Nokia 810 Internet Tablet: Samsung Ln-T4061
Nokia 810 Internet Tablet: Samsung Ln-T4061
Nokia 810 Internet Tablet: Samsung Ln-T4061
T his Samsung
model is a
LCD television
that supports 1080
pixel resolution.
It has a freeze
button and picture-
in-picture for
T his new model from Nokia marks a new phase in
portable internet communication. It has the ability to
connect this pocket-sized device to the nearest Wi-Fi
watching content
from two different
sources-though
hotspot or over your Bluetooth mobile phone allows
not from two dif-
you to make internet calls; check your-email or watch
ferent channels.
the latest videos or update your blog using the device’s
It also carries a
slide-out keyboard along with its stunning touch screen.
headphone jack
It comes with built-in maps and satellite navigation and
and a USB port
an integrated GPS receiver which allows you to pinpoint
for viewing JPEG
your position and find a wide variety of points-of-inter-
image files and
ests. It is priced around Rs. 20,000.
listening to MP3s
from an exter-
nal device. The
remote is slightly
clumsy.
SONY XPERIA X1
T he model has
a high clarity
X peria represents Sony Ericsson’s first crack at a
Window mobile phone. It is a quad-band GSM phone
(good for making calls on worldwide GSM networks), and
level and impressive
motion scenes, with
less amounts of blur.
it supports 3.5G for speedy web surfing, video stream- HD resolutions upto
ing and file uploading. Wi-Fi is on board, as well as a 1080i are possible, HITACHI 37 LD9000TA
3.2-megapixel camera and a GPS (or GPS assisted by with 720p being
cell-tower triangulation). The centerpiece of the X1 is the best quality.
its three-inch WVGA screen that is 800 by 480 pixels, DVDs of movies and
compared to 480by 320 pixels for the iPhone’s 3.5inch animations both look
screen. The touch-sensitive screen features a series of strikingly clear as
Xpreria panels that will give you quick access to web sites, the contrast level
music, events and the like; running underneath will be and colour is very
Windows Mobile 6. Arc-slider design of the X1 slides open good. The price is
to reveal a full-QWERTY keypad. The Xperia X1 is slated just a little high, at
for release in the second half of the year. Rs. 87,000, but it is
worth it.
36 ed matrix MAY 2008
Technology
SONY BRAVIA
T he company announced its energy-conscious family
of enterprise hard drives. The WD RE2 GreenPower
(GP) family offers capacities of 500, 750 GB and 1 TB.
Each WD RE2-GP hard drive consumes an average of
40w3000 4-5 watts less than competitive hard drives. IntelliPower,
IntelliSeek and IntelliPark are technologies that enable
the WD RE2-GP platform.
L
more the software
aptops come in a variety of sizes
can effectively
and capabilities. So learn how to
use the computer.
pick the right one. Ultimately, the
For storage, lean
questions are your budget (laptop prices
towards double,
have come down dramatically in the last
or more if you
few years; a top notch model now costs
can afford it, the
around Rs. 75000 and budget laptops
recommended
are available at under Rs. 50,000), how
values (at a
big you want it, will it be used for travel
minimum, an 80
the most (Ideal weight for this would
GB hard drive.
be around 3.5 to 4.5 pounds) and what
all you will use in it. The four basic For convenience,
categories: Ultralight: Extreme portability opt for an optical
but with minimal power and high cost. drive for burning
CDs or watching
TabletPros: Generally with a
DVDs, a media
swiveling touch screen and
card reader
compact. But this too has limited
to access
power, a small screen, and is
camera
generally expensive. Mostly, the
storage
biggest (17 inches) and smallest
cards, and
(11-14 inches) screens are
a good video card for games. And battery life being critical for
generally the costliest.
ease of use, buy larger, secondary batteries for extra power,
Budget/Mainstream Pros: These have the best prices, are and learn how to tweak your system to extend battery life.
well powered with lots of features but are not that portable. Not to forget wi-fi connectively. Remember, the more you
want from your laptop, the bigger and heavier it will be. The
Desktop Replacement Pros: Big screens, max power. But
widest range of laptops come, of course, with the windows
awful battery life, heavy and expensive. Some rules of thumb:
operating system. Macintosh, too, has a range of top notch
Whichever you go for, it is advisable to get a multicore CPU
laptops like the Macbook Pro with their own operating systems
(among the best is the Intel Core 2 Duo, avoid all those
and software. But all Mac systems, while giving models are
Celeron and AMD chips). The very latest and fastest would
definitely cheaper. The general advise here is to choose the
cost a packet, but a fast microprocessor can help extend the
XP operating system over Vista.
