LAUNCH PAD |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Smartphones | Tablets | Cameras | Apps | Laptops | Games | DSLRs | Televisions | Home Theatres | Projectors REVIEWS

KARAN BAJAJNEW DELHI

The W510 is one of the cheapest hybrid laptop/tablet de-vices available today. It has a 10.1-inch display and is pow-ered by a dual core Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM and has 64GB of SSD storage. You also get a microSD card slot, microHDMI and a microUSB host port (microUSB to USB adapter is provided) along with volume controls, a power button and a screen orientation lock.

With the keyboard dock, you get a chiclet style keyboard and a trackpad. The dock also adds a full size USB port to connect flash drives and hard drives directly. However, the keyboard is not full-sized and requires some getting used to. When the tablet is docked, you can switch to pres-entation mode by rotating the display — the dock then acts as a stand but the keyboard becomes prone to dust and scratches since it's facing down on the table.

In tablet mode, the touchscreen display (1366 x 768 pixels) is great with Windows 8 but you may feel that a 10-inch screen is too small for comfort when working with multi-ple windows in normal desktop mode. The computer scored a 3.3 on the Windows Experience Index with the lowest score in graphics. Thankfully, the performance in terms of basic browsing, office work and multimedia was great for day to day usage. The images from the rear 8MP camera were great in daylight, but sufferred from visible noise indoors and under low light conditions.

The tablet’s battery lasted well over seven hours on its own. With the additional battery in the keyboard dock, the battery life is extended to over fourteen hours — very impressive. For a little bit more, you can also consider Samsung's Smart PC. It has a similar design and the same hardware specifications, but it also has a larger 11.6-inch display, more ports and a pressure-sensitive stylus.

karan.bajaj@timesgroup.com

HITESH RAJ BHAGATNEW DELHI

A new breed of tablets with full PC functionality are now avail-able – and the new Dell Latitude 10 is one of them. It comes with the full version of Windows 8 Pro and is powered by a dual core Intel Atom processor opti-mized for power and efficiency.

Being a Latitude, this tablet is primarily a business machine — reflected in the no-nonsense design, matte black surface, Kensington lock slot, sturdy magnesium alloy frame, enter-prise-level hardware encryp-tion and most importantly, a re-movable battery. Having a removable battery means that you can carry a spare, it means that replacing the battery is su-per-easy (read: a longer product life cycle) and there’s also an op-tion of an extended double ca-pacity (4-cell) battery pack.

The device has a large and re-sponsive 10.1-inch touchscreen, 64GB storage, 2GB RAM, dual cameras and dual speakers — all in a device that is 10.5mm thick and weighs just 668 grams. Since it has a full-size USB port right on the device, you can con-

nect external storage, a mouse, keyboard, data dongle or optical drive directly to it. Plus there’s mini HDMI output and SD card slot for memory expansion.

It scores 3.3 in the Windows Experience Index and breezes through all regular computing tasks — even full HD videos are handled easily. One complaint we have with it is that the Wacom stylus and the produc-tivity dock (which offers four USB ports, HDMI & Ethernet) are optional. Plus the power adapter is too large for a tablet. You can also consider Acer’s W510 – it’s not a business device, but it has the same specs & has an optional keyboard dock.

1.5Ghz dual core Intel Atom, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, 10.1-inch touchscreen (1366 x 768), dual cameras, microSD, microHDMI, dual batteries, Windows 8, 660 grams/1.36kg

SPECIFICATIONS

Multiple orientations (laptop, tablet, dock as stand), fantastic battery life, lightweight and easy to carry

Top-heavy design makes it fall over if pushed, keyboard requires getting used to, average hardware

Acer Iconia W510 Asus Taichi

Dual 13.3-inch displays (1920 x 1080), Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 5MP camera, stylus, backlit keyboard, Windows 8, 1.3kg

SPECIFICATIONS

Unique dual touchscreen design has several uses, great design and build quality

Glass lid is prone to smudges, switching screen modes is not instantaneous, average battery

10.1-inch (1366 x 768 pixels), dual core Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, USB 2.0, mini HDMI, 8MP rear camera, Windows 8, 667 grams

SPECIFICATIONS

Sturdy, good performance, removable battery, full size USB port on the tablet

Large power adapter, no keyboard or stylus in box, weak speakers

Dell Latitude Tablet

`53,999

ALSO SEE Samsung Smart PCDual core Intel Atom, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, 11.6-inch touchscreen (1366 x 768), dual cameras, USB port, Windows 8, 744 grams/1.5kg

`89,990 onwards

12.5-inch touchscreen LCD (1920 x 1080), Intel Core i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1.3MP webcam, backlit keyboard, Windows 8, 1.54kg

ALSO SEE Dell XPS 12

`36,999

PRICE `1,39,999

PRICE `35,990 + taxes

PRICE `48,598 (with keyboard dock)

