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Tech

The best tablets to buy

Looking to buy a tablet, but confused about specs and prices? We’ve got a handy list to get you sorted.
by Manik Kakra

In the last four years, tablets have taken consumer technology by storm. Be it Apple’s dominant iPad, or Android’s vast options, the gizmo is surely been talked about, and its effect is visible. Be it slow PC sale or the smartphone’s shift to larger screens, tablets are here to stay. Here are some of the best tablets to choose from:

Apple iPad 4, Rs 31,000 to Rs 51,000: No surprise here, right? Apple’s iPad 4 is arguably the best tablet available out there. It has got the looks, a beautiful 9.7-inch retina screen, and hardware inside to make performance and gaming smooth on it. Plus, there are tons of quality iOS apps to install. The iPad 4, available in black and white colour options, comes in WiFi and WiFi + 3G variants with three storage options. It starts from Rs 31,000 and goes up to Rs 51,000 for WiFi + 3G 64 GB variant.

Apple iPad Mini, Rs 21,800 to Rs 41,000: Ever since Apple released the mini version of its tablet, consumers have shown how much they want this form factor. Having all the IOS apps made for tablets, the form factor and convenience make this tablet a hot seller. Sporting a 7.9-inch (1024 x 768) screen, this tablet, too, comes in 3G and WiFi-only variants.

asus-nexus-7ASUS Nexus 7, Rs 14,000 to Rs 21,000: If you want an Android tablet right now, this is the one to get. Having stock Android and the tablet, which made Android’s apps story serious on the tablet side, it comes with a 7-inch (1280 x 800) screen. This is a feature-packed tablet without too much fuss. Starting from Rs 14,000 for WiFi-only 8 GB variant, and going up to Rs 21,000, the Nexus 7 is surely a value-for-money tablet.

Sony Xperia Z Tablet, Rs 44,000 (approx): Sony’s tablet is the one you should consider if you are looking for good looks as well as a big screen. This tablet boasts a quad-core processor and a great 10.1-inch (1920 x 1024) screen, and it runs on Android 4.1. In fact, it is also water resistant and dust proof, so you don’t have to worry too much about its handling.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (P3110), Rs 9,300: If you are going to buy your first tablet and don’t want to spend too much, this samsung-galaxy-tab-2could be a good option for you. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2 runs on Android 4.1, has a 3 Mp rear camera, VGA front-facing camera, and it features a 7-inch (1026 x 600) screen. It has WiFi and Bluetooth for connectivity. This is the cheapest tablet on our list.

(Pictures courtesy gadgets.ndtv.com, www.engadget.com, mobiles.pricedekho.com)

Categories
Film

Go for the Terrence Malick film festival

One of the world’s greatest living filmmakers is being feted for a day, today, at Peddar Road. Don’t miss it.
by Medha Kulkarni

Lovers of good cinema in this city have another reason to rejoice. This weekend sees the Terrence Malick film festival at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture, Peddar Road.

Terrence-MalickHailed as one of the world’s greatest living filmmakers, Terrence Malick stands apart from others in being a filmmaker-philosopher whose films are simultaneously beautifully impressionistic and hauntingly profound. Malick is a Rhodes Scholar and a teacher at the prestigious MIT and his films are a spellbinding visual experience and traverse the field of questions about existence, god and nature. With a visual and narrative style that is consistent throughout his entire body of work, he works with an enigmatic approach to narrative and character, innovative voice overs and a subtle juxtaposition of natural beauty with violence and an almost poetic investigation into dreams and nightmares.

With a career spanning over four decades, he has made only seven films, being a ruthless pursuer of perfection in his work. The one day festival will showcase three of his best works, namely To The Wonder, Days Of Heaven (in pic above) and Tree Of Life.

The festival has been organised by the Enlighten Society, an arts and media organisation based in Mumbai.

You can get more information about the festival and about the Enlighten Society here or on their Facebook page. Book tickets for the festival here. 

(Pictures courtesy andrewsidea.wordpress.com, www.anomalousmaterial.com)

Categories
Watch

Rape of the flock

Film to be screened today discusses how American soldiers are raped by fellow personnel, and how the establishment plays cover-up.
by Medha Kulkarni

invisible-war-These news items come to the fore on and off and are discussed widely for a while before being buried under other, more urgent news. It is a worrying statistic that a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be brutally raped than killed or injured by enemy fire.

A documentary, The Invisible War, will be screened by Vikalp tonight at Prithvi House, Juhu, today (see below for details). Directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick, the film is “a searing expose of the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military, the institutions that perpetuate and cover up its existence, and its profound personal and social consequences.”

The Invisible War was the recipient of the 2012 US Documentary Audience Award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

American defence personnel, both men and women, who have dedicated their lives to the service of their nation are being raped and sexually assaulted by their own fellow soldiers, commander and officers – the very people whose job is to protect and guide them, rather than by the enemy force.

The film centers on the stories and experiences of Military Sexual Trauma survivors with the courage to come forward, tell their stories, and let us into their lives. Kirby Dick’s strong belief and main motivation behind making this film was that it would “shed light on these heinous acts and the larger systemic issue. The film intends not only to bring much-needed attention to this disturbing issue but also to stimulate the public to demand for legislation to protect the next generation from the horrors of sexual assault and the lifelong trauma that follows.”

The film screening will be followed by a talk by Sana Contractor (Research Officer at Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT). CEHAT, an NGO, is involved in research, training, service and advocacy on the issue of rape and allied themes. Joining her will be Robin Chaurasiya (of Kranti, an NGO that empowers girls from Mumbai’s red-light areas to become agents of social change.)

