HP LASERJET M1213NF

HP LASERJET M1213NF
VERDICT: A worthy investment those looking for a compact multi-function printer.
FOR: Speedy prints, compact, very easy to confi gure and use, power-saving feature.
AGAINST: Below average print quality (graphics).



This printer is a perfect product
for small businesses and SOHO
where documents are needed
to be printed quickly and frequently
in black-and-white. It sports a rugged
all-black body with matt finish.
The HP LaserJet M1213nf is an all-in-one
device comprising the functions of a
printer, copier, scanner and fax machine. It
can be connected via USB or shared with
other users over the local area network.
The printer prints at 600 dpi and can max
out at an interpolated resolution of 1200
dpi. The fax memory can hold up to 500
A4 pages. It also features junk fax filter,
auto fax forwarding, remote retrieval and
delayed faxing. The control panel is neatly
tucked in one corner of the unit and has
well-spaced and tactile keys.
On the performance front, the HP
LaserJet M1213nf is great when it comes
to printing and copying speeds. Regular
documents can be printed at a speedy 18
pages per minute while copying a single
document takes less than 15 seconds.
It takes the printer 38 seconds to
initialize from power off state. But when in
standby mode you can get the first print in
just 9 seconds.
The print quality didn't meet our
expectations. Though the quality of
regular text documents was excellent,
graphics were not as crisp and detailed.
For its asking price we feel it should
have had an automatic duplexor.

BROTHER HL-3070CW

BROTHER HL-3070CW
VERDICT: A printer with good print economy for your offi ce or home.
FOR: Excellent document printing, secure print feature, good print economy
AGAINST: Tiny LCD display, below average photo prints, manual duplex.



The Brother HL-3070CW is an
economical printer for small
businesses and homes, and can
print at a decent resolution of 600x2400
dpi. The printer can be connected via
the USB, LAN or Wi-fi . It has a 64 MB
buff er memory which is good enough for
a small to medium offi ce environment.
The HL-3070CW uses the LED light
printing technology rather than the
conventional laser printers that use a
laser beam. LEDs are more efficient and
reliable since there are fewer moving parts
involved. The front panel sports a USB
port that can be used for both PictBridge
direct printing as well as printing directly
from a USB fl ash drive.
The HL-3070CW prints regular text
documents at 16 ppm and an A4 photo
(best quality) in just 26 seconds. The
black text prints were excellent with crisp
character formation, but the photo prints
were not satisfactory—they were quite
dark and dull due to insufficient contrast
and details.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 23,315
www.brother.in
Dimensions (WxHxD): 16.1 x 9.8 x 18.3 in; Weight:
19 kg; Resolution: 2400 dpi; Buffer size: 64 MB; Tray
capacity: 250 sheets; Interface: USB, LAN, WLAN.

The black cartridge (Rs 3,950) can
yield around 2,200 pages at just Rs 1.80
per print. A color print will cost you around
Rs 2.70. The color cartridge has a capacity
to print 1,400-pages and costs around Rs
3,850.

HP OFFICEJET 4500

HP OFFICEJET 4500
VERDICT: A feature-rich all-in-one device with excellent
print quality.
FOR: Excellent photo quality, small size.
AGAINST: Average print speed, manual duplexing,
slightly expensive.

The HP 4500 Officejet is one of the smallest all-in-one

devices available in the market. It can be easily shared

on the network with other users using the Ethernet

port. It features a 4800x1200 dpi color printer, a 1200 dpi

scanner with ADF, a copier, and a 33.6 Kbps color facsimile

with 20 page memory. The AIO looks sleek with an all-black

case in a surprisingly small package. Unfortunately, the glossy

body will attract dust and

fingerprints in no time.

The control panel is neatly

designed with well-spaced

buttons and a single-line,

but sufficiently large and

bright LCD. Considering this

printer is meant for office

use, an automatic duplex

function and a card reader

would have added greater

value to the product. The

printer can print grey scale

text documents at 17 ppm

and documents with clipart and images at 10 ppm. With the

print quality set to Best it printed text documents at 3 ppm,

while it took a little more than a minute to print 4x6-inch

borderless photos. The test photos that we printed had

good color and detail reproduction. Copying black-and-white

and color documents took just 24 seconds and 46 seconds

respectively. It takes 15 seconds for the printer to initialize

from the switched off state and the first print from the time

of clicking the print button takes around 22 seconds.

SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 7,999
www.hp.com
Dimensions (WxHxD): 434 x 217 x 402 mm; Weight:
6 kg, Functions: Print, scan, copy, fax; Print
resolution: 4800x1200 dpi; Paper tray capacity:
100 sheets; Scanner type: A4, ADF

GALAXY GTX 470

GALAXY GTX 470
VERDICT: A capable card with an innovative custom cooler.
FOR: Runs cooler than most GTX 470s, flip fan design makes it easy to clean.
AGAINST: Very high power consumption.



It’s a known fact that Nvidia’s GeForce
GTX 470 and 480 based GPUs
heat up to a great extent. With over
3-billion transistors embedded into the
GPU what more can you expect?
The Galaxy GTX 470 is a little diff erent
from the crowd since everything other
than the GPU is customized by Galaxy.
Moreover the redesigned PCB is also
an inch smaller than Nvidia’s reference
design. Furthermore the card comes with
a Flip fan design which allows you to
clean the heatsink and the fan without
having you to open up the shroud. The
rear supports two dual-link DVI port along
with a mini HDMI port.
Powering up the card is a 12-pin
connector — a minimum 550 W PSU will
be required to breathe life into this card.
The core speeds have been bumped up
to a small degree. What you get is a core
operating at 625 MHz while the memory
and shaders are clocked at 837 MHz and
1250 MHz respectively.
Crysis Warhead returned a playable
score of 49 fps with the resolution kept
at 1680 x 1050 (2xAA). Just Cause 2 also
returned very playable frame rates of 48
fps at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 – this
was achieved with AA disabled while still
maintaining Very High settings.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 23,000
www.galaxytech.com
GPU: Nvidia GTX 470; Stream Processors: 448; Process:
40 nm; Memory: 1.2 GB DDR5; Core | Memory speed:
625 MHz | 837 MHz; Video output: Dual-DVI, Mini
HDMI.

ASUS ENGTX470

ASUS ENGTX470
VERDICT: A very capable card that goes well against the Radeon HD 5850.
FOR: Decent performance, low power consumption when idle.
AGAINST: None.





With the new Fermi architecture
coming into play Nvidia
surely has something to smile
about. They proved their point with
the launch of the GTX 480 which as of
now is considered to be the single most
powerful card. However apart from
being an all-out performer the card is
not only considered to be a power hog
but also generates enough heat to heat
your cup of tea. Now, the GTX 470 is a
run down version of its elder sibling that
features a total of 448 unifi ed shaders
as opposed to 480 unifi ed shaders. The
core and memory speeds are clocked
at 607 MHz and 837 MHz respectively.
The card runs on 1280 MB of GDDR5
memory tied to a 320-bit memory bus.
The card features the same stock design
with the only change being in its sticker.
Performance of the card is something no
one can complain about. Both Crysis and
Just Cause 2 are extremely demanding
games that make cards struggle. Crysis
Warhead returned playable frame rates of
50 fps at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 with
AA kept at 2x (Gamer mode). However
switching the mode to Enthusiast and
bumping up the resolution to 1920 x 1200
brought the frames down by a decent
20 fps. Just Cause 2 on the other hand
returned a playable frame rate of 48 fps
at same resolution and AA disabled.





SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 19,580
www.in.asus.com
GPU: Nvidia GTX 470; Stream Processors: 448; Process:
40 nm; Memory: 1.2 GB DDR5; Core | Memory speed:
607 MHz | 837 MHz; Video output: Dual-DVI, Mini
HDMI.

MSI R5870 LIGHTNING

MSI R5870 LIGHTNING 
FOR: Excellent cooler, silent fans, HDMI cable included.
AGAINST: A slightly overclocked core is completely pointless.