HITESH RAJ BHAGATNEW DELHI

The Taichi is unlike any other laptop that you have used. The super-slim profile and gorgeous design will amaze you even more when you realize that it houses two full HD, 13.3-inch displays — one of which has a capacitive touch layer. Both displays are crisp and bright — an added ad-vantage is that the internal screen has a matte finish which reduces glare.It's billed as a Windows 8 convert-ible — primary use case is to close the lid and convert the laptop into a touch enabled Windows 8 tablet. But it also allows you to have both screens on at the same time — and the screens can either mirror each other or work independent-ly (display different things).The powerful hardware with Core i7 processor, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD keeps things moving

along at a very brisk pace. It scores an impressive 5.6 on the Windows Experience Index. The keyboard is exceptionally easy to use with good backlighting and you get USB 3.0 ports and HDMI.The downsides are that the bat-tery dies out at 4 hours. Plus the outer screen is shiny glass, which is prone to smudges, scratches and of course breakage. Asus has provided a nice leather case which holds the machine, stylus and cleaning cloth.It’s hugely functional, yes. But it’s also pricey and a showcase of Asus’ technological prowess. Consider that you can get both; a high-performance Ultrabook and a high-end tablet for less than what you spend on the Taichi. Buy the Taichi if money is no ob-ject and if you want a really unique and beautiful machine – which you can also work on.

hitesh.bhagat@timesgroup.com

`27,559`38,199

Nokia Lumia 820 and 920: Both the new Windows

Phone 8 devices from Nokia are powered by dual core

Snapdragon processors with 1GB RAM and Adreno 225

graphics. The Lumia 920 is the flagship device with uni-

body design, wireless charging, 4.5-inch curved IPS dis-

play (1280 x 768 pixels), 32GB storage (non expandable)

and 2000mAh battery. The 8MP camera uses Nokia's

PureView technology for improved low light pictures

while optical image stabilisation (a first for a phone) re-

duce handheld shake. The Lumia 820 has a 4.3-inch dis-

play (800 x 480 pixels), changable back panels, 8GB in-

ternal storage (expandable via microSD), 8MP rear

camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a 1650 mAh battery.

DealChaat for Android and

iOS: DealChaat is a location-

based service that offers dis-

counts and special offers for

categories like eating out, en-

tertainment and shopping.

Unlike coupons or deals web-

sites, there is no expiry, there

are no deals to buy, no pur-

chases required, no coupon

codes to be copied or printed

out — what you get is relevant

information, delivered right to your smartphone

screen. You can either choose a category or let the lo-

cation-aware app inform you of nearby deals. Deals

can be viewed on a map and you can share deals with

your friends (using Facebook, Twitter or by email).

Although currently only available in Delhi NCR, the

developer promises that the service will be launched

in other major Indian cities soon.

APP REVIEW |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

G Cloud Backup for Android:

This Android-only app pro-

vides free, cloud-based backup

of all the data on your phone

or tablet. It can automatically

backup your contacts, call logs,

text messages, photos, videos

and other documents to the

cloud over a Wi-Fi network —

1GB space is provided free but

if you have lots of data you

need backed up, you can pur-

chase an additional 25GB of space for $2.50 a month.

Your data is encrypted and stored on secure servers.

The advantage is that you never need to worry about

losing data — if your phone gets lost, you can access

your data through a web browser. If you get a new

device or accidentally format the storage during a

software update, you can restore everything with

just a few taps.

ALSO SEEAcer Iconia W510

10.1-inch (1366 x 768 pixels), dual core Intel Atom, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, microSD, micro HDMI, 8MP camera, Windows 8, 660 grams

6 !THE ECONOMIC TIMES | NEW DELHI | MONDAY | 14 JANUARY 2013

Personal Technology

Seen in photo (L-R): Madhukar Choudhari, Commissioner,Cooperation, G0M, M. V. Ashok, CGM, NABARD, Pliulan Kumar,Regional Director, Nagpur, RBI, L B. Bhoria Regional Director,Maharashtra & Goa, RBI, Narendra Singh CMD, Bank ofMaharashtra & Chairman SLBC - Maharashtra, C. VIL Rajendran, ED,Bank of Maharashtra and A.A. Magdum, GM, Credit Priority &Convener, SLBC, Mahatrashtra

lOB co-sponsors tennis tournament

RSrinivas, ED, Bank of Baroda inaugurated the Zonal Office atBareilly at a grand function. Seen in the photo are: P. Srinivas,(ED, Bank of Baroda) seen inaugurating the zonal office atBareilly, also seen in the picture L.M. Asthana (Zonal Head,Barielly), M.D.Mallya (Former CMD, Bank of Baroda). H.S.Shanna (Dy. Zonal Hea , S.D.Tripathi (Director, Bank of Baroda)

Canara Bank launched aprogramme on direct cash transfer

A A Ilahabad Bank has signed a MOU with various tractorcom panies for tractor financing under Tie-Up

arrangements. The MOU has been executed by R.N.Mohanty,G M (PSC) and Dineshwar Jha, Zonal Commerc ial Head,International Tractor in the presence of Shubhalakshmi Panse,CMD, Allahabad Bank and T.R.Chawla, ED, Allahabad Bank. AllGeneral Managers and senior executives of Allahabad Bankwere present on the occasion.

