Review
When we started using the Videocon A 30, we were impressed with the way it functions on dual SIM. It offered seamless performance and did not drain the battery as much as we expected. The TFT touchscreen is highly responsive and it was fun playing games on the phone. The 1 GHz Dual Core processor along with the Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich OS
is a great combination for a budget phone. It does offer connectivity over Wi-Fi and the sleek design make it an extremely handy phone. The phone comes with built - in apps like Facebook and TOI that also work perfectly. Internet browsing was good until we used it for general web pages. Streaming videos was a pain on the device. The drawback of this device, is its camera. The 5 megapixel camera does not offer the performance one expects from it. Sound quality of the device while playing music is quite average too. The auto brightness features is pretty useless, you might want to stick to adjusting the brightness manually. When we connected the device to the charger, the touchscreen stopped functioning immediately.
Verdict
Videocon A 30 is a smartphone that offers value for money. Targeted at those who are looking for utility and not an swanky looking phone, this is a great pick. Although, from its build quality it appears to be fragile but it does offer great performance. Basic functions like calling, messaging, gaming, etc work without a glitch. The battery life is not too bad either. When compared to its competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos, Videocon A 30 is surely worth considering prior to making a purchase decision.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Malik Sumrani
79 I EXHIBIT I MARCH 2013
The Windows 8 Star Nokia’s Lumia 920 `Rs 38,199/-
Specifications 4.5” IPS LCD PureMotion HD + ClearBlack Display 1.5 Ghz Krait dual-core processor Windows Phone 8 OS Adreno 225 GPU, 1 GB RAM 32 GB internal memory, no microSD card slot 8MP camera rear cam with LED flash, 1.3MP front cam 185 gms
First Impressions
The super-smartphone competition just got hotter with the launch of the Lumia series from Nokia and the 920 is the flagship, which is ready to lead from the front. With a dual-core processor that can easily keep up with the droids quad-core line-up, the Lumia 920 is set to make things a lot more interesting. The Windows 8 OS may have got a slightly mediocre response than what MS was expecting, but the Lumia powered devices with their live tiles UI certainly are making head turns.
Review
The Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protecting the Lumia 920 can even accept your touch with gloves on, or even with sharp objects like your keys! It’s an incredible feat when you think about it as most capacitive touchscreens only accept the warm touch of your fingers. The Windows 8 experience stands out against the iOS and droid clan, with its unique tile layout – which is both great to look at, and functional too. The downside, of course, is the lack of a notification area as well as separate home screen and app drawers. It takes a while to get used to it, but once you get the hang of itthings only get better. The processor and GPU combined give a blazing fast performance and an enjoyable multimedia experience, though a lack of a file-manager is sorely missed. The
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Windows Store is lacking the depth and variety of the App Store and Google Play, but with the Lumia series set to become popular, it will only get better. Nokia’s own exclusive apps for the Lumia 920 are excellent, especially the Maps, the Music Store, City Lens and some apps made in conjunction with MS, like the XBOX Games. Though all of these need data connectivity, the experience is truly enjoyable on a UI that is so smooth and fluid, it really made us want to use the phone more and more just for the fun of it! With all your connectivity options including NFC covered, there is little that one wants more from the smartphone. Except for a few quirks, like the progress of Bluetooth transfer being visible at all times, and some games needing data connectivity to work. These might be little things compared to an amazing display that really stands its own and a superb interactive UI experience.
Verdict
At about 38K, Nokia is asking to trust them as a brand and MS has a lot depending on the success of the Lumia 920. It certainly has almost everything you want from a high-end smartphone, barring a few quirks and lack of apps. Shifting an eco-system might not be easy for most buyers, especially if they are extremely comfortable with iOS or Google. But if you do make the change – the Lumia 920 is the phone to do it with!
Camera
The 8MP snapper has been the talk of town, and not without reason. Based on Nokia’s PureView technology, it takes incredible images and the best images in low-light conditions we’ve ever seen! Plus 1080p recording is just great, though the lens does try and compensate for low-light and keeps adjusting the ISO levels internally. The 1.3MP front cam is really good too, for HD video calling.
EXHIBIT RATING Reviewed By: Chaitanya Tapase
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TRAVAGANT
Living Life KING Size -
Sultan of Brunei H
e was literally born with a golden spoon, the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah is one who knows how to acquire everything he is passionate about. His fondness for luxury cars is known by all. He is an owner of more than 1900 cars. Astonished, there is more. The man also owns a fleet of airplanes. He currently holds the following offices: He serves as King, Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and commander of the armed forces as well as head of the Royal Brunei Police, the Petroleum Unit, the Broadcasting and Information Services, and Supreme Head of Islam for Brunei. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who lives in Istana Nurul Iman, which boasts 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, and cost $1.4bn (£900m) is one of the richest men in the world. His major sources of income comprise of vast reserves of oil and natural gas. He is responsible for turning his tiny sultanate to one of the world's most economically prosperous and socially secure societies. There is something very interesting we read about his wealth over the Internet while we were researching for this article. The Sultan of Brunei's wealth increases by 90 euros every second! This means around 5400 euros per minute, 324000
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Bringing the total number of his cars to 1,932 .The Garage is the size of 5 aircraft hangars.
euros each hour, 7776000 euros a day. Implies about 54432000 euros a week (that's 54 million and 432000 thousand euros.)
Interests This is where it all gets very interesting. The Sultan has a penchant fondness for cars. He has one of the most expensive car collections in the world. His other interests include sports, especially playing Polo, Golf, Badminton. He also enjoys race car driving, piloting helicopters and aircraft. His fondness for gold is quite prominent as he got one of his Rolls - Royce's gold plated.
Interesting Facts About The Palace The largest and most luxurious palace in the world… Consists of 1788 rooms with some furnished in gold and diamond-encrusted 257 bath inlaid with gold and silver and
a garage to accommodate 110 cars The palace has 650 suites … each furnished at not less than 150,000 thousand Euros This requires the visitor to spend 24 hours just to inspect each room for 30 seconds About Aircraft's Most luxurious aircraft in the world, inlaid with gold The Sultan has also a Boeing 747 worth a hundred million dollars, and then re-designed as a home at a cost of more than one hundred and twenty million dollars. Featured add-ons such as a whirlpool bath of pure gold He also has six small aircraft and two helicopters. About His Cars 531 Mercedes-Benzes 367 Ferraris 362 Bentleys 185 BMWs 177 Jaguars 160 Porsches 130 Rolls-Royces And 20 Lamborghinis
About His Honorary Awards More than 10 Brunei Honorary Awards. More than 9 Foreign Honorary Awards including The Most Honourable Order of The Bath - (GCB) - United Kingdom and Order of the Netherlands Lion. More than 15 Other Honorary Doctorates in several individual fields.More than 8 military honours More About His Passion For Cars It will be an insult to call his car palace a garage. The Sultan of Brunei's car palace comprises of a Mercedes wing, a Rolls Royce wing, a Lamborghini wing, a Jaguar wing, a BMW wing, a Ferrari wing, a Porsche wing, a Bentley wing and so on! There are several one of a kind cars too. Like the Porsche Carma and the righthand drive Mercedes CLKGTR. Several concept cars like the Ferrari Mythos and Pininfarinadesigned Jaguar XJ-220 also grace the 'garage'. Other interesting aspects about this car palace is that if a car parked all the way at the back may need almost 1.5 hours to be brought out. If you apply a bit of
math (probability) to this, with a ratio of more than 100 cars per individual in the Sultan's family and court, a car gets to be used only thrice a year. Rolls - Royce Going by the number of RollsRoyces he has, it would be fair to say that this is the favourite car brand of Sultan. He has so much love for these high-performance and super-luxurious cars, that he keeps a Rolls-Royce in front of his palace with the engine running 24-7. Needless to add, all his cars are bullet-proof and feature stateof-the-art technology.
BMW One cannot possibly even imagine a car collection without some majestic German beauties. The Sultan also thinks the same way and therefore has a couple 100 of these beauties in his private collection. Ferrari The Sultan has Ferraris which were just meant to be concept cars. However, when one has money to spend than any concept can take a physical form. His 2 fully operational Ferrari Mythos are just an example of that. His Ferrari 456 is one of the perfect mix of elegance and indulgence. He got
himself a factory made four-door sedan and wagon version of the Italian stallion. His other Ferraris include names like Ferrari F40, Ferrari FX and both of the Ferrari 456 GT Sedans. He also has the Ferrari Testarossa F90, Ferrari F50 Bolide Tub by Pininfarina and Ferrari 550 Barchetta Speciale among others. Mercedes Benz The Sultan of Brunei has almost 600 Mercs in his garage. One whole section of his hangar is dedicated for storing the world's most exclusive and rarest Mercs. Being the absolute Sultan of a country comes with its own
benefits. His collection includes models which are not meant for public consumption, like the special S-class Touring model designed just for the Sultan and a yellow Mercedes Sprinter with a red interior. He also has 100s of 1996-1997 model Mercedes-Benz 500 sedans and 1995-97 500 SELs and SLs, all black. The Sultan got himself the only right hand drive Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR in the world. By Malik Sumrani
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TREME
4 Modified Bentley Continental
Finding it hard to love the Bentley Continental GT? Some of you must be baffled by the title. Why wouldn’t anyone be keen to drive a Rs. 2 crore, 620bhp luxury grand tourer? Here is why. If you value cars based on the kind of people who are driving it, then the Bentley Continental GT isn’t one which figures on the top of that list. To be blunt and brutally honest, it isn’t anywhere in that list. Because it isn’t owned or driven by those who have a good taste in wheels. Most Contys are driven around by heiresses who
have nothing more than their curves as their claim to fame (give us a good reason other than that to admire Kim Kardashian), heiresses (again) who believe that they are living in the Barbie world and by Footballers who want a big car to carry around their bags and WAGs, but for some unexplainable reason are blind to a Range Rover Sport which can do a lot more than just that.
Let’s be fair to the car, shall we? We do admit that the Bentley Continental GT is a practical and capable grand tourer. The Conty is equipped with a 6.0 litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine that belts out power in the range of 500 to 620bhp. It’s quite comfortable with its luxurious interiors and seats for four with enough space in the back for a couple of suitcases. It can go from 0 to 100kph in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of 318kph. All that sounds
Imperium Continental GT It’s red and it’s British. Imperium was hired by a very wealthy businessman to see if they can make his Continental GT stand out in the crowd. They didn’t do just that as the end result also made the car lighter. The tuner used plenty of carbon fiber while pimping up the ride. To visually lower the car for a more aggressive stance, side skirts were added and the front bumper was heavily revised with massive air vents flanking the air dam in the middle. The rear has a discreet lip spoiler and a carbon fibre diffuser keeps the car stable at high speeds and looks magnificent doing its job. Ultra-light fully forged alloy wheels finished in matte black complement the deep red paint job and with an interior trimmed in carbon fibre, wood and leather, you will be pleased with the comforts on offer too. Along with all the show, an ECU remap and a lowered suspension makes the whole tuning package one which has the go.
Vorsteiner BR-10 Continental GT Tuning firm Vorsteiner’s BR-10 styling package for the Continental GT comes with a 5-piece lightweight carbon-fibre aerodynamic package. A two-piece add-on spoiler takes its place at the front and does what it was built to do. It improves down force and directs cool air into the radiators. The front fascia also gets an add-on central carbon splitter. The whole aerodynamic package is enhanced by a two-piece add-on side skirt, a carbon-fibre rear diffuser and a trunk-lid spoiler which Vorsteiner claims will be playing a crucial role in generating down force at high speeds. They offer the Conty with a new set of wheels 22-inch VS-130 five-spoke Forged Aluminum Monoblocks in this case. Oh yes, and you can have the rims in a finish of your choice at a premium, Sir.
