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The Fine Print

• Offer makes you eligible to win a Fujifilm Finepix HS20EXR (Black)
• One entry allowed per person
• Winners will be decided by an electronic draw of lots
• Voucher sent over e-mail and SMS confirms that you are eligible to win; it does not indicate that you have won
• Winners will be intimated by e-mail by 01:00 pm on Friday, March 16
• Winner will also be announced on Facebook by 01:00 pm on Friday, March 16

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Rayman Origins (PS Vita)

I’m not too proud to admit this, but Rayman Origins is the first Rayman game I’ve played - ever. The only thing I knew about this franchise was that it was a child friendly universe that gave birth to a whacky spin off in the form of Raving Rabbids. I did not, however, anticipate the sheer amount of joy that can be derived from this title on the PlayStation Vita. 

For my brethren who’ve never dabbled with this franchise in the past, Rayman Origins is an old-school 2D platformer that perfectly blends combat with platforming in a very vibrant world. Story, of course is not an integral part of this game, but it’s there all right. You see Rayman and his band of friends have through their obnoxious snoring awakened the dead who now inhabit their turf, the Glade of Dreams. And of course, it’s up to Rayman to evict the new tenants. 

Bad Rayman

The game starts off in a jungle-based level, but soon expands to include multiple game worlds, each of which can only be accessed once you clear the previous one. Each world is thematically different, so in one you could be floating around the desert on mosquito shooting birds, while in the other, you could be sliding down frozen slopes avoiding tricky glaciers and what I presume are piranhas. The game packs in so much environmental variety that you’ll never get bored, even though you’re almost doing the same thing in every level. Also I recommend playing each level multiple times, because it looks real cool when you know the map by heart and (near) flawlessly breeze through it. Plus you get to upload your score online, so that’s always nice for the male ego. 

Every few levels you’ll have to rescue a nymph in distress after which she’ll bestow a special ability upon you like the ability to glide mid-air, dropkick stuff or even shrink in size to access certain areas. The levels that follow suit very cleverly put your new found abilities to the test. For example, once I earned the hovering ability, I was thrust into a game world full of air vents that made sure I mastered this ability to progress.

Umm what!

While this game looks very innocent, it’s also fiendishly tough at times requiring near perfect timing, razor quick reflexes and of course, tons of patience. It is, in fact quite ironic that such a kid friendly game made me spew out quite a few expletives at my poor Vita multiple times during my playthrough. However, none of these moments felt cheap and can be passed after a few tries. If for some reason you just can’t pass a roadblock, the game allows you to skip that level, altogether. However, if you do that, (and no one will judge you if you do), you may lack the required amount of Electoons to progress to the next level. In that case you’ll have to man up and complete the level or replay older levels to earn more Electoons. 

Rayman’s transition from consoles to the Vita is flawless and besides Uncharted, this has to be the most visually appealing game I’ve played on the Vita. Its art style is a unique blend of hand-drawn levels fused with fluid animation and gorgeous 3D design. It is a game largely meant for kids, so naturally levels are very vibrant and cheerful and truth be told, it was a nice change of pace from all the gritty/authentic games, I’ve played recently. The only thing I had to tone down was the in-game audio, since the constant gibberish and annoying music got to me after a few levels. 

I'll save you nymph

If you’ve picked up a Vita for yourself, Rayman Origins is the perfect addition to your library. It’s fun, insanely addictive and is capable of challenging the most hardened of gamers. It also offers players a surprising amount of replayability and is the perfect fix for gamers who don’t have a lot of time on their hands, since it can be enjoyed for five minutes or five hours. We most definitely recommend it.

Asus HD 7950 DirectCU II TOP graphics card Review

While we still await the arrival of Nvidia’s Kepler GPU, we can occupy ourselves with AMD’s newly launched “Tahiti” chipset, in the form of the HD 7970 and the HD 7950 graphics cards. These are built on the new Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture using the 28nm fabrication process. Due to this, Tahiti-based graphics cards have almost twice the transistor count, as compared to AMD’s previous flagship Cayman graphics cards (HD 6970). They’ve also managed to squeeze in more shader units, though the ROPs remain the same. The memory bandwidth has also been bumped up, thanks to a 384-bit memory bus, same as the GTX 580. Overall, the new chip looks like a worthy upgrade, on paper at least, but how this power translates into the real world is what we’ll find out today.

