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Tech

Review: Teewe 2

We test the recently released and improved streaming dongle Teewe 2 and come away pleased with its performance and features.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

More and more people these days want their TV to be a bit more than just an idiot box. We have had smart TVs in the market for a couple of years now, but haven’t seen anything that provides any extra utility. This is where the likes of Teewe and Chromecast come in. Teewe, an Indian startup (MangoMan), came out with its first streaming stick last year; got good reviews, and is now out with the new Teewe 2, apparently better since they have listened to a lot of customer feedback.

What is it? Teewe 2 is a streaming dongle. It allows you to mirror or throw something that you’re watching on your phone or PC or have it stored right on your TV’s bigger screen. In the box, you get an HDMI cable, a relatively longer USB cable, power adapter, the stick itself and a setup manual. The stick is a little bigger in size than a usual thumb drive, but a bit smaller than the original Teewe.

The looks. It is all-black, made out of plastic, with the HDMI port right at the top and microUSB port on one side. Its internal hardware comprises a 1.6 GHz quad-core ARM Cortex A9 based processor, quad-core GPU, 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage space (not accessible). It is essentially based on Android 4.2’s development tree and the company provides firmware updates in the background.

Teewe_2Setting up the device. It supports Windows (requires Java installed), Mac OS X, Linux (JVM), iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and even has a plugin Chrome along with a Web app. Insert it in your TV’s HDMI port, put the smaller microUSB side into the Teewe 2 dongle and its charging USB side either into a power socket (through the power adapter) or your TV’s USB port.

While most TVs will provide for power through a USB port, if yours doesn’t, you would have to make use of the long microUSB cable extending it to power socket. As soon as you switch your TV’s HDMI mode and fire up the app on your device, the dongle will search for the device while connecting to a WiFi network. Keep in mind, both your device and dongle need to be on the same network.

What’s good. I tried the device on Chrome and an Android smartphone, and found the app to be pretty decent. The Android app shows you content from YouTube (you can search further), local content on your phone like images, videos, and audio files. Using the Chrome plugin, you can either play some video or audio content from a Webpage or mirror a tab, so whatever is playing on that tab exactly mirrors on your TV. For movies stored on your PC, you can even have subtitles streamed and synced with any movie playing on your TV, but this feature is only available on Windows for now.

Performance. The stick streamed up to 720p at 60FPS for me. The Android app allows you to select from HD or SD, though you cannot do it while playing a video and have to select it from the app’s main page once. Streaming worked smoothly and I rarely found a stutter. If you’re streaming from, say, YouTube, its loading and playing time obviously depends on your Internet connection. If you’re playing local files, the dongle uses FTP, and it worked well for me, whether high quality images, audio files or a video. I couldn’t get the Teewe 2 stick to do full HD 1080p, though. For now, it doesn’t mirror your entire phone or PC, but the company is working on it. Buyers also get 60 GB of additional broadband data if they’re using an Airtel connection, and two months of free EROS service via the Teewe 2 apps.

The verdict. All in all, I think the Tewee 2 does its job really well. It is mainly for streaming content from the Web or local and has no fancy, useless features that would make it perform poorly. My only concern is with the ChromeCast 2 launching quite soon, but if you aren’t bothered to wait, and are looking for a good option to make a better use of your HD TV, the Teewe 2 could well be a good buy for you under Rs 2,400.

Would you try this device? Tell us in the comments section below.

Categories
Film

Review: Spy

An unusual action heroine on a mission to tail a deadly target –an interesting premise falls flat in the execution.
by Ravi Shet

Writer-director Paul Feig presents the action-comedy secret agent film Spy with Melissa McCarthy (Susan Cooper) playing the pivotal role. Susan is a desk-bound CIA analyst helping her partner Agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law) on a secret mission to Varna, Bulgaria to find a suitcase nuke bomb. She is connected with Bradley through his earpiece and watches via satellite from the CIA office in the United States, where you see bats and rats all over the office.

Bradley accidently kills his target – Boyanov – without finding the suitcase nuke bomb. The CIA sends Bradley to break into Boyanov’s daughter Rayna Boyanov’s (Rose Byrne) house to where the bomb could be. Before killing Bradley, Rayna reveals that she knows the identities of all the CIA’s agents and whoever follows her will be dealt with in the same way.

Susan volunteers to become a field agent and gets approval from her boss Elaine Crocker (Allison Janney) on the condition of a track and report mission; however Agent Rick Ford (Jason Statham) dislikes Susan’s interference in his territory and follows her everywhere. Susan travels to Paris to spy on De Luca (Bobby Cannavale), Rayna’s contact. One of the De Luca’s men along with Lia (Nagris Fakhri), the Bollywood presence in this film, changes Rick’s bag for a bomb; however Susan saves Rick’s life and also kills the man in a hilarious way – before throwing up on his dead body. Susan then follows Rayna to Rome where she successfully prevents her assassination in a casino and also gains Rayna’s trust.

