SmartbuyWednesday, January 19, 2011

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Preen in styleLuxury bathroom makeoversPage 12

2 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

WHAT’S HOT this week

The new 12-megger fromFujifilm packs in the power ofa 15x zoom and a super-wideangle lens in a compact body.The F300EXR features‘Motion Panorama’ that letsyou capture a complete 360degrees panorama in a singlephotograph. The digicamcomes with a Super CCD EXRthat works on a ‘3-in-1’ sensorcombination of Fine CaptureTechnology, Pixel FusionTechnology (for highsensitivity and low noise), andDual Capture Technology fora wide dynamic range.Rs 20,999

The Plantronics K100 is aBluetooth speakerphone foryour car, so you can havelong conversations and keepyour eyes on the wheel. It hastwo noise reducingmicrophones as well as ahigh quality speaker, andfeatures an FM transmitter,so you can listen to yourconversations on your car’sspeakers. It also has A2DP soyou can stream music fromyour A2DP enabled phones.The speakerphone offers 17hours of talktime as well as acar charger, so you’ll neverrun out of juice when you’redriving.Rs 4,699

Team SmartbuyEditorial

Anushya Mamtoraanushya@thehindu.co.in

Ketaki Bhojnagarwalaketaki@thehindu.co.in

Mahananda Bohidarmahananda@thehindu.co.in

S. Muralidharmuraliswami@thehindu.co.in

Design

Bryan Gaughanaqua@thehindu.co.in

Balakrishnandesignkbala@thehindu.co.in

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Wider thanimaginationFujifilm F300EXR

The new smartphonefrom Huawei, theIDEOS X5, ispowered by Android2.2. The screen is a3.8-inch touch-sensitive display witha 5-meg camera and aLED flash that alsolet’s you record high-def videos at 720p.The smartphone runson a 800 MHzprocessor and comeswith an internalmemory of 4GB. To be announced

Smart likethis!Huawei IDEOS X5

One forthe roadPlantronics K100

Cover photo: FCML Luxurious Bathrooms

3 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

This new Bluetooth headset from Jabra hasbeen designed with a behind-the-ear fit,which molds itself for maximum comfort. Ithas an answer/ end button, wind reducingmicrophone and automatic volumeadjustment. Voice prompts inform you of lowbattery and connectivity. The headset can beconnected to two devices at a time, and caneven be hooked up to a PC for internet calls.Rs 3,899

This Logitech wireless combo of a mouse andkeyboard for your home or office PC featuresLogitech Advanced 2.4 GHz wirelessconnectivity with virtually no signal loss in eventhe busiest wireless environments. Eight hotkeys on the keyboard give users instant access totheir most regular activities like internet access,email and volume control. The Media ComboMK260 also uses one of the highest levels ofsecurity available, 128-bit AES encryption, tokeep your information secure wherever youchoose to use it.Rs 1,495

This 14.2 meg camera from Samsungfeatures a WVGA touch screen as well as afront screen, so you can take that perfectself portrait. The camera features a 27mmwide angle lens as well as 5x zoom, and canfocus on up to 20 faces – great for a familyphoto. The ST600 also supports 720p HDrecording, so you can take home videos onthe go. Other features include a variety ofscenes and effects, including a fish-eyeeffect. Rs 19,990

Take a call Jabra Wave

Ease at your fingertips Logitech MK260

Twice the funSamsung ST600

4 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

SMARTPHONE review

Mahananda Bohidar

The most recent launch from Nokia’s stable in thesmartphone market is the Nokia C7, the secondhandset to feature the Symbian̂3 OS. We hadearlier written about how Nokia’s platform fared

in the N8 and here we check if the Nokia C7 pulls it offwith any more flair.

Build and designStyled like a candybar, the Nokia C7 has two touch buttonson either end of the bezel at the bottom and a longishphysical button at the centre which enables you to accessthe main menu that displays all the apps and widgets. Onthe right side of the body, you have a quick camera launch-er button which also doubles up as the Shutter button incase the virtual one is not to your liking.

Between the volume buttons, you have a voice activa-tion button. A long press of this will prompt you to speakinto the phone, to say either a name or a nickname of acontact you’ve already recorded and stored, and dial thecontact for you.

You have the Power button, a 3.5mm jack and a miniUSB port on the top and the charging slot for the mini-plugon the left.

The full glass capacitive touch screen is an AMOLEDdisplay, something that most Nokia smartphones aren’tendowed with so the C7 scores a couple of brownie pointswith this.

