Samsung’s Light-Weight N100 Takes Off

Samsung has launched a new netbook today, called the N100. It’s based on the Intel Atom N435 dual-core processor that runs at a speed of 1.33 GHz. Unlike almost other netbooks in the market, the N100 runs on Intel’s MeeGo operating system. The 10.1-inch display netbook comes bundled with 1 GB of DDR3 memory and a 250 GB 5400 rpm hard drive. The display supports a standard resolution of 1024x600. Graphics is powered by an integrated Intel GMA 3150 solution. The battery on the N100 is only a 3-cell one. Being a netbook, it’s light-weight and weighs no more than 1.03 kg. 

One of the first to offer the MeeGo OS

Samsung claims that the new MeeGo operating system should offer good energy efficiency and performance. The operating system is optimized to let users view online and offline content easily, as well as social networking services. Samsung is also offering options for a free DOS operating system version and Windows 7. The keyboard on the N100, according to Samsung has been designed with good spacing, making the typing simpler. The Samsung N100 is priced for Rs. 12,290, which makes it one of the cheapest netbooks around. 

Hands-on With the Nokia E6 Smartphone

Like its predecessors, the E71 and E72, Nokia’s new E6 business smartphone has some big shoes to fill and our first impressions of it say that it’s on the right track. This is Nokia’s first QWERTY Touch-and type handset and it comes with the latest version of Symbian Anna. While it hasn't deviated too much from the original design, it does pack in some nifty improvements. At Nokia's event, I managed to grab some private time with the device and here's what I thought.

Design

The form factor is what made the E71 and E72 very popular and the same is carried forward in the E6. This makes it fit snugly in your hand without being too small or too big, therefore it's comfortable to hold. It’s not too heavy, either at 133g and the stainless steel panels gives the appearance of a premium handset, a big tick mark for any business handset. The edges are curved, more so at the bottom which breaks the slightly blockier shape of the E72.

Two very professional looking colors

The keyboard is like the Holy Grail for any business phone, screw this up and you might as well wave the white flag. That’s not the case here, though, the keyboard is very comfortable to use (dare I say slightly better than the E72) and even though we didn’t use it for very long, it shouldn’t be a problem even for those lengthy mails. Nokia have increased the size of the Spacebar so it’s easier to type. The feedback of the keys was good just like its elder siblings.

E-Series style comfortable looking keypad

The power button is located on the top along with the 3.5mm headphone jack and the micro-SD card slot. The three circles you see upfront are the ambient light sensor, proximity sensor and the front facing VGA camera. The volume rocker and lock screen slider is placed on the right which makes it easy to operate with your thumb if you're a righty. The other side hosts the micro-USB port which we've seen on all their recent phones.

MicroSD card slot on top

Overll, the E6 makes a very good first impression when it comes to build and finish and is quite visually appealing in the two color options it comes in.

Features The touch screen is Nokia’s latest addition to this form factor and it’s not too bad, actually. There’s not much room to work with obviously on the 2.46-inch screen, but it’s fairly responsive. Even with fat fingers like mine, I was easily able to navigate through the menus without accidently hitting something else. Also, since this screen has a higher than usual resolution of 640x480, everything looks really crisp and sharp. No more pixelated icons and wallpapers, everything looks modern and fresh. While opening folders or the menu, there is a very minor lag, but it’s a lot less pronounced compared to, say, the X7. I think this is because it’s easier for Symbian to render a 2.46-inch screen instead of a 4-inch where the lag is more pronounced. Anna's menu on the Touch and Type Nokia has packed in plenty of productivity applications, like for instance you get the full version of Quick Office, which lets you create documents, as well. We’ll get into the full details once we get the unit for review. All metal, all business The 8MP camera is a bit of a step backwards, though. Although the mega-pixel count has been bumped up from 5MP on the E72, it's now a fixed-focus camera instead of an auto-focus. This means capturing proper, in-focus shots will be a challenge. Nokia have added another LED for the flash and the new E6 can record 720p videos with Geo-tagging. This is made possible thanks to the 680MHz ARM 11 CPU in side with a graphics hardware accellerator. The phone also support more video formats out-of-the-box like H.264 and H.263. Storing all this HD content is not a problem either as the E6 has 8GB in-built memory that's expandable to 32GB via micro-SD card. Verdict Like the previous two phones, the E6 also launched at Rs.22,000 (approx), but unlike the E72, the E6 has already seen a price drop in this short span of time. You can find it on Flipkart for as little as Rs.17,499. Slim looks with easy access buttons on the side Nokia has stuck with their winning formula with E6, and if you loved the E71 and E72, then you'll no doubt love this one. After my brief stint with the device, I liked the overall build and feel of the device. The keyboard is very comfortable to use and the high resolution screen is simply gorgeous. The only downsides that I can see for now is the fixed focus camera and perhaps the Symbian Anna, which is still not as fluid as you'd want it to be. Also, Nokia will face some stiff competition from the Samsung Galaxy Pro and the upcoming BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 and even though they fall under different price brackets, they still fall under the new touch-and-type QWERTY family. Stay tuned for our full review on the E6.

