smartbuy issue dated january 26, 2011
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Smartbuy issue dated January 26, 2011TRANSCRIPT
SmartbuyWednesday, January 26, 2011
G A D G E T S | A U T O | L U X U R Y www.blsmartbuy.com
Business Line
Stretching the A8L’s legsIn the city of palacesPage 8
Sony NEX-5 reviewedMicro Four Thirds vs DSLRsOffice fashion, simplified+
2 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
WHAT’S HOT this week
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The latest 2.1 sound system from Logitech is the THX-certified Z62. The system isdesigned with front speakers that deliver dialogue and ambient sounds as crisp andclear as it would be in a theatre. The subwoofer carries powerful, deep bass fromthe system as it recreates the roar of a jet engine or the sound of a collapsing bridge.The RMS output of the unit is 200W and you can club it with your PC or telly.Rs 11, 495
The latest in the VAIO line-up of laptops, the YB series is fitted with AMD VisionTechnology that gives you smooth HD playback, faster Internet browsing and abetter gaming experience. The screen is an 11.6-inch wide display, and the laptopsweigh just 1.46 kg, making them easy to carry around. Take your pick from pink,silver and green colours.Rs 26,990
This handy device from Amkette transforms your LCD TV into a large screen PC. All youhave to do is connect your laptop to your telly via an HDMI cable, connect up the Wi KeyTouch and you’re ready to go. It also connects up to your Xbox or PS3 for an enhancedgaming experience. The device offers up to 10 metres of wireless freedom, and claims to becompatible with Mac, Windows and most tablet PCs.Rs 2,495
Touch and go Amkette Wi-Key Touch
Flaunt it! Sony VAIO YB Series Sound blaster Logitech Z623
Cover photo: S. Muralidhar
Philips Cinema, the latest flat-panel from the company boasts of a 21:9 widescreen aspect ratio and theproprietary Ambilight Spectra 3 technology. These features along with the Full HD 3D option give you atruly immersive 3D movie experience. The TV also has other unique features like 2560 x 1080 resolution,400Hz Refresh Rate and Perfect Natural Motion for ultra-smooth Full HD movies and Philips Net TVwith Wi-Fi that allows you to wirelessly enjoy the online world. To be announced
3 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
This media player from Iomega lets you watch content from your USB hard drive on your telly in highdefinition. The player supports a variety of formats including MPEG4, DivX and WMV files.Connecting up to your TV is easy with options for HDMI, Composite and Optical Audio cables.Interactive menus that let you browse folders, create playlists, play slideshows, view subtitles, etc.Rs 4,499
Hi-def shootoutIomega ScreenPlay TV Link MX HD
Load up all your music, videos andphotographs onto the Zebmate
Cinema, a portable media player fromZebronics. The device sports a 4.3-inch touch screen and weighs just
about 128 grams. The TV-out functionlets you enjoy your digital media
content at 720p definition when youconnect this to a high-def TV. The
player comes with an in-built memoryof 8GB and also has a memory card slot
to expand capacity. Rs 4,200
Groove to the beatZebmate Cinema
Eyes wide openPhilips Cinema 21:9
David Pogue
The star of this year’s Consumer Electronics Showwasn’t even there.
That might sound like an odd remark, but it’strue. Look, summing up the major trends of the
biggest electronics trade show is more or less hopeless;there were 2,700 booths and 1,40,000 attendees, for heav-en’s sake. But if you had to name the major player, it had tobe the Apple iPad – and Apple didn’t even show up.
Seriously. They should have called it the ConsumeriPad Show. Here were iPad cases, iPad holders, iPadkeyboards, iPad chargers, iPad alarm clocks – and 85 iPadclones. It seemed as if anyone who knew the phone num-ber of an Asian touch-screen factory had a tabletprototype.
Tablet wars“These companies are like 6-year-olds on a soccer team,”one company representative told me. “The ball goes overhere, and they all run after it in a blob. ‘Tablet!’ ‘Tablet!’‘Tablet!’
Most of the new tablets run Google’s Android mobileoperating system – a new version that Google says is bettersuited for a tablet’s larger screen. There are exceptions,though. The great-looking, forthcoming BlackBerry Play-book runs its own special operating system, for example(bummer – no well-stocked app store). And Hewlett-Packard’s eagerly awaited tablets weren’t on display at theshow, but the company makes no secret that they’ll runWebOS, an attractive chunk of software that Palm devel-oped for its Palm Pre app phones. (HP bought Palm lastyear for $1.2 billion.)
The new tablets would take aim at the current iPad’sweak spots. The rivals have built-in cameras, for example,or offer a choice of screen sizes.
This battle should make for some fascinating spectator-ship. One major reason Android phones have become sopopular is that when you bought an iPhone, you had to signup for a contract with a cellular service provider.
But with a tablet, you don’t particularly need a cellular
connection. Plenty of people lead long, happy lives havingonly Wi-Fi connections on their tablets. In other words,the iPad-versus-clones battle will boil down to quality,price and features – exactly as it should be.
