T3 Magazine - September 2015 IN.pdf

`120

The World’s Leading Gadget Magazine!

ONEPLUS 2 WE REVIEW THE LATEST FLAGSHIP KILLER

September 2015 issue. Promotional material, not to be sold separately

September 2015

&Roshan Rajesh

Kishore Kumar

Recommended

Melody unlimited

FREE AUDIO CD INSIDE

ISSUE 02 VOLUME 01 SEPTEMBER 2015 WWW.T3MAG.IN

SURVIVING A CUTTING-EDGE FITNESS LAB

SLASH YOUR BILLS TAKE TOTAL CONTROL OF YOUR HOME WITH SMART BULBS

REST EASY

YOUR LIFE ENHANCE EVERY AREA OF YOUR HOME WITH THE HOTTEST GADGETS RIGHT NOW!

KITCHEN GADGETS CLEVER APPLIANCES FOR ANY OCCASION

AMAZING GEAR FOR THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP

PREMIUM HEADPHONES BEST CANS MONEY CAN BUY

PLUS! SONY RX100 IV / HTC ONE ME / BMW i8

Brought to you in India by...

MEDIAMAN INFOTECH PVT. LTD. 14 th floor , Goldfilled Tower B , Sion Bandra Link Road ,Sant Rohidas Marg, Sion , Mumbai 400017. Tel.: +91-22-24061200 E-mail: [email protected] = +0$'$%$'=$1*$/24(=$42'$=+7%$1(59$4=+23$/=+(11$,=+$1',*$4+=2&+,1=2,0%$624( = (+4$'71=(/+,=79$+$6,=74*$21=24$.+374=2$=7%/,=1'24(=$,374=$007=$05+('374 = $//$1'+$4=2/.$66$=$1374=7&.129=70%$,=$*374=$5,.=$61$=$49$122=21',&+(44:=71( = $,374= $-.26= $1&+,=!(&71'4$%$'=!74$6="4,8$1'470=#,5+$.+$3$61$0=#,-$:$9$'$

website: www.mediaman.co.in Facebook:+663)$&(%22.&200(',$0$1&2,1

P R E S E N T S…

GameChanger New tech with the power to dent the universe

LENOVO M AGIC V IEW Smartwatches are great, but those tiny screens are an issue. And if you give a watch a bigger face, it’ll look pretty silly unless you have an arm like Hulk Hogan. Lenovo’s solution to this is the Magic View concept: a smartwatch with a second screen that sits beneath the face and enables you to see things in greater detail. We think this could be a game changer – it might look tiny, and a tad silly, but if you bring the screen close to your eyes, it transforms it into a mini VR-style headset, making small look huge; an increase in image size of around 20 times, according to Lenovo. Just swipe down on the main screen to activate it. Magic View would enable you to watch films as if you were in the cinema, or navigate within a life-sized Google Streetview. Price TBA Available TBA URL lenovo.com W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

SEPTEMBER 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 5

ISSUE 02 / SEPTEMBER 2015

Editor’s letter Welcome to the second gadgetfilled edition of T3 India Be it trivial or life changing, every step of our lives is intertwined with technology. Which is why this month, we are showcasing some of the best tech for your home, right from your living room and bedroom to your kitchen (pg 42). We’ve also taken OnePlus’ second iteration for a spin (pg 74) along with offerings from Samsung (Galaxy A8) and HTC (One ME). Like cars? Flick to pg 90 for our view on the Hyundai Creta. If you’re wondering how a fleet of computers can anaylse one’s strengths and weaknesses, our UK counterpart visited a human performance lab to know how some of the world’s best athletes and sportsmen monitor their fitness levels. Hope you’ll enjoy the issue and if you have anything to say, ask or recommend, don’t forget to get in touch!

Kunal Gangar, Executive

Editor [email protected]

Views and opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Next Gen Publishing Ltd. Next Gen Publishing does not take the responsibility for returning unsolicited material sent without adequate postal stamps for return postage. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in part or full without the prior express written permission of the publisher. All readers are recommended to make their own independent enquiries before sending money, incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in the publication. T3 India does not vouch for any claims made by advertisers for their products and services. The editor, publisher, printer and employees of the publication shall not be held liable for any consequence in the events of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Mumbai only.

Key contributors Amit Bhawani

Apart from being

Sujith Gopinath

R Srinivasan

Editor-in-chief

Managing Editor

Media professional

of PhoneRadar,

of Power Watch, he

with a penchant

he reviews

loves to write on

for photography

smartphones & loves trying

the entire gamut from energy,

and a decade of experience in

out new technologies like

cars, travel, technology, book

reviewing latest gadgets and

Internet of Things.

reviews, classic movies...

cameras.

