Tech Weekly March 13-19, 2013

WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013 AN AL ROYA PRESENTATION

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ISSUE

OMAN’S FAVOURITE MAGAZINE, NOW A TABLOID

TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

360 DEGREES LENOVO YOGA 11

FULL INJECTION THE CHRONO 4 GEANT

OVER HYPED

OUR TAKE ON BLACKBERRY Z10’S POTENTIAL AND ITS FUTURE

DEFINITIVE HOT-HATCH PEUGEOT 208

HOME SCREEN

Change is good Produced by

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

Printed at Modern Colour Printers

2013 © All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers; while every care has been taken in the preparation of the magazine, the publishers cannot be held responsible if factual errors in product and pricing occur. MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time. The publishers regret they cannot accept liability for errors or omissions contained in this issue. Please check any quoted hardware specifications and pricing with your supplier before purchase.

It has been a great road for us at TECH. Almost three years and we have been able to get a lot of loyal readers into our circle.

As you may have noticed, we have made big changes. We have listened to what the readers want and made TECH bigger, better and more easily available.

We hope that with your support, comments and criticism we can improve ourselves and be able to influence your purchase decisions. Please read the all-new TECH thoroughly and give us your feedback on facebook.com/techoman. Let everyone know you are an active participant in Oman’s only technology magazine.

Meanwhile, we have some interesting stuff for you in the following pages. We have featured two sleek laptops from Lenovo and Acer that make the mark. We give you our take on the future of Blackberry with its flagship phone and the goodlooking HTC 8X. Our new and enriched TECH Selection segment features the best products we’ve seen and also recommend this week’s TECH must-haves. We also test drive the new Peugeot 208 and must say that we loved it. Don’t forget to go to your nearest theatre to watch the biographical journey of Alfred Hitchcock through the eyes of Sacha Gervasi.

Why did we become a Tabloid?

We are probably the only magazine that has readers anticipating the next issue. Becoming a tabloid, we were able to quadruple the print-run just so you get your copy. We need your support to keep our advertisers interested too. Give them a call, enquire about their competitive deals and share your experience with us on facebook.com/techoman - it’s your space after all.

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NEWS WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013

Lights, camera, console

Muscat Electronics opens new-format showroom Muscat Electronics LLC (ME) opened its new-format showroom at Mumtaz area, Ruwi. Dr. Mohamed Musa Al Yousef, the Chairman of the Al Yousef Group LLC, inaugurated the showroom on Feb 27, 2013. This unique new-format showroom

showcases a wide range of office automation products from Ricoh and stateof-the-art air-conditioning products from Daikin under one roof. Spread over 2,222 square feet, this elegant new showroom is tastefully and delightfully designed. The

office automation space showcases the full range of Ricoh products like Multifunction-printers, projectors, printers, fax machines, photocopiers to name a few apart from giving a glimpse of the networking and Managed Print solutions.

A comedy film called Pulp will skip theatres and DVDs, and instead premiere on the Xbox 360, It’s the first time a feature-length film has ever been distributed exclusively on the video game console. The film, which chronicles the adventures of a comic book publisher recruited by police to stop a crime syndicate, is part of what Microsoft says will be a push to distribute more films via its Xbox Live service. High costs related to distribution coupled with Pulp’s anything-but-guaranteed commercial appeal, were the impetus for the unprecedented move, according to the BBC. Pulp will be available Monday, 11th March.

Curiosity running on back-up Nasa’s Curiosity Mars rover that has been analysing rock samples on the red planet is put into ‘safe mode’ after a setback due to corrupted files. Nasa engineers are looking at the possible causes of the files on the robot’s flash memory being damaged. Therefore, work has been stalled while the back-up computer is reconfigured in order to take full control. The robot has been running on back-up since the 28th of February and project manager Richard cook said, “We’re still early on in the process. We switched computers to get to a standard state from which to begin restoring routine operations,” in an interview with space.com. Nasa tweeted, “Don’t flip out: I just flipped over to my B-side computer while the team looks into an A-side memory issue.” They believe the files may have been corrupted by stray cosmic rays.

Samsung Galaxy S IV revealed The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been in the news a lot the past few days. After some benchmarks were shown off, a new leak has been revealed from the reliable and highly accurate @ evleaks showing what appears to be a fat Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone.

These are just renders but still worth taking a look at. The specs are all but confirmed and notice it doesn’t have a dedicated home button either.

Dishonored

Google’ Play wins Best Store turns 1 Game Bafta Google’s just begun their week-long one-year anniversary sale but for the moment the Play Store splash screen only appears to have some songs, and in-app purchases discounted. We’re hoping they go bigger than that, that’s for sure. So far special deals on music, movies, books, magazines and TV are available. Then there are multiple inapp purchases for special characters, power-ups, and other things not usually available. You can buy books for under USD5 and apps and games are at 50 per cent off.

Dishonored has been named Best Game at the 2013 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) video games awards.

The first-person action title is set in a historic plague-ridden city in which the player uses special powers and swordplay to seek revenge on enemies. Its developer Bethesda made a joke apology to Brits for the way it had spelt the game’s name. Journey, a PlayStation title lacking words and enemies, took five awards namely, online multiplayer, artistic achievement, game design, original music and audio achievement.

COMPUTING

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TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

Bend, transform

This sleek laptop has a lot under its hood, moreover, it transforms into a tablet Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11 Operating system Windows RT Graphics Nvidia ULP GeForce CPU Nvidia Tegra 3 Screen 11.6-inch HD, five-point multi-touch display Weight 1.27kg Battery life 13 hours

The Yoga gets its name from its flexibility and talent for bending itself into various poses. The Yoga 11 is a smaller version of its brother the Yoga 13. We find out if its functionality matches its price tag.