Zapak Introduces Subscription Gaming Service in India

Popular gaming company in the country, Zapak has announced the launch of Zapak Plus, the brand’s way of introducing the system of subscriptions to the gaming service. The first of its kind in the country, users will be able to subscribe to a full version of a PC game, for less than a rupee. The 'Plus' plan The subscription plans currently available are the monthly, and the quarterly subscription for a limited time period. However, ‘the playtime per game’ duration for the same is unlimited. With over 120 games on board, including popular titles like Dirt 2, Ashes 2009, Flat Out, Luxor, Sherlock Holmes, Jewel Quest, Mysterious City – Cairo, among others, it is poised to get popular with the masses.

Murder 2 review

Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Prashant Narayanan, Sudhanshu Pandey

Directed by Mohit Suri

Rating: *

Mahesh Bhatt presents (a squirt of paan). A Vikram Bhatt production (a spew of ketchup). A Mohit Suri film (a splash of red curry). When the credits roll like this, it's not surprising that 60 percent of the film has some substitute for blood being spat on the screen. 'Murder 2' is, as you would imagine, a bloody thriller.

The film's lead hero, Arjun (Emraan Hashmi) is Goa's very own Robin Hood. An ex-cop who is now engaged in almost all illegal operations that can be managed wearing a leather jacket. He doesn't believe in God but regularly visits church to donate fat bundles of money to orphans. And yes, somewhere towards the end of the film, he does reinstate his allegiance to Christianity, inappropriately accompanied by the song 'Aye Khuda Mil Gaya'. And what transforms him into a believer is a series of painfully graphic and ridiculously illogical incidents.
Arjun's lady love, Priya (Jacqueline Fernandez) models for sleazy magazines. Naturally, in every two out of her three scenes, Priya is required to shed some part of her clothing. So, for anatomy students, it couldn't be a better way to learn the human body. Most of Priya's dialogues are lost inside Arjun's mouth as he indulges her in one smooch-athon after another. And when she does get a chance to speak, it's a bit out of sync like the late-night dubbed teleshopping ads.
But what really adds thrill and lots of screams into this thriller is a cross-dressing psycho-killer, Dheeraj Pandey (Prashant Narayanan), who loves mutilating sex workers while singing 'Bheegey Hont Tere', unmelodiously and with sadistic lyrics. Why? Because his characterization is deep fried. Oddly enough, he gets caught early in the film and even confesses to his sinister deeds. But there are so many reels left? So, Arjun is assigned the task to find clues and evidence to corroborate Pandey's confession by a bewildered cop (Sudhanshu Pandey). And just to double the excitement, he has to do all this over a night.
Will Arjun manage to flick his Little Richard bangs and save Pandey's last victim? Despite confessing to finely chopping several whores, will Pandey be let off for his odd political connections? Will Priya's lips continue moving for seconds after her dialogue completes? These questions are only rhetorical and best unanswered.
The dialogues in this film are downright tacky. An interaction between the lead pair just after a ferocious make-out session goes like this. Priya: "Khaaye, Piye, Khiskay? Arjun: "Hotel mein khaane ke baad koi baitha rehta hain kya?" But the dialogues don't even compare to the magnitude of clichés in the plot. Arjun's 'Ma-Behen-Baap' have all deceased due to poverty. Eunuchs have been portrayed as a cult that worships the devil and let's not even get into the cop with the fake Goan accent.
The film's sound effects could have you shrinking into your seat. But largely, it's less scary and more disturbing. Emraan manages a great job of letting his mouth do all the acting but his constipated expressions are only marginally different from his remaining expressions. Jacqueline is an ideal pin-up girl and those considering this film just to get a glimpse of her would be happy to overlook her lack of acting skills or inability to enunciate.
One could safely call this film as the 'Silence of the Bhatts', with Emraan almost managing the Jodie Foster hairdo. And since the penalty for several murders is the same as that for one, let's just hope the third one is a bit more premeditated.

Amazon Launches Unlimited Cloud Music Storage Today

Popular cloud based storage service provider, Amazon has today announced the launch of an unlimited music storage option, in addition to a Cloud Player for iPad. Amazon believes that making music storage unlimited would enhance its existing Cloud Player and Cloud Drive services.

Unlimited Music..

Beginning from today, CNET reports that for a while at least, on making a purchase of $20 annual Cloud Drive storage plan will get unlimited storage space on their MP3 and AAC (M4A) music files. Existing users would remember that although Amazon did boast of these same features, before too, but at that time they began with 5GB of storage, which could then be upgraded to 20GB. And, currently, the unlimited storage option can be availed only for music, whereas users can still download other content with limited storage place.

Additionally, Amazon has rendered the purchase of MP3 free in the Cloud Drive. Interestingly, as mentioned earlier, Amazon has also launched Cloud Player on the web, especially for iPad users.

Hands On: Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta- games

Uncharted 3 may be a while away but developer Naughty Dog have been kind enough to let us sample a taste of things to come via a Multiplayer only beta. This Beta was initially available to PlayStation Plus members as well as people who purchased inFamous 2 (which by the way is totally worth picking up) but now is open to all PSN members.

