Looking Pretty With Curves

Nokia Lumia 820

                               Nokia has a reputation for introducing some of the most beautiful mobile phone designs of all time. Nokia Lumia is the range that carries that tradition in the recent years. Nokia Lumia 820 is also a beautiful smartphone introduced by Nokia. The phone's design is basically curvy. It has round edges and a curvy back cover to make it look distinguish from its competitors. The new Lumia 820 also carries some serious hardware and though it is not the fastest or best smartphone out there it sure is a pretty decent one. Here are the specifications of Windows Phone 8 operated Nokia Lumia 820.

Nokia Lumia 820 Specifications

• Networks: 2G: GSM, 3G: HSDPA, 4G: LTE
• Display: 4.3" AMOLED display, 480x800pixels, 217ppi.
• Chipset and Processor: Snapdragon MSM8960 chipset with dual-core Krait 1.5GHz Processor
• GPU: Adreno 225
• Memory: 1GB ram, 8GB, microSD slot.
• Camera: 8 MP with 1080p video recording.
• Secondary Camera: VGA
• Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, WLAN, Bluetooth, HSPA, NFC.
• OS: Windows Phone 8
• Weight: 160 g.
• Battery: 1650 mAh Li-Ion.

                                   The new Lumia 820 also comes with the wireless charging technology introduced by Nokia. The display of this phone is kind of a let down. Also the battery is below the par. Yet it is a good phone and it is available for grab for US$ 650.

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Nikon Announces D5200

Nikon Announces D5200

                            Nikon has announced their latest mid range DSLR camera basically for the beginner and amateur photographers. Though it does look similar to the D5100 the new D5200 comes with a bunch of updates. It has a 24.1 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. It also has the EXPEED 3 image processing Engine and this combination is good for some serious photography too. There is also a new 39-point AF system that gives better focusing and tracking of moving objects.

                            There is also a new 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor for better exposure, autofocus and white balance. The camera also records videos up to 60fps in 1080i in stereo sound. There is a 3" LCD display and a easy-to-understand and easy-to-operate new GUI that effectively utilizes graphic processing. The camera can be operated using your iOS or Android device thanks to the compatibility with Nikon's GPS and Wi-Fi models which are optional. It is also designed to save energy and it is capable of taking approximately 500 shots per charge in single frame mode.

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Microsoft Surface with Windows

Microsoft's first tablet, Surface.

                              Microsoft is obviously popular for Windows and the wide range of other software they build. But this time Microsoft has broken into the hardware industry by introducing their first tablet computer, Microsoft Surface. There are also signs of a new Microsoft smartphone as well. It seems like Microsoft is trying to give a shot at the hardware industry, specifically mobile industry. There are two Microsoft Surface models. One is the Windows RT version and the other is the Windows 8 pro version. Windows RT is a version of the Windows 8 operating system designed to run on devices that has the ARM architecture.  Here are the specifications of Windows RT version and the Windows 8 pro version of the Microsoft Surface.

Microsoft Surface with Windows RT

• Display: 10.6" ClearType HD Display,1366x768 pixels,16:9 (widescreen),5-point multi-touch
• Exterior: 10.81 x 6.77 x 0.37in ,1.5lbs ,VaporMg casing,Dark Titanium color
• Processor: Quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 with 1.3Ghz
• GPU: Geforce ULP
• Memory: 2GB ram, 32GB/64GB internal memory and microSDXC slot. 
• Camera: 720p
• Secondary Camera: 720p
• Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, HD video out port.
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor,Accelerometer,Gyroscope,Compass
• OS: Windows RT
• Weight: 680 g
• Battery: 31.5 W-h

Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro

• Display: 10.6" ClearType HD Display,1920x1080 pixels,16:9 (widescreen),10-point multi-touch
• Exterior: 10.81 x 6.81 x 0.53in ,2lbs ,VaporMg casing,Dark Titanium color
• Processor: 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 Processor
• GPU: Intel HD Graphics 4000
• Memory: 4GB ram, 64GB/128GB internal memory and microSDXC slot. 
• Camera: 720p
• Secondary Camera: 720p
• Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth, USB 3.0, mini display port.
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor,Accelerometer,Gyroscope,Compass
• OS: Windows 8 Pro.
• Weight: 910 g
• Battery: 42 W-h 

                              There are some other cool features that are included with the Microsoft Surface such as the Touch Cover, Microsoft's own pressure-sensitive keyboard and cover. It is only 3mm thick and weighs less than 250g. There's also a kickstand that enables the user to use Microsoft Surface as a classic desktop computer. The Windows RT model of the Microsoft Surface is already available for purchase and the 32 GB model costs US$ 599 and the 64 GB model costs US$699 with the touch cover. The Windows 8 pro model will be available at the beginning of next year.                               

