The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is over 45 years old. This year, the show was the target of a lot of moaning and groaning, though over 150,000 people did attend it in Las Vegas. One thing people cribbed about was that many of the big tech companies were not there — at least not directly. Apple and Google have their own shows. And Microsoft, which until last year had a key presence at CES, exited the show, though Windows 8 was present everywhere. Nokia and Research in Motion weren’t there directly either. RIM will be launching its BlackBerry 0S and devices later this month at its own event. Much is showcased at CES that never makes it to the market, so many question the true relevance of the show. While it is true that individual gadgets and devices may not turn up on the shelves soon, if at all, the broad trends can be seen between the lines, as you’ll see from this selection of devices and technologies. Television Takes CenterstageVery much as expected, CES, which isn’t essentially a smartphone show, had a feast of other tech, showing the world what could be coming in the future. Samsung showed off a suite of innovative TVs, one of which is actually quite decidedly curved. The OLED technology used in this prototype uses colours by illuminating them directly with electricity. Think of it as the next step up from LCD and plasma. But what’s with the curve? That’s supposed to make for an immersive panoramic viewing experience while actually aligning the image more precisely, making it more life-like. Looking at a landscape, for example, is supposed to feel like you’re surrounded by it. This beautiful TV is too expensive to make and even more so to buy, so it won’t be in the market anytime soon. Considering it’s Apple that’s always lauded as the best designer of products and a TV set of some sort being launched by the company sometime in 2013 is often talked about, it’s interesting that Samsung has come out with beautifully designed and feature-filled TVs. They’re thin and almost bezel-less and described as ‘floating’ by those who’ve seen them. Among them was a 110-inch 4k ultra high definition TV, another prototype. Very crisp and clear, obviously, it hangs on an easel and can be tilted. In their 55-inch KN55F9500 OLED TV, Samsung has brought in a new multi-view feature. Yep, you can watch two shows or videos at the same time. While that’s interesting, it also means you have to wear headphones and glasses. Whether that’s being socially anti-social or alone together, you can decide. All agree that this piece of tech will pop up in TVs soon enough but no announcements on that yet. On its Smart Hub, the smart TV interface, Samsung has developed features to help users navigate, discover and view content more smartly. The TVs will face-recognise users and will recommend content. Using voice recognition and gestures (already present in Samsung’s Smart TVs), users will flip through panels of content and become better couch potatoes.Sony’s 2013 Flagship: The Xperia ZPeople were very excited about the Sony Xperia Z even before CES. Many have asked me if I could confirmThe Xperia aesthetic is quite elegant to begin with and now it’s a whole 5 inches of clean-cut lines and slightly rounded corners on a 7.8 mm thin glassy phone. Sony dubs it the ‘Omni Balance’ design because everything is in parallel lines and precise. The Z has a beautiful 1080 x 1920p screen. Pixel density is 443ppi. It’s tricked out with Sony’s Mobile Bravia 2 technology, which is when the phone senses the environment you’re in and adjusts the screen for better viewing — not just brightness. the final price which, of course, I can’t as it’s not yet on the market. Everyone is seeing the Z as Sony’s answer to the wildly popular Samsung Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. That would mean it would need to have something unique and interesting about it. And it does. Incidentally, if the phone drops into water, it isn’t the end. The smartphone won’t even turn off, but emerge out of the experience unscathed — as long as you don’t leave it in there for more than 30 minutes. It’s also dust resistant. To make good use of that screen is a 13 megapixel camera, believed to be the standard for 2013. This has a few tricks up its sleeve too. You can shoot HDR or high dynamic range videos, not just photos. This means greater depth and evenness. The camera also auto selects scenes depending on what it’s seeing — one setting for text, another for face, etc. That large 5-inch bright screen is going to gobble up battery, so you have a 2330 mAh non-removable battery on board. But, and here’s another trick, you have a new ‘Battery Stamina’ technology which optimises battery life by shutting off apps when the screen is off. You can control this, of course. I can’t say whether this goes beyond some of the Android apps that help you prolong battery life. One will have to wait for a review unit. Another thing to be checked out is how the Xperia Z works with NFC. I know everyone’s been talking about NFC since forever, but it’s been shown to work well with things like tapping the phone on headphones to turn the music on, for example. Other specs on the Xperia Z include a 1.5 GHz quad core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2 GB RAM. So it’s not only Sony’s first almost-phablet but its first quad core as well. There’s a microSD slot to expand the 16 GB storage by another 32GB. It runs Jelly Bean 4.1 which should hopefully be 4.2 by the time it arrives, bringing with it some nice additional features. The Xperia Z will be in India in March. The black and white versions will be available but one can’t say for sure about the other colours as it seems colours don’t sell as well as they do in other countries, a fact that continues to shock me. We don’t have a price yet but there’s no reason for it to cost less than the phones it’s competing with. One Large PhabletThe other phone being talked about — if one can call it a phone — is Huawei’s huge 6.1 inch whatever. Of course, seeing how fond I am of large screens, I’m sure to like it, but 6.1 inches is pushing the envelope a bit if you want to keep the gadget in the smartphone category. But no one defines the boundaries of the new genre of super large phone-tablets, so there’s nothing