For the longest time, Sony maintained a rather conspicuous silence on the tablet market, waiting in the wings for the right time to hit the market with a sufficiently differentiated offering. So there's little surprise when its long awaited iPad rival — the Tablet S — is about as hatke as they come. Straight out of the box, the Tablet S looks quite unlike any tablet I've seen thus far, thanks in large part to the same wedge design as the company's line of Vaio laptops. So while the tapering design (think of a folded magazine) does add visual bulk and doesn't allow for the most comfortable portrait orientation usage, it does offer a few benefits. Set it down on a table and the raised screen angle makes it comfortable to type, and the thick edge and textured rear panel gives you a good grip to hold onto while carrying the tablet around. In landscape mode, this is exactly what a tablet should be. The flip side is that, in portrait mode, the tablet design is more hit-or-miss. If you hold it with one hand on the thicker side, you get a much more solid grip than you'd get with an iPad or the Samsung tablets. Grip it on the thin side, and you'll be struggling to hang onto it not only because of the weight imbalance, but the fact that the textured rear panel doesn't extend all the way to the thin side. Plus, I'm not a big fan of the recessed memory card and micro-USB ports, a decision that looks to have been made to please the design-conscious but isn't too usable in the end, especially if you want to reach out for these slots often. Also, the microUSB isn't for charging, as the Tablet S has its own dedicated charger that sits along the bottom. The spec-sheet is pretty mainstream fare — a 9.4-inch screen, a 1GHz dual core processor (using Nvidia's Tegra 2 chipset), 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage. The screen is a tad smaller than the iPad's 9.7-incher, but packs in a higher resolution of 1280x800 pixels, though it has to be said that the brightness levels and color reproduction of the leading Android tablets edge this one out by a slim margin. Pretty bog-standard stuff, eh? The key to the Tablet S is Sony's software. Sony may have been unable to resist the temptation to heavily customise the underlying Android Honeycomb 3.2 platform, but it backs it up with some heavy hitting software. It's PlayStation certified, which means Sony will make older PlayStation games available for the Tablet S. Now while these games may be dated, the potential is huge given Sony's vast library of titles, and just think if the company was to ever tie in PlayStation Portable or PlayStation 3 games! However, unlike PS-certified phones, the Tablet S only has touchscreen controls – I certainly wouldn't have minded physical controls, they just handle better for gaming. Now that would differentiate this as a true Sony PlayStation tablet! I did like the DLNA feature that lets you ‘throw' content from a PC to the tablet or from the tablet to the TV – not the first time I've seen this feature on a tablet, but certainly the most elegant. There's no HDMI out though. Possibly the most useful addition is the built-in universal remote (an app with infrared sensor) which lets you configure the tablet to control your TV, DVD, set-top box etc – certainly beats plonking down extra cash for a dedicated universal remote. Has the S been worth the wait? It certainly has, and the "It's a Sony" crowd has reason to cheer. Wait for the 3G version to launch though, and take your pick. Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 29,990 (16GB Wi-Fi only version, 3G version expected mid-Jan 2012 for Rs. 33,990)URL: http://bit.ly/rS7ep3 Smart And SecureThe Internet is a pretty wild place for kids these days, and parents face the tough job of allowing legitimate access for study and leisure, while keeping the content safe for their kids. McAfee Family Protection can help take that load off your shoulders, to a large extent. After the install, all you have to do is setup a McAfee online account and a username/password for each child, and the app pre-configures default settings based on the age range you select, which you can later tweak as well. Once its active, McAfee Family Protection can filter web content, white list or blacklist certain sites and force ‘safe search' on most popular web portals. The content filtering is browser independent, so the kids can't evade it by finding a little used browser. In addition, McAfee uses YouTube's "inappropriate content" flag along with tags, titles, and metadata to block inappropriate videos, both on YouTube itself and embedded in other pages (or limit videos based on movie rating). There are stricter controls available as well, such as the ability to restrict the use of web based email or instant messaging programs, set time-based usage of the Internet and generating reports on usage. URL: http://bit.ly/tYLUxxPrice: Rs. 2,270 Right On TargetPresentations give you the chills? Try the Targus Laser Presentation Remote, a wireless multimedia laser presenter with a patent-pending KeyLock technology that prevents accidental pressing of buttons during a presentation. Apart from features like a laser pointer and backlit buttons, the remote works on RF 2.4GHz cordless technology which lets you control a presentation from up to 50 ft away, without having to point in the direction of the laptop. URL: http://bit.ly/vShQuPPrice: Rs 1,999technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Japan's Olympus admitted on Tuesday it hid losses on securities investments dating back to the 1980s, succumbing to weeks of pressure to explain a series of baffling transactions that have put the future of the firm in doubt.The revelations by the 92-year-old maker of endoscopes and cameras would appear to vindicate ex-CEO Michael Woodford, who has staged a campaign since being sacked on Oct 14 to force the firm to come clean on $1.3 billion in questionable payments.Olympus President Shuichi Takayama blamed Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who quit as president and chairman on Oct 26, Vice-President Hisashi Mori and internal auditor Hideo Yamada for the cover-up, saying he would consider criminal complaints against them."I was absolutely unaware of the facts I am now explaining to you," a subdued Takayama, who had staunchly defended the deals when he took over from Kikukawa last month, told a news conference packed with some 200 journalists."The previous presentations were mistaken."Olympus said it had found that funds related to its $2.2 billion purchase of British medical equipment maker Gyrus in 2008, which involved a huge advisory fee of $687 million, as well as payment of $773 million for three domestic firms, were used to hide losses on the securities investments.The investment in the three domestic firms was largely written off a few months after the deals closed.The disclosure leaves Olympus, its directors and its accountants open to possible criminal charges for suspected accounting fraud and shareholder suits, lawyers and analysts said, raising questions about the future of the firm, founded in 1919 as a microscope maker."This is very serious. Olympus admitted it has made false entries to cover its losses for 20 years. All people involved in this over 20 years would be responsible," said Ryosuke Okazaki, chief investment officer at ITC Investment Partners. "There is a serious danger that Olympus shares will be delisted. The future of the company is extremely dark."The announcement sent Olympus shares tumbling 29 per cent to a 16-year low on Tuesday. The company has lost 70 per cent of its value, or $6 billion, since it fired Woodford, who had questioned the deals.Olympus said it would decide whether others were responsible after further investigation. Mori was sacked earlier in the day while the internal auditor offered to resign.The Olympus affair - initially given little attention by most domestic media - is the biggest corporate scandal to hit Japan since a series of scandals at brokerages in the 1990s including one that led to the demise in 1997 of Yamaichi Securities, then the country's fourth largest brokerage."It's big. Olympus was supposed to be a paragon of corporate society," said Darrel Whitten, managing director at Investor Networks Inc, an investor relations consultancy.The company said in a statement the details of the scheme came to light as part of its cooperation with a third-party panel set up to investigate the transactions. That panel was announced a week ago.Takayama said he believed the loss-postponement scheme had started before the 1990s.The company said it had funnelled money related to the acquisitions through various funds and other measures to defer posting the losses, similar to practices seen in the days after Japan's bubble economy of soaring asset prices burst in 1990.Nippon Life Insurance, the biggest shareholder in Olympus, urged the company to be more transparent in its explanations."The members of the board appear to have breached their fiduciary duty owed to the company and to the shareholders," said Keiji Isaji, an attorney with K&L Gates law firm in Tokyo.Possible CrimesA spokesman for the Tokyo Stock Exchange said the bourse needed more information before deciding whether to put Olympus shares under supervision, a step towards possible delisting.The TSE spokesman said Olympus needed to examine the size of the deferred losses and whether they had an impact on shareholder investment decisions before taking further action.Lawyers said that if Olympus were found to have knowingly falsified its consolidated financial statements that were deemed material in nature, its representatives could face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million