RNI NO. MAHENG/2015/69288 Postal Reg No. MCW/340/2017-2019. Post at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting OfďŹ ce G. P. O. Mumbai 400 001, Published on 6th of every month and posted on 6th & 7th of every month
100
PHONES W E A R A BLES AUDIO T VS L A PTOPS VOLUME 04 ISSUE 05 DECEMBER 2018
`130
REVIEWED
The World’s Leading Gadget Magazine!
MATE 20 PRO
Tomorrow’s Technology Today INDIAN EDITION
www.t3india.com
SAMSUNG’S FIRST 8K TV
DRONES
POWERFUL 22-IN-1 IN 1 LAPTOPS
NEXT GEN SMART-WATCHES SM MART WA C S ISSN 2454–9703
ALSO FIRE TV STICK 4K | RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
Intel, the Intel Logo, Intel Inside, Intel Core, and Core Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countires.
GAMECHANGER
The tech that’s so cutting edge, \RXèUH ULVNLQJ \RXU ĆQJHUV just turning this page
SHIN NY HAPPY PEACHES SonicSound won’t just clean your clobber it can c also be used to wash fruit and vegetables, silverware, wa atches, specs, baby bottles and loads more. Sadly, it’s not quiite advanced enough to do your hoovering just yet...
$V VWXEERUQ DV D WHHQDJH ER\ å DQG RIWHQ FUHDWHG E\ WKHP å VWDLQV KDYH D ZHOO HDUQHG UHSXWDWLRQ IRU EHLQJ GLIĆFXOW WR shift. And those fancy detergents you can buy at the supermarket are as unreliable as they are expensive. So what’s the DQVZHU" :HOO ERIĆQV LQ /RV $QJHOHV PLJKW KDYH FUDFNHG WKDW FRQXQGUXP ZLWK DQ ,QGLHJRJR IXQGHG GHYLFH FDOOHG WKH 6RQLF 6RDN 7RXWHG DV WKH êZRUOGèV ĆUVW SRUWDEOH XOWUDVRQLF FOHDQHUë WKLV EXOOHW VKDSHG JDGJHW LV SODFHG LQWR D ERZO RI water with a soiled garment, whereupon it goes about its business of beating the crap out of the unsightly blemish – literally, if necessary – by churning out 50,000 silent but powerful soundwaves per second. The makers of this supercharged vibrator, which is due to land later this year, reckon it can get clothes 99.9 per cent clean within just 30 minutes, having used 40 times less water than your average washing machine. The fact that it looks absolutely nothing OLNH D KHGJHKRJ LV DQ DGGHG ERQXV :H FDQèW ZDLW WR JHW RXU KDQGV RQ RQH `TBA, sonicsoak.com
4 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Welcome
Editor’s letter 2Q \RXU PDUNV JHW VHW ć\ DZD\
T3 is‌ Executive Editor Kunal Gangar Consulting Editor H. S. Billimoria Correspondent Ankush Mahajan Copy Editor Tania Tarafdar Editor (UK) Matt Bolton Contributors (UK) Claire Davies, Duncan Bell, Damien McFerran, Alex Cox, Becca Caddy, Spencer Hart
together a quick drone guide and the things
Publisher Girish Mallya Head Design & Production Ravi Parmar Senior Designer Prakash Gavnang Photography Mahesh Reddy Production Supervisor Dinesh Bhajnik Product Manager Perseus Master
to look out for on pg 64.
General Manager North and East - Ellora Das Gupta
It’s December and if you wanted to y a drone legally, you can now apply for a license with the DGCA. Speaking of drones, we‘ve put
We also put three 2-in-1s to test to see
General Manager South - Girish Shet
which Windows convertible you should go for Circulation Manager Circulation North and East - Kapil Kaushik
if you’re in the market for a tablet-laptop hybrid. More on pg 44. Huawei launched its expensive yet feature-packed Mate 20 Pro and we’ve got an in-depth review along with other interesting products like the Mavic 2 Pro drone, Amazon’s compact 4K streaming Fire TV and more. As always, the month was ďŹ lled with new launches ranging from new smartphones to the Apple iPad, 4K TV and lots more.
Kunal Gangar, Executive Editor k.gangar@nextgenpublishing.net
Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd. Next Gen Publishing does not take the responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps for return postage. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express written permission of the publisher. All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. T3 India does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.
OUR AWARDS PLATINUM AWARD
THE DESIGN AWARD
BEST FOR BATTERY LIFE
This award, and others We give this only to 2QO\ D ĆYH VWDU UHYLHZ like it, are given for WHFK WKDWbVWDQGV RXW IRU earn a product our prestigious Platinum stunning aesthetics or a exceptional performance in a key feature clever build Award
6 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
BEST ON TEST
The winners of our group tests earn this accolade, showing them to be top tier
BRANCH OFFICES Mumbai Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013 Tel: +91 22 43525252 Ahmedabad Devendra Mehta - Mob No.- 09714913234 Bengaluru Unit No. 509, 5th Floor ‘B’ Wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bangalore -560001, India Tel: +91 80 66110116/17 Fax: + 91 80 41472574 Chennai Salma Jabbar Cenetoph Elite,No.5,1st street, Teynampet, Chennai-6000018 Tel: + 91 044 421-08-421, 044 421-75-421 New Delhi Ellora Das Gupta 26-B, First Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase-III, New Delhi - 110020 Tel: +91 11 4234 6600 / 6678 Fax: + 91 11 4234 6679 Pune 201 Gera Serenity, North Main road, Koregaon Park, Pune - 411001. Tel: + 91 20 26830465 Hyderabad Srinivas Gangula -Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation) Mobile no. 09000555756 Kolkata Vidyasagar Gupta -Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation). Mobile no. 09804085683 Subscription Enquiries Tel: +91-22-43525220 Apple Newsstand & Magzter Queries: help@magzter.com All rights reserved. Published with the permission of Future plc. Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission from Future plc & Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd. with regard to their respective content is prohibited. Printed by Girish Mallya. Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013. Published by Girish Mallya on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013. Printed at Kalajyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-160/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013. Editor: Kunal Gangar
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Contents
Contents
HORIZON 012 TOP LAUNCHES This month’s hottest new gadgets, LQFOXGLQJ ĆUVW . WHOO\ $SSOHèV QHZ SRZHUIXO WDEOHW D JDPLQJ SKRQH DQG PRUH
030 STYLE &XWWLQJ LW FORVH ZLWK RQH RI WKH PRVW H[SHQVLYH HOHFWULF VKDYHUV
031 AUTO 7KLV PRQWK ZH WDNH DQ HDUO\ ORRN DW $XGLèV LQFUHGLEOH QHZ HOHFWULF 689 DQG ĆQG RXW ZK\ LW ODXJKV LQ WKH IDFH RI ZLQJ PLUURUV
034 TALKING TECH 'XQFDQ %HOO LV XSJUDGLQJ $JDLQ
036 GADGET GURU <RX JRW JDGJHW TXHVWLRQV" 2XU H[SHUW KDV JDGJHW DQVZHUV /XFN\ WKDW
064
COMPLETE GUIDE TO DRONES %HFRPH DQ LQVWDQW H[SHUW ZLWK RXU MDUJRQ EXVWLQJ JXLGH DQG GLVFRYHU ZKDW WR EX\ DQG ZKHUH WR Ä&#x2021;\
044
STATE OF THE ART
0DNH ZRUN PRUH HQMR\DEOH ZLWK WKH EHVW WZR LQ RQH ODSWRSV WKDW DUH DFWXDOO\ DIIRUGDEOH
057
TIME AFTER TIME
)DQF\ D VPDUWZDWFK SRZHUHG E\ \RXU RZQ ERG\ KHDW" 2U D ZDWFK WKDW FRXOG VDYH \RXU OLIH" ([WHQG \RXU ZULVW WKLV ZD\ð
8 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Contents BEST OF THE BEST 089 INTRODUCING THE BEST BUYER’S GUIDE KNOWN TO MAN
TESTED 070 HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO
From p phones to tablets, and camera to cars, our selection of the ver best tells you what to buy
This device packs in a lot of tech but can it challenge the supremacy of Samsung, $SSOH DQG *RRJOH" :H ĆQG RXW
084 072 ONEPLUS 6T Fancy a phone with an in-screen ĆQJHUSULQW VHQVRU DW DQ DIIRUGDEOH SULFH"
051
PURE SOUND
Devialet has created the world’s most powerful ultra-compact speaker. Join XV DV ZH ĆQG RXW KRZ WKH\ DFKLHYHG LW
074 AMAZON FIRE TV STICK 4K Amazon’s streaming stick goes 4K. We ĆQG RXW LI LWèV ZRUWK WKH H[WUD PRQH\
075 DJI MAVIC 2 PRO
Essentials 004
DJI’s compact yet power packed drone is here
ROSH
Greatest Hits – Vol 5
076 GAMECHANGER
XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 6 PRO Xiaomi’s bestselling smartphone series gets an upgrade. But is it, really?
077
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE BIG MONEY
056
AMAZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE (2018) The best e-reading device goes waterproof
080 056 098
GAMES SUBSCRIPTIONS
Welcome to the Wild West with Red Dead Redemption 2
VICES
10 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon
The best new tech heading your way
Samsung Q900R `TBA, samsung.com It probably doesn’t seem like two minutes ago that you were shelling out a small fortune on a 4K TV, utterly convinced that the picture you’d just been ogling in the shop was as close as you were ever going to get to real life. Fast forward a year or two and Samsung is about to launch what is essentially the first 8K TV available to consumers – with four times as many pixels than a 4K TV. The question is, if you were mind-blown by 4K, how much better can this new technology be? Naturally, Samsung thinks you’ll appreciate the difference, hailing the Q900R – ranging in size from 65 to 85 inches – as “nothing short of brilliance in colour, clarity and sound”. The pictures quality is from several technologies: in addition to 8K (7680x4320) resolution, there’s filmindustry-standard, 4,000-nit-peak brightness; a feature called 100 per cent Colour Volume, producing billions of colour shades for class-leading accuracy; and Direct Full Array Elite, for enhanced contrast and backlighting control. As for genuine 8K content to watch on it, there’s precious little at the moment. The Q900R uses AI Upscaling to upgrade lower-res footage to something resembling native 8K video. Vimeo has 8K streaming, and YouTube has tested it, but don’t expect ITV in 8K soon…
TECH-O-METER
12 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
TVs and cables take up so much space. Happily, Samsung includes its One Invisible Connection box, so your leads plug in there, tucked away, with one wire going to the TV
I don’t know what I’ll do with 33 million pixels, but dammit I want them so badly… W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Samsung Q900R
BILL LLION COLOUR BABY The Q900R’s life-like imagery can be partly credited to Samsung’s 100 per cent Colour Volume tech, which enables viewers to enjoy literally billions of shades of colour for enhanced detail and accuracy. Who knew that many colours existed?
SOUND INVESTME TMENT This QLED telly isn’t jus just a pretty picture – its intelligent brain analys yses everything you’re viewing, before providin ding you with the optimum audio balance to match the imagery. Live football willll emphasise the crowd, nature documentaries can hit the little details
MASSIVE STATEMENT Samsung knows that 8K should be viewed i d on a bi big screen – and d we mean big. The Q900R only comes in 65-, 75-, 82- and 85-inch versions. As yet, it hasn’t been confirmed which of these sizes will be available in India
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 13
Horizon APPLE IPAD PRO (2018) From `79,000, apple.com/in The 2018 refresh of the iPad Pro introduces a few new changes starting with the 120Hz LCD ProMotion Liquid Retina Display panels that has pixel masking similar to iPhone XR. They benefit from the neural engine present in the A12X Bionic chip that now allows for implementing machine learning to help users access apps and elements of the UI more intuitively. The graphics performance is also twice as better when compared to A11X from last year. Since the home button and embedded fingerprint sensor is gone, navigation is gesture-based and unlocking is done via Face ID from the TrueDepth camera situated on the top bezel. A welcome change is the adoption of a USB Type-C port for charging, external connectivity and transfer of data. Sadly, the 3.5mm headphone jack has been dropped and no appropriate dongle is bundled either. T3 Says: For the 11” and 12.9” iPad Pro, there are 8 models each sold in 64GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage options with WiFi or WiFi+Cellular making it a grand total of 16.
TECH-O-METER
ASUS RT-AX88U `TBA, asus.com/in 802.11ax, the latest WiFi standard is here and of course routers capable of supporting it will start appearing with Asus RT-AX88U being one of the first. It runs on a 64-bit 1.8GHz quad-core processor that ensures responsive performance without any delays along with two USB slots and eight Gigabit LAN ports. Speeds up to 6000Mbps are supported with 1148Mbps on 2.4GHz and 4804Mbps on the 5GHz band making it almost 2.3 times faster than 802.11ac 4x4 dual-band routers. With the help of Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), the data channel is segregated into smaller subchannels so data from different devices can be bundled together to ensure no bandwidth wastage. An interesting new technology called Target Wait Time (TWT) allows for transmissions to be scheduled so that connected gadgets can sleep for longer periods which greatly increases the battery life on them. T3 Says: Expandability is promising as Asus AiMesh will allow the AX88U to be a part of a mesh network.
TECH-O-METER
14 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon OCULUS QUEST `TBA, oculus.com Mark Zuckerberg, owner of Oculus’ parent company Facebook, has made no secret of his ambition to bring virtual reality to the masses. And, after a slow-ish start, that vision is picking up momentum. This year’s Oculus Go showed that it was possible to enjoy decent-quality VR gaming without a PC or smartphone, and the Oculus Quest – due in spring 2019 – should offer more flexibility. As well as trumping the Go’s storage capabilities, providing 64GB, it’ll offer six degrees of freedom (meaning you can walk around your physical environment). But unlike the Rift, it won’t need external sensors to facilitate this, as four built-in sensors will ensure that you don’t bump into anything. With 50 app games expected to accompany the launch, Oculus has next summer virtually sewn up. T3 SAYS: Oculus’ new headset gives you more freedom than ever to explore new worlds.
TECH-O-METER
PLAYSTATION CLASSIC approx. `7,000, playstation.com Whether it’s cinemas revisiting iconic movies or ’80s boy bands coming out of retirement for one final tour, nostalgia is big business. And 24 years after the first PlayStation hit the shelves, Sony is targeting sentimental gamers with a Mini-Me recreation of its trailblazing 32-bit fun box. 45 per cent smaller than its ’90s ancestor, the PlayStation Classic does away with the original console’s disc loader and offers 20 preloaded retro titles, including Tekken 3, Final Fantasy VII and Jumping Flash. Other upgrades include a HDMI connection, a virtual memory card (so you can save your games without having to faff around with physical cartridges), and two controllers. The Classic is due out in December internationally, just in time for some throwback thrills on Christmas Day. T3 SAYS: This diddy version of the ’90s console is a real blast/shoot/punch from the past.
TECH-O-METER
16 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology T Today DECEMBER 2018 8
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon LLOYD 4K ULED From ` 1,69,990, mylloyd.com Llyod has taken a different route and opted for ULED (Ultra Light Emitting Diode) in their two televisions with 55” (L55U2F0IU) and 65” (L65U2G0IU) screen sizes. Encased in a pure metal frame, the modern metallic design works well with the slim bezels surrounding the display. It uses micro dimming technology that helps with fine contrast control. HDRi and backlight contrast enables more accurate production of whites and blacks. A rich and naturalistic colour panel should be expected with the presence of Colour Space Transformation. Running on a Linux-based OS with fast boot and one-touch access, a customisable launcher, as well as over 200 global apps, are available. It comes pre-installed with Youtube, Skype, Netflix among others while AnyView cast can help mirror phone content on the screen wirelessly. T3 Says: Lloyd’s ULED offerings have an uphill battle to wager against the OLED dominated market.
TECH-O-METER
EBTL AMOUR 3.0 `68,500 (Unit only), ebtlpl.com EBTL (Engineer Bringing Technology to Life) Amour 3.0 is a mobile assisted smart switching solution for homes that has been built from the ground up in India. The company is touting simplified automation as the USP boasting easy installation and operation. The graphical interface on the panel is intuitive enough to be used by people of all ages without any sort of confusion. It can be interacted via touch panel, mobile app and voice commands. While traditional automation systems require CAT6 wiring, Amour works with normal cables connecting to the WiFi router directly and thus bypassing the requirement of a hub. It has protection against short circuiting, electrical surges, voltage fluctuation and even remembers status of switches in case of a power-cut. Features like recurring multi-scheduling, sleep mode, favourites and programmable switches are touted. T3 Says: An approximate cost of 1,5,000 is estimated for a 3BHK home which is inclusive of all costs.
TECH-O-METER
18 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon HP SPROCKET PLUS `8,999, hp.com/in HP Sprocket Plus is the successor to last year’s Sprocket smartphone printer that is still as handy as ever but can now produce 30 per cent larger pictures. These can be printed on 2.3” x 3.4” ZINK paper available in a pack of 20 priced at `799. This is done using a thermal head that heats up the photo paper which is coated with a layer of dye crystals to make the image. Not only are these water resistant but also not easily susceptible to tearing. The companion app present on Android and iOS includes additions like filters, emojis and stickers to customise the picture. Additionally, embedded experience harnesses augmented reality to embed the printed image with an unnoticeable watermark that reveals information like objects, places or people when viewed through the Sprocket app. T3 Says: Both Red and Black look good on the slim profile of the Sprocket Plus.
TECH-O-METER
FUJIFILM INSTAX SP-2 ` 13,499 , www.fujifilm.in BodyFujifilm’s Instax SP-2 smartphone printer took longer than expected to make its debut in India. Thankfully, the wait for printing photos measuring 2.4” x 1.8” will be short and take just 10 seconds. The printing levels are set at 256 per colour having a resolution of 320dpi and a total capacity of 100 prints. The recording method employed involves 3 colour exposure with OLED and a notable 10 second buffer between the image input and output is present. The Instax share app can be used to apply various filters and templates to enhance the original image. Of note are ‘Collage template’ which takes 2-4 images combining them into one and ‘Split template’ that splits the selected picture in two. The brightness, contrast and saturation can also be adjusted. T3 Says: Instax SP-2 opts for the classic Gold and Silver colour variants.
TECH-O-METER
20 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
" Y ")# Y) Y " '*#)(-
."%& '03 &-*5& (".&34 Y .,#2Y & ,
Â&#x2021; %JGTT[ /: 4)$ UYKVEJGU Â&#x2021; %WUVQOK\CDNG KNNWOKPCVGF DCFIG Â&#x2021; &GVCEJCDNG 5QHV 6QWEJ 9TKUV 4GUV Â&#x2021; &GFKECVGF OGFKC MG[U HQT )COGTU
* ."
.,#2 /-#)( : :55
Â&#x2021; &2+ KRU I CEEGNGTCVKQP CPF *\ 75$ RQNNKPI TCVG
Â&#x2021; 2TQITCOOCDNG DWVVQP FGUKIP Â&#x2021; %WUVQOK\CDNG #WTC 4)$ NKIJVKPI Â&#x2021; 2NC[ KP YKTGF QT YKTGNGUU OQFGU
Â&#x2021; 6TWG VQ .KHG )COKPI #WFKQ Â&#x2021; +PETGFKDN[ &GGR $CUU YKVJ 8KTVWCN 5WTTQWPF 5QWPF
Â&#x2021; +PVWKVKXG 6QWEJ %QPVTQN Â&#x2021; %TQUU 2NCVHQTO %QORCVKDKNKV[
"464 3FQSFTFOUBUJWFT %FMIJ (VKBSBU
,BSOBUBLB ,FSBMB
.BEIZB 1SBEFTI .VNCBJ
8FTU #FOHBM 5BNJM /BEV
3FTU PG .BIBSBTIUSB
'PS 4BMFT &ORVJSJFT OJLIJM@QBSOBOEJXBS!BTVT DPN 'PS GFFECBDL FNBJM SFBDIVT!BTVT DPN PS JOGP@JOEJB!BTVT DPN
Horizon JBL PARTYBOX 200 AND 300 From `32,499, in.jbl.com Partyboxes are a dying breed but JBL is still keeping the dream alive with the PartyBox 200 and 300 (pictured) tower speakers. It might not look that way but they have been designed for catering to fairly crowded indoor and outdoor areas. They come with multiple embedded pulsating lights to add to the party mood through Meter, Plus and Party modes. There is a USB port for playing audio from any flash-based storage media and Bluetooth for streaming from devices like smartphones or tablets. Upto 2 PartyBox speakers can be paired together via TWS (True Wireless Stereo) or wired RCA output. Plugging in a guitar or microphone turns it into an amplifier as well. The key difference between the two is the 10,000mAh rechargeable battery pack present in the PartyBox 300 allowing cordless playback for upto 18 hours helpful in areas with erratic power. T3 Says: We feel the 200 model becomes redundant given the minor price gap and missing backup.
TECH-O-METER
ASUS ROG PHONE `69,999, asus.com/in Asus hopes to strike gold with the ROG phone even though none have found success with gaming-centric smartphones in the past. To say it is power packed would be an understatement given the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor that has been overclocked to 2.96GHz. The GameCool system has been implemented to ensure the thermals inside don’t heat up by using the copper heat spreader and 3D Vapor chamber making it the first phone in the world with such an implementation. The 6” FHD+ AMOLED display has 1ms response time, 90Hz refresh rate, 108.6% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 550nits brightness, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection. Front facing stereo speakers with dual NXP 9874 and 5-magnet smart amplifier are present to produce deeper sound with less distortion. A 4000mAh battery should keep things going for a while and the 30W Quick Charge 4.0 will top it up quickly. T3 Says: A special ‘X Mode’ for gaming disables background processes, services, activates cooling, changes the theme and lighting to red. Phew!