To get the SIM card in, you have to yank the battery outevery time, which is quite inconvenient and is a stepbackward considering even lower-end models from otherbrands have done away with this rather cumbersomedesign.

What’s inside?After the Nokia N8, the Nokia C7 is the second Symbian̂3smartphone to be launched, but the hardware crafted forthe platform is very different from the first one that hadbeen marketed heavily.

You have the Social Network App which is a tad betterfrom the Communities App that slightly lower-end Nokiahandsets featuring the S 60 OS include. While the socialwidgets on Symbian̂3 provide you with the most popularclients, Facebook and Twitter, the presentation and fea-tures are still very rudimentary compared to the likes ofSony Ericsson’s Mediascape.

A longish press of the physical button on the handsetlaunches a matrix of all the applications running in thebackground and you switch from one to another or killwhichever ones you want at a touch.

The touch response of the C7 proved to be quite smoothand precise though it faltered more than just once whiletyping messages, especially in the portrait mode. Thevirtual keypad automatically swaps to QWERTY whenheld in the landscape mode.

On each of the home screens you can have only sixwidgets or app shortcuts. We tried a long press on an appicon from the main list but this action doesn’t automatical-ly move it to the homes creen of your choice, unlike in

Apple’s iOS or Android. CameraOne feature that sets the C7 apart is the pres-ence of a front-facing camera along with an8-megger at the back. This is aided by a dual-LED flash that fills in light perfectly when thesurrounding is badly lit. There’s no auto-focusbut a full-focus feature means you save on theextra time that the lens takes to focus on thesubject before you click it.

The pictures we shot were clean, withoutany noise and the colours too remained true tolife. You can also record videos at 720p with the8-megger cam.

The interface supports multi-touch gestureslike pinch-to-zoom. You can use two fingers tozoom in to your pictures or have a clearer lookat the web pages you are browsing.

AppsThe Videos and TV app which is a new additionto the Nokia series has YouTube, Nat Geo, aseries of teasers of Hollywood flicks, E! and aCNN app (came loaded in the review unit). NatGeo and CNN had some playback issues but wechecked out a couple of videos and interviewson ‘E!’, which streamed just fine.

While videos streamed on YouTube withease, we had problems with the resolution andweren’t able to expand the video to fit thescreen completely while it buffered in the land-scape mode.

We played back a couple of Boney M tracksand some by Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Bothplayed back without any hitches and the soundquality was quite enjoyable.

To test the video quality, we loaded Frost/Nixon on to the smartphone and the video cameout quite crisp on the AMOLED screen. The volumelevel is good enough for a couple watching a movie or asitcom in a not-too-large room.

The native player, however, did not recognise .avi filesbut DivX ones played back without a hitch.

ConnectivityOn connecting to a laptop or PC via the mini-USB the C7only shows up as a still camera; to access the internalmemory for the rest of your data needs like videos, musicor documents you’ll have to go to Connectivity settingsand tap on Media Transfer or Mass Storage for those filesto be detected. With 8GB of internal memory available youcould even do away with the need for external storage,which is otherwise expandable up to 32GB.

Priced much lower than the N8, the C7 however, doesn’tinclude a HDMI port. The battery lasted us close to twodays with the regular number of calls made and withmultimedia use.

We did have a couple of issues with the unit that wereviewed. The phone froze a couple of times and that toowhile performing simple tasks like scanning for Bluetooth

devices to pair, without any other applications running inthe background. And this was despite having better RAMand more processing power than its predecessors in thesame series.

Our verdictWhile Nokia has been getting its smartphone strategyright, even if only in the Indian market, the Nokia C7 issomething that doesn’t really stand out despite having acouple of media capabilities that put it ahead of its rivals.The Symbian̂3 did not bring about as radical a change tothe user experience in the N8 and it doesn’t do the trickwith the C7 either.Rs 18,999Love – Excellent camera, decent touch responseHate – Occasional sluggishness, not the best OS

Second time lucky?Nokia C7

Photo: S.S. Kumar

The rumours that Sony was working on a mobile phone version of the PSP have been around for years. And now – well it’s still not quite official, but – freshpictures of a prototype were recently leaked online. Bearing a Sony Ericsson badge and looking decidedly like the Vivaz Pro, but with PSP controls in place ofthe keyboard, it even had prototype software pictured on-screen, a customised version of Android’s marketplace no less. Spec-wise, it seems we’re looking at

Honeycomb (Android 3.0), a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB RAM and 1GB ROM. The screen is somewhere between 3.7 and 4.1-inches, and the touchpad is rumoured to be multi-touch, so should support gesture controls, which would addan iPhone-esque dimension to gaming. True to the PlayStation name it has shoulder buttons too. Additional storage is via microSD rather than the memoryStick used on previous PSPs. Sony Ericsson and Sony Computer entertainment Europe both refuse to comment, though the source – engadget – claims it’s

confirmed the story through “multiple, trusted sources”. We’re expecting a launch at mobile World Congress – so stay tuned for more updates!

The future of mobile gaming?

Screen - Rumoured to bebetween 3.7 and 4.1

inches, so think of it as abetter Sony Ericsson VivazPro with a gaming upgrade

Dual analoguesticks - A

rumoured featurefor the PSP 2, theycould also featureon the PSP Phone

Gaming controls -The PSP Phone willfeature shoulderbuttons to help youhandbrake turn whileplaying GTA

Processor - The1GHz QualcommMSM8655processor is equallyas powerful as theiPhone 4 andWindows Phone 7handsets

Memory - Insteadof Sony’s own

Memory Stick, thePSP Phone takes

microSD cards,like the Vivaz Pro

This material is translated or reproducedfrom T3 magazine and is the copyright ofor licensed to Future Publishing Limited, aFuture plc group company, UK 2010.Used under license. All rights reserved.

3D Image: Peter Crowther @ Debut Art

6 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala

When the Samsung Wave was launched lastyear, many were surprised to learn that thecompany had chosen to market this high-end handset with its proprietary operating

system, ‘bada’. A few weeks ago, Samsung added three newhandsets to its Wave series, the 525, 533 and 723. We gotthe Wave 533 on our test bench, for our first look at thebada operating system.

First ImpressionsThe Wave 533 lacks the sleek look of most smartphones inthe market today. It features a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen with a 240x400 resolution, which is a bit of adisappointment, because the original Wave shipped with aSuper AMOLED screen. We expected to see at least aWVGA screen. The phone feels a bit clunky, with could beattributed to its slide-out QWERTY keypad. The exterioris shiny black plastic, and feels quite sturdy. The backpanel has a dotted texture, presumably to offer more gripwhen typing on the pull-out keyboard.

The front has three buttons – for Call, End and a largermenu button in the centre. Unlike Android phones, theMenu button here only pulls up the phone’s Menu, anddoesn’t display options specific to applications. We wouldhave liked these buttons to be backlit. To make any chang-es, you’ll have to manually go to your Settings and confi-gure from there. The phone also lacks a Search and Homebutton.

On the exterior, other features are a mini USB slot and a3.5mm headphone jack. There is also a power button onthe side, as well as a dedicated camera button. The backpanel features a 3.2-meg camera, but no LED flash.

The pull out QWERTY keypad has large, well spaced

out keys. The keypad has dedicated arrow keys, as well asAlt, Caps and Symbol keys. The Alt key can be used toaccess the secondary function on a specific key, by shortpressing and immediately pressing the key you want to useafter.

Using it can take some getting used to, especially ifyou’ve been a BlackBerry user. However, we had no com-plaints when it came to using the keypad – we were able totype out text quickly, and we especially liked the bigspacebar.

User InterfaceAndroid has pretty much become the standard OS on mostsmartphones, so when we tried our hands at bada, wecouldn’t help but compare features.

The screen can be unlocked with a simple sweep featureto either side of the screen, which is actually easier to usethan the Android sweep that we’ve seen on most smart-phones. By default, the phone displays three homescreens, but you can add up to 10 screens by tapping thesmall widgets toolbar on top and turning the phone tolandscape mode. Similarly, you can add up to 10 screens tothe Menu by using the Edit option. There is a constanttouch panel at the bottom of the screen that by defaultdisplays Keypad, Contacts and Messages, and you caneven choose to edit this and replace them with your mostused apps. We would have liked the option to group appsinto folders. While we appreciate the fact that we cancustomise the number of home and Menu screens, findingthe option to do so was tedious and not intuitive – we hadto read the user manual to even discover the feature wasthere.

The Widgets button also lets you add widgets to thehome screen, and lets you rearrange them.

One feature the bada OS has in common with Android isthe notification panel on the top, which displays recentalerts, as well as gives you one touch access to activateBluetooth, Wi-Fi and Silent mode.

MediaWe faced some complications when it came to mediausage of the phone. The Wave 533 only supports mp4 and3gp file formats. However, we had serious issues when itcame to file compatibility.

