Category: Brands and Companies

All Brands and Company Names

Edit: The Best of the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed

For the uninitiated among you, The Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) is an annual hill climb featuring historic motor racing vehicles, held in the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England, every June/July. Visitors can expect to see lots of cars and motorbikes from over 100 years of worldwide motor racing history as well as newer models take a shot at the hill run. An immensely popular event, 1,50,000 people regularly attend the FoS. Here are some of the newer cars which were seen at the 2013 FoS, which was held over the last weekend.

Peugeot RCZ R

Dubbed the RCZ R, this striking coupe is the most powerful production Peugeot in history and was unveiled at the 2013 Goodwood FoS. The RCZ R uses an updated version of the 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the standard RCZ, which produces an impressive 270 hp and 243 lb-ft of torque. It can hit 100 kmph in 5.9 seconds and sports a beefier twin-scroll turbocharger, as well as a racing-derived steel exhaust manifold. Lots of mechanical upgrades have been done to the pistons, connecting rods, dampers and anti-roll bars making it a very capable little car. The Peugeot RCZ R will get its auto show reveal at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September before hitting European showrooms in early 2014.

McLaren P1

McLaren’s latest offering and part of the new breed of hyper cars, the McLaren P1 is the spiritual successor to the legend which was the McLaren F1. Unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the P1 packs some serious performance under the extremely aerodynamic carbon-fibre body. With a 903 hp hybrid powerplant which will slingshot the P1 from a standstill to 100 kmph in under 3 seconds, and to 300 kmph in 17 seconds, the P1 is a member of a very small and elite group capable of crunching numbers like those. If you haven’t noticed yet, the body is styled with the McLaren logo making multiple appearances all over the car’s sleek construction. McLaren really wants you to recognise this car when you see it fly past on the expressway. And if you want another number to feed on, the base model retails for a cool US $1,150,000.

Citroën DS3 Cabrio Racing

We at iGyaan love hot hatchbacks. Brimming with character and ambition, they really epitomise everything that’s wonderful about car culture. The Citroën DS3 Cabrio Racing is one such sporty little car, and was shown for the first time to the world at the FoS. A roll-top version of the DS3 Racing that was introduced three years ago at the Geneva Motor Show, it keeps the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 202 horsepower and 19-inch wheels. The entire package is coated in a stunning textured Moondark matte grey with black chrome, Carmin Red and DS-pattern accents. In fact, according to a few reputed sources, this isn’t just a concept anymore and is expected to go on sale in the UK next year. Unfortunately, it seems like we’ll have to wait a couple years more for the hot hatchback segment to really hit Indian markets.

Porsche 918 Spyder

Another member of the new group of hyper cars, the Porsche 918 Spyder is truly an engineering marvel. The 918 is testament to Porsche’s belief that hybrid supercars will not only successfully exist, but they will dominate the automotive industry. By far the most complex vehicle ever to come out of the Stuttgart-based automaker’s labs, the 918 Spyder is propelled by a hybrid gasoline-electric unit making use of a race-spec 4.6-liter V8 engine producing 795 hp, supplemented by two electric motors drawing power from a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. It starts up with the hum of a small electric fan, gently floats about without any combustion, and then takes off like a fighter jet when you put the pedal to the metal, onto a top speed in excess of 320 kmph. The base price is US $845,000 and considering the top-mounted exhaust pipes like the flare launchers on the 1966 Batmobile, we think its worth every penny.

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta

The successor to the Ferrari 599, the ~~F12berlinetta~~ F12 Berlinetta is one of the fastest production Ferraris ever built. The 6.3-litre V12 produces an unadulterated 740 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque propelling the big grand tourer from nought to 100 kmph in just 3.1 seconds. But the true measure of any Prancing Horse is the lap time around the Ferrari-owned Fiorano circuit near Ferrari’s hometown, Maranello. Ferrari claims that the F12 can go around the test track in 1:23. To put things into perspective, the previous record-holder was the 599 GTO at 1:24, while the Enzo clocked in at a ‘slow’ 1:25. A 0.299 Cd and 76 percent more downforce allows a top speed of over 337 kmph.