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GTs We Won’t Mind Driving We’ll give you 4 reasons to fall in love with it. By Sanjoy Alexander
good, doesn’t it? Alright, it doesn’t handle like a Ferrari and is more like an elephant which just got booster rockets attached to its back. But that’s ok for a grand tourer which is trying to bridge the gap that it has with a sports car. Let’s make it simple. Would you buy one if you had Rs. 2 crore at your disposal? Do you have it on your desktop as the wallpaper? Is it anywhere near your dream garage? See, that mo-
ment of thought and doubt is exactly what we are talking about. You would aspire to buy a Ferrari or a Maserati instead.
transform the car from a bland-looking GT to a fire-breathing dragon. So, ready to change your wallpaper?
But there are a couple of tuners out there who can change your perceptions about the Continental GT and their work just might make the Bentley more enticing to own and admire. They may charge you with a hefty bill once they are done with your wheels. However, they’ll literally
Amari Design Continental GT Evolution Our pick of the lot is this smashing looker from the British tuner Amari Design. The package consists of a new sharper front bumper, lip spoiler, hood, fenders, side skirts, quarter panel extensions, rear bumper, rear diffuser and rear spoiler. The add-ons have contributed to the Conty acquiring a sharper profile and chiselled style. Weight reduction is an added benefit as the modification package has been crafted in plastic and carbon fibre. Amari Design AD1 deep concave three piece forged wheels is another major striking feature of the upgrade package. In case you are wondering whether the Amari Design Continental GT Evolution is just a visual feast, you are wrong. The changes are more than just skin-deep, as the team has employed a hybrid supercharger, ECU upgrade and exhaust system to boost the power up to 750bhp. The interior has got a touch of Amari style with new dash panelling, steering wheel and door grabs. Napa leather and Alcantara wrap up the seats to complete an all-inclusive exceptional package.
Bentley Continental GTO by Onyx Cars A black car shod with black wheels looks devilishly sexy and the Bentley Continental GT is no exception. This one bears a GTO moniker too – inappropriate yet incredible a name to call it. The modified GT is the handiwork of Onyx Cars who opted to wave their magic wand over the grand tourer instead of their usual crop of SUVs. The package boasts of a revised front bumper with carbon fibre inserts and a carbon fibre lower splitter at the front, side skirts and larger wheel arches and at the back the GTO features a revised rear bumper and rear carbon fibre diffuser. The rear is also endowed with a boot lip spoiler. On the inside, buffalo hide leather and carbon fibre interior panelling add to the charm. The Ireland-based tuners have also been thoughtful enough to boost the power from 550bhp to 660bhp and have integrated a suspension lowering system. The package is wrapped up with a set of 22 inch Forged Wheel Option in black.
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TREME
The Arab World’s First Hyper Car So the Middle East does have a weapon of mass destruction – a 750bhp, 392kph missile called the Lykan Hypersport
A
rabia – a mystical land cloaked with a seemingly unending fabric of sand, garnished with palm trees and oases and dipped in sheer exotic flavour. And almost like ethereal cities which are summoned from the sands by a magical spell, the deserts of the Middle East are made all the more magnificent by towering super structures which make up the megacities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Bahrain. With all the oil that they drill out from the depths of the earth, the sheikhs and sultans of the Middle East are the most influential, powerful and above all the richest people on the planet. So rich that at times they are absolutely clueless on what to do with all that money. That’s why they spend it on princely mansions, a cluster of man-made islands which look like a palm tree when looked down from a height of 1000 feet, futuristic buildings with one of them being the tallest in the world, a Formula One race track in the middle of a desert and in constructing an affluent cosmopolitan city which is perhaps the only place outside the US where the Americans feel at home – Dubai. The Middle East also serves as a residence to 65.7% of exotic cars in the world. Ok, we made that up. But it isn’t hard to fall for that percentage figure, is it? The Sultan of Brunei may have all the best cars in the world in his garage. But the sheikhs of Arabia are proud owners of hundreds of exotic machinery. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti – you name it, they have it there and these guys are never satisfied with the “standard” super car and hyper car. They aren’t pleased with the million options and features that the manufacturer offers too. That explains all those over-the-top cars which we see splashed all over the internet. The ones plated in gold, studded with diamonds, dipped in chrome, wrapped in whale-penis leather – we really wouldn’t choose to elaborate further. These chaps are indeed the largest consumers of super cars. And that brings us to the big question. Since the Middle East can gluttonously lap up all the big wheels, can they actually make a hyper car which is competent enough to take on the Italians and Europeans? Till recently, the answer was a no. The Arabs can pull off two-wheeled stunts on their SUVs, astound us with the desert safari drives and preserve exotic cars in their private museums,
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vaults and bunkers. But they never got the super car equation right. Until now.
a graduate from the prestigious Coventry University School of Art and Design in the UK. That answers the question on how the Hypersport turned out looking so much spectacular.
They call it the Lykan Hypersport. Coming from Beirut-based W Motors, this car is not a ragtag attempt to make a barely-there super car. Almost a year ago, when the company announced that they are building a super car which will make the Arab world proud, we were sceptical and so was the rest of the automotive enthusiast fraternity. But when the wraps were pulled off the sharply raked body panels of the car at this year’s Qatar Motor Show, all our doubts vanished into thin air. Sari El Khalil, the founder of W Motors and Ralph R Debbas, the chairman, have actually succeeded in building a truly world-class super car. The latter is
Open up a super car gallery online and it won’t take long before the similarities and sources of inspiration are spotted. The Hypersport draws oodles of cues from some of the best-styled machines around. But the brilliance of the design team lies in creating a car which doesn’t look like a Xerox copy of a Lambo. What pleases the most is that the design in classy, mature and elegant. The angular styling approach will ensure that the design stays fresh for long and the designer’s step to play around with the lines to the level of a futuristic road car also makes the Hypersport a fantastic machine to behold. Thankfully, W Motors is not toning it
down in terms of the styling. It’s an Arab super car after all. That being said, we should delve into the cockpit which is another surprise. No whale-penis leather in here. Neither is it designed to resemble the interior of Brunei Sultan’s private jet. On the contrary, it’s from the pages of science-fiction than from those of the Arabian Nights. The experience starts off with a virtual holographic display with interactive motion controls and a digital cluster with customizable display. The seats are made of a wrap-around carbon-fibre body shell and the design reminds us of the armour worn by Jaeger pilots from the upcoming Pacific Rim. Somewhere we do see the Tumbler Batmobile with seats like these. The key to the Hypersport is made of carbon-fibre, titanium and precious stones. The promotional material treats the key more like a jewel itself. If you are searching for the signature Arab ostentatious factor, you’ll find it in the diamond encrusted LED lights, a gold-plated hood, gold-stitched leather seats and the option to have the Hypersport embellished with diamond, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Plus, you also get a wristwatch as free. Big deal, huh? It is, when the timekeeper that you receive as a free gift is a $200,000 Cyrus Klepcy. To put things in perspective, that’s the price of a brand new Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. Now, it’s time to see how much impressive the Hypersport is on the power and performance front. Power is drawn from a mighty...no...not a genie...but from a mid-mounted twin-turbo flat-six engine. The magic lamp produces 750bhp of power and 737 lb-ft of torque. You want performance? Of course you do. Or else you won’t be here. It takes the Hypersport barely 2.8 seconds to crack the 100kph barrier and on a bright sunny day with clear roads it can reach a top speed of 392kph. Hmm...the action has graduated to a whole new level – to the hyper car league. So...the price? $3.4 million and only 7 examples will be built and we have a strong feeling that none of them will be leaving the Middle East. Not that there aren’t any takers in the West for such an amazing hyper car. W Motors have already received 100 orders and that too from prospective buyers who are ready to part with $3.4 million the moment the manufacturer says “yes”. Most of them are going to be disappointed for sure. But for them W Motors is readying up another monumentally awesome car – the Supersport version of Hypersport. Now that’s going to be pricier, faster, wilder and a more blistering performer on the road. Finally, the Arabs have arrived. Are you listening, Europe?
- Sanjoy Alexander
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TREME
Darth Vader If you are a dictator, then look no further. The Dartz Prombron is built just for self-indulgent rulers like you.
Remember Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2012 R-rated comedy flick, The Dictator? Of course you do. It may not have been a Borat. But it was better than Bruno. After all, it had a short cameo from Megan Fox which was cheeky and cheesy in every imaginable way. Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen, the dictator of the fictional Republic of Wadiya who was visiting the US had his share of escapades which translated into a not-sobad laugh-riot at the movies too. Good way to spend a weekend, we’d say. However, for car buffs who indulge themselves in shouting out the names of flashy wheels on the big screen, The Dictator proved to be a head-scratcher. Most of them couldn’t name the pompous armoured vehicle in which Aladeen was chauffeured around. The closest that many got when it came to guessing was the Knight XV. Other settled for a “modified Hummer”. To those who are still in the dark on what the mammoth’s real identity is, we are here to the rescue. It’s a Prombron. Yep, it might take a while getting used to that name. Odd-sounding name for a car, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’ll grow
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on you. Well, since it isn’t just a car, we can spare it from the interrogation. But it hails from a place which would make Admiral General Aladeen feel at home – the Republic of Latvia. That’s somewhere in Northern Europe. Geopolitics lessons being done with, let’s move to the car...or the armoured truck...to be more accurate. Dartz Motorz Company which builds the Prombron has been in the business of constructing armoured vehicles for years. These guys used to build cars for the Czars and Dartz prides itself in being highly outspoken and doesn’t mind raving about their vehicle and pedigree. So much pompous they are that even their website proudly flaunts the line "supplier of tzars, admirals, generals and the dictators since 1869". They also send out promo material featuring nude models. Beat that Rolls Royce. It was the Prombron that shot them to fame and notoriety. The preferred ride of many a self-styled dictator in Banana Republics around the world, the vehicle is a hitman’s nightmare and is practically impenetrable. Unlike most armoured vehicles
which are conventional road cars converted to tanks for the road, the Prombron is one which has been built from scratch to be an armoured vehicle and that makes all the difference. Available in various stages of armouring with B7 being the highest, the Prombron is built under the supervision of experts – two of them being ex-military snipers. To top it off, they have also roped in an ex-KGB agent to the mix. That’s the gang of baddies who you would expect to see in a Bond movie from the Roger Moore-era. The interior of this BNOV (that expands to Bespoke Noble Opulent Vehicle) is a PETA activist’s worst nightmare and if the doors are opened up to the eyes of a Greenpeace campaigner, then Latvia will burn under the rage of animal rights activists all over. Wondering why? It’s got leather in every inch of its upholstery and panelling. And not just any leather. It doesn’t come from the back of a cow or a snake or an alligator. It comes from...well...we are not sure how to convey it delicately. But here it goes – whale foreskin. No typo there. And that’s the Prombron’s instant claim to fame. We despise it though, as we think it’s kind of disgusting and of course, whales
are facing extinction these days. Moving on from that part, Dartz offers the Prombron with numerous other options and in a dozen special editions. The basic bodystyles are that of the Saloon and the Pullman. Prices start at $1.5 million. The company has also made it clear that they’ll integrate literally anything that their clients require in the car, even if it’s just for the sake of making it more expensive. A client from China reportedly had his Prombron delivered to him with a price tag of $7 million. Perhaps the CIA can figure out as to why the price is so steep. May be, he had commissioned Dartz to add diamonds in the headlamps, rubies on the gear knob, gold plating on the grille and to get the seats done in Unicorn leather. We are just guessing. Essentially, the Dartz Prombron is for high-headed, self-indulgent chaps who prefer to walk around in their uniforms which bear so many medals that the cumulative glint would blind their followers. The Dartz is for those who erect towering statues of their own all over the country when the people around them are dying of poverty. We wonder why nobody in this part of the world has thought of buying one of these. May be it’s a dictator thing after all.