6 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today SEPTEMBER 2015

T3 is… Consulting Editor H. S. Billimoria Executive Editor Kunal Gangar Copy Editor Gauri Kelkar Contributors Aninda Sardar, Rohinton Mehta, Jayant Kulkarni, Amit Bhawani, R Srinivasan, Jim Gorde, Sujith Gopinath Editor (UK) Rob Carney Contributors (UK) Nick Odantzis, Paul Dimery, Claire Davies, Matthew Kendall, Luke O’neill, Dan Read, Duncan Bell, Andrew Williams, Rob Temple, Joe Svetlik, Damian Hall, Joe Minihane Publisher Girish Mallya Head Design & Production Ravi Parmar Design Prakash Gavnang, Nandkishor Sawant Image Retoucher Deepak Narkar Production Supervisor Dinesh Bhajnik Product Manager Perseus Master BRANCH OFFICES Mumbai 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013 Tel: +91 22 43525252 Fax: +91 22 24955394 Ahmedabad Devendra Mehta - Mob No.- 09714913234 Bengaluru Girish Shet Unit No. 509, 5th Floor ‘B’ Wing, Mittal Towers, MG Road, Bangalore -560001, India Tel: +91 80 66110116/17 Fax: + 91 80 41472574 Chennai Salma Jabbar Cenetoph Elite,No.5,1st street, Teynampet,chennai-6000018 Tel: + 91 44 39149889 Fax: + 91 44 39149892 New Delhi Avishek Dutta 26-B, Ground Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase-III, New Delhi - 110020. Tel: +91 11 4234 6600 / 6678 Fax: + 91 11 4234 6679 Pune 401B, Gandhi Empire, 2, Sareen Estate, Kondhwa Road, Pune 411040. Tel: + 91 20 32930292 Fax: + 91 20 26830465 Hyderabad Srinivas Gangula -Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation) Mobile no. 09000555756 Kolkata Vidyasagar Gupta -Territory Sales Incharge (Circulation). Mobile no. 09804085683 Subscription Enquiries Tel: +91-22-43525220 Fax: +91-22-24955394 Apple Newsstand & Magzter Queries: [email protected] All rights reserved. Published with the permission of Future plc. Reproduction in any manner in any language in whole or in part without prior written permission from Future plc & Next Gen Publishing Ltd. with regard to their respective content is prohibited. Printed by Girish Mallya. Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Published by Girish Mallya on behalf of Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Printed at Kalajyothi Process Pvt. Ltd, 1-160/5 RTCX Roads, Hyderabad - 20. Published at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013. Editor: Kunal Gangar

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


Contents 042

Features 036 GADGET GURU

Our resident ‘help’ expert who’ll answer any queries you have. Right from fitness trackers to 4K TVs

BUILD THE ULTIMATE TECH HOME

Give every aspect of your abode a lick of gadget magic, and live like a king!

050 MAN VS TECH

Damian Hall is no couch potato, but how did he fare when we sent him to a human performance lab? Clue: he could hardly walk the next day

055 AGENDA

Get a taste for new tech and give your life an adrenaline shot with seven amazing adventures you can take part in this month

062 FUTURE CITIES

What’s next for our cities? We take a look how our cities will transform in the future

050

036

Save 33% Exclusive T3 India subscription offer – p106 Free with T3 September 2015 issue. Promotional material, not to be sold separately

ONEPLUS 2

&Roshan Rajesh

Kishore Kumar

Recommended

Melody unlimited

066



SLASH YOUR BILLS The World’s Leading Gadget Magazine! ONEPLUS 2 WE REVIEW THE LATEST FLAGSHIP KILLER

&Roshan Rajesh

Kishore Kumar

Recommended

Melody unlimited


ISSUE 02 VOLUME 01 SEPTEMBER 2015 WWW.T3MAG.IN `120


Free with T3 September 2015 issue. Promotional material, not to be sold separately

September 2015

&Roshan Rajesh

Kishore Kumar

Melody unlimited

SURVIVING A CUTTING-EDGE FITNESS LAB AMAZING GEAR FOR THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP FREE AUDIO CD INSIDE




THE ULTIMATE

TECH TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE ENHANCE EVERY AREA OF YOUR HOME WITH THE HOTTEST GADGETS RIGHT NOW!


REST EASY AMAZING GEAR FOR THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP

PREMIUM HEADPHONES


THE ULTIMATE

TECH TEC H TO IMPROVE IMPROVE YOUR LIFE ENHANCE EVERY AREA OF YOUR HOME WITH THE HOTTEST GADGETS RIGHT NOW!

REST EASY AMAZING GEAR FOR THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP

PREMIUM HEADPHONES

BEST CANS MONEY CAN BUY

BEST CANS MONEY CAN BUY




COMPLETE GUIDE TO… HEADPHONES

Recommended

REST EASY

ONEPLUS 2

WE REVIEW THE LATEST FLAGSHIP KILLER

YOUR LIFE

CLEVER APPLIANCES FOR ANY OCCASION

September 2015

TAKE TOTAL CONTROL OF YOUR HOME WITH SMART BULBS

THE ULTIMATE

KITCHEN GADGETS

`120 Free with T3 September 2015 issue. Promotional material, not to be sold separately


ENHANCE EVERY AREA OF YOUR HOME WITH THE HOTTEST GADGETS RIGHT NOW!

055

September 2015

WE REVIEW THE LATEST FLAGSHIP KILLER

TECH TE CH TO IMPRO IMPRO MPROVE VE

062

`120


PREMIUM HEADPHONES BEST CANS MONEY CAN BUY


Outfit your ears with the best cans money can buy get the lowdown here


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


Contents

p116

p118

ISSUE 02/ SEPTEMBER 2015

010

074

PREVIEW

ONEPLUS 2

Check out the hot new tech. Right from Samsung to GoPro to Asus and more!

An affordable phone with beefy specs is the right

023

PEOPLE American pop diva Taylor Swift has the world at her feet, but we bet she doesn’t have the gadgets and app we’ve handpicked for her...