The phone refused to play videos in any format – wetried mp4, and even loaded a couple of divX and avi files –but nothing played. We downloaded vPlayer, a third partyvideo app from Samsung Apps, but videos didn’t play onthat either. Although the Samsung App store has a fewthousand apps, it’s way behind the Android Market andApple App store in terms of the numbers and quality ofapps.

The phone has an in-built music player, so you can listento all your favourite tracks. Volume levels weren’t toogreat though.

The camera is a decent 3.2-megger. It supports a varietyof shooting modes, including Smile shot, Continuous, Pan-orama and Mosaic. There are a couple of scene modes tochoose from as well. It picks up ambient light reasonablywell – and is pretty decent for a phone camera. We likedhaving a physical camera button, but missed having a flash.

The handset comes with Facebook, Twitter and Orkutapps preloaded. The phone provides for contact integra-tion, which is pretty standard on all phones. There is alsoan IM app preloaded, which gives you access to Palringo,as well as Yahoo and MSN Messenger. There’s no dedi-cated Google Talk or Gmail app though – something you’llmiss if you’re used to Android.

Lost in a smartphone sea

7 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

Photos: S.S. Kumar

Performance

The phone’s battery life was really good – it lasted us twodays with a few hours of talktime, web browsing and socialnetworking sites logged on.

Call quality was clear too – Samsung always scores onthis front.

The capacitive touch screen was one of the best in themid-range smartphone segment we’ve come across so far,and we were even able to type without error using thetouch QWERTY keypad in portrait mode.

The phone was able to run multiple applicationssmoothly, without slowing down performance. Long-pressing the menu key will bring up a list of running apps,and give you the option to switch between apps or endthem.

Our VerdictOverall, the phone just about classifies as an entry levelsmartphone – but just barely. In terms of looks and per-formance, it’s like any other touch screen phone in themarket. bada is a good first attempt by Samsung as an OS,but its nowhere near Android or Apple iOS. Until bada getsa few more updates and removes some of its glitches, it’sbetter to stick to Samsung’s lower end Androids like theGalaxy 3 or Galaxy 5.Love – Good battery lifeHate – Not so user-friendly OS, clunky looksRs 9,900

Nothing captures the essence of luxury as beautifully as gold. While mostdevices of communication are looked at and manufactured as just that,

Dior goes the extra mile and a half, and crafts handsets that go on to becomeobjects of desire.

The latest glamorous handset to be crafted is the Feuille d’Or or whatliterally translates to ‘Golden Leaf’. An ultraslim clamshell handset, thefaçade of the Feuille d’Or is a black sapphire crystal plate with gold leavesencrusted in the trademark ‘cannage’ pattern.

The flip keyboard has ultra-flat electroluminescent keys and the hingesholding the clamshell together too are black sapphire crystals. The circularbrowser button on the keypad is inlaid with 0.2 micron gold leaves.

The Dior Feuille d’Or comes packed in a hand-brushed gold-plated case.Included with the handset is My Dior, a miniphone with a matching blacksapphire and gold leaf design, that be linked to the Dior Feuille d’Or viaBluetooth.

The handset comes with a two-year warranty.Rs 3,63,950

Dreams of goldDior Feuille d’Or

mentioning. The business-class seat has everything from avanity mirror to its own radio controls. Impressive, thoughI wonder how much use it would get after the first fewmonths.

The trunk is big and opens and closes automatically, oneof those tell-tale details which separate luxury from thenot- quite.

None of which makes it a contender unless the Equusdrives like a powerful and stealthy titan and not an elon-gated economy car. Mostly, it does.

Silent RunningThe 4.6-litre V-8 engine is good for 385 horsepower, thesame amount of kick as the Jag. By the late part of the year,it will be offered with a larger-displacement engine and aneight- gear transmission, versus the six-gear currentlyemployed.

Library-quiet most of the time, this Hyundai floats overasphalt on a pliant air-suspension system. Shifts are barelynoticeable. Back-seat passengers who dislike sports-carantics will be big fans.

If the Equus doesn’t exactly cry out for high-speedabuse, the V-8 will awaken when the driver deems itnecessary, especially when you’re at 50 mph and suddenlyprefer to be going 80. Drop the gas pedal to the floor andyou’ll hear the thrum of heavy machinery.

It does not dance around corners like a BMW 7 Series - acar I’ve actually taken on the racetrack. Nor does it havethe heritage of the Mercedes, a vehicle so assured of itsstation that it passes a sense of prestige to its owners.

Yet in many ways it stands up to the Lexus LS. After all,Hyundai is using the same model the Japanese employedto muscle into the luxury market decades ago.

Buy the Equus and you may not impress all your high-flying friends - just the ones who appreciate the bottomline.

(The author writes about autos for Muse, the arts and leisuresection of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

8 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

AUTO focus

Jason H. Harper

It’s bonus time, that season when some trade inaging Audi A4s or tired BMW 3 Series for some-thing bigger and more grandiose. Rather than snap-ping up an Audi or Jaguar executive sedan, why not

consider a Hyundai instead? That probably depends if you’re a label monster versus a

designer agnostic. It’s fair to assume that if you like TomFord suits and Piaget timepieces, the Audi A8 or Jaguar XJwill be more to your liking. Yet if you’re the type ofdealmaker who finds duds at T.J. Maxx, the new HyundaiEquus might call your name.

The Korean brand has been winning territory fromcompanies like Toyota and General Motors in the small-and mid-size categories. But luxury-sedan wars arebloody. Nearly a decade ago Volkswagen tried with the$95,000 Phaeton W12. It was a quick, painful casualty -swiftly repulsed back to its homeland.

The Hyundai Equus is a savvy steal. The well-stockedSignature model is $58,900 and the kitted-out Ultimate is$65,400. Notably, neither is offered with extra-cost op-tions. The major difference is the Ultimate has a rearpassenger seat which reclines and has an automatic legrest. There’s even a personal refrigerator.

Compare that to starting prices for the new Jaguar XJ($73,575) and the cheapest Mercedes-Benz S-Class($91,875) - no fridges there! and buyers almost have to giveit a moment of consideration.

17 SpeakersFrom the Equus’s Xenon headlights, which adapt to cor-ners, to the 17-speaker stereo system (both standard on thebase), it’s obvious that a team of cold-eyed techniciansmade a “must have” list, benchmarking elements neededto entice jaded buyers. Trust me, this sedan is no study inprivation.

Unlike the Jag, the Equus isn’t art. It lacks the flow anddesign vigor, the engineering passion. Technicians can’treproduce personality, nor a long design and engineering

heritage. The Equus is big and slablike, announcing itself more

through solidity than any sense of grace. At 203.1-inches,it’s longer than the 202.2-inch A8 and the 201.7-inch XJ,though they’re also offered as long-wheelbase models.

Its generically handsome grill seems vaguely Germanic.In an attempt to assuage those label mongers, Hyundaioffers a new badge on the front, two intertwined wings.While there is the stylized “H” on the rear, you won’t find“Hyundai” anywhere on the skin.

Simple SystemThe process of catching up but not overtaking is echoed inthe interior, which has neither the techno glitz of the A8nor cocktail-lounge comfort of the new Jaguar XJ. Thegauges on the instrument panel and controls for the navsystem are a study in simplicity. Not super innovative, butit’s nice to forgo a 30- minute tutorial to turn on the stereo.

Too bad the leather on the dash is hard to the touch andbits of dull plastic peek-a-boo from the door panels. Atleast the front pillars are sheathed in Alcantara and thewood accents and metal bits are the real stuff.

The rear passenger seat on the Ultimate model is worth

The 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate at a Glance

Engine: 4.6-litre V-8 with 385 horsepower and 333pound-feet of torque Transmission: Six-speed ZF automaticSpeed: 0 to 60 mph in about 6.8 secondsGas mileage per gallon: 16 city; 24 highwayPrice as tested: $65,400

Best feature: Those many features come standardWorst features: Bits of interior plastic; ho-humexteriorTarget buyer: The contrarian dealmaker

Hyundai’s nimble super luxury sedan!

10 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

BLING corner

Calmingwaters

This traditionaljadau kada fromJaipur Gems is setin 23k gold, layereddelicately withuncut diamonds andrubies in ‘takkar’setting using fineenamel. Available atJaipur Gems,Mumbai, Chennaiand Coimbatore. Price on request

Ethniccuff

At about 35 carats each, these roundflawless Yin Yang from Steinmetz are thelargest pair of round brilliant cut, D colour

diamonds. Available for sale throughSotheby’s Diamonds.

Price on request

It’s really big!