The easily recognisable Yoga 11 has evened thickness across the chassis and the silver edging makes the Yoga look rather like a lovely hard-back book. The illusion on it being a notebook would be complete if it was clad in leather. If you like bright colours, it is available in bright

orange, apart from a dull grey. The orange version retains a smart and professional aesthetic look at the same time conveys that vibrant life exists out of the board room meetings after all.

Measuring 298mm wide, 204mm deep and 15.6mm thick, it small enough to slide into the most diminutive of briefcases or backpacks without any pushing and shoving. Weighing just 1.27kg, it is extremely easy to carry around. Around the edges you will find two USB 2.0 ports, a combined headphone and

microphone jack, an HDMI out port and an SD card reader. The screen is stiff enough not to fold back under your touch.

The Yoga 11 runs on Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 designed to run on mobile devices.

This device has a lot going on for it. It is slim and helpfully transforms into a tablet when required. It also has enough juice for your everyday essentials and comes with a price tag of USD924 (RO355).

Light on-the-go Get slimmed down mobile convenience with Acer’s new edition With conservative in design the Acer Aspire V5 is a thin, runof-the-mill 15-inch laptop with a reasonable prize tag for this Intel Core i5 configuration. It features a touch screen; apart from that, it has no over-the-top features. It is a budget Windows 8 laptop. If you’re looking for an inexpensive entry point to the Windows 8 touch experience, that’s going to be hard to beat; the V5 is decent-looking for a USD700 (RO270) laptop and with its edge-to-edge glass and big, button-less touch pad, it’s a real good looker. The Acer Aspire V5 is without a doubt a product of its times. Like so many other 2012 laptops, it’s much thinner than the older mid-price 15-inch laptops.

It’s a clear dividend from

the emphasis on super-slim ultrabooks. The V5 isn’t an official Intel ultrabook, but the diet most laptops have gone on leave it looking like something we’d be amazed by a couple of years ago.

The V5’s matte-silver plastic body looks fine, especially from a couple of feet away. But, up close, it lacks any personality or detail. The body flexes a bit under the fingers and the single black plastic screen hinge feels insubstantial. The V5 isn’t built for demanding tasks like video editing or gaming, but it will handle the essential web browsing, social networking and some of the lighter-weight apps from the Windows 8 store without too much trouble.

Processor Intel 3rd Gen Core i5 3317U, 1.7 GHz, DualCore, 2.6 GHz Memory: 4GB, 8GB Operating System Microsoft Windows 8

Hard Drive 500 GB - 5400rpmSerial ATA-300 Display Type 15.6-inch, 1366x768 HD resolution

Graphics Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 Shared video memory (UMA) Optical Drive DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM

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MOBILEZONE WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013

LUCKY NUMBER 8 With edgy design and a great processor, this Windows 8 phone is a keeper

T

he HTC Windows Phone 8X is a premier smartphone on any platform and holds the credibility of Microsoft’s future: Windows 8. It has the processing power, the LTE speeds, and the camera quality to stand on its own. And more than anything, this tailored handset makes

the Windows Phone 8 OS look excellent. But this phone too has its flaws. The camera isn’t quite as consistently good as other top smartphone shooters like the Nokia Lumia 920. Details like these make or break a phone.

HTC 8X Dimensions 132.3x66.2x10.1mm

Design and build

While simply designed, the 8X’s slim, sleek and squared corners immediately draw your attention. On the front, the screen offers deep black bezels and highlights of the phone’s colour. Though available in black, red and yellow, our favourite is the California Blue. The face of the phone gives it a business look, but the backside gives you the weekend vibe. The phone feels good in the hand thanks to the soft-touch finish on the curved back, a design that HTC refers to as ‘pillowy.’ It easily slides into a pockets easily and doesn’t take too much space.

Performance

4G LTE is active and on the Windows Phone 8X generally reaches high download and upload. Beats Audio is HTC’s premier offering and adds enhanced audio that you can turn on or off when you plug in headphones.

Audio seems to sound richer with Beats, especially at a higher volume. The camera provides great detail, colour, accuracy and sharp edges.

Display 4.3-inch 720p HD touch screen with Gorilla Glass 2 Operating system Windows Phone 8 Memory Total storage of 16GB, 1GB RAM Connectivity 3.5mm stereo jack, Bluetooth 3.1, WiFi Sound Built-in Beats Audio Cameras 8MP main camera, 2.1MP front camera Price USD450 (RO173)

Overall

The HTC Windows Phone 8X’s hot hardware makes Microsoft’s OS look very cool. HTC has carefully crafted the 8X’s hardware, giving it an immersive screen, a fast processor and a fair amount of internal storage. The HTC 8X is sure to leave a lasting footprint.

Get in shape

Apps that will help you maintain a fit body and healthy lifestyle GOOGLE PLAY Endomondo Sports Tracker PRO (USD3.95)

Endomondo is the highest rated app of its kind and ideal for running, cycling, walking and any other distance-based activity

Instant Heart Rate Pro (USD1.99)

database. It keeps focus on your diet plan

Daily Ab Workout (USD0.99)

A personal trainer with ab-sculpting workouts, how-to videos, custom routines and predefined routines

APP STORE

Instant Heart Rate is an accurate heart rate monitor app for any smartphone, works without external hardware and tracks your progress

Moves

Calorie Counter PRO

Instant Fitness

(USD3.99)

This is a comprehensive diet app with over 40 screens and a 485,000-foods

(Free)

Moves is an automatic diary of your life. Your daily storyline and maps show where, when and how much you move

(USD2.99)