Ferrari SP12 EC

The only one of its kind in the world, the SP12 EC was specially built by Ferrari for legendary guitarist, Eric Clapton, who was happy to let them use his initials in the name. Based on the chassis of the 458 and the bodywork of the 512 BB, the SP12 EC was designed by Centro Stile in Maranello, in collaboration with Pininfarina, the famous Italian car design firm. Mechanically, it utilises the important bits of the 458 Italia, including a 4.5-litre V8 engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, but not many people know what the technical specifications of the one-off supercar really are. It reportedly set Mr. Clapton back by US $4.7 million.

Rolls Royce Wraith

On to the maker of the ‘best car in the world’, the Rolls Royce Wraith made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood FoS. The most powerful Rolls ever, the Wraith was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Although we’re wildly guessing that most people who end up buying the Wraith won’t be plowing it down racetracks too often, they very well could if they wished to. The 6.6-litre twin turbo V12 engine under the long hood of the luxury coupe produces 625 PS of power and a massive 800 Nm of torque. This along with Rolls Royce’s unique Satellite Aided Transmission technology fitted eight-speed ZF gearbox means that you go from nothing to 100 kmph in 4.4 seconds. Keep in mind that this is a 5.3m long car weighing 2.36 tons and those figures become a whole lot more impressive. The interiors are typical Rolls Royce, providing the ultimate in luxury making use of all the features of the Ghost while also flaunting ‘premium’ creature comforts like the “Starlight Headliner” cabin ceiling southern French wood panelling featured in the superior Phantom models.

Mercedes Benz A45 AMG

The Mercedes Benz A-Class was recently launched in India, and its AMG variant may soon be on its way as well. The striking A45 AMG hatchback had an impressive showing at the FoS as well, and unsurprisingly so. The potent little Benz only has a 2.0-litre engine under the hood but turbocharging helps it attain the highest specific output among production car engines, an astonishing 355 bhp. The hot hatch features a four-wheel-drive system for greater traction which helps it get from a standstill to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds onto a top speed of 250 kmph. Those are some serious numbers for a hatchback. The car is expected to be priced upwards of Rs. 50 lakh if it finds its way to India.

The coveted spot on the lawn of the Goodwood House was given to Porsche this year, where a sculpture is erected annually to serve as a backdrop to the FoS. This year, Porsche has put up three 911s, new and old, in celebration of 50 years of the iconic car’s existence.

Other eye-catching cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed included the stunning Jaguar Project 7 Concept, which is based on the new F-Type as well as the Bentley Continental GT3 race car. The FoS also saw the record-breaking auction of a Fangio-driven Mercedes Benz W196R Silver Arrows F1 car, at an unbelievable price of US$ 29.65 million. The 285 hp sub-700 kg Mexican Vuhl 05 as well as the eyecatching Alfa Romeo 4C were on display, as was the new Caterham 620, which may look like a small buggy to those who aren’t aware of it, but has a 0-100 kmph time of 2.8 seconds, making it one of the most fastest cars in the world in terms of acceleration. The Pikes Peak record smashing Peugeot 208 T16 also got a run around the much less challenging Goodwood hill and the Volkswagen XL1, known as the world’s most fuel-efficient car (at a truly staggering 132 kmpl) was on show as well.

July 15, 2013
Google Employee Awarded First Microsoft Bug Program Bounty

In June, Microsoft announced new “bounty programs” for people who could find exploits inside Windows 8.1 or vulnerabilities in the Internet Explorer 11 preview. This week, Microsoft announced that it has already informed one person that he has won money for finding an issue in IE11.

According to a post published by Katie Moussouris, senior security strategist at Microsoft, the company has already paid one security engineer for finding a glitch in Internet Explorer 11, but no specifics have been provided.

“The security community has responded enthusiastically to our new bounty programs, submitting over a dozen issues for us to investigate in just the first two weeks since the programs opened. I personally notified the very first bounty recipient via email today that his submission for the Internet Explorer 11 Preview Bug Bounty is confirmed and validated. (Translation: He’s getting paid.)” Moussouris wrote.