This brings us to the Asus HD 7950 we’ll be reviewing, which is their flagship HD 7950, based on the DirectCU II custom cooler and is also their TOP edition, which means it’s factory overclocked. The HD7950-DC2T-3GD5 (we’ll just call it the Asus HD 7950, for simplicity sake) is priced similarly to last year's Nvidia GTX 580, so it’s not cheap by any means. Let’s see what Asus has done to sweeten the deal. 

Design and Build 
Asus bundles the card in their usual packaging with the model name and other features clearly highlighted on the outside. The card is packaged extremely well, with the card cocooned in a strong Styrofoam mould. As part of the bundle, we get a CrossFire cable, two power cables, one miniDP to DVI converter, driver and utility disk and a manual. A word of warning, this card is not for meant for the average joe and by that I mean someone who has any run of the mill chassis, since this is a big card and I’m not exaggerating. Due to the DirectCU II cooler, it takes up expansion slots, so be prepared to move some things around before you install it. Also, if you happen to have a motherboard, where the SATA ports don’t face outwards, then this thing is going to block most of them. Despite being so monstrously big, it’s not very heavy, since it uses as aluminium heatsink.

A striking looking card

The rear ports include two miniDP ports, HDMI 1.4a and a DVI-I port. The card also supports Eyefinity up to 6 displays with the correct cables. The main USP of this card, however is the superior cooling ensemble fitted onto the GPU. DirectCU II uses copper heatpipes that come in contact directly with the GPU core, rather than having an extra piece of metal in between, which slows down the heat transfer. We’ve seen this type of technology being used in CPU heatsinks very often.

Good set of connectors

The heat is then spread across the two blocks of aluminium fins, which is eventually cooled by the two fans. This is a much simpler and cheaper solution, than using a vapor chamber. The metal shell covering the heatsink doesn’t cover the card entirely, so even though there are exhaust vents in the back, little hot air will escape into the cabinet. Asus have done a good job with the design and build of the card; we don’t have any complaints here.  

Features 
Asus hasn’t messed around with the specifications too much and other than the bump in the core frequency by 100MHz, the rest of it remains the same as AMD’s reference card. The core clock is now 900MHz, while the 3GB DDR5 memory runs at 5000MHz (effective speed). The new series also supports PCIE 3.0 interface and is backwards compatible with PCIE 2.0 as well. Other features include full DX11 support, 4K resolution support via HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2, AMD HD3D ready, etc. The card also supports quad CrossFireX , 7.1 channel audio over HDMI, along with Dolby TrueHD and DTS enhancements. The card also requires just two 6-pin power connectors to run, so it’s a bit more power efficient, compared to their previous generation of cards.

One of the best utilities out there

Asus bundles the GPU Tweak utility, which is by far one of the best in the market. Replacing the Smart Doctor utility, the functions remain pretty much the same, along with some new ones, all packaged in a slick little interface. The program lets you adjust the core and memory speeds for both 2D and 3D modes as well as the voltages. The fan speed can be manually set or you can leave it at auto. Each setting can be saved as a profile, so you can easily switch to it before firing up a game. Along with this, you also get a monitoring window on the side, which lets you track the temperature, voltages, clock speeds and even log this data, which helps you to figure out the limit when overclocking

Ultrabooks – What's on store shelves, what's on the way

After walking you through the survival story of Ultrabooks in the tab invaded tech world, we thought of bringing to you what has been hitting store shelves labelled under this newly found device category. The CES 2012 saw a promising new range of Ultrabooks, while some made their presence felt in late 2011 itself. If the currently available Ultrabooks do not suffice your needs, then you could probably wait, as the year ahead looks promising and we’ve also jotted down what is all set to hit the markets in the near future, going by what has been stated by the spokespersons of leading companies manufacturing Ultrabooks.