to stop a company from trying what it wants. Huawei’s Ascend Mate was also much anticipated before the CES show and it actually dwarfs the Note II, being just an inch short of what everyone agrees are tablets. And yet, it looks light and thin. The Mate has a lovely big 1280 x 720 pixel LCD IPS display with approximately 241 ppi density. And it’s a powerful gadget running on a 1.5 GHz quad core processor with 2 GB of RAM and a huge 4050 mAh battery. It has a light interface on top of Android 4.1 and a collection of preloaded apps. It has an 8 megapixel, 3264 x 2448 pixel camera and a secondary 1 megapixel one. But mostly, it’s just large. Tablets Size Up For CESLast year, CES was awash with tablets, all vying to compete with the iPad. The rest of the year saw the tablet-isation of the computing world. Tablets also clashed head on with laptops and desktops, with tablets winning. Now tablets are trying to find differentiating attributes as they also compete with each other. So guess what some of them decided to do at CES 2013? They go into size overdrive. Lenovo showed off a huge Table PC called the Idea Centre Horizon. It’s a whole 27 inches of touchscreen, which becomes multitouch when laid flat and a Windows 8 touchscreen when vertical or tilted. This is a beautiful screen and really shows off Windows 8 but, of course, you’d have to wonder how you’d use it. One idea is for a family to play games together on it. Another is for it to be used in the workplace when several people need to look at or work together on something graphical. Asus and Vizio also showed large Windows 8 tablets, or rather, all-in-ones. Two-Faced PhoneThe Russians have come up with a fascinating concept for a two-screen phone. And when you see thedesign you see the sense of it. Why should the back of a phone be doing nothing? One may as well put it to use in some way. The YotaPhone has a regular Android screen on the front while there is an e-ink screen on the back. With a single gesture, like a shortcut, you can enable certain information on the back screen. For example, you could display a map and keep it there while you do other things on the front screen. The same can be done with a boarding pass or ticket. It’s only a thought but a good one. Flexi ScreenThere has been talk of a flexible screen from Samsung for a while now. And at CES 2013 it debuted. Using OLED on a plastic form, Samsung has come up with a bendable phone which could be in widespread use in the future. It looks as bright and nice, but is still a concept to be developed. If you’re wondering what problem a flexible screen is trying to solve, then think of how much you’ve wished for an unbreakable phone. Rolling up the phone could also mean you could fit a bigger screen on a more portable form. The flexibility also has implications for being able to show information in different ways.Cold ConnectLots of smart appliances, robots and home security gadgets were showcased at CES. Simplicikey, for example, is an app which lets you remotely control who comes into your home by letting you give permitted people a code to get in. Another device lets your plant send you a message when it needs to be watered. And then, from Samsung, which rather dominated at CES, there’s a smart fridge. T9000 includes integration with Evernote (so you can look at what you want to remember), and read-only Twitter. I’m not sure Indian homes are ready for Evernote-ready fridges, but then the Evernote-ready fridge doesn’t have an announced launch date yet either.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 28-01-2013)
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Nokia's future depends upon it. Microsoft needs it as it head-butts its way into mobility, But what is it to you and me? The Lumia 920 is here in India and it’s time to figure out what this snazziest of smartphones brings to the battlefield. As it enters the arena, the 920 joins a clique of elite smartphones from Samsung, Apple, HTC, Sony and soon, Research in Motion, all of whom face challenges of their own. How it will fare, is difficult to guess. The Lumia LookZinging with colour, weighing a fair bit, and seeming larger than life, the Lumia 920 is for those who wear their phones boldly and love the feel of a solid well-built device in their hands — even if it's twice as heavy as other smartphones its size. You either belong in the camp that can't get past the dimensions, or you're among those who can adjust to different form factors. You both love the colour and know which one you want straight off, or you can't understand how you could live down carrying a yellow phone to work. I'll happily count myself among the colour camp because I got the cherry red unit to look at and loved the colour afresh each time I picked it up. The other colours are cyan, yellow, black and white. The headphones match the device and so does the wireless charger, except that you don’t get it bundled in the pack in India. Also Read: Flipping Over It: Dell XPS Review The review in Print: High On Looks You feel the 920’s 185 gms straight away. I’m not sure what makes it so heavy but it may well be some of the components that make the camera on this phone special. It would cause some pain to the pocket of a light cotton shirt or some such, but otherwise, in this age of 5+inch phones, obviously people don’t mind the heft. The Lumia look really dazzles when you turn the phone on and have a look at that gorgeous screen. The 4.5-inch screen uses a technology they call PureMotionHD and Clear Black and it makes the blacks blacker and colours more vibrant and clear. The pixel count is 1280 x 768 with a density of ~332 ppi and yes, there are higher spec’d screens but this one still looks fantastic. The screen also behaves fantastic, even if you have gloves on. It’s super responsive and very fast and liquid-smooth. The Windows 8 live tiles look wonderful as they melt from one image to another. The 920 has a unibody form, gently curved on the back and on the sides, making it easy to hold, especially as it’s also narrow enough to fit your hand well. Buttons are minimal and there’s really nothing extra except a dedicated camera button. There’s no microSD card but it has 32GB of storage. The 920 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core 1.5 GHz processor with 1 GB of RAM. I thought it should have more but since it’s working fast enough, why question it. The battery, which you can’t get at, is a 2,000 mAh and lasted me the day on light usage. Signature Windows 8Windows 8 really shines on this flagship device, though it's standardised across smartphones. A manufacturer can't really make changes to much of what is on a Windows 8 phone, but they can enhance the experience for the user with additions. That's something Nokia has been able to do with some of its own signature applications such as Nokia Drive, Maps, City Lens, and Nokia Music. There’s no FM radio on this phone, by the way. I will not get into what Windows 8 is all about here, except to point out briefly some of the pluses and minuses for those considering buying. Windows 8 is familiar to those already using a Windows 7+ device, while newbies will probably find it refreshing and unencumbered by many settings. In that sense, it’s closer to Apple’s iOS. Savvy Android users are likely not to find enough to fiddle with the customisation will not be nearly enough and will feel lost without being Google services and apps at hand. And Apple users would sorely miss the universe of apps that makes the iPhone a compelling product beyond its much loved design. Windows' apps are growing in number, but it's been a struggle to get 46 of the top popular 50 apps. For those who really want a different experience or who come to smartphones without previous baggage, Windows 8 phones like the 920 should be a nice alternative to existing ecosystems. That Special CameraThose who are aware of how the first PureView branded phone, the Nokia 808, brought in startlingly advanced capabilities to a smartphone camera, will be curious to see what the second PureView does. The 808 had a huge lens and used an interesting new method of stuffing the information from 7 pixels into every pixel resulting in a 41 megapixel camera. The 920 does not take up where the 808 left off. Instead, Nokia has shifted the meaning of PureView to include all their phone camera innovations, and the 920 comes with a new one without including the pixel oversampling trick. The new innovations are about two things: OIS or optical image stabilisation, a method of putting components on springs internally so that its less sensitive to physical shaking, and low light photography. Both these aspects have been chosen keeping in mind that shooting casual photos and video has become wildly popular with most smartphone owners. Shake-free Pictures And VideoThe optical image stabilisation (OIS) on the 920’s camera is most evident with videos. I couldn’t even believe it when I turned on the video mode, bobbed up and down and shot a short video which turned out to be smooth. No wonder Nokia demonstrates the OIS by taking the phone for a helicopter ride and shooting from there. The result with photos is a little less dramatic. You can’t really guarantee blur-free unshaken pictures because of many other factors, one of them being the pressing of the shutter button, if you’re not careful and prepared with the button depressed halfway down and ready to go for the click. Even while being as careful as I could, I came up with blurred images in some situations, especially low light. Interestingly, cameras that have voice command capabilities reduce this shake and the 920 does not have this built in but there’s an app for that. I tried it out though and have never come across something more annoying than this app that talk back to you – in a terrible accent. Low Light Star PerformerYou can’t help but gasp in surprise the first time you take a low light picture and see an image filled with light. I took a shot of a statue in a dark corner of my room with just one yellow 40 watt CFL on in another area. To my shock the picture cam up all lit up. But it’s not all roses here. Comparing with the Nokia 808, I found the image less light-filled and more noisy, yet sharper. The same was with the Galaxy Note II’s camera which gave me even more noise but did have some light and captured the statue a bit sharper. Unfortunately I didn’t have an iPhone 5 for comparison but I have taken some sharp pictures with that phone earlier and not in the best of lighting conditions. All these are minus flash and with night mode or automatic. In sum, the low light capability on this camera is surprising and exceptional but the results will depend on many factors other than the presence of that extra light. When all else is fine, people go and move and ruin a photograph anyway. So if one is planning to take lots of pictures in dark restaurants, just try your luck and sometimes you’ll get good pictures, sometimes not. They will be more lit up. Everything ElseThe camera otherwise has minimal basic settings, sharing and editing on board though there’s a bit of a “where is everything?” feel to it. For photo buffs like me, the lack of settings to fiddle with is annoying, but to those who don’t want to bother, you got it. Another annoyance is that features that are usually built in to cameras on other smartphones have to be downloaded as apps or ‘lenses”. There’s no face recognition, for example. But in the small collection of lenses are some very interesting ones. Cinemagraph lets you animate some part of a photograph and you select the area to be animated just by brushing in with a mask. There’s also Smart Shot which will take several shots together so you can end up with the best one. HDR, panorama and other lenses and effects are also available. On other phones, they’re there to begin with. Yet another thing I found particularly annoying is that in the screen-tap focus can’t be controlled – tap and it focuses and shoots without a chance to do much about it. The shutter button, though two-stage, is also a bit tricky to use, especially if you want to take many quick shots, for which there’s no burst mode. Annoyances aside though, the 920 uses a 26mm wide-angle 1/3 inch F2.0 Carl Zeiss lens. Its backside illuminated and outputs at 8 megapixel for a 4:3 ratio and 7.1 at 16:3 ratio. It shoots photos at 3264 x 2448 resolution in 4:3 mode and 3552 x 2000 in 16:9 mode. The flash is LED. All in all, the 920 is better at stable video than other smartphone cameras and better at bringing light into photos