yen.Legal experts also said outside auditors might be criminally liable.Reuters reported last week that Olympus replaced its auditor in 2009 after a disagreement over how to account for the acquisitions.In a confidential internal document obtained by Reuters, Kikukawa, the firm's then president, wrote to Olympus executives in the United States and Europe, revealing there had been a disagreement with auditor KPMG which he did not plan to disclose to the stock market.In May 2009, Kikukawa announced the contract with KPMG had ended and that another global accounting firm, Ernst & Young, would take over. Ernst & Young said it had no comment on the Olympus disclosure.Increased PressureOlympus has come under increasing pressure to disclose more information to address shareholder concerns in an escalating scandal that has prompted law enforcement agencies in Japan and the United States to investigate.The company suddenly fired Woodford on Oct 14, saying he failed to understand the company's management style or Japanese culture.Woodford said he was forced out for questioning the $687 million paid for advice on the $2 billion Gyrus acquisition, the biggest fee in M&A history and a departure from the 1-2 percent fee normally applied to the value of such deals.He also questioned the acquisitions of the three small Japanese firms.Woodford told Reuters on Tuesday the Olympus board should resign. "The position of the board and non execs is untenable now," Woodford said by phone from London.He added that it was his "desire" to return to manage the endoscope maker should shareholders wish to reinstate him.Prodded by institutional shareholders, Olympus has named six men, including a former Japanese supreme court justice, to investigate the past M&A deals.Olympus, founded in 1919 as a pioneering Japanese manufacturer of microscopes, branched out into cameras in the 1930s and two decades later expanded into gastrocameras, which became its mainstay profit earner as its endoscopes captured a 70 percent share of the global market.(Reuters)
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Ask for a tablet recommendation and I'll tell you the iPad is still the tablet to beat, nearly two years after its launch. Of course, the iPad does tear out an iPad-sized hole in your wallet, that's for sure. Which is where the new breed of Android tablets - many priced well below the Rs 15,000 mark- come in. Are they downright fantastic deals or are the compromises they make to achieve such phenomenal price points too much to suffer? I looked at the Reliance 3G Tab and the Beetel Magiq to answer just this.Reliance 3G TabOn the face of it, with the 3G Tab, Reliance seems to have pulled one out of the bag — build quality and finish is pretty good (even though its mostly plastic) and the device is portable enough to slip into most small bags. It ships with Android 2.3— a relief in that there are just far more apps available for this version than their tablet-only Honeycomb version. Where the device excels, and more so keeping the price point in mind, is that it features a multi-touch enabled capacitive screen, which makes interacting with the device a breeze. Granted, this screen isn't very high resolution - at 800x480 pixels, it has less pixels than the year-old Galaxy Tab P1000, but the use of the capacitive display makes a lot of difference to everyday use and sets it apart from a lot of similarly priced tablets.Performance wise, the device packs in an 800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory (RAM), and you get storage expansion by way of memory card slot (upto 32GB). The package may look ordinary for a tablet more so when we're regularly talking up dual-core smartphones, but the device manages admirably, handling movie playback and web browsing pretty well. Know its limitations though — the device does stutter if you try to do too many things all at once, or if you try to playback high-definition video. The device has its obvious shortcomings in the camera department, and the 2-megapixel shooter at the back comes without an LED flash or auto focus, which is a bit of a disappointment.Battery life is good for a day's use with 3G on and some browsing, emails and calls - yes, this device can make calls too! As can be expected, the device is locked to the Reliance network, so you cant just use any SIM you have. Also, bear in mind the device doesn't have a built-in microphone (at least not one I could discern) so you will have to use your own wired or Bluetooth headset for your calls.An interesting application which came bundled with the device is the Reliance Mobile TV app, which is rather nifty as it lets you watch most of the major TV channels on a subscription basis. Use it in an area where you get good 3G coverage, and this app really shows off the capabilities of your Reliance 3G connection.Priced at Rs 12,999, the device