There are fast cars, there are supercars, and then there are the hypercars. Here's some perspective. A Rolls-Royce Phantom coupe, the chariot of royalty, comes for around Rs 4 crore. If you think that's a lot, what would you make of the Rs 12-crore Koenigsegg Agera? Or the Rs 16-crore Bugatti Veyron from Volkswagen? These ultra-luxurious hypercars are not the type you would see whizzing by on a regular street. They are special and need special handling by near-fanatical owners.And India, it seems, is the land where these hyper brands are now seeking homes. "With the population of a billion, the 1 per cent who constitute the affluent or the new ‘global Indians' are estimated to be over 10 million. Moreover, good roads have also fuelled the demand for ultra-luxury cars in the country," says Satya Bagla, managing director, Exclusive Motors, the official importer of Bugattis, Bentleys and Lamborghinis in India. Again, the buying considerations of the ultra-wealthy have shifted from price to design, style and sheer pleasure. Ergo, hypercars.Let's take a look at some of the super-luxury cars that now vroom in India and also at a bunch of those you would die to buy, but are yet to hit the Indian roads.Aston Martin One-77If you loved the fully equipped beast that Sean ‘007' Connery drove in Goldfinger or if you were bowled over by the opening scene of GoldenEye, where Pierce Brosnan drove an old but amazing car to race a Ferrari, you would be delighted to read about Aston Martin. Selling through Performance Cars, the British luxury marque has a range of models for Indian customers. With two dealerships, one in Mumbai and one in Delhi, the company imports most of its luxury fleet including the V8 Vantage Coupe, V8 Vantage S, V8 Vantage Roadster, the four-door Rapide and the new Virage. The jewel in its crown, though, is the limited edition One-77, which is available for a whopping Rs 20 crore. Powered by a 7.3-litre V12 engine, this is by far the most expensive car in India. And as the name indicates, only 77 units have been produced. Understandably, the coupe costs millions for registration alone.Bugatti Veyron Grand SportNamed after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, the Bugatti Veyron is arguably the mother of all hypercars. Its skirmishes with the SSC Ultimate Aero for the honour of the "world's fastest car" are legendary. First sold at a charity auction for $3.19 million in August 2008, the Grand Sport possesses the staggering power of 989 bhp and is priced at Rs 16 crore in the Indian market.Manufactured at Bugatti's facilities in Molsheim, France, the Grand Sport is a limited production car that boasts an 8-litre, 16-cylinder engine and can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just 2.5 seconds, while its top speed is measured at 407 kmph.break-page-breakKoenigsegg AgeraDesigned by Swedish sports car enthusiast Christian von Koenigsegg, this is one of the most stunning hypercars ever made. InterGlobe Established Products, which launched the Agera in India, plans to sell only one or two of this Rs 12.5-crore machine this year. Hand-built in Sweden, only 18 of these are made every year. A 4.7-litre V8 engine produces 910 bhp at 6,850 rpm, while the huge torque of 1,100 nm comes in at 5,100 rpm. Weighing just 1,290 kg, the Agera has a specially developed transversal transmission with paddle-shifts. It has a top speed of 435 kmph and takes 2.9 seconds to reach a 100 kmph speed — a wee lower than the Bugatti.And now for the second part — the cars you would wager everything to own but are not available in India yet.Maybach ExeleroThe most interesting fact about the Maybach Exelero — possibly the most expensive car ever made — is that it's the only car in the world customised for tyres and not the other way round! Maybach designed the one-off Exelero for tyre manufacturer Fulda Reifenwerke, which wanted to showcase its next-gen Fulda Carat Exelero tyres. The Exelero is a high-performance sports coupe that comes with a 700-hp (522-kW) bi-turbo V12 engine. Many enthusiasts would die to own even a replica of the car; the 800-hp, V10-engined Maybach Exelero replica is currently priced at $687,335.Estimated price: $4,710,000Likely Indian price: Rs 42 crore (dollar conversion plus taxes) Zenvo ST1If you admire cutting-edge Danish design, as exemplified, for example, by the lifestyle electronics products from Bang & Olufsen, here's another design marvel from this Scandinavian country — the Zenvo ST1 whose unique aerodynamic design makes it look like a car from the future. Powered by an ST1 or supercharger turbo 1, the 7-litre V8 engine boasts both a supercharger and a turbo, and generates 1.104 bhp. The ST1 can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in just three seconds and vaunts a top speed of 375 kmph, which makes this Scandinavian beast one of the fastest street-legal sports cars in the world.Estimated price: $3,240,000Likely Indian price: Rs 30 crore Pagani Zonda RMuch like the hot wind in Argentina that gives the Zonda its name, the Zonda R from Italian auto major Pagani is strong, fast and hot, and produces 750 hp of sheer awesomeness. Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 2007 — where it stopped heartbeats with its futuristic, almost concept-like, design — this mid-engine monster uses a 6-litre V12 engine, sourced from the race version of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR. While the Zonda can leap from 0 to 100 kmph in less than 2.7 seconds, the Brembo carbon ceramic brakes can be used to bring the car to a quick standstill.Estimated price: $1,720,000Likely Indian price: Rs 16 croreWeber Sportcars Faster OneSwiss precision is no longer limited to the world's most prestigious chronographs. Coming from Tobel, Switzerland, the uniquely designed Weber Sportcars Faster One boasts a top speed of 400 kmph, which makes it one of the world's fastest street-legal cars. Weighing just 1,100 kg, the funky two-seater aims to achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency and directional stability at high speeds, and is powered by a V8 engine with dual superchargers that produce 900 hp. It can reach 100 kmph in just 2.5 seconds.Estimated price: $1,310,000Likely Indian price: Rs 12 crore (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 18-07-2011)
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Apple Inc.'s App Store just crossed the 15 billionth download milestone. I have a nasty feeling I've contributed significantly to that number. Apps are so easy to buy; so quick, and mostly painless, until you get your credit card bill at the end of the month. Still, I think it's a small price for the fun and functionality these little programs give you. When I think back to the clunky old days of using Windows 3.11, PageMaker, CorelDraw and other heavyweight software, I can't help but be amazed at how something that costs one-hundredth the price can afford so much functionality - some of it based on entirely new usage concepts. Playing Scrabble with my sister from across the country is not a usage I envisaged or based any purchase decisions on, but now that I discover I can do it, it's fun, and a nice little thing to share with someone you don't have the chance to do something with everyday. I didn't foresee needing to edit my friends' photographs, but now that I can, I have had hours of fun startling them with strange photo results. All of it done with apps that cost less than $3 when it would have needed an extremely expensive piece of software to get the same result. I didn't think I needed to rely on my memory and a notepad to keep track of how many hours I spent on a piece of work. But now that it just means a touch to check-in and another touch to check-out, it's become an indispensible part of organising my work day. There's an app for just about everything you can think of and many things you can't. So it's no wonder that Apple has sparked off a whole huge industry with its App Store. The store has 425,000 apps, 100,000 of them just for the iPad. Pretty soon, you'll also see apps for Apple's desktop and laptop systems, widening the net even further. All the other companies don't touch this figure, the closest though, being apps for various Android devices. RIM, makers of the popular BlackBerry phones and the Playbook tablet, barely have a fraction of this number, bringing to the forefront the question of whether a great piece of hardware is what a tablet or smartphone is all about. When Apple's iCloud services really take off, this will add another level of functionality to apps because you will be able to store, access and share stuff easily for both work and leisure. Much the same is likely to happen with Google, especially with its apps and services being mostly free. To those considering buying either tablets or smartphones, I would seriously say, factor in the apps. A few friends of mine, desperate to buy an iPad and finally managing it, suddenly show a great deal of reluctance to buy apps; quite forgetting that a beautiful tablet is just s blank slate without them. It's important to set aside a sum to populate your tablet richly with apps. If you're on a budget, opt to spend on apps rather than the top-end tablet. That way, whether you have a 16, 32, or 64GB model, it's brimming with things to do. Mala Bhargava is a personal technology writer and media professional. Contact her at mala@pobox.com and @malabhargava on Twitter
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Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet computer hit North American shelves on Tuesday, joining a market dominated by two versions of Apple's iPad and filling quickly with other contenders, including a slew of devices running Google's Android software.Downbeat critics zoomed in on the PlayBook's reliance on an existing BlackBerry for full functionality.Below are some questions and answers about the PlayBook.How much does it cost?RIM has mimicked Apple's WiFi-only iPad pricing; $499 for 16GB of storage, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB.Do I need a BlackBerry to make the most of PlayBook?In a word, yes. The first version does not have its own cellular connection, relying on WiFi to access the Internet.The PlayBook "bridges" with a BlackBerry through a secure Bluetooth connection to access corporate email, address book, calendar and other features