Get more details on the film here. The film will be screened today, June 24, at 7 pm at Prithvi House, opposite Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, Mumbai. Entry is free but on a first-come-first-seated basis.

Categories
Event

A very real treat for Mumbai

Do you dig non-fiction? Then you simply must head over to the Nehru Centre tomorrow for Asia’s first Non-Fiction Festival.
by Medha Kulkarni

nehru centreLovers of non-fiction have a reason to celebrate. From June 21 to 23, the Nehru Centre in Worli, Mumbai will host Asia’s first ever festival dedicated entirely to non-fiction work.

The festival describes itself as “India’s first and foremost event platform for everything non-fiction” and centers around the theme “Be Bold. Be real”.

Non-fiction is a genre that acts as a mirror through which one can critically engage with the world around us. It deals with pure fact whether they’re about people, places, events or even ideas. The festival boasts of an impressive lineup of speakers with names such as Devdutt Pattanaik, Bhawana Somaaya, Gregory David Roberts, and Malini Agarwal among several others. The speakers come from diverse backgrounds and careers right from business and management to leadership, health, fitness, media, cinema, cookery, lifestyle, politics, economics, globalisation etc. The festival’s format is relatively simple, with two conference halls that will have parallel sessions consisting of panel discussions, interesting keynotes and even informal conversations with celebrated writers. A separate hall will house a book sale where eminent writers will be present for book signings.

The three days promise to be extremely stimulating and are packed with interesting sessions with some of India’s leading thinkers and writers. And the best part? Registration is absolutely free.

Get more details on the festival on their website or their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter. 

(Pictures courtesy inseansopinion.com, www.indianholiday.com)

Categories
Do

Music and love for the soul

Catch this lovely 2009 French film this evening, on love, music, fidelity and work-life balance at the Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
by Medha Kulkarni

While the incessant rain makes most normal activities quite difficult, they also magnify the pleasure in others. Watching good cinema is one of them and if you agree, then head to Prithvi Theatre on Wednesday evening to catch the screening of French film Mademoiselle Chambon.

Mademoiselle ChambonThe film is being sceened at the theatre in partnership with Insitut Francais. Mademoiselle Chambon is a 2009 romance-drama film directed by Stephane Briz. The 101-minute long film revolves around the life of Jean, his loving wife and son who live a simple, happy life. Things begin to change when his son’s homeroom teacher Madamoiselle Chambon requests Jean to volunteer as substitute teacher and gradually starts to fall for her delicate and elegant charm. His ordinary life between family and work starts to falter.

The film is carefully constructed and depicts this moving tale of unexpected romance with elegance and subtlety. Stéphane Brizé’s directorial style is marked with patience and delicacy, sensitive to the rhythms of this special relationship full of misconstrued signals and ambiguous feelings. It’s a soft, elegant film and is a perfect way to spend a rainy evening.

Watch the film’s trailer here:

Like all screenings at Prithvi Theatre, entry is free but seating is limited. And since Prithvi Theatre is extremely strict about timings, please make sure you reach at least five minutes before the screening as you might be denied entry if you are late. The screening starts at 7 pm.

 

(Pictures courtesy cachecine.blogspot.com, filmsdefrance.com)

 

Categories
Event

Press photographers, this one’s for you

Media Foundation of India’s third national press photo contest is currently open, till the end of this month. Apply now.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Ajay Aggarwal from the Hindustan TimesLast year, this photo competition had several breathtaking photographs on display, and some remarkable winning entries. This year, too, press photographers across the country must surely be waiting to showcase their work.

The Media Foundation of India (MFI) and YES Bank recently announced the Third National Press Photo Contest for professional press photographers. The MFI is a not-for-profit trust started by four Mumbai-based media professionals as an independent platform to organise media-related activities that could extend beyond journalistic endeavours to promote a knowledge exchange on wide-ranging contemporary issues. MFI National Press Photo Contest is India’s only national-level contest for professional press photographers and is in its third year.

As per a release from MFI, “Photographs taken between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012 would be eligible for entry in this contest.” The winning entry carries a grand prize of Rs 75,000. “Additionally, three cash prizes of Rs 50,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 will be given to category winners in each of the six categories,” the release says.

The jury for the contest comprises noted photographer Pablo Bartholomew, Daniel Berehulak of Getty Images and Saurabh Das of The Associated Press. Last year, the contest received Mandar Deodhar's winning entry last year submissions of over 6,500 photographs by more than 200 photographers for the six categories (Browse some of the winners and Honourable Mentions below). In the 2012 Contest, Mumbai-based photojournalist Mandar Deodhar of India Today won the Picture of the Year award. (See pic on right)

If you want to participate, pick the category for your entry from these:

General News (GN): pictures of scheduled events or planned events

Spot News (SN): pictures shot on the spot without any advance planning

Daily Life (DL): glimpses of richness and diversity of daily life

Sports (SP): pictures capturing sporting moments

Arts and Culture (AC): pictures of the literary and performing arts; festivals etc

Best Photo Stories (BPS): picture sequence of a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 images narrating a story pictorially. Photo stories shot in any of the five categories could be entered here.

MFI says there is no entry fee for the contest, and entries can be submitted in CDs or via email. Final date for submission is Sunday, June 30, 2013. Look up http://www.mfi.org.in for details.

Some of last year’s winners and Honourable Mentions:

(Pictures courtesy MFI) 

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