FLASH THE TABLET

BUILT

A clamshell design complemented by smooth curves in metallic finish at the top while maintaining a flat bottom. Both the top and bottom flaps are removable for accessing the SIM card slot and battery. Side panels in black plastic gels with the design by offering space for controls such as power key, charging port and volume controls. Unlike most tablets, the Tablet P has a removable battery. It took roughly seven hours to charge and lasted 8 hours of constant Net access and a few hours of music playback.

DISPLAY

Unfolding the tablet reveals the two touch displays that are neatly protected from scratches. Both the screens are super bright while having a resolution of 1024 x 480 pixels and individually measure 5.5 inches. A thick bezel runs around the corners leaving very little space between the screens. So while accessing the bottom display might be a little difficult for those with small fingers, your eyes too will take some time to get used to a split display.

BASICS

The device runs on Android v3.2 operating system and is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor with dual cores clocked at 1GHz. The inbuilt memory of 4GB is inadequate, but the tablet has an expandable memory card slot. The tablet has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and DLNA support.

USABILITY

Everything has been neatly divided into the two screens. When in application menu, three rows are on the top and an equal number at the bottom. While accessing emails or browsing the web the page breaks into two, without eating the words or the lines. For typing, the bottom screen turns into a virtual keyboard. While accessing the camera, the bottom screen acts as the view finder, while the top display shows the image gallery.

BRING THE CINEMA HOME

As Adele’s soul-stirring voice fills the room, you are left looking around for the array of speakers that is creating the effect. But then you realise that all that is there to create this touching audio experience is a slim soundbar which is not much longer than 3 ft. Then your attention goes back to the sound… something this good has to be a Bose.

Bose has always been about slim and sleek speakers, but with its latest CineMate 1 SR system the company is also thinking about the look of your living room. So the main feature of this home theatre system is the soundbar which can be placed under your large screen television, horizontally or vertically… anything that suits the style of the room. Whatever the orientation, there is not going to be an impact on the sound—except for maybe complaints from people in the apartment above. And this is thanks to the new Bose FlexMount system which senses how the speaker has been placed.

So the CineMate, as the name suggests, is ideal for people who end up watching a lot of high-definition content at homes. For a change you won’t have to be hassled about where your speakers have to be placed. The only other part of this system is the Acoustimass module, which can be placed anywhere in the listening area. Yes, you have to just place it there, for it connects to the soundbar wirelessly. The onus of connecting to the three sources that the system can take at a time and handling all the wiring rests solely with the Soundbar.

Together the two speakers create sound as if it was coming from a full 5.1 speaker system. You can make out movement in sound and even locate specific characters in different parts of the room, no mean feat for a soundbar. For instance, you know that Avatar had some insects too, creating a cacophony in the background, something you would have missed if you didn’t see the movie in a very good theatre.

The CineMate system comes with a remote, which once configured, can control your TV and Blu-ray or DVD player too. If you need more connectivity and source options, you will have to upgrade to a Lifestyle 135 System which has the added advantage of media console for up to six HD sources, radio and iPod dock.

As always the only thing that can keep you away from a Bose is its price. The CineMate 1 SR sells for `1,12,388 while the Lifestyle 135 will cost you `1,79,388. You better love your sound.

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Superb sound at Bose prices.

TOUCH THE MOUSE

The wait for Windows lovers to own something similar to Apple’s multi-touch Magic Mouse came to an end with Microsoft’s Touch Mouse. The company has now introduced a stripped-down version of the Touch Mouse, calling it the Explorer Touch Mouse.

The feel-good, look-good mouse is made of glossy black plastic and sports a neat design enhanced by the touch strip in grey. There is a detachable dongle under the mouse, which you attach to a PC to establish a link using 2.4GHz wireless technology. Microsoft has also used BlueTrack technology to enable the mouse to work on most surfaces, including wood, cloth and paper. But a glass surface is still a no-go for the device.

Along with the regular mouse functionalities and the up-down scrolling, the touch strip can also be used for scrolling from side to side. But for accessing this feature the user has to install a software available online. For Windows XP and Vista operating systems, you would need to search for the software and install it from the web, whereas when used on a Windows 7 PC (connected to the Internet), the mouse automatically downloads the drivers and goes into the action.

And if you are looking for some thrills, there is a light vibration every time you use the touch strip to scroll.

The company claims that the two AA batteries that power the mouse will last up to 18 months.

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Affordable and good looking touch mouse from Microsoft.