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Google Nexus 10

Samsung Introduces the Google Nexus 10

                                     Samsung as a leader in the smartphone industry has introduced some brilliant devices for all range of users. Samsung has also introduced two flagship Google Nexus smartphones before (Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus.) as well. But this time Google selected LG to produce their flagship smartphone and gave Samsung to produce the first Nexus branded 10 inch tab. Though this tab doesn't support any GSM or CDMA network it is packed with some serious features.

Specifications of Nexus 10

• Display: 10.1" Super PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 2560x1600 pixels, 299ppi.
• Chipset and Processor: Exynos 5250 chipset with Dual-core Krait 1.7GHz Cortex-A15 Processor
• GPU: Mali-T604
• Memory: 2GB ram, 16GB/32GB internal memory. No microSD slot.
• Camera: 5 MP with 1080p video recording.
• Secondary Camera: 1.9MP
• Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth, NFC on dual sides.
• OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
• Weight: 603 g.
• Battery: 9000 mAh Li-Ion.

                                             It should give visually stunning display performance with its resolution and the pixel density and also would be very fast with the new Samsung Exynos chipset,Cortex-A15 processor and the 2GB ram. The graphics performance would also be at a top notch with the new Mali-T604. We have to wait till it get released on this month to see its true abilities and lets hope that it would perform as well as it looks.

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All-New Range Rover Autobiography

2013 Range Rover Autobiography

                                     Range Rover is famous among SUV users as the unstoppable machine. Basically Range Rovers are capable of doing anything that you want. Range Rover has introduced three models for year 2013 (Vogue, Vogue SE & Autobiography) and as the pinnacle among them is the Autobiography edition. The all-new Range Rover Autobiography edition has been introduced to carry on the mark of its predecessors and it comes with a new face-lift and the shell design has also been changed. But sadly now it reminds more of a Freelander than a classic Range Rover. However the performance and the ability of this beast has not being compromised.

3.0L Version

                                     

           The new Autobiography gives three different engine  options to choose from.

• LR-TDV6 3.0 Litre Diesel Engine
• LR-TDV8 4.4 Litre Diesel Engine
• LR-V8 Supercharged 5.0 Litre Petrol Engine

5.0L Supercharged Version

                             The new LR-TDV6 3.0 litre engine with Stop/Start  has been introduced with improved fuel economy and as usual there is the 4.4L diesel version for performance and a V8 5.0L petrol version to simply do what ever you want. All these models feature an imposing bright chrome plated front grille, Atlas front bumper vent blades and Noble plated upper & lower door handles. The new 21 inch 10 Spoke alloy wheels are fitted as standard. Also every Autobiography edition Range Rover comes with 20-way adjustable leather seats, front seat drivers and passenger memory, front and rear climate seats and the state-of-the-art Meridian 825 Watt Sound System.

4.4L Version

                                             Autocar has given a full review about these beasts and according to them the all-new Range Rover Autobiography edition looks much more promising. In conclusion we could say that his would be the ultimate toy for any person who loves SUVs. 

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LG Nexus 4 gets officially announced

Nexus 4 is announced despite of the hurricanes.

                                     Google's nexus series phones are the cream of the crop when it comes to android devices at the time of their release because they pack the most advanced software and hardware specifications up to date. Their latest release Nexus 4 is manufactured by LG and despite the hurricane Sandy which cancelled the official Google event which was supposed to introduce the phone LG officially announced about the phone yesterday. Though their was nothing to be announced as the images and the specifications of the phone were already circling around the internet the official release sparked the attention towards it again. Here are the specifications of the Nexus 4.

