Review: Sony Tablet S

SONY TABLET S
Price: Rs 29,990
Specs: Android v3.2; 9.4-inch display; 5 MP camera; 16 GBstorage; 32 GB memory expandable; WiFi, Bluetooth; mini USB port; 3.5 mm jack.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A stylish lightweight tablet, but no SIMslot.

It has taken Sony close to two years to enter the tabletmarket. In an excellent bid to stand out in the crowd, Sony has given itstablet a refreshing and aesthetic design. Described as an "ergonomicinnovation", the design consists of an unusual curve-wedge shape, rather like asingle sheet of black plastic bent to make the ends meet. The gorgeous looksgive the impression that the Tablet S is a heavy device. But at 598 gm, it ismore than comfortable to lug around. The controls, including on/off, volume,3.5mm jack, memory-card slot and a mini USB port, are on the side while the thecharging jack lies at the bottom.

This 9.4 incher runs on the version of Android modified fortablets, Honeycomb v3.2. The interface is similar to what the other Honeycombtablets offer: five windows on the homescreen, the application launcher tab onthe top right along with the back, home and multitasking icons on the leftbottom. Other than Google services, it comes with some interesting applicationson board. These include Remote Control that turns the tablet into a universalremote, Wi-Fi checker and a Social Feed Reader. Video Chaska, Star Player, BigFlix, Bollywood Hungama and Meragana.com have been specially designed for theSony Tab. You can downloaded them by hitting the 'Select App' icon from the applauncher. Watching multimedia content on the tablet was a pleasure and usingthe 'Throw Function and DLNA' we could actually watch the video playing on thetablet on the Bravia TV using Wi-Fi. To enable this stellar performance, theTablet S has a dual-core ARM Cortex processor clocking at 1 GHz along with 1 GBRAM. Like the iPad, this tablet is only Wi-Fi enabled (no SIM) and offers 16 GBof onboard storage. The battery lasted close to seven hours.

SAMSUNG MV800
Price: Rs 15,990
Specs: 16.1 MP CCD sensor; 3-inch touch display; F3.3-F5.9;5X optical zoom; 16- 1/2000 sec; ISO 3200; 130 gm

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? For its price and innovations, it's not abad camera

SMALL WONDER: You have probably seen images of this cameraon television and in magazines. Yes, it's the one where you see the LCD panelfanning out in various angles. The first thing you will notice, therefore, isthe LCD that opens up rather like a page in a book. It allows you new viewingangles, though it achieves half the 360 degrees movement of the display in moreadvanced cameras. The second thing you will notice is how thin the camera is.It is less than an average finger width with the LCD closed down and,therefore, could deceive you into thinking it is a smartphone. These featuresmake the MV800 a device of which you could proudly claim, "Mine is smaller thanyours."

Unlike most other cameras, the various options are accessedon a smartphone-like "homepages". Placed like widgets on the monitor, you cantouch these icons to get to the modes (smart auto, smart movie, 3D photo, scenemode, beauty shot, etc) as you would on a

phone. It's amazing how such a tinydevice is capable of so much, including 3D photographs and "live" panoramashots (essentially video panoramas that also double up as stills). The resultsare good, though some functions seem a little fussy.

NIKON COOLPIX S1200pj
Price:  Rs 14,950

Specs: 14.1 MP CCD sensor; 3-inch display; F3.9-F5.8; 5X optical zoom; 1-1/1500 sec; ISO 6400; 720P video; 20 lumens projector; RGB LED light; 5-60 inch image; 11 inch-10 ft throw; 1 hour projection on full battery.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A projector and camera combo for a good price

THE BIG PICTURE: It's useful to have a camera that can project your images and videos. "Useful" is the adjective here, not "necessary". Nikon's Coolpix S1200pj, the latest in the series that started with the S1000pj in 2009, comes with a 40-lumen projector that did a pretty good job of throwing the images on a wall from as far as 10 ft away. Plus, in a joint venture with our computer, it similarly projected images or videos located in our Mac or PC (or for that matter in the Apple trio of the iPhone, iPad and the iPod). The projection is pretty nifty in a darkened room. Only, don't think of the S1200pj as a cineplex machine and you will be more than happy.

Besides being a projector, the S1200pj, is actually a good camera that comes with the regular scene modes, shooting options, etc. The controls are handily located and accessing features is not a matter of curses. However, keep in mind that it is essentially a point-and-shoot, so the results will satisfy the amateur, not the professional. Plus, the pictures are good enough for a device that you would think was dependent solely on its projector to sell. And those of you who love luminescent hues will adore its fuchsia coat-others may baulk at the attention it attracts.  - By Joel Rai

BOSE BLUETOOTH SERIES 2 HEADSET

Price: 8,888
Specs: 12 gm, worn in single ear; 4 hour talktime, 100 hourstandby.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A Bluetooth headset worth investing in.