ON-ROAD COMPANION

Navigators are still not so popular in India, but that hasn’t stopped companies like MapmyIndia from updating their product lineup. Its latest offering, the Zx250, doesn’t look cheap like many other navigators we have seen.

With a metallic grey body, the unit has curved edges with a power key at the top and ports on the left. The 5-inch wide display makes the Zx250 easy to use. The bright display is complemented by a 3D graphic interface that tries to recreate the localities you are looking for. For instance, the 3D model of Delhi’s Gurudwara Bangla Sahib on the screen had a good likeness of the real thing.

The software on the Zx250 is very up to date and it manages to recognise and give alternatives for routes that had been blocked. Rerouting was quick and well supported with loud and clear voice guidance. Overall, the maps offers street-level turn by turn direction for close to 4,000 cities and towns in India.

The only spoiler was the onscreen keypad which made it a bit tough to key in destinations. The Zx250 is Bluetooth enabled and can be used as a handsfree speaker for your mobile while driving.

Other features include integrated FM radio, ebooks, games andin function to convert it into a screen for a reverse camera.

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Smart looking, feature rich navigator.

JUICE CORNER

Some of us always struggle to manage the battery life of our devices—and it is not always the fault of the gadget. Portronics Powerpack 4000 aims to provide some succor during those powerless moments we often find ourselves in.

The size of a regular mobile phone, the Powerpack 4000 can store power which you can use for a wide range of devices. The device has a very archaic looking red LED indicator to show the charge available. There is another switch on top for you to choose from three different voltage and current levels. While the concept works, we would have been happier with small LCD screen doing the honours.

To charge any device, users will have to find the right pin from the seven that come in the box. Plug the USB cord—the same as the one you used to charge the device—to the ‘out’ and the relevant pin to the mobile phone or tablet you want to charge. The charging time is almost the same as from a regular power source.

The Powerpack 4000 is effective because it is a simple device. Portronics claims the Powerpack can sustain power for many months if not used—we had no way of checking that claim.

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Must have if you are always running out of juice.

SMALL WONDER

While Pico projectors usually score in portability, they flounder when it comes to the actual projection. The Portronics POR-315 LED Pico Projector is a welcome exception to this rule.

Despite its host of connectivity options and other features, the picture is definitely the hero with this small gadget. Even at a throw distance of around 7 ft, where most Pico projectors fall short due to their limited brightness, the POR-315 shone bright. The picture was crystal sharp thanks to the 45 ANSI lumens projection and 1024x600 native resolution of the image which is good enough to play HD videos. There were some issues with the keystone correc- tion, but that was tackled with the help of the small Gorilla tripod that comes in the box.

While the picture is good, the sound does not really rise to the occasion. But it would be a bit too much to ask for any more from a projector that can easily fit inside your coat pocket. The PRO-315 also excelled by playing most video file formats that we threw at it. The remote helped with most basic controls you would need while playing video. Another cool feature is its ability to read and project most types of text files.

Some might be put off a bit by the plasticky body, but we found that it ensured the unit did not heat up much.

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Great features and picture, easy to use.

THE RIGHT BEAT

The HP dm4 Beats Edition didn’t turn out to be what we expected, at least not in its looks. The big red Beats Audio logo we had seen in previews abroad was nowhere to be seen in the laptop we got. The Indian version seems to come only in the sober brushed aluminium dark umber finish, with the Beats Audio branding limited to the small logos above the screen and near the speakers.

So while we were a bit disappointed by the lack of looks, we were more than happy with the Beats Audio sound augmented by the two subwoofers. This 14-inch notebook is a music lovers’ dream with sound that will make more heads turn than would ever with bright red logos. The 1366 x 768 HD LED display only reaffirms the dm4’s claim to be one of the best multimedia laptops out there.

And that doesn’t in anyway mean that there are no serious aspects to this notebook. Much like the Ultrabooks, the new dm4 too features a second generation Intel Core i5 processor with Intel Smart Response Technology, which boots up the unit in under 45 seconds. This is also a cool gadget, for HP CoolSense keeping temperatures down even after a two-hour movie. Then HP SimplePass with fingerprint reader gives the notebook an extra layer of security. The battery shouldn’t trouble you before four hours and maybe you can squeeze in an extra hour by keeping the volume low.

The keyboard is well laid out and responsive, though the keys had a bit too much travel than we would have liked. There is a separate web key to go online in a hurry.

