Samsung Electronics, which has been locked in a patent infringement battle with Apple Inc, on Wednesday said a German court order to temporarily bar its flagship Galaxy tablet in the European Union would not affect its launch plans in Australia and India."We will be doing our best in order to protect our intellectual properties," Younghee Lee, senior vice president of global marketing at Samsung's mobile business, told Reuters in an interview in New Delhi as Samsung prepared to launch its main tablet computer in the country.Lee said the firm would launch the tablet in India on Wednesday and in Australia in September.A German court temporarily barred the Korean firm from selling the Galaxy tablet in the European Union except the Netherlands, in an order that came a week after Samsung was forced to delay the Australian launch of the tablet due to a similar lawsuit.Samsung, Asia's biggest technology company by revenue, has said it will challenge the decision. (Reuters)
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Wondered why you cannot get your cup of cappuccino right even though you are buying expensive, imported coffee powder from your supermarket? And why that espresso machine you bought doesn't give you the right taste? Making great coffee is an art and, luckily, it is an art you can master, provided you are willing to work hard and follow the correct steps. Here's a handy guide on making a great cup of coffee that matches anything you get at your favourite café. (Caveat: This article does not cover the special south Indian filter coffees, which is a separate art form in itself. That will be the subject of another article.) Start With The Right IngredientsThe reason many people don't get their coffee right is simply because they do not pay enough attention to the two key ingredients — coffee beans and water. While you don't need to know about every kind of coffee growing in the world, experts say that knowing the basics will definitely help you improve your final cup of java. Essentially, there are two main categories into which most coffee species can be sorted. One is called Arabica and the other is Robusta. Experts generally GETTING IT RIGHT: A coffee froth design made by a trained professional at one of the Gloria Jean's outlets in New Delhi. The outlet also sells special coffee beans (BW Pic By Tribhuwan Sharma) consider Arabica to be vastly superior to Robusta, in terms of both flavour and complexity. There are people who swear that the best coffees are made if you use only Arabica beans, while others are equally vehement that a blend of the two in equal proportions is the right way to go about it. Robusta has more caffeine than Arabica. And even within Arabica and Robusta, there are excellent grades and lousy grades. What is worse is that there are dozens of coffee-producing countries, and within each co untry, quality of coffees tend to vary widely. Costa Rica, Columbia, Jamaica and Puerto Rico are the famous Arabica-producing nations while Java, Bali, Borneo and Sumatra are known for Robusta coffees. Brazil produces both.The thing to remember is that you will probably need to go to a specialty coffee bean shop and try out several options — both single origin as well as blended — before you find the one that you like best. Also remember that if you wish to be known for your coffee, buy fresh beans — not a freeze-dried coffee powder. You can get good quality beans in many shops around the country (see ‘Where To Buy Your Beans'). GOOD CRUSHER: KitchenAid Pro Line is a burr grinder The other thing, experts stress, is that you should use good water. A cup of coffee contains a lot of water and if you use your tap water with its metallic taste, you will end up with a coffee that tastes funny even if you have bought excellent beans. While filtered water will do, using bottled spring water is the best option, agree most coffee gourmets. Get The Equipment RightA lot of people invest in good espresso machines. But that is only one piece of equipment — and it comes into play only after several other steps have been taken. What's more, espresso is only good for making espresso-based coffees — that is, the espressos, the lattes, the cappuccino or the Americano. There are other varieties of coffee as well, and for that you need other machines — either a French Press or an American style drip filter coffee machine (not to be confused with South Indian filter coffee makers).But much before you go about choosing your coffee machine or espresso machine, you need two other pieces of equipment — a coffee roaster and a coffee grinder. The first is important because coffee starts losing its flavour within days — some experts say hours — after it has been roasted. And while there are plenty of people who claim they can roast coffee beans in all sorts of kitchen appliances, including open pans, it is best to invest in a good quality coffee roaster if you are planning to make great coffee. There are plenty of roasters available in the market today. A good coffee-roasting machine allows you to get your beans roasted just right — not too oily and not too burnt. The well known coffee roasting machines include HotTop drum roaster, i-Roast 2, and Behmor 1600 drum roaster, and you can buy them in most cities. break-page-break A good quality grinder is also a must because it is best to grind the coffee just after roasting it, and then use it up within a few days. As we said before, coffee tends to lose flavour fast and keeping a grind for more than a week is flirting with trouble. Most specialty shops that stock roasters will also have grinders available. Try and buy one that allows you to get high-quality uniform grinds in different sizes — from fine ones (required for espresso machines) to slightly coarse ones (if you plan to use French Press machines). Roasters And Grinders BUILT-IN TECH: HotTop drum roaster has special features Roasters: There are two types of home coffee roasters — fluid bed and drum. Fluid bed roasters are similar in design to hot-air type popcorn poppers. They have a glass-roasting chamber that allows you to watch the roasting process. While fluid bed roasters are more common at home, it is drum coffee roasters that give the coffee more body. HotTop drum roaster, for instance, is for the serious roaster. You can roast about half a pound of beans at one go, in 20 minutes. The electronic controls allow seven roasting levels. There is also a built-in, smoke-reduction system plus features such as temperature control, fan speed control, power control, and time control. On the other hand, i-Roast 2 is a small fluid-bed roaster that's great for the average home coffee drinker. It also comes with temperature controls. There are also two simple pre-set roasts for easy use — one for a lighter roast, and one for a darker roast. There is also the Behmor 1600 drum roaster, which is cheaper than most others in its category. It can roast 1 pound of coffee in one batch. The attaction of the Behmor is its smoke-control system; the vent is good and it's only at the higher levels of roasting that light smoke appears. Grinders: Freshly roasted coffee beans need to be powdered as well, or the aroma and texture get killed if stored for a long time. There are chiefly two kinds of grinders — blade and burr grinders. Coffee connoisseurs, however, have a soft corner for the burr one. The Breville Ikon Conical burr grinder, for instance, is way ahead in terms of performance compared to blade grinders (which are also cheaper). It has grind settings to create ultra fine to coarse coffee and is easy to use. KitchenAid Pro Line, another burr coffee grinder, can hold 200 gm of coffee and is dish-washer safe. The grind control dial features 15 settings, making this a great buy. Then there is Cuisinart DCG-20N Coffee Bar coffee grinder, a blade grinder, which is a compact option for grinding small amounts of beans every day. It features a stainless steel bowl and blades that can easily crush coffee beans. WHERE TO BUY YOUR BEANS Coffee shops and retail outlets in India: DELHI: The coffee board, Devan's Coffee and Tea, Usha Coffee, Kaveri Coffee, Tamil Nadu Store MUMBAI: MR Coffee StoresCHENNAI: Leo Coffee Outlet, Kumbakonam Degree Coffee outlet, Narasus Coffee, Philips Coffee BANGALORE: Kalmane Coffee, Bayars KOLKATA: India Coffee house, Sunrise Coffee International chains that sell coffee beans including Ethopian, Kenyan and Jamaican Blue Mountain and others: Gloria Jean's Barnie's Coffee and Tea Company Café JubileeCosta CoffeeLavazza: Fresh & Honest Once you have got your grinder and roaster choices done, you will need to choose your main coffee maker. If you are planning to stick to espresso-based drinks (cappuccino, latte, Americano, etc.), go for a good quality cappuccino maker. If you plan to have your coffee the old fashioned way, it is best to choose a good French Press machine or an American style filter paper drip coffee maker. In both the latter cases, a slightly coarser grind is used. In a French Press machine, you first pack in the grind, then pour pre-heated water, let it soak for a few minutes and then push the plunger to get coffee. The American-style filter paper drip coffee makers work on the basis of gravity. Both machines have their die-hard fans, and it is largely a matter of individual choice as to which one to go for.How does espresso differ from these methods? Essentially, espresso machines use pressurised steam to force water through the coffee grind. Espressos are generally far stronger in terms of caffeine content than French Press coffee. Black Coffee, Latte, Americano Or Cappuccino?Once you have your basic coffee ready, it is time to decide what you want to turn it into. A French Press machine will get you a basic