Tech-integrationThe second theme of CES was, once again, TechnologiesWe Desperately Wish You’d Want. For the 417th straightCES, the industry trotted out yet another vision of theConnected Home (your appliances, home theatre and oth-er gadgets all on a big network). And for the 417th straightyear, nobody present will have any interest.
This year, too, was the biggest push yet toward connect-ing your TV to the Internet. Not to download movies andTV shows; that’s a natural, popular feature. No, we’retalking about browsing the web and doing e-mail on yourTV screen – an idea that dies year after year, and will dieagain this time (sorry, Google and Yahoo). Nobody wantsto sit down at the TV and pick up a keyboard and mouse,except maybe a few people on the ‘lunatech’ fringe.
Dimension debateThe technology the industry mostwants to push down our throats,though, is 3D. For the second CES in arow, blurry, double-vision flat panelswere hung on every available surface of theLas Vegas Convention Centre – televisions that lookedsharp only when you put on ridiculous-looking 3D glasses.Many of those glasses are just as big, heavy and expensiveas last year’s crop (at $100 a pair, exactly how many friendswill earn a place at your Super Bowl party?).
Fortunately, an effort was clearly in progress to makethe glasses less hideous – or even to eliminate them alto-gether. More companies than ever (Sony, Toshiba andothers) had new, glasses-less 3D TV sets on display.They’re pretty awful; you have to sit exactly dead-centre,which means that only one person at a time can watch.Even then, the image isn’t sharp; in fact, it seems to bemade up of little beads. But the engineers and marketers
will no doubt keep at it. What else is there to do whenthey’re not designing iPad clones?
So far, most people haven’t expressed any interest in 3D– maybe because it requires buying a new TV, new Blu-rayplayer and all new movie discs. But Panasonic, Sony andothers paraded 3D still cameras and 3D camcorders thisyear, in hopes of jump-starting the whole mess.
OversightsAs always, the most fun at CES was in finding the littlegems that weren’t on the obligatory list: radar detectors,pico projectors, baby monitors, no-name e-book readers,car theatre and on and on.
General Electric, for example, made its first CES ap-pearance to show how high tech can mean low energybills. The company estimates that by 2012, 40 millionAmerican homes will be billed for electricity depending onthe time of day they use it. GE’s new appliances, therefore,communicate with your electric meter to shift the heaviestloads to off-peak times: dishwashers, fridges and waterheaters that wait until the wee, cheap hours of the night todo their washing, defrosting and heating.
HeadturnersNobody knows if Casio’s new, still unreleased Tryx digitalcamera will take decent photos. But its design is fresh andingenious. You clutch an outer frame; the touch-screencamera part spins freely inside it, like a gyroscope. You canpoint it away from you, toward you or at any angle, whichis handy when you use the outer frame as a stand to propthe camera up by itself.
The darling of the show, though, may have been the newMotorola Atrix. At first glance, it’s pretty much like anyother modern Android app phone: front and back cameras,biggish screen. You swipe your finger across a fingerprintscanner to simultaneously unlock and wake the phone.
But the twist is the accompanying laptop. It’s beautiful –like a black MacBook Air – incredibly sleek, thin and light(1.1 kg). But it has no processor, storage or memory of itsown.
Instead, you snap the phone into the laptop. You don’thave to shut anything down or enter any special mode. It’slike putting the brain into Frankenstein’s monster. Sud-denly, whatever was on the phone’s screen now fillsthe laptop’s screen, giving you much more realestate, plus a trackpad and full keyboard.You can attach an external hard driveand mouse, if you like. The phone pro-
vides the processor, memory, In-ternet connection and, of course, all
your photos, videos, music and files.It’s a very clever idea. Now you don’t have
two copies of everything. You don’t have to syncanything (music, photos, videos,
mail, Office files) – yourphone contains all the
live copies. And what aneat twist that you can run the hundredsof thousands of Android apps on a full-size screen. TheAtrix seems like a winning idea that could save a lot ofmobile workers a lot of weight, hassle and equipment.
There were, of course, about 2,695 other gadgets ondisplay at CES this year – and the show itself was a lotmore exciting than last year’s Tanking Economy Edition.In the end, that – the resurgence of innovation and in-vestment – may be the biggest CES news of all.
New York Times News Service
The CES that was!
4 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
TECH beat
PHOTOG
5 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
Ketaki Bhojnagarwala
If you’ve been bitten by the photography bug, chanc-es are that at some point you’ll be looking to makethe upgrade from a simple point-and-shoot to amore professional DSLR. So far, there hasn’t really
been a middle path – a semi-professional camera for pho-tographers who want to shoot great looking photos, butdon’t want to deal with the complicated functions of aDSLR. This is where Micro Four Thirds comes in – patent-ed in 2008, you now have major players like Panasonic andOlympus who use the technology. So could a Micro FourThirds camera potentially replace a DSLR?
How it worksThe Micro Four Thirds system is a follow up from the FourThirds system, which is a new, open standard for DSLRcameras. While the Four Thirds system focussed on a 100per cent digital concept and high mobility, the Micro FourThirds system takes this one step further and aims todrastically reduce the size of DSLR cameras, while usingthe same 4/3 type image sensor used by the Four Thirdssystem. Micro Four Thirds completely eliminates the mir-ror box from the camera, and uses Live View for shootinginstead. By doing away with the mirror box, the flange ofthe camera is effectively reduced, making the cameramuch more compact.