The MSI R5870 Lightning is one of
the very few Radeon HD 5800
series cards to feature a custom
design. It’s not just the cooler; MSI has
gone all out and built this card right up
from a custom PCB to components of topnotch
quality that meet military standards.
The PCB of this card measures 10.1
inches which is just about half an inch
less than the length of the reference PCB.
But it’s wider by three-fourth of an inch to
accommodate the extra components used
for the 12-phase power design for the GPU
and 3-phase power design for memory.
MSI has used Hi-C capacitors instead of
solid-state capacitors all over which they
claim have 8 times the lifespan, lower
operating temperature and are more
efficient. The reference design features a
pair of 6-pin PCIe power connectors, but
this card uses two 8-pin PCIe connectors
to feed the additional circuitry and provide
extra power to the GPU for better stability
while overclocking.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 24,500
www.in.msi.com
GPU: Radeon HD 5870; Core | Memory speed: 900 MHz
| 1200 MHz; Video memory: 1 GB GDDR5; Memory
bus width: 256-bit; Video outputs: 2x DVI, HDMI and
DisplayPort.

ECS A875M-A

ECS A875M-A
VERDICT: A very basic motherboard with a handful of useful features.
FOR: Good layout, useful bundled application.
AGAINST: None .



The ECS A875M-A is for those who
need a motherboard with discrete
graphics sans bells and whistles
that high-end boards boast. It features
the AMD 870 chipset, which excludes
on-board graphics and off ers only a
single PCIe x16 slot for adding a graphics
card. Since the board features an ATX
design, ECS has utilized the length to
add expansion slots. There are two PCIe
x1 slots above the PCIe x 16 slots and
three PCI slots below. The good thing
about the way these are placed is that
you’ll lose only a single PCI slot if you
install a graphics card with a dual-slot
design. The SATA 6 Gb/s ports supported
by the SB850 southbridge are stacked
vertically at the bottom right corner for
routing the SATA cables conveniently.
Three USB headers supporting two
ports each, front audio and front panel
headers are placed right at the bottom
and are easily distinguishable by their
color. The rear panel is also well laid
out with eight USB ports and an eSATA
port clubbed in a group. A serial port
(RS-232) has been added whereVGA
and DVI outputs are usually present.
The A875M-A performed well, but active
cooling for the northbridge would have
helped keep the temperature low.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 4,140
www.rptechindia.com
CPU socket: AM3; Chipset: AMD 870 + SB850; Memory:
DDR3-1333 (Max 32 GB); USB | SATA: 14 (6 via onboard
headers)| 5; Expansion slots: 1x PCIe x16, 2x
PCIe x1 and 3x PCI; Audio: 7.1 channel; LAN: Gigabit.

ASUS CROSSHAIR IV FORMULA

ASUS CROSSHAIR IV
FORMULA
FOR: Automatic OC button, excellent on-board audio, brilliant layout.
AGAINST: None.



The Asus Republic of Gamers series
of enthusiast-class hardware
needs no introduction. The fourth
generation Crosshair motherboard for the
AMD platform is built around the latest
and the most powerful AMD 890FX
chipset. The chipset features support
for up to 16 GB DDR3 memory and 32
PCIe lanes dedicated to discrete graphics
cards. So two graphics cards confi gured
in CrossFire will run at x16 each and three
graphics cards will run at x16+x8+x8.
Out of the four bright red PCIe slots,
the fi rst and third run at x16, the second
one runs at x8 and the fourth one runs
at x4. The second one can also take a
PCIe x1 or x2 add-on card. You also get
two PCI slots which won’t be of any use
with dual-slots graphics cards occupying
the PCIe slots.The six SATA 6 Gb/s ports
along the right edge of the board are
supported by the SB850 southbrige.
Asus has used a JMicron controller
which adds a SATA 3 Gb/s port and an
eSATA port on the rear panel. A USB 3.0
controller is also present which adds a
pair of blue ports. Other components on
the rear panel include a PS/2 port for
keyboard, seven USB 2.0 ports, FireWire
and gigabit Ethernet ports, CMOS reset
button and the ROG connect button.
ROG connect allows you to monitor and
tweak the clocks and voltages from
another PC or laptop. The package
includes a USB cable for ROG connect
and an application called RC TweakIT
for use on the connected PC or laptop.
The Crosshair IV Formula is equipped
with an OC processor called TurboVEvo
for maintaining stability while overclocking
and an automatic OC switch for an instant
boost at the press of a button. Check
points for measuring the voltages using a
multimeter are also present.
The package includes six high-quality
SATA cables with retention clips, a USB
and eSATA bracket, some cable ties, a
CrossFire bridge and a one-year license of
Kaspersky Anti-virus.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 14,310
www.in.asus.com
CPU socket: AM3; Chipset: AMD 890FX + SB850;
Memory: DDR3-1333 (16 GB max); Expansion slots:
2x PCIe x16, 1x PCIe x4 and 2 PCI; Multi-GPU support:
2-way and 3-way CrossFire; SATA | USB: 7 | 14; Audio:
7.1-ch SupremeFX X-Fi.

