Nokia Lumina 800 Review



How the mighty have fallen. Seriously, how the mighty have fallen! Nokia, once a dominant indefatigable force in the phone market, has now been relegated to the sidelines of both the budget and the high end segments. Even as the iPhone eata away Nokia's share in the high-end segment, Android devices are cannibalizing into its once undisputed dominance of all verticals if the market.

With MeeGo way behind schedule, Nokia's newly minted CEO Stephen Elop pulled the plug on the project in February and locked a special agreement with Microsoft, turning Windows Phone into the Finnish giant's premier smartphone platform. The Lumia 800 is a synthesis of this marriage.

Design

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Words cannot describe how beautiful looking the Lumia 800 is. However, we can't help but make comparisons with the erstwhile Nokia N9, which basically shares the same chassis with the Lumia 800, dropping the button-less display for the Windows Phone capacitive buttons and adding a two stage camera shutter button.

Design wise, we will not say the Lumia 800 trumps the iPhone 4 because even a year later the iPhone 4 is stunning to look at.  Where the Lumia 800 scores over the iPhone 4S is definitely durability. It is a well-known fact that the iPhone 4S is pretty fragile thanks to its glass exterior, but one will face no such problems with the Nokia Lumia 800. With its injection moulded unibody polycarbonate exoskeleton, the Lumia 800, like its twin the N9, is not only a showstopper but also an immovable rock.

Its curved glass clear black AMOLED display is a work of art and looks like the famous crystal crafted in Prague. The display floats on top of the body giving us an illusion of water on top of a surface.

At 3.7 inches, the display on the Lumia 800 is a tad smaller than the N9 and features a slightly lower WVGA resolution of 800x480 because of the hardware restriction enforced on Windows Phone Mango. This is also the reason for the smaller display as Nokia had to accommodate for the Windows Phone capacitive touch buttons and could not retain the button-less snazziness of the N9.

What we really liked about this particular design was the fact that Nokia does not even attempt to make the device an anorexic piece of plastic. At 12.1 mm, the Lumia 800 is chunky, as was the N9. Compare this to the Motorola Droid Razr, which is the thinnest phone at a meagre 7.1mm.

However, the fact is that Nokia was not gunning for size zero, instead they were aiming for a level of sophistication and ergonomic comfort that 99% of the planet's population would appreciate and that's exactly what this stunning industrial design delivers.

It will not be an overstatement if we say the Lumia 800 is a benchmark in terms of industrial design. But then again the N9 pips it by a smidgen because button-less was the original vision. The addition of Windows Phone buttons is just unnatural, no matter how much Nokia drives home their theory of the Lumia 800 being a refinement of the N9 design. It's not!

Other features of the industrial design are precisely milled speaker holes and magnetic lock doors for the micro-USB and micro-sim ports on the top and bottom ends of the device.

Initially, when we were playing around with the device, we had a bone to pick with these doors as they got stuck and we struggled to unlock them. This happened due to a strange design decision taken by Nokia where the micro-sim port would only reveal itself if the micro-USB door was open. However, it didn't take us long to get used to this eccentricity of the device.

Apart from these design niceties, the standard volume rockers and the power button is placed on the right hand side alongside an additional two stage camera shutter button, which was prominently absent in the N9.

Due to Windows Phone Mango not supporting native video chat, Nokia dropped the front facing camera. We didn't miss it because we consider it a fairly useless functionality given the state of 3G in the Indian market. That said, one would have liked it nonetheless and its absence will definitely come back to haunt Nokia internationally.

On the whole, we were very impressed with Nokia's industrial design and definitely this will be now the benchmark by which all Windows Phone devices are judged.

Display

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Nokia adopts their Clear Black AMOLED technology for the Lumia 800's 3.7-inch display. It is of the same type as on the N9, with the only variance being in the screen size and resolution. As mentioned above due to Windows Phone hardware cap, Nokia could only implement a WVGA 800x480 panel, but nonetheless it is a stunning panel.

The live tile based Metro UI came to life on this panel with deep blacks and superlative viewing angles. Obviously, it is not in the league of Apple's retina IPS panel or Samsung's SUPER AMOLED HD panel on the Galaxy Note but it is immensely satisfying.

Camera Quality

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Nokia is one company which has always produced stunning camera phones. Nokia's N8, last year's flagship, was lambasted from all quarters but the one thing it had going for it was its 12-megapixel camera. It was so good that till date its camera is considered the best ever in a mobile phone.

