TECH Issue 01 by Deenar Press and Publishing

TECH / 1

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APRIL 2010

OMAN’S FIRST GADGET MAGAZINE

Home Screen Technology in your palms We have embarked on a new beginning for readership in Oman. Being the first magazine to be released from Deenar Press and Publishing brings with it a sense of achievement that compares little to anything else we may ever do. But what is more interesting is the fact that TECH is the first and only magazine in Oman that caters to the most essential industry in today’s world – technology. Every step that we take is made possible with the science, more specifically the silicon chip. While this isn’t too impressive these days, competition has made the choices quite remarkable however. And that is what TECH caters to: Help choose from the vast, confusing array of options that every consumer needs to decide upon. So why haven’t anyone else done it you wonder? Well, that’s probably because the press and publishing industry has been chasing the commercial aspect of the business (agreed we have to profit) a little too strongly. There are some publishing houses that will not start a magazine unless it earns them 20,000 rials a month, while some others may never really have the conviction or capabilities to bring out a vertical. You see, the real readers exist in such segments: Industry specific products that have specialised knowledge about subjects that people want to learn about. We did not intend for TECH to be our flagship brand, but going by the response of potential readers and the eagerness of our first-time, no-holds-barred advertisers to hold the finished product, TECH is going to be important. Why? Well, because soon it will do something that no magazine in Oman has – influence the purchase decision of the reader off his palms.

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Editor-at-Large Managing Editor

Hatim al Taie Justin Brass Rathish Ramachandran

CORPORATE Managing Director Abdullah al Taie General Manager Rathish Ramachandran Asst. General Manager Terry Mathukutty Sales Manager Emily Mathews Senior Designer Shyniben Koyakkil

– Ed Produced by

Deenar Press and Publishing LLC PO Box 139, PC 102, Al Qurm, Sultanate of Oman Tel: +968 24696868, Fax: +968 24693569 E-mail: info@deenarmedia.com

transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers; while every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information herein, or any consequences arising from it.

Published by Al Roya Press and Publishing LLC Printed at Al Anan Printers, Sultanate of Oman

Talk to us!

If you have any queries, contact us at tech@deenarmedia.com

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OMAN’S FIRST GADGET MAGAZINE

APRIL 2010

Tech News

Q&A

Audio Zone

A/V Zone

Mobile Zone

Tech Special

Photography Zone

Nuovo Tech

Movie Zone

Game Zone

Buyer’s Guide

Computer Zone

Auto Zone

Comex 2010

Home Zone

Tech Favourites

Time Zone

Tech Classifieds

Tech NEWS

Canon unveils four additions to the PowerShot Lineup Canon U.S.A. announced the addition of four new PowerShot Digital cameras, the PowerShot SX210 IS, PowerShot SD3500 IS, PowerShot SD1400 IS and PowerShot SD1300 IS. The new PowerShot cameras offer increased shooting flexibility in a number of settings through advancements to the Smart Auto mode while offering greater photo personalization and enhanced creativity with new Scene Modes and Image effects. The addition of Fish-eye and Miniature Effect modes help photographers add a creative element or lend a humorous look and feel when capturing images of their favorite household pet or landscape scene. From untimely blinks and awkward smirks to hard to shoot back-lit situations, the compact PowerShot SX210 IS, SD3500 IS and SD1400 IS cameras offer a variety of technologies to secure the best pictures under the most challenging conditions. In addition to the Face Detection self-timer, the new Smart Shutter scene mode now has Smile and Wink self-timers where the camera looks for a wink or smile which will act as the trigger and release the cameraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shutter. For users interested in expanding beyond still images, three of the four new cameras have the ability to shoot 720p High Definition (HD) video. Also, the built-in HDMI mini-connector allows play-back of video and photos on an HDTV. With the camera tethered to a computer and the included software, movies can be uploaded directly to YouTube via the Camera Window.

Nintendo reveals lineup for the first half of 2010 Nintendo of America issued a surge of new information about what consumers can expect from the company in the coming months. The new Nintendo DSi XL hand-held system launches March 28 (March 5 in Europe). The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite model and also feature a wider viewing angle. The new system launches in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with pre-installed premium software will also come with a larger pen-like stylus. Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to the smash-hit galaxy-hopping original game, launches May 23 for the Wii console. Metroid: Other M, the incredible new Metroid game developed for Wii through collaboration by Nintendo and the world-renowned Team Ninja, launches June 27. And in a unique partnership with Square-Enix, Nintendo of America will publish Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in the Americas when the game arrives in summer 2010. Capcomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monster Hunter Tri, an epic action game for Wii, launches in on April 20. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, the breakthrough shooter game for Wii from legendary developer Treasure, will launch on June 7. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands from Ubisoft will launch May 18 on both the Wii and Nintendo DS platforms.

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Tech NEWS

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 Series

New ATI Radeon HD 5830 Graphics Card

AMD recently introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5830 graphics card, bringing gamers the cutting-edge features and performance of the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 5800 series at a lower price than ever before at less than $250 USD. With the introduction of the ATI Radeon HD 5830, gamers have another great choice in graphics hardware, with full support for DirectX 11 gaming, ATI Eyefinity technology and ATI Stream capabilities. The ATI Radeon HD 5830 graphics card makes enthusiast-level performance even more accessible to gamers, adding another compelling choice to the award-winning ATI Radeon HD 5800 series. With it’s cutting-edge features the HD 5830 is all set to become a favourite with the gaming community.

Sandisk g3 solid state drive ships to retailers At Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of Windows Phones, Windows Phone 7 Series. With this new platform, Microsoft offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated experiences. For the first time ever, Microsoft will bring together Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience on a mobile phone, exclusively on Windows Phone 7 Series. “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences,” said Steve Ballmer. Partners have already started building phones; customers will be able to purchase the first phones in stores by holiday 2010.

SanDisk Corporation has begun shipping its SanDisk G3 Solid State Drives (SSD) to retailers in North America and Europe. The flash memory-based SanDisk G3 SSD offers a compelling alternative to a 7,200 RPM Hard Disk Drive (HDD) for many customers including do-it-yourself enthusiasts, IT managers or anyone seeking increased durability and performance with high reliability. SanDisk G3 SSD is Microsoft Windows 7 certified and is compatible with Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard as well as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Linux. The drive also supports the newest Windows 7 TRIM feature, which contributes to a substantial gain in the SanDisk G3 SSD’s performance by allowing the drive to continuously manage its resources and retain optimised performance throughout its lifespan.

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tech NEWS

Micron announces agreement to acquire Numonyx On February 09 Micron Technology and Numonyx Holdings B.V. announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Micron has agreed to acquire privately held Numonyx in an all-stock transaction valuing Numonyx at approximately $1.27 billion USD.

Symbian announces Symbian^3 The recently unveiled Symbian^3 (S^3) platform is the first entirely open source release following the platform’s transition to an open source license on 4 February, 2010, which was the largest of its kind in history. S^3 is expected to be “feature complete” by the end of Q1 and the release will include: significant usability and interface advances, faster networking, acceleration for 2D and 3D graphics in games and applications, HDMI support, music store integration, an improved user interface with easier navigation and multi-touch gesture support, a feature-rich homescreen, and the ability to run even more applications simultaneously. Members of the Symbian community, including device creators, network operators, hardware technology providers, professional services companies and application developers are already engaged with S^3 and the first devices using the platform are expected to ship as early as Q3 this year.

Texas Instruments delivers industry’s first quad-radio single chip Demonstrating its leadership in the wireless connectivity market, Texas Instruments Incorporated, on February 9, unveiled its WiLink 7.0 single-chip solution, the industry’s first offering to integrate WLAN 802.11n, GPS, FM transmit/ receive and Bluetooth technologies. Integrating these capabilities on a true single chip, the 65-nanometer WiLink 7.0 solution reduces costs by 30 percent, reduces size by 50 percent and delivers superior coexistence performance as compared to today’s existing solutions. Built on seven generations of proven technologies and legacy software, this single-chip solution further extends TI’s heritage of bringing technologies previously seen in high-end devices to the broad mobile market. Devices using WiLink 7.0 are expected to enter the market by the end of 2010. 8 / TECH

Micron currently estimates that the transaction would be accretive to the company on both free-cash flow and non-GAAP earnings beginning fiscal year 2011. In addition, it is anticipated that the Numonyx balance sheet will be debtfree following closing. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions and is currently anticipated to close within three to six months.

2009 Video game software sales experience declines According to recent findings from Top Global Markets, an integrated monthly report from leading providers of consumer and retail information in the video games industry, The NPD Group, combined video game software unit sales across the world’s three largest games markets experienced a decline of 8 per cent in calendar year 2009 (Jan.-Dec.), totalling 379.3 million units. The declines were more modest in Japan, which experienced a 2 per cent decline in software units . The United States and UK saw respective declines of 7 per cent and 14 per cent. In the U.S., console and portable software experienced respective declines of 7 per cent and 8 per cent, while UK units saw respective declines of 6 per cent and 25 per cent. Continuing the trend from 2008, the overall gaming software market in 2009 declined in large part due to the shrinking PlayStation 2 software market, which experienced a 57 per cent decrease across the top global markets in 2009 based on units (U.S. -56 per cent; UK -67 per cent; Japan -55 per cent).

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I have decided to upgrade my phone and I have my eyes set on either the iPhone 3GS of the New Xperia X10. Will it be worthwhile to wait for the Xperia or should I just buy the iPhone now The iPhone is a good phone in its own right. It easily has the best touchscreen interface to date in terms of response and interface. It also has a large capacity internal flash memory and a massive number of apps already present in the app store. But it also has a few flaws. Its memory is not expandable, not that you would really need to, and a majority of apps need to be paid for. On the other hand the Xperia will be running the Google Android OS 6.1. if you are into apps, you will be happy to note that the android also supports apps and there are already quite a few available online now and unlike those of the iPhone, a majority of them are free. It will also have a rather impressive custom interface and will be powered by the Qualcomm’s QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor, so it won’t be slouch in the performance department either. And while it may not share the internal space of the iPhone it is expandable. All-in-all it is definitely worth waiting for before making your final decision.

I would like to buy a PSP. Should I go for a PSPgo or the PSP 3000 Between the two, we would strongly suggest going for the PSP 3000, especially in Oman. While the PSPgo may seem to be a tantalising offer, with its small size, huge built-in storage and longer battery life, it is the 3000 that actually makes more sense. For one thing the 3000 can do nearly everything the ‘go’ can and for gamers who play for long hours, the wider form factor of the 3000 is a god-send. Also, unlike the ‘go’ it doesn’t sacrifice the UMD drive, which is the primary reason behind its shorter battery life. Since UMD’s are readily available in Oman it is a better option than having to rely on the Playstation store and your Credit Card for purchasing games. And as an added advantage the PSP 3000 costs less to purchase as well. And we cannot speak for you, but we personally take pride in our UMD collection.