TECH-O-METER
22 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon SAMSUNG GALAXY A9 (2018) From `36990, samsung.com/in Samsung wasn’t content with the triple snapper of the A7 so they added one more and thus we get the A9 having the distinction of being the world’s first quad camera setup. This includes a 24MP primary sensor (f/1.7 aperture), 10MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom (f/2.4), 8MP ultra-wide sensor with a 120 degree FoV (f/2.4) and a 5MP depth sensor (f/2.2). The Scene Optimiser is able to recognise 19 different scenes and optimise colour settings in the clicked photographs accordingly. On the front is a 24MP lens (f/2.0) that supports face unlock, selfie focus and AR emoji that can be used to create up to 36 animated emojis. A dedicated button for Bixby is on the left-hand side and Pay Mini as well as Samsung Health are preloaded. Coming to the screen, a 6.3” FHD+ (1080x2220p) infinity display that uses a super AMOLED panel with 18:5:9 aspect ratio is present. T3 Says: Samsung A9 (2018) is perhaps one of the most versatile photography-focused smartphones of the year suitable for a many a use case scenario.
TECH-O-METER
PANASONIC SEEKIT From ` 1,299, panasonic.com/in How many times have we lost our valuables and wasted precious time finding them? While trackers have existed for such purposes, Panasonic has gone a step further with Seekit, an IoT-based product. This portable tracker will help users “track” their items and then link it to the smartphone app via Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity. It comes in two different models Edge and Loop with the main difference being the battery life and form factor. The sleeker Loop offers a 12-month battery life and the larger Edge gives 18 months. They have a range of 100 feet and up to 80 decibels of loudness working even in rains given the IP65 rating. The Separation Indicator alerts the user as soon as disconnection occurs and if it is missed then the app can be consulted for the last seen location. Bi-directional tracking works the other way around and finds the phone by double pressing the button. T3 Says: In case of theft, the Seekit Community will assist in the search using crowd GPS technology.
TECH-O-METER
24 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon HÄFELE DIGITAL SECURITY RANGE Price on request, hafeleindia.com/en/ In an increasingly connected world, home safety is becoming the paramount need of the hour and a normal lock feels lacking sometimes. Häfele’s 5 digital home security solutions aim to mitigate that with their offerings that allow controlling various aspects of house access through a single locking device. Reveal digital lock (pictured) comes with face recognition that reads over 170 points on the user face and will only allow admittance if the exact same expression is made while it was pre-set. Real digital lock has four different access modes including Fingerprint, keypad, RFID and mechanical key. Due to its singular design, the Resize digital lock can be combined with any lever handle making it highly flexible. A trinity of entry modes like keypad, mechanical key and RFID are available in Replace digital lock. The Rebell video doorbell is WiFi-integrated allowing remote management via the specially designed app on your smartphone regardless of location. T3 Says: Instead of a ‘one size fits all’ solution, Häfele has provided diverse products to match differing requirements.
TECH-O-METER
ASUS PROART PA27AC `TBA, www.asus.com/in Better late than never, the Asus PA27AC is available locally to serve all the needs of users demanding pastel precision. Although it is factory-calibrated for high colour accuracy (DeltaE<2), ASUS ProArt Calibration is present enabling advanced adjustments like 14-bit lookup table for exact colours and 5x5 grid uniformity testing. The 27” WQHD (2560x1440p) IPS panel has 100 per cent sRGB colour gamut coverage and HDR 10 support making it a good choice for most photography and video tasks. For connectivity, there are 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 3 (in/out), 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0 and 2x HDMI 1.4 ports. The USB-C slot can provide up to 45W of power to external devices. Except for Thunderbolt 3, all the required cables are bundled inside turning it into a self-sufficient creative hub. It can be rotated into portrait mode easily with cable management at the back keeping things tidy. T3 Says: The aluminium stand is stable and provides a solid base for the monitor.
TECH-O-METER
26 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon INFINIX NOTE 5 STYLUS ` 15,999, infinixmobility.com No one really expected an affordable stylus-based smartphone but Infinix has defied expectations with the Note 5 Stylus. Dubbed the X Pen, it supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity from all angles and is able to do air commands, memo, smart screenshots and painting. Handwriting recognition is currently present in English and Hindi with other regional languages in the pipeline. Even the lock screen can be used to jot down notes while easy calculate enables scribbling and numeric calculation simultaneously. As it is a part of the Android One initiative, Infinix is promising a stock Android experience with timely security updates although out of the box Oreo 8.1 is available. The 5.93” FHD+ LCD display has an 85 per cent NTSC colour gamut and pixel density of 407ppi with 500nits peak brightness. The 4000mAh battery and 18W fast charger will ensure that users aren’t left scrambling for the power socket at the end of the day. T3 Says: If marketed correctly, the Note 5 Stylus will attract an audience that wants but can’t afford similar expensive solutions.
TECH-O-METER
HONOR 8C ` 11,999, hihonor.com/in Honor is back with another offering to make choosing a new phone in the sub 15k segment even more difficult. It has the honour (pun intended) of being the world’s first smartphone running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset. The 6.26” HD+ display has a notch housing an 8MP fixed-focus camera with an aperture of f/2.0, LED flash and ear speaker along with notification LED. On the rear is the fingerprint sensor and dual camera setup with flash consisting of a 13MP primary lens with f/1.8 and a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. The AI helps intelligently detect a variety of objects or scenes currently in the shot and optimise the image settings accordingly. While a gradient type colour has been applied, the results are mixed given the plastic body. T3 Says: Out of the current crop, this is one of the leanest smartphones we have seen to cram in a 4000mAh battery.
TECH-O-METER
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 27
Horizon
DRESS LIKE
DAVID GANDY Read on what he’s got to say about the most accessible daytime looks THE JACKET Preppy style rarely goes out of fashion, so David’s choice of a college bomber jacket is timeless and versatile, suiting both trousers to jeans. For a similar look, try the Virgin Wool-Blend and Leather Bomber by Golden Bear (mrporter.com). THE BOOTS Choose a darker brown, rather than a light tan. David also opts for a shiny fi nish, and you can do the same by slipping into Cobb’s Brown Leather Chelsea Boot (cobblondon.com). THE HAIR David washes his hair with Aesop Classic Shampoo (aesop.com) for a thorough cleanse, then adds shine and shape with Kiehl’s Creme with Silk Groom (kiehls.com).
MONEY NO OBJECT Burberry Reversible Vinta e Check Scarf Alongside camel-coloured macs and Emma Watson, Burberry is most famous for its classic check prints, making this AW18 Reversible Vintage Check Scarf an investment that’ll live in your wardrobe for years to come. A longline design, Burberry’s reinvented staple, made from fi ne cashmere, can be draped loosely over coats and sweaters, or wrapped tighter around your neck for a heftier, oversized look. burberry.com
30 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
CUTTING IT CLOSE
PHILIPS SERIES 9000 PRESTIGE Your most comfortable (and costly) electric shave yet The 9000 Series is Philips’ high-end range of shavers,but if the new top-of-the-line Prestige model doesn’t count as a 10000 Series, we don’t know what will. The blades are stronger and sharper, and have a new shape that’s designed to pull your hair in deeper (painlessly!) before cutting, making for a noticeably closer shave. The results are truly impressive. It is genuinely diffi cult to tell the difference between the results of this razor and a traditional bladed razor. As the owners of particularly bristly and tough stubble, it was a step above even the very best other shavers we’ve tried. The metal rings have an anti-friction coating that promises to make them better for sensitive skin too, and we did fi nd that the closer shave didn’t come with any extra irritation, though even with our (quite sensitive) skin, we didn’t have a problem with a shave from other 9000 Series models anyway. You can choose from three intensity levels of shave just with a button press, in case you do need to treat your skin more gently (or hack through longer stubble, which it also excels at). Simply, it’s the best electric shave we’ve ever had. Wireless Qi charging is a great feature (and it comes with a pad), but the chrome-looking fi nish is just a look: it’s plastic, which feels a bit cheap for the price, but it doesn’t really matter when the shave is this good. THE FINAL WORD The best shaver we’ve ever used, bar none. Cuts super-close and doesn’t irritate.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon Auto
ELECTRIC DREAMS
MEET THE SUV OF THE FUTURE The German marque’s first ultra-slick, all-electric vehicle is so forward looking, it doesn’t even need wing mirrors You can almost hear Doc Brown telling Marty McFly: “Wing mirrors? Where we’re going, we don’t need wing mirrors!” Or something. But the car you’re looking at isn’t from the future. No, this is the Audi e-tron (audi.in) and it goes on sale early next year. In place of good old-fashioned wing mirrors, the German marque’s first standalone all-electric model, a five-seater SUV, boasts a pair of cameras that transmit a live video feed to interactive OLED displays inside the doors. With various pre-programmed settings (motorway, turning, parking), a zoom feature and the ability to aim the cameras in totally different directions, you can enjoy W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
unprecedented ease of manoeuvrability. Replacing mirrors with cameras also reduces the e-tron’s drag rating, contributing to a Tesla-rivalling 248-mile range per charge. Performance is equally impressive, with an electric drive unit on each axle helping the e-tron to achieve 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds, as well as a top speed of 205km/h. The gadgetry continues in the cockpit, with two MMI touchscreens replacing traditional dials for some pizzazz, and an on-board SIM providing updates from the web and intelligent route planning. Audi has promised 12 electric vehicles by 2025. If their first stab is anything to go by, the e-car future looks very bright indeed. DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 31
Promotion
OPPO A7 `16,990, oppo.com/in
Q) WHAT’S THE WORD FROM OPPO? Glad you asked because it’s something supremely interesting. OPPO A7 is the latest smartphone in the A series which is also the best selling range from the company in India. A mighty feat in a price-centric market like ours!
32 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECE DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
OPPO A7 Q) SEE I’M A SUCKER FOR STUFF THAT SELLS WELL. DOESN’T HURT THAT IT’S QUITE THE LOOKER EITHER! We see what you mean. The waterdrop screen takes up even lesser space and looks extra premium compared to the conventional wide notch. Right below, the thin side bezels and slim chin around the screen help eke out the maximum viewing real estate. Q) FULLY AGREE. I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE WATERDROP SCREEN. So are we especially as it contributes to the boast-worthy 88.4% screen-to-body ratio of the 6.2” In-Cell HD+ display leading to an immersive experience during media consumption. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass giving it greater resistance to nicks or scratches and an anti-reflective coating increases the overall panel brightness by 35%. Q) I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THOUGHT GONE INTO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE OPPO A7. NOW I’M CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT MAKES IT TICK. Under the hood, we get an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, Adreno 506 GPU coupled with 4GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage expandable upto 256GB via microSD. For connectivity OPPO goes the whole hog with 4G VoLTE, 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, microUSB with OTG capability and 3.5mm headphone jack. Q) THAT’S EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK! CARE TO ELABORATE ON THE CAMERA? On the rear is a dual camera setup made up of a 13MP primary lens and a 2MP secondary sensor that is very capable. At the front is a 16MP snapper with f/2.0 aperture and wide-angle lens that can capture more area when taking pictures much evident during group selfies in narrow space. The OPPO engineers have done a lot of work in regards to this. Q) COOL BEANS. I NOTICE YOU NEVER MENTIONED THE BATTERY. MANY TIMES IT’S JUST NOT ENOUGH. Fret not as the OPPO A7 is powered by a massive 4230mAh battery that won’t leave you a slave to the plug point or make you tote around a power bank. In fact, AI battery management freezes inactive apps and puts a kibosh on excess caching to save some juice. Q) I LOVE THIS! CAN WE TALK SOME ABOUT THE SOFTWARE? Sure, OPPO A7 ColorOS 5.2 Operating System which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo keeps the ship sailing. Of note is the ‘Smart Bar’ that supports both horizontal and vertical screen multitasking. Plus it comes with quick file sharing, screen recording, convenient screenshots and various other shortcuts. Q) DUDE, THE STUFF ON MY PHONE IS SUPER PRIVATE AND... Say no more. To keep your data super secure, a fingerprint W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
sensor on the rear and face unlock are on round-the-clock guard g a d duty. d t Special work o k has been done on the facial recognition system to provide near instantaneous access with just a glance. Q) EXCELLENT. WHAT COLOURS ARE AVAILABLE? The OPPO A7 comes in two colours: Glaring Gold and Glaze Blue. You can’t go wrong with either one as the 3D textured back is aesthetically pleasing with a glossy finish and grain pattern. Q) I’M NEARLY SOLD BUT AM HOPING FOR SOME OFFERS TO SWEETEN THE DEAL. OPPO wouldn’t have it any other way. The OPPO A7 can be purchased on online platforms like Flipkart, Amazon In and PayTM Mall with the latter offering a cashback of Rs.1,500. A cashback of 5% can be availed on HDFC debit or credit cards. It is even applicable on Paper Finance EMI 0-down payment option while easy EMI costs Rs.1,416 per month. Jio is giving free 3.2TB mobile data and additional benefits of upto `4,900. DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 33
Opinion
Duncan Bell is upgrading Apple’s fiendish genius means I simply must give them more money… and that’s fine! ride comes before a fall, they say, but I discovered this month that, not for the first time, ‘they’ are incorrect. Pride actually comes before a drop. Picture the scene: I’m holding forth on phone cases to a transfixed audience. Obviously by ‘transfixed audience’ I mean, ‘my work colleagues, on Whatsapp-forbusiness, self-satisfied software quirk farrago, Slack.’ I say, “I don’t need a phone case. Nobody needs a phone case. I pay loads of money for a mobile that’s been designed and engineered by some of the greatest creative minds of our time, then lavishly handcrafted by people on minimum wage in China. Why would I shroud it in a case? Using a case is a sign of a weak mind. Do you know what I do? I just don’t drop my phone.” So, obviously, the next day, I dropped my iPhone 6S (yes, yes, I know) – from a height of about 12 inches, onto a table, I might add – and the screen was smashed to buggery, and smithereens. But here’s a curious thing. This was a seemingly innocuous drop that led to a cracked iPhone screen, a loss of volume from the speaker and, for all I know, all manner of other unseen, internal ruin. AND IT HAPPENED EXACTLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW iPHONES.
P
Upgrade cycle blues Now, I’m not going to outright say that Apple used its infinite resources and advanced technology to remotely make my iPhone screen smash so I’d have to consider upgrading to a phone from the current decade. But you
wouldn’t rule it out, would you? I have written man ny times in my career about Apple, sometimes seriously, sometimes not. It’s not like the ingrates ever invite me to their events, or send me free samples of th heir overpriced baubles for socially in nadequate product sponges. But hey! I’m not bitter about it. I rise above those petty emotions. And continue to buy Apple’s stuff. And with my old iPhone lying in tatters, piteously crying for its blessed end, I am going to go and buy a brand-new one. Here’s why: as irritating as Apple events might be; as creepy as I might find their spokespersons, its products are bloody great. And I say that even after being forced, for professional reasons, to sit through the new iPhone launch stream. Of course, it was all hype,
I’m not going to say that Apple used its infinite resources to smash my phone’s screen, but… ‘magic’, nonsense claims, marginal gains, and awkward old Silicon Valley guys in crap shirts and dad jeans… All the usual brickbats you could throw at such an event. What I mainly came away thinking was, “Great phones. Hmm, I need a new phone. I’ll get one.” At this point in time, smartphone buyers are no more likely to switch from Android to Apple than people in the Cotswolds are liable to vote
34 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
Labour, orthose in north London, Tory. These events aren’t about attracting new punters so much as shoring up the core audience, Trump- or Putin-style. Maybe that’s a bad analogy. We tech journalists always report these phone launches in the same way, in the same language, to people who are interested in tech, who ‘get it’. It always goes like this: “There was a lack of innovation… Iterative upgrades… No surprises… Cupertino… God, I’m depressed… Slightly faster processor… Sigh.” Then people who’d never buy an iPhone say, “Apple is finished, get an Android phone.” Well, fair enough. I’ve never found an Android phone I could get on with, and I have tried, but I accept not everyone thinks the same as me. Crazy, I know. Here’s what anyone who is actually in the market for an iPhone thinks: “It’s like what I’ve already got, but a bit better. Do I want to use incredibly advanced AI and camera tech to transform myself into a talking turd Animoji in Facetime chats? No, of course not. But I love the familiarity of everything else, and those phones look slick AF.” The rest of the Apple ‘lifestyle’, the slightly desperate way it presents itself, I can do without. The actual stuff remains awesome. W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon Gadget Guru
GADGET GURU
Enter the special code on your gadgets, and our helper appears
SUJIT KUMAR
Can I make my Blu-ray player multi-region? It’s rare that Guru paints the age of DVD to be the good old days, but damn, this used to be so easy. Bash in a cheat code on the remote, select the appropriate option from the hidden menu, and you’re an international disc wizard, Harry. Not anymore. GaGu knows a couple of BD players equipped with shortcuts, but you probably haven’t got one. The rest are stubbornly adhering to the Blu-ray Consortium’s rules, which basically state that if you want to license the tech, you’d better not include a multi-region option. There is good news to go with the bad. Blu-ray simplifies the region
ILLUSTRATIONS: STEPHEN KELLY
A
encoding standards, splitting the world into three (rather than DVD’s nine) nebulous districts, meaning you’re more likely to be able to shop around for discs that’ll work with your particular player. Disc creators, also, aren’t quite as beholden to the standards as the hardware boys – many releases are encoded for multi-region play. There are devices which you can
Blu-ray simplifies the region encoding standards, splitting the world into three rather than DVD’s nine nebulous districts
36 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
solder in yourself. These work with many players to bypass firmware legitimacy checks; once you’ve installed your own firmware, you’re free to play whatever you like. These add-ons can be hardware specific, so hunt one down yourself. But! Hold your horses, because there’s one weird trick that Blu-ray Region Cops hate. If you’re trying to play a disc and get the red ‘region locked’ screen, simply whack the ‘Top Menu’ button. Often (although it’ll depend on the disc and the player) this will bypass the screen and get you straight to the action. But no promises. W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon Gadget Guru RAKESH RAO
Should I get a mesh network for my home? Guru has definitely Consideration the second: How A Although important are blazing network paid one of his ‘visits’ to your house while you were sleeping, he had a decent 4G connection at the time so didn’t think to sniff around for Wi-Fi black spots. So answering this very specific question that relates only to you will have to be done (usefully for GaGu’s other readers, whose houses he has also been in) in the broadest strokes possible. Consideration one: Are there bits of your house where you don’t get good Wi-Fi? Have you already moved your existing router, dodging shelves full of knickknacks and reflective walls to ensure it’s belching that signal out at maximum velocity? Have you harassed your ISP for the latest version of their bundled router? You could solve your own problem with no investment necessary.
speeds and consistent router SSIDs? If you don’t mind taking a little hit, powerline systems from TP-Link can be had for little money, and will pipe those packets through your walls at reasonable speed as long as your house wasn’t wired up by a slightly scorched drunkard with a self-inflicted tic. Sticking an old router on the end as a secondary network can work, or there are powerline slash Wi-Fi combos that do the job without extra nonsense. GaGu does recognise the luxury of mesh, though, and the speed. Guru Towers’ extensive square footage, and Mrs Guru’s demand for 4K streams in odd rooms, necessitates the use of the silly-expensive but really good Netgear Orbi or the Asus Lyra Trio.
ABOVE This illustration idea seemed a lot less existentially horrifying in the planning stages
GADGET GURU’S MAGIC BOX GaGu’s semi-anonymous game streaming exploits are proving little more than a reminder of his increasing age, but it’s a good excuse to invest in more tech. A nice Blue Yeticaster bundle (combo of Yeti USB mic, sturdy mounting arm and bump-dodging shock mount), an Elgato Game Capture HD60 to suck in misplays from his consoles, and a cheap Amazon green screen to cover up his messy office. There will likely be more. There’s always more. As soon as Guru gets his teeth into any stupid hobby, the upgrade train only stops when his attention wanders. Now that the weather has cooled its jets, and going for a run is not a fifty-fifty chance of Guru sweating himself
38 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
to death, a little wrist upgrade has been in order. GaGu’s faithful Pebble Time has been working fine with the help of Rebble’s third-party web services (rebble.io). But it’s not enough. Guru’s Stockho olm syndrome has led him to o pop down a pre-order on Fittbit’s Charge 3, which looks great g and even works in the pool. The youngest members of Guru’s household (not counting GaGu Jr’s blasted hamster) have each started compiling their lists for Santa. Included are the dinky Boxer robot, looks neat), a VTech Fantasy Unicorn, the mildly terrifying Finglerlings Hugs, pictured) which can record your voice and, er, kiss you, and a two-pack of Nerf LaserOps guns, which Mrs Guru disapproves of but Ol’ GaGu can’t wait to get blasting with.
S. RAMKRISHNA
How can I increase my focus on work? What’s that? Sorry, Guru A was just watching a YouTube video about luminous fish. Oh, your question. Hold on, let ol’ GaGu just go grab a sandwich and a drink. That garden’s looking a bit rough, isn’t it? Maybe we should get out there after a procrastinate, and maybe a couple of hours on the Xbox. Seriously, though: the Pomodoro technique works reasonably well for GaGu when he can be bothered to employ it. Basically it consists of a number of timed bursts of work with enforced breaks built in between. There are loads of phone apps and browser plugins to help with it, or you could set your own sprint goals with any old timer. Just put a little pressure on yourself, and make sure there’s a pleasant reward when you’re done. Lighting is also said to help. Using a smart bulb that can mimic daylight in your work room should help you focus.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Horizon Gadget Guru
NEW MEDIA
BINOY S T
NOW PLAYING How can I learn Guru finds the finest media you need on your various screens
INTO THE BREACH This brilliant turn-based strategy game puts you in control three giant mechs, protecting the world against giant monsters. It’s a perfect fit on Nintendo Switch.
to code? Guru’s Raspberry Pi, in A addition to being used to run illicitly-obtained retro games, is used for a lot of Python experimentation. If he were to recommend any language to start with it’d be that. Why? Because, realistically, everything you might want to do has been done, and libraries for all of those functions exist. Plug one in without any of those tedious construction phases. Python also benefits from a vast amount of documentation online. For kids, or software dum-dums, something like Scratch (also on the Pi) is perfect, or try Javascript if you don’t want to buy any new hardware. Check out The Coding Train on YouTube for tutorials.