The Lumia boasts of all standard camera jargons, such as an f/2.2 aperture, high performance optics courtesy Carl Zeiss and zero shutter lag, but let's get real - the 8 megapixel camera is no N8. Yes, it's a very good camera phone but it's not the best one in town by a long shot. Even the iPhone 4S boasts of a superior camera. Nevertheless, in the Windows Phone ecosystem the Lumia 800 is the king of camera phones.

On the video front the Lumia shoots crisp 720p HD video, but falls short in low light conditions. 1080p video is not supported by the single core chipset powering the device but since Windows Phone cannot support dual core chips, it's an issue more related to the software platform rather than Nokia's hardware chops.

OS and Interface

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What really differentiates the Lumia 800 from the orphaned N9 is the software running under the hood. No MeeGo out here, Nokia welcomes you to the world of Metro!

When the Nokia-Microsoft deal was announced, a special differentiated Windows Phone experience was touted by both the companies. However we witnessed no such differentiation in the Lumia 800 as the device donned a pretty plane-Jane Windows Phone Mango experience barring a handful of Nokia apps designed for Windows Phone.

Windows Phone on its own is a fantastic operating system but we were left wanting more, especially after what we had seen with the MeeGo powered N9.

Don't get us wrong - Windows Phone works absolutely perfectly if not a tad smoother than on other devices, but the experience does not give the consumer a compelling reason to opt for the Lumia 800.  More than this, one could not help but recall the N9 as the curved glass display was infact designed for its unique swiping interface. Unfortunately, here Windows Phone is not able to utilize the design subtleties of the curved glass display, which translates to sheer sadness.

While there is definitely a sense of disappointment with the underwhelming nature of Windows Phone experience on the Lumia 800, there is not even a shadow of doubt that the Metro UI blends well with the hardware especially the injection moulded plastic chassis and we can surely expect a solid differentiated experience on future Nokia devices when we have Windows Phone Tango and Apollo out in the mix..[Conti. reading]

Source: NDTV

HP EliteBook 846ow Review

We're going to be brutally honest and admit that we are rarely excited by the prospect of reviewing a Windows machine. Most look ugly, run mundane hardware and suffer from average build quality. But the HP EliteBook 8460w changes all that. It's been labelled a MacBook Pro clone but, nonetheless, it evokes positive emotions which is not often the case with a device running Windows. Let's see if it has the chops to go head to head with the king of the ring, the MacBook Pro.


First Impression

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There's no doubt that the HP EliteBook 8460w looks a lot like a MacBook, if not the MacBook Pro. Is that a bad thing? Definitely not! Emulating the design philosophy of the boys from Cupertino is never bad, but we say - if you're going to copy, copy well, and that's exactly what HP's done. Not only is it a sturdy machine, it boasts of truly awesome build quality. Saying that the EliteBook is solid as a tank would be an understatement. HP uses a magnesium composite in the construction of the device which lends the device immense longevity. HP aims this class of laptops towards business professionals who demand high levels of security and stability, so the machine comes with a shock absorbent keyboard and is also fall proof from a height of 60cm, which is the height of an average conference table.

At an HP press event, a rather hefty HP official stood on the laptop for a good 15 minutes to demonstrate its sturdiness. That's pretty sturdy. In fact, we would go as far to say that this laptop might actually boast of superior build quality than a MacBook Pro.

Besides its immensely satisfying design, the EliteBook comes with 3 USB ports, two on the right hand side and one on the left. On the left hand side we also get an E-SATA connector along with an HDMI port. The normal power cable connector and the DVD-Super drive is housed on the right hand side while the Ethernet and VGA slots are placed backwards, a rather unusual positioning.

The EliteBook also features an absolutely delightful keyboard. The keys are neither shallow like on the MacBook Pro nor overly clicky like on some of the Sony Vaios. HP seems to have hit the sweet spot with the keys. 

Like the IBM ThinkPads of yesteryear, the HP has also integrated a twin mouse functionality in the EliteBook where we have a small track housed right between the G H and B keys alongside the standard trackpad which is sadly sans any multitouch flourish. Considering most Windows laptops have shipped with horrific multi-touch trackpads, this might not been an entirely a bad thing. On the whole we would have liked the trackpad to be a tad more roomy but it did feel very smooth and was ably supported by clickable buttons.


Multimedia

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By default, the HP EliteBook has been touted as an enterprise class notebook but that does not mean it does not have the chops to deliver a serious multimedia experience. HP claims the EliteBook marries top-notch multimedia capabilities with best in class enterprise functionalities, but we are inclined to take that particular claim with a pinch of salt.

