Guess what? 23 per cent of Indian business travellers in 2011 were women, says Amadeus in its recent report. That’s one million ladies on the move! And this number is likely to rise. So are the airlines and hotels taking note to meet their needs? Oh, yes, they say, trotting out a list of what they are doing to woo women travellers. From feminine vanity kits in rooms to lifestyle managers to special rooms with extra large bath area, women are being offered more now. Wyndham Worldwide even runs a comprehensive blog for women business travellers (womenontheirway.com) with tips on everything from packing to staying healthy on tour. But at the other end of the spectrum — the mid market and mass market levels, there’s a big gap between what women want and what they get. Even at the high-end, what the hotels give (pink frilly curtains or special corridors) is not what women actually want. Most say they want to feel protected without being segregated. What Irritates WomenOverhead lockers, aircraft loos, menu designs, and the products on inflight shopping, says Punam Singh, country representative of India at London & Partners. “Dim lighting in rooms, lack of enough plug points, the fact that there are so few comfortable eating out options for single women, and airline pursers who look away rather than help stow your luggage,” says Sonali Dutta, vice president of corporate affairs at Bry-Air. What Women WantAt the macro level, according to a survey of hotel managers’ perceptions of women’s needs, they like to stay at hotels where they feel safe, empowered and pampered. At the micro level, tiny things like someone to help drape sarees, reports the Taj Group, which now sends lady staff to assist. Jessie Paul, CEO, Paul Writer, says she prefers to stay at the same hotels “as familiarity gives comfort”. “At the basic service level, women don't need anything very different. But if hotels are trying to differentiate themselves to woman travellers, then they could offer luggage assistance, choice of toiletries on arrival, ironing service, room service extras, discount vouchers for affinity brands…,” she says. What Women Get By and large most hotels still only stock male-centric accessories in the rooms (shoe polish, razors). To be fair though, many are getting it right. Take the Westin, Gurgaon, which has special rooms for women travellers on every floor which have make-up tables, and oversized bathrooms. The upcoming Dusit Devarana in Delhi promises to have high-end vanity kits for lady guests, a tailor on-call to stitch a costume in 24 hours. The Taj group has lady butlers for single women guests. At Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon women get special amenities (feminine room fragrance, loofa, dental kit and sanitary bags). Most hotels are also providing gender sensitive training such as not saying aloud the room number of the women guest and not giving rooms with interconnecting doors to single lady travellers. Virgin Atlantic says it offers a more generous baggage allowance, and has designed its in-flight programme with special emphasis on women travellers (more rom-coms). Plus spa and beauty treatments at its Clubhouses. It’s a start, but as more women storm the corporate citadel, expect further improvements. chitra(dot)narayanan(at)abp(dot) inTwitter: (at)ndcnn(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 25-03-2013)
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A senior banker with a global investment bank recounts wryly how his first job interview was a disaster because of his sartorial misjudgement. Fresh out of management school, he turned up for his interview in a conservative suit. Unfortunately, he paired the blue suit with a tie that was anything but conservative and a bright pink shirt. When the interview panel seemed fascinated by his attire, he knew he had lost the job. Mark Twain, rather cynically, observed: “Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” He was spot on. In most industries, the suit you wear and the tie you choose pretty much decides whether you are dubbed a man of good taste or colour blind. There are, of course, a few industries where this rule does not hold. If you are an Internet entrepreneur, for example, you could stick to your hoody or shorts. And provided you promise to make them millions, even the venture capitalists and investment bankers will not mind your dress sense. For all others, though, making the effort to understand what kind of shirt goes with which suit could go a long way in shaping career growth. If you work in an industry where you need to wear a suit to work, you are expected to dress conservatively. That means that though the lilac suit may look great on the ramp at a fashion show, it will look completely out of place in the boardroom. You would be better