 Nexus 4 Specifications

• Networks: 2G;GSM, 3G;HSDPA
• Display: 4.7" True HD IPS Plus screen, 1280x768 pixels, 318ppi.
• Chipset and Processor: Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with quadcore Krait 1.5GHz Processor
• GPU: Adreno 320
• Memory: 2GB ram, 8GB/16GB internal memory. No microSD slot.
• Camera: 8 MP with 1080p video recording.
• Secondary Camera: 1.3MP
• Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, WLAN, Bluetooth, HSPA, NFC.
• OS: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
• Weight: 139 g.
• Battery: 2100 mAh Li-Po.

                                      The phone comes with latest android update 4.2 Jelly Bean (Which was thought to be Key Lime Pie) which has new feature called Photo Sphere. The 8GB model of Nexus 4 is priced at US$ 299 and the 16GB model at US$ 349. The phone would get officially released on November.

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Apple Unveils iPad Mini

Apple Unveils iPad Mini 

                                                 Apple unveiled the iPad mini which was rumored for a long time. It is a 7.9" tab opposite to its sibling iPad which is a 9.7" one. The all new iPad mini is powered by an older A5 processor which was used in the Apple iPad2. It is a 1Ghz dual core ARM cortex A9 processor. PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics and 512MB RAM. The new Lightning port introduced with the iPhone 5 is here too.  The iPad mini has a 5MP camera which is capable of 1080p video recording and a 720p secondary camera at the front. The display has more pixel density than its siblings as it has the same 1024x768 IPS LCD display which was used in larger iPads.

                                                As usually Apple gives us a non expandable memory for the iPad mini which ranges from 16GB to 64GB. The base 16GB model would be US$329 and the 64GB one with Wi-Fi plus Cellular would be US$659. iPad mini would be released to the public on 2nd of November and we have to wait and see if this would be a hit among the public against Apple founder late Steve Jobs' predictions who said there would be no real-life application for 7 inch tabs.

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Sony User? Want to taste Jelly Bean?

The announces the Xperia phones which would get Jelly Bean.

                               Sony recently gave ICS updates to some of its Xperia line-up phones and now they have announced which phones would get Jelly Bean. Checkout the list to see whether you are getting an official update too.

• Xperia T
• Xperia TX
• Xperia V
• Xperia S
• Xperia acro S
• Xperia ion
• Xperia P
• Xperia go
• Xperia J

                              The first three models would get their updates on the first quarter of next year. All the Xperia phones that got ICS update won't get Jelly Bean.

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Butterfly in Japan

HTC announces the first production smartphone to have a 1080p display.

                           HTC announced its latest smartphone HTC J butterfly in Japan and it has the first 1080p display that is in a production smartphone. Also the phone comes with some serious features and the design also looks astonishing. The phone has a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz and a 2GB ram. It has a 5" 1080p display with a very impressive pixel density of 440ppi. It also has a 16GB internal storage and a microSD card slot to expand it. The primary camera of the phone is a 8MP one capable of 1080p video recording and the secondary camera at front is a 2MP one. 

                                          The phone supports all modern day connectivity features including LTE and NFC. It comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It also features the Beats audio technology that they introduced in all their high end smart phones recently. The phone has some serious specifications and to power all this up it has a 2020mAh battery.This model will be released in Japan in this December. The phone would be exclusive for Japanese market but HTC would sure introduce a phone with simillar specifications to the global market as well.

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Blogger Stats have been reset worldwide.

The Blogger Account Details have been reset.

                                           Today when I logged in to my blogger account I found that all my blogger account stats have been reset. I post a question in the Blogger forum about the issue and found out that Blogger users world wide are having the same problem. Check whether you are having the same issue. Now it is like the blog is starting from beginning. No stats, no details and no way to find out which articles were favorite unless you are using Google Analytics. Hope that they'll find some kind of a solution for this soon.

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Pros and Cons of new Nexus

Positives and Negatives of New Nexus 4

                  Google Nexus range is famous among android users because it offers best of the line hardware and software specifications for an Android smartphone during that time. The new Google Nexus, Nexus 4, is supposed to be released on 29th October but the specifications of the new Nexus is already out. We don't know whether all these specifications are true. But we know for sure that it would be based on the LG Optimus G platform. Lets see what are the pros and what are the cons of new Nexus as we know it.