What’s on store shelves

Starting with our own home brewings - Wipro just put on shelves its first Ultrabook dubbed e.go. Aero Ultra, a sleek 14-inch ultrabook posing a 19.3mm thickness. It has been crafted with a 14-inch LED backlit HD display and weighs just 1.7 kg. Running on OEM Windows 7, it come with 4GB memory and 500GB hard disk, along with an isolation keyboard and a large multi-gesture touch pad. This product is a solid partnership between Intel and Wipro with the former’s technologies, like Intel Rapid Start, Intel Smart Response and Intel Smart Connect and obviously Intel Core processor. Depending upon the configuration, it has been priced between Rs.39,900 to sub Rs.49,000.

Sleek, stylish design

The term ‘ultra’ packs in a lot of strength with portability, battery life and quick start-up, but Lenovo ensures that the chic and good looking attire isn’t given amiss. The company’s IdeaPad U Series ultraportable laptops have been designed for those looking for a stylish and slim PC. The U300s has been crafted from a single piece of aluminum which makes it weight less than 1.3kgs and it has a thickness of 14.9mm. It equips a ‘Breathable Keyboard’, which uses Intel’s Advanced Cooling Technology, while the 13.3-inch screen is HD ready and has LED Backlit. It is powered by Intel’s Core i5 processor with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD.  The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook has been priced at Rs.71,990 (Incusive of Tax). The U400 follows on the similar lines, but with a slightly larger 14-inch LED display. It shows off a breathable keyboard, a full-aluminium body and can connect to your HDTV using Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology. Lenovo’s IdeaPad U400 Ultrabook costs Rs.59,990 (Inclusive of Tax).

HP taps onto the Ultrabooks segment with the Folio 13, which is known for its slick design, superior battery life, strong security options and solid state hard drive. Fuelled by Intel’s newest Core processors and the Intel Rapid Start Technology, HP’s first for the Indian market is the Folio 13. Measuring less than 0.75-inch thin and embeds an ultra slim 13.3-inch (33.782 cms) diagonal high-definition (HD) BrightView display. Besides the thin and light design, the ultrabook features superior battery life (up to 9.5hrs), good security options and a responsive solid state hard drive to boot. It comes at a starting price of Rs.69,990.

Asus has its Zenbook series following the Ultrabook trend. The Asus UX31 is powered by the Intel Core i7-2677M with 4GB RAM, posing a slim attire at 1.3kgs. It also embeds a 13.3-inch HD display and runs on Widnows 7 Home Basic operating system.  One will find a 256GB SSD and Intel’s integrated HD Graphics card 3000 onboard. The UX31 comes with the latest Bluetooth Radio 4.0 + HS, Wi-Fi b/g/n, a webcam and Bang and Olufsen ICE power speakers. The Asus Zenbook UX31 is now available for a revised price of Rs.99,999, and click here for its complete review.

Advanced feature-packed

The Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook made its presence felt last year at the IFA 2011. Weighing 1.4kgs, the device has been embedded with a 13.3-inch screen while the processors range from Intel’s Core i3 to Core i7 and a choice between a 250GB SSD or 320/500GB hard drive with an embedded SSD is available. On the connectivity front, one will find HDMI, SD card reader, Wi-Fi ‘n’ and Bluetooth 4.0 + HSR technology. The base model starts at a price of Rs.49,999.

Highly portable

Samsung has put forth the Series 5 Ultrabooks, featuring 13-inch and 14-inch models. The 13-inch variant is just 14.9 to 17.6mm thin and weighs 1.42kg (with SSD), running on Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB memory, up to 500GB storage and 16GB SSD with ExpressCache. The 14-inch model equips Intel’s Core i5 processor with 8GB memory and 16GB SSD with ExpressCache. It has up to 1TB storage as well as an AMD Radeon HD7550M 1GB graphics card. An integrated optical drive is also installed for maximum convenience. The 13-inch Ultrabook retails at Rs.48,990, while the 14-inch will sell for Rs.54,390.

Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus gets priced at Rs.16,275

The successor to the original Ace, the Ace Plus was announced amidst much fanfare last month. Now, we’ve got a price tag on this upcoming Android smartphone. Online store seller,Flipkart has priced the Galaxy Ace Plus at a cool Rs.16,275. As a reminder, the Galaxy Ace Plus is powered by a 1 GHz processor, runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, has 3GB user memory and 512 MB of RAM.