And still, Moussouris mentioned the name of the lucky winner in a short tweet the past week, revealing that he’s none other than Ivan Fratric, a Google information security engineer who also won $50,000 (€38,300) in 2012 in the software maker’s BlueHat contest.

While the Windows 8.1 bounty program is ongoing, the IE11 preview bounty program will end on July 26. Moussouris said a number of other researchers have also found exploits in IE11 and will be notified of that fact very soon. The reported vulnerabilities can qualify for bounties between $500 and $11,000, or even more in particular cases, depending on the gravity of the vulnerability and the quality of the report.

[Via]

July 15, 2013
LG Optimus G Pro E988 / E 985 Flash Review

LG has mostly faced challenges in releasing devices in India, they have either been too late (i.e. Nexus 4 ) or too early (Optimus 3D) in some cases awkward ( Optimus VU) and in some cases they have failed to hit the hammer on the nail (Optimus G). With the new LG Optimus G Pro, the company seems to have almost all the things right except the massive price difference in the US $ when the competition launched their phone and when LG launched their phone. The LG Optimus G pro is available for a price of Rs. 38990 , but does it justify that value? Lets Find Out !

Build Quality and Hardware

The build quality of the LG Optimus G Pro is nowhere near the HTC One, in fact it appears as if the Korean Manufacturers (read: Samsung and LG) like building their phones with plastic as the major component. The LG Optimus G Pro however is no light weight and can hold its own when it comes to build. The construction is solid and don’t expect any rattle or shake from the device.

The LG Optimus G Pro looks very identical to the Galaxy Note 2, maybe LG is playing on the worlds new weakness for Galaxy devices, as Samsung played for iPhone’s love.

The hardware on this phone is as big as the device itself, Qualcomm’s crazy fast quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, with the Adreno 320 GPU, 2 Gigs of RAM and a total of 32 GB of storage.

The cameras include a set of fantastic full HD capable sensors, with a 13 MP main camera and a 2.1 MP front facing camera which we will talk more about below.

[youtube id=”JAdBnnjaX7s” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Display, Multimedia and Camera

The LCD on the LG Optimus G Pro is not as bright as the Optimus G, where the screen felt just fantastic, here it seems a little dull. The display is big and wonderful no doubt, but it is definitely not the best display out there. LG usually throws in IPS displays and the viewing angles are great, the same is the case with the new LG Optimus G Pro and its IPS Plus LCD display. Add to the great colour reproduction and a 10 point multitouch panel overlay, which works really well.

Not only is the display fantastic, so is the audio. The Speakers are loud so if you are watching movies or videos or even playing games, you will be quite pleased with the capabilities of the LG Optimus G Pro.

The main camera on the LG Optimus G Pro, yields out great compositions, with a impressive hold on color correction and white balance. You can also manually adjust most of these things, but the auto mode is mostly accurate and can really deliver great pictures. The camera also has several shooting modes, including panorama, quick bust etc all of which work really well.

The HD video captured on the LG Optimus G Pro also gets stabilization among other effects. The video comes out nice, has little noise during the day and is well balanced in low light. You can also activate the infamous dual camera mode allowing your video to be captured while you capture the world.

[youtube id=”hpqyGXOVMIM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Phone, UI and Battery

The Phone call capability of LG Optimus G Pro is strong and we found networks to be exceptionally potent. The signal strength is almost always proper and we found little or no noise distortion when on calls.

The Optimus UI on the new Android Jelly Bean interface makes for a great experience, including several apps that actually work really well. The quick remote app on the LG Optimus G Pro controls more things than any remote app out there, it even remembers your AC and lets you control it with the flick of a finger. There are many other features like quick apps, Qslide and quick toggles, the quick note also lets you scribble directly on the screen and then later save it as a note.

The UI itself however, is not so pretty looking. It looks kind of clustered and reminds you of a messy lifestyle vs a more refined and organized one on other manufacturer overlays.