life of your laptop. Also, install as much RAM (minimum 500
MB, advisable 1 GB) as you can afford. The more RAM your
LENOVO X300
SLIM POWER
L
enovo is no stranger to slim laptops, having peripheral connectivity. As opposed to the Air’s
ganined an enviable reputation for their segment- approach of external-everything units, the X300
leading tablets. Loking to extend their expertise in packs in 3 USB ports, a gigabit-ready Ethernet
the are, this Lenovo model is a direct competitor to the slot, audio/mic jacks and, importantly, an
Macbook Air. Though at first glance the X300 does integrated ODD. Battery life is another
not appear to be anywhere as slim as the Macbook area the X300 shines in. The
Air, a closer look at its dimensions of 12.5 x 9.1 x power saving L 7100 CPU enables
0.73 inches compared to the Macbook Air’s 12.8 it to average 4 hours on a six cell
x8.94 x 0.7 inches reveals a different story. The batter. Factor in the quick loading
difference is in the Macbook Air’s Frisbee like profile while times thanks to a 64 GB SSD drive for
X300 resembles a normal notebook, albeit with a slimmer storage and 2 GB of RAM and you have a very
profile. In its design the X300 retain the familiar Lenovo serious business machine. At Rs. 1.45 lakhs, it offers a
trademark black boxy body with the magnesium construction. far more attractive option to the Macbook Air.
However, where the X300 leaves the Macbook Air behind is
36 ed matrix june 2008
Te c h n o l o g y
PLAIN JANE
T
his is part of the
updated signature
Ferrari range
offering two significant
advantages over its
predecessor. One is
an integrated DVE-RW
and second, a much
improved battery life.
However, it falls behind
in its rather plain finish
and styling. The Ferrari
series continue to
utilize AMD dual-core
processors, which are
not as powerful as intel’s
and hence performance
suffers in comparison
in both system and
graphical benchmarks.
To overcome this Acer
has offered better than
averages storage and
system
memory of
250 GB and
4 GB RAM,
respectively.
But despite its decent battery life and good build quality, in comparison with products life Dell’s XPS M1330, it suffers badly in
terms of display quality, performance levels, and finish. Unlike Asus’ Lamborghini range, which delivers great looks along with
performance, the 1100 has failed to capitalize on the Ferrari brand name. Rs 79,000.
T
oshiba, in recent, times contrast. The battery
seems to be keeping a life averages three
low profile in the laptop hours. Unfortunately,
market. That has not stopped our test model was a bit
them from offering quality under powered. This,
products like this one, which, however, is easily
though classified a budget resolved by a series of
model, puts other manufactures cheap upgrades which
to shame. It offers a tough and will bring performance
well-designed exterior, has a levels offered by the
great finish with a keyboard competition.
that allows for long hours of Rs. 39,000 upwards.
T
his ultra-mobile PC has cool features, such as easy
Web access and online calling, and is a snap to use
Pocket-size. Offers Net access, Web calling, and
other features over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectionsLots of
good features if you’re looking for a device to complement
your laptop and cell phoneThe new N800 is a faster
processor and more internal memory. It can also take
several different external memory cards, including
MultiMediaCard and SD cards.
The new model is designed to access the Web via Wi-
Fi connections or a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The
Nokia N800 is pocket-sized and easy to carry, so it can
come in handy if you want to check e-mail, skim a PDF
file, send an Instant Message, or call a friend via Google
Talk without firing up your laptop. It’s also a good option if
you don’t want to squint at your phone’s smaller screen.
T
o truly take advantage of computer-based communications
such as VoIP and Skype, you’ll eventually want to invest
in a decent USB microphone. Unlike those cheap
microphones that plug into your desktop computer’s mic input,
or the noisy microphone built into your laptop, a quality USB
microphone like the Snowflake ($79) can make you sound like
a million bucks.
It’s easy to find USB microphones that are a better value than the
Blue Microphones Snowflake, but what makes the Snowflake
something special is its luxurious and portable design that looks
like it fell from the pages of Dick Tracy. The Snowflake can be
the viewing experience is better than that of most of today’s positioned in two ways: loosely hung over a laptop screen
phones.You can download video wirelessly, or by hooking up or resting on a tabletop. In either orientation, an included 3-
to your computer’s USB port. foot USB cable runs from the back of the microphone to your
computer. Beneath the Snowflake’s metal J-shaped stand lies
Video looks very sharp and crisp, and it’s easy to watch on a detachable hollow plastic base used to store the USB cable
the N800’s landscape-oriented screen used with a pull-out when not in use. The Snowflake’s microphone capsule swivels
stand that works like a picture frame. That certainly makes for 360 degrees on its base, and can collapse into a portable 3-
more comfortable video viewing—though I’ll concede my eyes inch by 2-inch block.
got tired very quickly looking at the N800 screen, even with
The Snowflake USB microphone’s design allows it to hang off a
the device’s great
laptop screen, but its hefty metal construction is less precarious
zoom-in functions.
when placed on a table.
The N800 touch screen can be navigated with a stylus or The Snowflake’s opulent design lies in stark contrast to the
finger, though I found the stylus to be more responsive. In all, bare bones simplicity of its features. There are no settings to
the N800 is a feature-packed and mostly adjust on the Snowflake, no software control panels, and no
easy-to-use device. drivers to install. To use the Snowflake, all you need to do is
36 ed matrix july 2008
Te c h n o l o g y
S
haring advanced imaging technologies from
Sony’s digital camera line, these two camcorders,
unlike other handycam models with face
detection, allocate
more pixels to the
image for the
best possible
picture when
people are the
subjects. Other
technologies
include sensors
that utilise
column analog/digital
conversion to minimize picture noise. Together with the
high processing speed and noise reduction capability,
the new camcorders produce high-resolution video and
photos with natural colour reproduction and rich details.