I am constantly on the move and I need a small laptop. Would it be wise for me to go in for a netbook The choice heavily depends on what you will be using your Laptop for. Netbooks, as the name implies, is primarily used for web browsing, basic office work, basic multimedia playback and little else. As such, you should carefully consider your needs before shelling out for one. If you are looking for better on-the-go entertainment than what a standard netbook will offer, you can now get Nvidia ion equipped netbooks. These are significantly more powerful than with only a minor increase in cost (Have a look at our ‘Tech Favourites’ for one such example). Alternatively, if both the above don’t meet your needs, there is one other alternative – an ultra-portable laptop. These are generally equipped with proper laptop processors, larger hard drives and some, like the Acer Ferrari One, are also equipped with dedicated graphics cards. These offer near-netbook portability and decent performance and practicality, albeit at a higher price. If you are willing to spend and you need the extra oomph, ultra-portables is the way to go.

If you have any queries, quickly mail us on tech@deenarmedia.com, and we will try to answer them in our next issue. You may also be the lucky winner of a Blackberry!

Audio zone

RAISING THE BAR The Quietest yet Available at: Bose showroom and Connexions outlets

Price: OMR 139

The new QuietComfort 15 headphones are the result of more than 30 years of continuous Bose research in noise reduction technology, research that pioneered the category and has since led to breakthroughs for military applications, pilots and consumers. Through significant engineering advancements in active and passive noise reduction technologies, the QC 15 offer more attenuation in louder environments and across a wider range of frequencies without compromising the audio quality and comfort. The QC 15 feature an around-ear design and a single detachable ear cup cable. Once the cable is removed, listeners need only flip a switch on the right ear cup to activate the proprietary technology. Also impressive is the battery life, just a single AAA battery is needed to power the headphones for approximately 35 hours. For compact storage, the ear cups rotate to a flat resting position and fit easily into the provided newly designed carrying case.

Dock in style Available at: Bose showroom and Connexions Outlets

Price: OMR 259

Using advanced engineering and new technologies, the SoundDock 10 system is the premium system from Bose. It maintains dock-and-play simplicity in a small, elegant design -- yet plays with exceptional clarity across the full musical range, and delivers the low-note performance and volume levels of much larger sound systems. Measuring approximately 9” high, 17” wide and 10” deep, it incorporates new and existing Bose technologies, including a new version of Bose proprietary waveguide technology -- debuting for the first time and developed specifically for the SoundDock 10 system. It features a new, proprietary interchangeable docking architecture, designed to “future-proof” the system and protect an owner’s investment as new media player technologies emerge. A Bluetooth dock is offered separately and streams music wirelessly from a stereo Bluetooth music phone. As new devices become established standards, new docks will be made available. Listen once, and you’ll hear why there’s no other system like it.

a/v zone

The world of 3D is here

f you are looking for the ultimate home cinema experience, 3D is the way to go. Sony has recently announced plans to accelerate its initiatives to deliver an array of 3D entertainment to the home within the year and is leveraging all its diverse business assets to create a 3D world encompassing electronics and games to movie content. Sony even showcased the first of its ground-breaking line up of 3D entertainment products in Dubai recently. Sony will be introducing a number of 3D compatible consumer electronics products within this year, enabling users to enjoy an array of immersive 3D content in the home. These will include 3D compatible “BRAVIA” LCD TVs, “Blu-ray 3D” compatible Blu-ray Disc players, and “Blu-ray 3D” compatible home theatre systems. Also planned for

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a/v zone

release are 3D compatible VAIO PCs and 3D compatible digital still cameras. For the PlayStation3, the global installed base of which is approximately 30 million units with more than half a million units in the Middle East, Sony will provide firmware updates making PlayStation3 units compatible with 3D stereoscopic games. And with a separate firmware update, they will also become compatible with “Blu-ray 3D” discs. These technologies become all the more exciting when you realise that, in the Middle East, cable television service providers such as E-vision, ORBIT SHOWTIME and broadcasters such as Al Jazeera are upgrading their bouquet to provide the latest in entertainment technology and are in active discussion with companies to bring 3D to Middle Eastern homes this year. In the 3D space, Sony is very uniquely positioned compared to other consumer electronics makers because we are not only going to sell 3D compatible consumer hardware but also ensure there is affluent variety of 3D content that consumers can enjoy. They not only have the products to bring 3D to the home we also have a complete line up of professional products suitable for production of high quality 3D content for both movie makers and broadcasters.

As such, they are able to offer a complete Sony solution from the lens to the living room. If that wasn’t enough, Sony will film major sporting events in 3D (e.g. FIFA World Cup 2010, Sony Open in Hawaii, a golf tournament organised by the PGA Tour) that will be made available to consumers. And last but not least, the availability of “Blu-ray 3D” compatible players will herald the arrival of many new 3D films on high definition “Blu-ray 3D” discs, coinciding with the launch of 3D compatible “BRAVIA” TVs later this year.

The BDV– E970 is packed to the brim with nifty features. It is Blu-ray 3D compatible, has iPod playback via USB, has S-Air Wireless rear speaker and pumps out a healthy 1000W of Powerful sound. It can even upscale DVDs and streaming music and video via a Wireless LAN adapter

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Mobile zone

Android Craze We look at four of the latest Android phones heading to the market within the coming year.

Motorola BACKFLIP The BACKFLIP is Motorola’s latest addition to its Android portfolio. It combines the social saviness and personalization of MOTOBLUR with the multitasking performance of a smart phone. Its unique reverse flip design makes it easy to enjoy videos, music and photos while the QWERTY keyboard allows you to blast through emails, texts, news feeds, social network messages and more. MOTOBLUR is Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service created to make phones more personal and socially smart. It is the first and only solution to sync contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more—from sources such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail, work and personal e-mail. The phone should be made available by Q1 this year.

The truly original design allows users new ways to enjoy photos, music and more. In the reverse-flip, tabletop mode, listen to music or view videos hands free. The digital picture frame mode lets you show off your latest adventures. You can even turn BACKFLIP into a bedside alarm clock for your morning wake up call

Navigate quickly and easily through menus and features with the new and unique Backtrack feature, a touch panel located on the other side of the device, offering you a new way to scroll through—the Web, texts, emails and news feeds without obscuring the home screen

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Capture the moment with BACKFLIP’s 5 MP camera with flash and easily upload to your favorite photo sharing or social site. Additional extras include a GPS and stereo Bluetooth

Multi-tasking has never been easier with BACKFLIP’s reverse-flip QWERTY keyboard and high-res 3.1” HVGA screen—letting you see more and respond faster

Mobile zone

Google Nexus One The Google Nexus One combines the latest in hardware from HTC Corporation with the newest Android software. It belongs in the emerging class of devices which google calls ‘superphones,’ with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. And considering that it is the only phone in our list that is already on sale (The phone is sold via Google’s website, at a price of $529 unlocked), it is the first non-Windows smartphone to tap into this kind of processing power.

Media crazed buyers take note, the Snapdragon processor allows for 720p video playback. There is even built in hardware decoding for H.263, H.264 and MPEG-4 video. The phone is also capable of playing MP3, AAC+, Ogg Vorbis, WAV and MIDI audio

But its processing power isn’t the only thing that makes it unique, it also has one of the most impressive voice recognition softwares on a phone to date. You can enter text without typing by using a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields. You can speak a text message, tweet, update your Facebook or even complete an email. You can even tell your phone what you want it to do and eve search Google, call contacts or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone. It even works the other way round. Basically, you can read your voicemail.

The Google phone uses what is probably the fastest smartphone chip on the planet, the Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, and is the first non-Windows smartphone to tap into this kind of processing power. Snapdragon is the first gigahertz-class ARM-based processor to be used in smartphones

Android Craze

The Nexus One runs on Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software, which offers advanced applications and features including Google Maps navigation, email with Exchange support, a phone book which aggregates contacts from multiple sources including Facebook, Android Market and more

The phone has a 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen capable of handling multi-touch gestures and also uses an illuminated trackball which can emit different colours of light based on the type of notification being received

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Mobile zone

Android Craze

Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50 A co-branded alliance between Garmin and ASUSTeK Computer Inc, called Garmin-Asus, recently introduced their latest android creation – the nüvifone A50, a touchscreen Android-powered smartphone with multiple location technologies and apps. The A50 benefits from the personalization and enhanced features offered by the Android platform, and also includes Garmin navigation with turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions for use in a car or while walking. It also has many of the same features as a high-end Garmin nüvi navigation device such as lane assist with junction view that guides drivers to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit and realistically displays road signs. Location features are designed into virtually every function including email, text messaging, and photos. The elegant and thin A50 has a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display that incorporates a finger-friendly user interface. The QWERTY touchscreen keyboard makes it easy to send and receive messages, and predictive text helps customers type faster. It also comes with hardware features like 4GB internal storage, an expandable microSD card slot, and accelerometer so every screen can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode. The phone is expected to be on sale within the first half of this year.

Garmin navigation is included and preloaded on the A50. Because maps are installed on the device, customers will not have to wait for third party maps to download from a server, nor will they lose their turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation if they are out of cell phone coverage. Ready for pedestrian or automotive navigation out-of-the-box, the A50 includes a custom Garmin car mount and vehicle power cable

The A50 integrates Google mobile services with one-click access to Google Search by voice, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, calendar, contacts and Android Market, where users can find more than 20,000 applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle

The A50 receives its location (latitude and longitude) information from multiple sources including satellite, network-based and terrestrial sources. These overlapping technologies ensure that A50 customers have the best location and navigation experience a smartphone can offer

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The A50 includes on-device sync with Microsoft Exchange server, with the ability to wirelessly synchronize contacts, calendar and enterprise email. Account setup is quick and easy, and in a few simple steps users will have their contacts, calendar and email ready to go

Mobile zone

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 The XPERIA X10 is the first phone in the XPERIA family to deliver a consistent user experience where communication truly becomes entertainment. Building on Sony Ericsson’s entertainment heritage and combining rich graphics with intelligence capabilities, the X10 introduces a new UX platform that will evolve across the product portfolio and expand over time continuously introducing new features and capabilities. The UX platform builds on top of the Open OS and creates a truly unique user experience by combining top-class entertainment features with signature applications, smart integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The X10 also has two signature applications – Mediascape and Timescape. Mediascape is a smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. Timescape manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations, check out your Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go. The X10 should be on sale in the first quarter of this year.