COMFORT CALL: Do you often feel like living in a wire-freeworld and plan to invest in a nice Bluetooth headset? Picking one today isn'tdifficult but think about what you want to buy-a regular headset or afeature-rich lifestyle one? If your heart calls for the latter, then Bose'slatest Bluetooth Series 2 headset is worth a look. Priced competitively (it'snot overpriced, believe us) this headset is a perfect blend of beauty withfunctionality. Light in weight, it has a neat design with "Bose" embossed onthe front.

But unlike other headsets, this can't be worn in any ear.When you buy them, choose those meant for the right and left ears as they havea side-specific design that ensures that the call controls stays on the top.Pairing the headset hardly takes a few seconds and once done, it manages tostream calls and music over the headset. Bose has cleverly added a noiserejecting microphone that cuts through the surrounding noise while ensuringclear sound on the other end. It even has automatic volume adjustment featureduring changing noise levels. The sound clarity was loud and clear and wasdistortion free on both the ends. It is comfortable to wear for long durations.The battery lasted for close to five hours of working.

CASIO ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES
Price: 8,995 and 14,995

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? This is a helpful but expensive gadgetfor students.

WORD FINDER: Some time ago students in school pored at wordsin a paper dictionary. Then the generation moved on to online dictionaries. NowCasio is trying to replace the two with a digital pocket dictionary. But willit succeed? These eDictionaries are compact and look like mini laptops with adisplay and a QWERTY keyboard. Although, these devices look basic, they pack ina complete Oxforddictionary, which you can use to find word meanings, check spellings, searchfor a word using keywords, etc.

Easy to use, the dictionary responds in realtime, as we type. The keypad is smooth, just like the ones on the Casiocalculators. For easy navigation, there are arrow keys, delete, enter andescape keys too. Starting the Ex-Word gives options to search headword, exampleand phrase from multi dictionary search. Other options include Oxford AdvanceLearner's Dictionary, Oxford Learner's Thesaurus, Oxford Collocation Dictionaryfor Students of English, Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English,Oxford Learner's Wordfinder Dictionary, and calculator. Using the marker key,we could highlight the keywords, definition, etc, and save it to the vocabularylist for future reference.

Of the two models, the EW B100C is priced at Rs 7,995. TheEW B2000C is priced at Rs 14,995 and is relatively bigger in size and includessome additional features. This has an inbuilt speaker that can be used to learncorrect pronunciation of different words. It did work for many words but therewere a few that were not in the data base. Along with the above mentionedtitles, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia and Oxford Hachette French Dictionaryhave also been loaded on this eDictionary. Both the dictionaries are poweredusing AA batteries and are sturdy enough to withstand a fall from a height,making it safe for students to use.

HP LASERJET PRO P1108
Price: Rs 6,599
Specs: 18 B/W prints per minute; 8.5 secs for first print;266 Mhz processor; 150 sheet input tray, 5.2 kg

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A quick and hassle free B/W printingsolution.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE: Laser printers are the best for fastprinting but their broad waistline consume a lot of space. Of late players inthis domain have been introducing compact laser printers. The Laser Jet ProP1108 is a perfect example coming from the leader, HP. Ideal for small andmedium offices, this Laser Jet is good looking yet compact and can fit in anyworkstation with ease. Unlike other printers, it doesn't even have a displayexcept two blinkers for printing and error. Hassle free and quick to set up,the Laser Jet is equally quick in printing. In an effort to make it the world's most energy efficientprinter, HP has added an auto on/ off feature that kills the machines whenthere is no printing command for a period of time. We thought that the printermight take some extra time to turn back on and print a page. Surprisingly, assoon as we hit the print command in the on/off mode, we had the print in ourhand in less than 9 seconds. The prints obtained on a regular A4 sheet werebright and clear. However, on a tone save mode, the small font size of 10looked completely washed out. Also, a single cartridge is capable of printing1500 monochrome pages.

BENQ W710 ST
Price: Rs 55,000

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A 5-ft image from just a metre away-goodfor the home.

SPACE CONSCIOUS MACHINE: BenQ's W710ST projector projectsvisuals of up to 63 inches size from a short distance of just one metre. Thisfeature makes it a must-have for those who wish to set up a personal theatre athome but lack the space that a normal projector requires. What is more, itswhite and gray colours blend with most home interiors. The regular projectionarea varies between 33 inch and 300 inch diagonally. Whatever the size, the image was bright and clear. Zoomlevel and focus can be adjusted using the two rings at the front. Physical keyson the top make for convenient navigation. The lamplife of 4,000-6,000 hoursare adequate, but our concern was the average sound output from the 10Wspeaker. The connectivity ports at the back of the machine include Composite Videoin, S-Video in, Component Video in, Audio in, Audio L/R in, Audio out, HDMI(x2), Mini USB and RS232. Considering the price, the company could haveincluded a USB port as well. At 720P native resolution, it isn't a Full HDprojector. However, the company claims it is 3D ready. We could not test thisfeature as the 3D glasses are sold separately.

