December cover issue

Vol.8.Issue.7.December.2012

MOBILE AUTO GADGETS WATCHES & more...

where tech meets lifestyle

` 100 €6 $8

exhibitmag.com

TECH START-UpS THAT

BUSTED THE TwITTER STORy

in Success Diary

SMART-CAMERAS

EVOLVE! TECH TO SURVIVE DEC 2012

BEST GADGETS

OF 2012

Stand-Out Gizmos

IN DRIVE

Mahindra Quanto Mercedes B Class 2013 Ducati Diavel Strada Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 REVIEWED : iPHONE 5 | HTC ONE X+ | HTC DESIRE SV | BLACKBERRY PORSCHE | ASUS S SERIES ULTRABOOK | SPICE MI-500 PHABLET | TECKFUSION HEADSET HOW TO’S : FIX THE iPHONE 5 WI-FI BUG | MEASURE DISTANCE BY SIGHT | LOOSE A GUY IN FIVE DAYS | BUILD A GREEN ROOF & more...

3 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

[CONTENTS] DEC 2012

108

Cover Story BEST GADGETS OF 2012 The year ended with a bang with the release of the latest iPhone, latest Nexus devices and Windows 8 powered devices.

But, the whole year was littered with some amazing products that launched every few months with amazing features and were a joy to review. The best of these have been short-listed in the Best Gadgets of 2012, but it is up to you to select the winner, which will be announced in our future issue.

Models: Kristina Cubranovic (Facecraft Models) (RHS) Jihane Louhkiar (Purple Model Management) (LHS) Photographer: Appurva Shah Stylist: Kavita Shyam Hair and Make-Up: Mitesh Rajani Clothing, Accessories and shoes by: The Source (Bandra West) Designer Sonia Mehra And Stylists Own.

[CONTENTS] DEC 2012 TECH TO SURVIVE 2012

With all the doomsayers saying that 21st December will be the last day for Planet Earth, we rolled up our sleeves to get you some help with some gadgets and technology. If the world ends then nothing’s gonna help us, but if there is a calamity that strikes and leaves you with a devastation to cope with, then let us help you find your way and survive a potential apocalyptical situation.

46 GADGETS & TECH FOR NYE 2013

So, in-case we survive 2012, let’s start planning ahead for NYE 2013. With Tech & Gadgets that can assist you plan and enjoy a party even more, it’s the perfect article for all of you! Especially if you are the kinds who are not good at arranging and hosting a party, then we already have penned down the perfect show for you.50 and get enlightened!

68

40

TECHNOLOGY BEHIND MEGA-STRUCTURES

Technology is the driving force behind almost everything, but this time we’ve explored the world of Mega-Structures. These have been popping up around the world with relative ease of construction and the primary reason behind it has been technology. So, what are you waiting for? Read on and be amazed!

SHUTTERBUG – SMART CAMERAS

Success of Smartphones has now given rise to Smart Cameras. These are Android powered (or even other OS’ with great features) cameras let you click, edit and instantly share your pictures on your social networking sites, or share it via mail with friends. Have a look at some of the best of the these and see if any catches your fancy.

74

WIRELESS SPEAKERS

With ‘no strings attached’ to the latest gen of speakers available in the market right now, we have taken a look at some of the best wireless speakers. These are either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth powered devices than can be used in tandem with your smartphones or other audio devices.

This one’s a must for all you audiophiles.

CAR REVIEWS

We took out the Merc B-Class and the new Mahindra Quanto out for a spin around town to see how they perform and deliver. We were quite impressed with one and a little disappointed with the other. Want to know which one was which? Well, then head on over there and start reading!

28

82

.

START-UPS THAT BUSTED

90

Some tech start-ups don’t have that much luck, or are not that well planned out. These, and more, have been covered in our look at some tech start-ups that showed promise but later went bust.

FROM THE EDITORS DESK

D

ecember 20, 2012. Or – 20/12/2012. Mark that date down.

Because the doomsayers predict, that is when the world will end. But, will it really? Well, it won’t. Take my word for it , I am sure to win this bet if it ends you will not be there to claim and otherwise I am anyways winning . On a serious note ,even NASA has put up a page on their official site claiming all these unofficial theories to be completely baseless. Maybe the Mayans really just ran out of space and hence stopped making the calendar any further beyond that date. And the world thought that the Mayans predicted an end of the world scenario on that very date?

Cosmologically speaking, the date is quite special. Why? Let’s try some Astrophysics 101.

In the Solar System, the planets and the Sun lie roughly within the same flat plane, known as the plane of the ecliptic. From our perspective on Earth, the ecliptic is the path taken by the Sun across the sky over the course of the year. The twelve constellations that line the ecliptic are known as the zodiac and, annually, the Sun passes through all of them in turn.

Additionally, over time, the Sun's annual cycle appears to recede very slowly backward by one degree every 72 years, or by one constellation every 2,160 years. This backward movement, called "precession", is due to a slight wobble in the Earth's axis as it spins, and can be compared to the way a spinning top wobbles as it slows down. Over the course of 25,800 years, a period often called a Great Year, the Sun's path completes a full, 360-degree backward rotation through the zodiac. And when is such an event going to take place, next? You got it- the 21st of December! But, does that mean that the Mayans were trying to warn us about an impending apocalypse. I tend to take the word of NASA over an ancient civilization on this, without any disrespect.

Anyhow if the above was too much to digest than let me get back to our DNA of tech and gadgets and the end of the year has seen some amazing gadgets launched – and we have even penned down a ‘What If’ article for an apocalyptic scenario.

The best gadgets of 2012 have been nominated and if yours is in the list, than hit exhibitmag.com/techawards on the keyboards and vote for it right away! The next time you read our magazine, we would’ve have surely survived the entire month of December 2012, and fearlessly marched onto 2013. Have a wonderful year ahead. And the rest of the pages will become tech memories in the months or years to come. After all, we are ever evolving and so is technology. Isn’t it?

Till we meet again – stay safe, but party hard!

12 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Find a New World with XE1

The new Interchangeable lens camera from Fujifilm

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Spl Price Rs. 69,999/-* Body Available in Silver & Black

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Available Lens: XF18mmF2 R(Rs. 34,999); XF35mmF1.4 R(Rs. 34,999); XF60mmF2.4 R Macro(Rs. 39,999); 14mm F2.8(Rs. 57,499); 18-55mm(Rs. 44,499).

X-PRO1

X100

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X10

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16.3 Megapixels X Mount Lens X-Trans CMOS Sensor 12800 ISO 7.6cm LCD Hybrid Multi Viewfinder

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12 Megapixels 26x Optical Zoom 2/3-Inch EXR CMOS Sensor 12800 ISO 7.6cm LCD 1cm Super Macro

12 Megapixels 4x Optical Zoom 2/3 EXR CMOS Sensor 12800 ISO 7.1 cm LCD Optical Viewfinder

12 Megapixels 4x Optical Zoom 2/3-inch EXR CMOS Sensor 12800 ISO 7.6 cm LCD F1.8-F11

For More Information Log on to www.fujifilm-x.com www.fujifilmcameras.in

Fujifilm Customer Care: 18002000608 (Toll Free)

E-mail: contact@fujifilmindia.com

Facebook/fujifilmindia 13 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

contributors NK Goyal

A post Graduate in Science, Mr Goyal has total excperience of about 36 years in Telecom/IT. He was the President (Operations) for Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd. (HFCL) for about 13 years. He is also a telecom analyst, consultant and Chairman (Emeritus) of TEMA. He is also Chairman, CTIA (Core Telecom Industries Associations) and President of Indian Manufacturing Foundation.

Shannen D.

Shannen D is a freelance journalist and technology blogger who writes about various topics within the industry for sites that cover mobile phones, tablets and PCs. Check out the broadband deals comparison at Broadband Expert if you want to make use of his advice.

Arnab Banerjee

Tom Clark

Clark is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast.

His blog Phonetvinternet.com focuses on Technology.

An avid photographer, with passion to capture life around him. A combination of a writer, a designer, a traveler etc…. and a thinker by birth, he has observed things around him in an unbiased way. Always had an immense inclination towards two widely distant styles of photography, namely “Street” and “Wildlife”, both requiring the perfect moment to be captured. Loves doing candid, table-top and portfolio photography which help him experiment with playfulness of light and shadow.

Apurva Shah Apurva Shah, is that rare kind of photographer whose extreme passion and love for the camera oozes out of every shot that he takes. His unconventional and extraordinary outlook towards photography is very fresh.

Having gained professional knowledge from the esteemed Brooks institute of Photography, California, he has now been practicing photography for the past 4 years in Mumbai.

Launches of the Month In Late October, Nokia launched 2 smartphones in the Asha Range of devices, The Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309. The Nokia Asha 308 and 309 are currently one of the most affordable capacitive touch screen devices which come equipped with the cloud accelerated Nokia Xpress Browser and are optimized for faster and cheaper browsing experience, Nokia Maps & Music, Apps and more. While later in November Nokia surprises us with the Asha 205 and 206 devices! These are the first devices to include Nokia’s exclusive Slam feature. Slam allows consumers to share multimedia content like photos, music and videos with nearby friends. The Asha 205 is a dual SIM smartphone and comes with a QWERTY keypad and also has a quick launch button for your Facebook profile The Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asa 309 are priced at INR 6149/- and at I NR 6349/- respectively. While The estimated price for the Nokia Asha 205 and 206 is around 62 USD.

Nokia widens its Asha Range in India

Fujifilm launched the HS30EXR at Rs. 26,999 which offers high zoom and super macro mode. The entire zoom ranges from wide-angle 24mm to 30x telephoto. The HS30 captures Full HD videos in 1080p at 30FPS Key features include: •16 MP EXR CMOS sensor •30x Fujinon Optical Zoom lenses with a focal range of 24-720mm •1 cm Super Macro Mode •Raw + JPEG shooting mode •ISO 12800 •Image Stabilization (CMOS Shift + High ISO) •10. Easy web uploading of pictures on Facebook and YouTube

Fujifilm launches the FinePix HS30EXR for the festive season

The myZenTAB 708B is the entry level tablet

by ZenFocus with 7” Capacitive, 5 Touch Screen. It has the resolution of 800 x 480 pixels packed in a plastic shell. This tablet is based on Boxchip A13 chipset. It comes with 512 MB DDR3 RAM and runs on Android OS 4.03. It has front facing camera of 0.3 MP and supports an external OTG, USB Mouse and Keyboard.

It has an internal storage of 4 GB Nano Flash and external memory expansion support of 3GB RAM. The myZenTAB 708B is priced at INR 5,999/-

A Tablet for everyone by ZenFoucus – myZenTAB

BenQ launched BenQ L32 7000 LED TV in India. The BenQ L32 7000 LED TV has an IPS Panel with 1366 x 768 resolution, 8W RMS X 2 Speakers, 16.7 million color depth, HDMI high-speed multimedia interface, 24P real cinema & with Senseye.

Some Key Features: •Ultra Slim Bezel •Easy Connectivity with USB Multimedia Play •24P Real Cinema •Wide- Angle Viewing The LED is available in two sizes 32” and 37”at the INR .25000 & INR 32000 respectively across India

BenQ expands offerings in India by launching LED TV

The D5200 is an entry level D-SLR. The D5200 comes with D-Movie function and supports recording of full-HD 1920 × 1080 50i/60i movies.

The D5200 is also equipped with Special Effects mode.. The camera sports a broad range of standard sensitivities, from ISO 100 to ISO 6400.

Another key feature of the D5200 is its Vari-angle LCD Monitor for Stress Free Shooting From Any Angle. The D5200 is available in three colours – black, red and bronze. Weighing approximately 555g6, the compact and lightweight D5200 offers superior operation, functionality and grip. The D5200 is equipped with a new graphical user interface (GUI) for intuitive operation all of this at Rs. 46,950 for the body & AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Kit Lens

Nikon Launches D5200 D-SLR Camera

The new SSDNow V300 is 10x faster than a 7200RPM hard-disk drive†. It is powered by an LSI SandForce Flash Storage Processor (FSP) solution customized for Kingston, and optimized for industry-leading 19nm NAND Flash memory to deliver sequentialread and write speeds of up to 450MB/s. Using best-in-class components, SSDNow V300 combines quality, performance and affordability from two leading SSD brands that are affordable for first-time SSD users or anyone looking to upgrade an existing system.

Kingston Digital ships Next Gen SSDNow V series

CLUSIVE

DUAL SCREEN, SINGLE POWER

THE NINTENDO Wii U T

here’s a theory about Nintendo that goes something like this: Nintendo has the best IP in video gaming, the characters with the highest Q score. Mario, Wario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, Donkey Kong, Pokémon, you name it. Add up all the Mario-themed games alone and you’ve got the bestselling video game franchise of all time. If you have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, take a look at the controllers. We have Nintendo to thank for popularizing what’s there: the four-way d-pad (the Nintendo Entertainment System), the diamond configuration face buttons (the Super Nintendo), the thumbstick employed to navigate 3D worlds, trigger buttons and force feedback system (the Nintendo 64). For all the talk about missed opportunities — that Nintendo ought to take Mario and Co. multiplatform — you could argue Nintendo wouldn’t be Nintendo without its focus on how we play, as much as what we play.

First Impressions Which brings us to the Wii U, Nintendo’s attempt to sneak what it calls “asymmetric gaming” — playing the same game from different perspectives — into our living rooms.

On paper, the system doesn’t look so different — a 3.5-pound base station that could pass for a slightly longer, curvier Wii. Flip it around and you’ll spot its new HDMI port (better late than never). Plug in the Wii-style sensor bar, dust off your old Wii Remote or Balance Board and you’ll find everything syncs and works just as it did before. Slide a copy of New Super Mario Bros. U into the slot-load optical drive and you’ll discover what it’s like to play a Mario sidescroller in stunning highdefinition for the very first time.

A Closer look But the showpiece this time is the Wii U’s tablet-like GamePad (capital G, capital P), sporting a vivid 854-by-480-pixel, 6.2-inch touchscreen sandwiched between a d-pad, face buttons and left/right thumb-sticks.

It’s thicker than most tablets, but substantially lighter ( just 1.1 lbs), and the extra plastic gives your hands comfortable grip room, even if the glossy finish warrants the usual grumbling about fingerprints.

It’s also packing motion control sensors, haptic feedback, dual speakers, shoulder buttons, left and right rear triggers, a microphone, an infrared sensor, near-field communication support, a front-facing camera and a rechargeable battery (it even has its own power adapter).

In short, the thing’s loaded.

Display What else can the second screen do? Say you want to play a little New Super Mario Bros. U or Batman: Arkham City while someone else watches TV. Knock yourself out: The GamePad can double as the main screen in most games. New Super Mario Bros. U is mirrored on the GamePad’s screen by default, and in Arkham City, you just tell the game to pipe everything to the controller. The distance the base station can stream to the GamePad is limited — about 24 feet — but stay in range and you’ve essentially got the best looking, best controlling handheld on the market (including Sony’s PlayStation Vita).

Keeping track of two screens could have been a mess, but it’s actually pretty intuitive. Once I stopped trying to follow both screens (it’s almost instinctive to want to) and just followed the audio-visual cues in the games I sampled – NintendoLand, Batman: Arkham City, New Super Mario Bros. U and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge — everything came together. It’s also kind of liberating having that second screen in more traditional games, making information you’d normally pause the game to access available at a glance, say the map view in Arkham City, or the list of combo moves in Ninja Gaiden 3.

Final Words The Wii caught everyone by surprise six years ago. Many expected it to fail. Even now, with nearly 100 million systems sold worldwide — tens of millions more than either Microsoft or Sony — you’ll still find people dismissing the Wii as an underpowered, overhyped game system everyone bought but no one plays.

Whether that’s true or not, the Wii U already feels like a much more robust and fascinating idea, one that shows even more promise, in my opinion, than the Wii did in 2006. That’s partly because the Wii U is still a Wii (a radically more powerful Wii with a second screen that floats around your living room, true), and motion control still factors big in the Wii U’s future.

Specifications*1.8 x 6.8 x 10.5 in Dimensions *Wireless Controller *8 GB Drive Capacity *25 GB Disc Capacity *HDMI (v1.4), RCA Video Outputs *Accelerometer, Gyroscopic, Camera Motion Controls

Smartphone Games

That Keep You Busy While Travelling

T

raveling could be fun for many people, but sometimes the long hours could be quite boring. To keep their clients amused , all mobile phones offer games that could be a great way to spend the time and could even turn out to be quite addictive. Even so, the mobile games are one of the few solutions when one faces a long trip or waits for the plane that is late. Usually these games are available on the iPhone and the Android applications, so everyone can enjoy them. So, which are the most popular and widely used mobile phone games that players enjoy? Are there any new games that are about to come?

make it even more interesting. Those players who are fond of Indiana Jones should get the mobile game “Temple Run”, which however is available with the iPhones and androids and is free. The player is set in a temple and should collect coins but has to be careful about trees and gaps in the ground, as well as the strange creatures etc. Very important for that game is the speed. Among the other interesting mobile phone games is the “Doodle Jump”. Here the aim of the game is to make the Doodler jump on different levels without falling as you tilt or tap with your phone. There are various themes that can be chosen here and the enemies also look different.

There is no doubt that we should start with the “Angry Birds” game, which in our opinion, is the most recognized game for mobile phones.

Of course, the game is now much more improved from the variety it came in a few years ago. Angry birds attacking pigs, it is hilarious. The updates in the game are numerous, the difficulty level goes up and there is something new all the time and thus the game has so many followers.

The Angry Birds mobile game could be used on platforms. It is free for those using Android and costs less than a dollar for the iPhone users.

The second mobile game that should be presented is the “Fruit Ninja”.

This game is an absolute fun, where you are a ninja and you have to slice a fruit that comes to you. Once you get better, you will be given fruit facts by a fruit sensei. If you like these two games “Angry Birds” and “Fruit Ninja”, then most probably you will fall in love with the game “Cut the Birds”, which is a combination of the two. The aim of the player is to cut the birds and not let them fly, while being careful of the bombs and other obstacles. This game comes for free.

The next mobile game that should be presented is called “Death Worm”.

The player has to find the worms and for that ,one can use different animals and birds, also helicopters, tanks and human beings. There are free versions available, though the game is not expensive and is available on many platforms. A much nicer game is the one called “Cut the Rope”. It features a little monster that is hungry and the player has to feed him with candies that are set in ropes and guarded by spiders.

All the racing fans will simply adore the game “Asphalt 6”. This version of the game includes Audi RS 3 Sportback, which is absolutely incredible.

Other cars could also be used as you go up in levels. The outdoor areas where the player goes with the car are various, as well as the situations.

Quite popular these days is the mobile game “Stupid Zombies”, where the player has to kill the zombies with shots. The effects in the game

Those people, who love scrabble, will go crazy for “Words with Friends” mobile phone game, where they can play online with other people. The game uses colored keys and reminds you of crossword puzzles. It is absolutely free for all players to use. Whichever game the player decides to try, one should know that if the device is better, so would be the performance and the game will go in a smoother way.

Shannen D

PHABLET CLUSIVE

THE SAMSUNG NOTE 2 OPENING SALVO The Phablets are here to face off each other, spec for spec, feature to feature, punch for punch. It might be a bloody battle between two Korean manufacturers’ highend smartphone devices that can neither be categorized as smartphones (too big for ‘em!) nor as tablets (too small!). SO, we have a brand new ‘Phablet’ category (around 5 to 6” form factors) which has been created, largely following the success of the original Galaxy Note. Can the Note 2 be even better and blow the LG Optimus Vu out of the competition? Or does the LG have some secret weapon that it is hiding to unleash? Let’s find out shall we?!

BATTLE OF SPECS Dimensions & Weight: Optimus Vu carries a dimension of 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5mm and weighs in at 168 grams and Galaxy Note 2 boasts a dimension of 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm and weighs more around 180 grams.

Display: Optimus Vu houses a 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio XGA IPS display with 1280 x 768 pixel resolution.

In comparison, Galaxy Note 2 houses a larger 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. It’s just better in every war compared to the Vu! Especially when it comes to brightness, colour contrast and

viewing angles, the Note 2 is way ahead.

Further, Optimus Vu phablet comes with a stylus for annotating documents, drawing sketches and making handwritten notes in LG’s Memo app while Galaxy Note 2 has an improved S-Pen support, which is revamped with rubber tip and enhanced touch response.

Processor: In this segment, LG phablet is powered by a 1.5GHz quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and Galaxy Note 2 is equipped with a Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad chipset. In the AnTuTu Benchmark testing, the Note 2 scored higher with an approx score of 18k,

whereas the Optimus Vu managed around 14k, clearing underlying the powerhouse capabilities of the Note 2.

FEATURE FIGHT Operating System: When it comes to OS, Optimus Vu is flavored with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, but, Galaxy Note 2 scores more as it comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS out of the box. LG has customized the ICS OS with its own skin – which has fairly good animations and is quite nice to use, but not as functional and user-friendly as the TouchWiz UI from Samsung.

FACE OFF

Speaking of features, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has new features including Project Butter, expandable and contractible notifications, resizable app widgets, live wallpaper preview, high resolution contact photos and more. Samsung has also customized the JellyBean OS with its own TouchWiz UI, which is amazing on the Note 2- some features include pulling the video out of the video player and let it play while you read your messages, compose emails and check your calendar as well!

Simply amazing.

Camera: On the camera optics front, both the devices have an 8MP rear

camera with autofocus and LED flash features. However, Galaxy Note 2 has a better 1.9MP front camera as compared to the 1.3MP front camera in Optimus Vu. As far as sheer performance is concerned, the Note 2 wins out again – with sharper images in all conditions and lesser noise as well. Video recording is pretty similar on both devices.

THE REST Memory: In terms of storage, Optimus Vu has 32GB internal memory, 1GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage.

On the other hand, Galaxy Note 2 comes in three versions – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB internal storage,

2GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

victory for the Optimus Vu!

Connectivity: In terms of connectivity, both phablets are packed with features including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, micro USB 2.0 and NFC. Battery: Optimus Vu is loaded with a 2,080 mAh Li-ion battery and Galaxy Note 2 is powered by a mammoth 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery. The Note 2 lasted for more than a day even with heavy use, whereas the Vu really drained out within a day with heavy to moderate use.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is pricier but it is so much better compared to the LG Optimus Vu in every possible manner. The Exynos quad-core chip does a whole lot better in utilizing the power of the processor to produce a slick and enjoyable performance on the superb 5.5” display. The Note 2 is helped with the newer Android OS, Jellybean, but there is no way that the Note 2 would’ve been that much different from the Vu on the ICS as well. If you can afford it, then there is no device like the Galaxy Note 2 in the market right now.

Price: On the pricing front, LG has priced Optimus Vu at INR 34,500 and Samsung has priced the Galaxy Note 2 at INR 39,990. At last, a

LAST MAN STANDING

THE LG OPTIMUS VU VS

23 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

THE NEXT STEP IN INTERNET EVOLUTION : Web 3.0 20 years ago, Tim BernersLee invented the World Wide Web. For his next project, he's building a web for open, linked data that could do for numbers what the Web did for words, pictures, videos: unlock our data and reframe the way we use it together. He spoke about it passionately during a talk at TED in 2009, pointing out how there is SO much data on the internet, but things are not linked to each other properly. It’s a fact that is also recognized by search giants Google, who have a LOT of information at their disposal- zetabytes on zetabytes of information, but not a formal structure to link up all the relevant data together.

That’s the major hurdle that Web 2.0 threw open. It made the user (you) the content developer as well. And with billions of content makers, with easy access from laptops to cell phone’s – the internet is now FULL of data of all kinds. Not all of this data is useful, though. You can try searching for something a bit more complicated on Google (or any search engine) – for which you will get a LOT of results, but not even 1 of them might be useful to you. Creating social networks really opened up a new vista for internet users, but it came with huge problems of managing data at a whole new level. Newer challenges will mean

newer solutions to work with.

Some Internet experts believe the next generation of the Web -- Web 3.0 -- will make tasks like your search for movies and food faster and easier. Instead of multiple searches, you might type a complex sentence or two in your Web 3.0 browser, and the Web will do the rest. In our example, you could type "I want to see a funny movie and then eat at a good Mexican restaurant.

What are my options?" The Web 3.0 browser will analyze your response, search the Internet for all possible answers, and then organize the results for you.

That's not all. Many of these experts believe that the Web 3.0 browser will act like a personal assistant. As you search the Web, the browser learns what you are interested in. The more you use the Web, the more your browser learns about you and the less specific you'll need to be with your questions. Eventually you might be able to ask your browser open questions like "where should I go for lunch?" Your browser would consult its records of what you like and dislike, take into account your current location and then suggest a list of restaurants.

Web 3.0 Approaches You never know how future

technology will eventually turn out. In the case of Web 3.0, most Internet experts agree about its general traits. They believe that Web 3.0 will provide users with richer and more relevant experiences. Many also believe that with Web 3.0, every user will have a unique Internet profile based on that user’s browsing history. Web 3.0 will use this profile to tailor the browsing experience to each individual. That means that if two different people each performed an Internet search with the same keywords using the same service, they’d receive different results determined by their individual profiles.

The technologies and software required for this kind of application aren’t yet mature.

Services like TiVO and Pandora provide individualized content based on user input, but they both rely on a trial-and-error approach that isn’t as efficient as what the experts say Web 3.0 will be. More importantly, both TiVO and Pandora have a limited scope -- television shows and music, respectively -- whereas Web 3.0 will involve all the information on the Internet.

Getting back to the man responsible for the World Wide Web has his own theory of what the future of the Web will be. He calls it the Semantic Web, and

many Internet experts borrow heavily from his work when talking about Web 3.0. What exactly is the Semantic Web?

Making a Semantic Web Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989. He created it as an interface for the Internet and a way for people to share information with one another. Berners-Lee disputes the existence of Web 2.0, calling it nothing more than meaningless jargon [source: Register]. BernersLee maintains that he intended the World Wide Web to do all the things that Web 2.0 is supposed to do.

Berners-Lee’s vision of the future Web is similar to the concept of Web 3.0. It’s called the Semantic Web. Right now, the Web’s structure is geared for humans.

It’s easy for us to visit a Web page and understand what it’s all about.

Computers can’t do that. A search engine might be able to scan for keywords, but it can’t understand how those keywords are used in the context of the page.

With the Semantic Web, computers will scan and interpret information on Web pages using software agents. These software agents will be programs that crawl through the Web, searching

for relevant information. They’ll be able to do that because the Semantic Web will have collections of information called ontologies. In terms of the Internet, an ontology is a file that defines the relationships among a group of terms. For example, the term “cousin” refers to the familial relationship between two people who share one set of grandparents. A Semantic Web ontology might define each familial role like this:

Grandparent: A direct ancestor two generations removed from the subject Parent: A direct ancestor one generation removed from the subject Brother or sister: Someone who shares the same parent as the subject Nephew or niece: Child of the brother or sister of the subject Aunt or uncle: Sister or brother to a parent of the subject Cousin: child of an aunt or uncle of the subject For the Semantic Web to be effective, ontologies have to be detailed and comprehensive. In Berners-Lee’s concept, they would exist in the form of metadata. Metadata is information included in the code for Web pages that is invisible to humans, but readable by computers.

Constructing ontologies takes a lot of work. In fact, that’s one of the big obstacles the Semantic Web faces. Will people be willing to put in the effort required to make comprehensive ontologies for their Web sites? Will they maintain them as the Web sites change? Critics suggest that the task of creating and maintaining such complex files is too much work for most people.

Beyond Web 3.0 Whatever we call the next generation of the Web, what will come after it? Theories range from conservative predictions to guesses that sound more like science fiction films.

Where Tech Meets Lifestyle

In the battle of this tech world in 2012, have you known the winner yet?

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Why birds of tech feather will always flock together and why nothing beats the valley?

Nothing beats the Silicon Valley, but have you thought, why Silicon Valley? Why California? Why New York or Palo Alto? Why not Kentucky or Illinois? That brings us to economics and as Adam Marshall had said, “There’s always something in the air.” What makes the saying a self-evident truth is its tendency to linger around the same place; to be precise-the same geographical region. Once an idea is coined, it gets picked up by many and they tend to mould it towards their own better doing but choose to reside in the same geographical region encouraging competition.

Silicon Valley follows on the lines of the great Victorian manufacturing and is now a home to many tech giants that have made it big for themselves and the names range from Michael Dell to Mark Zuckerberg.

Economic theories suggest how firms in the same industry end up in the same place and ideas spill over from one firm to the next.

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The dramatic fall in the cost of communications and computing would have pushed the limits of the firm beyond our thinking.

They don’t really care about impact. All they care about is a solid internet connection and the world suggestively becomes a smaller place to crawl in, much to the admiration of the common men. One can find tech companies of all shapes and sizes almost anywhere, the smaller ones especially have a fondness for huddling together. Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist, puts this down mainly to the continuing attraction of a deep pool of skilled labor. “The less an industry needs to be near natural resources, its suppliers or its customers,” he says, “the more it’s

Tech magnet A survey analysis depicted how workers in the tech industry want to live either where the jobs already are (e.g., Silicon Valley) or

in lively cities (London, New York, Berlin and perhaps San Francisco).

At Wooga, an online-games company in Berlin, the 250 staff comes from 35 countries. Jens Begemann, the founder and chief executive, says that Australians and Canadians sign contracts even before leaving home. Dmitry Repin of Digital October, a coworking and meeting place for start-ups in Moscow, says that “for a university kid, studying in the regions, moving to Moscow sounds smart.” The recycling of people is as important as that of money. Brian McClendon, who oversees Google Maps and Google Earth, says he has been working within a mile of where he is now for 22 of his 24 years in the Valley: first at Silicon Graphics and later at his own company, Keyhole Earth. That was sold to Google, which now occupies Silicon Graphics’ former home.

“The diaspora of Silicon Graphics”, he says, “created many, many companies throughout the Valley…

as a diaspora we communicate and we contact and we hire each other and we steal each other’s people.” Google already has a diaspora of its own.

Why nothing beats the valley No other places have witnessed such cycles of investment, success, failure and regeneration in like the Valley and hence when it comes to young and new tech eco-systems looking for cover nothing beats the valley. What we progressively overlooked all this time is “something in the air” and that something is nothing but data. Pure, raw and all other forms that you can think of and many other cities and town are yet to discover it.

POSE

START-UPS THAT BUSTED For every Facebook, there is a MySpace; for every Google, there is an Ask Jeeves.

Fate is fickle in the world of tech start-ups, and it can be hard to predict which companies will have the staying power to shape global behaviors and which will end up in the digital scrapheap. We look at 5 start-ups that had the potential to be big, but fizzled out before they could have their day in the sun.