Since a Micro Four Thirds camera’s body is smaller, thecompatible lenses also need to be reduced in size. This hasbeen achieved by making the lens mount diameter up to6mm smaller, while still allowing the lens to transmit thesame amount of optical flux as a Four Thirds camera. Italso uses an 11-contact connector between the lens and thecamera, which is two more than the 9-contact connectoron Four Thirds cameras. However, it is still possible to useFour Thirds lenses on a Micro Four Thirds camera usingan adapter.
Today, the main players in the Micro Four Thirds cate-gory are Panasonic and Olympus. Panasonic introduced
the first Micro Four Thirds camera in 2008, the LumixDMC-G1, which shipped with a standard 14-42 mm lens.Olympus followed suit with the Pen E-P1 camera in 2009.Both cameras used contrast-detection autofocus and elim-inated the optical viewfinder. Subsequently, both compa-nies followed up with further launches in the Micro FourThirds series, so now photographers can choose from 11cameras in the category.
LensesOne of the main reasons people shift from pocket digicamsto DSLRs is to be able to use the different lenses on offer.Big players in the DSLR segment such as Nikon, Canonand Sony produce a large selection of lenses, and otherlens manufacturers like Tamron, Sigma and Tokina makecompatible lenses too.
In the Micro Four Thirds category, currently the varietyof lenses is limited to what Olympus and Panasonic haveon offer. Olympus Micro Four Thirds lenses are availableunder the brand name M.Zuiko, and include a standard14-42mm lens, 17mm pancake lens and 75-300 mm zoomlens, among others. Olympus Micro Four Thirds camerasare also compatible with standard Zuiko Four Third lens-es, with the use of an adapter.
Panasonic’s Lumix G micro system also manufactures avariety of lenses, including a new 3D lens.
Some DSLR lenses are compatible with Micro FourThirds cameras, however there might be certain draw-backs, such as autofocus and optical image stabilisationnot working. Another factor is that DSLR lenses are bulky,and therefore not really suited to the more compact MicroFour Thirds body, making the camera look disproportion-ate and also making them difficult to handle.
FeaturesBecause of their size, and the elimination of the mirrorbox, the design and build of Micro Four Thirds camerasare flexible, much like pocket digicams. They are alsoavailable in a variety of colours, appealing to a large sec-tion of consumers who aren’t professional photographers,but want a camera that looks attractive as well as takes agood shot.
Like DSLRs, Micro Four Thirds come with a bunch ofscene modes, but also have full manual function on offer.So you get the standard P, S, A and M modes, as well ascontrol of ISO, White Balance, Exposure and Metering.Some cameras like the Olympus E-PL1 come with digitalzoom as well. The later Panasonic DMC models even comewith HD recording, so you can take videos in high defini-tion.
Pros and ConsObviously the first advantage of a Micro Four Thirdscamera would be its size. For example, any of the Lumixseries of cameras with a pancake lens is easily pocket-sized, and much easier to carry around for everyday pho-tography than a bulky DSLR.
The electronic viewfinder also makes it especially easyto adjust exposure, White Balance, etc - giving you a realtime preview of how your image will look before you snapthe shutter button. This is a more familiar feature for thoseused to a pocket digicam, making it easier to frame the shotthan using an optical viewfinder.
One reason why some photographers prefer Micro FourThirds cameras is due to inbuilt image stabilisation, whichis offered on the Olympus Pen series. This means that evenvintage lenses (with the right adapter) can be used on thecameras to achieve great results.
The downside of this is of course the lack of compatiblelenses, which limits the usage of these cameras. For exam-ple, for sports or wildlife photography, a telephoto lenswith a maximum zoom of 400mm or 600mm is a must, andas of now the highest zoom available for Micro FourThirds is 300mm.
The mirrorless design of these cameras also means thatchanging lenses can expose the sensor to more dust thanDSLRs, which have a mirror and a shutter protecting thesensor.
Another downside obviously is the fact that that thesecameras are priced almost the same, or in some cases evenmore, than DSLRs. So for a photographer who wants to gopro, it makes more sense to invest in a DSLR. The MicroFour Thirds category is fairly limited and new, which alsomakes the resale value of the cameras less.
BottomlineMicro Four Thirds cameras have pioneered a change intraditional DSLR design, and even gained a large fanfollowing. However, some factors such as lack of options,high cost and competition from rivals such as Sony’s NEXcameras have deterred many professionals from opting forthem. Still, the concept is fairly new, so time will probablytell whether the change will catch on with other playerslike Nikon and Canon. Until then, if you want to go pro, itmight make more sense to opt for a DSLR instead.
Mirror-less reflections
guide
CAMERA review
Ketaki Bhojnagarwala
We’ve just talked about how Micro FourThirds cameras are changing the normsfor DSLR design. Shutterbugs have beeneagerly waiting to find out if major players
like Nikon, Canon and Sony will make an entry into thecategory, but Sony made quite a splash when it introducedthe NEX series of interchangeable lens cameras. The twocameras in the category are NEX-3 and NEX-5. We put themore high-end NEX-5 to test, to see if Sony makes the cutwith mirrorless design cameras.