NCOMPUTING U170

NCOMPUTING U170
VERDICT: An economical method to convert a single PC into multiple desktops.
FOR: Simple installation, cost-effective, no power requirements, small in size.
AGAINST: No PS2 interface for input devices.



Turning a single PC or laptop into
multiple virtual desktops is now as
simple as plugging in a simple USB
hardware device known as NComputing
U170. It is nothing but a USB box that
creates an additional virtual desktop to
your existing PC, thus converting a single
computer into two or more simultaneously
useable virtual desktops. The NComputing
U170 needs a USB mouse and keyboard
and a monitor to form a single virtual
desktop. The U170 connects to a USB
port on the host PC and a software
application - VSpace, shares the
resources (hardware and software) of
the host computer with the other virtual
desktops. Using multiple NComputing
U170 modules and a series of USB hubs,
you can create a maximum of nine virtual
desktops excluding the host computer.
The NComputing U170 is an excellent
and economical way to save on computer
hardware, maintenance and electricity
costs. The device can be either mounted
under the desk, on a wall or VESAmounted
on an LCD monitor. It is very light
and does not need additional power as it
draws its power from the host PC itself.
The product can be best implemented in
cybercafés, data entry centers, accounting
offices, schools, kiosks and other such
areas where core computing performance
is not a priority. The U170 supports a
maximum display resolution of 1680x1050
with stutter-free video playback.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 5,000
www.ncomputing.com
Dimensions (WxHxD): 125 x 30 x 80 mm; Weight: 115g;
Connectivity: USB 2.0; Ports: 2 x USB 2.0; Audio in/out,
VGA (D-sub).

SAMSUNG CORBY TV SCH-F339

SAMSUNG CORBY TV SCH-F339
VERDICT: Lacks quite a few things that the cheaper S3650 was equipped with.
FOR: Light weight, comfortable design, TV app works well, decent audio quality.
AGAINST: Struggles with standard mobile video formats.



There’s no diff erence between the
Corby S3650 and the Corby TV. It’s
still a light weight handset at 90g
with a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen
that sports a resolution of 240 x 320
pixesl. The camera and screen lock key
are one side and the volume/zoom keys
along with the proprietary all-in-one port.
This time around, Samsung has included a
3.5 mm adapter so you can use your own
set of earphones. The microSD card is just
under the interchangeable rear panel.
Samsung’s TouchWiz UI works out just
fi ne although sometimes it seemed quite
unresponsive when it came to making a
selection. It is however easy to navigate
with multiple desktops with plenty of drag
and drop widgets. A QWERTY keypad has
also been added but unfortunately the
option to change the menu orientation to
landscape seems to have been done away
with. This makes it a bit awkward to use
the QWERTY keypad.
The Corby TV is a CDMA device which
implies super speed connectivity from
browsing to watching Live TV via the
MimobiTV Mobile TV app. This app comes
with a quite a few channels that range
from news to movies and soaps. Kids
channels like Pogo and Cartoon Network
are also provided.


SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 9,699
www.in.samsungmobile.com
Dimensions: 56.5 x 103 x 12 mm; Weight: 90 g; Display:
2.8-inch Capacitive touchscreen, 240x320 pixels;
Data: EDGE, GPRS, 3G, Camera: 2 MP

HTC SMART

HTC SMART

FOR: Well designed, good audio clarity, camera quality is decent.

AGAINST: Lacks Wi-fi for the price, battery life could have been better.