026

WE CAN BUILD YOU…

029

TALKING TECH Machines are better at learning, figures Duncan Bell

113

117 Tablets 118 Televisions 118 Laptops

p117 Stay up to date with the latest gadget news and reviews online at www.t3mag.in

114 Bikes (600-1000cc)

119 Fitness trackers

114 Cars (Hatchback)

119 Smartwatches

115 Cars (Sedans)

120 Home Audio

115 Cameras (Mirrorless)

120 Headphones


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

SONY RX100 IV Sony has great little camera. But can you afford it?

094

SIX OF THE BEST Don’t even think about hitting the gym without reading our round-up of sports earphones

096

GAMES

INTRODUCING THE BEST BUYER’S GUIDE KNOWN TO MAN

From phones to tablets, and camera to cars, our selection of the very best tells you what to buy

We’ll tell you exactly what you should be playing right now

Select

SPORTS EARPHONES

SUPER SIX

102 APPS

Choice selections from the worlds of Android and iOS for smartphones and tablets

105

ENTERTAINMENT What’s worth watching

108

Getting an earful COMMON SPORTS-EARPHONE FRUSTRATIONS ARE A THING OF THE PAST, THANKS TO CLEVER NEW LUG-DWELLERS THAT WILL BRING OUT YOUR INNER CHAMP Words: Damian Hall

03 ONE FOR SERIOUS ATHLETES

port and earphones have rarely been on the same team. Many a run has been ruined by self-ejecting earbuds, bramble-loving wires or the fact that Survivor’s Eye Of The Tiger just doesn’t sound as dog-damn inspiring as it ought to. But, thankfully, all that is changing. A new generation of sport-specific earphones promise to turn us all into temporary Rocky Balboas as we pound the hills and pavements, or work up a sweat in the gym. Combining great sound with (in some cases) smartphone and Bluetooth compatibility, they’re truly performance-enhancing. Most importantly, they’ll stay stubbornly but comfortably in your waxy cavities, so you can concentrate on your running rhythm without having to keep reaching up to insert them back into your ears. Altogether now: ‘Rising up, back on the street...’

S

02 ONE FOR MOUNTAIN BIKERS

No matter what your taste or method of money-carrying is, find out which of our five swanky wallets deserves a seat in your pocket

116 Cameras (DSLR) 117 Smartphones

Inside

06 ONE FOR THE STYLE-CONSCIOUS

STYLE

T3 Elite is the best gadget-buying guide you’ll ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered all the categories that count, to bring you rock-solid recommendations. We’ve selected a Super Six of elite gear for each of the categories listed below.

04 ONE FOR OLD-SCHOOL JOGGERS

028

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE VERY BEST TECH AVAILABLE TODAY, YOU’VE DEFINITELY COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE.

01 ONE FOR MUSOS ON THE MOVE

Preparing to run the first marathon and need tech to boost your training? Our expert, a multi-marathon runner, delivers the goods

086

ONLY THE BEST OF THE BEST – LOVINGLY CURATED BY OUR TEAM OF TECH EXPERTS



YURBUDS LIBERTY WIRELESS MONSTER ISPORT LUETOOTH `5,300, yurbuds.com WIRELESS SUPER-SLIM Like most of the earphones here, these are sweatproof, boast a decent battery life (around six hours), and come with a remote control that enables track skipping and call taking. What’s different is that the earbuds are designed to fill your lugs and, thanks to TwistLock and FlexSoft Comfort Fit technology, are guaranteed “never to hurt or fall out”. They grip ears like superglue, but in complete comfort. Sound quality is superior, especially at ambient levels, while audible alerts for low battery is a nice touch, mid-song

094

`9,950, monsterproducts.com

A clever ‘flat’ (in a good way) battery and folded circuit board mean these are, well, super-slim. Sitting almost flush to the ear, they can be worn comfortably under helmets, goggles and such like. They stay in place, too, thanks to a patented earhook and angled ear-tip combo. As well as being water-resistant and sweatproof, they’re antimicrobial and washable. Bluetooth range is an impressive 15m, and battery life is over five hours. The sound is a little on the trebly side, but they’re a perfectly enjoyable experience overall.

y SEPTEMBER 2015

05 ONE FOR MINIMALISTS



05 ONE FOR MINIM ALISTS


JABRA SPORT PULSE WIRELESS

SENNHEISER OCX 686G SPORTS

SOL REPUBLIC RELAYS SPORT

BEATS POWERBEATS2 WIRELESS

These comfy earphones are much more than mere music transmitters – they’re your new coach. A tap of an earbud reveals your time, distance and heart rate (there’s a monitor built in), with a voice telling you if you’re working too hard or being lazy; and you can dissect your stats in greater detail via an app. The immersive Dolby sound curls around your earlobe like a pleasing sort of ear worm, and sound isolation is effective, too, meaning you can drown out passing lorries. Battery life is a modest five hours, but these are simply the best around.

If you don’t want your Top Gun soundtrack to cease mid-run as the battery dies, there are still good wired earphones around, such as Sennheiser’s OCX 686G Sports. Like their wireless rivals, these are sweatproof, come with a carry pouch, and offer different ear-fit options and a remote control that enables phone calls. Earhooks keep them in place, while an adjustable clip on the wire, for attaching to your T-shirt, is a nice touch. The bass-orientated sonics are clear, and background noise is obscured well.

These minimalist wired earphones are an enticing old-school option. Each bud is barely the size of a small coin, slotting quickly and imperceptibly into your ears. They’re remarkably secure, too, thanks to their unique angled design and a pliable rubber ring around each bud that wedges inside your lughole. Sweatproof, dustproof and waterproof, they also boast of a useful clip on the wire, and come with free eartips for life. Sound quality is good, if a little on the bassy side, and they come in shades of white, black, blue and yellow.

