Asus ZenFone Zoom [year] Review

Asus ZenFone Zoom 2024 Review

February 8, 2016 Richard Gomez 5

Innovation tends to reach a saturation point after a while, which bogs down pretty much ever facet of technology. What do you do when those eureka moments start drying up and you find yourself looking for something new to wow your audience with? Putting a fresh spin on old technology seems like one way to go about it. Smartphone cameras with optical zoom have been around ever since Nokia launched the N90, way back when. This didn't exactly catch on since no one likes carrying a bulky camera in their pockets, which is what these phones essentially were.
Samsung has toyed with this idea a bit, with its last attempt being the Galaxy K Zoom over two years ago. The 10X optical zoom was the highlight of this phone but it was still more of a digital camera than a smartphone.
Asus has never known to shy away from experimenting with hybrid devices and its latest incarnation is the ZenFone Zoom. This is its attempt at a smartphone with optical zoom and thankfully, it hasn't compromi..

Nikon Coolpix L830 Review: Swivel and Zoom

Nikon Coolpix L830 Review: Swivel and Zoom

May 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Nikon recently updated its Coolpix range of cameras including the Life (L) series. At the high end of the L series is the Nikon Coolpix L830 which is an update to the Coolpix L820. This is a bridge camera with a 34x optical zoom lens, which is slightly lower than Sony DSC-H300's 35x optical zoom.
While the Coolpix L830 seems to have a lot going for it, we find out if this camera has the actual chops to capture great images.
Design
Truly bridging the gap between DSLRs and compact digital cameras, the Coolpix L830 is a super-zoom digital camera trapped in a DSLR frame, only much smaller. While it is available in plain black as well as red, the plum colour variant which we got for review is very striking. The body is made entirely of plastic with a glossy coat of paint on top, but it does feel sturdy. On the whole, for the amount it costs, the camera looks premium.
The most striking feature of the camera is the variangle LCD monitor which can be tilted and lowered to an angle of a..

InFocus M680 [year] Review

InFocus M680 2024 Review

January 6, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

InFocus has been a player in India for less than a year now, but it has been releasing a steady stream of new models, most of which we have received well. The US-based company, which specialises in projectors and office communication equipment, is working with Chinese electronics giant Foxconn to put its name on a line of smartphones aimed at emerging markets. Through this relationship, InFocus is trying to carve out a space for itself, and it seems as though the periodic flash sales it holds are receiving quite a lot of attention.
It can't be easy to compete in the Indian smartphone market, where a disruptive new device comes along nearly every other week. Still, InFocus appears to be gunning for the budget segment with a combination of low prices and premium features. Let's see if the new M680 can take on existing low-cost champions and leave a good impression.
Look and feel
We liked looking at the InFocus M680 from pretty much every angle except head-on. The front face is ..

Honor 7 Review [year]: The Metallic Powerhouse

Honor 7 Review 2024: The Metallic Powerhouse

February 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Although Honor is a Huawei-owned brand, its devices usually lack any mention of this, instead pitching the smartphones independently. The Honor brand allows the company to compete in the crowded budget market, and offer high-quality, well-specified devices at affordable prices without affecting the 'premium' brand image that Huawei has built for itself in China and the world over.
That is exactly what the new Honor 7 brings to the table. It's packed to the brim with features, and has top-spec hardware. With a specifications sheet that could put most flagship devices to shame, the Honor 7 hopes to win over a lot of high-value buyers with its Rs. 22,999 price tag. We go into the details in our review.
Look and feel
With a 5.2-inch full-HD IPS-LCD screen, the Honor 7 sits in the flagship smartphone sweet spot for displays. It's bright, detailed and suitably large, without breaching the 5.5-inch mark that is arguably considered to be the point where a phone becomes a ph..

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Review [year]

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Review 2024

February 8, 2016 Richard Gomez 5

Home | Cameras | Cameras Reviews Canon PowerShot SX60 HS Review: Big Zoom, Average Performance by Ershad Kaleebullah , 14 February 2015 For those who don't want to deal with the learning curve generally associated with DSLR cameras, a high-end compact makes the most sense. While these cameras cannot actually capture DSLR-quality images, they pack in a ton of features for a price that is more pocket-friendly.
Some of these cameras have SLR-like designs and amazing zooming capabilities. We have with us the Canon PowerShot SX60 HS, which is the world's first compact camera with a 65x optical zoom lens. Canon also adds the latest Digic 6 processor into the mix. Let's find out if the SX60 HS can wow us with its image quality.
Design and screen
Thanks to the really long optical zoom lens, the Canon PowerShot SX60 HS feels heavier and chunkier than most other super-zoom cameras in the market today, including its predecessor the SX50 HS. It has dimensions of 127.6×92.6×14.3mm ..

Nikon Coolpix AW120 [year] Review: Travelling Tough

Nikon Coolpix AW120 2024 Review: Travelling Tough

November 15, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

If recent industry reports are to be believed, the market for point-and-shoot digital cameras is dwindling year-on-year. This isn't surprising giving the increasing popularity of smartphones, especially ones with more-than-capable cameras. The need of the hour for digital camera manufacturers is to come up with products that can do things smartphones can't, in terms of both, features and image quality.
Some manufacturers have tried to stand apart with rugged or a waterproof cameras which cater to people who enjoy travelling or are into extreme sports. Nikon, an industry veteran, has the Coolpix AW series of point-and-shoot cameras servicing this demographic. Apart from being waterproof, these cameras are also shockproof and could very well be great travel companions.
Nikon unveiled 16 new cameras in its 2014 Spring Series, one of which was the Coolpix AW120 – an upgrade to the AW110. The new model is almost identical to its predecessor except for a slight increase in heft, hi..

