COvERSTORY Cameras & Accessories Choosing the Right Digital Camera We look at the best models of DSLR, Compact and Mirrorless cameras recently launched to help you cut the clutter

— Jayanta Ghose

eciding on buying a camera can be a tedious ion batteries. Also in this category you get models whch task these days because not only do we have provide longer zoom lenses and larger LCD screens, and plenty of options available in the market even offer touch-screen functionality. So these cameras Dfor every category, but also we often got are good for all purpose photography. confused on whether to go for a compact, superzoom, Popular cameras: Sony Cybershots, Nikon Coolpix. DSLR or the new mirrorless cameras. Through this article, Best for: Style concious, party goers. we try to define each category in a simple way so that it helps you clear your thoughts about the type of cameras in the market and what they are best at.

Simple point and shoot These are budget cameras that are very simple to operate and capable of taking pictures without any extra skills. You just have to point at and shoot the object. Most budget compacts offer lenses with a 3x optical zoom, and anything more than that is an added advantage. Popular cameras: Canon PowerShot A4000 IS, Panasonic Lumix DMC FH6, etc. Best for: First time users, children.

Professional compacts These are compact cameras which aim to bring a high standard of image quality in a small camera. If you want good professional performance and features, without the hassles that come with big DSLRs then Slim and stylish compact these cameras are for you. They slip easily in your These cameras are stylish and trendy with features like pocket but can take professional quality shots, with upto HD video recording and a few of them also offer wide 24.3 megapixel sensors. In proper light conditions and angle lenses. They mostly works on rechargeable lithium- settings these cameras can give you DSLR like results.

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Even when light levels drop, the noise control offered DSLR and shares many features with a DSLR but the by these cameras is generally good. Some models controls and operation are more like that of a compact also offer hot shoes for external accessories, such camera. In the mirrorless camera you get a large sensor as viewfinder and flashguns, while a couple of those that helps improve the image quality of these cameras. with longer lenses also manage to squeeze in GPS Popular cameras: Olympus OM-D E-M5, Fujifilm X- recordings should you be travelling around. Pro1, etc. Popular cameras: Sony Rx100, Fujifilm X10, etc. Best for: Good alternative for professional compact Best for: Creative photography on the fly, low-light cameras, street and travel photography. situations.

DSLR cameras These cameras offer the best image quality and more options than others. Mainly there are two variants in the DLSR catgory, one is full frame and the other is a crop sensor DSLR. The main difference between the two Superzoom bridge cameras is sensor size. A “full frame” sensor is roughly 24mm x These superzoom bridge cameras combine the flexibility 36mm, whereas a crop sensor is around 16x24mm. Most of a wide focal range with a small format body. Many of the high end professional cameras are full frame, and offer manual control over exposure (with an aperture so are larger in size. Also, full frame sensors have better or shutter priority option), while others allow you to image quality across the board, but they really shine with manually focus too, meaning the photographer can a high ISO performance. take most controls into their hands. A superzoom is a Popular cameras: Nikon D600, Canon 6D, Sony A99 high end point and shoot designed specifically to give (Full frame), NikonD5200, Canon 600D. a photographer a whole lot of magnification without Best for: Images that require the best quality, action having to spend more on a DSLR. Travelers all around the photography, those looking to experiment with video world prefer to carry a super zoom with them because recording. those insanely long lenses are very difficult to carry around. But what goes against the superzoom cameras is that optical quality drops pretty significantly at full zoom. However, to even get close to the same variety of focal lengths from a Mirrorless or SLR camera you would require to carry atleast three lenses, and simply forget the cost involved. Popular cameras: Panasonic FZ150, Canon SX50, etc Best for: Travelling, outdoor activities

Mirrorless (interchangeable lense) cameras Mirrorless cameras are a blend of a compact camera with a digital SLR. Or you can say it is like a digital SLR, only without the mirrors that you find in a DSLR. So for that reson it’s much smaller and lighter than a normal pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 37 COvERSTORY Cameras & Accessories DSLRs: Nikon D5200 DSLRs: Sony Alpha 99 — Jayanta Ghose — Jayanta Ghose

Like its predecessor A900 this SLT-A99 also enters in the full frame DSLR segment.The flagship A99 model combines the 24.3 effective megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor with the BIONZ image processing engine aiming to deliver high image performances in both still and video shooting. With this camera Sony comes with an unique dual sensor AF system, which is a 19-point AF system with 11 cross sensors that give you much precise subject tracking along with 6 fps at full resolution or up to 10 fps in tele-zoom high speed shooting mode. The Sony A99 evolved BIONZ processor gives you maximum sensitivity range as wide as ISO 100 – 25600. After testing we found that till 3200 it gives you great low-light noise-free shots. Also the A99 provides five customizable buttons that can each be configured for one of 31 separate functions. The magnesium alloy body feels solid in hand and is surprisingly light weight, with the dust and moisture sealing the body. Also, despite being the first full frame ‘SLR’ with an electronic viewfinder its a very mature camera in terms of operation and handling. Video Quality: The A99 provides Full HD 60p/24p Price progressive video recording and it also has a full-time Performance Continuous AF Movie mode. Other features include real-time Feature Full HD video output via HDMI, and dual-card recording using both the media slots. Overall Botom line: A good full frame DSLR with an amaizing low light performance. It is a fully loaded camera capable of delivering consist- After they upgraded the base model D3100 with D3200, they ent results in a wide range of shooting scenarios for both your still also upgraded their other two DX models D5100 by D5200 photography and video. and D7000 by D7100. In this review we will take a look at D5200 and what all changes they have done to it. So on first look we did not notice much difference in the exterior from its Price: `1,79,990 previous model, the D5100. Two major upgrades are in the Key Specs: Mid-size SLR,24.3 megapixels,CMOS,Full frame,ISO 100- megapixel count and the AF points: it was 16MP in D5100 25600,RAW,1/8000 sec, 6 fps, 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x and now it’s 24MP in D5200. Also, its has now 39 AF points 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps), Memory Stick PRO Duo/Pro- (with 9 cross-type sensors) that cover most of the frame; this HG Duo; SD, SDHC and SDXC. count was 11 in D5100. The low light performance of this Pros: Full frame, Excellent high ISO output, in-body image stabilization camera is also very impressive, and till ISO 3200 it gives system works with all lenses, 1080p@60 video, Stereo mic and crisp images. Other features are very much same as D5100. headphone inputs, 14-bit RAW output The D5200 has a few more additional tweaks which include Cons: Small coverage area for AF, also, AF tracking accuracy lags the same improved Auto ISO program that we first saw on behind its competitors the D800, which adds the ability to set the minimum shutter speed automatically based on the focal length of the lens in Price use. In the movie mode they have included more controls. You Performance have the option of taking full control over all exposure values Feature - aperture, shutter speed and ISO - in M mode. So if you are Overall looking for a high specs entry level camera or looking for a cheaper option then this is a perfect choice. Botom line: This is a very good mid segment SLR, which is nice to use, delivers great results and offers specifications that were only offered by top-end SLRs a few years ago.

Price: `46,950 Key Specs: 24.1MP DX ,EXPEED 3, ISO 100-6400 standard, up to 25600 expanded,5 FPS, 39 AF system, 9 sensors cross type, 2016 RGB metering sensor,1080p@30fps video recording, built-in stereo mic. Pros: 24MP, good ISO output, Great swivel screen, HDR mode is excellent. Cons: RAW not available when using effects or HDR mode, Slow AF point positioning in Live View.

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Canon IXUS 510 HS — Aishwarya Singhal

If you wish to buy a full touch camera with Price minimal physical buttons, then the Canon IXUS 510 HS has the potential to fulfill all your desires. Performance It is a 10.1mp camera that has a good picture, Feature color and 12x zoom quality. It has a classy Overall looking simple and sleek body with a 3.2in, 461k- dot Pure Color II Touch full HD LCD screen at the back. The phone is wi-fi enabled and built with a fast processor. Video recording quality of the phone is great; it can shoot full HD videos at 24fps with the Digic 5 processor with iSAPS technology and produces relevant Price: `22,995 video output with true color. As is expected from Canon, Key Specs: 10.1MP effective pixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, the image quality is also good and crunchy. The device is DIGIC 5 with iSAPS technology, 12x zoom (28-336mm equivalent), ISO an ISO 100-3200, yet it generates noise above 400 ISO. 100-3200, shutter speed 1 - 1/4000 sec, Approximately 2.6 fps, 9 The pricing is high for a camera whose touch interface AF points, (Full HD) 1920 x 1080, 24 fps, 3.2in, 461k-dot PureColor is not very responsive and slightly off target on shooting II Touch LCD, Powered IS Smart Auto (32 scenes), Interface:Hi-Speed performance. It also has some basic ports like Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible),HDMI Mini Connector (HDMI-CEC compatible) A/V output (PAL/NTSC) Wireless USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible), LAN (IEEE802.11b/g/n), (2.4 GHz only)¹, Weight (with battery): 163g, HDMI Mini Connector (HDMI-CEC compatible) A/V output Dimensions: 85.8x53.5x19.8m (PAL/NTSC). Pros: Fast processor improves video capturing, 12x zoom is good for a Bottomline: The camera is a good buy considering its features camera of this size, slim and edgy design and looks. Yet one should consider cameras in the same Cons: Touch is not so responsive, expensive as compared to others in category, which are comparatively low priced. its class, uses only microSD

Best Entry Level Full-frame – Nikon D600 Price Performance Feature — Chaitanya Tapase Compared to the 990 gms of the Nikon D800, the D600 feels quite light at 850 Overall gms. It feels easy to hold and operate, and the layout of all the dials and buttons should be quite familiar to all Nikon users. The magnesium- alloy frame with the plastic casing is premium quality, Price: `1,31,999 (Body Only) and you can tell that this camera is designed with the Key Specs: 24.3MP Full-frame Fix-format enthusiast and pro photographer in mind. CMOS sensor (10.5MP DX-format crop The important aspect to talk about, though, is the mode), ISO 100-6400 (expandable to ISO image quality and performance of that 24.3MP full- 50-25,600 equivalent), Maximum 5.5fps frame CMOS sensor. And we were happy to note continuous shooting, Shutter speed 1/4,000 that the D600 provides an amazing image quality to 30 s, 39-point AF system with 9 cross-type and sharpness, with ample resolution to tackle any AF points, SD (Secure Digital) and UHS-I project. ISO ranges from 100-6400 (expandable compliant SDHC and SDXC memory cards, from 50-25,600) to give photographers maximum Expeed (is this technical term?) 3 image low-light flexibility, yielding clean images with processor, 3.2in 921k-dot LCD screen, 1920 minimal noise and accurate color. At high x 1080p30 full HD video, Interface-Dual card ISO sensitivities, the D600 does a good job of slots, Headphone jack for audio monitoring in retaining fine detail while minimizing chroma and movie mode,microphone, USB cable, picTbridge luminance noise. and Wi-Fi, Uncompressed video recording via It handles video recording fairly well too, with HDMI, Single-axis electronic level in viewfinder, duel-axis (pitch and roll) in live view, the ability to record Full HD at varying frame rates and Dimensions: 141mm x 113mm x 82mm (5.5 resolutions including Full HD1080p video at 30, 25 or 24 (frames per second) fps, and HD × 4.4 × 3.2 in), Weight: 760 g (camera 720p video at 60, 50 and 30fps. Sophisticated video features help to increase the production body only, no battery), 1 year warranty value on any project, including full manual control of exposure, and the ability to switch Pros: Full Frame Sensor, Wi-Fi, HDMI, 2 SD between FX and DX-format (1.5X) at Full HD. All of this is achieved at a really good operation card slots, Larger and Brighter Viewfinder, time, with the time taken for the first shot being 0.052 seconds and a start-up time of 0.13 Higher ISO range seconds, and shot-to-shot time of 5.5fps. Cons: No CF card slot, Expensive Bottom Line: The best entry level full-frame DSLR in the market right now. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 39 COvERSTORY Cameras & Accessories Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 DSLR D3200: The Super camera! — Chaitanya Tapase — Kirti Sharma It is an entry-level DSLR offering by the Nikon company that Price comes as a replacement for its least expensive camera, the Performance DSLR D3100. It comes with a chunky right-hand grip, which Feature gives it an edge over various competitors in the same league. Overall It is preinstalled with 24.2MP DX-format CMOS sensor and Nikon F Lens mount that makes it an even more interesting pick. The body of the camera is mainly plastic, but it doesn’t give a robust feel to the camera. The camera is an exact copy of its predecessor in terms of body, weight, and overall dimensions. A notable difference, however, is the inclusion of an infrared remote sensor at the rear and grip of the camera. The camera comes with a standard ISO range span from 100 to 6400 ISO, which can be extended to 12,800 in the camera’s Hi 1 setting. It has a shutter speed of 1/4000 in 30 seconds, which helps to take quick and clear pictures. It can shoot full HD videos at 30fps. The camera provides a continuous shooting feature from 3fps The RX-100, with its beautiful design, is aimed towards to 4fps. It takes 0.9 seconds to start up. enthusiasts and beginners looking to make the jump to a more The camera is Eye-Fi and GPS compatible and has Twin advanced camera. The camera is only 13.2 mm x 8.8 mm in IR remote receivers. For storage purposes, the camera uses dimensions and feels really light in your hand. The glossy feel SD (Secure Digital) and UHS-I compliant SDHC and SDXC of the design feels a little slippery, but the camera is so sleek memory cards. And as far as connectivity is concerned, the that you would easily be mistaken for someone holding a point and shoot. The image quality from 80-6400 ISO is perfect. camera provides mini-HDMI and USB terminals, A/V output, Video quality is top-notch with the ability to shoot in full HD and an external microphone socket. It is the best quality with a 3.6x optical zoom thrown in for good measure. camera available in this price range and comes with an The operation of speed is a bit of a mixed bag; the two unbelievable 2-year warranty. seconds start-up time is slower than a DSLR but average Bottom Line: The Nikon D3200 is the newest replacement for their for a compact camera its size. But, it does take another 2.2 least expensive DSLR, the D3100. It has an amazing 24.2-megapixel seconds to take the first shot, which is a bit disappointing. sensor at quite an affordable price. It does redeem itself in the shot-to-shot test though, where it manages 10-11 frames in a second, which is just mind- blowing! There is also the option to switch to manual focus Price: `30750 and define your focus area. Surrounding the lens is an Key Specs: 24.2MP DX-format CMOS sensor and Nikon F Lens innovative control ring, much like the one first seen on the mount, ISO 100-6400 (plus ISO 12,800-equivalent Hi1 setting), 4 Canon PowerShot S-series cameras. Depending on which frame-per-second continuous or burst mode, Shutter speed 1/4000 shooting mode is currently selected, this allows you to change - 30 s, 11 auto-focus point, SD (Secure Digital) and UHS-I compliant key settings including aperture, shutter speed, digital zoom, SDHC and SDXC memory cards, Expeed 3 image processor, 3.0” 920k and picture effects. dot screen, Full HD 1920 X 1080p at 30 fps video (with 25p and 24p options), Interface- Microphone socket, USB, A/V output, HDMI C mini Bottom Line: Sony DSC RX-100 has a large sensor that aids in pro- port, Remote cord MC-DC2 and GP-1 (available separately), Twin IR viding good image quality. The larger sensor simply means that, as remote receivers, Eye-Fi and GPS compatible, 505 grams weight with compared to small sensor cameras, it will be exposed to more light battery, 2 years warranty during any exposure with the same settings (ISO, shutter speed, and F-number). More light means better signal-to-noise ratio. Pros: Continuous video autofocus; good quality at high ISOs; noise is well controlled throughout ISO range; external mic input adds to movie appeal. Price: `34,990 Cons: Small pentamirror viewfinder; fixed LCD; no auto exposure; no Key Specs: 1”-type Exmor CMOS sensor (13.2 x 8.8mm, 3:2 aspect internal AF motor ratio), 20.2 million effective pixels, 28-100mm (equiv), f/1.8-4.9 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens, Steady-shot image stabilization, ISO 80-6400 (ISO 80 and 100 expansion, up to 25,600 using multi-frame noise reduction), Face recognition and face registration (up to 8 faces), Rear control dial and customizable front control ring, 10-11 fps continuous shooting in “speed priority” mode, 3” 1.2M-dot “WhiteMagic” Price LCD screen, 13 picture effects (27 with variations), Memory recall Performance feature can store up to three groups of custom settings, 1080p 60fps Feature video, (AVCHD) with MP4 option (50p in PAL regions), Built-in stereo microphones, 330-shot battery life (CIPA), BIONZ image processor Overall Pros: Small size, Large sensor, High ISO range, 8 face recognition, BIONZ image processor Cons: No Wi-Fi, which is becoming common in other cameras in this class.

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Samsung Galaxy Camera — Aishwarya Singhal The camera can be called as Galaxy S III with point-and-shoot features. With 21x zoom, 23mm wide angle lens, 17.0-MP resolution, it can shoot at 4fps continuously. It comes with the largest 4.8-inch HD Super Price Clear LCD with a 1280 X 720P capacitive touch screen. Performance A sleek grip design and no physical buttons at Feature the back add to the camera’s exquisiteness. Video Overall recording is average with full HD 1080p at 30fps, while the image quality is not very impressive even with good zoom and lots of other features. Talking about the , the camera works on a 1.4GHz CPU quad-core and 1GB RAM on android jelly bean. It is a 3G and Wi-Fi enabled camera with power, shutter, and zooming Price: `30,900 buttons on the top, a 3.5mm audio jack and pop-up flash button on the Key Specs: 17.0 megapixels, effective, 16.3 MP with BSI CMOS side, and a slot for 3G SIM card, HDMI port, and a storage expansion sensor 1/2.3” and F = 4.1 ~ 86.1mm (35mm film equivalent : slot at the bottom. 23 ~ 483mm), ISO 100-3200, 4fps continuous or burst mode, Being a camera with the largest screen makes it a little heavy Shutter speed -Auto : 1 / 8 ~ 1 / 2000sec Manual : 16 ~ 1 / to use, weighing around 366gms. An 8GB internal memory with up 2000sec, 21x optical zoom lens with inbuilt flash, Video recording to 64GB supported externally, a built-in speaker, a microphone and at full HD 1080p at 30fps, 4.8” HD Super clear LCD with 1280 X microphone input are yet some of the connected camera’s distinct 720P capacitive touch screen, 1.4GHz CPU Quad core and 1GB features. RAM, Android Os 4.1(Jellybean), 366g weight with battery, Micro It is priced at 30,900 INR, which is what PureView 808, a USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, micro-SD slot, micro-SIM slot, 8GB internal memory with 64GB supported externally, 1650mAh good with a 41-MP camera and very good image and battery capacity video quality, also costs. Pros: Great apps; long zoom; wide range of connectivity options; Bottom Line: This first in class 3G camera is worth buying as it allows you to in-camera features; biggest screen; 3G not only click good pictures but also to browse the net, download apps, and Cons: Uneasy to hold; big and heavy; image quality not very good. listen to music at the same time.

Sony Cyber-shot RX1-The Wonder Camera is Here! — Kirti Sharma Unique, yet simple are two words that can best describe this wonderful camera from Sony. Its small frame makes it portable and adjustable in any pocket. Being the world’s first fixed lens digital camera, it comes with Price a full frame sensor. This camera gives you the Performance liberty to practice photography that knows no Feature limits and bounds. The camera is power packed with a 24.3- Overall MP sensor that has a normal sensor range of ISO 100 to 25600. It comes loaded with a BIONZ image processor, which makes it an even more interesting buy. The camera is Price: `1,51,017 able to strike a right balance between gradation, high Key Specs: 24-MP full-frame resolution power, and low noise, and that too within the (24x36mm) Exnor CMOS sensor, 35mm of your hand. It provides the user with stupendous image F2 lens, AF Modes : Multi point AF (25 quality by the use of its 35mm full-frame F2 lens. The camera mainly has an aluminum body, points), Memory Card Slot : MS Duo which gives it a very stylish and attractive look. and SD/SDHC/SDXC compatible, BIONZ image processor, 1080p60 HD movies The camera even has a multi-interface hotshoe that combines ISO 518 standard contacts in AVCHD (50p on PAL region models), and proprietary connector. The device helps to record high quality videos at 1080p at 60 fps. Interface: Micro HDMI ,USB Port(s): The camera also has other features like smile shutter functionality and face recognition. For micro USB, hi-speed USB (USB2.0), storage purposes the camera uses SD (Secure Digital), SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. It 3.5mm, microphone jack, Weight: is also compatible with MS Duo. And as far as connectivity is concerned the camera provides 482gm Micro USB, Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) terminals, and a 3.5mm microphone jack. The camera is Pros: Full frame in small package; good a perfect blend of quality and looks. corner and edge sharpness Bottom Line: The RX1 magic lies in the fact that it is small, solid, and hassle free. Also, the image quality Cons: Expensive and heavy for a is superb, and the build of the lens is solid; the aperture, focus and the image quality is all Zeiss. compact camera Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 41 COvERSTORY Cameras & Accessories Panasonic Lumix GH3: Lumix DMC-FZ200: (Mirrorless SLR) (Zoom/Bridge Camera) — Jayanta Ghose — Jayanta Ghose

This is the new super-zoom digital camera from Panasonic. Lumix DMC-FZ200 comes with very little upgrades from its predecessor FZ150,. It keeps its predecessor’s relatively modest 24x zoom which is way behind 50x Canon SX50 HS, 42x Nikon P510 ,Sony HX200V (30x) and the Fujifilm HS30EXR (also 30x) but the spec that makes this FZ200 score more then others is its f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range which is pretty impressive, so the lens on the FZ200 is a huge improvement, and the extra brightness should make a real difference at long focal lengths and in poor light, allowing you to shoot at lower, less noisy ISO settings. The Leica-badged lens is the number one head-turner on the FZ200. Also FZ 200 has a buit in image stabilization system , which will allow you to shoot at slower shutter speeds and longer focal lengths without suffering from image blur caused by camera shake. In the video mode, it shoots 1080p at up to 50fps, 30-minute clip lengths. Video quality is good. Price Slow motion shooting has been significantly upgraded, Performance capturing at 720p, 100fps for quarter-speed playback at 25fps. Feature Most cameras’ slow motion modes capture at much lower Overall resolutions. Bottom Line: The image quality of this camera is quite imores- This a great DSLR worth considering apart from all the chart sive, thanks to its new feature which is ‘world’s first’ constant f/2.8 toppers in this segment. The high point of this model form aperture that runs throughout the entire focal range from 25mm to Panasonic is its video capability. Using the MOV container 600mm, allowing you to use faster shutter speeds and lower ISO and H.264 compression format, the GH3 offers full HD video settings effectively. recording at 50-72Mbps bit rate that is exceeded only by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. It is also equipped with the whole Price: `34,290 set of conventional AVCHD compression options as well Key Specs: 1/2.3inch 12.1MP High-sensitivity MOS sensor; 24x (including another Full HD 1080/60p setting with a 28Mbps optical zoom with constant f/2.8 max aperture; JPEG and Raw still bitrate). Further expanding recording versatility, the GH3 image capture; ISO 100 - 6400; 1080p Full HD video capture; 3in, has the ability to shoot video using the MPEG-4 format, with 460k-dot vari-angle LCD options for Full HD, 720p, or standard-definition recording. Pros: F/2.8 max aperture thru ought, image quality. Three slow motion modes (80%, 48%, and 40%), a reliable Cons: No eye sensor in the view finder, small LCD autofocus system, time code output, and an external mic and headphone jack round out the GH3’s important video features. And in still images it can shoot 16-megapixel images. With Price Panasonics Live MOS sensor and Venus Engine processor, Performance it can shoot stills at up to roughly 6fps. You can shoot in Feature standard 4:3, as well as slightly cropped 3:2, 1:1, or 16:9. ISO range is from ISO 200-12800. But the noise is visible after Overall 1600. Another negative in this model is that this camera body has no IS so you have to pick your lenses with this camera cleverly for image stabilization. Bottom Line: If you are more into videography with few still images then this model is worth looking at as it has a great bitrate.