HTC has had quite a bit success with
their slew of Android devices that
seem immensely popular. However
so far, they haven’t really been able to
tap into the budget segment (under Rs.
10,000). The Smart is undoubtedly their
attempt to bridge the gap. It’s a sleek new
handset that’s got just that right amount
of weight (108 g) and it’s just 12.8 mm
thin so it’s easy to carry around without
leaving a bulge in your pocket. HTC has
gone with a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen
that has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.
There’s a tiny key just below display
that can pull up the menus. The large
‘Arrow’ key is for returning to the previous
menu or if pressed and held will return
you directly to the main desktop menu. A
3.5 mm handsfree port is located at the
top with a mini-USB port at the bottom.
The volume keys are neatly camoufl aged
along the chromed border and a camera
shutter release is located on the other
side in the same way. A hot swap MicroSD
card slot is located just under the rear
panel on one side.
The Smart runs the new OS designed
by Qualcomm, called Brew Mobile
features multiple desktops, full page
widgets, shortcuts etc. The Smart’s 300
MHz processor enables speedy delivery
of access to the various features and
functions. The device is loaded with all
basic connectivity options which are quite
adequate. It’s a 3G-enabled device which
also off ers EDGE/GPRS connectivity for
Web browsing or social networking.
A 3 megapixel fixed focus camera with
LED fl ash includes settings for brightness
and contrast, a few effects and White
Balance. It’s not much but it does come
in handy. Picture quality is not too bad
however there was a slight issue with
focus in some areas.
The battery life of the Smart isn’t
impressive at all. On a single charge we
were able to use the handset for just
about a day and half with a few calls,
messages, music and social networking
thrown in. Talk time averaged in at just
about 3 hours and 30 minutes.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 9,990
www.htc.com/in
Dimensions: 55 x 104 x 12.8 mm; Weight: 108 g;
Display: 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen, 240x320
pixels; GSM: 850/900/1800/1900; Data: EDGE, GPRS,
3G; Camera: 3.15 MP

GARMIN ASUS M10

GARMIN ASUS M10

FOR: Plays DivX and Xvid videos, good battery life.

AGAINST: Slightly bulky design, low playback volume, slow Facebook app

The first impression you’ll have
bout the M10 is that it’s a large,
slightly heavy but not altogether a
bad looking handset. The large 3.5-
inch touchscreen (480 x 800 pixel) is
unfortunately resistive. It has volume/
zoom keys on one side and a micro
USB port above the cradle docking port
on the other side. A 3.5 mm handsfree
socket is at the top. Even though the M10
comes with 4 GB of internal memory,
it should have had a hot swap slot for
the microSD card which, as a matter of
fact, it doesn’t. Other than the volume
keys, there are no other tactile buttons.
The M10 runs on a Windows Mobile
6.5.3 Professional edition. The Qualcomm
7227, 600 MHz processor helps runs things
quite smoothly and multi-task without a
hassle. Aside from the regular WinMob
virtual keypads, larger QWERTY option is
also available, however if you have stubby
fingers you will find the layout too small.
One of the biggest issues we had with
was with reception. It seemed like other
phones were able to get full strength in
the same areas that the M10 showed no
more than three bars. We could make and
take calls with no issues of voice clarity
from our end or those on the other side
with other handsets, but the M10 didn’t
fare as well on a consistent basis.
There’s plenty to go around in the
M10’s connectivity department. It’s a 3G
enabled handset with connectivity options
that include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.0 +EDR
and USB 2.0 for data transfer.
The handset’s GPS capabilities are
its best quality. Not only does it acquire
satellites faster than any other handset
we’ve tested, including the G60, the
applications associated with the feature
are extremely handy. Navteq has provided
detailed maps. There are quick access
options to search for anything specifi c,
store co-ordinates for contacts, a travel
guide (which is extra) as well as a list if
emergency options that will quickly find
the closest hospitals, police stations, gas
stations and even parking areas that are
in the vicinity.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 19,990
www.in.asus.com
Dimensions: 58 x 116 x 14.3 mm; Weight: 138 g;
Display: 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen, 400x800
pixels, GSM: 850/900/1800/1900; Data: EDGE, UTMS,
HSDPA; Camera: 5MP

CANON POWERSHOT G11

CANON POWERSHOT G11

FOR: Very good reproduction of color, contrast and sharpness.