From the creators of Fitness Buddy, Instant Fitness is the top weight-training and fitness application you can vouch for

Calorie Trackerdiet and fitness tracker (USD2.99)

The livestrong.com Calorie Tracker can help you reach your diet, weight loss and fitness goals by tracking your daily calories and exercise

Green Kitchenhealthy vegetarian recipes (USD4.99)

An inspiring source of organic and tasty vegetarian food, with natural ingredients and bare minimum of gluten, sugar and dairy products

BLACKBERRY WORLD Gluten Free Diet Recipes (USD0.99)

The ultimate recipe

dictionary for GlutenFree dishes

Better BodyTotal Body Workout (USD0.99)

These easy-to-follow tips and exercises help you to workout each targeted zone of your body

Run GPS Trainer (Free)

The perfect tool to take along for outdoor sports like running, hiking, trekking

Dive Into Silence Lite (Free)

Cool off you body with this meditation timer.

With soothing bells it gives you a couple of minutes to set into meditation

COVER STORY TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

Clean break

Blackberry 10 for Z10 The new BB10 operating system is a great leap forward as compared to the BB7. It is completely ‘gesture-based’ and with the swipe up from the bottom bezel it brings you to the main interface where you can select and run up to eight simultaneouslyrunning apps for multitasking. The apps are all arranged in a grid just like the iOS and you can drag and drop to arrange or create folders.

With a number of delays and set-backs is the Blackberry 10 doomed?

Deepali Kumar finds out

The BlackBerry Z10 is a decent all round phone sporting a pleasing 4.2-inch HD display, a camera that can take some good shots and a messaging hub that could make other platforms envious. The expandable storage, removable battery and Adobe Flash support are all small wins for the Z10 and will help as it tries to stand out in a crowded market. Its great to see a new operating system, but on the other hand, it is a new learning curve and some might not be willing to learn. BlackBerry claims that the BB10 keyboard is the best typing experience on a touchscreen smartphone, but reviewers say otherwise.

We can’t overstate the importance of this phone enough; the well-hyped Blackberry 10 operating system and Z10 smartphone has been seen as former RIM’s last chance to turn its fortunes around.

Blackberry has been privileged as none of the other smartphone giants have their products launching in the first quarter of 2013. The Z10’s current competitors include the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X and the Nokia Lumia 920.

You are likely to be overwhelmed while holding this beauty in your hands. When compared with the HTC One X and S III, the Z10 is easy to hold and manoeuvre. Its understated design available in black and striking white can only be imagined held comfortably in the hands of a business man. Two plastic ends hold the large glass front together and the rear side has a rubberised casing.

Measuring 130x65.6x9mm, this phone is bigger than the iPhone and may be considered ‘chunky’ but is durable for desk-level drops. With a 4.2-inch, 1280x768 display, the Z10 boasts a pixel density that exceeds the iPhone 5.

Operating system Blackberry 10 Screen 4.2-inch touchscreen, 1280x768 resolution Camera 8MP at 1080p rear cam, 2MP at 720p front cam Internal memory 16GB Dimensions: 130x65.6x9mm Weight: 137.7g

9mm

130mm

65.6mm

Wrap-up Overall, the Z10 is a good phone; although we aren’t sure if this phone is going to transform Blackberry as we await more and better apps in the near future, we think the wait isn’t worthwhile. It offers a strong range of features and a fancy new operating system that may catch the eye of

the technologically adventurous. The BB Z10 does pretty much everything one would expect from a high-end device and there are no major flaws detected yet.

But the Z10 lacks a remarkable selling point. It’s hard to find reasons

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why we would recommend this over the Samsung Galaxy S III, iPhone 5, HTC One X or Nokia Lumia 920 that come in the same range as the Z10, priced at RO270. The unproven operating system may turn the consumers off at point-of-sale and we think the Blackberry brand, as a

whole needs to be worked on as fast as possible if it wishes to win back hearts of the general public. This time, BB can’t sell itself on Blackberry Messenger or push email. The Z10 has the entire company’s weight on its shoulders; for now, it is holding up but we aren’t sure for how long.

SELECTION

This section showcases our selection of electronics in the market today. Let us know if you have any favourites on tech@deenarmedia.com

SMARTPHONES RO270

RO250

RO250

RO168

RO137

Blackberry Z10

Samsung Note II

Samsung S III

Nokia Lumia 820

Samsung S III Mini

Blackberry 10 OS, Dual Core 1.5GHz, 2G/3G/4G, 8MP primary and 2MP secondary camera, 16GB storage, available in black and white

Android OS v4.1, Quad Core 1.6GHz, 16GB storage, up-to 32GB, 3G, WiFi, A-GPS, 2MP camera

Android OS v4.0.4, Quad Core 1.4GHz, 8MP camera, 32GB storage, 3G, WiFi

Microsoft OS Windows 8, Dual Core 1.5GHz, 8MP, dual LED flash, 8GB storage up-to 64GB, 3G, WiFi, A-GPS, NFC

Android OS v4.1, Dual Core 1GHz, 8GB storage up-to 32GB, 1GB RAM, 3G, WiFi, A-GPS

TABLETS RO270

Apple iPad 4th Generation 9.7-inch, Retina display, LEDbacklit, multi-touch display.