Price: `96,300 Key Specs: 16MP,Magnesium alloy body with weather sealing , OLED viewfinder,ISO 200-12800 (extended range of ISO 125-25600),6 fps, Full HD 60p/50p video with 30p/25p option,3.5mm mic socket and headphone socket Pros: HD video recording at 50-72Mbps, weather shield body Cons: No image stabilization in the body

Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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COvERSTORY Cameras & Accessories Canon EOS 6D– Canon S110: (Advanced Compact) — Jayanta Ghose The Compact DSLR Shooter It is an entry-level DSLR offering by the Nikon company that — Chaitanya Tapase comes as a replacement for its least expensive camera, the DSLR D3100. It comes with a chunky right-hand grip, which gives it an edge over various competitors in the same league. It is preinstalled with 24.2MP DX-format CMOS sensor and Nikon F Lens mount that makes it an even more interesting Price pick. The body of the camera is mainly plastic, but it doesn’t Performance give a robust feel to the camera. Feature The camera is an exact copy of its predecessor in terms Overall of body, weight, and overall dimensions. A notable difference, however, is the inclusion of an infrared remote sensor at the rear and grip of the camera. The camera comes with a standard ISO range span from 100 to 6400 ISO, which can This advance compact camera segment really picked up in be extended to 12,800 in the camera’s Hi 1 setting. It has a last few years. Brands like Panasonic, Fuji, Nikon, Samsung shutter speed of 1/4000 in 30 seconds, which helps to take ,Sony are all burst on to the scene, each bringing some quick and clear pictures. It can shoot full HD videos at 30fps. very impressive specs and functionality. Last year Canon The camera provides a continuous shooting feature from 3fps launched S100 which sets a very high standard in this to 4fps. It takes 0.9 seconds to start up. segment, so this year when they launched S110 we were The camera is Eye-Fi and GPS compatible and has Twin expecting something very similer from Canon. But we noticed IR remote receivers. For storage purposes, the camera uses not much major updates in this model from its predecessor; SD (Secure Digital) and UHS-I compliant SDHC and SDXC accept the touch screen functionality and Wifi connectivity. memory cards. And as far as connectivity is concerned, the S110 retains all of the advanced operational and shooting camera provides mini-HDMI and USB terminals, A/V output, features of its predecessor S100; the customizable control and an external microphone socket. It is the best quality ring remains in place around the base of the lens, and also camera available in this price range and comes with an the full manual controls. This newer model employing the unbelievable 2-year warranty. same 1/1.7in 12.1MP High Sensitivity (HS) CMOS sensor and Bottom Line: The Nikon D3200 is the newest replacement for their DIGIC 5 image processor which was inside the S100. So no least expensive DSLR, the D3100. It has an amazing 24.2-megapixel downgrade in the image quality, sensitivity range ISO 80 up sensor at quite an affordable price. to 12,800 – making the S110 a stop faster than the maximum ISO 6400 setting of its predecessor. The DIGIC 5 processor also facilitates the S110’s High-speed Burst mode of up to Price: `29,995 10fps. In the Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority and Key Specs: 1/1.7in 12.1MP CMOS HS sensor; Canon DIGIC 5 image Manual modes, the S110 offers a Smart Auto automatic scene processor; ISO 80 - 12,800; 5x optical zoom (24-120mm equiv.); recognition mode alongside a host of individually selectable 1080p Full HD movie recording at 24fps; 3in, 461k-dot touch-screen Scene modes for simplified point-and-shoot operation. LCD In addition to its still imaging capabilities, the S110 also Pros: image quality, looks, handling offers 1080p Full HD video capture at 24fps with sound Cons: Price recorded in stereo via two microphones positioned on the front of the camera. S110 also allows you to capture 720p HD and 640 x 480 VGA quality movies Price Bottom Line: Same as its predecessor, this camera gives you really Performance crisp images and videos with an added benefit of touch controls Feature and WiFi. Overall

Price: `1,18,000 Key Specs: 20.2MP full frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5+ image processor, ISO 100-25600 standard, 50-102800 expanded, 4.5fps continuous shooting, 3” inch, 1040k dots, 11 AF point, ‘Silent’ shutter mode, 1080p30 video recording, stereo sound via external mic, 11 point AF system, center point cross-type and sensitive to -3 EV, 63 zone iFCL metering system, Wi-Fi and GPS built in, 97% viewfinder coverage, interchangeable screens (including Eg-D grid and Eg-S fine-focus), 1040k dot 3:2 3” ClearView LCD (fixed), single SD card slot, single-axis electronic level, weight 770gm Pros: Built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, Silent shutter mode, 63 zone iFCL metering system that helps in low light shooting, Good ISO performance Cons: No built-in flash, Image stabilization is not very good, Only 11 focus points, Support for only SD storage

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Olympus OM-D EM-5: Classic Design With A Digital Twist — Chaitanya Tapase The E-M5 looks vaguely similar to the old OM series film cameras, but in the digital world, things have changed. And for Price the better. The E-M5 has a 5 point axis image stabilizer. It also has a digital viewfinder that senses that you want to use it rather Performance than the LCD screen and quickly adjusts accordingly. Looks- Feature wise, though, it does resemble the PEN series of Olympus quite Overall a bit. But it’s got a separate slot just for the SD card, which is good, plus two dials for shutter speed and aperture. The buttons on the back feel a bit spongy, and the power switch is at the very bottom, almost like Canon. There are as many as 35 points to select the focus from. These points are arranged in a 7×5 array, and you can select one box, a group of 9 boxes, or the entire array. You can shoot Price: `73,990 movies with the ART filter on. There is a new addition to the Key Specs: 16MP Live MOS four thirds format sensor, shoot up to ISO 200- 25,600, up to 9fps shooting (4.2fps with continuous AF), shutter video shooting menu called one-shot echo and multiple echo. speed 1/4000-60 seconds, 35 AF Points, 100% viewfinder coverage, Moving to the actual performance and image quality, the camera zooming-x5, x7, x10 (Default), x14, latest TruePic VI processor, memory card does capture really nice images, but some of the modes are supported- SD memory card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible, Eye-Fi card quite gimmicky. The video quality of this camera is decent. compatible), 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD / 1080i), 1,280 x 720 (720p), and 640 The mirrorless camera has an exceptionally light and x 480 (VGA) recording, twin control dials, interface-AV Output, HOT shoe, USB 2.0, in-built mic, Dc input, HDMI D(Micro), USB 2.0, external mic input, compact body. Everything that was missing from the E-P3 has remote control (optional), New ‘5-axis’optical image stabilization, 800x600 now mostly been included in the E-M5, but it doesn’t have a pixel (1.44M dot) LCD electronic viewfinder, VGA-equivalent 3” OLED touch built-in flash. It shoots poor after-dark videos and does not screen display- tilts 80° upwards and 50° downwards, weather-sealed body, provide enough sensitivity to shoot street scenes with even slight Improved C-AF autofocus with 3D tracking, flash sync speed up to 1/250th zooming of the lens. sec, computerized focal-plane shutter and digital ESP/center/spot metering, weight 446g with battery. Bottom Line: Overall, the performance and features of the OM-D are Pros: Highly efficient IBIS, Excellent low light capability, Weather proofing, Tilt quite good, with a 2.1 second start-up time and plenty of features bun- rear screen, Touch sensitive controls dled in a good, wholesome package. Cons: No built-in flash

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pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 45 COvERSTORY Computer Peripherals & Components Portronics Greenlock 2: The Security Antec Notebook Cooler Designer Guard of your Computer! — Sandeep Koul One problem that laptops with dedicated onboard — Kirti Sharma graphics face is of heating up, especially when they’re used for doing heavy duty work like playing games or running a multimedia intensive application. Then also there are badly designed laptops that get over heated. In either case, it becomes uncomfortable to use over- heated laptops. That’s where a product like Cooler Designer comes in. Though notebook cooling products are nothing new, this one from Antec can easily be Price distinguished from others given its unique design. Performance It’s built to be used on a table or lap. The product Feature sucks hot air from the base of the laptop and blows it Overall out from the side vents. This product is built for cooling laptops with 15” screen size, and is very effective in dissipating the heat. It has a 800 rpm fan that runs silently and gets its power from the USB port on your laptop (no separate power source required). Bottom Line: At 0.7 kg, the product is fairly lightweight, but you may find it difficult creating space for it in your laptop bag. Otherwise, a great product for overheating laptops.

This device is a revolutionary invention in the field of computer Price: `1,380 (1 year warranty) safety. Greenlock 2 is a device that protects the privacy of Key Specs: Acoustical Noise : 23 dBA, Speed (Max.) : your computer monitor by automatically switching it off and 800RPM±200%, Dimensions (H) (W) (D) : 42 x 330 x 280mm, locking your screen. Wear the “Smart ID card case”,and each Weight : 0.7 kg time you walk away from your computer, your screen is locked Pros: Performance, design, silent operation automatically. The screen unlocks and opens immediately Cons: Bulky, Bottom Line, Though quite effective in its operation, when you return in front of your computer screen. It is Cooler Designer is bulky to carry around. composed of a remote and USB dongle and functions on a 2.4 GHz ISM band. It is a lightweight device with the remote weighing just 30 gm, and the USB dongle stands at 17 gm. It is very easy device to use as it doesn’t require any passwords to lock or unlock. It comes in a stylish and sleek design which makes it easier to wear and move around. It keeps those spying eyes at bay and lets you move around your work station freely and tension free. The Greenlock 2 is a small device, which measures 89 mm in length, 149 mm in width and 23 mm in height. It has a typical 5 m wireless coverage and a decent data rate of 2 Mbit per second. The battery CR 2016 Coin cell 2EA lasts for almost half a year by working 8 hours per day. This product is based on ISM radio band (radio signal), but there are other technologies available for the same purpose. Bottomline: Overall, this invention has set a benchmark in the field of computer data safety. Its performance is pretty good, except for the Price fact that at times, the locking/unlocking function does not work. Performance Feature Price: `2,999 Overall Key Specs: Composition - Remote and USB dongle, Frequency Band - ISM band 2.4 Ghz, Weight - Remote 30gm; USB dongle 17 gm, Data rate - 2Mbit/sec, Modulation - GFSK, Security - 128 Bit AES encryption, Battery life - 6 month referred to 8 hrs of working, Battery - CR 2016 Coin cell 2EA Pros: Automatic login and logout depending on position of card., Active distance selection- Low ( 1-3 m)- Mid ( 4-7 m)- Hi ( 8-14 Cons: At times locking/unlocking does not work., The USB dongle provided with it, if lost may need hard booting.

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Rapoo E9080 Logitech’s Solar Keyboard Folio for iPad Wireless Touchpad Keyboard — Aishwarya Singhal — Rahul Kumar You would ask why another keyboard folio for iPad? Well, as many of you use your iPad on the go and face problems to charge your keyboard, Logitech introduces a keyboard folio that can be charged by solar energy both indoors and outdoors. This compact keyboard has all that you need---spaced out keys, stable and sturdy keyboard, Bluetooth connectivity and an in-built solar charger. The keyboard folio works with the iPad 2 and 3rd generation iPad using Bluetooth 3.0 that gives an immediate response. The instant On/off automatically awakens your iPad when you open the folio and puts it to sleep when you close it. The keyboard can be charged with any type of light. Feel of using the keys is really nice. Apart from regular keys, there are no dedicated keys other than the Home button, but a Function key provides shortcuts for media controls and commands like cut, copy, or paste. It automatically turns on and enters pairing mode the Price first time you prop your iPad up in a typing position. There is one Bluetooth connect button which allows you to re-pair Performance the keyboard with another iPad. Battery Check LED lets you Feature check the battery status. Overall Though the keyboard is very comfortable to use, but there are some downside too, being a bit heavy (460 gm approx.), Rapoo E9080 is a smart innovation from Rapoo, combining a and is not very intelligently designed. A round at the end wireless touchpad and keyboard. This could be very helpful in is very clumsy and doesn’t add to the functionality. Plus, it presentations where both mouse and keyboard are necessary adds weight to the case. If closed the wrong way, the binds for editing. pressurize the screen the wrong way. Plus, the star panels go Rapoo E9080 is a plug and play keyboard having a at the bottom when you’re using the keyboard, so they can’t scissor-like key structure and stainless steel plate at the back. charge the battery. The keyboard is powered by two AAA batteries and also Bottom Line: Overall, the keyboard is worth buying provided you can has an On/Off switch. The E9080 connects using 2.4GHz afford it, as it is very comfortable to use and serves ones travel needs wireless, via a miniature USB 2.0 receiver. In order to use the without needing to carry a separate keyboard around. indrances. keyboard, you will need to plug-in the receiver with devices like (PC, tablets, , smart TVs, big screens, etc), Price: `8,999 after that it will automatically install the driver and you will Key Specs: Works with iPad 2 and 3rd Generation iPad using be ready to use the keyboard and touchpad. E9080 works Bluetooth 3.0; Instant on/off when you open/close the lid, seamlessly within the range of 10m. The QWERTY part Multi view stand includes all 82 physical keys and a multi-touch surface for Pros: Bluetooth connectivity is good, response immediate. The 19-button numeric keypad (with no physical buttons). Backlit keyboard is stable, and sturdy. The keys are comfortable and is not there which you generally find in almost every keyboard. well spaced out. Hot keys and Programmable F–keys are there to enhance Cons: Can be set only on two angles, a bit heavy your keyboard usability. In terms of performance, keys are very comfortable to use and you will have a nice feeling while typing on the keyboard. The touchpad can interchangeably Price be used for mouse and numeric keys. With a finger-swipe Performance along the bottom edge, that pad turns into a massive 72 x Feature 106mm touchpad, with two-finger scrolling and a three-finger Overall tap gesture that functions as a right-click. Overall touch experience was very nice, and you will find it very helpful when using with bigger and high resolution screens. Bottomline: The price of Rs 4.6k, compact size (5.8mm thickness), lightweight (574 gm), and a bunch of regular and innovative feature makes it a top rated wireless keyboard.

Price: `4,600, Warranty: 2 years Key Specs: Wireless keyboard, 101 keys, USB receiver, touchpad, gesture functioning

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 47 COvERSTORY Computer Peripherals & Components Nokia DT900: Charge your Lumia wirelessly — Abhijit Ahaskar Nokia has added a rare smartphone accessory called Nokia DT900, a wireless charging pad to its portfolio. Designed with elegance and carved in the shape and size of a smartphone, the charging pad is available in yellow, red, white, blue and black colours. It can charge wirelessly and is different form a docking table. You can just put your phone on the charging table, in any direction, and the phone will charge in just about the same time as a wired charger. It has a 2.5mm charging connector and the charging pad’s output voltage is 12.0V. It fully charged Lumia 920 in less than 3 hours, which is what its wired charger also took. Price Its biggest pro is that it frees Performance users from the hassles of plugging Feature or fumbling for the connecting Overall slots. You can keep the charging pad plugged-in as its standby power consumption goes only up to 30mW. The charging pad is compact and sleek, Price: `3,900 measures just 120x60x11mm, weighs 93g Key Specs: Wireless charging, 2.5 mm and has an LED indicator that glows when your Lumia charging connector, Standby power handset is fully charged.This charger is compatible with three Nokia Lumia handsets- consumption: upto 30 mW, Charger output 920, 820 and 720. The price of Rs. 3900 sounds expensive when compared to the voltage: 12.0 V, Charging indicator LED, Cable conventional Nokia 5V chargers, but they can’t offer the same ease and comfort the length: 1800 mm, 120x60x11mm, Weight 93g DT900 can. Pros: Compact, wireless charging, Bottom Line: Nokia DT900 is a rare accessory that gives Nokia Lumia users charge their phone Cons: Price with more freedom and ease than a traditional charger.

Logitech K 810: The New Generation Keyboard! — Kirti Sharma

This new keyboard from Logitech boasts of a smart and sleek body combined with Price some breathtaking features. This keyboard comes as a replacement for its previous Performance K760 Solar Keyboard. It comes with a backlight which is self adjusting. It works with Bluetooth-enabled PC, laptop, tablet or Smartphone, and is compatible with Windows Feature 7, Windows 8, Windows RT, iPhone, iPad, iPad 2, iPad Mini and Android 3.0 or later Overall versions. Its one-touch easy switching feature between devices works very smoothly. It also has a sensor to automatically turn on the backlight when you move your hands to the keyboard. There is another sensor present to control the backlighting based on the ambience light available. The keyboard is very simple to set up and follows regular procedures of Bluetooth pairing. The keyboard consists of a rechargeable battery which generally lasts for a month and can be recharged via a USB cable. The key travel in the keyboard is pretty shallow which makes for slow and boring typing. The keyboard’s function keys also double Price: `8,295 up as setting and media keys. A considerable gap exists between Key Specs: Works With: Bluetooth Capable the different keys, which imparts a very clean and sorted look to the PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, Windows keyboard. A distinctive feature of this keyboard is that being wireless, it is easily portable 7, Windows 8, Windows RT, iPhone, ipad, and can even be used outdoors with a tablet, laptop or a smartphone. All in all, this iPad 2, iPad Mini, Android 3.0 or later entire keyboard is a perfect blend of stylish looks and intelligent features. Pros: Smart Backlighting, easy switching Bottom Line: A sleek and smart Bluetooth keyboard that can pair with your PC/laptop, tablet, or and pairing between your tablet, laptop/PC, smartphone. Has one touch easy switching between devices. Sensor to automatically turn on or smartphone, Battery lasts for few weeks backlighting when you move your hands to the keyboard. Another sensor to control backlighting (claimed 1 month). based on ambient lighting. Overall it’s a good looking, thin and portable keyboard, but slightly Cons: Expensive expensive. Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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You can also subscribe through web: www.ciol.com/abraxas.asp/subscribe.asp Call : +91-124-4822222 | 080-43412333 | 044-28221712 | 033 -65250117 | 022-42082222 | 020-65000996 COvERSTORY Computer Peripherals & Components MFP: HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 6525 MFD: Epson L-355 — Rahul Kumar — Rahul Kumar A very lightweight and compact multi-function device with an ink tank by the side of device. The inkjet based device is capable of color print, copy and scan and is ideal for home and small offices. Setting up the device is easy. Just install the driver using the driver CD or downloadable software available on the Epson website. Design is fine but the build is frail and looks cheap & plasticky. The good thing is you will not have to worry to move this device in your office because of size (18x12x5 inch) and weight which is 4kg. The input and output paper capacities are 100 & 30 pages respectively. Monthly duty cycle is about 6500 pages. For the control panel, there is no display. There are only five basic buttons including power, print, copy, scan and ink level. A handy choke valve is there to lock the ink system during transport to minimize leaks and ink wastage. L355 can easily be connected to Wi-Fi to allow prints in a wireless environment. iPrint is there to have the facility of Price mobile and cloud printing. Performance The performance part is not very promising if we compare Feature it with other MFP in this segment. We tested the device with Overall a standard set of test pages as per ISO standards. It took 23 secs to print first color page with an overall print speed of 4ppm. And for B/W tests, the result displayed 20 sec for first HP 6525 is a very competent and affordable Inkjet and color page out with a total of 5 pages per minute. Print quality is multi-function printer which has the capability of print, copy very fine with crisp and intact letters for B/W prints whereas and scan, not fax. It is mainly targeted towards home and light it is ordinary for color prints. For copying, you cannot have office use. multiple copies in a single go, so that is a big drawback. Setting up Advantage 6525 is a breeze with any of the Scanner works fine, taking 11 sec for a B/W page and 16 sec two interfaces --USB, or Wi-Fi. You will not find smart install for a full graphical page. feature here but still installation is hassle free. Overall build & Bottomline: Low cost, compact, lightweight, decent duty cycle & print construction looks solid and sturdy. The MFP doesn’t consume quality makes this MFP to be a good deal. much space (17x22x6inch) and with a weight of 6 kg, it’s very easy to move around. The input and output paper capacities are 80 & 20 pages respectively. The MFP boasts features like ePrint & AirPrint to have the flexibility of getting prints Price: `14,000 from anywhere through an Internet enabled device. You can Key Specs: Inkjet printer, copier, scanner, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi, Input download free apps from HP sites to wirelessly print directly capacity-100 pages, Output capacity-30 pages, Duty cycle-6500 from your smartphone. Also, there is a memory card slot for pages, weight 4kg walk-up direct printing. There is a 3.45 inch color for easy print, copy, scan, and access web content. In terms of performance, we didn’t any standout results. In Price the test with standard ISO 24712 & 19752 pages, the device Performance took 21 sec to print first color page and overall 5 color pages Feature in a minute. Whereas for B/W part, time taken was 14 sec Overall with 10 pages per minute. Print quality of B/W pages is nice but that of color part is not up to level. Copying performance and quality is exactly similar to that of printing. Scanner took 26 seconds to scan an A4 B/W and 30 seconds to scan full graphic color A4 page. One encouraging part is the ability to print, copy and scan on both sides of pages. Bottomline: If you need a low cost MFP with moderate color printing then HP 6525 can solve your purpose.

Price: `13,999 Key Specs: Inkjet printer, copier, scanner, 128 MB memory, USB 2.0 Wi-Fi, 3.45” touchscreen, Automatic duplex, input capacity-80 pages, Output capacity-20 pages, Duty cycle-1000 pages, Windows & Mac compatible, Weight-6Kg.

Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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Kyocera FS-1060DN — Rahul Kumar A low-cost, compact & lightweight and network-capable monochrome laser printer for home and small office use. The printer installation proved easy. You just need to connect the USB cable with PC and run the driver setup file and you are done. With this printer, you have the facility of connecting and getting prints through Ethernet. As the device is not multi-function, it helps the printer to be compact (14x11x9 inches) and lightweight (6.6 Kg). There are only three buttons (quiet mode, can- cel & go) on the control panel. The printer is powered by 390MHz arm processor with 32 MB memory which is sufficient for network printing. The Kyocera FS-1060DN is capable of holding 250 sheets in its input tray and 150 sheets in the output tray. The tests for checking the printing performance include standard test page ISO 19752. We gave the print command for a set of 100 pages. It took 9 sec to print the first page while Price a total of 19 pages in a minute were recorded. The maximum Performance resolution supported for the print is 1200x1200dpi. Though it Feature supports duplex printing, it cannot be used for wireless, USB or Overall cloud based printing which is the norm with most printers these days. The duty cycle is about 20,000 pages. The maximum number of pages possible from one set of cartridge is about 3,000 which means the cost per page is about Rs 1.50. Price: `15,000; consummables: Rs 4,600 Overall, a good printer but in the same price the HP Key Specs: Laser monochrome printer, 32 MB memory, 390MHz arm Laserjet Pro 1218 nfs (reviewed in the current issue) could be processor , USB 2.0, Automatic duplexing, Input capacity-250 pages, a better option. Output capacity-150 pages, Duty cycle-1000 pages, Windows & Mac compatible, Weight-6.6Kg. Bottom Line: If you need a low-cost printing device then Kyocera fs_1060DN will suit you.

Canon LBP 6018B Price Performance — Rahul Kumar Feature Overall An entry-level monochrome & single function laser printer, meant for small offices. You’ll appreciate its compact size and easy setup. The printer can be connected directly to a PC via USB. With a weight of 5 Kg, the printer is relatively comfortable to be moved from one place to another. But the build quality doesn’t look so sturdy. The input tray can hold a maximum of 150 pages at a time which is average for a low-end laser printer, and for the output tray, the capacity is 100 pages. The control panel contains only two buttons. The Canon LBP 6018B doesn’t make too much of a noise while printing. Canon rates the printer’s monthly duty cycle as 5,000 pages, which should prove sufficient for a majority of small businesses. It proved itself to be a consistent and speedy performer. We tested the printer with a set of standard ISO 19752 page (100 pages). For the speed test, it posted consistent scores in the 16-pages-per-minute range. The time taken for the first page was 9 sec which is again excellent time for an entry level monochrome laser printer. Meanwhile, the maximum print resolution supported is 2400×600 with a crisp and intact print quality. But it is unable to do USB drive, network, mobile or cloud and duplex printing. You Price: `6,500 can have upto 1600 prints with a single cartridge. Key Specs: Laser monochrome printer, 2 MB memory, USB 2.0, Input Bottom Line: Canon LBP 6018B could prove to be a viable solu- capacity-150 pages, Output capacity-100 pages, Duty cycle-5000 tion for SMB users. Moreover, its attractive price and print quality pages, Windows, Linux & Mac compatible, Weight-5 Kg. increase its value over similar printers.

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 51 COvERSTORY Computer Peripherals & Components Rapoo 7100P Wireless Mouse — Rahul Kumar

Rapoo 7100P is a wireless mouse with an attractive design which comes packed in a familiar looking box. The mouse has four buttons (left-right click, back-forward), uses two AA batteries, operates with 5GHz wireless technology and has a USB dongle that needs to be plugged into the PC. The On/Off switch is at the back. According to Rapoo, the 7100P is the first mouse in world which works on 5GHz wireless technology. We don’t want to endorse or Price oppose that claim but yes, the 7100P mouse is very good Performance as it would be less prone to interference from Bluetooth. Feature The permissible range to work is standard 10m, and you Overall will not find any difficulty to use the mouse even if some object lies between the mouse and receiver. Also, it has 4D H-scroll technology which allows you to scroll either vertically or horizontally which is helpful while browsing and searching documents. Mouse is flexible in adjusting the dpi (500/1000) according to your necessity. There are two AA batteries used to power the mouse but if you want to work with a lighter mouse you can use only one battery, though it doesn’t make much of a difference. In terms of Price: `1,879 Warranty:2 years convenience, I would say that the mouse is very comfortable to handle and fits nicely in your hand. The 7100P wireless optical Key Specs: 5GHz wireless mouse, 4D H-scroll mouse is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/Win7, though it is wheel, back/frwd button, not yet compatible with Windows 8. changeable dpi button, 10 Bottomline: At Rs 18k, the feature set and convenience level makes m range, weight-118 gm 7100P a very promising product and certainly an option to go for.

HP Hot Spot LaserJet Pro M1218: Multifunction to a new degree from the house of HP

— Chaitanya Tapase HP has come out with a rather innovative product that not only prints, scans, copies, faxes – but also has an in-built router, which will allow 8 wifi-enabled devices to connect. And to protect it from misuse, Price you can do MAC-binding. Setting up the LaserJet Pro M1218 is fairly easy, with no need for any Performance external media (like CD) – thanks to an easy Feature install technology built in to the device. The time Overall taken for the first page to print was about 9 seconds. The 17 pages per min (ppm) cycle is also impressive for print and 17 ppm for photocopying B&W images and docs. For scanning, it took about 7 secs to scan an A4 B&W page and around 13 secs to scan a colour page Price: `18,306 of the same size. It is capable of scanning using ADF feature and the Key Specs: Print, Copy, Scan, Fax, supported formats to save these files are jpg, tif, pdf, bmp and even gif. When Built-in Internet Hotspot router, 400 the MFP is not in use, it also has the auto on/off feature – enabling you to save power. It MHz processor, 64 MB Internal Memory, has an uncluttered and easy to use control panel, 2.5-inch dot-matrix monochrome non- Wired-Wireless Print, ePrint, Airprint, backlit display which is fairly good, though certainly not the best in the market. Overall, 150 sheet input tray, 1800 pages output, we found the MFP quite easy to use, comparatively it consumes less space, and it has Windows OS compatible USB, Ethernet, and wireless printing. Airprint & ePrint allows you to fire prints by sending Pros: Low Price, Internet Hotspot serves emails, which is quite a novel feature and then there is also printing from any Internet up to 8 PCs, print from any wireless enabled device. Disappointingly, it doesn’t support printing from a USB stick, which would enabled smartphone, tablet or notebook have made this a complete package. Cons: No support for printing from USB Bottom Line: A low cost MFP for SMEs and SOHOs. Besides the regular MFP functions, it has a stick, No colour printing and copying built-in Internet Wi-Fi hotspot that makes it very useful for non-Wi-Fi environments. Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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COvERSTORY storage devices SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB Western Digital My Passport — Sandeep Koul — Sandeep Koul The first thing that struck us when we got hold of My Passport was its size. It is compact in size and huge in capacity. What is also striking is that it does not require any external power supply, which means this passport-sized drive is also easy to carry around. It offers a phenomenal 2 TB of storage capacity, so you can carry around your whole collection of digital content, which is a great convenience if you travel a lot. The drive comes with a USB 3.0 connector which is used both for supplying power to the drive and data exchange. One can enjoy data speed up to 3 times more than USB 2.0, provided the connector on your computer is also USB 3.0. We did a simple copy of content to the My Passport drive and found that the USB 2.0 transfer speed was on an average 32 MB/s while on USB 3.0 it was around 100 MB/s. My Passport also comes with bundled software packages that help one to automatically back up their computer data to the drive, run diagnostic tests, and encrypt data for protection. Bottom Line: Drive with huge capacity and great perform- ance in a small form factor

Price Performance Price: `11,000 (3 Year warranty) Feature Key Specs:2 TB, USB 3.0, 0.820 x4.4 x3.2 Inches, Weight Overall 230 grams, Pros: Capacity, size We were impressed with the performance on this drive, Cons: NA and even though it was not able to beat the SSD 335 Series which gave transfer speeds of 375 MB/s on SATA 6 Gbps interface, the score of 353 MB/s is not far behind. Just like SanDisk Extreme, Ultra Plus too comes with a SATA Price 6 Gbps interface which is backward compatible with the Performance SATA 3 Gbps interface, present in older systems. Besides Feature performance, the other aspect where Ultra Plus is better Overall than Extreme is in the stated power consumption in active state. While the Extreme consumes 0.6 W, the Ultra Plus consumes a mere 0.12 W. The Ultra Plus line consists of SSDs of three different sizes: 64, 128, and 256 GB, and the company markets this series for those who work on read-intensive applications like photo and video editors, music-production software, and other such multimedia applications. The other notable feature of this drive is that it supports TRIM functionality, which results in fewer writes to the flash, reducing write amplification and increasing drive life. Bottom Line: Though performance is very high, one has to shell out more money for this drive.

Price: `30,973 (3 year warranty) Key Specs: Available capacities: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, 7.0 mm x 69.85 mm x 100.5 mm, Interface: SATA Revision 3.0 (6 Gbit/s), Power Consumption (active): 0.12w Pros: Performance Cons: Price

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SanDisk Extreme 240 GB — Sandeep Koul SandDisk has released four series of SATA SSDs each having a unique feature. The Extreme series as the name suggests is for those who want exceptional speed. Extreme SSDs are available in four different sizes (60, 120, 240, and 480 GB) Price and as expected include the latest SATA 3 Performance interface (6 Gbps). SanDisk markets this Feature drive as ideal for computer enthusiasts Overall and gamers. We tested this drive on both SATA 3 and 6 Gbps interfaces using HD Tune 2.55 benchmark. The drive kept the promise of high speed by giving average transfer speed of 200 MB/s on SATA 3 Gbps interface and 338 MB/s on SATA 6 Gbps interface which is comparable to Corsair Force GT’s speed of 354 MB/s Price: `16,300 (3 year warranty) but lower than the Intel SSD 335 Series (375 MB/s, Key Specs: Available capacities: 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, the best SSD we’ve tested so far). Another important Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s (backward compatible to SATA 3 Gb/s & SATA point to keep in mind is that if your motherboard 1.5 Gb/s), Active Power: 0.6W, Shock Resistant: up to 1500G @ 0.5 does not support SATA 6 Gbps interface you would msec, Vibration (operating/Non-operating): 2.17gRMS, 5- 700Hz / not be able to attain maximum performance. 3.13gRMS, 5-800Hz Bottom Line: High performing drive meant for gaming and Pros: Performance enthusiasts Cons: NA

Western Digital Blue 500 GB — Sandeep Koul The kind of performance one gets with an SSD is high but so is the price per GB. A thickness of just 7 mm makes this drive one of the thinnest and fit for the modern thin form factor ultra books, thanks to its single platter design. The other innovation in this drive is the usage of advance format technology which helps a manufacturer create Price more reliable drives with more capacity Performance taking up less space. The SecurePark Feature technology used by this drive keeps the Overall recording heads off the platter surface when not needed to better ensure that the recording head never touches the disk surface. This should result in less head wear during the operating life of the unit, and also in improved non-operational shock tolerance. With an RPM of just 5400 and SATA 3 Gbps (not the common 6 Gbps) interface, Price: `4,000 (3 Year warranty) one cannot expect too much performance out of this Key Specs: 500 GB, Buffer 8 MB, SATA 3 drive. The drive was able to give average transfer Gbps, Rotational Speed:5,400 RPM (nominal), speeds of 92.2 MBps which is lower than Hitachi Buffer Size 8 MB, Average Latency5.50 ms (nominal), 9.5x100.2x69.85 mm, Weight Deskstar 7K4000 (7400 RPM and SATA 6 Gbps) 0.117 kg, 2.5” reviewed in March 2013. Pros: Form factor, price per GB Bottom Line: If SSD is out of reach and performance is not Cons: Low RPM, SATA 3 Gbps a big deal thin this drive is good option. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 55 COvERSTORY storage devices Western Digital VelociRaptor 1 TB DIGISOL BR1016NC Wireless — Sandeep Koul Broadband Router — Rahul Kumar Price Performance Here’s an innovative wall-pluggable wireless Broadband and Feature multi-function router from Digisol for homes and small offices. It’s very different from the traditional WiFi routers that are big, Overall bulky, have external power adapters and stick out like a sore thumb on walls or on a table. This one looks like a power adapter itself, but with all the circuitry built-in. Simply plug it directly into any wall outlet and start using it. There are no separate cables jutting out to spoil the look and feel of your home or office. The router has a WAN port to connect your broadband Internet connection, two USB ports, out of which can be used to charge your smartphone or tab and the other for data sharing. To this, you can either connect your 3G dongle for Internet sharing, or plug in a flash drive or hard drive with multimedia content and start accessing it over WiFi. A multi- colored LED indicates its various states, e.g. green indicates it’s connected to the Internet. The router supports IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards, meaning any WiFi device can connect to it. Setting up and configuring the router is pretty easy over its neat and uncluttered web-admin console. We tested its Internet connectivity by first connecting a 3G dongle to it and then using the 3G dongle directly with a laptop. We used speedtest.net to check its ping response, upload, and It is often difficult to write about external features of an download speeds. A laptop with 802.11n based wireless internal HDD but it seems VelociRaptor is an exception. adapter was used. VelociRaptor features a 2.5” drive mounted on a 3.5“heat The router connected to the Internet without any hassle sink which gives this drive a distinct look. Now the reason over the 3G dongle. From the WiFi client, the average ping behind a dedicated cooling area is the speed at which it response was 111 ms, download speed of 2.17 Mbps & rotates. The drive features an RPM of 10,000, which is upload speed of 1.05 Mbps. Interestingly, the speeds with higher than the RPM of 7,400 found in most commercial the dongle directly connected to the laptop were lesser at 1.5 drives. A higher RPM means that performance of this drive Mbps download, and 0.67 Mbps upload. This actually implies is much higher than any other HDD, in fact in our tests that the router works very efficiently. we found that this drive gave average transfer speeds of Bottom Line: At 2.5k, this is a very cost-effective router, and well 166 MB/s in HD Tune 2.55 benchmark on a SATA 6 Gbps worth the price for the features it offers. interface. This score is higher than Deskstar 7K4000’s score of 151 MB/s we reviewed in last issue. The higher score also puts this drive above conventional drives and below SSDs, so if you want a high capacity and a high performing drive Price: `2,599 but do not want to spend huge amount on an SSD, then this Key Specs:WEP, WPA and WPA2, 802.11n, 3G connection sharing could be a good option. using a 3G dongle, USB interface for charging iPad /iPod/iPhone and It comes with a 5 year warranty uses Advance Format Android/Smart phones. technology which enables a more reliable and high density storage area. The VelociRaptor also features NpTouch ramp load technology which means that the recording head never Price touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear Performance to the recording head and media as well as better drive Feature protection in transit. Overall Bottom Line: This drive fills the gap between conventional HDD and SSD’s.

Price: `15,500 (5 Year warranty) Key Specs: 1 TB, SATA 6 Gbps, Advance Format, 10000 RPM, 64 MB buffersize Pros: Performance, warranty Cons: Price

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56 PCQuest A P R I L 2 0 1 3 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] GWAW13000133_BA Caterham Ad_PCQuest_26.6x19.6cm.indd 1 27/03/13 6:57 PM COvERSTORY storage devices Entry-Level and Mid-Range Printers and MFDs at a glance Product Name Price (Rs.) Type Printer Scanner Copier Fax Memory Processor Connectivity Display Panel Duplexing ADF Input Paper Output Paper Duty Compatible OS Dimensions Weight Other Features (MB) Speed Capacity Capacity Capacity Cycle (kg) (sheets) (sheets) (sheets) HP Deskjet ink 13,399 Color Inkjet yes yes yes no 128 NA USB 2.0; WiFi 802 3.45” touchscreen Automatic No 80 20 1000 Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Mac OS, OS 440x552x160 m 6.2 None advantage 6525 MFP X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion Epson L-355 14,000 Color Inkjet yes yes yes No NA NA USB, Wireless No Display, Only 5 no No 100 30 6500 Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS 472x300x145 mm 4.4 None MFP Buttons Epson M-200 13,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 128 NA Ethernet 2-line LCD no 30 100 30 5000 Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Mac OS 435x226x377 mm 6 None Inkjet MFD connectivity, USB Samsung SCX-4321 12,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 16 NA Ethernet, USB 1.1 , 2 line LCD manual 150 50 4000 Windows Me, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista, 438x374x368mm 10.4 None Laser MFD IEEE 1284 Parallel Various Linux OS (via USB interface only) Mac OS 10.3 Xerox WorkCentre 16,500 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 300 MHz Ethernet, USB 2.0, 2-line LCD Manual 15 150 100 30,000 Mac OS 10.5 or higher, Windows 410x389x299 mm 8.9 none 3045 Laser MFD Wi-Fi 2003 , 2008 Server, Windows 7, Vista,XP HP LaserJet Pro 17,499 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 400 Mhz USB, Ethernet, 2-line LCD Manual 50 150 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 435x265x306 mm 8.3 Mobile & cloud M1213dnf Laser MFD Wireless Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing HP Hotspot 18,306 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 400 Mhz Hi-Speed USB 2.0 2-line LCD Manual (driver 35 150 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 435x365x306 mm 8.3 Internet hotspot, LaserJet Pro MFP Laser MFD port, Ethernet, support Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Mobile & cloud -1218nfs Wireless provided) printing Panasonic KX- 19,600 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 32 n/a USB 2.0, Ethernet 2 line LCD manual 15 150 N/a n/a Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 391x360x242 mm 10 MB1536 Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. HP LaserJet 23,505 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 500MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet 2-line LCD Automatic 35 250 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 441x343x373 mm 11.7 Mobile & cloud 1536dnf Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing Samsung SCX 4728 23,999 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 NA USB 2.0, Ethernet NA Automatic 40 250 150 12000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 406x384x338 mm 10.3 None Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Xerox WorkCentre 29,500 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 360 MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet Monochrome LCD Automatic 50 250 150 50000 Linux, Mac OS, Windows (XP/Vista) 445x411x397 mm 13 None 3220 Laser MFD Lexmark X463De 34,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 64 500MHz Card Slots, Ethernet, 7-inch color Automatic 50 850 150 80,000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 546x488x438 mm 22.7 None Laser MFD USB touch screen Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Panasonic DP- 35,000 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 LAN, USB 2.0 LCD Display: 16 Automatic 50 520 NA NA Windows 98, 2000, XP, 533x459x478 mm 22 None MB300 Laser MFD digits / 2 lines Vista, Mac OS Canon Image class 37,995 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 USB 2.0 High- 5-line LCD Automatic 50 250- 100 10,000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 13.4 MF4890dw Laser MFD Speed, Ethernet Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. ,wifi HP LaserJet Pro 47,000 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 256 800 MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet, 3.5” color touch Automatic 50 800 150 50000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 440x383x424 mm 15 Mobile & cloud M425 Laser MFD Walk-up USB screen Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing Canon MF4450 NA Monochrome yes yes yes yes NA NA USB 5-line LCD No 35 250 100 NA Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 391x422x371 mm 11.1 None Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. HP LaserJet Pro 6,599 Monochrome yes No No no 2 266 MHz Hi-Speed USB 2.0 no Manual 150 100 5000 Windows 7, XP, Vista, Linux and Mac 349x238x196 mm 5.2 Fast Boot time, P1108 Laser printer port 5-in-1 card reader, Resilient to fingerprints Samsung ML1866W 7,599 Monochrome yes No No no 64 375MHz wifi 1.6” LED Screen Manual 150 100 5000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 341x224x184 mm 4.2 None Laser printer Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Kyocera FS_1060DN 11,225 Monochrome yes No No N0 32 ARM 390 USB 2.0, Ethernet No Display Automatic No 250 150 15000 Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003, 358×276×241 mm 6.7 None Laser printer MHz Server 2008, Server 2008 R2 and Mac OS X

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Product Name Price (Rs.) Type Printer Scanner Copier Fax Memory Processor Connectivity Display Panel Duplexing ADF Input Paper Output Paper Duty Compatible OS Dimensions Weight Other Features (MB) Speed Capacity Capacity Capacity Cycle (kg) (sheets) (sheets) (sheets) HP Deskjet ink 13,399 Color Inkjet yes yes yes no 128 NA USB 2.0; WiFi 802 3.45” touchscreen Automatic No 80 20 1000 Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, Mac OS, OS 440x552x160 m 6.2 None advantage 6525 MFP X Lion, OS X Mountain Lion Epson L-355 14,000 Color Inkjet yes yes yes No NA NA USB, Wireless No Display, Only 5 no No 100 30 6500 Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS 472x300x145 mm 4.4 None MFP Buttons Epson M-200 13,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 128 NA Ethernet 2-line LCD no 30 100 30 5000 Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Mac OS 435x226x377 mm 6 None Inkjet MFD connectivity, USB Samsung SCX-4321 12,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 16 NA Ethernet, USB 1.1 , 2 line LCD manual 150 50 4000 Windows Me, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Vista, 438x374x368mm 10.4 None Laser MFD IEEE 1284 Parallel Various Linux OS (via USB interface only) Mac OS 10.3 Xerox WorkCentre 16,500 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 300 MHz Ethernet, USB 2.0, 2-line LCD Manual 15 150 100 30,000 Mac OS 10.5 or higher, Windows 410x389x299 mm 8.9 none 3045 Laser MFD Wi-Fi 2003 , 2008 Server, Windows 7, Vista,XP HP LaserJet Pro 17,499 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 400 Mhz USB, Ethernet, 2-line LCD Manual 50 150 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 435x265x306 mm 8.3 Mobile & cloud M1213dnf Laser MFD Wireless Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing HP Hotspot 18,306 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 400 Mhz Hi-Speed USB 2.0 2-line LCD Manual (driver 35 150 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 435x365x306 mm 8.3 Internet hotspot, LaserJet Pro MFP Laser MFD port, Ethernet, support Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Mobile & cloud -1218nfs Wireless provided) printing Panasonic KX- 19,600 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 32 n/a USB 2.0, Ethernet 2 line LCD manual 15 150 N/a n/a Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 391x360x242 mm 10 MB1536 Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. HP LaserJet 23,505 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 500MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet 2-line LCD Automatic 35 250 100 8000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 441x343x373 mm 11.7 Mobile & cloud 1536dnf Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing Samsung SCX 4728 23,999 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 NA USB 2.0, Ethernet NA Automatic 40 250 150 12000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 406x384x338 mm 10.3 None Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Xerox WorkCentre 29,500 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 360 MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet Monochrome LCD Automatic 50 250 150 50000 Linux, Mac OS, Windows (XP/Vista) 445x411x397 mm 13 None 3220 Laser MFD Lexmark X463De 34,000 Monochrome yes yes yes no 64 500MHz Card Slots, Ethernet, 7-inch color Automatic 50 850 150 80,000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 546x488x438 mm 22.7 None Laser MFD USB touch screen Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Panasonic DP- 35,000 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 64 LAN, USB 2.0 LCD Display: 16 Automatic 50 520 NA NA Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, XP, 533x459x478 mm 22 None MB300 Laser MFD digits / 2 lines Vista, Mac OS Canon Image class 37,995 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 128 USB 2.0 High- 5-line LCD Automatic 50 250- 100 10,000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 13.4 MF4890dw Laser MFD Speed, Ethernet Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. ,wifi HP LaserJet Pro 47,000 Monochrome yes yes yes yes 256 800 MHz USB 2.0, Ethernet, 3.5” color touch Automatic 50 800 150 50000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 440x383x424 mm 15 Mobile & cloud M425 Laser MFD Walk-up USB screen Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. printing Canon MF4450 NA Monochrome yes yes yes yes NA NA USB 5-line LCD No 35 250 100 NA Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 391x422x371 mm 11.1 None Laser MFD Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. HP LaserJet Pro 6,599 Monochrome yes No No no 2 266 MHz Hi-Speed USB 2.0 no Manual 150 100 5000 Windows 7, XP, Vista, Linux and Mac 349x238x196 mm 5.2 Fast Boot time, P1108 Laser printer port 5-in-1 card reader, Resilient to fingerprints Samsung ML1866W 7,599 Monochrome yes No No no 64 375MHz wifi 1.6” LED Screen Manual 150 100 5000 Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 341x224x184 mm 4.2 None Laser printer Server 2008, 2003; Mac OS, Linux. Kyocera FS_1060DN 11,225 Monochrome yes No No N0 32 ARM 390 USB 2.0, Ethernet No Display Automatic No 250 150 15000 Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003, 358×276×241 mm 6.7 None Laser printer MHz Server 2008, Server 2008 R2 and Mac OS X