This being a MP only beta is all about competitive play and in case you missed out on the mayhem in 2009 (which is when Uncharted 2 was released), here’s the ultra quick version. Picture a more balanced Call of Duty with all its perks and Killstreak rewards enhanced by gorgeous visuals and third person action and you’ll begin to understand what multiplayer in an Uncharted game is like.

Get to the cho... err plane now?

It’s been a while since I’ve played UC2’s MP so I was extremely rusty at first. Kept meleeing people when I wanted to reload, forgot how to take cover and died – A LOT! Since this was a beta, the game didn’t bother with any sort of tutorial so I had to check out the control scheme in the main menu itself. After a few rounds of being slaughtered mercilessly, however, it did sort of come back to me but even then, I never got frustrated as the game has a new mechanic called Powerplay that actually gives the losing team a chance to catch up. This could result in double damage being dealt out or the ability to see enemy markers all over the map. It’s a very helpful mechanic that tends to balance gameplay giving the losing team a fighting chance.

In the beta you have a bunch of modes to choose from such as Team Deathmatch, Team Objective, Free For All, Hardcore, and Co-Op Arena. Unlike the Hardcore mode found in games like CoD or Battlefield, the one in this game is a bit lenient so you’ll still see your crosshair but stuff like Boosters and Kickbacks will be turned off.

Drake brings the pain

Boosters are the game’s equivalent of perks, small tweaks that can improve your game so you can sprint more, respawn faster and so on. I personally wasn’t too impressed with the Boosters available in the beta and I felt I could get by without them just fine. Instead I spent my hard earned money on Kickbacks, the game’s equivalent of a Killstreak reward but only instead of tracking your kills, it tracks the medals you earn. Some of these medals are of the simple ‘shoot three guys in a row’ variety while the others require situational kills like killing a dude scaling a wall or extracting revenge on the player that killed you. And once you rack up the required amount of medals, you can immediately activate your Kickback turning the tides of war in your favor. Think about it; you’re going up against multiple opponents and BAM!, you trigger your rocket launcher kickback that bestows upon you – you got it – a freaking rocket launcher. Or how about transforming into a swarm of spiders capable of engulfing your enemies. Gross but incredibly cool.

There are two maps present in the beta; Chateau and Airfield. While Chateau is a solid map on its own, Airfield is without a doubt the star of the show here. The map’s divided into two parts with the first bit taking place on a runway as players struggle to either board or defend a cargo plane depending on which faction they get assigned to. As the bad guys, you spawn in a bunch of speeding trucks and then must slowly make your way to the plane by leaping from truck to truck to plane. As the heroes, your aim is to make sure this does not happen. After a certain amount of time on the runway, the plane takes off and the action shifts to an air field of sorts that offers a ton of horizontal and vertical movement. The transition between these two instances takes place seamlessly through cut-scenes that make this game feel a lot different than your conventional deathmatch. And yes, this is the coolest freaking premise for TDM till date. Should have taken the train Players who’ve spent some time with UC2’s MP will immediately figure out how different UC3 feels. Characters movements feel a lot more realistic as a result of which movement is a tad slower. Weapons too have received a bit of an overhaul and everyone’s favorite weapon, the AK now features a truck load of recoil. These gameplay mechanics did feel a bit weird at first but after a while you get used to the game’s pace. While the second game was content with letting players just buy new skins, UC3 allows players to deck the crap out of their characters. Besides a plethora of skins for both the heroes and the bad dudes, you can swap out clothes, accessories and lots more to project your persona on-screen. New to the game is a Loadout system where players can choose to upgrade their guns making not only cosmetic but functional changes as well such as adding in additional scopes to zoom in or extend mags for more ammo. These obviously aren’t revolutionary changes for a multiplayer game but it’s nice to have them in UC3. The coolest TDM level ever This being an Uncharted game obviously gets top marks in the visual department. And keep in mind, this is just the beta so I’m sure Naughty Dog will add in a ton of spit and polish by the time the game hits stores this November. So far I’m pretty happy with what I’ve seen in UC3. Sure the game feels a bit slower than before and newcomers will probably get their ass handed to them but Naughty Dog have taken great pains to ensure this game feels as balanced and enjoyable as humanly possible.

Jabra Rolls Out STONE2, Voice-Powered Bluetooth Headset in India

Popular headset manufacturing brand, Jabra from GN Netcom has rolled out the latest addition to their STONE series of Bluetooth headsets in the country. Launching the Jabra STONE2, the brand claims that it literally works on the power of voice! The headset, according to Jabra comes enabled with an array of voice-based applications. Hard-hitter! With the Jabra STONE2, users can use voice commands (accurate function-based commands) to make, answer, end, redial, ignore, and reject a call, also to call back. In addition to the voice commands, the Bluetooth headset also provides voice-based guidance to the users. If the user gets a call whilst the headset is plugged on, then he would get to hear the name of the caller as it is stored on the phone. If the call is from an unknown number, then the headset plainly calls out the number. Additionally, Jabra claims that the headset gives out pairing with mobile instructions, and also notifies when it is low on battery. Stylish.. Among the applications that have been made available via the Jabra World of Apps portal, are those for games and entertainment, voice dialing and translation, GPS services. The headset, when placed on the portable charger, switches off automatically, adds Jabra. The Jabra STONE2 is now available across all major stores in the country in black (leather finish), and white (with a gloss finish) colors, for a price tag of Rs. 7,999.

