March 2016 |

Apple iPad 2: The emperor’s successor

March 1, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Introduction:
The first iPad was a revolutionary product. There were naysayers galore, nobody was even sure it would work – neither a laptop nor a netbook, and there was no keyboard. Xxx years later, the iPad has sent the competition scrambling to produce tablets of their own.
So is there a tablet better than the iPad? Yes there is. The iPad 2.
These are interesting circumstances for a new version of the device. It's only competition is the first version of itself, which was so pathbreaking a device that it's a very tough act to follow.
With iPad 2, Apple has done what it does best with follow-up acts – they've kept it simple. Users complained that version 1 was too heavy for prolonged use, and carped about the lack of cameras. Version 2 is 30 per cent slimmer, 15 per cent lighter, and has two cameras. Under the hood, there is a new dual-core A5 chip, to make iPad 2 run a bit faster. As a bonus, there is a nifty smart cover. Lets take an in-depth look.
Hardware
The iPad ..

Review: Asus Eee Pad tablet transforms into laptop

March 1, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The tablet computers that compete with the iPad have mostly been uninspiring. The Eee Pad Transformer stands out with a design that isn't just copied from the iPad: It's a tablet that turns into a laptop.
For $399, $100 less than the cheapest iPad, you get a tablet computer with a 10-inch screen and hardware that doesn't cut corners. It's fully usable on its own. For another $149, you can buy a keyboard that connects to the tablet. Together, they look and open like a small laptop.
The Transformer is made by Asustek Computer Inc., the Taiwanese company that started the brief “netbook” craze a few years ago by selling small, inexpensive laptops. With the keyboard attached, the Transformer is nearly indistinguishable from a netbook.
But before you get too excited about the prospect of a laptop-tablet hybrid that combines the best of both worlds, I have to tell you that you're not getting a Windows laptop in the bargain. The Transformer runs Google Inc.'s Andr..

Amazon Diwali Sale: iPhone 6s, MacBook Pro, and Other Offers

March 1, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

In case you missed the earlier online festive season sales, the Amazon Great Indian Diwali Sale is back. You'll find offers across all categories on Amazon from 26th to 28th October. We've got the best deals in technology from the first day of the Amazon Diwali sale right here.
Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of the Amazon Great Indian Diwali Sale:
1) Almost all decent deals would be a part of Lightning Deals. This means a limited set of products will be available at a special price and you'll have just 15 minutes to checkout.
2) In case you miss a Lightning Deal, it's always wise to join the waitlist.
3) Most Lightning Deals are renewed once they end, so make sure you don't give up easily.
4) Use a Citibank card to make a payment to get an additional cashback of 10% on the items available during Amazon Great Indian Diwali Sale (maximum cashback of Rs. 1750).
1. Apple iPhone 6S
Apple's iPhone 6S may have been the most expensive iPho..

Apple’s Growth Machine Is Finally Starting to Sputter

March 1, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Apple has been corporate America's most ridiculously unbelievable growth story. And now it's over. Take a deep breath. Exhale. Get used to it.
Yes, the Apple we have come to know was a gravity-defying growth machine. Apple is the most valuable company in the world, yet it increased its revenue in the last 12 months by more than last year's sales at Coca-Cola. Apple rang up enough operating cash in the last year to buy 625,000 Tesla Model X cars – nearly one for each person in San Francisco. (I'll take blue with tan leather interior, please.) The company has given us so many eye-popping numbers that any feat short of Tim Cook colonizing Mars is underwhelming.
With the setup of high expectations, the most crucial numbers are now more low-Earth orbit than deep space. Unit sales of the iPhone for the three months ended Sept. 26 climbed 22 percent from those in the period a year earlier. Just a few months ago, Apple sold 60 percent more iPhones than it did a year before…

HP, a Silicon Valley Icon, Is Ready for Its Break-Up

March 2, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

One of the nation's most storied tech companies will split in two this weekend, another casualty of seismic shifts in the way people use technology – and big-company sluggishness in responding.
Hewlett-Packard was an early pioneer of what became the model for Silicon Valley startups: Founded in 1939 by two Stanford graduates in a Palo Alto, California, garage, HP was long celebrated for its engineering know-how and laid-back corporate culture. It made hefty profits as it grew into a multinational giant that sold a wide range of computer gear and commercial tech services.
But after struggling to keep pace with recent trends like the rise of smartphones and cloud computing. HP's board decided last year to create two smaller companies, each with a narrower focus.
HP Inc. will sell personal computers and printers; Hewlett Packard Enterprise will sell commercial computer systems, software and tech services. Starting Monday, each will trade separately on the New York Stock Exchange..

Altec Lansing LifeJacket 2 Review [year]

Altec Lansing LifeJacket 2 Review 2023

March 2, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The Altec Lansing LifeJacket 2 released in India last week, as part of a slate of Bluetooth speakers ranging from Rs. 3,600, to Rs. 18,000. Since the launch, we've been using the LifeJacket 2, to try and figure out if it's worth the Rs. 14,000 price tag.
Before talking about the speaker's performance though, it's important to discuss the “everything proof” tag that the company has applied to it. The LifeJacket 2 is rated at IP67 protection, which means it is protected from dust, and capable of withstanding water immersion between 15 cm and 1 meter, for 30 minutes. It's also mountable – there's a small mount included in the box, which allows you to fit the speaker onto your bike and take your music anywhere with you. The speaker is covered in a thick layer of rubber, and further encased in a second rubber slip cover that can't be removed.
The result is a tough (if heavy) speaker – it weighs 907g, which is a fair bit of weight to keep in your pack – b..