Exclusive platinumwith just the rightsparkle of diamonds,this bracelet fromPlatinum Guild Indiaadds elegance to thewrist. Available atselect jewellers.Rs 20,000 onwards(entire festive range)

Etherealdesigns

The latest iconicnecklaces byGanjam, inspire intheir platinum,diamonds andhollow beads.Resembling acascading waterfallor a flowing river,this Iraja ‘born ofwater’ collection isenchanting. Headto Ganjam, NewDelhi andBengaluru for more.Price on request

PreciousflutterDiamonds set in 18k white goldand shaped into a daintybutterfly ring. Minawala’s latestcollection takes a leaf offnature. Available at its outlets inNew Delhi, Mumbai andBengaluru.Rs 25,700

11 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

MELANGE luxury redefined

Animal prints, limey greensand strappy looks, the

Burberry Spring Summercollection for 2011 bowls usover with its fun and peppy

range of bags and keychains. Head to its

boutiques and join thespring celebration.

Price on request

Spring time

If striking contrastsappeal to you, then thisFendi Textured CalfskinBicolor Top Handle bagis a delight to own. Pickone with the rich greencalfskin with blackbottom or a black andsoft brown pair at itsboutique in New Delhi.Rs 85,000

Chic colourblock!

Greens, blues and deep red hues,dominate the powerful yet flirty look

of Gucci’s Spring Summer 2011collection. Check out the satin neck

tie shirts and shimmery ‘malika’clutches at Gucci stores.

Price on request

Go Gucci!

Chopard steps in forthe Valentine giftingseason by letting youwrap up a lovely penfor your sweetheart.This roller pen inpink resin features amoving heart setwith 16 rubies in thecap. Available at itsboutiques in NewDelhi and Mumbai.Price on request

Penninglove notes

L’Occitane entices shea butter fans with a special range of products madewith the nourishing ingredient. From creams to balms and soaps in exotic

fragrances, the collection is available at its stores in New Delhi.Rs 290 to Rs 2,195

Utterly ‘shea’ butterly

Are you one of those who want your bath space tobe as impeccable as your living room? Or wantto create a personal retreat rather than a ‘splashand dash’ zone? Here’s the latest from the de-

signers’ stable to do up your bathroom.

Antique touchIn a modern home, stepping into an old-world bath can belike transporting yourself into a new world. If you arestarting from scratch, then you might want to begin bysoaking in the antique charm with Victorian inspired tilesor intricately patterned wall paper. If it’s just a redecorat-ing plan for spring, then bringing in some antique accesso-ries and furnishings can do the trick.

The most striking effect is to opt for an antique-lookingbathtub, and let it take the pride of place in the bath area.Bathline Sensations has some quaint looking ones in cop-per and cast iron and even dainty freestanding ones withcarved golden or wooden legs. They also have toilet seatsin mahagony with golden hardware. FCML LuxuriousBathrooms has an interesting range of metal bathtubs toowith perfect accessories to glam up the look. This shouldbe followed by replacing your chic dresser with an antiquecabinet and an intricately carved wooden or gold leafmirror and even getting a copper basin to add to the drama.

A stunning piece to own is Kohler’s Marrakesh collec-tion, named after the ancient capital of Morocco. Thedesigns on the basins, faucets and undercover lavatoriesare inspired by mosaics in quaint courtyards and intricateand abstract floral patterns found in mosque artwork.

Once the main things are taken care of, smaller accesso-ries can be added depending on how much you want toplunge into the theme. Antique golden faucets, clothhooks and rods, curtain finials and soap dishes can bematched to work up the theme.

Funky coloursImagine tip-toeing into an immaculately white restroom,with white bathtubs and cisterns, glass faucets and mini-mal décor and BANG! You are hit by a sudden burst ofcheery yellow peeping in from the shower. Well, it’s notthe sun, but a fun hand shower.

This theme is easier to implement, especially if you haveone favourite colour every season. The mantra for this towork across seasons is to have a sparkling white bathroom

or a monochrome grey, beige or cream colour scheme. Thepop of colour can be in the form of faucets, a brightly-huedcabinet or mirror, bathing linen or décor.

Products to look out for are Grohe’s Rainshower Water-Colours collection of showers in peppy colours like yel-low, red and pink and blue, Bathline Sensations’ colourfulfaucets and a pick from FCML’s funky kid’s range.

Multifunctional styleThen there is the issue of space crunch that comes be-tween you and your home spa. But thanks to compact,stylish and innovative products, this too shall pass! Frombathtubs that double up as storage to all-in-one cabinets tomulti-purpose mirrors, one can choose from a wide rangeof national and international brands on offer.

Roca, for example, has designed oak and walnut waterresistant panels to bathtubs that not only gives it a classylook but also comes with laundry baskets and towel sup-ports. FCML also has a neat range of accessories like the

Valli Valli bathroom mirror which has a magnified portionto help shave and wear make-up and also features doubleneon lights, and a Margaroli heated towel rod to dry linenand clothes.