delivers…and how! Consider this — despite largely similar specs, this device is half the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab! Since it's SIM-locked, Reliance is offering the 3G Tab with different tariff plans which are heavily discounted packages that include the price of the Tab and annual 3G rental. Clearly, Reliance's play is to make this device an attractive means to get onto their network and pay for data, and while you can buy the Tab without a data plan, I'd recommend at least the basic data plan to get the most out of this experience.Beetel MagiqWith the Magiq, Beetel has dipped under the psychological Rs. 10,000 barrier to offer a somewhat unconventionally shaped 7-inch tablet. Hold it, and you'll understand — it feels somewhat like a stretched out phone. Running a 1 GHz processor with 512 MB of memory and 8GB storage, the Magiq packs in the kind of specs that would be hard to find even on smartphones in the same price range. Impressive! You also get a SIM card slot to add 3G and voice calling capabilities, plus the micro SD card for storage expansion.The display, much like the Reliance tablet, packs in 800x480 pixels of resolution, and while it is bright, it uses the older resistive type of touch panel. Talk of killjoys — the lack of response from the screen takes a lot away from this tablet, and even though it's packed to the gills performance wise, you walk away from the tablet feeling just a tad unsatisfied. There are times when the screen just didn't respond with the kind of urgency you need it to, and it left me wondering whether adding a low end capscitive screen might not have been a better option. Granted, it would have taken the price into the Reliance Tab category, but I'm fairly sure people are willing to pay for a vastly improved experience… and conversely, rule against a sub-optimal one with their wallets.Next up, it packs in Android 2.2 running a custom skin - why Beetel didn't choose to go with 2.3 with the vanilla Android skin is beyond me. What bothers me - and this is true of most Android devices across the board - is that there is no clear upgrade path being spoken of to get to the next version. Maybe most users will live with it, but when your clear differentiator is the pricing, a stock UI on a higher version of Android will not hurt your chances one bit.On the features front, there are two cameras, both two megapixel, one at the back and one in the front. As expected, the image quality is acceptable only in well-lit situations. You can use the front facing camera for video calling, something that one wishes the Reliance Tab had factored in as well. You also get A-GPS for navigation and location-based services, and WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G round out the connectivity options.With the Magiq more than the 3G Tab, the big question is — is the low price worth it? If you've experienced capacitive touch screen devices, you will wonder how we tolerated touchscreens before them. But to many who haven't used touchscreens at all, the compromise may not be as severe. In fact, its poor battery life and bulk may be bigger reasons to proceed with the Magiq with caution.Reliance 3G TabRating: 8/10Price: Rs 12,999URL: http://bit.ly/tKXGqqBeetel MagiqRating: 7/10Price: Rs 9,999URL: http://bit.ly/tPXJDv Perfect Progeny It could easily be mistaken for a Nokia N9, except that the Lumia 800 is the first "real Windows Phone" borne out of the marriage of Nokia and Microsoft. Packing in excellent hardware specs, a radical minimalist design and the latest Windows Phone 7.5, the Lumia is all about new beginnings at Nokia. Expected in India around the year-end, can't wait! Watch this space. URL: http://bit.ly/vZBz8IPrice: $600 technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Nokia with Windows Phone is a new religion", or so the company claims. Is that the sound of a new convert chanting the name louder to reestablish relevance in a changed smartphone marketplace, or that of a company which genuinely believes Windows Phone is the future? How better to find out than to test drive the Lumia 800, Nokia's first and flagship Windows Phone device?Design wise, this device is a thing of beauty, borrowing heavily…almost completely… from the design of the ill-fated Nokia N9 which never saw the light of day in India. The curved machined polycarbonate shell and the convex Gorilla glass are some of the best examples of high-quality workmanship I've seen on a phone so far, you really can't tell where the screen ends and the body starts. That said, it's not without failings —small things like no labeling on the power/standby button (how do you turn this on the first time?) and the fragile plastic flap that covers the microUSB port let the device down a bit. And then there's the non-removable battery and lack of memory expansion, and while these are common to all