off playing it safe with a dark grey, charcoal, black or navy suit with notched lapels. “It could be two-button or double-breasted, solid or pinstriped fabric,” says Elisabetta Canali, global communications director of Italian luxury brand Canali. Next, you need to match a shirt with your suit. Here’s a simple rule: when in doubt go with white or cream. All dark suits will go well with white. Other shirt colours which also go reasonably well include light blue, light pink and pastel colours such as a lemon yellow. Striped shirts or those with self-designs are also good provided they are not in loud colours. People want to hear you, not your shirt. Photograph Model: Ashish Kadyan, Clothes Courtesy: Louis PhilippeThe most common mistakes happen when it comes to matching the tie. It is a reflection of you. It attracts attention, and you want it to be the right kind. Ignore it and it can easily become a knot around your neck. “Make sure the suit, tie and shirt blend in perfectly,” advises Samrat Som, creative director of Louis Philippe. Matching the colour is the main issue when choosing a tie. While it should be in contrast with the suit, it should not be glaring. Moreover, it has to match the shirt as well. While almost any tie can be worn with a white or cream shirt, coloured shirts are trickier. Some recommended combinations are: light blue shirts with red, navy or burgundy ties; light pink shirts to complement burgundy or navy blue ties; tan shirts with brown ties — provided you are wearing a dark brown suit. Som warns that carrying off a dark-coloured shirt-and-tie combination is difficult. “Unless you are very sure, don’t try it.” The other thing to consider is the pattern. “Two out of three can have patterns on them but not all three.” So if you have a pinstriped suit, go for a solid shirt and a diagonally striped or patterned tie. If the shirt is striped, match it with a solid suit and tie. Shirts with self-design can be matched with a patterned tie. Canali suggests: “With a black suit and a grey tie, go for a coloured stripe (red, burgundy or grey) shirt featuring a white collar.” The safest and easiest combination to pull off, however, is a dark-coloured suit with a light-coloured shirt and a dark tie. Try a charcoal suit with a powder blue shirt and a patterned deep blue tie. Or, go for the ultimate power dressing combination — a dark suit (preferably black) with a crisp white shirt and red tie. Distinguishing between formal evening wear and a lunch meeting suit and summer and winter wear is also important. While a black suit and red tie is great for a night out, a light grey suit with a white shirt and brown striped tie is more suitable for meeting a client for lunch. Canali says that fabric weight rather than colour distinguishes dressing in the summer from getting ready in the winter. “Blue, grey, and black can be spread in spring-summer season as well as fall-winter. Superfine wool, silk or pure cashmere can also be worn through the year.” Som says the cut of the jacket matters — half-layered jackets are lighter. But remember, even the sharpest suit and tie combination will fall flat if the suit doesn’t fit you well, so invest in a good tailor. smitatripathi(at)bworldmail(dot)comTwitter: (at)smitabw(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 25-03-2013)
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Confession time: I'm not as fit as I should be, and I suspect many reading this aren't either. Curse of our times, really. And yes, most also know what needs to be done, but a little gadget-themed prodding — the new FitBit One — may be just what you need. You see, this smooth pebble sized device is a tiny fitness monitor that counts the steps you take, the calories you burn, the stairs you climb and even tracks the quality of your sleep. At just 8 grams in weight, it's light enough to be worn on your person - in a pocket or clipped onto your clothes - during the day, and the included wristband lets you wear it while you sleep. It is rain and splash proof, which means it can stay on all day, whether you're outdoors or sweating it out in the gym. If this sounds like a glorified pedometer, that's because it is! The One uses an accelerometer and altimeter to track your activity, and a single button lets you scroll through the step counter, distance covered, calories burned and a flower icon which shows you how active you've been throughout the day. Once you're back home, the data wirelessly syncs with your PC/Mac when you're within range of the USB dongle and you can view all sorts of charts and graphs online on the FitBit website. The sleep monitor is especially neat, and I really like the silent alarm that wakes you up via a series of vibrating pulses on your wrist without disturbing your bedmate. There's much to love