The Galaxy Ace Plus

Here are the rest of the specifications of the Galaxy Ace Plus:

• 3.65-inch HVGA TFT Touchscreen with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi b/g/n
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 5 Megapixel camera with LED flash, WVGA video recording @ 30fps
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

So, that makes us wonder about a few things. A bigger screen, than the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman, but no 720p recording. A smaller price tag, than the Sony Ericsson Neo V, which has a much better pixel resolution as well along with 720p recording. Competitively priced? We don’t really think so. Considering, we have quad-core phones coming soon now and prices of existing phones are dropping, as well; the Galaxy Ace Plus doesn’t have a lot to offer besides a bump in processor speed and a slightly larger screen. The screen resolution definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

This also brings to light the similarly absurdly priced Galaxy Ace Duos. On a comparative note, obviously the Galaxy Ace Plus seems like a better option, but the Duos is a CDMA only phone. The Galaxy Ace was a popular phone, it was well priced and at that moment, there weren't many options in the same budget. But, the Galaxy Ace Plus has a lot of competition now – not only in Android phones, but also in WP phones, like the Nokia Lumia 710, which is similarly spec’d. What do you guys think about the Galaxy Ace Plus at this price point? Does it make for a worthy buy? Let us know in the comments section below.

Apple sued over Siri-ous issues

We spent an afternoon with Siri a while back and that date pretty much got us aware about Siri and its abilities…and err, its disabilities. Yes, this beta voice assistant isn’t the best one you’d want in your pocket, but seems like a certain Frank Fazio figured that out once he bought the phone and boy, was he pissed off? As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Fazio had brought his iPhone 4S in Brooklyn, back in November and he got so irritated with Siri’s erratic behaviour that he went ahead and filed a lawsuit in federal court in California about Siri’s misdemeanour! Here’s what the lawsuit reads like, “[I]n many of Apple’s television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri.”

Sued!

According to Fazio, Siri has been quite terrible in real world scenarios. When he did ask Siri questions, “Siri either did not understand what Plaintiff was asking, or, after a very long wait time, responded with the wrong answer.”  The man has asked for unspecified damages in the lawsuit, while also claiming that at best, Siri is work in progress. While we do have similar feelings as him, we’re not overly pissed off with Siri as he is. For Indian shores at least, it’s definitely a major work in progress as our heavy accent isn’t recognized that well. We were of the opinion though, that it did work a lot better in the U.S, but it doesn’t seem so with Fazio.

What do you guys think about Siri? Is it a game changer, or an overhyped software? The next big thing to hit major smartphones or just a one off thing that only Apple could have managed? Let us know your thoughts and more about Siri in the comments section below. 

Top 5 gaming keyboards that deserve your attention

We’ve already looked at all the essential gaming peripherals, and now it’s time to see what’s available in the world of keyboards. Just like the others, the keyboard is an essential part of your gaming arsenal as it allows you to make precise movements, which could either help you win a race or get your head blown up in a death match. Most of the keyboards we’ve rounded up today have been designed specifically for gaming and by that, I don’t mean just fancy lighting and graphics, it’s the type of keys used that really sets them apart. Before we go ahead, let’s just cover some of the basics of a gaming keyboard and what you should look for when choosing one. 

In essence, we have two types of keyboards –the membrane or rubber dome type and the mechanical type. Membrane keyboards are the most common ones found in the cheapest Rs.200 keyboard to some high-end ‘gaming’ keyboards as well. If you’ve even taken apart a keyboard then you would've noticed translucent rubber padding between the keys and the circuit board. This is the cheapest and most cost-effective way of making a keyboard and you’ll usually find they have a soft or ‘mushy’ feedback. The key press is only registered here after pushing it all the way to the bottom, which requires more effort and energy from your end. Also, as time goes dust and grime makes the keys ‘sticky’, forcing you to use more energy to press them. This can cause major fatigue in your fingers, if you’re typing for long sessions.