Battery is superb on the LG Optimus G Pro and will last you a really long time. We got good 6-7 hours of talk time over dodgy 3G reception, which is actually really fantastic. Below is the complete test result.

Function

Battery Life

Talk Time 6-7 Hours / 3G

Internet Usage 7 Hours

Music Playback 11 hours

Video Playback 6 hours

Avg. Charge Cycle 1.5 days

[youtube id=”anu97GFi2S0″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Conclusion

If you really want a big phone then this has to be it. The phone is fantastic, it’s fast to boot and responsive throughout, plays games great and has excellent cameras. It is large enough to a point where using it with one hand would simply be foolish, even if you have large hands like mine. The UI is the biggest let down and simply can be written over with a tap of a button.

If big is your thing then the LG Optimus G Pro is the right kind of slab for you.

July 15, 2013
Sony To Pay £250k Fine For 2011 UK Data Breach

Sony has admitted it won’t carry on its appeal against a £250,000 fine handed to the firm in Britain following serious breaches of its PlayStation networks in 2011.

ICO fined the firm back in January, after finding that the breach was “preventable” and that Sony, as a business, “should have known better” as the occurrence fell under the Data Protection Act.

A Sony spokesperson said. “After careful consideration we are withdrawing our appeal. This decision reflects our commitment to protect the confidentiality of our network security from disclosures in the course of the proceeding. We continue to disagree with the decision on the merits.”

The fine was handed to Sony by the Information Commissioner’s Office after its PlayStation Network was breached and data on 77 million users exposed. Further breaches of SCEE-related infrastructure led to data of millions more being compromised.

Despite it’s decision not to appeal the fine, Sony said it continues to “disagree with the decision on the merits.”

Unsurprisingly, ICO said that it was delighted with the change of heart. “We welcome Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited’s decision not to appeal our penalty notice following a serious breach of the Data Protection Act,” a representative said.

[Via]

July 15, 2013
5″ Blackberry A10 Makes An Appearance In Leaked Video

BlackBerry is on tap to launch a new smartphone in the coming months. The Blackberry A10 will is rumoured to be the 4th BlackBerry 10 powered device and a picture of the so-called powerhouse leaked online earlier this week. Today, a video of the Blackberry A10 in use appeared online.

This is actually the first time this alleged device has been caught on video. It is too soon to say right now whether it is merely a working prototype or if the device we seen in this video is actually what the A10 is going to be.

Specs are different than what original rumours pointed towards, but the report indicated that the Blackberry A10 will come with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display (resolution of 1280 x 720) and a dual-core processor, quad-core GPU to enhance the gaming experience, 720p video recording and an 8-megapixel camera.

The 29-second video, which presumably has been obtained through manufacturing sources in the country, suggests the device will take its design cues from its predecessor, the BlackBerry Z10.

Beyond the larger screen, the only apparent design change is the presence of dual coloured body. The Z10 shipped in black and white, while this one boasts both colours, as evidenced by pics leaked last week.

[youtube id=”gWoDJEUGwbg” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[Via]

July 15, 2013
Apple On Hiring Spree To Help Speed Up iWatch Development

Apple has already filed for a trademark for the name, “iWatch” in Japan and a new report from the Financial Times suggests that Apple’s also working to ramp up the number of employees working on the iWatch.

In what would be Apple’s first new product launch since the death of Steve Jobs, CEO Tim Cook seems acutely aware of the need for perfection – perfection the company can ill afford to miss.

The Financial Times report that the recruit stems from the “hard engineering problems that they’ve not been able to solve”, which could be seen as a blow to investors.

According to the sources of Financial Times, Apple chief executive Tim Cook may consider delaying the launch of the product if these engineering problems are not resolved in time.

The report says : As Apple moves from iPods, iPhones and iPads into an entirely new category of product, it is looking beyond its existing staff in Cupertino for the talent required to build it – an indication that the endeavour involves “hard engineering problems that they’ve not been able to solve”, according to one source.

