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Gionee Marathon M5 Lite Review 2023

February 16, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Gionee's mission in the budget smartphone segment has been all about delivering the best battery life possible. Its Marathon series really took off after the company launched the Marathon M4 (Review | Pictures) and more recently, the Marathon M5 (Review | Pictures).
Following up on the success of the latter, we now have the Marathon M5 Lite, which was launched last month. The specifications and features of the newer phone bear a striking resemblance to those of the older M4, only with a newer version of Android and slightly beefed up internals. Although the M4 is still being sold for around the same amount as the M5 Lite, it could replace the older model going ahead.
So which one should you pick right now? Is newer always better? Let's find out.
Look and feel
The Marathon M5 Lite definitely scores more points when it comes to aesthetics. It's slimmer with a more premium look thanks to the new colour and the chrome accents running along its edges. It's slightly ..

Dell Venue 7 and Dell Venue 8 - [year] review

Dell Venue 7 and Dell Venue 8 – 2023 review

November 9, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

It isn't surprising that Dell has jumped into the Android tablet fray – it's only surprising that it took them so long to get serious about it. The PC industry's decline is now well documented and every major player is looking to diversify into other areas. Dell first tried its hand at smartphones and tablets back in 2009, but none of its attempts since then including the original Venue, Venue Pro, XCD, Streak and Mini product lines ever amounted to much.
Now, after a few years of focusing on Windows-based Ultrabooks, hybrids, and all-in-one desktops, Dell is has decided to give Android another shot. The Venue brand has been resuscitated and is now being used across a line of new tablets. There are two Android-based Venues and two Windows-powered Venue Pros.
The two Android tablets are extremely similar, with the primary difference being the size of their screens. As their names suggest, the Dell Venue 7 has a 7-inch screen while the Venue 8 has an 8-inch screen. We hav..

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..

Sony Cybershot DSC-WX300 - [year] review

Sony Cybershot DSC-WX300 – 2023 review

August 23, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Point-and-shoot cameras are at an interesting place. Many believe that point-and-shoot cameras will soon be replaced by smartphones that have very capable cameras, and the likes of iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920 and others are proof of this trend. However, one advantage that point-and-shoots continue to have over smartphones is optical zoom, and having a huge optical zoom can indeed be of great use.
Sony likes to call the Cybershot DSC-WX300 the smallest point-and-shoot camera with a 20x optical zoom, and on it's own the camera indeed looks tiny. Let's take it for a test and see what it holds.
In the Box
Sony Cybershot DSC-WX300 cameraManualWarranty cardPower cableUSB chargerUSB cable for chargingHand strapBatteryHDMI cable4GB memory cardBuild/ Design
The Sony Cybershot DSC-WX300 is a small little camera when you hold it in your hand, but the moment you put it next to another point-and-shoot you realise it is not as small as it initially seems. Having said that, you have to admire..

Lava Etab Xtron 2023 review

July 10, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

As more Indian brands explore the Android tablets segment, consumers are getting access to devices that sport decent specifications, and run the latest version of the OS, at attractive price points. We've recently seen Acer launching a 7-inch budget tablet running Jelly Bean, and now we have Lava launching its first Jelly Bean tablet, the Etab Xtron, in the Indian market, for Rs. 6,499. We take an in-depth look at the tablet.
Build
Unlike the Acer Iconia B1, the Etab Xtron exudes a feeling of durability, with its solid build. The 7-inch tablet looks compact yet sturdy. The front of the tablet features a 7-inch screen, which is surrounded by a large bezel. You'll also spot a front shooter right at the middle.
The back of the tablet is made of polycarbonate but has been given a brushed aluminium finish. The frame extends to the front, and adds to the design of the tablet. A microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack sits on the top, while there are no ports on the bottom.
Th..

Asus ZenFone Max 2023 Review

June 25, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

The last few months have seen an increasing focus on battery size, in a bid to answer the growing demand for devices that won't shut down on you before you go to bed every night. Apart from many mid-range and high-end phones offering batteries with capacities in excess of 3000mAh, smartphones such as the Gionee Marathon M5 (Review | Pictures) and Lenovo Vibe P1 (Review | Pictures) have gone above and beyond the norms with 6020mAh and 4900mAh batteries respectively.
Not one to miss out on the current trends, Asus has launched the ZenFone Max, a phone that announced in August last year. This lower mid-range smartphone costs Rs. 9,999 and is distinguishable by its large 5000mAh battery. It's considerably cheaper than the Marathon M5 and Vibe P1, and has a specification sheet that is geared towards achieving maximum power efficiency. Is the ZenFone Max the energy efficient Android smartphone that you need? Let's find out in our review.
Look and feel
The ZenFone range from ..