LG LSM 100
Price: Rs 3,500
Specs: Regular mouse with scroll wheel; Scan key; Smart Scansoftware; Scans text and images.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A hybrid mouse for day-to-day scanningneeds.

THE HYBRID MOUSE: From multi-touch to foldable design, therehave been a few innovations in the computer mouse segment. But no one had goneso far as to think of a scanner built into the mouse. LG has-with its LSM 100.While it looks like a regular desktop mouse, the LSM 100 is bigger in size,making it a little uncomfortable to hold and use. Although it has the regularcontrols, including a scroll wheel, a close examination reveals two buttons onthe left panel and the sensitive glass casing at the bottom for scanning. Toget on with the task, you have to install the Smart Scan software that comeswith the mouse. Pressing the scan key launches the software and starts thescanning.

By moving the mouse slowly over the document, all text andimages can be scanned. While scanning, a real-time scanned image appears on thecomputer monitor and you can rotate it or adjust colour and brightness usingthe software. Surprisingly, for its small scanning area, the LSM 100 can beused for scanning A4 and A3 documents.

SKULLCANDY FIX
Price: Rs 3,899
Specs: Fixed in-ear fit; remote and Mic support for Appleproducts; 3 ear buds; Black Chrome, Red White and White Chrome colours.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? Comfortable to wear, justifies the pricetag.

PERFECT FIT: Not everyone feels comfortable using bigover-the-head earphones. And inear ones often don't fit well. Keeping this inmind, Skullcandy has come up with the Fix, an in-ear headphone that is designedto fit the ear well. Once worn, even when pulled with a bit of force, theearphones don't fall off. Besides this novelty, there aren't anythinginnovative in terms of the design. On the left lead are the volume controls andthe microphone.

However, the mic doesn't work with just any device, coming intoaction only when plugged into an iPod, iPad and iPhone. Priced at Rs 3,899, itis not meant for the budget-conscious. But for those who are willing to spend,the Fix will not disappoint as it offers great sound and deep bass. It was softon the ears at controlled volumes, though there was distortion at high volumes.Usually headphones are difficult to store. But this Skullcandy Fix has a smallblack pouch with a skull embossed on it for storage. There are additional earbuds that can be changed according to need.

LG A530
Price: Rs 79,990
Specs: 15.6-inch Full HD 3D display; Windows 7 Home Premium;Intel Core i7 processor; 8GB RAM; 750GB HDD; 3 USB ports, 1 HDMI; Card reader.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A great 3D experience but you can get a3D TV at this same price.

AN ADDED DIMENSION: 3D technology isn't new to LG. TheKorean company's latest 3D Cinema TVs with FPR (Film Patterned Retarder) 3Dtechnology and flicker-free glasses are among the best in the industry. Now ithas re-entered the notebook market with the same polarised, strain-free glassesfor its 3D laptop, the A530. This laptop has a fine outer casing in black mattefinish and silver casing inside.

Opening the lid reveals a 15.6-inch full HD 3D LCD alongwith a full desktop like keypad comprising the QWERTY keyboard as well as thenumeric keypad. The touch pad has been shifted towards the left, aninconvenient positioning. Adding enough power to handle heavy 3D graphics andgaming, LG gives it an i7 processor and 8 GB RAM along with an NVIDIA GeForceGT555m graphics card with 1 GB dedicated RAM. Capable of performing all tasksrequired of a notebook, what makes the A530 stand out is the 3D functionality.LG has cleverly added a dedicated 3D Zone in the programs for all the 3Dfeatures and content. The notebook had a few 3D videos pre-installed andwatching 3D content using the light weight glasses was fun. It boasts an optionto upscale regular 2D DVDs and Blu-Ray movies into 3D.

We could also switch to 2D mode while watching 3D videos atthe click of a button. Also onboard were two 1.3 MP web-cameras that cancapture content in 3D. However, while the 3D depth captured by the cameras wasamazing, the quality was just about average. For enjoying 3D content, thislaptop comes with with a lightweight 3D glass along with a 3D clip-on specsthat can be worn over regular spectacles. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,3 USB ports, HDMI, card reader, VGA, microphone and Ethernet jack, all placedon either side. The battery backup was about average with around three hours ofvideos, browsing and music playback.

Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos