Lenovo 3000 Y510

Lenovo has, over the past couple of years, focused on promoting its Y-range of products as multimedia powerhouses that also boast of good performance. By and large this tactic has worked well for the company. Does the recently introduced Y510 break the mold, or does it offer more of the same? Read on to find out.

Design and Features
The Y510, in a departure from previous models in this range, has a sober all-black finish. The lid has a beautiful matte finish, with grids reminiscent of expensive wallpaper paneling. The area around the keyboard has a smoothly diffused lead-colored finish that looks very classy. The LCD panel, however, is a bit of a disappointment, as it has a highly reflective surface and causes all kind of viewing problems.


Physically, the laptop is similar to other previous Lenovo models. Its profile is similar to that of a body-builder, so weight-wise it could do with a bit of slimming down. However, like most Lenovo models, the construction is quite sound – the sturdy plastic emits no audible squeak nor shows any extra flex.

The keyboard of the Y510 is top-notch. The keys are well spaced and offer great tactile feedback. Their texture is just right and permits hours of use without any of the fatigue that creeps in when one uses a laptop extensively. The touchpad is a tad large, but along with the firm mouse buttons, is better than offerings from other manufacturers. The area above the keyboard offers a digital touch panel for controlling your media players.

The Y510 sports a 15.4 inch panel with a native resolution of 1280x800 pixels. While this is a standard resolution, the LCD panel is quite troublesome. It's unusually glossy and reflective, and despite having the brightness set to full, I could see myself on it! This caused problems during our movie tests, as it was very distracting.

On its own, the LCD panel offers average level of brightness, sharpness and color. The viewing angle wasn't too good, with images fading away if not viewed straight-on. The laptop claims to be 'Dolby Home Theater' ready. In essence, all this means is that it packs a 4.1 surround system with a subwoofer underside. The main speaker is positioned just above the keyboard area.

In terms of wireless/wired connectivity, the Y510 is decently equipped. It offers 4 USB ports, a multi-format card reader, and a VGA-out. For further details, click on the 'specifications' link directly under the headline of this article.

The Y410 has a Centrino Duo T5450 CPU, 2 GB RAM and a 160GB HDD, and is powered by an Nvidia GeForce Go 8400M GS chipset for its graphics with 256MB of VRAM support. These specs are pretty basic, and this was reflected in the 3DMark and PCMark scores.

Our next test was multimedia functionality. This was a bit of a hit-and-miss. While the sound quality was top-notch, it was a bit soft and had to be cranked up. The LCD’s reflective nature was another problem as it was quite distracting while trying to watch a movie. It required a fair bit of fiddling with contrast and brightness levels to solve this problem.

The battery life was quite decent. Under full strain and brightness, the laptop was able to last a full three hours, which is good.

Conclusion
The Y510 has ultimately fallen prey to the same problem that plagued the series earlier: it skimps on performance to offer better multimedia performance. However, at Rs 55,900 it offers good value for money, and is therefore recommended.

Nokia Goes Game Crazy

Nokia today announced a strong presence at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) with new N-Gage and SNAP Mobile games, live demos of the recently launched N-Gage First Access program, and a keynote by Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Markets, Nokia.

"This year is our biggest GDC to date," said Jaakko Kaidesoja, Director, Games, Nokia. "We have a great presence to share our latest developments with the games industry, including live demos of the N-Gage service, new games, and informational presentations that will help game developers create better mobile games."

New games for N-Gage include: The Dark Knight, SPEED RACER and Super Slam Ping Pong by Glu Mobile; DChoc Café Solitaire 12-Pack, DChoc Café Sudoku and DChoc Café Hold' Em Poker by Digital Chocolate; and Worms World Party by THQ Wireless. Nokia Games Publishing will also bring new titles to the platform including Yamake, where you make the game, and Dirk Dagger and the Fallen Idol, a detective adventure game. In addition, SNAP Mobile, a Nokia mobile Java gaming solution, will soon offer a customized, multiplayer mobile version of the smash puzzle hit Chuzzle by PopCap Games.

Chuzzle
The multiplayer version of Chuzzle will feature community offerings, including chat, leader boards, and more. The original single player version of Chuzzle is expected to be available on a variety of mobile devices powered by SNAP Mobile by the end of 2008.

SPEED RACER
In this mobile game inspired by the upcoming movie, SPEED RACER players become the ultimate grand prix champion in the Mach 6. They must conquer the art of drifting, sliding, jumping and defensive driving in order to stay ahead of the pack while racing on extreme tracks with the dirtiest of competitors.

Super Slam Ping Pong!
In the spirit of Glu's runaway hit, Super K.O. Boxing, Super Slam Ping Pong is a game that features a cast of wacky opponents such as Master Wu-Pong and the Gnarly Gnome. Players must keep an eye out for each opponent's tell and weakness as they fill their Super Slam meter to unleash powerful slams.

The Dark Knight
Play as Batman in The Dark Knight, the action game based on Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming blockbuster film. Batman fights to eradicate street crime in Gotham City using his advanced combat skills and an array of unique gadgets. However, things take a darker turn when a new reign of chaos is unleashed on the terrified citizens of Gotham by a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker.

ASUS Launches P527 PDA With GPS in India

Asus India along with IDLDPL, (India Digital Life Style Distributors Pvt. Ltd.) has launched their latest PDA phone, the P527 in the Indian market. Among the host of functions, Travelog and Location Courier have been crowned as the most unique features on the P527. While Travelog enables users to record travel routes and export data to Google Earth, Location Courier serves as an S.O.S. device to send a user's GPS position to five preset phone numbers. In such cases of emergency, SMS messages will be delivered to the preset receivers with a touch of a button.



The P527 can record and share users' traveling pictures, routes, Points of Interests (POIs) and memos with the built-in Travelog feature. This xfunction supports the Google Earth satellite maps format – allowing users to create a diary of events during their travels. The timely GPS navigation with GPS Catcher allows users to find their location xwherever they are in the world – allowing them to navigate to their next destination with ease. The Location Courier feature of the P527 will also help prevent users from getting lost by accurately and periodically reporting their position to their pre-defined friends' contacts. Even in locations with vast, open country, the global GPS network will be able to locate the user.


Utilizing the Windows Mobile 6 Professional Operating System, the P527 provides Office functions and synchronizes Outlook emails, edits Word and Excel documents and views PowerPoint slides.

Additionally, the new station feature allows users to receive the latest news reports and website information through RSS related settings. The Business Card Recognition feature also makes it easy to capture the details of a business card without tediously keying in the data. With the built-in FM Radio Receiver, a 2 Mega-Pixel Camera (Auto-Focus) and Windows Media Player, users will be able to enjoy more multimedia enjoyment; while the built-in Windows Live function allow access to Hotmail, MSN, Spaces and. The P527 is a slim 15.4mm handset with a silver-gray aluminum cover. It’s equipped with 8 dedicated hotkeys and 5 directional front jog dial with a 3 directional side jog wheel. It’s 2.6 inch TFT, touchscreen display has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. It supports microSD cards for external memory. The con about this phone is it only supports EDGE connection.

The new ASUS P527 PDA phone is priced at Rs. 17,900 and is now available in India through IDLDPL.

Logitech ClearChat Pro USB Headset

A First Look

To use any of the VoIP software out there -- Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, etc. -- you need a headset. There are numerous variants available in the market, right from the sub-hundred-rupee Chinese models to high-end variants from reputed manufacturers.
I'm using the Logitech ClearChat Pro USB headset today. It's a multi-purpose headset that features easy connectivity and incorporates technologies to improve call quality; does it deliver?



The bundle includes the headset and a quick-start guide.

Specifications

Heroes of Yesteryear: Street Fighter

Here's a look at a group of characters from the '90s that made me wait outside the local arcade for hours, semi-starving during lunch. I remember saving Rs 10 from my lunch money to go play at the arcade, back in 1992; 10 bucks got me a lot of credits to play - and playing Street Fighter was the highlight of the day. Street Fighter was a rage, probably one of the most-played arcade games of all time, and for good reason. Let's be honest: no matter how much you play all these new fighting games, they lack innovation, they focus more on graphics, multiple levels, effects, and voluptuous female contours; they lack the punch (pun not intended). One of the main reasons I'm writing this is that there's an upcoming Street Fighter 4 title, one game that's looking ber-cool. If it follows SF tradition, we can look forward to a great game!