PECT
Upcoming Supercars
...Sanjoy Alexander
As Indians, we love two kinds of cars – SUVs and supercars. The former is appealing and practical to buy and own in a country where roads are as good as the broken tracks in Europe. The latter never fails to grab our attention, though only a few of us get to own one. Until last month, we were busy in sweeping the industry for all sorts of news that we can pick up regarding the new SUVs which will be hitting our roads this year. It was then that we realized that we had completely ignored the supercars which are being readied in distant lands. So we went on the internet and came up with three supercars which we hear will be gracing our roads and blessing those of us with the gift of sight, very soon.
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish Maserati GT Sport
You do remember the Vanquish, don’t you? It is unfortunately the most infamous Aston Martin to have ever starred in a Bond movie. Lee Tamahori’s Die Another Day may have been a blockbuster and it did pay tribute to 20 years of the superspy on the big screen. But little did Aston know that the director would make a colossal mess out of the car which they donated for filming. Product placement can be a disaster if not done properly, you see. Anyway, let’s leave it at that. Because, now we have a new Vanquish in town and we hear that it’ll be making a big appearance on our roads soon. The second generation Vanquish benefits from a more evolved design which draws from the styling of the DBS and the hypercar One-77. The 5.9 litre V12-engined British Bulldog makes 565bhp of staggering power and with its 8-speed ZF gearbox we hear it’s quite a delight to harness it all the way you deem right. The Vanquish accelerates like a rocketship with 0-100kph coming up in 4 seconds. Rest assured, you wouldn’t wish nor need the feature of adaptive camouflage for the new Vanquish. Will Bond be driving one? Keeping our fingers crossed for that.
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
Beyond the trident insignia and underneath that long hood lies a Ferrari engine. That’s how everyone has always put a Maserati across. They are basically Ferraris with a new suit and tailored for those who can’t afford a blueblooded Ferrari. But that’s probably the most heartless way to say it. Because, Maseratis at times have more soul than some of the new generation Ferraris. The GT Sport is one such car. The replacement for the GranTurismo S is a spirited performer which uses its 4.7 litre V8 remarkably well. Not just to produce 450bhp of power, but also to propel itself from 0-100 in 4.8 seconds. It resembles the wilder and the striped-out MC Stradale, without being that much track-focused and on a brighter side, it handles and rides better than its predecessor and cousins. The ZF 6-speed automatic transmission is way better than the gearbox in the GranTurismo S which makes it all the more enjoyable to drive. There is one more reason to cheer. It won’t be as pricey as a Ferrari. That makes it within the buying capacity of a lot more young turks.
We did a full-blown feature on the Berlinetta in last month’s issue and for those who missed it, here is the summary. The F12 Berlinetta is beyond question the most beautiful Ferrari that you can buy from the dealership of the prancing horse these days. The replacement for the 599 was also awarded with the title of “The Supercar of the Year 2012” by Top Gear magazine. Unlike the confused FF or the overhyped 458 Italia, the Berlinetta looks perfect and well-balanced. Needless to say, it is also the most powerful production can in the entire Ferrari line-up. It’s been gifted with the power of 730bhp that is belted out by a massive 6.3 litre V12 engine. You may end up paying around ` 3.5 crore for one of these. But when you do find the road to take it to its top speed of 340kph, you’ll be having that unmistakable smile of satisfaction – a smile which only this car can give.
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PLORE
Kolkata International Salsa Congress The first of its kind in the city, the Kolkata International Salsa Congress was held from the 4-6th of January 2013. It was organised by Aditya Upadhya and Shaneel Mukerji of Vive la Salsa, a Kolkata based Latin Dance community which conducts classes and workshops, performances, parties and social events. A pass for the 3 day festival included 3 nights of social dancing at parties, over 20 workshops to choose from, and one mega finale show ‘Stand up and Dance’. Exhibit was the official magazine partner for this fun filled event. We danced our way towards bliss after being associated with KISC. Parties A welcome party kick-started the 3 day event on the 4th of January with an introduction to all the instructors and artists, followed by 4 hours of non-stop dancing at Maaya, The Swissotel. After hectic days of workshops on Saturday and Sunday the dance floor for the evening parties at Plush, The Astor Hotel and the South City International School, were still packed with dance enthusiasts eager to practice what they had learnt in their classes. The evening socials were also an opportunity for all participants to watch and dance with the international and national artists. Workshops Learning from some of the world’s best dancers, all present under one roof, is an opportunity most dance enthusiasts would not pass up. The workshops at KISC were held at the South City International School which boasts of ergonomically designed, state of the art infrastructure. Over 20 workshops were on offer over 2 full days: 8 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday, and attended by 250 registered participants. These covered Salsa, Bachata, Zumba, Kizomba, Zouk Lambada, Bellydancing, Tango, Pachanga, Jive, Afro, Rumba, Footwork, Musicality, Styling and Body movement. During every slot a workshop catered to beginners and intermediate-advanced dancers. At the end of a workshop instructors did a demonstration of what had been taught for participants to video record. In this way participants can recall all that they learned and practice at home.
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Though the parties at KISC would seem to be the place to socialise, spending hours in workshops together is a great way to meet new people who share a common interest. ‘Stand Up and Dance’ Show The grand finale of KISC was the ‘Stand Up and Dance’ show. The main lawn of the Tollygunge Club in winter was the perfect setting for an audience of over 600 people. The only show to combine Stand Up Comedy and Latin dance performances, it was an evening of non-stop entertainment. Papa CJ hosted the show and ensured that the audience didn’t have a moment’s distraction between the dance performances and his act. The national latin dance artists who taught and performed at the KISC have been invited to a number of European and Asian festivals. Some of them have been finalists on India’s Got Talent, Just Dance, Dance Premiere League, and have taken part in the World Salsa Championships held in Australia and USA. Meher Malik, of Banjara Dance School, received rave reviews for her 2 performances! 2 performances by Maykel Fonts, world’s best Afro Cuban dancer, choreographer and actor in Streetdance 2 (3D) released in 2012, had the audience on their feet by the end of the evening. Apart from the professionals, the Vive la Salsa students performed. A demonstration of what any member of the audience could do if they attended regular classes!
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PERTISE
By Chaitanya Tapase
T
he camera industry has been undergoing through so many changes that photographers are not limited by the instruments they use. But newer isn’t always better. Okay, maybe it is – but there are some old school techniques that have been coming up for the past few years. For this month’s Shutterbug let us introduce you to one of them.
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Lomography began with a fateful encounter in the early 1990s... ...when a group of students in Vienna, Austria, stumbled upon the Lomo Kompakt Automat – a small, enigmatic Russian camera. Mindlessly taking the shot from the hip, and sometimes looking through the viewfinder, they were astounded with the mind-blowing photos that it produced – the colours were vibrant, with deep saturation and vignettes that framed the shot – it was nothing like they had seen before! Upon returning home, friends wanted their own Lomo LC-A, igniting a new style of artistic experimental photography that we now know as Lomography! Following the mania that ensued upon the introduction of Lomography, they flew to St. Petersburg to work out a contract for the worldwide distribution of this fantastic little camera. Soon, the 10 Golden Rules was set up as a guide to this analogue movement, followed by exhibitions, world congresses, parties, installations, collaborations, and events. New products, films, and accessories were developed, and Lomography.com served as the communication hub for Lomographers worldwide. At the same time, Lomography Gallery Stores were put up worldwide.
According to Lomography.com, There are 10 rules that define ‘lomography’: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Take your camera everywhere you go. Use it any time – day and night. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but a part of it. Try to shoot from the hip. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible. 6. Don’t think. 7. Be fast. 8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film. 9. Afterwards either. 10. Don’t worry about any rules! Lomography is considered an art movement; as there are now several stores, galleries, groups, competitions and embassies around the world aiming to spread and support the art. The Lomographic Society International headquarters is in Vienna, Austria, but it maintains a website where lomographers can purchase their cameras, interact with fellow photographers, share their photos and techniques, etc.
Today, the technological advances in the field of photography has grown by leaps and bounds. Cameras today produce beautiful, high-resolution images, automatic settings, high-speed shutter settings, etc. Even post-processing has improved immensely, thanks to computers and Photoshop. You can see your picture immediately, so you have the option to delete it or to keep it, an option not available with earlier film cameras. Because of this, everyone can now be a photographer. In fact, it’s almost like spoon-feeding. The question is, ‘Where is the challenge in that?’ Lomography is a pretty recent type of photography invented by the Lomographic Society, founded in the early nineties in Austria. The founders first experimented with Lomo LC-A, a cheap Russian toy camera. They were taken by the unique, high contrast photos with vignettes and soft focus. The original lomo cameras are the LC-A, Holga, Fisheye, Colorsplash and Supersampler.
Diana F+
Holga
Colorsplash
LC-A
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PROS & CONS OF LOMOGRAPHY
Ironically, the disadvantages of lomography can be used as an advantage, and vice versa.
Light Leaks
Depending on who you’re talking to, light leaks can be a good thing or a bad thing. Some lomographers love their light leaks, while some despise them so much they tape the heck out of their camera. On the plus side, light leaks do create trippy effects. They can transform mundane photos into otherworldly captures.
Unpredictability
Depending on who you’re This is what makes lomography so fun–and so frustrating. Lomo cameras are highly unpredictable–like it has a life of its own. That’s why most of the beautiful lomo photos are ‘happy accidents’. So if both a professional and a beginner in photography takes up lomography for the first time, both are likely equal in the field of lomography. Coming up with beautiful photos taken by toy cameras require you to understand your camera, develop a friendship with them and this understanding will take some time and practice.
Plastic Lens
The lens is made out of plastic and not glass, so the lens is largely responsible for the quality of the images: vignettes, saturated colors, off hues, and the like.
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The best way to learn about working with available light is by trying a lomography camera. These toy cameras work best in broad daylight, where it’s sunny and warm. Most lomography cameras work poorly indoors, cloudy or at night, except if you switch it to bulb mode or if you have flash.
Example of a Super Sampler
Poolside Lomo
Lomo at a Railway Platform
Lomo Under Bright Lights Lomo with a Feline
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Is Lomography worth its hype? The Lomographic Society is criticized for their overpricing, one point saying that the company sells their cameras, film and equipment for far more than it’s worth. The LC-A is sold for aroud US $30, when the first lomographers bought it, but now they sell for around US $250. The original Diana+ was sold for only US $1, but the new, updated version by Lomography sells for US $50. Aside from Lomography, there are now recent companies that now sell toy cameras, often much, much, cheaper, like the Four Corner Store. Love it or hate it, lomography is fun and addicting, and I still buy the cameras and the expensive film even if I know I’m being ripped off. So even if it’s an overpricing venture, they’re still making good money out of it.
How to get started?
1
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON
There are many different kinds of lomography cameras! How do you choose which one is best for you? Different cameras have different uses, features and effects. For example, the Fisheye takes a 170-degree view around you, creating an almost circular image. The Supersampler takes four photos within 2 seconds or in 0.2 seconds. Colorsplash has some really colorful flashes, and the Rocket Sprocket takes wide shots with the sprockets in them.
3
Experiment with different effects!
Long exposures, double exposures, red scaling, these are just some things you can do to create funky pictures with your lomo camera. Multiple exposures are a fun effect in lomography you can try. This feature is often not available in regular film cameras and film SLRs, since the shutter and forward button is locked together, requiring you to move forward to take the next shot. Try to have fun and play with the ‘rules of lomography’ or break them. Instead of loading the 120 film into your Holga, improvise by using a 35mm instead. There are unlimited options.