Body and BuildThe first thing you notice when you hold the NEX-5 is howsmall and light it is. The body is constructed out of magne-sium-alloy, compared to the NEX-3’s polycarbonate body.That, and the fact that the NEX-5 offers full HD/AVCHDrecording is what puts it ahead of the NEX-3 – in all otherrespects the cameras are the same. What makes this cam-era really special is that while it has a mirrorless design,this has the same sensor size as a normal DSLR (unlike a
Micro Four Thirds camera).For a camera that claims to offer a full host of DSLR-
type features, the NEX-5 has very few physical controls.The selector wheel which lets you switch between scenesand modes on most DSLRs is missing on the NEX-5. Thecamera has an HDMI port which lets you connect andplayback high-def videos on your HD TV.
The tilt-able LCD screen is convenient, but you in-stinctively look for an optical viewfinder with this camera– that’s how much it feels like a DSLR.
Interestingly, there is no inbuilt flash, instead the cam-era has an accessory port on top, to which you can attachthe compact flash that comes with it.
The NEX-5 ships with a standard 18-55mm lens, whichis an E mount lens, different from the A mount lenses thatcome with most Sony DSLRs. The lens has a silvery,metallic finish, and feels much more sturdy than the con-ventional black ‘plasticky’ DSLR lenses. The only down-side about E-mount lenses is of course their limited range.As of now, apart from the 18-55mm lens, you can opt for a16mm pancake lens or an 18-200mm telephoto lens. Sony
also supplies an A-mount adapter, but we suspect thatusing one of the bulky A-mount lenses on the NEX-5’scompact frame will not only make it look monstrous butalso make it difficult to shoot.
User InterfaceWhat you get in the form of controls is the bare minimum.There is a Menu button, but mostly you have to navigateusing the scroll wheel. There are dedicated buttons forflash, exposure compensation, drive mode and display –but apart from that everything else depends upon whichmode you choose.
The shoot mode brings up your standard P,S,A and Moptions, as well as a Intelligent Auto, Anti-Motion Blur,Panorama and 3D Panorama.
The Panorama shot worked pretty well, with minimumdistortion when stitching together the different images.The 3D panorama looks pretty much the same on the LCDdisplay, but is supposed to have a 3D effect when playedback on a 3D TV.
The Intelligent Auto mode takes care of everything, but
The world in your hands
Product photos: S.S. KumarTest photos: Ketaki Bhojnagarwala
Panorama is a clean shot withminimal distortion in stitching
you can control the Background Defocus by turning thescroll wheel. This works especially well for portrait shotswhere you want the subject in focus and the backgroundblurred.
Unlike most pocket digicams out there, there are only afew scenes to choose from in the NEX-5. It’s actually muchless confusing, and you really won’t miss a ‘Snow’ or‘Fireworks’ scene with this camera. There is an interestingHand-held Twilight mode, which automatically combinessix shots for dynamic range in low light.
Apart from that there is an HDR mode, which SonyDSLR fans will love. The Auto-HDR function overlapsthree shots of different exposures, and brings out detail inthe shadow areas, and makes colours softer. This worksespecially well for landscapes and portraits.
You can program the LCD to be pretty informative, withdetails about mode, scene, White Balance, ISO, etc dis-played. The battery indicator displays battery charge as apercentage – very useful if you want to know exactly howmuch juice you have left.
While the camera is a delight to use in Auto mode, ifyou’re a DSLR user, you might find it difficult to usemanual functions. For one, there’s no direct way to get toP,S,A, and M modes. Autofocus and Metering are in differ-ent menus, so it takes a while to get all your settings right.The camera allows exposure compensation only up to twoshots, which is quite a disappointment. One convenientfeature for those who are new to manual functionsis that when you make changes to exposureor shutter speed, you can see the differ-ence it makes to the picture on theLCD, before you take theshot. Of course, the re-sults aren’t always ac-curate, but it still helps.It works even betterwhen using some of theCreative Styles like Viv-id or Black & White.
ResultsThe camera picks up ambi-ent light really well, and we
were able to take excep-tional low light
shots. We triedsome shots in ex-tremely dim
lighting
without the flash, and although the results were slightlyblurred, using a tripod would have easily made a bigdifference.
We had some problems when it came to focussing. Thecamera has Face and Smile detection, although it refusedto detect some faces if there was a group shot. Some of thephotos which looked really crisp on the LCD were blurredwhen we transferred them to the computer.
Colour reproduction was spot on in artificial light, how-ever sometimes in bright daylight, reds and yellows tend-ed to bleed out. Apart from that, colours were prettynatural and not over-saturated, especially when it came tocapturing skin tone correctly.
You can crank the ISO up to 12800, and until ISO 800the pictures were completely clean. It’s only after ISO3200 that you start noticing noise.
The videos played back beautifully in HD, and colourreproduction and detail was excellent. The microphonedoes a good job of picking up voices while keeping back-ground noise to a minimum.