SAM D’SOUZA
BE THE COWBOY – MITSKI We’re lapped up every album from Mitski since the release of 2016’s dazzling Puberty 2. Her new album is her best yet, examining self-worth and fame against beautiful indie pop.
THE INNOCENTS Say hello to Netflix’s ghostly new show The Innocents. Two love-struck teens plan to elope, but there’s a problem: she’s a shapeshifter who can assume the form of anyone she touches.
Can you help me cook rice? boiling it in an open A You’re pot, right? Oh you poor, unfortunate soul. Good rice is, essentially, steamed, not blasted into a starchy blob. You can do this with a tightly covered pot: one measure of rice to just under two measures of water, bring it up to the boil, stir once, whack on the lid, and simmer on a minimal heat for about 18 minutes. Leave it another five before taking the lid off. If this is too much faff, and you like cluttering up your kitchen with gizmos, a proper rice cooker will give you even better results. GaGu would be tempted to import one from Japan, maybe a Zojirushi, but that’s prohibitively expensive or you can think of importing Xiaomi’s Mi Electric Rice Cooker.
40 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
ABOVE All you need to see The Matrix is a Rasperry Pi. Much easier than Neo’s whole deal
KARAN RANA
How can I get my gadgets cheaper? usual tactic is to A Guru’s hand full control of his finances over to someone more sensible, then fight through the gauntlet whenever he wants a new toy. You may be better served by simply employing patience; everything fluctuates in price. GaGu’s top tips are to follow deal websites with the amount you’re willing to pay and leave it at that – you’ll get some hits, and won’t overspend – and to use Amazon snooper CamelCamelCamel to alert you when those things you so want drop in price. Don’t forget to install the Camelizer plugin to show you historical prices while you browse.
IF YOU LIKE CLUTTERING UP YOUR KITCHEN WITH GIZMOS, YOU COULD IMPORT A PROPER RICE COOKER FROM JAPAN, SUCH AS A ZOJIRUSHI W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Now read your favourite magazine wherever you go... Available on PC... Mac... Tablet... or any other handheld device!
EOS R
IPHONE XR
RS .1 50
SUBSCRIBER’S CO
S 13 PY TOTAL PAGE
2
RE VI EW S
APPLE
NIKKOR .6 500 MM F/5
CANON
MAGAZINE! ER 1 IMAGING INDIA’S NUMB
CTURE E IT H C R A & STREET SPECIAL
TER 2019 PRO SHOOPhoto Contest
s.200,000
Win up to R
Interview
Noshir Gobhai Learnings
Removing Halos Learn from Images
Also Reviewed
Profile
Kumar Divya Jain, Anand
Special Feature
Street Photography
|A Sigma 24 mm f/1.4 | A 4 Sigma 12-24 mm f/ 2 AF f/ Tokina Firin 20 mm
Digital Platform Partners Available on
www.zinio.com/smartphotography
State of the Art
Feeling flexible WORK SMARTER AND FASTER WITH OUR TRIO OF PREMIUM TWOIN-ONE LAPTOPS, EACH DESIGNED TO OFFER THE ULTIMATE IN COMPUTING VERSATILITY Words: Alex Cox Photography: Neil Godwin
WHAT’S ON TEST…
1
Lenovo Yoga 730 (15)
2
Microsoft Surface Book 2
3
Dell XPS 15 2-in-1
An all-rounder with great specs for the price… And Lenovo certainly knows its way around the two-in-one world. lenovo.com
1
This lean machine hits the high-end, with a detachable screen, unique design and incredible specs on paper. microsoft.com
A convertible model that hinges on its display, with an attractive slimline design and Dell’s impeccable credentials behind it. dell.com
44 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Two-in-one laptops
2
he laptop is dead: long live the laptop. Now begins the new reign of the two-in-one. Doubling the potential and doubling the flexibility, the theory is that two-in-one laptops make quick work of tons of tasks, and can roam from the desk to the lap to the, er, bath. Pull off the screen or flip it over, and you’ve got a tablet that does whatever a tablet can, but you get more. More ports, a physical keyboard, a bigger slice of battery life… In short, everything a tablet lacks.
T
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
3
Realistically, even if all you want is a Windows tablet, the two-in-one market is the place to look. It’s where the action is. And while Microsoft’s handle on Windows 10’s tablet mode has certainly strengthened over recent upgrades, you’d likely still rue the purchase of a tablet-only device if you were attempting to use it for work. Typing on a touchscreen is unintuitive, and somehow propping up your device while dangling a cable to a keyboard (or even using a typing cover) is invariably unpleasant.
There are double-duty machines that sit on lower rungs of the ladder than those we’ve collected here, but this being State of the Art, there’s a heavy measure of prestige to the particular devices we’ve chosen. They can work hard, they can play hard, and each boast incredible specs so that you can make sure you’re milking every ounce of your hard-earned money out of them. And if you’re of an arty persuasion, a two-in-one with maximum muscle means the most lag-free drawing experience possible.
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 45
State of the Art TEST01:
LENOVO YOGA 730 (15)
DESIGN It’s the thought (and the laptop’s construction) that counts icrosoft’s Surface Book 2 is striking and unusual; even in pictures, you can sense something different about this machine that’s found nowhere else in the market, and in person it’s more remarkable. Its corrugated hinge, for a start, is absolutely ingenious. It’s lower, keyboard-side, than the main base of the laptop section, making room for a ventilation port, and it’s sturdy enough to position the screen at every useful angle. Tap an on-keyboard key, and an internal mechanism releases its firm grip on that 15-inch 3:2 ratio tablet; place it back on, and the base fires up within a second or two. It’s weighty, particularly as a full package, but every aspect is very polished. Even the severe edges are offset by a delicate curve on either side of the base. Dell’s lean is more towards the classic two-in-one design, with a screen that flips back to tuck the keyboard underneath; this gives it a greater range of motion than Microsoft’s hinge, but it’s stiff enough that the screen doesn’t flop about at all. Its ventilation system, also exhausting through a vent behind the screen, is cleverly engineered, and there’s a textured finish to the
M
The corrugated hinge on the Microsoft Surface 2 is absolutely ingenious keyboard surround that, while not offensive, doesn’t have quite the same class. No machine here is noticeably thinner than the other, but there’s plenty on display in terms of smoke and mirrors. Microsoft’s tapering profile, for example, squashes its front end down, but Lenovo’s microscopically slimmer screen section gives this flip-back two-in-one a thinner feel, particularly when closed. It also means that, unlike Dell’s insistence on sticking with USB 3 ports – a blessing and a curse in equal measure – the Yoga joins the Surface Book in featuring full-sized ports. Given the almost identical dimensions of Dell and Lenovo’s machines, we’re not quite sure why Dell couldn’t have included more versatile connectors here. It couldn’t just be because USB 3 is what all the cool kids are doing, could it?
46 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
screen section, and feels sturdy yet comfortably light during use
SPECS CPU Intel Core i7-8550U 1.8GHz GPU Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 4GB STORAGE 512GB SSD RAM 16GB DISPLAY 15.6-inch 3840x2160 SIZE 17.2x360x249mm WEIGHT 1.89 kg
TEST 01: WINNER
MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2 The Surface 2 isn’t just a solid laptop. It’s supremely flexible, incredibly desirable and massively innovative. W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Two-in-one laptops MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2
7KHUHèV VR PXFK WR ORYH DERXW WKH 6XUIDFH %RRN )URP Ä&#x2020;UVW JODQFH you can just tell this machine has that certain X factor, compared to the others
DELL XPS 15 2-IN-1
The classic design of Dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two-in-one is familiar territory, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re feeling the increased range of motion, achieved without any dreaded VFUHHQ Ä&#x2021;RS
SPECS
SPECS
CPU Intel Core i7-8650 2.1GHz CPU Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6GB STORAGE 512GB SSD RAM 16GB DISPLAY 15-inch 3240Ã&#x2014;2160 SIZE 23x343x251mm WEIGHT 1.89kg
CPU Intel Core i5-8305G 2.8GHz GPU AMD RX Vega M STORAGE 256GB SSD RAM 8GB DISPLAY 15-inch 1920x1080 SIZE 16x354x235mm WEIGHT 1.97kg
THIS IS WHAT IT ALL HINGES ONâ&#x20AC;¦ MICROSOFTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REDESIGNED SCREEN-HOLDING MECHANISM IS A STROKE OF DESIGN GENIUS
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
7KH Ä&#x2020;UVW JHQHUDWLRQ 6XUIDFH %RRN KDG D somewhat small issue for users to contend with: the screen section, packing all the relevant hardware needed to keep the machine running, along with a fairly hefty battery of its own, made the unit rather top-heavy. Why does this matter? Because it stressed the hinge to the point where it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always stay put. Not so hereâ&#x20AC;¦
Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design team has, for this gorgeous second iteration, included a ceramic part in the muscle-wire mechanism that expertly manages the hingeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s angle, making it steady as a rock in use. Hoorah! The use of ceramic, which is unusual in laptop design to say the least, should also equate to much longer staying power versus a plastic part.
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 47
State of the Art TEST02:
LENOVO YOGA 730 (15)
POWER 7LPH WR ĆQG RXW LI WKHVH PDFKLQHV KDYH the necessary muscle where it counts pace matters, and there are different ways of dealing with it. You could pull off dirty tricks with curves, or you could use intelligent solutions. Dell has picked the latter, partnering with Intel to bolster its slimline frame with the company’s really rather neat 8th-gen Core processors, which pack discreet AMD Vega graphics right onto the chipset. That’s a space (and heat) saving measure that makes sense. It’s not the fastest GPU you’ll find, but it’s a vast step up from the lackluster on board graphics engines of the past, and performed well in our tests. It’s certainly meaty enough to deal with the lower resolution of the XPS 15, and we never saw it falter in general use. It’s even possible to game on it, if you cut a few corners. Microsoft’s solution to the space issue seems to be to throttle the Surface Book 2 somewhat, because despite some serious hardware – this 15-inch edition packs in an impressively speedy 8th-gen Core i7, and even manages a completely credible discreet graphics solution (at least when the tablet section is docked) in the form of a mobile Geforce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDRAM – it delivered disappointing benchmark results. You can game on this
S
MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2
DELL XPS 15 2-IN-1
The graphics performance of the Lenovo topped the sharper Surface Book 2 machine, but you might not get the sort of performance you’d expect out of it. It’s not exactly lacking, but the i7 CPU in our test machine only just beat out the lower-end i5 of Dell’s effort. Lenovo does slightly less with the graphics features of the Yoga, sticking with the GTX 1050 chipset paired with 4GB of GDRAM. That said, we suspect Lenovo has had to do less to calm it down; the touch and pen input is seamless, and graphics performance topped the supposedly sharper hardware of the Surface Book 2. We’ll admit this was a surprise, but Lenovo’s neat package, even rocking a ULV processor, keeps up admirably, and does an incredible job considering its lower price. One thing to note: this thing goes from whisper quiet to jet engine loud once you start asking it difficult questions.
48 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
TEST 01: WINNER
LENOVO YOGA 730 (15) Well, there’s a surprise! Squeaking through our tests by a narrow margin, despite its lower price, Lenovo’s machine proved its chops with aplomb.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Two-in-one laptops TEST03:
LENOVO YOGA 730 (15)
SCREEN Only a perfect panel will do, so let’s see how our three machines measure up lthough, as you’ve seen so far, we’re thoroughly wowed by Microsoft’s Surface 2 design, we’re not exactly upset that we can’t remove the InfinityEdge display from the base of the XPS in the same way. Why? Because it’s an InfinityEdge display and they are, quite frankly, peerless. This thing is beautifully lit, astonishingly broad in terms of both size and colour gamut, and it’s brighter than many clusters of stars. The bottom bezel does let it down, though; while the other edges are as tight as you’d expect, the base is a whopper and obvious when working in tablet mode. It’s also the only machine here with a 1080p display, though a higher-tier model is available with the 4K pixel quotient and a Core i7 chip. We could accuse the Yoga 730 of aping the XPS’ design (or perhaps vice versa). And we will: they’re incredibly close in terms of hardware layout, but putting the two next to each other shows that Dell’s small advantages really do make a big difference. Lenovo’s screen is nowhere near as spectacular. It retains the large bottom bezel, thickens up the other edges just slightly, and doesn’t have the same wow
A
MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2
DELL XPS 15 2-IN-1
The screen on the Dell XPS 15 is beautifully lit and astonishingly broad
TEST 03: WINNER
DELL XPS 15 2-IN-1 The resolution isn’t up to the same level as the others, but we won’t be swayed here: this was our favourite panel of the three by some margin. So there.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
factor. You’re not getting a bad screen, by any means – the viewing angles are fantastic, its UHD resolution is better, and there’s a pressure-sensitive stylus included – but we weren’t blown away. The argument for Microsoft’s panel comes mostly back to that design conversation, because this is not a screen. It’s a proper tablet, with tablet bezels and everything a tablet needs built into it. Removing it and using it on your lap cuts the battery life, drops you down to Intel HD graphics and hinders its ports, sure, but neither of the others is that flexible. You can use it in tablet mode with the base attached, which is awesome, and Microsoft’s choice of an unusual 3:2 ratio works well. However, the panel itself isn’t the best. It’s a touch washed out and a little dimmer than both rivals. Like-for-like, it’s our least favourite of the bunch.
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 49
State of the Art VERDICT:
THEOVERALL WINNERISâ&#x20AC;¦ MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2 microsoft.com WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED There is QR ODSWRS WDEOHW RU WZR LQ RQH currently out there with the same combination of versatility, theoretical power and design brilliance that Microsoft has managed to pack into the Surface Book 2. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delectable. WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE Given its (rather extreme) price, the overall performance in synthetic tests was disappointingly low. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a shame Microsoft has had to pull on the reigns so much. THE FINAL WORD For work or mild play, if you can afford it, this is top-end stuff that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never want to be without. Expand it with Microsoftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design tools and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll become an artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream.
SIX WAYS TO GET MORE FROM YOUR SURFACE BOOK 2 01 DROP THE BRIGHTNESS Okay, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone on at great length about the brilliance of 'HOOèV ,QÄ&#x2020;QLW\(GJH GLVSOD\ Step that brightness down a little and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pull a bit more extra battery life out of your machine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; perfect if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re browsing the web on your lap.
Ã¥ PHDQV KDYLQJ D PXFK greater tablet-mode drawing experience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just a case of having pinpoint accuracy. An active pen means that you have pressure sensitivity, giving your strokes a sense of weight and helping the whole experience feel more like pen on paper.
02 TAKE A PEN TO IT
03 FLIP IT ROUND
Using an active pen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lenovo includes one with its machine, while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an optional add-on (for a cost) from Microsoft and Dell
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting all arty, turning your tablet so that the keyboard is facing away from you with the screen facing forward is the perfect
50 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
way to draw on-screen. Just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t push too hard because you could overcome the force of the hinge.
04 DOCK IT So this is one for the Surface Book 2 in particularâ&#x20AC;¦ In our time with the machine, we grew fond of running it in tablet mode with the screen docked in the base back to front. The extra battery and extra power is nothing to sniff at, and while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a touch heavier, the extra weight GHÄ&#x2020;QLWHO\ PDNHV LW IHHO PRUH VLJQLÄ&#x2020;FDQW
05 KEEP IT LAPTOP Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget that these machines are, for all intents and purposes, proper laptops too. So donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t force yourself to use a touchscreen if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make sense â&#x20AC;&#x201C; poking at your screen all day is a good way to end up with an aggravated shoulder.
06 USE TABLET MODE It might be tempting to keep it raw, but opting in to Windows 10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tablet Mode makes sense. No more pecking at dialogue boxes ZLWK \RXU Ä&#x2020;QJHUWLSV
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Pure sound
Pure sound
What does it take to create the world’s most powerful ultracompact speaker? Devialet invited T3 to its Paris HQ to reveal all… Words: Claire Davies Photography: Olly Curtis
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 51
Pure sound hat music do you want to listen to? Scratch that. Here’s a more pertinent question: how do you want to feel when you listen to that music? Isn’t it interesting how, along the way in our fervour to try better speakers or fancier headphones, we often forget why we buy this stuff: to listen to our favourite music. To feel something, perhaps. Music has always been a conduit for emotion, but the quality of the devices we listen on can either intensify that emotion or strangle it. There are tons of speaker companies in the world, and many produce great sound. Arguably, though, few focus on it quite as intently as award-winning French audio specialist Devialet. And when we say intently, we mean this: pure sound, accessible to all (one day), is the reason this company exists. When Devialet contacted us to say they were launching a new speaker and would T3 like to be among the first to hear it, we knew it was a no-brainer. We loved the original Devialet Phantom (now renamed the Classic Phantom), released in 2015, and hoped for something of a similar quality from Devialet’s new speaker. We weren’t going to be disappointed…
W
MINI SIZE, MAX POWER
We’re sitting in a spacious meeting room at Devialet’s modern-looking HQ in central Paris. Early morning sun is beating in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, fresh pastries and juice are being passed around, and Devialet’s new speaker is currently hidden beneath a black box perched at the end of our eight-seater table. The mystery speaker is playing Ben
Harper, and the sound is full and rich. ‘Did they choose this track because it sounds especially good on the new speaker?’ We whisper conspiratorially to one another. However, we weren’t expecting the sight that greets us when product manager Joachim Fritsch turns up the volume, then lifts the lid of the box… Inside sits a baby Phantom. It’s so dinky, so elegantly beautiful, we can’t help but squeal. Devialet’s stunning new audiophile grade speaker is called the Phantom Reactor. The culmination of three years of R&D, the Reactor packs in all of the company’s award-winning tech, despite being a quarter of the size of the Classic Phantom. It even squeezes in some new features (keep reading). The Reactor comes in two guises: the
need to get our sound into smaller, and more affordable, devices. The Reactor is the next step towards everyone having an affordable, incredible-sounding audio device at home.” Affordable can be interpreted in many ways, though, depending on your available income. “The Reactor is Devialet’s first personal Phantom,” elaborates Emmanuel Nardin, Devialet co-founder and Product and Design Director. “The concept behind the Reactor’s size is that it belongs to you and your home – it can go anywhere.”
DEATH TO DISTORTION
As we all know, a bad speaker can make a masterpiece sound like it’s being played through a tin can, whereas a great speaker puts you in the studio,
THE REACTOR IS AS LOUD AS A SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, YET SMALL ENOUGH TO HOLD Reactor 600 and the Reactor 900, which look identical. While the 600 reaches an impressive 95dB, the 900 hits 98dB thanks to 900 watts of peak power. Although it’s a far cry from the frankly scary 4,500 watts of power found in the top of the range Phantom Premier Gold, it’s hugely impressive considering how much smaller the Reactor is in comparison. Franck Lebouchard, Devialet’s CEO, tells us, “The Phantom Reactor is a key step towards our ultimate goal, which is for millions of people to have this pure Devialet sound. To reach that goal we
TECH SPECS Power and volume 600W 95 dB SPL (Reactor 600), 900W 98dB SPL (Reactor 900) Dimensions 219mm(L) x157mm(W) x168mm(H) Weight 10lbs Range 18Hz-21Khz Audio formats HE-AAC (V1), AAC (16 to 320 kbit/s), WMA (16-bit), MP3, MP3 VBR,WAV, Apple Lossless, AIFF, FLAC, Vorbis and Opus
52 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
sitting in front of the singer, with the entire band surrounding you. The Phantom Reactor is a great speaker. Small stature, big sound… Just think of it as the audio tech equivalent of Lady Gaga. Precision engineered down to the last millimetre, the Reactor sports a smooth spherical form housing two push-push woofers and one full-range speaker, all working in harmony to deliver an unforgettable sound experience. Fun fact: Devialet says the Reactor is powerful enough to match a symphony orchestra playing at full force, yet small enough that you can hold it one-handed. ‘No distortion, no background noise, no saturation’. That’s the unofficial mantra among Devialet’s 100 or so engineers. Little surprise, then, that the sound produced by the Reactor really feels like it’s being true to the artist, showing incredible new detail in your favourite tracks. You can stream music easily too, as the Bluetooth Reactor offers Spotify Connect and Apple AirPlay support at launch. Chromecast and AirPlay 2 support will be available further down the line via a software update, and stereo-pairing will become available in the first half of 2019. The Reactor is controlled via the Devialet app, or by pressing the controls arranged on top of the speaker; a new feature designed especially for the Reactor. W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Devialet Phantom Reactor
The Devialet factory, an hour outside of Paris, has this awesomely futuristic acoustic chamber where all Reactor speakers are tested before release
“WITH THE PHANTOM REACTOR WE ARE BREAKING MANY BARRIERS: SIZE, PRICE, PORTABILITY”
So, how did Devialet pull all of this off in such an ultra-compact product? “It was three years of problems,” laughs Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, co-founder, CTO and inventor of Devialet’s Analogue Digital Hybrid technology. “One of the main challenges was squeezing all of that tech into the product without any compromise in sound quality and performance. We were not able to just reproduce the solution used in the first Phantom, so we had to design W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
transducers and a third-generation chipset for the Reactor. “When I started Devialet, we didn’t have access to state-of-the-art miniaturisation technology. Because the first Phantom was a success, now we have access to this technology. So the Reactor is a continuation of the story, of the success, but with more integrated functionality. With Reactor we are breaking many barriers: size, price, portability.” The Reactor started out in the form of a five-litre mock-up model, then four. “The mock-up for the three-litre speaker was exactly the one you now see, just a little smaller. So from the intention to the final product, what we got is exactly what we wanted,” reveals PierreEmmanuel. “It’s not easy to achieve that. Every small modification has a huge impact
ABOVE LEFT AND ABOVE Frank Lebouchard, CEO of Devialet; Emmanuel Nardin, co-founder, Product and Design Director, and the man who makes Devialet’s speakers look so damn gorgeous
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 53
Pure sound on the product, and each time you have an issue with design, the easiest solution is to increase the size of the product or to reduce performance. We didn’t do either with Reactor. This was also the reason why it took so long to design, and why you have this wow reaction when you listen to the speaker for the first time.”