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2
Choose your film
Also note that some lomo cameras use different kinds of film. The Holga and the Diana F+ uses 120 film, which has to be done in a film specialty store. If you don’t want the additional expenses and hassle, opt for 35mm film cameras (Fisheye, Diana Mini, Superheadz, etc.) where you can have it developed in any drug store. There are also 110 film cameras, a smaller and even rarer film (thus harder to develop). For beginners, we recommend you choose the regular 35mm film first. Don’t buy expensive film just yet–if it’s your first time, expect to fail miserably. If your rolls come out with nothing, don’t give up just yet–its part of the learning process. Thus, buy cheap rolls of film first to use as your test roll. 400 iso film is great for most conditions. You can have your rolls cross-processed to give that saturated, high contrast result popular in lomography.
4
Finally, meet and share with fellow lomographers
So you’ve already learned a thing or two about photography. You finally got a few brag-worthy shots. Many lomographers enjoy creating lomo walls. These lomo walls look really amazing and psychedelic, all thanks to the funky colors lomography shots create.
CLUSIVE
TECH QUOTIENT WITH
Amrita Puri On a scale of 1 to 10, how tech savvy are you? - Probably 4 A gadget you can’t live without? - My phone and iPod. A gadget you purchased and immediately regretted? - My Macbook Pro. I should have got the Air. It’s easier to carry around. The car you drive and the maximum speed you have driven at? Have you a thrill for speed? - Honda City. I haven’t gone over 120. I prefer being safe. Any technology you would like to invent? - Transporter. A capsule that you get in press a button and you’re home. Say you’re working on set and dead tired. You just jump in your capsule press a button and you’re home in bed. A teleporting device The most used Mobile Apps? - Whatsapp, Google Maps and some Music Apps The mobile app that keeps you busy: - Whatsapp and Instagram
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All That You Need To Know About The App Universe By Malik Sumrani
N
okia was probably the first ones to create phones that were Java based and allowed third party app installations on its devices. You must have heard about J2ME in the early 2000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. This is probably what led to the birth of the app industry. Developers saw an opening to create apps that could work like a charm on your phone and change the purpose behind purchasing the phone. Gone were the days when people purchased phones just to make calls or text messages, people now wanted more... More apps, More storage space, More entertainment, More of everything. And within less than 10 years, the world saw Web 2.0, rise of social networks, apps focusing on personal preferences and what not. Finally came in cloud computing. With the progress in devices and gadgets, more and more apps have been developed over the years. Android operating systems progressed from Android 1.0 to the recent one Jellybean, iOS has progressed from 1.0 to the recent one 6.1 and so on. These upgrades have provided great impetus to the app industry as developers can create apps that not only offer a great experience but are also extremely high end.
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Now let us look at the volume of the app industry. Currently, the industry is worth an estimated 7 billion dollars and an expected growth of more than 100% in the next year to come. With more than 11 different operating systems, 49 prominent manufactures and 8,000 different devices currently in the market, all of these operating systems have a minimum of five applications per device. Some operating systems like Android are a developers bliss and the upcoming Ubuntu would be nothing short of a fiesta for a developer. As far as iOS, Windows, Blackberry and Symbian are concerned, they are not open sourced and developers cannot tweak too many apps as per their liking. The app industry does experience several challenges too. The greatest one being the jailbreaking of devices that enables users to download apps for free and thus affecting revenue for app companies. Secondly, the other challenge being the slow growth of different connectivity mediums like cloud computing, 4G and so on.
BEST GAMING APPS ANGRY BIRDS Without a doubt the most popular game since its inception in 2010, Angry Birds is a game that is capable of frustrating a person and delighting them at the same time. Using a catapult to fling the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Angry Birds,â&#x20AC;? the players are required to smash a castle of wooden boxes and other obstacles to defeat their enemies - the thieving pigs. With several different scenarios like Rio, Space, etc created of this addictive game.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
FRUIT NINJA Developed by Australia based Halfbrick Studios, Fruit Ninja is a simple game for those with quick fingers. The user has to simply slice the fruits on screen using a blade controlled via the touch pad. The user is expected to go into a slicing frenzy in the game. From extra points upon slicing multiple fruits to game modes like Zen, Arcade, etc Fruit Ninja is lots of fun combined with some serious need for finger - eye coordination.
Platform iOS
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Platform iOS, Android, Windows and Symbian
FREE!
TEMPLE RUN A game from Imangi studio, Temple Run is an endless runner wherein the player takes the role of an explorer attempting to steal an idol from a temple and is being chased by Demonic Monkeys. With several power ups and characters, the game has been an absolute rage amongst smartphone users. There are several objectives to challenge the players too. Recently, the developers launched Temple Run 2, which offers a whole new dimension to this endless running game.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
STREET FIGHTER IV The classic fighting game from Capcom received a warm response when it was launched for Apple users. The arcade game sticks to being the way it was originally on coin operated machines. One of the only games that offer a true fighting experience, Street Fighter offers fantastic graphics and brilliant gameplay.
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FIFA 13
Platform iOS
Offering the best football experience on handheld devices, just like every year, EA Sports did not get it wrong. With new squads, kits and the trick on screen button, this game is a joy for anyone who loves the sport. It’s without a doubt the most refined gaming experience in sports and is surely worth every penny. They have added an online mode to the game too!
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BEST APPS IN FOOD & LIFESTYLE
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
BOOK MY SHOW From booking tickets for movies to popular events all across the country, the BookmyShow app offers it all. Payment is as easy as it is over the web and the app offers complete real time ticketing solution. The only thing that remains is the “Coming Soon” sports section. Overall, this is a complete app.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
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BURRP! The perfect guide to help one out to pick the right restaurant or read a review about the place even before you invest your time and money, with this app. Available in several cities in India, it is the ideal app for those who are always looking for a new place to try or are new to the city.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE
SHOPPER’S STOP - FIRST CITIZEN A loyalty building activity by one of India’s finest departmental stores, the first citizen app is an extremely handy app for those who shop at Shoppers Stop often. Right from an account of loyalty points to recent offers, it is a great way to keep a loyal customer updated. To add to this it has a cool QR code reader to scan and learn about the several ongoing offers at the store.
BEST COMMUNICATION APPS Platform iOS, Windows, Symbian, Blackberry & Android
WHATSAPP MESSENGER Without a doubt, the most used communication app on several platforms, Whatsapp Messenger has become an absolute necessity for most Smartphone users. Offering connectivity over 3G or Wi-Fi, the app is free for the first year and chargeable post that.
FREE (1ST YR)
Platform iOS, Windows, Symbian, Blackberry & Android
VIBER Calling and Messaging made free, Viber is a great app for those with a good 3G or Wi-Fi connection. If you have someone who lives across the globe, then Viber can be a saviour. Now avoid huge phone bills and also stay connected.
FREE!
Platform iOS, Windows, Symbian & Android
SKYPE With more than 9 lakh downloads only on Android, Skype is a free voice and video calling app. Preferred more for its video calling features, it is one of the only apps that allows connectivity in between smartphones and computers.
FREE!
BEST PRODUCTIVITY & UTILITY APPS
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
CATCH NOTES An amazing app for those who would not want to miss an important task. Users can create voice, photo and text notes. With both online and offline calibration, users can access and edit their notes with ease. This is an excellent app for both personal and professional use.
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SYSTEM TUNER PRO
Platform Android
Rated as the most complete Android system suite, System Tuner Pro allows users to monitor and record all activities, backup and restore apps and lots more. From functioning as a task killer to carrying out several other functions, this is an extremely useful app.
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BEST APPS FOR SPORTS LIVE SCORES ESPN CricInfo We live in a cricket crazy nation, so not possessing this app is a crime. In sync with their website, the ESPN Cricinfo app offers live scores of all the cricketing action from across the globe. Every single feature right from stats to ball by ball updates are available on the app.
Platform iOS & Android
FREE!
Platform Android
ESPN FC Another app from ESPN digital, this one concentrates completely on the largest sport in the world - Football. The app offers great customization as you can select your favourite team, leagues and so on. Receive customized updates on every goal scored and for every card. The interface is great and error free too.
FREE!
BEST APPS FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING
Platform iOS, Android, Windows, Symbian & Blackberry
FREE!
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FACEBOOK With more than 5% of our country being on Facebook and if you are one of them then this is a must have app on your smartphone. It not only allows users to browse their timeline but also post and manages pages. It is a complete app for those who love to stay connected with their friends over Facebook.
Platform iOS, Android, Windows, Symbian & Blackberry
TWITTER If you are addicted to the social networking site then this is a great app for you. It offers every single feature of the website. Be it direct messages to mentions, it is a complete app that works smoothly over Edge, 3G and Wi-Fi.
FREE!
INSTAGRAM Platform iOS, Android, Windows, Symbian & Blackberry
A free and fun way of sharing your world with your followers using pictures, Instagram allows users to edit pictures using one of the several available gorgeous features. Now you can transform your everyday moments into a work of art and share it with your family and friends.
FREE!
Internet and Entertainment APPS OPERA MINI BROWSER One of the fastest available browsers for Tablets and Smartphones, Opera Mini offers a seamless browsing experience to its users. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the ideal web browser to use any network connections such as Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G. This full featured browser has an interface that allows you to browse the way you want. It has fully integrated Facebook and Twitter and thus, sharing content is a tap away.
Platform iOS, Android, Windows, Symbian & Blackberry
FREE!
SPUUL Platform iOS
FREE!
Spuul offers entertainment in form of movies on the go. Now watch Bollywood movies and television shows for free with a unique functionality i.e. the ability to pause and resume playback position between different devices. Now watch your favourite flicks over 3G or Wi - Fi. Although, there is a subscription amount for those who wish to watch premium movies.
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The Battle Of The The budget tablet market in India is an extremely competitive one. With more and more companies launching these products, in the last few months we have witnessed an arrival of several new players in the market. This time around we are comparing BSNL’s Penta T - Tab WS802C and the Wishtel IRA Icon MID M801. By Malik Sumrani
`8,299
BSNL Penta T-pad
PROS
CONS
This tablet’s strength lies in its hardware configuration. Equipped with a large 8” multi-touch capacitive screen, 1.2 GHz processor, 1GBDDR III RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB, the tablet’s configuration is at par or higher than several others in the market. It does deliver performance that is apt for its price.
The device fails on the looks front. The white plastic design is awful. Since the processor is a single core, the tablet tends to lag and slow down. The transition from one menu to another tends to lag. Once you have managed to store files of at least 6 GB in capacity, the tab works at a snail’s speed. The display looks highly pixilated, a little washed-out on the colours front and lacks the sharpness and crisp picture quality. The clarity offered by the camera is not too great either.
The tablet offers connectivity via Wi-Fi, USB, Micro SD card slot and cellular. So, you can connect using a 3G USB dongle or use a 2G SIM card too. The micro USB charging feature is a boon as you no longer need to carry the charger around. The battery life of the product is incredibly good too.
4 GB 7 inches 1.2 GHz Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich 0.3 Megapixel
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Budget Tablets Having extensively used and reviewed both BSNL Penta T - Tab and WIshtel IRA Icon, the Wishtel IRA Icon offers a tad bit more than the Penta T - Tab on the performance front. Right from the hardware to the design, the IRA ICON is the better product. But, the negative aspect here is the price. If you truly have a budget close to Rs. 12,999 only then can you afford the product, otherwise you may want to settle for the Penta T - Tab. As is the case most times, shell out more and you will receive a better product.