black coffee. An espresso machine will give you a good espresso — which is again a black, concentrated coffee drink with no adulterations. An Americano is nothing other than good quality black coffee. You can make an Americano from an espresso by diluting it with some hot water. To many people, a cappuccino and a latte look similar because they both have plenty of milk and, in some cafes, come topped with froth. However, for purists, there are some basic differences. A latte is essentially a milk drink flavoured with coffee. You get it by pouring a lot of milk over a little amount of espresso or even plain black coffee, and what you get is a hot, coffee-flavoured milk. (Okay, technically, if you use an espresso as base, you get a latte. If you use double-strength coffee from a French Press, and then add milk, you get café au lait.) You could add a little froth on top to make it look better, but it is essentially the milk that makes the difference. A basic cappuccino, on the other hand, is one-third espresso, one-third milk, and one-third froth. It should be far stronger than your basic latte. How To Raise A Good Froth The best froth is made from no-fat or skimmed milk. It is best if your espresso maker has a frothing attachment. In case it doesn't, here's how to get some acceptable froth. You first heat milk and then use a high speed electric whisk, which will give you a similar effect. (Purists will scoff at it, but you do get acceptable milk froth with it.) Be careful when you pour the froth on the top of your coffee. You could use a spoon to place the froth on top, and get the effect that professional baristas get. (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 28-03-2011)
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Over the past six years, this diminutively sized (and named!) product has come a mega long way, and to this day, the Mac mini consistently serves to be the cheapest entry point into the Mac ecosystem yet seeing increasing use in home theaters and home servers as well. With a jolt of added muscle to go with its sleek looks, how does the 2011 Mac mini fare? Let's find out.More showpiece, less computer – that about describes the mini over the past few years, and the classic Apple minimalist, industrial design remains, with the seamless aluminum unibody enclosure. The rear has the standard complement of ports, right from the HDMI ports to the 4 USB 2 ports, and more (Firewire 800, audio, SD card slot). There's also the uber-fast Thunderbolt port, but with literally next to no Thunderbolt accessories (none that are reasonably priced, at least) out there, the lack of the more popular USB 3.0 ports just feels…wrong. It's still very beautiful, and will inspire inquisitive looks if you place it in your living room. Having said that, it is by all means a desktop computer – you will need the display, keyboard and mouse to even get started with this. Unlike most desktops though, upgradability is limited – a bottom panel under the mini serves as the main access door to the memory slots. Getting to the hard drive bays is much harder, and I strongly recommend a trip to the Apple Store if you're thinking of upgrading or adding in another drive later.The internals are 2011-spec and the mini, much like the 2011 range of Mac laptops, features the latest Core i5 and i7 processors, with options that allow you to choose integrated graphics or a dedicated graphics card. Mac OS X Lion is preinstalled, and things move along snappily. Bear in mind though, that since this machine doesn't come with any input devices at all, you will need to buy a Magic Mouse or the Magic Trackpad to get the full Lion experience. Push this system with a number of apps open, and things do slow down – so if creative work is what you're thinking, pick up the models with 4 gigs of memory. Pick one with the discrete graphics card, and the mini is a capable gaming machine too, although you would probably want to boot into Windows for the gaming, to be honest. But this is the kind of computer…nay, device that you'd love to be front-and-center in your home entertainment setup. I mean, small footprint, instant LCD TV connections (courtesy HDMI) and enough ports to add in external storage – what's not to love, right? There is the one rather controversial exclusion – the mini has no optical CD/DVD drive! On a desktop computer, for crying out loud! Granted, Apple firmly believes that like Mac OS X Lion, software is going download only, and the future of movies is in digital distribution, but this is stretching reality a tad too far. All of a sudden, you lose the ability to play back DVDs you've bought, install applications on physical discs, play back audio CDs, or even burn an MP3 CD for the car.Granted, if you need to access a CD or DVD on your mini but only occasionally, you can use Apple's Remote Disc feature to 'borrow' the optical drive