C R Mulky (MD & CEO), Anilkumar R. Amin (CGM),Nithyanand D. Kotian (DGM) and Nityanand S. Kirodian (ClO)of Bharat Bank receiving 1st prize for best H. R. Project in thecategory of Large Size Urban Co-operative Banks in India,organised by Banking Frontiers. Seen in the photograph areRatnakar Deole (Former Executive Director of RBI), VandanaVarma (Chairperson, Muzaffar Nagar District Co.op. Bank),Babu Nair (Group Publisher of Banking Frontiers) and ManojAgrawal (Group Editor of Banking Frontiers)

Central Bank of India celebrates102nd Foundation Dayy

entral Bank of

- India organised

T e- a grand function on

riI—I the evening of

— — 102nd Foundation — — -___ ; . Day at NCPA at Mumbai recently. M

— — VTanksale,CMD and both the EDs,

R K Dubey and Malay Mukheijee have expressed thecommitment of the Bank in the august gathering of inviteesincluding WIP Customers as well as staff of the Bank.

I ndian Overseas Bank has co-sponsored the recent TennisTournament held in Chennai. Seen in the Photo is M.

Narendra, CMD of Indian Overseas Bank presenting amemento to the winner of Chennal Open Janko tipsarevic.

Syndicate Bank opens branchat Hyyderabad

C anara Bank launched a programme on direct cashtransfer for post-matric scholarship for Schedule Caste

Students in Sira, Tunikur District of Karnata ka. Theprogramme was launched by K I-I Muniyappa, Hon’bleMinister for State, (Independent Charge) MSME, GOl. inthe august presence of G S Basavaraj, Hon’ble MP,Tumkur, T B Jayachandra, MLA, Sira and Archana SBhargava, E D of Canara Bank. S yndicate Bank

opened a newBranch at Nagaram,Hyderabad. MAnjaneya Prasad, EDof the Bank inaugu-rated the Branch. A A SRao (extreme left),Regional Director, RBIHyderabad and alsoDirector of the Bankwas present on theoccasion.

C MD , Union Bank of India D. Sarkar dedicated theBank’s Mahalaxmi Branch in Mumbai South to the

public as its 200th remodelled branch under the brandUnionXperience. Besides Sarkar, CMD, the landmarkoccas ion was graced by the EDs of the Bank, S SMundra and S K Ja m and a galaxy of dignitaries. TheBank’s UnionXperience branch at Mahalaxmi comeswith a state of the art self-service lobby, which will beaccess ible by customers 24 x 7. The self-service Lobbycomes with a range of of facilities to fulfill the bankingneeds of customers.

Indian Bank revises FCNR (B) Termdepos ft rates

I ndian Bank has fixed the revised interest rate forFCNR (B) deposits in US Dollar at 2.84 per cent for

deposits of one year and above but less than twoyears; at 141 per cent for deposits of two years andabove, but less than three years; at 3.49 per cent fordeposits of three years and above but less than fouryears; at 3.64 per cent for deposits of four years andabove but less than five years and at 3.83 per cent fordeposits of five years only.

A A medical check-up Camp for around 40D people wasorganised by Medanta - The Medicity jointly with OrientalBank at corporate office of the Bank hi Gurgaon. TheCamp was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan, Dr. NareshTrehan, CMD, Medanta - The Medicity and S.L. Bansal,CMD, Oriental Bank of Commerce. Seen in the picture (Lto R) are Bhupinder Nayyar, ED, Oriental Bank ofCommerce, Dr. Naresh Trehan, CMD, Medanta - TheMedicity, Si Bansal, CMD. Oriental Bank of Commerceand V. Kannan, ED, Oriental Bank of Commerce.

BoB inaugurate s zona l officeat Barei llyy

B0M conduct s 1 17th SLBCmeeting at Pune

LIC Housing Finance organised‘NIMMA MANE 2013’

IC Housing Finance Ltd •

______L (LIC HFL), one of thelargest providers of housing Ffinance has organised theexhibition at RBANMS ground, Bangalore. Theexhibition was inaugurated byV. K. Shamia, director & CEO,LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

Allahabad Bank signs MOU withinternational tractors

SIDBI and FAI sign M0U to wor ktoget her for entrepreneurshi pgrowth in India

fthe Pr senC

1t!!’

M,,D DBI and

. : ,1j J

have agreed

______ to work. together for

\ :‘• entrepreneurship.. —7 . growth and. - - — — . development of

MSME in thecountry and have synergies in their activities to achievethis objective. Seen in the photo are (L to R) - C. Y.Y.Pal, president, FAI and S.V.G Nandagopal, CGM, SIDBIsigning the MOU in the presence of (standing behind -L to R) 1. R. Bajajlia, DMD, SIDBI; Sushil Muhnot, CMD,SIDBI and Ninad Karpe, MD & CEO, Aptech.

Union Bank of India inaugurates200th UnionXper ience branch atMahalaxmi, Mumbai

UCO Bank celebrate s 71stFoundation Day

U CO Bank celebrated listFoundation day with

enthusiasm. The function waspresided over by Sunil Kakkar -

GM & Circle Head, Mumbai. The ______

entire staff of Mumbal branchespart icipated in the cultura lprogramme on that day.