taken in low light conditions, but in the end it doesn’t have a very much bigger lens and there’s only so far you can go unless you put in a big lens. Sharpness is by no means guaranteed. It’s really a mix of pluses and minuses and not as revolutionary as the 808 camera was but rather a nice evolution. Quick ComparisonsLumia 920 vs HTC 8xBoth these phones are thought of as signature devices for Windows Phone 8 and considering Microsoft doesn’t allow too much tampering with the insides, it’s interesting that there’s enough differentiation between them to give customers an actual choice. The starkest difference is the design. The HTC 8X is the most “holdable” phone in its size bracket. It’s slim, has a soft-touch material, and is very light. It’s the one to consider if you’re sensitive to weight and dimensions. If you’re really put off by big phones, the HTC 8X will not feel as big as it is at 4.3 inches. The Lumia 920 is a slightly larger, wider, thicker phone — and much heavier. It’s nice for the hardware-centric among us who like their phones to be solid and feel reassuringly well-built. The 8X has an understated elegant look with its matt finish colours — all of which are not available in India — while the Lumia 920 has some zingy bright glossy colours. It’s the 8X that’s easier to carry. Both phones are about as fast as the other and the screens, though they use different technologies, are both very good. The Lumia 920 has an edge because its high sensitive screen lets you use it even with gloves on. The 920 has an even bigger edge because of its camera. In very low light, the 920 will give you a picture that’s visible and usable while one from the 8X may not even be visible. The 920 also has the special new image stabilisation and makes for great video shooting. The HTC 8X camera is somewhat easier to use as it’s more familiar. On the inside, Microsoft doesn’t allow for too much tampering with its new operating system. But the Lumia 920 has an edge because of the smattering of Nokia apps like Drive and City Lens. The 8X, on its part, has Beats Audio and great sound. In India, the 8X is somewhat cheaper than the Lumia 920 but then, the 920 has just launched. Lumia 920 vs PureView 808These two devices are poles apart and wouldn’t be compared at all if it weren’t for the branding, PureView. A few months ago, everyone expected the Lumia 920 to carry the revolutionary oversampling technology of the 41 megapixel Nokia 808 forward into Windows 8 and add something more on top of that. But instead, Nokia put in a different camera innovation though they called it PureView and shifted the goal post a little by saying that PureView was the label for all Nokia’s imaging innovations. So that leaves the 920 and the 808 with different camera technologies. The 920’s 8 megapixel camera specialises in low light casual photos and image stabilisation. It takes good pictures in daylight and doesn’t shake as much as other cameras do. The 808 takes big detailed pictures that can be very sharp if you learn how to pick your settings for different situations. It has a bigger lens and puts 7 megapixels into 1 to capture detail. It was a revolution in smartphone photography while the 920’s camera is more of an evolution. The camera on the 920 is far easier to use for everyday shots. You cannot take the setting of the 808 for granted even though it too can give good low-light results. Other than the cameras, the two devices don’t compare because of entirely different operating systems. Lumia 920 vs The Top SmartphonesThis is a useless but inevitable comparison. As a piece of hardware, the 920 holds its own with its solid build, glossy bright colors, and beautiful interface. It’s very fast and smooth. But that doesn’t mean it compares with phones like the iPhone 5 or the Galaxy S3 because of the fact of the operating systems and ecosystems being completely different. As far as being able to customise your phone, Android is on top. As far as apps go, the Apple App Store has the very best, no matter who’s got how many. As far as accessories go – and these are very important – Apple has many industry-fulls of these. Against this backdrop, Windows 8 phones are still new and developing. There are annoyances to be tackled, app stores to be populated, and a new interface to be tried out. All the same, they offer an alternative for those who like great looking phones but aren’t tech inclined enough to be involved too much with devices and for some reason or the other, don’t want to go Apple. A Version Of This Review Appeared In The Businessworld Issue Dated 11-02-2013, Under The Headline: High On Looks
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The beauty starts even before you take the Dell XPS 12 out of its box. Ah, I rather like the big sturdy but expensive looking box they use to pack this convertible into. And as soon as you set eyes on this laptop-tablet you see how well-made it is.Also Read: All Set To Dazzle: Nokia Lumia 920 Review The Print Version: High On Looks Also ReadThis high-quality piece of hardware has obviously been created with great attention to detail. The body is covered with a soft touch rubbery carbon fibre material. It's sort of grey-black with a pattern ingrained into it. On the sides is a brushed aluminum skirting; this is on both the top and underneath the device. The edges glint slightly as they curve into the inside of the device. No doubt, this device will look just great in the CEO's office as the look really spells top management. When you open it, this machine is a laptop, or rather, an ultrabook. Slide a subtle button on the side of the laptop to power it on and take a deep breath. Before you exhale, Windows 8 will have loaded up, completely ready for you to use. And might I add that it looks totally beautiful on the lovely screen of the XPS 12. The 1080p IPS screen is vibrant without being awfully bright. It has great colours and contrasts with no compromise on viewing angles. It's made of Gorilla Glass and will reflect light in certain positions so think about this if you have a poorly placed bright light on in your office or if you have a big un-curtained window letting in light straight on to your screen. This is a touch screen of course — a super responsive one — and the first thing you can do