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus [year]

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus 2024

January 4, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

No matter how big the battery on any smartphone, it degrades over time. If your smartphone lasts a whole day on a single charge when it's fresh out of its box, then one year later its battery life will be significantly less. The Gionee Marathon M5 Plus, which the company unveiled at a special event in Dongguan, China this week, tries to solve this problem. Gionee claims that the smartphone's battery will retain 90 percent of its capacity after 600 charging cycles, which translates to roughly two years of use.
This explains why the Gionee Marathon M5 Plus has a slightly lower capacity 5020mAh battery, when compared to the 6020mAh battery if the Gionee Marathon M5 (Review | Pictures). The “Plus” moniker has more to do with its larger screen and longer-lasting battery, according to Gionee. In a world where an Android smartphone with a humongous 10000mAh battery isn't impossible, the Marathon series' battery capacity doesn't seem excessive.
The biggest challenge fo..

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren't Everything

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren’t Everything

February 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Just a short while after reviewing the Intex Aqua Trend (Review | Pictures), we have another model from the same company in our hands for review. The Aqua Trend underwhelmed us, especially considering how many strong alternatives are available at or even below the same price. Intex is well known for selling low-cost products, especially PC peripherals. However, a lot of companies have managed to drive prices down in the smartphone industry without compromising on features or materials, and so Intex's classic formula might not do it any good here.
Today, we have a slightly more premium model, the Intex Aqua Ace, in for review. Priced at Rs. 12,999, this phone will find itself going up against some very polished, premium products. We're hoping Intex can impress us and show that it's able to compete in a market very different to the one it has thrived in so far.
Look and feel
Immediately upon opening its box, we're struck by how derivative the design of the Intex Aqua..

Sigma dp2 Quattro Review: Captures Images Brimming With Colour

Sigma dp2 Quattro Review: Captures Images Brimming With Colour

February 8, 2016 Richard Gomez 6

Home | Cameras | Cameras Reviews Sigma dp2 Quattro Review: Captures Images Brimming With Colour by Ershad Kaleebullah , 9 February 2015 Sigma is a Japanese family-owned business that makes lenses for DSLRs and micro four-thirds cameras, proprietary sensor technology that is starkly different from what the industry uses, and of course, cameras. It operates in a niche segment that caters to imaging experts who want to go beyond established ideas of photography and capture images that look incredibly lifelike. Whether Sigma's strategy works or not is a debate for another day, but it is definitely making some headway in this niche space.
Sigma's latest compact camera in India is the dp2 Quattro, which has a design that is whacky and unusual when compared to the dp2 Merrill. It also improves upon its predecessor in the specifications department by using an upgraded version of Sigma's proprietary Foveon X3 sensor.
There are three cameras in the dp Quattro series, each with a ..

Canon EOS 700D [year] review

Canon EOS 700D 2024 review

July 28, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Canon EOS 700D review
Canon EOS 700D is the 'flagship' device in company's entry-level consumer DSLR range. Canon has included some creative features as well as a very responsive capacitive touchscreen to make sure this camera appeals to first time users as well as those looking for an upgrade. Bundled with the camera is the 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 stock lens. So how does it work, let's find out.
In the box
Canon EOS 700D body LP-E8 rechargeable battery AC adapter kit ACK-E8 Manual Warranty card USB cable Hand strap 512MB SD Card Software CD Canon EF 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 lenses Build/ Design
The first thing you notice about the 700D is its petite frame, slightly smaller than the previous generations and much lighter when it comes to weight of the body alone. Canon EOS 700D is one of the lightest DSLR cameras that I have come across, slightly smaller than most entry-level DSLR cameras, and lighter, at just 580 grams for the body with the battery and a SD Card inside. The bund..

Moto G Turbo Edition [year] Review

Moto G Turbo Edition 2024 Review

January 2, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

When the newly resurgent Motorola made its mark in India early last year with the first-generation Moto G, it quickly became the go-to value option. Three generations later, and the situation isn't as clear. There are more options than ever thanks to the entry of a number of Chinese companies in quick succession. The Moto G has lost its spot as the sub-Rs. 15,000 top dog in terms of raw specifications, but its brand value makes buyers keep coming back.
In an effort to at least try to remain competitive, Motorola is now offering the Moto G Turbo Edition, a mid-cycle upgrade of the Moto G (Gen 3) (Review). Nearly everything is the same, except for the bumped up processor, RAM, and storage, plus the incorporation of Motorola's TurboPower feature as a result of the fast charging capabilities of the new Qualcomm SoC.
Not to be confused with the Moto Turbo (Review | Pictures), the new Moto G Turbo Edition slots in alongside the Moto G (Gen 3) at a higher price. We're curious t..

Apple iPad 2: The emperor's successor

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 ..