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Tech

Just in: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Today, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch devices in India. Read on for a quick review.
by Manik Kakra

Samsung launched two new devices in India today – Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

First, let’s talk a bit about the Android 4.3-powered Note 3. Unveiled at the recently-concluded IFA 2013, the Note 3 boasts a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, with size almost identical to the Note II, but slimmer. The phablet is powered by an octa-core  Exynos (quad-core 1.9 GHz A15 + quad-core 1.3 GHz A7) chipset, along with 3 GB of RAM.

Accompanied by a stylus (S Pen), the Note 3, just like its predecessor, comes with a host of S-features, some of which are based on the use of stylus. Connectivity-wise, there is Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA, microUSB +(MHL). Its back sports a 13 MP camera that can shoot full HD videos as well as 4K videos at 30 FPS. The front side has got a 2 MP camera that can also do HD videos. A part of Samsung’s S-features, the cameras can do duals-shoot, meaning you can shoot from both the camera in a single video simultaneously. The Note 3 is equipped with 3,200 mAh battery, and 32 GB and 64 GB of on-baord storage options (expandable via microSD card).

Samsung had previously made the phablet to be pre-ordered for Rs 2,000. The device comes in black, white, and pink colour options. Samsung has priced the Note 3 at Rs 49,900 (32 GB) at the launch, along with a data bundle for Vodafone users.

Galaxy Gear smartwatchComing to the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, this is a connected watch that sports a 1.6-inch Super AMOLED for showing all the notifications and some other bits while it’s connected to your Galaxy device. As of now, you can only pair one to a select few Galaxy devices, and get all the supported data right from your wrist. It is also equipped with a 1.9 MP camera on its strap, and a built-in speaker. What else, this watch has got voice control and a Twitter app, too (sixty pre-loaed apps). Weighing about 2.6 ounces, the watch has is powered by a single core 800 MHz SoC, and has got 315 mAh battery and 4 GB of internal storage space.

A few functions it is capable of includes showing missed calls, messages, email alerts, and instant messaging. Once connected with your supported device, you can check your contacts, messages, emails, etc. right from the watch. The smartwatch has been priced at Rs 22,990.

Which of these devices would you buy? Tell us in the comments section below.

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Tech

The dope on the new iPhones

Apple’s long-awaited iPhone event is done, and here’s what you need to know about the two new iPhones they launched.
by Manik Kakra

The iPhone event was expected to give two new iPhones – iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Apple’s new phones will obviously run on its new OS, iOS 7. The OS will be available for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and iPhone 5 from September 18, and a little later for iPad and iPod Touch (5th Generation) users. We will cover the OS when it’s out for consumers, but right now, let’s talk what these two new phones have in store for us.

Both the phones have a 4-inch (1136 x 640) screen, and are equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, 3G, and 4G LTE.

iPhone5C-iPhone 5C: Many people were expecting Apple to come out with a cheap model, which was basically due to the ‘C’ in the name. Turns out, this phone is Apple’s first attempt where colours are given some attention. We have seen iPods in loads of colours, and now we have an iPhone that comes in blue, green, pink, white and yellow.

The phone has a polycarbonate (a type of plastic material) body, and has the same internal metallic structure like the iPhone 5, which is no longer available. The hardware inside is pretty much the same as the iPhone 5 – A6 processor, 8 MP camera, and 1.2 MP front camera. The company’s main focus here is on the colour options. Maybe that ‘C’ stands for ‘colour’, and Apple now wants to expand its iPhone portfolio in a different direction.

While the phone will be available on contract, starting September 20, $99 for 16 GB, $199 for 32 GB, there is no official word on its launch in India, but it is expected to cost somewhere around Rs. 37,000 for 16 GB.

iPhone 5S: This is Apple’s new flagship phone. This new iPhone is the first smartphone that comes with 64-bit architecture. What this means is, there’s more raw power, and apps can iPhone5s_now be built on 64-bit platform to run even more smoothly. Powered by A7 SoC, the new iPhone is expected to be more powerful on the graphical side and visual effects.