Given these developments, it seems very likely that we won’t be seeing the iWatch for at least another year. A survey a couple of months ago suggested that 19% of consumers have interest in purchasing an iWatch, or at least something like it, and there’s no doubt that Apple understands the potential here.

While some might consider it unfortunate that the wait for the iWatch has effectively been extended, what results should be very interesting.

[Via]

July 15, 2013
Fangio-driven Mercedes F1 car auctioned for record $29M at Goodwood

The Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is known for hosting some iconic race cars in its history. The race car in the picture above adds to that list, and how. This Mercedes W196R was driven by legendary F1 driver, Juan Manuel Fangio, to wins in the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races. When the hammer fell at the auction yesterday, it was sold for $29.65 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold at an auction. With that sale, It also earned the honour of being the most expensive F1 car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes Benz in the world.

Fangio’s wins gave Mercedes its first back-to-back post-war Grand Prix victories, and it introduced F1 cars to fuel-injection, tubular spaceframe chassis and inline eight-cylinder engines.

The most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered for sale.

– Robert Brooks, Bonhams Chairman

The Mercedes W196R came close to the record price for a car sold privately, with the current holder being a 1962 Ferraro GTO built for Sterling Moss that went for a reported $35 million in a private sale last year.

July 14, 2013
Chevrolet Beat gets a minor interior upgrade

General Motors has given the Chevrolet Beat two minor cosmetic upgrades. The exterior is unaffected, with both changes taking place on the inside of the budget hatchback. These updates come in the form of driver-side seat height adjust and additional silver accents on the otherwise unchanged dashboard. These accents were earlier seen only on the steering wheel.

The Beat continues to be available in a choice of petrol, CNG and diesel powerplants. The same 1.2-litre petrol and the India specific 1.0-litre diesel engines are on offer with, the petrol engine producing 90PS of power and 108Nm of torque, and the diesel churning out 58PS and 150Nm of torque.

Owing to poor sales figures, GM has also introduced a limited period offer of Rs. 3.39 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the base PS petrol variant. Additionally, all versions of the Chevrolet Beat are on offer with free insurance that saves you upto Rs 15,000. There’s a Rs 10,000 loyalty bonus for those who currently own a Chevrolet and want to also buy the Beat. In case this is your first Chevrolet car, Rs 15,000 will be offered as exchange bonus when you trade in your old car at the showroom.

July 13, 2013
Report : Apple Will Not Launch iPad Mini With Retina Display This Year

The iPad mini Retina display may be taking longer than expected and a new report suggests we won’t see it until 2014.

The claim was published on Friday by China’s Economic Daily News, which said that though Apple originally planned to launch a Retina iPad mini this fall, it may be delayed until the first quarter of 2014. As such, the rumor suggests that a second-generation iPad mini will not launch this year.

That doesn’t mean we won’t get a new iPad Mini before the end of the year, though. The report notes that Apple may release a refreshed model before the end of year without Retina Display, though it’s unclear how prices and specs may differ across the two tablets.

The news lines up with an earlier report from NPD Display Research analyst Richard Shim, suggesting Apple will roll out a refreshed tablet with a thinner design, A6 processor and iOS 7 out of the box.

It’s been nearly a year since the iPad Mini was introduced. It features a 7.9 inch display with a screen resolution of 1,024 x 768 pixels, advanced Wi-Fi connections, built-in applications including Siri and FaceTime, impressive A5 chip, 10-hour battery life, iSight camera, HD video for full 1080p, 5 megapixel camera and AirPlay. It’s a small tablet with the premium experience. It also comes with a somewhat hefty price tag.

[Via]

July 13, 2013
MoDaCo.SWITCH ROM For HTC One Lets You Switch Between Sense And Stock Android With One Touch

Have an HTC One with Sense 5.0 but want the goodness of stock Android as well? The best of both worlds? Well, MoDaCo has a solution for you.

MoDaCo.SWITCH is a ROM that allows the user to easily switch from Sense and Stock Android with the tap of a button. Not only that, the data is maintained between the two UI experiences, so there’s no extra work on your part to keep data up to date with both.

As you’d probably guess–you’ll need to be rooted and all that good stuff to be able to install MoDaCo.SWITCH, but it installs just like any other ROM via a custom recovery.

Basically, the apps and information you have stored in one ROM are available on the other. This is possible because the underlying systems between these two ROMs are so similar. The HTC One GPe ROM features a lot of the Sense frameworks, so despite the visual and feature difference these ROMs are pretty similar.

An app on the handset labeled as “Switch” will bring up the option to choose between the Stock (HTC Sense) ROM and the Google Play edition (AOSP) ROM. Basically tapping either ROM will reboot the phone and allow you to quickly switch.

MoDaCo.Switch can be installed via Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP) or ClockworkMod Recovery (CWM), two of the most popular recoveries in the usual way.

Further details coming with this video include how the ROM will be based on the 2.24 European HTC One (Android 4.2.2) and the Google Play edition ROMs. Perhaps key here, it was said that MoDaCo.SWITCH is “coming soon.”

[youtube id=”vOZFIGcIJ5s” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[Via]

July 13, 2013
Multiple Shots Of Upcoming Moto X Come Out Thanks To Eric Schmidt

Motorola’s new flagship device has been heavily leaked over the past number of weeks. This will reportedly have a half-billion dollar marketing budget behind it and bring customers various levels of customization – everything from the colour to engraving features.

Being Google’s executive chairman means being able to play with all the newest toys. Eric Schmidt, Google’s own Chairman, is in on the fun and went out in public using the Motorola Moto X.

Photographers at this year’s Allen and Co. conference snapped a few photos of the phone, which the Google chairman didn’t seem particularly shy about using.

The Moto X was teased last month by Dennis Woodside, and now it looks like Schmidt is following suit by being the first person to pull out the phone.

What we know of the Moto X so far is mostly rumors, with a couple of leaked images of black phones with the Motorola M on them. Schmidt’s Moto X is the first white version of the phone we have seen, though it looks like the phone is only white on the back. We’ve seen this with previous Motorola phones, so it’s not a huge shock to see it here.

We didn’t get any confirmation of the previously leaked specs though. As you might recall the Motorola X is said to sport a 720p display and a 1.7 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset along with 2 GB of RAM, 10 megapixel rear camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Also a Google+ post by Robert Scoble shows the Moto X at the event, noting that “Tonight I was at a certain technology company (you might recognize it, except we weren’t supposed to share anything about what we were doing there) and someone handed +Daria Musk a really out-of-tune low-cost guitar. So I started shooting with Glass and this is what happened.”

You can watch that video here.

[Via]

July 13, 2013
Microsoft Posts Complete Details Of Windows Phone 8 Amber Update
Microsoft has detailed the upcoming ‘Amber’ update for Windows Phone 8, also known as GDR2. While the update is not as significant as some Windows Phone users are hoping for, it adds a bunch of much-needed functionality to the operating system, and should quench the public’s thirst for a few more months.

OEMs will release ‘Amber’, which adds FM radio support to handsets that support it, improves Xbox Music and stabilizes Skype, which has heretofore upset the balance of the People hub.

Users will also be able to set a favourite Lens app to open as the default camera, and use Data Sense to keep track of data usage overall, or on a per-app basis.

Here’s what’s new in Windows Phone versions 8.0.10327.77 and 8.0.10328.78:
- Xbox Music. It’s now easier to select, download, and pin music. Plus, music fans will see more accurate metadata (such as song and album information) and many other performance improvements.
- FM radio. Listen to FM radio right from the Music+Videos hub. (Not available for all phones.)
- Data Sense. Stay on top of your phone’s data usage with Data Sense. You can set a limit based on your data plan, or just keep track of which apps use the most data. (Not all mobile operators offer Data Sense.)
- Skype. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) apps like Lync and Skype now feature improved stability and performance.
- Internet Explorer. Your web browsing experience is now better than ever with improved HTML 5 compatibility.
- Camera. Set your favorite Lens so it opens automatically when you press the camera button. (Not available for all phones.) Other improvements. Includes many other improvements to WindowsPhone.
While a huge overhaul of Microsoft’s mobile OS isn’t expected until early 2014, this update will hopefully keep Windows Phone 8 users happy until then. Look for the update to be rolling out to devices soon.