Pros

• Quad-Core Snapdragon S4 processor.
• 2GB ram.
• Packed with the new Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie

Cons

• The benchmark test results for the new Optimus G is not so good, the phone that Nexus 4 is based on.
• It has a 8MP camera opposite to the 13MP one that is in the Optimus G.
• The memory is not expandable. User is just stuck with a 16GB memory.

                                           As rumored the display is going to be a 4.7" 720p one. We don't know whether any of these specifications are true. But the photos that got leaked seems legit. It seems like we have to wait till 29th of this month to see the true specifications of this big release of google.

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Gaming Under a Budget

Building a gaming PC for under 1200 Dollars.

                                      Recently one of my friends asked whether I know a place to buy a good gaming PC for under 150000 Rupees (Approximately 1200 US Dollars.). I searched everywhere and I couldn't find a place to get a decent one. There are so called gaming PCs here in Sri Lanka that are in this price range which carry GT545 VGAs and 4GB rams. Seriously,  who puts a GT545 in to a gaming PC (It also costs around 1000 US Dollars here.)? Then it hit me. I used to go to the web site of I Buy Power (A company which makes custom gaming PCs) those days and try out different settings just to amuse my self. Sadly they only deliver these custom build rigs to USA and Canada. But yet I wanted to find out what I could build for a budget of 1200 US Dollars.  Finally I wound up building this.

                                                Lets see the specifications of this beauty. The casing is a CoolMaster Storm Enforcer one and the casing is Laser Engravable. It has a Gigabyte B75M-D3H motherboard and the processor is a quad-core 3.4Ghz Intel 3rd gen Core i5 3570 one with 6MB Level 3 cache. The cooling system is a Liquid Cooling one with a standard 120mm fan. I also selected the overclock option which boosts up the speed by 20% for just 20 Dollars. You might be wondering why I choose an i5 processor instead  of an i7 one. Firstly i7 one costs 100 Dollars more. Secondly it doesn't have any affect to your gaming performance. Because what i7 processor does is, it makes a virtual core for every physical core (Hyper Threading), which is not supported by games. So if you are solely buying a PC for gaming giving that extra bucks for an i7 processor is useless. But if you are using softwares like photoshop then an i7 processor would benefit you.If you are thinking of a higher FPS rate the overclocked i5 would do better than i7 one in that category too. 

                                                       I choose a 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3 ram option with a clock speed of 1866Mhz, which is faster than the 1333Mhz ones we see here. When it came to selecting a video card I had to be careful because I was under a budget. So I went with an AMD Radeon HD 7870 single card with a 2GB graphics memory. The other option I had was the Nvidia GTX 660. But Radeon 7870 outperforms the Nvidia one in a reasonable margin in benchmark tests. It is also better than the GTX 660Ti in most areas and 660Ti costs about 100 dollars more than 7870. So the Radeon 7870 seems like the best option for the budget. When it comes to the power option I had to pick a Power Supply over 550 Watts as Radeon 7870 craves for it. So I choose a 850 Watt AZZA Dynamo power supply for all the power needs of my PC. 

                                                             Then it came to the memory option. I so badly wanted to install a SSD but my budget didn't allow me to do so. So I took the next best option. I choose a SSD cache drive which caches your most used applications as they were installed in a primary SSD. So that means even though your data is in a normal magnetic hard drive the SSD caches the data you use frequently and make them work faster as if they are stored in a SSD drive. We are able to do this thanks to the Intel's Smart Response Technology. So I choose a 60GB Kingston V+200 as my SSD cache and a 2TB 7200rpm ,6 Gb/s, single hard drive as my primary storage. I choose a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE sound card as I am kind of an audiophile. I also selected an Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card and an Asus 300Mb wireless USB adapter for connectivities. I used a 24x LG DVD R/RW as my optical drive and a 12-in-1 card reader to plug in the memory cards. I also choose an iBuyPower gaming keyboard and a mouse as it was the only option I could choose without exceeding the budget. But if you want some real gaming gear go for Razer or Logitech. There are also giving Nexuiz and Sleeping Dogs for free because I choose the Radeon HD 7870 and also a 16GB USB 3.0 flash drive for the systems over 1000 Dollars. 