The 14-inch display rocked a resolution of 1600x1000, which was more than adequate. In fact, it pipped the 15-inch MacBook Pro's lowly resolution of 1440 x 990. The display was of the non-reflective type and provided impressive viewing angles, deep black and supple colour contrast. That said, we did find the glossy display on the MacBook Pro a wee bit superior in terms of colour contrast and blacks, at the same time adding a visual element to design of the laptop.

HP laptops have had Beats Audio branding for a while but the EliteBook comes minus this. We are guessing most business customers are not going to care about this feature as it's at best a minor improvement over the standard audio capabilities of the laptop. In any case, the EliteBooks are equipped with SRS Dolby surround technology.

The SRS Premium sound technology offers ample tweaking options for audiophiles but most of these are minor tweaks and sound artificial.

HP has also added a HD Web Cam to the EliteBook, which is standard for the class of device, though nonetheless it's a value add, as these days most manufacturers add tacky web cameras, which sour the video chat experience.

Performance
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As the EliteBook line of laptops are the top end of the business centric models HP offers, premium performance is expected and for the most part the EliteBook 8460 does not disappoint. Powered by the latest generation Intel Sandy Bridge i5 processor clocked at 2.5 GHz in concert with 4GB of DD3, the EliteBook definitely has the chops to take on the likes of the 15-Inch Apple MacBook Pro, at least on paper.

To further enhance its capabilities, HP also pumped up the EliteBook with the AMD Radeon HD6470 graphics chip with 1GB of memory to give it some rock solid graphical capabilities. The HD6470 chip is a bit old and is in no position to smoke the MacBook Pro on pure graphical power, but it is more than sufficient for a pure gaming performance. We were able to play graphically intense games like Crysis 2 on medium settings without much trouble as the game easily held 65 frames per second. Obviously, when we pushed the setting upwards, the frames rates fell drastically below 25 frames per second, but we are guessing HP's target audience is hardly going to game on the EliteBook, making this a non-issue. Personally, we would have preferred an up-to date GPU.

To give more perspective to the graphical chops of the EliteBook, we ran the 3DMark 06 benchmark and, refreshingly, got a score of 5271, way higher than the segment average. Of course, expectations were high.

On the whole, the regular performance of the EliteBook was exemplary. It was silky smooth to use and that is one thing we rarely say about Windows laptops. At one point of time we had Windows Media Player, Mozilla FireFox (with 33 Tabs open, including two with YouTube videos), Internet Explorer and Norton Internet Security (in scanning mode) open at the same time and we suffered no glitches. Not one. We were expecting the YouTube videos to crash in FireFox but even those ran smoothly. This actually bamboozled us as we tried the same trick on own MacBook Pro and iTunes hung up on us. Admittedly, we were using an older generation MacBook Pro, but weren't the Macs supposed to knock Windows machines out of the park? Guess not.

The PCMark Vantage Benchmark put all doubts to rest with a score of 6684 confirming the EliteBook as a screamer. An absolute bullet-train. The performance we managed to extract out of the EliteBook 8460 was so good that it fell marginally short of pure gaming machines like Dell XPS 15z, which scored around 8500. It also fell short of the Dell Vostro 3350, it's direct competitor, which scored a crazy 8050 in our tests, but that was because the Dell was running superior processing hardware in Intel's core i7 processor. The EliteBook more than made up with it's graphical capabilities.

Another area where the EliteBook managed to hold its own was the touchy point of battery endurance. Its 6 cell battery managed to crank out 6.5 hours on the battery mark test and also hovered around 6 hours and 15 minutes in real world testing. This was not bad considering the Apple MacBook Pro manages 7 hours on it sealed battery while HP offers a user replaceable solution. HP even offers an extended battery, which cranks up the battery life in excess of 24 hours, but that after market add-on will only attract roadrunners.


Verdict

As far as business centric notebooks go, there are not many that combine pure horsepower, stunning build quality and MacBook-like good looks. The HP EliteBook 8460 does, in a subtle and unique package. It is a truly sublime piece of hardware.

If you are a Windows-leaning business user with Rs 1 lakh to spare, the HP EliteBook 8460 should be the poison you choose.

Pros:

Sublime Build
Scorching performance
Superb Battery life

Cons:

Outdated Graphics card
Slightly Expensive
Windows
 
Source: NDTV

Sony 3G tablet launching on next month..

Sony to launch 3G tablets next month
Electronic consumer device maker Sony launched its first tablet PC in India and unveiled 3G tablets which will be launched in the mid of next month.
NEW DELHI: Electronic consumer device maker Sony launched its first tablet PC in India and unveiled 3G tablets which will be launched in the mid of next month.

"Today we are launching tablets that support Wi-Fi connectivity. In mid-January we will launch tablets that will have both 3G connectivity and Wi-Fi. We expect 3G-enabled tablets to contribute 80 per cent to our total tablet sales in this financial year," Sony Managing Director Masaru Tamagawa told reporters here.