1

Second Life

It wasn't all that long ago that Second Life -- a virtual, online world populated by user-created avatars -- was being hyped as a revolutionary concept in terms of how humans, media and businesses interact.

And it was ... until it wasn't.

Developed by Linden Lab, Second Life launched in 2003.It was a massively creative undertaking that even had its own economy and currency.

Virtual goods were openly bought, sold and traded. Everything from real estate to sexual favors could be bought with "Linden Bucks." Amazon, American Apparel (APP), Sears (SHLD), Dell (DELL) and Reebok were among the real world retailers that opened virtual stores.

Politicians, including presidential candidate John Edwards, set up campaign headquarters there. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich delivered a speech there.

Second Life is still around, with an estimated 1 million monthly visitors, but it never quite lived up to its media-fueled expectations and, today, rarely warrants a media mention.

What went wrong? Simply put, the biggest threat facing any online service: People became bored with it. Second Life proved as mundane as everyday life.

The virtual world also proved to share some real-world issues as in 2008, amid the global financial crisis, Second Life had a meltdown of its own and was forced to ban nearly all its virtual banks.

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2

Cuil

In 2009, an upstart tech company, Cuil, went after one of the biggest fish in the tech ocean, Google.

Cuil CEO Tom Costello recruited a team that included former Google employees and, $33 million in VC funding in hand, claimed to have indexed more pages than any other search engine (120 billion pages at the time) and could serve up that data faster than its competitors.

By September 2010, Cuil (which was pronounced "cool") was no more than a footnote in the history of the Internet, with its servers shut down for good.

Exhibit Magazine

Its fatal flaw? To put it bluntly: It sucked.

In the days leading up to its launch, the company kept tech writers and reviewers in the dark, offering no early peeks or beta tests. When the world finally did get a crack at Cuil, they found a service that fell far short of its own hype. Search results were erratic and often mismatches.

An attempt to salvage the technology led to the launch of Cpedia, billed as the world's first "automated encyclopedia." A cross between a search engine and Wikipedia, it too earned the scorn of users and blistering reviews, many of which focused on the indecipherable gibberish its mishmash of combined results served up.

Gowalla

3

In 2009, two location-sharing services, Gowalla and Foursquare, went to battle. Today, only one remains.

Gowalla had a lot going for it, including a novel concept, a focus on leveraging check-ins for event recommendation and an attractive interface. What it didn't have is as many users as Foursquare, despite launching two years earlier. Just as Facebook once struck a chord with users MySpace didn't, Gowalla found itself an also-ran to Foursquare.

In December, it was announced Gowalla was sold to Facebook, a deal that culminated this month with the service going offline (although an online message suggests that users may eventually get a new interface for downloading their "passport" data).

The terms of that deal have yet to be made public, although published reports have claimed that the deal does not include user data.

Gowalla isn't the only location-based service acquired recently.

Loopt, another pioneer in the field, was bought for $43.4 million in cash this month by Green Dot, a leading provider of prepaid Mastercard and Visa cards. The deal was touted as strengthening Green Dot's push into the realm of mobile payments.

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POSE

4

Bitcoin

The implementation of a standardized Internet currency has long been a frustrating effort for companies.

Facebook Credits, a monetary unit pushed by the social media giant, have been slow to gain popular acceptance, angered many game developers and led some to accuse the system as violating antitrust laws.

Traveling back in time to the era of the dot-com bubble, Flooz was among the start-ups making a play as an online-only currency and alternative to credit card transactions. Hiring Whoopi Goldberg as a spokeswoman and pocketing an estimated $50 million-plus in investor-backed funding weren't enough to keep Flooz from fizzling by 2001. Its demise was hastened by an FBI investigation into a Russian crime syndicate that was using stolen Flooz data for an international money laundering scheme.

A Flooz competitor, Beenz, despite $80 million in funding (Oracle's Larry Ellison was among the investors) was also a failure.

An intriguing alternative once seen as possibly succeeding where Beenz and Flooz failed is Bitcoin, a "peer-to-peer digital currency" platform first proposed in 2008.

Although it too failed to gain wide acceptance, in large part due to hacking exploits that devalued the worth of its lucre, Bitcoin has seen new awareness through an unlikely source: presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul champions an end to "fiat currency" and a return to a goldbacked monetary standard in the United States. Bitcoin, which uses a computer algorithm to steady its "mining," is increasingly viewed as a worthy alternative by those who object to a politically manipulated money supply.

It has also gained traction as an underground currency, used for illegal purchases in the secretive "dark net" of Web sites that lie off the grid, accessible only through anonymising software such as Tor.

5

Jumo

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has been no stranger to political and social activism.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, he oversaw then-candidate Barack Obama's social media strategy, notably through the Web site My.BarackObama.com. That campaign's success, notably in its rallying of young and first-time voters, earned Huges considerable accolades. An April 2009 cover story in Fast Company touted him as, "The Kid Who Made Obama President," and credited him as having "changed politics and marketing forever."

In November 2010, Hughes launched Jumo, a social network service and Web site that sought to connect activists with each other and the nonprofits dedicated to their cause -- "from human trafficking to childhood obesity," as a company blog post summed it up.

Jumo wasn't one-of-a-kind. Other sites had already tackled a similar concept, notably Change.org, volunteermatch.org and idealist.org. The Web site Charity Navigator is a popular landing spot for those looking to evaluate nonprofits.

When all was said and done, Jumo didn't quite offer anything revolutionary and it never did become a household name, even among activists. Multiple redesigns were symptomatic of its failure to cultivate a reputation as a go-to resource.

It would be unfair to paint Jumo as a failure, however. It merely faded into the background when it merged with the magazine and Web site Good in August.

Connect-i-mania Staying connected is what people are looking forward to these days. Be it business executives or crazy lovers at night, connectivity is something that everyone puts at the top of their priority list.

With smartphones re-inventing the future like nothing else, here’s a list of 4 best messaging apps that work just fine for any platform to keep you connected.

WhatsApp Perhaps the most popular messaging app for Android, it’s also the most popular cross-platform messaging application. You connect with your contacts by entering in their mobile number; no email accounts or special PINs, just their digits. You have the standard push, sent and received notifications, which we come to expect.

They’ve most recently added the “Share Location” where, as you may have guessed, you can send the person you’re chatting to your current location or choose from a list of locations around you.

They’ve also included the ability to set a group icon for group chat.

Now that’s on top of some amazing features like exporting chat history and implementing a broadcast message.

Key Features: •Chat in groups •Share your location •Chat with your phone contacts •Push notifications •Send unlimited Text & MMS for free

Platforms: Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Symbian Download: www.whatsapp.com

GroupMe

Key Features: * Conference calling * Group Messaging * Private chat * Voice calling * Virtual chat rooms

GroupMe is the best way to chat with everyone you know. It's absolutely free, whether you're talking to a group of friends, or texting with one person. Best of all, it works on nearly every phone, via push or SMS. With GroupMe, it's easy to reach anyone, anytime, anywhere. On GroupMe, you can catch up with your family, get a group together for a night out, coordinate with co-workers, or just gossip with a few of your closest friends. Think about it like your own private Twitter, just for the people you really know. Or like a faster, better reply-all email.

Platforms: Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 Download: www.groupme.com

LiveProfile

LiveProfile helps you stay connected with friends in real-time. LiveProfile is the crazy fast, completely free, cross-platform messenger for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry smartphones. It has already managed to rope in over 10 million users worldwide and has some mind blowing features that puts it way ahead in the list against others.

Key Features: •Real-time with delivery receipts: live profile messages are delivered in milliseconds. You can see when messages are sent, delivered, read, and even when the other person is typing a message.

•100% free forever: unlimited and free messaging to any mobile device, anywhere in the world, on any carrier. As long as your phone can connect to the internet you can use live profile. Live profile doesn't use your sms texting plan.

•Stay connected and online: it's always on and connected making you and your friends reachable. It utilizes push notifications so there is absolutely no battery usage while in the background.

•Push notifications, offline messaging, emoticons, pins, status updates, multimedia sharing, landscape mode, beautiful and intuitive user interface, no ads, add friends, invite friends, and more!

Until recently, Touch had been the application my wife frequently used. Now that the developer has ceased support for Touch’s predecessor PingChat, they can focus on adding to the impressive feature lineup that has been built into Touch. While it may not have an export chat history option available, it does boast message encryption and the ability to block people. The layout of touch is extremely fluid and provides more of a social network type of feel, through its Activity Stream, that makes you almost forget the cross-platform messaging capabilities. You are able to send media, as you can with most apps of this type, but you have to do so from within Touch itself. It’s not an easy process either, as you have to scroll through a list of your pictures and/ or videos until you get to the right one. Whatsapp provides functionality within the BlackBerry menu, allowing you to quickly send the image or video you’re looking at. Additionally, the response time of touch is outstanding. If you are a Pingchat user and you want to upgrade to Touch, you’ll find the process to be effortless.

Platforms: iOS, Android and BlackBerry Download: http://appworld.blackberry.com

Platforms: iOS, Android and BlackBerry Download: www.liveprofile.com

Touch

Key Features: •Message your friends through Chats that feel like you are talking in person. Enjoy chatting with unlimited text, video, and voice messaging, delivery and read receipts, typing status, and top-notch speed and reliability.

•Share your life with those closest to you through Experiences that make the distance fade away.

•Touch has been built to provide a personal, simple and powerful experience to let you maintain your closest relationships. Keep in touch with your friends on iOS, Android and BlackBerry through Touch.

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PLORE

Snapping Up Processors – A Deeper Look

S

ingle-core versus dual-core used to be the big debate.

As expected, we saw a fairly substantial jump in dayto-day activities when we went from one to two cores. People thought we’d see the same kind of improvements going from dualcore to quad-core — though we really haven’t.

Some have argued that we haven’t seen a similar performance bump because Android isn’t optimized for quad-core processors.

We’re sure there’s some truth

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to that, however, it looks like SoC architecture – rather than the number of cores — is more important to overall performance than just cramming a couple more cores in.

For those of you who’ve been living under a proverbial rock, the Snapdragon S4 Pro is the latest and greatest SoC to arrive on the mobile scene. Saying that it’s performing amazingly well is a grotesque understatement.

What’s more, the little processor is smashing all the benchmarks and

only sipping at the battery juice!

chips in the S4 family.

Tell me more about this S4…

Sure, the S4 Pro is amazing, but before we get into the guts of why that’s the case, let’s clear up some confusion surrounding the S4 family.

The S4 Play comes in dual or quad-core configurations up to 1.2 GHz, it’s also based on the Cortex-A5 and includes an Adreno 230 GPU.

The Snapdragon S4 Pro could be considered the “middle” processor in the S4 line-up. That goes against most of what you’ll hear everywhere else on the innerwebs.

The reason we make that claim is because there are essentially six

The S4 Plus occupies the third slot with a dual-core configuration up to 1.7 GHz based on the Krait architecture with a GPU up to the Adreno 305.

The fourth and fifth slots are where the S4 Pro comes into

play. Available in either dualcore or quad-core, also up to 1.7 GHz, and also based on the Krait architecture with an Adreno 320 GPU. The sixth and highest position is held by the S4 Prime: quad-core up to 1.7 GHz, Krait-based, with an Adreno 320 GPU. To recap, the S4 Pro could be a 1.2 GHz dual-core or a 1.7 GHz quadcore package. You’ll have to really watch your specs to determine which you’re getting. Then again, unless you’re a benchmarks junkie, we don’t think you’ll care.

The S4 Pro is capable of a powering a camera up to 20 MP along with a flawless 1080p HD video recorder. Playback via the Adreno 320 GPU also helps the S4 Pro to shine and is said to be capable of playing multiple 1080P video streams at 30 fps without dropping a single frame.

Whenever we talk about extra processing power or graphics resolution we have to flip the coin over and talk about the implications they have on battery life. One would think that, generally speaking, the more powerful the CPU/GPU, the more power it consumes. Too bad you’re wrong.

In the chart below you can see where the Scorpion- and Kraitclass processors stack up against the ARM Cortex specs. The Krait is considered a “Cortex-A15-class” processor by some, but not by others. Let’s just say it’s taken a lot of the stuff from the Cortex-A15 and adapted them for its own awesome purposes. Deal?

Architecture Comparison

Cortex - A9 Cortex - A15

Scorpion

Krait

Pipeline Depth

Eight Stages

15/17-24-Stage

10-Stage

15-Stage

Core Configurations

Single, Dual, Quad

Dual, Quad

Single, Quad

Dual, Quad

DMIPS/ MHz

2.5

3.5

2.5

3.3

We could go into minutiae all day long, suffice it to say that the S4 Pro is a new class of processor situated in the middle to high-end of that group. It’s ideally suited for high-end smartphones and potentially even fairly powerful tablets. That’s not being fair: an S4 Pro-powered tablet would ROCK! However, an S4 Prime-powered tablet would rock even more.

As processor technology advances a few interesting things happen.

Circuit paths get smaller so power requirements drop. Less heat is produced so there’s less resistance which also contributes to a reduction in power demands.

As graphics processors get better they can take more load off the CPU which can not only make things look a whole lot nicer, it can also help reduce power consumption as well. It sounds crazy, we know.

We don’t think we’ll see batteries get any smaller (in capacity) any time soon, but looking at how much extra power is harnessed inside the processors, the battery required to power them is a lot smaller than you might have imagined.

What about Krait!?

Yes, of course it’s Krait! But is it Cortex-A15?

Cortex - A9 Cortex - A15 Scorpion Krait

That’s been a source for confusion for some time now. Qualcomm, like most other chip makers that license the ARM “goodies”, doesn’t adopt ARM’s entire spec verbatim.

Instead they adopt — and adapt.

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THE ABSOLUTION IS FINALLY HERE PRICE: ` 999 for PC, ` 2,799 for PS3, XBOX360

Absolution. The word in itself means ‘Formal release from guilt,

obligation, or punishment.’ We wonder why the fans of the Hitman series had to wait almost six and a half years for the formal release from guilt. For the character, of course, not the fans themselves!

Agent 47 takes off from where he left off with Blood Money. His barcoded dome may have spent a really long time in the sidelines, but he’s back to doing what he’s best at. Sneaking up and killing people with objects that are lying around. And in the Absolution version – you can really indulge Agent 47 to a whole new level of killing. Above everything, Absolution is a game that wants you to experiment with it.

It refuses to be rushed through, rewarding brains over brawn. It wants you to spend time inside it, methodically picking your way around and discovering morbid new ways to snuff out your unfortunate marks. Like Blood Money before it, your targets here can be executed in a host of ever-so-slightly sickeningly different ways. Returning Hitman fans won’t settle for a simple bullet to the back of the head; they’ll immediately be on the lookout for the tell-tale signs of a classic Hitman kill opportunity.

Some of them are more subtle than others but, like Blood Money, they’re all there, waiting to be discovered. A couple of the game’s kills are more tightly choreographed for dramatic effect, complete with a brief cutscene of your deserved victim sucking in their last breaths, but most of the game’s kills – two dozen of them at least – are traditional Hitman fare. How you take them out is in your hands. This is a slowpaced, measured experience.

Though the cartoonish personas Agent 47 comes into contact with

36 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

are unanimously interesting, the story struggles at times, often failing to make cohesive connections between missions. Some make sense, weaving into the narrative well, but others seemingly come out of nowhere, feeling like side jobs as opposed to actual plot progression.

This being the case, the plot can be confusing and muddled if taken one segment at a time. On the whole, though, once the credits roll you'll likely have no problems connecting the blood-soaked dots.

Absolution looks good. There’s arguably a bit too much lighting bloom, particularly when harsh light begins to glint off 47’s cue ball bonce, but it’s not going to be something that’ll have you dropkicking the disc down your driveway in disgust. It’s darker and grittier than Hitman titles past but the visuals shouldn’t raise many complaints. It looks its best at its busiest; when you’re threading your way through the game’s thick crowds. It’s these moments when you’re keenly aware you’re playing something a little different. The levels are nicely dressed and the cutscenes are well-produced; it’s a solid effort all around.

There are 20 levels but many are broken up into a series of stages.

The key difference between this and Blood Money is the levels are segmented. Instead of one big level, say, like the Heaven and Hell Club, levels in Absolution are often completed in discrete chunks. For instance, there may be one or more areas that need to be stealthily navigated and passed through before you can reach the area where your target is. Some levels have several targets spread over multiple stages. The Attack of the Saints level, for instance, has you slowly taking out all seven leather-clad nun assassins over the course of three distinct

areas. The controversial trailer released featuring 47 taking them out in a tightly-compressed flurry of moves cribbed from several viewings of The Bourne Identity really did this level a disservice. They're nothing alike.

When it gets cooking, Hitman: Absolution evokes the feeling of a deadly, measured dance. It's a constant tango between you and the computer, with each party alternately taking the lead through arenas that constantly shift, re-set, and upset expectations. It's outsized and ambitious, drunk with freedom; vulgar, offensive, yet clever and respectful.

GAMER’S RIG Motherboard - Intel DH67BL Processor – Intel Core i5 RAM – Kingston HyperX Beast KHX16C9T3K2/8X (8GB) HDD – Kingston SSDNow V300 GPU - Asus GTX 560ti Optical Drive - Asus DRW-24B3ST Internal Optical Drive PSU - Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 500W PSU Cabinet - Cooler Master Elite 311

A world this rotten, this far beyond redemption, could do with a little killing. Who better to do it than you?

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Vaccines for soldiers— for those who are always at war

E

xplosions, bullet rains, blasted corpses –that sums up the trauma of the war for very soldier heart out there. The psychological injuries often refuse to heal and becomes an everyday object to deal with for many who have been to the war and back. May be the preferred term is post-traumatic stress disorder that arises from the vagaries of war that bodes ill and odd for one and all.

Studies reveal how 17% American troops returning from Iraq and 11% of those coming back from Afghanistan suffer from them. The most common treatment is known as exposure-based therapy. This asks those afflicted to imagine the sights and sounds that traumatized them, and helps them confront those memories. It often works but it’s always not the same.

The game changer With this in mind, a team of engineers, computer scientists and psychologists led by Skip Rizzo at the University of Southern California propose a form of psychological vaccination. By presenting soldiers with the horrors of war before they set off to fight, Dr Rizzo hopes to inure

squaddies to anything they might witness on the field of battle. The idea of doing this developed from Dr Rizzo’s work using virtual reality to help with exposure-based therapy. Such VR enables the sights, sounds, vibrations and even smells of the battlefield to be recreated in the safety of a clinic, and trials suggest it can help those who do not respond to standard exposure-based therapy. The success of such simulation led Dr Rizzo to wonder if a similar regime, experienced before actual battle, might prepare troops mentally in the way that traditional training prepares them physically. His preliminary results suggest it might.

The virtual training course Dr Rizzo and his team have developed leads soldiers through a tour of duty that includes seeing and handling human remains, experiencing the death of virtual comrades to whom they have become emotionally close and watching helplessly as a child dies. Unlike a real battlefield, though, a virtual one can be frozen, and events occurring there discussed at leisure. When that happens, a virtual mentor emerges from the midst of the chaos to guide the user through stress-reduction tactics he can deploy.

These may be as simple as breathing deeply, or as sophisticated as objectively recognizing normal reactions to stress, and thus realizing that your own reactions are normal too. To monitor what is going on Dr Rizzo’s colleague Galen Buckwalter tracks physiological markers of stress, such as the reactions of participants’ pupils to what their eyes are seeing, their electrocardiograms and their galvanic skin responses.

Dr Buckwalter hopes that as his charges become more psychologically prepared for battle, these markers will change in recognizable ways.

This will allow officers to identify who is, and is not, ready for combat.

Some last words If that were the case, should such soldiers then be excused active duty? As things stand, those with physical limitations who apply to serve in America are still recruited, but are given only work that they are physically capable of doing. Should applicants with psychological limitations be treated similarly? These are interesting stand points and we would really hope someone to do a math and get an ally to save lives saved in the war.

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GADGETS & TECH FOR THE NEW YEAR PARTY! With 2012 about to end (not in an apocalyptic way, of course!) we bring to you the best Gadgets that you will need to not just host a party- but have an incredible time at it too!

& Tech

GADGETS iChef+ Oven Wave Ultra Sonic Wine Ager And Refrigerator

Okay, you can’t invite people over without thinking or arranging food. From what we’ve seen in the market, the ovens are not user friendly at all, having changed over the years only at an aesthetic level without modifying the process in which you actually cook the meal. The iChef Oven has an innovative and powerful computer behind its technology and I believe it can be considered a milestone in its niche.

So now that you’ve taken care of food, let’s talk drinks. Ever wanted to age your wine so that it will be of a higher quality? Now you can, it’s not only a movie idea.

Designer Mika Yamamoto has created this device that does this incredible thing.

The Wave uses magnetic cooling system that is based on the magnetocaloric effect, which is the ability of some materials to heat up when magnetized and cool when removed from the magnetic field. It reduces carbon emissions and increases energy efficiency. It can possibly cut energy consumption by 40%. It also reduces the cost of electricity.

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Sony HDRXR550V 240GB High Definition HDD Handycam Camcorder

So, once you have the food and drinks part sorted out – you will be set to start the party rolling. We recommend the Sony HDR-XR550V for it’s awesome performance and quality. Sony’s latest HDD hard disk based high definition camcorder with a huge 240gb hard drive, features a new wide angle G-Lens (26.3mm) with 10x Optical zoom. High end Optical SteadyShot image stabilization w/ Active Mode (compensates for greater degrees of camera shake to deliver smoother video). Compact size.

Other features: 12 megapixel still images, Larger 3.5 inch Xtra Fine LCD display (921K pixels), built-in GPS to geotag your video or pictures or view your current location on the LCD map display. The HDR-XR550V has a Large 1/2.88-inch back-illuminated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor for better low light performance. Bionz image processor improves the speed and quality, as well as improving battery life. HDD Smart Protection protects the built in hard drive should you accidently drop your camcorder. Full HD (1920 x 1080) video capture.

Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote with Color Touch Screen

Surely for this tech savvy era, you need a universal remote control to operate all the devices from one point. Prior to getting this remote, you might have had a separate remote to control your TV- set top box, VCR, DVD Player and Cable.Forget the cumbersome controls and switch between different devices from a single control. Setting this device requires one to be a bit knowledgeable about the devices that you want to connect; but once the setting is done correctly from a pull-down menu of options, all your problems are solved.

Till you got this remote, you had perhaps messed with several universal remotes in the past, and gotperformance and functionality not to your heart's content, but this experience is definitely going to be different. The set up might be longer if you have a heavy-weight list of items in the queue but is generally simpler than a fancy five-star recipe.If you are skeptical based on your lousy past experience, this one remote can really handle all your complicated functions for each of the devices, is user friendly and comes in several options to choose from.

Above, I have listed the best 3 Logitech Harmony controls that will make your life easier with one single gadget to control. You need only one of these as per your requirements.

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Change It! Wall

Pioneer AVH-P3200BT InDash DVD Multimedia AV Receiver

This wall has been passed around on the internet for some time and has become a neat attraction. It’s not LED or anything digital, it’s actually made of turning triangles with different colors on them, white, black and a rainbow color. It is limited at these three options for now, but I’m sure we’ll see in the future various patterns and images.

Sony Eclipse

This one is for those who want to be mobile while partying or don’t find a house big enough to crash into.

Pioneer's Mobile Business Group is known for offering the kind of in-car products that make driving more enjoyable by offering high quality audio and video, seamless connectivity and ease-of-use. Get your media on the road with Pioneer's AVH-P3200BT, an in-dash double-DIN DVD Multimedia AV Receiver featuring built-in Bluetooth and a 5.8-inch widescreen display.

With versatile music and video playback, modern features like USB Direct Control and DivX support, a built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier, and plenty of expansion options--not to mention the ability to make and receive calls--it's the perfect way to turn your vehicle into a mobile entertainment center.

So you want to continue the party over to the next day and have no devices left with any batteries? Well, this is when this particular awesome gadget will come in handy. This Sony Eclipse concept created

by Hoang M Nguyen and Anh Nguyen is a media player that uses photovoltaic cells situated on its backside to draw in solar power. With this player you have a slight change of seeing the battery low warning very very rare.

Samson SAC01UPAK USB Microphone and Podcast Package

Some very clever Samson engineers managed to build the entire USB audio interface into the barrel of their best-selling C01 Studio Condenser microphone. For the first time ever, musicians who record music on computers have a simple, affordable way to capture high-quality vocal and acoustic instrument performances.

Seamless integration was the idea, and it was obtained by creating a studio condenser microphone that can be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes, no expensive computer pre-amps, just a USB cable (includes 10 foot cable).

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FOURSQUARE

TWEET IT UP

Let’s admit it, there is no better and faster way to get news of every new party that is going around you than Twitter. Every smartphone is equipped with a Twitter app, and if you follow the *cool* crowd – you will surely get the latest updates for the best parties around your ‘hood. It certainly helps when you have location based services enabled too – as any tweet with the hash-tag of #NYE2013 for your area will get maximum eyeballs, and naturally – the biggest crowd for the biggest party in town! And once you get in the groove of the party – you can share the party images and ensure your followers are even more jealous of you than before you tweeted about standing next to a celebrity. (Don’t you love technology?!)

INSTAGRAM

This one should be used by the party hoppers ONLY! Those who are already part of a cool swag of people and are living it up by jumping from one hot party to another. Check-in to various parties with your posse and make sure you are the envy of all your friends and social group. You never know – you might just become the virtual mayor of your city in a day!

Hairstyle Reference This one’s mostly for the ladies. The APP is one kind of helpful software to assist you to choose your hairstyle, which contains more than 30,000 popular hairstyle pictures, including Celebrity Hairstyles, Casual Hairstyles, Business Hairstyles, Wedding Hairstyles, Prom Hair Styles, Trendy Hairstyles, Women's hairstyles, Men's hairstyles and so on. And it updates most stylish hairstyles every day! A great app to have this New Year with the numerous parties to attend!

An app that lets you add effects to all the images that you take on the fly, and then upload it to your online account.

Instagram was much in the news for Hurricane Sandy and we can predict that a whole lot of people will surely be using this cool app to click and share all their party pics with their friends and followers alike. Even celebs are known to do the same, so if you are lonely and blue and didn’t get invited anywhere- switch on your Instagram account and start browsing some pics to get a feel of what it would’ve been ….

43 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Ridhi Dogra

On a scale of 1 to 10, how tech savvy are you?

7 out of 10

A gadget you can't live without?

My iPad for sure. Over clothes, perfums even diamonds. I love my iPad. And my iPod a close second!

A gadget you purchased and immediately regretted?

I may regret buying other things, but not gadgets. I am one of those customers who'd research and be sure I'm going to need it and use it. So, I don't regret buying any gadget!

The car you drive and the maximum speed you have driven at? Have you a thrill for speed?

Presently I am 'driven' in my I20. But I love to drive the Skoda Laura simply because its an automatic. I feel automatic cars are a bliss.

Especially on Bombay roads where one is constantly shuffling your feet between clutch and accelerator and brake with the gears!

Given the traffic! I think it’s so stressful to drive like that. Automatics are just heaven. I don't have thrill for speed as I find it silly and dangerous.

Any technology you would like to invent?

Technology to teleport! We badly need it!

The most used Mobile Apps ?

Not Mobile. But on my iPad, it’s Pinterest these days. I'm hooked to it. I am shifting home so I'm getting some really great ideas of how u can do so much with so little. It’s keeping me very busy.

Facebook or Twitter?

Twitter!

Are you a, Windows, Android or Mac loyalist?

I'm turning into a Mac loyalist. I'm attached to my iPad at the hip (haha) my iPod and the music in it is my lifeline. Very soon I'm going to get an iPhone. So I'm basically a MacBook away from being a complete Mac loyalist…

Your favorite Tech personality

N.R. Narayana Murthy for being a visionary and yet so simple, humble and grounded.

Leonardo Da Vinci for combining his talent of art with technology. And Steve Jobs. For simplifying almost everything about life with 'Apple'.

Anything you would like to ask Mark Zuckerberg: What next after Facebook? :)

If you were able to teleport to a place right now where would that be and why?

Paris. Straight up to the Eiffel Tower. With my husband Raqesh Vashisth!!

The next gadget/auto/technology you are going to invest in is the?

An iPhone, an automatic small diesel car and I'm ok with the amount of technology in my life. I like that my life isn't totally dependent on technology. That is scary!!

44 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

45 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

TECH TO SURVIVE DECEMBER 2012 GADGETS

Ambient Weather WR-111A The Mayan calendar ends on 21st December, 2012.

That’s when many people have started saying that the world will end. Hollywood even made a whole movie about it! So is it true? Well, no. Even NASA has come out with a statement on their official website denying any such possibility, elegantly stating that “Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.”

But, let’s suppose that the doomsayers are right. Especially those who had time to circulate news around the social networking websites about the 2012 movie starting with a flooding scene in New York, and

46 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

linking that to Hurricane Sandy’s recent destruction in the same city.

Let’s humour ourselves into ‘getting ready’ for something terrible. Of course, not the end of the world. Because if the world would really end on a given date – all you can do is pray and stay put. No matter where you hide, you will still die. So, let’s assume on that day – something really bad is going to happen. How can Tech help you survive an apocalypse on a grand scale?

Let us help you along.

Let’s not only look at some cool gadgets that will help you survive such a calamity, but also some amazing technology that can do just that.

So what does this little gadget do? It’s an emergency Solar Hand Crank AM/FM/NOAA Digital Radio, Flashlight, Cell Phone Charger with NOAA Certified Weather Alert & Cables. Phew! Does it really work? Of course!

What’s it really about? Well, let’s dig a bit deeper.

A must for any emergency toolkit, Bug Out Bag, or just hanging out at the beach, the ADVENTURER combines multiple emergency features into one compact package.

The WR-111A is a Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Alert Radio, a powerful 3 LED flashlight, and cell phone, MP3, MP4, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod, iPad, iPhone and USB charger, all in one portable package.

The ADVENTURER is a five way charger - charge from a USB device (computer), AC or wall power (with optional converter), DC or car charger (with optional converter), hand crank, or solar panel. The Ambient Weather WR-111A is a radio that you and your family can depend on, anytime, anywhere, any weather.

Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets Used worldwide by campers, hikers, militaries, emergency organizations, and anyone else who needs to drink water of questionable quality, these Portable Aqua iodine tablets will disinfect contaminated drinking water in a pinch. Unbelievable? Well, with technology these days anything is possible! So, even when there is a calamity and clean water is in short supply, this is what you need to get your hands on.