Windows Phone devices, it just feels odd on a Nokia device.As a Windows Phone 7.5 device, Lumia 800 performs well, and most standard tasks— email, twitter/Facebook, chat — are built into WP7.5 and can be accomplished without even downloading a single app. Nokia's added in their Drive and Maps apps to bring something unique to what is largely a bog-standard WP experience across vendors.On the hardware front, the phone is powered by 1.4 GHz single-core processor, which isn't going to blaze any trails but is up to the task and doesn't stutter in everyday use. The 3.7inch ClearBlack AMOLED display is rich and colors are vivid, and the Windows Phone experience really comes alive on this screen. There are quibbles on the hardware end as well – the phone lacks a front facing camera, and while the 8MP camera is easy to use with the dedicated camera button and excellent WP app, picture quality is middling at best.As things stand, the Lumia is an excellent phone for smartphone first timers, possibly the best WP7.5 device around at the moment. But for it to challenge iOS and Android, the apps situation needs to be ramped up…and fast! Bear in mind, with a price point expected to be near the Rs 30000-32000 mark, it goes head-on with the flagship Androids, and the Nokia name will only take it so far…Rating: 8/10Price: 420 euros (590 USD) before subsidies and taxes, India pricing approx between Rs 30000-32000URL: http://bit.ly/vZBz8IHigh Premium SoundBose is betting big on its Bluetooth series of products, first with the launch of the excellent SoundLink wireless speaker, and now with the Bluetooth Headset Series 2 wireless headset. Priced at Rs 8,888, it comes at a premium when compared to regular Bluetooth headsets. Question is, does it justify it?Made from a combination of matte and glossy black plastic, the Series 2 weighs a little over 13grams, and the flexible silicone gel tips ensure easy wearability for the better part of 2-3 hours. The button layout is standard – volume and Call buttons plus a sliding Power button on the bottom, which sadly is a bit fidgety. One thing you should keep in mind is that unlike a few others, this headset cannot be switched between ears, and you need to decide which (left/right) version you want when buying.Once paired with the phone, the headset does double duty as wireless headset for your music (which it does an excellent job of, if I might add) and a handsfree for your mobile. Bose employs a noise-rejecting microphone that filters out the noise around you, allowing the person on the other end of the call to hear more of your voice and less of the hum of traffic or the wind. It's not perfect – some wind noise does creep through, and loud traffic noises can't be cancelled out in any case, but on the whole it does a fine job with making you more audible to the listener. In addition, the headset automatically adjusts the headset volume and mic volume based on the ambient noise levels, so in a loud environment, the volume increases so you can hear your call, and when things quiet down, the volume decreases.Such features don't come cheap, though, and the end result is an extremely capable headset let down by premium pricing.Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 8,888URL: http://bit.ly/vbuAZsMultiple SignalsYou've got to wonder about how long dedicated GPS devices are going to survive – many mobile phones today ship with voice-navigation capabilities, so unless you're someone who has a lot of travelling to do on a daily basis, a mobile phone would suffice. TomTom, a world leader in GPS systems, recently launched their VIA series of GPS devices in India, and really what sets them apart is the little details. For example, you can choose to receive voice navigation guidance in a variety of Indian languages, and you can even ask the device to suggest the shortest possible route via the Eco Route feature. Plus, there's the ability to add bookmarks for frequently visited places, so that you can plot a route to the place in question no matter where you are. And should the roads change directions or become one-ways (as they are often wont to do in our cities), you can use the supplied USB cable to update the maps on the device. It's left to be seen how well a niche device like this will do in a country where the average smartphone ships with at least some basic maps facilities.Rating: 7/10Price: VIA 120 - Rs 17000, VIA 125 - Rs 19000URL: http://bit.ly/sm5qGgtechnocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Bluetooth gadgets, peripherals and devices have entered our lives with such remarkable ease that this wireless technology is fast becoming the gold standard in short-haul data transfers. Its latest rival — near field communication (NFC) — is only now getting incorporated into gadgets, but Bluetooth is already an omnipotent technology. It has come a long way since it was