Also, the iPhone 5S comes with M7 motion co-processor. What it does is, it takes all the load from gyroscope, proximity sensor and accelerometer. So, the co-processor will hopefully make battery last longer without having to put a lot of load on the main SoC.

Another thing the iphone5S brings to the table is the TouchID fingerprint sensor. There is a fingerprint sensor right on the Home button, so you have to press the button with your finger (which has previously registered in the phone), and it will get unlocked. You can change the Touch ID from Settings – a very interesting move from Apple.

Apple has also done quite a few things with the camera. The phone comes with a 1.2 MP front-facing camera, and a better 8 MP (ƒ/2.2) camera, and there’s a lot more in the interface part. You can now shoot 1080p videos at 30FPS, and 720p videos in 120 FPS. Thanks to the dual LED flash on the back, the phone automatically processes the colour temperature, and takes a shot according to light conditions. There are also Burst mode, Panorama mode, and addition of five element lenses in the camera app.

The iPhone 5S comes in Champagne Gold, Space Grey, and white and silver colour options. On contract, it starts from $199 for 16 GB, and goes to $399 for 64 GB. Again, there is no official word on its Indian availability or price.

Apple has also made the iPhone 4S (8 GB) free on contract, along with discontinuing the production of the iPhone 5. Apart from these, Apple also announced shell cases for the iPhone 5C, which cost $29, and the iPhone 5S, which cost $39. These shells are available in black, blue, brown, yellow, and white.

What are your thoughts on the new iPhones? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Feature image courtesy arstechnica.com)

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Do

The sound of music…in Mumbai

Lower Parel’s got a world-class contemporary music school at Sun Mill Compound recently. Mumbai musicians, get your groove on now!
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

It’s a bright red building with a purple signage, in the heart of the bustling market area on Lower Parel (west). The cacophony of the various chaiwallahs and various sandwich stalls and paanwallahs sets the mood for the area, a space where offices jostle for space with Hanuman temples, and where everybody moves quickly through tiny lanes, since there’s not much place to dawdle.

So the True School of Music (TSM) comes as a bit of a shock in these dreary surroundings, and not just because of its violently red exterior. On the inside, the 15,000 square feet of space is sunny (the central courtyard being lit by natural light through skylights), plush and completely world class. TSM was formally inaugurated last week on September 5, Teachers Day, by its founders, renowned music composer Ashutosh Phatak and sound engineer Nitin Chandy.

Ashutosh Phatak, Founder, TSMThe duo decided to start the first-of-its-kind music facility “to educate everybody in music.” Ashutosh (in pic on left) explains, “We want to provide music education of the highest calibre, and at a fraction of the cost that one would incur if one took admission to a music school abroad. We’ve already got over 30 students enrolled and we’re raring to go. We want to discover, educate and empower people in music with the skills necessary in their music careers.”

What’s so special?

For starters, TSM is set up in association with the Manhattan School of Music, the Academy of Contemporary Music (UK) and the Trinity College of Music, London. Besides, the school has “employed some of the world’s best professional tutors and claims that all graduates will be given professional placements.

“We got the facility done in three months, and there are two schools within it – the Foundation School and the Professional School,” Ashutosh explains. “The Professional School will feature five Western instruments (keyboards, bass, guitar, drums and vocals) as well as music production, composition, DJ and live sound engineering. Whereas, the Foundation School will have the same five Western instruments plus the five Indian instruments of tabla, sitar, flute, harmonium and vocals,” he adds.

There are classrooms, practice rooms, jam rooms, a recording studio and a world-class auditorium on the premises, for a well-rounded musical experience. “TSM will give employers like clubs, filmmakers, ad agencies and production houses the luxury to choose from a wider range of talent in music,” Ashutosh says.

If you want to know more about the courses TSM offers, log on to www.trueschool.in. You can also take a tour of the facilities till September 12, 2013. TSM is located at Sun Mill Compound, near Lower Parel station (West), close to the Hanuman temple. Classes begin from September 23, 2013.