Wishtel IRA Icon
VERDICT
`12,999
PROS
CONS
Although, this tab too functions on a single core processor, it offers better performance. The tablet has a 1024*768 pixel full angle TFT LCD capacitive multi-touch screen and runs on Android 4.0 with 1.2 GHz processor and a non-standard 1GB of RAM. Its USP is the built in 3G SIM that offers connectivity better than several other products in this category. The tablet has an 8 GB internal memory that can be expandable memory of up to 8 GB. The 2 megapixel camera offers great performance too.
The battery life of the product is extremely poor. It drains much quicker than what we expected. The 3G connectivity could be one of the reasons for this but even when we were using just the apps, we had to plug in the charger within 4 hours. The product fails on the design aspect too. Wishtel has offered an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;On/Offâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; toggle switch that does not function at all. The back cover, which is metal is prone to scratches. The audio quality is below average too.
8 GB 8 inches 1.2 GHz Android 4.0 - Ice Cream Sandwich 2 Megapixel
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CELLENCE
Tech Awards 2012 AFTER 3 months of continuous voting, we finally have reached our winners for the Best Gadgets of 2012! We hope you, our fans and voters, have enjoyed the time voting and watching the fortunes of your favourite products sway in the months following the announcement of our shortlist. So, without further ado, here’s a look at our winners -
Best Smartphone
Samsung Galaxy S III Not many will doubt the fact that the Samsung Galaxy S III was a revolutionary smartphone at its time, with blazing fast performance and unmatched hardware quality for the asking price. It was only much later that other manufacturers caught up with their own quad-core powered, 8MP camera-equipped super-smartphones, but the Koreans got there first – and our voters and fans have loved this phone ever since. A proud winner and a deserving one at that!
15%
20%
15%
20%
LG Optimus G HTC One X+ Nokia Lumia 920 Apple iPhone 5
Best Innovative Gadget Lenovo Ideapad Yoga
A hotly contested category, the eventual winner came from a corner we were possibly not expecting – but a well deserved one anyway. Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga did get some mix responses overall for their design of the Windows 8 touch-notebook, but it is one that also inspired a whole lot of other manufacturers to follow suit and come out with their own hybrid tablet-laptops with foldable and/or collapsible touchscreens.
15%
18%
15%
20%
Razer Project Fiona Lytro light field camera MapMyIndia CarPad 5 Sharp Freestyle Aquos TV
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Best Tablet
Apple iPad 4th Gen The other contenders were: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (N800), Microsoft Surface, Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, Google Nexus 10. Even though the Note 10.1 gained a lot of momentum in our voting systems, it was eventually the Apple iPad 4th Gen that took away the coveted prize. With an improved graphics experience and the updated iOS, the iPad 4 was always going to be a winner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but the iPad is now facing stiffer competition than ever before. But, the people have spoken, and the iPad 4th gen is the winner.
19%
14%
10%
16%
Galaxy Note 10 Microsoft Surface TransformerPadInfinity Google Nexus 10
Best Notebook
Macbook Pro 13â&#x20AC;? Retina Display Another Apple product that has always been a favourite between the nerds and the masses alike, so it came as no surprise to us that the Macbook won out- beating quite stiff competition from the likes of Samsung especially. The amazing display and the excellent build quality and smooth performance all were in favour of the Macbook, making it a worthy winner in this category.
18%
21%
10%
12%
Samsung Series 9 Acer Aspire S5 Asus Zenbook UX31A Dell XPS 15
Best Computing Accessory Logitech Mini Boombox
Computing accessory and Logitech are almost synonymous, but the Mini Boombox is quite a lovely product, which has got rave reviews from every corner of the tech world. It is therefore not surprising to find it beating out the competition and be crowned king as the best computing accessory for the year 2012.
26%
10%
18%
12%
Creative Inspire S2 Wireless HP PhotoSmart 7510 Inkjet Printer ADATA External HDD HE720 D-Link DIR-505
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Best Digital Camera Canon EOS 1DX
A camera meant mostly for professionals has beat out competition from thelikes of enthusiasts and consumer-friendly cameras! Quite a shocker this, but there is no denying the fact the Canon has a killer of a camera with the 1DX, which has an amazing shutter speed which easily outdoes most pro cameras in the market, and has amazing clarity and sharpness in every click. It certainly deserves to be one of the top cameras of 2012, and our voters have chosen it as the best of last year!
40% 19%
21%
6%
Nikon D600 Olympus OM-D E-M5 Sony NEX 5R Fujifilm X-PRO 1
Best Gaming Device Sony PS Vita
Gamers have always enjoyed portable gaming devices right from gameboy onwards, so it should come as no surprise that the Sony Playstation Vita has found a calling among the readers and fans who thought it was the best gaming device of 2012. Microsoft and Sony are all set to take their rivalry to another level this year with their newer consoles and NVIDIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Project Shield set to explode, the victory for Sony has come at the right time and the people are expecting better and more awesome stuff in the coming months.
22% 10%
14%
8%
Nintendo Wii U XBox 360 Slim Razer Black Widow Keyboard Cyborg R.A.T 7 Gaming Mouse
Best Home Theatre System Sony BDV E580 Blu-Ray Disc Player Home Entertainment System
Sony has always been known for their Home Entertainment system, but this Blu-Ray Disc system is easily one of the best in the market right now and the voters have concurred! It has beat out competition from the newcomers and old dukes alike, to stamp its authority back in the segment it once dominated, but has been losing out to newer players in the recent past.
15%
10%
5%
19%
Panasonic SC 5.1 Harman Kardon 5.1 Denon + Klipsch HDT - 500 Bose 3.2.1
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Best TV
Sony KDL-55HX853 Samsung’s LED displays have impressed one and all, but it was Sony who took top honours with their amazing KDL series’ 55 inch TV. The voters not only have shifted back to the Sony video quality and pleasing contrast ratios and colour depths, but are also showing their love for excellent audio outputs and durability as well.
32% 10%
8%
2%
Samsung UE46ES7000 LG 55LM660T Panasonic TX-PVT50 Vu 55” Super TV
Best Phablet
Samsung Galaxy Note II The original Galaxy Note was a heck of a phone, but the Note II came out and literally blew the entire competition out of the water! The innovative stylus and multi-tasking options were brilliant and the Note II really stood out with the performance it gave in graphics, multimedia and business apps too. The battery life was another note-worthy item, with the Note II easily able to outlast any droid in the market. No wonder the voters put it ahead of the competition and it easily beat out the competition in this category!
21% 6%
8%
2%
LG Optimus Vu HTC Droid DNA Micromax A100 Karbonn Smart A24
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A Complete Overview Of The Skore Ride For Safety Bikers all across the city of Mumbai turned up to cheer and support the cause of “RIDE TO SAFETY”. Skore Ride For Safety, 2013 kept their promise made by making this event a huge success also being a part of such success was none other than the Bollywood Bike Lover John Abraham and his Shoot out at Wadala Team. Some of the finest two wheeler beauties that were a part of the event included Harley Davidson, Suzuki Intruder, Honda VFR, Ducati Diavel, Kawasaki ZZR 1400, Hayabusa, R1, CB1000 RR, Gixxer and from our Roaring bullets to customized Choppers, Ninja 250, Honda 250, P220, NS200, Zma, and lots more. Vijay Jain, MD of the Wheelieboy Adventures who is a award winning biker and the brain child behind the Ride for Safety bike rally says,” Riding should be passion and must be done for yourself and not to show the world”. Highlighting the importance of wearing a helmet, this initiative was not only important but also had to be stressed upon in a certain way. This Ride To Safety certainly did that. The most important rule of riding is “wearing helmet” which is of utmost importance is often tend to be neglected. Deepa Malik who is and Arjuna Award winner and also associated with the MTV reality show - Roadies has been appointed as the Cause Ambassador. She added, “Every sport and passion has its own charm and beauty; it is only when the beauty is misused is when one can see the disadvantage which is the other side of the coin. Such the passion of driving is mixed with drinking only leading to mishaps. Knowing to ride is not important but knowing the art of controlling your emotions, greed and speed while riding is what makes you a good biker”
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HOW TO:
Jailbreak your ios 6.1 Device W
ith the recent update in all Apple products, most Jailbreaks had to be sacrificed. Just like after every other update, one sits back and wonders, when will the next Jailbreak be out. Now you don’t need to worry as you can Jailbreak your device with ease. Most wonder why do we need to Jailbreak the device. There is a simple answer to this. Several apps that are submitted to Apple and either not approved or they just don’t make it to the app store. These apps are then available on a separate market for Jailbroken phones like Installous. Users can then freely download those rejected apps from there. That is not all, several paid apps are available for free on these markets too.
It only sounds complicated but in reality it is not. First ensure that you have the following things before you can proceed with the process: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
The Evasi0n Jailbreaking Tool for your computer OS. This can be found over the web. The latest version of iTunes Data cable for your device And obviously, your device packed with the 6.1 OS Now using iTunes, take a complete back up of your device.
Follow these simple steps now:
Attach your device to the computer using the data cable and open the Evasi0n Jailbreaking tool.
The tool will detect your device. Post that click on the “Jailbreak” button on your screen and watch the magic unfold.
Within few minutes, your phone will be Jailbroken. It will reboot once and Voila, its done.
To verify it, simply go to the menu of your phone and you will find an icon called “Cydia.” This is from where you can get hold of most of your apps, add new sources, manage your sources and so on.
If you ever wish to remove the Jailbreak, simply restore your device via iTunes. This will roll back the OS the way it was prior to Jailbreaking.
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HOW TO:
Market Your Small Business on Twitter If you’re not sure whether Twitter supplants soap operas as a time sink or offers you some of your best opportunities to build relationships with customers and enhance your company’s brand identity, the answer may not surprise you. Like any marketing medium, or any medium that can be used for marketing, Twitter offers you results commensurate with how thoughtfully you approach it and how wholeheartedly you engage in it. Look past its non-traditional exterior to see Twitter’s real ability to connect people in ways that can transform your company -a little bit at a time.
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INSTRUCTIONS
1
2 3 4 5 6 7
Do’s
Dont’s
Remember that success on Twitter can build slowly, and that trying to hurry it by buying followers or using shady shortcuts doesn’t work.
Avoid the “too-much-information,” or TMI, phenomenon. If you overshare with your target audience, you may wear out your welcome. Never give your desired customers a reason to unfollow you. As difficult as it is to garner worthwhile followers, it can be many times more difficult to reacquire them, especially if they tell their friends why they stopped following you in the first place.
Be yourself. That means two things on Twitter. First, make your tweets sound like the cohesive voice of your business. If you’re small, capitalize on your identity as a one- or two-person business and equate your size with a focus on treating customers like individuals. Second, even if you’re bigger than a sole proprietorship, assign one person who’s good at communicating your authentic value as a business to be your official and singular voice on the service. Keeping your participation real goes a long way toward attracting followers. As Twitter itself suggests, “Share photos and behind the scenes info about your business. Even better, give a glimpse of developing projects and events. Users come to Twitter to get and share the latest, so give it to them!” Balance overt attempts to attract customers with tweets that convey your company’s personality without making an obvious commercial pitch. When you do post a discount offer or a special sales event, your followers pay greater attention to it because you’re not always explicitly soliciting their business. Use your Twitter presence to gather more than customers. You can share insights with fellow business people, and even find opportunities to barter services, collaborate on a project with community implications, build a network of like-minded entrepreneurs or learn from veteran business owners. Use mentions and following strategically to build a position of authority in your field. Twitter recommends that you “Reference articles and links about the bigger picture as it relates to your business.” Think twice about following everyone who follows you. If you’re using your Twitter timeline as a place to rub elbows with customers and suppliers, trying to keep up with a long list of people you followed only as a thank you turns your tweet stream into a raging river of who-can-read-all-that. If you do decide to follow back routinely, define whom you’ll follow and whom you won’t on the basis of attributes you can discern easily, then create original, non-automated thank-you responses in keeping with your focus on authenticity. Leverage your plans for charitable giving into your Twitter strategy. Consider the relationship between Halo Pets, a holistic pet food company, and the twin websites Freekibblekat.com and Freekibble. com. Modeled on the FreeRice microgiving concept, in which visitors correctly define words to add small numbers of grains of rice to the total donated toward world hunger, these two websites donate small amounts of pet food to homeless animals in shelters. Visitors take a daily multiple-choice quiz, and right or wrong, their participation adds to the kibble donation.
