<div>Beloved of geeks and awaited for months in India, the Nexus 4 is the all-Google phone made by LG. In fact, this phone has gone a long way in boosting LG’s brand equity. <br /> </div><div>To start with, it’s a great looking device because it pretty much seems like human beings love glass and gloss, and that’s something the <br /> </div><div>Nexus 4 has, both front and back. It’s got broad bezels bordering the top and bottom of its screen, but slimmer bezels on the sides. The Nexus 4 has a distinctive signature back, which is a smooth non-removable panel that sparkles with a very fine pattern of dots — which makes it look like diamond dust. <br /> </div><div>The glass, however, makes it quite slippery and if it weren’t for the rubbery sides that improve the grip somewhat, the danger of dropping the phone would be very high. It doesn’t look like it would take very many drops either, so most probably it will have to go straight into a case, hiding the lovely back design. Oh well, that is the fate of many smartphones whose good and bad design are both hidden by a case. <br /> </div><div>The Nexus logo on the back, by the way, looks so very classy too and that’s another thing that will have to go into hiding.<br /> </div><div>But the thing that the Nexus 4 is most famous for is being “pure Android”, which means that it’s got whatever Google put on it as part of its operating system, which gets updated long before other Android devices, giving the tech-savvy a huge thrill. <br /> </div><div>The updates usually bring new features and capabilities, but what you give up with a pure Android phone is the customised experience that phone manufacturers such as LG, Samsung, HTC or Sony put in to make it easier to use. And more interesting, if you’re an average user. <br /> </div><div>With a Google phone, those who are tech-savvy can go ahead and easily discover the new things that the updates can do and shape their own experience by downloading launchers, apps, widgets, among others. <br /> </div><div>For the person who would rather get a readymade experience, I’d recommend getting a device on which the manufacturer has put in the effort for you, even if it means you don’t have the absolute latest Android version. <br /> </div><div>The Nexus 4 is also known for being a smooth performer — ‘Project Butter’ or Google’s measures to make Android fast and pleasurable, work like a charm on it. You can swipe and pinch and zoom through the screens with swimming ease. You encounter no lag while navigating and using applications. The benchmarks put this device close to the Galaxy S3 and HTC One X in performance, but it is real world performance that matters because raw power has to be optimised carefully with the software. <br /> </div><div>The screen on this smartphone is bright, though maybe a touch glaring, with good viewing angles and natural colours. It’s great for gamers, though it gets a little warm with heavy use that drains the battery, of course. The battery lasts just a day with light use. Browsing is fast, but minus Flash. Sound is a little disappointing as it’s on the tinny side and lacks depth. Call quality is clear though. <br /> </div><div>A third reason why the Nexus 4 created a buzz right from the start is that it’s been priced lower than other phones. At Rs 25,999, it’s definitely value for money as you get a device that performs well and has a premium feel and branding. It is available in black and white. <br /> </div><div>The camera on the Nexus 4 is not one of its high points. It’s average and workable, but the device is not a camera specialist. A feature that is enabled with Android 4.2.2 is the ability to take 360-degree panoramic shots, and that was a much-awaited feature when the Nexus 4 first came out. But apart from that, the interface is a little atypical and takes getting used to. <br /><br /><strong>Checkout</strong><br /><br /><strong>Nikon Coolpix A</strong><br />If you’ve been even a little camera-conscious you would have heard of the Nikon D7000, a favourite</div><table width="200" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" border="0" align="right"><tbody><tr><td><img width="300" vspace="3" hspace="3" height="178" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=c60150b7-d545-4630-8852-3c69ed3d8a1f&groupId=816580&t=1372416047550" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><strong>Rs</strong></span></td><td><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><strong> 54,000</strong></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div>with photo enthusiasts. Now Nikon has taken its APS-C CMOS sensor and squeezed it into a Coolpix camera, from its compact range. The new Coolpix A is jacket-pocketable and yet, houses a DX-format sensor meant for DSLRs. It’s not quite your point-and-shoot and will call for knowing some photography and camera basics, and it’s not quite a comprehensive professional’s tool. Instead, it’s considered a niche product for street photography and other similar situations.<br /> <br />The Coolpix A has a sturdy metallic body with a lot of magnesium alloy. It stays compact because there’s no extruding lens mechanism — and no zoom. The lens comes out a little bit when you use the power-on lever on top and it does so quickly, ready to take a shot. The body has a sandpapery feel to ensure you don’t drop it. There’s no viewfinder or moveable screen and the 3-inch screen isn’t touch enabled. There’s been an obvious attempt to keep it as slim as possible while still keeping it solid. There’s a hotshoe that will let you use various optional accessories such as a Wi-Fi attachment. This is a 16.2 MP shooter with a 28mm f/2.8 ’equivalent’ lens. It competes with the Sony RX100 and the Fujifilm X100s. Its effective ISO range is 100-6400. There are lots of controls and buttons; some of them, such as an instant macro button on the side, are quite useful because of their quick access. But there are also some quirks, such as no physical button for video shooting. That’s hidden in one of the dials. The quality of images is clear and sharp and realistically coloured. It’s good at low light as well.<br /><br />mala(dot)bhargava(at)gmail(dot)com<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 15-07-2013)</span></div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