is swipe around on the Windows 8 start screen. There are a few video tutorials to get you started on what is probably an unfamiliar interface. But this is no regular laptop or ultrabook: Reach out to the screen and push it back gently. It will unfasten from its magnets and tilt all the way back and around leaving the borders to become a sort of easel. Now you can either flip the screen, which swivels all the way around, to face the other side or let it turn to settle over the keyboard. Ladies and gentlemen we now have a tablet. Very clever, except that it's too heavy to be an iPad-like tablet or similar to any of the Android competitors tablets either. Together the keyboard and screen weigh about 1.5 kgs which is about three times heavier than a typical tab. So now what? You will have to think of a device like the XPS 12 as an enhanced laptop but a less than perfect tablet. There are some situations when you can use it in tablet mode such as when you want to sit back and do a short spell of reading or when you want to move out of regular laptop form to flatten the device and draw something, look at a plan with co-workers or swipe through something that is really designed for touch. The tablet mode will also be perfect when using many apps. It's just that 1.5kg weight will be difficult to hold without a backrest for very long. If the screen had been detachable as it is on many hybrids, it would be of course easier to use as a tablet though it's still too landscapey to hold and too elongated in portrait mode. In laptop mode, the XPS 12 has a wonderful keyboard, much like the XPS 13 ultrabook. It is soft and backlit and the keys are chicklet style. It works fast and there's absolutely no lag. The processor on this convertible is a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5-3317U (Turbo up to 2.6GHz) and there's 4GB of RAM. For storage we have a 128GB Samsung 830 solid-state drive. There are 2 USB 3.0 ports, and a display out port. No SD card slot. The battery is a 6-cell 47WHr Li-ion and lasts about 5 hours. The specs are enough for everyday work, but this isn't a high powered gaming machine — nor is it meant to be. You may be able to get increased specs from Dell as they allow different configurations. This beautifully built machine is at Rs 90,000, as expensive as convertibles are turning out to be. It’s very sturdy despite all the moving parts that make the screen circle around as it does. Your ChoicesYou could buy a separate tablet and lower-end laptop for the price of the Dell XPS 12. But again, budget may not be your problem and you may be perfectly happy to own a separate tablet and appreciate the flexibility of this convertible. Another choice is to consider some of the hybrids, on which the screen detaches. But also see the build and the possibility that device may be too fiddly for you to manage. I myself am a little uncomfortable with screens that detach because I am scared of dropping it and annoyed with fitting the screen back in carefully. If the hybrid is device sturdy and easy to use, see if that form factor fits your work habits better. With the PC and laptop market being under severe pressure from tablets and smartphones, you may also want a tablet plus companion keyboard. This is fine only as long as you don’t heavily use applications that need much more control than you get with a tablet. Many tasks and actions we take for granted on computers such as cut and paste and drag and drop are just plain annoying on touch screens and tend to slow you down. Working with large spreadsheets or specialised software, large files, graphics-heavy software etc is also not ideally handled by tablets even when accompanied by a keyboard. A Version Of This Review Appeared In The Businessworld Issue Dated 11-02-2013, Under The Headline: High On Looks
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The romance starts even before you take the Dell XPS 12 out of its box. And as soon as you set eyes on this laptop-tablet you see how well made it is. Flipping Over It: Dell XPS ReviewAll Set To Dazzle: Nokia Lumia 920 Review This high-quality piece of hardware has obviously been created with great attention to detail. The body is covered with a soft touch rubbery carbon fibre material. On the sides is a brushed aluminium skirting. When you open it, this machine is a laptop, or rather, an ultrabook. Slide a subtle button on the side of the laptop to power it on and take a deep breath. Before you exhale, Windows 8 is loaded up and looks beautiful on the lovely 1080p IPS screen. It’s made of Gorilla glass that reflects light in certain positions. This is a touchscreen, of course — a super-responsive one. Nokia’s flagship smartphone will turn heads with its sizzling youthful colours But this is no regular laptop or ultrabook: Reach out to the screen and push it back gently. It will unfasten from its magnets and tilt all the way back, leaving the borders to become a sort of easel. Now you can either flip the screen, which swivels all the way around, or let it turn to settle over the keyboard. Ladies and gentlemen, we now have a tablet. Very clever, except that it’s too heavy to be either an iPad-like tablet or similar to any of the Android competitor tablets. Together, the keyboard and screen weigh about 1.5 kg, which is about three times heavier than a typical tab. So now what? Think of the XPS 12 as an enhanced laptop but a less-than-perfect tablet. There are some situations when you can use it in tablet mode such as when you want to sit back and do a short spell of reading. It’s just that at 1.5kg, it will be difficult to hold without a backrest for very long. At work, it’s great for looking at documents, spreadsheets or diagrams with colleagues and for making presentations. In laptop mode, the XPS 12 has a wonderful keyboard. It’s soft and backlit and the keys are ‘chicklet’-style. It has a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5-3317U (turbo up to 2.6 GHz) processor and 4 GB of RAM. For storage, we have a 128 GB Samsung 830 solid-state drive. There are 2 USB 3.0 ports, and a display ‘out’ port. No SD card slot though. The battery is a 6-cell 47WHr Li-ion and lasts about 5 hours. The specs are enough for everyday work. At Rs 90,000, the XPS 12 is expensive, but a great CEO kit.Nokia Lumia 