Asus MeMO Pad ME172V review

Asus MeMO Pad ME172V review

May 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The tablet market in India seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. The Taiwanese tablet maker Asus is now trying to get a slice of this pie with the launch of the Asus MeMO Pad ME172V. This is the first sub Rs. 10,000 tablet that the company has launched. It is a 7-inch tablet that runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It is powered by a 1GHz VIA WM8950 processor. The company is targeting to capture 15 per cent market share in the country banking on this tablet.
It is noteworthy, that Asus is known more for its popular Nexus 7 tablet that the company has launched in the global markets in conjunction with Google.
In the recent past, we have seen Indian brands such as Videocon, Lava and international brands like Acer and Swipe launch their Jelly Bean tablets too under the price bracket of Rs.10,000. So is Asus MeMO Pad ME172V a compelling challenger in this category? We find out in this review.
Build & Design
The Asus MeMO Pad ME172V is a 7-inch tablet that sports an elegant look. Though t..

Undertale [year] Review

Undertale 2025 Review

April 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

For a game developed by a single person, Undertale is as contradictory as they come. It uses rudimentary graphics that wouldn't be out of place in the 8-bit era of consoles yet it manages to display emotion far better than most photorealistic AAA titles. There's an emphasis on non-violence but you'll frequently find yourself in combat. And with all the critical acclaim it has garnered, you'd assume it's a game anyone would enjoy, but it's not really for everyone.
The consistency, or lack thereof, is in part due to its overarching narrative. The game is set amidst a backdrop that has monsters living beneath the earth after losing a war to mankind, and you play as a human child who falls into the ruins and ventures deeper underground with the purpose of getting home.
Along the way you'll pet dogs, hear bad puns from skeletons, and play matchmaker to lovestruck guards. You can, of course, resort to the usual slaughter of everyone and everything in you..

Acer Liquid Z630s [year]

Acer Liquid Z630s 2025

February 24, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

After a long hiatus, Acer is taking another shot at the Indian smartphone market with two new budget offerings. The Taiwanese company recently announced the Liquid Z530 and Liquid Z630s Android smartphones, which we first saw at IFA 2015. The new offerings will be sold exclusively through Flipkart and will also be manufactured in India, come December. Acer is testing the waters now and if things pick up, we can expect other models to follow suit.
Today, we'll be reviewing the Liquid Z630s, a lower-mid-range smartphone priced at Rs. 10,999. We've already taken a quick look at it and its smaller sibling in our unboxing video and it's now time to see how this phone stacks up against the competition. In this space, we have plenty of tried and tested options from the likes of Lenovo, Motorola and Asus so let's see if Acer's offering has that special sauce to help it stand out.
Look and feel
The Acer Liquid Z630s features a pebble-like design with rounded edges and ..

Honor Holly 2 Plus Review

Honor Holly 2 Plus Review

February 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 6

Honor recently added two new smartphones to its roster, the Honor 5X (Review | Pictures) and the Holly 2 Plus, to counter aggressive moves by Lenovo and new entrants like Coolpad and LeEco. The Holly 2 Plus will replace the older Honor Holly (Review), which launched in 2014 and will compete with offerings such as the Coopad Note 3 (Review | Pictures) and Intex Cloud Flash (Review | Pictures), which are some of the better options in this price segment.=””>
Honor will open the retail gates from February 15, when the phone will go on sale at Rs. 8,499. Let's find out if the features and performance are aggressive enough to rival the competition.
Look and feel
The Holly 2 Plus has gotten tiny bit fatter and heavier compared to its predecessor but other than that, it is pretty similar in terms of proportions. The rounded top and bottom of the older model have given way to a more traditional candy bar design. The plastic body has undergone a special treatment to give it a metallic lo..

iPad mini [year] review

iPad mini 2025 review

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

I bet the iPad mini is going to be on a lot of wish lists this holiday season. I also bet that for a lot of people, it's not going to be the best choice. It's beautiful and light, but Apple made a big compromise in the design, one that means that buyers should look closely at the competition before deciding.
Starting at $329, the iPad mini is the cheapest iPad. The screen is a third smaller than the regular iPads, and it sits in an exquisitely machined aluminum body. It weighs just 11 ounces half as much as a full-size iPad making it easier to hold in one hand. It's just under 8 inches long and less than a third of an inch thick, so it fits easily into a handbag.
The issue is the screen quality. Apple has been on the forefront of a move toward sharper, more colorful screens. It calls them “Retina” displays because the pixels the little light-emitting squares that make up the screen are so small that they blend together almost seamlessly in our eyes, removing the impressi..