ALL THE FEELS
Someone has been foolish enough to leave T3 alone with the Reactor for a while, so we fire up the app and blast out some Sia, John Mayer, Metallica… It’s all handled brilliantly, and it’s impressively loud for such a small speaker, thanks to Devialet’s arsenal of award-winning tech: Heart Bass Implosion, Speaker Active Matching, Active Cospherical Engine, and Analogue Digital Hybrid (see the box below for more about these), the latter patented by PierreEmmanuel in 2004. “Prior to that we had analogue amplification,” he remembers. “It produces good sound quality, but it generates a lot of heat, which means you can’t make a powerful, compact product.” The Reactor’s diminutive size also posed challenges for Emmanuel Nardin. “With Phantom you need to dissipate heat, so it was really difficult to keep the look of a smaller product while ensuring you’re still dissipating the right amount of heat,” he explains. “We had to find that balance to ensure the Reactor remained a very beautiful speaker without looking like an air conditioning unit. “The original Phantom is very round and looks like a balloon,” laughs
“WE HAD TO ENSURE THE REACTOR DIDN’T LOOK LIKE AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT” Emmanuel. “We wanted the Reactor to be more spherical. We had to keep what makes the Phantom so special, of course, with those iconic lines on each side of the speaker, but we completely redesigned the back unit. So the Reactor is put together differently. It goes from back to front instead of from side to side, which was very difficult for us to do.
“Because it’s a smaller product, we also had to improve the joinings between all parts. We didn’t want a line down the middle because Reactor is smaller and we wanted to take care of the small details. The first Phantom was also a little wobbly, so for the Reactor we created a simple base that’s very stable.”
AN ARSENAL OF TECH A quick tour of the technology behind the Reactor’s pure sound The entire Phantom range is based on four key technologies: Analogue Digital Hybrid (ADH), Devialet’s innovation in sound amplification, combining Class A analogue amplification with the power of Class D digital tech; Speaker Active Matching (SAM), the mathematical model that ensures perfect control of speakers and high acoustic fidelity; Heart Bass Implosion (HBI), the process that emits bass sounds with unreal depth and physical impact; and Active Cospherical Engine (ACE), the acoustic form to reproduce a sound and diffuse its energy linearly in all directions. 54 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Devialet Phantom Reactor
FAR LEFT Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel, co-founder, CTO and the tech lead behind the Reactor’s incredible sound The high-tech, custom-built factory line for the Reactor can produce 4,000 speakers a week
“PURE SOUND IS OUR PRIORITY. THAT’S WHY WE GET UP EACH MORNING” Designing the Reactor involved epic collaboration between the design and engineering teams, with many sessions needed to try and figure out how to infuse such a raft of premium tech into a significantly smaller yet elegantly simple body. “The initial drawings were easy because the inspiration was already there from the original Phantom,” Emmanuel recalls. “It took three or four iterations to reach the final design.”
ORIGIN OF SOUND
Devialet was founded in 2007, with its first commercial and critical success taking the shape of the Expert Pro audio system. It was (and still is) a true audiophile product, with an eyewatering price tag to match. Considering Devialet’s high-end reputation from the get-go, in 2013 the company ran a rather provocative advert stating, ‘One day, everyone will
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
own a Devialet’. So it seems that the end goal has always been to produce smaller, more ‘affordable’ sources of Devialet’s pure sound. “Our goal, one way or another, is to have Devialet sound in every product that produces sound,” confirms Pierre-Emmanuel. “To do that we have two distinct paths: our own products, which will eventually become smaller and more affordable, generation after generation, and our licensing program.” The fruits of said program are already starting to ripen, thanks to noteworthy collaborations with the likes of Renault and its future-gazing Symbioz concept car, and Sky, with the release of the Sky Soundbox. Again, Devialet’s current version of affordable might be different to yours – and it might change over the years to come, as their devices
get smaller still. Right now, it comes down to how much you value audiophile-grade sound, or whether you’re happy with less nuanced audio as long as you keep some change in your pocket. “Our strongest belief is that the purest sound provides you with incredible emotion and joy,” adds Franck, wrapping up our visit to the Devialet HQ. “Because we so strongly believe this, our dream is that Devialet sound will be wherever you need it: at home with Phantom, one day in your car, one day in your headphones, in your laptop, in your smartphone. It’s going to take time, because with each device we’re going smaller and that’s more challenging.” And if you’re wondering why Devialet has so far snubbed the smart speaker trend, the answer is this: “Our route is focused on providing pure sound,” Franck clarifies. “That said, you can connect the Reactor to any Alexa device. So you can ‘bundle’ it with a smart speaker for voice control. Will we one day introduce AI in our products? Probably, but it’s not our priority. Pure sound is. That’s our dream. That’s why we get up each morning and do this.”
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 55
WHY WOULD YOU SUBSCRIBE to T3 Here are
4
Really Good Reasons!
1 DELIVERED FREE TO YOUR DOOR 2 SAVE UP TO 33% ON COVER PRICE 3 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE AGAIN 4 AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL,
A SERIOUSLY GOOD QUALITY MAGAZINE...
1
THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE
Online Visit at http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/
2
Call +91 22 4352 5252
TO SUBSCRIBE
3 years subscription `4320 Pay `2,900
and save `1,420 on the cover price (33% off)
3
Post Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd, Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013. India.
1 year subscription `1440 Pay ` 1,100
and save ` 340 on the cover price (23% off)
INTERNATIONAL RATE - 1 YEAR INR `8000 OR USD 135 FOR BY AIR MAIL POST YOUR DETAILS (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Name: Mr/Ms ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Occupation .........................................................................................................................Date of birth ........................................................................ Address ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... City ......................................................................... State ....................................................................Pincode .............................................................. Email ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Mobile ............................................................................... Phone (Off) ............................................Phone (Res) ............................................................ Kindly draw the Cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)
Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no. ............................................................................................................................................... Dated ................................................................
Signature .................................................................................................................. Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Pvt Ltd, Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai 400 013. You can also fax the order for credit card purchases to +91 22 2495 5394 For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 22 4352 5252 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/ Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.
T3 DECEMBER 2018
Bank .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Branch ....................................................
Time and time
Time after time Boost your wrist-based smarts and style with our review round-up of six key next-gen smartwatches Words: Becca Caddy, Spencer Hart Photography: Neil Godwin
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 57
Time and time
Michael Kors Access Runway A fully capable smartwatch that’s also big on style This beautiful timepiece is designed for people who want a capable smartwatch wrapped up in a stylish package. Yes it looks similar to previous iterations from Michael Kors, but it’s had a tech boost. With a 41mm circular design, the watch suits smaller wrists and is aimed primarily at women. Its stainless steel casing comes in silver, gold or rose gold, with a choice of stainless steel and silicone straps. The design is bold, but not as glitzy as previous smartwatches from the brand. We think the simpler design makes a statement while being effortlessly stylish. The 1.19-inch touchscreen display has a super-bright 390X390 resolution, and you can even customise the watch faces.
58 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
The Access Runway is also on hand to track your workouts, thanks to Google Fit. Fitness features include GPS for tracking outdoor activities, a swim-proof rating for hitting the pool, and heart rate tracking for dishing out enhanced fitness data. The watch also serves up notifications to your wrist and offers built-in mobile payments thanks to an NFC chip. The only downside is that smart tech eats up a lot of battery, which is likely to last between 12 and 24 hours depending on use. If you’re willing to charge it nightly, this is a reliable, fashion-forward smartwatch with good fitness tracking. Approx. `32,000, michaelkors.global
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Matrix PowerWatch X
Matrix PowerWatch X This future-gazing model uses heat-powered tech Imagine never having to plug in and charge your gadgets ever again. That’s the thinking behind this futuristic smartwatch, which boasts an infinite battery life because it runs off your body heat. The watch uses the difference between your skin temperature and the ambient air temperature to generate a current that charges the watch. That means no more running out of power. This watch is truly innovative, and we reckon you’ll be seeing more of this type of tech in the future, which is why we wanted to show it to you. Unfortunately, we don’t think its performance lives up to its potential yet. The Matrix PowerWatch X is a simple smartwatch with an always-on LCD display and a screen that you control
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
via buttons on the side of the watch. There’s no bright touchscreen here, so you’re out of luck on that score. You can use the watch to tell the time, to track steps and do basic fitness and sleep tracking. It also prompts you if you receive a notification to your phone, but you won’t be able to read it on your screen like you would with others. Design-wise it looks durable, and with a 50mm diameter and 13.5mm thickness it’s very chunky. That style might appeal to some, but will be off-putting for many. The Matrix bodes well for body-powered tech, but right now it’s only a decent option for those who are accepting of a basic smartwatch experience. From $279 (`20,000), powerwatch.co
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 59
Time and time
Fossil Q Venture HR A stylish and sporty option for everyday wear
Part of the most recent generation of smartwatches from Fossil, the Q Venture HR is the brand’s new female-focused design. Running on Wear OS, the smartwatch boasts a lot of added tech, including a heart rate tracker, GPS and support for Google Play, which means it now competes with some of the best smartwatches around. With a premium build and a circular design, it’s the perfect combination of ease and style. The Q Venture HR comes in a variety of colour tones and offers a choice of strap combinations, including stainless steel and leather. There are also different bezel options to select from. The Q Venture HR has a 40mm stainless steel casing that’s 13mm thick, making it a great option for smaller wrists. That
high-resolution display looks great in all kinds of lighting, and you can scroll through menus using the crown or two programmable buttons on the side. As well as looking the part, Fossil’s smartwatch is a great fitness companion, tracking a range of activities. It also has untethered GPS for running, cycling and hiking, waterproofing up to 30m, and a built-in heart rate sensor for adding further fitness data to your workouts. Power-wise, the battery lasts between 12 and 24 hours, depending on use. If you have smaller wrists and you’re on the hunt for a smartwatch that’s versatile and perfect for everyday wear, this is one of the best options out there. From `19,995, fossil.com
60 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 4 The world’s best smartwatch takes a big leap forward The first change in the Apple Watch’s design since its inception brings 30 per cent larger screens that extend closer to the edge of the body (it looks very iPhone X), with a slightly thinner chassis. The smaller Series 4 screen is now bigger than the largest Series 3 screen, which makes the smaller size tempting for more people. A petite change in the curve underneath makes it feel less bulky to wear, even though the 40mm and 44mm sizes are marginally larger than the Series 3. It has extra feedback now when you use the Digital Crown: it ‘clicks’ pleasingly as you turn it, so it’s easy to track your scrolling by feel. The side button is now flush to the case, which we’re less keen on, since it’s much harder to find Apple Pay in a rush.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Apple’s mighty smartwatch is incredibly fast in use, and there’s a fantastic range of apps for it, though notifications and Siri are still your most likely ways to interact (and both work well here). Battery life can be three to four days with standard use. The new, second-generation heart rate sensor seems to be less prone to errors of high and low readings, yet still lags behind a chest strap for true accuracy. A built-in ECG capable of detecting abnormal heart rhythm is an amazing tool to have, but you can’t use it yet (regulatory approval is pending). The fall detection (asking if you need an ambulance after a tumble) turns it into a smartwatch that could save lives. From `40,900, apple.com/in
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 61
Time and time
TicWatch Pro Affordability and increased battery life for the win
The clever part in this watch is its dualdisplay screen, which pairs a transparent LCD with an OLED display, layered on top of each other. The OLED is employed for a full suite of smartwatch features. The low-power LCD screen displays less information, yet still packs in the time, date, battery level, step count and heart rate when you push the right button. If the TicWatch is running low on power, you can use just the LCD screen, giving you a fair amount of smart functionality. Using the OLED screen gives you around two days of battery life, but the LCD can keep it going for a week or so. All very impressive, and the good build quality is nice but chunky. Sadly, the screen doesn’t fare so well in bright sunlight.
62 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
The TicWatch Pro is a Wear OS watch, so it’s fully Android compatible. There’s no rotating bezel or crown for navigation, but one of the buttons is programmable – we chose to make it trigger Android Pay. However, this is not the smoothest experience overall: there are often stutters and a bit of lag in use, and you need to use both the Wear app and Mobvoi’s app to make the most of all of the features. The latter offers some good activity tracking features, though, again, this isn’t much of a sports watch. If you like the overall style and want a watch that’ll keep going, this is good, but it’s not as slick as some of the others. Approx. `20,250, mobvoi.com
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Samsung Galaxy Watch
Samsung Galaxy Watch The slickest smartwatch yet for Android users Samsung’s stylish sequel to the Gear Sport should appeal to a broad audience. It comes in 42mm or 46mm sizes, with a circular screen and design that mimics traditional watches – though it doesn’t match the Apple Watch for build quality. However, the Galaxy Watch works great, with a rotating bezel and two buttons providing an excellent way of navigating its various apps and menus. The bezel also has a satisfying click when rotated. Testing the smaller model got us two to three days of battery life, while the larger version lasted four to five days. The Galaxy Watch uses Samsung’s Tizen operating system, which we find to be the slickest of them all – it’s so simple and smooth to get around. However, a
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
drastic lack of app support means it’s also the Galaxy Watch’s biggest downfall. There are improved health and fitness features compared to previous models. It won’t replace a Garmin for hardcore tracking, but it’s good for eyeballing workouts and general exercise. Bixby is here as a voice assistant, but it’s almost useless – we’d rather Google Assistant. There’s lots to love on the Galaxy watch, but it doesn’t reach the potential some of the very best smartwatches. Apple Watch can give you calendar notifications on your wrist and potentially save your life. The Galaxy Watch is good, but it doesn’t come close to Apple. From `24,990, samsung.com
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 63
The complete guide to…
64 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Drones
THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO…
Drones
With drone technology evolving at a breakneck pace and a wide array of options hitting the market, there really hasn’t been a better time to take to the skies Words: Damien McFerran Photography: Olly Curtis
ot so long ago, the idea of flying a drone through the air sounded like something you’d only find in a sci-fi novel. Rapid advances in technology over the past decade have created a market packed with options that cater for budding aviators of all skill levels. If you just want to capture long-distance selfies on your next sunny holiday, then there’s a drone for that. Perhaps you’re a pro-level photographer or filmmaker who wants to capture high-quality aerial stills and footage – drones make these things possible within a realistic budget, whereas a few years back you’d need to rent a helicopter as well as the equipment to achieve the same results. There’s even a thriving sub-set of drones aimed at people who value thrillseeking over anything else; drone racing is a burgeoning pastime which is supported by a wide selection of products and even professional leagues. Drones – or ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ as they’re more formally known – have actually been around
N
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
for a lot longer than you might assume. The term ‘drone’ was first used in relation to the Fairey Queen remote-controlled reconnaissance aircraft, of which three were built in the 1920s. The idea of unmanned aircraft was, of course, incredibly appealing to military and naval experts, because it meant human lives didn’t have to be at risk during dangerous missions. As drone technology and the materials used to build them have matured over the last few decades, the concept of miniature UAVs has become a reality. Along with this, there have been rapid improvements in things like flight control, power supply and drone construction – all which have culminated in the consumer-level drone market that we know today.
DRONE ORIGINS Despite the dazzling array of different UAVs, most drones conform to the same basic design principles. Four propellers – one pair rotating clockwise and the other counter-clockwise – are powered by motors controlled by a
central processing unit that interprets commands from the user and turns them into accurate and responsive movement, even when the unit is being buffed by strong winds. In the past, many drones utilised rotary DC motors, but more manufacturers have now adopted brushless motors due to their durability, power and reliability. Another key component of the drone is the gyroscope. Most devices sold today have at least a three-axis (or 3D) gyro. During flight, a drone is constantly being subjected to forces such as wind resistance and gravity itself, not to mention your own – often erratic – commands. The internal gyro can detect even tiny differences in orientation and feeds data back to the drone’s central computer, which allows it to adjust the propellers and maintain a steady course – something it does multiple times every second. A three-axis gyro can measure roll (front to back), pitch (side to side) and yaw (vertical), but many modern devices are equipped with a more advanced ‘six-axis’ gyro; this adds an
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 65
The complete guide to…
The top three…
NEXT-LEVEL DRONE ACCESSORIES There’s loads of extra gear to go along with your drone. Here are some essentials you’ll want to invest in 01
A SPARE BATTERY Given that many drones are only FDSDEOH RI ć\LQJ IRU D IHZ PLQXWHV before their power cells are depleted, D VSDUH EDWWHU\ å LI \RX FDQ ĆW RQH å LV a must. With one, you can swap onsite and get back in the air quickly.
02
FPV HEADSET This isn’t a feature that’s common to all drones, but those that have it are instantly more appealing. Using your smartphone in the same way as a Samsung Gear VR, you can see a drone’s view of the world below.
accelerometer, which means it can also detect static acceleration (due to gravity) and the amount of dynamic acceleration during flight. This makes for a more assured ride and means the drone can detect when it’s approaching the ground and execute safety precautions accordingly. If you want a drone that promises the smoothest flight, looking out for a six-axis gyro is a must. If there’s one common complaint that all UAVs share, it’s stamina. Battery life continues to be a weakness in drones of all shapes and sizes, so don’t expect to get more than a few minutes of usage out of pocketsized examples. Even at the upper end of the scale, your flight time is never going to be measured in hours, although a lot of drones come with removable batteries so you can land, replace the power cell and take off again without having to wait to recharge. Advances in power efficiency and motors are happening all the time, and manufacturers are finding ways of gaining a few more valuable minutes with each hardware revision. However, this is likely to be a weakness in this sector for a while yet.
PICK THE RIGHT DRONE FOR YOU
03
PROPELLER GUARDS Those propellers can potentially cause harm to objects and people. A set of guards will not only prevent nasty nicks, but also protect the drone’s blades from damage.
Despite the basic similarities between these machines, not all drones are created equal. At the lower end of the market you’ll find plenty of cheap and cheerful options that give novices the chance to get their heads around the idea of flying a UAV. A good example is the Parrot Mambo, a tiny drone that’s pitched as a beginner-level product and has even been utilised in a classroom environment in conjunction with the coding platform Tynker. Featuring connectivity with companion smartphone apps, these budget drones are sometimes equipped with low-resolution cameras but lack advanced features; they’re best used indoors where
66 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEM BER 2018
their small size and low speed won’t get bullied by the elements. The next level up is dominated by compact but powerful folding drones, designed to offer a wide range of features in a form factor that’s small enough to be carried around with ease. Examples such as the recently released DJI Mavic 2 Pro showcase just how versatile this sector of the drone market has become in recent years; its gimbal-stabilised camera can shoot 4K video, making it seriously attractive for amateur filmmakers who want to get some verticality in their work. Speaking of which, a gimbal – which, in case you were wondering, is a pivoting mount that rotates about all three axes, giving the camera its own stabilisation separate from the the drone’s – is a feature that you’ll certainly want to have if you intend to shoot video while your drone’s up in the air. It allows the camera to remain steady even when the drone itself is changing direction, and is a massive improvement on the often disappointing digital stabilisation systems that’s incorporated into small drones. At the upper end of the ‘prosumer’ drone market, you’ll find units that cost thousands of pounds and come with their own hulking flight cases. These high-end examples are also packed with features such as collision
You’ll want a gimbal if you intended to shoot video while the drone’s flying W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Drones
T3 recommends...
NEW TO DRONES? THEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A UAV FOR U Drones come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Here are our picks of the most common types
While some drones are arguably more versatile than others, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no single option that covers all of the bases. Serious photographers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be very happy with a basic model thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s built for personal amusement more than anything else, and those who want to race their drone wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be happy with a device thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been created with taking the perfect selďŹ e in mind. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to pick the right model for the job at hand, and think about what you want to achieve before you go shopping. To help with this weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve divided the drone market into four basic categories. The four examples picked here are among the best in their respective sector, so shop with conďŹ dence.
FOLDING DRONE
SELFIE DRONE
DJI MAVIC AIR
AIRSELFIE 2
6PDOO HQRXJK WR IROG XS DQG Ä&#x2020;W LQ your pocket, the DJI Mavic Air is a potent tool when it comes to aerial photography and movie-making. It houses a three-axis mechanical gimbal for super-smooth video recording and boasts 4K capture.
1080p 120 fps slow-motion video is also included, and photos are enhanced by HDR support. Meanwhile, the dedicated remote control connects with your smartphone to keep costs down. GML FRP
This tiny UAV is truly pocketsized and comes equipped with a 12-megapixel camera for HD shots; make no mistake about LW WKH $LU6HOÄ&#x2020;H LV WKH XOWLPDWH holiday companion. With a 20-metre height ceiling, unique
anti-vibration technology and auto-hover mode, this is the drone for you if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to FDSWXUH WKH YHU\ EHVW VHOÄ&#x2020;H VKRWV And at just 80 grams, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll slip into your bag almost unnoticed. DLUVHOÄ&#x2020;HFDPHUD FRP
PHOTOGRAPHY DRONE
RACING DRONE
DJI MAVIC 2 PRO
WALKERA F210 3D EDITION
'-,èV Ä&#x2021;DJVKLS GURQH GRHVQèW FRPH cheap. But for that price you JHW KDOI DQ KRXU RI Ä&#x2021;LJKW WLPH advanced obstacle avoidance GXULQJ DXWRQRPRXV Ä&#x2021;LJKW D Hasselblad-made, high-end camera; and cutting-edge video
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
and image-capture options, all in a unit that folds down for easy transportation. There are more pro options â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the DJI Inspire 2 being the most notable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but this is one of the best in the business. GML FRP
It might look like a rather LQWLPLGDWLQJ Ä&#x2021;\LQJ URERW WKDWèV been transported from the future, but the Walkera F210 3D is one of the best racing drones money can buy. It offers a rugged and light FDUERQ Ä&#x2020;EUH ERG\ ORZ ODWHQF\
camera feed for seeing what it sees instantly, and astonishing agility and responsiveness. This is all commanded by the dedicated and super-comfortable DEVO 7 remote control. ZDONHUD FRP
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 67
The complete guide to… Drones
detection and GPS, and often come with their own dedicated remote controller. A decent global positioning system is pretty important when the device you’re sending hundreds of feet up into the air costs as much as a small family car; many modern drones utilise both GPS (the American standard) and GLONASS (the Russian equivalent), which allows for more accurate positioning. The ‘return to home’ command – a feature that is by no means exclusive to upper-tier UAVs – becomes even more important with such expensive devices; you may also find that they come equipped with automatic flight patterns which allow you to focus on getting the best images and video while the drone itself does all the flying. Drone technology has recently converged quite nearly with another emerging tech – virtual reality. Some drones on offer – such as the Parrot Bebop 2 Power – offer an optional headset which allows you to see the world from the drone’s camera, flying it as if you were sitting inside it.