Despite the Ultrabook-like features, the dm4 is not a slim machine. In fact, when shut, the screen panel sort of sticks out like the roof of a beachside condo. Can’t say it is bad, but it is definitely a very unique design statement. At roughly 2 kg, the dm4 is also a tad bit too heavy.

But then this netbooks comes fully loaded with all connectivity options—none of the Ultrabooks will give you a DVD writer, VGA or Ethernet ports.

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Ideal for music lovers, good connectivity options.

BEATS AUDIO

Beats started out as a brand of headphones by Beats Electronics, the brainchild of legendary artist and producer Dr Dre and Jimmy Lovine. Dr Dre was inspired by the fact that people weren’t hearing music as it was made, or supposed to be heard. His ‘studio inspired’ audio equipment try to recreate music the way it was recorded with the ‘bass, the detail, the dynamics’. HP has been featuring Beats Audio technology in its laptops, desktop and tablets.

SMALL AND STYLISH

From certain angles the HP Mini 210 looks like the miniature model of some Italian sports car. The vibrant colours of the body blend seamlessly with the metallic parts, making it a stylish piece of equipment.

The attention to detail in design is also visible with the keyboard which doesn’t seem to have any missing keys, as with many other netbooks. We did find some of the keys, like the‘pg up’ and ‘pg down’ a bit too small, but then there have been many netbooks which never bothered to include these in the first place. The trackpad below is small, as if to make space for the keys above, and comes with an on/off button.

The 1024x600 native resolution of the 10.1-inch screen makes it good for watching hi-definition video, that is if you don’t get distracted by the highway-like bezel around it. Then, just below the screen, the Beats Audio logo caught our attention. So as the logo will have you believe, the Dolbyenhanced sound was exceptionally good, especially since this is a netbook, a breed that isn’t supposed to have good sound.

Running on the Intel Atom N2800, we didn’t expect this netbook to vroom away like the sports car we compared it to earlier. But, this is by no means a slow worker and can drag itself out of most of the sludge you will put it through. But remember this is a netbook, just don’t tax it too much.

An added advantage is the host of connectivity options it brings along. As if three USB ports weren’t enough, there is a VGA and LAN port thrown in for good measure along with a card reader. The Mini 210 can give you eight hours on a full charge.

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QUICK JOB

The latest multi-function printer from Samsung is a compact yet good looking printer. Done in all black, it has a good combination of matt as well as gloss finish. A control panel on the top gives you direct access to a few operations like copy and eco-print. There is also a light indicator on the right edge that flashes red in case of error.

The monochrome laser printer managed to wake up from sleep and print the first page in 8 seconds. Surprisingly, there was hardly any difference between the best quality and normal quality prints. The company has also added an eco-mode that saves paper and toner by combining two pages into one. For instance, a document in portrait mode was automatically printed in a smaller font in landscape mode. Launching the software allows user to scan a document in up to 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution and save it in various formats. The printer also supports WiFi printing.

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A loaded printer that does a good job without much noise.

PLAYTIME’S OVER

BlackBerry’s PlayBook was a fine piece of hardware let down by the dependency on the BlackBerry smartphone. But this tablet is back in a newer version with the PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade.

Empowered by a 600MB over-theair upgrade, the PlayBook can now fetch emails without a BlackBerry phone, thanks to a native email client. The Account tab allows you to add IMAP and POP accounts along with Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Email appear under the message header and with a single tab can switch between the accounts. You can also work on multiple mails at the same time.

The user interface has undergone a slight change with the status bar now notifying for messages, calendars and contacts too. The multitasking preview cards are slightly bigger and even the ‘x’ to close the app is much more visible. The application drawer has undergone a change too. Instead of everything packed into different tabs such as All, Media, BlackBerry Bridge, Games and Favourite, everything is now under a single tab that makes browsing simple. As for creating folders, long press an app to enter edit mode. Then drag and drop the app and edit the name of the folder.

A let down for the earlier Playbook was the lack of downloadable apps. This has been set right by allowing users to download Android apps. But there is no way for users to know which are the newly added Android apps. The only way to search for apps is by keying in the name of the application you would want to download.

The PlayBook can now import contacts from various accounts, displaying the social status update in the contact card itself. A ‘use Remote Control’ option has been added to the Bridge letting you control the PlayBook from the phone’s touchscreen or trackpad.

However, because this tablet doesn’t have a SIM card slot, it still has to be on Wi-Fi or connected through BlackBerry Bridge to be able to access the Net.

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A value-for-money tablet for BlackBerry with the OS 2.0 upgrade.