of a Mac or PC on the same network. Or you could get Apple's external Superdrive, but it's not an elegant solution, not for a desktop computer at least and certainly not for a Mac which can as well occupy pride of place in your living room. Given Apple's history with such decisions – they dropped the floppy drive from the iMac in 1998 and replaced it with a CD drive – I get a sense that they're showing users a path that they may not have taken on their own, or even appreciate now. Even having said that, dropping the drive is premature. On its own, the mini a mighty fine computer with a stunning form factor and worthy internals. If you're not too hot on upgradability and have moved past shiny optical media, this relationship may work. Others should look for great deals on last year's model for a more complete experience.Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 33,900 onwardsURL: http://bit.ly/oIJ8Ou Compact Supercharger Part cable management solution, part smart charging solution – the Belkin Conserve Valet is a USB charging station that can charge up to 4 devices at once (through USB slots) while keeping cords neatly tucked in under its top panel. Connect this and loop all your power wires, and your cluttered bedside will thank you for it – there's even a non-slippery platform on which you can keep your phone(s), making sure your devices will stay in place for the whole night. With most devices charging readily off USB these days, not including a power socket is fairly acceptable though I'd honestly have preferred at least one plug point for laptops and the like. What makes this unique though is that it turns itself off after a 4-hour period to conserve power (when your devices are most likely be fully charged). Of course, it recognises when you connect a new device while having another being recharged half way, the station will reset the 4-hour timer - this is done to make sure that new devices get the 4-hour charge too. The Conserve Valet will automatically turn itself off a few seconds after you unplugged all devices from it. It's a good concept by any means, but I'd really like to find out how much energy it saves in the long run. URL: http://bit.ly/oUPrfnPrice: Rs 2399 Changing Track Taking a successful game from the console onto the iPhone isn't an easy task, and Jump Games take on Codemaster's F1 2010 game proves just that. First off, it's a 2010-spec game that's released halfway into the next season. Once you begin playing it, the tilt controls are iffy at best, letting the already difficult-to-control beasts out of your hands the moment you slip up even the slightest. Although it does feature all of the 19 official tracks and 12 teams, this game needs more gameplay by way of adding a championship mode (at the very least) before one can recommend it. URL: http://bit.ly/oFWMpJPrice: $2.99 (App)ropriate Store If you own a netbook, but didn't know where to find apps that would suit the screen size and modest internals, look no further than the Intel AppUp Center. It is a centralised catalogue of applications for purchase or download, where apps are divided into categories like Business, Education and Games. What's interesting is that it lets one "try before you buy", allowing consumers to test out apps they otherwise might not have before they pony up the cash for the paid version of the app. URL: http://bit.ly/pccquZPrice: Free to use, apps may be paid/free technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Game developers have, for the longest time, strived to deliver a ‘film' feel to their games, something that is indistinguishable from regular cinema except that you, the audience, get to control the actions and fate of the central character. A game narrative that can match the storytelling power of cinema; L.A. Noire may just be the game that did it first.Right from where you step into the boots of Cole Phelps, a WWII war hero who returns to Los Angeles in the late 40s, there is a distinct film noir feel to the game (for those curious, the plot is similar to L. A. Confidential). The story tracks the meteoric rise of Phelps in the L. A. Police Department, and much like L. A. Confidential's protagonist, you have one goal - restore order to the violent streets of Los Angeles at all costs, except selling out. It is this rise through the ranks that forms the basis of L. A. Noire, a game that's structured like a TV serial with each episode packing in an independent case Phelps has to solve while contributing to the overall character and plot development.At the heart of each episode are the challenges that test Phelp's skills of investigation and deduction, and after being handed a case, you must drive to the crime scene, dig out clues lying innocuously around and then follow up on leads. Clues aren't that obvious to begin with, and you need to walk around the scene till you chance upon