920 low light pictures and stable videoSignature Phone for Windows 8The Nokia Lumia 920 enters the arena when the battle between smartphones is nice and tense. For Nokia, which has lost market share, much depends on the 920’s success, and that of the other Lumias, especially as Nokia is, in a sense, between two platforms — Symbian, to which it has officially bid goodbye, and Windows, on which it is staking its future. So what’s its snazzy flagship phone like? For a start, the 920 zings with colour. The cherry red and lime yellow are glossy on the polycarbonate body. The cyan, if available, is matte and so is the black. The Lumia 920 is meant for those who love the feel of a solid well-built device in their hands — even if it’s much heavier than other smartphones its size.You feel the 920’s 185 grams straight away, but also get used to it pretty fast. The Lumia really dazzles when you turn the phone on and take a look at that gorgeous 4.5-inch screen. The screen uses a technology they call PureMotionHD and Clear Black, which makes it more vibrant and clear. The pixel count is 1280 x 768, with a density of ~332 ppi. It’s super responsive and liquid smooth. There’s no microSD card but it has 32GB of storage. The 920 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core 1.5 GHz processor with 1 GB of RAM. The battery, which is a 2,000 mAh, lasted a day on light usage.Windows 8 really shines on this flagship device, though it’s standardised across smartphones. A manufacturer can’t really make changes to much of what is on a Windows 8 phone, but it can enhance the experience for the user with additions. That’s something Nokia has been able to do with some of its own signature applications such as Nokia Drive, Maps, City Lens, and Nokia Music. Windows 8 brings a beautiful interface to smartphones, particularly large ones. Moreover, it connects you with other Windows-based applications such as Office. You can create and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. And if your company uses Microsoft’s products, you can use Office 365 and also save automatically to Microsoft’s cloud service, SkyDrive. If you’re a previous Windows phone user, the look will be familiar but better, with features such as the ability to create Rooms where you interact with others exclusively. There are, however, many minuses. The poor availability of apps is one of them. For example, you can’t use Dropbox, Instagram, Instapaper and many other apps. The 8.7 MP camera on the phone is a star attraction. It carries the PureView brand, but disappointingly, it isn’t a 41 megapixel shooter like the one on the Nokia 808. It does, however, have a different set of capabilities, including OIS or optical image stabilisation, which steadies the capture. The results show up best on a video. I took a video from my car on a bumpy road only to be amazed at how smooth it was. The other capability is low light shots. Put the camera on night mode with flash off, and you will get a picture filled with light. This is not to say the camera doesn’t have its annoyances. Pictures are not always sharp because you don’t have complete control over focus when you tap the screen. Pressing the two-stage button can often blur the image. (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 11-02-2013)
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Plain still cuts a lot of ice in India, but it is the flavoured market that is making vodka brands here high spirited. Last month saw yet another alcoholic beverages player foraying into the flavoured vodka category with Jagatjit Industries (the makers of Aristocrat whisky) launching a new vodka brand IICE in green apple and orange flavours.Vinod Kumar Banga, Chief Operating Officer of Jagatjit Industries points out, “Vodka, specially flavored vodkas, is getting popular among the younger age profile.” According to him, in a market dominated by brown spirits (India is a whisky, rum market and brandy), vodka has been showing strong growth. Trotting out statistics he says, “The overall IMFL market standing at 280 million cases in 2011-12 has grown by 12-14 per cent over last year whereas the vodka market at approx 8 million cases (2011-12) grew over last year at a higher rate of 20-22 per cent.”Even as vodka has been growing at a fast pace, flavoured vodka has been clipping along nicely as well at nearly 15-18 per cent, says NV Group’s Director Sales and Marketing, Varun Jain, citing International Wine and Spirit Research data. The alcoholic beverages maker had brought in mid market vodka brand Sobieski into India two years ago. Just a couple of months ago, NV also scaled up its flavoured vodka range by introducing cranberry flavoured vodka under the Sobieski label. NV also markets Blue Moon brand, under which it retails flavoured vodka as well.The flavoured vodka market is seeing some noteworthy trends. For instance, both Jain and Banga point that Rajasthan has taken to flavoured vodka like duck to water with 70 per cent of the vodka share gulped by flavoured versions. And one flavor – orange dominates over the rest – in the state.Says Banga, “In both Rajasthan and Karnataka Orange Flavor vodka outsells all other flavours, whereas in Delhi Green Apple flavor sells more.” According to Varun Jain, Vodka is showing strong growth in all the price segments - be it the real high end where brands such as Grey Goose and Beluga operate, the premium segment (Smirnoff, Absolut) as well as the mass market brands such as Blue Moon. NV has priced Sobieski at a mass level (it retails it at Rs 350 for 750 ml in Delhi). “We are playing the volumes game,” he says, while Banga says IIICE is positioned at the semi-premium segment.Significantly, in white spirits, gin – which has been making a comeback of sorts in international markets - has been de-growing in India at a rate of 10 per cent over the last two or three years. Gin's share has been grabbed by vodka. Banga puts it down to the versatility of vodka and its ability to be mixed in different types of cocktails. Also, tier 2 and 3 towns are seeing growing consumption of vodka.According to a latest report, almost 70 per cent of alcohol in south-east Asia is produced in India and the country's contribution in total alcohol beverage imports in the region is around 10 per cent.