2048x1536 screen, iOS 6, 1.6GHz Dual Core processor, 16GB, WiFi, Bluetooth, HD camera, 4G, 3G

RO220

RO110

Apple iPad Mini

Asus Google Nexus 7

7.9-inch 1024x768 screen, iOS 6, 1GHz Dual-Core processor, 16GB, WiFi, Bluetooth, HD camera, 4G, 3G

7-inch 1280x800 screen, Android 4.1, NVIDIA Tegra3, Quad Core 1.2GHz, 1GB memory, Bluetooth V3.0, 1.2MP front camera

RO100

Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7-inch HD display, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band, Dual Antenna, WiFI, 16GB built-in memory

RO60

Acer Iconia B1-A71 7-inch LCD, Android, media tek, 1.2GHz Dual Core, 8GB memory, WiFi, Bluetooth

COMPUTERS

RO490 Apple Macbook Air 13.3-inch screen, Intel Core i5 Dual Core 2.3GHz, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, Intel Graphics 4000, WiFi, Bluetooth, Facetime, Mac OS and Life

RO470

RO375

RO341

RO320

HP Spectre XT 13 2100

Dell Inspiron 5520 0378

Lenovo Idea Pad U410

Samsung 5 Series NP540U3C-A01AE

13.2-inch display, Intel Core i53317U 1.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 128GB HDD, WiFi, Windows 8

15.6-inch HD WLED, Intel Core i73612qm 3.1GHz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB HDD, 1GB VRAM, webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, Windows 8

14-inch screen, Intel Core i5 3317U 1.7GHz, 6GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB HDD, 1GB VRAM, 2MP webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, Windows 8

13.3 LED HD touch screen, shared graphics, Intel core i33217U, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, WiFi, Bluetooth, Windows 8

COMPACT CAMERAS

RO200 Samsung Galaxy camera GC100 16MP, 21x optical zoom, 4.8-inch LCD touch screen. Full HD movie, Android, WiFi

RO188 Sony TX200 18.2MP, 5x digital zoom, 3.3-inch LCD screen, full HD movie, CMOS sensor

RO75 Sony Cyber-shot WX100 18.2MP, 10x optical zoom, 3-inch LCD touch screen. Full HD movie, CMOS sensor

RO70

RO58

Casio JE 10

Canon A4000

16.1MP, 5x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, HD movie, Make-up mode

16MP, 8x optical zoom, 3-inch HD movie, image stabilizer

Disclaimer: Prices quoted in this tabloid may be subject to change. Please check with your local dealer for the current costs. Lists are not in any particular order.

PRO CAMERAS

RO822

RO500

RO425

RO400

RO260

Canon 7D

Fujifilm X100

Canon 550D

Panasonic Lumix G5

Nikon D3200

18.0 Megapixel CMOS Sensor and Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors.

19-point, all cross-type AF system equipped with dual diagonal cross-type sensors in center at f/2.8 and f/5.6 and AF area selection modes

12.3MP, Hybrid view finder, 3-inch LCD screen, APS-CMOS sensor, 5 / 3 fps. Movie:1280 x 720 pixels (24frames / sec.) with stereo sound. TTL 256-zones metering.

Shutter:1/4000sec at F8.

ISO 200-6400

18MP APS-C CMOS sensor DIGIC 4; ISO 100-6400, H:12800 Up to 3.7fps shooting; Full HD movies; 3.0”, 3:2 Clear View LCD with 1,040k dots; iFCL metering; Quick Control screen; Ext. Mic socket; Movie crop

16MP, 6FPS, 3-inch LCD touch screen, 14-42 + 45-150mm lens; 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD Video Recording; ISO 160-12800; Shutter: 1/16000; Burst: SH : 20.0 frames/sec, H: 6.0 frames/ sec(with AFS)

24.2MP, 4FPS/11 AF point, 3-inch LCD screen, full HD movie, 18-33mm lens; ISO 100 to 6400; Shutter: 1/4000 to 30s; TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor; Hi-Speed USB

TELEVISIONS

RO1,400

RO800

RO400

Samsung UA55ES8000

Sony KLV 60EX640

Sony KDL 40HX750

Samsung UA40ES5600

LG 47CS560

55-inch 3D LED Smart TV, 2MP, Full HD, Smart interaction (face, voice, motion), Smart evolution and content, micro dimming ultimate, built-in camera, 800Hz, Dual Core processor

60-inch dynamic LED TV, 2MP, full HD, 200Hz, WiFi ready, 2xUSB movie playback, 4xHDMI, X reality

40-inch 3D dynamic Edge LED TV, 2MP, full HD, 400Hz, built-in WiFi, full web browser, 2xUSB movie playback, 4xHDMI, X Reality with Blu-ray 3D player

40-inch full HD Smart TV, smart contain, full web browser, 3xHDMI, 2xUSB video and movie playback, 1000Hz motion flow

47-inch LCD TV, 2MP, full HD, USB port movie playback (DIVX HD), 3xHDMI, PC input, 100Hz with LG Home Theatre

TECH RECOMMENDS

RO300

Bose SoundDock Series II Yes, yes we know that the SoundDock has been around for four years but so has the iPhone with the ‘non-Lightning’ connector. We had looked at quite a few portables out there, all priced between RO30-RO120 but apart from quirky designs that look like space guns there were none except the Series II and the Harmon/Kardon. The latter you couldn’t bet on here, and Bose is as much a reputed brand.

With enough juice in the battery to last you a whole night of partying, this unit is a great investment. By the way, it’s actually cheaper at the Bose showroom than anywhere else.

Pentax Optio WG-2

RO121

In case of compact cameras, there is a model for every tenth man, woman or child. The WG is Pentax’s 13th-generation rugged compact, waterproof down to 12m, shockproof to 1.5m, and freeze-proof to -10 degrees Celsius. It’s also crushproof, able to handle up to 100kgs of force. It now has improved image quality in high-sensitivity shooting and 1080p HD movie recording capability. You can probably hurl it at someone if you can’t find anything else near you.