about the One - solid battery life, easy operation and synching, unobtrusive lightweight design and a bunch of great features that let you pay more attention to your overall fitness and health. My big gripe, aside from the fact that this device doesn't actually retail in India is that you can't get the much-touted smartphone sync feature (that lets you see your activity data on your iOS/Android device) to work since the companion apps are geographically restricted and not available in the India store. A pity, but not a big minus if the One helps you get your rear-end off the couch! Rating: 9/10Price: $99.95URL: http://bit.ly/VzGCbQ Worth A ShotSony's NEX lineup of cameras has been at the forefront of the mirrorless interchangeable lens market for a while now, attracting millions of compact camera users who wanted better image quality but without the bulk of a DSLR. The NEX-6 marries the technology and manual controls first seen on the NEX-7 with the connectivity options available on the NEX-5R. What you get with the NEX-6 is 16.1MP shooter which packs in a dSLR-size APS-C sensor, Wi-Fi functionality (to connect to your smartphone for image uploads) and a smattering of camera apps but scrimps on the touch screen found in the NEX-5R. In everyday use, the camera is comfortable to use, both in terms of how it feels in the hand and the access to the mode/control dials. Performance is plenty snappy from powering on to taking the first shot, and once you're shooting, the NEX-6 can snap 10 frames per second at full resolution. Image quality was top notch amongst its mirrorless peers, with well focussed and sharp images which offered good detail. Worth noting in particular was the impressive high-ISO (sensitivity to light) performance courtesy not only the big APS-C sized sensor but a good image processing engine that reduces noise in JPEGs without too much loss in detail. At its price, you can certainly take your pick of mid-range DSLRs, but the NEX-6 makes a strong case in terms of form factor and performance. Minor quibbles, if any are around the lack of a touch screen and the relatively smaller choice in terms of compatible lenses. Rating: 9/10Price: Rs. 49,990/-URL: http://bit.ly/ZlvcIm Connected RouteThe MapmyIndia CarPad 5 might look like an in-car GPS, but it is a 3G Android tablet, complete with pre-loaded all-India maps, a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen and the power of the Google Play store for additional apps. With its SIM capabilities, you can receive calls through the device as well, albeit through a connected Bluetooth headset, which makes it a fairly capable device overall. The bigger concern -a cheaper and more powerful tablet would do a better job with MapmyIndia software installed. URL: http://bit.ly/UOn983Price: Rs 19,990technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Phew! The first three months of the year have seen so much action around mobile flagship devices, yet the launch of two devices- the Micromax A116 Canvas HD and the Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos I9082 - has brought the focus back on the mid-range segment. Both these devices pack in 5-inch displays and dual-SIM (with dual-standby) capabilities, run the Android 4.1 Jellybean version, and offer buyers similar specs in terms of camera (8MP), battery and memory specifications. Does the Samsung juggernaut steamroll the more competitively priced Canvas HD, or does the local underdog prevail? I pit both phones against each other on 5 key parameters to see which one triumphs. Display: Score one for the Canvas HD, which features a 1280 x 720 pixel display in its five-inch screen as compared to the lower 480x800 pixels on the Grand. As a result, images, text and videos are sharper, though contrast issues make the experience seem a tad washed out when compared to the Grand. Has to be said that despite the lower resolution, the Grand display isn't bad, per se, but scrimping on a 720p display when a far cheaper handset packs one in seems odd.Winner: Canvas HD, by a whisker. Build Quality: While both phones make heavy use of plastic in their design, the Grand felt better and more refined in the hand, not to mention thinner, almost like a budget version of the SIII. While the Galaxy Grand is wider, the Canvas HD is longer, so it sits better in smaller-to-medium-sized hands. In either case, both devices punch above their weight and feel a lot more expensive than their price suggests - especially true with the Canvas HD which feels leagues better in the hand than previous Micromax phones.Winner: Galaxy Grand, for its refinement and the extremely handy flip cover that's included in the retail pack. Performance: In terms of sheer horsepower, the quad-core chip under the Canvas HD's hood blows the dual-core-based Grand out of the water, even though you really have to push the two devices to see the extra grunt that the Canvas HD packs come into play. That said, the Grand is no slouch, and both handsets breeze through everyday tasks with ease, and you only see the Grand stutter under heavy multitasking and some of the latest graphics intensive games.Winner: Canvas HD, for packing in so much more for less. Interface: A thinly skinned, almost-pure Android experience vs. Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz skin? Ordinarily, I'd prefer the former, but in this case, the better social sharing options and neat software add-ons (like the split-screen view and the gesture support that's usually to be found on their more premium devices) tilt the discussion in favor of the Grand.Winner: The Grand Camera: Both cameras perform well in well-lit conditions, but come evening, the Canvas HD's low light performance takes a massive hit - not so with the Grand. In fact, you could possibly consider the Canvas HD's camera its biggest drawback.Winner: The Grand. Battery Life: Battery life for both is middling in that they both last a day (just about), though even with the extra hardware that the Canvas HD packs, it doesn't drain out quite as quickly as the Grand does. Considering that the Grand has a large 2000mAh battery, this is surprising.Winner: Canvas HD Media Playback: With good playback support in both handsets, playing movies is a cinch on either. Keep in mind though that the onboard storage and expandability on the Grand is double that of the Canvas HD, so if you're a media maven who absolutely must have a bunch of movies and numerous playlists wherever you go, the Grand is a better choice. My out-and-out choice for music and audio quality would go to the Grand, and the great pair of included headphones help its cause a fair bit. Even though the Grand packs in a lower resolution screen, the movie watching experience on the Grand is leagues ahead of the Canvas HD thanks to the great sound quality and high contrast levels.Winner: The Grand. Verdict: Things are neck and neck for the moment, but here's the clincher — the Canvas HD is cheaper than the Grand by about Rs. 7,000! Is the Samsung branding and the promise of better after-sales worth that much? Not in my books! Back In ActionRemember Lara Croft, the fictional British archaeologist whose killer looks and propensity for murder wholly overshadowed her little-explored archeological talent? Well, Lara's back in the 2013 reboot of the Tomb Raider series in a game that serves as a retelling of how Lara came to be, a prequel of sorts. Beware, this game is full on right from the get go. Within the first few minutes, you're already in the thick of things, with Lara having been kidnapped, maimed, tortured and almost killed off. That's just a precursor of things to come — the gore just keep getting even more insane, and the game takes you through the psychological evolution of Lara as she goes from a young researcher to trigger-happy adventurer. Gameplay is fluid, if a little restricted with all those cut scenes. One of the best parts of the game I liked personally was the puzzle solving missions, and not only because they provided a breather from all the gore. All in all, Tomb Raider is a well-executed and beautifully paced game that truly does justice to one of gaming's most iconic characters. Just watch out for the gore. Rating: 9/10Price: Rs 2,499 for Xbox/PS3URL: http://bit.ly/12QCARMtechnocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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The beautiful news reading magazine app Flipboard couldn't have gotten any better, but it just did. I've always thought Flipboard was all by itself, enough of a reason to buy the iPad. It's pretty good on Android as well, but best on its original home where it was practically the first app I would recommend to new owners of the tablet.Everyone's got some reading to do, whether for work, hobbies and interests, or just to keep up with what's happening. Even with the original Flipboard, you could collect your reading material in read-later apps like Instapaper or Pocket. But with the most recent update, you can actually create a magazine in minutes. And this ability is more powerful than it looks because you can create a quick package that looks compelling, to share with others on social networks. Nothing stops you from curating your own content either -- as long as it's searchable, find it and make your magazine.Touch to CreateAll you need to do to create your magazine is curate. Search for topics, look at favourite sources or select stories from your social streams. You can even use a bookmarklet via browsers on a laptop or PC to send stuff to your magazine. In the Flipboard app, you just press the plus button to add a story to