Don’t bribe people to follow you. It’s one thing to offer special discounts, one-time or longer-term, to your followers. It’s another to post repeated tweets about how grateful you’ll be for followers, or anything else that sounds awkward, desperate and just plain wrong. Ask yourself if you’d make the same pitch or solicit business the same way if you were on the phone or in the office with the people you’re courting on Twitter. If the answer is no, don’t implement the strategy. Ignore messages -- formerly direct messages -- and tweets that ask specific questions or offer specific comments at your peril. If someone’s taking the time to engage you on specific grounds that relate directly to what you do or what you didn’t do, meet her halfway and learn something from how you’re perceived, good or bad. Be the powerboat, not the ocean liner. Ocean liners need lots of space and time simply to turn around and move in the opposite direction. Twitter’s short, direct communications encourage and foster nimble abilities to move in new directions you weren’t expecting to go. Listen to what your customers ask, and don’t be afraid to change a bad policy swiftly in response to criticism, or continue a special offer if too few customers found out about it in time. Resist the temptation to tweet about or at an event just because it’s different to do so. Different killed the Edsel, a remarkable car with advanced features -- and a grille that looked like a chrome gourami. Don’t get into a back-and-forth defending yourself against an accusation of a deal gone wrong from a disgruntled customer who clearly gets more enjoyment out of visibility than you do. Take the high road. In the long run, it’s far less expensive to maintain. Sign up for Twitter to help build brand equity for your business, not to become a compulsive retweeter with nothing original to say. If your Twitter output consists of nothing but what other people think, your customers and prospects have no idea where you stand and every reason to suspect you don’t, either. The occasional retweet can be a great way to show your agreement with an equally great idea, but think about how annoying “me-too” behavior can be in real life, and avoid being a digital bore.
New Twitter followers of the charitable sites trigger additional kibble donations, as do new followers of the Halo corporate Twitter account. Followers see discounts on pet food, previews of the daily trivia questions, and other informational and commercial tweets. The relationship unifies two congruent organizations in an endeavor that’s consistent with both their goals, and gives the commercial enterprise added credibility for its visible commitment to a cause.
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PERTISE
HOW TO:
Protect Your Camera Lens From Fungus Some of youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll must have heard about this and as far as others are concerned this might seem like a completely new threat to your precious Camera Lens. People spend a bomb on buying new lenses and most are never satisfied with a single lens and hence may own multiple lenses. Journalists, Photographers, etc you may want to make a note of this. Fungus can grow on Camera lenses due to various reasons right from the way you store your Camera to its usage on field. Fungus first starts growing in the lens barrel feeding off all the accumulated dust particles. This continues to grow and will appear like a white patch on your lens. Now you would not want something like this on your expensive camera lens would you? Here is how you can protect your Camera Lens from Fungus.
Store in a Dry Place
Storage is one of the most common reasons because of which lenses catch Fungus. Store your Camera and its Lenses in a cool, dry place. If you live in a Humid city like Mumbai then store them in an airtight container with small bags silica gel. They are usually sold to you alongside your Camera. They absorb moisture thus protecting your camera equipment. Remember to periodically change the silica, as it loses effectiveness as it becomes full of moisture over time. it is important to let your equipment dry out as much as possible
prior to sealing it all up. Fungus will grow on your lens in less than a week if you expose it to damp, dark, and warm conditions, so please avoid these at all costs.
Use A Plastic Bag When Required
For those who often use their Camera when it is raining outside, it is advisable to wrap it in a plastic bag before you step out. This will help moisture from getting inside the camera. It is advisable to use a ziploc bag. Post use, dry your camera completely before storing it. It is best to not store it in a leather pouch or
bag as fungus can grow quickly and eventually harm the camera.
Quickly Remove Fungus
If your camera happens to catch Fungus then you need to act quick. It can secrete acids that can eat away your lensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s protective coating. Few simple mixtures can help you clean the fungus. A hydrogen peroxide blend with ammonia is a good method, as is a vinegar and water solution to remedy the fungus problem. Dip a cotton ear bud in the mixture and try cleaning the fungus with it.
Not following any of these quick steps can result in severe damage to your Camera Lens. Eventually, one would have to dismantle the lens to clean it and this can be quite expensive. This cannot be done at home and thus you would have to give it to an expert.
This is what could happen to your precious camera lens!
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HOW TO:
Turn Your Phone Into a DIY Photo Projector Slide projectors are great but outdated. And digital projectors cost a bundle. What’s a photographer to do when they’re looking for a bigger picture? We’ll show you how to turn your phone into a photo projector for less than 100 bucks! Yep, for that amount you can have Instagram on overdrive and Flickr living large. The project is so easy, you might even have time to sneak in a cat video or two. Make a DIY Projector for 100 bucks.
THE INGREDIENTS
Shoebox Paperclip Smartphone Magnifying glass, or a large aperture lens X-acto knife or similar Electrical or black duct tape Optional: Matte black spray paint or black paper
2
CUT A HOLE IN THAT BOX
5
FLIP YOUR SCREEN
Cut out the inside of the circle you just traced. You don’t want light leaking around your lens so try not to cut too much. At the back of your box, cut a small hole for your phone’s power cord.
When light passes through a lens (including the lenses in your eyes), it gets flipped, which means the picture from your projector will come out upside-down. No fear though, we have a fix! For the iPhone go to Settings > General > Accessibility and turn on AssistiveTouch. Once activated, a little white orb will pop that you can drag around the screen. Click on the orb and go to Device > Rotate Screen. This will allow you to flip applications like the Photos app which would normally rotate itself right side up. Andriod users can download the app Ultimate Rotation Control. Or if all else fails you can just stand on your head.
1
TRACE A HOLE ON THE BOX
A shoebox or similar will work great for your new projector. If the inside walls of your box are a bright color, you may want to spray paint them black or tape up some black paper for best image quality. Once your box is ready, trace the outer edge of your lens or magnifying glass onto one of the short sides of the box.
3
ATTACH YOUR LENS
6
FINDING FOCUS
Now you’ve got a porthole cut in your shoebox it’s time to stick on that lens. If your magnifying glass has a handle, you may want to remove it first. Line up your lens with the hole and apply tape around the entire edge of your lens. Make sure your lens is held securely and there are no holes between the tape for light to escape.
If your walls are plastered with pics you will need to clear out a little space for your projection. For a screen you could use a white bed sheet, turn a poster around, project onto a shower or window curtain, or just use the bare wall. Without a focus ring on your magnifying glass you’re going to have to foot focus. Position your phone in its stand near the back of the box and walk forwards or backwards until your image starts to come into focus. Once you’ve found a good range you can fine tune focus by moving your phone forwards or backwards in the box. If you used a camera lens for your projector, you get the bonus of a focus ring that gives you some extra flexibility in terms of screen size and focus distance.
WHY IT’S COOL
A phone based projector is a great way to show off your mobile photos and your phone hack savvy. Just picture laying in bed browsing your feed or watching a movie on a ginormous screen. A projector provides a new way of looking at your shots, and for about a hundred bucks, who can afford not to try this project?
4
TAKE A STAND
7
DON’T FIGHT THE LIGHT
We used this very helpful tutorial to make a stand for our phone out of a paper clip. Other stand ideas include this ultra-portable Tiltpod, this hand dandy Gorillapod, or this super creative lego stand from this cool tutorial.
It’s not the power of your projector. It’s how you use it! For best viewing, turn the screen brightness of your phone all the way up and turn the room lights down. Set your phone’s photo app to slide show mode for a hands free experience. Your power cord can go through the hole you cut in the back of the box and a little tape will seal the deal.
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HOW TO:
Get Rid Of Metro From Your Windows 8 Device In the last few months, we have reviewed several hybrid devices that had a Windows 8 operating system. The Live Tiles and mobile-centric apps got irritating at times. Especially when you want to access your system to send an urgent mail. For die hard desktop users this can be quite a pain. But now you don’t need to worry as the next few steps will tell you exactly how to get rid of Metro. We did come to a point where we appreciated Windows 7 more but after this we are back to loving Windows 8.
BEFORE
STEP 1
Next, you’ll want to make those programs the defaults for opening their associated file types—to prevent Windows 8 from opening files with the Modern apps that ship with the system. Simply go to your control panel and set your default programs. The default address for the same on your computer would be Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Set your default programs. Once you see a list of all programs, set the newly downloaded alternative ones as your default apps.
STEP 2
Most apps that you use on a daily basis like your E - Mail client, Messengers, Music Players, etc are tiled on the main screen. You will need to find alternatives for these applications. Once done you can either add these icons to your desktop screen (either as shortcuts or direct access) or pin them to your taskbar.
This is pretty much decide how much you want to change the layout of your Windows 8 computer. If you truly hate the layout then you must download a program that places the shutdown button as an icon on the desktop of the device. Start8 or Classic Shell are the probable options to choose from. For whatever apps you like from the tile layout, you can simply create icons of these and add them to your desktop. To do so, right-click on your desktop and select New > Shortcut. Copy and paste the following text into the Location box, and then click Next: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:::{2559a1f8-21d7-11d4-bdaf-00c04f60b9f0}
STEP 3
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Give the shortcut a name—I went with the straightforward “All Apps”—and then click Finish. At once, a shortcut to the All Apps screen appears on your desktop, which you can pin to your taskbar if you so desire. The All Apps screen includes a full-screen list of all the programs on your computer, or you can start typing the name of a file to initiate a search.
STEP 4
Finally now you need to create a shutdown icon so that you no longer need to swipe to shutdown your system the next time around. For this, right click on the desktop and choose new. Under that choose Shortcut and type the following in the location field “shutdown /s /t 0” On the next screen, name the shortcut as shutdown and click finish. You will see that the icon now appears like a generic icon. Right click and go to edit icon and you will see a host of various icon available. Select the Red shutdown button from the same.
Once you have configured and sorted the start and shut down button issue, you will be required to set up the system to boot directly to the desktop. For this you will need to bypass the Windows 8 start screen. open the Task Scheduler by typing Schedule task in the Settings search on the All Apps screen. Create a task that boots to desktop. Open the Triggers tab, select New, and choose At log on in the ‘Begin the task’ drop-down menu at top. Click OK, and then open the Actions tab, select New once again, and enter explorer in the Program/script field. Save this and you are all set. Now everytime you start the computer, you will automatically jump to the desktop.
Added Benefit - Get Rid Of The Lock Screen This could be one of the aspects that irritates you in the Windows 8 layout. You can get rid of this too with ease. Search for “Run” or press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run command. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization in the Local Group Policy Editor’s left-hand menu pane. Click the Do Not Display the Lock Screen option that appears in the main pane, select the Enabled option in the new window, and click OK to save your changes and never see the silly lock screen again.
STEP 5
AFTER
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HOW TO:
Back Up Your Cloud Computing Storage Using GoodSync With cloud computing being the way forward, more and more users opt for this service to be empowered with the ability to access content from wherever they want. Dropbox, Amazon and several other service providers offer online storage. The drawback is that these servers provide limited storage limits. Goodsync allows users to keep a up - to - date local back up of all files on multiple cloud computing storage devices. Here is how you can back up your cloud computing storage using Goodsync.