                                            The price of the whole setup was 1199 Dollars(about 150000 Rupees). It is not the best gaming rig out there. But it is a pretty decent setup (Which would enable you to play Battlefield 3 in the Ultra mode without any lagging) ,specially under a budget . If you are searching for a gaming desktop for a budget this would be an option that you could consider.

                                                 

                     

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Sony embraces Windows 8

Sony's new Windows 8 powered computers.

                                           All are excited about the new Windows 8 operating system and all hardware manufacturers are also revamping their line-ups to get them ready for the new platform. Sony has also revamped two new models that embrace new Windows 8 platform and both these computers take the advantage of new touch optimized platform of it. The first model they unveiled is all new Sony Tap 20. The other model is Sony Duo 11 Ultrabook. The new Sony Tap 20 is an All-in-One PC but at the first glance it looks like a giant tab. The all new Sony Duo 11 is also looks more like a cross between a tab and an ultrabook. So as we could see Sony is emphasizing more on the mobility factor of theses devices to make them ultra portable. Lets check the specifications of these two models.

Sony Tap 20 Specifications.

Sony Tap 20

• Processor: Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3317U (1.7 Ghz, with Turbo Boost up to 2.6Ghz)
• Ram: 4GB DDR3
• Graphics: Intel HD 4000 integrated
• Storage: 750GB, no SSD cache.
• Optical Drives: None
• Display: 1600x900 pixels 20" IPS LCD touchscreen with Bravia Engine.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet.
• Connectors: 2 USB 3.0 ports, SD Card Reader.

Sadly Tap 20 doesn't have a VGA connector or a HDMI port to connect it to external displays.

Sony Duo 11 Ultrabook Specifictions

Sony Duo 11

• Processor: Intel 3rd Generation Core i5-3317U (1.7 Ghz, with Turbo Boost up to 2.6Ghz)
• Ram: 6GB DDR3 for standard version, can upgrade.
• Graphics: Intel HD 4000 integrated
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Optical Drives: None
• Display: 1920x1080 pixels 11.6" IPS LCD with Bravia Engine.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Intel's Wi-Di capability.
• Connectors: HDMI port, VGA port, 2 USB 3.0 ports, SD Card Reader.

                          World is waiting for the big release of Windows 8 on the October 26th and as the signs indicate the computing would never be the same afterwards. 

                                          

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Galaxy SIII Mini would come with Jelly Bean

Galaxy SIII Mini specs Leaked.

                              Galaxy SIII Mini is supposed to get released tomorrow, but the specifications of this phone has already got leaked. The leaked specifications are as follows. Some of these specifications might vary. Supposedly this comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

SIII and SIII mini

Galaxy SIII mini specifications

• Networks: 2G;GSM, 3G;HSPA
• Display: 4.0" super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, WVGA resolution
• Processor: 1Ghz Dual Core.
• Chipset: ST-Ericsson U8420
• Memory: 1GB ram, 16GB internal storage and a microSD slot to expand  memory.
• Camera: 5MP with 1080p recording, Front secondary VGA camera
• Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, WLAN, Bluetooth, HSPA, NFC.
• OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
• Weight: Not specified.
• Battery: 1500 mAh Li-Ion.

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Fulfill Your FPS Fantasies

Delta Six Gun Controller.

                                                 When I was a kid I used to have this TV game console and there was this game called duck hunt that came along in which you had to shoot the ducks using a handgun connected to your console. It was so cool  and felt realistic (well at least more realistic than using the mouse to shoot) and in later years when I was playing COD I always wondered why there isn't such a thing for the PC's. I think that you FPS lovers might have got the same idea at some point. But now you don't have to wonder anymore. There is Delta Six gun controller for FPS lovers who wants a much more realistic gaming experience.

                                                   You can basically add or remove components to Delta Six gun controller to make it a SMG, a Sniper or an Assault rifle. The buttons that are needed for interaction are located on the hand grip. You could attach silencers, scopes and attachments like that make your gaming experience more realistic. It has an accelerometer and force feedback motors to make it work out of box without any additional hardware and physically react according to the gun fires. The availability of this gadget is not yet available but it would cost you 89 US Dollars.

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