invented by Ericsson, as recently as 1994, as an alternative to cables for computer serial ports to connect peripheral devices such as printers, modems and mouse.Today, those are some of the least used gadgets on this protocol. Instead, Bluetooth enables medical equipment such as heart rate monitors, GPS receivers, bar code scanners, game consoles and even traffic monitoring and control devices. There's even a Bluetooth cradle phone for the iPhone, from Native Union. At $150, it may be too much of a price to pay for the feel of a landline phone while talking on your iPhone, but even this caters to a select audience that would rather cradle the iPhone at home or at work and take calls with this tethered device. Here's how Bluetooth is transforming our lives at work, at ease, on the go and in a combination of those:At WorkIt's only fitting that I tethered the 3G connection on my iPhone to my Dell Vostro laptop — via Bluetooth — to report this piece. The surfing is as good as it is in 3G, if, and in whichever pockets of the city, 3G works. Thanks to the Bluetooth v2.0 protocol that most new gadgets sport, which enables them to transmit data at up to 3 mbps as opposed to the highest 1 mbps the previous standard was capable of. UNPLUGGED Jabra Halo stereo headset and Philips mobile headset stream music directly from Bluetooth-compatible hands Every new generation laptop is Bluetooth-enabled. And attaching a wired mouse is so passé. Yet, despite the vastly improving quality of the inbuilt trackpads, there's no substitute to the click-and-scroll feel of a mouse. So lately, peripherals makers such as Belkin, Amkette, Logitech and iBall, besides others, have flooded the market with Bluetooth mice.They are 4-5 times more expensive than the wired one, but convenient. Of course, there's the additional hassle of batteries but these are frugal devices. If you are careful to switch it off at the end of the day, batteries last for a year or more. Setting them up is a breeze. break-page-breakJust pair the two devices by searching one with the other in ‘listen' mode. Feed in the numeric password when prompted, and you are on. The mouse transmits the drivers to the laptop by itself. It takes a few minutes to set up, but once you restart the computer, the drivers kick in. Each time the two are turned on, and within range, they connect automatically. FYI: the default password for all Bluetooth devices is ‘0000'.The biggest negative of wireless mice is also their biggest plus. Their power-saving feature turns off after a minute, but the mouse wakes up tardily, which is often frustrating. Equally, the big draw now are Bluetooth keyboards. Logitech has a full range of them, some customised for the iPad. Most Bluetooth device makers claim the connection between devices wouldn't drop up to 10 metres from the source (phone/laptop/tablet/music player). But, trust me, often the link drops at less than 10 ft. Frankly, Bluetooth devices are at their best within 5-8 ft. Which is why, there is a limit to how far you can surf on your 40 inch LCD with a Bluetooth keyboard on your lap.On The GoWhen you are on the go, the go-to devices are those that spare your neck a sprain from holding your phone against the shoulder. The Jabra Freeway Bluetooth In-car and the Jabra Cruiser in-car speakerphones are two that can save you the trouble. There's also the Jabra Journey and Jabra Drive. Freeway is particularly unique for its hands-free calling and receiving and music capability. Importantly, it clips on to your visor. It announces the name of the caller so you don't need to look at your phone when receiving a call and takes voice commands to receive or reject the call. It turns on by itself when you enter the car and turns off when you exit. Plantronics' Bluetooth K-100 has similar features, but without the stereo. It has a pre-installed FM transmitter so you can stream the music on your phone to the car's stereo system via K-100.At EaseThe next time you see a gentleman strutting around like an FBI agent with that one-eared device with blue blinking light, consider him out of date. Those are falling rapidly from the chic list, even though companies continue to launch them. When you can listen to stereo, why go mono, whether it is music or your phone? After all, even your boss's yelling would sound like music to your ears if you sport stereo devices such as the Nokia BS-505, the Sennheiser Bluetooth stereo headset, the Philips Mobile Bluetooth Headset SHB7110 or the Jabra Halo Stereo Headset. Seriously. ON TRACK Jabra Cruiser in-car speakerphone helps to enjoy a clear and hands-free conversation on the go Now, if you are one of those value drivers, go for the multi-utility Bluetooth receivers such as the Belkin, the Nokia BH-501 and the Nokia BH-214. Their 3.5 mm audio jack is agnostic to what you plug into it. Plug in those earphones to listen to music