RACE TO THE FINISH 68 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
The device you’re sending up in the air costs as much as a small family car Given their speed and manoeuvrability, it should come as no great shock to learn that drone racing is a very popular pastime. Racing drones focus on speed and responsiveness and also cast aside aesthetic charm in favour of creating something that moves faster than the competition. While even the most advanced drone can typically be handled by a novice and may even come with a beginner’s option which automates certain features and limits the distance it can travel from the operator, racing drones require serious dedication and skill in order to fly. Out of the box, they also need a lot of tinkering and additional work to get the most out of them – it’s little wonder then that drone racers are just as enthusiastic and committed as
people who race cars, bikes or any other vehicle. It’s tempting to look at the drone market and assume that there’s one device which will suit everyone, but as any seasoned tech consumer knows, that’s rarely the case with any electronic product. Before you lay out your cash, be sure you know precisely what you want from your drone – if it’s just a bit of casual flying then you’ll be fine buying a low-end model with a primitive camera. Should you wish to harness the power of your UAV to make smooth 4K video for a professional portfolio, then you’re going to have to lay out a little more cash – as well as put the hours in to master flying the thing and taking the best footage. If thrill-seeking is more your desire, then a racing drone is the obvious choice – but expect to spend the same amount of time tinkering with your unit as people who race remote-control cars and model planes, if not more. Whichever example you choose, this is an incredibly exciting and rapidlyevolving area of tech that’s only going to get better.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
TESTED
70
Get the lowdown on the latest gadgets before you buy
HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO 72
ONEPLUS 6T 74
AMAZON FIRE TV STICK 4K 75
DJI MAVIC 2 PRO 76
XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 6 PRO 77
AMAZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE (2018) 78
ASUS TUF GAMING FX505 80
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
HOW WE TEST In T3, we feature only the ďŹ nest gadgets out there, and we believe that you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our loyal reader â&#x20AC;&#x201C; deserve only the best tech in your life. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want you to waste time, and money, on inferior products, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly why our Tested section exists. In here youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ďŹ nd only the latest and hottest tech. Each product has been handpicked and tested by T3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experts.
We only choose people with special knowledge for each test, so you know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to get an outcome based on many years of experience in their respective ďŹ eld. As well as our traditional ďŹ ve-star rating system (right), we also give out awards to particularly exceptional gadgets, using the line-up below - so when you spot one of these, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re onto a good thing.
THE SCORES EXPLAINED Forget it Below average Good for the price Very good all round An exceptional, best-in-class product
OUR AWARDS Only the best products ĂĽ WKRVH WKDW VFRUH Ä&#x2020;YH PLATINUM stars â&#x20AC;&#x201C; receive our AWARD 3ODWLQXP $ZDUG
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
This is given to winners BEST ON of our group tests, so you can see which is TEST the best at a glance
This accolade, and BEST FOR others like it, show you BATTERY which gear is best for LIFE VSHFLÄ&#x2020;F IHDWXUHV
THE DESIGN AWARD
For kit with exceptional industrial design and UHÄ&#x2020;QHPHQW LQ DGGLWLRQ to being a great buy
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 69
Tested
PRICE `69,990 URL huawei.com DIMENSIONS 157.8x72.3x8.6mm WEIGHT J DISPLAY LQFK 4XDG +' [
CPU Huawei Kirin 980 WATER RESISTANT Yes, IP68 RAM 6GB INTERNAL STORAGE 128GB CAMERA 03 03 03 UHDU 03 IURQW DUAL SIM Yes EXPANDABLE STORAGE <HV 10 &DUG OS EMUI 9 BATTERY P$K
PLAYMATE
Huawei Mate 20 Pro +XDZHLèV ODWHVW VPDUWSKRQH SDFNV Ä&#x2021;DJVKLS ZRUWK\ IHDWXUHV WORDS KUNAL GANGAR
uaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in the Indian smartphone market dates back a few years but the company didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t manage to attract consumers attention as much as they would have liked. With a renewed focus in the last couple of years, Huawei has started launching smartphones under its own brand (its sub-brand, Honor acts like a separate entity) and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been playing with its latest ďŹ&#x201A;agship, the Mate 20 Pro.
H
Gorgeous Design When it comes to beautiful looking Android phones, not many come close to Samsung phones. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy to report Huawei Mate 20 Pro is at par with the design and ďŹ nish you ďŹ nd from the Korean counterpart. The front is dominated by a beautiful curved display with a really thin bezel at the bottom, a notch at the top that houses the front-facing camera and other important sensors while the back features Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature colour ďŹ nish that shows off a different hue when light reďŹ&#x201A;ects off the back. The three cameras and the LED ďŹ&#x201A;ash at the back are inspired by the race car headlights deďŹ nitely make the phone stand out from the competition. The back also features a special glass coating that makes it non-slippery. However, the drawback is that it makes the phone prone to ďŹ ngerprint smudges.
Just like other ďŹ&#x201A;agship smartphones these days, the Mate 20 Pro is also IP68 certiďŹ ed, which means the phone is dust and water resistant (1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes). As for the ports and button placements, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the dual-SIM slot and Type-C port at the bottom, IR blaster on the top, and volume and power buttons on the right-hand side. Overall, Mate 20 Proâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aesthetics are right at the top with an ergonomic design, making it good enough for one-handed use.
Features overload If you thought 5.5-inch displays were large displays, the Mate 20 Pro boasts a 6.4-inch display. But despite the large screen, Huawei has managed to cram that OLED panel in a compact form factor. The display 19.5:9 FullView display supports up to 2K+ resolution (3120x1440) with a pixel density of 538 ppi and boasts excellent picture quality with vivid colours, deep blacks and HDR support. Moreover, the phone also allows to tweak the colour temperature and comes with features like night mode to cut out the blue light or turning the display monochrome. Just like Samsung and Apple, Huawei also develops their own SoCs.
70 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Tested The Kirin 980 is the ďŹ&#x201A;agship chipset that utilises advanced 7nm process to deliver 75 per cent better CPU performance and up to 58 per cent power eďŹ&#x192;ciency compared to chipsets based on 10nm. Along with Dual NPU for AI, 6GB RAM, Mali-G76, the end result is a buttery smooth Mate 20 Pro that handles everything with utmost ease. The chipset also comes with GPU Turbo 2.0 that helps with improved gaming performance for supported games. When it comes to biometric security, Mate 20 Pro supports two ways to unlock. First is the on-screen ďŹ ngerprint sensor that hides beneath its beautiful display. We found the position of the sensor to be slightly higher than is usually on devices with this kind of technology. Sure, the unlocking is a tad slower compared to the conventional ďŹ ngerprint sensors but the pressure-sensing sensor works ďŹ&#x201A;awlessly. Another way to unlock is 3D Face Unlock that works just like the iPhones. The notch on the front features a 3D depth-sensing camera that projects 30,000 invisible dots to securely detect the face and unlock the device. Face Unlock works as intended and is even able to detect faces in pitch dark scenarios. The Mate 20 Pro in India is a dual-SIM phone that supports VoLTE on both the SIM slots. In terms of storage, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 128GB internal with the option to expand to up to 256GB. However, the phone does not support the ubiquitous microSD card but rather Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proprietary NM card. The GPS chip has also got an upgrade, which now comes with dual-band (L1+L5) GPS for improved accuracy. Another feature worth mentioning is a wireless projection that allows projecting the phone onto a larger display. Wireless projection works the conventional way like mirroring the phone screen or with the desktop mode, convert the phone to a user-friendly work machine. The whole user interface changes on the larger screen and you can use it as a computer with the phone acting as a mouse. The phone has a 4200mAh battery that easily lasts for a day and a half or almost two days if you use it conservatively. However, topping it up again isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a hassle, thanks to the bundled SuperCharge. The TĂ&#x153;V certiďŹ ed 40W charger is insanely fast that charges from 0 to 70 per cent in just 30 minutes or just under an hour to reach the maximum capacity. The phone also supports Qi wireless charging with a speed of up to 15W. However, our favourite W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
battery-related innovation is reverse wireless charging. In other words, when activated, any Qi wireless charging supported device can be placed at the back of the Mate 20 Pro and the phone will automatically start charging. It charges at a slow speed but deďŹ nitely a cool feature to show off to your friends. At the back is the triple camera setup similar to the P20 Pro but has a different placement and a new 40MP wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture primary RGB camera sensor. The 20MP ultra wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and the 8MP telephoto with f/2.4 aperture act as the secondary ones. Co-engineered with Leica, cameras on Huawei phones have been lauded in the past and rightly so. The phone takes excellent pictures with amazing details, colours and contrast. The camera app offers a lot of options and modes to play with or you can leave it to the Master AI to ďŹ gure out the best setting while you just point and click. While Master AI is
intelligent enough to accurately recognise around 1,500 scenes across 25 categories, during our use we found the Master AI to be inconsistent when compared to other devices like an iPhone XS or the Pixel 3 that relies heavily on machine learning. Master AI is good but needs some work or at least the ability to take two photos at once - one with AI and one without so a user does not lose a good shot. The camera also features a super macro mode that allows to take photos from a distance of 2.5cm and comes with other nifty features like Pro mode, HiVision aka Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of Google Lens and a live translator tool baked right into the camera app. The portrait and low-light photos are good and so are the selďŹ es from its 24MP front-facing camera. The phone supports up to 4K video recording with image stabilisation and variety of modes, including AI Portrait Colour mode that greys out the background while keeping the subject in colour. The Mate 20 Pro runs EMUI 9.0 based on Android Pie and just like every other customised user interface that sits atop Android, EMUI 9.0 comes with its share of bells and whistles. While we would have preferred a cleaner skinned user interface, there are a lot of features like Digital Wellbeing, GPU Turbo 2.0, full-screen gestures, Always-on display, battery management, which many users will appreciate. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mate 20 Pro is a testament to Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technological prowess and its ability to produce a phone that goes head-to-head with the offerings from Apple, Samsung and Google. Long story short, Mate 20 Pro is a quality ďŹ&#x201A;agship device with an amazing design, excellent performance and technology innovations that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ nd anywhere else.
VERDICT WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED 3HUIRUPDQFH 'HVLJQ WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE 0DVWHU $, SURSULHWDU\ PHPRU\ H[SDQVLRQ VORW THE LAST WORD 5LJKW IURP WKH GHVLJQ WR SHUIRUPDQFH FDPHUD DQG EDWWHU\ OLIH +XDZHL KDV QDLOHG LW IRU WKH 0DWH 3UR
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 71
Tested
TERRIFIC
PRICE `37,999 (6/128GB), `41,999 (8/128GB), `46,999 (8/256GB) URL oneplus.in DIMENSIONS 157.5x74.8x8.2mm WEIGHT J DISPLAY 6.41-inch (2340x1080) Optical AMOLED CPU *+] 4XDOFRPP 6QDSGUDJRQ RAM 6GB/8GB INTERNAL STORAGE 128GB/256GB CAMERA 03 03 UHDU 03 IURQW DUAL SIM Yes OS 2[\JHQ 26 EDVHG RQ $QGURLG 3LH BATTERY 3700mAh with Dash &KDUJH VXSSRUW
OnePlus 6T The new OnePlus device is fast as the last RQH EXW SDFNV LQ D QHZ Ä&#x2020;QJHUSULQW WHFK WORDS KUNAL GANGAR
iven the fact how technology is evolving at a breathtaking pace, smartphone manufacturers have resorted to releasing at least two ďŹ&#x201A;agship devices a year. OnePlus has been doing the same for the last three years and while the difference in features between the numbered and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; variant have narrowed down, does a new launch equate to better? We ďŹ nd out. The OnePlus 6 had a premium looking design and the same holds true for the OnePlus 6T. While maintaining a form factor similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus 6T brings quite a few new things to the table that one will appreciate. The big beautiful screen is still what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see on the front but instead of the conventional notch, the new phone features a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;waterdropâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; notch. The new notch style ensures the OnePlus 6T to have a larger display, giving slightly more real estate to play with but in virtually the same size as the previous OnePlus device. A tiny notch has also pushed the earpiece placement to the edge of the device but in our use, we found it to be a non-issue. The back boasts a shiny yet smudge-free glass with some protection from water and dust. However, just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go swimming because the phone cannot withstand water immersion as the phone does not have an IP rating to protect against such instances. As far as port and key placements are concerned, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power and alert slider button on the right, volume keys and SIM slot on the left, speakers and Type-C port at the bottom. Dual cameras and a single camera are at the back and front, respectively. Interestingly, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no 3.5mm audio jack but considering a majority of users still own earphones with a 3.5mm headphone jack, OnePlus bundles a Type-C to 3.5mm jack adapter inside the sales
G
72 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
OnePlus 6T package. You can also plug in any Type-C earphones with the device or use the new OnePlus Type-C Bullets that come with built-in DAC for improved audio performance. A physical ďŹ ngerprint sensor is also absent but instead integrates it beneath the screen. OnePlus calls it Screen Unlock and works similar to what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen in the recent crop of phones. We like how well the in-screen ďŹ ngerprint sensor works and yes, it is slow compared to a physical sensor, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a deal breaker. The only niggling issue we have is that it brightens up the display to detect the ďŹ ngerprint which blinds you for a few seconds if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to use the phone in a dark room. Thankfully, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fast face unlock but not as secure as the ďŹ ngerprint. The OnePlus 6T is powered by Qualcommâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snapdragon 845 processor and comes with two RAM options - 6GB and 8GB. Having used both the variants, we can safely say, both OnePlus 6T variants are fast and feel very responsive handling every app and game like a pro. The OxygenOS also helps push the performance. The OxygenOS is based on Android Pie and while OnePlus has kept the operating system close to the original Android, it comes with its set of customisations like full-screen gestures, home screen shelf, gaming mode and more. In terms of storage, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have expandable but comes with 128GB or 256GB of storage options. OnePlus has decided to stick with Optic AMOLED panel but with an upgrade in the screen size, which now stands at 6.41-inches. The 19.5:9 display supports 2340x1080 pixels with a pixel density of 402 ppi and multiple colour temperature adjustment options like adaptive, sRGB, DCI-P3 and even a simple custom slider. The phone also supports Night Mode that cuts down the blue light and Reading Mode that turns the display monochrome. On the camera side, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little change from OnePlus 6. The OnePlus 6T also sports a 16MP f/1.7 main sensor and 20MP f/1.7 secondary sensor. The camera performance has improved, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not close to some expensive devices offer. That said, OnePlus 6T has a decent cam in the price at which it sells. The camera app now has AI scene detection, OIS and EIS, Nightscape tech to improve low-light photos and the usual modes like portrait and pro mode, panorama, time-lapse and so forth. The front-facing camera can capture selďŹ es at 16MP resolution. Video-wise, the rear cameras can record videos in up to 4K resolution at 30 or 60fps and super slow motion to up to 480fps if you record the video in 720p. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bummed that OnePlus still didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t add support for wireless charging but then, their fast charge makes up for it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the fastest charging tech now (that crown has been taken by Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SuperCharge) but is still fast enough to beat the majority of the competition. The 3700mAh battery on the OnePlus 6T takes just around an hour to fully charge, which is commendable because the battery easily lasts more than a day with medium to heavy use. If you purchased the OnePlus 6 earlier this year, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not much youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing out on the OnePlus 6T unless you really want to have a tad larger screen and the in-screen ďŹ ngerprint tech. However, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the market for a phone that scores high on performance at an affordable price tag, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go wrong with the OnePlus 6T. W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
VERDICT WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED 3HUIRUPDQFH WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE :LUHOHVV FKDUJLQJ THE LAST WORD 2QH3OXV 7 JLYHV WKH EHVW EDQJ IRU WKH EXFN ZLWK LWV Ä&#x2021;DJVKLS JUDGH SHUIRUPDQFH SUHPLXP GHVLJQ DQG EDWWHU\ OLIH
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 73
Tested
FUEL TO THE FIRE
The new Fire TV is a solid upgrade with w 4K playback, HDR support WORDS KUNAL GANGAR
he introduction of Fire TV Stick last year changed TV viewing for Indian customers who mainly consumed content via a DTH connection. While linear programming still remains the dominant way for a majority of customers to watch TV, devices like Fire TV Stick have made it easier for users to cut the cord and enjoy on-demand TV shows and movies. The new Fire TV Stick 4K is the latest upgrade that is faster, plays 4K HDR content and comes with a new remote. It takes over the existing Fire TV Stick but the form factor is like the original and is bundled with an AC adapter, an HDMI extender and a remote control. Just like the original Fire TV Stick, the initial setup for the 4K variant needs your Amazon account credentials and a simple pairing process for the remote control. The remote control bundled with the new Fire TV Stick addresses the biggest complaint customers had with the last-gen device. It now adds power and volume buttons, eliminating the need to use the TV remote to turn on/off the TV and control volume. The remote supports a wide range of TVs and during our use; it worked without any issues. There are other ways to control the device as well. First is the mobile app that works similarly to a physical remote (but doesn’t support volume or power control) and second is a completely hands-free experience via an
T
74 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
Alexa-enabled speaker (like Echo). The Fire TV Stick 4K now supports Alexa, which means you can ask Amazon’s voice assistant to search for a particular movie or a show, check weather, news, skip or rewind content or even control smart home without even touching the Fire TV Stick remote. As far as content and user interface goes, its similar to the existing Fire TV Stick but manoeuvring is considerably faster, thanks to the new processor. Fire TV automatically detects if you’ve got a 4K TV and shows a carousel highlighting UHD (4K) content. Currently, UHD content is limited to Amazon and Netflix and will stream high-resolution content if it gets the required bandwidth. Officially, Amazon recommends having a minimum internet speed of 15Mbps and 20Mbps for streaming Netflix 4K content. It also supports Dolby Atmos and variety of HDR standards HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR10+, making it widely compatible with most of the TVs available in the Indian market. The Fire TV Stick 4K is available for Rs. 2,000 more than the regular Fire TV Stick but despite the higher asking price, the 4K variant brings in considerable differences like the faster performance, 4K playback, Dolby Atmos and future proofing your next TV purchase with support for multiple HDR standards.
PRICE `5,999 URL amazon.in/ ĆUHWY DIMENSIONS 99x30x14mm WEIGHT 53.6g CPU Quad-core 1.7GHz STORAGE 8GB WI-FI Dualband dual-antenna Wi-Fi (MIMO) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac BLUETOOTH Yes, 5.0+LE VOICE SUPPORT Yes, with the all-new Alexa Voice Remote or free Fire TV app PORTS HDMI, microUSB for power only AUDIO Dolby Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, 2-channel stereo, and HDMI audio pass through up to 5.1 HDR Yes; Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10+ VIDEO RESOLUTION 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60fps
VERDICT WE’RE IMPRESSED Performance, Alexa integration WE’D IMPROVE 4K content library THE LAST WORD The Fire TV Stick 4K is worth it as it brings an easy way to stream high-quality content with HDR and Alexa support
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Tested
FLYING HIGH
DJI Mavic 2 Pro Hasselblad and DJI have combined forces to create the ultimate imaging drone, but is this collaboration more hype than substance? approx. `1,05,000 dji.com ew drones have gathered as much excitement as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and it’s all down to the presence of a Hasselblad camera. The Mavic is already popular with photographers due to its foldable design that fits neatly in backpacks. So the size of the original was perfect, but the gimbal and camera were somewhat limited in terms of visual quality and stabilisation. Pull the Mavic 2 Pro from the box and the upgrades are instantly apparent. The new drone weighs more (173g, to be exact), highlighting the improved materials for a premium feel. Setup is quick, and the battery and propellers click smoothly into place. Mobile is hardwired into the controller, the app and firmware are easy to update, then there’s a short wait for the Mavic to lock on GPS. With checks complete, a swipe of the app is all that’s needed to take off. It’s impressively stable and a
F
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
quick jolt of the sticks shows just how solid the drone is in flight. Our first test is the Point of Interest mode. A couple of taps on the app and the drone starts circling around our chosen location. You can adjust the speed via the controller. Next is Hyperlapse, a stabilised motion timelapse, and ActiveTrack 2.0, where the drone follows you (or your featured subject) as you move around. Each mode is precise, and does what we want with absolute stability. There are no issues or errors. Likewise, while testing the various stills modes, we found that Panoramic and HDR Pro 2 were the most responsive and precise. It takes another swipe to land the 2 Pro, leaving us to review the captured footage on our laptop. Upon opening the images, we’re struck by the huge difference the new camera makes. Photos are clean and detailed, and despite the lower light there’s no noise. Video footage also looks clean and detailed. The gimbal locks the camera in the air with such stability, it’s hard to believe this video has come from a drone. Suffice to say, DJI has knocked it out of the park with the Mavic 2 Pro, creating the new must-have drone for aerial photographers.
VERDICT WE’RE IMPRESSED Outstanding quality footage, comparable with drones that are twice the price. WE’D IMPROVE Fiddly rubber cover on ports; not very light QRUbFKHDS THE LAST WORD The camera lives up to the Hasselblad brand, DQG WKH 0DYLF 3UR èV ćLJKW performance is impressive, making DJI’s latest drone ideal for pro aerial photography.