AGAINST: The zoom ring feels a little clunky.

The Canon PowerShot G11 is
built keeping the professional
shutterbug in mind. The camera
is so feature packed and user friendly
that it actually makes other digital
cameras feel a little too underrated.
With approximate dimensions of 112 x
76 x 48 mm the G11 is big, making it one
of the largest when compared to other
cameras with similar zoom values.
The overall fi t and fi nish is one of the
best we have seen in a digital camera and
with the G11 encased in a black matt body
you can be sure that the camera won’t
attract fi ngerprints. The PowerShot G11
comes with a tilt-swivel screen that gives
the user the freedom to get creative and
capture images and videos from almost
any angle.
Apart from the mode selection dial,
which is a common feature in almost all
cameras, what you also get is a dial mode
for the ISO and EV. In addition to this, the
dial modes have selection markers that
light up when the camera is switched on.
This shows if adjustments can be made to
the ISO or EV depending on the shooting
mode selected. What you also get is an
optical view fi nder along with a hot shoe
to which you can attach an external fl ash.
VIDEO: The G11 handles the overall
contrast and colors extremely well.
However the transition from a decently lit
area to a poorly lit area takes a little time.
COLORS: The overall color reproduction
is brilliant. The saturation level tends to
be on the high side making the overall
picture look a little vibrant.
SHARPNESS: The images are crisp with
excellent reproduction of details with
no apparent distortion. The G11 captures
outstanding macro shots.
NIGHT SHOT: The G11 performs very well
in low light. The images are sharp even
when viewed at full resolution.
This is by far the most consistent digital
camera you can get your hands on. But
with a price tag of Rs 31,995 the G11 is
defi nitely not for the faint of heart.



SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 31,995
www.canon.co.in
Dimensions (WxHxD): 112 x 76 x 48 mm; Weight:
380g; Resolution: 10 MP; Focal length (35mm equiv):
28 - 140 mm; Aperture range: f2.8 – f4.5; Shutter range:
15 - 1/4000 sec.

SONY HANDYCAM DCR-SR68E

SONY HANDYCAM 
DCR-SR68E

FOR: Good reproduction of colors, 80 GB hard drive, responsive touch screen.

AGAINST: Reflective LCD screen, focusing issues under low light, IS not effective

at full zoom.

In terms of build quality, the Sony DCRSR68E
leaves very little to complain
about. The video capture button is
placed towards the rear while the still
image capture button is placed just behind
the zoom rocker. The placement of the
image capture button feels a little out
of place though, making you stretch the
index fi nger to reach it. The major plus
points are the camcorder’s massive 60x
optical zoom and 80 GB of recording
space. It also features an SD card slot
that supports an additional 32 GB of
memory. Being a mid-range camcorder,
the SR68E does not support recording
in HD, but off ers three recording modes
— high (20 hours), standard (29 hours)
and low (61 hours). The Sony SR68E has
eight scene modes, plus an auto mode.
The camcorder also features an integrated
LED that allows you to capture video
even in pitch darkness. The SR68E has
a responsive 2.7-inch touch screen that’s
quite vivid and crisp, but only under the
shade or indoors. View it under direct
sunlight and the screen almost turns into
a mirror. The camcorder performs quite
well and delivers a decent blend of color
and contrast. Unlike other camcorders
that we have tested, the SR68E does a
very good job at maintaining the overall
saturation of blue and red tones. Skin
tones were also close to perfect and the
captured videos were quite sharp and
detailed. There isn’t much noticeable
color fringing, except when the video
is shot under direct sunlight. However,
the fringing does amplify when you
zoom into the subject. Even though the
camcorder features 60x optical zoom,
it cannot be considered as one of the
best because the image stabilizer really
struggles to maintain a steady frame
when shooting at high zoom ratios. The
camcorder performs well under low light,
but it struggles to focus when zoomed
quickly. Apart from a few minor issues, the
camcorder does a good job overall, and at
Rs 19,990, the SR26E is a decent buy.