Seen at Emax, Muscat City Centre

RO38

RO250

RO189

Seen at OHI Electronics Bose Showroom, Qurum City Centre

Tissot PRC200 Automatic

Samsung Galaxy Pocket

Rado can step aside for a bit, Tissot is the new ‘black’.

Fashionable and with a lot of history to go with it. If you are ok about buying watch brands made by the Swiss for fussy fashion designers, this isn’t for you – Versace and Armani is. The T014.427 Series is a good bet especially if you must have an automatic. It has a winder of course and is a chrono too. After the immense success of the Tissot PRS200 sports line, Tissot decided to come up with a sports timepiece also water resistant to 200m but with a more classic look and feel. Great gift – even for yourself.

We went looking for a cheap phone that could run Whatsapp and we first took a look at the Nokia Asha 306 for RO27. This was by far the worst phone you can buy with terrible icon placement and even worse touch screen. The Pocket however was very impressive and its features are anything but pocket sized. Running the same Android OS as its bigger brothers, this little phone was a pleasure in your hand. Although it’s fullqwerty keyboard was tiny, it’s was as easy to type as it was to use all around. Perfect for your 10-yearold or as a spare phone.

Seen at Emax, Muscat City Centre

RO268

Seen at Hour Choice Rivoli Group, Muscat City Centre

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AUDIOZONE WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013

Hi Fidelio

If you are looking for a wireless speaker assembly, the Philips is a good option

Philips Fidelio AW90000

T

here is something about blending old-school design with today’s cutting-edge technology.

The Philips Fidelio AW90000 is alternative to the one-speaker unit and boasts two good-looking speakers. It is one of the most visually appealing speakers we have seen in a while. These speakers are diamond-shaped, aluminum-brushed and realwood veneer.

Sound Enhancement FullSound, treble and bass control Loudspeaker types Integrated Built-in speakers 6 Speaker Drivers 2x dome tweeters, 4x3.5-inch woofers

Slightly bigger than your average speakers, they can easily tuck into a corner. Being a wireless speaker, the AW90000 contains the class-D digital amp, features an Ethernet port, coaxial and optical digital sockets, a stereo/phono pair and 3.5mm jack. It supports the standard Wireless LAN 802.11 n/g/b and UPnP.

Compression format MP3, WMA, non DRM AAC (m4A), eAAC+, FLAC Music Streaming Internet Radio, Music Services, PC/MAC, Smartphone/Tablet

The AW90000 has the ability to stream uncompressed audio from anywhere. It can accept a Mac or PC, Android and Apple as well as stream from Internet services. It also features a built-in Internet radio with four pre-set buttons in case you can’t access your smartphone.

Wireless connections Wireless LAN (802.11 n), Wireless LAN (802.11 g) Smartphone and tablet App AirStudio on apps store and Google Play

When compared with a number of one-box wireless sets, the Fedelio has good quality sound and at USD661 (RO254) we were impressed. But Philips has resisted delivering a one-box system and created a high-class system that looks stunning. If they revamp the AirStudio app, Philips would have one of the best wireless speakers on the market.

Dimensions 300x210x350mm Weight 10kg

No-nonsense Soundbar The Sonos Playbar is to easy setup and devises synchronised television and movie performance

S

onos describes the new Playbar as movie and television audio for music lovers. It is the first product to tackle sound that comes with moving pictures rather than audio for its own sake. Although speaker bars aren’t a new concept, Sonos is aims to bring ease-of-use to the segment.

The best part is, it works as a node in your streaming music system as well.

The Playbar is a reasonably handsome slab of matte silver aluminium and black

Sonos Playbar

fabric. It weighs 5.4kgs and with holes on the back can be either mounted to a wall or positioned on a table.

Inside, there are a total of nine speakers, each with its own Class-D digital amplifier. Three 1-inch titanium dome tweeters are spread between the outer edges and the centre, while six 3.15-inch aluminium cone midrange speakers fill the remaining space. It does not possess an on-board subwoofer, though you can

USD700 (RO270)

Power supply AC 100-240V, 50-60Hz

Weight 5.4kg

Side panel button Volume up, down and mute

Operating temperature 0°C to 40°C

Side panel LEDS Indicate Playbar status Dimensions 85x900x140mm

Contents AC power cord, optical audio cable

wirelessly connect a Sonos subwoofer if you wish.

What we love about this speaker bar is that it is straightforward and does not demand much. Once you’ve set it up, you could feasibly never turn on the Sonos app again and merely use your regular TV remote. With superlative performance user-friendliness and multiroom flexibility, at USD700 (RO270) you’ll fall in love.

PHOTOGRAPHY TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

Impressive underdog

11

Controls

With semi-professional performance and a reasonable price, the K-5 II should appeal to amateurs

P

entax has never failed to impress in the areas of build quality, handing and performance. But the question always remains; why would anyone choose a Pentax over popular brands like Nikon and Canon? The new Pentax K5 Mark II is a state-of-the-art auto focus sensor and makers claim that it has the ability to cope in a wider variety of shooting conditions in turn requiring a broader variety of exposure values.

The K-5 II reveals its semi-pro performance in both operation and looks. There is a large and bright eye-level optical viewfinder offering 100 per cent field of view for composing shots or the choice of pressing the Live View button on the back plate to activate the LCD. All your settings like ISO and exposure can be tweaked on the fly by holding down the relevant buttons without drilling into the menu screen settings. The left-hand side houses the viewfinder and pop-up flash.

The shooting mode dial includes the regular program, manual, aperture priority and shutter priority modes, along with custom setting and a fully automatic ‘green mode’ for when we want to point and shoot and have the camera determine the right settings for us. Video capture has its own setting on the dial here as well.

The response time is said to be swift enough and you don’t have to wait for the camera to catch up with you.