Android Craze

The 8.1 Megapixel feature-packed camera has just what you need to capture and share special moments. It features a 16x digital zoom, image stabilizer, flash, video recording, geo tagging, smile detection, face recognition and more

The X10’s face recognition feature allows it to recognise up to five faces in a photo and automatically stores them under your friends in your phone

Sony Ericsson’s open approach gives consumers maximum choice and with the XPERIA X10, users can download any application that they want direct from a wide variety of stores including PlayNow and the Android Market, co-creating an experience that is entirely unique to them

A Bold look at life A quick look at the new Blackberry 9700 Bold

Strong. Driven. Fearless

When nothing but the very best will do, the BlackBerry Bold series delivers – and the newest addition is no different. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone is packed with 3G and Wi-Fi network connectivity, push delivery, a high-resolution screen, enhanced audio playback and a full QWERTY keyboard. With its sophisticated design, easy-to-use trackpad and long-lasting battery, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone is made to fit your life. The 9700 it’s loaded with built-in features and applications to help make your life easier like out of the box compatibility for Mac computers, GPS navigation and improved Gmail integration. And with a long lasting battery and enhanced music playback time, the Bold is designed to keep up with you, no matter how crazy life gets. With easy access to Facebook, MySpace and more social networking sites, you’ll always be in touch with the people you care about most. And with text and picture messaging made easy, you can send quick updates and even pictures with a few simple clicks. The Bold 9700 smartphone also provides an outstanding Internet experience so you can be in-the-know, almost anywhere life takes you. And with room available for applications, information and multimedia files like music, videos and pictures, you can take your life with you and share with friends, family and colleagues wherever you go.

Special bundle offer is also available for this model across all JUMBO showrooms.

Blackberry 9700 Bold Personalize your BlackBerry smartphone with a wide selection of apps available in one convenient place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the BlackBerry App World.

The large colorful screen is designed to enhance email and attachment viewing, web browsing and third-party apps, and offers a large work space for editing Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files

Based on optical technology, the trackpad helps you easily scroll through the information you need, with an experience similar to the trackpad on a laptop computer. A simple glide of your finger over the track pad allows you to scroll through menus and icons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and a subtle press and click allows you to select the item and get you to where you are going

Typing messages is fast and easy with the full QWERTY keyboard because each letter is assigned to its own key, in an uncluttered layout, typing is simple and feels natural

JUMBO SHOWROOMS:

MBD: Tel: 24818358 Al Araimi Shopping Complex: Tel: 24565845 Qurm City Center: TEl: 24470529 Salalah: Tel: 23291984

TECH SPECIAL

Browse O

n January 27 Apple introduced the iPad, a revolutionary device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading e-books and much more. Its responsive high-resolution Multi-Touch display lets users physically interact with applications and content similarly to the iPhone or iPod Touch. The iPad is powered by A4, Apple’s next-generation system-on-a-chip. Designed in-house, the new A4 chip provides exceptional processor and graphics performance along with long battery life of up to 10 hours. In addition to this, not only will the device run almost all of the over 140,000 apps in the App Store, and those already purchased for your iPhone or iPod touch, it also features 12 next-generation Multi-Touch applications. Every app works in both portrait and landscape, automatically animating between views as the user rotates iPad in any direction. You will also be able to Import photos from a Mac, PC or digital camera and see them organized as albums. You can also watch movies, TV shows and YouTube,

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all in HD or flip through pages of an e-book while listening to your music collection. Among the impressive apps announced for the iPad were the iBooks and the iWork set of apps. The iBook includes Apple’s new iBookstore and is sure to be one of the best ways to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. The iWork is the first desktopclass productivity suite designed specifically for Multi-Touch and features three separate apps – Pages, Keynote and Numbers, each of which can be purchased separately from the App Store. With them you can create beautifully

formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent colour with an ultra-wide 178 degree viewing angle. And judging by apples current touch models, the iPad’s highly precise, capacitive Multi-Touch display is sure to be amazingly accurate and responsive whether scrolling web pages or playing games. The intelligent soft keyboard pioneered on iPhone takes advantage of iPad’s larger display to offer an almost full-size soft keyboard.

TECH SPECIAL

In style Despite it’s features and capability, the iPad is just 0.5 inches thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds – thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook. The iPad will be available with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage and will come in two versions— one with Wi-Fi and the other with both Wi-Fi and 3G. iPad includes the latest 802.11n WiFi, and the 3G versions support speeds up to 7.2 Mbps on HSDPA networks. The standard iPad hit the Worldwide market by late March but the Wi-Fi + 3G models will only be available in selected countries this month.

Photography zone

Welcome Hasselblad H4D-40 This past September, Hasselblad debuted the H4D line of cameras with True Focus technology during its annual conference near the Kennedy Space Centre, heralding the company’s plan to deliver the advantages of medium-format DSLRs to a new generation of high-end 35mm photographers.

The fact that the camera’s large sensors have millions of pixels more than 35mm sensors is wellknown, but the superior image quality that results, in terms of color, detail, and clarity, is not as well understood. Likewise, many photographers don’t realize that the larger-format H System cameras provide a considerably shallower

1. The H4D-40 features a 33.1 × 44.2 mm CCD sensor with 40 million pixels, providing almost twice the capture area of the largest 35mm DSLR sensors 2. Up to 80 MB/ sec read-write performance supporting fastest CF cards in the market 3. With a Hasselblad camera you get a modular system that allows you to customise or alter your gear set-up to suit your particular shooting style or needs 4. Having one of the world’s largest sensors doesn’t have to mean short exposure times. The H4D-40 allows extended exposures of up to 4 minutes in length, giving even more creative control

Built on the H3D-II model series, the H4D-40 features faster capture rates, higher ISO ratings, up to 4-minute exposure times, and True Focus technology, for accurate near-field composing that’s greatly simplified. With a 33x44mm CCD sensor and 40mn pixels, the new camera provides almost twice the capture area of the largest 35mm DSLR sensors.

depth of field range, making it much easier to use selective focus for creative effect. Combined with True Focus, this opens up enormous creative possibilities and makes for greater technical accuracy. Add the modularity of the H4D-40, with its choice of bright image viewfinders and an extensive accessories program, and you have a feature set that makes a Hasselblad system an even more valuable component of a professional photographer’s toolbox. The new low-noise color filters of the H4D-40’s sensor and the high-performance HC/HCD lens line provide greater clarity and depth of field.

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The Hasselblad Natural Color Solution delivers consistent color reproduction with a single color profile, while digital lens correction perfects each image by removing any distortion, vignetting, or chromatic aberrations. The H4D-40 comes in a bundle of camera body, viewfinder, 80mm lens and Hasselblad’s new Phocus 2.0 imaging software. Designed for a dramatically reduced learning curve, Phocus now enables the average photographer to be up to speed in less than 30 minutes. If you want to get your hands on one, the camera is available for immediate shipping through Photocentre.

Photography zone

The Perfect Trio

The new T-series, W-series and S-series range of Cyber-shot cameras are the latest innovations in Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly acclaimed brand. The ultra compact and stylish cameras feature intuitive imaging and advanced video recording, while delivering effortless photo capture and beautiful images for any user.

Well-known for its slim and chic design, the T-series Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 is available in fashionable dark blue, red and silver colours. The model features an Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode, which recognizes faces and captures subject movement,

stitching photos seamlessly to create natural, panoramic shots.

Photo LCD screen on the S2100 enables users to capture and view pictures easily.

It also comprises Backlight Correction HDR, which takes two pictures at different settings, one set to capture shadow detail and the other to capture highlight detail. It then processes the best elements of both pictures into a single JPEG file, delivering a dynamic, natural, true-to-life image.

In addition to the T-series and S-series, newly added to the popular W-series range are DSC-W390, DSC-W380, DSC-W360, DSC-W350, DSC-W330, DSC-W320 and DSC-W310. Available in a wide array of colours and up to 14.1-megapixel resolution, the new W-series cameras are equipped with a high performance 5x optical zoom G lens. And as an added bonus, all Cyber-shot models are now compatible with both SD/SDHC memory cards as well as Memory Stick.

The Cyber-shot S-series, DSC-S2100 and DSC-S2000, sport extremely user-friendly controls and come with a resolution of up to 12.1 megapixels, while a 3.0-inch Clear

The DSC-W380, DSC-W360 and DSC-W350 snap panoramic photos with just one sweep, record 720p HD movies and connect seamlessly with BRAVIA LCD TVs or the Playstation3, allowing movies to be viewed in widescreen.

The DSC-TX7, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slimmest camera with Full HD (1920 x 1080, 50i) AVCHD video recording, comes with a 10.2 megapixel resolution and is the first T-series product to be equipped with a 25mm wideangle lens enabling users to shoot dynamic, high quality full HD videos with smooth subject movement.

S-series

T-series

W-series

Incorporating Intelligent Auto Mode, the S-series cameras automatically determine the optimum photo settings for seven different scenes, allowing users to capture stunning images without having to resort to manual settings.

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Photography zone

The new duo

Pentax w90 Waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof, Freezeproof Rated JIS Class 6 dustproof and Class 8 waterproof, the Optio W90 captures images up to 20 feet underwater for up to two hours. It also offers exceptional cold temperature performance for reliable operation at temperatures as low as –10°C. It is also designed to withstand falls from a height of four feet without damage to the body.

Digital Microscope mode for nature observation from 1cm away The W90’s new Digital Microscope mode magnifies the view and captures miniscule subjects that are difficult to observe closely with the naked eye. Three LED Macro Lights installed on the face of the lens barrel camera captures subjects clearly and brightly on the LCD monitor for extreme macro photography.

Optical 5X zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle coverage Despite its compact dimensions, the W90 features an optical 5X zoom lens covering focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto). High-quality, HD-proportioned movie recording The W90 captures 720p movie clips at a frame rate of 30 frames per second and also provides an HDMI micro terminal for audio/video signal output.

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Photography zone Pentax recently announced two new models to its camera range – the eleventh generation model of its Optio waterproof digital camera range, the W90, and its latest addition to their megazoom digital camera line, the X90. The Optio offers enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and coldproof performance and some really nifty features that make it perfect for rugged adventure in every way. Designed with the look of mountaineering equipment, the Optio W90 kit includes a woven web fabric strap complete with a carabiner to attach

the camera to a backpack and other outdoor gear. The X90, on the other hand, features an extra-wide zoom, longer battery life than its predecessor and an electronic viewfinder. It’s key feature though is the 26X megazoom, super-telephoto lens (26-676mm equivalent) that is also designed with a Macro mode that focuses on objects less than one inch away. As an added bonus both cameras feature Eye-Fi SD memory card support . These memory cards store media and offer built-in Wi-Fi capability that accesses an assigned wireless network to effortlessly transfer photos and videos from the camera to a computer and online sharing sites.