The first Street Fighter was published in 1987, which saw only Ryu as a playable character. The game was a decent hit and brought something new to gamers. A few years later -- in 1991 -- Street Fighter II was released; this was the game that made SF the brand it is today.
The game had great visuals, and was the first game to give players the option of choosing different characters. Every character featured multiple combat moves, throws, and special attacks. These special or hidden attacks were hard to execute and gave the player the edge over the AI or human opponent. The arcade version features a single-player campaign, wherein the player could choose a character and play through a series of fights with opponents from all over the world. The player would finally battle a boss character; every character had a story, and I remember playing through every character's story to see the different endings. Ryu was my favorite; his style, stance, and special attacks were awesome. The Shoryuken, Hadouken, and Hurricane kick were amazing special attacks. Ryu's American counterpart was Ken; they'd both learnt under the same master, but Ken's fighting style is more aggressive -- he relies on style more than technique.

Kingston Launches 19-in-1 Card Reader

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. has announced a strategic tie up with “The MobileStore”, one of India’s leading mobile retailers. As a part of this agreement, Kingston mobile memory products will be now sold across all The MobileStore outlets.

“This strategic tie-up allows us to quickly expand retail availability for our award winning flash memory products in the mobile retail channel,” said Nitin Malhotra, Country Manager, India, Kingston Technology. “We believe that our stores will offer the right environment to showcase Kingston products.” said Rajiv Agarwal, CEO and Director, The MobileStore Limited.

On a different note, Kingston has announced the launch of their new Kingston 19-in-1 Media Reader, an external, hi-speed reader designed to support 19 popular types of Flash memory cards. The reader requires no adapters or power cables and simply plugs into a PCs USB port

"The new media reader handles so many different card types that it's ideal for the consumer or business professional who uses multiple card formats to transfer data, music, photos, videos and other files between mobile phones, cameras, PCs and other devices," said Nitin Malhotra, Country Manager, Kingston Technology, India. "Its compact size makes it easy to carry while traveling or keeping on the desktop for quick access."


With four built-in slots to handle the various card formats, the Kingston 19-in-1 Media Reader has a retractable chassis that keeps inserted cards safe. It also houses a short, compact USB cable for use on the go with a notebook or other portable device with a USB port. A detachable three-foot extension USB cable is also included for use at home or at the office. The Kingston 19-in-1 Media Reader carries a two-year warranty. Other features include a built-in LED indicator. The reader complies with USB 2.0 specification standards; backwards compatible with USB 1.1 and is a simple plug and play device that is also compatible with any USB 2.0 or 1.1 port. It weighs just 71g with dimensions of 3.61 x 2.71 x 0.79 inches.

The four slots support 19 different Flash card formats which are - CompactFlash Type I and II, SD, SDHC, miniSD, miniSDHC, microSD, microSDHC, MMC, MMCmobile (DV RSMMC), MMCplus, MMCmicro, RS-MMC, Microdrive; as well as Memory Stick Micro (M2), Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo.

Kingston's 19-in-1 Media Reader is out in stores and is priced at Rs. 995.

XFX Introduces 9600 GT in India

XFX today announced the arrival of its latest premium product XFX GEFORCE 9600 GT.


This new card supports next-generation GeForce graphics with PureVideo HD technology, which enables the PC to play HD DVD and Blu-ray video playback with brilliant clarity. This card is also the first product in the 9600 GT series to offer up to 90 percent greater performance than any GeForce card in its class. It supports Microsoft DirectX 10 support, NVIDIA’s Quantum Effects technology, Lumenex engine as well as Unified Architecture ensuring optimium game performance.

It standard runs at a core speed of 650 MHz, with XFX overclocked versions available in the Extreme and XXX editions pushing 680 MHz and 700 MHz. The 9600 GT is HDMI capable with the use of HDMI certified components. The 9600 GT XXX edition is fully HDMI certified and includes a HDMI component kit and Company of Heroes DVD as a bonus game bundle.


The 9600 graphics card is available with Rashi Peripherals and its nationwide branches across India at an estimated street price of Rs. 13990 with a 3 year warranty.