FEAST ON THIS

Ford’s new Fiesta is a car that demands attention. The looks are global—the front greets you with a smile and the side curve across the body. However, the rear does not complement the front fully. A larger back lamp and maybe a spoiler would have done the trick. But all said and done, the back does hide a very cavernous with 430 litres of space.

We tested the top-of-the-line1.5 Diesel Titanium+ model that has the works. There are great gizmotics inside for the driver, a full numeric keypad to dial phone numbers, for instance. It also has Bluetooth to connect your mobile phone with the in-car entertainment. It has a USB and Aux ports for music playback. The speakers placed around the cabin ensure there is enough boom for everyone in the car. The most impressive feature has to be the voicecontrol system. Press the speak button and bark out the commands; you can manage everything from audio playback to the climate control AC.

This model comes with cruise control and rear parking sensors. Being diesel, the car is not as quiet as the petrol version, but the noise is bearable.The Fiesta is almost a rocket. It can launch in a split second and leave everyone else biting the macadam dust. The gear shift is not super smooth but is better than the Figo’s. The power steering is by far the best in this category of cars. It gives immense control to the driver with a short turning radius of 5.2 metres. The driver also gets a large single-colour display screen on the dash and a smaller one on the speedometer console. Only the price goes against it.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

Aggressive pricing from rivals might give the Fiesta a rough ride.

COMMON MAN’S NAVIGATOR

Stand-alone navigators never got their share of success in the Indian market. After we saw the launch of a few mid-segment navigators in the recent past, SatGuide has now come up with one for a common man.By that we mean it is affordably priced at ` 6,490. Its name specifies the display size of the device. The big 4.3-inch display is good enough to see details of the maps from a distance. But this is a resistive touch display and cannot be operated with fingers. A small stylus is hidden on the side corner that makes typing and browsing relatively simpler. The device manages a connection with a satellite in less than a minute. By Searching for points of interest or street on the map, you can preview a route and follow the voice guidance. The performance of the navigator often depends on how quickly it can recalculates the route in case of a wrong turn—and this one impressed us with its quick thinking. Considering the 850 mAh battery, we were a bit skeptical about the power backup but ut managed to stay active for quite a long trip. Also, essentials such as car charger and navigator stand are included in the box. Other than navigation, you can also store images, songs and videos on this navigator.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

It’s affordable and a good road pointer.

WATER MAGIC

Till date you must have used disposable or rechargeable batteries in your flash light. How about using a battery that runs on water? Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

Japan-based Aqua Power System has come up with the environmentfriendly NoPoPo water power battery. The odd-sounding Nopopo actually stands for No Pollution Power. Remembered for introducing a battery that worked on urine four years ago, Aqua Power has upgraded it to be powered by clean water. The Nopopo LED Flashlight comes with two battery cells. Each has two openings on the top side (+). By inserting the nozzle of the pipette provided, you can fill the battery with water. Once done, you only need to slide the battery into the flashlight and it starts working. Each refill of around 1 ml water lasts close to 6 hours. And in case of emergency, when there’s no water around, these batteries can be powered using any alcoholic beverages, beer, cola, urine or even saliva.

Made of aluminium, the flashlight is powered by an LED bulb that provides average illumination. While the batteries are waterproof, the body of the flashlight isn’t. In addition to the hydropowered batteries, the torch light also works on the regular AA battery.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

An innovative, easy-to-use and flaunt-ready flashlight.

A DECENT UPGRADE

Apple’s iMacs have sported the same form factor for a few years now. But they continue to be attractive. Made of aluminium, this 2011 edition of the iMac is quite the machine. The beautiful outer layer incorporates a 21.5-inch LED screen which is powered by AMD Radeon 6750 mobile graphics processor. Sadly, it does not come with a Blu-ray player, only a DVD slot. However, one can play downloaded HD content in its full beauty.

The speakers are neatly hidden under the screen. These speakers are loud but not very clear at high volume. At the back you find a couple of USB 2.0, Firewire and the new Thunderbolt ports. The last allows users to connect external memory drives and transfer data at much higher speeds. The innards have seen a major facelift. The iMac now comes with the 2nd generation SandyBridge Intel Quad Core i5 processor 2.5 GHz, a 4 GB DDR3 RAM and a 500 GB (7200 rpm) hard drive.

When we put it on the rack, it returned a remarkable score of 227.21 points in Cinebench. Application-wise there is not much added to the laptop. Facetime supplements chatting with friends and family on other iOS devices like the iPhone 4 or iPad 2. Older applications include the famous Garage Band, iMovie and iPhoto softwares. The earlier Bluetooth wireless keyboard has been retained. So has the wireless magic mouse. Apple has not given the iMac much of a physical surgery, but within they have replaced the old with the new. The price has also come down but might pinch some buyers.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

The iMac premium value is high, but then so is its utility value.

TAKING 3G ON

The 7-inch Reliance 3G tablet, which costs ` 12,999, would make you wonder why you should spend ` 25,000 on a tablet. Besides its capacitive display, the Reliance tablet comes with 512 MB RAM, 800 MHz processor, Android v2.3, Wi-Fi, 3G connectivity and a 3400 mAh battery. It has the specs, but does it perform?

Manufactured by ZTE in China, the Reliance machine weighs 389 gm, is comfortable to hold and easy to operate. While it runs on Android, the unlock screen looks differ-ent, with notifications for email, message and pending notifications. A small row of apps appear at the bottom with icons for home, dialler, phonebook, message and email that remains static even while accessing the application launcher. Replacing the interface with Launcher Pro gave it a regular Android feel and quick access. While typing, the onscreen QWERTY keypad in portrait mode was easy to use but it looked stretched and difficult to use in landscape mode. A Google Account login is a must for access to Android Market, but since it comes from an operator, there is easy access to RWorld Online for content related to music, cricket, start talk, mobile health, etc. The preloaded set of apps include Google services such as Gmail, YouTube, Gtalk, Search, along with Twitter, Face book, Documents To Go (reader) and Orkut. Web browsing on the speedy 3G was good, as was the audio. Video playback was average. A 3 MP fixed focus camera and a VGA shooter are present. The tab can be used for calling but only over speaker or a Bluetooth headset. It lags in providing only 8 GB of memory The battery lasted a day with normal usage, including mails, Net and multimedia on 3G.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

With its smart pricing, the tablet will have many buyers.

FOUR IN ONE

The minute you see Belkin’s Conserve Valet, you know it is perfect for home or office. Elegant yet stylish, the Conserve Valet is designed like a small raised platform. The top of the Valet is a flat surface in black with a push button. Below the surface is a casing with USB ports and a power-connection jack. This simple device can be used to charge up to four gadgets at the same time—and occupying one one power socket. But you have to attach your gadgets to it with a data cable, not the regular chargers. Thankfully, all phones/tablets/music players now come with data cables. Simply plug in the Valet to the socket, connect the gadget using the cable to any of the four USB ports and press the button. The gadget will automatically start charging. You can place your devices on the platform while charging. Along with the convenience it provides, the Valet also comes across as an environment-friendly device. Unlike regular chargers that consume power if left plugged to the wall, this has an auto shut feature. Once your device is fully charged, Valet stops drawing power from the main line. Thus, it avoids consumption of those extra units of energy.

Tip: We spied around 20 per cent discount on the Valet on online shopping portals. Keep an eye out.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT?

An investment of ` 2,500 is worth the experience.