Pentax x90 Versatile optical 26X zoom lens A high-magnification optical 26X zoom lens offers a focal-length coverage between 26mm wide angle to 676mm super telephoto (in the 35mm format). It also features an Intelligent Zoom function, which extends the zoom coverage to approximately 162.5 times (for a focal length of 4225mm in the 35mm format) without compromising the optical performance of the zoom lens.

Versatile optical 26X zoom lens A high-magnification optical 26X zoom lens offers a focal-length coverage between 26mm wide angle to 676mm super telephoto (in the 35mm format). It also features an Intelligent Zoom function, which extends the zoom coverage to approximately 162.5 times (for a focal length of 4225mm in the 35mm format) without compromising the optical performance of the zoom lens.

Auto Picture mode for hands-off selection of seven different shooting modes The X90 features an advanced Auto Picture mode, which selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by detecting the subject’s lighting and other conditions.

Dependable shake-reduction system for sharp, blur-free images The PENTAX-original CCD-shift-type SR (Shake Reduction) system assures sharply focused, blur-free images even under demanding photographic conditions that are prone to camera shake.

Face Detection AF & AE function Featuring an upgraded Face Detection AF & AE function, the X90 automatically detects up to 32 faces in the image field in a mere 0.03 seconds and captures each with precision, even when the faces are tilted or turned sideways. TECH / 27

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Stars of CES 2010 Alienware M11x gaming laptop Expected retail price: USD 799 (OMR 304)

Gaming on your laptop has always been a double edged sword since performance always comes at the expense of mobility. But Alienware has finally broken that mould with the M11x Gaming Laptop. They have managed to cram the graphics power of a 15inch laptop into an 11.6 inch form factor! With the optional Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor, up to 8GB DDR3 1066HMz, an optional 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive and the 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 335M graphics card the M11x is capable of 3DMark06 scores of over 6100, more than enough to satisfy your most demanding gaming needs while on the move.

Crystal Cable Arabesque loud speaker Expected retail price: n/a The ultimate goal of high end audio is to bring to life the music experience of a concert hall, jazz bar or stadium to our living rooms, through high quality, sophisticated audio systems. Crystal Cable have managed just that with their Arabesque loud speaker, a stateof-the-art design high end loudspeaker and a piece of art as well. The transparent cabinet will adjust to every interior and the sound will adjust to every room type. Its shape ensures a surprisingly stable stereo image, allowing you to place the speakers in the room wherever its needed.

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LG DP570MH Mobile Digital Television Expected retail price: USD 249 (OMR 95.900) Demand for truly mobile, portable TV reception on the rise, so this year at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show LG introduced the DP570MH Mobile Digital Television. What makes it unique though is the fact that a viewer should expect robust reception from favorite local channels even on a fast-moving train – unlike some small digital TV sets currently on the market. In addition, the DP570MH comes equipped to play DVD movie discs and audio CDs, and it can also display .JPG photos and play WMA music files from its USB2.0 connection.

3M MPro150 Expected retail price: USD 395 (OMR 152) The latest tool in 3M’s award-winning MPro family of pico projectors, the MPro150 boasts one of the most robust feature sets of any pocket projector currently on the market. It includes 1 GB internal memory, a micro SD card slot and a USB input for transferring files from a laptop or netbook, eliminating the necessity of a pass-through device and allowing entire presentations to be pre-loaded onto the projector itself. The MPro150 supports Microsoft Office applications, as well as Adobe PDF, photos and video allowing the user to project images up to 50-inches at 15 lumens brightness.

Eos Converge Expected retail price: n/a The Eos Converge Transmitter is an extremely versatile device that lets you play all your music all over your house; inside, outside, upstairs or down; from virtually any audio source imaginable. Connect the Eos Converge Receiver to the USB port of your computer and stream music from iTunes or other music media player. It can even be connected to your home stereo system… even your iPod. Also, with the Eos Auto-Link feature you can just turn the Eos Converge Amplified Receivers on and they’re instantly part of your Eos Wireless System. TECH / 29

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Liquid Image Wide Angle Scuba Series HD322 Camera Expected retail price: USD 350 (OMR 134.800) If you are looking to do some underwater photography then the Wide Angle Scuba Series HD322 is for you. It is a mid size dive mask that records HD 720P video at 30fps along with 5.0MP still images. The depth rating on this new model is 40m, which covers depths reached by certified recreational divers. The mask also has a micro SD/SDHC card slot and comes with a 2GB micro SD card. The memory can expand up to 32GB, to record thousands of still images or approximately 16 hours of video. The camera operates on 4 x AAA Batteries. Estimated Lithium battery performance is 2000 still images or 2hrs of video.

Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook Expected retail price: USD 999 (OMR 384.700) Another ground-breaking product to be launched at this year’s CES was the industry’s first hybrid PC for consumers, the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 hybrid notebook, featuring a ground-breaking detachable screen. The IdeaPad U1’s unique design is engineered to provide consumers with two PCs in one device – each with its own processor and operating system – that work together and independently as either a clamshell laptop or a multitouch slate tablet. When the IdeaPad U1 is in its traditional clamshell form, the system boasts an 11.6 inch HD LED screen and runs Windows 7. When the 1.6 pound, multitouch screen is removed, it becomes an independent slate tablet with a powerful ARM processor, running Lenovo’s customized Skylight operating system.

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Dual Electronics Corp XGPS300 Expected retail price: n/a Dual Electronics Corp. demonstrated their awardwinning GPS Navigation & Battery Cradle for iPod touch at this year’s CES. The Cradle, which resembles a battery case in size and weight, provides a complete, portable GPS navigation solution for iPod touch, including the NavAtlas turn-by-turn navigation app with TTS technology, and a car mount. The Cradle, which also provides GPS coordinates to most other location-based apps, allows iPod touch owners to use their devices with apps for hiking, golfing, social networking, geocaching, finding a restaurant and much more.

Syabas Popbox ZOMM Bluetooth wireless leash Expected retail price: n/a With billions of mobile phones being used worldwide, thousands of people walk away and accidentally leave their phone behind on a daily basis. ZOMM has created the solution. A wireless leash for any Bluetooth-enabled phone, will sound an alarm if you walk away from your mobile phone, notifying you to turn around. The award-winning device also features call notification with speakerphone, a panic alarm and a feature that allows you to call emergency assistance from anywhere in the world with just one press of a button.

Expected retail price: USD 129 (OMR 49.700) Looking for an all-in-one entertainment solution? The Popbox could be your answer. It enables consumers to enjoy a wide assortment of content including blockbuster movies, Internet radio, home videos, photos, music, games and Tweets from their PC, the Internet or an attached USB storage device on their HDTVs. The innovative user interface allows users to easily navigate a wide variety of content channels, browse and playback multimedia content from their computer and interact with others through social networking sites and interactive multiplayer games.

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Panasonic VT25 Series Full HD 3D VIERA Plasma HDTV Expected retail price: n/a The VT25 series, from Panasonic, won the 2010 Innovations Award at this year’s CES and with good reason. In addition to its new 3D technologies mentioned below, each Full HD 3D Plasma model incorporates a rich set of advanced features such as VIERA CAST, Panasonic’s innovative Internet programming package and the ability to control their VIERA Link-compatible audio and video products with just one remote. HD home movies and photos are easily displayed using an accessible SD Memory Card slot. In addition, the displays are also THX Certified to ensure that motion pictures and television content are displayed with exactly the quality and colour palette that the director intended. Models will range in screen size class from 50 to 65-inches and are expected to launch by spring this year.

Panasonic High-precision 3D Eyewear Expected retail price: n/a First, each Panasonic plasma display panel was advanced to allow images for each of the left and right eyes to be alternately reproduced at the rate of 60 frames per second (fps), making a total of 120 fps for both eyes. Viewers watch the images through high-precision 3D Eyewear, which open and close the left and right shutters in synchronisation with the alternating images. As a result, a separate 1920 x 1080 full-HD image is sent to each eye. High-precision shutter control in the 3D eyewear completely closes the shutters for both eyes at the instant that the images change for the left and right eyes. This masks unwanted afterimages to enable clear and comfortable 3D viewing. Each TV will come bundled with a pair of these stylish glasses while more will be available for separate purchase.

Panasonic DMP-BDT350 3D Full HD Blu-ray Disc player Expected retail price: n/a The DMP-BDT350, also a winner of the Innovations Award for its innovative 3D technology, utilises groundbreaking technologies incorporated in Panasonic’s proprietary UniPhier LSI chip, enabling the player to flawlessly process the large quantity of visual information necessary to create a Full HD 3D image in 1920 x 1080 resolution. Adaptive Chroma Upsampling insures that colours will be faithfully reproduced; and all native digital DVD formats are upscaled to 1080p resolution quality. The player also incorporates all features expected in a high-end product, including 7.1 channel lossless audio and Dolby True HD and DTS HD audio formats. And like the TV Digital still photographs and HD video can be easily viewed through the player’s SD Memory Card slot.

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Movie zone

Halo legend Score: 8.5

alo Legends shares a lot in common with Animatrix. Like the latter it is a collection of seven short stories by various acclaimed anime directors and studios. Also, like the Animatrix is features a two-part first episode that gives you a history lesson on the source material and an insanely impressive all-CG episode, which will also be primary reason behind a purchase or rent of the disk. On a whole the Halo Legends is definitely worth a watch for any Halo or Sci-fi fan but it has to be noted that the episodes is markedly different from each other. Below are quick reviews on each of the seven episodes.

Origins 1 and II

The Duel is an extremely stylised animation and can be quite difficult to watch at first. Get used to it and you will realise just how well it is done. As a bonus you are also treated to a stunning tale of how title of arbiter, initially an insult, became one of honour among the covenant.

Homecoming

Origins I and II together form one cohesive story that talks about the history of Halo. While its artwork isn’t anything special, its story is intriguing and beautifully presented. It is a worthwhile watch for sci-fi fans who aren’t familiar with the Halo universe and even Halo fans.

The Duel

Odd One Out

This is also one of our favourite episodes. The episode showcases an early prototype Spartan armour and both, the story and action, intensify dramatically once Ghost, the main protagonist of the episode, powers it up. Intense action, a terrific story and great animation make this a must watch.