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pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 59 COvERSTORY storage devices Tipo ST21i: Compact, Raspberry Pi—An Amazing Credit lightweight but ordinary otherwise Card-Sized Computer! — Abhijit Ahaskar — Kirti Sharma Raspberry Pi is a small, compact, credit-card sized wonder computer. It works by plugging into your television and a keyboard. It has a Linux’s Fedora software and a 512MB RAM. Some of its other features include a HDMI, Ethernet, and two USB ports. It features everything a traditional computer includes like games, spreadsheets, word processor, etc. It can play high quality, clear, and loud videos. The device is based on the Broadcom BCM2835 system on a chip that Price features an amazing ARM1176JZF-S 700MHZ processor. It Performance can be loaded with a variety of special purpose Linux distros and performs amazing tasks, for e.g., flying a drone, speech Feature recognition, streaming media to a TV, and much more. The Overall device is simple to operate and comes at a jaw-dropping low cost. It is low on power as it consumes a mere 2 Watts. Raspberry Pi has a über cool and attractive design. The board of the mini computer is quite solid and feels really strong. Its only drawback is that it is limited to hobbyists and enthusiasts who have a technical bent of mind. The device entirely relies on an SD card for long term storage and booting as it lacks a built-in hard disk or a solid state drive. The device is an excellent platform where anyone can learn to program. It is extremely light and portable, weighing just 45 grams. It has a 3.5mm audio jack, is powered from a microUSB socket, and has a maximum clock frequency of 700MHz. A VideoCore 4 graphic processing unit (GPU) makes it an even more lucrative buy. is an entry level smartphone with an Bottom Line: A low cost, credit card-sized computer that can be attractive form factor. Its compact small body weighs loaded with a variety of special purpose Linux distros and performs just 99g and has a soft matte finish. Its display at amazing tasks, for e.g., flying a drone, speech recognition, streaming 3.2nch is smaller than HTC Desire C but has a similar media to a TV. resolution of 480x320p and looks dull and beaten down. Powered by Android 4.0, 800MHz processor, 512MB Price: `2,600 RAM and 4GB internal storage, Sony Xperia Tipo is Key Specs: Silicon Manufacturer: Broadcom, Core Architecture: a healthy alternative to the likes of HTC Desire C but ARM, Core Sub-Architecture: ARM11, Silicon Core Number: compared to Karbon A15, it appears unexciting. BCM2835, Silicon Family Name: BCM2xxx, Features: Credit card- size The touch response is nice and the small and video computer, HDMI, Ethernet & 2 USB ports, Linux’s Fedora compact form factor makes it a great device. It’s not software, 512MB RAM, Clock Frequency Max: 700MHz meant for gaming and even simple games hang on it. Pros: Simple, Low cost, Low power, Versatile But, that is the case with most budget smartphones. Cons: Limited to hobbyists and enthusiasts who have a technical We found the speaker very low and the camera very bent of mind basic. Outdoor photo and video quality looks decent but suffers horribly in low light. Also, it’s a single SIM phone with a 3.2inch display. Karbon A15 has a bigger display, dual SIM and also a better processor. Bottomline: Sony Xperia Tipo is an ordinary budget smart- phone with an attractive form factor.

Price: `8,400 Key Specs: 3.2inch multi-touch, 480x320p/180ppi, 800 MHz CPU, 512MB RAM, Adreno 200, Android 4.0,2.9GB internal, 32GB via micro Price SD,, 3.15mp camera, 3G, WiFi, 99.4g, 1500MAh Performance Pros: Compact form factor, lightweight, 3G Feature Cons: Avg camera and display Overall

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WD My Net N900 Central - Unique Combo of a NAS device-cum-router — Chaitanya Tapase Western Digital has come up with a rather unique offering with the My Net N900 Central, a device which most likely is the first of its kind. It’s a NAS device with a dual-band Wi-Fi router built in, which essentially allows users to stream their media from a 1TB storage device wirelessly to all their Wi-Fi enabled devices. Being a router, it is obviously more complex to setup as compared to other shortlisted products in this category (e.g. Keyboard). Otherwise, it’s fairly easy to setup. The N900 comes with an optional CD installer, which is mostly for adding Price the WD SmartWare configuration and backup software. Once you set Performance it up, you can appreciate the performance of the My Net N900. The web Feature interface of this WD device is neat and simple to access. Overall The sheer range of features is also impressive whether we’re talking about the mobile access or configuring its various Wi-Fi settings.The WD N900 also lets you set up a hotspot for guests who can only surf the Web - and not Price: ` access your files - while filtering inappropriate content. A feature called FastTrack 11,685 divides up the bandwidth for multiple connections, and prioritizes audio and video Key Specs: IEEE 802.11b/n/a/g, 1 TB streams to ensure they run smoothly. Streaming of all the media works pretty well, Internal Storage, Dual Band 2.4/5 GHz, even HD media streaming wirelessly runs smoothly without a fuss. We tested the Wireless and Wired Connectivity, 450 + N900 with an assortment of files of size 50 MB. Uploaded the files to Router Storage, 450 Mbps, FasTrack Plus technology, 4 then download the files on the connected computer and got a speed of 50 MB in 50 Gigabit Ethernet and 1 USB port. second. Under QBENCH benchmark it clocked 88MBps for throughput under 1000KB Pros: Excellent Performance, Built-in payload, had excellent throughputs, better than many other routers we’ve tested so far, 1 TB NAS, Wireless backup, Instant e.g. Buffalo AirStation HP N450. Overall, the Western Digital My Net N900 is a good Personal cloud creation with free apps buy for those intimidated by the term “Network Attached Storage,” “Router,” or both. for mobiles and tablets. Bottom Line: One of fastest 802.11n based Wi-Fi routers available, with a built-in 1 TB NAS Cons: HDD can’t be replaced. that allows you to stream videos to any laptop, smartphone, and tablet.

pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 61 COvERSTORY Audio & Portable Audio product Bose SIE2 and SIE2i Sport Headphones: Fit music for a fit me! Comfort + good sound, these headphones deliver their promise very well! — Aseem Sood

Price Performance Feature Overall

I am not into sports or heavy exercising, but I love my morning Having said that, I was not impressed with the low- walks. I enjoy brisk walking every morning, covering around frequency reproduction of this ear-phone. Yes, it is tight, but 3-5 kms. I have several headphones (in-ear ones) and they all not as good as few others that I have experienced. At the sound very good. But one problem that I face with all of them same time though, the sound stage set by these ear-phones is is that they tend to displace/come out while walking. excellent, and more than makes up for any shortcomings. Bose claims that SIE2 and SIE2i are the first set of Bose Bottom Line: Bose SIE2 & SIE2i: Best headphones for sports / headphones, specifically engineered for exercise. They offer jogs/ walks. a unique combination of sweat and weather resistance, comfortable secure fit and Bose quality sound. Bose’s sports focus was visible right when I opened the box. It comes with a Reebok fitness armband to hold Bose SIE2 your iphone/ ipod (but not iPhone 5 or iPod 5th gen). The Price: `6,638/- headphone’s cable was short; just the right length to use Key Specs: Width: (not incl. ext. cable) 83 cm, Weight: 18 gm, Armband with the arm band. It also had an extender cable and their (folded flat): H 14.6 cm x W 13.3 cm, Weight: 28 g proprietary StayHear ear tips in few sizes. The tips have a new design. There is an inline remote and microphone Bose SIE2i included with the SIE2i model. Price: `8,325/- I wore the SIE2 on my first walk. I did not use the Key Specs: Width (not incl. ext. cable): 83 cm, Weight: 18 gm, Armband armband, instead went for the cable extender. The in-ear fit (folded flat): H 14.6 cm x W 13.3 cm, Weight: 28 g was excellent. The mid and high frequency reproduction of Pros: Comfort and fit, Even sound delivery through the workout- Superb, these headphones is beautiful. But what made me fall in love Fresh colours - Green and Orange with them is the even sound delivery throughout the walk. Cons: Armband does not fit iphone 5 or ipod 5th generation, Bass At no stage, irrespective of my speed, did the sound quality reproduction not as good as mid and low frequency change.

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CM Storm Sirius: Gamer’s headphone with average performance — Chaitanya Tapase Price Gamers love having headphones that provide Performance accurate sounds and provide an immersive Feature experience without being overbearing. The CM Overall Storm Sirius is attempting to do just that and by the looks of its build quality and design, it seems like it is off to a good start. The headset is easy Price: `10,999 to wear. With a knob on mixing unit that comes Key Specs: Headphone: Channel: True bundled in, you can change sound level and 5.1 surround sound, Driver: F/R/C: can easily adjust headset on center, rear, and 30mm Sub: 40mm, Impedance: front speakers’ pairs by clicking on the middle F/R/C: 32 Ohms Sub: 16 Ohms, button on the mixing unit. The master volume Transducer principle: Dynamic handles all the speakers at the same time. Ear closed, Ear coupling: Circumaural, pads are easy to remove and change. There are Ear cushions: Detachable micro two ways to connect the headphones. The analog fiber, Sensitivity: >105dB, Frequency method requires you to connect the headphones directly Response: 10Hz – 20,000Hz, to your 5.1 capable sound card via the bundled adapter and cables. Distortion: Less than 1%. Microphone The surround sound experience is quite good, although the quality of sound is not Specs are Pick-up pattern: uni- up to the mark. Bass, treble levels are nearly same at starting and mid-point of volume. directional, Frequency Response: Sound is sometimes distorted at higher levels. Sound quality is good for human voices 100Hz – 10,000 Hz, Impedance: 2.2k especially when playing RPG. Surprisingly the build quality of this headset did not Ohms, Sensitivity: -46 dB ±3dB. prevent sound leakage, and after testing it on several games, it felt that you can’t really Pros: True surround sound, as there feel surround sound. are four speakers in the headset; Bottom Line: Sirus 5.1 headset is made for all whether you are watching movies, listening to music Audio quality in games. or playing games. It is good for gamers but stereo audio playback is just average. Noise cancella- Cons: Quality of sound at high level, tion is not very good and at high volume, sound is heard outside also. A bit heavy but comfortable Price to wear.

Sony BDV-N990W — Jayanta Ghosh In the last few years the prices of Blu-Ray and 3D-capable HTiB sets (Home Theater in a Box) have reduced considerably. This Sony BDV- N990W is one of them. At the price tag of Rs 40k, the full HD 3D Blu-Ray

HTiB comes with may innovative features. First thing that impressed us Price is its looks. The sleek and clean look of the speakers with a stainless Performance and scratch-free feel of the completely black speaker stands very impressive. Blu-Ray player in the set has a striking resemblance with Feature Sony PS3. BDV –N990W scores high in design. The innovative solution Overall does not connect the surround speakers to the amplifier on the Blu-Ray player, instead, they connect to a surround sound amplifier, which in turn connects to the main amplifier via a wireless unit. As a result, the wires for the surround speakers have to connect only to the surround sound amplifier that ideally should be placed behind the listening position.The Sony Blu-Ray player in the package is a full HD 3D Blu-Ray player with both wired and wireless network connectivity. In addition, the player is also DLNA compliant, which makes it possible for the player to connect to a host of different smartphones and tablets off the hook. In terms of sound quality, the speakers with its elegant design boost out a powerful total output of 1000W of tight sound. With High Definition 3D sound and Price: Rs 34,990 HD picture quality, this home theatre system elevates your entertainment Key Specs: 3D Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System, level. Ideal for playing high-quality Blu-Ray format movies and games, 1000W power output, 5.1ch 3D Surround Sound, it can also play various other formats like XviD HD 1080 on its platform. HD Picture Quality and HD Sound Quality, 4 Tall Boy The 5.1 channel Sony Blu-Ray Home Theatre, with 3D Surround Sound, speakers (rear wireless speakers), Multiple Format gives you a thrilling multimedia experience. With HD sound and picture Play ability, Internet Connectivity, Built-in Wi-Fi quality, it simulates a theatre-like ambience at the comfort of your home. Pros: Price, Design, wireless connectivity, HD sound Bottom Line: Excellent for movie lovers, this Sony Blu-Ray Home Theatre has quality four tall boy speakers and an efficient subwoofer to deliver superior performance. Cons: Size A very good deal seeing the price and performance. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 63 COvERSTORY Audio & Portable Audio product Innovative Noise Cancelling Sennheiser X320 Headsets-Enhance Headphones – The PSB M4U2 your Gaming Experience! — Chaitanya Tapase — Kirti Sharma These Headsets from Sennheiser have come as a boon for all Xbox gamers. The X320 headsets have been especially designed to be used with Xbox 360. Its 280gm weight makes it very light and easy to use. The microphone also comes with automatic mute option that can be turned on by just lowering the boom. It gives a superb amplified sound that helps us to make most of our Xbox Live experience. It has bass boost that can be turned on to hear the sounds of car crashes, explosions or engine in more detail. The headset provides very good sound quality. There are volume controls on the headset itself which makes it even easier to operate. The headsets are extremely comfortable to wear and come with an easily adjustable headband. It has CircleFlex ear cups which provide soft padded comfort Price to the ears and ensure that ear pads rotate easily and Performance adjust comfortably to your head. They’re power packed Feature with dual volume control that gives you the liberty to Overall individually handle the audio of the game or allow your fellow players to do the same. Sennheiser provides with a good 2 year warranty on its X320 headsets. Overall The first thing you’re bound to notice while holding the PSB these Xbox 360 green theme headsets look amazingly M4 U2 headphones is the fact that they are not that big gorgeous and attractive. for a full-size, over-ear design. It comes in a handsome, Bottom Line: These headsets have the Xbox 360 green theme, zippered semi-hard case, which carries two 59-inch which looks good. Though their design is not very appealing detachable headphone cords: one cord comes with an in-line overall. Its sound quality is good enough to make up for the remote/microphone and monitor control, the other with just look and feel. a monitor control. There’s also an extra set of ear pads, a 1/4-inch adapter, a cleaning cloth, and an airline adapter. The substantially sized earphones conveniently fold up when Price: `7,990 (2 years warranty) packed in the case. You can plug the cable into either earcup, Key Specs: Audio type : Stereo, Sound pressure level (SPL) : 113 so when travelling you can place the cord in the best place for dB, Wieght:280gm, Wired Terminal/Ports:sub-mini phone 2.5mm,RCA staying out of the way. phono, Additional features: Auto microphone mute,Noise canceling The bass is simply awesome making it great for listening cicuit,Open-Air, design, Bass Boost,Dual volume control, Form factor : Ear-cup, Impedance 32ohm. to music. Active noise cancelling works very well in almost all conditions, with no room for complaints. Treble is a little weak, Pros: Very good sound quality, volume controls on the headset itself but sound is clear throughout the high notes. It is also very Cons: They are a little large. good at high and low volumes, with no scratching of sound or any sign of over-bearing on your ears. PSB Speakers’ M4U 2 Active Noise Cancelling Headphones may still be one of the most expensive pairs of noise-cancelling headphones on the market, but they’re also one of the few that can still play after the batteries are close to drained. If you’re an audiophile in the market for noise-cancelling headphones that don’t sacrifice on sound quality, the M4U 2s is the pair to buy. Bottom Line: The M4U2 headphones, are comfortable to wear, sound Price fantastic, are an impressive first entry into the headphone world. Performance Feature Price: $399 Overall Key Specs: Audio type: Stereo, Impedance 32 Ohms, 40mm audio drivers or transducer, Active noise cancelling, Design: Polycarbonate Headband, Leatherette earpads/Headpad cover, Dimension:200 x 200x70mm and ear cushions outside, Weight:368 gms. Pros: Built-in amplification system and active noise cancelling, foldable headphone. Cons: Treble is a little weak

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F&D W330BT M.M. Speaker — Jayanta Ghosh

With this set of speakers you can stream music from wireless devices such as your tablet or phone, while the speakers are plugged in to your PC or other wired source. The 2.1 speakers has a decent look, the satellites are cubes that rest on one corner and the woofer is made of wood and is shaped like a cube. The side of the woofer has a large dial for the volume and two smaller dials for bass and treble. You will also find buttons for source selection and bluetooth pairing on the back. Overall, the entire speaker setup looks decent but not so classy or stylish as such. The key feature Price of this F&W W330 speakers is the ability to play audio streams using Bluetooth. The F&D 330 Performance does not take much time to connect to any source and the setup procedure is really simple. The Feature sound quality of this speaker system is moderate, the bass lacks power and it doesn’t completely Overall fill a large room with sound. The mid range is aren’t very rich but they’re good for most genres of music. Price: `5,990 Bottomline: The ability to steam mu- Key Specs: 2.1 channel sic via Bluetooth is a good feature. Frequency Response However, the system is little pricy. Satellite: 250-20kHz, Subwoofer: 30-100Hz, Power Rating (RMS) 14W x 2 + 28W,Aux Jack Yes,Speaker Dimensions :Satellites 140 x 138 x 134 mmSubwoofer 220 x 243 x 230 mm,Weight 3.5 Kg,Warranty 1 Year Pros: Bluetooth connectivity. Cons: Price

Portronics’ Pebble — Jayanta Ghosh The touch control based music system is a small, mouse size device which is capable of playing music through Bluetooth, up-to 10 meters from any Bluetooth enabled device like mobile phone, tablet, laptops, etc. Not only that, this device is also capable of receiving calls as it has an in-built mic. Pebble has a nice touch panel for controls and the glowing red LED digital display on its black body gives it a stylishlook. Price: `3,499 With the hands-free communication Key Specs: Bluetooth ,10 meters range, facility on the Pebble, you can Touch Panel, Micro SD card inbuilt, just sit-back and manage all support MP3/WMA audio format and the controls. It weighs support up to 32GB Aux In: Work as just 137 grams and the the external speaker when connecting small size makes to the computer, mobile, MP3/MP4, it a good option PSP via the 3.5mm audio cableCard to carry around. reader: Contents are transferred Don’t expect too through from computer to Speaker much from this directly in micro SD card Built in Mic: small device, but You can receive and make calls. the sound quality is Pros: Design, in built Microphone to good enough, to fill your Price recive calls small living room or a Performance Cons: Sound quality not that gr8 only conference room. good till midrange. Feature Bottomline: Good enough for mid Overall range listening. Not much of sound clarity though.

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 65 COvERSTORY Audio & Portable Audio product Bose SoundLink Air Music System Harman JBL Flip — Aishwarya Singhal — Aishwarya Singhal The Harman JBL Flip is a versatile portable speaker which is very compact in design. It is a mono-audio type and plays on an Amplifier of 2.5W which creates a noise of 80 decibels. It has an innovative design which is shaped into a can-like structure that makes it very handy to use. Its shape allows you to place it in vertical or horizontal positions without creating any hindrance to the sound. The battery life of the device is approximately__ (please fill in details!) and it stands out as an outstanding performer. The sound quality is at par with the other products in its class. The audio playback is tremendous even at high volumes, though there is a little distortion in bass. The device is Bluetooth-enabled for audio playback in smart phones, tablets and other devices that support Bluetooth, though the range of the bluetooth is low. The device weighs only 160 gm which makes it more user(- )friendly and handy. It is supported with wired/wireless terminal/ports of 3(.)5 mm for audio output. The speakers Price have a built(-)in microphone and call answer button too Performance which is a unique and extra feature for products in its class. Feature The device is really easy to handle, just plug and play. Overall It is very compact and the design is very impressive. Although the price is affordable, yet it is a bit expensive when compared to similar products. The device also lacks The Bose SoundLink Air Digital Music System is a classy- in providing any USB connectivity. looking portable set of speakers, best for the heavy Bottom Line: The device is really compact and easy to use. Its music lovers. The speaker set gives a very soothing sound quality is also at par which makes it a product worth buying. and impressible sound quality but creates a bit of bass distortion in full volume. The music system streams your music wirelessly via Airplay from your Apple devices such as iPod, iPod Price: `5,990 touch, iPad, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and other devices Key Specs: Audio Type: Mono, Amplifier power:2.5W, Noise: 80dB, that are compatible with iTunes. One can stream iTunes Battery- 5 hours, Wired or wireless Terminals/Ports:3.5mm audio simultaneously with additional SoundLink Air Systems. output, Bluetooth for Audio playback in smart phones, tablets and other With a classy look that gives a vintage feel, the device devices that support Bluetooth, Weight:160gm is easy to set up and is user friendly. The device comes Pros: Compact, versatile and portable design, Wireless connectivity with a 3.5mm stereo input which gives tremendous sound technology- Bluetooth, Call button and built in microphone levels, though not at full volume. It has dimensions of 171 Cons: No USB port. High cost x 307 x 103 mm in height, width and depth respectively and weighs just 2.1 kg which indeed makes it an easily portable set of speakers. Price The device does not include any rechargeable battery, which certainly is a drawback for such a device. Though Performance the price of the speakers is bearable to an extent, yet the Feature loud music lovers must avoid this set and let it be the set Overall for the soothing music lovers. Bottom Line: The speakers have a very good sound quality apart from the bass audio levels at full volume. It compatibility with other devices makes it worth buying.