The green effectIt is not just a pot of aloe vera by the window or a minigarden by the tub that makes your rest room one with theenvironment. The trend is to have the best of productswith the least carbon foot print. Reputed brands are eco-conscious and it shows in every innovative technologythey come up with. Water saving, water recycling, reduc-ing electricity consumption, recyclable raw materials, lessenergy consuming manufacturing process… these are but afew areas where the best minds are at work.

Gessi, an Italian faucet manufacturer has launched eco-friendly faucets that change colour from blue to pink tored, depending on the temperature of the water. Theelectricity generated to light these LEDs is generated

12 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

BATHROOM trends

What-a-loo!Pristine white ruled the

bathing space for a long time,and still does. But stepping in

to catch the fancy of thosewho love their bath experience

are interesting colours,materials and design styles.

ANUSHYA MAMTORA lists outthe latest trends to treat your

bathroom to

FCML Luxurious Bathrooms

through a turbine within the tap itself, hence consumingno electricity.

Roca takes it a step further with its W+W (Wash basin +Water closet) technology which saves both water andspace. The renovation tap filters the waste water from thebasin and reuses it in the discharge of the cistern. The bestpart is, both the basin and cistern is combined into oneclassic L-shaped piece.

Varun Gupta, Joint MD of Bathline Sensations, who hasa whole range of eco-friendly products adhering to strictnorms says that while the demand for products like theseare mainly from the hotel industry, there have been in-creasing queries from builders too. This only goes to provethat these features are going to be an intrinsic part ofhigh-end homes.

Unique lightingThe stress on appropriate lighting for the bathroom is onlike never before. Apart from the regular bright lights nearthe mirrors and dimmer ones for the bath tub, people arelooking for different lighting options and unique fixtures.For those who have the leisure of space, chandeliers aregetting popular - ones that blend in with the bath décor.Emphasis is also given on mood lighting. Abhinav Khan-delwal, Managing Partner, FCML Luxurious Bathroomsexplains, “Showers with inbuilt lights that turn on whenthe shower does also enhance the mood and are availablefrom Gessi, Fornara or Dornbracht brands in India. Asmood enhancers, colour changing lights, soft wash light-ing and sconces shades to diffuse the light are also avail-able and are good for relaxation and unwinding.”

Recessed lights are neat options in shower areas. Someunique touches include walls with carvings that emit light,mirrors with inbuilt focus lights and halogen spotlights tohighlight plants and other decoratives.

Apart from these five fashionable bathroom trends, de-signers are experimenting with minimalism and contem-porary art.

Colourful faucets and antiquebathtub: Bathline Sensations

FCML

Gessi

14 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

TASTER’S choice

Elin McCoy

The steep narrow road, high above Portugal’s Dou-ro river was half washed out. The car skiddedaround hairpin curves with vines on one side andno guard-rails on the other, leaving me white-

knuckled in the passenger seat. I had asked to see Touriga Nacional. The name sounds

like a football team or an obscure political party, but it’s aniconic Portuguese red grape variety, thought by some torival Cabernet Sauvignon.

Last month, Touriga Nacional was the theme of Portu-gal’s first ever wine conference, held in the northern city ofPorto. The country’s wine industry heavies were sellingthe grape as their “national” varietal, hoping to follow thesuccess of Argentina with Malbec and New Zealand withSauvignon Blanc. US wine writer and blogger Joe Robertscalls it “their great red hope”.

Up to now, the grape has mostly been a star componentin the mix of native varieties in the country’s famous sweetfortified Ports. Using it alone to make dry reds is recent,and winemakers disagree about whether 100 per centTouriga can make wines of great quality.

I spent several days at tasting seminars and visits toquintas (wineries) to find out who’s right.

In a cavernous auditorium at the Alfandega CongressCenter, a former customs building fronting the Douro inPorto, I’d donned earphones for the English translation ofthe basics. Portugal boasts more than 250 grape varieties

and Touriga Nacional accounts for only 2.2 per cent of thecountry’s vines.

Brazil to AustraliaThe grape’s birthplace is the Dao region, but it’s nowgrown in six, from the Douro in the north to the warmAlgarve in the south, and no one agrees on which oneproduces the best wines. This native grape is now plantedin Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Spain, California andBrazil.

The seminar sampling of the top dozen 2007 and 2008examples, selected by an international panel of judges in apre-conference blind tasting, provoked plenty of heateddiscussion.