including BlackBerry Messenger. When the link is broken, the data disappears.RIM set up this relationship to pitch PlayBook to security-conscious corporations and governments that will not need to verify the PlayBook's credentials. Avoiding a cellular connection also speeds deployment into the space.An upgrade some time after launch will add email, calendar and address book apps for those without a BlackBerry.Will it get its own cellular connection later?Yes. RIM will release radio-enabled versions later this year for high-speed WiMax, LTE and HSPA+ networks. These will connect to RIM's enterprise servers if a company desires.Worth buying a PlayBook if I do not own a BlackBerry?Difficult to say. The PlayBook's tech specs are impressive, but some have been matched by other devices in the market since its September unveiling. It should have 3,000 apps at launch, compared to the 65,000 designed for the iPad.What are the technical specifications? Why do I care?The PlayBook is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor from Texas Instruments and 1 GB RAM system memory. It has a 7-inch touchscreen, front and rear cameras and weighs in at 425g, or just under a pound.It runs an all-new BlackBerry Tablet OS, powered by the QNX Neutrino kernel, and multitasking has been heavily promoted.It supports Adobe's Flash, prevalent on today's Web, as well as HTML5, which will one day replace it. The iPad does not support Flash; Android's tablet software does. RIM will run emulators to allow Android and BlackBerry phone apps to be run on the tablet.Add all this together and the PlayBook offers powerful mobile computing with a snappy user interface.Anything else I should know?The borders of the screen are touch-sensitive. Swipe up from the bottom to minimize what you're doing, down to access in-app options, and from left or right to toggle between applications. A gesture from the bottom left corner brings up the virtual keyboard.It comes with a full suite of editable word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, plus Electronic Arts' car-racing game Need For Speed: Undercover.(Reuters)
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Samsung Wave 2With Android based smartphones literally coming out of the woodwork these days, one would think a ‘hatke' OS with a fresh perspective would be more than welcome. But does the Wave II, a refresh of Samsung's original Wave smartphone based on the Bada platform, do enough? It's clear that Samsung is hedging its bets with Bada, with its Galaxy S and Nexus S Android handsets doing pretty well for themselves. Make no mistake though, there's a lot going on in terms of specs for the Wave II. A 1 GHz processor, the usual bevy of connectivity features and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording – the Wave II isn't lacking per se, but doesn't up the specs ante significantly like its predecessor did. It retains the aluminum chassis, but is a lot easier to handle with its bigger form factor. No radical design changes here – the Wave II has similar layout of controls as the original Wave, and at 123 x 59.8 x 11.8 mm, the Wave II is still pretty compact and pocket-friendly while retaining the semi-premium heft to it.What's disappointing (but not surprising given global shortages) is that Samsung chose to kit the Wave II with a 3.7 inch 480x800 pixel Super Clear LCD screen, instead of the Super AMOLED variety that the original Wave had. Sure, the new Wave's sunlight legibility is still pretty good, but with the Galaxy S, we've seen just how good the color reproduction and contrast levels can get with the Super AMOLED, so it will be missed on the Wave II. Blame it on Samsung supplying ever diminishing Super AMOLED screens to their Android lineup.How then does the latest Bada version 1.2 fare as a smartphone OS? It checks all the boxes of a modern mobile OS – you get excellent social network integration with the address book, a home screen with widgets capabilities and excellent multimedia playback capabilities. The TouchWiz interface is now standard across their Bada and Android lines, so there is an element of familiarity in the interface. Look closely, and you'll see certain OS elements borrowing from Android as well, which isn't a bad thing in itself. Native apps are nice, but as a smartphone contender, it's really third party apps that can swing the decision for me. The Bada OS offers a native application repository, called Samsung Apps, which is very similar to the Android market in organisation. Third party apps are available but significantly fewer in number and variety than the competing platforms, plus only the base Samsung apps can multitask (this issue should be sorted out in Bada 2.0, due this summer). Without the bundle of apps that one is used to on other platforms, the Wave II comes across as a pricey feature phone on steroids, rather than a complete smartphone. If you demand even a little bit more from your smartphone, look the Android way, for now at least. It's good to see Samsung persist with Bada though, and if it becomes the platform for their mid-level touch phones in the future and gets some developer support along the way, its purpose would have been met. Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 20,319URL: http://bit.ly/i0sGD5Dell Venue SmartphonesDell's foray into smartphones just took a serious leap into the category of contenders with the launch of the Venue Android smartphone. Don't confuse this with their Venue Pro handset though, which is a Windows Phone 7 device. To begin with, the phone feels really pleasant in the hand, and the small styling touches in terms of the chrome sides and curved edges give this phone oodles of class. This is out and out one of the most premium ‘feeling' phones in the Android segment, it's that good in the hand. The front of the device is dominated by the subtly curved 4.1-inch 480x800 pixel AMOLED capacitive screen with the tough Gorilla Glass display. Clarity on this screen is excellent, but I couldn't help but feel the brightness was a little sub-par, more so under direct sunlight. There's a slight curve to the screen, which makes it easier (for some folks I spoke to) to swipe across the screen. That said, the touchscreen is responsive, and the phone offers both Swype and Android virtual keyboards.With the Venue packing Android 2.2 with a custom Dell ‘Stage' overlay, the UI looks good and adds in a number of customisations such as the inclusion of large widgets – to show you your favourite contacts, twitter feeds etc - that can be placed on one of the seven homescreens. If you've seen the Dell Streak, the UI is consistent with that device. It's fairly easy to use as an interface, but lacks the intuitiveness in some places that I've seen on some of other Android phones. Give me the stock Android experience any day, personally. Using the device, there is an ever-so-occasional but very noticeable lag when you're swiping through the user interface, and that's a little strange considering this phone runs a 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor. For multimedia, the Dell Venue sports an 8MP autofocus camera complemented by an LED flash and can also record 720p videos. Picture quality was average, though. Keep in mind, like many large screened Android handsets, this too struggles to keep up at the end of a long day, and a battery charger or a second battery is advised for heavy users. I'd like to see this move up to the current Android 2.3 Gingerbread version soon to better my recommendation – 2.2 is so 2010, really. Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 29,990URL: http://dell.to/elsrZZbreak-page-breakKingston's HyperX Max 3.0Portable drives that use flash memory storage aren't moving large volumes yet, what with the rather princely premium they command over their hard drive based counterparts. Kingston's HyperX Max 3.0 external USB 3.0 doesn't really fix the pricing issue, but gets other aspects spot on. It's smart looking, encased in a sleek blue aluminum housing and about the size of an iPod. The supplied cable works with the newer fast USB 3.0 ports as well as the older 2.0 ports, and an activity light indicates as much.But it's really in everyday use that you see the value of this device. If you've ever transferred a large amount of data to or from an external USB drive, you'll know how painfully sluggish the USB 2.0 standard really is. With 3.0, you get roughly eight to ten times the data transfer, and newer laptops and motherboards are finally waking up to the standard. You can even pick up USB 3.0 add-on cards available to upgrade older machines.So when you plug the HyperX Max 3.0 into a USB 2.0 port, the drive is comparable to fast external hard drives, but it really sings when connected to a machine with a USB 3.0 port. It is exceedingly fast, transferring multi-gigabyte files in around a minute and snappier still in daily use. Sample this - advertised transfer speeds claim 195MBytes/sec read speed and 160MBytes/sec write, and averaging from my tests, I saw sequential read and write speeds topping out at 180-190MBytes/s and 170MBytes/sec, so you're getting what you're paying for. Plus, it's quiet and resistant to knocks and bangs, but, as we all know, comes with a massive downside - the price. At this moment, this is not for the average buyer, more for the pro video or photo guys, who need a lot of fast portable storage. Rating: 8/10Price: 64GB: Rs 7,500, 128GB: Rs 12,500, 256GB: Rs 27,999URL: http://bit.ly/hLyd8o Speeding Ahead No, this is not a router-cum-windmill that you will need a strong breeze to power! The Logitec new LAN-WH450N/GR wireless router actually sports a tri-antenna design which the manufacturer claims lets the router achieve speeds of up to 450Mbps when using compatible devices. For those with wired networks, this baby supports high speed Gigabit Ethernet and all the standard security mechanisms. Plus, have you seen how futuristic it looks? URL: http://bit.ly/fhaGYvPrice: $230 technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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There are many stereotypes about the French. And most of them aren't true. French people don't all wear a beret and sport a curly moustache, and walk around with a baguette in one hand and a cigarette in the other. But some of these stereotypes stick for a good reason. French