The tablets--which are intended for short-term or limited emergency use only--make most water bacteriologically suitable for drinking, proving effective against Giardia lamblia when used as directed. Each Potable Aqua tablet contains 20 mg of Tetraglycine Hydroperiodide (TGHP), which liberates 8 mg of titratable iodine when released into water. Within 30 minutes, the iodine will have penetrated the cell walls of the microorganisms, rendering them inactive and making the water safe to drink. Potable Aqua tablets also neutralize the iodine aftertaste and color, helping your drinking water taste better.

Cyalume SnapLight Industrial Grade Chemical Light Sticks Okay, so these might not be the most high tech thing to recommend, but it’s certainly no less useful. The Cyalume SnapLight is a green industrial grade chemical light stick measuring 6" long, for providing instant 360 degree illumination, that can be seen up to a mile away for up to 12 hours in optimal conditions. The SnapLight is waterproof, non-toxic, and non-flammable. To activate the light stick, bend, snap and shake the tube. The light stick has a hook and gate top, for hanging or attaching the light. Each light stick is individually foil-wrapped for protection from light and moisture, and has up to a five-year shelf life from date of manufacture.

The durable, waterproof, external body of the light stick is made from low density polyethylene (LDPE), and is phthalate free for safety. The internal illuminating chemical substance is non-toxic and non-flammable, and the components of the light stick are recyclable. The light stick floats in water and works best between 40 to 80 degrees F (4 to 27 degrees C), and although the light stick works at higher or lower temperatures, it is less effective in colder temperatures.

All sticks are tested at a temperature of 72 degrees F (22 degrees C) to determine the illumination duration. Each 10-degree C (50-degree F) increase or decrease in temperature doubles or halves the reaction rate, and therefore the brightness and duration. For example, the same light stick that emits approximately 30 lux (a unit that describes how much light is visible over a square meter) at 15 minutes after activation at 24 degrees C (75 degrees F) will be half as bright but glow twice as long at 14 degrees C (57 degrees F). At 34 degrees C (93 degrees F), the same light stick would be twice as bright, but glow half as long. Storage at elevated temperatures (above 120 degrees F or 49 degrees C) will decrease shelf life and start to soften the plastic tube, and increase the risk of a leak. Exposure to cold temperatures will not affect the light sticks if they are warmed above 40 degrees F (4.5 degrees C) before activation, unless they are frozen (which occurs at -15 to -20 degrees F, or -26 to -29 degrees C). Once light sticks have been frozen, they will still produce some light, but performance will not be as reliable.

Humidity and atmospheric conditions do not affect the light sticks.

Wicked Lasers' S3 Spyder III Arctic Assuming, of course, that other people in our apocalypse scenario need their decaying eyes to see you in order to chase you, what better way to stop stray attackers in their tracks – without having to deal with angry frustrated people in biting or hitting range – than by burning out their peepers?

The 1,000-milliwatt S3 Spyder III Arctic laser will ruin somebody's day if you point it at their eyeballs, making it a perfect weapon to use against undead attackers and fellow, surviving humans trying to take your stuff.

Additionally, this is a great little tool to use as a signal if you're trying to track down, alert, or otherwise notify other members of the human race.

The beam blasts out 0.25 lux of light for roughly four miles – a clarion call of hope if you're trying to round up your surviving friends at night.

47 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Solar-powered alarm If you aren't packing four of these at all times, you're doing something wrong.

Sure, you can try barricading yourself in your house – or a neighbor's house – when the zombie outbreak comes, but all the beeping security systems in the world aren't going to stop zombies from pouring through your windows or walls and devouring your loved ones.

To out-survive the zombies, you must out-run the zombies. And when you start living off the wild - or fleeing to non-infested cities - you're going to want to set up a great perimeter when it's time to get some shut-eye.

A solar-powered alarm, 120-decibel alarm with a big, annoying light should do just the trick.

Garmin fenix wristwatch GPS

This very handy and rugged GPS fits on your wrist and has a worldwide basemap, waterproof to 50m, altimeter, barometer, 3-axis compass, stopwatch, timer, and of course, a world clock. The GPS function will obviously be very useful when on foot or in the car scavenging for supplies. And if you get separated by your group while being chased by unwanted elements, the TracBack function will lead you back to your rendezvous point.

TECHNOLOGY

Wearable clean air bubble

This “dress” was developed as a personal air service for women to help provide cleaner air to the wearer. The University of Sheffield has been working on similar dresses which contain catalytic converters purifying the air around the wearer. The use-case for such technology is clear – in many apocalyptic situations the post-world air could be so polluted humans would be unable to breathe it in. In such cases respirators and even bubble-dresses could be life-savers.

48 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

LED solar power necklace

This necklace of light-weight solar panels gathers energy from the sun to light the wearer using incorporated LED lights at night. A few small modifications and this could be a multi-port, multi-cell charging unit for some of the gear mentioned in our first technology corner. Plus it looks pretty and everyone needs some pretty in their life.

Charging Solutions for your Smart Phones, Mobiles, MP3/MP4 etc. on the go..

2200mAh

High Capacity Fully charge your Smart Phones, Mobiles, MP3/MP4 approx twice*

Can Charge from your Computer, Laptop/Notebook USB

5V

1000mA USB Output Can Charge in Home with Digitek USB Home Adapter

Quick Charge your Smart Phones, Mobiles, MP3/MP4 in approx 1 Hr.

Safety Protection System

Different Colours

Inbuilt Safety Protection System Ensure your Device Safety

Can Charge in Car with Digitek USB Car Adapter

Available Connectors to charge your Device

iPhone/iPod

LG

Micro USB

Mini USB

NDSL

Nokia

PSP

Samsung

Samsung

Sony Ericsson

Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

USB Mini Travel Charger (2-in-1)

USB Travel Charger (10-in-1) Kit

Universal Notebook DC Adaptor

Small size, saves work space and feel extraordinary.

Simple imitation metal bright. Can be used wth iPhone, iPad, Tablet PC & other gadgets having Bluetooth functionality & Can also connect with Desktop Pc’s with Bluetooth Dongle. Operating Distance upto 10 mtrs.

This 2-in-1 Travel Charger Kit to quick charge your Blackberry Mobiles, iPad, iPod, Smart Phones, other Mobiles, MP3/MP4 & digital Devices anywhere at Home or in a car. Compatible with most USB Devices The kit includes a Home Power Adapter & Car Power Adapter with 2 in built USB port for charging device

Multi functional lightweight USB rectractable 10-in1 Cable including a Home Adapter & a Car Adapter with inbuilt USB Port to quick charge your Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG & other mobile phones or Digital Devices like MP3/MP4, GPS, Digital Camera etc. anytime anywhere.

Allows you to use DC input voltage from your Car. You can charge most of the leading Laptop brand & also in built USB Port to charge your MP3/MP4, Mobile Phones, & other Digital Device.

Select your matched 10 DC Connector fits to your laptop.

Maximum Power Out put : 90W Output Voltage : 15-20 Volt Over Current/ Voltage/ Short circuit Protection

* : Batteries with capacity up to 1000mAh can be charged approximately twice. # : Batteries with capacity up to 1000mAh can be charged in approximately 1 Hr.

IMS Mercantiles Pvt. Ltd.

on all Digitek Products

Corporate Office : 704, Ring Road Mall, Sector-3, Rohini, Delhi. Tel. : 011-47074444, Fax : +91-11-47074499 Email : info@imsmercantiles.in Branch Offices : Mumbai : 09892088651 Kolkatta : 09830517744 Jaipur : 09799211188 Ahmedabad : 09374232944 Hyderabad : 09390377744

Web : www.imsmercantiles.in

49 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

PERIENCE

Fifth Time’s The Charm The Apple iPhone 5 `45,500 for the 16GB model `52,500 for the 32GB model `59,500 for the 64GB model 2

Specifications

4” LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen Apple iOS 6 Apple A6 chipset, 1.2 GHz dual-core Processor PowerVR SGX GPU, triple-core 8MP camera with LED flash 16, 32 & 64GB internal memory only, no microSD card slot 1 GB RAM 1

1

First Look

It’s the first iPhone which has grown taller, though not wider. It’s 4 inches across, but still feels a lot smaller compared to the Android quad-core giants from Samsung, HTC and LG. Yes, it is (18%) thinner, (20%) lighter and ‘amazing’ in every possible way. There is no denying, though, that the iPhone faces steeper challenge now more than ever. But, for the sake of this review let’s take a look at the iPhone for what it can do and how well it can do it.

Review

The thinnest, lightest and tallest iPhone sounds as good on paper as it looks when you hold it. The weight is the first thing that hits you, it feels like the lightest phone you’ve ever held – even though it has a generous amount of metal (and glass) built into it. Then it’s the Retina Display, which is crystal clear, sharp and as bright as the Super AMOLED’s.

But the taller frame has given it a slightly unusual resolution of 1136x640. This is not the highest by any stretch of imagination, but you can expect Apple to work their magic and make everything look oh-so-good on their fabulous products. The sharp use of metal and glass for the build, and the excellent Retina Display does more than enough to sway you towards the iPhone. But, it works only with a Nano-SIM, and therein lies quite a problem with really limited availability of it here in India. As you start using it more and

50 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY you start appreciating the iOS 6 running the show so seamlessly, although it does lack a lot of customisation options that Android has spoiled us with. Nevertheless, iOS 6 has moved in the right direction and even though SIRI is a guy for Indian users with a Brit accent, it gets the job done just as well. Except for location based services, for which it can only do a web search. The phone is faster too, as proven by the benchmarks- it can easily be compared to any of the quad-core powered ‘droids. The A6 chip not only makes browsing, multitasking and gaming faster – it also does it in a much better manner to conserve as much battery as possible. It’s also the first time that Apple has changed the stock earphones to – earpods. There is also a new ‘Lightening’ port which replaces the old 30-pin adapter and makes all your old iPod accessories redundant. iCloud, Multimedia, SNS integration and Apple’s own sharing features make the new iPhone a package worth the penny you pay.

Albeit, at a premium.

EXHIBIT RATING

The excellent quality of glass and metal used has always been iPhone’s strength and with the tallest release it has only got better. The 3.5mm audio jack is now at the bottom, there is a ‘mute’ button right above the volume up key on the left and the power/lock key remains at the top.

2

CAMERA

The ‘iSight’ camera is superb at focusing on the fly and taking some amazing pictures that can be compared to pointand-shoot cams. The fun new panorama feature lets you take some great pics, but with Android’s Photo Sphere about to explode, we’re not betting big on Apple.

Video recording @1080p is smooth, crisp and stereo sound is one of the best among recent high-end smartphones.

Verdict

Though the iPhone 5 can do pretty much everything that the best smartphones can do, it still has the same issues that the older iPhone’s did. No Bluetooth file transfers, no mass storage modes and no deep customisations. Newer features like ‘Passbook’ won’t work in India till a year or so, making the premium you pay only worth for the impeccable Retina Display, the great cam and superb browsing experience. If that’s what you’ve always wanted, then this is the phone for you. Bar none!

An Awesome Jellybean!

The HTC One X+ `40,190/-

Specifications

4.7” Super LCD 2 capacitive touchscreen Android OS v4.1 (Jelly Bean) Quad-core 1.7 GHz Processor Nvidia Tegra 3 AP37 chipset 8MP camera with LED flash 32 & 64 GB internal memory only, no microSD card slot 1 GB RAM

2

1

First Impression

LG Optimus G, which is exactly what HTC had intended to do with the One X+. The feature rich quad-core smartphone has an updated Nvidia Tegra 3 chip (which is still not as great as the competition running on Snapdragon S4 Pro), which is blazing fast, but still has the same issues that the old one had – managing memory and usage of power with Android’s own system.

Even though Jelly Bean has certainly taken care of most of this, there are still some places where you notice a bit of a stutter creep in – but that’s really nit-picking on a great device with great features and an awesome screen. The battery life lasts for more than 7 hours of continuous use, which is quite acceptable for a quad-core smartphone. The One X+ has certainly made a jump in the right direction, but it does feel like HTC is playing catch-up even though their phones are much better in build quality.

So, the Taiwanese smartphone makers decided to upgrade the One X a bit, to keep up with the competition. It makes more sense to upgrade since the One X was one of the first quad-core’s with a brilliant IPS display to hit the shelves, but with incredibly spec’d products from Samsung, the One X felt a bit outdone. So, HTC has juiced it with more power and given it Jelly Bean out of the box, with the latest version of Sense UI on top of it.

Does it work wonders? We sure hope so!

Review

The micro-SIM powered One X was quite a good device, until the competition started beating it with higher benchmark scores. Thus the One X+ has been released with 1.7 GHz quad-core processor (instead of 1.5 on the original One X) as well as an updated GeForce 2 GPU. It also gets an updated 2100 mAh (from 1800 in the original) to keep up with the upgrades and generally give it an edge over the competition. Jelly Bean right out of the box is great news, but we’d love to test this with the newly launched 4.2 version of Jelly Bean. But even with the Project Butter update, the Jelly Bean Android OS felt buttery smooth and was a pleasure to use. Everything was snappy and the benchmark scores were a testament to that. It left the original One X way behind and caught up with the Note 2 and

1

Build & Design

The beautifully crafted unibody polycarbonate design on the HTC One X+ is quite similar to the original, though it has gained about 5 gms.

It still feels light, sturdy and is easily usable with one hand for most operations.

2

CAMERA

No dedicated camera key, though Sense UI does give you the option to drag the camera icon into the ring to quickly launch

the app – the 8MP snapper is as good as the current competition, with enough modes and customizations available to you. There is an upgraded front cam as well, which does a decent job – and video recording for the primary cam is now 1080p @

DISPLAY

The Super LCD 2 with Corning Gorilla Glass is just awesome. Everything looks spectacular on it, even though the colours on the original One X feel a little warmer. Anyhow, there is no denying that the true to life reproduction on the 312 ppi 4.7” screen is fabulous and produces great quality text, video, images and gaming in almost every condition you can use it in.

Verdict

Finally an HTC smartphone that has impressed us and one which has all the right moves and specs that can be termed as near perfect. If you can overlook a few (really) minor glitches – like no microSD card slot (only 32 & 64GB variants available), unwanted HTC goodies bundled with the package – then this is really the best smartphone around. With a beautifully crafted polycarbonate unibody design and amazing performance overall, it is the smartphone of the season!

EXHIBIT RATING 51 I EXHIBIT I NOVEMBER 2012 51 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

PERIENCE

Dual SIM dual FUN

The HTC Desire SV `22,590/-

1

1

Specifications

4.3” Super LCD2 capacitive touchscreen Android OS v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1GHz dual-core processor 8MP camera with LED flash 4GB internal, microSD card support up to 32GB 768 MB RAM

First Look

Another Beats Audio enhanced from HTC has come in the form of a dual-SIM (microSIM) smartphone based on the slightly older Android OS, i.e. Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).

Sense UI is overlayed as always, to enhance the user experience – though we would’ve looked slightly fewer customisations and more of a stock Android experience. Anyhow, after the Desire V became the first dual SIM phone by HTC, we know how a more powerful dual-core dual-SIM phone – called the Desire SV (confusing naming standards, right?) which is targeted to an audience which want performance as well as functionality.

the multimedia experience is enhanced by Beats Audio. The camera at the rear is a good 8MP snapper with LED flash, but don’t expect it to be a real boon. No front camera means no video calling and no Skype calls either, but that might not be a deal breaker for a lot of desi users here in India. Excellent SNS integration with all your Google bundled apps make it a seamless user experience phone, plus Document Editor and various multimedia file format support out-of-the-box is a real plus. Battery life is quite good, with more than 7 hours of use producing low levels and heating only occurs while using intense resource-utilizing apps/games. With every connectivity option that you may need, there is hardly anything not to like in this beauty – a very good phone in this price range, with good price and an excellent build quality.

Review

This particular phone was launched at the event in Singapore where Exhibit was invited for an exclusive launch, and the Desire SV was targeted as a smartphone exclusively made for Indian audience. The dual-SIM smartphone does compete and outdo the Galaxy Ace Duos from Samsung, but it is pricier too. The design and overall look feels more modern and the available colours will be Radical Yellow and Stealth Black. Running the benchmark on this phone clearly showed that it is no slouch and can compete with the best dual-core smartphones in the same range. It’s clearly very zippy and has excellent feel and processing speed to it. Multi-tasking is handled well within Sense UI with your 8 most recent Apps being kept alive and killing the older ones, whereas

52 I EXHIBIT I NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2012 2012

1

DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY

The stylish design and premium materials used for construction clearly stand out in this smartphone and distinguishes it from the rest. Sure, it might look like most HTC phones in this range, but the design and colours are more modern and vibrant.

resolution of 217 ppi. The viewing angles are good for most parts, but sunlight legibility could’ve been a lot better than what it turned out to be.

2

CAMERA

The 8MP snapper is quite handy in well-lit conditions but does struggle a bit in low light shooting. The features in the camera UI are what you see in all the updated Sense UI cameras, with every type of new feature available including colour effects, visual effects and panorama as well.

Disappointingly, the video recording is only 480 p @ 30 fps.

Verdict

It’s quite hard to find anything wrong with this smartphone, the dual-SIM might just turn out to be an added feature that many might not use if they really like the overall phone. With 25GB of dropbox storage as well as 4.1 upgrade a real possibility, this device certainly needs your attention if you are looking to change or upgrade for a phone around the 20-25k price range.

DISPLAY

The 4.3” Super LCD 2 screen has a vibrant and crystal clear display with a fairly good

EXHIBIT RATING

The Super Exclusive Phone The BlackBerry Porsche `1.35 lacs (approx)

1

Specifications

2.8” TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen BlackBerry OS 7 1.2 GHz Processor 5MP camera with LED flash 8 GB internal memory only microSD card slot up to 32GB

2

First Look

How do you review a gizmo that you know is unaffordable for 99% of your target audience?

How can you compare it to anything if there are no alternatives? How can you justify its price when you can perhaps get a Tata Nano for about the same price? That is the real dilemma we find ourselves in, but putting everything else aside let’s just look at the product itself to try and see what it really can do with a design that is created by the Porsche Design Studio.

Review

The forged stainless steel body encases a beautifully styled QWERTY keyboard, the likes of which we’ve never seen on any BB device before. There is also a hand-wrapped leather back cover, which is great because you won’t feel the battery’s heat even with continuous use. The 2.8 TFT capacitive touchscreen may appear small for all modern users hooked on touchscreens, but for the elite who can really afford this – that may be just enough for conducting their business in an efficient manner. It’s a BB device after all, and it sure does support 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth as well as in-built support for NFC (to our great surprise). It is enabled with all the BB OS 7 goodies you expect, including the fluid UI which is a breeze to use and get used to. BB users will feel quite at home using all the BB services like BB Mail and BBM, but new users might need some getting used to. Overall, it’s really not about the 1.2 GHz processor which does a good job overall, nor the 768MB of

2

RAM which is good enough for all business users. The 5MP cam with LED flash is quite good (considering it’s a BB device) we might even go as far as saying its possibly the best cam on any BB device we’ve seen! But the entire purpose of this phone is the look, style and exclusivity factor. There is no doubt in our mind that the top 1% of the wealthy reading this review will surely love to own one of this devices, not just because of the exclusivity factor, but also because the BB Porsche does everything you expect it to – without making much of a fuss.

1

CAMERA

The 5MP snapper as we mentioned earlier is possibly the best we’ve seen on a BB device.

It can also record HD videos and playback is fluid, smooth and quite a good experience.

X-FACTOR

The Porsche P’9981 comes with a custommade Wikitude World Browser with an augmented reality app experience. Also, the PIN for the Porsche phones is exclusive, making it easier to recognise the device from it. The SNS suite is quite good and the overall browsing and messaging experience is really good.

DISPLAY

With a 2.8” TFT capacitive touchscreen, you don’t expect much – but the crisp, sharp and brightly lit display on the BB Porsche impressed us much. The 640x480 native resolution renders sharp images, text and makes for a good web surfing and multimedia experience.

Verdict

The yacht club have a gadget that will be its object of desire for some time to come.

But, the real question is, does it really justify the exorbitant price tag of nearly 1.35 lacs?

Well, yes! It’s not just the classy design that impresses, not only the ease with which you get used to the UI and features, but also the feeling when you have it. It’s that feeling which can’t really be described but has to be felt, and BB is hoping that it’s that feeling which will draw the elite to their Porsche P’9981 smartphone. Gift it your loved one if you can afford it, and watch your world change. Go on, then!

EXHIBIT RATING

53 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

PERIENCE

BIG, BOLD YET DOING MORE The Asus S Series Ultrabook `52,999/-

Specifications Intel Core i7 @ 1.9GHz 15.6” (16:9) LED backlight display NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 635M with 2GB DDR3 VRAM 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 750 GB HDD (7200 rpm) Super-Multi DVD drive HD Web Camera

First Look

Asus has launched some really awesome ultrabook, especially the Zenbook series which has made quite an impression the world over. But the S series comes equipped with an optical drive as well, hence there is the weight and size factor that gets added on. Nonetheless, it has the slimness of an ultrabook (as defined by Intel- of 21mm), has an updated i7 processor and 4GB of RAM as well. But does it also have everything else to impress a modern day user, who also has the option to use powerful tablets? Let’s find out.

Review

Once you power on the 15.6” HD laptop, you can see how this ultrabook is truly different from the Zenbook. The S series is not as thin, but is still 21 mm thin with an optical drive (DVD Multi-drive) built in. It’s certainly heavier and doesn’t feel as comfortable on your lap, but the larger screen makes it a lot better to view movies and images. It also has enough juice to play some of your best games on it, but the lack of a real top-end graphics card means that some really demanding games might not play as well on this notebook.

Our test machine had the Intel Core i7 1.9GHz Processor with 2 cores and 4 Logical Processors. The Nvidia GeForce GT 635M is great for most of the latest games and Skyrim, COD and even Hitman Absolution

54 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

played without a fuss. The only games where we envision some issues might be the latest Crysis, but otherwise this notebook can handle anything you throw at it. 1080P videos played back really well, though the display on the notebook didn’t seem as sharp as the one on other ultrabooks. Even text on web pages wasn’t as sharp as we were hoping for it to be. The SonicMaster chip is implemented to provide a better audio experience on the whole- but with just the built-in speakers, the performance didn’t seem that great. With earphones/headphones – it was a lot better.

The well laid out chiclet keypad was a joy to use – especially with the presence of a numeric keypad on the right. The gesture enabled touchpad was great to use as well, but the strangest thing in the build was the placement of the memory card reader slot. Placed on the lower left side, it is not the most convenient place to insert and remove your card. But, with brilliant performance overall, we were ready to let this hiccup slide.

DESIGN & BUILD QUALITY

Barring the memory card reader slot, the overall build and design of the notebook is really good. The weight and bulk is a bit of a bother, but the keypad and premium quality of materials used make up for the overall feel good factor.

CONNECTIVITY

There is only 1 USB 3.0 port (on the left panel) right next to the Ethernet, HDMI and VGA ports. On the right panel you’ll find the other USB 2.0 ports along with the 3.5 mm audio jack. Bluetooth and memory card reader are also present.

Verdict

For about 50K, the competition might not give you a notebook that is replenished with- so much firepower. The Asus S Series ultrabook wants you to push it harder, and it doesn’t falter much. Yes, the design and build could’ve been a bit sleeker, but that really would be nitpicking especially considering the price to performance ratio. Easily recommendable notebook for those who want a powerhouse of a notebook!

EXHIBIT RATING

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PERIENCE

“BUDGET PHABLETS?” Oh Yes!

Meet The Spice Mi-500

` 16,000/-

2

Specifications

5” TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen Android OS v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1GHz Dual-core Processor 5MP camera with dual-LED flash 4GB internal, microSD card support up to 32GB 512 MB RAM

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First Look

like Angry Birds and Temple Run proving too easy to tackle, and browsing and mailing was quite a breeze too. Benchmark testing showed that the phablet is quite a decent performer, but we were still surprised to notice the odd jitter here and there, while multi-tasking.

Multimedia wasn’t great, as the display is too reflective to watch anything and really enjoy it, whereas the Apps experience is also partly ruined because of the same reason. This is a dual-SIM dual-standby device, so it offers the usual SIM settings. Thanks to a bigger screen, The Spice Mi-500 isn’t just a phablet, it’s a dual- the onscreen keyboard is comfortable even in SIM phablet with ICS and a dual-core 1 GHz portrait mode. The smartphone’s 2400 mAh ARM v7 Processor. This is ably supported by a battery couldn’t even last for a 2 hour movie, PowerVR SGX 531 GPU with 512 MB of RAM, though. With normal use, it lasted around 8 with 2 GB of internal storage and a microSD hours.. card that will support up to 32GB of data.

Looking at the specs, we expected the phablet to perform quite smoothly and without even The design is so uninspiring, you’d be tempted a hint of lag, but that turned out to be untrue when we had more than 3 or 4 apps running in to call it a piece of plastic and glass stuck together. The back panel is so flimsy that it the background. Handling this bulky 205 gms feels more like a cheap Chinese radio than a device proved another challenge, leaving us smartphone! It’s almost brick-like, that can be with no option but to always use 2 hands to used as a weapon. operate around successfully. The Android ICS While the Samsung Note II looks to be a game changer in more ways than one, other companies want to cash in on the fad of owning a phone-tablet hybrid by offering them cheaper alternatives. We’re not fans of phablets in the first place, so cheaper phablets might be a terrible idea to start out with. But, let’s not judge a book by its cover- and try and look deep into the nooks and corners of the latest phablet around – the Spice Mi-500.

Review

BUILD AND DESIGN

is hardly customized which gives you a stock Android experience with fairly average touch sensitivity. The dual-core processor, did shine in the gaming department with casual games

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EXHIBIT RATING

DISPLAY

A 5” TFT LCD screen with a resolution of 480x800 means that the pixel density is rather poor, but we know this is a ‘budget’ device. Nevertheless, the reflective screen is no excuse as any light falling on it means that you can barely view anything on the device itself.

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CAMERA

The 5MP shooter has LED flash but still isn’t able to capture the sharpest of images, with some levels of noise creeping in – especially when shooting indoors. It’s got all the good features that a native ICS stock Android camera has, which makes using the camera fun- but overall gives average results. It is also capable of recording 480p videos at 30fps, in 3GP format.

Verdict

Why would anyone buy a bulky smartphone (or a smallish tablet) if it doesn’t even look like it belongs to the right crowd. The Mi500 isn’t as slim as the Samsung Note II, nor does it have the looks, nor the performance, nor the desirability. Even though the benchmarks showed relatively good performance on the ICS powered phablet, the actual usage wasn’t that great. Budget phablets, it seems – just won’t work.

Two To Tango Swipe All in One Tablet `11,999 /-

Specifications 7” TFT LCD Capacitive touchscreen Dual-SIM 3G Tablet Android OS v 4.0.3 (ICS) 1.5 GHz Processor 1 GB DDR III RAM 2 MP rear and 1.3MP front camera 8GB internal memory microSD card support up to 32 GB

First Look

So, budget tablets are now flowing in to India.

Since OS related innovations are hard to come by, we’re now seeing some rather interesting developments. Dual-SIM tablets! Yes, since we’ve been fascinated with the concept and launched quite a few smartphones with the same concept, it was easy to see the same being implemented on tablets as well.

American based company Swipe Telecom has launched its latest 7” tab – teasingly christened the “All in One”. Whether or not it really has all what we need, will be tested out in our in-depth review.

Review

Testing some budget tabs can be quite a pain, since most of them have really bad quality displays. But Swipe All in One was a refreshing change, with a pleasant TFT LCD screen having a resolution of 1028x600 on a 7” form factor.

The tablet itself is well built and the materials don’t feel cheap or tacky at all. While running benchmark tests on the 1.5GHz powered tablet (with 1 GB DDR III RAM and PowerVR GPU), it came up with a score of about 3500 which isn’t that impressive but still is more than the original Samsung Galaxy S and the Google Nexus S. What is even more impressive is the way you can enjoy multimedia on this 7”

tab, but mind you – the viewing angles are not the best. However, for a budget tablet, it does pretty well, greatly helped with the Enhanced Stereo sound with dual speakers. Ideally we would’ve liked to see Androids latest OS Jelly Bean on it, but even ICS is a pretty good deal considering the price to performance ratio.

Google integration is top notch, as you’d expect – but we still haven’t seen too many apps flowing in made exclusively for 7” tablets on the Play Store. The rear cam has no flash, but then again you don’t really want tabs to take pics for you. Video calling over 3G as well as Wi-Fi (via Skype) is possible, and is pretty good, considering the front cam is 1.3MP only.

Lastly, the tablet has 8GB of internal memory with an expandable slot for 32GB.

Verdict

If you are looking out for a budget tablet which has great build quality and a good screen, then this is certainly the tablet for you.

Swipe’s All-in-One may not be perfect, but it’s still as good as a budget tab can get and it has all the right moves to impress you with performance as well as features. The dual-SIM functionality is simply an added edge, for a rather good performing budget tablet with a quality feel to it.

CONNECTIVITY

Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth are all on-board – plus you have the options to make calls too! NFC is certainly not present, but not expected either.

BATTERY LIFE

Even on continuous use over Wi-Fi and 3G, the tablet lasted more than 8 hours, which also included multimedia viewing and light gaming too.

EXHIBIT RATING

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PERIENCE

Teaches Without Judging

The Aakash iTutor

` 14,000/- (approx)

First Look

Tablets are evolving out of their current avatar and improving their functionality to appeal to a broader audience. Aakash Institute has created an ‘iTutor’ with the singular purpose of helping out our desi students with their education needs. It is the first ever initiative that has been undertaken by any coaching institute in India. iTutor program is a tablet based complete educational product that combines the best of classroom learning and self-study which has been specifically designed for students aiming for the various Medical and Engineering entrance exams as well as for Foundation level examinations such as NTSE, Olympiads etc.

Review

The Aakash iTutor program is available in a 7 inch tablet with customized Android2.3.4OS, WiFi connectivity, an Internet data card dongle and fairly strong hardware configuration, at least for students with a singular purpose to enable them to prepare better for their exams. It comes in a rather nice leather case, with the tablet securely snugged inside. As soon as you unlock, though, you can either choose to login to the iTutor program –or the regular Android Homescreen.

We tested out the iTutor, as that’s the real core feature here. The device is user friendly, yet packed with advanced software application to enhance overall learning. It gives access to

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real time high quality video lectures, self-study materials, self-assessment tools, feedback mechanism and many other useful features to master the subjects. Apart from the interactivity of a classroom, Aakash iTutor provides access to best faculty, full lectures, engaged learning, doubt clearing, test assessments, personalized feedback and peer learning, at anytime and anywhere. It is cost-effective as it is way cheaper than a normal classroom coaching program fee and is available at the convenience of one’s home. It was hard for us to assess the material, but it looked good enough for students who want to crack their exams. If we went out of the iTutor program and browsed the Android usability, we realised how under-powered the tablet really is. But, it is still quite acceptable and with no 3rd party apps installed, it managed decent benchmark scores comparable to other budget tabs.