ACCOUNT CREATION Download the GoodSync software from the web. You can create a free account or a paid one which costs $30. Once done, run the installation and towards the end you would be asked to name your first job. These jobs are nothing but tasks you want GoodSync to carry out for you. You will have to choose the location where you wish to backup your files. This could be your Hard Drive, USB or Network Storage or even on the cloud.
Select Backup Locations If you are using cloud computing services like Amazon, Google, etc for storing files, you can directly backup these files without duplicating any files on your computer. All you have to do is, click on the Browse button next to the left location field, and in the menu that pops up, select the service you want to connect to. Enter your login credentials and click Go to connect to the service and see a list of folders to sync.
SCHEDULE BACKUPS After specifying both left and right hand locations, you need to instruct GoodSync on how to transfer the files. Unless you want to files to be backed up instantly, you should ideally schedule a back up every two hours, thus conserving system resources.
Always remember, experimenting and learning is the best way to move forward. Try using GoodSync on a trial basis first before you choose to backup all your data.
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HOW TO:
Unsend A Direct Message On Twitter There is always that one moment where you send a text message or a E - Mail and then regret sending it or want to make changes to it. If this has never happened to you, then either you are Super Human or you are lying. Gmail did attempt creating several features that create impediments to hasty e - mailing but it does not allow you to recall a sent mail. From Hate messages to abusive ones, now you need not worry about going on a frenzy on Twitter. Direct messages have been a medium for many spammers and thus they have lost significance over a period of time. So, if you were angry, drunk or merely fooling around and happened to send a Direct Message which you know you would regret later, here is how you can unsend it.
Step 1
Step 2
On the upper right hand Go to Direct Messages. side there is a wrench menu There you will be able to (settings tab). see the message you sent.
Step 3
Step 4
Once you have located the message, click on the thrash can icon.
Twitter will ask you for a confirmation. Once confirmed, the message will be deleted.
What is so unique about this feature is that the message is not only deleted from your outbox but also from the other persons inbox. This is like a sure shot solution to most mistakes you may commit over a direct message. The only loophole is that if the other person has a Twitter app on their mobile phone and have activated push notifications, they would have received the message that very instance and in all probability they would have read it too.
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TRAVAGANT
THE ECCENTRIC 11 ACROSS THE ORB
By Malik Sumrani
You must have read and seen some of the best architectural structures in the world. Ever thought about which could be the strangest ones. Right from a building that rotates to a house that is built upside down, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all here.
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Kansas City Public Library, Missouri, USA What’s Strange? Remaining true to the theme of a library, it is one of the few buildings that are constructed according to the product or service they offer. These large books consist some of the top titles like Lord of the Rings, Tale of two Cities and many more. Strange and fascinating at the same time, these row of books make the street appear like a bookshelf. Architect SFS Architecture of Kansas City
2004
The Dynamic Tower, Dubai, UAE What’s Strange? This will be one of the World’s first building’s to change its shape on its own every 90 minutes. Each floor will complete a rotation in this period of time. What is more captivating is that this building will completely power itself as it will have wind turbines to generate power. This 80 storey tower’s total construction time will be over 30% less than a normal skyscraper of the same size. Architect Dr. David Fisher
House Attack, Vienna, Austria What’s Strange? This Austrian Museum was created with the intention of making a buzz. The architects have successfully created a perception of art and everyday reality and in its striking appearance. It is humorous and dramatic at the same time. The building visually looks like someone threw the house onto it. Architect Erwin Wurm
2006
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TRAVAGANT
Cube Houses, Rotterdam, Netherlands What’s Strange? The concept of “Living as an urban as a roof” itself is quite strange. These houses are at an angle of 45 degrees and are rested upon a hexagon-shaped pylon. The idea was to represent a village within a city, where each house represents a tree, and all the houses together, a forest. In total, there are 38 small cubes and two so called ‘super-cubes’, all attached to each other. Architect Piet Blom
1974
Wonderworks, Tennessee, USA What’s Strange? If you see a house upside down wouldn’t you be surprised? This is what is strange about this piece of architecture. One corner of the Wonderworks building appears to flatten a 20th century brick warehouse. Palm trees and lamp posts hang suspended. This is yet another museum that has been built keeping in mind of the services they offer. The museum includes a hurricane ride, an earthquake ride and a titanic exhibit. Architect Bullock Smith
2011
Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada What’s Strange? This model community and housing complex was originally the architect’s master’s degree thesis at McGill University. This was later constructed for an Expo. The12 storey landmark comprises of 354 identical, prefabricated concrete forms that have been arranged in various strange combinations. From a distance it appears like each storey of the building has been randomly placed. Architect Moshe Safdie
1967
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Atomium, Brussels, Belgium What’s Strange? This 102 - meter steel clad structure comprises of nine huge areas connected via metallic transitions. It consists of one of the fastest elevators in Europe, now when you look at the building you will wonder where the space for elevators is. The tubes on the edges comprise of the elevator. The structure symbolizes the idea of the future: an endless faith in the optimistic course of the world history and exceptional benefits of the nuclear energy. Architect Andre Vaterkeyn
1958
Longaberger Basket Building, Newark, USA What’s Strange? Another one of those buildings just like the Kansas City Public Library, the Basket Building reflects the products they offer. The World’s largest basket dimensionally is a staggering 192 feet in height and 126 feet in breadth. The building was designed keeping in mind that the employees would want to work in a giant basket. It was their way of looking at Job Satisfaction. Architect NBBJ
1997
The Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic What’s Strange? Situated among Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau architecture at Prague, the building stands out due to its strange and non-traditional design. Built on the site of the US bombing of Prague, the building is supported by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and dimension. On the top of the building is a large twisted structure of metal nicknamed Medusa. Architects Vlado Milunić, Frank Gehry
2004
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TRAVAGANT
The Crooked House, Sopot, Poland What’s Strange? Only by merely looking at this structure you can figure out what is so strange about it. It appears to be a building that has both its sides pushing towards the centre. Referred to as “Krzywy Domek” in Polish, the architects have taken inspiration from the fairy tale illustrations and drawings of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg. Architects Szotyńscy & Zaleski
2004
Lotus Temple, Delhi, India What’s Strange? The temple’s construction is in the shape of a Lotus that is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad “petals” arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The capital of India generates great tourism thanks to this strange building each year. Over the years, the Lotus Temple has won numerous architectural awards. Architect Fariborz Sahba
1986
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Exhibit is spreading Joy this Summer! Participate in this fun filled exciting quiz to win a surprise Goodie Bag full of Gadgets from Exhibit! der of 1. Everyone knows the foun - founder? Facebook, who was its co (a) Cameron Winklevoss (b) Tyler Winklevoss (c) Eduardo Saverin l -frame 2. Which is the smallest fu camera in the world? (a) Canon EOS1D Mark 4 (b) Nikon D600 (c) Sony RX1 e Telephone, th ed nt ve in ed de in l el B m 3. Graha ones? but who invented Mobile Ph (a) Graham Bell (b) Dr. Martin Cooper (c) Dr. Howard Hughes XHBI"
4. Solve this anagram "IET
that are 5. Name any three brands named after a fruit.
Mail your answers at sm@exhibit.co.in CHEERS!
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When Time Stood Still - With Neil Nitin Mukesh
‘‘
Without technology, there is no filmmaking
‘‘
Photographer | Harpreet Bachher Hair | Vikram Parmar Make Up | Wassim Sheikh Stylist | Shalini Thakur Costumes | Blue suit from Canali White Shirt from Lagerfeld, Shirt and Trouser from Diesel Camouflage Jacket from Diesel Black Jacket from Canali and Knit T-shirt Lagerfeld
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On a scale of 1 to 10, how tech savvy are you? and Why? I am definitely a 10. I love my gadgets and they make my life so much more convenient. You cannot even imagine the kind of gadgets I have.
Having acted in several films, what is your opinion on the use of technology in filmmaking? Without technology, there is no filmmaking. Right from the cameras to editing equipment, right from pre - production to post production everything requires technology. Filmmaking as an art is a tedious process and requires careful coordination of several individual units. You cannot imagine doing this without technology.
Name some of the gadgets you own and which of those is your prized possession? I own several gadgets. I am a gadget freak. I use an iPhone, a Segway, a Audi Q7 and lots more. I am more of a Mac person. I think it's more sleek and offers better performance. All of them are my prized possession. if I had to name one, it would be difficult. I think gadgets are like people, you have take good care of them. I love my gadgets especially my cameras. If I had to name one then it would be my lenses. I am very passionate about photography and whenever I find the time, I make it a point to click some pictures.
If you could invent a technology what would it be and why? Oh! I would definitely invent a time turner. I think it would be the coolest invention ever. Who wouldn't want to go back in time and do things differently. I think it would be a great piece of technology. A time machine would be a boon. As a kid I was damn fascinated with Mr. India's gadgets. The watch of invisibility was his finest gadget.
You portray an interesting role in your upcoming film 3G, can you tell us something more about it? 3G is a psychological thriller that revolves around how a couple goes to Fiji islands for a holiday and lose their phone. Then they buy another phone that has a 3G connection and on it they start receiving mysterious calls from a woman. All hell breaks loose after that. In the film, I play an interesting character called Sam in the film.
3G is a film inspired from the hazards of technology. In your opinion are more and more films seeking inspiration from technology to make new movies? Technology is all around us. It is nothing like a filmmaker is seeking inspiration from something in particular. It is just that we tend to be inspired with what is around us. Technology and its hazards is an interesting theme as it is all around us.
Tell us about your favourite app and why are you fond of it? My favourite app has to be the "Reminders" app on iPhone. It is an excellent app that creates a check list or a to do list of everything that I have to do in a day. It keeps reminding me of the things that I have to do and also ensures every task is completed at the end of each day.
Mobile Phone or Laptop, if you had to pick one of these which one would you pick and why? Mobile Phone. I would prefer to have a communication device over a laptop any day.
Tell us one word that comes to your mind when we say the following: Gaming - Max Payne Passion - Acting 3G - Psychological Thriller Innovation - Time Turner Films - Bread and Butter
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NeilNMukesh
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What’s Hot 1
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Karbonn Mobiles is a new company that has been competing with some of the top giants of the Tech industry. How has the company been performing on the business front? PJ: Brand Karbonn has been doing exceptionally well since its inception and has become one of the top five mobile brands in the country in just about being four years into the market. Karbonn Mobiles started in the year 2009 with a meagre initial investment which now has grown into a `2000 crores approx turnover company. Over the past financial years, Karbonn Mobiles market share has increased from an impressive 3% in FY 09-10 to 6% in FY 11-12 which is expected to reach 10% by the financial year of 2012-13. Also the sales volume has increased from 3 million units in FY 09-10 to 10 million units which are expected to reach around 20 million units in the financial year of 2012-13. Karbonn Mobiles has been one of the first mobile phone players who introduced the concept of Dual-SIM mobile phones in the country, and has been one of the lead exponents of the Android revolution in India. The brand has since its inception always visualised a technologically advanced country which does not have to give up on its needs and can afford cutting edge technological innovations at an affordable price range. This is the inherent ideology at Karbonn Mobiles, which has helped it to reach maximum consumers in a lesser time and has made Karbonn Mobiles a household name that it is today.
PowerTalk With Mr. Pradeep Jain, Managing Director, Karbonn Mobiles.