Having given up trying to compete with brands like Canon and Nikon, Pentax happily pitches an affordable body and is best suited for an amateur photographer and enthusiast. The first impression given by this camera is very good; its design, while compact like most DSLR cameras has a magnesium alloy and stainless steel construction that matches a semi-professional camera. It comes complete with weather-proofing.

Image quality

Pentax K-5 II

USD954 (RO367)

16.3MP, CMOS sensor

Magnesium alloy body shell

ISO sensitivity span of 80-51,200

Improved handheld HDR function

1080p HD movie mode

Up to seven frames per second

Triple-axis sensor-based shake reduction

100% viewfinder coverage, 0.92x magnification

New SAFOX IX+ 11-point AF system

PEF or DNG RAW file format 3-inch, 921k pixels

The K-5 II offers seven frames per second for continuous shooting for up to 30 JPEGs. The 8-270mm lens gives you a wide range of framing options only in combination with the sensor. The 16.3MP, CMOS sensor packs in just enough pixels.

It provides an impressive level of detail that wouldn’t displease even the fussiest of photography enthusiasts and the colours are vibrant yet remain simultaneously naturalistic in appearance.

Verdict With a conventional-looking digital SLR design, the chief appeal of the 16.3 megapixel, magnesium alloy exterior and stainless steel interior K-5 II has the specifications of a high- end camera. It has great built, handling and performance.

Its point-and-shoot ‘green mode’ takes decisions for you and provides optimum quality. That gives you something to fall back on. Our personal opinion is that if you are an amateur or budding photographer, ditch Canon and Nikon, this DSLR is a good buy.

Instacam

Socialmatic’s Instagram camera concept will soon come to life

This concept has intrigued fans for a long time now. The Instagram concept camera intends on taking the spirit of the app and making it a physical instant camera. Polaroid has agreed to be the name behind this camera. Although no

technical details have been publicised for the Polaroid Socialmatic Camera but the designer has outlined a clear vision and we are looking forward to see if Polaroid sticks to the script. The concept features a 4.3inch touch screen and runs on

Android. It possesses a build-in LED flash, 16GB storage capacity, WiFi and Blutooth. It gets better; the real deal is likely to retain the designer’s desire to have a builtin printer. This hipster camera is promised to release in the first quarter of 2014.

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DASHBOARD WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013

BLUE PILL

PEUGEOT 208

Successor to the well-sold 207, the newer Peugeot has a sharper audience in focus

A

ny of you remember the old yellow Dakar Rally 205 T16? If not, perhaps you remember the 205 GTi. You see, this benchmark was what Peugeot had to reach in their minds. Simply because the 205 was the all-new avatar of the tin-ish 104.

far better than the 207 especially since they have actually reduced the weight of the car by 110kgs on average (as much as 170kg based on trim). Braking is no far better and so it the shift programming of the Sport-mode of the auto gearbox.

Pierre Authier, the head designer for the new 208 had his mind set on a similar goal since he was put in charge of the 208 way back in 2007 when this project started.

But we aren’t here to talk about just that – we are here to see what the car does today. First impressions are quite high with the 208 having to live up to its appearance. And it delivers on its impressions to the very end.

Our only concern was it eagerness to slide the tail out without actually intending to. Usually in front-wheel-drive cars, one can induce over-steer in a corner by entering hard and lifting off the gas suddenly; the 208 doesn’t need this input – it over-steers mid-corner especially on down-hill exits off the highway.

The interior is as exciting as none in the market today. Starting from its smaller steering wheel to the well-bolstered seats, the car makes itself a cocoon for your body. Developed under code name ‘A9’, the 208 is built on Peugeot-Citroen’s PSA PF1 platform and actually made smaller on the outside. The front overhang is reduced by 60mm and the rear by 10mm. However, the new car still offers more space than the predecessor. The boot has grown by 15litres to 285l (or 10 cubic feet), and even the leg-room in the rear seat increases 50mm.

Powered by a 1.6-litre, pumping out 120hp, the 208 is very spirited and sharp. Acceleration is

The interior fit and finish is toprated and the toys it comes with are high-spec for a B-segment car. The instruments are a joy to

look at and so are the controls in the dash. The audio system has steering controls too. They include folding mirrors, A2DP Bluetooth that enables you to play music off your iPhone or SIII and daytime running lamps. The safety features are quite impressive and we think the 208 is the safest car out here in the market today at this price. A look at the side-impact protection should calm you down compared the poor excuse of a side protection in many similar Japanese cars out here.

The women loved this car, both as passenger or driver. Starting at RO5,995 it seems high when you compare to say a Suzuki Swift, but the points earned are a no-brainer.

You really could go for the 208.

Engine: 1.6-litre, fourcylinder, with VVT Power: 154hp@6,6000rpm Torque: 192lb-ft@1750-4000 RPM Available features: A2DP Bluetooth, power-folding mirrors, factory-tinted windows ENCAP: Adult 88%, Child 78% Price as tested: RO6,800 Highs: Great looks and very spirited drive Lows: Tends to over steer; entry level has no Bluetooth Verdict: Good-looks and great value overall

TIMEZONE TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

Power of black Eberhard & Co. Chrono 4 Géant Full Injection makes a statement with a new black edition

Chrono 4 Géant Movement Calibre EB. 250 12.5 Case Steel, with DLC-Dianoir carbon treatment providing a black coating

Nicknamed ‘Full Injection,’ the limited-edition version of the well-known Chrono 4 Géant from the stable of Eberhard & Co. is a stunner. The watch derives its name and look from a cutting-edge carbon diffusion treatment that gives it a sleek yet sturdy body. Fashioned in côtes de Genève pattern, the dial is a round metal plate in black with red hands for the central seconds. It has a tachymeter scale on the flange along with luminescent indices. The usage of a DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) treatment called Dianoir lends the dial its black coloring, which is also used on the case, bezel, crown, chronograph pushbuttons, and buckle.