people love cheese. Cheese is to the French, what rice is to South Indians: it comes with every meal. And French people don't just eat cheese. They eat 246 different varieties of cheese - though that figure is the subject of a much-heated debate in France. Charles de Gaulle, the famous French general and statesman who led the Free Forces during World War II, once famously asked: "How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kind of cheese?"Almost every region in France has its own cheese - made from cow or goat milk, soft or hard, mild or stinky - produced according to different traditions and techniques. One could tour France for a year and still not find time to discover them all. Here are some suggestions:Every voyage to France starts with Paris. Because Paris is one of the most mesmerising cities in the world, but also simply because wherever you are from, chances are that you will be landing at Charles de Gaulle airport, about 25 km outside Paris.While you will find a great variety of cheese in Paris's bustling markets, which spring up on every street corner on Sunday mornings, few are actually made locally. Brie is, however, one of them, and one of the country's most popular cheese. It's also a good way to dive in for the faint hearted who may not be used to the good old French cheese with a strong taste and smell. Le Brie - pronounce "bri" and not "bry", or nobody in Paris will have the faintest clue what you are talking about - is a soft cheese made from cow milk, pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mold. Like most French cheese, it is named after the region from which it originated - la Brie - now known as Seine-et-Marne, a province close to Paris. It is best appreciated with a good piece of 'baguette' just out of the oven of one of the city's many 'boulangeries'. You can find a pasteurised version - this processing is mandatory in the US and Australia - of it in supermarkets, though it is frowned upon by most Parisians who prefer to buy it directly from producers.By now, your taste buds should be ready for something a bit stronger, so hop on a train to Normandy. A picturesque region north to Paris, it is known for one of the country's most famous cheese: le Camembert. Its reputation and its strong pungent smell precedes it, although it is somewhat exaggerated. According to how old the cheese is, its taste will vary greatly. So if you cannot handle that strong taste, make sure to buy your Camembert young and firm. The longer you keep it, the stronger the taste and smell will become. Whichever way you like it, Camembert is a classic French cheese, and one that you just must try out. CHEESY AFFAIR: (Clockwise from top left) Brie, Comté, Rocamadour and le Camembert are some of the celebrated cheese break-page-breakAlthough not as well known as Camembert, Munster - not to be confused with America's Muenster - made in Lorraine, a region close to the German border, is for true cheese enthusiasts. The name Munster comes from the little town of Munster, where, among Vosgian abbeys and monasteries, the cheese was traditionally conserved and matured in monks' cellars. It tastes strong and powerful, especially if you let it mature for a few days. A glass of strong red wine - like Côte-Rôties, Corton, Haut-Médoc, or Pinot rouge d'Alsace - goes well with it. If the cheese is young, opt instead for a late harvest Gewürztraminer, a white wine from Alsace with floral notes. From there, travel south to Franche-Comté. That's the region where the famous Comté, a hard cheese with a dusty brown and a pale creamy yellow paste rind, is made. After the Camembert and the Munster, this may come as a welcome break. While the Comté is also fairly strong in taste, it is slightly sweet, so usually fares well even with those who may not be die-hard cheese lovers. It is only made of milk from Montbeliarde cattle - a red and white cow from the region. Fresh from the farm, milk is poured into huge copper vats where it is warmed. Rennet is added causing the milk to coagulate. The curds are cut into tiny white grains that are then stirred before being heated again. The preparation is then placed into moulds, the whey pressed out, and finally left to mature in cellars for months. Travel 300 km south west and you will hit the mountains of Auvergne, once well known as a fierce bastion of the French resistance during World War II. Today, it is better known for its blue cheese: le Bleu d'Auvergne. It may not be for everyone: its appearance is somewhat unappetising and it has a strong smell. Le Bleu d'Auvergne is moist and its texture slightly sticky, shot through with blue veins against an ivory coloured paste. But if you are adventurous enough to take a bite, you won't regret it, especially if you pair it up with a sweet wine like a Sauternes. If you can handle le Bleu d'Auvergne, then you should also try its more famous counterpart, the Roquefort, made in the Midi-Pyrénées region, just south of Auvergne. Though fairly similar in appearance and taste, the Roquefort - also a blue cheese - is usually a bit more salty and tangy. Another famous cheese in the region is the Rocamadour, a small round goat cheese, named after