Homecoming is one of only two lacklustre episodes on the disk. While it does feature an interesting story, its dull action and mundane dialogue let it down. If don’t want to miss out on any of the episodes, feel free to watch it, just don’t expect anything that is even remotely impressive.

The Babysitter

The Package Easily the best on the disk, The Package is the only episode that is entirely CG. Intense action and stunning visuals abound and is beautifully complemented by top-notch voice work and 34 / TECH

a splendid story. And best of all, it features Spartan 117 himself, or ‘The Master Chief’ as he is more commonly known. What more could a halo nut ask for?

Odd One Out is easily one of our favourites on the disk and definitely worth watching. It showcases the escapades of Spartan 1337 and is the only light hearted and funny episode, it has great characters and even features a touch of Dragon Ball Z style combat.

Prototype

This is the other lacklustre episode that we mentioned earlier. Although it does feature significantly better action than homecoming in some places, on a whole it suffers from the same problems – an interesting story marred by its dull action and mundane dialogue.

Movie zone

The road Score: 7.8 The Road is a thriller set in post-apocalyptic America where an unknown event has destroyed civilization, killed all plant and animal life and has obscured the sun leaving only remnants of mankind alive. Directed by John Hillcoat, it tells the story of a father, played by Viggo Mortensen, and his son, played by Kodi SmitMcPhee, as they struggle to survive in such a harsh environment searching for shelter, food and fuel and avoiding bands of cannibals while trying to maintain their own sense of morality and humanity. The performances put on by the cast is top notch, Mortensen’s in particular, drawing you into the world and making it feel all the more believable.

hen Cormac McCarthy’s brutal saga of post-apocalyptic anguish, that is ‘The Road’, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, a big screen adaptation became inevitable. Its a good thing then that ‘The Road’ did not deviate from the source material and ended up a dignified masterpiece of movie making.

As a warning, this is not a movie that everyone will appreciate. It a sad and brooding tale and the apocalypse that has befallen the world is never truly explained. But if you are patient and are willing to see it through to the end ‘The Road’ can be a deeply rewarding experience. For others though, it may feel a bit too brooding and monotonous.

sherlock holmes Score: 8.0

n a dynamic new and somewhat unusual portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battles a new nemesis and unravels a deadly plot that could destroy the country. The movie is somewhat of a mixed bag, though not in a bad way. For one the action-packed plot, which is actually quite interesting and keeps you on your toes, isn’t exactly what you would call Sherlock Holmes material and Guy Ritchie wouldn’t exactly be our first pick to direct the movie. Also, Sherlock Holmes himself is portrayed somewhat differently to what most people perceive him to be. Regardless, it is the acting again that redeems the movie, just like it does for ‘The road’. Both Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) and Jude Law (Dr. John Watson) put up stunning performances and they make the perfect pair. The same can be said for the other characters, visuals and musical score, all of which are top notch and fit

the mood of the movie perfectly. While the movie itself may not be what you would expect of a Sherlock Holmes flick, it is definitely a movie worth watching at least once.

* The movies courtesy of Ozone Video TECH / 35

Game zone

n games, being guided through a story on rails isn’t necessarily a bad thing provided the story is worth experiencing. It is a good thing then that the story of Heavy Rain is as involving and intriguing as it is. The story revolves around the origami killer, who is responsible for a recent spate of child murders, and one of the games protagonists, Ethan Mars, a father on a quest to save his son from being the next victim. Besides Ethan, you also assume control three others – a private investigator Scott Shelby, FBI criminal profiler Norman Jayden and insomniac Madison Paige, each with their own reason to hunt down the killer. The story clocks in at a hefty eight to ten hours and is one of the more immersive experiences in recent gaming. Unfortunately the story is not completely flawless, it is quite slow to start and there are some major plot holes that, if noticed, will affect your immersion.

Publisher: Sony Developer: Quantic Dream Platform(s): PS3 Genre: Adventure ESRB Rating: Mature

SCORE

9.0

The Good Stunning presentation, innovative storytelling and gameplay, extremely immersive, decent length, great soundtrack The Bad

Inconsistent voice acting, cumbersome movement controls, some major plot holes

It is quite hard to call ‘Heavy Rain’ either a game or a movie, it does a great job of blurring the line between the two. You don’t so much as play this game as much as you watch it, those of you who are familiar with PS1 and PC classic ‘Índigo Prophecy’ will know what we mean. The game takes part in chapters during which you assume the role of one of the protagonists and are led through a series of quicktime events which, depending on your success, affect the outcome of the scene and maybe even the entire story. These events involve timely or sequential button presses, analogue stick movements or even swinging the controller itself, quite similar to what you might expect from a game such as this. What truly sets this game apart though, is how the system is handled. Most of the movements in the game beautifully replicate those of the character on screen and the interval of button presses is heavily affected by the situation that the character is in and the time needed to react. Also, there is no real scoring system to these events and as such there is no real wrong input. If you miss commands the scene may change slightly or heavily or the lead character itself may die in the scene

Game zone

depending on the gravity of the situation. Regardless of the result the game will continue on alter the story accordingly. Another advantage of such a system is that the emotions of the onscreen characters are directly conveyed to the player thereby delving you deeper into the game world. The only real flaw in the control system is when you take direct control of the characters movements itself. You move your character forward by pulling the R2 trigger and alter the direction he or she is facing by moving the left analog stick. This system, to put it kindly, is clunky at best making precise movements near impossible. When it comes to graphical presentation, Heavy Rain is up there with the best. The graphical engine powering the game is a real powerhouse, able through tons of characters on screen at once, run it in multiple split-screens and at the same time render them in exquisite detail. This is all the more impressive when you take into account the level of detailing that has gone into the environments. And aside from the occasional stiff or awkward movements the character animation, for the most part, is great and the orchestral score wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster flick. Unfortunately, the voice acting doesn’t fare quite as well. In some places it is great on others it can be quite appalling drawing you out of the experience but thankfully it doesn’t damage the experience too much on a whole. Once the main story is completed there is some incentive for replayability if you want to see the other endings and how the various scenes would have played out differently. Just don’t expect to be as involved in the story the second time though since by then you will obviously be aware of the main plot. But you can rest assured because the main story itself clocks in at a very satisfying eight to ten hours and there are quite a few bonuses to unlock and enjoy. HeavyRain is one of the more innovative and interesting mediums of interactive storytelling. While it does suffer from its share of plot holes and technical flaws, it is definitely a story worth experiencing.

Game zone

TOP Games Released last month Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Release Date: Mar. 2 Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA DICE Platform(s): Xbox 360 PS3 PC Genre: Action ESRB Rating: Mature

Released on March 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 delivers a level of destruction, vehicular warfare, squad play and open world environments never before experienced in a modern warfare action game. By pushing destruction to new heights, thanks to DICEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature Frostbite engine with Destruction 2.0, and delivering a host of land, sea and air vehicles, players will soon witness to one of the best-in-class online warfare experiences.

God of War III Release Date: Mar. 16 Publisher: Sony Developer: Sony Santa Monica Platform(s): PS3 Genre: Action ESRB Rating: Mature

Developed exclusively for the PS3 system, God of War III is the final installment of the multi-million unit-selling trilogy. Utilizing a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War III has made standard-setting strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions quadrupling since God of War II, God of War III will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fateful quest as he seeks revenge against the Gods who have betrayed him.

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Game zone

Final Fantasy XIII

Release Date: Mar. 9 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix Platform(s): Xbox 360 PS3 Genre: RPG ESRB Rating: Teen

In Final Fantasy XIII, players will embark on a journey through the cityworld of Cocoon and the outerworld of Pulse, encountering and fighting alongside a diverse group of allies. Execute powerful attacks with weapons and magic, and summon the enigmatic Eidolons with an evolved Active Time Battle system. Experience seamless transitions between real-time gameplay and in-game cinematics. This latest title in Final Fantasy series promises to be intensely compelling and will for the first time in its history be available for both the PlayStation3 and the Xbox 360.

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Game zone

Resonance of Fate Release Date: Mar. 16 Publisher: Sega Developer: Tri-Ace Platform(s): Xbox 360 PS3 Genre: RPG ESRB Rating: Teen Developed by Tokyo-based tri-Ace, Resonance of Fate brings a new twist to the RPG genre with a unique storyline, highly stylised graphics, and an emphasis on realistic gunplay and engrossing action. Players will be immersed in a gritty, highly mechanised world unlike any other. With Hollywood-style action sequences, customisable weapons, and memorable characters, Resonance of Fate takes players far beyond the boundaries of the typical RPG.

Just Cause 2 Release Date: Mar. 23 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Avalanche Platform(s): Xbox 360 PC PS3 Genre: Action ESRB Rating: Mature

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Ricoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to attack missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless. 40 / TECH

Game zone

Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight Command & Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight brings the 15 year-long fan-beloved Tiberium saga to an epic and stunning conclusion as it once again throws players into the epic battles between the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod with its enigmatic leader Kane. With its new experience and class-based systems that are persistent across all game modes, Tiberian Twilight sticks to the action-packed gameplay fans have come to love while offering them entirely new ways to play Command & Conquer. Release Date: Mar. 16 Publisher: EA Games Developer: EA LA Platform(s): PC Genre: Strategy ESRB Rating: R/P

Red Steel 2 Release Date: Mar. 23 Publisher: Ubi Soft Developer: Ubi Soft Platform(s): Wii Genre: Action ESRB Rating: R/P

Red Steel 2 returns with an artistic style and flair created just for Wii. Set in a desert-bound, high-tech metropolis, Red Steel 2 is a revolution in the action-fighting genre, taking full advantage of the capabilities of the Wii MotionPlus accessory. Your movements are faithfully replicated on-screen, putting the emphasis on swinging, shooting and fun! With the ability of the Wii MotionPlus to sense the strength of a swing, you will literally be able to make an impact on your adversaries through power and precision.