Our VerdictThe NEX-5 is a winner from Sony. It’s the perfect balancebetween a complicated DSLR and a limited point andshoot, and results can be really professional – if you knowhow to extract the full potential out of a camera. It’s
in- credibly easy to carry around, even smaller insize than the Olympus E-PL1, a
Micro Four Thirds camera.We do hope that Sony
comes out with a fewmore E-mount lenses,and considers revisingthe price tag – it’s evenmore expensive than
the semi-professionalNikon D5000.
Love: Easy to carry around,great results
Hate: Very few lenses, menudifficult to navigate
Rs 34,990
Macro shot shows detail andgood colour reproduction
HDR before and after: More detail in the shadows and
softer colours post HDR
8 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
AUTO focus
S. Muralidhar
Concealed and tucked away in the corners on topof the dashboard in the new Audi A8L are a pairof elegant Bang & Olufsen tweeters that pop outwhen the music system is turned on.
Also featured in the previous generation A8, these new-er, more compact versions of the acoustic lenses are notjust visual highlights or eye candy, they are extremelyefficient, high-end audio equipment too - traits that arevery much like the Audi flagship, the cockpit of which thetweeters adorn.
The speaker grilles are made out of polished aluminiumand the A8L has a lot of that material all around – 240 kgsjust in the Audi Space Frame body. And to stretch thecomparison a bit, just like the new A8L’s boost in perform-ance, the new B&O sound system with its two amplifiersproduces a whopping 1,400 watts of total power directedthrough 19 channels to 19 speakers inside the passengercabin. That is more than the total power of many high-endhome theatre systems!
Refreshed and reloadedThe new A8L has been chosen for a purpose. Coming toIndia within months of its introduction worldwide, thenew A8 is based on the Volkswagen MLB platform, thesame platform that is also likely to be used for the A6 andthe new Bentley Continental.
Audi India is pinning its hopes on the new A8 to take onthe competition in the super luxury saloon segment and
the new car has its sights set firmly on the BMW 7 Seriesand the Mercedes-Benz S class. And that is the reason whythe long wheelbase version of the A8 or the A8L is the onethat has been chosen for the Indian market. It is, of course,assumed that Indian buyers like the Chinese will appre-ciate the luxurious amount of legroom that has been liber-ated thanks to the 13-centimetre increase in thewheelbase. The new Audi A8L has a lot more characterthan the previous generation. Though it was distinctive,the previous A8 was a lot simpler in design and lacking incharisma compared to the new generation. With its new,more generous dimensions – boasting of 5,267mm in over-all length, 2,992 mm wheelbase and 1,949mm in overallwidth, the new A8L is also a significantly larger flagshipfor Audi.
In terms of exterior design, there a lot of subtle interplaybetween surfaces in the new A8L. There are a lot of theclassic Audi design elements at play too like the single-frame radiator grille, the tornado line that runs along theside of the car just below the window sill, and the unmis-takable Audi design signature is the LED headlights.
Talking about which, the optional LED headlamp pack-age, integrates 76 light-emitting diodes are designed forthe life of the vehicle! The standard tail-lights too house 72LEDs and are some of the lowest power consuming lightsin the class. The other high-end system in the A8L is thenight-vision assistant, which integrates a thermal imagingcamera in the single-frame grille and is a far infraredsystem. The camera, which is automatically cleaned whendirty and heated when cold, reacts to the heat radiated byobjects on the road and an on-board computer convertsthe information from the camera into black and whiteimages to be displayed on the driver information systemscreen.
The new A8L’s design is as understated and stately as itneeds to be to attract the buyer in the Rs 70 lakh plussegment. In keeping with the Indian buyer’s liking forchrome trim the new A8 also has a lot of that integratedinto the exteriors and interiors.
Vrooming aroundWe test drove the new A8L petrol in the land of palaces –Jaipur – an oft-repeated, yet inspiring locale for drivingnew cars. Get up close with the new A8L and there is an air
Driving Audi’s palace on wheels
9 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
of familiarity about its design inside and out, but there isalso a lot of newness that you’ll be gleefully pointing out.There is a bit of gadgetry missing in the India-spec A8Lbecause of legislation (such as adaptive cruise control), butthere is still a lot to look forward to.
Inside the new A8L, you immediately feel the sense ofspace. It is wider and has more legroom that the prede-cessor. Audi engineers have also managed to give theinterior of the new A8L more class and luxury feel than thepredecessor. With the right choice of colour and finish,and the extensive use of high quality leather and real woodveneer, the passenger cabin of the A8L exudes luxury.
And to make sure that the A8L’s customer feels that heor she is getting close to the kind of bespoke luxury thatother Volkswagen group brand – Bentley – is more knownfor, Audi engineers have also put together a number offinely machined or hand crafted components. The redback-lit aluminium start-stop button for example, or thechrome air nozzles, the fine wood inlays (you get seventypes of wood to choose from) and the hand-stitchedleather cover on the steering wheel rim.
The centre of attraction in the cockpit area of the newA8L is the newly developed MMI operating and multime-dia system. A kind of third generation of the originalinterface that Audi pioneered and many others imitated,the new MMI is positioned below the keypad for theclimate control system.