A USB port allows transfer of files to DVD burners and
recorders. Recording time is around five hours for the
in-built hard drive with option of media cards. It also
offers a wide range of video editing suites. The 6.1-
megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics is good. White
plug it into your computer’s USB port, designate it as an audio balance, shutter speed and focus can also be
input in your system preferences, and you’re ready to record adjusted manually.
or stream audio to whatever application you prefer (none are
included with the microphone). The Snowflake is universally
compatible with both Mac and PC computers and records at a NIKON D60
maximum resolution of 44.1kHz at 16-bits. SMALL, NIFTY
T
The Snowflake’s microphone is fixed in a mono-cardioid
outed as the most
recording pattern that works best with audio sources placed
compact DSLR
no more than arm’s length in front of it. Although the limited
camera till date,
throw of the Snowflake’s microphone produces relatively clean
the model is quite small
and noise-free recordings, those of you who prefer to pace the
and light as compared
room while you talk are better off investing in a noise-canceling
to other cameras in its
microphone or Bluetooth headset.
category. The 10.2 mega
The Snowflake collapses to a pocket-size package that includes pixel counts along with its
a storage compartment for its USB cable. other features make it a
During testing, using the Snowflake over Skype produced good bang for the buck.
noticeably better voice quality than our MacBook’s built- Features like sensor cleaning while switching the camera on
in microphone. The Snowflake’s superior voice quality is and off is a nifty feature for any DSLR, but its effectiveness
remains arguable. I wish they had gone a bit beyond the
characterized by a smoother sound with a significantly reduced
3-point autofocus, but it’s not bad, considering the audience
noise floor. Musicians interested in a computer recording
it’s catering to. There are other great features like in-camera
solution won’t be blown away by the Snowflake’s fidelity when
RAW processing, some post processing options, D-Lighting
held up to a more sonically flexible, non-USB microphone, such
and even Stop Motion Animation support. The overall image
as the Sony ECM-MS907. On-the-go musicians, however,
quality is average. At Rs. 36,000 it is a great first DSLR
might value the Snowflake’s portability, style, and ruggedness
camera, but if you already own a D40 or a D40X, you have
in spite of its modest recording quality.
little reason to upgrade.
ed matrix july 2008 37
REVIEW - Book
A
lmost anyone who
listens to Wisconsin
Public Radio has, at
one time or another,
would have heard
the voice of Jean Feraca. As host
of WPR’s “Here on Earth: Radio
Without Borders,” she is an advocate
and educator, an expert at mixing
I Hear Voices
international issues with culture
and aesthetics. An example of the
programme’s diversity can be seen
in any random week’s schedule:
this week features the presidential
election, climate change, travel
for women, love sonnets and
natural aphrodisiacs.
Now, Feraca has turned her craft
on herself with “I Hear Voices: A
A Memoir of Love,
Memoir of Love, Death and the
Radio.” She traces her own life and
craft through a collection of personal
Death and the Radio
vignettes, retrospectives that
consider the people who have shaped
her and her journey to become a
writer. The end result is a vivid, often
haunting autobiography that unites a
fascinating life with a voice gifted
enough to provide all the details.
Feraca’s life is as mixed as the
selections of her programme -
growing up in an Italian-American
New York family, courtship in a
JEAN FERACA
monastery, a Jewish wedding in a
nightgown, poetic rebirth in Italy
other career as a poet, filled with craftsman and an aunt consisting of
with a sick child. She skims over
“liquid gold” by family stories and ethereal sweetness. There is a mix of
her messy divorces and personal
her veins running with “quicksilver” frustration at how difficult growing
loneliness in favor of the epiphanies
anger over her ex-husband. Feraca up with these people was, tempered
that saved her, concerned with the
knows exactly what she wants to say. with a wistful gratitude at being able
positives and the process. Readers
She is talented enough to say it right, to grow up with them.
are also treated to the aesthetic
side of Feraca’s work: the book and not afraid of saying what most Although she listens too closely
is peppered with asides such as a keep private. in some cases - the last chapter on
commentary on California wine, tips Her writing’s potency is also marriage and God feels almost thick
on writing poetry and a report on attributed to the characters she writes after a glorious odyssey to an Amazon
South American tribes. about, practically forces of nature clinic - “I Hear Voices” is a memoir
in their own right. These include a worth reading in depth, both for its
The book is written in the exact burnished prose and the startling life
style you expect from someone with brother who holds Sitting Bull and
Mussolini in equal regard, a mother it recounts. Feraca’s life is as much a
decades of experience in public story as any of her show’s topics, and
radio, a calm and literate voice which whose mind is rapidly deteriorating
but exerts a manic energy, a poetry deserves equal time and attention.
feels like it can nurture and inform
on any topic. Her words evince her teacher more comparable to a master Les Chappell
38 ed matrix july 2008
Te c h n o l o g y