Sony launched Wi-Fi-enabled tablets, S and P models, based on Google's Android platform at a price starting from Rs 29,990.

"We are in discussion with some operators to bundle these tablets with their services," Tamagawa said.

Sony Tablet P which will be available in 3G version will be first tablet to have dual screen and which can be folded. The dual screen can be used as single and also for two separate functions. This tablet will be launched at price of Rs 36,990.

The company has plans to invest Rs 10 crore in promotion of these tablets in last quarter of this financial year.

"These tablets are compatible with DLNA which will allow user to connect their tablet with other DLNA supporting devices," Sony Corporation's Deputy President for VAIO and Mobile Business Group Hideyuki Furumi said.

DLNA will provide features like watching movie available in the tablet on a DLNA compatible TV or listening to music on speakers supporting DLNA technology within premise of a user.

Both the tablets will be available across 500 stores in India from mid-January, Tamagawa said.

Source: TOI

Touch Mouse Microsoft review

There's a new mouse in the Microsoft house. The Microsoft Touch Mouse is the latest update of Microsoft's wireless mouse series. Does it bring anything new to the wireless USB mouse genre or should you skip this Windows 7-only compatible mouse? Read on to find out.
 
Packaging and Contents
 
The Microsoft Touch Mouse comes in a slightly bulky box. Inside is the mouse with the USB dongle, 2 batteries and the manuals. It would have been nice if the device came with a carrying case, like the original Arc mouse.
 
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First Impression

 
It is difficult not to refer to Apple's Magic mouse or the previous generation Microsoft Arc mice while talking about the Touch Mouse. For starters, the Touch Mouse brings to the table Apple-like multi-touch gesture features. There is a textured front on the device, which acts as the touch sensitive interface. The device isn't the sleekest out there as the latest generation Microsoft Arc mouse or the Apple Magic mouse take the cake in terms of style and design. The Touch Mouse is bulky and heavy.
 
The mouse has an optical sensor at the bottom along with the slot for the two batteries and a nice little pocket for the USB dongle.
 
Overall, the mouse is fairly simple to look at but it won't turn heads if you use the device in public. The again, it's a mouse.
 
The USB connector of the mouse is pretty interesting too. It is extremely small and fits easily in its socket at the bottom of the mouse. It has a nice springy action every time you fix it or release it from the socket.

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Performance

 
The Touch Mouse performs well as a mouse with its BlueTrack laser sensor ensuring that the device runs smoothly on all surfaces and is very accurate. The touch sensitive front of the device takes some getting used to. There are gestures that can help you split up windows, scroll, and reveal the desktop with a swipe of your fingers. This device could really give the Apple Magic mouse a run for its money if it weren't for one little flaw; the device is compatible with only Windows 7. Not XP or Vista. There is no assurance that the device will be compatible with Windows 8 either.
 
Another cool feature of the device is that it is ambidextrous which means that both right-handed and left-handed people can use it with absolute ease.
 
There are just two disadvantages that we see with the product. The first being its sheer size and the second that you can't take full advantage of its potential on any other OS apart from Windows 7.
 
If you're a gamer we wouldn't recommend this mouse to you as its form factor is a bit uncomfortable for those 8 hour gaming experiences and the fact still remains that Razer, Corsair and Logitech make some really good gaming gear including mice.
 
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Verdict

 
For the price point of nearly Rs. 4000, this device just adds novelty value. It could have taken on Apple's Magic mouse in terms of performance had it not been for the compatibility issue. The good part is that the gestures work well and the optical sensor makes it easy to use on transparent glass surfaces. If you are looking for value, we'd suggest you stick to the previous generation Microsoft Arc Mouse or take a look at the offerings from the Mouse house of Logitech and Razer.
 
 
Pros:
Optical Sensor
Plug and play setup
Good multi-touch interface
Well built
 
Cons:
Bulky
You can take advantage of the features only on Windows 7
A little uncomfortable ergonomically
 
 
Price: Rs. 3,999

Source:NDTV

Tags:
Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft Mouse touch, Microsoft Touch Mouse, New mouse, latest mouse, touch mouse, latest touch mouse

Tech's favourite Top gadgets in 2011



FAVES
iPHONE 4S: 

After the eager anticipation of the new iPhone, iPhone 4S brought us voice activation Siri. iPhone 4S is the ultimate comeback kid. Despite showing up four months later than expected and in the wake of endless iPhone 5 rumors, the iPhone 4S continues to outsell any other phone in the U.S. We love this phone -- the point-and-shoot-killing camera, and the iPhone 4S' voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, is a breakout cultural phenomenon.
AMAZON KINDLE 2011:

 We debated whether to include yet another Kindle in this coveted list of winners. But here's the thing about the ad-supported $79 Kindle: Black-and-white though this entry-level e-reader may be, the Kindle wins by dint of its rock-bottom price and the fact that its subtle ads -- mostly in the form of Amazon deals -- are so targeted that they're actually useful in and of themselves. Yep. There, we said it: We actually like these ads.
ROKU LT Box: 

You've probably seen ads for the little, purple Roku LT box this holiday season. From looking at the Roku, you'd never guess that this tiny device -- not much bigger than a stack of two iPhones -- is one of CNET's very favorite things. It costs a mere $49 and will change the way you watch TV (unless you're one of the few who already own a streaming television). The Roku LT (and its more expensive brethren) stream Netfix.
Source: CBSNEWS

Tags:
Technology 2011, Top gadgets in 2011, Top favorite gadgets in 2011, favorite gadgets 2011

Buy Aakash tablet online

Now Buy Aakash Tablet Online


Aakash Tablet is available to those who want to buy it. However, currently the version that is being sold is same as what will be available for students at the cost of around 25$. It has WIFI connectivity but not gsm. If you are looking for set that has WIFI as well as GSM you can do a preorder. However, If you want to try just WIFI version you are good to go.
SpecificationDetail
PricingRs. 2500
MicroprocessorArm11 – 366 MHz
Battery2100 mAh
OSAndriod 2.2
NetworkWiFi
Mode of PaymentCash On Delivery
How to ordervisit http://www.aakashtablet.com

Aakash Tablet complete specification.
Also, if you have bought any Aakash Tablet, Let us know  how it works for you. Are you satisfied with it? Times of India also have following information
“Aakash's next commercial version called the Ubislate 7, which has a faster processor, is slated to be launched late January. Ubislate 7 is set to have a 700 Mhz processor compared to the 366 MHz processor in Aakash. Ubislate 7 will be priced at Rs 3000 for sale online.”

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Aakash Tablet, Buy Aakash Tablet, How to buy Aakash Tablet, online Aakash Tablet,
Buy Aakash Tablet, How to get Aakash Tablet, Aakash Tablet, Get Aakash Tablet, Order online Aakash Tablet, How to order Aakash Tablet

Gadget in 2012

Gadgets in 2012
HP Laptop
Have you ever wondered what gadgets will be like in 5 years time? HP recently did and came up with a number of drawings and ideas as to what we might be using in 2012. The first is this HP laptop which can be seen above. It has virtual keys, is razor thin and is featherweight. Hopefully virtual keyboards will be easier to use in 5 years time as currently they suck.
Continue reading on for more cool gadgets from 2012.
Media Mat
Next in line is the Media Mat which is a roll up screen. Flexible screens are becoming available recently but tend to be in grey scale and do not have a fast refresh rate. The screen above is full colour and should be able to roll right up to be stored away when not in use.
Watch
Communication is key with current times. Devices need to be able to connect together to share information so that appointments are not missed and family are a button press away. This watch is what ties all these devices together. It is a wireless hub which communicates with the laptop, roll up screen and the other gadgets and allows you to see at a glance what is happening.
PDA Wallet
With the amount of credit cards available these days it is time to have your wallet updated. This wallet features a screen inside which actually makes it in to a digital wallet. The screen allows you to control your finances with in the wallet and to see exactly what comes in and goes out each day. Again, another great idea which links up to the watch to show your current balance.
Tablet
Of course we all need a tablet PC while we are on the go taking notes in meetings etc... The HP tablet just like the laptop is razor thin and very light weight. As can be seen the design work is very modern and just right for what we might see in 2012. I do have to wonder though if all these devices need to be used in 5 years time or if a collection of them all converging together will be made making most obsolete.
Shelf
The Shelf has to be one of my favorites. It is not an ordinary shelf, but a shelf in that when a device is placed on it, the device will charge automatically with out connecting wires. This is of course very useful for now, but I wonder what kind of battery charging we will need if fuel cells become more popular which can keep a laptop going for 10+ hours and be instantly charged by topping them up.
Smart Pen
The smart pen is capable of writing on any surface and then storing what was just written in to its memory so you can download it later.
Overall I am impressed with the ideas put forward by HP although most, if not all is not new technology but rather a nice mixture of what we have now, shrunk down a little and made to look good. The idea of having all the devices together is good, but at the same time we are seeing a lot of devices being built together such as the Phone/MP3 and pocket computer in 1 device.

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