The Guinness World Record for iPad Typing Speed Has Been Broken

The Guinness World record for the fastest typing speed on an iPad has been broken. The record broken by the 15 year old son of the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, is the new world record holder for typing the entire English alphabet (A-Z) on the iPad keyboard in 5.26 seconds. The previous record was 6.31 seconds, held by Charlie Joseph McDonnell set in late June of last year. All this while, Apple's reworking its keyboard software for the iPad. iOS 5 will bring changes to the iPad keypad including allowing users to split the keyboard when in landscape mode.

Fastest finger first

According to reports, Saakashvili "spent months getting ready for those few seconds". However, he cannot break the world record for typing on a computer keyboard. That record is held by Sudhakar Raju in 3.52 seconds. This record cannot be taken over to the iPhone either. The Guinness Book of Records recommends this phrase: "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human," which has only been attempted on a Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and not on an iPhone yet. That sentence has been done in 25.94 seconds.

Samsung Galaxy Pro Going for Just Rs. 8,700 on Saholic

We are currently testing the Galaxy Pro and so far it seems like a great option for Rs.10,000. But what if we said you can now buy it for as little as Rs.8,700? Well, head over to Saholic.com where you’ll find the Samsung Galaxy Pro for this reduced price. Not only that, ‘Liking’ their Facebook page will avail you a further Rs.400 discount. Thanks to AndroidOS.in for the heads-up. We are not sure if this is a limited time offer, so you better act fast if you were planning on picking one up. A sweet deal! The Galaxy Pro (B7510) is powered by Android 2.2 and features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with 3G, Wi-Fi ‘n’ and Bluetooth 3.0. There’s an 800MHz processor running under the hood, which should easily run all your applications smoothly. The best part about this phone is that it sports a physical QWERTY keypad for easier typing. Other features include a 3.0MP camera, A-GPS and Samsung's TouchWiz UI. Stay tuned for our detailed take on the Samsung Galaxy Pro.

Preview: A Glimpse of Olympus’ PEN E-P3

Olympus is one of the brands known for their micro four-third, mirror-less cameras. Their first generation of PEN digital cameras have been out since a  while, now. They just launched the next generation of PEN cameras, two days back with the E-P3 model being the flagship model in the range.

A very colourful, sleak E-PL3

Some of the folks from Olympus were down here and we were invited for a briefing to get a first hand experience of their cameras. We were able to use the E-P3, and the E-PL3 cameras for a while and click a few quick snaps while we were there. The E-P3 is officially out and pieces should be available at the end of this month and early July. We should receive our review samples next week.

The E-P3 is the top of the line product under the renewed PEN series of cameras whereas the E-PL3 (PEN Lite) is a slightly lower end model. There’s also a mini E-PM3 (PEN Mini) model expected later in the year. The first impression when you use the product is that the body is the build quality.

Touchscreen and camera controls at the back

The quality of the lens being used also feels better. Zooming and focussing is much smoother and autofocus is faster than in the previous models. The interface too has been jazzed up.

Integrated, folding flash unit built into the E-P3

From the brief experience we had with the interface, it looked smooth and the animations were fluid and more appealing. The colours, fonts and artwork used were some of the best we’ve seen on any camera. All of the usual switches and buttons are where you'd expect them to be. The E-P3 fits fine for enthusiast who would typically go in for a point and shoot camera.

The E-PL3 is a lighter and more compact camera. One of the things missing is the in-built flash unit. The flash is a separate unit that’s bundled with the camera.

Folding screen for easier shooting

It comes with a foldable screen, but for one, lacks the touch feature. Almost all of the other features are present. The interfaces are slightly different in each of the cameras. The cameras are available with some customisations - different colours will be available and there’s also the option of hand grips made available to the user.

PRF-D58 lens filter on top of the 40 - 150mm Zuiko lens

There are quite a few lenses available and accessories such as wireless flash units, wireless data transfer modules, macro photography lights that fit on to the camera flash mount are being sold by Olympus. As with any unconventional, non-mainstream system, there’s a need for an ecosystem for the cameras. Olympus is even selling straps, camera covers, flash units, and camera grips.

From the short time that we played with the camera, it’s pretty clear that Olympus has really pushed the envelope with these new PEN cameras. They’ve managed to squeeze in a load of features into a smaller camera. From the little we experienced, it looks very impressive. We can’t wait to get our hands on it and try out all that we saw. We await our review samples.