Grain Audio OEHP.01 Review 2023

March 2, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Based in small-town Pennsylvania, USA, Grain Audio is a personal audio manufacturer that makes liberal use of wood in its products. The company has just four offerings listed on its site, and ships directly to buyers. Of the two pairs of headphones listed, the OEHP.01 is the larger, over-the-ear model. Featuring solid wood casings, the OEHP.01 is our review product of the day. We go into the details in our review.
Design, specifications and comfort
The Grain Audio OEHP.01 headphones feature a unique design, with the entire driver casing made out of grain-matched solid walnut wood. This keeps the headset fairly light at just 220g, and gives it a beautifully natural look. The padding on the ear cups and headband is soft and comfortable as well. The headband is made of plastic, and unfortunately doesn't go too well with the wooden casings. The OEHP.01 uses 40mm dynamic drivers, and comes in a rather large box that includes a carry pouch and a 3.5mm-to-6.3mm adapter.
The two ear cups..

5G Network Pickup Could Begin as Early as 2017, Says Nokia CEO

March 2, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Mobile equipment maker Nokia sees the shift to the next generation of 5G wireless networks kicking off well ahead of 2020, the year when many in the industry consider mass-market upgrades will begin, its chief executive said on Sunday.
Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said the company plans to pick up investment in 5G technology in 2016 and that sales of 5G-ready equipment capable of future upgrades could begin as early as 2017.
“5G will happen faster than expected. This may surprise some of you,” Suri declared to an audience including investors ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week.
Suri said that in contrast to past “big bang” rollouts of older mobile equipment cycles, 5G will require plenty of equipment upgrades to occur before some of the key 5G standards are expected to be formalised in 2018 and 2019.
“2020 is probably where we see global volume deployments,” Suri said, but added: “We will start to see a lot of action ahead of 2020 – in 2017, 2018, 2019.”
Demand for..

Review: Acer ICONIA A500: The Honeycomb Debutant

March 3, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Introduction
Until the arrival of Honeycomb, most tablets were playing catch-up with Apple's all conquering iPad and it's smartphone OSs. Now, in its second generation, the iPad 2 is likely to face some serious competition from the likes of Motorola, Acer, Samsung, HTC, Dell and other manufacturers who are embracing Google's tablet specific Honeycomb OS.
One such might be the Acer ICONIA A500, the first Honeycomb tablet to hit India. Can it take a bite out of the big Apple?
Hardware
The 10-inch A500 seems extremely thick at 13.3 mm versus the sub-10mm frame of the iPad 2. It is interesting to note that the original iPad was 13.4 mm thick. So the competition is still trying to emulate the original iPad even the next version has set new benchmarks for sheer form factor.
Quite naturally, when compared to the iPad 2, the device is bulky and feels heavy. It is quite a challenge to use while reading books. You will also find yourself setting the device down very often, because..

Whitman Readies Slimmed Down HP for Duel With Bulked-Up Dell

March 3, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Meg Whitman long resisted a breakup of Hewlett-Packard Co., saying that selling computers to consumers and businesses was the best way to keep the Silicon Valley pioneer alive.
Now, with personal-computer demand in decline and companies flocking to the cloud to run their operations, she's on board with a split taking place next week. The chief executive's biggest job: proving to customers, investors and employees that a smaller, enterprise-focused HP will be faster and more nimble against competitors.
To get there, analysts recommend that Whitman deepen HP's expertise in such areas as security and data analytics, including through smaller, strategic acquisitions. Another area for improvement is catering to customers who do more business over mobile devices.
Whitman's split-up plan stands in contrast to Michael Dell's $67 billion deal to combine Dell with storage-maker EMC in the largest-ever technology merger. He's betting that a single provider of enterpr..

Sony MDR-ZX110 Review 2023

March 3, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

When it comes to name recognition and market reach, few audio manufacturers can match the Sony's capabilities. Using a brand name that has been carefully built up over the decades, Sony is one of a handful of companies in India that can sell headphones by the thousand. This is thanks to a huge portfolio spanning various price ranges, from as little as Rs. 590, going up to Rs. 41,990.
One of Sony's most popular on-ear models is also one of its cheapest: the Rs. 990 MDR-ZX110. Boasting Sony's iconic design, the ZX110 is a budget champion and one of the best selling personal audio products in India. Can Sony deliver at such a low budget? We find out in our review.
Design, specifications and comfort
The Sony MDR-ZX110 looks fancy and expensive from a distance, with a combination of matte and gloss finishes on the body that comes across as more premium than anything else we've seen at this price. However, up close it feels strictly budget. The plastic is flimsy and bendy..

Review: HTC Flyer tablet mates with slippery pen

March 4, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Is it better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all? That's the question posed by a new tablet computer that takes aim at one of the deficiencies of the iPad: that it's difficult to write on it with a stylus or pen.
The HTC Flyer is a $500 tablet with a 7-inch screen. At a glance, it's not much different from the other tablets that are scrambling to compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad.
The iPad and all its copycats are designed to sense the touch of a finger. The screen layer that does this looks for big, blunt, electrically conductive objects such as fingers. It doesn't sense small, sharp ones like pens.
That's why third-party styluses for the iPad are blunt rubbery sticks. They're essentially imitation fingers. They're not very good for drawing, but some people find them better than nothing.
The Flyer has the same finger-sensing screen layer. But it backs this up with a second one, which looks for the movement of a specially designe..