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 75
ITERATIVE NOTE
Xiaomi refres es its Re mi Note in up wit improve camera WORDS KUNAL AN A
i milli n n t e ast an now w t t n w R mi N Pr in h fra and intense competition from other p ayers, can X aom ma nta n t e same success t e Re m Note ser es as en o e over the ears Redmi Note phones have adopted i erent esign t at ma es it easy to istin is ut t at s not t e case wit t e Re mi Note 6 Pro. Sure, t e isp ay wit a notc is a ea giveaway ut i you on t o ow Xiaomi s p one esigns c ose y, t is oo s i e any ot er Xiaomi p one. That ai , Re mi Note 6 P s esi n ee s more nuanced with i roved er nomics. The r m i ni goo an as a curvy si e t at gives t e p one a etter an - ee n in display that supports FHD+ resolution 2280x1080 with a contrast ratio of 1500:1, 500nit o ri tness an Gori a G ass protection. The Re mi Note 6 Pro a so comes wit an y isp ay eatures i e co our temperature a ustment, a aptive rig tness contro an rea ing mo e t at ma es t e isp ay warmer to re uce eye ati e Xiaomi use t e 14nm Sna ra n 636 on t e Re mi Note 5 Pro an t e ua comm c ip a so n s a p ace in t e atest Note evice. One may question t e inc usion o an older rocessor with a new hone but Xiaomi is an ing on t e c ipset s sta i ity an timisation to e iver sustaine r ormance. The one comes wit 4GB or
X
T3 Tomorrow’s Techno
oda
B R h ri h a -to- a tas s wit no issues. There s 64GB interna storage or ou can expan ia the ex nsion slot that acce s microSD. The hone runs MIUI 10 out of the ox an rings improve eatures i e ace un oc , u -screen estures, aster app Xiaomi has been focusin on the camera per ormance or its atest evices an t e ame true r e Re i Note 6 Pro. Xiaomi as, in act, uppe t e ante t is time wit a ua camera setu wit a 12MP+5MP at t e ac an 20MP+2MP on t e ront. The main 12MP sensor wit 1.9 a erture an 1.4-micron ixe size can ta e ome rett od shots in both d well as ow- ig t, urt er e pe y t e ua pixe auto ocus an AI mo e t at etects u to 32 cenes an optimises t e picture qua ity. The ortraits ave a so een im rove wit AI P 2 f fi time, a ows to e it t e ur eve , c ange i t trai s or a stu io i tin e ects in post-processing. The ront- acing camera ta es ecent se es an gets t e sam e ping an y AI to spruce up t e images. s ar as vi eo recor ing goes, t ere s no 4K vi eo recor ing support ut can recor in u to Fu HD reso ution wit EIS im e sta i isation Xiaomi as p aye it sa e wit t e Re mi Note 6 Pro an we re not surprise consi ering ow goo t e Re mi Note 5 Pro as in this price ran e. The phone still ers an exce ent a -aroun per ormance it u to two s o atte i e an i i cant i rovements in t e camer
PR E 3,999 4GB+64GB , 5,999 6GB+64GB R mi.com in DIMEN I N 1 9x 4x 2 mm WE 1 2 DI L -i h ll D+ 280x1080 P ualcomm Snap ragon 636 A 4GB 6GB INTERNAL RA MER 12MP+5MP rear , 20MP+2MP front AL IM e XPANDABLE T RA E MI B E
VERDI T WE’RE IMPRE
ED Performanc mer E’D IMPROVE esi THE LA W T n w R mi N Pro evice oe w t it oe e t wit mprove performance, attery ife
Tested
SPLASHPROOF READING
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018) Amazon updates its best-selling Kindle ZLWK UHÄ&#x2020;QHG GHVLJQ PRUH VWRUDJH WORDS .81$/ *$1*$5
n a world where smartphones and tablets can do almost everything, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s refreshing to see a dedicated device like Kindle holding out on its own. In fact, Amazon has a full-blown Kindle lineup that caters to the light readers and even the most avid ones. Amazon has now updated its best-selling Kindle - Kindle Paperwhite. The biggest change youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ďŹ nd on the new Kindle Paperwhite is that it is waterproof. This makes it at par with the top-of-the-line Kindle Oasis at almost half the price. The IPX8 certiďŹ cation means the Kindle is protected against accidental immersions (up to two meters of fresh water for up to 60 minutes). However, make sure to clean the Kindle with a freshwater source if you accidentally dunk it in the pool or at the beach to remove chlorinated or salt water. We noticed water on the screen makes the touchscreen go awry but Amazon has addressed this by allowing to disable the touchscreen with only the page turn gesture that remains active. Compared to the last Paperwhite, the new Kindle is thinner and lighter. While the screen size and resolution are same at 6-inch and 300dpi, the display is now ďŹ&#x201A;ushed with the bezel, giving that uniform look and feel
I
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
on the front. Amazon has also resolved the shadow issue by adding a ďŹ fth LED at the bottom that helps to illuminate the screen evenly. In terms of storage, the base Kindle Paperwhite now comes with 8GB of storage whereas the 4G variant comes with 32GB of built-in storage. The extra storage makes sense if you like carrying the whole library with you at all times. Interestingly, the new Paperwhite supports Audible audiobooks in some markets but is absent for Indian Kindle users. The new Kindle works similar to the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite, which means you get weeks of battery life on a single charge and features like Whispersync, Goodreads integration, X-Ray, Word Wise, and an updated home experience for better discovery and personalised settings. All said and done, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re an existing Kindle Paperwhite user and happy with it, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ďŹ nd a drastic change in the reading experience. However, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coming from a base Kindle looking for an upgrade or looking for double the storage and waterprooďŹ ng, the Kindle Paperwhite (2018) is a perfect buy.
PRICE ` :L )L ` :L )L )UHH * URL amazon.in/kindle DIMENSIONS 167x116x8.2mm WEIGHT J :L )L J :L )L )UHH *
SCREEN SIZE 6-inch BUILT-IN LIGHT <HV /('V WATERPROOF Yes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; IPX8 PHWHUV PLQXWHV IUHVKZDWHU
RESOLUTION SSL BATTERY /DVWV weeks on a single charge STORAGE *% RU *%
VERDICT WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED 'HVLJQ 6WRUDJH WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE Audible support THE LAST WORD The new Kindle Paperwhite has got thinner and OLJKWHU EXW SDFNV LQ PRUH VWRUDJH is water resistant and has better LOOXPLQDWLRQ ZLWK /('V
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 77
Tested
TOUGHENED UP
Asus TUF Gaming FX505 *DPLQJ QRWHERRN WKDWèV SRZHUIXO DQG UXJJHG IRU HYHU\GD\ XVH WORDS .81$/ *$1*$5
susâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ROG lineup of products offer the best possible gaming experience but it comes at a price. However, Asusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; another sub-brand, The Ultimate Force (TUF) works the other way around. It offers affordable hardware that scores high on durability. Take the TUF Gaming FX505, for example. The FX505 takes over from FX504 with improved design and better hardware. Unlike many notebooks that shout gaming with its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;in-your-eyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; design, FX505 takes a subtle approach. It features a radiating-X design on its lid said to be inspired by â&#x20AC;&#x153;galactic battleships and future armourâ&#x20AC;? that puts the focus on the logo. We like the clean design of the FX505 and also the fact that the notebook LV FHUWLÄ&#x2020;HG ZLWK WKH 0,/ 67' * VWDQGDUG IRU enhanced durability and better resistance from shock and vibration, humidity, altitude and solar-radiation. 7KH ODSWRS IHDWXUHV D LQFK )XOO +' 1DQR(GJH ,36 GLVSOD\ ZLWK D UHIUHVK UDWH RI +] WKDW KHOSV WR UHGXFH VFUHHQ WHDUV ODJV DQG FRPHV ZLWK SHU FHQW V5*% colour gamut for improved picture quality. 7KH 5*% EDFNOLW NH\ERDUG LV D IXOO VL]H NH\ERDUG FRPSOHWH ZLWK D QXPHULF NH\SDG DQG +\SHU6WULNH technology that ensures accurate keypress and improved ergonomics. The keys are well-spaced out with isolated arrow keys, which to be honest, takes some time to adjust WR +RZHYHU LQ WHUPV RI SHUIRUPDQFH WKH NH\ WUDYHO LV JUHDW KDV KLJKOLJKWHG :$6' NH\V DQG VXSSRUWV $XUD 5*% V\QF :KLOH $VXV VHOOV WZR GLIIHUHQW 6.8V ZLWK GLIIHUHQW &38 DQG *38 RSWLRQV RXU XQLW FDPH ZLWK ,QWHO &RUH L + *H)RUFH *7; DQG *% RI 5$0 WKDW KDQGOHV PRVW of the modern games with ease. To keep the device cool, the notebook boasts a +\SHU&RRO 7KHUPDO GHVLJQ WR NHHS WKH WHPSHUDWXUH LQ check. The V-cut design avoids the interference with the H[KDXVW YHQWV WKDW LPSURYH WKHUPDO HIÄ&#x2020;FLHQF\ E\ XS WR 25 per cent and features anti-dust tunnels to throw the GXVW RXW HIÄ&#x2020;FLHQWO\ 2WKHU LPSURYHPHQWV LQFOXGH '76 VXUURXQG VRXQG VXSSRUW DF :DYH :L )L DQG VWUDWHJLFDOO\ SODFHG I/O ports on the left to keep the right-hand side free while gaming.
A
78 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
PRICE From ` URL asus.com/in DIMENSIONS [ [ FP WEIGHT 2.2kg OS :LQGRZV +RPH CPU ,QWHO &RUH L + DISPLAY ĂŤ 1RQ JODUH )+' +] ,36 RAM ''5 0+] XS WR *% GPU 19,',$ *H)RUFH *7; ZLWK *% *''5 95$0 66+' ĂŤ 7% )LUH&XGD INTERFACE [ 86% *HQ [ 86% [ +'0, [ 5- -DFN [ PP KHDGSKRQH DQG PLFURSKRQH FRPER MDFN [ .HQVLQJWRQ lock CONNECTIVITY $& %7 BATTERY :KU
VERDICT WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED 'HVLJQ 'LVSOD\ WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE 1 $ THE LAST WORD The FX505 offers respectable performance at an affordable price
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Tested Smackdown
SPORTY TRUE WIRELESS ’PHONES
Jabra Elite Active 65t `14,999, jabra.in FIT & COMFORT These are seemingly unshakeable without being uncomfortable, which is no small feat. Stick them in and do whatever you want – running, weights, spin, Greco-Roman wrestling – and they’ll still be there, feeling like you’re wearing nothing at all.
`18,990, boseindia.com FIT & COMFORT These are perfectly comfortable for use in the gym or at home, but aren’t so good for running or cycling – they’re noticeably less stable than the Jabras in the ear. The way they protrude catches on hoods far too often, and looks a bit cyborg-y.
FEATURES Five hours battery life, plus 10 hours with the charging case. Wind-reduction tech boosts sound for runners, and IP55 rating means they can a bit of a beating from lousy weather if you’re exercising outside. Voice assistant support is here too.
FEATURES Like the Jabras, you get five hours of battery, plus 10 hours from the case – though a quick-charge feature gives 45 mins of juice from a 15-minute charge. IPX4 rating makes them sweat- and rain-resistant. Voice control is also here.
CONNECTIVITY The connection on the Jabras was good, but we had a couple of moments where it broke down, which is always more confusing with true wireless. The app enables you to customise the EQ to get more out of their sound, which is useful, as you’ll see…
CONNECTIVITY We found the connectivity on the Bose totally unbreakable in normal sport use – quick to connect, solid through a session, and always super clear. If you lose a bud, the app makes it easy to find where you last had it. Very nice.
SOUND QUALITY For workout purposes, the 65t are fine, even though they’re not the most musical of headphones. They’re more like a very good Bluetooth headset than a hi-fi product, but with the volume up, they’re perfectly okay for workouts.
SOUND QUALITY You get notably better audio from the Bose headphones than the Jabra – good enough to be your everyday headphones too. However, the protruding design catches a lot of wind noise, so they aren’t ideal for outdoor activity at times.
VERDICT
2nd
Bose SoundSport Free
WE’RE IMPRESSED 8QEHDWDEOH FRPIRUW DQG ĆW IRU any physical activity; great wind reduction tech for outdoors use; good battery life. WE’D IMPROVE Sound is weaker than the Bose.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
VERDICT WE’RE IMPRESSED Good audio quality; comfortable; top connectivity and app. WE’D IMPROVE Sticky-out design looks a little odd, catches, and is less stable for running or cycling.
1st
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 79
Tested Game
Red Dead Redemption 2 So this is how it feels to live like an outlaw `3,999; PS4, Xbox One
R
ockstar Games’ last major game release was Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) in 2013, which was first released on previous-generation platforms only to come in a year later to the PS4 and Xbox One. While GTA: Online filled up the coffers, Rockstar was also working on a game meant for this console generation. Enter Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2). The big, ambitious game made solely for this console generation. Prequel to the 2010 Red Dead Redemption, the game is set in 1899 where America is on the cusp of the modern age and outlaws are being captured or killed. Players assume the role of Arthur Morgan, one of the outlaws who is on the run along with fellow gang members to settle far away from the law and civilisation, thus, beginning the epic journey of Red Dead Redemption 2.
This is a story that makes you feel like an outlaw. Live like an outlaw. And more importantly, it tests your decisions and ideals that will make Morgan live the life of an honourable outlaw or a loose cannon who goes onto shoot and rob every citizen he sees in his path. But no matter what you do, there’s no right or wrong. The first act slowly reels you in by introducing to the gang members and make you get used to the game mechanics and controls, which only feels natural. However, the game really shows off its Rockstar DNA after it opens up the map, throwing you in the vast open world. An open world game often seems empty and heartless but that’s not the case here. The world is gorgeous with beautiful vistas, snow-clad peaks to even the swampy lands where alligators discreetly hide to hunt on their prey. Then, of course,
80 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
there are these little things that we do in the real world has to be emulated here. For instance, you gotta make Morgan eat regularly to keep the body well maintained. Eating less will make his stamina burn faster or eating more will make him slow. Morgan’s facial hair needs trimming or shaving every few days and so on. The dynamic weather and clothes Morgan wears also affects his overall stamina.
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Red D Dead Redemption 2
Y
7<> (BNJOH .POJUPS +] * 6\QF :4+' *NQFDDBCMZ MJGFMJLF HBNJOH WJTVBMT
6MUSB TNPPUI HSBQIJDT The world is ďŹ lled with NPCs wherein you can strike a conversation or encounter characters whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ask for help like sucking out venom after a snakebite or when you commit a crime, an eyewitness will report to the Sheriff. The world is ďŹ lled with this kind of randomness, minute detail and full of life that makes one appreciate Rockstarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to make this virtual world as real as possible. Horses are important and instead of making them just a means to travel, they are more of a companion with feelings whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll respond to you better when you bond with them. Hitting them will make them run away or pat and feed them to increase the bonding. Combat is super fun with lots of weapons, customisations and auto aim (can be turned off) that helps when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ensnared in a bloody gun battle with half of the town. Stealth and melee combat is possible, but it is not as satisfying as shooting with guns, which is a visual treat when one activates Dead Eye to slow the time. The 60 hour-odd storyline is excellent with W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
well sketched out narratives, ďŹ lled with plot twists and turns and equally enjoyable side missions that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like ďŹ llers. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a completionist, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re easily looking at 100+ hours worth of playtime. Red Dead Redemption 2 took a few years to develop but as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear, it was worth the wait. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a game thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got everything right from the gripping story, mechanics and a lively open world.
(BJO BO JO HBNF BEWBOUBHF
"EWBODFE DPOOFDUJWJUZ *(/ 'BO 'BWPVSJUF #FTU (BNJOH .POJUPS .BOVGBDUVSFS
'PS 4BMFT &ORVSJFT WJODFOU@MJV!BTVT DPN
VERDICT WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE IMPRESSED Story, gameplay, lively open world WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D IMPROVE N/A THE LAST WORD One of the best games this generation. Must play
'PS GFFECBDL FNBJM SFBDIVT!BTVT DPN JOGP@JOEJB!BTVT DPN
6FDQ 0H
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 81
Apps
Facemoji TEXTING MADE FUN
6 A PP S F O R …
ALL THINGS PROPERTY Make your searching and shifting less worrisome SHIFT KARADO Best used when requiring an instant price estimate for moving, Shift Karado aims to help make transporting your goods hassle free. Free; Google Play
PACKERSWALA Free; App store, Google Play Facemoji from Baidu has gained a lot of popularity over the years mainly due to the addition of new stuff at a regular basis. At present, there are approximately 3,600 emojis, emoticons, GIF, symbols and emoji stickers that can be sent. The keyboard is completely customisable with key layout preference (QWERTY,QWERTZ,AZERTY) and an array of themes on offer. From the 100 languages it supports, 22 are Indian dialects. It’s prediction accurately suggests emojis after parsing the words with high accuracy. The voice input feature works fine
but the speech-to-text translation is too ambitious for its own good and still needs work. India is an important market for the company as can be seen by Hindi, Hindi-abc and Hinglish input support and inclusion of regional content related to festivals including Holi, Diwali and more. Full integration with popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger ensure that all the features are compatible. A separate Lite version can be downloaded for those with older hardware that is less demanding.
Just click photos and submit the details of items to relocate and a move coordinator from the company will contact with a quote soon. Free; App Store, Google Play
OLX Sell your unwanted stuff lying around like furniture or appliances in a jiffy and unburden yourself as well as load your wallet with cash. Free; App Store, Google Play
SULEKHA PROPERTY & RENTALS Find a plot or list it for free, you can supplement them with photos and videos to give an in-depth view.
Envision AI
Free; App Store, Google Play
AN ASSISTANT FOR THE BLIND Free; App store, Google Play Envision AI is a thoughtful utility built for users with visual impairment to help them in day to day activities. It uses Artificial Intelligence to recognise things or people around them which have to be taught the first time. However, it can understand environments and scenes as well as figure out the context. Text can be read out loud in various
MAGICBRICKS
languages which can work in places such as restaurants and markets to suss out items. The text can also be exported out or explored through TalkBack. It was first present only on iOS with a subscription but recently was made available on Android as well. For now it is free of any in app purchases but might change once it becomes fully featured like its iOS counterpart.
82 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
The intuitive search can help parse and create alerts for property classifieds across all the major cities of India. Free; App Store, Google Play
QUIKREASY Hire for home services like carpenters, electricians, plumbers, servicing and repairs to turn your house into a home. Free; App Store, Google Play
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Now read your favourite magazine wherever you go... Available on PC... Mac... Tablet... or any other handheld device!
Available on
Digital Platform Partners
ISSUE 41/ DECEMBER 2018
Retro
T3 3 India as a magazine/ezine rightly focuses on products that are new and under development. This, of course, does not suggest or imply that everything old is bad and outdated. The pace at which technology moves, demands that we cover all product developments for our readers. In few cases, this means going back to the
84 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
past. Look at the worldwide revival of turntables. Only 15 years ago, the turntable was consigned to the dustbin. Today, pressing plants are hard pressed to meet the demand. The area where retro is most in demand is music â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both Western and Indian, and T3 3 India seeks to address this gap. We hope you enjoy this section.