a beautiful historical French village, set in a gorge above a tributary of the Dordogne river, in the French province, le Lot. It is best enjoyed on a slice of 'pain de campagne' (country bread) - a large round loaf made from a natural leavening, and a glass of Cahors - a local red wine. If you are really fond of goat cheese, better head for the Centre region, the largest producer of cheese made from goat milk. The Crottin de Chavignol, a small cylindrical cheese, is made in the area around the village of Chavignol in the Loire Valley - a region referred to as the Garden of France because of its many vineyards, orchards and cherry fields that line the banks of the river, and known for its more than 300 Renaissance-era castles. The Selles-sur-Cher, a goat cheese with a persistent after-taste, is another favourite in the Centre region, as well as the Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, a golden brown cheese with speckles of grey-blue mould, distinctive because of its pyramidal shape and sometimes called Eiffel tower. Before making your way back to Paris, make sure to eat to your heart's content. Cheese does not travel well. Nor will your neighbour in the flight, if you elect to bring some home with you. BON APPETIT (Clockwise From top left) le Bleu d'Auvergne, Crottin de Chavignol and Saint Félicie
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The winter chill is here, so stop warming your chairs and move it! Get going and get away for a while, it'll do your system a lot of good. Okay, so you can't jump and run right away, but you can start planning, right? This time, we say, go somewhere where it's really COLD, such as ski resorts. There's nothing more exhilarating than tearing down icy slopes against the onrushing, bitter-cold wind. And the fun is greater if you went to a place that is less celebrated, but no less exquisite than the world's best known ski resorts. So, here's a delectable menu of unusual options.Among the most spectacular ski experiences is one in the land of the midnight sun — Riksgränsen, the northernmost ski resort in the world (in Sweden), 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Locally, it is called heaven and hell; heaven because of the sheer variety of terrain available (though top elevation is just 909 metres); and hell because the weather could turn vicious in a moment. The resort is open from February to early July. Between mid-May and July, the sun doesn't set on Riksgränsen, meaning you can put on your skiing shoes or snowboard even at midnight. If you're lucky, you'll have the Aurora Borealis for company. While there are several pistes (marked or groomed ski trails) for the conventional skier, Riksgränsen is off-piste heaven (think of it as the skiing equivalent of offroading). What has Vladimir Putin been in the news for lately? Hmm… let's see… racing an F1 car, hunting, fishing, driving cross country, um… Alina Kabaeva... the list is long. But what we're getting at are pictures splashed all over of him skiing at Krasnaya Polyana, in the midst of the breathtaking West Caucasian mountains. Located in the European part of Russia, it takes just a two-and-a-half hour flight to reach Krasnaya Polyana from Moscow. The place is gentle compared to Riksgränsen, with more inhabitants, and lots of well-maintained pistes. Its best slopes are on the northern slopes of the Aibga Ridge, with the longest being 4 km in length. Heli-skiing (the helicopter drops you off at a remote, off-piste place) can lengthen the trail to 7 km and provide a vertical of more than 2,000 metre. Best time to visit is December-March, but the mild climate is a bother; so it's best to check the snow levels (on the resort's website) before booking the tickets.Down Under, Thredbo is thunder! Pardon the borrowed punchline, but Thredbo, in New South Wales, Australia, is truly the southern hemisphere's most sought after skiing destination. A relatively upmarket resort 500 km south of Sydney, Thredbo provides Australia's longest ski runs and the most vertical alpine terrain. Seasoned skiers could check out the Funnel Web, the steepest run on the mountain. When not skiing, one can indulge in a variety of self-guided bush walks or a joyride on the 700-metre Thredbo bobsled on a fun track full of wild straights, twists and turns. To unwind, there's the Schuss Bar or the Keller Nightclub. Best time to visit is now.From the land of the midnight sun to the land of the rising sun. Yes, Japan too has plenty of snow, and some cool ski resorts as well. One such resort, Hakuba Valley, is just a three-hour train ride from Tokyo. It has 10 resort areas and more than 200 runs for both skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels. Plus, a base snow cover of more than 10 metres every season makes Hakuba an ideal location for the regular skier. There is also a collection of natural hot springs that help you unwind after a tough day on the slopes. The resort is open from December until the beginning of May. And the best time to visit is mid-December to mid-March.This one's slightly on the eerie side. The Balkans, or more precisely, Transylvania, home to Bran Castle of Dracula fame, is a fast emerging hotspot for skiing enthusiasts. The amenities, though, aren't worth shouting about; what you can be sure to get is inexpensive, hearty food, uncrowded slopes and stunning scenery. Skiing, rather cross-country skiing is more popular here than snowboarding. The best known ski resort in the region is Brasov-Poiana. It is perfect for beginners with 15 km of slopes marked blue, red and black according to difficulty level. And don't worry, Count Dracula isn't among the hosts.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-11-2010)