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Buyer’s guide

The Quick Buyers’ Guide to Consoles Unless you are loaded and are willing to purchase all three, buying a console can be really troublesome decision. This is where we step in to make the decision a little easier. Currently, handhelds aside, there are three major contenders in the console market – the Sony Playstation3 (PS3), the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. While all are great machines in their own right, each offers something the other doesn’t and all have their individual pros and cons. The primary reason behind nearly anyone buying a console is to play games. So, obviously your biggest decision maker should be the games library of each of the consoles. In this regard, the PS3 and Xbox360 are your straightforward hardcore games consoles with a number of triple-A multiplatform titles. Where the differentiation truly occurs is in the exclusives. Up until now, it is the Xbox that holds the lead in terms of the largest and best catalogue of exclusives. Games like Halo and Gears of War have a dedicated fan base and with Halo Reach on the horizon things are only going to get better. Couple this with exceptional Xbox Live online service and you have a winning combination right there. But this does not mean that the PS3 is left in the dust. While it may lack the extensive catalogue of exclusives of the 360, what’s there is easily some of the very best to be found in its genre. Games like Killzone 2, MGS4 and Heavy Rain are some of the very best games you can play. And with exclusives like God of war 3, Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Gran Turismo 5 on the

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horizon, the PS3 is sure to put up quite a fight. We would go so far as to say that its future line-up looks even more enticing than that of the 360. Also, the PS3’s online service, unlike that of the Xbox’s, is free. When it comes down to graphics, it is quite a mixed bag. Most multiplatform games tend to look better on the Xbox 360. But it only takes one look at PS3 Exclusives like Heavy Rain and the upcoming God of War’s third instalment to figure out which of the two is the true graphical powerhouse. It is a shame that very few games actually make the PS3 show-off its true capability. One advantage that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 have over the Wii is the fact that they make great home entertainment systems, but it has to be noted that only the PS3 is capable of Blu-ray playback. The Wii on the other hand is the least hardcore of the bunch, suited more for casual gamers. It is also easily the least powerful of the bunch and the only one that doesn’t play games in HD. But what it lacks in power it makes up for in its sheer number of great games and unique gameplay mechanisms, thanks to its motion controllers and dozens of peripherals. Mind you, the Wii does have a dark side to it, that will be sure to please the hardcore gamer in you. This comes in the form of Wii exclusives such as No More Heroes, Madworld, Metroid and numerous Resident

Evil titles that aren’t available on any other console. So the bottom line is – if you are looking for a powerhouse home entertainment system and you are a casual online gamer the PS3 is the perfect choice for you. On the other hand if you are a fan of multiplayer games and don’t mind parting with some cash to get the best online service available, the Xbox 360 is the one to go for. If you are a casual gamer and only delve into a few hardcore games, the Wii makes for a good choice. It is also a blast at parties and it is the most forgiving to beginners. But then again Microsoft and Sony are on the verge of launching their motion controllers for their respective consoles, both of which are said to be more accurate than the Wiimote, even with the Wii MotionPlus accessory attached. So if you are looking to buy the Wii just for its unique and fun control scheme, you might want to hold on to your cash for just a bit. You never know what the more accurate motion controls will be capable off on significantly more powerful systems.

computer zone

Lap of style In today’s world, laptops are more than just a necessity, they are a style statement. And one laptop model that manages to provide both, everyday practicality and style, into one package is Sony’s new VAIO E Series laptops. Featuring a large 15.5 inch 16:9 real wide full HD display and full pitch keyboard, the E Series also offers comprehensive full HD entertainment features and easy-touse short cut controls, making it an ideal

personal computer for everyday use. As an additional bonus, you can connect the laptop to an HD TV via a HDMI port, allowing users enjoy their content on an even larger screen. The choice of vibrant glossy colours with unique patterns allows the E Series users to make a personal style statement. Built on the latest Intel platform, the new series delivers powerful processing capability. The laptops are equipped with

The wide range of vibrant colours is available; including Black, White in both glossy and matte finish and Blue, Pink, and Green in a glossy finish. This range of colour variation allows users to choose a look that matches their personal style

either an Intel Core i3 or the Intel Core i5, with its turbo boost technology. In addition, they come with the latest integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 or 5470, with 1GB or 512MB, or Intel GMA HD graphics processors, enabling a smoother and faster processing speed for video playback or gaming. It also incorporates VAIO Original software including the Media Gallery and PMB VAIO Edition, allowing users to enjoy movies, music and memories wherever and whenever they like.

The E Series’ new high resolution VAIO display is capable of playing back videos with resolutions of up to 1,920 x 1,080, or full HD. It is also equipped with Dolby Home Theatre, which offers a high quality surround sound effect for enhanced movie viewing

The isolation keyboard features a 19mm full key pitch and numeric keypad. The numeric keypad is also full pitch with a four column layout for added convenience for gaming and typing numbers to spread sheets

Available at all: Jumbo showrooms TECH / 43

auto zone

The Dodge Challenger SRT8 is finally here. It was recently launched by both the Zubair Automotive Group and Shanfari Automotive simultaneously in Oman. The return of the iconic Dodge Challenger not only brings with it the astounding performance that we have come to expect from such an iconic model, but even has unmistakable design cues reminiscent of the original

Challenger, world-class ride with handling characteristics and category leading performance. On top of that it features a wide variety of modern amenities and technology designed to delight a new generation of driving enthusiasts in Oman. Each two-door, rear-wheel-drive coupe will be produced with a numbered dash plaque,

carbon-fibre-like hood stripes and will be powered by SRTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 6.1-litre HEMI V8 engine that boasts 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. The model remains true to both its historical and modern concept car roots. A modern muscle car steeped in history featuring cutting-edge technology along with the latest safety features.

Specifications at a glance Engine

90-degree V8, HEMI

Displacement

6,059cc

Power and Torque

425bhp@6,200rpm; 420lb-ft@4,800rpm

Transmission

Five-speed automatic with manual control, RWD

Brakes

Front 360mm, vented; Rear 350mm, vented

Tyres

Goodyear RSA, 245/45ZR20 front and rear

Curb Weight

1,892kgs

0-96kmph

4.9s

auto zone

The front end incorporates numerous functional design features. A lower front fascia chin spoiler has integrated functional brake cooling ducts. The chin spoiler improves front stability of the vehicle by reducing front lift. The Challenger SRT8 also utilizes full bellypan closures under the engine compartment for improved aerodynamics and reduced engine box temperatures

The side profile is dominated by the striking 20-inch forged aluminium alloy wheel design, which deliberately exposes the awesome new Brembo brake package, as well as emphasising the vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rear drivetrain

Interior The interior sports highlight such as race-inspired leather seats with added bolstering and an exclusive red accent stripe, exclusive stitched accents on the seats and steering wheel, four-bomb gauges with tachometer and 180-mph speedometer in the centre, and an SRTexclusive Reconfigurable Display (RCD) with Performance Pages that provide drivers instant feedback on zero to 60 mph time, 60 to zero mph braking, g-forces and 1/4-mile time.

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auto zone

Standard on the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is a 13-speaker Kicker High Performance audio system that features a 322-watt amplifier and 200-watt subwoofer. A MyGIG infotainment system is also available

The rear puts forward a bold statement with its lower diffuser section that carries a set of dual rectangular exhaust outlets. The rear spoiler is also indicative of the original Dodge Challenger T/A model and is a functional part of the Dodge Challenger SRT8, generating significant rear downforce

Engine The Challenger’s proven 6.1 litre HEMI V8 produces an exhilarating 425hp @ 6200 rpm and 420 lb.ft (570 Nm) of torque @ 4800rpm. This normally aspirated HEMI V8 engine is the highest naturally aspirated specific-output V8 engine ever offered by Chrysler. Its 69.8 horsepowerper-litre rating exceeds even that of the legendary 1966 “Street HEMI.”

TECH / 47

auto zone

BonA fide supercar Supercars aren’t something that one would normally associate with Lexus. But that is exactly what the luxury car brand has brought to the table with the LFA. This model marks a watershed point for Lexus – a new flagship for the F portfolio of Lexus performance models. To develop a world-class supercar, Lexus created the LFA from scratch – a true clean-sheet design. And in a radical departure from standard Lexus development

practice, they approached the LFA from a non-traditional angle, pushing their technological, material and engineering boundaries at every step. If you want one you are going to have to wait a long time because only 500 LFA vehicles are planned for production, all hand-assembled by “Lexus LFA Works” at the Motomachi Plant in Toyota City by skilled technicians at a rate of no more than 20 per month.

The main silencer features lightweight titanium construction, and employs a valve-actuated, dual-stage structure that channels exhaust flow according to engine speed. At 3,000 rpm and below, the exhaust valve remains closed to route the exhaust through multiple chambers for an unobtrusive exhaust note. Above this threshold, the valve opens, letting the exhaust bypass the chambers, flow into a single resonance chamber and exit directly through the LFA’s strikingly stacked trio of exhaust outlets. The result is an incredible soundtrack that significantly enhances the sensation of acceleration and speed.

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auto zone

Swinging open the LFA’s doors reveals a dramatic low-slung cockpit that has been intelligently designed and hand-assembled with the finest materials to reflect the car’s driver-centric dynamics. The intimate two-seater cabin has been conceived at every stage – ergonomics, acoustics, materials, comfort, versatility and visibility levels have all been painstakingly engineered – to put the driver at the centre of the driving equation.

The active rear wing, complete with a Gurney flap on the trailing edge, deploys in accordance with the vehicle’s speed and driving mode. It is retracted at low speeds or when the car is stationary, but rises at speed of 50 mph (80km/h) and above, shifting the centre of pressure towards the rear of the car and increasing high-speed stability.

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Bona fide supercar

auto zone

The LFA is powered by a sophisticated new high-revving 4.8-liter V10 engine that generates 552 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. This speciallydeveloped power plant is hooked up to a unique six-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox with paddle shifters for ultimate driver control. The LFA also features an advanced carbon fibre reinforced plastic construction for its chassis and bodywork to deliver a light, incredibly strong and impact-resistant structure. With a low 1480kg curb weight, the LFA steps confidently into the supercar arena with an effective power to weight ratio of 373hp per tonne.

The LFA rides on 20-inch forged BBS aluminium wheels which are shod with Bridgestone Potenza tires with a new tread pattern – 265/35 ZR20 at the front and 305/30 ZR20 profile at the rear – that have been developed specifically for the LFA. Stopping power comes courtesy of two-piece carbon ceramic brake discs. Those at the front measure 390mm in diameter, are 34mm thick and are gripped by six-piston, aluminium, opposed monoblock callipers, while the rear discs –360mm in diameter and 28mm thick- feature four-piston aluminium opposed monoblock callipers.

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auto zone

Lightweight, powerful and balanced, and with 90% of this formidable torque being available between 3,700rpm and the 9,000rpm red line, the LFA is capable of searing in-gear acceleration at any engine speed and in any gear. The result is a 0 – 60 mph (96km/h) time of just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph (325km/h) – exhilarating performance from a bone fide supercar.

The hooded instrument panel takes centre stage. The central tachometer runs to 10,000rpm and features a fast-reacting LCD needle designed to exactly replicate the V10 engine’s insatiable appetite for revs. Housed within the dial are the digital speedometer, gear indicator, transmission mode, vehicle control data, trip information displays and Tire Pressure Warning System display. Displaying this data on the colour TFT LCD panel delivers superior visual clarity in even the brightest of conditions.