Specifications

7” TFT capacitive touchscreen Android OS v2.3.4 (Gingerbread) 1.5GHz Processor 4GB internal, microSD card support up to 32GB 512 MB RAM

Verdict

This one’s for all you students, but we sure hope that you use it ONLY for your educational purposes and not to update your FB status! It does the job that is expected from it, especially considering the amount of material that you can have access to in the comfort of your home. As an android tablet, however, it is about average – but, then again, it is a budget tablet. As always, if you’re a student, make do with what you get. Or if you can afford it, get any new Apple product with iTunes U.

BUILD AND DESIGN

The device does not feel cheap or tacky in any way and has good touch sensitivity and all the connectivity options you need. For 3G, there is a USB port, over which you can connect a 3G dongle and there is the option in-built for WiFi. The leather-like cover is a great accessory and the tablet feels more usable inside of it.

EXHIBIT RATING

An Affordably Good Smartphone The Karbonn A18

`10,500/-

Specifications

4.3” IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen Android OS v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 1GHz Processor 5MP camera with LED flash 2.55GB internal, microSD card support up to 32GB 512 MB RAM

First Look

Every time we hear about budget smartphones we have to think twice about how durable and sturdy the actual product might be. Some end up looking rather plastic-y and some quite tacky. But Karbonn is trying to pull out all the stops and make a name for themselves in the budget smartphone segment by making some nice quality phones. The A18 is one such contender which is available at a price of around 10K, which would make it really tempting in the competitive budget smartphone segment. But what does it have that sets it apart from the competition? We shall see.

Review

With a surprisingly good build quality the A18 is on track to impress us, along with the fact that it came pre-loaded with ICS, a 5MP cam with LED flash and an IPS display. The display was really good, the blacks were really deep and every colour seemed impressive. The ‘touch’ was another area of great joy, as the sensitive touchscreen responded really well to our gestures and multi-touch alike. Naturally the Android ICS experience gives you access to tonnes of apps, but surprisingly the default Music and Video Player app were missing in the phone. A few apps which weren’t that great were pre-installed (like Kingsoft office, Karbonn Smart Browser and nexGTv), but we can skip those.

We installed some RPG games, a few productive apps, some SN related apps and then tested out to see if the phone would lag. It didn’t and we even tested it out with a 16GB microSD card

with 720p videos playing, the phone managed to hold up quite well. An odd thing we noticed here was that only 503MB of internal space was available to the user, out of the total 2.55GB. Strange. The A18 also impressed in benchmarks, easily outdoing its closest rival – the Spice MI425. The dual-SIM slots had the Master with 3G support and the secondary only for GPRS, but with one line active the other is automatically on standby. Voice-quality and 3G surfing are both quite good, and Wi-Fi gives you added advantage of surfing at higher speeds, looking at a fairly good IPS display. The only downside here seemed to be the battery life, which quite clearly struggled with more 3G and Wi-Fi browsing use, but still lasted about 5 hours of continuous use – which is the average for a 1500 mAh battery.

CAMERA

A dedicated shutter key is dearly missing, but with burst mode, fun panorama modes and various other tricks- the cam is quite decent.

Image quality isn’t the best for a 5MP snapper, but of all the budget smartphones, it is quite good.

BUILD QUALITY & DESIGN

The border of the device is silver in colour and has a matte finish. The smartphone’s overall build is very nice and it is comfortable to hold in one hand. The rear is glossy black plastic that is a fingerprint magnet from the word go. The rear panel is the only thing that feels a little flimsy especially when you remove it.

Verdict DISPLAY

The superb IPS display on the 4.3” LCD screen is brilliant and with a resolution of 480x800, the pixel density isn’t that bad either. Watching movies and images is a great experience, with sunlight legibility being about average.

A rather impressive smartphone to own, the ICS powered Karbonn A18 has certainly got what it takes to be a competitive player in an already tight segment. With impressive Multimedia, SN and gaming experience – it is perhaps one of the best budget smartphones in India, with a competitive pricing of 10.5K. With a few improvements here and there, it could’ve been an amazing phone too, but we will have to make do with very good, for now.

EXHIBIT RATING

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PERIENCE

BOOMING AGAIN The Tekfusion Twinwoofer M

`3,399/-

Specifications 19-21 KHz Frequency Response 16 ohms of impedance 113 dB of Pressure Level 32 gms – Net Weight 1.5m Symmetric Cord Gold Plated 3.5 mm Headphone Jack

First Look

Some months ago we reviewed the Tekfusion Twinwoofer earphones and were very impressed with them. The Indian company has now come up with a mic-fitted version of the same earphone, which will let you talk as well as listen. The package that came in for review were neatly packed in a large box which contained – Twinwoofers In-Ear Headphones 7 pair of Eartips Clip & Cable Slider Carry Pouch & Hard Carry case Micro-fiber cleaning cloth Manual This package looked even more impressive than the previous one, but it does come at a price. How does the earphone package perform though? Let’s get cracking!

Review

The “M” on the new Twinwoofer by Tekfusion might very well be for mic - because on the whole that is the only major change that we could spot right away. The controller for the mic (to pick/disconnect calls and skip tracks) is conveniently located on the right sided earphone where you’d expect it to be.

The build quality remains the same overall from the previous set, except for a changed audio pin that you will insert in your 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s no longer straight, but a right angled version of the pin- which is at times uncomfortable to use (esp when you put your audio device in your pocket and remove it quickly). The 1.5m long cable can get tangled up in a lot of situations but that hardly seems like a deal breaker. Especially when you start putting a closer attention to the performance. This earphone set needs some time to ‘break-in’ ( just like the last pair), but trust us - once it’s there, it really performs splendidly. The bass sounds are deep and thumping, and the treble is sweet and does not screech. Noise cancellation could’ve been a bit better, but we aren’t going to complain that much - after all the smug fitting of the eartips might be perfect for some, but not so great for others. There are 7 different variants, and that’s the good news - we really loved the variety, as well as the hard and soft pouch options to carry the earphones with you. Testing the mic in noisy conditions was a bit challenging, as there was slight disturbance while talking, but not while hearing. In moderate or silent conditions, both mic and earphone worked like charms - and gave us no room for any complains. We still felt that the overall design was perhaps not conducive for a mic and

earphone combo, but if you want a great pair of earphone with an option to talk as well - then this is the product for you.

NOISE ISOLATION

Just as good as the original Twinwoofers, the M matched up the performance of audio quality in noisy conditions with ease.

The clarity was enjoyable and so was the punch in the bass and thump.

Verdict

Tekfusion had the right idea, but somehow we feel it hasn’t quite hit the bulls eye.

Yes, the package is great and we love, and yes the sound quality is still fantastic just like the original Twinwoofer. But, the ‘M’ here has added only a mic that has not fully justified it’s place on this pair, which has great audio performance and about average mic performance. We’d still recommend the original Twinwoofers for those who just want great sound for their smartphone/laptop/or MP3 player (it works great with all!) - but the M might be a bit too expensive (at more than 3K) for a micadded set of great earphones.

EXHIBIT RATING

www.mistore.in 100% Satisfaction or refund / replacement

Free Shipping Across India

M : +91 9833122253 E : care@mistore.in 61 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

PERIENCE

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 –Still afresh Call of Duty is seemingly the only franchise which has continually steamrolled the competition, and as Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 releases this holiday season, it enters a field crowded with competition.

Just the past few weeks alone have brought us Borderlands 2, Halo 4 and Medal of Honor: Warfighter, with two of those games dominating our free time, and the other one… not. And that’s just the recent FPS lineup. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of games to divert your attention right now.

Black Ops 2 is a sequel in both title and story, although it does not pick up immediately where the first game left off. Instead, we’re years in the future, where the present time is now 2025. You’re still playing as Mason, although this time it’s David Mason, son of Alex Mason from the original Black Ops. He’s visiting Frank Woods, his father’s old (literally) partner who has information about Raul Menendez, and possibly a terrorist attack on the United States.

Old trails

You’ll see the bond between Woods and the elder Mason deepen, based on missions they carried out post Black Ops, and you’ll also find out just who Raul Menendez is, and why Treyarch considers him to be “the most dangerous terrorist since Bin Laden.” Although you’ve played through the campaign at least once, you’ll probably conclude that Menendez is much, much worse.

The branching events in the campaign are where the story treads into the “interactive storytelling” realm. Sometimes these can be somewhat trivial and cosmetic, and at other times they can have a bearing on future campaign events and on Strike Force levels. You can easily identify these moments as they happen in the campaign with certain achievements, or you can see them in the level menus where your progress is marked.

A little stale here and there

But despite the slight dings in Strike Missions and Zombies, the series continues to shine with its incredibly ambitious, globe-spanning, epic single player campaign, which is now augmented with an incredibly high replay factor. And it should come as no surprise that the multiplayer continues to shine, and will dominate the online game boards in the weeks and months to come. The series has come to be strongly identified by its online multiplayer, and the same holds true in this latest release. They’ve perfected the scratch to the itch you have when you feel the need to jump online and shoot things.

Like •Cinematic moments •Lots of replays

Hate •The zombie mode

PLORE

awesome foursome of the month

Urbanears x Harris Tweed With winter almost here, it’s time to bring out your woolen clothing.

It seems tech toys also need the same, lest they catch a cold. Swedish headphone maker Urbanears collaborated with wool experts Harris Tweed to release a special edition of the former’s Plattan on-ear headphones, which of course get sweet hand-woven wool covers. And the asking price for such a cool looking audio device? A neat $69.

The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera The Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera is a concept device put together by Jonas Pfeil which is not only designed for throwing, but in doing so, takes a 360° panorama of wherever you are. This innovative camera uses 36 cellphone camera sensors placed around the outside of the ball, protected by foam. When you grab the ball and throw it into the air, the onboard accelerometer calculates the apogee — the point where the ball is stationary at the top of the arc — and it captures the entire scene.

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Celsius X-VI-II Papillon This seems like a cranky full of gears and precisely designed piece of mechanical marvel. This is the world’s first mechanical cellphone innovated by a French company called Celsius after four years of research. It has been priced at a whopping $275,000. This craftsmanship claims to run without a battery, which in turn derives the power from the kinetic energy generated by flipping the cover of the phone. It has devised a technology which is a fully mechanical setup clock called the tourbillon incorporating the gravity as a source of running the shell. The body of the phone is fully transparent so that anyone can peek into it in order to admire the intricate work. You may wonder why you will pay such a huge bloat of money instead of preferring an iPhone 5 or Android device, we must say it is a glittering precious gem for clock collectors.

Philips’ Vintage iPod Dock Recently unveiled by Phillips, the Phillips Original Radio is a vintage looking iPod dock- the one that would remind you of Radio sets from old English homes. This vintage-looking radio was inspired from the Philips Philetta 254, a radio that was hugely popular back in 1955, thanks to its unique design that I’m sure you’ll love even today. This radio could bring vintage glamour to any room of your house, with the stylish wooden casing and the black front plus two lovely aluminum knobs used to control the volume and playback option. Apart from playing digital radio and FM Radio, the Philips Original Radio can also play all your music from iPod or iPhone. The date, time and name of the current track are displayed on the front and the 10-watt high quality speakers are more than enough for an excellent playback.

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ADVT

FERRITETHE IRON MAN H

ow often does it happen that we see a car go by and wonder, haven’t we seen that before? A déjà vu maybe!

And compare it to the times when you see a car go by and think whoa! Where do we get this one? For the former you know where to go ‘cause you have seen that one before, for the latter, let us tell you how we stalked it to see who owns it.

Ferrite Motors and Automotives is where you get that one from! If you want your car to get into the ‘changing room’ and come out looking like your dream-come-true car, Ankit Kansara is the man you have to go to.

This young chap, being a car enthusiast since childhood and has done his bachelors in Automotive Engineering from the University of Sussex, UK. To add further, he enhanced his skills by pursuing Dip Masters in ‘Transport Design’, MSc in ‘Design and Transport’ and MA in ‘Automotive Design’ from Coventry University, UK. Now that is truckloads of education on the subject which goes on to show he isn’t any amateur.

He knows his work and he knows it pretty well. He is back here in India to give us not only a hint but a taste and thrill of his absolutely breath taking designs! If you see this car called ‘the grunge’, you will know what we mean. This is the first creation by him and beneath this super sporty and wild look is a simple older generation Suzuki Swift! He is a man with passion, determination and dynamism who is ready to explore everything about the beauty you drive and give it a super swanky look.

He is currently working on couple of new projects which he will make it public once completed. So much more coming your way! The lad already comes with an award from General Motors (GM) for his superb designs. He already is a winner and is out to conquer the remaining.

Passion never dies, does it? With a full fledged workshop in Mumbai, Ferrite is all set to drive home a lot many orders. For those with an eye for detail and a thirst for style, Ferrite Motors and Automotive gives your car all it needs to get ready for the red carpet. Pampering your car and boosting up your presence around couldn’t get better than this. It you are thinking your car is old and you should buy a new one, think again!

For a better price, you can make your old car sass up to the level of looking better than a brand new one and exclusive of course since each design by Ferrite is unique! A personalised and customised design solely dedicated to your car. A design that will make heads turn and how!

Ferrite Motors and Automotives was officially launched at the AutoPerformance Show on 1st November 2012. They displayed ‘the grunge’ for the very first time and it has got a huge fan following already! This is something very different from your usual modification of the exteriors or interiors. This means hard core change on the entire exterior of the car, giving it another look altogether. You got to see it to believe it.

So now you know which garage your car needs to drive into, the next time it needs a makeover. It is time to drive out with style!

Contact Details: Ferrite Motors and Automotives (FMA)

Website details: www.ferritemotors.com

Get in Touch 0091-98202-49007 0091-22-28928240

Email Details info@ferritemotors.com ferrite.designs@gmail.com Find us at ‘Ferrite Designs’ on Facebook

Technology behind Mega Structures WHAT’S A MEGA STRUCTURE? If you’re living in Mumbai then you might’ve traveled on the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link. But, have you ever wondered who built these Huge Structures, and how? It’s more about the bricks and mortar that go into making them, it’s about the planning and execution as well.

A megastructure is a very large manmade object, though the limits of precisely how large this is vary considerably. Some apply the term to any especially large or tall building. Some sources define a megastructure as an enormous self-supporting artificial construct.

Other criteria such as rigidity or contiguousness are sometimes also applied, so large clusters of associated smaller structures may or may not qualify.

The products of megascale engineering or astroengineering are megastructures.

Most megastructure designs could not be constructed with today’s level of industrial technology.

This makes their design examples of speculative (or exploratory) engineering. Those that could be constructed easily qualify as megaprojects.

Megastructures are also an architectural concept popularized in the 1960s where a city could

be encased in a single building, or a relatively small number of buildings interconnected. Such arcology concepts are popular in science fiction.

Megastructures often play a part in the plot or setting of science fiction movies and books, such as Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

In 1968, Ralph Wilcoxon defined a megastructure as any structural framework into which rooms, houses, or other small buildings can later be installed, uninstalled, and replaced; and which is capable of “unlimited” extension.

Many architects have designed such megastructures. Some of the more notable such architects and architectural groups include the Metabolist Movement, Archigram, Cedric Price, Frei Otto, Constant Nieuwenhuys, Yona Friedman, and Buckminster Fuller. This type of framework allows the structure to adapt to the individual wishes of its residents, even as those wishes change with time.

Other sources define a megastructure as “any development in which residential densities are able to support services and facilities essential for the development to become a self-contained community”.

HOW IS IT REALLY BUILT? With a lot of hard work, perseverance and determination of course! Well, that’s the gist of it all- but we have to understand the painstaking hours that go into the planning and execution of such a mammoth project. It’s no easy task, and hence there’s a good word to describe it all – Megascale Engineering. (Apt, isn’t it?!)

Megascale engineering is a form of exploratory engineering concerned with the construction of structures on an enormous scale. Typically these structures are at least 1,000 kilometers in length—in other words, at least 1 megameter, hence the name. Such large-scale structures are termed megastructures. In addition to large-scale structures, megascale engineering is also defined as including the transformation of entire planets into a humanhabitable environment, a process known as terraforming or planetary engineering. This might also include transformation of the surface conditions, changes in the planetary orbit, and structures in orbit intended to modify the energy balance.

Astroengineering is the extension of megascale engineering to megastructures on a stellar scale or larger, such as Dyson spheres,

Ringworlds, and Alderson disks.

Megascale engineering often plays a major part in the plot of science fiction movies and books.

The micro-gravity environment of outer space provides several potential benefits for the engineering of these structures.

These including minimizing the loads on the structure, the availability of large quantities of raw materials in the form of asteroids, and an ample supply of energy from the Sun. The capabilities to employ these advantages are not yet available, however, so they provide material for science fiction themes.

HOW DOES TECHNOLOGY HELP? Technology is the only omnipresent field in the current scenario which helps every other field. In that sense, the question itself is redundant.

In contrast to conventional engineering projects, macroengineering projects (called macroprojects or megaprojects) are multidisciplinary, involving collaboration from all fields of study; they involve not only engineers, but scientists, lawyers, industrialists, soldiers, and

Burj Khalifa (Dubai)

politicians as well. Macroprojects are usually international; they override political boundaries because most countries lack the social, financial, or physical ability to undertake them alone.

As a consequence, macroprojects have the power to fundamentally transform its area of focus.

Macroengineering is an evolving field that is only recently receiving attention. Because we routinely deal with challenges that are multinational in scope, such as global warming and pollution, macroengineering is emerging as a transcendent solution to worldwide problems. Macroengineering, or megaengineering, is distinct from megascale engineering which deals with projects on a planetary or stellar scale. Where macroengineering is currently practical, megascale engineering is still within the domain of speculative fiction.

But, with the help of more and more intelligent computing technologies – we can dream the impossible. No river seems to be too large to build bridges over, no tower too big to make.

If the Taipei 101 was 101 stories high and was the biggest tower in the world, the guys in Dubai thought of making a tower which was higher. And they did it with exceptional use of some of the latest technologies available to man today. How did they do it exactly? Well, let’s look at its example to really understand how technology helps in making these incredible megastructures.

WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDING The world’s tallest building scales 828 m | 2716 feet of height and sprawls sky-towering floors cutting through the clouds.

It is a built to total cost of US$800,000,000.00! (only) and spreads on a now-historic area of land in the Burj Khalifa Boulevard.

Burj Khalifa, has one of the fastest travelling elevators that can leap up to 18m per second or 40 miles per hour speed and hosts about 57 elevators and eight escalators. Also, Dubai’s Burj is the home to world’s tallest elevator.

The giant astounding architecture keeps itself cool against the scorching heat of the Sun by using 12,500 tonnes of condensed water equal to about 10,000 tons of melting ice. The glass claddings enveloping the outer side of the Burj Khalifa have been tested to withstand dynamic winds and water tests – at the hands of a World War II plane engine.

Burj Khalifa is also the first tallest building in the Middle East and North Africa to provide fastest mobile broadband, HSPA+. The tower is completed covered by Du and Etisalat to enable mobile communication and other mobile-based services like HSPA+3.5G technology.

CAN WE GO HIGHER THAN THE BURJ KHALIFA? A top structural engineer, who worked on designing the world's tallest tower, says the Burj Khalifa's "buttressed core design" holds the key to building super skyscrapers of the future.

William Baker, a structural engineer at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill who worked with Adrian Smith on designing the system that allowed Burj Khalifa to be built, believes the buttressed core design can be used to build structures even taller than the world’s tallest tower.

"We could go twice that or more,” he boldly announced.

The buttressed core design is a kind of three-winged spear that allows stability, viably usable space (as in not buried deeply and darkly inside a massively wide building) and limited loss of space for structural elements.

Calling a skyscraper design "a fairly serious undertaking," Baker says it's totally feasible to build much taller than even the one-kilometre high Kingdom Tower, which is expected to be completed by mid-2017.

"We could easily do a kilometer. We could easily do a mile.”

Though the buttressed core would probably have to be modified to go much higher than a mile, Baker reveals that other systems could be designed. And, he is working on some of them now.

The article further quotes Tim Johnson, chairman at the Council on Tall

Buildings and Urban Habitat and a partner at the architecture firm NBBJ, that he worked on a project back in the late 2000s designing a building that would have been a mile-and-a-half tall, with 500 stories for a Middle East client.

Johnson says the design team identified between eight and 10 inventions that would have had to take place to build a building that tall.

When asked about some of the limitations of tall buildings, Adrian Smith said that the predominant problem was in the elevator and transportation system.

Smith is the architect behind the current tallest tower in the world and also the designer of the Kingdom Tower.

In July, Zhang Yue, Chief Executive Officer, Broad Sustainable Building, a Chinese construction firm, told Reuters he plans to build a two-kilometre high, 636-floor tower.

He also revealed plans to build a 838-metre high tower, 10 metres taller than the Burj Khalifa, in four months’ time from ground breaking using the rapid-construction techniques that his company has invented.

The tower dubbed ‘Sky City 220’ will have schools, a hospital, 17 helipads and house 30,000 people.

SOME AMAZING MEGA STRUCTURES

Three Gorges Dam The 2km dam spanning the Yangtze submerged 13 existing cities, 140 towns and over 1,300 villages, requiring the relocation of 1.5 million people.

Great Wall of China The original megastructure, the Great Wall stretches an incredible 8,851km (5,500 miles), making it easily the longest man-made structure on Earth.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Fresh Kills Landfill This retired garbage dump covering 12 square kilometres (4.6 square miles) of New York’s Staten Island was once piled higher than the nearby Statue of Liberty.

Mirny Diamond Mine This colossal open-pit mine located in Easter Siberia, Russia, is 525 metres (1,722 feet) deep and 1.25km wide. In the Sixties it produced two tons of diamonds per year.

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Built largely by hand over 2,000 years ago, these terraced rice paddies cover 10,360 square kilometres of steep mountainside in the Philippines.

PROCITY (MUMBAI)

ANY UPCOMING PROJECT FOR INDIA? Yes, coming back to Mumbai- we’d like to talk about one Megastructure that has been proposed, but not yet finalized.

PoroCity: Rehabilitation for Mumbai The triangular footprint in Mumbai currently occupied by the Dharavi slum – one of the densest in the world – could be transformed into terraced housing with PoroCity, a concept by Khushalani Associates.

PoroCity would reorganize the housing of the slum, maintaining the small living spaces and communal living feel but making them more modern with built-in transportation including elevators and funiculars and including space for business and industry, eliminating the need for cars.

"We could go twice that or more’’ ...William Baker

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The human micro biome- We weren’t, aren’t and never will be alone It’s a known fact to all of us, at

least some of us or most of us that the concept of being alone is somewhat arguable in this sphere. Moreover, when we have our bodies, covered in symbiotic and complementary organisms, the concept of microscopic critters takes a backseat when we are talking bacteria.

Bacterial cells are known to outnumber human cells ten to one in the body. This very community of bacterial genes and human cells is known as the microbiome, and is believed to be one of the well-guarded ways to discover and unravel many little secrets of the human genome. The startup uBiome is crowdsourcing the sequencing and mapping of the human microbiome. This biotech out of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) is looking to work with citizen scientists in this era of personalized medicine by given them access to the latest high-throughput metagenomic sequencing technology. The question is, will people want or even consider wanting access to that kind of information, or know what to do with it? Frankly, in this age of constant trivial information, I’d presume yes.

uBiome-Working on a dream uBiome CEO and co-founder Jessica Richman opines, “We believe the biological information era is going to follow the same trend that the internet did. When citizens became empowered to explore the internet via search engines like Google, usage skyrocketed. With uBiome, people can explore their personal metagenome from home. This unparalleled access to the latest science is going to change things in a big way.” Recently, the Human Microbiome Project brought the case of good bacteria to light. 200 scientists at 80 institutions over five years sequenced the genetic material of bacteria that was taken from 250 healthy people.

What they found was close to a thousand bacterial strains on

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each person, and more important to uBiome and their mission, that each person’s collection of microbes – their microbiome – was different from the next.

Even better was the discovery of disease-causing bacteria, which was just harmlessly hanging out with the good bacteria.

Discovery and beyond –A promising future

This in fact will lead to the discovery of drugs and their influence of people and why some people are susceptible to diseases. Chronic problems like IBS and asthma will be offered ailments too promise the researchers. uBiome is looking to take the next leap 5 ways human micro biome in sequencing the human project could change the microbiome. Where the Human future: 1.Doctors could use your microbiome Microbiome Project sequenced around 250 people, uBiome to custom tailor medical treatments is looking for a sample size in 2.An end to the war on germs 3.Humanity & Nature will lock hands for eternity 4. Treating one person could affect many 5.A solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance

the thousands. In order to both gather this sample size and raise the appropriate funding (as they are not federally funded) uBiome is running an Indiegogo campaign. At a certain donation level, contributors will be able to be sequenced and have future access to personal analysis tools and data that they can anonymously compare with the rest of the crowd and current research and hence unlock many avenues where it is destined to rule the roost of medical science in the near future.

4 5 DEC 2012

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for top tips to improve your marketing effectiveness

Fantastic speaker line up includes: P Krishnakumar Executive Director, Marketing Dell India

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Gaurav Chhaparwal Head of Analytics Snapdeals

Mike Grehan Group Publishing Director Interactive Search Engine Watch/ClickZ/ SES

Jayaram Ramanathan, Head of Advertising, PR & Communications, Avon

Siddharth Nambiar, Managing Director, Office Yes

Ishwar Jha, Founder and CEO, avaniTV Solutions

Sandeep Amar, Vice President, Mobile Marketing, one97 Communications

Subodh Marwah, Marketing Director, Carlsberg India

Navneet Kaushal, Founder and CEO, PageTraffic

Pradeep Chopra, CEO, Digital Vidya

Crispin Sheridan, Senior Director of Search Marketing, SAP

Vijay Sankaran, Head, Digital, Edelman India

Vinay Mantha, Director, Data Analytics Practice, SapientNitro

Manish Kalra, Head of Marketing, MakeMyTrip

Gaurav Mendiratta, CEO, SocioSquare

RP Singh, Executive Planning Director, Digital, McCann Erickson –

Tejaswi Naidu, Founder & CEO, Tek Arena

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Ramakrishnan Laxman, Head of Digital Business, MCCS

Amit Sinha Roy, Head of Marketing, Audience and Strategy, TATA Communications

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WIRELESS SPEAKERS –

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Wiring is a big pain while arranging and connecting all your tech toys to a central entertainment console. So let’s take a look at what the future holds for us- speakers that don’t need wires.

Or mobile speakers, that can be connected anywhere to any smart device and you can start enjoying your favourite music right away.

NOKIA PLAY 360 Nokia is known for its simple yet appealing designs, which till now have been the biggest selling point for

its devices. Same is the case with the new Nokia Play 360 speaker as well. The speaker is simple and yet it has so many minute and unique details. Nokia has tried to keep the size of the speaker just right, making it good for portability while not making something that will be lost inside the bag. Almost double the size of a regular coffee mug the Play 360 with its aluminum grill feels solid while being lightweight. Play 360 allows two speakers to be paired together for a true stereo performance. Otherwise the audio processor inside Play 360 automatically recognises the number of speakers and merges the right and left channels for output.

Priced at ` 9,350 the Nokia Play 360 is a great sounding Bluetooth speaker that has enough features to put competition to shame. But certainly the NFC capability is just limited to Nokia and that part hurts us the most.

An application to connect the speaker to other NFC enabled devices would certainly be useful. At the price we would not say that the speaker is an absolute steal but it's certainly damn good.

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Few speaker systems have elicited as many "oohs" and "aahs" as the Samsung Wireless Audio Dock (DA-E750) has. To

be fair, there's a lot to like: dual dock connectors for Samsung and Apple devices; wireless audio streaming via Bluetooth, AirPlay, or AllShare; and two nifty-looking vacuum tubes that emit a soft orange glow beneath a glass cover on the top panel. But now come the "ughs": It'll cost you a small fortune, can be pesky to set up, and suffers from occasional distortion at top volumes. At moderate volumes, however, the DA-E750 offers solid audio performance—and did we mention that it's beautiful?

Measuring 5.8 by 17.7 by 9.5-inches and weighing in at a healthy 18.9 pounds, the DA-E750 is not a subtle piece of gear.

This has less to do with its dimensions and more to do with its polished wood exterior, and, of course, two vacuum tubes glowing beneath a raised glass cover on the top of the system. The docking area is located at the top of the rear panel, and features an adjustable arm for your devices to gently lean back against—they appear to almost float just beyond the edge of the top panel. It features a 30-pin connector for Apple iOS devices (not including the iPhone 5, which uses Apple's new Lightning Connector), as well as a microUSB plug for Android devices. Most Android devices can use the connector as a dock for power over microUSB, but audio doesn't stream through the USB connection.

The back panel houses a connection for the included power cable, a LAN connection (an Ethernet cable is included), a 3.5mm Aux input (an audio cable is also included), a USB port (you can play music directly from USB drives), and a WPS/ Reset pinhole button that is used during Wi-Fi set-up.

Samsung Wireless Audio Dock (DA-E750)

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T

he UE Mobile Boombox is 4.4 x 2.6 x 2.4 inches and weighs 298 grams (10 oz), meaning it’s not pocketable, but it is highly portable. It can connect with up to eight Bluetooth devices (it can only play from one at a time), has 10 hours of battery life, and has a rechargeable battery inside that works off of micro USB. Its range is 50 feet, but if you are up close you can also use a 3.5mm audio input jack. The only controls on the device are an on/off switch, a Bluetooth button, and volume adjustment.

There is much else in favour of the UE Mobile Boombox — it works well and it sounds good. We didn’t have any problems pairing it with an iPad, iPhone, or any of my laptops. With just two 1-inch drivers the speaker manages to put out a considerable amount of sound for its size. It’s not enough to power a house party, but it’s more than sufficient to listen to on the patio, while cooking, or in the shower. The sound quality won’t blow you away — we found it to be a bit flat at times and not bassy enough — but it’s totally fine for listening to a podcast, Spotify or the MP3s that are packed on most smartphones. Also, there is a speakerphone function so you don’t have to scramble for your handset if a call comes through.

This is the most compact and also the most affordable pair of speaker in the list, costing you only a mere `5.5k, though availability in India is quite limited.

Logitech's UE Mobile Boombox

Libratone has been pushing its brand of quirky fabric-clad

simplicity for a few years now, and the Zipp follows in the footsteps of the Beat. A 10.2-inch tall, 4.8-inch diameter cylinder, the 4 pound Zipp has a whimsical leather handle and can be dressed up in one of eight different colors of outer sleeve. We had it as one of the 4 Awesome 4Some of the Month a while back and now it is available in limited quantity in parts of India, as well. Cool, isn’t it!