Review: Olympus E5 [year]

Review: Olympus E5 2025

May 14, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Even though Canon and Nikon remain the preferred DSLR choices of most professional and semi-professional photographers, Olympus has developed its own niche following. We have with us the Olympus E5, an upgrade to the Olympus E3. Read on to find out if the improvements are incremental or if the camera is long overdue for a rehash.
Design and build
The first thing that you will notice about the camera is that it is extremely well built with its weather-proof structure carved out of magnesium alloy. The grip, thumb rest and sides of the camera have a rubberized finish, which not only adds to the rugged look of the device but also to the comfort factor while holding it.
The overall look and build of the camera is top notch but the button layout will appeal only to an Olympus veteran. If you are a Canon or a Nikon user, it will take you quite a while to get used to the button layout.
To the top right of the device you have an information LED display. This display gives you all the informati..

Battle of the bulge - Micromax A100 vs Spice Mi-500 vs iBall Andi 5c

Battle of the bulge – Micromax A100 vs Spice Mi-500 vs iBall Andi 5c

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

A world where mobile phones are getting bigger and tablets are getting smaller has seen the rise of a new category of devices. At first considered Frankensteins of the mobile computing world, phablets became cool with Samsung Galaxy Note's success.
Recently, we've seen a bunch of new devices trying to make a mark by appealing to those looking for large screen devices, minus the stylus. We look at three such devices that attempt to woo the budget-conscious – the iBall Andi 5c, Micromax Superfone Canvas A100 and Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500.
Build/ Design
The Micromax A100 is a clear winner in this department. The curves of the A100 fit well in hand, thanks, no doubt, to the slightly smaller profile compared to the other two devices. While none of the three devices scream “cheap plastic” (the Spice comes the closest), the overall finish of the Micromax ensures it stands out from the rest.
The Micromax A 100, like the iBall Andi, has the power button on the right, which makes it..

Le Max [year] Review

Le Max 2025 Review

May 1, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

China's Letv started making headlines in India back in April 2015, and less than a year later, the company has arrived here to compete in the gruelling smartphone race. Originally one of the largest online video companies in China, Letv has added a couple of 'firsts' to its name within a short span. Its Le Max Pro is the world's first smartphone with Qualcomm's highly anticipated Snapdragon 820 SoC, and the company also had the world's slimmest 65-inch TV to its credit this CES, with a depth of just 3.9mm thick. Other than phones and televisions, the company has a diverse range of products too, which it plans to launch in India over time.
With its sights set on major developed and emerging markets, the company has undergone a rebranding exercise and is now called LeEco, which signifies a whole ecosystem of tech products and services. LeEco has rolled out its first smartphones in India and today, we'll be reviewing its flagship offering, the Le Max. T..

Micromax Funbook Pro [year]

Micromax Funbook Pro 2025

February 27, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Since the introduction of the original Funbook in the country, Micromax has unveiled quite a few tablets. While most of these are just variants of the 7-inch Funbook, the Micromax Funbook Pro is a large 10-inch tablet with different internals.
Micromax is clearly targeting the budget tablet market with its Funbook Pro and has no interest in buyers of the Galaxy Tab or the iPad. We find out whether the tablet is a worthy addition to the growing budget tablet offerings and if it offers value for money.
Hardware
One of the first things that you notice about a tablet, or that matter any device, is the overall look and feel and that is surprisingly good in the Funbook Pro. The tablet feels sturdy and fits nicely in the hand despite the full plastic body.
Most of the front has been taken by the display, which is surrounded by a bezel, about an inch in thickness, and apart from that there is the front camera placed in one corner. The back is similar to the original Funbook, clean and coated ..

QiKU Q Terra [year] Review

QiKU Q Terra 2025 Review

April 12, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Another day, another Chinese smartphone maker enters India. This time, it's a joint venture between Qihoo 360 Technologies and the handset maker Coolpad, who have formed the brand QiKU. Its debut offering, the Q Terra, is yet another “flagship killer”, if you will, but comes with a unique set of features which should help it stand on its own feet. Priced similarly to the Moto X Play (Review), let's see if the company's debut offering in India has what it takes to get noticed.
Look and feel
The Q Terra is a massive phone and there's no getting around this fact. QiKU has tried to minimise this by shaving down the bezels to a razor-thin 1.4mm and leaving only enough plastic on the top and bottom for the earpiece and navigation buttons. The end result is quite stunning, mostly because almost all you see is the display. The near borderless design looks cool, but it isn't the most practical. We had to put up with many accidental presses of the touchscreen and naviga..

Zync Z999 Plus review [year]

Zync Z999 Plus review 2025

June 21, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Similar to the sudden rise in the number of mobile phone manufacturers a few years ago, tablet makers are raining these days. It seems everyone is making tablets or just importing a few from China and pasting their stickers.
There is suddenly a lot of choice for budget tablets, but if you are looking to find quality budget tablets, the options are very limited.
One such company that appeared along with the recent tablet tide was Noida-based Zync, which has launched various tablets in different segments in a very short period of time. The company recently released its Z999 Plus tablet in the country with voice-calling and Ice Cream Sandwich. We put it through the paces to find out if it offers any value or is just a part of the herd.
Design/ Hardware
When you go to buy a budget tablet, the expectations aren't much and often the not-so-good looks are also ignored if the performance is decent. The Zync Z999 Plus is a tablet in the not-so-good looks category, we will find out about ..