Life is Strange, Episode 1 Review: Teenage Drama and Time Travel

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Life is Strange is a teenage drama with a twist, which plays out like a choose-your-own-adventure book where you're constantly flipping back the pages. Adventure games are going through their own little renaissance at the moment, but aside from remakes of classic games, the genre is almost entirely made up of Telltale Games' output. They've given us hugely successful and engaging games like The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderlands, and Game of Thrones.
But along the way, the genre has also become highly codified, and mechanically, there's little to differentiate between Telltale's games. Life is Strange from the French studio Dontnod Entertainment expands the formula while bringing its own additions to the core concept.
Dontnod is perhaps best known for the 2013 action game Remember Me. That game had a slick user interface, stunning aesthetics, and a gorgeous soundtrack, but fell short because of linear game design that didn't make..

Lenovo Vibe X3 Review 2023

February 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 8

Lenovo has been on a bit of a spree, launching a number of new smartphones in quick succession. The company is good at creating models that cater to specific needs, such as the Vibe P1 (Review | Pictures) with its oversized battery, the Vibe Shot (Review | Pictures) for camera lovers, the Vibe S1 (Review | Pictures) for those who care most about looks, and most recently, the Vibe K4 Note for the budget segment. We now have with us the brand new Vibe X3, which takes its place at the top of the heap as Lenovo's latest flagship.
The Lenovo Vibe X3 costs just Rs. 19,999 but packs a number of features and attributes that might make it a competitor to phones that cost way more. The spec sheet alone would give us quite a bit to dig our teeth into, but Lenovo has also tossed in a few things that it says improve the user experience in less tangible ways. We'll have to dig deep to find out if that's just a marketing line or if the Vibe X3 really does blow all its competition away…

Google Nexus 7 (2023) review

August 12, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

When Google launched its first Nexus tablet in 2012 with Asus as the OEM, the tablet created a lot of buzz worldwide and offered consumers the purest form of the Android OS on a 7-inch tablet with decent hardware at a competitive price.

However, one year is a long time and when it comes to technology; devices tend to get more powerful with each passing year, while prices are expected to stay the same or even drop.

We now review the Google Nexus 7 (2013), Google and Asus' second outing with a joint flagship device, the current tablet platform lead.

Considered by many to be the challenger to the Apple iPad in the tablet segment, the Nexus 7 (2013) finally reached Indian shores recently, and is an attempt to strike a golden balance between premium specifications and price.
The Google's latest Nexus 7 (2013) tablet is also a definite upgrade compared to its predecessor in terms of hardware and design, while the software upgrade benefit, as previously mentioned, remains the ..

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 ..

Nikon Coolpix P330 2023 review

August 4, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Nikon Coolpix P330 is a new point and shoot from Nikon that gives you a 5x optical zoom, a 24 to 120 mm wide-angle zoom lens, with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. It is targeted at a consumer who is looking at more control on the camera than a basic point-and-shoot, without the bulk associated with a DSLR. Does the Coolpix P330 deliver on this count? Let's find out.
In the box
Nikon Coolpix P330 camera
Nikon EN-EL-12 Lithium Ion Battery
Charger with unpolarised NEMA plug
Convertor to use with Indian sockets
USB cable
RCA to USB/AV out cable
Lanyard (Handstrap)
CD With reference manual
CD With Nikon View NX2 software
Warranty cards and manuals
Though the camera is capable of recording full-HD video, and also has an HDMI port, Nikon does not include an HDMI Cable, and gives a RCA Cable. This felt a bit odd.
Build/ Design
The moment you take it out of the box, the first thing that you notice about the Nikon Coolpix P300 is the boxy sharp feel. When you hold it in your hands, the grip is..

Acer Iconia B1-A71 2023

February 25, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Acer created a lot of buzz when it announced its decision to jump into the Budget tablet segment with the Acer Iconia B1-A71, that it first announced during CES, and later, as reported by us, launched it in India at an attractive price of Rs. 7,999. Here's our review of the tablet.

Hardware/ Build & Design
The Acer Iconia B1-A71 is a 7-inch tablet, and accordingly comes in a compact form factor. However, the first thing that you notice about the tablet is that it's very apparent that it's made of plastic. The tablet is light-weight but feels flimsy. The hardware doesn't exude the feeling of durability, and if you put even a little bit of pressure on the screen, you'll see that it creaks and pushes through.
Talking of the design and construction, the front of the tablet has a big black bezel, and the screen peeps through it in a manner similar to a digital photo-frame. The top sports Acer branding at the middle and a VGA camera at the right side. There's a..