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What is it that you crave for the most after a long, stressful day at work — a cup of tea; relaxing at home in front of the TV; a massage; or all of the above? If it's ‘all of the above', then a therapeutic massage chair is just the thing. Plonk yourself on it, sip a cup of tea, switch on the tele and relax while the high-tech gadget kneads and taps away the stress. A good quality therapeutic massage chair can help reduce or eliminate the discomfort caused by strained or overworked muscles while increasing blood flow. It is also effective for relieving sport injuries and can provide great relief to back and neck stiffness and pain, often caused by sitting at a desk for hours on end. Here's our selection of the latest and the most high-tech recliners to choose from.Our first pick is the AcuTouch 9500 from Human Touch. This luxurious piece of furniture claims to be the world's first iOS device-controlled massage chair, which means you can choose and store your desired routines and even download custom massages designed by doctors and sports stars — via the free HT-Connect app — on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. The chair, which comes with retractable foot and calf massager, dual-lumbar back heat and eight-point pulsating seat massage system, can be turned on or off using your Apple device. Price on request. The consumer electronics association picked Inada's two massage chair models — a low cost, multi-purpose, portable mini massage chair, the FML-3000A Inada Cube and a robust and feature-rich premium chair, the HCP-9101A Inada Doctor's Choice Massage Chair as the best innovations in the home appliances and health and wellness categories respectively, earlier this year. Both chairs use a technology that simulates shiatsu massage therapy by kneading key pressure points with air cells to alleviate pain and discomfort. While the Cube, priced at an affordable $999 (Rs 44,555), relieves tension through foot reflexology and lower back massage with a small, space-conscious unit, the Doctor's Choice, priced at $6,499 (Rs 2.89 lakh) is designed to fit the human form like a glove and uses infrared body scanning, rollers and air-cell compression systems for a full body shiatsu massage.If you are looking for a firmer, effective and intense roller massage for those tighter muscles, try the Singapore-based OSIM's uDream. Priced at a whopping Rs 4.49 lakh, the uDream comes loaded with eight healthcare programmes and an extensive suite of manual options to relieve aches and stress. The recliner uses optical acupressure-point sensors to target the body's meridians, which help relieve pain, improve blood circulation, reduce tension and stress, and strengthen immunity.If all you want at the end of a long day at work is to stretch, try the Pure Therapy PT500 reclining massage chair. The chair can be reclined up to 160 degrees and assists in relieving stress from your spine, lower leg and calf. It offers a wide range of massage techniques — shiatsu, tap, knead and tap, press and knock. The lower leg and calf massager can relax your calves, and increase circulation. At $1,599, (Rs 71,000) it is lighter on your pocket than many others in the market with similar features.
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It's summertime again, folks… groan! as the heat quotient rises, you are likely to scrounge around for cool drinks to quench your thirst. Cool and, preferably, iced water remains our favourite summer drink, but for something more exotic (especially to wow your guests), summer cocktails sound pretty exciting. The thing about cocktails is that you can create and re-create something exciting every time you blend the spirits with different ingredients, especially fruits such as coconuts and apples. We sought out bartenders from four of India's leading luxury hotels — Mumbai's Four Seasons and JW Marriott, New Delhi's Taj Palace and Gurgaon's Leela Kempinski — to create seven such heavenly thirst-quenchers. The best part: you can mix all these cocktails at home. So, here goes. Aer Lounge, Four Seasons, MumbaiDevang Devsaria has a cool workstation — behind the bar of ‘Aer', the open-air lounge on the luxury hotel's rooftop, 34 floors above ground level. And the two cocktails he churns out for us — aptly called Horizon and Twilight — are as cool. Horizon is an interesting blend of vodka, coconut water and curry leaves. To sweeten the coconut water, add a hint of lemon juice and some sugar syrup. Then, in a tall glass, muddle 5-6 curry leaves, pour in 60 ml of vodka, and follow up with 120 ml of the sweetened coconut water. Mix vigorously