The case is 14.1mm thick and is water-resistant to 200 metres.

The injected carbon penetrates the steel for 30 micrometers that enhances the case’s wearresistance and limits fatigue quotient. Words ‘Full Injection’ is engraved on the case-back and the screw-down crown, protected by a crown guard, is

13

Diameter of the case 46mm Thickness of the case 14,10mm Caseback With engravings, fixed by 8 screws.

Water-resistance 200m Bezel Unidirectional rotating bezel, featuring 6 black PVD-treated screws and black engraved numerals Glass Sapphire, non-reflective

embellished with a bas-relief Eberhard & Co. shield. With six black PVD-treated screws and black engraved numerals, the bezel turns in one direction, giving the impression of a professional divers’ watch. The

strap is made from black rubber sporting a vertically sculpted motif and a bas-relief Eberhard ‘E’ shield. Eberhard’s automatic chronograph movement, Caliber EB.250, powers the watch, displaying the chronograph

minutes and hours on a 24-hour scale. Launched ahead of the 2013 Baselworld watch fair in April, Eberhard & Co. Chrono 4 Géant Full Injection will be produced in a limited series of 500 pieces.

Hands Sword-shaped, skeletoncarved, luminescent Strap Black rubber, vertically sculpted

14

nuovotech WEEK 11, MARCH 13 -19, 2013

Whacky Technology

Some these gadgets amaze us and the others, leave us quite puzzled

Mindstormer USD350 (RO134)

Diamond Drone

Lego’s has redesigned its thirdgeneration Mindstorms kit to appeal to both kids desperate to craft and geeks looking for even more customisability.

With assembly instructions now provided by a 3D animated diagram on an iPad app, this isn’t the Lego you remember from your childhood. We aren’t sure why Lego is taking it to the next level, but for our childhood’s sake, keep it going.

USD120 (RO46)

Wireless Bluetooth speakers usually come in ordinary designs. Some are sleeker than others, while some have been designed to be more rugged. However if you’re in the market for a set of Bluetooth speakers that are truly unique, then Acase’s Black Diamond 3 Bluetooth speakers are definitely worth taking a look at. These speakers have been shaped to resemble a diamond and feature built-in LED lights that pulsate to the music that is coming out of it.

Pool boy

Vuzix M100 AR Glasses

USD393 (RO151)

A prototype pair of AR specs from Vuzix was seen at CES last year. Now, the US-based tech firm is back with the M100s, which comes loaded with Android 4.0, 720p video recording, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth, as well as 4GB of storage memory.

Vuzix says that the device will last for around 8 hours and while the glasses are not nearly as capable as your average smartphone to view photos and videos, you can get pushed notifications and answer emails. The price isn’t confirmed yet, but Vuzix says that it won’t cost more than USD500 (RO193).

Tech geeks don’t really have the ability to turn heads like apool boy, but this one is a sure-shot eye-popper. iRobot has cooked up the Mirra 530, a pool cleaning aquatic sanitizers. It can clean up to gallons of water a minute and filters debris as small as two microns. Thanks to its iAdapt Nautiq system, it’ll work out the size of your natatorium to determine which cleaning program is the most efficient.

Quite impressive, we think.

Give it a spin Price: USD20 (RO8)

Spinners have helped golfers, tennis players, trainers and athletes alike. The precision bearing controlled gyroscope has the ability to give your wrist and forearm a workout and achieve what hours of training with dumbbells will do, in matters of minutes. With your arms and wrists conditioned to tackle and control the most rigorous sports activities, you can overcome the daily grind of repetitive stress induced injuries at work.

Moviezone

Hitchcock

There is no rest for the wicked; he never ceases to surprise his audience

S

acha Gervasi’s Hitchcock is an adaptation of Stephen Rebello’s non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. This biographical film takes us through the high and lows of the relationship between the legendary British director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville during the Making of Psycho, a 1960 horror film that earned critical acclaim from movie buffs and critics during his lifetime. Alma Reville played a crucial behindthe-scenes role in the making of Psycho.

At a movie premiere a reporter asks Hitchcock, “Shouldn’t you just quit while you’re ahead?”

This challenges the creative genius to scout for something out of the ordinary. He comes up with ‘Psycho’, based on a 1959 novel inspired by horrific crimes of a serial killer. The Making of Psycho consumes the most of Hitchcock.

It is in this backdrop, the movie explores his marriage with Alma, his artistic collaborator, who is visibly unhappy with pressures of this self-financed production and Hitchcock’s fixation with the blondes at his studio. But Alma’s good sense prevails and she takes over the production of his film when Alfred collapses from overwork. They reconcile after going through a rough patch and focus on improving the film that finally rewards them with acclaim and appreciation, later to become a classic in its genre. Alfred thanks his wife for all her help in affirmation of his love for her.

Director Sacha Gervasi Genre Biographical, Drama Cast Anthony Hopkins Helen Mirren Scarlett Johansson Toni Collette Danny Huston Jessica Biel James D’Arcy Michael Wincott

GAMING TECH@DEENARMEDIA.COM

B

ased on James Cameron’s 1986 film Aliens, this game has lot to shoulder. The movie isn’t just one of the best thrillers but also an iconic cultural touchstone.

The sequels continue to get better and we wish the game did too.

Although, when it isn’t compared to the movie, the game is consistent and may get you addicted.