Under the Italian wool lurks the latest version of Libratone’s FullRoom sound technology, here paired with a single 4-inch bass driver and two 1-inch ribbon tweeters driven by 60W of digital amplification. Although that may sound like a 2.1 setup, Libratone insists on calling it “360-degree” audio, with no front/ back or left/right, and the same quality of sound no matter where in the room you’re sitting.

That’s the same promise as the Libratone Beat, but whereas that model was stuck within cable range of a power socket, the Zipp can join you in the garden or on the go. An internal rechargeable battery means the Zipp can go entirely wireless, with Libratone claiming up to eight hours of runtime if you plug in your source direct, or half of that if you’re using AirPlay.

Most importantly, though, it sounds great. It may lack the simultaneous multi-room playback option of systems like Sonos, but it’s far more portable; that iOS doesn’t make coexisting PlayDirect and internet data connections straightforward is a blip on usability, but it’s one that will hopefully be addressed with new firmware. Unfortunately there’s no chance of adding in Bluetooth, which means the Zipp is unlikely to gain any great following among the Android faithful.

Costing around `32.5k it isn’t cheap, but it certainly will add a cool look to whichever setting you place it in – making it a must have for all those who appreciate a bit of style with their gadgets.

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Libratone Zipp

Beating Oppressive regimes – Social media as civil resistance In an era where information and communication is getting democratized and is increasingly becoming a tool for repressed social classes to express themselves as part of intensive campaigns of civil resistance, Oppressive regimes have resorted to Internet Black Outs, Internet Censorship, Social Media/ Facebook/Twitter Censorships to snub out people’s voice. However, companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter have worked on way-abouts to reach out to the people and help them reach out to the world media.

Today’s Internet blackout at Syria is one such example where Google has now started a call service to post tweets through a voice connection. Here’s how Google is helping people’s voice on Twitter. A great example of service to people!

Where Tech Meets Lifestyle

Are you a part of that readers lounge yet! !e 1,00,000+ are already delving into the tech world and you have just been left behind!

To know how to be there turn to page 133 77 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

T

he original SoundLink Wireless Mobile came out last year and was a nominee in our ‘‘Gadget of the Year” competition. Bose says the new Mobile Speaker II, which looks virtually identical to the original model, sounds better. "Bose engineers integrated new neodymium transducers and an updated digital signal processing algorithm into the acoustics package," they said.

"Combined with the company's patented dual-opposing passive radiators, the SoundLink Mobile speaker II reproduces deeper low notes, and more definition and clarity across mid- and high-frequencies." The sound is apparently "more lifelike and accurate."

Some other small improvements have been made. There's a new integrated bifold protective cover (it comes in leather or nylon), which also serves as the speaker's stand.

And the system will remember the last six devices you paired with the speaker, so re-pairing becomes automatic.

However, Bose made no mention of improved battery life (the speaker has a built in rechargeable battery).

This particular model will be available later this year in India and will set you back by around `25k.

BOSE SOUNDLINK MOBILE SPEAKER II

T

Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable From Monster

he Beatbox Portable is sort of wedge-shaped, like a triangle missing one of its points. It comes in two colors: Black and red, or white and gray (our sample's color scheme). Both models feature the indented Beats logo on the front panel's metallic speaker grille. The top panel houses an iPhone and iPod dock, though you can also stream via Bluetooth from just about any modern mobile device or computer.

The system ships with eight adapter trays for various models of iPods and iPhones, a simple remote control for docked devices, and a power adapter, which connects on the back panel, near the 3.5mm Aux input.

The remote doesn't navigate menus and only controls playback, but since this is primarily a wireless system that turns your mobile device into its own remote, we can let it slide.

While the Beatbox Portable is without a doubt a powerful speaker dock, it's far from flawless. Like most Beats products, the bass—as well as the treble—is seriously tweaked, so audiophiles seeking flat response systems should steer clear. If you're looking for a great party system, however, the Beatbox Portable is an appropriate choice.

W

ith strong, deep bass from an integrated subwoofer and rich, vibrant acoustics from dual tweeters, the SOLEMATE amps up the brilliance and clarity in music across a wide audio spectrum. The Jabra SOLEMATE connects to any multimedia device using Bluetooth technology, a 3.5mm audio cable or USB cable and caters to different consumer preference, making it the ultimate portable speaker for indoors or outdoors. Whether connected to a mobile phone, tablet, iPad, iPod or laptop, the SOLEMATE is the perfect audio companion to play music clearly and loudly. Priced at ` 10,990/- it certainly isn’t the cheapest in the lot, but definitely has got what it takes to be an overwhelming favourite of people who have always adored Jabra’s quality over the years.

JABRA SOLEMATE

PLORE

THE “NEW” JELLYBEAN. ANDROID’S UPGRADE TO 4.2

G

oogle has announced the next step for the Android mobile OS which, as we'd previously confirmed, will be known as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Sticking with the Jelly Bean name, the update builds on the 4.1 Jelly Bean version that was announced in August with the launch of the Nexus 7.

With each iteration of Android, Google does something to the camera, often lost when the manufacturers like Samsung or HTC put a skin over the top. This time, however, we have Photo Sphere. The idea is to let you create 360-degree panoramic pictures, by moving the camera

around you. These can then be shared or added to Google Maps for everyone to see.

The next feature is the keyboard.

With 4.1 Android added prediction to its keyboard, aping the sort of thing you get from SwiftKey. In 4.2, however, Android gets trace input.

This is pretty common already: not only can you get it from Swype, which has been previously preinstalled on a number of Samsung devices, but HTC also has a trace input option. Now there's a Google version, so it looks like you'll be spending less time tapping, and more time swiping in the future.

One of the big changes is multiple account support, so you can have multiple users on a device and switch from the lock screen.

That means each member of the family can have a personalized experience and dads will no longer have to hide all those Hello Kitty apps. Increasing support for wireless sharing, Android 4.2 will let you fire your screen contents on to the big screen, with support for Miracast compatible displays.

Miracast is based on Wi-Fi Direct and it's great to see this at a core level in Android.

It probably won't change the world, however, as the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC have all been providing some sort of display sharing solution for a

couple of years.

Google Now is also getting an update, rolling out with more of that predictable life stuff. More cards are coming to Google Now - which we've always found to be a bit hit and miss - with flight information, tablet reservations, room bookings and shipping details in the spotlight.

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean has been available from 13 November on the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 at launch. As always, we have no idea when the update will roll out to other devices, but we'll bring you any details we discover, through our webpage, FB fan page as well as our blog.

SMART CAMERA’S –

THE ADVENT

First, there were smartphones and now we have smart-cameras. There seems to be a mini-revolution of sorts going on in the Tech industry, where everyone wants to make their gadgets smarter. Now that these OS's are available to be deployed freely on a variety of gadgets, we now have plenty of Smart-cameras around to choose from. Let's have a look at some of these.

With most people happy to make do with camera phones for their digital image snapping needs in the majority of situations and the quality of such devices improving markedly in recent years, makers of dedicated consumer-level cameras face an increasingly tough row to hoe. At CES 2012, Polaroid has announced its SC1630 Smart Camera that attempts to blur the lines between a camera phone and dedicated camera with its smartphone-like form factor and being one of the first dedicated cameras to run on Android.

The Polaroid SC1630 packs a 16-megapixel 1/2.33inch CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom (5x digital) and 6.5 - 19.5 mm lens to provide a 35 - 108 mm equivalent lens range. Around back is a 3.2-inch touchscreen for displaying images and accessing apps and the Android Market. The device stores captured images on microSD cards of up to 32 GB capacity and has a Smart Album feature that automatically organizes photos by date, location and people. There's also geotagging and face and smile detection. Onboard image editing features include cropping, red-eye removal, resizing and color correction - with the Android Market also providing access to a range of image editing apps.

Designed to allow users to upload images and videos to social networks and share with friends at the touch of a button, the SC1630 boasts Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as offering an optional cellular data connection. So even though you won't be able to make phone calls directly on the device, since the unit does include a microphone and speaker, you'll presumably be able to use it to make VOIP calls.

The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera weighs 142 gms and its fully charged battery should give a full day of snapping. It will be available some time later this year for a price yet to be announced.

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Polaroid's SC1630

Samsung Galaxy Camera The Korean giants surprised quite a few people with the launch of the Galaxy Camera, which has the Android OS baked into it. Just so we're clear: the Galaxy Camera has more heft than a regular compact, and it feels nothing like a phone. The 35mm maximum thickness (with the lens closed) means it'll just about fit into a breast pocket or baggy shorts, but the 305g weight may compel you to invest in a case, belt clip or strap. At the very least, you'll want to attach the bundled wrist strap, because even with a Gorilla Glass screen there's no way this camera will withstand a fall -- and its surfaces are scarily smooth indeed.

Of course, there's also a bunch of ports and other inputs. These include a mic at the top of the camera and a speaker on the left side below the flash button, which together allow you to use the camera like a VOIP phone. On the right side we have a 3.5mm audio jack and a handy micro-USB port for charging the device from the mains or a travel charger. Finally, on the underside of the camera you also get a tripod mount and battery compartment flap, which opens slightly too easily if the device is left to tumble about in your bag.

Open that flap and you'll find the SIM slot -- which is, if you have a data plan, provides a uniquely direct way of sharing your photos when you're out of the reach of WiFi. Sure, that SIM slot is interesting -- but it's just one of many ways to get images in and out of the device.

Whereas regular cameras generally shoot on full-size SD cards, the Galaxy Camera can shoot to its own 4GB of internal storage or to a microSD card that can readily be transplanted to a smartphone or tablet with its own data plan. More conveniently, since the Galaxy Camera also has WiFi, you could simply tether it to your smartphone or MiFi -- which is actually how we preferred to use the device. If you happen to own a phone that does WiFi Direct, then you can also beam photos and video straight from the camera at very high data rates. All of these connectivity options boil down to the same question: why would you spend extra for a SIM with a data plan that only works for this camera?

What do we stack the Galaxy Camera up against? Although it's priced right at the top end of what a compact camera should cost, much of that outlay is going on the display, quad-core processor and connectivity options. If we were to remove these costly elements, we'd end up with the WB850F, which has the same 21x zoom lens and 1/2.33-inch sensor, and which currently sells for about 18k.

With more than half of the estimated 2.5 billion digital camera owners in the world sharing their photos via online and social networking sites, and over 100,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in more than 75 countries, the benefits of Wi-Fi have never been more important or accessible. Samsung’s extensive range of Wi-Fi enabled SMART cameras ensure that photographers of all levels, from teenagers to grandparents, can take full advantage of the wireless world - anytime and anywhere.

Following the success of the SH100, Samsung’s line of wireless SMART cameras comprises no fewer than five cameras and camcorders, all Wi-Fi enabled.

Showcasing the new premium Wi-Fi connectivity, the recently announced WB850F is a world-class travel camera with 21x zoom capability. The WB850F allows budding photographers to create instant travelogues of their most memorable images with direct upload to Facebook, Picasa or Photobucket thanks to easy Social Sharing, so friends and family can catch up on their latest adventures in real-time. Samsung’s new DualView offering, the DV300F, with a 1.5” front-facing LCD screen is the ideal accessory for the perfect self-portrait. Using the camera’s Wi-Fi connection, photos can be easily and instantly uploaded to Facebook or YouTube via the Social Sharing feature. The SMART camera series also includes the slim and stylish ST200F which not only fits in a purse or pocket, but includes Wi-Fi functionality as well and allows images to be wirelessly saved to a computer in one click via the Auto Backup feature. Additionally, images can be saved to free Cloud storage with Samsung’s AllShare Play and Microsoft® SkyDrive® to make photos accessible through other connected devices.

SAMSUNG's range of SMART-CAMERA'S 83 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

With Auto Backup, just Click and go!

Samsung’s Wi-Fi functionality enables users to automatically transfer and back-up photos directly to their home PC after a day of capturing images, allowing instant upload and storage. With customizable back-up options to ensure only desired images are shared, consumers enjoy greater peace of mind that photos are safe at home.

Share special moments on the big (and small) screen With the new Samsung Mobile Link feature, these SMART cameras make it child’s-play to share, store and view photos across home and portable devices - whether direct to a Samsung Smartphone, tablet or internet-enabled TV. In addition, the TV Link capabilities make it easy to connect instantly to a home network of appliances and electronic equipment for additional sharing possibilities.

Sharing photos in an instant With just one touch of selected photos or videos on a SMART camera, consumers can upload images wirelessly anywhere and anytime, instantly sharing special moments on social networking sites and online albums with the cameras’ Social Sharing feature. The latest wireless features prove that connectivity via Samsung’s SMART cameras opens a new world of creative storytelling, instantly and infinitely shareable. Share travel photos with loved ones on Facebook at the touch of a button.

Complete control at your fingertips With the innovative Remote Viewfinder feature, users can remotely control camera settings and set-up shots via a connected Smartphone using the camera’s Wi-Fi connection. By adjusting the settings via a mobile device, users can create the perfect shot to ensure everyone is part of the picture or to capture the best shots from a distance.

Easy Email for personalized sharing With the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, emailing images directly from a Samsung SMART camera to friends and family could not be simpler.

Using the onscreen keyboard allows personalized messages to accompany pictures so that special memories can be easily shared with a personal touch.

Save your memories securely to the Cloud Whether at home or out with friends, the ability to upload images and video to the Samsung Allshare Play and Microsoft SkyDrive Cloud services, give users the freedom to take more pictures and the peace of mind that images are safe in the event of loss or damage to the camera. Users can simply access, transfer and backup images to one of these Cloud services or via the PC Auto Backup feature in the comfort of their home. Thanks to the TV Link feature, users can also search and enjoy large-scale images on a connected TV screen at the touch of a button.

Direct to Wi-Fi Devices to make connectivity a cinch Consumers can connect their cameras to Wi-Fi enabled devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets with Wi-Fi Direct, for quick and easy sharing and viewing of images. Whether they want to see pictures on the bigger screen of a laptop, or transfer to a tablet to use as a digital photo frame, Wi-Fi Direct is as easy to use as Bluetooth but offers a superior experience with increased speed and connection quality.

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Nikon Coolpix S800c Not to be left behind, Nikon too have their very own smart-camera. The S800c piqued our interest perhaps even more than the Galaxy Camera, because it's a much bigger departure for Nikon. Samsung already makes plenty of Android devices, so slapping a big lens on a 4.8-inch Galaxy Player doesn't seem like much of a stretch. Nikon, on the other hand, is a photography behemoth, and we've seen it and its competitors mostly stay their technological course. Nikon's also one of the few companies that can bring a feature to the photography mainstream by sheer force of will, so if it can make a great Android camera others will undoubtedly follow suit quickly.

The S800c may be a nice-looking point-and-shoot with a big touchscreen and a slender body, but the end result is more reminiscent of a two-year-old phone than a modern digital camera. The S800c runs Android 2.3, and using the camera brought back the lag- and crash-filled memories of our phones from 2010. The operating system has hardly been customized, either, save for Nikon's adding quick access to camera functions and removing most other icons.

The only time Android feels like a positive for the S800c is after you've taken a picture. Sharing shots is in fact fantastically simple — just the fact that it only requires a single device is wonderful. The S800c also seems to take pretty good pictures, though we haven't been able to review them carefully yet. fast, easy ways to get pictures off your camera and onto the web. But for an Android camera to work, it must provide more: it needs to be fast, intuitive, and optimized for photographers. Sharing is good, but only if you've got great pictures to share. Samsung seems to understand that, but Nikon's lagging behind as of now.

XIMEA CURRERA-G PC camera How about PC cameras as well? Here's one by a fairly new brand, which has made a rather interesting camera.

The CURRERA-G Smart Camera houses a single-board-computer built around AMD’s new Fusion accelerated processing unit (APU), which combines the power of both CPU and GPU cores on a single die. “AMD’s Fusion processor means the CURRERA-G can deliver 90Gflops of processing power to tackle the toughest machine vision system applications,” says Vasant Desai, XIMEA Co-Founder and Managing Director. “Combining GPU cores on the same die as the CPU enables the heterogeneous system to offload computation intensive pixel data processing from the CPU to the GPU. Released form this task, the CPU can serve I/O requests with much lower latency and thus improve real-time performance of the whole system.”

The CURRERA-G follows XIMEA’s CURRERA-R smart camera, which is based on Intel’s Atom microprocessor, delivering 2Gflops of processing power. Both cameras come loaded with ether embedded Windows or Linux and the customer’s preferred image processing library in an industrial housing.

Power, Compatibility, Support In addition to offering more power than other smart cameras on the market, XIMEA’s industrial and smart cameras ship with fully tested Windows- and Linux-based application programming interfaces (APIs) for 25 of the most common image-processing libraries. The list of XIMEA’s APIs include Cognex VisionPro, MathWorks MATLAB, Matrox MIL, MVTec Halcon, National Instruments’ LabVIEW, NeuroCheck, OpenCV, Intel IPP, open source libdmtx, open source AForge.NET, open source Integrating Vision Toolkit, Keyetech, RoboRealm, STEMMER IMAGING Common Vision Blox, Tordivel Scorpion, and Voyant Vision, among others.

XIMEA CURRERA-G smart cameras offer resolutions from WVGA to 5 megapixel (MP), AMD Fusion processors with CPU and GPU cores, and a pair of MicroSd card slots. All CURRERA smart cameras are Linux and Windows compatible, including Microsoft’s latest Windows Embedded Standard 7, and come with a variety of I/O, including Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), USB interfaces, VGA, RS232, and eight isolated Digital Inputs and Outputs, programmable current-controlled output for LED lighting, and graphically configurable real-time PLC. 85 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

TRA

Must have Camera

Accessories

‘‘

‘‘Today everything exists, to end in a photograph. . .Susan Sontag A Digital Single Lens Reflex also known as DSLR has revolutionized the way people had accomplished photography in the past. But does the possession of a DSLR give you the will to shoot anything and everything you see.

As Yann Arthus-Bertrand said, and I quote, “The Earth is Art, the Photographer is Witness”, so for capturing those moments, having just your camera may not suffice. Just as the painter requires different combination of brushes and paints and solvents, the photographer must have a mandatory list of accessories which become his assistants in witnessing and shooting defying moments.

So here is a list of the “Must Have Camera Accessories”:

Carrying Case: Should be well buffered for small bumps and falls during road-trips and jungle safaris.

Should not be too big and noticeable (should not be attention pulling while doing street photography). The “Sling Bags” from Lowepro are just perfect with a waist buckle for better stability. Always choose a carrying case which can be closely and tightly buckled up to your body. It should not be too much protruding outside because that risks the camera and the lenses taking hits while walking through crowded lanes or dense topographies.

Lenses: Do not make your backpack too heavy by carrying unnecessary lenses. Design your shoot in a way that carrying just two lenses are enough (one being attached to your camera).

Different photography will demand different types of lens configurations. I personally favor the Canon 17-55 mm f/2.8 and a very versatile Multipurpose Telephoto Zoom Lens, the Sigma 18-250 mm f/3.5-6.3.

Lens and Sensor Cleaner Kit: A common mistake done by amateur photographers is to use their shirt ends or handkerchief to wipe of the grease, water droplet or any dust gathered on the lens. It is a big mistake, and may cost your lens to get a permanent scratch. Always keep a lens and sensor cleaning kit. A muslin cloth along with 86 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

a blower is good to gently blow-off the dust and water droplets. A caution to all amateurs; “Do not try cleaning the sensor, if not trained”.

Extra Batteries and their charger: If you want to be a good photographer, then never be the trigger happy types. Even in the digital age it is always a pain to finally narrow down to just 5 presentable images out of 500 similar looking shots. I do not recommend for third part batteries, so go for the camera manufacturer’s recommendations. They will be comparatively costly, but will be worth its expense. At least 2 extra fully charged batteries should be carried.

Extra Memory Cards: Carrying single high storage compact flash cards (CFs) has its own risks. In advent of an undue a single card getting corrupt, you may be left with just another high storage card. Though, you may have to change the memory sticks often, but, it is safe than being left with minimal space to cover your entire day. I always carry 16GBx6 SanDisk CFs than the 32GB or 64GB versions. Invest safely on the type of CFs. Everyone is not a sports photographer, so if not capturing very high speed images, then the medium transfer speed CFs will suffice. I personally use a combination of SanDisk Ultra and SanDisk Extreme (Speeds up to 30 MB/s and 60 MB/s).

Hydration Backpack: Generally known as a biker’s accessory. This accessory though seems too classy and costly; but a hydration pack is just a simple light weight water carrying case. It is better than carrying water bottles. The hydration pack gives you versatility to quench your thirst without losing any shooting moments as it has a tube directly connecting the water reservoir in the pack. So go ahead friends, drink and shoot! I meant “Water”.

Moisture and Dust protectors: The camera and its lens are like your eyes.

Any irritation to your eyes blurs your vision; the same is with your camera and lens. Dust and moisture are the biggest enemies. Dust causes the sensors to capture unwanted blot in your images, and moisture causes fungal contamination in your camera lenses. Both render the equipment useless in capturing sharp images. Always carry small desiccant pouches (they contain moisture adsorbents) which keep your equipment moisture free.

Camera rain-cheaters prevents the equipment from getting drenched in rains, thus allowing you to shoot those lovely rainy moments without the fear of damaging the camera.

Camera rain-cheater from Hydrophobia® offer very good protection against rainy weather, they also give easy accessibility of changing memory cards and batteries without removing the entire cover.

Tripod: I am not a preacher of pricey tripods, so if not carrying very heavy camera and lenses, then go for a light weight, easy to carry tripod.

A tripod, wherein the centre column can be detached to get even the least height possible is always a good buy. Slik provides some light weight but sturdy tripods.

Hand and Shoulder Straps: These accessories will seem very inconspicuous, but gives the most stability and protection while doing hand-held photography. Make sure that the hand straps are as per your hand size and not loose.

Notepad or Diary: Notations are always helpful. They can be used to recollect just any added detail about the images shot, their location, image number for ease of sorting, any particular details of the shooting technique etc.

Laptop: It may seem to be a heavy accessory, but is very important to carry one while travelling.

It helps in transferring the images to a more secure location and emptying the memory cards. If time permits, then the sorting process of the images can be done right away. For

‘‘

‘‘

The Camera is your that eye, whose captured moments, unlike your mind’s memory can be shown to everyone.

photo-bloggers, the laptop can be a device to start weaving their photo story.

External Storage Device: “A moment once lost is lost forever”. This statement is very important while considering the fact that all your images have to be preserved securely. This becomes even more important when shooting in RAW+L formats.

The external storage device will give you the freedom to go on long travel trips without feeling hesitation in pushing the shutter trigger button.

Speedlights: Though not a requirement of all the genres of photography, but still is a handy accessory to

carry. A good speedlight can be modified using home grown attachments to make it into specialized device to suite the photographer’s needs eg: a beauty dish.

Remote Control (RC) Trigger Switch:

Last but not the least, an ID proof is a must document to be carried on any photography assignment. In case of any untoward incident, this may be the only thing to save you or ascertain your identity.

Many types of photography demand utmost stability while shooting. The RC Trigger Switch comes very handy while doing long exposure photography like capturing star trails, or light painting. A word of caution would be that, never go for cheap RC Triggers, they may spoil your camera.

ID Proof:

Arnab Banerjee 87 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

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SMALL & STYLISH THE B-CLASS ENTERS

PRICE:- `24.87 lacs (Ex-showroom MH,approX) First Impressions The compact cars are getting a whole lot of attention, so why should luxury car makers from Germany be left behind? Mercedes Benz launched the B-class for the first time in India a while back and we got a chance to test it out for ourselves to see how it really performs on Indian roads and conditions, as well as to see first-hand how it looks and feels on road. The car comes with what Merc calls a comfort suspension, which offers higher ground clearance, softer suspension settings and more practical 16-inch wheels on the base petrol variant, while the B 180 Sport gets 17-inch wheels.

The Look It might be quite small compared to a Tata Aria, but make no mistake

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- the stylishly designed and impeccably engineered B-class is quite the looker. Viewed in profile, your eyes are drawn to the sharp upswept kink that runs along the flanks and the unusually long space between the front and rear axles – yes, the wheelbase is a massive 2699mm. The rear is pure Merc too – it’s the most uncomplicated part of the design. Also impressive is the extremely slippery shape – the B-class’ drag coefficient is a low 0.26.

Under the skin, the new B-class (W246) retains its predecessor’s - the W245’s - front-wheel-drive architecture, but ditches the old car’s complex and expensive ‘sandwich structure’ chassis for a more conventional monocoque. The advantages of the less complicated setup (aside from a cut in manufacturing costs) are liberation of interior space and lower seats that are easier to slide into.

The Interiors What hits you the minute you slip into the easily accessible cabin is the fantastic quality of materials. The fit and finish is comparable to the nearly twice-as-expensive E-class and there’s a genuine luxury feel inside. The black leather interiors feel sporty, and even minute details like the contrasting stitching on the seats and doorpads and the aluminium highlights on the stalks are absolutely top-notch. The dashboard design is smart and we particularly liked the SLS-style air-con vents and the AMG-style steering wheel. But although build quality is impressively ahead of any big hatchback we’ve seen, the B-class doesn’t

feel like it has the torsional rigidity of the bigger Merc saloons, but more on that later.

The seats are nicely cushioned and there’s ample room for heads and knees wherever you’re sitting, with particularly good provision for feet in the second row. If there’s a catch to this, it is with the seat base of the rear seats – it is a tad short and the seat-back is a bit upright as well. Still, you won’t complain much when you realise that, even if you’re a six-footer, there truly is enough room to stretch out in here. It’s a practical cabin – storage space is adequate, with big door pockets, two reasonably big cubbyholes on the centre console and a rather big glovebox.

The Drive What is truly impressive is the handling, which certainly has a sporty feel to it. The B-class darts from corner to corner in a way that is incredible for a car with such a long wheelbase. The chassis is brilliantly balanced and there’s a wonderful neutral feel to the handling. The way it puts its power down is very impressive for a front-wheel-drive car too. The turnin is sharp, the grip is fantastic and the body stays nice and flat, allowing you to push it even harder. The best bit about the B-class’ dynamics is the electric steering, which is quick, accurate and has been tuned to offer the same wonderfully fluidic feel Mercedes owners will know so well. In fact, the steering feel is so good it will make you wonder if Mercedes has secretly hidden a hydraulic steering pump under the bonnet.

Overall refinement is pretty good given the size of this car, but there’s a noticeable amount of wind noise and tyre roar (which should reduce with the India-spec rubber). However, what’s for sure is that the B-class’

big, drum-like cabin doesn’t feel as hushed as a regular Merc’s.

VERDICT Mercedes has launched the B 180 base petrol at Rs 21.49 lakh going up to ` 24.87 lakh for the Sport model, making it the most affordable Mercedes yet, but is that enough to make customers bite? The thing is, this is a car that can split opinion because it's so wrong and yet so right.

The biggest problem with the B-class is not with the car itself, but with the Indian customer mindset that expects a Merc to look very upmarket.

And the B-class, with its hatchback-like shape, does not. A petrol engine is another deal-breaker for many these days, but a diesel option is coming in a year's time.

SPECS

4 cylinder, in-line 1595 cc engine 4 valves, DOHC type 121 bhp @ 5000 rpm Automatic seven speed gearbox Rack & Pinion Steering 486 - 1545 litres Boot Volume

EXHIBIT RATING :

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The Compact SUV Mahindra’s Quanto PRICE: ` 5.9lacs – `7.7 lacs (Ex-showroom MH, approx)

First Impressions A 7-seater compact SUV from the house of Mahindra, this time. The segment is really hotting up with Renault’s Duster finding mass appeal, but will the Quanto be as lucky? On the face of it – the Quanto seems a mini-Xylo. And not a pretty one at that. It’s already struggling to keep us interested for a long time, so let’s hope there is much better news once we step inside and start our testing. But, with lesser space and lesser power- we are a bit skeptical. Let’s not, however, judge a book by its cover. Let’s really find out what the Quanto is all about, and if it really is worth thinking about.

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The Look The car’s overall look are nothing more than what we can describe as a Mini-Xylo wannabe. The raised headlights and grille look the same, but some minor changes are also noticeable – especially the area right above the grille on the Quanto. The top heavy looks are further accentuated by the small 15” wheels, which do not help the overall look. The Xylo certain had the right presence of an SUV on road- but what Mahindra is trying to achieve with the Quanto, simply leaves us confused. When you move to the rear, you will certainly try and muffle a laugh which will naturally want to make its way out – looking at the ‘chopped’ end of the mini SUV. The strangeness somehow makes the neatly laid out tail lamps look good, but that is really not saying much good about the design. The spare wheel on the rear partially blocks and partially spoils the look even further, but hey – it’s a handy accessory to have in emergencies.

The Interiors

VERDICT

Even though the Quanto is a ‘compact’ SUV – it’s certainly not a short car in any sense. In fact, you get a feeling of jumping in a Hummer when you jump in to drive. But, that’s only till you start noticing your surrounding cabin and realize this is quite a small car. In fact, you’d feel that you are in a Xylo- as the interiors have so much to owe to the ‘inspiration’ of this car. The dashboard is the same, except for a lighter shade of beige. The quality of upholstery is quite good, but the plastics and cup-holders on the front doors are poorly fit and crafted.

The air-con area is the most funny looking and is exactly like the one you’ll find on the Xylo. The foot-space is good both in front and rear, so is the cushioning for thigh support. The media player has Radio and Aux connectivity, but no Bluetooth or iPod connector of any kind. Plus the steering wheel is bereft of any kind of additional controls that you’d expect from a car made for 2013. The rear has seats for two, but those need to be pygmy sized humans OR kids only.

Would you buy a smaller Xylo just for that feeling of owning a ‘bigcompact’ car? Hmm, that’s the hardest decision one might need to take while choosing the Quanto, as it has clearly not the performance nor the looks to impress anyone. The steering is sluggish, the interiors are tacky, nor is it the most confidence inducing car you’d find. A sub-4-meter, without cooling for the rear, a 3 cylinder under-powered engine, this is a hard car to recommend. And we find it

The Drive We were expecting to be shaken and stirred by the 3 cylinder engine, but to our surprise it wasn’t that bad. Yes, it did groan a bit once we moved up to the 3rd gear and beyond, but even then – it was quite manageable. The turbo-charged 1.5 litre diesel engine is supposed to be tuned to optimize performance, and on paper it should’ve done well with 98.6 bhp of power. But, with a bulk of 1640 kgs, all those specs are undermined – and the Quanto clearly struggles to pick itself up and impress on long drives. The power delivery is very linear, to the point of being flat, without any punch whatsoever. You’ll hardly find any power once you cross the 3,500 rpm mark- and beyond the 4,000 mark you will need to pull in your expertise as a driver to keep the Quanto running out of breath. Even though we expect punch and power from M&M cars, this one seems to have been built for a city’s traffic condition only and that is where it can do itself justice. Out on open roads, it will struggle to keep up with any decently powered car – SUV or compact, or sedans.