your magazine, which you can name and describe. This lets you put in whatever lines you think will compel your potential readers to look at your magazine. You can promote a selected story to become the top story, with its associated photo becoming the cover. Once you're done, you just tap the arrow to share your magazine. You can also choose to keep magazines private, collecting material for yourself for later reading. If you haven't used Flipboard before, you should know that you can pull in content from practically anywhere including Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram and even Google Reader, which Google has announced it will shut down but feeds from which you can continue to access in Flipboard.Powerful SharingI know every app these days includes sharing to social networks. But when you add that to a whole package of content, which could include videos and podcasts if the content does, so easily created and so attractive looking, it's a powerful capability. If we were to look at a few use cases, consider how easily you could search for news or articles about one of your products and share that to your Facebook page. Or think how easily you could create a small collection of articles on a subject in which you're trying to establish your influence and share that on Twitter or LinkedIn. If you enable push notifications, you can see comments on content from those in your networks as and when they happen or read them later from the Activity tab. Either way, it should be a conversation starter if you're looking to engage on topics of similar interest with others. You can even email a Flipboard link via email, and it goes out with an image. You can pick content from anywhere and since credit to the original content producer is right there -- in fact, the links are regular Flipboard additions -- there should be no copyright issues looming up ahead though people will be taken aback to find their content popping up all over the place.Read it laterInstapaper and Pocket have been two apps that are most popular for later reading. Every app worth its salt allows for a send to Instapaper or Pocket ability. But the fact that you can now save content in a nice format means there's some competition for services like Instapaper. Flipboard continues to be competition for Zite, another app that works with the "personalised magazine" concept but focuses on reading rather than curating. Discovering more content on the new Flipboard is also crafted into the app. The search itself supports hashtags and specific keywords and delivers results in magazine style. Within the pages of a magazine, you will also find sub sections and lists of sources or people that you can add to your reading collections. Many Flipboard readers are also featured in their own section when they post content.All n all, Flipboard has grown to be a richly featured app on the iPad and iPhone. The new features are yet to make their way to the Android version, but they probably will soon enough.(mala(dot)bhargava(at)gmail(dot)com)
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Running strong with its Xperia series, the Japanese electronics giant Sony launched its latest Xperia Z and Xperia ZL smartphone, on 6 March’ 2013 in a glittering event in Delhi, graced by brand ambassador Katrina Kaif. The Sony Xperia ZL is priced at Rs 36,990 while the Sony Xperia Z comes for Rs 38,990. The smartphones will be available in India on 12 March’ 2013. The Sony Xperia Z went on sale in Japan last month and is now available in 60 countries. It is part of the Japanese electronics group's push for a greater market presence in mobile devices. “India is a high focus and high-growth market for Sony. The smartphone market in India hold very strong mid-term growth potential, with smartphone sales projected to be 33 million units approx. by FY13 in India,” says Dennis Van Schie, VP, head of sales and marketing, Sony. The 5 inch sized Sony Xperia Z operates on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform that will soon be upgraded to Android 4.2 and has a TFT display that supports 1920x1080p resolution that boasts of 441ppi pixel density. With a quad-core 1.5GHz Krait processor and 2GB RAM in this smartphone, the device has 16GB inbuilt storage capacity and 32GB microSD card support. It also possesses ample connectivity options such as 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0, and comes with a 13 mp camera and 4G LTE with a battery stamina mode that can help increase battery back-up to 50 per cent. Xperia ZL delivers the same experience but with a much compact design and is thicker and heavy as compared to Xperia Z. “The launch of Sony Experia Z today, is the start of our journey to triple the Xperia sales in India, to Rs 3,500 crore in FY 13. The company has taken