Plot

After being confronted with Aliens, the search-and-rescue Colonial Marine team onboard Conestogaclass space cruiser USS Sephora, receive a distress call sent from the USS Sulaco.

ACM tries it’s best to live up to the milestone of cinematic history SCORE Plot.............................. 8/10 Gameplay .............. 7/10 Visuals...................... 6/10 Overall................................7

Publisher: SEGA Genre: First-person shooter Developer: Gearbox Software Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC ESRB Rating: Mature

The hostile corporate mercenaries attack the Sephora using the Sulaco’s weaponry and both ships are destroyed when Sephora retaliates. While investigating the ruins of the colony, mutated and radioactive xenomorphs that only react to sound and movement are discovered. After gathering the remains of Sephora Marines, Captain Cruz orders Hicks and his men to attack the Weyland-

NEXT GENERATION CONSOLE A fter weeks of speculations, Sony has unveiled the next generation console in New York. Rumors stated that the new console was to be called ‘Orbis’ but Sony retains the name, calling it PlayStation 4. Anticipated to surpass the gamer’s wildest expectations Sony’s Andrew House says, this console is “foundation of our next generation platform.”

Move compatibility

Described by lead system architect, Mark Cerny as “a platform by game creators for game creators” the PS4 will contain a local hard drive, an X86 CPU and 8GB of memory. Cerny also said that the next gen console’s architecture would be “be like a PC, only supercharged” and that it would use technology that usually powers “top of the line, high-end graphics cards.”

The new console will also sport a new control pad that features a touchpad interface, much like the former PS Vita had. It supposedly has a ‘Share’ button that allows players to browse and upload memorable moments from their gameplay. One can also stream demos to the PS4 using technology known as Gaikai. Players will additionally have the ability to interface with the PS4 using a PS Vita handheld console.

Front-facing touchpad

Yutani facility and seize the last faster-than-light space cruiser on the planet. While on the lookout, Bishop is connected to Weyland’s CPU and states that he has everything, setting the stage for an all-out war.

Gameplay

Aliens: Colonial Marines is a firstperson shooter that puts the player in the role of a US Colonial Marine named Cpl. Christopher Winter.

The player has to access weapons like the flamethrower, pulse rifle, smartgun, shotgun and so on.

Players will also be able to use welding torches to seal doors and motion trackers to detect unseen enemies.

Visuals

ACM has a lot to admire about while it does have some setbacks. For instance, the graphics could have been more refined as when one zooms in to the character or environment, the quality drops. Game-reviewers also opine that some alien animations are rather ‘hilarious’.

Expected to release this winter, the new PS4 has a lot to look forward to

Redesigned thumb sticks and shoulder buttons Share button to browse and upload

Brace yourself, the PS4 will not be able to play your favorite PS3 games nevertheless Sony has unveiled a number of upcoming games. First party titles including the cartoon-like, fantasy brawler Knack and the latest game from Braid creator Jonathan Blow, The Witness, which was billed as a

compact, yet open-world game that will debut on Sony’s new platform.

At the unveiling ceremony, a very vague idea was given about the release date and all we know is that they will start shipping in ‘Holiday 2013’. No picture of the console is released yet, but we should expect it sometime soon.

15

LISTING COMPANY

BRANDS

SHOWROOM

SERVICE DEPT.

Bahwan Electronics

Asset, Carrier, Toshiba, Seiko, Casio, Titan, Sony Ericsson, Benq, Daewoo

Ruwi 24796629

Emax Electronics

Multi-brand retailer

MCC 24558062

Extra

Multi-brand retailer

24212421

Genetco

Sanyo, Videocon, Fujitsu, Thomson, York, Canon, Mitsubishi

Qurm 24568806, Ruwi 24830919, Shatti al Qurum 24693292

24503653

HiTec Centre

Boston Acoustics, Denon, Leica, Polk Audio

Azaiba 24497384

24497384

Jumbo Electronics

Sony, VAIO, Blackberry, Supra, Casio, Brother Sewing Machines, Acer, HP

MBD 24818358, Al Araimi 24565845, QCC 24470529, Salalah 23291984

24814815

Moayyed Integrated Enterprises

Daewoo Electronics

24488795

24488795

Muscat Air-conditioning and Electronics

Sharp, Midea, General, Wansa, MDV

24796591, 24796202/31/40

24562943

Muscat Electronics

Daikin, Ricoh, Chigo, G-Hanz, Sony Professional Prod., Lexmark, Hitachi

Ruwi 24702982, 24780407 Sohar 26845647, Salalah 23291617

24813408/24789542

Mustafa Sultan Electronics

Haier, Philips, Nevica, Whirlpool, Universal, Westpoint

Al Khuwair 24636015

24818018

Oman International Electronics & Trd.

Bose, NEC, JVC, Nakamichi, SONOS

Qurum 24565490, Connexions 24558529

24830606

Oman Modern Electronics

Sharp, OMEC

HO 24706004, Ruwi 24832891, Sohar 26840763, Salalah 23291405

24704494

OMASCO

Panasonic, Yamaha, Stanley, Black and Decker, GE, Aftron, Raymond Weil

Qurum 24564310, Ruwi 24833630

24560232

Oman Trading Establishment

LG, Bosch, White Westing house, Pearl, Prolux

Wadi Kabir 24811572, Al Khuwair 24479448, Ruwi 24831544

24810522/80075545

Photocentre

Fujifilm, Olympus, Hasselblad, Sigma, Lowepro, EPSON, STEINER

Qurum 24565305, Al Khuwair 24479296

24571708

SARCO

Samsung, Technoflame

Ruwi 24593025

24593025

Sharaf DG

Multi-brand retailer

22009280

24501965

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