85
Classic s Artist stes - Western n
86
Classssic A rtistes - Indian
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson Words: H. S. %LOOLPRULD Michael Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister, Janet started has singing career with the Jackson brothers. 7KH WHUULÄ&#x2020;F VXFFHVV WKDW 0LFKDHO KDG ZKHQ KH ZHQW VROR HQFRXUDJHG -DQHW DOVR WR EUDQFK RXW RQ KHU RZQ -DQHW KDV specialized in dance tracks and reached LQVWDQW SRSXODULW\ ZLWK KHU WKLUG VROR DOEXP ç&RQWUROè LQ ,W ZDV IROORZHG E\ ç5K\WKP 1DWLRQ è LQ $OVR YHU\ VXFFHVVIXO ZDV KHU DOEXP ç-DQHWè UHOHDVHG LQ Janet was considered to rank along DUWLVWHV OLNH 0DULDK &DUH\ DQG 0DGRQQD $OWKRXJK VKH ZDV DOVR D VRQJ ZULWHU DFWUHVV DV ZHOO DV D VWDJH SHUIRUPHU KHU IRUWH ZDV DV D GDQFH FOXE DUWLVWH SHUIRUPLQJ QXPEHUV ZKLFK DW WLPHV KDG TXHVWLRQDEOH O\ULFV -DQHW -DFNVRQ VDZ PD[LPXP SRSXODULW\ LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV DQG HYHQ WRGD\ UDQNV DPRQJVW WKH 7RS VHOOLQJ DUWLVWHV RI DOO WLPH 6KH KDV VROG RYHU PLOOLRQ DOEXPV
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 85
RAJESH ROSHANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GREATEST HITS VOL 5
RAJESH ROSHANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Greatest Hits â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Vol 5
Words: H. S. Billimoria
One CD was obviously not enough to cover Rajesh Roshanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hits with T Series. This month, we look at Rajeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remaining hits with T Series right upto 2008. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bahaar Aane Takâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was a musical triumph for both Rajesh Roshan & T Series. The score would have been PXFK PRUH VXFFHVVIXO LI WKH Ä&#x2020;OP KDG not followed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aashiquiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, (a superlative DOEXP DQG WKH Ä&#x2020;OP LWVHOI KDG VHHQ commercial success. Nevertheless, it ranks amongst Rajeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 10 scores. We have chosen two tracks IURP WKH Ä&#x2020;OP YL] ç'LQ SDWMKDG NHè a duet by Manhar Udhas and Anuradha Paudwal and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ek pal hasna jo chahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by Anwar to feature in our &' %RWK WKH WUDFNV RR]H PHORG\ Perhaps, it is still not too late for T
86 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
Series and Rajesh Roshan to come together again and create one more musical sensation. Rajesh Roshan has used Asha Bhosle WR WHOOLQJ HIIHFW LQ VHYHUDO Ä&#x2020;OPV Examples are Vishwanath, Jaag Utha Insaan, Anubhav, Do aur do Paanch, Kaho Naa Pyar Hain etc. The tunes that Rajesh has spun for Asha are different and remain in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind. We still remember Ashaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solo from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bhagwan Dadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chug gayi chidiyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and this track is included in our CD. Rajesh Roshan has been accused of reserving the best tunes for brother , Rakesh and nephew, Hrithik. He has, however, given his best to all. Perhaps, his brother understands him the best. After â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bhagwan Dadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; , the Filmkraft banner of Rakesh Roshan returned to T Series with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Krishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The
music of Krish was panned by critics ZKR IDLOHG WR DSSUHFLDWH WKDW D Ä&#x2020;OP based on a superhero left little scope to be a musical. Kkrish still produced WZR ELJ KLWV YL] ç.RL WXPVD QDKLQè rendered by Sonu Nigam & Shreya and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dil na diyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rendered by Kunal *DQMDZDOD 7KH Ä&#x2020;UVW WXQH IHDWXUHG melody with strong percussion. The second one featured both an unusual tune and an unusual voice. Both these tracks form part of our CD. .NUD]\ ZDV D VPDOO EXGJHW Ä&#x2020;OP made by Rakesh Roshan. It however got into the limelight for all the wrong reasons. A jingle composer, Ram Sampath approached the court days before the release of the Ä&#x2020;OP FODLPLQJ WKDW RQH RI KLV 6RQ\ Ericsson jingles had been used for WZR VRQJV LQ WKH Ä&#x2020;OP $SSDUHQWO\ Sony Ericsson had given clearance to
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
RAJESH ROSHANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GREATEST HITS VOL 5
Rakesh Roshan to use the jingle but they themselves had no authority to do so. Eventually, in order not to VWDOO WKH UHOHDVH RI WKH Ä&#x2020;OP 5DNHVK Roshan had to pay Rs 2 crore to Ram Sampath. High price for a jingle, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? Included in our CD is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Break Freeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; song that used the jingle as also â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ye to bataâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; , an item number rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan and picturised on Rakhi Sawant. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kitesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was designed and made to launch Hrithik in Hollywood. The movie turned out to be too artistic for the Indian audience and tanked. It however had some of Rajesh Roshanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best numbers. KK should be very grateful to the Roshans for
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
having given him the opportunity to SOD\EDFN WZR RI WKH EHVW QXPEHUV YL] â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Zindagi do pal kiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dil kyon yeh meraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The second number is a gem. Both these numbers feature in our CD of the month. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Papa Kehte Hainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; , a Mahesh Bhatt Ä&#x2020;OP FUHDWHG D VWLU EHIRUH LWV UHOHDVH with its music hitting the top of the charts. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ghar se Nikalte hiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; , sung by Udit Narayan became a huge KLW :KHQ WKH Ä&#x2020;OP ZDV UHOHDVHG LW WXUQHG RXW WR EH D ELJ Ä&#x2021;RS 7KH PXVLF , however, remained very popular. In 1996, the music was released under a different label. T Series acquired it in 2006. Two other songs from the movie were also very popular. One
Sony TV needs to be complimented for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Indian Idolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; program which has been very successful in unraveling singing talent of a very high order. To think that from the 1960s to the late 80s, the music scene in India was monopolized by two sisters to the exclusion of everybody else. A nation of crores could not â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;discoverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new talent during that period and whatever was discovered, was sabotaged. Fortunately, in the India of today, this is unlikely to happen. was the Kumar Sanu- Alka Yagnik duet, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pyaar mein hota hai kya jadooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and the second was a solo by Kavita Krishnamurthy, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; Pehle pyaar ka pehla gumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Rajesh Roshanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music was nominated for the Best Music Award by Filmfare. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Prateekshaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; features again in the CD with the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Naache aaj toâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; number by Kumar Sanu. T3 India
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 87
BEST OF THE BEST The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best tech, all in one place
If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for the very best tech DYDLODEOH WRGD\ \RX KDYH GHÄ&#x2020;QLWHO\ come to the right place. Best of the Best is the most useful gadget-buying guide you will ever encounter. To create it, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve UXWKOHVVO\ Ä&#x2020;OWHUHG GRZQ WR WKH ELJJHVW groups, to bring you rock-solid recommendations for your home life, daily commute and the tech you use all the time. Within each of those groups, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a dozen categories for key tech buys. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve picked one product for every category that we think is the best you can get on balance, taking into account price, quality and features, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to know what you need in your life. You should also check out T3.com, ZKHUH \RXèOO Ä&#x2020;QG HYHQ PRUH categories, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for something that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t here. From big-budget buy to the little (but essential) accessories, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got you covered.
INSIDE
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
90
ENTERTAINMENT
91
AUDIO
92
LIFESTYLE
93
AUTO
94
SMART HOME
95
COMPUTING
96
TRAVEL
DECEMB ER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 89
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
ENTERTAINMENT
However serious you are about your TV, movies and gaming set-ups, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the perfect buys for a tricked-out living room OLED 4K TV
VALUE 4K TV SONY A8F 6RQ\èV QH[W JHQ . +'5 79 ORRNV IDQWDVWLF WKDQNV WR LWV 2/(' GLVSOD\ DQG DGYDQFHG LPDJH SURFHVVLQJ %HFDXVH RI LQJHQLRXV WHFK WKDW XVHV WKH VFUHHQ LWVHOI DV D VSHDNHU LW DOVR VRXQGV VXSHUE From `3,29,900, sony.co.in
TOP-END 4K TV
XIAOMI MI LED TV4 PRO 7KH 79èV JRQH SUR ZLWK WKH DOO QHZ $QGURLG 26 JLYLQJ XVHUV WKH RSWLRQ WR NHHS WKH $QGURLG LQWHUIDFH RU 3DWFK:DOO 7KH PP WKLQ 79 FRPHV ZLWK D LQFK . +'5 GLVSOD\ DORQJ ZLWK 'ROE\ $XGLR `49,999, mi.com/in
UNIVERSAL REMOTE B&O ECLIPSE %DQJ 2OXIVHQèV IDQWDVWLF 79 IHDWXUHV D JRUJHRXV 2/(' SDQHO DQG D FRORVVDO ZDWWV RI VSHDNHU WKURXJK LWV LQWHJUDWHG VRXQGEDU 7KH (FOLSVH FRPHV LQ GLIIHUHQW Ä&#x2020;QLVKHV WR PDWFK \RXU URRP SHUIHFWO\ From `10,00,000, bang-olufsen.com
VALUE 4K BLU-RAY PLAYER
LOGITECH HARMONY ELITE A dual-purpose remote, as at home in \RXU KDQGV DV LW LV VDW LQ WKH FRUQHU RI \RXU OLYLQJ URRP FRQWUROOLQJ HYHU\WKLQJ IURP \RXU 79 WR \RXU OLJKWLQJ <RX FDQ even control it from a phone app! `38,999, amazon.in
PORTABLE GAMES CONSOLE
XBOX ONE S <HV WKLV LV SULPDULO\ D JDPHV FRQVROH EXW < LWèV D GDPQ JRRG 8+' %OX UD\ SOD\HU WRR :K\ SD\ PRUH IRU VRPHWKLQJ WKDW MXVW SOD\V GLVFV ZKHQ \RX FRXOG EH JHWWLQJ \RXU JDPH RQ ZLWK WKH PRQH\ OHIW RYHU" `29,990, microsoft.com/in
4K STREAMER
NINTENDO SWITCH 1RW WKH PRVW SRZHUIXO FXUUHQW JHQ FRQVROH EXW ZLWK WKH OHJHQGDU\ JDPHV OLQH XS DQG WKH Ä&#x2021;H[LELOLW\ WR SOD\ LQ GLIIHUHQW FRQWURO FRQÄ&#x2020;JXUDWLRQV LWèV WKH EHVW SRUWDEOH PDFKLQH \RX FDQ EX\ `30,000 (approx.), nintendo.com
4K GAMES CONSOLE AMAZON FIRE TV STICK 4K 7KH DOO QHZ )LUH 79 6WLFN ORRNV OLNH LWV SUHGHFHVVRU EXW FDQ QRZ SOD\ . +'5 FRQWHQW DORQJ ZLWK 'ROE\ $WPRV VXSSRUW 7KH GHYLFH QRZ FRPHV ZLWK DQ $OH[D 9RLFH UHPRWH WKDW OHWV \RX FRQWURO WKH GHYLFH DQG JLYHV DFFHVV WR 3ULPH 9LGHRV `5,999, amazon.in
TV SOUNDBAR
SONY PS4 PRO 7KH ODWHVW DQG JUHDWHVW 3OD\6WDWLRQ \RX FDQ EX\ ULJKW QRZ WKDW HQDEOHV WR SOD\ JDPHV LQ . ZLWK +'5 DQG HYHQ DOORZV KRRNLQJ XS WR SOD\ 95 JDPHV WKURXJK WKH RSWLRQDO 3OD\6WDWLRQ 95 DFFHVVRU\ `38,990, sony.co.in
AV RECEIVER Q ACOUSTICS M3 This brilliant soundbar offers balanced GULYHUV URRP Ä&#x2020;OOLQJ VRXQG DQG DQ LQWHJUDWHG VXEZRRIHU 0DVVLYH DXGLR LQ D VPDOO DWWUDFWLYH EDU LGHDO IRU DGGLQJ FLQHPDWLF VRXQG ZLWK QR PHVVLQJ DURXQG `42,100, qacoustics.co.uk
90 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
MARANTZ SR6012 $ IHDWXUH SDFNHG UHFHLYHU WKDW RIIHUV FKDQQHO VXSSRUW 'ROE\ $WPRV DQG '76 ; VXUURXQG GHFRGLQJ HLJKW . +] +'0, SRUWV +'5 +(26 ZLUHOHVV multi-room music support and smart 4K XSVFDOLQJ `1,24,900, marantz.com
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
AUDIO
From wireless convenience to audiophile heaven, this is the gear you need to make the most of your favourite music WIRELESS SPEAKERS
PORTABLE WIRELESS SPEAKERS
BOWERS & WILKINS ZEPPELIN WIRELESS 7KLV VSHDNHU ERDVWV H[FHOOHQW DXGLR UHSURGXFWLRQ ZLWK FU\VWDO FOHDU TXDOLW\ URRP Ä&#x2020;OOLQJ EDVV DQG VXSSRUW IRU $LU3OD\ DQG %OXHWRRWK 6SRWLI\ DQG $SSOH 0XVLF `67,000, bowers-wilkins.com
&203/(7(/< :,5(/(66 ($53+21(6
ULTIMATE EARS MEGABOOM 7KH VSHDNHUV SDFN D ORW RI SXQFK ZLWK GHJUHH VRXQG XS WR KRXUV RI EDWWHU\ OLIH ,3; FHUWLÄ&#x2020;HG ZDWHU UHVLVWDQFH DQG PRUH IHDWXUHV ZLWK WKH 0HJDERRP DSS RQ L26 DQG $QGURLG `19,995, ultimateears.com
:,5(/(66 ,1 ($5 ($53+21(6 SENNHEISER CX 7.00BT 7KH QHFNEDQG GHVLJQ &; %7 IHDWXUHV detailed sound and enhanced bass UHVSRQVH ,W VXSSRUWV %OXHWRRWK 1)& DQG 4XDOFRPP DSW ; IRU +L 5HV PXVLF ,W DOVR VXSSRUWV 86% DXGLR DQG KDV D KRXU EDWWHU\ OLIH `11,990, en-in.sennheiser.com
BOSE SOUNDSPORT FREE 7KHVH DUH JUHDW DOO URXQGHU KHDGSKRQHV ZLWK WKH ERQXV RI WUXH ZLUHOHVV IUHHGRP 7KH\ VRXQG JUHDW DUH VZHDW SURRI IRU H[HUFLVH KDYH D KHDOWK\ Ä&#x2020;YH KRXU EDWWHU\ OLIH SHU FKDUJH DQG DUH D JRRG SULFH `18,990, boseindia.com
:,5(/(66 29(5 ($5 +($'3+21(6
%/8(7227+ '$&
BOWERS & WILKINS PX 7KHVH VW\OLVK KHDGSKRQHV DUH DOVR WHFKQLFDO PDUYHOV ERDVWLQJ DGMXVWDEOH QRLVH FDQFHOODWLRQ YLD DQ DSS 7KH\ SDXVH DXWRPDWLFDOO\ ZKHQ \RX WDNH WKHP RII ODVW DJHV DQG VRXQG DEVROXWHO\ IDQWDVWLF `32,500, bowers-wilkins.com
+, ), 67(5(2 $03 MARANTZ PM6006 $ ZRUWK\ VXFFHVVRU WR WKH 30 ZLWK JUHDW DXGLR SHUIRUPDQFH VXSSRUW IRU RSWLFDO DQG FRD[LDO GLJLWDO LQSXWV DQG D VKLHOGHG PHWDO KRXVLQJ WR NHHS WKH DQDORJXH VLJQDO IUHH IURP DQ\ HIIHFW IURP D GLJLWDO VWDJH `54,900, marantz.com
CD PLAYER MARANTZ CD6006 An improvement over the SUHGHFHVVRU WKH 0DUDQW] KDV ULJLG feet to eliminate vibration and comes ZLWK D KLJK TXDOLW\ &6 '$& WKDW FRQYHUWV GLJLWDO VLJQDOV WR DQDORJ IRU D QR FRPSURPLVH VRXQG TXDOLW\ `54,900, marantz.com
)/22567$1',1* 63($.(56
TURNTABLE REGA PLANAR 3 $ VROLG SURGXFW IURP 5HJD WKDW ORRNV JRRG ZLWK WKH KLJK JORVV DFU\OLF laminated plinth and offers improved VWDELOLW\ ZLWK QHZ SUHFLVLRQ EHDULQJ DQG D UH GHVLJQHG IRRW `80,000, rega.co.uk
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
FIIO BTR1 ,I \RX SUHIHU KHDGSKRQHV ZLWK PP MDFN RQ D VPDUWSKRQH WKDW GRHV QRW KDYH DQ\ )LL2èV %75 LV WKH DFFHVVRU\ \RX QHHG ,W FRQQHFWV WKH KHDGSKRQHV ZLWK WKH SKRQH DQG DOVR FRPHV ZLWK EXLOW LQ '$& ` Ä&#x2020;LR FR LQ
TAGA HARMONY PLATINUM F-100 5HODWLYHO\ D QHZFRPHU LQ WKH ,QGLDQ PDUNHW WKH ) 6( ORRNV JUHDW DQG SURGXFHV LPSUHVVLYH VRXQG DW WKLV SULFH `1,80,900, tagaharmony.com
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 91
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
LIFESTYLE
Kit yourself out with the ultimate in personal technology. This is the stuff you use every day, so make sure you get it spot on with our picks $1'52,' 3+21(
35(0,80 3+21(
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE9 7KH KXJH LQFK VFUHHQ RQ WKLV SKRQH LV SHUIHFW IRU SURGXFWLYLW\ WKDQNV WR VSOLW VFUHHQ DSSV DQG WKH 6 3HQ ,WèV UHDOO\ IDVW KDV JUHDW EDWWHU\ OLIH D IDQWDVWLF FDPHUD DQG \RX FDQ Ä&#x2020;OO LW ZLWK 7% RI VWRUDJH From `67,900, samsung.com/in
0,' 5$1*( 0,' 5$1*( 3+21( 3+
APPLE IPHONE XS MAX 7KH ELJJHVW L3KRQH \HW DQG LWèV WKH EHVW PRQH\ FDQ EX\ 7KH VFUHHQ LV DPD]LQJ WKH FDPHUD LV IDQWDVWLF DQG IHHOV OLNH D GHYLFH IURP WKH QHDU IXWXUH From `1,09,900, apple.com/in
9$/8( 3+21( XIAOMI MI A2 7KH VXFFHVVRU WR ;LDRPLèV Ä&#x2020;UVW $QGURLG 2QH SKRQH LW FRQWLQXHV ZLWK WKH VDPH $QGURLG 2QH H[SHULHQFH ZLWK JUHDW FDPHUD SHUIRUPDQFH GD\èV EDWWHU\ OLIH DQG D VOLP GHVLJQ `16,999, mi.com/in
ONEPLUS 6 7KH QHZ 2QH3OXV JHWV ELJJHU DQG EHWWHU ,W JLYHV \RX WKH SHUIRUPDQFH \RX VHHN LQ DQ H[SHQVLYH Ä&#x2021;DJVKLS SKRQH DW DOPRVW KDOI WKH SULFH ZLWK D IDVW 6QDSGUDJRQ &38 XS WR *% 5$0 DQG GXDO FDPHUD VHWXS From `34,999, oneplus.in
