12 Personal Technology THE ECONOMIC TIMES | MUMBAI | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2015

As much as technology has the ability to enable and delight, it can also frustrate and annoy. These issues may seem small but when they combine over all the different devices you have, it adds up to a few extra BP points. Here are the top 8 pet peeves that Hitesh Raj Bhagat & Karan Bajaj have 8 BIGGEST TECH ANNOYANCES slots in many of their devices. Fake cards which is what causes the problem. Now, as it turns out, Flipkart will not allow gitimate or just marketing gimmicks? also means that you have to send the device can lead to data loss, irregular performance, you to shop from a mobile device unless you in for service if you need a battery replace- disappearing apps or just general device NO HEADSET IN THE BOX have the app. If you try to open Flipkart’s PROPRIETARY LAPTOP & CAMERA ment — another pricey option. Non user re- CHARGERS misbehaviour. To be sure, check for things Not having a head- home page from a mobile device web movable batteries are also becoming com- like holograms or an official manufacturer set in your cell- browser, it simply asks you to download the Every monplace on tablets and laptops. Though it price label (which lists price in INR, address- phone box may not Android or iOS app and provides a link to manufacturer except could be argued that this is good for sturdi- es and customer helplines). Make sure you be a big deal to each app store. But what happens if you’re Apple has moved to ness of the device and helps to make it slim- buy from authorised dealers or just buy most people. The on a BlackBerry or ? No the micro USB port mer. from reputed sellers online. For instance, reasoning is: there luck! Other majors like Myntra have now for charging. This REDUCED PORTS IN LAPTOPS AND TVS buying from WS Retail on Flipkart or from are multiple head- gone app-only which will eventually lead to move has made it simpler to charge Cloudtail on Amazon will ensure that you sets lying around another problem: you’ll have to have multi- Most of the devices your devices any- get a genuine product. from other phones, so why waste money by ple, specific apps for each portal that you we use — be it where because everyone has the same charg- increasing product price (and contribute to visit, which will clog up your phone memo- , tab- er/cable. However, when it comes to cameras NON COMPATIBLE 3.5MM PORTS & electronic waste). The reasoning is sound, ry, probably eat up your data in the back- lets, laptops or TVs HEADSETS ANIRBAN BORA ANIRBAN and laptops, it’s a different story. Almost eve- but combined with the previous point about ground, increase your battery consumption — are getting slim- FAKE MEMORY CARDS ry brand uses proprietary chargers for their All smartphones different 3.5mm connectors and the fact and pop-up irritating notifications (with mer every day. As if fake batteries, copied cellphone de- devices. At times, the same brand will have have a 3.5mm port — that cheap in-box headsets don’t contribute sounds) when you least expect them. While they might signs and fake mobile chargers weren’t different proprietary chargers for two differ- but the truth is that much to the overall price — it adds up to a TOO MANY REGISTRATIONS AND FLASH look great in their enough, we now have to deal with fake ent variants from their range. It’s inexplica- all 3.5mm ports are pet peeve. SALES slimmer avatars, memory cards too. This is a real problem, ble! This compels you to carry multiple charg- not the same. Well, From a marketing the obvious downside is that something is especially if you decide to shop in the com- FORCED APP DOWNLOADS ers: laptop, camera and a microUSB charger they are the same standpoint, flash cut because of lack of space. In Televisions, petitive, crowded, computer marketplaces for phones. If only cameras & laptops could ‘size’, which means There was a time sales and pre-orders slim TVs typically offers only two HDMI like Nehru Place in Delhi and Lamington also switch to microUSB, it would make life a that you can take when an online re- are brilliant tools. ports and a combined composite/compo- Road in Mumbai. The fake cards have very lot easier for road warriors. headsets and ear- tailer or seller of You can drum up free nent port. If you have more than two video convincing packaging which is exactly like phones from one brand and plug them into a products was re- publicity about an NON EXPANDABLE & NON REMOVABLE souces that connect to the TV, you will need the original. They are exactly the same size, phone from another brand. Now the best quired to have two unannounced prod- This is a new trend to keep switching wires or buy additional shape (without any rough edges) and even case scenario is that they work just fine, and different ‘versions’ uct. You can accurate- with smartphone equipment. The more sources you have, the have the same printing without any mis- this is likely if they’re plain stereo headsets. of their website: a ly judge interest from potential consumers makers for the mem- more irritating this problem becomes. takes. In fact, kept side by side, you will not The problem arises with earphones that regular one and a and get a a fair idea of initial sales numbers. ory and the battery. With laptops, the fight for slimmer and be able to tell the difference between a gen- have inline volume or playback controls. mobile optimised one which would work And depending on how desperate the con- There are some rea- lighter has led to the same issue: limited uine memory card and the fake one. The When you use one brand earphones with better on smaller screens. Then came the sumer is, you can even take part or all of the sonable sounding ex- ports. This means that the number of periph- difference is in how they’re made and the another phone, the problems range from the app revolution and suddenly everyone money up front with no clear delivery dates planations for this. erals you can use is limited. There are mostly quality of silicon used. Fake cards will often basic (inline controls don’t work) to the wanted to have their own apps — which is (or sometimes even prices) in sight. But For instance, per- two USB ports, a card reader and HDMI port. be much slower, they obviously won’t ad- more severe (crackling sound, sound from fine, as long as you’re offering the consumer we’re more concerned about the consumer formance can be compromised by fake or So if you use a 3G dongle, you’re left with here to any speed ratings or certificates only one earpiece, no sound at all). The choice: whether to shop on the website from who can end up drawing the short straw low quality memory cards. About smart- just one USB port. VGA and Ethernet ports (such as high-speed, Class 10 and so on) and problem arises because headset jacks typi- a computer, on a mobile device web browser with these deals. phone batteries, most people don’t buy are usually removed as they take up a lot of they’ll have much higher failure rates. You’ll cally have three or four contacts, separated or by downloading a smartphone app. The reasoning behind some of the flash spare batteries in any case, preferring to use space. If available, you might have to use ad- know only when it’s too late. by little plastic bands. Three connector jacks There’s no denying that apps are the future. sales is that there is high demand and not battery packs. A non replaceable battery is ditional adapters and this means added Margins are high in this fake trade and the are typically called TRS: tip, ring and sleeve But the problem started when the larger e- enough units to go around. But as more and also safer because a consumer won’t have weight, expense and complication. You could number of people who can spot the differ- – for the three different contacts. Four con- commerce players started luring customers more manufacturers start having exclusive the opportunity to use a spurious battery. use a USB hub or dock (if available), but ence are few. In fact, fake memory cards is nector jacks are TRRS, because they have to shop from the app — with app-only deals, deals with e-commerce giants and start lim- However, this also means that manufactur- wouldn’t you prefer a slightly thicker note- one of the main reasons why companies two ring connectors. The connectors may be lower prices on the apps, shopping festivals ited registrations and sales that finish in ers can offer pricey upgrades for different book that offers more ports rather than hav- like Xiaomi do not provide memory card at different heights for different phones that begin earlier on the app and so on. seconds, it begs the question: are these le- storage options — how convenient is that? It ing to fumble around for multiple adapters. LAUNCH PAD ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