The box is swish, the carry case is swish… and the earphones themselves aren’t half bad, either. Adjustable earhooks mean there’s no forcing buds into lugholes, and they stay in place effortlessly.They’re so light (24g), you’ll hardly notice them (they’re the least obtrusive pair in this comparison), and they’re also sweatproof. A remote control enables you to skip tracks and take phone calls, while the battery lasts six hours and can be fully charged in 90 minutes. The sound quality is decent but by no means the best on test.

`12,250, jabra.in

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

From `7,999, en-in.sennheiser.com

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

`16,995, beatsbydre.com

`5,999, solrepublic.com


RETRO Love classic numbers? We’ve vetted from the best

Essentials 005 GAMECHANGER 106 SUBSCRIPTIONS 122 MONEY NO OBJECT

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


THIS MONTH…


YOUR GUIDE TO THE HOTTEST TECH, PEOPLE AND STYLES RIGHT NOW

12 14 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 26 28 29

Sony A7R II GoPro Hero4 Session Lexus Hoverboard Nanowin Scooter Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Gionee Marathon M4 Asus Zenpad 8.0 LG 4K OLED TV Taylor Swift BMW i8 We Can Build Wallets Opinion

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 & S6 edge+ `57,900, samsung.com/in Samsung expands the Galaxy... They have, indeed with two new flagship devices – Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+

What exactly is different between both the devices? Under the hood, both devices are more or less the same, save for few differences. For starters, the Galaxy S6 edge+ comes with dual edge display whereas the Galaxy Note 5 boasts its unique S Pen functionality. The design also varies in case of Galaxy Note 5. Despite it being inspired by the Galaxy S6 design, Samsung has made the phone’s bezel around the display narrower and a curvier back, which makes it easier to use the phone with one hand.

Tell me about the S Pen In its fifth generation, Samsung has improved the S Pen that now feels more solid and balanced in one’s hand. It has an unique clicking

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

mechanism that pops out the S Pen with one click. Users can now quickly jot down notes without having to unlock the phone. Additionally, Air Command feature gives access to S Pen tools from any screen and even allows to annotate PDF files.

How about the Galaxy S6 edge+? The Galaxy S6 edge+ distinguishes itself from the Galaxy S6 edge with a superior hardware and two improved ‘edges’ for the edge display. The new ‘Apps edge’ gives quick access to favourite apps whereas the enhanced ‘People edge’ enables faster access calls and messages to preferred contacts.

What is the hardware on both the phones? Both phones are powered by Samsung’s latest 14nm 64-bit Exynos octa-core processor and 4GB RAM, making them the first devices from Samsung to feature 4GB of RAM. Moreover, there’s 32GB or 64GB of

10


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Hype SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 5 & S6 EDGE+

A click is all you need to pop out the S Pen

memory but no option to expand it with a microSD card.

Do these phones have fast charging? Yes! In fact, the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ now support fast charging on wired as well as wireless charging that charges from 0 to 100 per cent in just 90 minutes and 120 minutes respectively.

The Keyboard case adds physical QWERTY keys

The curved back makes it easier for one-handed operation

Any improvements on the camera front? The camera now supports Auto HDR mode along with new filters and Smart Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). On the video side, the phones offer Steady Video, Video Collage Mode and Live Broadcast through YouTube Live.

Vital stats 5.7” 3000mAh Screen size of both the phones with Quad HD resolution support

Capacity of battery on both the devices

MST UFS 2.0

What are the accessory options?

Short for Magnetic Secure Transmission will enable users to carry out Samsung Pay transactions at regular PoS terminals

Samsung will sell a wide variety of accessories for both the devices, which includes cases and covers, battery packs, wireless charger but the one peculiar accessory that takes the cake is the QWERTY keyboard case. The case adds physical QWERTY keys for consumers longing for physical keys.

Is it available now? The Galaxy S6 edge+ is available now but Samsung has not announced the exact availability for the Galaxy Note 5.

g O

per lay

The type of memory used in the phones. UFS 2.0 is the fastest type of memory available on smartphones

Good phones get better with two new flagships Home button also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


SONY A7R II

Sony A7R II `2,39,990, sony.co.in A new camera from Sony? Not just any camera. It’s the first camera from Sony to have a back-illuminated 35mm full-frame sensor.

What advantages does the back-illuminate sensor offer?

Vital stats 399 XAVC S Number of focal-plane phase-detection AF points

Supports 4K recording in the new format at 100Mbps bitrate

5-axis 50 per cent Image stabilisation to support highresolution shooting capacity

Reduced vibration and shutter-from-shutter movements compared to its predecessor

For starters, the sensor enhances light collection, which means it will offer better low-light performance. Furthermore, with the help of an expanded circuit scale and copper wiring design, it enables up to 3.5x faster data transmission speed compared to the original A7R, resulting in fast autofocus.

Sounds good, what else does it have? The A7R II can shoot pictures in up to 42.4 megapixels resolution, and has sensitivity that can be expanded from ISO 50-102400. The sensor also supports 399 focal-plane phasedetection AF points, giving the A7R II camera the world’s widest AF coverage on a full-frame sensor. It is also 40 per cent faster than the last-generation A7R. The A7R II also comes with support for 4K video recording in either 35mm crop-mode or full-frame mode and features Wi-Fi and NFC for easier sharing of images through a supported Android smartphone.