The newly launched Nokia Lumia 1020 is the second device to come pre-loaded with Windows Phone 8 Amber, with the Lumia 925 being the first.

[Via]
July 13, 2013
2013 Audi S6 now for sale in India for Rs. 85.9 lakhs

Its been a long wait, but Audi has finally realised that a demand for sports sedans does exist in the growing Indian market. After launching the S4, the German automaker has now launched the S6, which is of course the ‘hot’ variant of the A6 executive sedan.

The S6 is propelled by a big 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 putting out some serious power, 415 bhp to be precise. An impressive 56kgm of torque is produced and A 7-speed S-Tronic DSG transfers power to all four wheels thanks to the Audi’s iconic ‘Quattro’ all-wheel drive system. Audi claims the S6 can go form a standstill to a 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 248 kmph. The S6 also packs Cylinder on Demand technology, which shuts off four cylinders during low load conditions, due to which it has a claimed fuel efficiency of 9.7 liters per 100km (10.3km/l).

Since the S6 is based on the A6, the styling is mostly similar, except for a few aggressive upgrades which help distinguish the sporty variant. Chrome and aluminium accents find their way to the front grille and a small rear spoiler is also added to the mix. The S6 gets larger wheels wearing lower profile tyres and a stiffer suspension setup, in tune with the more powerful engine.

Directly in competition with the extremely capable BMW M5, the Jaguar XFR and soon to be launched Merecedes Benz E63 AMG, the Audi S6 finds itself in a highly competitive segment. However, a relatively cheaper price, at Rs. 85.99 lakhs may work in its favour.

July 12, 2013
Top 5 Alternatives To The Apple iPad

With more than 65 percent of the market and an even greater degree of mindshare, there is no doubt the Apple iPad dominates the tablet market. And for good reason: Aside from the brief, ridiculous distraction that was the Joo Joo, the iPad was the first real consumer tablet to catch on. Plus, Apple has done a brilliant job of leveraging the iTunes ecosystems and the App Store to deliver a seamless and enjoyable tablet experience. For more than 2 years, no tablet could touch the iPad, but that’s changed.

The iPad is a great tablet, but it is not for everyone. Be it price, preference or special software requirements, many people choose alternatives to the iPad. Android tablets tend to provide a greater amount of control than the iPad, with the ability to customize the tablet and plug in USB devices without a special adapter. The newest alternative are Windows-based tablets, which come in two flavors: Windows 8, which is compatible with all Windows software, and Windows RT, which is a scaled down version of Windows that can only run a small subset of Windows software.

Here we present to you 5 alternatives to the Apple iPad, both from the Android and Windows stables.

1. Google Nexus 7

The most popular and widely appreciated Android tablet at the moment, the Google Nexus 7 sports a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and is powered by the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM.

With such raw power under the hood, the Google Nexus 7 is still one of the best tablets available in the market today. The version of Nexus 7 available on the Play Store is the base version, which comes with 16GB of internal storage and Wi-Fi connectivity. There’s also a 1.2 megapixel camera on the front and the tablet runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the box, but can be upgraded to Android 4.2.2 as soon as you take it out of the box.

It might not have the Retina Display of the iPad, but again, it doesn’t cost a bomb like the iPad either.

Cost : Rs. 15,999

2. Google Nexus 10

With the Nexus 10, Google comes in direct competition with the king of the tablet word, the iPad. The Nexus 7’s big brother, the Nexus 10 has is more suited to match the specifications of the iPad.

The Nexus 10 hits the iPad directly where it hurts the most and that is, the display. Google Nexus 10 boasts of a 10.1 display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, which amounts to a whooping 299 pixels per inch (ppi) and puts even the iPad’s Retina display to shame, which loses to the Nexus 10 at 264 ppi. Thus, the Nexus 10 has the best display on a tablet at present in the market. the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and thus, you won’t have to worry about any sort of scratches on the device.