ZTE Nubia Z9 Mini: Lumia 540 Dual: iBall Slide i701: Developed in col- ZTE has This new ASUS ZenBook UX305: This elegant laboration with Intel and Microsoft, launched their Nubia sub-brand in dual SIM Lumia weighs 152 grams 13.3-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels resolu- iBall has launched the cheapest de- India with the Z9 Mini. This dual and has a 5-inch HD display (1280 x tion) laptop from Asus weighs just vice with the full versions of Win- SIM smartphone has a 5-inch full 720 pixels) with ClearBlack technol- 1.2kg and is 12.3mm slim. It features dows 8.1. It’s a 7-inch tablet with HD display and runs Nubia UI ogy. Inside is a 1.2Ghz quad core Asus’ signature spun-metal hairline (based on Android 5.0). Hardware Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB an Intel quad core processor, 1GB `49,999 metal design with diamond cut edges RAM, 16GB flash storage and a includes an octa core Snapdragon RAM, 8GB storage and 2,200mAh to make it stand out from the crowd. 3,200mAh battery. You can expand 615 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB battery. You get an 8MP rear camera, Inside is an Intel Core M 5Y10 proc- `16,999 storage and a 2,900mAh battery. 5MP wide-angle front camera, mi- `4,999 the storage using a microSD card `10,199 essor, Intel HD 5300 graphics, 4GB There is a 16MP camera on the rear (up to 32GB supported). It also has croSD slot (up to 128GB supported), RAM and 256GB SSD. Ports include and 8MP camera on front (both ca- dual cameras (2MP rear, VGA front) .1 and 3G, WiFi microHDMI, 3 x USB 3.0 ports, SD pable of full HD video recording). and an HDMI output port. and connectivity. reader, 3.5mm audio & 720p webcam.