What about the lenses? The camera supports a myriad of α mount lenses, totalling to 63 different models, including 12 FE full-frame lenses.

Wide range of lens options

When does the camera go on sale? You can buy it right now.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

PREVIEW

Vital stats 1,920 x 1,440 8MP

GoPro Hero4 Session

The wide-angle video resolution of the GoPro Hero4 Session

`35,560, gopro.com

The Session can capture stills at up to 3,264 x 2,448

10 in 2 1:55 This cube can take ten photos in just two seconds

What’s this cube thing, then? It’s GoPro’s brand-new mid-range action cam Doesn’t look like a GoPro, does it?

The continuous recording time, in hours

No, it doesn’t. Why change It’s GoPro’s smallest, lightest camera ye completely waterproof without any hou does that suit you?

Can I still use all my mou For sure! You simply clip the GoPro Hero Session into its frame and you can use a your currently accessories – such as the 3-Way or Flex Clamp.

? f

Does it record in 4K? Nope. You’ll need the Hero4 Black for that. But this can record at ultra-wideangle 1,920 x 1,440 at 30fps.

Any other cool features? Yeah, loads. It can capture stills in burst mode – up to ten photos in one second. And the time-lapse feature ena you to take a picture in intervals betwee and 60 seconds. Oh, and its one-button operation makes things super-simple. Th are also dual mics, which automatically h to eliminate wind noise (when mountain b k for instance). The auto low-light feature pretty neat.

What about battery life? With Wi-Fi off, you should be able to record for around one hour and 55 minu

When can I get it and how is it? It’s out right now – but we’ll be honest, i at `35,560. Still, it’s a very cool piece of now – but you’ll have to get behind us in h

.

WATERPROOF BODY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10

The Hero4 Session is completely waterproof, without any special housing. Just bung it in a GoPro mount and get in the sea!


GOPRO MOUNTS Clip the GoPro Hero4 Session into its frame and you can use any of your existing mounts. You get two frames in the box: one for front-on mounting, the other for side-on

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

LEXUS HOVERBOARD

Lexus Hoverboard `NA, www.lexus-int.com A hoverboard? A hoverboard is just like a skateboard but the major difference is that it does not have any wheels. And it levitates!

Whoa! Levitates? Yes, this hoverboard developed by Lexus takes advantage of magnetic levitation to keep the board above the ground without touching it.

Vital stats -197°C 18 The temperature to cool the superconductors

Number of months to create a working prototype

11.5kg 50oz Weight of the hoverboard with liquid nitrogen and magnets

Amount of liquid nitrogen to successfully levitate above the surface

Wait, so Lexus is into hoverboards now? Not exactly. This is just a proof of concept by the car maker to showcase all that is possible with the technology.

Look ma! No wheels

How exactly does this work? Can levitation work on any surface? No, for levitation to work, the surface has to be mixed with magnets while the hoverboard is fitted with cryostats where it houses the liquid nitrogen, which is then nused to cool the superconductors. Once the desired temperature has been achieved, the board is then aligned to the surface at a certain height, which is maintained for the duration that it’s levitating.

Sounds cool, when can I buy it? As we said, it’s just a proof of concept and won’t be on sale in the near future. That said, you might catch glimpses of the hoverboard as Lexus plans it to use it for marketing of its cars. 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9

10


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

NANOWIN ELECTRIC SCOOTER

Nanowin Electric Scooter approx. `52,000, nanowin. m What is this now? It’s an electric scooter from Nanowi

We’ve got electric scoo in the past; what’s so special about this one? The scooter is foldable, which make ideal to carry in the boot of your ca even on public transport.

What else does it have? The scooter is also fitted with a solar panel that allows a user to charge it even if there’s no access to electricity. The battery charge varies from two to four hours. Moreover, the motor is waterproof, making it usable even in Mumbai monsoons!

What’s the range like? The range again depends on the battery capacity used - 9, 12, 18 or 24 AH/60VDC and gives about 55, 75, 110, or 150km.

Vital stats 20kg 45°

Tell me about the speed? The scooter features three speed modes and reaches a top speed of 35 kmph. It also offers climbing capability of up to 45 degrees.

Maximum weight of the scooter

Climbing capability

IP68 150km Rating of the waterproof motor

Travel range with a 24AH battery

Is it available in India? Not yet but keep your eyes peeled as Nanowin is looking to enter the Indian market soon.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

8 9 10


ASUS ZENFONE 2 DELUXE The polygonal finish gives the phone a unique look.

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe (ZE551ML) `22,999, asus.com/in What phone is this? It’s the latest Zenfone 2 Deluxe from Asus.

What differentiates this Zenfone to the other countless variants? To stand out, The Zenfone 2 Deluxe incorporates multifaceted polygonal finish at the back that complements the phone’s ergonomic arc design.

The phone is evidently different in looks but what about the hardware? The Zenfone 2 Deluxe is more or less similar to the other variants that are available in the market. This means the Deluxe sports a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom processor with 4GB RAM and 4G connectivity.

What about the camera? The rear-facing camera supports 13 megapixel resolution while the front-facing has a 5 megapixel support. Both cameras support PixelMaster technology that ensures better pictures in low light conditions.

Does the phone have fastcharging functionality? The Zenfone 2 Deluxe supports Asus’ BoostMaster technology that charges the phone to up to 60 per cent in just 39 minutes.

Where can I purchase one? The phone is now available on Flipkart.com.