60$57:$7&+
+<%5,' :$7&+ APPLE WATCH SERIES 3 1RWKLQJ LQ WKH VPDUWZDWFK PDUNHW GRHV more than the Apple Watch, and this third JHQHUDWLRQ FDQ GR LW DOO ZLWKRXW D WHWKHUHG SKRQH å SHUIHFW IRU NHHSLQJ \RXU OLIH LQ RUGHU ZKDWHYHU \RX KDSSHQ WR EH GRLQJ `29,900, apple.com/in
$1$/2*8( :$7&+
FOSSIL Q NATE ,W ORRNV OLNH D UHJXODU ZDWFK EXW WKLV K\EULG VPDUWZDWFK VHQGV WKH XVHU GLVFUHHW QRWLÄ&#x2020;FDWLRQV WUDFNV YDULRXV Ä&#x2020;WQHVV SDUDPHWHUV DQG VXSSRUWV ERWK $QGURLG DQG L26 GHYLFHV `14,495, fossil-asia.com
),71(66 75$&.(5
VICTORINOX INOX PARACORD :LWK D VWUDS ZRYHQ RXW RI NJ WHQVLRQ SDUDFRUG DQG VSRUWLQJ D WUDQVSDUHQW FRPSDVV PDUNHG EXPSHU WKH ,12; Paracord is a durable survival tool that KDSSHQV WR ORRN VXSHU FRRO RQ \RXU ZULVW `44,000 (approx.), amazon.in
%/8(7227+ 75$&.(5 TILE SLIM $ WLQ\ NH\ULQJ VL]HG VTXDUH WKDW KHOSV \RXU SKRQH NHHS WDEV RQ \RXU ZDOOHW DQG YLFH YHUVD ZLWK D VHOHFWLRQ RI ULQJWRQHV D \HDUèV EDWWHU\ OLIH DQG WKH HQGXUDQFH WR ODVW D OLIHWLPH VLWWLQJ LQ \RXU EDFN SRFNHW `4,900, amazon.in
92 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
FITBIT CHARGE 2 7KH &KDUJH RIIHUV XOWUD DFFXUDWH WUDFNLQJ RI \RXU KHDUW UDWH DFWLYLW\ Ä&#x2020;WQHVV OHYHO DQG VOHHS RQ D GHYLFH \RXèOO IRUJHW \RXèUH ZHDULQJ Ã¥ JRRG MRE LW DOVR DXWRPDWLFDOO\ GHWHFWV ZKDW H[HUFLVH \RXèUH GRLQJ ` Ä&#x2020;WELW FRP LQ
E-READER KINDLE OASIS 8OWUD WKLQ OLJKWHU WKDQ D Ä&#x2021;LPV\ SDSHUEDFN DQG ZHLJKWHG WR EH KHOG LQ RQH KDQG WKH 2DVLV WDNHV GLJLWDO UHDGLQJ WR WKH QH[W OHYHO &OLS RQ WKH OHDWKHU FKDUJLQJ FRYHU DQG \RXèUH VHW IRU PRQWKV RI ERRNV `21,999, amazon.in
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
AUTO Get the best driving experience possible, no matter whether you tend to go for two wheels or four â&#x20AC;&#x201C; these are the top vehicles and accessories around MUV
COMPACT SEDAN TOYOTA INNOVA CRYSTA ,QQRYD &U\VWD LV D EHWWHU FDU LQ HYHU\ DVSHFW IRUP \HVWHU\HDUèV ,QQRYD WKDQNV WR D VKDUS GHVLJQ EHWWHU SHUIRUPDQFH DQG ULGH TXDOLW\ $QG RI FRXUVH 7R\RWDèV EXOOHW SURRI UHOLDELOLW\ From `13.49L, toyotabharat.com
GREEN CAR
MARUTI SUZUKI DZIRE 7KH VXE P FDU PDUNHW KDV D ORW RI FRPSHWLWLRQ EXW WKH ']LUH JLYHV WKH EHVW EDQJ IRU WKH EXFN ZLWK DXWKHQWLF VHGDQ VW\OLQJ decent performance, Android Auto and Apple &DU3OD\ VXSSRUW VPDUW NH\OHVV HQWU\ From `5.43L, marutisuzuki.com
SEDAN HYUNDAI VERNA 7KH QHZ 9HUQD RIIHUV VXSHULRU SHUIRUPDQFH ZLWK JRRG VW\OLQJ DQG DHURG\QDPLFV DORQJ ZLWK D QHZ instrument cluster and smarter LQIRWDLQPHQW V\VWHP From `7.99L, hyundai.com/in
VOLVO S90 7KH QHZ 6 LV D VWXQQLQJ K\EULG VHGDQ WKDW QRW RQO\ FDUHV IRU WKH HQYLURQPHQW EXW DOVR FRPHV ZLWK DOO WKH HQWHUWDLQPHQW RSWLRQV \RX QHHG HOHJDQW ORRNV DQG IXWXULVWLF UDGDU JXLGHG VDIHW\ IHDWXUHV From `54.5L, volvocars.com/in
LUXURY CAR
SUV AUDI A5 SPORTBACK 6KDUS ORRNV SRZHUIXO HQJLQH XQGHU WKH KRRG DORQJ ZLWK VSHHG 6 WURQLF WUDQVPLVVLRQ $XGLèV LPSUHVVLYH LQIRWDLQPHQW DQG YLUWXDO FRFNSLW PDNHV $ 6SRUWEDFN D JUHDW FDU From `54.02L, audi.in
JEEP COMPASS A versatile 4X4 that does not compromise RQ GHVLJQ DQG VDIHW\ ,W FRPHV ZLWK SOXVK leather interiors and infotainment that VKRXOG NHHS ERWK $QGURLG DQG L26 XVHUV KDSS\ ZLWK $QGURLG $XWR DQG $SSOH &DU3OD\ From `15.16L, jeep-india.com
(175< /(9(/ 3(5)250$1&( %,.(
SCOOTER HONDA GRAZIA -XVW DV WUXVW\ DQG GXUDEOH DV DQ $FWLYD EXW PRUH VW\OLVK DQG EHWWHU ORRNLQJ WKDQ LWV SUHGHFHVVRU ZLWK LWV VSRUW\ GHVLJQ IXOO\ GLJLWDO LQVWUXPHQW FOXVWHU (FR ULGH IHDWXUH PRELOH FKDUJLQJ VRFNHW DQG PRUH From `59,516, honda2wheelersindia.com
`2.05L, tvsapache.com
'$6+ &$0
$,5 385,),(5 SHARP IG-GC2 $ SHUIHFW DFFHVVRU\ IRU \RXU FDU WR SXULI\ WKH DLU LQVLGH WKH FDELQ ZLWK D IDVW GHRGRULVHU WR UHPRYH VPRNH DQG IRRG VPHOO ,W DOVR FRPHV ZLWK WZR 86% SRUWV WR FKDUJH PRELOH GHYLFHV `12,000, amazon.in
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
TVS APACHE RR 310 7KH $SDFKH 55 LV WKH Ä&#x2020;UVW model from TVS Motor and BMW 0RWRUUDG DQG LV GHVLJQHG ZLWK SHUIRUPDQFH LQ PLQG ,WèV IDVW VSRUW\ DQG GXUDEOH
GARMIN DASH CAM 35 $Q LQWHOOLJHQW +' GDVK FDP UHFRUGHU WKDW FDQ FDSWXUH FULVS DQG FOHDU IRRWDJH DQG HYHQ FRPHV ZLWK KDQG\ IHDWXUHV OLNH IRUZDUG FROOLVLRQ ZDUQLQJ LQFLGHQW GHWHFWLRQ DQG ORWV PRUH `24,999, amazon.in
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 93
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
SMART HOME
Upgrade your house with the best tech for monitoring security, saving energy, and controlling everything from one place VOICE ASSISTANT
60$57 /,*+7,1* 6<67(0
AMAZON ECHO $OH[D LV HYHU\ZKHUH WKHVH GD\V EXW QRZKHUH LV $PD]RQèV $, PRUH DW KRPH WKDQ LQ LWV (FKR ,W FRXSOHV DQ DZHVRPH DUUD\ PLFURSKRQH ZLWK SOHDVLQJ GHVLJQ IRU WKH SHUIHFW DVVLVWDQW H[SHULHQFH `6,999, amazon.in
PHILIPS HUE 3KLOLSV LV WKH ELJ QDPH LQ VPDUW OLJKWLQJ WKDQNV WR D Ä&#x2021;H[LEOH H[SDQGDEOH V\VWHP *UHDW DSS FRQWURO FOHYHU OLJKWLQJ RSWLRQV DQG LQWHJUDWLRQV ZLWK RWKHU VPDUW KRPH GHYLFHV PDNH LW WKH EULJKWHVW RI WKH EXQFK `12,000 (starter kit), meethue.com
60$57 /,*+7
SMART ROUTER
TP-LINK LB120 ,WèV D :L )L HQDEOHG OLJKW WKDW GRHV QRW UHTXLUH DQ DGGLWLRQ KXE WR ZRUN ,W LV FRPSDWLEOH ZLWK $OH[D WR FRQWURO ZLWK YRLFH DQG DOORZV WR WUDFN UHDO WLPH HQHUJ\ DQG PDWFK OLJKW WR PDWFK WLPH RI GD\
TP-LINK DECO M5 $ VPDUW KRPH QHHG D VPDUW URXWHU :LWK PHVK QHWZRUNLQJ 'HFR 0 HQVXUHV \RX ZRQèW ORVH FRQQHFWLYLW\ ZKHQ FRQQHFWHG LQ D ODUJH VSDFH DQG FRPHV ZLWK SUH installed antivirus solution and detailed SDUHQWDO FRQWUROV `24,999, tp-link.in
BUDGET SECURITY CAMERA
SMART SECURITY CAMERA
YI HOME CAMERA $Q DIIRUGDEOH VHFXULW\ VROXWLRQ IRU \RXU KRPH <L +RPH FDPHUD LV FDSDEOH RI UHFRUGLQJ YLGHRV LQ S ZD\ DXGLR PRWLRQ VHQVLQJ GHWHFWLRQ DQG HYHQ QLJKW PRGH 7KH FDPHUD FDQ VWRUH YLGHRV RQ D PLFUR6' FDUG `1,999, amazon.in
SMART MOTION SENSOR
NETGEAR ARLO PRO :LWK D EDWWHU\ ODVWLQJ PRQWKV LQVLGH HDFK FDPHUD WKH $UOR V\VWHP GRHV DZD\ ZLWK WKH SDLQIXO SURFHVV RI ZLULQJ \RXU VHFXULW\ FDPHUDV DQG \RX JHW VHYHQ GD\ FORXG VWRUDJH RI PRWLRQ GHWHFWHG UHFRUGLQJV `44,900, ntgr.co.in
SMART LOCK
D-LINK DCH-S150 $ SOXJ Q SOD\ PRWLRQ VHQVRU WKDW ZRUNV DV LQWHQGHG ,W VHQGV D QRWLÄ&#x2020;FDWLRQ WR WKH XVHU RQ ' /LQNèV 0\+RPH DSS DQG ZLWK WKH VPDUW SOXJ LW DOORZV FRQWUROOLQJ RWKHU FRQQHFWHG JDGJHWV DQG DSSOLDQFHV `1,999, dlink.co.in
YALE YMF40 $ GLJLWDO GRRU ORFN WKDW FDQ XQORFN D GRRU WKURXJK D PHFKDQLFDO NH\ 3,1 DQG HYHQ RQHèV Ä&#x2020;QJHUSULQW ,W HYHQ FRPHV ZLWK DQ G% DODUP LI DQ\RQH DWWHPSWV WR EUHDN LQ `39,999, yale.co.in
60$57 +8%
SMART PLUG D-LINK DSP-W215 7KLV QLIW\ VPDUW SOXJ KHOSV WR WXUQ RQ RU RII FRQQHFWHG GHYLFHV ZLWK WKH KHOS RI DQ DSS ,W FDQ EH FRQWUROOHG ZLWK $OH[D *RRJOH $VVLVWDQW DQG FRPHV ZLWK D EXLOW LQ VHQVRU WR SUHYHQW RYHUKHDWLQJ `4,499, dlink.co.in
94 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
AMAZON ECHO PLUS 7KH (FKR 3OXV LVQèW MXVW $OH[D å LWV EXLOW LQ hub can discover and control tech from 3KLOLSV +XH DQG RWKHUV GLUHFWO\ VR \RX GRQèW QHHG D KXE IRU HYHU\ GLIIHUHQW KRPH WHFK EUDQG `10,499, amazon.in
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
COMPUTING
From gaming paradise to mobile workhorses to tablets with laptop power, these computer and accessory picks will up your productivity ULTRAPORTABLE LAPTOP
PRO LAPTOP
HP SPECTRE 13 6LPSO\ WKH PRVW JODPRURXV DQG KDQGVRPH ODSWRS \RX FDQ EX\ WRGD\ DQG WKDW GRHVQèW PHDQ VDFULÄ&#x2020;FLQJ SRZHU HLWKHU +3 KDV VRPHKRZ PDQDJHG WR VTXHH]H D &RUH L LQWR LWV LPSRVVLEO\ WKLQ FP WKLFN VKHOO From `1,10,290, hpshopping.in
GAMING LAPTOP DELL INSPIRON 15 7000 (7577) $ SRZHUIXO JDPLQJ ODSWRS ZLWK WK JHQ &RUH L 1YLGLDèV *7; *38 ZLWK 0D[ 4 GHVLJQ DORQJ ZLWK )XOO +' DQWL JODUH ,36 GLVSOD\ 7KH ODSWRS DOVR IHDWXUHV D PRQR KLQJH GHVLJQ WKDW KHOSV LPSURYH WKH DLUÄ&#x2021;RZ `1,27,390, dell.com/in
GAMING PC CORSAIR T1 GAMING CHAIR ,QVSLUHG E\ PRWRUVSRUW VHDWV WKH JDPLQJ FKDLU JLYHV FRPIRUW DQG VXSSRUW ZLWK IXOO\ PRXOGHG IRDP XSKROVWHU\ DQG VWHHO ERG\ IUDPH 7KH FKDLU DOVR IHDWXUHV D IRXU GLUHFWLRQDO DUPUHVW GHJUHH UHFOLQH DQG XS WR GHJUHHV RI VHDW WLOW `35,000, corsair.com
*$0,1* +($'6(7
ALL-IN-ONE APPLE IMAC WITH 5K RETINA DISPLAY 7KHUHèV QHYHU EHHQ D VFUHHQ OLNH WKLV %LJ HQRXJK IRU HYHU\ WDVN GHWDLOHG EULJKW colourful, and it happens to have a Mac VWXIIHG LQ WKH EDFN RI LW DV ZHOO From `1,47,400, apple.com/in
HYPERX CLOUD REVOLVER S 3OXJ Q SOD\ KHDGVHW WKDW RIIHUV YLUWXDO 'ROE\ VXUURXQG VWXGLR JUDGH VRXQG VWDJH D GHWDFKDEOH QRLVH FDQFHOOLQJ PLF DQG DQ DGYDQFHG 86% DXGLR FRQWURO ER[ ,Q DGGLWLRQ WR 3&V LW DOVR ZRUNV ZLWK PDMRU FRQVROHV `12,999, hyperxgaming.com
0(&+$1,&$/ .(<%2$5'
GAMING MOUSE RAZER DEATHADDER ELITE 5D]HUèV &KURPD OLW PRXVH LV XOWUD HUJRQRPLF IRU HYHQ WKH PRVW DZNZDUG KDQGV DQG LWV 2PURQ VZLWFKHV JRRG IRU PLOOLRQ FOLFNV DSSDUHQWO\ DUH RQO\ EHVWHG E\ WKH &3, RSWLFDO VHQVRU `5,999, amazon.in
GAMING MONITOR VIEWSONIC XG2703-GS ;* *6 LV D * 6\QF HQDEOHG PRQLWRU WKDW ERDVWV D 6XSHU&OHDU ,36 SDQHO ZLWK +] UHIUHVK UDWH DQG VXSSRUW IRU [ :4+' UHVROXWLRQ ,W DOVR FRPHV ZLWK 'DUN %RRVW *DPH 0RGH IXQFWLRQ `84,999 viewsonic.com/in
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
APPLE MACBOOK PRO 7KLV $SSOH KDUGZDUH LVQèW MXVW KLS LWèV DOVR HIÄ&#x2020;FLHQW PDF26 LV PDGH IRU SURGXFWLYLW\ DQG LWèV DW LWV EHVW LQ WKH 0DF%RRN 3UR ZKHUH WKH 7RXFK %DU ZRUNV LQ D Ä&#x2021;DVK DQG WKH LQWHUQDOV UXQ IDVWHU IRU ORQJHU From `1,47,900, apple.com/in
ASUS CERBERUS MECH RGB $ IXOO\ PHFKDQLFDO NH\ERDUG ZLWK IDVW UHVSRQVH DQG GXUDELOLW\ 5*% LOOXPLQDWLRQ DQWL JKRVWLQJ DV ZHOO DV RQH WKH Ä&#x2021;\ PDFUR UHFRUGLQJ `6,300, asus.com/in
PREMIUM TABLET APPLE iPAD PRO 7KH L3DG 3UR LV PRUH WKDQ D WDEOHW ,WèV D FUHDWLYH WRRONLW D SURFHVVLQJ SRZHUKRXVH DQG DQ HVVHQWLDO DGGLWLRQ WR DQ\ PRELOH ZRUNÄ&#x2021;RZ ZKHWKHU \RX RSW IRU WKH LQFK RU LQFK PRGHO From `50,800, apple.com/in
DECEMBER 2018 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today 95
Best of the best BEST OFâ&#x20AC;¦
TRAVEL & OUTDOORS Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re off for a holiday or just hitting the running trail, get the most from your trips with these amazing tech buys ENTRY-LEVEL DSLR CANON EOS 200D ,WèV OLJKW VWXUG\ DQG FRPSDFW HQRXJK WR Ä&#x2020;W LQ D EDJ ,W KDV D ODUJH 03 $36 & &026 VHQVRU QHZ 'LJLF SURFHVVRU )XOO +' YLGHR UHFRUGLQJ DW ISV DQG VKDUH WKHP LQVWDQWO\ ZLWK WKH EXLOW LQ :L )L From `47,495, canon.co.in
MIRRORLESS CAMERA S SONY A9 &OHYHUO\ HQJLQHHUHG WR SXW HYHU\ & FFRPSRQHQW ULJKW EHKLQG WKH 03 VVHQVRU IRU VSHHG WKH $ FDQ VKRRW DW D ULGLFXORXV ISV WDNH . YLGHR DQG K KDV SRLQW IRFXV ZLWK D IXOO IUDPH VVHQVRU `3,29,990, sony.co.in
ACTION CAMERA GOPRO HERO6 BLACK The most advanced action camera on the SODQHW FDQ VKRRW VWXQQLQJ . YLGHR DW ISV ZLWK DGYDQFHG VWDELOLVDWLRQ PDNLQJ IRRWDJH VXSHU VPRRWK DQG UHDOLVWLF ,WèV DOVR ZDWHUSURRI WR P ZLWKRXW D FDVH `45,000, GOPRO.COM
5811,1* :$7&+ GARMIN FORERUNNER 935 7KH )RUHUXQQHU PHDVXUHV HYHU\ DVSHFW RI \RXU ZRUNRXW IURP KHDUW UDWH WR FRPSOH[ UXQQLQJ PHWULFV OLNH JURXQG FRQWDFW WLPH ,W KHOSV \RX WR LPSURYH SRVWXUH DQG XSJUDGH \RXU SDFH `42,990, garmin.com
)8// )5$0( '6/5 NIKON D850 $ SUR FDPHUD WKDW WDNHV JUHDW SKRWRV DV ZHOO DV YLGHRV LQ . 7KH FDPHUD FRPHV ZLWK D 03 ); IRUPDW %6, &026 VHQVRU ([SHHG LPDJH SURFHVVLQJ HQJLQH DQG ZLWK QHJDWLYH GLJLWLVHU IXQFWLRQ DQG DQ DGGLWLRQDO DFFHVVRU\ FRQYHUW ROG QHJDWLYHV LQWR GLJLWDO SKRWRV From `2,49,950, nikon.
COMPACT CAMERA SONY RX100 V 6SHHG UXQV LQ WKH 6RQ\ IDPLO\ DQG LI \RXèUH SRLQWLQJ DQG VKRRWLQJ \RX ZDQW \RXU SRFNHW FDPHUD WR SHUIRUP 7KH 5; 9 UHDOO\ GRHV ZLWK . YLGHR VHFRQG DXWRIRFXV DQG D %LRQ] ; SURFHVVRU `79,990, sony.co.in
CAMERA DRONE DJI MAVIC PRO 7KH 0DYLF 3UR IROGV LQWR D VPDOO SDFNDJH EXW WKDWèV RQO\ RQH RI LWV WDOHQWV 0RUH affordable than the Phantom 4, capable of VKRRWLQJ DZHVRPH YLGHR DQG PLQXWHV Ä&#x2021;LJKW WLPH ZLWK D IRXU PLOH UDQJH `86,000, dji.com
:$7(53522) 3257$%/( 63($.(5 UE WONDERBOOM $V DW KRPH RQ WKH EHDFK RU Ä&#x2021;RDWLQJ LQ WKH SRRO WKDQ LW ZRXOG EH LQ \RXU NLWFKHQ WKH 8( :RQGHUERRP JHQHUDWHV D GHJUHH VRXQG IURP LWV WLQ\ ,3; UDWHG VKHOO 8S WR WHQ KRXUV RI EDWWHU\ OLIH LV JUHDW WRR `7,995, ultimateears.com
&+$5*,1* &$%/(
BATTERY PACK STUFFCOOL 20000MAH POWER BANK 6WXIIFRROèV ODWHVW SRZHU EDQN ERDVWV D VOLP DOXPLQLXP GHVLJQ ZLWK VXSSRUW IRU 4XLFN &KDUJH PLFUR86% DQG 7\SH & FKDUJLQJ DORQJ ZLWK LQWHOOLJHQW FRQWURO FLUFXLW IRU SURWHFWLRQ `3,699, stuffcool.com
96 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
STUFFCOOL MARVEL CABLES $GG VRPH Ä&#x2021;DLU WR WKH PXQGDQH ORRNLQJ FDEOH ZLWK 0DUYHO EUDQGHG FDEOHV IURP 6WXIIFRRO ,WèV EUDLGHG ZLWK Q\ORQ IRU H[WUD GXUDELOLW\ VXSSRUWV IDVW FKDUJH DQG V\QF and even bundles a soft pouch for safe VWRUDJH `799, stuffcool.com
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M
E ZIN
PA
LU 42
R N 2 F/1
VIVO
UM
BER
1
S
GES L PA TOTA PY â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CO IBER CR SUBS
MO
O NS
ON
&T
V RA
EL
SP
EC
.15
0
ANON ONY
V9
140
IE W
RS
ŕ Ž 0Z
D 3000
REV
!
ͳͲ
Z\L
TL =VS\
GA MA
IAL
SONY
REV EWS SUBSCR BER S COPY TOTAL PAGES 148
N IAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S
IND
G GIN IMA
ALPHA 7R II
PANASONIC LUM X GH5S
SAMSUNG GALAXY S9+
INDIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NUMBER 1 IMAGING MAGAZINE!
RS.150
INDIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NUM =VS\TL
=VS\TL ŕ Ž 0ZZ\L ŕ Ž (WYPS
13
BER 1 IMA GING MA GAZINE!
RS.150
ŕ Ž 0ZZ\L ŕ Ž 1\UL
th
A nnive
rsa
ry
Specials
13 Masters of
018 200 5-2
Learnings
Photography Photography Schools
Camera Calibr
ation for Persistent Colour Cast How to set up Optimum Photoshop for
Performance Thre Accurate Coloure methods to ensure s in Pho
Learnings
Reduce Noise by
Why would you buy a Smart Photography subscriptio
clu r e ďŹ&#x20AC; O
Here are 4 really good reas
1
Save up to 50% on cover prices
3
2
Never miss an issue again
And most important of all, a seriously good quality magazine...
Delivered free to your door
For 3 Years
44% Discount
4
THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE
1
Online Visit at http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/
2
Call +91 22 4352 5252
TO SUBSCRIBE
3
Post Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd., Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai - 400 013 India.
Cash Discount Offer Pay ` 5400 ` 3000 for 3 Years subscription and save ` 2400 (44% Discount) on the cover price Pay ` 1800 ` 1400 for 1 Year subscription and save ` 400 (22% Discount) on the cover price International rate - 1 Year INR Rs. 9000 or USD 160 for by air mail post
YOUR DETAILS (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS)
Kindly draw the cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING PVT.LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)Please Find enclosed
Name: Mr/Ms
Cheque/DD no.
Occupation
Dated
Bank
Date of birth
Branch
Address
Name Date State
Pincode
Phone (Off)
Phone (Res)
TO GIFT A SUBSCRIPTION (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Please ďŹ ll out both the recipientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s details, below, and your details above. To gift more than one subscription, please provide address details on a separate sheet.
Mobile No.
Name: Mr/Ms
Please send me latest updates on Special Offers and Events of Smart Photography
Occupation
Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Pvt. Ltd.,
Date of birth
Mafatlal Chambers B, Ground Floor, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel (E), Mumbai - 400 013 For clarifications, email: subscriptions@nextgenpublishing.net or call +91 22 4352 5252
Address
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.
City
State
Pincode
Phone (Off)
Phone (Res)
December 2018*
City
Signature
VICES
Guilty pleasures to seriously spoil yourself
Plenty of mouthwatering Japanese products have passed through these SDJHV RYHU WKH \HDUV EXW QRQH TXLWH DV mouthwatering as this. Falling into the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Junmai Daiginjoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; category of premium VDNHV LV VR FDOOHG EHFDXVH LWèV EUHZHG ZLWK ULFH WKDWèV EHHQ SROLVKHG GRZQ WR DQ LQFUHGLEOH SHU FHQW RI LWV RULJLQDO VL]H Ã¥ WKH Ä&#x2020;QHVW PLOOHG ULFH RI DQ\ VDNH 7KRVH JUDLQ JULQGLQJ HIIRUWV DUH ZHOO ZRUWK LW ,VDNHèV OHJHQGDU\ WLSSOH ERDVWV D Ä&#x2021;DYRXU WKDWèV DV VXEWO\ VRSKLVWLFDWHG DV D *UDQG &UX &KDEOLV LWV IUHVK JRRVHEHUU\ DQG OHPRQ aromas harmonising with delicate notes of TXLQFH DQG OLPHVWRQH 6XUH RGG TXLG might seem like a lot of money to shell out RQ D ERWWOH RI ERR]H EXW PDNH QR PLVWDNH LV RQH WDVW\ OLWWOH QXPEHU Approx. `37,300 thewhiskyexchange.com
98 T3 Tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology Today DECEMBER 2018
W W W.T 3 I N D I A . CO M