The Cherry MX Black, Red, Brown and Blue keys in action 

Mechanical keys, on the other hand are designed to register the key stroke way before bottoming out or having you to press it fully, so this way you’re using less energy per key stroke and you can perform rapid key presses a lot easily and effortlessly. This comes in handy in games that require some button mashing. There are four types of keys most commonly found in mechanical keyboards. The Cherry MX Black is the best type for gaming. It’s a linear switch, which means there’s no tactile feedback giving you a very smooth feel. Cherry MX Red is a lighter version of the MX Black. It requires less force to actuate and keyboards that feature these keys tend to be expensive, since they aren’t easily available. Cherry MX Brown offer the best balance between gaming and typing. They feature a light tactile feedback making it easier to type on. Finally, we have Cherry MX Blue switches, which are the best for typing. The resistance is similar to membrane keyboards and they are quite decent for gaming as well. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at our top 5 contenders. Remember, if you’re going to be spending anything more than Rs.3,000, then make sure it’s a mechanical keyboard, else it’s simply overpriced and not worth it.

Corsair Vengeance K60
The K60 from Corsair is part of the Vengeance keyboard line-up and marks Corsair’s entry into the gaming keyboard space. The K60 features Cherry MX Red keys for the best response in games as well as specially contoured and textured WSAD and numeric keys from 1-6.

Amazing build and finish

The keyboard also boasts of an impressive 20-key rollover (20KRO) over USB, which is otherwise limited to six keys. This allows you to use up to 20-keys at a time and all will be registered, thanks to a 1ms polling rate. The keyboard also oozes style and quality with the brushed aluminium chassis and laser etched keys. The K60 is priced at Rs.5,900. 

Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 

The ‘Ultimate’ edition of Razer’s famous BlackWidow gaming keyboard, now features LED backlit keys, while maintaining the same feature set. The keys are individually backlit and we have five levels of backlighting to choose from. You can also record macros on the fly and save them among 10 profiles. The keyboard also features multimedia controls for quickly adjusting the volume. Razer uses the Cherry MX Blue keys, which make it easier to type on due to better tactile feedback, but not all gamers may prefer this type of key.

Added backlight makes it even better

There are different versions of the BlackWidow in the market, like the Dragon Age II edition and the Ninja edition, which feature Cherry MX Black for the best feedback for games. The BlackWidow Ultimate edition is available for Rs.5,900. 

Sony announces 1GHz dual-core smartphone, the Xperia Sola

Sony Mobile Communications has announced its new Android-powered smartphone, the Xperia Sola as the latest addition to its portfolio of Xperia smartphones. The NFC-enabled Xperia Sola comes equipped with Xperia SmartTags, allowing consumers to change their smartphone’s settings and applications by simply hitting tags. Xperia Sola will be available to consumers globally in black, white and red in the second quarter of 2012. 

Along with the Sola making its smartphone debut exclusively, is Sony’s floating touch UI that lets consumers navigate the web by hovering their finger above the screen, so it acts like a moving curser, without actually having to touch the screen.  Once the desired link is found, it can be highlighted and a simple tap will load the page.  According to the company, floating touch will evolve with better user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers.

Interesting!

Calum MacDougall, Head of Xperia Marketing for Sony Mobile Communications, commented “Xperia sola comes with the power of Sony and a sense of magic with floating touch, giving consumers a fun new way to browse the web and latest technology to show off. With Xperia SmartTags out of the box and access to the latest content through Sony Entertainment Network, Xperia sola is perfect for consumers looking for ease of use and the best in entertainment in a smart and innovative smartphone.”

The Xperia sola is NFC-enabled and comes with two NFC Xperia SmartTags in the box as standard to simplify consumers’ everyday smartphone experiences. By touching an NFC Android smartphone on a SmartTag, a pre-configured profile in the smartphone will launch. The two SmartTags included with Xperia Sola can be personalized with up to 10 commands. The out of the box tag is ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi and launch Google news and weather apps, and the other one for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode. The Xperia Sola supports NFC pairing, allowing consumers to connect with other NFC-enabled smartphones, applications and services by tapping their smartphones together. 

Now for the specs part, here’s what the Sola comes with: 

• 3.7-inch Reality display with a 854 x 480 pixel resolution
• 1GHz dual core processor
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (upgrade to ICS in Summer 2012)
• 8GB internal storage
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS support, NFC
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 720p video recording
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket
• 1320 mAh Lithium - ion battery

Pricing and availability for the Indian sub-region hasn’t been disclosed as of now, but what do you think should the Sola be priced at? Let us know in the comments section below.