with crushed ice in a mixer. "It's a fusion cocktail," says Devang. "Vodka being a natural spirit goes well with coconut water, and the curry leaves add a hint of spicy flavour that balances out the sweetness of the coconut water." His second cocktail, Twilight, is an eclectic mix of lemongrass, fresh watermelon juice (and chunks), cranberry juice and vodka that Devang says is a naturally cool cocktail, with the fresh ingredients adding a distinct taste to the drink. Muddle 4-5 watermelon chunks and 2-3 chopped lemongrass sticks together, add 60 ml vodka, and 50 ml each of (fresh) watermelon juice and cranberry juice to the mix, shake in a cocktail glass (with ice), and strain into a tall glass. The result is a concoction that is slightly sweet, with a hint of lemongrass. For those who would like it sweeter, Devang recommends using citrus vodka as a substitute. His parting tip: "Don't over-do the lemongrass."Blue Bar, Taj Palace, New DelhiJoel Scholtens Lindsay spices up his job with humour. "I tend to target my drinks at women; if they are drinking they tend to attract men anyway," he says, smiling mischievously. The jolly bartender of the latest trendy bar in New Delhi, The Blue Bar at Taj Palace hotel, shares two of his favourite cocktails with us.Joel's first offering, Vanilla Appletini, is a mild cocktail with a sweet tinge that is the perfect sip after a hard day's work. Muddle half a green apple, add 50ml Stoli Vanilla vodka (a Russian Vodka that scores high on Madagascan and Indonesian vanilla beans), 15 ml vanilla syrup (preferably homemade, which is less sweet), and 20 ml fresh apple juice. Shake and double strain into a Martini glass, and garnish with two apple wedges and a vanilla pod. In case you can't lay our hands on Stoli vodka, you can replace it with Absolut Vanilla. And you could add red apple juice instead of green apple for some variation.Joel's second offering is a special cocktail for Indians and, considering it contains fenugreek seeds, seriously different. The Star's Illusion is a concoction of Havana rum mixed with exotic fenugreek seeds and star fruit. Here's how you make it. First, boil 2 bar spoons of fenugreek seeds for about 30 minutes cool. Then, muddle one star fruit, add the fenugreek seeds, 45 ml Havana Club (7-year-old) rum, 10 ml Amaretto (almond-flavoured liqueur), 40ml fresh lychee juice, and 5 ml sugar syrup. The star fruit, which is a tad sour, adds tang to the cocktail, and the litchi juice adds a fruity flavour. Fenugreek seeds are a little bitter, therefore the cocktail demands a gracious amount of sugar syrup.Rubicon Bar, Leela Kempinski, GurgaonSophia Chaknu at Gurgaon's Leela Kempinksi's stunning Rubicon bar looks petite and charming, but she swings a mean, ‘hard-drink' cocktail for us. Christened Ginger-rushka, was concocted by her colleague Virender Kumar, and is made with copious amounts of whisky. In a regular whisky glass, muddle 5-6 strips of ginger, squeeze in 20 ml of fresh lemon juice, and add to it 30 ml of honey. "Ginger adds both a strong taste as well as fragrance to the drink, while lemon and honey help balance it out," explains Sophia. Pour 60 ml of whisky to the mix. "Your choice of brand could vary from a Black Label to a Gold Label to a Teacher's," says Virender. Mix all ingredients well with crushed ice in a cocktail shaker. Then strain and pour into a classic whisky glass pre-filled with two ice cubes. Garnish with two thin slices of lemon, and top with Perrier (soda water) to add a fuzzy feel to the drink. The resultant cocktail is a strong yet slightly spicy and semi-sweet drink, which is smooth to sip and also easyto make.Mezzo Mezzo, JW Marriott, MumbaiIt might seem strange to mix a cocktail with French white wine in a speciality Italian restaurant, but Gaurav Jadhav manages to do that with élan at the Mezzo Mezzo in Mumbai's JW Marriott. For the first cocktail he uses white wine as a base, which is exciting because you can get different tastes depending on the variety of white wine you choose, even if the other ingredients remain the same. Gaurav does it with a Chardonnay. "The new-world Chardonnay has a lot of tropical fruit flavours," says Gaurav, adding that it is best suited for outdoor settings. Take 60 ml Chardonnay, 120 ml fresh orange juice, and 30 ml honey, roll them all with 2-3 ice cubes in a cocktail mixer, pour into a tall champagne tulip glass, and garnish with a slice of orange. What you get is a light cocktail with a sweet note, and with the sparkling wine giving a sour hint. His second drink, Cool-cucumber, is a must have on the drink's menu for that afternoon brunch. A mix of fresh basil leaves, cucumber and a strong dose of vodka makes for a strong and crisp drink. Gently muddle 4-5 cucumber chunks with 2-3 basil leaves along with 2-3 mint leaves, add about 10 ml of freshly squeezed lime juice and 60 ml (Absolut) vodka with a generous amount of ice. Shake well in a cocktail mixer till the drink is chilled, serve in a chilled martini glass garnished with a cucumber slice and a basil leaf. You can add a bit of sugar syrup for a sweet taste.With inputs from Pallavi Chakravorty.
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