REVIEW Smartphones | Tablets | Cameras | Apps | Laptops | Games | DSLRs | Televisions | Home Theatres | Projectors

BlackBerry Leap HP EliteBook Folio 1020

PRICE `21,490 [email protected]

For Windows users who crave for a gor- geous, all-metal laptop like the Macbook Air, HP’s new Folio 1020 is the answer. The Folio boasts of an all metal unibody chassis with SPECIFICATIONS magnesium and aluminum alloy. The rounded edges will immediately remind you 1.5Ghz dual core of the MacBook. Weighing in at just 1.2Kg, Snapdragon S4 Plus the Folio 1020 is one of the lightest business processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB notebooks in the world. storage + micro SD (up to HP has used a fanless design on the Folio 128GB), 5-inch IPS LCD 1020 along with an Intel Core M processor. Being a business machine; it is not expected (1280 x 720 pixels), 8MP to be used for gaming or graphics editing rear camera, 2MP front and hence the fanless design works well. camera, 3G/4G, WiFi, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD delivers butter Bluetooth, 2,800mAh smooth performance for any office task in- battery, BlackBerry OS cluding working with heavy spreadsheets/ 10.3, 170 gram presentation as well as basic editing with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Another impressive factor of the Folio 1020 Massive productivity in a is the display. The 12.5-inch display is not a no-nonsense package, but has a resolution of 1920 x sturdy construction, smooth 1080 pixels & delivers crisp visuals. The and intuitive interface, brightness levels are good and the viewing Android app compatibility angles are great. You have an HDMI port, + Amazon app store two USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card slot and an expansion port for adding VGA and Dated hardware compared Ethernet ports (via supplied adapter). to others in the same price, It comes with a spill-proof & backlit chi- bland design, adequate clet-style keyboard. Keys are well spaced performance but not what and ergonomic: ideal for long hours of typ- you expect at the price ing. Instead of the usual touchpad, you get the new ForcePad from HP. The ForcePad is It’s a bit chunky but feels comfort- a pressure sensitive touchpad that elimi- [email protected] able. Some may not like the power nates the buttons. It takes some time to get button placement on top since it’s used to but eventually works great. Despite what the naysayers will hard to reach — but you can always We were able to get over 6 hours of battery have you believe, BlackBerry still switch it on with a swipe. life from a full charge. While this is not bad, has some fight left in it. The compa- Like other BB10 devices, you need its not par for the course and it wont last a ny has been on a slow path to recov- to learn a few basic swiping gestures full day if you are out and about. ery after some course corrections. to operate the device. Once you un- With the Folio 1020, HP has taken a step to BB10 has been evolving and it is now derstand these, BB10 can do a lot. bring style and substance to the business in devices with different form fac- The hub is especially useful, in- notebook segment. While we loved the ma- tors: touch+QWERTY devices like stantly organising & collating all chine overall, the hefty price is a letdown. the Q10 and Classic, the unique your incoming communication and Passport and the more conventional presenting it to you in a useful, ac- PRICE `90,000 onwards Govt of Bihar rectangular devices like the Z10, tionable format. Z30, Z3 – and now the latest Leap. The 8MP camera is capable of pro- While QWERTY devices still exist ducing some nice results — even for the BlackBerry purists, the new though it tends to capture warmer all-touchscreen Leap is meant for colours than actual and the autofo- SPECIFICATIONS the young go-getter who scoffs at cus isn’t as fast as we’d like. 12.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels), Intel Core (and has never used) physical but- Multimedia, web and calling per- M, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, fingerprint tons on a smartphone. formance is great. reader, HDMI, microSD card reader, 2 x The Leap is like an update to the Z3 The keyboard is great for feel and (and you can be forgiven for confus- responsiveness – you can keep on USB 3.0 ports, 720p webcam, 4-cell ing the two). The Z3 was for a few typing with a fair amount of speed, battery, Windows 7/Windows 8.1, 1.2Kg emerging markets (hence the lower hitting the keys at somewhat the price tag) but the Leap is a global right place, confident in the knowl- Gorgeous metal body, product. Upgrades include a better edge that it will correct your mis- fanless design, superb screen (720p vs 960x540), higher stor- takes. And it will. You can’t change display, top-notch age & RAM (16GB & 2GB vs 8GB & keyboards though and that’s a price performance 1.5GB), better cameras (8MP & 2MP you have to pay for security. vs 5MP & 1.1MP) and a newer proc- The only real issue we faced was a Steep price, essor (1.5Ghz dual core vs 1.2Ghz). general sluggishness with opening limited ports, The Leap is serious-looking device. certain apps and switching between battery life The non-removable back panel has a them. Our gripe was that it doesn’t could have ` grippy, dimpled soft touch finish. perform like a 20k device. been better The power button and headphone If you see the device for what it is jack are on top, the volume rocker is — a competent overall package of on the side and the micro USB port hardware, software & services (with is on the lower edge. SIM and micro a healthy dose of security and enter- SD slots are hidden behind a sturdy prise manageability) — then it hinged flap. starts to make more sense. PR-1390(N.N.)15-16 Website : www.prdbihar.gov.in ljdkjh lsok tulsok dk ek/;e gS] /keZ bZeku dh rjg bls Hkh csnkx j[ksaA