 

Despite its funny action premise and some stellar performances, this film falls flat due to excessive dialogue and slapstick in between the scenes, especially in the scenes between Melissa McCarthy and Rose Bryne. However, Jason Statham’s character keeps the audience engaged, particularly in his scenes with Melissa. The film would have benefited from a shorter length and less talk.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

(Picture courtesy

Categories
Film

Review: ABCD 2 (Any Body Can Dance 2)

A tiny plot and passable lead performances are bolstered by lots of dancing in ABCD sequel, and is worth one watch.
by Ravi Shet

The plot of this film is the journey of the real life Fictitious Dance Group’s from Mumbai’s Nalasopara to the finals of the World Hip Hop Challenge in Las Vegas. ABCD 2 (Any Body Can Dance 2) directed by Remo D’Souza, features a motley crew of dancers named ‘Mumbai Stunners’ with Suresh (Varun Dhawan) as their lead.

The group, also comprising Vinnie (Shraddha Kapoor) and a crew of others, are accused of copying each and every dance move from a famous dance group – Philippines’s ‘All Stars’ by the judges (played by Remo D’Souza, Terence Lewis and Seema Pandey) and are disqualified from a reality show. Post this incident, the group is taunted by one and all as a bunch of cheaters (a customer calls out to Suresh, who is working as waiter in a pub as a ‘cheater’, then sarcastically corrects it to ‘waiter’, a woman in a salon tells Vinnie she wants a haircut like Katrina Kaif, and says Vinnie can do it expertly since she is good at copying, etc.) Even a popular TV comic mocks the group on his show.

Suresh wants his group to participate in the World Starz Hip Hop Challenge in Las Vegas and prove to the world that they are not cheaters through their dance performances. Vishnu Sir (Prabhudeva), a struggling choreographer guides the team and also renames it as Indian Stunners. After that, the film follows a fairly predictable graph.

 

There are a few moments that drag it down, especially in the second half; however the dance sequences makes up for the movie and really hold your attention. Varun and Shraddha have put in a lot of effort with their dancing to match the likes of Dharmesh Yelande, Lauren Gottlieb, Punit Pathak, Raghav Juyal and others.

The cinematography by Vijay Arora is excellent, especially the shots taken in Las Vegas. Prabhudeva’s entry, followed by his dance and the last dance sequence of the film are standout sequences. Sachin-Jigar do well in the music department.

All in all, this is a good film to watch if you’re not looking for a very strong story and lots of dancing.

Rating: 3 out of 5

(Picture courtesy movies.ndtv.com)

Categories
Event

Attend: Iyengar Yoga event at NSCI

On International Day of Yoga, you can be part of a masterclass on Iyengar yoga and learn a variety of asanas.
by Ravi Shet

On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. To celebrate this day and also to pay tribute to the much feted Yoga exponent Yogacharya BKS Iyengar, his students have conceptualised an event, ‘Experience Iyengar Yoga’.

This will be an open public event where they will have a presentation, a practical class and an inspiring film for the attendees. This event will be held at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) stadium (Worli) and the session will be from 5 pm to 7 pm, on Sunday, June 21.

Yoga is derived from Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means ‘union’ or ‘to join’ – a union of individual self with the cosmic consciousness. The benefits of various yoga asanas for health disorders have been observed not only in our country, but also in western countries and widely accepted throughout the globe. By performing simple yoga asanas on regular basis, one can achieve peace of mind, improved focus, instant contentment and long lasting transformation. Yoga is not restricted to any age or generation; everyone, from a small child to a senior citizen, can practice it and keep themselves physically and mentally fit.

New entrants will be taken through the Iyengar Yoga class along with precise and synchronised instructions to get an experience and feel of the Iyengar tradition.

Registration for this event is free and starts at the venue from 4:15 pm. Interested participants must carry their own yoga mat, while people with major medical problems can observe the class.

(Picture courtesy blog.janoindia.com. Image is used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Listen

Attend: Sawani Shende performs in Mumbai

Vocalist Sawani Shende will lend her rich voice to rain themed ragas this evening at the NCPA. Do not miss.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The rainy season is richly celebrated in Hindustani music. While there are ragas specific to the monsoon, semi-classical genres of thumri and allied forms such as kajri, sawan, jhoola also express myriad shades of emotions, from pain of separation to the joy of union with the beloved, in the months of Sawan and Bhadon.

Born in a musical family, Sawani Shende has trained in classical and semi-classical music under Kusum and Sanjeev Shende, her grandmother and father, respectively. She also received guidance from vocalist Veena Sahasrabuddhe. Sawani’s music is an aesthetic blend of Kirana and the Gwalior Gharanas. Having made a debut at the age of 10, her musical journey is replete with performances and awards. She has a number of commercial albums to her credit, and has sung for several Marathi films and TV serials.