The brands mission is ‘Massifying Technology’, how do you propagate this through your products? PJ: Karbonn Mobiles intends to create a diverse demand in the Indian mobile phone market wherein creating an evolving intermix of product innovation, price consideration and need-demand; thereby entailing to take mobility to the masses and hence ‘Massify Technology’. With the USP at Karbonn Mobiles remaining on ‘Massifying Technology’, the brand by bringing the end-user the latest in technological innovations at a value-for-money cost range, entails to take mobility to every Indian hand. The basic tenet at Karbonn Mobiles is to make technology for everybody – Me, You and the World; which coupled with the knowledge of Indian conditions and needs of consumers, along with being a local player which understands price sensibilities gives Karbonn Mobiles the much-needed edge in the highly volatile Indian mobile market. With a massive turnover of `1,300 crores
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in the last three years, what are your expectations for the next three years? PJ: Karbonn Mobiles is on a rapid progression phase, wherein its market expansion strategy is varied, which entails making the brand amongst the top mobile brand in the country in times to come. For the FY 2012-13 we have had planned to step up our marketing expenditure by 30% to the tune of 195 crores up from an investment of `150 crores as of the last financial year, which has seen phenomenal results for the brand as well. This investment which will be spent on product development and brand promotions of Karbonn Mobiles entails creating awareness for the brand and create a pertinent customer engagement module, thus helping the brand reach out to major markets. In coming times, we are targeting to change the face of the Indian mobile phone market with our quality handsets and intend to be the top mobile phone brand in the country within the next three years. Also going forward, we are planning an elaborate layout to explore strategic tie-ups like actively engaging as a part of licensing with brands that are closely related with young audience and bring forth the experience of such brands to the Indian mobile phone market. In the next fiscal year 2013-14, we are targeting a revenue generation of `3500 crores up from the current revenue generation of approximately Rs. 2000 crores which is expected to be achieved by the end of the current fiscal year (2012-13).
major stakeholders have been the partners, the consumers, the dealers and the marketers, who have helped us in this amazing journey. I remember starting out as a major distributor of leading mobile phone brands, and the association with the dealers on a personal scale has helped us reach out to the markets on a massive scale. As the saying goes, “Miles to go, before I sleep”, I believe in working tirelessly and make this tenure at Karbonn Mobiles an inherently successful one. Throw some light on inception and making of the Karbonn Brand. PJ: The foundation of Karbonn Mobiles was laid in 2009 when India was fast emerging as the one of the largest markets for mobile handsets wherein we intended to bring technology to the masses at an affordable price range. Our motto was to ‘Massify Technology’ which we have been quite successful since our inception. The tenet at Karbonn Mobiles is to give the Indian consumers freedom of choice in their mobility needs wherein we want to free them from the clutches of international players whose products, no doubt being high on technology, are to be true, over-priced. We want to show that consumers do not have to give up their technological needs because of money constraints and can actually acquire world-class technologies at affordable rates as well; which was the exact reason for the inception of the ‘Brand Karbonn’.
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After being named amongst one of the top 5 Indian Mobile Brands, what is your next target? PJ: Karbonn Mobiles understands that India is the fastest growing mobile market in the world wherein to increase sales in our addressable markets, we have undertaken a course of action wherein we have launched our handsets in various important countries of South Asia. We are also present in South East Asia, Middle East and African markets. It is by a pertinent mix of product placements in India and overseas that we intend to become one of the top three mobile brands by the next fiscal and seek to take technologies to the masses, and thus ‘massify technology’.
Karbonn Mobiles started in the year 2009 with a meagre initial investment which now has grown into a `2000 crores approx turnover company.
How has your tenure as MD of Karbonn Mobiles been so far? PJ: My tenure at Karbonn Mobiles as the Managing Director has been nothing short of being a fairytale journey. Starting out four years back with a small investment, a smaller team but loads of determination, my tenure at Karbonn has been filled with trials and tribulations and dogged determination which has helped us in reaching the zenith of the Indian mobile market. In this successful journey the
There is a large market internationally to capture. How do you plan to market your products in those sections? PJ: As specified earlier, we are already present in South East Asia, Middle East and African markets. It is by a pertinent mix of product placements in India and overseas that we intend to become the top mobile brand in the country in the coming few years and seek to take technologies to the masses across the
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world. Also as a part of an international expansion plan of action, we are planning an elaborate international layout to explore strategic tieups like actively engaging as a part of licensing with international youth oriented brands wherein we seek to bring forth the international mobile experience of such brands to the Indian mobile phone market, and vice-versa. Does Karbonn only tap Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities? Or is there a plan in place for rural regions too? PJ: The impetus of Karbonn Mobiles is to ‘Massify Technology’ and to do that, we seek to take technological innovations to the masses. It is in the continuation of the said tenet that we at Karbonn Mobiles have created a diverse product range which is attuned to the needs and wants of the rural populace. Rural India today has become one of the top consumers of mobile phones and to address the needs of the booming consumer base of Rural India, Karbonn Mobiles has initiated a feature-rich product range which seeks to be an answer to all their mobile needs. Karbonn Mobiles has different marketing and product placement strategies in place for Tier I, Tier II and rural areas, conglomerating which it intends to create a pertinent demand for mobile technologies in the market and take technologies to the masses. Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, what are your likes, hobbies and interests PJ: My interests lie with the national passion of India – Cricket which I follow religiously. It has been the pursuit of the game, which has prompted us at Karbonn Mobiles to be associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) properties like the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Champions Trophy. Also, I am interested in cinema especially Bollywood and like watching Bollywood potboilers with my friends and family. What is the one advice somebody gave you and you would want to pass it on to others? PJ: One of the most pertinent advices ever given to me, “Be honest to your business activities involving partners and consumers, as it is what brings you success”, is one advice that I vouch forever in my life. This advice which means being true to your work and be honest in your business dealings helps one scale the ladders of the business world and helps in being successful in life. I would advise everyone to be honest in their lives and remain true to partners-both dealers & consumers, which will help them being the best in whatever they do.
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PowerTalk With Mr. Maneesh Pant, Managing Director, Luminous Power Technologies
Luminous Power Technologies has been around for several years now, are you focusing on any new markets this year? MP: Luminous completes it 25 years in this year and we continue to look for new growth opportunities. We are focusing on the following for growth: • Geographic expansion: The opportunity for us to penetrate in the markets outside of the Hindi belt, especially in South and East, while continuing to consolidate our position in the North and Central India. • Rural Markets: As the wealth creation happens and the aspirations of the
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customers across the market segments converge we see tremendous amount of growth opportunities in the rural markets. We have launched specialized products for the rural markets, eg affordable home UPS and battery solution. Renewables solution: We have now a complete range of solar batteries, solar home lighting solutions and solar Inverters. Electrical Business: We have launched a complete range of offers to complete the electrical system in a home around safety and lifestyle, including MCBs, Fans, Wiring Devices and Wires.
We are creating a product mix pertaining to packaged power, diversified generation, electrical control & safety and energy optimization which is relevant to varied markets all over India. Power solutions sector has been growing each year, what is your forecast for 2013? MP: The power sector will continue to grow and grow very fast. First let us look at the consumption of power. As the standard of living goes up with the wealth creation first thing that increases is the use of energy and espe-
cially electricity. Today in India the per capita consumption is approximately 800 KWh /year and the average of the world is 2500 KWh. We are going to go up this consumption average as we get more air conditioners, appliances and bring more convenience and comfort to life. The growth rate of power demand will continue to outstrip the supply and the gap between the supply and demand will increase. With todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifestyle whether it is a rural or an urban customer we want power to be continuous and reliable. Due to this more importantly the timing of the supply and demand will mismatch and that is where Luminous comes in to satisfy the needs of the customer. So we have a play in both the increasing demand of consumption which is where our electrical business comes in and the supply gap that is matched by the Power back up and renewable solutions. We are very optimistic about the future and that we are part of the Indian growth story. Luminous always has been aggressively marketing and branding its products in the Indian Market. Any plans to continue doing so this year too? Or will there be a change in the marketing strategy? MP: Luminous Power Technologies has for some time now concentrated on aggressively marketing and branding its power backup solutions into the Indian market and is now in the top of mind recall of customers in this category. Sachin Tendulkar, who stands for trust, reliability and longevity embodies our brand values perfectly. We continue to leverage Sachin for our brand ambassadorship. With the new businesses that we described earlier we are continuing to further extend our brand salience in new categories of products. In terms of the medium we have moved in the current fiscal to the new areas of outdoor and digital marketing. In a space of one year we have got over 63,000 face book fans and are now being relevant to the new generation. We will continue to have a balanced marketing mix going forward as well. Rural India or Urban India, which is your target market? MP: For Luminous Power Technologies, both Rural and Urban India are the target markets.
While the problem of electricity shortages is same in both the sectors it is with varying degrees. In urban areas the focus is on high capacity power backup solutions which bring are able to run higher loads for the consumers, even though typically the power outages are for a short time. In rural areas the consumers need longer backup solutions as the power cuts are for a longer period of time and have relatively smaller loads. Further the renewables products and the electrical products are both suited to either markets. In your opinion, will India ever accept green technology? Can we ever use cleaner and environmental friendly ways of generating power? MP: Yes, the awareness towards green technologies is on a rise in the country. The government, stakeholders and organizations are opening upto viable measures for the upkeep of sustainable technologies and are conscious of efforts needed for the conservation of them. The Jawaharlal Nehru solar mission continues to be going strong. The technological innovations on cue are being tuned into accepting cleaner and greener environmental friendly means, and stakeholders along with the governmental machinery are gearing up for the utilization of the same. In this regard, as one can see, India has already become a higher generation capacity of renewable energy. This trend will continue as we need to become more efficient in our use of energy and also generate from greener sources. What are your future plans for Luminous Power Technologies?
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Our plans are around execution of this growth strategy and engaging more with our customers. We would continue to invest in our people, brand and services which are all key enablers to growth.
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MP: Luminous is a company obsessed with Growth and Innovation. We continue to bring out new products as mentioned in the first question. Our plans are around execution of this growth strategy and engaging more with our customers. We would continue to invest in our people, brand and services which are all key enablers to growth.
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Like every month, our readers and Facebook fans were asked to comment on a topic that has been the hot talking point for that month. And this is what they came out with once the floor was thrown open.
Will BB’s New OS 10 Help Take RIM Back To The Top? With RIM’s latest and best OS till date all set to take center-stage again, it was apt to ask our avid readers and fans (via FB) if they thought this move will help BB gain the popularity of yore. Here are the best opinions, hand-picked for your reading joy. Rishabh Sethi
I think it’s not the OS that will take the device on top. Hardware, price, design also value. BB devices are not complex, so hardware is not the concern but giving 2 GB RAM to a BB is more than enough. Monthly package of BB is also high for many so people consider to stay on Android or switch to Android for lesser expense. OS will help with its new intuitive features and multi tasking but not much as it targets to business class with improved email and all. And yes, price of the two new BB 10 devices should be less than that of Bold 4. That will help a lot.
Aishwarya Marz
I think loyal BB users, amongst whom most of them love its QWERTY pad will give the new OS a thumbs down. People who aren’t fond of touchscreen too won’t find any reason to switch over to this. Minor glitches and bugs also deter you apart from the costly package. The new features as usual is beneficial to the business class. So yeah, it will have takers in that sector but the rest, only time can tell.
Darren Marshall Dias
No I don’t think so. Blackberry started getting into existence because of the curve and it was widely popular among the teenagers but the thing is, many other brands have launched phones that have a great user interface and have a variety of features. Plus, Blackberry’s data package is much costlier than other phones and they don’t have their towers in many countries and are being banned by the government. Even if they launch a new OS it won’t make a difference as Blackberry’s user interface is sophisticated than an Android or iPhone it is most extensively used by businessman. And as for mail every Android or iPhone user can easily receive & send mails. An as it is Blackberry’s market has been affected by many other brands. And as for the hardware and processer - it’s good but it can be also provided by other brands with much better user interface.
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