(Pictures courtesy TSM)

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Tech

What’s happening at IFA?

The ongoing Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin trade fair has seen a lot of launches. Here’s a lowdown on all that mattered.
by Manik Kakra

The ongoing IFA trade fair, which is being held from September 6 to 11 this year at Berlin, has revealed a few good things. Here’s presenting a few:

SAMSUNG   

Note 3Note 3: We already knew Samsung’s new Note (see pic on left) is going to be unveiled at IFA, and so it was. Running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, the Note 3 features a 5.7-inch SAMOLED full HD screen, but its size is almost same to the Note II (5.5-inch screen) thanks to that slim bezel. This Samsung device is powered by 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset (having Adreno 330 GPU) or Samsung’s own 1.9 GHz Exynos octa-core chipset –depending on your market – along with, not 2 GB, but 3 GB of RAM. That’s beefy, right?

On the back, there is a 13 MP camera with dual LED flash, capable of recording full HD videos (60 FPS), while the front boasts a 2 MP camera. Other features include WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, and microUSB 3.0, yes, it has 3.0, not 2.0. The phone comes in 32 GB and 64 GB storage options (expandable via microSD), and 3,200 mAh battery. The phone is expected to be launched in a number of markets, including India, within the next two months.

Galaxy Gear smartwatch: Wearable tech is suddenly becoming mainstream news. We have seen quite a few smartwatches (Sony Smartwatch and Pebble) and leaks from various companies. Samsung, too, has come up with one (see pic on right). The Galaxy gear smartwatch is a watch that can wirelessly connect with your tablet or smartphone to give you instant information. This watch Galaxy Gear smartwatchfeatures a 1.63-inch SAMOLED screen, and can be paired with Samsung’s Note 3, Note II, SIII and S4. It gives you notifications right on your palm, so you don’t have to whip out your phone every time. Other functionalities could be detailed once the product is on sale and gets some apps as well.

Note 10.1  2014 Edition: This was probably the least exciting launch from Samsung. The tablet looks a lot like the previous 10.1 tablet, and there isn’t too much to talk about Android on tablets right now. It is powered by the same 1.9 GHz Exynos SoC with 3 GB of RAM. The screen is SAMOLED with a resolution of 2560×1600. Coming in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB variants, this tablet features an 8 MP rear camera, and 2 MP front-facing camera.

SONY

Xperia Z1: This was yet another smartphone, information about which leaked before the event, and was eagerly awaited by many. The Sony Xperia Z1 runs on Android 4.2, and is powered by the last Snapdragon 800 quad-core chipset, along with 2 GB of RAM. This water-resistant and dust-proof smartphone features a 5-inch full HD TFT screen, and a 207 MP camera (Exmor RS), which is really the USP of this device. It would be interesting to see how it performs as compared to other flagship smartphones from this year.

QX100 and QX10: These are two detachable lenses that can be attached with your iPhone and Android phone. While the QX100 has a 1-inch 20.2 MP Exmor RS sensor, the QX10 has got .2-inch 18.2 MP. Both have Bluetooth and NF connectivity options. Sony has also released their Sdk for better support and uses. We have seen a few such attempts, but not much from a phone company. Would you like a separate lens to get much more out of your smartphone, for those crisp images?

4_SmartWatch_2_Xperia_Z_1Smartwatch 2: Sony’s original Smartwatch didn’t get too many good reviews, but the Smartwatch 2 might just change that. With a 1.6-inch LCD, fully water-proof, the company promises 3 to 4 days of battery life. Connectivity-wise, there is Bluetooth, NFC, and microUSB.

Lenovo Vibe X: This phone sports a 5-inch HD screen, and with its polycarbonate material looks quite different from what we have seen from the Chinese giant so far. Powered by MediaTek’s quad-core chipset and 2 GB of RAM, this Lenovo phone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. We are still not sure if this phone would make it to other markets.