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There is no getting around it. A strong balance sheet is inextricably intertwined with a healthy workforce. Employee health and well-being are the newest buzzwords in corporate India, with most companies working feverishly to integrate wellness programmes into their work cultures. Thus, it is no surprise that we are going to see more in-house gyms or discounted gym memberships, on-call nutritional counsellors, wellness programmes and active design workspaces this year. It is clear to all that work stresses apart, employee health habits — or a lack of them — are a significant reason for the growing prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Nothing motivates like money does. Corporates in the West have long realised that the easiest way to entice employees into signing up for (and participate in) a wellness programme is to incentivise it. But this can be achieved only after some essential wellness services are already in place such as an executive health scheme, health and productivity planning and on-site healthcare by external agencies for health risk assessments, vaccinations and lifestyle disease management and prevention plans. Indian corporates can do several things to promote wellness within their organisations. Let us talk about the top five wellness programmes that can be used separately or concurrently with each other for best results to maximise employee wellness initiatives and change ‘India Sick’ to ‘India Shining’. Risk And Reward This is a simple way of getting employees interested in their own health and well-being and preventing or diagnosing health problems — reducing healthcare costs. It could be used as an annual company-wide initiative to recognise and reward employee awareness and participation in healthcare initiatives. Each employee is expected to fill out an online annual health risk assessment (HRA) — a series of questions designed to get them interested in their own health. This could help prevent/diagnose health problems, and the lower an employee’s health risks, the higher the award value. The award money could be redeemed every year or carried over. Inbox AlertA great way of educating employees on healthy behaviour and good food habits — not just for themselves but their families — are newsletters. Employees could receive a weekly wellness newsletter in their inbox or be able to log on to an online wellness-incentive microsite. Such communication is a great way for companies to educate their employees. Articles, tips and wellness quizzes can be made use of to incentivise employee participation by offering them a chance to earn rewards. This is a proactive wellness initiative that often generates great interest, provided the themes are tweaked in keeping with the corporate’s ethos and specific needs. Digital Health CoachingIt’s an excellent, cost-effective, though relatively unused (in the Indian context), web-based format that draws on the expertise of hundreds of healthcare professionals and is backed by the latest scientific research to create personalised solutions. This is an ideal option for large organisations because it is an inexpensive way of reaching large populations in varied employer and healthcare settings. The digital coach can counsel employees on modifying unhealthy behaviour, offering personalised solutions for smoking cessation, exercise regimes, weight and stress management, improving work-life balance and creating a schedule to take medications as advised by doctors. It is also an inexpensive, scalable way of replicating live counsellors and educators. Participation could be incentivised by offering rewards to employees who enroll — and stick—to personalised health plans. Besides being the perfect wellness solution for a growing population that seeks instant communication and immediate answers and solutions, digital health consulting also ensures confidentiality for issues and concerns where employees may be unwilling to approach an advisor or healthcare expert face to face. There are enough examples worldwide where digital coaching has helped reduce corporate healthcare expenditure. Physical ActivityIt is well known that physically active employees take fewer sick days off. Increasingly, corporate India is latching onto the idea of sponsoring sports days, benefit walks and runs for different charities and offering rewards based on employee participation and performance. The growing popularity of the Mumbai Marathon’s Corporate Challenge is a case in point. In fact, the 2012 edition of the marathon saw some 154 companies fielding 223 corporate challenge teams. Worksite Wellness ChallengesIndividualised counselling can only go so far. The best way to ensure employee wellness is to induce good-natured rivalry and competition. Employee engagement is crucial to a successful corporate wellness programme and goal-based worksite wellness challenges such as weight loss competitions, walking (read stepathlon) and exercise are a great way to get people started. These programmes are a proven, fun way of building teamwork and motivating employees to lead healthier lives and reduce healthcare costs. All it takes is small innovative steps to nurture a fitter, happier workforce. Workplace wellness has to be an ongoing process that requires more than preparedness and commitment. It requires a major cultural shift and active employer and employee involvement. Ultimately, corporate India needs to believe an exercise-induced endorphin rush is more satisfying than a plate of oily samosas. The author is a health coach and chief content officer at Nykaa.com, an online beauty and wellness platform
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What you shop for and how you go about it is everything. I was privileged enough to be at a jewellery launch by Dior, where the pieces were designed in-house by its Paris-based designer, who makes only 14 of them a year. Each piece costs millions and has a story. In New York, women come by chopper to the helipad atop the building, zip downstairs to the jeweller, pick up their piece and fly away, almost unseen. That’s luxury. Luxury shopping has a language; and everything — from hair to nails, from clothes to crockery — has to speak it. When you understand that language, you understand that sensibility. And everything else falls into place.It is also about the effort taken to understand the product one is buying. Personally, I spend about eight hours at the counter trying to understand the details of what I am buying. Because it is not about the money, but the conversation. If I am buying for somebody who’s well travelled and astute, I would buy something that has a story behind it. If I am buying a gift for someone who is swayed by opulence, the choice is easier. And there is no harm in taking expert advice. There are many who have the money but not the knowledge or the taste to buy the right things. For instance, if one has to pick up Giorgio Armani makeup, it is better to take a stylist’s