Comes in some unique colours

Vital stats 72% 85° Screen-tobody ratio

Wide angle frontfacing camera

4GB 3000mAh 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9 10


Dual-channel DDR3 RAM

Battery capacity of the phone

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

GIONEE MARATHON M4

Gionee Marathon M4 `15,499, gionee.co.in A new phone from Gionee? The Chinese smartphone maker has come out with a mid-range phone called the Marathon M4.

Marathon, hmm! Does it go on and on? As a matter of fact, it does. The phone features a whopping 5000mAh battery, making it one of the first Android phones to have such a large-capacity battery.

Does the phone trade off battery life with performance? Not really. The phone is powered by a decent 1.3GHz quad-core 64-bit processor and 2GB RAM, ensuring most of the tasks to run smoothly.

What about the camera and other features? The Marathon M4 has an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5 megapixel front-facing camera for high-resolution selfies. Additionally, it has a 5-inch HD AMOLED display and runs Amigo 3.0 OS based on Android 5.0. Despite the battery capacity, Marathon M4 is just 10.2mm thick

What are the available colour options? The Marathon M4 comes in white and black colour options.

Can I purchase the phone now? Yes, it is on sale.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

Vital stats 720p Dual 4G The display resolution of the screen

Marathon M4 supports 4G connectivity on both the SIMs

8 9 10

50 hours OTG The talk time on a single charge


On-the-go support to connect pen drives

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Hype ASUS ZENPAD 8.0

Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380) h p a k k

`14,999, asus.com/in This new tablet looks good. It does. It’s Asus’ new ZenPad tablet for the Indian market.

What’s so zen about the design? The ZenPad 8.0 features the Zen design philosophy with clean lines and embossed leather patterning. It also has an interchangeable cover design, thus allowing users to change the look as well as add some features. For instance, Zen Clutch transforms it to resemble a clutch, whereas a Power Case extends battery life and an Audio Cover adds 5.1 channel surround sound.

Tell me about the hardware. The tablet has a 76.5 per cent screen-to-body ratio, thanks to the thin bezel. Under the hood, it’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon octa-core processor, 2GB RAM and LTE support.

What about the display? The 8-inch display supports a 1280x800 resolution. Additionally, the tablet comes with VisualMaster that processes images for an overall improved picture quality.

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Vital stats DTS-HD 350g Premium virtual stereo sound

The tablet is lightweight for commuting

8.5mm 100GB The thickness of the tablet

Free Google Drive storage for two years of the phone

8 9 10


PREVIEW

LG 4K OLED TV `2,39,990, lg.com/in

Curved TV adds to the cinematic experience

A new TV from LG? It’s the world’s first 4K OLED TV that has been announced for India.

Interesting. Can you tell me about its picture quality? The TV is equipped with WRGB that adds a white sub-pixel to the conventional red, green and blue pixels. The result is lifelike colours. The selflighting pixel technology, the TV sports white as well as the darkest black with ease. Additionally, with 4K resolution (3840x2160) the TV offers a great visual experience.

What about the sound quality? LG has made sure there’s no compromise on the sound front as well. The TV incorporates Harman Kardon sound with 40W speakers on the 65-inch variant or 20W on the 55-inch one.

Is the TV Smart enough? In fact, the LG 4K OLED TV runs Web OS that gives the TV access to apps, news, games, social media in an easy-to-use and an intuitive interface. The TV’s simplicity is also enhanced with the bundled Magic Motion remote control that gives enables a point-andclick feature, a scroll wheel as well as voice recognition.

Any other features I should know of? The TV comes with integrated Wi-Fi, Intel WiDi, Miracast, MHL support and 3G/4G dongle compatible.

LG uses WRGB technology for improved picture quality

Vital stats 4K 5.9mm TV supports a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels

The Art Slim design makes the TV really thin

WRGB 4 This TV has brains. What about the beauty? The curved form factor of the TV adds a cinematic experience with Art Slim 5.9mm design

Technology used by LG to produce lifelike colours two seconds

Number of HDMI inputs in the 65inch version in hours

How much does it go for? The 65-inch 4K OLED TV sells for Rs. 5,79,900 whereas the 55-inch TV is priced at Rs. 3,84,900. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

10


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

TAYLOR SWIFT

With seven Grammy Awards chart hits and pots of c American pop princess se it all. But we bet she d these Taylor-made gadget

h pp

Words: Rob Temple DICTA PHONE FOR A DIVA

01 SMART VOICE RECORDER Apple got a taste of Taylor’s wrath when the 25-year-old penned an open letter berating the company for its payment policy. And, amazingly, Apple changed it. Now, that’s power. With the Smart Voice Recorder, imagine the letters Swift could dictate to other people and organisations: “Oi, North Korea, stop it!” “Hey, Qatar, give that World Cup back.” World peace could be achieved before the year’s out. Free, Google Play, App Store

SIX-DART FINISH

02 NERF N STRIKE ELITE MEGA CENTURION For Taylor, collecting awards is fraught with danger – you just never know when Kanye West might rush the stage (as happened when she was accepting the gong for Best Female Music Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards). She could equip herself with this toy gun and fire six soft darts at his head, causing him to scarper like a frightened cat. `4,000, funskoolindia.com

SH AKING IT UP

ILLUSTRATION: MISS LED

03 POWER PLATE MY7 Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, so while Taylor’s shake, shake, shaking it off, she might as well keep her figure toned at the same time. With more than 250 programmes and 1,000 individual exercises, the Power Plate my7 vibrates you into shape, and comes with a touchscreen and guidance videos. It also gives you the feeling of being on a podium, so she could practise acceptance speeches while she’s at it. `4,99,500, powerplate.com W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