Toshiba Encore 8.1 Tablet: In a bid to compete against the iPad mini, Toshiba is launching its new Windows 8.1 tablet – Encore. Featuring an 8-inch (1200 x 800) screen, the tablet has got the usual Windows 8 plus new functionalities. Under the hood, there is Intel’s new Bay Trail Atom chip, this tablet does seem competitive as we have not seen many Windows tablets in this form factor.

What are your thoughts so far on what’s being unveiled at IFA? Is it a hit or miss? Anything more you were expecting? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Featured image courtesy Reuters)

Categories
Event

Bakin’ Huddle at Gorenje Studio

Foody Breaks’ baking class at Gorenje Studio combined a lot of fun with loads of learning, under chef Kunal Arolkar.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Bakin' Huddle1We were proud to partner Foody Breaks for ‘Bakin’ Huddle’, a baking class for Mumbaikars, on August 31 at Gorenje Studio, Lower Parel. The event was a lot of fun, with 11 Mumbaikars from different walks of life turning up to learn how to  put together five kinds of desserts, under the teaching of chef Kunal Arolkar.

Says Kunal, “We carried out a brief introduction of Gorenje India and Foody Breaks and I spoke of why I prefer Saturdays as the most preferred day to conduct such classes since you can use the following Sunday to practise what you learn, almost immediately. About 11 Mumbaikars turned up for the class, apart from two bloggers.”

Four products were taught over five recipes, as a few products had sub-recipes in them. “There was a highly interactive session with anBakin' Huddle2 effective Q&A, as there were quite a few questions from the participants. Plus there was a good coffee and product tasting round as well, to ensure everyone had sufficient energy to sit through the four-hour session,” Kunal says.

Kunal is happy to host more such classes. If you want to be part of the next class, check out our Contests and Promotions page for details.

(Pictures courtesy Kunal Arolkar)

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Do

Hula hoop, we say!

This cost-effective and fun way to exercise comes to the city through a one-hour workshop taking place at Bandra tomorrow. Go for it!
by Medha Kulkarni

Do these sound familiar?

“I will go for a jog every day.”
“ I will do yoga on my own at home.”
“I will YouTube fitness videos and follow them at home.”

Urban India is quite firmly caught in the throes of the fitness mantra and that’s a positive sign. However,the nature of our lifestyles and work leaves us with very little to really do anything about it. There’s a percentage of people who regularly attend the gym or various other fitness classes, but this percentage is still a minority. The rest of us try to eat as healthy as possible and frequently decide to do some form of fitness activity. But let’s be honest – most of our plans never come to anything.

hula hoop workshopThe main reason for this is lack of motivation.While we are very keen on being fit, it’s very difficult to really follow a fitness routine on your own at home. Maybe this is why hula hooping is fast gaining popularity. If you want to get into shape via a fun exercise activity, go for Leona Rodrigues’s hula hooping workshop at Bandra today.

What is hula hooping?
A hula hoop is a hollow hoop, which comes in various diameters. It has till recently been relegated as a toy and indeed, children have great fun hula hooping. However, the health benefits of hula hooping have quickly catapulted it to the top of fitness routines.

Hula hooping has a variety of health benefits. It’s an excellent workout for your abs and waist, it makes your spine supple and flexible, and burns calories effectively. Just 30 minutes of regular hula hooping every day can produce striking results in barely six weeks. The best part? It’s an inexpensive way of exercise – buying a hoop is one-time investment and it’s a lot of fun.

Once you master the basic technique, you can hula hoop away excess fat in any part of the body!

The workshop

If you are interested in learning to hula hoop, make your way to Bandra tomorrow, where Leona will conduct a one hour session at St. Joseph’s Convent High School Hall, Hill Road. Leona will not only teach you how to hula hoop, but will also answer all your hoop-related doubts. The best part about this workshop? At Rs 500, it will cost less than a movie out.

Hoops will be provided at the workshop and if you’re so inclined, you can even buy one from Leona to practice at home. Leona has been hula hooping for years and has conducted several workshops till date.For more information and registration, call 9867322077.

(Pictures courtesy natalieplaton.com and Hoopgaga )

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