Buying Guide - Digital Point and Shoot Cameras

We’ve all used mobile phones and it’s easy to say that the cameras on the smartphones don’t provide the same kind of performance and functionality as a digital camera would. This is the very reason people like to go out and buy a decent point and shoot camera. Digital cameras, like mobile phones and notebooks are a very hot topic and there are plenty of players in the market. Each brand releases a new range of camera once or twice a year, so there are plenty of choices. And when there’s plenty of choice, there’s also plenty of confusion all thanks to the marketing gimmicks that each one uses. This quick guide should hopefully demystify most of the claims of the companies and you should end up with the best deal possible.

Megapixel is not everything!

Many of us might assume a camera to be good if they have a high resolution. It’s not the case. Point and shoot cameras have tiny sensor size and beyond a certain sweet point, you aren’t getting any more detail from it.

Small sensors with large resolutions offer little performance improvement

These days any camera with a resolution of 10 to 12 MP is more than sufficient. It’s enough resolution and detail for you to be able to take printouts and enough to fit any display. Don’t go out hunting for a 14 MP point and shoot camera.

Zoom capability

What is more interesting than the sensor resolution is the optical zoom lens on a camera. It allows you to zoom further. Look for a larger optical zoom lens on a camera. The cheapest of cameras today come with a 3x or 4x optical zoom lens. Something in the range of 6x is optimum for both indoor photography and outdoors.

A large optical zoom lens is more useful than a large image resolution

If you like taking wildlife photographs, then even a larger zoom lens camera is recommended. Ultrazoom cameras or Superzoom cameras, as some people like to call them have optical zooms anywhere between 12x and 30x. The quality of zoom lens may not be excellent, but at least you have the capability. Ignore everything to do with digital zoom as it only helps deteriorate the quality of the image, rendering it useless.

Manual focus

Focus, on all point and shoot cameras and all digital cameras, in general for that matter is automated. All DSLR cameras and the recently introduced micro four-third cameras come with a manual focus feature. If you’re a slightly more serious photographer and want to experiment with your camera, look for cameras that have a manual focus option.

Aperture and shutter priority features

Just like manual focus, there are some other controls that are handy while shooting in different situations. The aperture and shutter priority mode are two such features. While camera manufacturers very proudly display all sorts of colour profiles and shooting modes, very little emphasis is given to the aperture and shutter priority modes. These two modes allow some control over the camera and it’s handy when you’re clicking fast action shots or shooting in low-light areas.

Display size A camera with a large screen is a great thing to have to view photos on, as well as while shooting photos. Look for cameras that have a 3-inch display. The resolution of the display might also be stated by the manufacturer. A large screen on a camera is handy while shooting photos The higher the density, the better it’s bound to be. This is not to say that all high resolution displays are excellent, but it’s an easy way to filter out the good screens from the bad. Video recording capability Video recording on point and shoot cameras have been around for ages now, but in recent times, there have been some advancements. Camera manufacturers are providing HD resolution recording on almost all point and shoot cameras, today. Look out for cameras that have a minimum of 720p video recording. Make sure that the recording frame rate is a minimum of 24fps. While the video quality isn’t directly comparable to a good HD camcorder, it’s still a bonus feature, worth having on your point and shoot. Aesthetics and build quality The aesthetics of the camera is an important factor of the camera. Look for a camera that comes with a solid build. The zoom trigger is bound to be used the most after some of the buttons at the back such as the directional keys. A comfortable grip on the camera is a good thing to have Loose zoom triggers and buttons means that you’re likely to run into issues a few months down the line. If you’re visiting a mall or a camera showroom, try and get a hands on feel of the product before you buy it. You’ll also get an idea of how compact the device is and how easy it is to operate the menus and hold in your hand. Touchscreen, 3D anyone? Some manufacturers have tried focussing their efforts on newer features such as touchscreens and 3D. For features such as touchscreen, the interface and the touch functionality has to be flawless, to be practical. 3D, although a neat feature to have is still not mainstream. Best to wait till 3D is more refined There are very few users using 3D TVs and so the only ones viewing the images you shoot will be you. Since 3D is still in its early stages, you’re likely to end up with an average quality camera with bugs. It’s a good idea to wait a while till the technology matures. Bundled freebies To make offers more attractive, manufacturers bundle freebies with the product. Look out for offers where free memory cards and carry pouches are bundled with the cameras. Of course, be careful and make sure that you’re not being overcharged for those freebies. If a bundled memory card is of 8GB capacity and higher, it might be a good freebie to have. Otherwise, 4GB SD cards are really cheap and are worth no more than Rs. 400 in the market. Cheap pouches are also available for that much. Keeping these points in mind and it will be hard to go wrong with your next camera purchase.