Price: `22, 384 Key Specs: Apple devices with AirPlay including iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Macbook Air, MacBook Pro, Computers running iTunes, 171 x 307 x 103 mm (H x W x D), 3.5 mm Stereo Input, 2.1 kg Pros: Easy to setup, sound quality Cons: Rechargeable battery not included,*Bass distortion at top volume

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Zebronics Tower Speaker ZEB-T9500RVCF — Jayanta Ghosh The tower speakers from Zebronics delivers up to 100W RMS of high sound. The full wooden enclosures and a high- gloss piano black front panel gives it an elegant look.The speakers have slots on the sides to play music directly from a USB device or SD/MMC cards, as well as built-in FM radio receiver. Another good feature of this tower speakers is that it Price supports karaoke with two microphone inputs, and Performance are equipped with a full function remote controller. Feature The accessory cables provided enable users to Overall connect their digital devices such as phones or media players through auxiliary input or use them to complement the sound system of a large-screen TV. The sound quality of this tower speakers are perfect for your house party and small official Price: `9,999 functions. The two tall speakers delivers 50w of Key Specs: Supports Mp3 files, sound which is quite loud to fill your drawing room karaoke with 2 Mic ports, , mid size hall room or a conference room. When Supports Mp3 files, karaoke with 2 we connected the speakers to our TV and watched Mic ports,Supports USB pendrive, movies, we noticed loud sound but with less clarity SD/MMC cards,FM radio,full detailing . The speaker comes with two wireless function remote controller,50Wx2 microphones which has a pretty good coverage (RMS),Dimensions:34cm x 16cm area. You can easily move around in 30 -40 x 94cm (LxWxH) feet open area and you won’t get any voice Pros: Supports SD/MMC cards, loss with them. built-in FM radio , two wireless Bottom Line: If you want a budget multipurpose mics. speaker system which can compliment your Cons: Size LED/LCD TV, then it is a good choice.

LG NB3520A Soundbar — Jayanta Ghosh If you are looking for more substantial sound system than your TV’s in-built speakers but don’t have that much of space or budget to fit in, then LG NB3520A sound bar is an appropriate option for you. The LG NB3520A soundbar comes with a bluetooth subwoofer. It is easy to set it up. The main bar is relatively large. It’s 80mm tall and 50mm deep with piano black finish on the front so it matches perfectly with any LED/ Price LCD. In the centre of the bar, there’s an LED screen with a row of touch buttons for Performance power, volume control and switching between various inputs and sound modes. The Feature system also comes with a remote control that not only allows you to adjust the volume Overall level, but also flicks between different inputs and sound modes and control the level of the subwoofer. The LG NB3520A sound bar contains a healthy dose of connectivity options, including two RCA inputs, a 3.5mm input for MP3 players and iPods, and two optical inputs. When it comes to performance, LG NB3520A is one of the most complete and full featured entry-level sound bars on the market. This is a powerful device capable of pumping out a pretty awesome 300 watts of clear and powerful Price: $300 sound. The Bluetooth functionality allows you to stream music from Key Specs: 140W subwoofer; 2x80W your smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled device which is an speakers; Supports Bluetooth audio added advantage. streaming; 2 x Optical digital audio Bottomline: The compact and featured entry-level sound bars has a powerful input. audio, cutting-edge connectivity and convincing simulated surround sound Pros: Design, Impressive bass with affordable price. performance, Supports USB music playback and Bluetooth audio streaming Cons: No HDMI

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 67 COvERSTORY Audio & Portable Audio product Bose Lifestyle 135: Great product, F&D 680 but only for a select few! — Jayanta Ghosh — Aseem Sood F&D F680 is a 2.1 stereo multimedia speaker system. F&D has been in the market for quite some time now. They offer a wide range of speaker systems with good sound quality and competitive price tags. Design-wise, the satellites of F680 closely resembles to well known models from Creative and Bose. The height of the Price satellite’s stand is 70 mm and the speakers are very Performance small in size and look very decent. The sub-woofer Feature isn’t too large either and it packs a single 5-inch driver Overall for delivering low frequencies. The power output of the subwoofer is 35 Watt RMS, and the total power output of this speaker system is 70 Watt RMS. This speakers can be fit in very small space without any problem. It is very easy to setup. All you need to do is just connect the two satellite speakers with your subwoofer and then The Bose Lifestyle 135 home entertainment system is a connect one end of the control pod with a 3.5 mm jack single speaker (+ woofer) system that attempts to match a to the source and the other end to the input jacks on the regular 5.1 channel setup. subwoofer’s I/O panel. The best thing about this system is the ease with As of sound quality, this speaker system won’t which you can set it up. The on-screen display guides disappoint you. In this small size, it delivers quite a good you on anything that you may like to do. It even detects mid and high range sound. The bass is quite good. sources, and helps you set them up properly. Bose remote However, the optimal sound quality of this speaker is can be used to control your TV, DVD player, Apple TV, confined to small area. Satellite PVRs and the system guides you on the same. Bottom Line: This is a decent option for the price. It is extremely intuitive and anybody can set it up just by following the instructions on the screen. Standalone, the system produced very good sound for both music and movies. It’s impressive that a single speaker, with the Price: `4,990 (MRP). help of an acoustimass, is able to do such a good job. It’s Key Specs: Subwoofer - 65Hz - 120Hz Satellites - 120Hz actually brilliant! - 20 Khz S/N Ratio: >= 65 dB Output power: Satellites - 17.5 W x 2 Subwoofer - 35 W But when you compare this to an average home theatre system, things look different. It’s a compromise when Pros: Size, Sound quality, Price you compare this product’s sound output to a serious 5.1 Cons: No FM or USB support setup. You can feel it in the sound distribution, the clarity and even, the low frequency reproduction. On top of that, it comes with a heavier price tag. At a higher volume, Price my ears felt tired after about 40 minutes of uninterrupted Performance listening on this system. With several other systems, I can Feature go on and on for hours without any fatigue. Overall This is undoubtedly the best sounding sound bar available today, but not a great home theatre system. In its current form and performance, this system is only meant for those who have constraints on space, but not on money. Bottom Line: Excellent effort and idea that needs to be improved on sound production. This could be the future of home theatres.

Price: ` 179,888 Key Specs: Soundbar speaker, 4.9”H x 36.8”W x 2.4”D ( 12.4 cm x 93.5 cm x 6.1 cm), 7.8 lbs (3.5 kg), Acoustimass® module, 14.8”H x 7.8”W x 11.3”D ( 37.5 cm x 19.7 cm x 28.6 cm), 13.8 lbs (3.4 kg), Control console, 3”H x 16.6”W x 9.3”D ( 7.62 cm x 42.16 cm x 23.62 cm), 7.5 lbs (3.4 kg), Dock for iPod®, .7”H x 3.2”W x 2.9”D ( 1.7 cm x 8.1 cm x 7.3 cm ), .5 lbs (.2 kg), Shipping weight, 47 lbs (21.5 kg) Pros: Great Engineering, Excellent User Interface makes using this device easy and a pleasure, Needs very little space and less wires Cons: Cannot match a proper 5.1 channel setup, Steep price

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Milagrow Windoro Cleaning Robot — Aishwarya Singhal The Milagrow Windoro Cleaning robot comes in two units, one of which is responsible for the cleaning, while the other takes care of the navigation. It is revolutionary one-of-its- kind product. Both units are kept together with the help of Price Neodymium magnets, which can be adjusted according to the Performance thickness of the glass. Feature The robot cleans your window without any need for human Overall intervention, though the robot is difficult to set up and gives an average performance. The robot is not very user-friendly as it requires access to both sides of the window. It can clean windows which are 5 to 15 mm in thickness without any hindrance. The robot is 210, 208 and 47 mm in height, width and depth respectively. The robot cleans at a speed of 8 cm of window per second. The inner unit works at a Lithium Ion battery of 11V – 2200mAh and the outer one at Lithium Ion battery of 7.4V – 2200mAh, consuming a total voltage of 11V. Price: `39,990 The robot takes a charging time of 150 minutes and Key Specs: performs for 90 minutes thereafter. The motor and suction Cleans 5-15 mm thick windows, Moving Speed: 8 cm power of the robot is 15 W, which is very less for a cleaning per second, Battery In - Lithium Ion : (11V - 2200 mAh); Out device. The price of the robot is too high for such an average (7.4 V - 2200 mAh), Charging Time: 150 Minutes, Usage Time: performer, yet its innovation factor and ability to clean high- 90 Minutes, Motor and Suction Power:15 W (Suction), Battery ended windows makes it worth buying. Voltage:11 V Pros: Innovative product, user friendly Bottom Line: The use of device is advisable to protect the Cons: lives of the window cleaners who stake their lives to clean the Too costly a product , average performance, difficult to windows of multi storied buildings. setup, need access on both side of window

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pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 69 COvERSTORY smartphones iPhone 5: The Biggest iPhone Display Note 2: Full of in the Slimmest iPhone Yet Productivity Enhancement Features — Chaitanya Tapase — Shilpi Kumar iPhone has grown taller and continues to be one of the best-looking smartphones in the market, thanks to the glass-and-Aluminum finish and the superb design that

Apple is well known for. For all its delicate feel, it is quite a Price robust phone with a good grip and fits easily in your palm. Performance The iPhone 5 is as much a performer as any of the best flagship phones, thanks to its dual-core processor based on Feature the latest A6 chipset by Apple. Overall It is the first iPhone to measure 4 inches across and is still 18% thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor. However, the new screen size also means that Apple has had to tweak the screen resolution to 1136x640. The lack of an HD display on such a high-end smartphone is missed, but it does make up for it in the multimedia department- with an excellent audio performance and butter-smooth video playbacks with easy navigation. The primary camera shoots 8MP images and 1080p video. It’s video and image quality is impressive. It takes great images and videos even under low light, and has a new panorama mode, dynamic low-light mode, accurate Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a powerful Android smartphone face tracking. There is a 1.2MP front camera for video with a huge 5.5-inch screen, which makes it too big for calling as well. a smartphone. Yet it is slim and comfortable to hold, and Bottomline: It is slimmer, lighter, has a great camera and offers a at 180g, it weighs just as much as the . better and bigger display. Overall, an interesting smartphone, but The display bears Gorilla Glass and has the same screen definitely not as good as Galaxy S3 and Lumia 920. resolution of 1280x720p as Galaxy S3. Its 8MP camera is not as impressive as Samsung Galaxy S3 or Lumia 920. What the Samsung Note 2 lacks in terms of size and Price: `45,500 construction, it makes up for in innovation and utility. One of Key Specs: 4” LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen, its most distinguishing features is the S-pen. You can use it to 1136x640p retina display 326ppi, Gorilla Glass, Apple iOS 6, Apple type notes while on call, create figures from existing photos A6 chipset, 1.2 GHz dual-core Processor, Nano SIM, 3G, WiFi, and documents, clip images and text from the web, etc. The Bluetooth, 16 GB storage (32/64GB also available), 1 GB RAM, S-pen, when hovered over the screen, provides quick preview Camera 8 MP, 3264x2448 of emails, images, and videos without having to actually open pixels, autofocus, LED flash, these files. The screen recorder helps keep track of all your geo-tagging, face detection, actions when you are working on or editing a document. panorama, HDR, Video It’s excellent for multitasking and productivity. You can 1080p, LED video light, 1.2 take notes while on call, send a tweet while watching a video, MP, 720p and easily transfer content from one app to another without Pros: Very light and slim, worrying about frequently charging your phone. Its 3100mAh good build quality, good battery lasts a considerable 12 hours on video playback which performance, good display, is the highest in our smartphone tests. nice camera, good audio quality Bottomline: Samsung Note 2 is a highly innovative smartphone with Cons: Smaller Nano SIM, no powerful components and useful features like side by side multi- NFC, no external memory tasking, screen recording, S Pen for creative work and to top it all its slot; No HD display great display. What goes against it is its big size.

Price: `38,900 Key Specs: Super AMOLED capacitive 5.5 inch touchscreen, 1280x720p display resolution, Quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, Android 4.1, Extendable Memory microSD, up to 64 GB, Camera 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 Price p, 1.9 MP front, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, 2G, 3G, WiFi, Dimensions- 151.1 Performance x 80.5 x 9.4 mm, Weight-180 g, 3100mAh battery Feature Pros: Powerful quad core processor after HTC one X, Best battery Overall backup, Good display, S Pen, Great for multitasking, Air View Cons: Poor quality camera, A little big for a smartphone

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Nokia PureView 808: Great Camera Trapped in a Basic Smartphone — Aishwarya Singhal Nokia PureView 808 smartphone is specifically designed for camera lovers and comes with a 41MP camera with 1080p recording. It is a handsome smartphone with curved edges but a dull looking 4-inch touch display with a resolution of 640x360p. Though Price the phone comes with few external buttons yet their Performance odd positioning obstructs the smooth functioning of Feature the camera. It has an HDMI port, which is a rarity in Overall smartphones though. The device runs on Symbian Belle, which has a simple and easy user interface. Its outdated Symbian OS hasn’t much to offer and stands nowhere in terms of apps, as the market is mostly Price: `34,499 dominated by either Android or Apple. Key Specs: Symbian Belle OS, The device has a 1400mAh battery which 41MP camera with 1080p provides a decent, glitch free battery backup of HD videos, 4-inch 640x360p up to 6 hours in our tests. Video playback is good AMOLED full Touchscreen, 1.3 and the audio from its two speakers is strong GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, and clear. The device runs on ARM11 1.3GHz Wi-Fi, Expandable Storage processor and 512MB memory, certainly not Capacity of 48 GB, Weight- 169gms, 1400mAh battery enough but works just fine. Its internal storage capacity is 16GB which is expandable upto 48 Pros: Very good camera, decent battery life. GB. It has a bulky, thick body which makes it uncomfortable to hold. Cons: Bulky body, outdated OS, poor display Bottom Line: A 34000 smartphone with a good 41 MP camera does appeal, only if had more to it besides the camera.

Nokia Lumia 920: The Best Windows Smartphone Yet — Shilpi Kumar Nokia Lumia 920 is an elegant looking smartphone with a unibody design, although it’s a little heavy and some of its models are slippery. However, with its unique features like wireless charging, image stabilisation and smart camera, it is one of the most ingenious smartphones today. Carved as one unit, its compact unibody design and curved edges make it easy Price to hold, even though it feels heavier (at 183g) than Galaxy S3 and Performance iPhone 5. Its 720p display measures 4.5 inches, is made of Gorilla Feature Glass, and has a superior pixel density of 332 ppi, second only to Overall HTC 8x’s 342ppi. It has external buttons for screen lock/unlock, volume and the camera, so you can access the camera at any- time, unlike Samsung Galaxy S3 or HTC One X which lacks the external camera button. The 8.7 MP camera is among the finest Price: `38,000 smartphone cameras due to its excellent image and Key Specs: 8, 1.5 video output even under low light, stable full HD GHz dual core CPU, 4.5inch Capacitive video recordings with optimal image stabilisation, touchscreen (1280x768p) 332ppi, 1GB processing speed and multiple shooting modes RAM, 32 GB Internal Storage, Wi-Fi, NFC, WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, 8.7 MP Nokia like the Bing mode where one can click an PureView Camera with Carl Zeiss Lens and image with text and then translate the words, dual LED Flash, 4 x Digital Zoom, 1080p Full HD within seconds, into another language. recording, 2100mAh battery, wireless charging Windows apps store is not as abundant as Android Pros: Amazing display quality with high pixel or iOS and this is the only aspect where Nokia Lumia density of 332 ppi, Great camera with optical image 920 will seem left out of the race. stabilization and clear night shots, Wireless charging Bottom Line: If you want a super camera phone with Windows phone Cons: Non-replaceable battery, Heavy; glossy units are experience, Nokia 920 has no equal but if you want a powerful device with slippery, Non-expandable memory, Limited apps loads of apps, Samsung Note 2 or Samsung Galaxy S3 are much better. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 71 COvERSTORY smartphones HTC One X Plus: Powerful But HTC 8X: Excellent Windows 8 Phone Not Yet There With Stunning Looks — Samreet Kaur — Samreet Kaur The new HTC 8X has a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 Gorilla Glass display. The unibody design like Lumia 920 and the ultra- compact form factor with curved edges make it appear slimmer than it is. The phone is powered by 1.5 GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB RAM and 16GB for internal storage, Price which is the only form of storage available. Compared to this, Performance the likes of iPhone 4S support upto 64GB of storage space. Feature It features an impressive front camera which supports Overall 1080p video recording. However, the 8MP rear camera, despite good photographs supported by LED flash and auto- focus, lags far behind the likes of Samsung S3 and iPhone 4S. Also,it has Bluetooth 2.1, whereas Samsung S3 and most others have version 4.0. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, and an 8 MP Camera with full video recording. A 4.3inch screen, having 1280 X 720p with 341ppi display is among the finest and at par with Nokia Lumia 920. An 1800 mAh battery gives it upto 6 hours of battery backup and, like Lumia 920, it can charge wirelessly. The Windows Store could have done with more apps there. On the plus side, the phone supports 3G and 4G networks. Bottomline: It is one of the finest Windows based smartphones with The HTC One X Plus version is an improved version of its pred- its cutting edge design, a great display and cameras. Overall, it’s not ecessor One X. Running on a quad-core processor of 1.7GHz, this as good as Nokia Lumia 920 or Samsung S3 (due to poor battery, Android Smartphone has a sleek and attractive uni-body design. It limited storage capacity, inferior camera) but is still a great device in has rubberized matte finish allowing for a more firm and easy grip this category. as compared to Lumia 920 or Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It is pretty light weight at just 135 g. Compared to Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC 8X, its 4.7inch Price: `34,990 AMOLED based gorilla display is inferior in terms of Key Specs: Running on OS, 4.3 inch S-LCD2 sharpness and quality. Its storage capacity of up to 64 GB capacitive touch screen with 1280X720 resolution, 1.5 GHz dual-core makes a lack of SD card slot immaterial. What’s more, you processor, 8MP Camera with Full HD video recording and 2.1MP can choose an option with 32 GB, which helps the phone go secondary camera supports full HD recording, 1GB RAM and 16GB easy on ones wallet too. internal memory, 1800 mAh battery, Offers 4G, 3G, W-Fi,NFC and Bluetooth connectivity v4.0 with A2DP. It has an 8 MP camera which can record full HD videos, and has features like auto smile capture and panorama mode. Pros: Slim and sleek design, supports 3G/4G Network, Back- illuminated sensor (BSI), very light (130g), nice camera, great A 2100 mAh battery gives it up to 7 hours of battery back-up touchscreen, wireless charging on continuous video playback and gaming. The Beats audio is pretty good and the speaker sound quality of the phone is Cons: Limited storage capacity of just 16 GB, No SD slot, limited Windows apps excellent. The strength of the phone lies in its sleek design and innovative features. HTC One X Plus is jam packed with features like Dropbox, 3D Gaming, apps such as EA Sports and Now. Bottom Line: It’s a high quality smartphone with powerful features, but its good features just don’t seem to impress the way Samsung S3, Note 2 or Nokia Lumia do.

Price: `36,499 Price Key Specs: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), Quad-core 1.7 GHz, 1280x720p, Performance 4.7 inches (312 ppi) multi-touch, HTC Sense UI v4+, Internal storage Feature -32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM, 3G, 2G, WiFi, Bluetooth, HSDPA, 8 MP Overall camera, 3264 x 2448 p, autofocus, LED flash, full HD recording, 1.6 MP, 720p recording, 2100 mAh battery, Dimensions 134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm, Weight 135 g Pros: great display, sleek design, fast processing, good camera, good speakers, lightweight, great specs Cons: Average battery life, No wireless charging, display slightly inferior to 8X and Samsung S3

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Samsung Galaxy SIII: The Perfect Smartphone — Chaitanya Tapase Price Performance Samsung Galaxy SIII features a wide 4.8-inch HD display that offers a high pixel density (309ppi), Feature Gorilla Glass-based highly responsive capacitive touch. It’s also Overall very light, weighing just 133 gms, even though the build quality feels fragile. Apple iPhone 5 is lighter at 112g and still has a robust form factor. The curved edges make the device comfortable to hold and operate. The 8MP camera is Price: `32,540 sharp and offers a much wider field of view. It’s got plenty of Key Specs: Android v4.0 (Ice features to boast of like - Buddy Photo Share, Burst Mode, Cream Sandwich) OS, 8 MP full HD Camera, 1.9 MP front Face Zoom, high ISO 1600, panorama mode and full HD Camera, 4.8-inch 1280x720p recording (which is great, but inferior to Lumia 920). Super AMOLED Capacitive It runs on Android 4.0 and is powered by 1.4 Touchscreen (306ppi), 1.4 GHz GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and 16/32 GB Quad Core Processor, 1GB storage variants. Undoubtedly the performance of the RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G/2G, S III is one of the best in Android devices and easily Expandable Storage Capacity comparable to the best. The 2100 mAh battery gives of 64 GB, Dimensions 136.6 x upto 8 hours of battery back-up on video playback, 70.6 x 8.6 mm, Weight-133 g, which is similar to Nokia Lumia 920. Only the 2100mAh battery Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a better battery back-up Pros: Slim and light build, of 12 hrs. The Smart Voice feature allows you to call good battery life, stunning people in your contact book by raising the handset to display, feature rich camera, your ear. Smart Stay keeps the display on so long as expandable memory, quad core you are looking at it. processing, S Beam, S voice. Bottom Line: Samsung SIII is an ultra-sleek smartphone Cons: Fragile build not at par with competition, average with very interesting features besides the great smartphone audio output, no dedicated experience no matter what you want to do on it. If size matters as much as performance, it is the shutter button for camera. best Android smartphone in the market.

Lenovo K860: Enduring and Powerful With Superb Battery Backup — Abhijit Ahaskar

Lenovo is a late entrant in the smartphone game, but has launched some very powerful models. The K860, for instance, is a powerful smartphone that can handle some of the heaviest and graphic hungry Android games with ease. Its hardware is comparable to the likes of Galaxy S3 and even Note 2 to some extent. Powered by 1.4GHz quad Price core CPU, Mali 400 GPU and 1GB RAM, this robust smartphone is a Performance little heavy at 193g, which is more than Note 2’s 183g. Its design is Feature very ordinary, though the build is rugged and easy to carry despite Overall the extra ounce. Its hottest characteristic is its superb performance, seamless multitasking and of course gaming with several apps running. The 5-inch capacitive display is HD and packs high, but not the best, Price: `30,000 pixel density of 294ppi, and looks color rich and sharp. In Antutu Key Specs: 1.4 GHz/ Quad benchmark test, which measures processing and hardware Core CPU, Mali 400GPU, performance of an Android device, it got an impressive score of 1GB RAM, Android 4.0, 8GB 16,000. which is second only to Note 2’s 17,000. Galaxy S3 is internal, 32GB micro SD, 8MP way behind with 11k. Its battery back-up of 7 hours is superb rear camera, 1280x720p/ and at par with the likes of Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3. 294ppi, 1080p at 30fps, Its 8MP rear camera shoots full HD videos and fine 2MP front camera, 2250mAh photos and the 2MP front camera is quite good too. There battery, 193g is a dedicated camera button as well, unlike Galaxy S3. Pros: Powerful, fast, camera, But, the camera quality in Nokia Lumia and Galaxy S3 is battery life, good for gaming, a lot better than it. good display Bottomline: It’s a powerful smartphone and in processing, per- Cons: Little bulky, heats up during gaming formance and price it even beats Galaxy S3.