Positioned perfectly to be within reach when the driv-er’s hand is resting on the elegantly crafted gear selector ofthe 8-speed triptronic, the new MMI system forms athree-zone haptic layout. Audio controls are in the zone onthe left, the centre zone is the simple large rotary pushbutton and the combination of the hard and soft keys for
navigating the main menus. On the right, is the pad thateither displays six radio station buttons for immediateaccess. This pad also doubles up as a touchpad, withhandwriting recognition for enabling the driver to scrawlsingle letter pre-programmed commands.
Let it ripStepping on the gas one immediately gets a feel of theconsiderable power available on tap in the new A8L. The4.2-litre (4,163cc) FSI engine develops a peak power of 372bhp. The V8 engine is highly refined and efficient, power-ing the large sedan from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.8 seconds.Thanks to a number of weight reduction measures, in-cluding the aluminium Audi Space Frame, the new A8Lengine’s power-to-weight ratio is also better than thepredecessor’s.
The new A8 also gets a new electronically controlleddrivetrain. The 8-speed triptronic automatic transmissionhas been teamed with Audi’s proprietary Quattro perma-nent all-wheel drive. It features eight tightly spaced gears,though the overall gear ratio is a high 7.0:1 between theshortest and the longest gears, helping reduce fuel con-sumption by about six per cent. There is also the drivemode, sports mode or the manual mode to choose from,including steering column-mounted paddle shifters formanually engaging the gears.
During the test drive along the city roads, state high-ways and private roads in and around Jaipur the new A8Lpetrol comes through as providing the right amount ofsportiness and comfort. But there are changes to the sus-pension and driving mode that need to be made to get theoptimum performance from this large sedan. For example,we thought that the ‘auto’ mode would be the most pre-
ferred by the potential owners of the A8L since the adap-tive air suspension in the car seemed to offer the supplestand most comfortable ride quality. The dynamic mode,which is meant for drivers who seek a sportier ride qualitywas the harshest in bad quality tarmac.
Despite considerable efforts at vibration and noise re-duction there was a bit of wind noise in the cabin at speedsof over 120 kmph. But that was also evident because thecabin was purposefully kept quiet to observe noise levels.With the audio system playing the B&O speakers willeffectively cancel any intruding exterior noise.
Actually, the Audi Drive Select system integrates theadaptive air suspension, the eight-speed triptronic, theservotronic power steering, the Audi pre sense basic safetysystem and the engine control unit. The system modifiesthe characteristics of the shock absorbers, the air springsand the accelerator and adapts the shift points, powersteering boost etc, to ensure that the best performance isobtained. The driver can also choose to reset the charac-teristics of each of these drive modes by manually selec-ting and can also compose an individual mode.
The new Audi A8L is going on sale early next month andwill first be offered with the 4.2-litre FSI petrol engine.The 3-litre TDI diesel engine will follow soon about amonth later. The torquey diesel V6 engine weighing just194 kgs will be capable of producing 184 kW or 250 bhp ofpower and a total of 550 Nm of peak torque.
Audi is claiming that the new A8L will have the mostcomfortable and luxurious rear seat package. There is a lotmore about the car waiting to be discovered. Expect pric-ing to be above Rs 70 lakh. If you are a young tycoonlooking for an upgrade to the super luxury sedan class thenew A8L is surely worth considering.
Photos: S. Muralidhar
Clockwise from top:
Luxurious interiors with the MMI i n the middle.
Rear seat entertainment package and optional add-ons.
B&O tweeters pop-out when the audio system is activated.
MMI system in close-up with the touchpad at the right.
4.2 litre FSI Engine is quiet but under hard accelerationgrowls delightfully.
Tail lamp design with 72 LEDs.
Door mirror with integrated LED turn indicators.
Below: The intricately machined Start / Stop button.
11 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
Honda Siel Cars India launched the new Honda Civic with a sunroof, giving the car animpressive panoramic feeling making it look brighter and larger. The sunroof was found to
be the most desirable feature in the Civic, based on customer feedback. The Civic will also sporta new colour ‘Urban Titanium’ which will be added to the existing colour range. Apart from thesunroof, the Civic comes fully loaded with various active and passive safety features includingABS (Anti – Lock braking system) with EBD (Electronic Brake – Force Distribution System) andBrake Assist, Dual SRS airbags and pre-tensioner seat belts. The Civic sunroof range will beavailable at the following prices (ex-showroom Delhi): 1.8V MT – Rs 13.53 lakh and 1.8V AT – Rs 14.27 lakh.
Now a sunroof for Civic
Pioneer India Electronics unveiled its 2011 series of caraudio systems last week. The new systems are aimed at
enhancing the overall experience of music while on the move.The range offers Advanced Sound Retriever, high qualitybuilt-in MOSFET 50W x 4 amplifiers, USB, Aux input andmulti-format compatibility such as MP3 and WMA. The anti-dust design brings that added protection required for a sys-tem so hi-tech.
This is also the first time that a car audio system can storefive mobile pairings, allowing the system to memorise up tofive mobile numbers and comes alive with the traveller’sBluetooth activation. Up to 5,000 telephone numbers can bestored in the phone book memory for the ease of passen-gers. The Auto EQ (equaliser) calibrates all sound frequen-cies and time alignment for customised audio to matchindividual car interior.