Razer Brings the BlackWidow and Anasi Keyboards for Macs

Last year, sometime in August, Razer had launched a special mechanical keyboard for gamers called the BlackWidow. Now the American company has released the same for Mac users, as well. As you already know, the keyboard is optimized for gaming, in particular and has a feature set similar to the Windows-only keyboard. BlackWidow and Anasi for the Macs The BlackWidow has fully customizable keys and like most mechanical keyboards, this one also has big, chunky keys. There are 5 additional gaming keys which have micro recording. Also, users can switch between up to 10 customizable software profiles and the keyboard has a key matrix that the company claims is optimized for gaming. Razer has thrown in some Mac media keys that are meant for easy access. The BlackWidow Ultimate is the older sibling of the standard BlackWidow, but it has individually backlit keys with 5 levels of lighting. Also, this one has an audio-out and mic-in jack, and if that’s not enough there’s a USB pass through as well. Finally, Razer claims that the Anasi is specially meant for MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gamers. This one has seven thumb modifier keys located below the spacebar for additional support while playing games. Unlike the previous two, this one has twenty software profiles to choose from and five additional gaming keys. The BlackWidow is priced at $79.99 (approx Rs. 3,580), and the BlackWidow Ultimate will set you back by $129.99 (approx Rs. 5,800). The Anasi gaming keyboard is priced between the two at $99.99 (approx Rs. 4,470)

HTC Sensation It's Just not 'Incredible

Next up in the mobile phone big league is the HTC Sensation. Making its debut into the Indian market only very recently, it’s the latest edition to the Dual Core enabled smartphones and is out to give LG’s Optimus 2X and the Galaxy S II a run for their Rupee. It hit our labs and after putting it through the wringer, here’s what I can tell you.

Form Factor
Like most HTC handsets, save the Incredible S, the Sensation is designed to be slick and the curved edges and dark tones make for an elegant device. It features HTC’s four touch-sensitive Android keys below the 4.3-inch display that sports the second highest resolution in mobiledom – 540 x 960 pixels with 16 million colors. Just a few pixels shy of the Retina Display. Encased in Gorilla glass, while fingerprints might be a slight issue, scratches won’t be. The handset had a few hard knocks and came out unscathed. A 3.5mm handsfree socket with the power/screen-lock button are located at the top and volume/zoom keys with the micro USB port that for charging, as well as MHL (Media Hi-Def Linking) and PC connectivity is on the left side.

Elegant

I’ve always liked the idea of the LED indicator being cleverly hidden behind the earpiece grill above the display and the Sensation also pulls it off quite well. The phone also has a secondary VGA camera in front which is a big step down considering the Galaxy S II has a 2MP front facing camera.

The entire rear panel of the handset long with the top portion that contains the grill and front facing camera lens case is removable leaving the Sensation a little ‘naked’ for want of a better term. A micro SD hot swap slot is located under here and the Sensation supports up to 32GB which enhances the existing 1GB of internal storage. This entire casing is designed to protect the handset and does so quite well, but at a total weight of 148g, the Sensation is a bit on the heavy side.

Respectible dimensions but it's still a bit heavy

Features and Performance
Interface
This is the first handset to hit the Indian shelves to feature HTC’s Sense UI version 3.0. Although, it doesn’t really bring too much to the table in terms of functionality, it does add quite a bit of cosmetic appeal to the already well designed UI. For starters, the Lock screen is all new with a circle-drag-to-open feature and an option to have four quick access shortcuts, as well. It’s very handy and you can choose what shortcuts to add. There are also a few theme options to choose for the lock-screen that include a feed option for HTC’s Friend Stream social networking platform or stock market updates or even a photos stream from the gallery and more. A 3D-ish scrolling setting has also been thrown in to make the UI a little more attractive.

Plenty of lock screens to choose from

While that’s all good what I found was a bit of a considerable amount of lag with various widgets each time I locked the handset for awhile and then switched it back on. A few of my Favorites in the phonebook widget would always be missing and appear only after about 4 seconds. The Friend Stream widget would always be blank and refresh after about the same amount of time and that was the same with the music player widget. Sense UI was a bit of a mess with this device, although I could attribute it to being an issue with just this test device as this is not the kind of sluggishness one expects from a Gingerbread (Android 2.3) device running on a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with an Adreno 220 GPU.

Other than the issue with speed, HTC Sense UI is still the most competent interfaces to come preloaded onto a handset. It offers a very user friendly and poised system for almost all features including caching your user names and email address to offer drop down selections when required, a more intuitive social networking and phonebook integration and more. Sense UI also offers quite a bit of customization for the handset with Skins and HTC Scenes pre-designed for various uses.

The touch keys don't rotate

What is rather odd is the lock screen widgets includes a bunch of superbly designed watches but whichever you select, the digital clock will still remain just above it along with the clock already displayed in the notification bar. It’s ridiculous that you’ll see three watches on a single screen. Secondly, the UI is not subject to the auto rotation system and finally, the Sensation, although a higher-end device compared to the Incredible S, does not support the auto-rotation of the touch-sensitive keys below the display. The display itself, in all it’s hi-res S-LCD capacity was not as vibrant as Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc that’s powered by their Bravia Mobile engine, or the Super AMOLED Plus display on the Galaxy S II. However, in terms of image sharpness and color saturation, the S-LCD is what I personally prefer and believe to be a brighter richer option even if it’s a little harder to see in bright sunlight. 

On the whole, while Sense UI 3.0 is a little funkier, it would have been just plain kick-ass on the Incredible S, as is on the Sensation, didn’t really thrill me all things considered.