SPECIFICATIONS

Rs. 19,990
www.sony.com
Dimensions (WxHxD): 56 x 65 x 115 mm; Weight: 300g;
Video format: MPEG-2; Sensor size: 1/8 in; Focal length:
1.8–108 mm; Optical/Digital zoom: 60x/2000x; Still
image resolution: 0.8 megapixel; Storage media: 80
GB HDD.

PANASONIC LUMIX ZR1

PANASONIC LUMIX ZR1

FOR: Ease of use, good image quality, 8x optical zoom, compact, HD recording.

AGAINST: Jog dial feels too loose, user interface could have been better.

The first thing you will notice about
the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 is
its size. It’s small enough to fi t in
your pocket. This camera packs a punch
with 8x optical zoom, a 12.1 megapixel
sensor and a 25 mm wide angle lens.
It won’t turn too many heads though,
thanks to its plain-looking aluminium
body with matt fi nish. However, the
overall build is good and the metal body
gives it a rock solid feel. The camera
packs in a 2.7-inch LCD screen that works
quite well in bright sunlight. It features
an easy-to-use navigation system and
decently sized buttons that makes things
convenient. The zoom rocker encircles
the shutter release button on top of the
camera, but the placement takes some
getting used to since the mode selection
dial comes fi rst. The mode selection
dial feels quite twitchy, turning a little
too easily and leading to inadvertent
changes in modes. The interface, as
with most Panasonic cameras, is a little
too childish and in need of a face lift.
The camera’s high-speed burst mode
is capable of capturing six frames per
second, although it fares better outdoors
than indoors. Also, images are scaled
down to 3 megapixels to cut down on
writing time. The ZR1 is also capable
of recording videos in 720p (1280x720)
at 30 fps, and the video quality is
commendable even under low light.
The overall image quality is quite good,
with contrast and saturation maintained
extremely well. Color also has a decent
level of saturation, but there are instances
where the reds and yellows stand out.
It also does exceptionally well when it
comes to sharpness. Night performance
is acceptable with the ISO set to 800,
but ISO values greater than 400 will
make the overall picture grainy. This
may not be the best-looking camera,
but it is an excellent performer. If you’re
on the lookout for a good compact
camera, and your budget allows it, then
the ZR1 should be your choice.

SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 21,990
www.panasonic.co.in
Dimensions (WxHxD): 98 x 55 x 26 mm; 
Weight: 160g;
Resolution: 12.1 megapixels; 
Focal length (35mmequiv): 25 - 200 mm; 
Aperture range: f3.3 – f5.9; 
Max resolution: 4000x3000 pixels.

DELL ALIENWARE AURORA

DELL ALIENWARE
AURORA

FOR: Superb performance, low noise emission, drop dead gorgeous.
AGAINST: No HDMI This mean machine has two GTX 260s in SLI, 12 GB output, expensive.



The Dell Alienware Aurora gaming
machine is powered by an Intel
Core i7-975 Extreme Edition
processor. It has six 2 GB DDR3 RAM
modules which make up for a whopping
12 GB of memory, two Nvidia Geforce GTX
260 graphics cards (1.8 GB each) in SLI
and two 500 GB hard drives in RAID 0. It
off ers the Alienware liquid-cooling for the
CPU, there’s a Blu-ray combo drive. The
machine comes loaded with Windows
7 Ultimate (64-bit). There’s 7.1 channel
audio, so you’ll fi nd six audio jacks, and
co-axial and optical S/PDIF outputs too.
Display options include four DVI ports
and two S-video ports. Consider the
absence of an HDMI port as a downside.
Other features include six USB, FireWire,
an eSATA and a gigabit Ethernet port.
A RAID 0 setup is usually used in
gaming machines where performance is a
prerequisite, and data management takes
a back seat. In any case, the idea is to get
the most from your gaming experience,
and that you shall get.


Specification 

Rs 2,00,000
www.dell.co.in
Dimensions (WxHxD): 9.84 x 16.77 x 25.39 in; 
Weight:

21 kg; 

Form factor: Mid-tower chassis; 

Chipset: Intel 

X58; 

Processor: Intel Core i7 975 Extreme, 3.33 GHz;

Memory: 12 GB DDR3;
Hard drive: 2 x 500 GB;
Bundle:

Alienware gaming mouse, mouse pad and keyboard