The DEH range has on offer 8 in-car CD receivers provid-ing 2,16,000 multi-colour illuminations to match differentmoods of the driver and the interiors of the car. The AVHseries has three models to choose from – all compliant withmultimedia inputs. The unique touch screen option providesease of usage and sets the tone for matching music with theambience. When it comes to speakers, the Champion Seriesoffers bass-rich sound output while the A series units comesequipped with a whole new line up of high powered compo-nent speakers and exclusive designs made specially to meetthe Indian customers’ preferences.
Pioneering an audio experience
A collaboration between researchteams at Shell and Gordon Murray De-sign (GMD) has led to the developmentof an innovative concept engine lubri-cant capable of achieving a 6.5 per centimprovement in fuel efficiency. This is astep change compared to the improve-ments of around 2.5 per cent achievedin typical fuel economy lubricant devel-opment programmes. Using GMD’snew T.25 city car - a breakthrough incity vehicle design - as the test bed-Shell engineers have worked beyondcurrent industry specifications to for-mulate an ultra-low viscosity 0W-10motor oil.
Using the 0W-10 Shell concept mo-tor oil, the T.25 achieved 96 mpg in theRAC Future Car Challenge, winning theaward of the most economic small,passenger internal-combustion enginevehicle. Although in the concept stage,this represents a significant advance-ment in lubricant technology andwould be put to use in products beingdeveloped for the future.
A concept to improvefuel efficiency
newsAUTO
CorporateMatch wage to age with
Hugo Boss black suitA two-button wool suit, properly
lined and double vented, thiscomes in plain black with astraight-laced classic fit and flat-faced trousers. There’s no fineruniform in which to start your pro-fessional ascent. The price is wellworth it.Rs 29,000
HTC Wildfire RedFor Android thrills, apps by the
score, a sterling camera and easyemail sync on a tight budget,there’s little that can top HTC’sWildfire.Rs 16,590
Storm Black AquanautA dress watch that also func-
tions as a proper diver’s watch, it’ssafe to 1,000m thanks to its sap-phire casing. Finished in silver, theAquanaut features a date counter
as well as an accurate chrono-graph. Perfect for theup-and-coming.Rs 16,500*
Techair 11.6-inchNubuck Slipcase
Techair’s cases use pockets ofair running along each side tocushion blows and make them im-pressively drop-proof. Its PVCNubuck folds will lovingly caressyour netbook.Rs 1,500
MSI Wind U160If you’re the office’s go-to boy,
stamina is essential. The ergo-nomic 10-inch Wind is under 1 kg,yet has a battery life of up to 15hours when you switch it to TurboMode. A 1.66GHz Atom proces-sor, 2GB RAM and 160GB HDDmake it equal to most office tasks.Rs 21,800
20s The City BoyWith an Ivy League degree under
a genuine leather belt
30s Man About TownWell done! You have climbed the ladder to
the next level. Dispose of your loot like this…
Paul Smith London, TheWestbourne
A single-breasted, midfitting woollensuit with five tonally matched kissingbuttons per sleeve and innards linedwith a rich maroon. A modern cut doneright, with just the right amount ofcheeky-chappy charm.Rs 52,000
Oris Williams F1 SteelAutomatic on bracelet
A Swiss-made, selfwinding move-ment sits at the heart of Oris’ finest,nestled within a huge 15mm thick silverand scratch-resistant sapphire crystalchassis. A tachymeter scale and daydate add sensible functionality to anotherwise stunning piece.Rs 60,000
be.ez Le RushNo-nonsense laptop protection, plus
space for your unending receipts. The
Le Rush will fit a 13 or 15-inch laptop, isfilled with high-density protective pad-ding and can be worn over the shoulderor carried briefcase-style.Rs 3,500
Sony Vaio F SeriesA Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of
RAM and 640GB of storage and a pre-mium 16.4-inch, 1600x900 display willmake day-to-day tasks disappear. TheApple-like chiclet keyboard is quiet andcomfortable to bash out emails on.Rs 54,000 onwards
Apple iPhone 4Android just doesn’t have the polish
that shines from Apple’s latest iPhoneand iOS. Email sync, an HD video cam-era, the App Store and stunning designcome together in the most desirablephone currently available.TBC
Fashionthis essential work kit
Chalk stripe three-pieceInspired by such notable 1930s
Dunhill customers as the Duke ofWindsor, this English milled-woolsuit with red stripe detail – a clothexclusive to Dunhill – is designed tolook thick despite being supremelylightweight.Rs 86,000
BlackBerry Torch 9800Priorities change as you climb
the ladder. Where mobile apps andgames may at one point have beenking, you now need a dependablehandset capable of sending out-hundreds of emails a day. The nononsense Torch, with its fullQWERTY keyboard, fits the bill.Rs 34,990
Exspect EX144 iPadExecutive wallet hewn from
Nappa leather, this simple flip wal-let keeps the iPad free of scratcheswithout adding very much at all toits wafer-thin profile. It’s a two-
part design: the book-style coveris soft but the base is rock solid.Rs 2,500
Apple iPad 3G + Wi-FiThe BlackBerry’s taking care of