SPECS

3 cylinder, common-rail 1493 cc engine 1.5 liter turbo-diesel 98.6 bhp @ 3750 rpm 5 speed manual gearbox 55 liter tank size

EXHIBIT RATING

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‘‘Behold

the 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster’’

B

ruce Wayne is going to love this news.

Lamborghinis have always been the Dark Knight’s second-most favourite rides. He drove a Murcielago Roadster in Batman Begins, crashed its Coupe version in The Dark Knight and lost the keys of the brand new Aventador to the Cat Burglar (They never called her Cat Woman in the movie. Did they?), who by the way drove it off into the night. The millionaire playboy of Gotham did find a replacement piece which on the other hand was towed away when Wayne enterprises was declared bankrupt. It’s hard being Batman. May be that’s why he hung up the cape.

It’s hard to resist the temptation to mention Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy when Lamborghini is the topic at hand. They seem to complement each other so well. Now that we have been carried away so much, it’s time to return to the bull. We have a new one in town – one that might make the Dark Knight rise again. Lamborghini calls it the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster, and in true Lamborghini tradition, it’s a highly desirable supercar which will make men

sell their souls if that could fetch them an example of this epitome of Italian perfection and splendor.

Drawing inspiration from the $2.8 million one-off Lamborghini Aventador J that the supercar maker showcased in Geneva this year, the Aventador Roadster does take into consideration the practical side of having a pair of windows and a detachable hardtop roof. So it’s in fact the Aventador J with a toned down and mature outlook. But don’t you ever take that as a sign that the production car is tame in its lines and demeanour.

Ferraris might be able to make a seasoned test driver or autojourno exclaim with words like “magnificent”, “gorgeous” and a dozen of its synonyms.

But a Lamborghini leaves you breathless and speechless. The Aventador LP700-4 Roadster is no different. There are times when we actually wonder how much grudge a Reventon owner holds towards his neighbor who drives an Aventador. It won’t take long for any to see that the Aventador designers have borrowed plenty of styling cues from the exotic F22-Raptor-inspired hypercar while designing the new flagship.

And to be honest, the Roadster

is more jaw-dropping to look at than the coupe.

The designers have ensured that the design philosophy and the visual profile of the coupe were preserved in its convertible form.

The detachable hardtop roof is made from carbon fiber and since it can be easily stowed away in the front luggage compartment, it also makes perfect practical sense to choose the Roadster over the coupe. We are not underselling the coupe. But the Roadster is much more appealing in every way. The rear pillar has been redesigned to accommodate the new roof and there is an automatic protection system for passengers and cooling vents for the engine bay. A rear windshield which can be lowered or raised based on driver choice has also been incorporated.

The engine hood which protects the pumping heart of this raging bull is of a unique design that allows better cooling. The engine that it protects is one which is as glorious to behold as the car itself.

The 6.5 liter V12 engine can be worshipped through the wide-cut hexagonal vents on the engine

hood. The powertrain remains the same with the massive unit producing a whopping 691 bhp of power and 690 Nm torque mated to Lamborghini’s very own Independent Shifting Rod 7-speed automated manual transmission. Pulling off from standstill to 60mph in 3 seconds, it can reach a top speed of 217 mph (350 kph). The Aventador LP700-4 Roadster also gets to benefit from Lamborghini’s new cylinder deactivation system and engine stop-start system. With a new set of lighter 20- and 21-inch forged aluminum wheels in Dione wheel pattern, the footwear is worth admiring as well. Though the first pictures show the car in the new Azzuro Thetis shade, the tone of which varies with the angle of the light, we also hear that it does come in black. (That’s for you Mr. Wayne.)

Expected to scorch the streets in 2013, Lamborghini will be demanding a rather hefty payment of $441,600, should one of these catch your fancy.

That’s one more reason to keep our hopes alive for the day when Christopher Nolan nods in agreement to direct another Batman movie.

...Sanjoy Alexander 94 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

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The Devil Inside

2013 Ducati Diavel Strada to send chills down the V-Rod’s spine

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itself. The HOG camp’s V-Rod power-cruiser did feel the heat of the competition from the Italians.

In 2013, the heat is going to be unbearable for Harley, because the Italians are brandishing a sharper and deadlier sword – the Diavel Strada.

Three years since the first Diavel rode in as a force to reckon with, there hadn’t been many changes to boast about. There were a couple of special editions – the Chromo and the Carbon – with a few extras to keep the buyers interested. But things are going to change from now. With the 2013 Diavel Strada, Ducati is gradually awakening the touring bike alter-ego of the Diavel. So the new machine isn’t going to be just another powercruiser. It’s going to be a powercruiser for the super-long rides on the highway. Ducati says, "the new model, specifically designed for longer journeys, has been factoryaccessorized with touring-friendly components that enable all-day riding comfort for both rider and passenger."

It still holds tight to the Testastretta 11-degree engine that produces 162 bhp of power and 127.5 Nm of torque. Mated to a six-speed transmission, the engine puts to work a Mitsubishi electronic fuel injection system with Mikuni elliptical throttle bodies and Rideby-Wire. ABS, Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Riding Modes come in as standard features.

T

he best thing to have come out of Italy as far as superbike aficionados are concerned is, Ducati.

The Italian brand has won hearts and thrilled minds of riders and enthusiasts all over the globe with magnificent styling and scintillating performance. It’s a name which sparks dreams in men more than what all of Hollywood’s vivacious divas can ever manage.

The second best thing is that

The Ducati Trellis frame has been employed for overall structural rigidity. As far as the suspension set-up is concerned, an aluminum single-sided swingarm takes care of the rear while adjustable 50mm Marzocchi forks deals with the hurdles at the front. Thanks to Brembos at the front and rear, Diavel Strada’s stopping power is unmatched. Dual 320mm discs with Brembo Monoblock four-piston calipers and a single 265mm disc with a two-piston caliper ensures that the Diavel Strada stops where your mind fancies.

Ducati entered the power cruiser segment in 2011 with the Ducati Diavel – a low-slung mean machine with a retuned 1,198.4 cc Testastretta from the 1198 superbike. Designed under the watchful eyes of design chief Pierre Terblanche, who roped in Glynn Kerr, freelance designer and design columnist at Motorcycle Consumer News for the concept sketches, the Diavel even went on to pose a threat to Harley Davidson

As a signature styling touch, the juggernaut flaunts massive lateral radiators on either side. Ducati doesn’t seem to run short of words when it comes to describing this design element. "The technical solution employed for keeping the frontal lines of the Diavel clean was to place two highly efficient lateral radiators on both sides of the bike. These well-ducted units, located beneath the fuel tank, use aerodynamics to help draw

air flow through the radiators and are assisted by high-flow electric fans when required. The design combines form and function to enhance the muscular shape of the bike," says the Italian bike maker.

As mentioned earlier, this is a power-cruiser with touring traits.

The touring-friendly components start right from the headlamp.

The windscreen perched up on the leading light may not be large but does the job in a remarkable fashion. It doesn’t stand out unpleasantly to start with. The rake and design complements the overall styling of the Diavel, functions quite well as a wind deflector and could provide the rider with ample protection from the elements. Read insects, dust and the occasional soda can.

Ergonomics have been revised extensively to keep the rider and the passenger comfortable during their interstate roadtrip. The handlebar has been raised and pushed back offering a relaxed riding position. The seat has got additional cushioning and the pillion rider will also get the luxury of a backrest which gives that much needed support. Thankfully the grab-rails are within reach and the foot-peg positioning don’t demand you to be an acrobat.

More comforts and amenities come in the form of heated grips, an enhanced generator and two auxiliary power outlets which can power your navigation device, if you are a practical Easy Rider who isn’t that much inclined to wander off into god-forsaken deserts.

Even if you do get lost, the 41-litre luggage space which the Diavel Strada has on offer is spacious enough to store supplies that’ll keep you alive for a couple of days before you find your way back to civilization.

To sum up within the scope of a preview, this is a fantastic bike – a well-thought out and well-executed adaptation of an already spirited power-cruiser.

It’s a Ducati and one with the essence preserved in its styling and performance. However, there is a catch. There is no color palette to choose from. The Daviel Strada will be available in only one colour scheme – titanium with a racing black frame, black wheels and black side luggage.

...Sanjoy Alexander

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Kia and DC Comics Assemble the Justice League at SEMA The Avengers were assembled on the big

screen this year and boy, what a cinematic experience it has been for everyone from fanboys to movie buffs! The $220 million budgeted juggernaut crushed everything ever known in recent box-office history to breadcrumbs and even gave The Dark Knight himself a nightmare which he hasn’t recovered from yet. Since the success of the biggest superhero team-up of all time, we have been hearing of Marvel’s arch rivals - DC Comics – hatching a plan to bring together their team of big guns to the reel world.

The DC cinematic universe has been a zigzag ride so far. Batman reigns supreme on top, both in cinematic excellence and in

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commercial success, thanks to Christopher Nolan. Superman, though the most popular superhero character in the world, hasn’t tasted significant success after Superman II. Green Lantern tanked big time even if it had visual effects worth writing home about. A Wonder Woman movie never happened no matter how much we wanted to see Megan Fox in a bodysuit outfit with matching boots and a whip to lash.Same goes for Aquaman and Cyborg. But now that Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy has been concluded and a new Man of Steel movie is on its way, DC has started thinking seriously about a Justice League movie which will bring together everyone mentioned above in one gargantuan superhero epic.

Two paragraphs into the write-up and you might still be wondering as to where the wheels are. You see, the topic at hand requires a lengthy introduction. The stage has to be set for the show and interestingly enough, our cars are in fact associated with DC Comics and the Justice League. At the recently concluded SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Korean manufacturer Kia showcased five highly modified cars which were designed around the members of the Justice League. Each bearing a significant share of cues with the iconic superheroes of the fictional team, these cars went on to become the undisputed stars of the show.

The machines will be auctioned off with the proceeds of the same going towards the “We Can Be Heroes" campaign, which helps with famine relief in the Horn of Africa.

The five cars – Batman Optima, Flash Forte Koup, Cyborg Forte 5-door, Aquaman Rio 5-door and Green Lantern Soul – were built by West Coast Customs, RIDES and Super Street who joined forces with DC Entertainment co-publisher and comic book artist Jim Lee to come up with this ultimate homage to the Justice League. The catchy graphics and artwork came straight off the sketching desk of Jim Lee himself.

The Batman Optima may not stand a chance before the Tumbler or the Aventador. Nolan’s Batman may not even give it a second glance at all. But had it been the Joel Schumacher era of campiness, then yes, this could have found its way to the garage inside the Bat-cave.

Finished in tone-on-tone matte and gloss black, with a lowered coilover suspension, ground effects kit, Ksport brakes, 20" wheels and custom exhaust, the Optima has got itself some character with the new look. RIDES Magazine who made the Batman Optima, claims that the grille itself took 40 days to craft.

Becoming the Dark Knight was never easy as we all know already.

The Flash Forte Koup may not be able to beat its idol in a race. The fastest runner in the superhero world may lap the globe a dozen times by the time the humble Kia completes a quarter-mile drag race. Airbrushed in red, orange and yellow, with custom coilover suspension and 20-inch Asanti wheels to flaunt, the Flash Forte Koup is in fact our pick of the lot. Flash would rather choose to take the car instead of running all the way, as the leather-laden interiors with an entertainment system that is completely bonkers, this car is flashy in every sense of the word.

Moving on to a lesser-known name of the JLA, the Cyborg-inspired Forte gets to show off its coilover suspension, wide fenders, 18'' Rotiform wheels, hood scoop and red LEDS, all wrapped up in and around a body painted in silver. A JL Audio sound system and a tablet computer in the center console are the gadgetry to fiddle with on the inside. That’s quite techy as the superhero which it draws inspiration from.

We may not be seeing this chap in the Justice League movie which is being planned by Warner Brothers and DC. But if Marvel can

have a demi-god like Thor in its universe why should DC hold itself back from bringing in Aquaman – the King of Atlantis? At least this guy is from the same planet. Paying tribute to the Ruler of the Seven Seas is the Kia Rio built by West Coast Customs. Perhaps the most outlandish one of the lot, the Rio is quite loyal to the source material with the Aquaman’s costume colours being faithfully adapted into the artwork laid on the shiny body panels. Shades of gold, green and orange dominate the paintjob. Custom fins, Oracle LED illumination and 20" Asanti wheels complete the exterior, while green leather seats and a high-end sound system add to the chic interiors.

The Green Lantern may have had a hard time at the box-office. It’s being noted as one of the biggest flops in recent memory and though a reboot is in the discussion phase, we don’t see it happening any time soon. (Better luck next time with the “proposal”, Ryan Reynolds.) But the Kia Soul on which the automotive tribute to the intergalactic peacekeeper is based, is one which fanboys will dig. Super Street magazine came up with a black and neon green paint

job for the car. Green-tinted windows, 18-inch wheels with a peculiar lantern design, welded back doors and blacked-out headlights make this the car that the Corp should opt for, if they plan to open a station on Earth. It’s the interior which is going to make the other Lanterns turn green (not so surprisingly) with envy. It’s got a Green Lantern power battery inside which looks quite cool in its own over-the-top way.

Plus, there is a video display, and green and black leather upholstery and dashboard trim to match the theme.

Now we have two complaints to make to Kia and DC. First, where on Earth is the car inspired by Superman? Isn’t the Son of Krypton the leader of the Justice League? He deserves his car, folks.

Second, we are really mad at Kia and DC for ignoring Wonder Woman. Given our huge admiration for the Princess of Amazon, we would really like some answers here. More than Superman perhaps.

...Sanjoy Alexander

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‘The 10-Second Car’

What if Dominic Toretto had to give up the Dodge Charger R/T? We list out his 5 best options!

Justin Lin and Co are currently busy destroying streets and bridges in Europe with automotive carnage and explosions large enough to give Michael Bay a complex. Last heard, they even pulled in a Tank into a car chase for additional firepower in the sixth part of the rubber-burning, nitrous-injected car-chase laden heist franchise – The Fast and the Furious.

This franchise has been going through quite a remarkable transformation and we love how it has matured over the past decade. But they have preserved one element throughout the major story arc of the series – the 1968 Dodge Charger R/T. The Charger R/T is the face of the franchise; the the vehicular equivalent to Vin Diesel in terms of the movie brand’s star power. Fierce, visceral and intimidating, the Charger has captivated an age which seldom gets to own or drive one. But at times we do wonder how would things be if Dominic Toretto had to part ways with his car? What would he opt for then? What else would suit his persona, attitude and his habit of beating GT3s to pulp in street-racing circuits in Brazil and kidnapping a Mexican drug cartel kingpin in Mexico?

Before we start off with this attempt to find Dominic Toretto with an alternative to his monstrous 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, before the first shot is fired at our heads for even thinking of replacing the Charger with any other muscle car ever made, allow us to explain. We do realize that no matter how much we love these alternatives, none of them matches the panache, admiration and fear that the 1968 Dodge Charger R/T evokes.

Now that the guns and grilles are at bay, let’s get started.

1965 Pontiac GTO Dom wouldn’t mind taking the GTO into his garage. It’s big and though a bit flashy, it has the largest engine that Pontiac has ever shoved inside a car. We can already see him working on the 6.4 litre V8 block at night, trying to figure out how he can pull out more horses than its current output of 325 bhp. The ride will be coming with the optional “Tri-Power” carburetion that produces an increased output of 348 bhp. The numbers are definitely going to bring up that signature smirk of his. 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds, a standing quarter-mile of 14.8 seconds, and a quarter mile trap speed of 99 mph. Somehow, we have a feeling that he won’t be resting on its laurels though and Vin Diesel has already driven a gadget-laden one in the spy-actioner XXX.

1970 Plymouth Hemi-Cuda The Hemi-Cuda or the Barracuda, whichever way you’d like to see it, has one thing in its favor which will win over Dom. It’s from the same family if we are considering carmaker alliances and stable mates as blood ties. And if you are a devoted follower of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, family is the second most-used word in Dom’s vocabulary. Returning to the car, it packed a 7.0 litre Hemi engine that delivered all of 425 bhp to burn the rear tyres to shreds. Being a burnout-addicted muscle car, the Hemi-Cuda could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds which we estimate to be good enough to cross paths with a speeding train and make it out alive.

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1970 Dodge Challenger R/T This could be the muscle car which Dom is going to take the keys by force and he wouldn’t mind taking down Luke Hobbs in another brawl if that gets him one step closer to the machine. It’s pretty much the same as the Hemi-Cuda, sharing almost everything with the Plymouth. But this is a brother from the same mother and it’s a Dodge and it’s an R/T. The choice of engines makes it even more appealing. It has V8 blocks which produce 335, 375 and 390hp of power and the flag-bearer is the 425 bhp 7.0 litre Hemi. To top it off, it had a starring role in “Vanishing Point” which is like the cinematic equivalent of the Bible for muscle car lovers.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 The priciest Non-Shelby Mustang during its times, the 1969 Mustang Boss 429 may be too much for Dom if he is planning to buy one. But when we take a look at the kind of business that he is running (or running from) we doubt whether he’ll be “buying” one as such. You know what we are saying. It’s quite rare and valuable to make matters worse. It may not be a dominating and imposing a sight to look at. Neither will it scare the living daylights out of you if you ever see one in your rearview mirror. But this is the best-looking Mustang of all time. With its flared fenders and a butch interpretation of the classic Mustang lines, the Boss 429 was all about making the Stang more muscular and manly. Reportedly capable enough to produce 493-500 thundering horses, the Boss is much more powerful than the Charger R/T. We also hear that a white example of the Boss 429 is starring in the next installment in the franchise – Fast Six.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 A brutally fast and mind-blowingly powerful version of the 69 Camaro, the ZL1 is also among the most powerful pony cars of the era. Dom will take a liking for this specimen as it was purpose-built with drag racing in mind. For someone who lives his life in quartermiles and 10 seconds at a time, the ZL1 will be a perfect reflection of Dom’s philosophy of life. It isn’t just philosophy that the ZL1 offers.

The massive 7.0 litre V8 is rumored to produce a horsepower figure somewhere north of 500 bhp and it accelerates from 0 to 60mph in around 5.3 seconds. Only 69 were built and that makes shopping for one, a difficult task in itself. But that won’t be an impossible job for the guy who pulled a 10-tonne vault out of a fully-guarded police station and drove it through the busy street of Rio, wrecking 200 cars, evading a three dozen cop cars and pulverizing a mob boss’s gun-wielding SUV fleet, only to walk away with the money at the end of it all.

So that’s what our list looks like.

If you were someone that Dom took advice from which car would you suggest?

P.S: Last heard he used a pipe wrench to remodel the face of the guy who tried to give him a piece of advice. Not that we didn’t warn you. ...Sanjoy Alexander 101 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Upcoming SUVs In last month’s issue, we checked out the Chevrolet Trax, the Ford Ecosport and the Mitsubishi Outlander in list of SUVs coming your way in the next few months. Ford is quite vocal about their plans for the Ecosport. They even have started showing off the images on their India-specific webpage. So looks like we will be seeing it real soon on our roads though doubtfully off it. This month, we have three more SUVs to tease and unlike last time when the list had cars which weren’t beyond reach for many of us, this list has a `1 crore super-SUV amongst us.

Engaging 4-wheel drive...

2013 Range Rover 4 Launch Date: December 2012 Expected Price – ` 1.4-1.6 crore

2013 Honda CR-V Launch Date: First Quarter of 2013 Expected Price – ` 22-25 lakhs

The most luxurious SUV in the world is also among the priciest cars money can buy in India and the new version is going to be better in every imaginable way.The interior quality and comfort features have been doubled and that shows in the craftsmanship of upholstery and woodwork that has gone into the creation of its rich living area. Power comes from a 503bhp LR-V8 petrol engine or you can opt for a 3.0 litre, 254bhp, TDV6 diesel. An additional diesel engine is also on offer – a 4.4 litre SDV8 that produces 334bhp of power. All engines will be paired with a ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic gearbox. For the car geeks to ponder over there is plenty of tech on board. Terrain Response system, Two-channel Dynamic Response active lean control, Adaptive Dynamics with continuously variable damping, Electric Power Assisted Steering, Park Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, the list of wizardry just goes on and on.

2013 SsangYong Korando Launch Date: First Quarter of 2013 Expected Price – ` 15-17 lakhs

Short wheelbase SUVs in the `10 lakh+ category haven’t really worked well in our market.

The Hyundai Tucson never took off and the Renault Koleos hasn’t made much of an impact either. The perception of the Indian premium SUV customer hasn’t changed. More money means more sheet-metal and more space. It doesn’t matter how much comforts you throw in to sweeten the deal, they’ll seldom opt for a short wheelbase luxury SUV. So the fate of the yet-to-be released SsangYong Korando will hang in the balance upon launch. Mahindra has already launched the Rexton under the same banner recently and since it has been branded, marketed and sold as a premium offering above the family flagship XUV 500, there isn’t a conflict or civil war breaking out inside the camp. But the Korando, which is expected to be priced at around `.15 lakhs might cause a clash of the titans. Think of how Robocop’s fourth directive clashed with its law enforcement duties.

This is more or less the same. Above all, even to the customer walking in to the Mahindra showroom, the XUV 500 will make be more sensible a buy over the Korando. So we do expect to see plenty more of XUV 500 cars on the road once the Korando is launched.

The 5-seater made on a monocoque platform will be powered by a 173bhp diesel engine and is expected to be offered with both manual and automatic transmissions. Mahindra who has got almost everything going in their favour and according to plan till this day just might get their hands burnt this time. Let’s hope that they don’t. After all, they might need the loose change to acquire the Aston Martin brand.

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Once here the new CR-V will be trying to re-establish its position as the most comfortable and driver-centric soft-roader in the country. We had a dozen other ways to begin the paragraph, but this seemed to fit the car well. Since the launch of the first version of the CR-V in India, it received acclaim for being a soft-roader which handled and behaved like a sedan – a sedan with big wheels, chunky fenders coupled with the body, image and practicality of an SUV to be precise. It had the gem of an engine which was zippy and enthusiastic and we have never seen the Indian SUV buying crowd completely ignore the surging prices ever before. It never seemed to matter at all as the driving experience that the CR-V provided was not something that others could match. The current version in the market (though a bit wishy-washy in its design) continued to be successful in winning over SUV shoppers for some time until the petrol prices became too much for even the enthusiasts to handle and of course diesel got better. As Honda is perhaps one of the few manufacturers in India who have never made us wait long for the new generations of their cars, we do see the arrival of the new CR-V early next year. The new version is currently on sale in Europe and North America and it looks magnificent from the front and in profile. The same cannot be said about the rear though which seems to have borrowed design cues from a melted soap box. But we do assert that this is much better-looking and betterpackaged car than the one that it will replace. The good news is that with Honda finally taking up diesel engines, we might be seeing the new CR-V with a 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel powerplant. The 150bhp engine when mated to a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission and chipping in a 2-wheel drive mode instead of an all-wheel drive system could make both economical and practical sense to its buyers. ...Sanjoy Alexander

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CELLENCE

TWEETY PIE!

W

hen you find something nice and sweet, all you need to do is switch on your laptop and tweet! Cheesy? No it isn’t. The story behind the gigantic fame of this social broadcasting site is a product of creativity, intelligence and right amount of research. These ingredients teamed with management skills made its success inevitable. The success of this brand is beyond 140 characters for us to write in! Let us see how‘TWITTER’ was born and how it evolved into the topmost social networking site leaving others behind.

THE VISION Twitter was originated by the board members of the podcasting company named Odeo. The idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group was the main focus of their

104 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

discussion, The original name of the now famously known ‘twitter’ was supposed to be twttr. The project started on March 21, 2006.

Later it was named ‘twitter’ which can be defined as 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and also as is known, is 'chirps from birds'.

This definition went along well with the whole idea and hence the name was apt!

So is it like a Facebook? How was it made and what exactly was so unique about this networking site than the rest? Why does twitter stand out and is not considered in the league of other networking sites? The answer to all of this is simple. It mainly focuses on expressing yourself in just 140 characters! More expression in lesser words. Besides this, it is more on the lines of broadcast networking and cluster networking rather than social or mass networking per se. We shall now get to know more on this site and see how it evolved. Also we shall analyse its future and what all will be required to sustain it in the long run.

Twitter Headquarters

inevitable’attitude. Because everything they do with this site has always shown the consistency in meeting the current scenarios and mindsets.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS The full version of this interesting website was introduced publicly on July 15, 2006. Later in the year, in October, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, Dorsey, formed Obvious Corporation by acquiring Odeo, which included Odeo.com and Twitter.com. Only in April 2007 did the company see proper dawn after a flickering light of the night. Then there was no looking back for the site. The growth wasn’t phenomenal at first but twitter became a recognised and admired site globally especially after ‘SOUTH BY SOUTH WEST INTERACTIVE (SXSWi)’ conference held in 2007. It was very well received at the conference and the presence of two 60 inch plasma screens on which twitter could be used, intrigued conference-goers. Twitter gained huge popularity through this and grew bigger. But better? Better was not until August 2010 when Adam Bain was appointed the president of revenue. And on September 14, 2010, Twitter launched a redesigned site which included a new logo!

THE EVOLUTION The company went through a lot of changes from 2008 to 2012 and hence, today it stands as still a fresh experience. There is no stagnancy in its operations.

Dorsey, the then CEO of twitter is now chairman of the board. The place of CEO was taken over by Williams on October 16, 2008. More changes took place on October 4, 2010 when Dick Costolo, formerly the COO of Twitter, became CEO. William was to stay in the company and focus on product strategy. Dorsey rejoined as executive chairman in March 2011. He was focussing on product development. He is a busy man!

With being CEO at Square and executive chairman at Twitter, he is one man who certainly knows how to manage time without compromising on the quality of work And lately in October 2012, Google executive Matt Derella joined the bandwagon as Director of Business Agency Development.

This was a lot of change in a short span but turned out to be a good one. There is a difference between taking risks and being rash. The former leads to adventure and spontaneity while the latter leads to accidents! But Dorsey knew well how to drive his way to success by making impulsive changes and taking calculated risks.

Twitter as looks to the end user is a simple networking site where you follow people you like and where you make efforts to be followed. You utilise those 140 characters to your best and you like it if your posts are retweeted or made as favourites. But to conceptualise all this and get the site to this level of fame was not an overnight activity. It went through its share of revamping and constantly thriving to make the site look better and feel better. To keep it up with the times, it needed a team which was up on its toes with the thinking caps on, 24x7. Also, managing the site is no joke here. All humans have the capability to produce ideas but executors are few. Those who execute also need to maintain and evolve and supply according to demands. Only when all of this is in place can a website such as twitter run successfully and with continuous growth. The digital world is very demanding and challenging. It is the big thing already and there is no stopping to the virtual world.

The main soul of twitter has been its attitude which is the‘change is

Another marked change in Twitter has been its logo. The logo is the identity of a brand. The logo is an important part of branding for any company. A logo is apparently supposed to remain the same for long periods of time to ensure an imprint of the brand in people’s minds. But Twitter being unconventional in following business rules and showing the world that a business is all about changing with changing trends, has defined a new way of branding through dynamism. The bird logo is now the main symbol for twitter. From 2006-2010 the logo remained a simple name ‘twitter’ in the colour blue. After the first redesign, the logo underwent a change but only a slight one with addition of the bird next to ‘twitter’. The current logo, the ‘twitter bird’ has been around since June 5, 2012. This bird became the only symbol for twitter without any word or letter of the alphabet required to emphasise it.

This is a lot of evolution for a brand and in a span so less, it is commendable to see the changes giving back good results. We all know the blue bird keeps our tweets coming!

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JACK DORSEY

CELLENCE

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HERE AND HEREAFTER We all know what twitter is about. Social networking, broadcast networking, mass networking, it is defined in more ways than one. that is the best part! It is a flexible site which is a multipurpose portal to express yourself in just 140 characters. Why we stress on the 140-characters bit is only because we know that this is one of the ideas that makes Twitter unique and more interesting than its other competitors.

How does this site work? Well, if we look at the stats, twitter raised more than US$57 million from venture capitalist growth funding. Buzz is that this was not the exact amount and the same has not been publicly disclosed. Its first round of funding is rumoured to have been between US$ 1 million and US$ 5 million. The second round of funding is reportedly US$ 22 million which was in the year 2008 and the third in 2009 was of US$ 35 million from Institutional Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital and some more undisclosed amount from other investors In December 2010, the company managed to raise US$ 200 million for itself ! that is a lot of money and the growth today shows that the money has been put in the right places. Besides the money bit, twitter revamped the site and made some changes and additions to make it more interesting than before.

On April 30,2009, twitter introduced the most important feature of ‘trending topics’ by adjusting its web interface. The most common phrases that appear in messages become ‘trending topics’ which helps people know what is happening right now!

Also, recently in March, 2012, twitter became available in other languages such as Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and Hebrew. In August this year, the site became available in 33 different languages!

The twitter bird has flown a long way and has yet to perch on many more milestones and to explore many other skies! It is about tweets, retweets, favourites, trending topics, picture sharing, following and so much more. Retweet and ‘trending topics’ option have evolved only in the past two years. So, the twitter team is up on it always to discover and explore more and more and make the tweety look better with time.

‘‘The twitter bird has got us into the sky. Now let us see how it keeps us aboard!

‘‘

SOME ACHIEVEMENTS AND LOOPHOLES! •A big achievement comes in the form of twitter being adopted as a learning tool in educational settings namely, colleges and universities. Research shows that using twitter in colleges helps students to interact with each other and also with the faculty.

This promotes informal learning and allows the reserved ones to participate actively. This entire atmosphere leads to a rise in course grades. This is undoubtedly a fun learning experience and no student feels that they are actually studying!

•Another use of twitter is known to be making television more social! This practice is referred to as ‘chatterboxing’. Twitter encourages people to watch more and more TV events like the Oscars or any other live shows.

•The obvious use of twitter is following your friends and social network to know what is happening around them and to keep in touch.

The future of twitter is bright but it might see some loopholes and failures too.

•It has been found out that many of twitter’s users leave the site after using it for a month which leaves it with lesser popularity than its competitors.

•In August this year, a market of fake accounts was reported.

The reason for their existence is obvious. Just like any other social networking site, these fake accounts are used to increase the popularity of celebs and politicians.