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COMEX 2010: Geared Towards ‘Digital Oman’

he ICT sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the Sultanate of Oman, with IT services poised to grow by 10 percent and set to reach USD530mn by 2011. From a fledgling ICT industry in recent years, today the Sultanate is among the countries that play a significant role in the Middle East ICT services, which is set to hit $3.5 billion next year according to recent reports from the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Government of Oman has been in constant efforts to create avenues that will help transform the Sultanate into a “Digital Society” by 2020. This vision is indeed making headway with leading industry experts from both private and government organisations now taking vital steps to attaining the Sultanate’s vision. This April, Oman International Trade and Exhibitions (OITE), the country’s premier events company along with the Sultanate’s

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leading ICT experts are all gearing up for COMEX 2010 – the country’s biggest IT, Telecom and Technology Show. COMEX, now in its 20th successive year is also the longest-running ICT event and will be held from 26th to 30th April, 2010 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, Muscat. A five-day event, this year’s edition of COMEX will hold an exhibition and conference as well as series of seminars and workshops concurrent to the exhibition. According to Sadiq Ahmed Khan, Director of Sales and Marketing at OITE, “COMEX

2010 will include new and enhanced concepts, carefully laid out to provide better added value to participants of the exhibition. OITE is actively involved with the country’s leading industry players in conceptualising new features for this year’s exhibition. COMEX 2010 is set to build on the strength of the country’s biggest ICT event, catering to the country’s B2B and B2C segments. “Last year, COMEX showcased leading brands with over two hundred exhibitors from potential countries and generated over 55,000 visitors during the entire

event. COMEX 2010 is expecting record numbers of visitors”. Sadiq said. Organised under the theme “Towards Digital Oman”, COMEX will highlight the various eGovernment services which include eHealth, eLearning, ePayment and Green IT amongst others. COMEX for the first time will also provide a series of seminars and workshops aimed at enhancing people’s awareness of the applications of digital technology. COMEX therefore is positioned as a learning platform wherein IT vendors and visitors will have a unique opportunity to learn about the latest services that are now available in the country.

Besides the seminars and workshops, OITE will also for the first time hold a two-day COMEX 2010 Conference, which is set to bring information and communication technologies experts from the region and around the world to share best practices in the ICT industry and discuss practical ways about how the latest technologies can provide substantial benefits to the country’s growing ICT demands. As part of the event’s value added features, COMEX 2010 will also hold the inaugural CIO Forum wherein ICT professionals from both private and government sectors will have an exclusive opportunity to meet face to face with leading ICT experts to discuss the various challenges and opportunities facing the ICT sector. COMEX 2010 will also provide a new demonstration area wherein all the latest technology, products and solutions will be showcased, creating a unique opportunity for everyone to check out the market’s hottest products and innovations.

With these new features, OITE and the COMEX Advisory Committee are optimistic that COMEX 2010 is certainly a “must see” event and a crucial networking platform for the industry. For more information on COMEX, logon to www.comexoman.com.

In addition, a centralised media zone is aimed at strengthening the publicity of key events happening within the entire expo.

TECH / 53

home zone

The Coolest Solution

or over 100 years, Westinghouse has built a worldwide brand that stands for quality, innovation and creativity. Today, the Westinghouse brand appears in over 100 countries around the world and includes home products from light bulbs to appliances. The history of Westinghouse began in the 19th century, and the legacy of George Westinghouse still continues today. Westinghouse is responsible for improving the quality of life for millions. Always on the cutting edge of technology, George Westinghouse continuously looked for ways to make technology better, faster, and more efficient. And because of his passion and insight, the world enjoys many modern conveniences today. From the first automatic electric kitchen range of 1917, and the first self-defrosting refrigerator in 1950, to the lunar camera that enabled millions to watch Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon, Westinghouse innovation was there. Today, Westinghouse manufactures some of the most efficient central air conditioner available on the market. The brains behind this complete comfort system is the inverter-rotary technology which provides the most quiet and efficient performance in a cooling system.

Westinghouse use a manufacturing process unique to the heating and cooling industry. While most manufacturers test their products at random, Westinghouse checks each air conditioner and heat pump approximately 144 times during the manufacturing process, then run-tests them to check operation performance. In the final analysis, computer-automated testing is performed to capture operation data. This stringent system also means that the company also makes one of the most reliable AC units in the world. As if to back this claim, Westinghouse heating and cooling products are backed by some of the best warranties, including their quality pledge: they will guarantee the replacement of your unit if you have a major component failure within the first five years of ownership. If you are looking for one for your own home, you can contact the Technical Trading Co. They represent a company called Nordyne USA for window, split, ducted & Package Air conditioners. For window Ac’s they promote Nordyne’s miller brand and for split, ducted, package Ac’s they promote Westinghouse. The division has also undertaken the agency for specialised Air handling units which are

Low noise air flow system – without decreasing the flow volume, larger diameter cross flow fan reduces the indoor unit noise level

also sold under the brand name of Huntair. Hunt air units are manufactured in USA and the company has plans to manufacture and supply these units from Saudi Arabia for our region. These Air handling units are primarily supplied and installed for a commercial and industrial application like hospitals, Auditorium, Manufacturing facilities and universities. The division also undertakes design, supply, installation and after-sales service of air conditioning systems and have highly skilled engineers and technicians to provide proper solutions to customers. The Division currently operates in Muscat only but will soon have showrooms and an office in Sohar and Salalah.

home zone

Sleep Modes - enables unit to automatically increase or decrease the setting temperature in first 2 hours, this helps to maintain comfortable temperature and saves energy

Start automatically when power is interrupted & the on, the unit automatically starts at the previous function settings

Dehumidification - The unit will alternately operate in cooling mode or fan mode which assures strong dehumidification while not lowering room temperature

Rotary Compressor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; reliable & quiet performance with built-in thermal control

Auto Protection - Electronically detect the errors & display the diagnosis by series of flashing ledâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the indoor display panel. The unit will automatically switch on to protection mode Hydrophilic Aluminum fins improves the cooling efficiency by enabling the unrestricted flow of condensate water between heat exchanger fins

Front Panel can easily be removed for cleaning

Inner Grooved Copper allows more refrigerant to go through, improving heat exchange efficiency & lowers power consumption

home zone

Hi-tech cleaning Zodiac has combined their knowledge of advanced hydrodynamics with Baracuda’s tried and tested pool automation technology to bring you the ultimate pool cleaner—the Zodiac G4.

The rudder A central part has a unique steering function that allows for better balance, directional stability and enhanced coverage for thorough cleaning

It offers the latest in automatic pool cleaning technology featuring advanced technological features and underwater steering capabilities. It uses similar principles of buoyancy, propulsion, and water flow as other aquatic vessels. The G4 will automatically remove dirt, debris, bugs, twigs, leaves, sand, and even pebbles. It installs in minutes, and comes pre-assembled in the box, just attach the Disc and Long-Life Hoses. No tools are required. We even include an easy-to-follow installation DVD. The Zodiac G4 is built to work quickly, effectively and quietly. And for peace-of-mind cleaning, the G4 is warranted against manufacturing defects for 5 years and wear-and-tear for 3 years. Even the LongLife Hoses are warranted for 3 years. In addition, there is also a toll-free technical support number.

The sail The Sail is a transparent bridge that provides extra rigidity and assists in steering around steps, corners, and other pool obstacles. It creates a “downdraught” effect for maximum adhesion and coverage and is made of clear resin, designed to last longer in the harsh chemical environment of your swimming pool

The fins Buoy and keel Work in combination to provide balance for precise flotation and proper attitude for consistent cleaning

Designed to allow the G4 to climb over main drains, lights, and return fittings without getting stuck

Patented diaphragm The Zodiac G4’s only operational moving part – ensures peak performance, maximum power and low-cost maintenance. If it should ever need service, its patented Quick Release Cassette lets you remove it, service it yourself or replace it poolside

Dual durometer disc The co-injected Disc works in combination with the Sail to provide the ultimate in cleaning efficiency. The Disc’s skeletal structure has been designed to maximize the cleaning action, and was created to provide optimal adhesion, while its pliable inserts scrub your entire pool’s surface

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For more details contact Gulf Supplies Tel: 24811238

tech favourites

LG T 186 GC / TO41AQ Price: OMR 269.000 Surround cooling, dynamic double vanes and an allergy car kit makes the LG T 186 GC one of the best AC’s for your home.

SNAPSHOT

LG Artcool A 186 WP Price: OMR 269.000

Faisal Nooh al Zadjali brings you a compilation of our favourites in each category.

Your current AC looking a bit too dull for your taste? Why not try LG’s Designer models – the Artcool range. They even come with a neo plasma air purifier.

Air Conditioners Washing Machines LG WD-12271RD Price: OMR 338.000 With LG’s Direct Drive technology, Child lock, 12kg capacity and 10 years warranty on the motor the LG WD-12271RD has everything that you will ever need in a washing machine.

Samsung WA10 UA Price: OMR 119.900 With its 10kg capacity, Samsung’s ‘Silver Nano’ wash system, ‘Air turbo’ drying system and budget price, the Samsung WA10 UA is a great buy for the cost conscious buyer.

Samsung RT 77 Price: OMR 299.900 With no frost, Silver Nano Health System and multi-flow technology. This refrigerator is sure to keep your food fresh and well protected.

LG GR-L277SSB Price: OMR 459.900 LG GR-G307STW Price: OMR 595.900 Featuring silver ion coated liner that protects against bacteria and a TFT LCD TV with touch button control, the ultimate kitchen appliance.

Taller Ice & Water Dispenser, LED Display and Ice Beem Door cooling makes this LG a promising quality refrigerator.

HITACHI R2530 AUK7K Price: OMR 189.900 Fruit-box controller and easy door seal which allows opening with ease whilst keeping food fresh, even after one full day without opening.

Sharp SJPD73SH3 Price: OMR 279.000 Spacious and eco friendly, simple yet reliable. Also has the capability to freeze large amounts in a short time.

TECH / 57

tech favourites

LG LED TV Full HD 47 inch / 47SL90QR Price: OMR 999.900 Large scale, high definition and a powerful contrast ratio. This LED TV is all about quality and slimness.

Philips LED TV Full HD 46 inch / 46PFL9704H Price: OMR 1025.000 With LED Backlights that matches seamlessly with whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on screen, the Philips LED 46 inch is the ideal TV for home entertainment.

Televisions Samsung LED TV Full HD 55 inch / UA55B8000 Price: OMR 1599.900 If you have quite a large wall space at your home, this is the perfect TV to occupy it. Delivering the best in quality picture and sound.