Media
Another bit of a let down was the media functionality. The Incredible S was capable of DivX and XviD codec support which meant almost zero conversion and simple drag and drop video playback. With the Sensation none of my AVI files coded with DivX worked, so I was forced to download a third party player, which is really no big deal but again, once expects these things from a handset in this price range. Like the Galaxy S II, although the Sensation has no HDMI out support it does support TV Out via MHL as well as DLNA for streaming.

No DivX support, bummer!

Audio playback was a non issue, though. Tones were crisp and clear at a high enough decibel level to drown out the obnoxious sounds that are emitted from a Mumbai Local. With the added bonus of EQ presets and SRS enhancement I thoroughly enjoyed the Sensation’s music prowess. The FM radio also proved to be quite an asset while commuting bringing in a decent amount of reception even while on the move.

Wireless streaming

HTC’s built in Reader app for eBooks was, although sluggish when it came to flipping pages, still a handy feature to have.
Connectivity
In this department HTC usually excels and the Sensation is no exception to this rule. It’s got it all from 3G with speed capabilities in the HSDPA 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps range, Wi-Fi with Hot Spot creation and DLNA, tethering support, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 with MHL. Thanks to Adobe Flash 10.3 support the web browsing experience is enhanced as well and like any and all Android devices setting up email is a simple step by step procedure even for Microsoft Exchange. All of Google’s various add-ons are available of course like Gtalk, YouTube, Google’s Voice search, Google Maps, Places, Latitude and Navigation are on board. Plurk, Peep and Friend Stream and the Facebook for Android app are also preloaded for the Sensation’s social networking functionality.

Adobe Flash 10.3 makes for a great web browsing experience

With regards to the handset’s GPS capabilities, aside from Google Maps, HTC’s Locations that includes Footprints for Geotagging and making little notes to images and a few other features like 3D mapping with directions (not voice oriented) have been loaded. The Locations software is quite versatile and easy to use as compared to the others available. With a digital compass and location based searches and trip history, it’s quite a full fledged GPS app.

The HTC Hub and HTC Likes for downloading HTC Sense UI content and add-ons, apps etc. is also provided. Along with a weather and news app, and Sound Hound for music recognition.

Misc. Features
The few extras that HTC has incorporated include a voice recorder, a Task manager, Stock market app, Bluetooth enabled Data Transfer for when you switch handsets, Polaris Office, Flashlight with adjustable settings and gyro enabled Dice game. The basics like Adobe Reader, Calculator, Google sync calendar, alarm clock etc. are also present.

Camera
The HTC Sensation is equipped with an 8 megapixel auto and touch focus enabled camera with a dual LED flash. It features all of HTC’s new camera settings that include quite a few fun to use effects, White Balance settings, scene modes that include Back light, Beach and Snow settings etc., ISO options up to 800, Geotagging and Face detection. Video records at full HD i.e. 1920 x 1080 and quality, although slightly jittery, was not too bad on the whole.

Images look ok even in low light, but a little grainy

Image quality was just alright for an 8MP camera, but no better than the Incredible S or the Galaxy S II. Although processing speed is fast, image quality was sharp but just a little grainy in native resolution while colors however seemed to be retained, quite well.

Macro and touch focus work like a charm

Battery Life
On a full charge, the Sensation ran for just about a day and a half with internet remaining constantly on for social networking and Push email. Stand alone talk time averaged in at about 5 hours and change which puts it a little above average in my books.

The Bottom Line
Somehow everything seemed to work much better with a level of fluidity akin to the S II’s on the Incredible S, but not with the Sensation. With a price tag of Rs. 32,000 (MOP),which is a good Rs. 2,000 more than the Galaxy S II’s worth, I’m not convinced that the Sensation is a worthy consideration if you’re looking at high-end smartphones. In fact, I’d much rather go with the Incredible S that’s priced much lower, has a smaller display and a slightly slower processor. If power is what you want, you just can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S II in this case.

At the end of it all, the HTC Sensation was a bit of a disappointment, hopefully the issues I faced were consistent only with this test piece, so I’d like to invite those using the device to share their experiences with handsets bought “off the rack”

The world's largest rave party

Carnival goers dance near the back of the crowd at one of six stages during the third day of the Electric Daisy Carnival, Sunday, June 26, 2011, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo)

Dutch music producer and DJ Afrojack performs during the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas June 25, 2011. (REUTERS)

Olympus PEN E-PL1 - Good Performance From an Average Looker

Olympus is one of the best known camera manufacturers in the market and though they may not be as popular as Canon or Nikon; they still have a significant name in the camera market. Olympus has had their PEN series cameras for more than half a century. In 2009, the PEN E-P1 with an interchangeable micro four thirds lens was first launched.

Slightly bulky looking camera

The E-PL1 is the cheapest micro four third camera from Olympus, as compared to the E-P1 and E-P2. The Olympus Pen E-PL1 is the camera which we will take a look at today.