several steps towards the direction, including tripling the Xperia marketing budget to Rs 300 crore for FY13, more than doubling the sales channel counters to 8,000 and increasing the service touch points to 200 by FY13,” says Kenichiro Hibi, MD, Sony India. In India, Sony had a 9 per cent share of the smartphone market last quarter making it a distant No.2 behind market leader Samsung's 40 percent share, according to research firm Canalys. These phones will also have Sony apps such as Sony Music and Sony LIV that will let consumers stream unlimited free music and video for initial 6 months of product purchase. Sony also tied up with Vodafone to offer 8 GB free data download for the first two months of product purchase.
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No sooner had our pockets, hands and wallets evolved to handle the five-inch smartphones of 2012 that we have now to contend with what is sure to be the norm for 2013 – full high definition screens on smartphones. Yes, that’s the same resolution display as the LCD TVs in most living rooms today…in a phone! HTC’s the first out of the gates with its full-HD toting Butterfly – let’s flit over whether it’s worth the rather princely asking price, shall we? Let’s get one thing out of the way first, though. Butterfly? Seriously? A name like this does serious disservice to the phone, more so when you’re asked by curious onlookers which phone you’re carrying! Get past the name, and the phone makes a pretty great first impression. The soft-touch polycarbonate back panel, the grill pattern along the side and a screen whose edges look like they’re melting off the sides of the phone all make the Butterfly look like a million bucks, and the slim profile and light weight (for the size) make it nice to hold in the hand. Yet, the design is not without issues. The power/lock button is dead center on the top, which makes it awkward to press – a button the side would have been much more natural. Plus the micro-SIM and microSD card slot is covered by a plastic flap that's ridiculously hard to pry open. Under the hood, the phone checks off all the boxes – a powerful quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with an Adreno 320 graphics processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard memory with a microSD card slot for expansion. In everyday use, apps and games load plenty fast and the interface is responsive, even though the phone is pushing out many more screen pixels than other flagship Android devices. The camera pushes out great images (not the best I’ve seen though), and I liked the extra wide angle front facing camera, which is perfect for group shots. But it’s the screen that rightfully gets all the attention — this is one seriously impressive display. It packs in an incredible pixel density of 440pixels per inch, far above the iPhone 5 and the Note II. Specs aside, colour reproduction is excellent, viewing angles are superb and brightness is almost unrivaled in the market right now. You really have to see this in the flesh to fully appreciate it. But is the bump up from the 720p resolution displays of the One X+ or the Galaxy S III worth all the extra pennies you have to shell out for the Butterfly. In everyday use, probably not. What also works against the Butterfly is that by the time you read this, a new HTC flagship is expected to be right around the corner, ready for its India launch. Great phone, bad pricing and timing? Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 49,900 (MRP)URL: http://bit.ly/Ul77CDAlso Read: Mala Bhargava's review of HTC Butterfly Tab On BusinessWindows 8 has seen a slow start in the consumer segment, but it’s really in the enterprise where the big numbers lie. Dell’s Latitude 10 tablet is the first Windows 8 tablet to focus on the enterprise segment. Design is sober and you get the regular complement of USB, mini-HDMI, audio ports, along with an SD card slot. Specs are about par for an Intel Atom-powered 3G-enabled Windows 8 tablet, but it is no way a performance machine. Good for the office, and for some play when you get home. It’s the business oriented features that suits will really love in the Latitude 10, such as the Intel TPM chip for encryption and security in corporate environments, a removable battery and the optional fingerprint reader. A plastic stylus is included for scribbling notes and drawing diagrams. If you pick up the docking stand (available separately), you get four USB ports, high-speed Gigabit Ethernet and a full-sized HDMI port, but you’ll have to add your own monitor, keyboard and mouse to turn it into a full workstation. As long as you’re not hoping for a great camera (it isn’t) and high-end-ultrabook performance, you will not be disappointed with the Latitude 10.Rating: 8/10Price: Rs. 47,290 + VATURL: http://dell.to/15gGim7 Portable MusicThe Portronics Pure Sound is a portable speaker that works as claimed – it lets you play music off a USB drive or micro-SD card, plus it plays good ol’ FM when you’re on the move. Connect the included audio cable and you can add some volume to those tinny laptop speakers as well, plus it’s small enough to fit in one corner of an office bag. URL: http://bit.ly/12PRNl0Price: Rs 1,699technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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You could describe Nokia's new Lumia 920 in a lot of ways, but you'd never call it understated. Nothing about the phone — not the bold bright body color options, not the size and the heft of the device, not even the fact that a lot of Nokia's future depends on the success of this device and its Windows Phone 8 brethren - is even remotely in the same pin code as understated!That's not a bad thing, per se. Walk into a store and there's little to tell a number of Android phones apart, more so with their excessive use of cheap plastic. With the 920, the Nokia design language and the polycarbonate unibody shell that started with the N9 continue to look appealing. Yet, there's no getting away from the fact - this device is heavy, possibly one of the bulkiest flagships to hit the market in a long while. It's not excessive, but it sure does carry some extra grams that the competition does not. Flip side? It feels really sturdy! Once you get used to the heft, there's a lot to like. First stop - the gorgeous 4.5-inch display, which Nokia terms a PureMotion HD+ with ClearBlack tech. Translated, it's a crisp 768 x 1280 pixel display that really shows off the bright punchy colors of Windows Phone 8 experience. Speaking of which, Windows Phone 8 flies on the 920, and Nokia's bundled some excellent exclusive apps by way of the Drive, Maps and Music apps, which make a compelling case for the 920 if you've decided to go the WP8 way. Plus you get NFC and wireless charging features, which admittedly are high on novelty value but limited in daily use. But it's another badge that the phone wears that piqued my interest the most - PureView. Strangely enough, the 920 lacks the 41-megapixel sensor and the oversampling technology that gave the Nokia 808 its PureView moniker. What the 920 does deliver on is exceptional low-light images and optical image stabilisation, with the latter making a world of a difference to your photos and videos. The 920 then is a worthy device to wear the WP8 flagship crown, but does that mean you should pick one up? WP8's app situation is picking up, but the much-delayed 920 launch makes one wonder if more aggressive pricing would have positioned the 920 better against the far superior hardware that the competition is rolling out at similar price levels. Rating: 8/10Price: Rs. 38,199/-URL: http://bit.ly/14BCJXuAlso Read: Mala Bhargava's review of Lumia 920 SharpshooterThe Hitman series has always emphasised problem solving over brute force, and the latest installment, Hitman: Absolution, builds on this premise. You play Agent 47, possibly the most stylishly dressed hitman in gaming, starts the story being sent out to eliminate his former handler. This interesting plot setup also serves as the game tutorial to familiarise you with the controls and capabilities of Agent 47. Pity that the plot degrades from there on into a rather silly storyline, the setup had so much promise… Gameplay involves you moving from one assassination to another, which are laid out in the form of puzzles where you figure out the best way to eliminate the target. If things go wrong and you're caught in the act, you'll need to be stealthy and only take on as much as you can handle - unlike a number of other games, you'll quickly die when you try to go up against more than two or three people at once. Anymore, and you best bet is to run, and run fast! Boy, those moments get really tense! All in all, a worthwhile game to pick up, more so if you prefer finesse over force. Rating: 7/10Price: Rs. 2,799/-URL: http://bit.ly/XbmYzd Click NotesTake the pleasure of writing in a Moleskine notebook, and add the smarts that come with the Evernote app. That's the promise behind the Evernote Smart Notebook - the ability to transform and tag your handwritten pages into searchable Evernote notes. All you do is take a picture of the page with the Evernote iOS or Android app. Sure, you can already do this on any notebook, but these notebooks feature specially patterned lines and four sheets of stickers so Evernote can more easily recognise your writing and automatically tag your pages. Rating: 8/10Price: HK$228 (delivery to India)URL: http://bit.ly/XWSBgBtechnocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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