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 73 COvERSTORY smartphones HTC 8S: A Geeky Windows Phone for Micromax A 90s Pixel: a Compelling Price Good Performer at attarcative price — Abhijit Ahaskar — Kirti Sharma

Price Micromax A90s Pixel is an ordinary smartphone with a 4.3 inch Super Performance AMOLED touch screen display and an 8 MP Autofocus camera with flash. It comes with dual GSM SIM slots and has a dual core proces- Feature sor. It comes preloaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Overall The OS operates smoothly and does not show any serious lag. The phone comes with excellent audio and video quality. Rugged and sleek It delivers loud and clear audio with an overall excellent looking HTC 8S seems multimedia experience. The phone packs a power punch with like a modest version its Gorilla glass front with no physical buttons at all. The phone of HTC 8X. Both are is lightweight but is solidly built and has a very premium feel to Windows based and it. It fits completely into your hands and looks stunning. look almost similar. Powered by a 1600 mAh Li-ion battery, the phone lasted Its tapered edges, for 4 hours in our test. It comes loaded with several data rugged build and connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB the light form factor 2.0. It also incorporates a 0.3 MP VGA camera which enables (113g) make it a very video calling over 3G. The 8MP camera with Geo-tagging ergonomic and easy takes decent images but could be better. to hold device. Inside Bottom Line: Micromax A90s Pixel shows good processing and cam- this designer phone, era power, but for the same price you can get better options. is a powerful set of features that allows Price: `16,499 to carry out gaming, video playback, Key Specs: Android v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, 1 GHZ dual core simple browsing processor, 8 MP Primary Camera with flash, 0.3MP front camera, 4.3 inches Super AMOLED touchscreen with 400 x 800 resolution., with great ease. It 512MB RAM and 4GB internal memory., Expandable Storage Capacity runs on the smart and of 32 GB., Offers 3G, W-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity v4.0 with fast Windows phone 8 OS, has 1GHz dual core processor, A2DP., Li-Ion 1600 mAh battery 512MB RAM, Adreno 305 GPU and its storage can be Pros: 4.3 inches SuperAMOLED touchscreen, Smooth browsing increased, so you can have upto 32GB via micro SD, besides experience, good processing. its in-built 4GB. Cons: Battery drains faster than its predecessor Micromax A90., The 5MP camera can shoot decent looking 720p videos Camera quality could have been better. and images. The first let down we found is that there is no front camera in it. For connectivity, it has 3G and works with a micro SIM. The 4-inch display looks good and bright at 480p and 223ppi, which isn’t much but is good enough for a sub Price 20k device . HTC 8S runs games very well, something that Performance most similarly-priced smartphones cannot handle. Feature Among sub 20k smartphones, this is a good choice, even though its app store lacks the variety found in Android. Overall Its battery backup is 5 hours according to our battery tests, which is quite decent. Overall, it’s a fine Windows phone for a great price and if the two limitations --limited apps and no front camera don’t worry you, it’s worth having. Bottomline: A fine Windows phone for just 18k is the USP of this powerful device, which lacks a front camera and also the diversity of Android app store. So, if you can overlook the two, it’s a great deal.

Price: `18,000 Key Specs: 4inch multi-touch, 800x480p/223ppi, 1GHz/dual core, 512MB RAM, Adreno 305 GPU, Windows phone 8, 4GB in-built, 32 via micro SD, 5MP camera, 720p at 30fps, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, 1720mAh battery, 113g Pros: Build quality, very light, fast, intuitive OS, supports gaming Cons: No front camera, limited apps

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The BlackBerry Z10: Short of Scoring a Perfect Ten An excellent touch typing experience and an equally exorbitant price tag are the two extremes which describe the BlackBerry Z10. However, does the device fall short on expectations? Read on...

— Hiren Mehta 1. First things first, this is a BlackBerry phone. So, it has to have the BlackBerry pocket and there was one indeed in the box we received. Among striking features, there are Price absolutely no physical keys on Performance the front panel of the device. Feature Not even a home button. Overall Multi-tasking in BlackBerry 10 is designed to behave like `Alt-Tab’bing in Windows, where you don’t need to There is only 1 Android minimize all windows and phone as of now costlier go back to the desktop just than this, the HTC Butterfly, to switch between windows. which was itself launched Slightly innovative in a mobile just this year only. All known phone, but comes with a not- Windows Phone 8 devices so-consistent response to the cost less than the Z10 touch gestures for switching as per currently available between apps, and the touch information and also, for gestures themselves require less than the Z10’s price, some time getting used to you can get a 16 GB iPhone (mainly because unless an 4S in India. 4/10 for the price. app is running, you cannot go to 8. The Z10 comes with a dual-core 1.5 GHz the home screen, only to the app icon grids). This is more of a which is definitely the least you can expect for this price. 6/10 letdown that affects a larger number of users in an unexpected for the processor. manner than the useful `Timeshift’ feature of the camera. The 9. BlackBerry devices have been known less for their BlackBerry Z10 also supports screen sharing, screenshots screen and more for the keypad. In the Z10, where the keypad and context-sensitive image editing (using face recognition). on the front panel has totally been done away with, the screen 6/10 on innovative features. has a resolution of 1280x768 at 356 DPI, a 4 point multi-touch 2. Coming to look and feel, the Z10 can be easily be capacitive LCD display with Touch On lens and a size of 4.2 mistaken for an iPhone 5 from a distance, because of it’s inches. 7/10 for the screen. brick-like appearance with rounded corners. The device 10. Built-in flash storage is of 16 GB capacity whereas however is very comfortable to get a grip on because of the external memory is extendable upto 32 GB with hot-swap rubberized back panel and fits snugly into the palm for a firm support. 5/10 for storage, since like with the processor hold. It’s actually difficult to let this phone slip from the hands. specs, this is the minimum that can be expected in this class 8/10 for look-and-feel. (for devices which support expandable storage at all in the 3. For a device of this size, the Z10 is reasonably light at first place). approx. 150g. 7/10 on weight. 4. The front camera is a 2 MP one while the rear camera Bottom Line: If you feel the need to type a lot of text in your daily use, is of 8 MP. While the former is capable of recording video in go for it, but only if you are not even slightly budget conscious. 720p HD, the latter can record full-HD videos at 1080p. 7/10 for the cameras. 5. We have talked about the BB10 OS earlier. The Price: `43,490 interface is smooth but the touch response is not consistent. Key Specs: 130mm x 65.6mm x 9mm (L x W x H); Screen: 4.2”, The way it presents various icons, menus, files and folders, 4-point multi-touch LCD, 1280x768, 356 dpi; Memory: 2 GB RAM, etc. is pleasing and attractive. There is also the central `Hub’ 16 GB Flash (micro-SD,hot-swap capable), expandable upto 32 GB; screen which is always accessible and serves literally as a Processor: Dual-core 1.5 GHz; Camera: Rear: 8 MP, 5x digital zoom, single point of contact. 7/10 for the OS interface. 1080p HD video recording. Front: 2 MP, 3x digital zoom, 720p HD 6. Coming to the battery, running a full HD movie caused video recording; Other features: GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi (with the battery to drain (from being fully charged) in a little over 7 support for sharing 4G cellular data), Accelerometer, Magnetometer, hours on Wi-Fi, which is nearly equal to the claimed 10 hours Proximity sensor, Gyroscope, Ambient light sensor of video playback. 8/10 for the battery. Pros: Good battery, not mandatory to have a BlackBerry data plan 7. Talking about the price, the stated price of Rs. 43490 Cons: Too costly, not many innovative/unique features for a new OS is expensive for a device on which many hopes are pinned. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 75 COvERSTORY smartphones Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500: Mid- Micromax Canvas 2: range phone With Smart Features A smartphone at a good price

— Aishwarya Singhal — Kirti Sharma Micromax Canvas 2 is likely to be known as Canvas HD’s inferior predecessor. Canvas 2 has a dual core processor, a 5-inch 480p touch display and 512MB RAM, all of which have been upscaled in Canvas HD, a quad core smartphone, with Price 720p diplsay and 1GB RAM. It looks sleek and big and weighs Performance 168g despite the plastic build. Though it has an 8MP camera Feature with auto-focus, it fails to impress us. Overall Its 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touch screen at 480 x 854p is ordinary, but is a lot better than Spice Mi500. What disappointed us was its slow response. It is an average smartphone for people who want big screens at a low cost, but for better utility, Canvas HD is a much better option. It gives a battery backup of 8 hours which is at par with Nokia Lumia 920. The phone has a built in memory of 4 GB which can be further be expanded to 32 GB using a micro SD card. Bottomline: It is an okay smartphone for people who want big screens at a low cost, but for better utility and functioning, Canvas HD is a much better option

If you have the vivacity for the latest touch Android smart Price: `14,999 phone in mid-range, then the Spice stellar Horizon has the Key Specs: Android v4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, Dual-core 1 GHz potential to fulfill your needs. The elegant looking handset Cortex-A9, 8 MP Primary Camera with flash, 0.3MP secondary camera, has a design to yearn for. There are minimal body buttons 5.0 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen 480 x 854 pixels, 512MB which add to the decent look. RAM and 4GB internal memory(2 GB user available), Expandable The handset runs on Android version 4.0.3. It has Storage Capacity of 32 GB, Offers 3G, W-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity v3.0 with A2DP, Li-Ion 2000 mAh decent specs with 4 GB of internal memory and memory battery expansion upto 32 GB. The wide 5 inch display, with a resolution of 480x800p is satisfactory though not very Pros: Very good build and form factor, Dual- good as it is not in HD mode. The 5MP AF Camera along core processor, Good with LED Flash is featured with settings like HDR, self battery life timer but produces average quality images and videos. Cons: Sluggish It features a dual core processor with a powerful 2400 processing, Low mAh battery that gives a fine backup of upto 8 hours in resolution display than our tests. The audio quality is good from both speakers A90, Pretty Average and even while listening through a headset. It also camera for the specs. provides settings for equalizer, bass boost, 3D sound, etc. The device runs on 512 MB RAM, yet gives a hassle free experience. Bottomline: It is a mid range smart phone loaded with all the basic features of a smart phone. It has decent looks and the dual core CPU adds to the performance. However, do check the Canvas HD before considering this. Price Performance Price: `15,999 Feature Key Specs: Android v4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS, 5 MP Camera, Overall 0.3 MP front Camera, 5-inch 480x800p Touchscreen, 1 GHz dual Core Processor, 512MB RAM, Wi-Fi, GPS, Expandable Storage Capacity of 32GB, Weight-205 gms, 2400mAh battery Pros: Good performance, dual sim, large display, good battery life, security features, very good multimedia performance Cons: Heavy weight, very large display, no dedicated camera button, no gorilla glass, poor camera quality

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HTC Desire C: Well-Priced Smartphone With Decent Multitasking Price Performance — Abhijit Ahaskar Feature This is a compact smartphone meant for the budget Overall segment. It costs around 10k and by virtue of its de- cent features and good load-handling, it’s worth buy- ing. The smartphone is based on Android 4.0, which can be upgraded to Android 4.1. It’s very compact, like the Sony Xperia Tipo, and has a rubberised body which makes it very easy to grip and use. The display is not the finest and at 480x320p, appears low and ordinary. The 5MP camera is average and can shoot ordinary outdoor images and videos. Its battery lasted a good 5 hours in our tests, which involved video playback at 50% volume and full brightness. Though Sony Tipo has a smaller display (3.2 to Desire’s 3.5inch), they both weigh just 98g. Tipo has 800MHz processor while Desire C is 600MHz, and yet the former costs 2k lesser. We were impressed by its smooth performance, minimal lag, decent multi-tasking and Price: `9,999 has 3G also. Overall, it’s a good budget smartphone, Key Specs: 3.5inch multi-touch display, 480x320p/165ppi, 600MHz but for a lesser amount you can also get Karbon A15, CPU, 512MB RAM, Adreno 200 GPU, Android 4.0 (upgradable to another compact smartphone for 7k, which has a android 4.1), 4GB internal, 32GB via micro SD, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, bigger display and a superior processor. 98g, 1230mAh battery Pros: Decent performance, great price, 3G, lightweight Bottom Line: A decent budget smartphone for the brand conscious, but the Karbon A15 seems a lot better value for Cons: Ordinary display money. Karbon A15: An 8k Smartphone with Dual SIM & 3G — Abhijit Ahaskar

A problem often seen with budget smartphones is that they lack one feature or the other. Not with the Karbon A15. It is an impressive smartphone with lots of positives about it. Its 4-inch TFT touch-screen with 800x480p is responsive and smooth, though the screen gets smudgy. Despite the plastic build, it’s overall impressive with curved edges and well finished soft back panel and adjusts well in your palm. Price With Android 4.0, 1GHZ processor and 512MB Performance RAM, it delivers a decent performance with Feature hardly any lag or complaint of slowing down. Its Overall 1420mAh, in our video playback test at 50% speaker volume and full brightness, lasted upto 4 hours. However, its 3.15 MP camera can click very ordinary pictures and poor videos, and is overall a letdown. Apart from that Karbonn A15 contains all necessary features such as Price: `7,990 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio and Key Specs: 4inch multi-touch 800x480p/233ppi, even a dual SIM at a price of Rs. 7990. Overall, 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, Android 4.0, 4GB it seems better than HTC Desire C or Sony Xperia internal, 32GB via micro SD, 3.15mp camera, 3G,dual SIM, WiFi, bluetooth, 1420mAh battery Tipo, due to the features it offers at 8k. Pros: Decent performance, price, 3G, dual SIM, display, Bottom Line: A lot better than other budget smartphones, Karbon A15 Cons: Ordinary photos, poor videos is also cheaper by a fair margin.

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 77 COvERSTORY smartphones BB Curve 9220: The Finger- Nokia Lumia 510: Leaves you impressed! friendly Budget Phone! — Shilpi Kumar Nokia Lumia 510 is an attractive phone --sturdy, yet at — Shilpi Kumar 11.5mm, it is slimmer than competing phones like the BlackBerry 9220, Samsung Y DUOS Lite, Nokia Asha 305, and the Nokia Asha 311. The display is excellent. It has a 4-inch TFT capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 480 x Price 800 pixels. Performance The user interface is smooth even though it only has a sub-1GHz processor, and the 256MB RAM makes playing Feature games, using apps, and taking photos with the camera a Overall smooth experience. It’s not super fast, but you can’t say that it’s slow either. Where the Nokia Lumia truly takes the cake is with its camera and battery life. There is no front camera, but the 5-megapixel autofocus, no-flash camera at the back clicks decent images with crisp outdoor shots. Comparatively, other budget phones like the BlackBerry 9220 and Samsung Galaxy Y DUOS Lite only come with a 2-megapixel camera. At first glance, the BlackBerry Curve 9220 appears sturdy and The battery life is also pretty impressive; its Li-Ion 1300 mAh might not look very different from other BlackBerry phones. battery lasted around eight and a half hours on continuous But, with dimensions of 109 x 60 x 127 mm at 102 grams, it video playback at a 50% speaker volume. is lighter and slimmer than the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Like The phone runs on .8 and comes most BlackBerry devices, it also features a physical QWERTY preloaded with a bunch of apps including Nokia Maps, Nokia keyboard, which makes typing hassle-free. Dedicated Transport, and Nokia Drive. What works against it is that hardware keys for BBM, camera, and screen lock/unlock although it comes with an internal storage capacity of 4GB, its give easy access to functions. The 2.44-inch TFT display memory is not expandable. might not be very big for video streaming or playback, but it is good enough for other purposes like web browsing and Bottom Line: Compared to BB9220 and Samsung Galaxy y DUOS social networking. It has a QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) screen Lite, this phone should be a better choice with a 5MP camera over resolution, and the quality of the display is good. 2MP on the others. The battery life is killer at around 8 hours and 30 The new BB 7.1 operating system makes the user interface minutes, which is the highest in the lot. faster, leading to a much better experience while operating multimedia programs as compared to its predecessors. The Price: `9,999 videos appear much sharper, probably because of the smaller Key Specs: 800 MHz Cortex-A5 Snapdragon, Wi-Fi 802.11, screen size with rich display quality. The fact that it even Bluetooth V2.1, Microsoft Windows Phone 7.8, 4-inch TFT capacitive features FM radio is a bonus; you will just have to connect the touch screen, 65K colors, 480 x 800 pixels (~233 ppi pixel density), headphones to its 3.5mm audio jack in order to access it. The 5 MP, 2596, 1948 pixels, autofocus (no flash), front camera- none, BlackBerry Curve 9220 only has a 2-megapixel camera with no Li-Ion 1300 mAh battery (BP-3L), Single SIM, 130g, 4GB storage flash. We found the picture quality, however, to be at par with (2.5GB usable), 256MB RAM, memory not expandable the Samsung Y DUOS Lite and Nokia Asha 305. Pros: Windows Phone 7.8, Nokia apps, Slim body (11.5 mm), The phone has an internal storage capacity of 512MB with Battery life, 5MP camera the option to expand it up to 32GB with the use of a microSD Cons: Memory not expandable card. Connectivity options include EDGE, Wi-Fi, GPRS, Bluetooth, and WLAN, but what’s disappointing is that the Price phone doesn’t have 3G. The 1450mAh battery only lasted for Performance 4 hours and 45 minutes on continuous video playback at 50% Feature speaker volume. Comparatively, the Samsung Y DUOS Lite’s 1200 mAh battery lasts around an hour longer. Overall Bottom Line: The BlackBerry 9220 is one of the few budget smart- phones; one that offers a physical QWERTY keyboard. The build is sturdy; it has a good display, and a battery that lasts for about 5 hours.

Price: `9,990 (MOP) Key Specs: 1 GHz Dual core, 512 Mb RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth V2.1, BlackBerry OS 7.1, Display size 2.44 inches (6.11cm) TFT screen, 2-megapixel camera (no flash), front camera- none, 1450 mAh battery, Single SIM, 102g, 512MB internal and 32GB Expandable(microSD) memory. Pros: Build quality, Expandable memory, QWERTY keyboard Cons: No 3G, 2-megapixel camera Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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Nokia Asha 305: Can’t get more affordable than this — Shilpi Kumar The Nokia Asha 305 is glossy and has a curvy back, which makes it look stylish, and at 12.88mm with a weight of less than 100 grams, it’s pretty lightweight. unlike the Nokia Asha 311, the microSD and second SIM card slots are placed on the side so that you can swap cards without having to reboot the device. What’s awesome is that the phone features both a micro-USB port and the standard Nokia 2mm port for charging the battery. The Asha 305 has a 3-inch display with a 240x400 screen resolution. Price It is among the few phones in this category with a resistive touch Performance screen, which is why we found the screen to be a little unresponsive at Feature times. Also, unlike the Nokia Asha 311, the screen doesn’t come with Overall a Corning Gorilla Glass. Given the price range, however, we found the display to be quite decent. The phone plays a variety of audio formats. The support for video playback, however, is limited to 3GP and MP4 files. There is no Price: `4,149 front camera, and the camera at the back has no flash and is only 2 Key Specs: 64MB ROM, 32MB RAM, EDGE, GPRS(No megapixels. Wi-Fi), Bluetooth V2.1, Series 40 Asha Touch O.S, TFT resistive This phone has no Wi-Fi/3G, which works to its disadvantage. Many touch screen, 65K colors, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0 inches (~155 other phones at a similar price, like the Karbon A1+ and Micromax Ninja ppi pixel density), 2MP, 1600x1200 pixels camera (no flash), A27, are Wi-Fi and 3G enabled, so this is definitely a drawback. eW front camera- none, Li-Ion 1110 mAh battery (BL-4U), dual SIM, are very impressed with the battery life, however. The Li-ion 1110 mAh 100g, 10MB internal and 32 GB expandable(microSD) memory battery is the same as the one in Nokia Asha 311 and runs for seven Pros: Price, Battery life, Expandable memory, Hot swapping and a half hours on continuous video playback at 50% speaker volume. (SIM and microSD) Bottom Line: Nokia Asha 305 is an excellent package for those who want a Cons: Resistive touch screen is a little unresponsive at times, No Wi-Fi/3G, other phones at similar price have it (e.g. Karbon compact dual-SIM phone with touch screen at a very low price of around Rs. A1+, Micromax Ninja A27), 2MP camera 3,600 (MOP).

Spice Stellar Virtuoso MI-495: Large Screen, Great Specs, But Poor Battery — Shilpi Kumar

Price One of the first things you notice about the Spice Stellar Virtuoso MI-495 is its huge 4.5-inch qHD TFT screen; it is the largest we’ve Performance seen in budget phones. The metallic body is sturdy and is on the Feature slimmer side with dimensions of 68 x 9.4 x 134mm. There are not Overall many hardware buttons, which essentially give the phone a clean look; there is just a volume button on the left side of the phone and power/screen lock button on the right. However, at 150 grams, it is Price: `12,490 one of heaviest phones in this category. The phone has a screen Key Specs: Dimensions: 68 x 9.4 resolution of 960 x 540, which provides an excellent display quality. x 134 mm; Weight: 150g; Android The Spice Stellar Virtuoso Mi-495 has a 1GHz dual-core 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich); Dual SIM; processor with 4GB ROM and 512MB RAM of internal storage, Screen Size: 4.5 inches; Screen resolution: 960 x 540; Processor: which can be extended up to 32GB using a microSD card. It is a Dual Core (1 GHz); Internal memory: dual SIM phone and runs on an Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) 4GB ROM, 512MB RAM; Extendable operating system. Connectivity options include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi and memory: microSD, up to 32GB; Bluetooth. Camera: 8MP (Front facing camera: We also had a pleasant experience watching videos on this 1.3MP); Connectivity: 2G/3G/Wi-Fi/ phone, thanks to the large screen size. At 8 megapixels, the Bluetooth; Battery: 1700 mAh Li-Ion phone’s camera provides the largest megapixels in the category of Pros: Lots of apps (Android), Large budget phones. The autofocus of this camera is accurate, and the Display (4.5”), 8MP Camera w/ flash, phone produces really good quality images. Expandable memory

The Spice Stellar Virtuoso Mi-495’s least impressive feature is Cons: Very low battery life, Body its battery life. The 1700 mAh Li-Ion battery barely lasts 2 hours and heating problem on long usage (in 30 minutes on continuous video playback at 50% speaker volume. about 5 minutes while videos are Bottom Line: The phone is the heaviest in the lot, but it also has the biggest display. However, the phone played), Persistent home soft key heats up in about 5 minutes of usage. The battery life is the worst, lasting only 2 hours and 30 minutes. interferes with usability

Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 79 COvERSTORY smartphones Nokia Asha 311: Performs, Samsung Galaxy Y Duos Lite: but it could have been cheaper Simplicity Goes a Long Way! — Shilpi Kumar — Shilpi Kumar The Samsung Galaxy Y Duos Lite has a very clean, simplistic Price design, much like the Samsung Champ. It has fewer Performance hardware buttons compared to other phones like the Nokia Feature Asha 311, with just power/lock and volume control keys. The Overall body is made of plastic material, but it is well-fitted. True to its name, the phone is quite light, weighing around 102 grams. The Galaxy Y Duos Lite has a 2.8-inch TFT capacitive touch screen, which is smaller than the Nokia Asha phones that have a 3-inch display. The phone has an internal storage capacity of 3GB, and it can be extended up to 32GB via microSD. Because it runs on an Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, you can get access to a lot more applications than you can with the BlackBerry 9220 as well as Windows-run devices like the Nokia Asha and Lumia phones. The build of the Nokia Asha 311 is quite sturdy. But this is Just like the Nokia Asha phones, this phone also has a no- where the charm ends in terms of its looks at least. The silver- flash camera at the back with no front camera, but the Galaxy colored strip resting around the screen and on the back of Y Duos Lite only has a 2-megapixel camera as opposed to the phone isn’t very appealing, and even though the phone is Nokia Asha 311’s 3.2 megapixels. The video recording is at glossy with curved edges, the overall appearance isn’t all that 15 fps, which is inferior to that of the Asha 311. This device impressive. The plastic body is susceptible to scratches and comes with 1200 mAh battery that lasts for 6 hours on smudges. Also, when compared to phones like the Samsung continuous video playback at 50% speaker volume. Y DUOS Lite, the keyboard layout is not very user-friendly and Bottom Line: Even though the battery doesn’t last as much as the makes typing a little difficult. Nokia Ashas’, the one advantage of this phone is that it runs on The phone features a 3-inch TFT capacitive touch screen Android. One can get many more applications than Asha 305, Asha with a 240x400 resolution, and unlike the Nokia Asha 305, 311, Lumia 510 and BB 9220. it has Corning Gorilla Glass. Another differentiating feature between this phone and the Nokia Asha 305 is that the 311 Price: `7,490 has a responsive display. Both phones support the two-finger Key Specs: 832 MHz ARM 11, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, multi-touch, but the operation is much smoother on the Asha Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches 311. The phone runs on the Nokia Series 40 OS, so it lacks (~143 ppi pixel density) TFT capacitive touch screen, 256K colors, the multitasking features that other similarly priced phones like 2MP, 1600x1200 pixels (no flash), front camera- none, Li-Ion 1200 the Samsung Y DUOS Lite possess. mAh battery, Dual SIM, 102g, 3GB internal and 32 GB expandable The Nokia OS offers a redesigned music application that (microSD) makes the overall music experience on this phone much Pros: Plenty of apps (Android), Expandable memory better than its predecessors. You can stream audio using Cons: Non-upgradable OS (Android 2.3), Lower battery life than Bluetooth, and it also has stereo FM radio with RDS support. Nokia Asha 311, which is in the same price bracket,2MP camera vs. The 3.2-megapixel camera provides a similar picture quality 3.2MP of Asha 311 as the Asha 305. However, it has no flash and autofocus and also doesn’t have a secondary camera. The battery life is pretty good. Its 1110mAh battery lasted about 8 hours with continuous video playback at 50% volume. Bottom Line: This is a good performance phone but for the pricing. The edge that it has over the Nokia Asha 305 is the availability of Wi-Fi.