something – a blood stain, an object, a calling card – lying around for your to have a lead to follow. You maintain a notebook of important clues as you try and solve the case, and the occasional advice and nuggets of information from the coroner or your partner are essential elements. Phelps may be the hero, but he does not (and cannot) crack cases alone.Finding and interrogation of a crucial witness is really where L. A. Noire's "Motion Scan" motion-capture technique comes into its own and seriously blurs the line between cinema and game. Using this technique, the producers of the game hired real actors to deliver performances that they captured and reproduced faithfully in the game characters. As you interrogate the witness and try and call out his lies, it is these minute telltale changes in the character's expression that lets you decide whether to call him out on a lie or believe him. Every twitch, grimace or shifty glance tells a tale, and if you're in the habit of checking your phone or your email while listening to dialogues, don't! Looking away for even the slightest while can lead to failure. All in all, the result is a very impressive and realistic cinema experience, and it gets even better when just like a real suspect, the chap on screen deliberately misleads you and sends you off on a wild-goose chase.Be warned though about the interrogations, even more so when you accuse the suspect of lying. Get it right, and you can get them to open up some more and give you some more clues. Get it wrong, and the chap clams up and refuses to give you more information.Of course, as with cinema, the game's weakness is that you know that while you feel you are making your own decisions, there is a larger plot unfolding all the while towards a defined end. Even so, L. A. Noire breaks new ground and is highly recommended to any gamer interested to see how far the medium is being stretched. The game, if we can still call it that, is quite unlike anything you'd have played before, with a terrific sense of period atmosphere coupled with a brilliant soundtrack, and most importantly, moments that stay with you long after you've turned the console off.Rating: 9/10Price: Rs 2,499 (PS3 and Xbox)URL: http://bit.ly/jwBTmdbreak-page-breakPerfect FitPortable scanners, despite the name, have been bulky little beasts, taking up a sizeable chunk of your laptop bag. Not so with the Handi-Scan from the house of Hip Street. This baby is small enough to fit a coat pocket and works off 2 AA batteries and a microSD memory card, allowing you scan pretty much anywhere you need… or want!Start it up (bear in mind the retail pack does not include a memory card) and the Handi-Scan is ready to scan documents upto 127 cm in length. The design is simple and the only buttons you get are to toggle between from color and black-and-white and to change scanning resolution to Low (300dpi) or High (600dpi). There is a tiny LCD readout display for the status of the memory card, a battery meter, and also the number of scanned documents already present on the memory card. The build quality is pretty top notch yet it is light and handy enough to carry around.To scan any document, photo or book, all you have to do is place the Handi-Scan on top of the document, and thanks to the four rubber rollers, the device moves smoothly over the scanning surface. It does take a little effort to figure out the right way to scan the first time you use this device, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. Fortunately, an LED glows red when the scanning is not done properly (such as when you swiped too fast or too slow) and takes the guesswork out of whether the scan happened or not. The sides are also neatly marked with guides to indicate the scanning width of the scanning element situated below, so that you place the Scanny correctly on the document to be scanned.Scan results are accurate, and color reproduction is excellent given the size of this device. Granted, they aren't as good as a flatbed scanner, but perfectly acceptable for most purposes. Hip Street has included ABBYY Screenshot Reader OCR software to convert scanned documents into editable documents such as Word and Excel files, which makes a lot of sense for the on-the-go traveller.Couple of things to keep in mind. First, the device lets you use any Micro SD card of up to 32 GB capacity but does not have any internal memory of its own. You can use this in conjunction with a PC via the mini-USB port, which lets you connect the device to the PC to transfer the scanned documents. Expect regular AA Alkaline batteries to be good for about 170-180 color scans before they run out of juice.Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 6,439URL: http://bit.ly/iBsXyG First Of A New Kind Is this the device that will turn things around for Nokia in the smartphone segment? Sporting a 3.9-inch AMOLED screen and packing in 16GB or 64GB of onboard memory and 1GB of RAM, the N9 isn't just a nice slab of metal. It is the first device to run Nokia's MeeGo platform, and going by initial impressions, the interface is nothing like what we've seen from Nokia so far! Specs are top notch, and then there's this neat party trick – the ability to pair Bluetooth devices over NFC (near field communication) simply by tapping the two devices together! URL: http://bit.ly/mhlVamPrice: tba technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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It's typical of iPad buyers to get a bit of a surprise when they find they also need to buy accessories and apps. Without the apps, the tablet is a pretty slate. And without some accessories, life can get uncomfortable. One essential accessory is an iPad case. And sadly but truly, the famous Smart Cover doesn't come with the iPad and costs between Rs 2,000 and just over Rs 3,000. It protects the tablet's screen, turns it off and on, and apparently even cleans the screen. The back, however, tends to get dirty, so you may want to go for a colour that won't look dirty too easily. Some apps are coming up with snappy tricks, making the iPad do something when you lift the cover. But what's almost impossible to do without is a carry case. The back of the device needs protecting, and if you plan to carry it around, you'll need to put it into a tight carry case, not leave it swinging loosely in your briefcase or handbag. Expectedly, there's a whole industry of cases, though most of them aren't available in India. Drop into the nearest Croma or Apple Store, or try some of the well-known gadget shops. But you should also look online to see what you can order. It's important that the case fits in well with your lifestyle. It's also important that you keep a large number of variables in mind when you start selecting. To begin with, there's the style or type of case. There are cases that house the tablet on one side and a keyboard on the other. It's tempting to go for one of these because the tablet turns into a little laptop the moment it sits in such a case. Incidentally, it also takes away the ‘tabletness' of the device. The iPad usually fits tightly into the case, else it could drop out, and that means the user won't take it out too often. But keyboard cases only house small keyboards — not regular ones. Typing on them is more painful than typing on a virtual keyboard. The keys — and especially the space bar — are jammed into the material and your fingers will struggle to get any work done. If you plan to take the iPad along on trips, explore external keyboards, including wireless ones from Apple. Then there are mini briefcase-like cases. I own one of these and find it very useful because it takes the iPad along with the Smart Cover and has a handle for me to carry it around. There's also a pocket to put the charger, earphones, etc. But the quality of my particular case isn't the best and I think it will begin to show some wear and tear soon. I'm also unsure about the quality of the soft material on the inside. Nonetheless, it's not a bad form factor, though I can't put my separate keyboard in it.Some iPad cases open up like books or folders — much like the Kindle's. Not a great many of these are available in Delhi, but stray ones are probably around. They make reading more fun and also protect the back of the iPad. But if you own a Smart Cover, you'll have to get it out of the folder-style case to use it. A more functional style is the folder type, which gives good protection and has pockets to put stuff into. It's a good option if you travel a lot. Some cases only cover the back of the tablet. Obviously, these are neither here nor there. Sleeve cases are nice and professional-looking, but have no handles so you have to be careful while carrying one. Some have protective straps to make sure the iPad doesn't fall out when you're taking it out. Cases are not cheap, and you won't want to buy them time and again. So, don't just get the first one that catches your eye. I certainly wish my case had more protective cushioning and a longish strap. I also wish it were made of a better material. Indeed, the material is another variable. Is it synthetic or suede? Is it durable and easily cleanable? Is there a screen protector included (though I'm a little sceptical about these in case they make touch a little sluggish)? Are there wipe cloths? Is there an extra strap or something to prevent the device from jerking out? What about cushioning? YouTube has demos of drop-resistant cases, which you may like to check out. Also, check if the package is overly heavy.But how snugly does the tablet fit into the case? If it's too tight, taking it out could be a pain and somewhat dangerous. Again, some cases have stands. One particular case I saw had stands that could be adjusted for nine different positions for answering emails, browsing, watching movies, etc. Finally, check what buttons the case may be interfering with, if it's a "play-through" type. The Apple iPad 1 case was a bit tricky with the charging port, for example. Some cases end up hiding the camera. Explore the iLounge and ipadcasesblog.com to see what's happening on the case front. The trouble will almost certainly be worth it. The author is a personal technology writer and media professional (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 15-08-2011)