LG Scarlet LCD TV Full HD 37 inch / 37LH70YR Price: OMR 379.900 Looking for something a little

smaller for your wall? This Samsung is it, with the same Plasma TV features of a larger sized TV. Full HD 50 inch / PS50B550T Price: OMR 499.900 At a slightly smaller scale and lower price, this plasma TV can deliver with high contrast ratio and sufficient HDMI ports.

SONY BRAVIA LCD TV Full HD 40 inch / KLV40BX400 Price: OMR 299.900 This is the perfect TV that can blend in with your living room seamlessly, coming at a very attractive price for quite a size!

LG LCD Monitor Full HD 22 inch / M227WA Price: OMR 169.900 Another choice in LCD monitors, though one inch smaller it Samsung actually packs more punch! Such as SRS WOW / LED TV Full Dolby Surround HD 32 inch / sound.

UA32B6000 Price: OMR 349.900 An LED TV with plenty of HDMI ports and high contrast ratio, ready for a high quality experience.

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Samsung Computer LCD Screen Full HD 23 inch / 2333 HD Price: OMR 124.900 This is the perfect answer for a bedroom, a computer monitor that has the capabilities of a TV. Perfect size and price!

Panasonic Plasma TV Full HD 42 inch / THP42S10M Price: OMR 349.000 The answer to a cinematic experience with high contrast ration, this TV can deliver the best in picture quality.

tech favourites

ACER Ferrari FO200-313G32n Price: OMR 299.800 Exotic style meets portable technology, the Acer Ferrari is a signature ultra portable notebook for fans of the Italian beauty. Elegant design and sleek edges are the key points here.

HP Pavilion DV8-1090ev Price: OMR 838.900 The beast of laptops, which is literally a walking desktop. Large amount of memory, video memory and hard disk. With a Full HD LCD screen, this oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for the serious movers!

L ap top s HP MINI 210-1013ee Price: OMR 196.800 If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for something just a little lower, this is it. The hard disk and RAM are quite big for a netbook, great price tag as well.

TOSHIBA Qosmio X500-11G Price: OMR 880.000

Samsung N510-JA01A Price: OMR 206.800 This netbook is quite a tough one, with an nVIDIA ION graphic card and LED display. Perfect portable with outstanding features!

This monster of a laptop packs the same raw power, but with an additional Blu-Ray Writer. Entertainment just got wilder.

SONY VAIO VPCW-216AA/W Price: OMR 219.900 Sony VAIO in the form of a netbook, also features high quality hardware that fits perfectly for frequent travelers.

ACER Aspire 1810TZ-413G Price: OMR 259.600 Aspire series in the netbook family, the performance in this one is wondrous. 64BIT processor at this size is just pure power in a pocket!

HP PAVILION DV6-2170ee Price: OMR 549.900 This mid-range laptop is perfect for a balance between business and pleasure, with its high definition LED screen for picture perfect quality.

SONY VAIO VGN-FW55MF/B Price: OMR 599.000 Bringing the quality of Sony to portable computers, the Sony VAIO is the one to choose should you not need as much power. Although slightly lower, HP this one still packs Touchsmart quite a punch!

IQ300 Price: OMR 459.900

The PC that does everything, all done by touching the screen! Widescreen display and touch gestures, allows for exploring media with greater control.

TECH / 59

tech favourites

Altec Lansing T612 Price: OMR 88.900 With powerful deep bass, full audio spectrum and a smart music pause for incoming calls. This handy sound dock keeps the songs kicking from your iPhone and gives you quiet time for calls!

Do c k s BOSE SoundDock 10 Price: OMR 259.000 Got a small party that needs just a little music, yet sounding great? The Bose sound dock is what you’re looking for, making your iPod and iPhone sound like a whole new song!

Griffin Evolve Price: OMR 166.000 Now here’s something interesting! Set up the dock and then remove the speakers (Yes, they come off!) and place them anywhere in the room. With wireless speakers and a wide range of iPod compatibility, it’s a must have.

JVC XS-SR3 Price: OMR 49.9000 Supporting iPods as well as portable game consoles, this JVC packs great sound performance. Plus you can rotate your iPod whilst docked!

Samsung Media Player YP-P3CB Price: OMR 62.900 (8GB) A sleek metal design, the ability to upscale your compressed songs and a customisable widget desk. The P3 is a fresh new take in a crowded world of portable media player.

Sony NWZ-E445 Price: OMR 58.5 (16GB)

Packing a Radio Tuner and playing a wide range of media formats, this Sony 16Gb MP3 player is a wonderful choice. Along with a great price tag!

Apple iPod Nano Price: OMR 69.900 (8GB) / OMR 86.900 (16GB)

The new iPod Nano has a sleek new look, sharper display and a built-in video camera! Perfect for those who like simplicity!

Nokia NK N97 mini Price: OMR 167.900

Sony Ericsson U10i Aino Price: OMR 174.000

With Handwriting Recognition and Nokia Maps powered with its Built-in GPS system, this is mobile phone you don’t want to leave home without.

Sleek design and a sharp display, the Aino is also able to connect to your PS3. Allowing you to stream or download media between the two.

Sony Ericsson SATIO Price: OMR 249.000 A touch screen phone with a high resolution camera, and a powerful processor packed in. Resulting in quality media and seamless performance.

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Samsung ST550 Price: OMR 119.900 With its 3.5” Wide 1,152K Touch Screen LCD, 27mm Schneider-KREUZNACH wide angle lens, Smart Gesture UI technology and the breakthrough 1.5” Front LCD, the Samsung ST550 is a truly innovative camera.

Canon Eos 7D Price: OMR 999.000 (8GB) With impressive image quality across the sensitivity range, top-notch build quality and a bevy of professional features, the Eos 7D should serve all your photographing needs.

C am eras Sony A330 Price: OMR 319.900 Another great started DSLR, this time from Sony, also with a bundled pair of lenses – 18-55 and 55-200.

Canon Eos 1000D Price: OMR 318.500

Olympus µ Tough-8000 Price: OMR 174.000 There’s really only one word to describe the shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, crushproof and shakeproof camera from Olympus: Tough! Built to withstand some of the harshest environments on earth, the µ Tough-8000 is the perfect companion for the more adventure minded user.

A great starter DSLR for the budding photographer in you, especially with the bundled pair of lenses – an 18-55 and 75-300.

Samsung U10B Price: OMR 64.900 With a slim, ergonomic design, the go-anywhere U10 feels as comfortable in your hand as a pocket of air. And with full HD recording and 10MP , stills, it even has performance to boot.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 Price: OMR 139.900 The unique styling of the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 makes it fun, simple and comfortable to use. It is also very capable with its 720p video recording and 10MP stills.

Samsung SMX-K40S Price: OMR 114.900 With its phenomenal 52x optical zoom and 65x Intelli-Zoom feature, the Samsung K40 lets you get up close and personal even from far away and with full HD upscaling, homemade movies look like masterpieces on your HDTV.

Cam cord er s JVC HD5 Price: OMR 399.900

Full HD recording, generous 60GB of internal space and the best technology available from JVC are all crammed into the HD5, making it perfect for recording your holiday in high-definition.

Sony HDR-XR200 Price: OMR 355.900

With full HD recording capability, a 120GB hard drive, its 15x optical zoom and a number of other fancy features make it a gadget-laden show-stopper of a camcorder.

* Prices courtesy of E-max. Prices are subject to change

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TIme zone

Precision at its best During its 177 year history, JaegerLeCoultre has dedicated itself to pushing precision and reliability to the highest possible levels in horology. With this expertise, the Manufacture in Switzerland’s Le Sentier just launched the new Master Compressor Extreme LAB 2, a mechanical Chronograph with GMTfunction, especially developed for use in the most extreme environments.

The power reserve can be observed through a intuitive and clearly visible semicircular radial indication surrounding the upper half of the dial. If the power reserve nears its end, the red colour will fill the half circle. After winding, it re-initiates to black – clearly indicating the state of the winding barrel

The external chassis of the rugged watch case is made of the light and extremely resistant TiVan15 titanium alloy and outfitted with a scratchproof high tech zirconium ceramic bezel. An innovative interchangeable strap system with double pin buckle makes changing straps fast and easy

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Several new ideas and inventions make the watch the primary choice for when the going gets tough: An easy to use function selector regulated through the crown, a patented digital patented jumping digital minutes counter for easy readability and a clearly visible power reserve and a GMTfunction make this chronograph a step forward in the development of horology for real life usage – anywhere.

Additionally the watchmakers tackle an age-old problem of horology – time deviation through magnetism. They found an innovative way of shielding the going train from magnetic influences: silicium, the material of choice for shielding an escapement. In addition to its antimagnetic properties, it also offers many advantages such as not requiring oil, low running friction, high precision and lightness.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 781 is a chronograph with its function regulated by a column wheel. As it is specially designed for longterm measurement of events, the watchmakers and designers decided upon a digital minute counter which they placed in a clearly visible 12-o’clock-position on the dial

The function selector presents three functions: watch winding in the first position, adjustment of the GMTfunction and the date after pushing once, and time setting after a second push. Giving a third push makes the system return to its first position and only allows winding the watch

Makita Power Tools manufactures the best in class engineered industrial power tools for the professional user with leading performance, precision and durability. Products include Cordless Tools, Drills & Fastening, Impact Drilling Demolition, Cutting Metal, Grinding & Sanding, Sawing, Planning, Routing, Pneumatic & Accessories .

Werner is the number one brand in professional climbing equipment, which has grown to be the most trusted name in ladders and scaffoldings for the past 80 years. Werner ladders provide the safest, highest quality, innovative climbing (Domestic/Commercial & Industrial) products.

Tel : + 968 24811238, Fax : + 968 24816146 website : www.arabigsis.com email : gsiscom@omantel.net.om

Works for generations Nilfisk-Advance is dedicated to delivering professional cleaning equipment that meets and exceeds the expectations of our customers. This is based on our tradition for innovation and quality for almost a century. Our global presence enables us to support our customers with a comprehensive product range and high-quality services â&#x20AC;&#x201C; worldwide.

Tel : + 968 24811238, Fax : + 968 24816146 website : www.arabigsis.com email : gsiscom@omantel.net.om

Consumer vacs Wet & Dry vacs Central vacs

Suitable for light, Medium & Heavy tasks

Steam cleaners for multi-purpose indoor/ outdoor cleaning and disinfection

Advertise here for as low as OMR50

contact 97304448 Tel : + 968 24811238, Fax : + 968 24816146 website : www.arabigsis.com email : gsiscom@omantel.net.om

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