Price: `5,999 Key Specs: 1 GHz Dual-core, 512 MB RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth V2.1, Stereo FM radio with RDS, Series 40 Asha O.S, TFT capacitive touch screen, 65K colors, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0 inches (~155 ppi pixel density), 3.15MP(no flash), 2048x1536 pixels, No secondary camera, Li-Ion 1110 mAh battery (BL-4U), Dual SIM, 96g, 140MB internal and Price 32GB expandable(microSD) memory Performance Pros: Battery life, Responsive touch screen, Expandable memory Feature No multitasking, which is available in the similarly priced Cons: Overall Samsung Y DUOS

Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos: Get What You Pay For In a market already saturated with Samsung phones, this entry now targets developing markets such as India and China as a Dual-Sim budget-priced phone. We have a look at what makes this phone click, and what doesn’t.... — Srinivasan Viswanathan

Samsung released the Galaxy Grand Duos to cater to the “mid-market” segment, that wanted a good phone that was not as pricey Price as the Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy Note II. We Performance compare it to a worthy competitor in the Feature same price range, the Micromax Canvas Overall HD phone...

Display We have to start off with one of the major Camera disappointments of the Galaxy Grand. The Grand offers a 8 MP back camera Samsung’s plan to ship this phone with a and a 2 MP front camera. One of the 5” screen at a WVGA resolution of 480*800 primary functions of a smartphone definitely does not work out. Apps and nowadays is the ability to take snapshots, pictures look fine without any zoom, but and the pictures we took on a roadtrip major pixelation takes place when a zoom into the Bandipur forest were impressive is applied and this is not pleasing on the and crisp. However, one thing that it lacks eye. Moreover, the size of the screen is the burst shot mode which is offered reduces the color density to just 187 ppi, on the Micromax Canvas phone. With as compared to the brilliant 294 ppi pixel geo-tagging, face detection, and multiple density on the Micromax A116 Canvas HD. shooting modes, it is comparably good Also, since it is not super AMOLED like the to the Note II and SIII. While the Canvas Galaxy S2, there is more difficulty viewing HD can take HD video at 720p, Grand is the screen in direct sunlight. capable of 1080p@30fps video.

Performance Battery Life The Galaxy Grand does well in this We were impressed with the battery life category, being able to run apps and of the Grand, which lasted longer than its perform all of its functions without any older cousins. We used it during our roadtrip noticeable hitch. While it has a dual-core 1.2 for all purposes, including navigation,music GHz (similar to the Galaxy SII), it is able to run playback, pictures and voice calls. Considering Android JellyBean without a stutter, and runs apps like Temple we had the GPS on for almost 7-8 hours at a stretch, it was Run 2 without any lag. In terms of performance, it does not good that the battery stretched itself to last the entire day. feel weaker than the SIII or the Note II although they have While unsure about the exact reason why it lasts longer quad-core processors. From that perspective, anyone wanting (Perhaps the “inferior” WVGA display), it definitely outlasts a Note II experience at a cheaper price (without the stylus, the Note II and the SIII. of course) would find the Grand to be the best compromise Bottom Line: While the Galaxy Grand is still a solid phone, the dis- possible at the moment. play is the only thing that really lets it down, especially when tested Features side-to-side with the Note II or Micromax Canvas HD. For a lower Galaxy Grand is shipped with Android 4.1.2 (JellyBean), price of around Rs 15,000, the Micromax Canvas offers a far better layered with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. While people screen and quad-core processor, so it definitely offers more “value have thrown flak at the interface, it feels polished and helpful for money” than the Galaxy Grand. on the Grand. For example, the multi-window feature is a cool added feature, that allows user to display two apps side Price: `21,500 by side. You can resize each of the windows to any size that Key Specs: Android 4.1.2 , 8 MP back camera, Dual-Sim capability, you feel comfortable with! Along with Samsung’s S-Voice, Dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 1080p full HD recording, 5 inch which offers a decent level of AI, JellyBean’s baked-in Google screen(480*800), Wi-Fi,NFC,GPS,Bluetooth, GPS, 1GB RAM Now is able to mine for general knowledge on the Internet Pros: Fast performance, excellent camera, great battery life effectively.The features of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface is Cons: Low resolution on large screen, brittle plastic body, no USP something that competitors like the Micromax Canvas lack. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 81 COvERSTORY smartphones Smartphone Comparison Chart Price Features MOdels Price Warranty Dimensions (mm) Weight Battery Charging Multi-touch Display Pixel Processor No. of Cores RAM GPU Operating System In-built Micro SD card (Rs) (Yrs) (grams) (mAh) Options Display size Resolution density Speed storage support (GB) (inches) (ppi) (GHz) (GB) Samsung Galaxy Note 2 38,900 1 151x80.5x9.4 183 3100 USB 5.5 1280x720p 267ppi 1.6GHz Quad core 2GB Mali 400 Android 4.1 16 64 Lumia 920 38,199 1 30.3x70.8x10.7 185 2100 USB, wireless 4.5 1280x768p 332ppi 1.5GHz Dual core 1 GB no Windows Phone 8 32 no Samsung Galaxy SIII 32,540 1 136.6x70.6x8.6 133 2100 USB 4.8 1280x720p 306ppi 1.4Ghz Quad core 1GB Mali 400 Android 4.1 16 64 HTC 8X 34,990 1 132.4x66.2x10.1 130 1800 USB, wireless 4.3 1280x720p 342ppi 1.5GHz Dual core 1GB Adreno 225 Windows Phone 8 16 no HTC One X+ 40,190 1 134.4x69.9x8.9 135 2100 USB 4.7 1280x720p 312ppi 1.7GHz Dual core 1GB ULP GeForce 2 Android 4.1 32/64 no Nokia 808 PureView 34,449 1 123.9x60.2x13.9 169 1400 USB 4 640x360p 184ppi 1.3Ghz NA 512MB no Symbian Belle 16 32 Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500 15,999 1 143x77.4x10.5 205 2400 USB 5 800x480p NA 1GHz Dual core 512MB no Android 4.0 4 32 Micromax A90s Pixel 16,499 1 127.2x66.8x9.8 118 1600 USB 4.3 800x480p 217ppi 1GHz Dual core 512MB PowerVR SGX531 Android 4.0 4 32 Micromax A110 Canvas2 14,999 1 147x76.5x9.7 168 2000 USB 5 854x480p 196ppi 1GHz Dual core 512MB PowerVR SGX531 Android 4.0 4 32 HTC Desire C 9999 1 107.2x60.6x12.3 98 1230 USB 3.5 480x320p 165ppi 600MHz NA 512MB Adreno 200 Android 4.0 4 32 Karbonn Smart A15 7,990 1 NA NA 1420 USB 4 800x480p 233ppi 1GHz NA 512MB no Android 4.0 4 32 HTC 8S 18,000 1 120.5x63x10.3 113 1720 USB 4 800x480p 223ppi 1GHz Dual core 512 Adreno 305 Windows phone 8 4 32 Lenovo K860 mobile 30,000 1 143.5x74.4x9.6 193.5 2250 USB 5 1280x720p 294ppi 1.4 GHz Quad Core 1GB Mali 400 Android 4.0 8 32 Sony Xperia Tipo ST21i 8,400 1 103x57x13 99.4 1500 USB 3.2 480x320p 180ppi 800 MHz NA 512MB Adreno 200 Android 4.0 2.9 32 LG - P765 Optimus L9 17,399 1 131.9x68.2x9.1 125 2150 USB 4.7 960x540p 234ppi 1 GHz Dual core 1GB PowerVR SGX540 Android 4.0 4 32 Apple iPhone 5 45,000 1 123.8x58.6x7.6 112 1440 USB 4 1136x640p 326ppi 1.2GHz Dual core 1GB PowerVR SGX543 iOS 6 16/32/64 no

Features Performance Models Front Camera Rear Camera Video Recording 4G/3G WiFi GPS Bluetooth NFC SIM Type 3.5mm USB (mini/ HTML 5 FM Radio Java Battery back-up Processor Graphics Browsing (mp) (mp) Version jack micro) (hrs) Samsung Galaxy Note 2 1.9 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 12 17531 7589 1832 Lumia 920 1.3 8.7 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes no no 7 NA NA NA Samsung Galaxy SIII 1.9 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 8 10239 7332 1417 HTC 8X 2.1 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 3.1 yes micro SIM yes micro yes no no 6 NA NA NA HTC One X+ 1.6 8 1080p at 28fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 7 14027 7448 1897 Nokia 808 PureView VGA 41 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3.1 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 NA NA NA Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500 VGA 5 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 6558 6984 1002 Micromax A90s Pixel VGA 8 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 4 no standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 5 NA NA NA Micromax A110 Canvas2 VGA 8 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3 no Dual standard yes micro yes yes yes 4 NA NA NA SIM HTC Desire C No 5 NA no/3G yes yes 3 yes standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 6 NA NA NA Karbonn Smart A15 No 3.15 NA no/3G yes yes 2.1 no Dual standard yes micro no yes yes 4 NA NA NA SIM HTC 8S No 5 720p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3.1 no micro SIM yes micro yes no no 5 NA NA NA Lenovo K860 mobile 2 8 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 7 15698 7362 1273 Sony Xperia Tipo ST21i No 3.15 NA no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 5 3897 6032 973 LG - P765 Optimus L9 VGA 5 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3 yes standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 5691 NA NA AppleWrite iP to:hone [email protected] 5 1.2 for more 8info. 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 no Nano SIM yes micro yes no no 6 NA NA NA

82 PCQuest A P R I L 2 0 1 3 pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] Scan this code for more info. To download a barcode app, SMS to 56677 from a mobile phone with Internet access and camera.

Price Features MOdels Price Warranty Dimensions (mm) Weight Battery Charging Multi-touch Display Pixel Processor No. of Cores RAM GPU Operating System In-built Micro SD card (Rs) (Yrs) (grams) (mAh) Options Display size Resolution density Speed storage support (GB) (inches) (ppi) (GHz) (GB) Samsung Galaxy Note 2 38,900 1 151x80.5x9.4 183 3100 USB 5.5 1280x720p 267ppi 1.6GHz Quad core 2GB Mali 400 Android 4.1 16 64 Lumia 920 38,199 1 30.3x70.8x10.7 185 2100 USB, wireless 4.5 1280x768p 332ppi 1.5GHz Dual core 1 GB no Windows Phone 8 32 no Samsung Galaxy SIII 32,540 1 136.6x70.6x8.6 133 2100 USB 4.8 1280x720p 306ppi 1.4Ghz Quad core 1GB Mali 400 Android 4.1 16 64 HTC 8X 34,990 1 132.4x66.2x10.1 130 1800 USB, wireless 4.3 1280x720p 342ppi 1.5GHz Dual core 1GB Adreno 225 Windows Phone 8 16 no HTC One X+ 40,190 1 134.4x69.9x8.9 135 2100 USB 4.7 1280x720p 312ppi 1.7GHz Dual core 1GB ULP GeForce 2 Android 4.1 32/64 no Nokia 808 PureView 34,449 1 123.9x60.2x13.9 169 1400 USB 4 640x360p 184ppi 1.3Ghz NA 512MB no Symbian Belle 16 32 Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500 15,999 1 143x77.4x10.5 205 2400 USB 5 800x480p NA 1GHz Dual core 512MB no Android 4.0 4 32 Micromax A90s Pixel 16,499 1 127.2x66.8x9.8 118 1600 USB 4.3 800x480p 217ppi 1GHz Dual core 512MB PowerVR SGX531 Android 4.0 4 32 Micromax A110 Canvas2 14,999 1 147x76.5x9.7 168 2000 USB 5 854x480p 196ppi 1GHz Dual core 512MB PowerVR SGX531 Android 4.0 4 32 HTC Desire C 9999 1 107.2x60.6x12.3 98 1230 USB 3.5 480x320p 165ppi 600MHz NA 512MB Adreno 200 Android 4.0 4 32 Karbonn Smart A15 7,990 1 NA NA 1420 USB 4 800x480p 233ppi 1GHz NA 512MB no Android 4.0 4 32 HTC 8S 18,000 1 120.5x63x10.3 113 1720 USB 4 800x480p 223ppi 1GHz Dual core 512 Adreno 305 Windows phone 8 4 32 Lenovo K860 mobile 30,000 1 143.5x74.4x9.6 193.5 2250 USB 5 1280x720p 294ppi 1.4 GHz Quad Core 1GB Mali 400 Android 4.0 8 32 Sony Xperia Tipo ST21i 8,400 1 103x57x13 99.4 1500 USB 3.2 480x320p 180ppi 800 MHz NA 512MB Adreno 200 Android 4.0 2.9 32 LG - P765 Optimus L9 17,399 1 131.9x68.2x9.1 125 2150 USB 4.7 960x540p 234ppi 1 GHz Dual core 1GB PowerVR SGX540 Android 4.0 4 32 Apple iPhone 5 45,000 1 123.8x58.6x7.6 112 1440 USB 4 1136x640p 326ppi 1.2GHz Dual core 1GB PowerVR SGX543 iOS 6 16/32/64 no

Features Performance Models Front Camera Rear Camera Video Recording 4G/3G WiFi GPS Bluetooth NFC SIM Type 3.5mm USB (mini/ HTML 5 FM Radio Java Battery back-up Processor Graphics Browsing (mp) (mp) Version jack micro) (hrs) Samsung Galaxy Note 2 1.9 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 12 17531 7589 1832 Lumia 920 1.3 8.7 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes no no 7 NA NA NA Samsung Galaxy SIII 1.9 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 8 10239 7332 1417 HTC 8X 2.1 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 3.1 yes micro SIM yes micro yes no no 6 NA NA NA HTC One X+ 1.6 8 1080p at 28fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 7 14027 7448 1897 Nokia 808 PureView VGA 41 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3.1 yes micro SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 NA NA NA Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500 VGA 5 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 6558 6984 1002 Micromax A90s Pixel VGA 8 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 4 no standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 5 NA NA NA Micromax A110 Canvas2 VGA 8 480p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3 no Dual standard yes micro yes yes yes 4 NA NA NA SIM HTC Desire C No 5 NA no/3G yes yes 3 yes standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 6 NA NA NA Karbonn Smart A15 No 3.15 NA no/3G yes yes 2.1 no Dual standard yes micro no yes yes 4 NA NA NA SIM HTC 8S No 5 720p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3.1 no micro SIM yes micro yes no no 5 NA NA NA Lenovo K860 mobile 2 8 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 7 15698 7362 1273 Sony Xperia Tipo ST21i No 3.15 NA no/3G yes yes 2.1 no standard SIM yes micro no yes yes 5 3897 6032 973 LG - P765 Optimus L9 VGA 5 1080p at 30fps no/3G yes yes 3 yes standard SIM yes micro yes yes yes 6 5691 NA NA Apple iPhone 5 1.2 8 1080p at 30fps 4G/3G yes yes 4 no NanoWrite SIM to: [email protected] micro yes for moreno info. no 6 NA NA NA

pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 83 COvERSTORY Display Systems WD TV Live Streaming Media Player Amkette Evo TV: Smart TV, on the Fly! — Sandeep Koul — Shilpi Kumar The Amkette EvoTV is a box that converts your regular TV into a smart TV. It’s a gaming console, media player, and Internet access device built into one small package. It is a little black box with a combination of matte and glossy finish, and it weighs around 277 grams. The EvoTV has an Arm Cortex A9 processor with a 512MB RAM and a 4GB internal storage space, and it runs on an Android 2.3.4 operating system with EvoView UI. Besides this, the EvoTV also features four USB 2.0 ports, a SD/MMC card slot for storage expansion, an HDMI output, composite A/V 480i and 576i, and a digital Price SPDIF coaxial output. Performance The remote control is versatile and can be used as a Feature mouse, microphone, and a motion control device. It does take some time to get used to though. We found it a little difficult Overall to point it at the right place in the beginning, but it becomes easier to operate once you get the hang of it. The user There are two ways to have smart TV experience on your interface and responsiveness of the device is mostly excellent; TV. First, you buy a smart TV that has all features built-in for browsing and gaming experience could be smoother though. connecting to the Internet, running apps, etc. Second is to Accessibility to both the EvoTV store and Google Play buy and connect a product like WD TV Live or Amkette Evo open up a universe of applications. We attached an external TV to your existing non-smart TV and convert it into a smart mouse and keyboard to the EvoTV using its USB ports and device. WD TV Live can connect to your old TV using the it worked instantly. We were also able to attach an external bundled composite or HDMI cable and then use it to connect HDD to the device to play media from. Its few drawbacks to a network via its inbuilt wireless adapter or over Ethernet. include an outdated operating system that cannot be Once you have made all the necessary connections, you can updated, an absence of a standby button, which means a enjoy a whole number of Internet based applications that are restarting time of 2-3 minutes every time, and the fact that pre-loaded into the box. Moreover, these keep getting updated the device heats up easily. through firmware upgrades of the box. Besides the pre-loaded apps, you can do a lot of things with the WD Live TV. You Bottom Line: EvoTV is a box that converts your regular TV into a can connect a USB drive and run movies, watch photos, and smart TV. It’s a gaming console, media player, and Internet access listen to music. You can stream the same from a Windows 8 device built into one small package. based PC on your home network to your TV. As this device is connected to your network, you can use network share to Price: `12,990 stream content or use any DLNA certified device for content Key Specs: Blu-ray full HD player, full HD 3D supported sharing. direct USB play, Sony Entertainment Network, Ethernet supported, One issue with the box is that it comes with a proprietary Wi-Fi via adapter, Youtube, Social networking, browser supported, operating system as against competitors like Amkette’s Evo HDMI ready, Dolby true HD, Remote controlled, Weight 1.4kg, Power TV, which run on Android and have the added advantage of consumption 15W access to all applications on Google Play store. Pros: Internet ready, 3D supported, easy to use, smart TV, great The WD Live TV comes with its own remote control, which design allows for smooth navigation. It also comes with an app that Cons: Wifi only via adapter, Div not supported converts your smartphone or tablet into a remote control. You can even connect an external wireless or wired keyboard to the unit to make it easier to surf the Internet on your TV. Though the performance of this device is great the only problem seems to be proprietary OS.

Price: `7,999 Key Specs: Video Support- AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/MPEG, VOB, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9, Photo: JPEG, GIF, TIF/TIFF, BMP, PNG, Audio: MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital, DTS, Playlist: PLS, M3U, WPL, Subtitle: SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI, Connectivity: Ethernet, Price HDMI, Composite A/V, Component video, USB 2.0, Weight: 303gm, Full- HD video playback up to 1080p, Wi-Fi Ready Performance Pros: Great Performance Feature Cons: Proprietary OS and limited applications Overall

Write to: [email protected] for more info.