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It packs in a 1.4 GHz Core i5 processor, a 128 GB solid state drive and 4 GB of RAM into a ridiculously thin 0.64-inch thick chassis. If this reminds you of a certain extremely popular and incredibly thin ultraportable, think again — this baby runs Windows and sports a Samsung logo. The Series 9 from Samsung has its sights set on the ‘beauty and brain' laptop category, but does it have the chops to compete with that certain other laptop?It certainly has got design spot on, clad mostly in a metal called duralumin, which till now had seen use in aircraft construction. Yet, the deep black case and sharp edges give it a distinct look, unlike some of the Apple knockoffs I've seen in the past. The device feels amazingly solid despite being this thin, and the top half shows no flex whatsoever. On paper, in terms of thickness and weight, it matches the Apple ultraportable spec for spec, yet manages to pack in two USB ports (one USB 3.0), a mini HDMI socket, a jack for the included Ethernet adapter, a microSD card slot and a headphone jack. The chiclet style keyboard is quite easily one of the best I've seen on a Windows laptop, and I love that you can control the amount of backlighting on the keys via dedicated function keys. And while the trackpad does support some fancy multitouch gestures, I found the trackpad a bit too sensitive for my taste – a tad disappointing given how good the keyboard was. The 1366x768 pixel 13.3 inch screen was pretty bright for outdoor use, and has a matte finish which avoids the issue of glare that you see on a glossy display.But you're not just paying for good looks, are you? The 1.4 GHz Core i5-2537 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM means a snappy experience while launching applications, but the lion's share of the credit should go to the 128 GB solid state drive. Watching Windows boot on this device in just over 20 seconds, I feel like I'm finally getting all those seconds of my life back that I had till now wasted watching Windows machines boot! Bear in mind though that with the Intel integrated HD 3000 graphics, the machine will fall short of grunt to run the latest games but older/casual games and HD clips worked just fine. Battery life is quite decent for a laptop this thin, lasting well over the 5 hour mark in typical use.The Series 9 from Samsung certainly packs a mean punch, but the pricing's all wrong. And with the announcement of the updated lineup of MacBook Airs (with the new Core i5/i7 processors), a comparable Air is considerably (almost a fourth) cheaper. Sigh. With better pricing, this really coulda been a contender…Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 1,00,990URL: http://bit.ly/pdaETa Lead To The Studio Looking to hook up your iPad or iPhone to your keyboard or any MIDI device and record your tunes on the go? Pick up the MIDI Mobilizer or the MIDI Mobilizer II from Line 6. This handy little device plugs into your Apple device and lets you use apps like GarageBand to take your recording studio on the road. No computer or batteries/power supply hassles either – the MIDI Mobilizers draw juice directly from your iPod/iPhone/iPad. URL: http://bit.ly/nptMKtPrice: $69.99 technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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For the past two weeks I've been checking and rechecking the App Store, waiting for Skype, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and various other apps to make an appearance. Of course, it's more because I'm addicted to app updates because I'm always hoping my favourite ones will have new and exciting features to play with. But Skype for iPad has been so much in the news that anyone would be curious. Actually, Skype itself has been rather centre stage lately. You'd think there was no other way to voice and video call on mobile devices. In fact there are many other similar services around, including Google Talk solutions. If you leave aside video, there are more services than you can count. People have been using them on their phones quite successfully for quite a while now.Historically though Skype is an early mover and many users are just accustomed to it, especially corporate users. Skype is available on all other platforms but not necessarily for video