streamed from your phone or laptop, with the boss's yelling... or, use an auxiliary cable to convert that old music system into a Bluetooth-enabled device capable of playing music from your laptop or phone.In the app world, there are many apps on the iOS, Android and BlackBerry platforms that use your phone's Bluetooth to let you chat, call, exchange SMSes, even use your phone as a walkie-talkie among all those who have installed the app on their phones. From the Apple Store you could try the ‘Bluetooth IM' from Chris-Software.com or the ‘Bluetooth Phone' from nathanpeterson.com both of which create personal networks between users for free calls or instant messaging. Of course, sharing contact lists, video, photos and music has been the hallmark of all Bluetooth standards, though speeds have improved with every new version. But if you'd rather wait for your first Bluetooth experience, hang around for the extremely energy efficient Bluetooth v4.0 that got approved only last year. Before those products hit the market, you will have the mass-proliferation of Bluetooth v3.0 + HS devices capable of data transfers up to 24 mbps. IN HARMONY Play your iPod touch or iPhone music through home stereo or stand-alone speakers, wirelessly, using Belkin Bluetooth receiver (right) (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 19-12-2011)
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Apple Inc suffered a setback in the Chinese market on Wednesday as a court rejected its lawsuit against a local company for alleged infringement of its 'iPad' trademark, as a result of which it may have to sell the product under a new name in China or cough up $1.6 billion.Apple may have to sell its popular iPad tablet computers under a new name in the Chinese mainland in future if it does not first purchase the trademark from a Chinese tech firm as a result of the verdict, official media here reported today.The Municipal Intermediate People's Court in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city neighbouring Hong Kong, earlier this week rejected a lawsuit by Apple accusing Proview Technology (Shenzhen) of infringing on its 'iPad' trademark.Proview Technology (Shenzhen) is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-headquartered Proview International Holdings Limited, which also has a branch in Taipei.Proview Taipei registered the 'iPad' trademark in a number of countries and regions as early as 2000 and Proview Shenzhen registered the trademark on the Chinese mainland in 2001, long before Apple launched its iPad tablet.Apple bought the rights to use the trademark from Proview Taipei in 2009 with a payment of 35,000 pounds ($54,616).However, Proview Shenzhen reserved the right to use the trademark on the Chinese mainland.The two sides have been entangled in a legal battle ever since.Proview Shenzhen, once a famous flat-panel display producer, is now on the brink of bankruptcy due to debts owed to banks in the wake of the global financial crisis.Li Su, the President of Beijing-based Hejun Vanguard Group, a leading management consultancy firm, has been entrusted by banks to assume the post of "debt restructuring consultant" for Proview Shenzhen."Apple's actions are strange. They had not obtained the rights to use the 'iPad' trademark when they began to sell the iPad on the Chinese mainland in September last year," Huang Yiding of the Hejun Vanguard Group's public relations department was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying."Their copyright infringement is very clear. The laws are still there and they sell their products in defiance of laws. The more products they sell, the more they need to compensate," he said.China, where a plethora of Apple products are assembled, is also a major market for iPhones and iPads.(PTI)
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It all started off with the very forgettable Dell Streak; the temptation to put really large screens into the hands of the consumer and call them…gasp…phones! It's an identity crisis if you ever saw one, really. I mean, do you call these devices phones with tablet aspirations? Or tablets with a phone complex? I looked at the two devices—the Acer Iconia Smart S300 and the Samsung Galaxy Note—to decipher this form factor.Featuring an 4.8-inches screen, the Iconia Smart eschews the traditional 16:9 widescreen format (width-to-height ratio) you usually see on smartphones for an unusual 21:9 aspect ratio, which means the phone is long and narrow. It is rather large, long rather, for most pockets, but you know what? It works, at least for videos and web browsing. The 1024x480-resolution high pixel-density screen delivers videos that are sharp and clear, and if you're near a LCD TV, the Smart will output content via an HDMI connection, or wirelessly via DLNA. When you browse the web on it, web pages have much more room to