Under the hood, the Google nexus 10 is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and thus, you can expect it to keep pace with anything and everything you throw at it. Running on stock Android 4.2, you’ll get a pire Google experience on this tablet and won’t even have to worry about software updates as you would get the updates as soon as Google releases them.

Even with all these top of line specifications, the Nexus 10 manages to keep a lower price tag as compared to it’s rivals and currently retails in the US for $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB). In India, it is available at various online retailers for a price tag of about Rs. 34,500.

Cost : Rs. 34,000 to Rs. 36,000.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Though it didn’t quite reach the sales figures Samsung expected, the Galaxy Note 10.1 still is a really capable alternative to the iPad.

A tablet with a big screen, a quad core processor and the might of the S Pen… known as a stylus to me and you.

Well, not just a stylus – with many levels of pressure sensitivity and the ability easily sketch and annotate on a wide range of items, the Galaxy Note 10.1 offers so much more than your average tablet.

In terms of Hardware the Tablets is packed to the top with top line hardware. Exynos quad chipset with Mali400mp GPU 2 GB RAM and 16GB +64GB expandability.

The Tablet has a high colour density 1280 x 800 px 10.1 inch display that allows you to really enjoy wathcing movies or playing games on this tablet.

The drawback? Pricing seems to be on the higher side. You can read our review of the tablet here.

Cost : Rs. 38,500

4. Sony Xperia Tablet Z

Weighing in at only 1.1 pounds and only 0.27 inches thick, the 10.1-inch Sony Xperia Tablet Z packs 2GB of RAM, an 8-MP rear-facing camera, 2-MP front-facing camera and 16GB of internal storage into a beautiful, sleek exterior.

On top of that, it boasts superior battery performance (three hours longer than average on our Laptop Battery Test) and NFC capability for seamless touch transfer between NFC-supported devices. The Android-powered Z also comes with a Remote Control app and an infrared transmitter that lets you use it to control your home entertainment system.

The Xperia tablet Z is powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM.

Oh and it is a waterproof and dustproof tablet.

[youtube id=”eHlHMcKdgxE” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Cost : Rs. 44,000

5. Microsoft Surface Pro

While it’s not really available in India, it still is a really nice tablet if you could overlook its absurd pricing (which, if rumours are to be believed, will be coming down pretty soon).

With a higher resolution screen than the Surface RT, and running the full blown version of Windows 8 the Surface Pro is kinder on the eyes and more powerful under hand, making for a potent, portable offering.

Making your mind up about the Surface Pro is less about what it is and what it does and more about what you want out of a tablet. As a hybrid PC it’s an undeniable compromise – but that’s no bad thing.

It’s a bulky device with significant weight, but at the end of the day you’re pretty much getting a portable PC, and all that power means there’s a wealth of options available on the Surface Pro which you just can’t get on the more standard of tablets.

Honourable Mentions

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, Galaxy Note 8.0, ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime.

What do you think? What tablet would you choose over the Apple iPad? Let us know below!

July 12, 2013
Apple Store Is Down Worldwide, New Products In Line?

The worldwide Apple store is down, and it has been down for the past 3 hours, giving rise to speculations that new/refreshed products will soon be announced.

Apple, from time to time, takes down its websites for maintenance and user interface upgrades so it could all just be a false alarm. However, if Apple were to announce a new device right now, it would most probably be a new line of Macbook Pros. Other than that, it could officially release the Mac Pro, the device they said would be announced later this year.

The new Mac Pro will be at least doubly powerful on every count than its predecessors. Its flash storage will be 10 times faster than any hard drive Apple has installed in its Mac Pros yet. The flash storage will offer 1.26 Gbps for reading and 1 Gpbs for writing. It will run on Intel Xeon chips, with up to 12-core configurations possible.

Among the changes to the casing, the new Mac Pro will be able to rotate using a handle on top. Motion sensors will detect when it is being rotated and the computer will light up the input panel for greater visibility.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether it’s a false alarm.

July 12, 2013