CUTTING-EDGE

SET IN STONE

04 BABYLISS i-STUBBLE +

05 A ROCK THAT KEEPS TIGERS AWAY

Swifty has a history of dating bad boys, with Harry Styles as an ex and Calvin Harris as her latest beau. But we reckon she should hook up with that nice lad Ed Sheeran. OK, he’s compared himself to a hobbit with hairy feet, but Taylor could take a BaByliss i-Stubble + to his hairiest bits and shear Sheeran’s fluffiness down to 0.4mm in length. Easy. `9,000, babyliss.co.uk

It was hard thinking of gadgets for Taylor, seeing as everything seems perfect in Swift World. With that in mind, we want her to have something that won’t risk her losing her upward trajectory. That’s why we’ve picked a rock that keeps tigers away, inspired by The Simpsons. “It’s just a rock, though,” she’d say. Yeah, but do you see any tigers around? No? Well, then it’s working perfectly. You’re welcome.


PREVIEW

H A NDS-ON W ITH

PA RTICIPA NT ONE

Kate Young

BMW i8

AGE 28 OCCUPATION Accountant

Part eco-warrior, part bat-out-of-hell, what’s it like in the hands of mortals?

PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBY SESSIONS

T

he BMW i8 has an impressive 375BHP under its bonnet (well, its boot actually), yet boasts a tree-friendly 57.1kmpl and almost zero emissions. What’s more, it rockets from zero to 96.5kmph in 4.4 seconds and can outmanoeuvre supercars, yet it can still be mates with a Toyota Prius in its downtime. If you’re not familiar with the workings of the BMW i8, its Jeykll and Hyde character is down to the combination of an electric motor and a small (but efficient) petrol engine. Neither are particularly sensational in isolation, but together the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, giving you the power to rival cars with big, thirsty engines. Electric mode gives the BMW clean, quiet power, which is ideal when you’re just pootling around. But if you want to get somewhere fast, slip the gearbox into Sport mode and the 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, twin-turbo engine comes to life, instantly turning the i8 from shopping trolley to supercar. At just over £100,000 (in UK) or a whopping `2,29,00,000 (in India), the BMW i8 is a swanky spend. What we want to know is, are we looking at the future of fast cars here, or will the average petrolhead turn their noses up at it? To find out, we took six car-loving, tech-adoring enthusiasts, put them on a test track and let the keys do the talking. 24 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today SPTEMBER 2015

A hundred grand (in pounds, that too) might seem a lot of money for something that isn’t quite as fast as a Lambo, but there’s more than meets the eye here

WAS THE CAR AS FAST AS YOU IMAGINED IT TO BE? To be honest, when it was in normal driving mode, the i8 wasn’t really that impressive – there was a slight delay when I hit the accelerator, making quick exits out of corners a little on the sluggish side. But then I discovered Sport mode! When you flick this on, the big display turns from blue to red, and the car turns into something else altogether – it really did take things up a gear. The acceleration improves significantly and becomes on a par with how I imagine a supercar to be.

PA RTICIPA NT T WO

Tom Moorcroft AGE 34 OCCUPATION Marketing manager IF YOU HAD £100K BURNING A HOLE IN YOUR POCKET, WOULD YOU BUY THIS CAR? As a sheer feat of automotive engineering and an example of what can be achieved with hybrid technology, the BMW i8 is undoubtedly an amazing set of wheels. This car can really shift when you put your foot down, and it certainly looks the part! However, if I’m honest, if I had that sort of money I’d probably buy a different car. At that price point, you have a lot of choice. For me, the i8’s performance is decent but it can’t quite compete with some of its rivals.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Hype BMW I8

“As a feat of hybrid engineering, the i8 is amazing. It can shift and it certainly looks the part” TOM MOORCROFT

PA RTICIPA NT THR EE

Rob Gordon AGE 42 OCCUPATION IT consultant IS THIS THE FUTURE OF THE SPORTS CAR? I suspect it is. The technology is undoubtedly there with the i8, and I’ve no doubt that future iterations of this car will bring even better dynamics, as well as both improved range and economy. However, I think I’ll wait to see what generations 2.0 and 3.0 bring before I start digging deep into my wallet to buy one of these things. For the time being, I reckon I’m much better off keeping an older sports car on the road – but I’m sure the lure of shiny new technology will get me eventually!

PA RTICIPA NT FOUR

Nicholas Sargeant AGE 45 OCCUPATION Video technician

The i8’s dihedral doors swing upwards when you open them – if you can work out how. Cue lots of chin-scratching and blank stares upon first try

DID THE DESIGN OF THE i8 IMPRESS YOU? Most cars these days tend to follow (pretty much) the same design principles, which means that everyone on the road looks more or less the same as everyone else. But BMW has gone totally leftfield with the unusual styling of the i8, embracing a look that we’d normally only see in science-fiction films. But unusual certainly doesn’t mean unattractive, and the car is beautifully sleek. What really impressed me was how the car manages to be super-stylish and functional at the same time.