help in picking up the right cosmetics. Style StatementShopping is not only about whims and fancies but also about logic. A small example is of insulated glasses, which are better bought in colder countries. Similarly, one should make an effort to buy a good bed. After all, we spend one-third of our lives sleeping. In India, where people come to the doorstep with taar to repair mattresses, one can also buy a Hastens luxury bed with real horse hair for Rs 50 lakh. We have a lot more available in India now than in the past, but the gap is still huge. From crystalware-makers Waterford to Saint Gobain, everyone is here not only because of the demand, but also because people have realised that it is not just about Muranos and Riedel anymore. People now know about the cut and the feel of glassware. However, on a practical note, it is better to buy crystalware in India than abroad as there is always the danger of it breaking or getting damaged in transit.Internet certainly aids shopping. But if what I want to buy is something that is going to be a passion for me, I would love to go touch, feel and admire it, and then probably buy it. If it is a carpet, I want to feel it under my feet, unless I am very sure of the brand. If I had to buy, say, a Hastens bed, I could buy it on the Net, because I know what quality I will get. Details are important. People who lead the high life need a balanced sensibility in whatever they are buying. If they are buying a refrigerator abroad, they have to analyse what is their main storage. If we pick up an imported brand, we have to realise that in the West a lot of the food is deep frozen (and thus a bigger deep freezer), while we prefer to store fresh produce in our refrigerators. What one buys is also a reflection of one’s lifestyle. A film star may prefer opulence. A professional, like a doctor or a lawyer, however successful, may have an unpretentious choice. That’s still different from an industrialist, who might prefer a blend of both opulence and understated class. For instance, if an industrialist uses a tissue box made of rosewood, a lawyer would buy the same in white cedar. If the industrialist would pick up crystal from Turkey, the professional would go for a Waterford or a Riedel.The other thing is to mix and match — an ordinary kettle with Wedgwood tea cups. Moreover, it is rare to find an entire set, as trained staff to look after fine cutlery is difficult to come by. Alternatively, people who use the finest chinaware clean it themselves. Then there are things that are bought almost exclusively as talking points. Wine, for instance, is bought more for its arrogance value than for its taste or enjoyment. There’s a fantastic red wine called Morgon available in our five-star restaurants. It’s better than most of the well-known brands of wine. But since many have not heard of it, it is overlooked — there is no conversation or arrogance attached to it. It’s also priced nominally. However, wine conversation is always about the brand and not the flavour. Armand de Brignac, for instance, became bigger than Cristal. The brand has attitude, it comes in a rosewood box; a bottle of Brignac cost Rs 75,000 when it was launched in India. People buy the conversation and not the champagne. A true connoisseur, however, does not need conversation. You know what you want.On the other hand, some brands have dropped prices. In my opinion, they are coming to their senses. Judith Leiber never sold bags below Rs 2 lakh. It is now introducing an overture line for $300-400 (under Rs 20,000). And it is not because of the economic slowdown. I may be used to carrying a Judith Leiber, but one can’t carry a new bag everyday. So when a brand brings down prices, people buy more of its products. I can have fun bags, match them to any outfit, and give them away when I am bored of them. But there is another aspect to being cost-conscious. When it comes to cars, some people buy the best upholstery but compromise with a cheap accessory like a low-quality phone charger or cigarette lighter. Sometimes it is very difficult to make out a fake from the original. Now, even a good chef may not know if the Rs 60,000-a-kg truffle in his hand is genuine. Last month, my husband and I were in Munich shopping for a new apartment. There was a beautiful European art installation that I was going crazy about as a large corner piece. When I was told the price — 10,000 euros — I said, “What a steal!” So we asked where it was from? The attendant said, “China.” That was the last time we looked at that piece.The author is director of Pagoda Advisors (As told to Prasad Sangameshwaran)(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 14-01-2013)
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So, the world did not end, though the Mayan ‘apocalypse’ created a hot new destination in Mexico. In 2012, luxury travel — at least in India — remained fairly immune to recessionary trends and showed good growth. An Accor study says that among Asia-Pac travellers, Indian luxury travellers spent an average of $399 per trip on hotel stays, second only to the Singaporeans ($468). In 2013, a rise in multi-generation family travel, and detailed concierge services that cater to unusual requests, creating custom-built tours around exotic themes, is quite likely. Flying High First and business class travel is going to be very expensive, as capacity comes down. There has been talk of growth in private jet travel. Frankly, I don’t foresee that — at most, it will be a miniscule rise. In 2013, we could see Indian airports starting to think about private terminals. Airport ambience will continue to improve. Transit hubs such as Heathrow and Frankfurt now have smarter interiors and more choices in terms of food and beverages, and I anticipate other airports will emulate this. Zero Gravity Pull Experiential vacations will continue to draw the high-end traveller: cycling through the south of France, hiring a Ferrari in Italy and gourmet culinary vacations. Indian luxe travellers could book seats on G-Force One and experience the sensation of floating like an astronaut. Destinations To Watch Offbeat destinations such as the CIS countries are getting very positive reviews from the high-end Indian traveller. Destinations such as Prague and Croatia will draw more Indian tourists. North Africa — especially Marrakesh — will remain popular. Luxe Stays The high-end traveller does not want to be one of many and is seeking individual experiences, and this is where the boutique chains have an opportunity to offer charming stays. We are also going to see a lot more of Asian luxury hospitality chains checking into India. Michelin In India This year, Michelin-star-rated restaurants, so missed in India, will finally start opening their doors here. We are opening one at our hotel, Dusit Devrana. So let the forks fly.The author is the executive director of the Bird Group(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 14-01-2013)
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