ALL STOCKED UP

A bit late off the block, but Samsung has finally brought its Series 5 Ultrabooks to India. Though we are not sure it would be right to call the Series 5—at least the way it has been launched in India—an Ultrabook, it doesn’t fare badly in comparison.

The Series 5 does look a bit like the Ultrabooks, ‘a bit’ being the operative part. For it is not as thin or as light as the Ultrabooks we tried out recently. The two key factors that set the 14-inch version we tested apart is the absence of SSD and the presence of an optical drive. But these become positive factors, as the former gives you a stupendous 1TB storage and the latter the added convenience of a DVD drive.

Running the second generation Core i5 processor with 6 GB DDR3 system memory, this laptop can also do much more heavy duty work than you would expect from an Ultrabook. With the 14-inch SuperBright HD LED display hardly having any reflection, this will turn out to be good for multi-media uses too—the sound too is above average. The battery despite all the heavy duty innards can give about five hours of juice on a full charge.

While you have a full keyboard with hardly any effort to save space here, the trackpad panel below is also spacious to accommodate most wrists.

This laptop also comes with almost all connectivity options including two USB 3.0 ports and a 4-in-1 card reader. We just hope Samsung sells it as a heavy duty ultra sleek laptop instead of a stocky Ultrabook.

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Fully loaded and sleek, but fatter than a regular Ultrabook.

ULTRA NETBOOK?

The Ultrabooks were supposed to sound the deathknell of netbooks, but players like Acer don’t think it is end of the road for the smaller computer. Acer’s Aspire One D270 is the first to feature Intel’s new Cedar Trail-M processor for Atom machines—the N2600 (1.6 GHz) version in this case. And the difference is visible from the very first click, the speed really refreshing coming from a netbook.

The D270 is also a very sleek machine, one of the slimmest you will see in netbooks, with the glossy finish on the outside covering a ripple design on the body. The keyboard, which takes up most of the space, and the area around it have a matt finish though. The trackpad is thankfully multi-gesture, while we were not sure why the one-piece clickpad below it suddenly decided to be glossy. The 10.1-inch LED screen is very clear and does not catch much light from its surroundings. The sound is good as the speakers are HD capable and have MS sound compatibility. But the speakers are on the bottom and get muffled if you keep the unit on a soft surface.

Despite its ultra-thin credentials, the D270 packs a lot of connectivity options. At 1.3 kg, this is also one of the lightest netbooks around.

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A stylish and affordable entrylevel netbook.

THE RETRO FEEL

If you have a jaded colour photograph from your 1980s childhood somewhere in an old album, the chances are it was shot on a Minolta or Yashica camera that looks very much like the FujiFilm X10. And this sense of deja vu is very much intentional.

With its X10, FujiFilm tries to recreate the camera styles of an era past. The X10 looks retro and, with its textured faux leather covering, is built like a camera of the 1980s. But it performs like any new kid on the block. The first thing you will notice about this compact camera is the plethora of switches and knobs all over the unit. But there is no zoom in/zoom out toggle and instead you do the same with the lens like in an SLR, and that is one feature that really sets it apart from the competition.

The F2.0-2.8, 28-112mm-equivalent Fujinon lens system ensures that the images are crystal clear and have a depth which you won’t find in point-and-shoots. The large 2/3 inch, 12 megapixel EXR-CMOS sensor means the camera is also great for high-speed photography and can also record Full HD videos. But there is a slight time lag when you try to focus on the macro end, reminding you that this is a digital camera after all.

There is a viewfinder, complete with dioptre adjustments, to compose the pictures, if you are too old fashioned for the 7.1-cm LCD display. As we said, there are so many buttons and features in this camera that it will take you a while to realise if anything is amiss. But for a camera that packs so many features to not feature a touch display in this day and age, however, seems like an unpardonable mistake. More so, if you look at the `39,999 price tag it brings with it.

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A collectors’ edition with amazing features and good results.

The dial on the side of the LCD lets you access the overloaded menu, flash and timer. The dial also lets users flip through the content while in playback mode. Below it are buttons to activate the display as well as to switch to RAW mode.

The camera switches on if the lens is turned from Off to the 28 mm range—a really interesting feature, though we failed to understand why it had to be this way. To the right of the lens is a toggle to choose between manual focus and auto focus mode

The dial on top lets you choose between various modes, which also includes two custom ones and high ISO-low noise mode which is a rarity. There is also an advanced mode for low light photography which works very well. But then the real fun in a camera like this is experimenting with the full manual modes.