The best all-Touriga Nacional wines have exotic floralaromas (think violets and Earl Grey tea), intense blueberryand chocolatey flavours with an iron tang, and plenty oftannin so they can age. But sipping through the winningline-up from six regions, I was mostly underwhelmed.

Some lacked concentration and complexity and tastedlike big ripe reds with a hole in the middle of the taste. The2008 Munda was loaded with oak. Two from southernregions had that hot finish that screams high-alcohol. Myfavourites were from the Douro and the Dao regions:deep-coloured, structured 2008 Quinta do Vallado ($40),well-balanced, powerful 2008 Churchill’s Estates ($25),and the vibrant, earthy 2008 Quinta das Marias ($30).

‘The Winner Is...’The winners had been announced the previous evening ata gala dinner at the grand 19th century Palacio da Bolsa,once Porto’s stock exchange. As we sipped from a choiceof 30 Tourigas under a vast metal-and-glass dome in the32-meter-high Hall of Nations room, names of the winnerswere drawn from white envelopes, then flashed on ascreen. It was like the Oscars minus the jokes.

Attendees grumbled that other labels regarded as thebest - like Quinta do Crasto - weren’t on the list, and someclaimed they showed why Touriga Nacional needed to beblended with other grapes to make great wine.

Touriga BlendSo I headed to Quinta do Crasto and a few other estates farup the Douro, where the steep terraced vineyards producethe grapes for Port, and increasingly, for table wines.

Historic Quinta de Roriz, owned by a partnership of theSymington family of Port fame and Bruno Prats, formerproprietor of Bordeaux’s Chateau Cos d’Estournel, liesclose to the river down a vertigo-inducing road from thehighest vines.

Here, Prat & Symington makes rich, smooth, layeredChryseia ($50), a 50/50 blend of Touriga Nacional andTouriga Franca.

“Nacional gives structure and mineral notes, Francagives freshness, bright red fruit, and floral aromas,” saysthe winemaker, who let me try barrel samples of each. Theblend was definitely more complex.

At Quinta do Crasto, Miguel Roquette, whose familyowns the quinta, points out to old twisted Touriga Nacion-al vines backed by a setting sun and explains they made thefirst 100 per cent Touriga in the Douro in 1995. The 2009tank sample is savoury, rich, spicy, chocolatey and verypure. “You need old vines for it to be great on its own,” hesays. Just like Cabernet, Touriga Nacional can make won-derful wines on its own (think Napa Valley) but only in thevery best sites. Often it’s better as the backbone of splendidblends (think Bordeaux).

I’d hate to see Portuguese winemakers fixate on a singlerole for Touriga Nacional - or forget their other grapes.

(The author writes on wine and spirits for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News.

The opinions expressed are her own.)

Portugal’s‘Great Red

Hope’

Photo: Bloomberg

15 January 19, 2011Smartbuy

Modi Illva India has launched thedelicate, crispy and pleasantlyfruity Artic Vodka in India byItalian Spirit maker IllvaSaronno S.p.A. While thebouquet reminds you ofthe lime tree with hintsof sage, apricot, andpeach, the bottle hasbeen exclusivelycrafted by theClaessensInternational,London andappeals in itsfrosty yetpristinecontainer.Rs 700 (750ml, New Delhi)

… is better than Two in a Bush. Well, that’sjust the pun. Bird in Hand Wines haslaunched the Two in the Bush range inIndia. While the Semillon Sauvignon hasfresh aromas of lemongrass, citrus andapple and goes best with ‘Casarecce’pasta with butternut puree, the Shiraz hasa rich fruity palate with white pepper andfruitcake flavours and is paired with beef,lamb or veal dishes.Rs 2,090 to Rs 3,125 (entire range of wines)

A bird in hand…The oldest and said to be the

‘purest’ vodka in the world,Finlandia vodka, from The House of

Brown Forman is created usingglacial spring water and ‘avate-

garde technology’ in the littlevillage of Koskenkorva and isavailable in fruity flavours ofgrapefruit, mango, lime and

cranberry.Price on request

‘Pure’ and perfect

Adding one more to its portfolio,Nirvana Biosys has introducedLychee wines to its LUCA brand.Apart from the sweet and tangytaste of the exotic tropical fruit,the wine wafts of the classicaroma of lychee and also boastshealth benefits as it’s enrichedwith Vitamin C. The wine can bepaired with white meats andAsian cuisine.Rs 760 (750ml) and Rs 390 (375ml)

Luscious lychee

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