These are not unmanageable loopholes, as far as efforts are made to minimize them. Twitter does not have any major shortcomings as such which can threaten its growth or push it to a standstill. Till the money is rolling and the evolution is going in the right direction, users will only increase. Dorsey was surely a far sighted man, in the sense that his vision was clear and he could see far ahead of times. A futuristic site like twitter is everything but conventional. It is a breath of fresh air from the other social networking sites floating around.

What next? Curiosity strikes our mind when we do think of what is going to be then next out-of-the-box thing on the site and whether it is impending anytime soon. Also, what is it that will make us remain on twitter and not leave it. What is that thing that will quench the human thirst for newness and spontaneity.

We are yet to see that. The twitter bird has got us into the sky.

Now let us see how it keeps us aboard!

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BEST GADGETS OF

2012

It’s that time of the year again, when we sit and take a good hard look back at the year that was. Some great gadgets were released this year and we are expecting a heated battle to take place in each of the categories to see who comes out on top! So, browse through our nominees and make up your mind.

Your votes will eventually decide the winners in each of these categories.

Make your vote count, contest open till 31st Jan 2013

exhibitmag.com/techawards 108 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Best Smartphone of 2012

Apple iPhone 5 The folks from Cupertino waited till the last quarter (as they always do!) to announce their latest iPhone. Yes, it is the thinnest iPhone ever, and the lightest, and possibly the best. But guess what, it’s also the tallest – for the first time Apple decided to change the screen size from 3.5” to 4” – making the phone taller, though not wider. This means a slightly strange resolution of 640x1136 pixels, but that’s still 326 ppi- a beautiful display which is found rarely in other phones. The iOS 6 came in with loads of improvements, but the Maps app failed to impress. The A6 process has been powerful to impress, along-with the triplecore PowerVR SGX GPU. The camera has cooler features like stitch panorama, and an ever-growing app store which is not easy to match.

HTC One X+

Samsung Galaxy S III

The 64 GB variant of the One X+ has only recently rolled into India, at a slightly high price tag of ` 40,190/-.But don’t be shocked, as the quality of build, the specs, the features and the performance – all deliver the goods as promised. And even beyond. The original One X left a disappointed taste after continuous use on it left to slight jitters and stutters, along-with a feeling of being underwhelmed with all the power. But the One X+ has not only improved all of that, it has certainly made full use of the quad-core CPU’s with the 1GB RAM fine-tuned with Sense UI’s latest version. Jelly Bean is the icing on this lovely cake, which matches the best smartphones out there and beats most on benchmarks and impresses with its beautifully crafted body and impressive feature set.

Sammy fans had enough reasons to rejoice as the successor to the hugely popular Galaxy S II was not only a more powerful device, it also had cool new features that no one in the competition had.

Yes, the ‘designed for humans’ campaign wasn’t great thinking from the Koreans, but it did catch your attention. The splendid Super AMOLED display on the 4.8” Corning Gorilla Glass 2 screen was amazing, and the quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 was blowing away the competition in benchmarks.

Plus, with the ‘nature’ inspired features and enough gesture driven custom actions left no one wanting anything more from the flagship smartphone. With Jelly Bean starting to roll out on all S III’s around the globe, things are only set to get better as Samsung will regain its position as the top smartphone maker in the world.

LG Optimus G Nokia Windows phones haven’t really made that big an impact to trouble Android and iOS devices, but the Windows Phone 8 series might be a game changer. The Lumia 920 is the latest flagship from Nokia, and the Finnish giants sure must be hoping for a turn-around in their fortunes in the time to come. The ‘tile’ interface is the only one that looks different from the Android and iOS lot, but is not as customizable as Android nor as App filled as the iOS world. The camera performance, however, is simply superb – especially in low light conditions, where it can capture more light than even what we can see with our eye! The Maps app is integrated with Augmented Reality, plus the live tiles on the homescreen are now re-sizeable. All of this is viewed on a gorgeous 4.5” PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack display with a high pixel density of 332 ppi.

Nokia Lumia 920

This was the same smartphone that led to the speculation that the next Google Nexus device will be made by LG. But, it seemed that LG had already made the right moves a lot earlier, as it dawned to the world that LG had already become the 3rd largest smartphone maker in the world. The 4.7” True HD-IPS LCD screen is just awesome, with a quite high pixel density of 318 ppi, ensuring you can read the smallest text clearly and enjoy the best HD multimedia. The quad-core 1.5 GHz is ably supported with 2 GB of RAM which is 1 more than the rest of the droids in this range. With planned upgrades to Jelly Bean this device has certainly has got all what it takes to be a winner. Oh, did we mention it has a superb 13MP camera? As well as every cool feature that you’d want from a modern smartphone? Oh yes, it’s simply superb.

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The Phablet Category exhibitmag.com/techawards 110 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note II

Best Phablet of 2012

If there ever was a product tailor-made for a specific category, then this is it. The Note II has had a spectacular showing as far as fire power is concerned, out-doing all other smartphones in its range, to come out as the best product on benchmarks. The 5.5” form factor may not be for everyone, but it certainly provides for a better multimedia experience, especially for watching movies. The quad-core 1.6 GHz Processor coupled with a generous 2GB of RAM has set the pace for the rest of the pack to catch up with, and with the impressive functionality added by the S-Pen, it is quite a gamechanging phablet.

LG has been quite confident about their smartphone range for the past year, so they have a phablet of their own which is capable of taking on the competition. It’s got the top of the line Tegra 3 chipset with a quad-core 1.5 GHz processor. Other excellent features include what you’d expect from a top-of-the-line product like this, which includes an 8MP snapper, 32GB of internal storage, Android OS 4.0 (upgradable to 4.1), HTML 5 and flash support as well as document viewer and editor. All this on a HD-IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen which is quite brilliant.

LG Optimus Vu Known by a different name when it was launched – J Butterfly (Japan launch) – the Droid DNA is quite an incredible device. So, what’s so amazing about it, you ask? The 1080p display. Yes, that’s right – the 5” Super LCD3 screen has a 1080x1920 resolution, the first of its kind! Which really gives it a jaw dropping pixel density of 441 ppi. That’s way higher than the ‘Retina Display’ pixel density of around 330, giving the Droid DNA a clear edge over all its rivals. A quad-core chip, 2 GB of RAM, Jelly Bean 4.1 (upgradable to 4.2) are all baked in, plus there is a superb 8MP snapper which lets you record (and playback) 1080p videos. Impressed yet?

Micromax A100 Although lagging behind its competition as far as specs are concerned, the A100 has one thing going for it that the others don’t.

The price point. Whereas the competition is priced around the Rs. 40K mark, the Micromax A100 is priced at a mere 10K, making it a much more affordable phablet than the rest. It still has a decent 1 GHz Processor with an Adreno 200 GPU and Android’s ICS OS, with a 5MP camera and 4 GB of internal storage. All this is powered by a 2000 mAh battery, which will ensure that the A100 can last well into a day with good amount of usage, whereas the quad-core power hungry competition might not. It certainly is one of the best budget buys in this category. Does that get your vote for it?

HTC Droid DNA Although a 4.5” screen size is by no means the standard for a phablet, Karbonn has still gone ahead and labeled their A24 just that.

More powerful than the Micromax A100, the A24 has a splendid IPS LCD screen, a front facing VGA camera, an 8MP rear cam, qHD resolution and good build quality too. The device is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and comes with Android’s latest OS – Jelly Bean. With all your expected connectivity options available as well as an expandable microSD card (up to 32GB) – the advantage with the Karbonn also lies with its price point. With around 13K to spend for all the above mentioned features, the A24 seems like a steal – even though you may need to compromise on the specs a little bit.

Show your love for this product by way of your votes.

Karbonn Smart A24 111 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

The Tab which your fingers love

exhibitmag.com/techawards 112 I EXHIBIT I DECEMBER 2012

Best Tablet of 2012

Apple iPad 4th Gen

We were just as surprised as the rest of the world when Apple announced another iPad, at the same event where they announced the iPad mini. The 4th generation iPad has really nothing major changed on the looks of it, though the folks at Apple certainly want to make you feel that the 4th Gen iPad is ‘revolutionary’ and ‘amazing’ in every way. It’s got a faster A6X Processor and iOS 6 out of the box. Oh yes, you can also make face-time calls over cellular now, but that’s one feature that was anyways not a big hit here on our desi shores. It still has a great Retina Display on that beautifully sculpted 9.7” body and performs remarkably well. Few tablets out there have as many tabletspecific apps that the iPad’s have, and that in itself puts the iPad ahead in the contention. But will it beat out the tough competition?

Google Nexus 10 The Google Nexus family was completed by a surprising announcement – of a 10” tablet. But, what was not surprising to see was the manufacturer- Samsung. They might’ve not got the offer to make the smartphone, but Samsung did one helluva job with the 10” tablet- simply called the Nexus 10. There is no cellular connectivity on it (though, it does have NFC), but we are hoping that the next versions might get them – as Wi-Fi’s are still not that popular in India. That beauty of a display has an incredible resolution of 2560x1600 pixels, giving the tablet a superb 300 ppi. Armed with the latest version of Jelly Bean 4.2, the Nexus 10 has dual-core CPU with 2GB RAM and an able GPU. The stiffest competition to the iPad.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity Also known as the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the tablet that could ‘transform’ itself into a laptop (yes, just like the movie) was bound to get noticed and into the limelight even before it released. But since it’s been out in India (April of this year), it has made quite an impression on Droid fanboys and the rest alike. This was also one of the first quad-core tabs to be launched, along-with a Super IPS LCD screen with a nice resolution of 1920x1200. With 1GB of RAM and a more than capable GPU, it surely had enough juice to impress us plenty.

Microsoft Surface Another tablet that can be turned into a laptop thanks to its keyboard dock, the Microsoft Surface was launched to keep the hype around Windows 8 alive. But, more than anything – it has managed to impress everyone with its sleek looks and multi-touch screen, which has enough gesture controls to confuse Bill Gates himself. Okay, that’s a little extreme, but we’re sure the beautifully designed 10” form factor will go down well as the Surface starts rolling out to more consumers slowly and steadily.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (N800) Another impressive quad-core tablet which is also supported by 2GB of RAM, the Note 10.1 released towards the end of the year. With some really amazing features like watching multimedia while still working on presentations were superb, there were some others that just did the job quietly without making much of a fuss. The S-Pen was the real eyecatching stand-out feature though, something that was later much more successfully implemented in the Note II phablet.

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Best Notebook of 2012

Macbook Pro 13” with Retina Display

Last year, Apple wowed us with the 15” version of the Macbook Pro with Retina Display. And this year, they have done the same with a 13” model. The sleekness of the Macbook Pro is now on par with the Air, something that really is unmatched in the industry – considering the amount of power it can churn out. It’s got a stunning 2560x1600 resolution which looks incredible on the 13” screen, which looks better than any other laptop screen in the market right now. It also houses 2 Thunderbolt ports, a standard of 8GB of RAM, excellent battery life and the newest Mac OS X. ‘Amazing’ right?

Dell XPS 15 Launched in summer, the 2012 model of the Dell XPS 15 is quite a powerful notebook with enough juice to power a small car. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but you get the flow. It’s not only got the latest Ivy Bridge i7 Processor but also got 8 GB of RAM along-with Nvidia’s GeForce GT 640M graphics card. A 750 GB HDD will hold most of your important data, but if you love storing HD movies you might need to expand hard drive space (via SSD, if you please). Or you can rely on the Optical DVD drive, which can also play Blu-Ray content as well! All of this is crammed into a beautifully crafted notebook which is familiar to all Dell loyalists and really easy to use and move around with.

Asus Zenbook UX31A

ASUS made a grand entrance into the Ultrabook race with the Zenbook Prime UX31E, which brought a sleek design and lovely, high-res screen.

But there's also a follow-up to the 13-inch UX31E on the market: the ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A. This laptop offers a retooled keyboard, Ivy Bridge chips and a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, starting at similar price points as the competition. The UX31A's 1.7GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB ADATA SSD pave the way to a solid showing in benchmark tests.

The addition of backlighting and a more comfortable keyboard -- not to mention the step up to Ivy Bridge and Intel HD Graphics 4000 -- makes the whole package considerably better. But does that still get your vote?

Let us know!

It was back in January, at CES 2012, that we first saw the 13-inch Acer Aspire S5 ultrabook.

Of course, if you remember the S5 from CES, you'll recall its most unique feature -- a tiny motorized door at the back of the bottom panel that opens at the touch of a button, revealing a ports-and-connections block, including HDMI and Thunderbolt (making this one of only a handful of Thunderbolt laptops). Acer calls this the MagicFlip I/O Port. Even thinner and lighter than a 13-inch MacBook Air, the Acer Aspire S5 is a great example of an ambitious ultrabook, held back by a few flaws. But, since there is no such thing as perfect, we’re sure this product will receive as many votes as it truly deserves from you. Right?

Acer Aspire S5

Samsung is back with a second-generation laptop that promises to correct all of these shortcomings, and ushers in an even thinner, even lighter design. Make that two laptops: Sammy's selling a 15-inch Ultrabook, too. And truly, there's nothing quite like it: nothing quite this thin, with this large a screen.

(Consider for a moment that it measures just .08 inches thicker than the new 13-inch Series 9, which is already thinner than most other Ultrabooks on the market.) The 15-inch Series 9 comes in a single configuration, with a 1.6GHz Core i5-2467M processor, integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics and a 128GB solid-state drive. Even though all this comes at a slightly high price of Rs 1 lacs (approx), it does have the premium quality to justify that price tag.

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Best Home Theater System of 2012

Bose 3•2•1 GS Series III DVD Home Entertainment System

The 5.1 Dolby Digital Home Entertainment System from Bose is one of the best sounding one’s that we’ve heard, this year. It dishes out spacious Bose sound using unobtrusive Gemstone® speakers that practically disappear into your room. This four-piece system connects to your TV quickly and easily. Just hook up the sleek media center to your compatible TV with the included HDMI cable, and it will automatically upgrade the video signal from your DVDs to better match the picture on your high-def TV. Analog video jacks let you connect this system to older TVs, too.

Denon AVR-1912 and Klipsch HDT500 Home Theater Bundle Package This is a great combo package for all your Home Theater requirements, even though it does come at a premium cost. The Denon AVR-1912 7.1 Home Theater Receiver offers a 3D experience with exceptional picture and dynamic sound quality. Equipped with the latest inputs and network functions, this robust receiver brings out the best in your Blu-ray/DVD players, game consoles, and other entertainment devices. The AVR-1912 boasts an equal amp power design and supports multiple high-resolution audio formats, providing for an absorbing listening experience in surround sound. It also supports HDMI 1.4a, allowing you to get the most out of 3D content. Enhanced by digital network audio/photo streaming capabilities, including support for AirPlay, mp3/WMA/WAV and FLAC HD audio, and Windows 7 compatibility, the AVR-1912 will satisfy even the most demanding home theater enthusiasts.

Harman Kardon HKTS 16WQ 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System Harman Kardon's HKTS 16WQ 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System (White) is designed for those who are looking for audiophile-grade, thrilling surround sound at a budget-friendly price. Experience heightened audio realism when watching films, musical passages or playing video games for full immersion. The product Features Complete 5.1-channel surround-sound system Voice-matched, two-way satellite and center speakers CEA color-coded speaker wires match Harman Kardon A/V receiver terminals to simplify setup process Bass-boost controls and phase switches for subwoofer Upgradable to 7.1 channels.

Panasonic SC-XH150 5.1 Channel Cinema Surround Home Entertainment System

Sony BDV-E580 Blu-Ray Disc Player Home Entertainment System Home theater should always be this simple. With the Sony BDV-E580, there’s no need for you to figure out which components are 3D-ready and will work together. This system is matched and ready to give you exciting 3D entertainment.

It also takes the guesswork out of surround sound, with five compact speakers and a subwoofer will draw you into your favorite Hollywood blockbusters, TV shows, and video games.

Impressed? Vote away!

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The Clear Sound Digital Amplifier analyzes the difference between the input and output audio signals, and makes the necessary adjustments to produce an output signal with the same low distortion as the input signal. This results in sound that is highly faithful to the original sound source. The home theater system is compatible with the ARC (Audio Return Channel) feature. ARC makes it possible to receive audio signals from the TV, on top of the preexisting HDMI function of sending audio/ video signals to the TV with just one cable. This feature simplifies connection by eliminating the audio cable connection between the TV audio output and the main unit’s audio input.

Best Gaming of 2012 Cyborg R.A.T 7 gaming mouse Slowly, the premium gaming products are making their way into India, and the Cyborg catalogue is no different. The Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 9 is the most customizable gaming mouse available. Its two battery packs and included recharging station mean no downtime. Its unique looks make a statement, it boasts strong build quality, and it features useful button functions. If you are a gamer, then we’re certain you will appreciate the beauty of this product, but if you want it to win – then you better vote for it!

Razer Black Widow keyboard Another product that slowly made its way to India, the Black Widow is a perfect companion for a gamer, who wants the maximum out of his keyboard. The Ultimate features a single USB 2.0 jack and a pair of audio jacks along its right edge. The USB port is handy for connecting a mouse, a USB key, or a mobile device, and the audio jacks might make life easier if you have an analog stereo headset, adding more dimension to this awesome product. So, all you gaming fans take a good hard look at this Razer, if it cuts the mark for you – make sure you vote for it!

Xbox 360 Slim The 360 was due for an overhaul, and the designers did a great job on it. As with anything, some will love the design, some will hate it, but most should find it a pleasing change. But looks alone aren’t likely to sell any consoles. If there is one single feature worth touting, it is the inclusion of WiFi, which really does make a big difference. The quieter sound is a nice touch, and the 250GB hard drive is a great selling point. If this was your favourite gaming product of the year, then ensure you vote for it.

Sony PlayStation Vita

Nintendo Wii U We don’t know exactly what is in the Wii U yet, but we do know it’s a relatively new PowerPC processor paired with 2GB of RAM and a custom AMD Radeon GPU, most likely derived from the company’s Evergreen architecture. For comparison, the Xbox 360 uses a graphics chip similar to AMD’s Fudo architecture – which is five years older.

Given the separation in architectures it would not be surprising if the raw power of the Wii U is three or four times that of an Xbox 360. It looks like an incredibly good piece of a gaming device, which has a great line-up of games to be enjoyed.

Impressively powerful and astonishingly feature-packed, Playstation Vita is - at least for now - the ultimate handheld games machine. With its touch-capabilities, augmentedreality cameras and motion-sensing capabilities it’s a versatile little beast that should inspire some innovative developers, but it’s at its best playing big, immersive blockbuster games, where it brings the handheld and big-screen console gaming experiences closer than they’ve ever been before.

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The camera which gets you clicking

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Fujifilm X-Pro 1

We were really impressed with this mirrorless camera when we reviewed it for our November issue, and it should come as no surprise that the camera finds itself in our list of nominees. The retro leather body design on the 16MP sensor along-with a hybrid viewfinder gels well to give a premium quality feel.

The X-Pro1's bespoke Fuji X-Trans CMOS sensor. It's the right size for the resolution: anything smaller than APS-C would make the 16 megapixels too crowded, while anything bigger would make focusing even harder. More importantly, though, it delivers surprising results: images you just could not predict and that you almost don't deserve. It does cost a bomb of approx `1 lac, but it is worth every paisa if you can afford it.

Best Best Gaming Digital Camera of 2012of 2012

Sony NEX 5R The Sony NEX-5R is a beautifully built camera that you'll have great fun using. The articulated screen puts it one step ahead of its competitors, and the innovative downloadable apps (over Wi-Fi) will expand its feature set over time. It retains the Alpha NEX-5N’s E-mount lenses, an articulated screen and the same 16.1-megapixel resolution. It’s great to use and operate, as well as delivers great performance every time and any time. The NEX-5R records AVCHD and MP4 video. Maximum resolution is 1,920x1,080 pixels at 50fps when shooting AVCHD, and 1,440x1,080 pixels at 25fps when shooting MP4.

Nikon D600 The D600 represents excellent value for money. If you've been hankering after a full-frame dSLR and don't have a stash of rival lenses that you want to keep using, look this way.

It's chunky, and a little bit heavy, but it's a camera that should serve you well for years to come. The D600's native resolution is 24.7 megapixels, which when you allow for the unused pixels around the edge produces 6,016x4,016-pixel shots. They're written to SD, SDHC or SDXC memory cards loaded into a pair of parallel slots. This dual-slot setup is becoming increasingly common on more advanced dSLRs and affords great flexibility.

Olympus OM-D E-M5 The 64 GB variant of the One X+ has only recently rolled into India, at a slightly high price tag of ` 40,190/-.But don’t be shocked, as the quality of build, the specs, the features and the performance – all deliver the goods as promised. And even beyond. The original One X left a disappointed taste after continuous use on it left to slight jitters and stutters, along-with a feeling of being underwhelmed with all the power. But the One X+ has not only improved all of that, it has certainly made full use of the quad-core CPU’s with the 1GB RAM fine-tuned with Sense UI’s latest version. Jelly Bean is the icing on this lovely cake, which matches the best smartphones out there and beats most on benchmarks and impresses with its beautifully crafted body and impressive feature set.

For a camera that costs a bit more than `4 lacs, this one’s only for the Pro’s. But, then again, they’ll really have to consider a whole lot of things before considering the 1D-X. The Canon EOS-1D X is an 18-megapixel, full-frame professional camera complete with high-definition video and an Internet connection. It boasts not one but two dual DIGIC 5 processors for super-fast processing. It shoots 14 JPEGs per second or 12 raw shots in a second. A multiple exposure mode fires up to nine times and combines the shots into one high dynamic range image with loads of detail and colour. Show your love this fab cam by pulling in your votes.

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Best TV of 2012

Samsung UE46ES7000 Design-wise, the 46-inch Samsung UE46ES7000 is a stunning television, courtesy of its ultra-slim bezel (which is barely 1cm across), its striking cross-style chrome stand, and the little bulges in the middle of its top and bottom edges containing a built-in camera and the Samsung logo, respectively. As for its features, as well as being an active 3D TV - complete with two pairs of included 3D glasses it has the latest and easily greatest variation of Samsung's Smart TV online service, as well as new voice, gesture and touchpad remote control options that have the potential to revolutionise the way you communicate with your TV. The LG 55LM660T is a very impressive TV. Its no-bezel design looks gorgeous, 2D and 3D images are cracking and there's a wealth of features and smart TV apps. If you're in the market for a 55-inch LED TV, then this should be high on your list. The interface is built around the Home Dashboard, which can be called up by hitting the dedicated Home button on the remote. This is split into two sections.

Across the bottom of the screen is a banner of icons to give you quick access to various features, such as the settings screen, electronic programme guide (EPG) and media streaming, as well as shortcuts for commonly used smart apps. If you think this was the best TV of 2012, then you should vote for it right away!

LG 55LM660T Sony KDL-55HX853 920 Personally we are definitely fans of this TV’s design, appreciating the way Sony has softened the impact of its previously ‘macho’ monolithic design by slimming the bezel down and adding a cute silvery outer trim. The application of a single sheet of ultra-tough Gorilla glass over the top of the screen and bezel doesn’t exactly damage its aesthetic credentials either, while the hugely distinctive silver ‘bar’ stand the TV slots into if you don’t want to wall mount it is lovely - especially as it allows you to angle the TV back by six degrees and contains extra speakers for an enhanced audio experience.

Vu 55” Super TV The 55” Full HD LED Smart TV from India’s very own Vu Technologies is just as impressive as the competition. With 2 USB ports and 4 HDMI ports, users will never be left wanting for more connectivity options on the Super TV from Vu. Add to this, the fact that it is 3D capable as well (comes with 3D active glasses) – and you really have a sweet deal for a super clear and bright Smart TV. The 16:9 aspect ratio ensures that you get a movie like experience on the gorgeous display, ensuring you don’t feel disappointed in any way.

Panasonic TX-P65VT50 The TX-P65VT50 is big and expensive, but once you've witnessed it in action it's difficult not to fall in love with it -- especially as it's such a refined performer in the picture quality department. That said, it's not completely without flaws, as its menu system looks dated and it could do with a few more premium Smart TV apps. This TV certainly isn’t found wanting when it comes to ports. On the left-hand edge you'll find the four HDMI ports, and above these are three USB sockets along with an SD memory card reader. The remainder of the connections are all found on the rear and include RF and Satellite inputs for the Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners, as well as an Ethernet port for the online services.

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Best Innovative Gadget of 2012 Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga Launched after Windows 8 came out, the IdeaPad Yoga from Lenovo is one of those products that can be used as a laptop as well as a tablet. There are a few more like these in the market, but the IdeadPad Yoga was the first to be launched – hence the nomination. Still, the Yoga remains an intriguing specimen; we haven’t seen another Windows 8 convertible with quite this versatile a design. And what a great design it is: as much as we complain about the keyboard, the hinge is sturdy and wellengineered. The entire package feels thin and light, despite the fact that touchscreens usually add heft. Even if you rarely flip the screen around, this is a solid Ultrabook in its own right. Sure, there are other Windows 8 PCs with sharper screens and even faster SSDs, but those cost considerably more.

Sharp Freestyle Aquos TV Normally when thinking about portable TVs, you think about tiny screens and bulky plastic – not so in the case of Sharp’s AQUOS Freestyle line. All three televisions can display full 1080p video via a wireless base station, but the smallest – and in this case, the most interesting – can run even without a power cable. The 20-inch HDTV includes a built-in battery. It’s a simple concept that Sharp has paired with features that make it truly useful. A carrying handle and kickstand make it easy to move and set up, and support from Sharp’s remote hardware make it easy enough to get content to the screen from close range. The base station connects to the television via its own private WiFi connection, and can handle video from standard HDMI or RGB inputs.

MapMyIndia CarPad 5 Everything about the MapmyIndia CarPad 5 is quite positive – works brilliantly as a navigator, the tablet and Play Store capabilities are a huge bonus and you can use this as a phone too, if need be. However, someone buying this, we reckon, is buying this primarily as a navigation device. The smaller form factor coupled with Android OS is really working wonders on this product. If you feel this product enough innovation for you, then ensure that you vote for it!

Razer Project Fiona

Lytro light field camera Imagine never having to worry about focusing on an image, while taking pictures from a digi-cam. That’s what the Lytro light field camera intends to do.

Finally available in India this year (in limited areas) the Lytro is a truly innovative gadget. A quick explanation is probably in order for people who have not handled the camera. The Lytro Light Field Camera lets you take pictures in which you can adjust the focus after the fact. It has two modes: everyday, in which you only control the zoom and shutter release, and creative, which lets you zoom more, focus closer, and control the depth of field more — but you have to manually tell it where to focus, which is kind of backwards for a device meant to remove the process of focusing from the equation.

The device sports a 10.1-inch multitouch high def screen, an Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor, an unknown (but allegedly beefy) GPU, and two nunchuck-esque controllers mounted to either side of the screen. It’s also said to run Windows 8 -make no mistake, this is a PC in the form of a tablet. Concept art depicting the gaming tab—which hasn’t apparently changed from the art shown at CES—shows two analog joysticks attached on either side of the device’s screen.

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Choose your Favourite Computing Gadget

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Best Computing Accessory of 2012

Logitech Mini Boombox The all-black Logitech Wireless Boombox is long and slim. The unit’s meant to be portable, and it is, weighing in at just over 1.8kg. The speaker’s face bears just four buttons: Power, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Bluetooth. In my testing with an iPhone, an iPad, and a PC, pairing was simple. The Logitech Wireless Boombox can pair with up to eight devices simultaneously, although it can be connected—actively used for audio playback—to only one of those devices at a time. There’s no remote control included with the Boombox, which makes some sense for Bluetooth playback, the assumption being that you'll control playback from the audio source.

The Logitech Wireless Boombox employs a pair of 3-inch neodymium drivers, a pair of 0.5-inch neodymium tweeters, and four 2-inch passive radiators—two of which are rear-facing and serve as woofers. Unsurprisingly, the Boombox provides more oomph when plugged in than when running only on battery power. If you wish to see this product win the race, then vote for it now!

ADATA External Hard Drive HE720 The beautifully crafted and solidly build ADATA is a gorgeous external Hard drive that not only performs at peak values, but also has the looks to kill. With its 500 GB capacity on a titanium coloured stainless steel body, the USB 3.0 driven ADATA Hard Drive delivers a quality performance every time you want data to be transferred. It really managed to impress us when we had it for review, but we’re sure you must already know everything about it. So, if you think this product deserves to be a winner, then vote up!

HP PhotoSmart 7510 Inkjet Printer

With print quality very high and prices ultra-low, what can multifunction printer manufacturers do to improve on previous models? This new HP Photosmart 7510 sets itself apart by offering a huge range of features, but it also leaves a few behind. The HP Photosmart 7510 uses five ink tanks: CMYK, plus a pigmented black for clear, waterproof text. It connects to your Mac through USB or to your home network using Wi-Fi b/g/n, and has AirPrint for printing from iOS devices. If that doesn’t impress you for a computing accessory, what will?!

D-Link DIR-505

Creative Inspire S2 Wireless The S2s employ a 2.1-channel set-up with the satellites accurately described as palm-sized, each measuring 73 x 74 x 103mm (W x D x H). Even the subwoofer at 180 x 232 x 200mm doesn’t takes up much room making this speaker set a good choice if space is at a premium. Although these speakers are pitched primarily as ‘wireless’, the right speaker features both a 3.5mm headphone output and an aux-in. The latter is useful for connecting any device not equipped with Bluetooth. The audio quality is superb and there really is little to complaint about this speaker set.

The D-Link DIR-505 is a rather unique product, the likes of which we have not seen anywhere in the market. A few years ago Apple put out their Airport Express — basically it was a portable router that plugged directly into an AC outlet for convenience. While not the first to do this, Apple’s model caught consumer attention for ease of use. But due to a lack of marketing attention, it has languished. The D-Link DIR-505 All-in-One Mobile Companion can be used in three configurations — all of which affects the wireless network; in the router mode, it’s connected directly to a modem and so functions as a wireless network; in Repeater mode it amplifiers and extends an existing wireless network; in Wi-Fi hotspot mode it becomes the focal point for multiple wireless devices seeking connection through a private network of your choosing.

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PLORE

HTC

Pilotless choppers – Redefining future military utility and warfare Surveillance drones for monitoring enemy activity and armed versions for launching airstrikes have already become a trademark of America's wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. But this is the first time a chopper version designed for transport has been used operationally.

Two unmanned models of the Kaman K-MAX helicopters and a team of 16 company technicians and eight Marines are conducting a six-month evaluation program for the new craft at Camp Dwyer, a Marine Corps airfield in the Garmsir district of southern Helmand Province.