chat yet. Recently bringing video chat to Android, it's still only available on a few handsets, though this is surely just a matter of time. Skype couldn't possibly have meant to tease its users when a video of its native iPad app popped up on its Youtube channel in June. When they realised it had gone up, the video was quickly removed. Too late though: most of the world got a peek - and what they saw looked pretty good.And then again, on 1 August , the Skype app became actually available, but was also then removed. Skype apologised for a premature release. Apparently, some bugs were yet to be fixed. But by the next day it was finally officially available.All this time, if you wanted to use Skype on the iPad, you'd have to make do with the iPhone app, available and working, but not a pretty sight. It didn't fit the whole screen and so clearly looked not meant for the iPad. The real thing however, is a very neat looking app with a minimalistic feel. A little like a photo album actually, except that my contacts have to go and spoil it all by not putting up profile photos, leaving me with a lot of grayed-out mysterious figures.The Skype app works fine, with everything easily and intuitively available without your having to look very hard. But you need a good strong connection. I did find a little faltering and some lag on the Wi-Fi connect. It works on both the original iPad and the iPad 2 and does everything Skype for PC does; video chat, messaging, calling. Its simplicity is really rather appealing - Mac users may find the Mac version nicer-looking though, while PC users will almost definitely think the new iPad version is an improvement. With the formal launch of its app on the iPad, Skype is all over the place. Microsoft bought it up a few months ago and will integrate it into applications or the OS. Facebook has pulled it in for instant chat on its network… not difficult to see how it's Skype that may continue to dominate the online voice and video chat scene for quite some time.Mala Bhargava is a personal technology writer and media professional. Contact her at mala@pobox.com and @malabhargava on Twitter
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As Hurricane Irene rolls through the United States' east coast, social media kicks into action. Updates on Twitter are helping CNN and other radio and television news channels supplement their reporting with details on what's really happening to people. Eyewitness reports on CNN's "Open Story" is calling in updates from places where the storm has hit. But as has become the norm now, apps have also sprung up around the event on practically all operating systems for smartphones: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows 7. Some of the apps are trackers, giving up-to-the-minute updates on various storm parameters and movement. HurricaneHD is one of these. Another is RadarScope. Some apps have alerts and advisories. A few, like Disaster Caster, have disaster related plans for individuals to use. The Weather Channel app, of course, has everything, including videos, survival tips, and data. PC Magazine has quickly created a round-up of these. I am amazed however, to find that these apps are paid, one of them costing as much as $10, which is more than I paid for an entire word processing application on the iPad. While I think it's perfectly in order for developers who make apps to get money for their trouble, surely apps around natural disasters and other such events shouldn't be used to make money. I was also shocked to find there were hurricane related games popping up. I suppose one may argue that there's no harm in entertaining yourself if you're nervously waiting for the storm to hit, or indeed are stranded with not much to do. However, as they will say in the US, the jury is out on that one. With advanced feature phones and smartphones penetrating rural areas (over 7 million) at high speed, it would be good to see apps coming up when there are problems like riots, floods or disease outbreaks in rural or coastal areas. They would make equal sense for the metros as well, of course. It would all depend on whether the cellular towers hold up and in fact whether they're there in the first place, but it's worth even in times such as the post-monsoon dengue epidemics. I was interested to find, however, that some Anna Hazare apps have also come up. And that includes games, such as Angry Birds adaptation Angry Anna. You can guess who the birds and pigs are. There are several others, including one that says "Get the Lokpal Bill in 1 minute". On the serious side, India Against Corruption also has an app, a trend I rather like as it can take the media out of the equation.Mala Bhargava is a personal technology writer and media professional. Contact her at mala at pobox dot com and @malabhargava on Twitter
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