<div><strong>Dual-Sim Delight</strong></div><div>I was pleasantly surprised to see that the HTC Desire VC was a dual-sim smartphone. Seeing how popular they are in India, there’s been a need for more options in this category, especially in the upper range. A GSM-CDMA active dual, this phone has an absolutely wonderful feel to it. Its 4-inch screen fits in a body that feels just right when you hold it, narrow enough to curl your fingers</div><table width="200" border="0" align="right" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="7"><tbody><tr><td><img src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=cd720559-df24-4a99-ad40-a7067ad2c59b&groupId=222922&t=1346408749778" width="200" height="200" vspace="6" hspace="6" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); "><strong>Courtesy: Nokia</strong></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div>around and wide enough to give you some essential screen real estate. If touch phones were friendly with one-thumb operation, the user would be in luck — but they aren’t. The build is weighty enough to feel like you’re getting a device of value and yet doesn’t cross that point where you begin to think it’s heavier than it should be. The back of the phone, which comes off real easy, is a ribbed plastic material which feels soft and smooth, yet non-slippery. Neither side attracts fingerprints and scratches. All in all, it seems to have hit a sweet spot where build is concerned. For a GSM-GSM option from HTC, look at the Desire V.<br /><br /><strong>Small In Size, Big On Features</strong></div><div>After an initial grand struggle to open the back cover of the Nokia Asha 311 and pop in the Li-Ion 1110 mAh battery, I settled down to check out this feature-smart phone. It’s based on the S40 platform, meant for feature phones, but Nokia has brought it closer to a touchscreen smartphone and packed in many capabilities. With Asha, size matters. Small, that is. It’s nice to hold in your hand with its 3-</div><table width="200" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="7"><tbody><tr><td><img src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=01f82eda-4f24-496a-9b1e-25ba6603e234&groupId=222922&t=1346408837730" width="200" height="248" vspace="6" hspace="6" alt="" /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>inch display — TFT capacitive, 240 x 400 pixels. Nowhere near the bigger touchscreens, but then neither is it as intimidating to those who are scared of touch (and there are many) and who want a ‘budget’ phone. I would stop the comparison between this and higher-end smartphones right here if this one wasn’t so feature-filled. The 311 has a 1GHz processor, 128MB RAM, 140MB internal memory but with an SD card slot, and a 3.5 MP camera. But what’s nice about this phone is that it does all this for just Rs 7,139. Swipe through lots of apps (Java), browse the net fast, play games, and download lots of songs free, thanks to a bonus offered by Nokia. You can access the Nokia store and pick up apps, some of them free. You get Nokia maps, though no GPS. You have full connectivity options. For such a little phone, the text is quite nicely visible and the keys on its keyboard are spaced apart to reduce accidental touches. The nice thing is the battery life is longer than all the Android phones floating around. It’s value for money.<br /> </div><div><strong>LG’s Powerhouse</strong> <br />Ah, another Android slab, is what you may find yourself saying when you see the LG Optimus 4X HD. It isn’t a charismatic phone, but has some nice design touches such as metallic high-tech-looking lines along the sides and a leathery back that makes the phone somewhat slip-proof. It’s an understated look and possibly even business-like. But LG has put everything it’s got into this understated yet premium device. It’s a huge phone. The 4.7 inch HD-IPS screen packs 720x1280 pixel with 312 ppi density. It’s just the phone to have been running Jelly Bean but instead it’s on Android’s pre-latest, Ice Cream Sandwich. The 4X HD runs on a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9 Tegra 3 processor and chipset. It has 16GB of internal storage (micro SD slot available) and 1 GB of RAM. There’s a 2150mAh battery. I like LG’s screen unlock animation with which you press anywhere on the screen to open in a rolling circle, and have no issues with its customised</div><table width="150" border="0" align="right" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="7"><tbody><tr><td><img src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=1af8eb2b-5016-4748-80fe-97e0a6b9eb3b&groupId=222922&t=1346408897121" width="150" height="172" vspace="6" hspace="6" alt="" /></td></tr><tr><td>Courtesy: Nikon/INC</td></tr></tbody></table><div>interface except that it could do with better themes, colours and consistency. I found the keyboard a little small; there’s the danger of tapping the adjacent key to the one intended. The primary camera is an 8 megapixel and the big thing is the video, which is 1080p at 30fps and has additional touches like playback speed control and zoom. Overall, it’s a powerful phone, but would have done much better if it had appeared before the Galaxy SIII and the HTC One X. Specially, priced as it is at Rs 34,990.<br /><strong><br />Field Of Vision</strong></div><div>Nikon just unleashed an army of sports binoculars and other optical gadgets like fieldscopes and laser rangefinders in the Indian market. Nature lovers, and particularly bird watchers, have lots to choose from, with costs varying from Rs 3,750 to Rs 1,49,750 and size varying from the small and pocketable to serious heavyweights you’d want to carry as carefully as you would a camera. The binoculars also obviously differ in the amount of magnification and type of glass on offer. This optics range comes to India for the first time. Nikon has been launching new products regularly in India and is obviously confident it has a growing market in the country, were it not for our gloomy economy. Birding has recently seen a real popularity surge in India and it isn’t just about photography but getting to observe close up the habits of the thousands of bird species you can find without even having to go very far. It’s important, especially for prolonged watching, to have a good set of binoculars as poor ones can be damaging and straining on the eyes. Look at options in the EDG range for bright clear images right up to the periphery of the lens. Look at the Standard Action series for versatile binoculars suitable for tracking athletes heading for the finish line or the flitting movements of a bird. Or check out lightweights for mountaineering and nature watching.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: normal; ">(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 10-09-2012)</span> <br /><br /> </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.