This is some serious shit The craft have flown 20 transport missions since the inaugural flight on December 17, said Major Kyle O'Connor, the officer in charge of the detachment. They have already delivered nearly 18 tons of cargo, mainly thousands of Meals Ready to Eat and spare parts needed at the forward operating bases." Afghanistan is a highly mined country and the possibility of improvised explosive devices is always a problem moving cargo overland in a convoy,' Mr. O'Connor said.

The Marines from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron One lead the missions and deliver the cargo into combat drop zones, while contractors operate and maintain the two aircraft. The craft's on-board computer uploads the mission plans, enabling them to fly on autopilot.

However, an operator at base control monitors progress and can step in and override the autopilot for manual operation if any problems occur, or if the drone must be redirected in mid-flight. The K-MAX is the latest in a series of Kaman synchronized twin-rotor helicopters dating from the 1950s.

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The unusual arrangement, with two side-by-side pylons on the helicopter's roof supporting counter-rotating blades, results in exceptional stability while hovering and allows pinpoint cargo delivery.

What difference does it make?

During the Vietnam War, a previous Kaman model, the two-pilot HH-43 Huskie, flew more rescue missions than all other aircraft combined because of this unique hovering capability. The manned version of the K-MAX helicopter first appeared in the 1990s, and the pilotless prototype was unveiled in 2008. It can carry a maximum payload of 6,855 pound and costs about $1,100 an hour to operate, several times less than any manned helicopter. After a six-month test period, the military will determine whether to put the craft into regular operational use.

Fast facts: •K-MAX helicopter first appeared in 1990s •Pilotless prototype unveiled in 2008 •Can carry a maximum payload of 6,855 pounds •Costs about $1,100 an hour to operate, several times less than manned helicopter

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How to use the Microsoft Surface touch screen and keyboard

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S

o, Windows 8 is out and the Surface is going to make its way to our Indian households soon enough. In a touch-optimized environment, we thought of giving you some pointers that will enable you to fully enjoy this gadget in its entirety.

and keystroke combinations for the Surface. (Note that the tips were tested on a Windows RT Surface but should also work on a Windows 8 Pro tablet.)

Swipe your way to apps and settings on Microsoft's Windows RT tablet, or use Windows key shortcuts and other keystroke combinations to zip to nearly any program or setting.

The Windows RT Start screen will look familiar to any smartphone user. Some of the squares and rectangles representing programs and other resources are "live," showing news headlines, weather, and other information. Rearrange the squares by pressing, holding, and sliding to the desired location.

The Microsoft Surface is more computer than tablet. If you favor keyboards, that's a good thing.

But the Surface has a lot to offer touch screen fans as well.

Like a tablet, you tap and slide your fingers on the Surface touch screen to open apps and access settings. Like a PC, you can enter keystroke shortcuts on the Surface Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboards to reach those same programs and system options.

Get the best of both the tablet and computer worlds by using these handy screen gestures

Slide sideways to reveal open apps and 'charms'

To view options for the shortcut, drag it toward the bottom of the screen and release to view options for unpinning the item, uninstalling it, changing the shortcut's size, and deactivating the tile. In the right corner of the bottom strip is a shortcut that opens all your apps.

Drag a tile to the bottom of the Surface Start screen to view options for unpinning, uninstalling, resizing, and deactivating the tile.

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen or down from the top to access the shortcut to all your apps, which include the "preview" versions of Office 2013 Home and Student. Also listed among your programs are Paint, Notepad, Calculator, the Snipping Tool, and other Windows accessories. Among the system and accessibility apps are the Command Prompt, Task Manager, Windows Defender, Control Panel, and the renamed "File Explorer."

Five "charms" appear when you swipe from the screen's right edge inward: Search, Share, Start, Devices, and Settings. In the bottom-left corner of the window is a box with the time and date along with icons indicating network reception and battery life. These and other screen elements can be changed via the Personalize options: choose the Settings charm, press "Change PC settings," and select Personalize.

Swiping from the left edge inward cycles through your open programs, or swipe back and forth to view shortcuts to all your open apps. Open two programs side by side by dragging one near the middle of the screen and releasing. Then drag the divider to resize each of the two program windows.

Note that the options available vary from program to program.

For example, for Word 2013, options for opening a new window, opening a file location, and running as administrator are included along with the unpin and uninstall buttons.

Surface keyboards feature a touch pad and left- and right-mouse buttons, so you can select an item and press the right-click button to open its context menu.

The Microsoft Surface Support site provides a full description of the ways you can interact with the device's touch screen.

Another key that gets a lot of work on my keyboards is Print Screen, but the abbreviated Touch Cover keyboard that attaches to the Surface lacks that key. You can duplicate the Function keys -- such as F1 for help and F3 for search -- by pressing the Fn key plus the buttons along the top row starting with the four media keys and stretching to the PgUp and PgDn keys (not Esc on the far left or Del on the far right).

Open programs and files via keyboard shortcuts The Surface Touch Cover and Type Cover attachable keyboards are a step up from the onscreen keyboards of the iPad and other tablets. Without a doubt the key I miss the most when I'm using a tablet is the Windows key. On the Surface, you can search for a program, setting, or file by pressing the Windows key and typing its name.

Your Windows key may get quite a workout on the Surface. For example, instead of swiping the right edge of the screen to open the charms sidebar, press the Windows key plus C. To open the charms themselves, press the Windows key plus F for search, H for share, I for settings, and K for devices.

It's easy to cycle through your open apps by swiping the left edge of the screen, but you can do the same by pressing the Windows key plus Tab. Press the Windows key plus Ctrl plus Tab to snap each program as they cycle.

To lock the screen orientation in portrait or landscape, press the Windows key plus O. To see the commands available in the current app, press the Windows key plus Z.

A substitute for the missing Print Screen key

The workaround for the dropped Print Screen key is to press the volume-down key on the left side of the Surface while simultaneously pressing the device's home button, which sports the streamlined Windows icon. It required a few attempts to get the timing right to capture a screen rather than return to the Start screen and lower the volume.

The screen dims for a split second to indicate that the image was captured.

By default, the image is stored as a PNG file in your Pictures folder and named "Screenshot (1)."

Your second capture is named "Screenshot (2)" and creates a Screenshots folder inside Pictures for your captured images.

Some Windows key chestnuts still work on the Surface: Windows key plus E opens File Explorer to the Computer folder; Windows key plus up arrow maximizes the current window; Windows key plus down arrow minimizes the window; Windows key plus left arrow maximizes the window to the left half of the screen; and Windows key plus right arrow does likewise on the right half of the screen.

Touch screens let you zoom in by stretching the screen with two or more fingers and zoom out by pinching the screen with your fingers. Press Ctrl and the plus (+) and minus (-) keys to zoom in and out from the keyboard. The

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How to Fix the iPhone 5 Wi-Fi Bug Since the release of the iPhone 5 by Apple, there have been numerous reports of Wi-Fi issues. Most of the issues revolve around slow transfer speeds between the phone and connected router. The great news about this issue, is that it is easily fixable because it is a software issue. With that in mind however, it will ultimately be Apple that will have to release a software update to iOS 6 in order to fix. The good news is that there are several things iPhone 5 users can do right now to increase their Wi-Fi performance.

The three methods are: •Power Cycling •Changing DNS Settings •Updating Router Firmware

Power Cycling Power cycling network components is a common way to fix connection issues.

Although, it is the easiest method to increase performance, the result will not always be there. Luckily, power cycling only takes a few minutes to complete. The first thing to do is to turn off the router and modem. If one or both of these components don't have a power switch, ignore it. Next, unplug the

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power, ethernet and cable connections to both devices for thirty seconds to a minute. Then plug them back in and power them up. Both components should auto connect, and the iPhone 5 should recognize the Wi-Fi network as it previously did.

Changing the DNS Settings This second method to increase Wi-Fi performance is a bit more tricky. For the sake of brevity, this section will only include a quick guideline into changing DNS settings.

Whenever a device connected to a router accesses a webpage, it communicates with a DNS server, which in turn communicates with the router and device. All of this communication is simply to find and access the actual IP address of the website the device is trying to connect to. Once, this IP address is known, the DNS connects the device to the website. This guide will change the default DNS to a public DNS, which is used by Google.

To change the DNS settings, go to the iPhone 5's homepage. Click on settings and locate the Wi-Fi. Click on the Wi-Fi. It is important to

make sure that the iPhone 5 is connected to the router that you want to change the DNS on. If it's not already connected to the desired router, click on the desired router now. Once connected, there should be a blue check mark next to the desired router, indicating that the iPhone 5 is indeed connected. Once connected, click on the blue arrow next to the routers name. Scroll to the bottom on the page. There, it should say router and DNS, with DNS being on the bottom and numbers to the right of both. The numbers should be the same. Click on the numbers next to the DNS icon and delete them. Replace the deleted numbers with 8.8.8.8.

Updating Router Firmware This is an extremely easy way to increase performance. There is not a universal method due, to the fact that firmware is manufacturer specific. However, every manufacturer should have a detailed guide to update the firmware on their website. This is usually listed under the support tab.

...tom clark

How to -Measure distance by sight yardage markers Low Tech Range Sensing

Anybody who has been rear-ended on a highway knows, judging distance by sight is an extremely useful skill. Full time travellers and ace golfers use techniques which are less know to us for measuring distance by using their sight and with a couple of gadgets. Read on to know how you can master yarding and footage spacing by using your eyes as a weapon.

Things you will need: •Yardage markers •Low Tech Range Sensing • Rangefinder

rangefinder

Use yardage markers

Some highways are marked at 10-yard intervals, while power poles are usually set at a standard distance of 100 yards apart. Remember that your environment can also play tricks on your mind. Heavy fog and mist will make objects appear closer than they are, while open space makes objects look farther away than they actually are.

Low Tech Range Sensing

Use your body to judge distance. Put your extended arm in front of your eyes, thumb up. Close your eyes one after another. Multiply the distance projected in the horizon by your thumb by ten.

Cheat by using a rangefinder

A standard digital rangefinder, used by hunters and Army snipers alike, sells for anywhere from $50 to $300. Simply point the rangefinder at an object, push a button, and voila! Springing for a rangefinder with angle range compensation (ARC) capabilities can also handle extreme uphill and downhill sights with aplomb.

Look out :

Golfing in iPhone makes use GPS to judge distances on the green, as well as keep score and download courses. While these apps are slightly less accurate than a dedicated golf GPS unit, convenient distance-measuring apps for the non-golfer cam come in real handy in real time.

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HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN FIVE DAYS.. TECH TIPS(Y)!

Ever wondered how important tech can be to make and errr... break bonds??!! We shall show you some Do’s to get rid of that nagging boyfriend. Well, these can also be considered Don’t’s for those who don’t want to lose him!

Now think of what can be the most annoying thing a partner can do to you? Give him back the same! Let us elaborate. Does he keep a check on you? We shall tell you what can be the most annoying thing technologically that will make him go berserk.

MCP’s ego? Its time to take that little scooty out on a ride. Vroooom vroooom... crash! Ooops! Did you just ram into that beloved car of his?

Did you? He hears it and here he is standing with a sullen face looking at the damage. We can see tears dwelling up in his eyes and your lips curving into a sheepish smile. ‘oops! Sorry dahling! I always knew scooty wasn’t my thing. I don’t think women know how to drive a scooty either.’

Aaaah! There goes his weekend for a royal toss! And you aren’t sorry.

Are you?!

DAY 4: DAY 1: You have that gadget you cant live without and that will be your partner in crime for this. Your mobile phone! Yes! It is time to become a nag queen and a spy. Use that whatsapp or blackberry messenger to pester him the whole day with cheesy and spying statements, especially when he has gone for that important meeting with his boss! He changes the sound mode to silent? Even better! So when he does see your messages, its time to nag him to death by using your powerful interrogation skills!

That is going to irritate his peaceful mood to a fiery rage. Little devil, aren’t you! When he nags you or calls you up more than you can be okay with, it is time to use that important mode in your phone called the ’airplane mode’. And when you do switch it back to the normal mode in the night, you will dance to ‘somebody that I used to know’ after seeing an inbox full of questions! Call him up and say ‘honey, you know how bad I am at tech! The phone accidentally went into some mode which I didn’t even know the name of!’ Ya right! This will push him off limits and he wont really talk to you at least for a day! Phew!

DAY 2: Now, does his habit of always watching the big game annoy you?

Wouldn’t you want to watch those emotional daily soaps the whole day? Here is your chance! So you know the big game is approaching. It is time to let your satellite TV come to your rescue. DO NOT PAY FOR THAT SPORTS CHANNEL. He comes home, sits down on the couch and without even asking you what you would like to watch, switches to channel number 7. Sheeeeesh! Where did the channel disappear! We know who is standing there in the kitchen and giggling away to glory!

And we ain’t telling anybody!

DAY 3: What about his love for his car! His beloved! His heart and soul. He doesn’t let you drive it and asks you to just drive that scooty because that is for girls and women cant drive. How chauvinistic! Want to kill that

He loves his laptop. He just does everything on it. Important work files, movies, social networking, et all. He literally sleeps next to it. Annoying?

We thought so! So, he isn’t around and your fingers are itching already.

No time to waste. Switch it on! It is time for cleanup! Reformat his lappy.

Sounds evil does it? Get that operating system installation CD and you are ready to go. We would say please DO FORGET to backup the files.

Insert that CD and follow the instructions and spend an hour listening to your favourite music. Some loud music will deafen you when he arrives. An hour goes by and here he is all eager to jump onto his laptop and work. Wait a minute, where are all his important files? “Oooops!

Sweetheart, I wanted to surprise you with windows XP reformatted on your laptop!” “alright, where are all my files. Give me the back up CD or pen drive love”............. “are we supposed to do a back up before reformatting? Ooooooooooops!” He fainted before you finished this sentence. Put the headphones back again and listen to ‘what goes around, comes back around’ by Justin Timberlake, since what you did is going to come back in the form of some really loud noises from his mouth when he gets up! Mission accomplished!

DAY 5: He loves his BOSE music system and wouldn’t give that up for another one, no matter what. But seems like he has been trying to fix the right woofer since weeks ‘cause it doesn’t play. This system has been with him for too long to part ways with. And stingy as he is, he will not give it for repair either! He has gone out and is expected back in an hour. Will you not want to show your electronic skills to him? It is time to fix it!

He comes back and you are winding up with some tools in your hand.

Impressive! A screw driver and two wires. You give that awwww-so-sweet smile to him. He starts his music system with excitement. Expecting ‘nothings gonna change my love for you’ to play, out comes a ‘blah’! “I say honey, this left woofer has become useless. I am sure I fixed it”. “LEFT WOOFER”. Here he has fainted again. You are such a devil aren’t you!

Finally he bids you good bye saying “honey, its not you, its me. Maybe I am too demanding. You are a beautiful woman, but maybe not intelligent enough”. You walk away with a Cheshire smile thinking to yourself “wanna bet?”

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How to Build a Green Roof Green living is the call of the future and keeping in mind the need to conserve solar energy for the future utilities here’s something that you can do to jive up your living —the green way.

•Set up the lattice— Skip this step if your roof is flat. Roofs with a slope will need a grid set up over the liner to keep the dirt from sliding off.

•Get a structural engineering report— A standard roof

•Consult a look book or an expert of green roofs— How much effort are you willing to invest? Obviously, more

is built to take about ten to twenty pounds of pressure per square foot.

A three-foot-square garden won't add a significant amount of weight; however, a twenty-foot-square garden, complete with wet soil and plants, can weigh thousands of pounds. After investing time and effort on a beautiful garden, the last thing you want is for it to come crashing down.

•Shore it up— Reinforcing your intended structure entails more than putting supports under the roof toy box; likely, your structure will require lateral supports as well. Imagine holding a kite string: The wind exerts pressure not only on the kite itself, but your body. Any wind and rain will exert the same force on your rooftop plants.

•Lay down the liner— You may want to consult a roofer to install a commercial seamless roof. If you're building on top of an uninhabited structure, lay down a standard pond liner. The liner will keep the water from seeping into the building; it will also keep the plant roots from eating into the building structure.

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ornate plants are going to require more work than minimalist moss.

Wildflowers and their seeds will attract birds and butterflies; scattered items like logs will attract small rodents (and give you a place to sit down). Grasses will need to be mowed occasionally, and moss, while low-maintenance, is...moss. Now might also be a good time to consult your engineering report and decide how heavy your plant load can be.

•Mix and lay down your potting soil— Depending

on your choice of plant life, the soil will probably have to be custommixed. The separate components usually consist of mineral content, such as sand or dirt; organic matter, such as coconut husk or peat moss; and a water-hoarding material like Soil Moist. The organic matter will decompose, fertilizing your garden; Soil Moist absorbs water and releases it as the soil dries out.

•Plant your plants! Seedlings, or plugs, are slightly less frustrating than seeds.

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WHERE TECH MEETS FASHION...

‘Money can’t buy happiness but I’d rather cry in a BMW than on a bicycle!’ We all relate to this deep down in our hearts. Don’t we? Well, money can’t buy happiness but then it does console us in style! We can’t deny that. And who benefits the most out of this human desire for style in everything? Brands! Fashion becomes a selling point and a catalyst for business of any brand today. Tech brands are not lagging behind on this human tendency. They are riding on it and they are riding on it very well.

Let us analyse this connection between technology and fashion and how much of a difference it makes in building brand image. Say, if you went to a store and were looking for a mobile phone, you would definitely go for the brand you are loyal to. Hypothetically, if you are not a tech savvy person or say, are looking for a change, what would you consider when picking up that cant-live-without gadget? You would certainly want to know the features which suit you, the functions, et al.

After narrowing down on choices, what will be your deciding factor? Of course the looks! If you have short listed say, three phones which match your requirements technologically and financially, your deciding factor becomes its looks! You will select the one which is your favourite colour or the shape or the size and how good and sassy it looks when you are carrying it in your hand! This is what brands these days are paying a lot of attention to! Only brains do not sell, everyone here is looking for a complete package. So it is time for brands to widen their horizons when designing a model. The design plays a major role in decision making for a consumer.

This has even gone up to the level where some brands were accusing each other of plagiarism where design is concerned! The very famous one being the Samsung and Apple case where Apple accused Samsung of copying their design. This shows how big a role the styling and design of any gadget plays in the brand’s business and image building.

Whether it is tabs, laptops, mobile phones or any other gadget, technology is largely influenced by fashion, owing to the human tendency of judging a book by its cover more often, than not.

Let us see a case where the technology is perfect and looks are not that great and where technology is fairly good and the gadget looks like a million bucks. For example, let us look at an Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. Whichever version you pick, the iPad always wins. Though even feature wise the iPad is unbeatable but Samsung is fairly good too if not perfect. Both are reliable brands. So what is it that would make you choose the iPad besides the awesome features of course. The design is sleek and looks good. It isn’t bulky and has a stylish appearance overall. That does the trick and makes it easy for the brand to lure the consumer to shell out a couple of extra thousands to buy this product.

Now comparing any other technology, we can see why a flat LCD TV wins over the old school, bulky ones. The reason is more features and a better gadget of course but we all know a slimmer TV is more stylish and appealing to the eye than its older generations.

Looking at other perspectives where technology and fashion meet, is gaming. There are millions of games to download and play from. Why is it that certain games are more played, recommended and addictive than others. What makes them irresistible? The graphics! Here again, the graphics need to be appealing and classy. Any shoddy work there and you lose business to a competitor. We could probably call that

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‘packaging’ of a game. So, the more well packaged it is, the more sought after it is!

Another interesting sector to look at will be the automobile sector. We have umpteen number of cars and bikes to choose from but why are certain cars like the Porsche Cayenne, Bentley, Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes S class and Ferrari more pursued and dreamt of? There are SUVs having similar features as the Cayenne and maybe even inexpensive as compared to it, still people dream of the Cayenne and want to buy it. The name Porsche of course has glam attached to it. It is known for its exquisite designs in cars! That is where fashion comes in, when an automobile is being talked about. It becomes a status symbol.

Royal Enfield is another league altogether when it comes to bikes and so is Harley Davidson. They are so breath taking and swanky that it is impossible to ignore them when they are on the road. They stand out among other brands because of the luxury-in-style tag attached to them because of the way they look.

From a gadget as simple as a light bulb to a greater one like a tablet or an ultra book, we all look for appeal. Take an example of phablets, the latest rage in town. They are nothing but smaller tablets or larger phones, whatever you may like to call them. What makes them more popular? The unconventional size and they make you look cool when you are carrying them in your hand. The Samsung Note was an instant hit among millions and so is the Note 2. It looks classy and is a size in between that of a tablet and of a phone. This innovative concept has been thought about from not only the technological advancement point of view but also from an angle of getting more business via unique design and size point. It was a marketing strategy of luring people by selling technology wrapped in fashion. Fashion is a smart way to sell. Style it and consider it sold. Get any gadget in the market, make it look good, and viola! The magic wand begins to sell your product! Why else do you think a Vertu worth lakhs sells or say, even a Rolex. It shows the same time as other watches but it is more classy and looks super stylish. Same goes for Vertu. It comes in different models including diamond studded ones and hence, making Vertu more of a style statement than a phone. Next time we are making calls from a Vertu, we must ensure we don’t drop a diamond or two!

In turn, how fashion helps technology is also an interesting subject to be explored. Talking of medical equipment, the advancement in technology there, is used in procedures like liposuction, tummy tucks, face lifts, et al. So technology does make you look good too. It helps you where nature fails. Gives you that desired look. A chiselled face maybe or say higher cheek bones. Technology can do so much to make you look good. We all know where Pamela Anderson and J. Lo got their bodies from! So when it comes to making you look good, technology is a path which you can take if you are not happy with what nature did to you!

It is interesting to note how related the two apparently separate fields are. But behind this separation is a strong thread that binds the two fields together. Try selling a phone that is packed with technology but looks like a brick! All you will earn is a laugh or two. It is also quite interesting to see how aggressively brands protect their designs and won’t leave any stone unturned to outdo competition. We know we shouldn’t be judging a book by its cover, but contradicting this, we also should not forget that the first impression is a lasting one, if not the last!

‘Money can’t buy happiness but I’d rather cry in a BMW than on a bicycle!’

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power talk

Michael Perschke Head, Audi India EX-In the 5 years that Audi has had its presence in India, it has become the 2nd largest luxury car maker.

What major factors have played a part in this success?

MP-Most of our success is based on our strategy first and foremost. Audi has a very strong brand presence all over the world. This is based on 2 factors, Firstly offering a great product line for the Indian market and secondly very innovative marketing ideas, like creating our brand presence through social media, using Facebook and other web based services. We also have a very high quality dealer network which enables us to cover 22 different locations and very soon we are looking at 25 locations all over India. Our showrooms are the same world over. You will not see a difference in the showroom in Mumbai, New York, Delhi or Paris. The dealer partners are the heroes who work for the Audi brand all over India 24x7. We also have very dedicated man power who are very loyal and hardworking. Lastly all our services which include the financial service as well customer service.

EX-How has your own journey as Head of Audi India since July 2010 been?

MP-It has definitely been a very exciting and dynamic journey. When I came in on July 2010, Audi as a brand was existent in India but the marketing ideas were not as good. In these 2 years we have made the Audi brand more tangible to Indian customers. One of the strengths has been to create a better portfolio of products here in India which includes the ‘Q’ Series as well as the luxury sedans. So now people understand what Audi is really about and how it is different from the other German car brands.

EX-Which particular segment (SUV’s/Sedans or Luxury Sedans) have done particularly well in India, and why?

MP-We are definitely proud of the ‘Q’ Range of Audi cars. It just does not include only the Q3, Q5 or Q7; but we have made this part of peoples lifestyle and have introduced the Q way of living. So instead of just buying the Q5 or Q7, people are now buying the ‘Q’ lifestyle which is about being in command and enjoying the outdoors.

EX-Which particular model launched in India has surprised you with its sales figures?

MP-We are not interested in chasing number just for the sake of it. But our mission is to be the best that we can be. We will not come out with the cheapest car in any category we are competing in; we might in fact be the most expensive. That is why we have always adopted the top down strategy which is seen in the fact that we release the Q7 first then the Q5 and then the Q3. Same goes with the A7, A5, and the A4. Hence we are not concerned with numbers. We are concerned with image relevant products and next year we will launch the new R8 and the new S-Sedans. So we concentrate more on our strategy and strengths. The numbers automatically take care of themselves. We don’t mind the fact that we are not number 1, but for us the focus is on sustainability. As you can trace in our history, we have won the famous Le Mans Grand Prix 11 out of the past 13 years. For 21 years we have been number 1 in China. We very much believe in sticking to our strategy and sustainability which help us in taking care of the sales figures. Our customers don’t just buy a car they buy a story which has substance because successful people always want to be associated with successful brands. I think Audi has established itself as a successful brand which in turn has helped to be associated with successful people.

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‘‘

We are definitely proud of the ‘Q’ Range of Audi cars. It just does not include only the Q3, Q5 or Q7; but we have made this part of peoples lifestyle and have introduced the Q way of living. So instead of just buying the Q5 or Q7, people are now buying the ‘Q’ lifestyle which is about being in command and enjoying the outdoors.

‘‘

EX-What about some of the latest technological innovations that Audi has introduced in their cars?

MP-We have plenty of new technologies in our cars including the Quatro. Of all the technologies seen in cars today, I think the Audi has the greatest range and the best technological innovations. Right from 1982, we have been bold enough to introduce the 4 wheel Quatro technology in our passenger cars. This was followed up our TDI technology for performance oriented diesel trucks and back in the day there weren’t any passenger diesel cars. Then came the TFSI technology followed by the aluminum space frame which was initially introduced in the Audi A8 back in 1991 which took the game to a different level as we were able to reduce the weight by 250 to 300 kilograms. This has been used in our latest cars as well which in combination of the highly efficient diesel engine has given us a real cutting edge. This year we introduced the R18 e-Tron at Le Mans which is a four wheel hybrid diesel engine. It is latest and the 3rd most innovative cars in the world in the hall of fame. This is what makes us a very progressive brand as we will explore the latest in technology for Audi.

EX-Do you see a bigger market for hybrid cars in the coming future, especially since fuel prices are expected to go only higher?

MP-If you look at the global trend the demand for the hybrid cars mainly involve markets which have fairly weak or no demand for diesel cars which is predominantly the US and Japan right now. These are the markets where there are demands for Hybrids to conserve fuel consumption. But if you go to very strong diesel markets for example Italy, so far the case for Hybrid cars hasn’t worked as a business model over there because the diesel cars will always be cheaper, more efficient and lighter. Currently I don’t see a bigger demand for Hybrid cars in the global market. Even in India the Hybrids haven’t done so well because the diesel cars will always be kinder to the pocket.

EX-Are there any plans from Audi to invest in R&D of alternate fuel technologies for automobiles?

MP-Yes, we have invested a lot in alternative fuel technologies as can be seen in our annual report. We have a technology in place which helps us create our own fuel with the help of a Photovoltaic process. So we don’t just look at consumption-reduction technology but the entire eco system.

EX-Have you heard about Google’s driverless cars? What are your thoughts on it?

MP-Yes and if you go online you will find that one of these cars is actually an Audi model. That is because Audi and Google work very

closely with each other as is with Apple when it comes to user interface, design and technology in Automobiles. Coming back to the driverless Audi Car the Audi GT was unveiled I Geneva and we are quite fond of that particular vehicle as it does not require a driver at all to drive.

EX-Can you see all major car-makers across the world making such driverless cars in the future?

MP-Looking at the current trend, I don’t see the driverless cars being implemented immediately but certainly over a period of time, this looks possible. Such latest technologies are usually implemented and rolled out by the top brands for a niche market and then later implemented by the other brands for the broader and general market. Event today driver assist technologies exist in top end cars but it all comes down to the cost factor. The question is will the customers be willing to pay for such high end technologies. It all depends on what kind of technology is being implemented at what price. If it greatly benefits the users then it will be surely be implemented sooner or later.

EX-Any futuristic technology that you yourself would like to see in automobiles?

MP-If you can imagine a city like Mumbai and the traffic, then I would like to see a flying car invented. The other idea is to have a completely driver obsolete car which plenty of driver entertainment features for those who don’t enjoy driving in testing conditions. So the redundant time you waste in travelling can be used for maybe making Skype calls, checking your social networking websites, having a look at your video achieves and similar activities. If you look at our A8, it is pretty similar to this vision and helps you make great use of the time you spend on travelling.

EX-What are your future plans for Audi India?

MP-I want Audi to be a lifestyle brand like Apple, to be in line with the lifestyle that they lead. They want to own an iPod or iPad, not because they really need it, but they want to enrich their lifestyle with it. That's what I envision for Audi as a brand, which will let users feel more complete by owning an Audi car. The challenge is to convert a fan to a customer to a brand loyalists to a brand evangelist.

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OPINION

Like always we asked our readers and FB page fans about their own opinions on a topic, which we are featuring below with the best comments.

Will 4K (or Ultra HD TV’s) displays find a market without any content?

Even though all of us LOVE the higher resolution in displays, the issue comes when the content you are playing is of lower resolution than the display you possess. These days it can easily be solved by watching Blu-Ray movies and installing HD Set-top boxes. But, will 4K (or Ultra HD) TV’s be able to find a market right now even if there is absolutely NO (even on Blu-Ray!) content on it?

Suresh Mahajan

TVs have and will continue to get bigger. The problem is not of content but do we really need it? At 10 feet, your eye can’t resolve the difference between otherwise identical 1080p and 720p televisions. Extrapolating this out, you’d have to get a TV at least 77 inches diagonal before you’d start having a pixel visibility problem with 1080p. Let’s be realistic. No one’s going to sit 6 feet from a big TV. I’d doubt 7 feet, either. So if we say 8 feet (96 inches), or 0.028 inch on the resolution side, this means you’d need a TV that’s bigger than 60 inches to really benefit from 1080p.So if your eye can’t tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on nearly all modern televisions, what’s the need for 4K? If you want a massive TV, well, you’re off the bell curve just as much as the ultravision guys. The fact is, the majority of the buying public doesn’t want massive TVs (bizarrely, I agree), and in the sizes they’re buying now and in the future, 4K doesn’t make any sense.

Sandeep Muthuraman

The vast majority of available content isn’t using the full potential of what we already have. Not all HD is the same, and streaming, cable, and satellite broadcasts are horribly inferior to Blu-ray and over-the-air. So what can we expect as an end user for 4K? I do not thing we are ready for this as of yet.

Sharmeet Kaur

It definitely will.

We live in a country where not many even know the difference between a 1080p and a 720p. 4k TVs are more of an up-market and lifestyle product where people continuously strive to get to the best currently available irrespective if content is available or not via the service provider or other sources.

So this won’t stop people from buying these products even if the content is not available. Remember the rage when people were all out purchasing 3D TVs. Was content available then? Is content available now?

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FINDING IS FUN.

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