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Sony NWZ-E474 Walkman: Attractively Priced iPod Nano Killer — Abhijit Ahaskar

Sony NWZ-E474 Walkman is a compact media player with a 2-inch LED display display with a resolution of 320x240p. It has a glossy display but the rest is matte plastic, measures 97.2x43x7.4 mm and weighs 51g, which is two times more than the compact iPod Nano 8GB’s 21g. Its navigation keys with a round 5-way control pad are placed below the display, volume keys are on the right, while the proprietary charging port and 3.5mm jack is placed at the bottom. The interface has 12 icons and you can access and play games, videos, music, FM Radio, do voice recordings, etc. Browsing through them is simple and very easy. With 8GB of Price internal storage, you can transfer videos, music and photos from Performance a PC into it and enjoy seamless music and video playback for Feature up to 36hours. The display is good and crisp and you can Overall also watch 320x240p videos on it, which plays smoothly, but appears tiny on a 2inch screen. The audio output is strong with clear bass on low and high volume. You can also check out iPod Nano 6th Gen, Price: `6,990 mentioned before for its build quality, which also Key Specs: Screen size 2 inch TFT colour display, has a 2-inch multi-touch display and 8GB internal 320x240p, File supported: MP3 ,WMA (Non-DRM), memory but costs up to Rs 9k. It’s a good AAC-LC (Non-DRM), Linear PCM,JPEG,MPEG4,AVC entertainment device with a great battery back- (H.264/AVC),WMV 9, 8GB internal memory, Voice Recording, 720 x up and is a lot cheaper than the iPod Nano. 480 video playback, FM tuner with 30 station presets, PC External Storage Device, 51g, 43.3x97.2x7.4mm, 1yr warranty Bottom Line: For 6k, Sony NWZ-E474 offers the fun Pros: Great battery, good sound, FM radio, decent display, price and variety of an ipod Nano 6th gen which costs a lot more. If you don’t mind the size, it’s a great iPod Nano Cons: No bluetooth, no expandable memory, alternative. Sony BDP S-490 Blu-Ray Player — Abhijit Ahaskar Sony BDP S-490 is an elegant looking monolith design, with a matte finish. It Price has very few buttons; all lined up on the top edge, and include switch on/off, Performance open/close drive, play and stop video button, a single line LED display along- Feature side the blu-ray drive and a USB port for direct plug and play. The player Overall boasts of an HDMI, one more USB port at the back and composite/component for video playback and coaxial and optical out for audio. It also has an Ethernet port but lacks in-built WiFi, a feature generally found in a lot of blu-ray players in the same price range, however, you can access wireless services through a USB based wireless adapter. Once connected, you can access entertainment options, like free video streaming from Sony Entertainment TV channels or sites like You Tube, social networking tools like Facebook, browse internet, play games and much more. In other words, it can convert your simple LED TV into a smart TV. It has the same Sony interface Xross Media Bar layout found in Sony Bravia LED displays and blu-ray players. Files with prominent logos appear vertically and are easy to manage through the remote. The remote has a dedicated SEN button to directly access SEN Price: `13,990 channel videos and much more. The blu-ray player can be used with Key Specs: Blu-ray full HD player, full HD 3D supported all LED displays and can run blu-ray full HD and 3D files with ease. It direct USB play, Sony Entertainment Network, Ethernet supported, supports a wide range of well-known file formats like MPEG4, MKV, Wi-Fi via adapter, Youtube, Social networking, browser supported, AVI, JPEG, MP3 etc. except Divx files. Handling the blu-ray player is HDMI ready, Dolby true HD, Remote controlled, Weight 1.4kg easy and you can do all actions through the remote. It’s a great blu- Power consumption 15W ray player that can convert your simple LED into a Smart TV. Pros: Internet ready, 3D supported, easy to use, smart TV, great design Bottom Line: An excellent blu-ray player for just 13,000 that can convert your ordinary LED TV into a Smart TV. Cons: Wifi only via adapter, Divx not supported Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 85 COvERSTORY Display Systems & LED TV Belkin Screencast AV 4: Akai LED 29 E12: An Amazing Wireless Adaptor!! A well priced LED TV — Kirti Sharma — Abhijit Ahaskar Akai 29 E12 is a low-priced LED TV with basic LED TV fea- tures and an average performance. It’s very light, has a nar- Price row bezel that measures just 9mm, weighs only 5kg and can be easily carried around. The display measures 29inch and Performance is an average performer. Its black levels are poor, sharpness Feature decent and colour accuracy average. It excels in bright lighting Overall as the display reflects very little. The LED has a simple looking UI but it isn’t that simple, there is some lag in response and the remote buttons are stiff so one has to press hard to get a function done. The stand is swivel based and can rotate, which allows you to rotate the display sideways; still, it looks good By the introduction of screencast AV4, Belkin puts your from wide angles. concerns about those tangled bunches of wires that make Its speakers sound is loud and rich for a 29inch TV and can your home look ugly, to permanent rest. It consists of a set easily suffice for a small room viewing. It includes 2 USB ports, of receiver and transmitter. It works by connecting the media which is good enough, but a single HDMI port does restrict player and the sound system to the transmitter in one room its usage to one device at a time. It also has an audio and and the receiver to the TV in other. It then streams content video component, a VGA port and a TV tuner. It can play HD wirelessly, keeping your TV in a clutter-free zone always. It full videos via USB or a Blu-ray player and its average power has a sleek, subtle and very attractive design. It makes use consumption is 35W. Its price makes it an attractive LED with of the 5 GHz Wi-fi spectrum to minimize interference and average picture and good audio quality. In the same price provides superior video and audio quality. The device even range you can also go for Sony KLV-26 BX-350, another HD works with protected content like Blu-ray Discs (HDCP- LED TV with more HDMI ports, great sound and a fine display. enabled). The Screencast indigenously includes IR repeaters. Bottom Line: For 22,000, this a value for money LED TV with some This means the IR signals from your regular remote control decent features. There are some good alternatives to it and one can can be picked up from wherever you are watching TV. It gives check them out too. you the liberty to place your HDMI devices even out of sight. It has up to 100 ft of line-of-sight wireless connectivity, which Price: `21,990 can go through walls and other solid objects over shorter Key Specs: 29 inch HD LED TV (1366x768p), Contrast Ratio distances. The IR receivers/repeaters are compatible with 100000:1, Wide Viewing Angle supported, USB Movie Play, USB most devices and controls. Blu-ray Player, Display colours 16.7million, 1 HDMI, 1 audio/video The Screencast AV 4 is compliant with WHDI standard and component, 1 year manufacturer warranty inter-operable with other WHDI-compliant products. It is full- Pros: Slim bezel, price, low power consumption, speaker HD 1080 pixels capable and has up to 5.1 channels of high- Cons: Poor quality, limited ports definition audio. This Media streamer for AV sources gives resolutions up to 1080p HD and 3D. As far as the connectivity ports are concerned, it has 4 HDMI inputs on transmitter Price and 1 HDMI out on receiver. The device is extremely easy to set up and has no performance degradation, even when the Performance transmitter is placed in a closet. Feature Overall Bottom Line: It is a Set of receiver and transmitter which gives a decent performance by connecting your media player and sound system to transmitter in one room and receiver to your TV in other and then stream content wirelessly keeping space around your TV clutter free.

Price: `18,999 Key Specs: Up to 100ft* line-of-sight wireless connectivity; can go through walls and other solid objects over shorter distances, Compliant with WHDI standard and interoperable with other WHDI-compliant products, Full-HD 1080p capable, Up to 5.1 channels of high-definition audio, Device type: Media streamer for AV sources, Resolutions: up to 1080p HD and 3D; Ports: 4 HDMI inputs on Transmitter; 1 HDMI out on receiver Pros: Clutter free space around TV for better aesthetic value. Line of sight is not needed Cons: Limited usability, receiver cannot be covered.

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Samsung LED ES9000: The Immersive Smart TV — Aishwarya Singhal

The new Samsung ES9000 LED 3D Smart TV is Samsung’s latest and smartest evolution and is packed with all the latest features included in series 7/8/9 LED TVs. The TV has a 75-inch Price screen of resolution 1920 x 1080p and is protected by a silicon Performance coating which guards it from moisture but does not protect it from Feature scratches as there is no Gorilla Glass coating. The Smart TV is Overall loaded with unique features like motion sensor- which can be used for faster typing, voice command, Bluetooth keyboard and face recognition system by the front VGA camera for unlocking the TV in which 10 different user accounts can be set. The Smart Evolution in this TV is its ability to turn into a new TV every year by simply attaching the Samsung Evolution Kit and getting improved picture quality, faster speed, more contents and features. The Clear Motion rate of the Smart TV is 960 giving excellent HD and 3D video quality. The black levels, sharpness and colour accuracy of the TV are excellent. The 2D to 3D conversion Price: `7, 50,000 INR is excellent. The 3D quality is also dazzling and looks highly Key Specs: 75inch LED, 1,920 x 1,080p resolution, Clear Motion effective with depth adjustments. The 3D light active glasses cost Rate 960, 2x15 W speakers, Wi-Fi, Smart TV with Samsung Apps, at around 1.2k which is way lesser than other active glasses. The Web Browser, Smart Hub, 3D, Front VGA camera, 3D active glasses, sound quality is also great with two powerful 15W speakers and smart touch remote, DTV tuner, 3xHDMI,1xcomponent,1 Composite AV, Dolby sound. In all the only drawback of the Smart TV is its power Ethernet port, 3xUSB 2.0, Dimensions 66.1x 37.7x 1.4inch, All share, 1 consumption which is around 300W. year warranty, 1 Digital Audio Out (Optical), 1 Audio Out, 1 DVI Audio In Bottom Line: The television is a unique and brilliant evolution packed with Pros: Smart Evolution Kit, Motion sensor, Voice control, great display, plenty of diverse features and an impressive picture quality makes the TV light active 3D glasses. worth spending for. Cons: Price and high-power consumption.

Samsung UA46ES8000: 46 inches of 3D Goodness in a Samsung Smart TV — Chaitanya Tapase Televisions with integrated support for your internet connection are not a novelty item anymore, but it’s hard to find a good smart TV with some extremely innovative features. Samsung’s 46-inch TV has a full HD resolution as well as a front-facing camera, for what else but video calling! The incredibly able UA46ES8000 Price is designed elegantly and has a really thin bezel along with an Performance excellent finish. The materials used are top notch as expected, Feature and all the ports and panels are well placed. But what about the Overall performance and features, you ask? Well, the TV set is equipped with motion sensor for gaming and faster typing and supports voice command for browsing. There’s also Smart Evolution— simply attach Samsung Evolution Kit and transform your TV to a new TV every year and get improved picture quality, faster speed, and more contents/features. The TV set also has pretty good 2D to 3D conversion, and viewing 3D content is a pleasure. Active 3D glasses are a lot lighter than other active 3D glasses. And here’s the bonus: they cost less than Price: `1,51,000 Rs. 1,000! Key Specs: 46 inch, 1920 x 1080 resolution, 800 Clear Testing full HD videos is a joy too, with good levels of blacks in all Motion Rate, DNSe, Digital Out, 10W x 2 speakers, types of video files. The only disappointing bit is the accuracy of color 3xHDMI,3xUSB 2.0, 1 headphone, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, 1x reproduction. But because of really good backlighting and impressive level Component In x 1xComposite In (AV), 1x Digital Audio Out, of sharpness, we are ready to forgive Samsung. All of this is achieved at Motion sensor, Smart evolution, Front facing inbuilt camera, an impressive power consumption level of only 99W—which should be supported. music to the ears for most. Voice recognition feature works and can carry Pros: Smart evolution, Motion sensor, Voice control, Great out basic functionality like powering on, accessing various apps, etc. display, Light active 3D glasses Bottom Line: This product is perfect for small rooms. Its image quality is great and Cons: Color reproduction could have been better has plenty of innovative and engaging features. Write to: [email protected] for more info. pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 87 COvERSTORY LED TV LG 84LM9600: Simply the Best Sony BRAVIA KDL55HX850 — Abhijit Ahaskar — Aishwarya Singhal Price The Sony Bravia KDL-55HX850 is an ultra-slim 3D LED Smart Performance TV with features like SEN which lets you stream TV serials Feature from Sony and watch them in 3D. Its 55-inch Full HD 1920 x Overall 1080p display is made of Gorilla Glass for extra protection and scratch free viewing. The screen seems glossy, sometimes giving the mirror effect. The screen has a silver line around the edge and is only 1.6 inch in width. The 3D glasses are not available with the TV and will cost you an extra of Rs. 3.5k and because of being battery- powered they have to be charged frequently. One of the best features of the TV is its power consumption which is only 70W, which is much lesser than other products in this class. The HD Video quality of the TV is not very impressive, scoring at par with the toppers for being non-reflective, disappointing in color accuracy, black levels and sharpness. The 3D video quality of the product is first-class, giving best 2D to 3D conversion and a very good 3D effect. The front side of the screen has no physical buttons with power keys, volume keys etc located on the rear side where there are lots LG 84LM9600 is an 84-inch LED TV with an Ultra HD (twice of other connectivity ports: two HDMI ports, two USB ports, that of Full-HD) resolution. This ultra HD LED is not only huge one RGB (PC) video input and one 3.5mm PC audio in and but also delivers innovative features that will usher in the future out jack. The Smart TV is Wi-Fi enabled which connects in a of TV technology. With 3D becoming more and more passé, as flash and comes up with features like Ethernet, Skype, Bravia time goes on, it is apparent that TVs with such an amazing 4K Sync, SEN app and parental controls. resolution (3840 x 2160p) will take over. The only question that Bottom Line: If you can stretch your pocket to such high prices and remains is of affordability (for now), but with widespread mass then spending more for the 3D glasses then there is no other 3D LED production, that is bound to come down as well. TV you should go for. It is the first TV of its kind that is able to upscale HD content to Ultra HD, which means you can rest easy even with the lack of 4K content. Needless to say, the image Price: `2, 09,900 INR quality is crisp, sharp, bright and has amazing depth. 3D TVs Key Specs: 55 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p, X-Reality PRO picture were more of a fad, but 4K appears to be the real deal, with engine, 2x 10w+1x10 subwoofer, 2x HDMI ports, 2x of USB ports,1x an amazing multimedia experience which is certainly more RGB (PC) video input, 1x 3.5mm PC audio in and out jacks, Wi-Fi, life-like than 3D ever was. We thought the screen had just Ethernet, Skype, Gorilla protected display, 1.4inch width, Smart TV, the right amount of anti-glare coating, boosting colour and SEN app, Bravia Sync, parental control contrast nicely but without picking up excessive reflections Pros: Impressive looks, Impressive 2D to 3D conversion, good wide from bright light sources in the room. viewing angles, light sensor, low power consumption. With TruMotion tech at 200Hz refresh rate, its screen Cons: 3D glasses not included, 12.5W power consumed in standby can handle fast motion well. It also supports dual play for 3D mode. All others (except for LG 9600 and Samsung ES9000) consume gaming. Overall, it is one of the best looking LED displays. At less than 1 W in standby mode. 17lakhs it is too costly and that is its only downside.

Bottom Line: With an excellent ultra HD image quality this LED has Price no match in terms of quality and clarity. It has the most powerful Performance speakers too. The only concern is the high price. Feature Overall Price: `17,00,000 Key Specs: 84inch LED, 3840 x 2160p ultra HD resolution, TruMotion 240Hz, Contrast Ratio 10,000,000:1, 3D ready, 2D to 3D, 3D Depth Control, FPR passive 3D, Dual Play for gaming, Speakers: 10W x 2 + 15W Woofer x 2, Smart TV, Web Browser, 3D World (3D Content Streaming), Skype Ready, Smart Phone Remote Support, 1x RF In (Antenna/Cable), 1XAV In, 1xComponent Video In + Audio, 1xDigital Audio Out (Optical), 4xHDMI, 1xRGB In (D-Sub 15 Pin) - PC, 1xPC Audio Input, 3xUSB 2.0, 1X Ethernet, 1 Year warranty, Dimensions 75.43x 47.80 x 15.71inch Pros: Ultra HD, upscale HD content to ultra HD, excellent image quality, passive 3D glasses supported, great speakers Cons: Extremely expensive, so market impact would be low as there would be limited buyers

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Panasonic VIERA TH-L55WT50 LED TV: A Classy 3D LED — Aishwarya Singhal The Panasonic TH-L55WT50 is a very fine 3D LED TV that comes with interesting VIERA tools. The LED is a 55-inch LED full-HD screen with a resolution of 1080p. The screen comes with an IPS LED panel with a very wide viewing angle and Price clear panel pro for local dimming. The HD view is Performance clear and gives out a fine and sharp image, though Feature the poor black levels and bright lightening is very Overall disappointing. The 3D quality of the LED TV is decent. However, the 2D to 3D conversion is ordinary. The active 3D glasses cost around Rs. 3,000 and run on battery, thus making it the only drawback for the LED. The sound quality and output of the 3D LED is also pretty ordinary and nothing much to talk about. The screen is very sleek, but not protected by a gorilla glass. Hence, it is Price: `2, 73,000 vulnerable to scratches. The LED has an SD card slot, but its panel heats up Key Specs: 55inch LED full HD 1080p screen very promptly. The LED is customised with various features and VIERA tools resolution, 3D, IPS LED Panel, Clear panel pro, such as eco-mode, VIERA connect, VIERA link, Web Browser, in-built Wi-Fi, Active 3D, 1,080p Pure Direct, 2D-3D Conversion, VIERA Remote App Support and VIERA Touch Pad Controller. Wide Viewing Angle, VIERA Connect, Web Browser, The LED is a good quality TV with minimum drawbacks. It is also great WiFi Built-In, DLNA, VIERA Link, VIERA remote App for animated content as it comes with 1080p Pure Direct. It is a worth buying, Support, VIERA Touch Pad Controller but the price is too high. Pros: Good 3D, fine sharp images, Viera connect, Bottom Line: The LED is an average 3D TV in its class with minimum drawbacks viera tools, eco mode, Viera Link and an average performance. The features of the LED are interesting and Cons: Battery run active 3D glasses exceptionally good.

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pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 89 COvERSTORY PLEDrojector TV Panasonic TH-P50GT50 Plasma: BenQ JoyBee GP2: Plasmas Still Worth Your Money? Feature-packed Performer! — Chaitanya Tapase — Shilpi Kumar The BenQ Joybee GP2 is a compact projector in the real sense, because it frees you from the hassles of needing a PC. The projector is extremely portable, only weighing 0.6 kg, Price and can play media from SD memory cards and USB drives; Performance just insert it into the projector and place it on a flat surface. Feature However, if you have to connect to a PC, you can use the octopus cable that connects to a computer through a VGA Overall connector or to an audio/video source with 3 RCA plugs. The in-built speakers are really powerful and great for watching movies. The power consumption of this device in the normal mode is 45W. The projector has a dock for iPhone and iPod touch on the A well designed product always gets you smiling, but it does top – a feature that makes it stand out in the crowd of portable have to impress with performance too. The TH-P50GT50 is projectors. Among other connectivity options, the device has quite stylish and has an impressively thin frame, but with not an HDMI port on the side, two USB ports, and an SD card slot. too many unique features, it is a doubtful contender against It can be raised using the screw-based stand that is placed some of the competition in the same price range. at the bottom. We found that although the device starts up We tested the multimedia on the TH P50GT50 Plasma instantly, it heats up within minutes of projection. The touch- TV and were impressed with the color and picture accuracy. based interface with LED lighting is responsive and easy to Landscapes and sports action look really life-like, but the operate. It features a 1280x800-pixel WVGA resolution and at disappointment comes in with the reflectiveness of the 44 inches, the display quality is crisp and great for watching display and some blurry images every now and then. The HD movies. The projector lacks a wheel for zoom, although GT50 includes the same remote as the ST50, and it’s one it does have one for focus. the price of Rs. 39,167 is a little of the better ones; although, the newly glossy face shows high for a mini projector, but it’s a handy device with superior fingerprints. Panasonic’s menus remain unchanged: an all- features that make it worth the purchase. business yellow-on-blue that still seems a bit dated compared with Samsung’s or Sony’s UI, but it gets the job done. The TV Bottom Line: A compact projector in the real sense as it frees you set gave decent 3D and ordinary 2D to 3D conversion results. from the hassles of needing a PC. The price is a bit too much for a Active 3D glasses cost an additional 3k and strain your eyes. mini projector, but the features are absolutely delightful and useful What was even more disappointing was the audio output, too. which was just about average. VieraCast was quite good in 2011, but the company didn’t change much beyond the Price: `39,167 name—it’s now VieraConnect—in 2012. Key Specs: Type: DLP, Weight: 0.6 Kg, Size (cm): 5x14x13, The GT50 also allows for multitasking; when you hit the WVGA, Native resolution: 1280 x 800, Contrast ratio: 2400:1, tools key a virtual page flips up to reveal the most recently Aspect ratio: 16.10, Brightness: 200 ANSI Lumens, Inputs: memory used apps, providing a quick access. 3D left a disappointing card, HDMI, USB, Display size: 51 to 407 inches, Life: 20,000 hours, taste after promising much, and really got us wondering if Power consumption: 45W Plasma TVs will last much longer in the market, especially if Pros: Highly portable, Powerful speakers, iPhone dock, Card slot, more features and greater clarity can be obtained from the Easy to use LED competition. Cons: Heats up quickly, Price Bottom Line: It’s quite slim for a plasma TV and is capable of some great results in picture and color accuracy, but it gives blurry images and consumes lot a power. Price Performance Price: `1,38,900 Feature Key Specs: 55-inch full HD neo plasma, 1920x1080p, Contrast 5,500,000:1 Native, Smart VIERA Engine Pro, 3D, 2D to 3D conversion, Overall 2x10W speakers, 4xHDMI input, SD card, 3xUSB2.0, 1xAnalogue audio out, RCA phono type w/cable adaptor x 1 (lower), 1x composite video input, AV1/2: AV1 shared with audio out, AV2 shared with component, 1xMini D-sub 15-pin x 1, Ethernet, Digital audio output, VieraConnect, Multitasking, Social Networking TV Pros: Good price, Great colors, Smartphone can be used as remote for web browsing, Multitasking in smart TV; Viera Link interlinks the operation of various AV devices connected through HDMI to operate them all using only the Viera remote. Cons: High power consumption, Blurry images, Bottom Line

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Panasonic PT-AE8000EA: As impressive as it gets! — Chaitanya Tapase Weighing in at more than 8kgs, the Panasonic PT-AE8000EA projector is cer- Price tainly not lightweight by any means. But it works just as well kept on a table as Performance it does hanging upside down from a ceiling. Its warm gray color doesn’t show Feature much dust and fingerprints. Another good thing about the package is that the Overall remote control is backlit, which is extremely useful, because you don’t have to hunt for a light source in the dark to operate the buttons. We found the setup to be extremely easy and intuitive. Any gadget user with average tech know-how can get it going. Once it’s set up, you can project your movies and immerse yourself in an amazing experience. The projector has excellent picture quality and 3D viewing experience— brightness at 2400 lumens, native resolution at 1920x1080, and contrast ratio at 5,00,000:1. It also has an impressive 3D depth. For 2D media (which it can convert to 3D on the fly), it has 5 modes. The max screen size for 3D is 200” diagonal and for 2D is 300” diagonal. The range can be increased to 10 meters. The zoom and focus can be controlled by the remote itself. With 3D motion remastering turned on, viewing fast-paced scenes is much more real, Price: `2,50,000 and we did not notice unnatural 3D being processed. The bottom line? Key Specs: Projector type: LCD; Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels, The must have devices with any full HD projector are a Blu-ray player, Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (native), 3D: Active shutter; Brightness: 2400 an HD media player, or a HD DTH connection! lumens, AV connectivity: 3 HDMI input, 1 component, 1 S-Video, Bottom Line: At 1080p and 2,400 lumens, the projector impressed us with all Weight: 8.7kg that it can do. We found the contrast ratio excellent with it achieving a rich and Pros: Contrast Ratio, Powered Zoom & Focus, Manual Lens Shifting, crisp display. Besides this, the 3D viewing experience is very real with all of its Lens memory, Backlit remote features in play. The manual lens shift plus lens memory is also very useful to Cons: Pricing, Bottom Line have in a projector.

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pcquest.com twitter.com/pcquest facebook.com/pcquest linkd.in/pcquest [email protected] A P R I L 2 0 1 3 PCQuest 91 UNDERSTAND • CHOOSE • IMPLEMENT IT

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