breathe, especially when you hold the device in landscape mode. Otherwise, it is moderately specced, with a single-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Android 2.3 and 512 MB of memory. The 8-megapixel camera, pretty decent speakers and built in noise cancellation are a nice touch.The Samsung Galaxy Note takes a slightly different approach—take the Galaxy S II and stretch its dimensions to fit in a 5.3-inch screen, and you can imagine what the device looks like. Think of it as a notepad in your front shirt pocket, only much more expensive! The display bests even the Smart's - viewing photos and graphics, web pages is quite the treat when you have this much real estate to work with. The onscreen keyboard is fun to use as well, thanks to the larger keys.Where the Note differs from pretty much every smartphone on the block is the inclusion of … and don't call it a stylus … the S Pen! Apart from letting you draw on the Note's screen and even write on the screen in your own handwriting, with the recognition software doing an okay-ish job in converting your handwriting to text. I quite liked the tap and hold feature to capture an instant screenshot, which it then opens in an image editor for annotation, signing, doodles - basically anything you want. That said, when you're done having fun on the Note, you will wonder how exactly you will carry it on a day-to-day basis. Try before you buy.With these ph-ablets (for lack of a better term) what works and what doesn't? More importantly, should one buy a tablet and a much smaller phone, does this one-size-fit-all approach work? Good as the phablets are, real tablets (the 7-10 inch sort) are much better than these devices for web browsing, gaming and movie watching, while your everyday smartphone does the social network, calls and camera bit and edges ahead of these chaps on account of sheer portability.Acer Iconia Smart S300Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 28, 990URL: http://bit.ly/sNLI63Samsung Galaxy NoteRating: 8/10Price: Rs 34,990URL: http://bit.ly/vBaX7e Charting New Territories Is it possible for expectations to be set too high for the latest (and last) game in the Uncharted franchise? With Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog Software delivered such a massive leap to the gameplay and plot that if you go into Uncharted 3 with the same expectations, prepare to be disappointed. That's not to say it's a bad game, by any measure.Uncharted 3 starts with the familiar Nathan Drake and his seasoned mentor Victor Sullivan, looking for a lost treasure in a mysterious land, before the bad guys get there. Unlike its predecessors, Uncharted 3 adds a vital dash of predictability, especially useful since the majority of the audience who will pick up the game may well be familiar with the games that came before it. So, while the gameplay still revolves around climbing over stuff and shooting bad guys, the twists in the interaction between the main characters veer the story in unexpected directions. And while you cover the levels at a frenetic pace, the developers have done a fine job in mixing the gameplay with cutting edge graphics and excellent cinematography. The game is an experience I would recommend even to first timers – from single player to multiplayer, this game sings. Top notch stuff this. Rating: 9/10Price: Rs 2,699 (standard edition)URL: http://bit.ly/ufCG1H technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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The iPhone 4S, the final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime, hit store shelves in India on Friday with a starting price of 44,500 rupees.At about four times the US retail price where customers buy mandatory data-service plans, the phone may still find buyers among affluent young professionals in India who are snapping up iconic brands and luxury items.Unlike their western peers, Indian mobile operators do not subsidise cost of phones.Airtel and Aircel are selling the 16 GB model for Rs 44,500, with the 32 GB version priced at Rs 50,900 and the 64 GB model available for Rs 57,500.Media reports last week said Indian fans were unhappy that the smartphone will be more expensive in India than anywhere else in the world.Both mobile operators, which started selling the iPhone 4S from midnight on Friday, are offering discounted data plans.The final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime is more expensive that the iPad 2 in India, with the base model of the tablet selling for Rs 27,900. Even its top-end model, with 64 GB of memory and WiFi & 3G, costs Rs 46,900.The new iPhone comes with a faster processor, a better light-sensitive camera, and voice-activated software "Siri".On Friday, the Aircel website showed that the 64 GB version, both black and white, was sold out.(Reuters)
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