the practical side of office commu-nications, so let your computermake a statement. The iPad is thedevice du jour and, with the AppleiWork package tackling your du-ties with gusto, it’s also a superbpresentation tool.TBC
Rolex Submariner SteelOyster Perpetual
You’re at your earning peak sotreat yourself to a classic. The2010 Oyster Perpetual has astrong new bezel design which isavailable in a range of colours. Aswell as being a great timepiece it’salso a real investment; the resaleprice has already gone up since itslaunch. Rs 3,85,000
110th Anniversary NavyPinstripe suit
A contemporary fit for a classic, busi-nesslike style, the 110th anniversary ofthe famous high-street tailors has beenmarked with a new selection as well asthe option to have your suit made tomeasure.Rs 36,000
Dell StreakThis mobile-cum-tablet’s enormous
five-inch screen makes it ideal for yourreading-glasses years. The recent up-date to Android 2.1 makes it a dreamwork phone, good for everything fromsatnav with Google Maps navigation totaking pictures with the remarkablygood, five-megapixel camera.Rs 34,990
Bell & Ross Vintage BR 126
Forget tacky gold watches and optfor a timeless Bell & Ross date dial chro-
nograph for your retirement. The 126 iscoated in carbon fibre making it ashard-wearing and long-lived as you are.Rs 1,55,000
USC MacBook Ultra Slim Case
Being specialists in all things Mac,Urbano’s cushioned protective caseknows exactly how to look after yourmost prized possession. It’s available infour colours and finished with a mag-netic clasp.Rs 5,500
MacBook Pro 15-inchMost would agree that there’s simply
no finer laptop for constant, long-termuse than the powerful and sleek ano-dised aluminium Pro. The HD display,Intel Core i5 processor and seamlessMac OS X put the office juniors toshame.Rs 1,07,000
40s The Boss
50s Silver Fox
With half your working life behind you, it’stime to spoil yourself
Retirement beckons. Spend some of that hard earned cash on updating
your style quotient
This material is translated or reproduced from T3 magazine and is thecopyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group
company, UK 2010. Used under license. All rights reserved
*Approx retail price for all products
14 January 26, 2011Smartbuy
MELANGE luxury redefined
These cool blue comfy loafers from Egle boast of curvedangles and smaller rubber soles, making them stylishfootwear for any occasion. They are also available incolours like spicy reds, deep browns and greys at selectfootwear outlets across India.Rs 3,990 onwards
Loafing with Egle
Well, not literally! Ferrari’s new range of opticaleyewear for Indians is smart and casual in its redand black combos as well as the Prancing Horselogo at the temples. Head to select lifestyle stores.Rs 9,000 to Rs 17,000
Prancing eyewear
Adding a special touch to wedding gifts this season, Lladrohas some interesting pieces to choose from. This Lithophanevotive light – Lord Ganesha set is eye-catching with a redvelvet tray packaging and is available at Lladro boutqies.Rs 8,000 (with tray packaging)
Wedding bells
We mean the shoe, asViavero has a chic range ofNappa leather Oxfords thatare designed andmanufactured in Italy andare not just flexible butsaid to have ‘highperformancecharacteristics’ too. Headto its stores for more.Rs 7,850
Oxford calling!
Crocs Footwear’s winter collection has over ten newstyles to choose from including Lenora shoe for womenwith squared toe and faux bow design, Keeley for girlswith ‘allover’ hole pattern and Crocband Sneaker for asporty day. Available at exclusive Crocs stores.Rs 1,095 (Keeley in pic)
Winter comfort
Heavy duty stuff!
Distinctive yet functional, Maitland-Smith’s home accessories are a creative addition to yourinteriors. Some neat picks include the frog prince brass stool, elephant head floor lamp andcowboy boot umbrella stand. Available at International Furniture Brands showroom, New Delhi.Rs 15,000 onwards
Designer décor
PREMIUM interiors
This striking prune chair from Fendi Casa, is just some of the luxuriousfurniture it has on display. From The Polo Club sofa to Canova bed and dining
table, exquisite fabrics and lamps and chandeliers, the collection is available atInternational Furniture Brands showroom, New Delhi.
Price on request
Luxury furniture
Exclusif carpetsThe Pierre Cardin range of carpets fromObsessions Exclsuif is an elegant way tospruce up your living space. Some interestinglines include Signature, made from leatherwith embellishments, Elysee made of wooland Diamond made of acrylic and wool. Headto its store in New Delhi for more. Rs 11,000 onwards
Taking your sleeping experience to a whole new level, Hastens’ new Marquis frame bedcontains the brand’s unique double patented spring systems that give it amazing flexibility andcomfort. Head to its store in Mumbai and sink in.Rs 3 lakh onwards (entire range)
Perfect frame
Equipped with Pergo’s patent technologyTitan X, technologies like SoundBloc,perfect fold and others, the latest LivingExpression collection of laminate floors ismore durable and more wear resistant,making it ideal for moderate public andhigh domestic wear areas. Available in fourinternational variants of plank sizes.Price on request
