Technology

Apple iPad

Summary

At an MRP ranging from Rs. 29,500 for the 16 GB model, to 46,900 for the 64 GB model with 3G support, the iPad 2 is only slightly costlier than its predecessor, but more expensive than any other tablet on the market. However, its leagues ahead of the mob too, and makes a great, (if expensive), addition to your gadget collection.

After creating a product that spawned an entire generation of mediocre clones, the second coming was always on the cards. In fact, some are already talking about an iPad 3.0! However, for the moment, let’s bask in the warm afterglow of an enjoyable product that is both elegantly designed and effortlessly usable. The iPad 2 is slighty slimmer and lighter than its predecessor but sports the same display and resolution, and the brushed aluminium unibody. However, it’s clear that buttons and keys on the body have seen minor adjustments, probably based on feedback. Under the hood however, things could not be any more different, for the iPad 2 sports a dual core processor clocked at 1 GHz and a new graphic solution that Apple claims is at least 3 times more powerful, the SoC is called the A5, and whether or not it’s identical to the Samsung Exynos, Apple blokes will not say.

While tablets are a whole lot of fun to play around with, they remain just that – gimmicky, but not really for those who want to get work done. Nothing has changed here, although with the faster hardware, movie editing and running the likes of Garage Band becomes possible. Sure, you can’t create 3D games on it – remember we said it’s for consumption, not production. Physically on account of the slimmer profile, the iPad 2 feels sturdier, and we like the perforations in the body that serve as the loudspeaker vent.

Even the cover has been designed ground-up, and the iPad 2 – it fits magnetically to the side of the iPad, and even the cover itself has embedded magnets. It is rigid with folds and these folds can be used to prop up the iPad in a number of ways. The display on the iPad 2 looks slightly sharper than the previous one, and we’re this difference is because of the smaller gap between the LCD and outer glass and the IPS panel used is the same one.

The iPad 2 has two cameras, a front facing one for Facetime, and a rear one that boasts of HD video recording. Unfortunately, the resolution of the rear camera is no more for still images too, and the quality is quite basic – lots of grain and loss of detail, however, this inclusion is a plus for those looking out for 3G plans. Many complained about the lack of a better camera, like the one on the iPhone 5, well Apple wants you to wait for an iPad 3 and possibly a fourth version, can’t put all your apples in one basket right?

We tried the HDMI out accessory but the video quality was a bit disappointing – the iPad 2 doesn’t upscale well, and the picture was a bit snowy, faces and expressions were not as detailed as they ought to be; we’re hoping patches solve this. The keypad on the iPad 2 is very sensitive and usable, the only problem is it’s too big to be used like a PDA, and a bit compact to be used as a notebook keypad; still we tried our hand at typing a couple of 300 word emails with no issues.

In terms of performance, the iPad 2 just cannot be made to slow down – at least none of the apps and games we played felt jerky; Infinity Blade that had the occasional jerk on the iPad works creamily smooth. Aside from the accelerometer, the iPad 2 introduces a 3-direction gyro sensor that allows sensing of lateral and vertical movement for example, panning the tablet around. There will be quite a few games that could utilise this extra bit of control. We tested the music playback, and found the iPad 2 a little less warm than the original iPad, which if you recall, we found a deviation from neutral. Thankfully, this one is much closer. The loudspeaker is also louder than before, but around 15 per cent. Tested battery life is actually very good – at least on par with the original iPad, and if when gaming, we actually got an extra 30 minutes playing ~Plants And Zombies~.

Criticism against the iPad 2 is scarce, other than a couple of nits mentioned above. It’s a great product, albeit not as revolutionary as its predecessor. Other than the hardware, and some minor cosmetic changes, very little has changed, leading us to one conclusion – this product refresh was 70 per cent marketing strategy and 30 per cent about serving consumers, which is what business is about; Apple’s just more upfront about it. At an MRP ranging from Rs. 29,500 for the 16 GB model, to 46,900 for the 64 GB model with 3G support, the iPad 2 is only slightly costlier than its predecessor, but more expensive than any other tablet on the market. However, its leagues ahead of the mob too, and makes a great, (if expensive), addition to your gadget collection.

Specifications: Display: 9.7-inches, 1024 x 768 pixels; SoC: Apple A5 dual core 1 GHz; Storage: 64 GB; weight: 613 grams

Overall Rating: 4.5

4G NETWORK

Almost a month after it launched its fourth gen wireless broadband services in Kolkata, teleom giant Bharti Airtel has announced the launch of 4G services in Bangalore/Bengaluru. Airtel has also come up with a “Smartbytes” plan, which features add on packs that allow customers avail 4G services even after exhaustion of the monthly data limits. Airtel’s 4G network in Bengaluru was inaugurated by Karnataka CM D. V. Sadananda Gowda.

Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO – India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “As seen the world over, the total data usage is exploding and is doubling each year to grow to nearly 3.6 hexabytes by 2014. With the launch of 4G, India will move from being a follower in technology to matching the world in this domain. Leading from the front, Airtel is now the only operator that gives citizens of the Information Technology capital of Bengaluru, access to entire spectrum of broadband services including 2G, 3G and now 4G - thereby giving the customers never seen before data experience”.

As part of an introductory offer by Airtel, customers subscribing to 4G services will now be given a cashback for the CPE / dongle - thus bringing device cost to customers zero. Airtel believes the offer will help pave way for mass adoption of 4G services. Airtel 4G is now also available in an 30GB pack priced at Rs. 2,999.

Airtel is also offering 10 Bollywood movies free of cost for customers during the first month. With a monthly subscription of INR 149, customers can watch unlimited movies.

Last month Bharti Airtel launched its fourth generation mobile services in Kolkata, becoming the first telecom operator to do so. Airtel owns 4G license for Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) circles. According to reports, Huawei will assist Airtel plan, design, supply and deploy TD LTE in Bangalore. Airtel had similar deal with ZTE in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the telecom operator says it will be launching its 4G services in other circles as well

Nikon
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Price: 45450
With Olympus, Sony and Panasonic gunning to dominate the nascent mirrorless camera segment, many wondered whether the big wigs (A.K.A Canon and Nikon) would ever venture into the new territory. While Canon has remained mum on the topic, Nikon has come forth and announced the availability of two mirrorless cameras, the Nikon V1 and J1 as part of the Nikon 1 system. According to Nikon, their mirrorless cameras are infused with some never-before-seen tech like the hybrid focus system that utilizes both contrast and phase detection to acquire and lock focus, doing so at blazing fast speeds. Nikon has also blessed their mirrorless cameras with the ability to shoot stills at 60 frames per second, a feature that NO CAMERA, point and shoot or DSLR, currently has. There is a lot of excitement around the Nikon 1 system, especially the V1, which Nikon claims as the superior of the two. We get our eager hands on the big boy and put Nikon’s claims to the test.

Build and Design
The Nikon V1 employs magnesium-alloy as the choice of contraction material, lending it a very solid feel. The camera feels sturdy to hold, yet doesn't feel overtly heavy. The base of the camera is made of high-grade plastic that does not feel flimsy in the slightest.

Nikon has made a couple of calls on the design front that, in our opinion, are rather questionable. For one, the PASM modes are eliminated from the rear dial and moved into the rather cluttered menu. The inability to switch between these modes quickly could be seen as a lost moment that needed to be captured. The other design quirk is the "proprietary" port that replaces what should have been an on-board flash. To add to our woes, the proprietary port is not compatible with any of the existing hot-shoe flashes that are made by Nikon, meaning you're going to have to shell out extra money for the ability to shoot in questionable lighting conditions.

The lack of a manual focusing ring on the Nikon 1 lenses (all four) is a pretty huge design flaw, in our opinion, as it takes away from the DSLR-like feel and puts the Nikon V1 in the point-and-shoot league. The standard hot-shoe gets swapped out for a proprietary port on the side of the viewfinder that can accommodate either a flash (designed specifically for the V1) or an external mic for audio.

Features
The Nikon V1 is decently packed with rather pleasing features. One of the first things you'd notice about the V1 is the gorgeous and generously sized screen at the back, sporting a 921K dot LCD. The V1 also has an electronic viewfinder with a 1440K dot LCD screen that displays all relevant information while shooting. A sensor placed on the left of the eye-cup switches from LCD to viewfinder and back as the camera is raised to eye level or put down. The viewfinder is a great addition as it lends itself to the "traditional shooting experience" quite heavily.

The second impressive addition to the specs of the V1 is the hybrid focusing system that employs both phase and contrast detection methods to acquire and lock focus. The 135 focusing points (in single-point mode) are the most as of yet in any mirrorless camera so far. The focus points are spread decently across the screen so that subjects that may happen to be on the edge of the frame can also be captured with amazing clarity.

A first of its kind, the dual shutter allows the camera to attain the ridiculous shooting speed of 60 frames per second. This can be done by switching to the electronic shutter (Hi) using a dedicated button on the rear of the camera. However, switching to this shutter locks the camera into 'automatic' mode and does not even permit the changing of the ISO. Also, when you shoot that fast, the camera locks the focus and the exposure settings according to the first frame. The icing on the cake (or rather the lack of) is the fact that when the fps is set to 60, the camera could only shoot 30 frames, due to a buffer limitation. Then there is of course the painful wait for the images to be written to the card. The thought behind the fast frame rate is appreciated, but the implementation of it seems, crippled, at best.

Another first-of-its-kind addition to the V1 is the "Motion Snapshot" mode which shoots a small video followed by a still. The two are put together in-camera and the playback of the file has the video play in slow-motion followed by the still image. The idea behind the mode is to 'create a strong emotional response,' but it's more of a gimmick than anything else.

The V1 allows recording of video at full HD resolution (1080p) at 60 and 30 frames per second and at 720p at 60 frames per second. Some might miss the ability to shoot at 24 frames per second or at lower resolutions.