Design and Build Quality
The Olympus Pen E-PL1 we received has a matte champagne gold finish with the hand grip in black. There are two other colours available which are white with a beige hand grip and a black version. Overall the design of this camera seems a bit bulky but it is not difficult to hold. The black hand grip at the front of the camera is made of a plastic leather textured finish that adds to the styling of the camera.

2.7-inch screen and well spaced out buttons

Olympus has fitted a 2.7-inch LCD screen which has approximately 230,000 dots. This is good as the whole image scene can be seen through the display. To the right of the monitor are the buttons for playback, menu, info and delete. The buttons are spaced out well and since these are dedicated buttons, they are very convenient. There is also the four way navigational set of buttons that double up as options for flash, timer, points of focus and exposure. There is also a designated button for video recording. The wide angle and telephoto controls are located near the video recording button. There is a switch above the monitor which deploys the flash. All the buttons on the camera are made of plastic and have a nice feel to it.

At the top of the camera lies the flash mount, a dial for the different camera settings the on/off and the shutter button for shooting images. The deployable flash is housed on the top of the camera and flushes neatly along the body of it. Connectivity options on the Olympus PEN E-Pl1 are a mini HDMI port and a USB A/V out port. These ports are located to the right of the camera and are neatly concealed by a plastic flap. The battery and memory card bay lie at the bottom. The flap that conceals the battery is pretty sturdy. On either side of the camera at the top there are metallic loops for attaching a strap. The camera weighs in at approximately 344g which is roughly in between a compact and a DSLR.

Deployable flash is effective

Overall the design and build quality of the PEN E-PL1 is pretty solid, however it may not be one of the best looking cameras around. But that is where the choice of colours come in which may add to the look of this prosumer camera.

Features
Olympus have fitted a 12.1 MP MOS sensor on the E-PL1. Bundled with the camera is an Olympus M. Zuiko digital 14 - 42 mm lens. The highlighted features of this camera are the Live Guide in the iAuto Mode, high definition video recording and a built in image stabilization option.

Mini HDMI connectivity options available

Olympus claims that Live Guide is a feature in this camera which allows one to capture an image one visualizes in their mind. Live Guide also includes a feature called Shooting Tips where there are easy-to-understand descriptions of photographic techniques such as shooting angle, framing and specific points about each subject which are displayed on the LCD monitor.

Features Continued
This can be a pretty useful feature for beginners. 720p HD videos can be recorded using this camera which is another interesting feature of this camera. It also records videos at 30 fps which is pretty decent.

Dial on the top for easy mode changing

The interface of this camera is quite simple to navigate. With the dial for the mode on top turned to iAuto Mode, one may get a bit restricted where slight tweaking is concerned. In the Programme mode there is a little bit more flexibility as one can adjust the aperture and shutter speed. in the manual mode, like most cameras, various functions can be changed from ISO sensitivity to White balance. If a user is familiar with adjusting settings on cameras, this may be the most ideal mode for the user. Though the iAuto mode is not as flexible where altering ISO settings, etc. are concerned, the mode is basically designed for beginners to follow the Shooting Tips on-screen in the Live Guide feature of this mode; hence enabling them to capture artistic images. The iAuto mode does have the ability to alter colour saturation, brightness, blur background, etc.

Leather feel of the hand grip

Along with the aforementioned features, this camera also has the regular shooting modes such as Aperture, Shutter speed, Scene and Art. The Art mode is basically a feature where one can shoot artistic images using various filters. The battery that came along with the Pen E-PL1is a 1150 mAh Lithium-Ion battery.

Performance
Like with all the cameras tested by us, the Olympus PEN E-PL1 was put to the sword and images were captured using different scenes, modes and settings. The PEN E-PL1 performed better in image quality, than it did in the looks department. After all, a camera that has performances which are sub par and just looked stylish would not make the cut, so to speak.

Visible haze noticed

The images captured in an outdoor environment performed decently. However, there was some amount of colour supplementation that was noticed with the sky looking white, instead of blue. Pictures shot at low ISO settings appeared to have a haze throughout the entire image. Images shot outdoors were overall dull, but next to no colour fringing was noticed.

Macro images shot well

Macro images shot by this camera provided a fair amount of detail. This image was shot in iAuto mode. The images were crisp and had a fair amount of depth of field. Indoor pictures shot with the E-PL1 were clear and no colour supplementation was noticed, unlike the images shot outdoors. While using the flash of this camera, we noticed that it lit up the room well even with the lights completely turned off. The flash lit up roughly 12 feet and image quality was good. Overall, the images shot indoors were good. Video recording at 720p was good but some focusing issues were noticed during one test clip. The video recording feature as a whole is pretty decent and the video playback was good. The Olympus Pen E-PL1 has a BLS-1 Li-ion battery which is 1150 mAh. Olympus rates the battery at approximately 290 shots which is quite good for a prosumer camera.

The prosumer EPL-1 from Olympus

Verdict
The Olympus E-PL1 sells at a market operating price of Rs. 22,999. While this may be a decent camera in terms of image quality; this is definitely not the newest. Olympus recently launched the E-PL2 which has a larger screen with more controls. On the whole however, the E-PL1 offers a lot for the price.