This evening, she performs in ‘Meghranjani’, with a song selection picked from traditional repertories of classical and semi-classical compositions celebrating the splendour of the rains.

Head to the NCPA at 6.30 pm. 

Categories
Tech

Review: ASUS ZenFone 2

Priced at Rs 24,000, the phone has some great features and some minor quibbles, but is a good device overall.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

ASUS has been slowly and steadily climbing up the smartphone ladder in the Indian market. The tech company got rave reviews with the original ZenFone. Continuing the trend after the ZenFone 5 and 6 is now the ZenFone 2 that has a lot of things going for it – 4 GB RAM, 5.5-inch full HD screen, 3,000 mAh battery, among others. Let’s find out if this Intel-powered device can hold its own in its price segment.

The looks. The ASUS ZenFone 2’s (ZE551ML) unique design is not massively different from the Zenfone, but is sufficiently different. The phone has volume rockers (similar to those on LG G3 and now the G4) on the back right next to the camera sensor and dual tone LED flash; other than the loudspeaker and ASUS, Intel and ZenFone logo complete the rear. The back has a nice brushed (almost faux aluminum) plastic material.

The phone’s back has a noticeable curve and with the smooth dual shade plastic sides and curved edges, it is comfortable to hold and carry. Having said that, its sheer size, bezel and weight (about 170 grams) will be a bit too much for some. On the front, the phone has a nice brushed aluminium chin just below the three capacitive touch keys — Back, Home and recent Apps key.

Right above the screen, other than the ASUS logo (second one) you have LED notification light, ear-speaker and 5 MP front-facing camera. The microUSB port and primary mic are placed right at the bottom. Plus, those slim volume keys are not the most tactile ones, but you will get used to them. The Power/Lock key is at the top along with the 3.5mm headset jack and secondary mic. The Power button placed, at the top right, located in the middle, is also hard to press.

Asus ZenFone 2Display. The phone features a 5.5-inch full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LCD. On paper, it is on par with most other smartphones in this price category today. The screen looks sharp and, while it is not the most pixel-dense display, does a good job for most tasks. I thought the phone performed well with videos and images. You can change the screen’s colour calibration using the inbuilt colour temperature app.

Battery. The phone has a 3,000 mAh battery unit. On most occasions it lasted me over 20 hours on a single charge (with a little over three hours of screen on-time). The usage included one SIM card inserted, two Email Accounts on sync, about half an hour or HD YouTube videos and music playback each. The phone takes a little under two hours to get fully charged from zero using the bundled charger. The battery is a solid point for the ZenFone 2; it hardly drained more than usual.

Audio. The loudspeaker on the back (designed to look longer than the speaker actually) isn’t very punchy for videos and games output and you would often have to use your hand to cup the speaker and get better sound. I didn’t any bundled headsets, so I can’t about in-ear sound. Call quality and in-ear sound were on par, and there were no problems with voice or sound during calls. One SIM card slot has 3G and 4G LTE supports, while the other has just 2G. Basics like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and network data didn’t require any troubleshooting.

Camera. The ZenFone 2 boasts a 13 MP rear camera with dual tone LED flash. Here are a few sample images.

The camera can take detailed, sharp photos, especially in broad daylight. The camera app has loads of options, in particular HDR and Depth mode work well and can be pretty useful at times. In low-light, the camera gives noisy photos and you may want to opt for low resolution photos. Having said that, it usually gave bright coloured shots better than most smartphones in this price range. There’s also a software feature called Super Resolution that lets you take 50 MP photos – by combining four shots and stitching them together.

Software and performance. The ZenFone 2 comes with an Intel Z3580 chipset (2.3 GHz quad-core processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU) and whopping 4 GB of RAM, which is surely one of the USPs of the phone. It runs on Android 5.0 with ASUS’s own ZenUI on top. The phone feels a lot smoother and snappier to work on than its predecessor. There are not too many Intel-powered Android phones, but this one certainly does its job without lagging.

ASUS has loaded plenty of options in every nook and corner of the OS. With a dedicated themes center, you can now choose the overall look of the phone – from wallpaper, lock screen, scrolling effect, option to change how your Menu launcher shows app icons or arranges them, to even changing icons from one of the icon packs from the Play Store, yep. Contacts app allows you to select certain contacts under the tab VIP, for whom you may contact frequently or just want to view separate from the rest. There are dozens of ASUS apps pre-loaded as well as annoying third-party apps, which you can uninstall. There is a dedicated ASUS support app you can use to chat and get help from the company’s customer support, so that you don’t have to wait holding calls.

ASUS has done a really good job with the ZenFone 2. With a good camera and screen, feature-heavy and relatively smooth OS, decent battery life and innovative design, the phone seems to be up there with other heavyweights when it comes to phones under Rs 24,000.

(Pictures courtesy Manik Kakra)

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