PA RTICIPA NT FI V E

David Johnson AGE 35 OCCUPATION Advertising manager

An average of 14.8kmpl in a supercar is something of a miracle, let alone 57.3! Don’t think it’ll be getting anywhere near that today, though…

HOW SPACE-AGE IS THE INTERIOR? Nestling into the driving seat for my first ride and suddenly being assaulted by a plethora of buttons, sounds and colours made me feel as though I was on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. I have to admit, it was a little intimidating at first but, thankfully, BMW has made all the settings simple to get the hang of. In fact, it’s so easy, it almost felt like I was driving a family hatchback rather than some kind of eco supercar. I got the hang of it in a matter of minutes, and was quickly sold!

PA RTICIPA NT SIX

Emily Thomas AGE 34 OCCUPATION Management consultant

Oooh look, a shiny round object with Once you engage Sport mode, the i8 a rubbery thing attached to it! turns from zimmer to super-gran

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURE OF THE i8? Hands down, it has to be the hybrid engine (it combines a small petrol engine with an electric motor). I feel that BMW should be commended for its fusion of economical motoring and strong performance – no car company has really achieved this before now. The BMW i8 also feels very comfortable to drive at low speeds, with a surprisingly smooth, quiet and refined feel to it. But as soon as you put your foot down, the ‘wow’ factor really kicks in – you have huge speed at your disposal. SPTEMBER 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 25

WE CAN BUILD YOU…

MARATHON MAN

Our expert advises on the best kit for embarking on those long-distance runs X-BIONIC THE TRICK RUNNING 0 1 SHIRT Believe it or not, breaking into a sweat sooner rather than later can help you preserve energy. The quicker your body’s natural cooling system kicks in, the less energy you expend. X-Bionic’s new Trick technology takes advantage of this by insulating your spine and tricking your brain into initiating your natural cooling system before you’ve hit calorie-sapping overheat. From `7,500, www.x-bionic.com

ISPORT VICTORY 02 MONSTER Science boffins have proved that using music during training can actually improve your performance. So you need a set of running earphones that will stay put and deliver great sound. Monster’s Victory buds fit snugly in-ear, thanks to improved Omni Tips, and kick out tunes with an adrenalineboosting depth and range. They’re also sweat-proof and come with anti-microbial powers to kill nasty germs on contact. `12,995, shopmonsterproducts.co.uk

S-LAB SENSE HYDRO SET 03 SALOMON

Super light, ultra-portable and easy to clean, the S-Lab Sense Hydro Set solves the problem of where to put your water on long-distance training runs. The hand-carried soft flask is free from BPA plastic and can hold up to 250ml. And, as relaxed hands are essential for a good running style, the vented glove features Sensifit handhugging fabric that helps to avoid the kind of tense grip you get carrying a normal bottle. `3,500, www.salomon.com

04GARMIN FORERUNNER 225 The Forerunner 225 running watch is the ideal tool for the kind of zone training you need to prep for a marathon. The built-in optical heartrate sensor tracks your BPM in real time, giving you colour-coded feedback and sorting your recovery runs from your tempo training by ensuring you’re always working at the right intensity. With seven to ten hours of GPS and HR tracking, it’ll outlast your longest runs; plus all of your data can be synced to Garmin Connect, where you can monitor your training and share your progress with fellow runners. `24,990, www.garmin.co.in

05 ADIDAS ULTRA BOOST With the kind of mileage you’ll be clocking during training, you’ll need shoes that can provide comfort and stability. The first shoes to team up Adidas’s groundbreaking Boost foam with flexible Primeknit woven uppers, the Ultra Boosts deliver both. The bouncy soles recycle the energy from each foot strike, putting more oomph into every step, while the sock-like fit gives a well-supported ride on longer runs. `15,999, www.adidas.co.in

01

X-BIONIC THE TRICK RUNNING SHIRT For an added endurance boost on those longer runs, the Trick has built-in compression that limits muscle damage, plus a clever wicking system that recycles your own sweat to help you stay cool

RACE ELITE 70 WINDSHELL 06 INOV-8

The perfect extra layer for training during the winter, the Race Elite 70 Windshell is made from breathable Pertex Quantum and weighs just 70g. It comes with its own stuff sack that crams down smaller than your fist, and can be clipped to a belt, ready to draw upon when it gets nippy. `6,500, www.inov-8.com


MONSTER iSPORT VICTORY

02

Music controls enable you to skip tracks and manage volume, while a built-in mic means you can take calls on the move

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Hype WE CAN BUILD YOU… SALOMON S-LAB SENSE HYDRO SET An anti-leak Blaster bite valve makes it easier to suck down water and avoid waste

03

With heart-rate tracking, the Forerunner 225 is the ideal tool for smarter training 06

GARMIN FORERUNNER 225 Training indoors? The Forerunner 225’s built-in accelerometer enables you to keep tabs on your treadmill runs without needing a foot pod. It also improves the accuracy of your outdoor GPS runs

INOV-8 RACE ELITE 70 WINDSHELL The Race Elite 70 Windshell features a handy chest pocket for stashing essentials like your bank card, keys, cash and even smaller MP3 players

04

ADIDAS ULTRA BOOST The Boost foam in these trainers is made from thousands of little bubbles known as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). As well as having more bounce than the EPA found in most shoes, TPU degrades slower, so you can put in more kilometres

05

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


STYLE

03

ON THE MONEY

UR BAN CASH

VELOCULTURE THE FLATTY An Etsy-only, handmade number, The Flatty is a perfect money store for the eco-minded cyclist. Made of upcycled bicycle inner tubes, and with a sweet-themed interior, it’s both tough as nails and seriously hip. `2,400, www.etsy.com

Keep your readies safe and let people know you mean business when you reach for your pocket...

01

04

TECH ME UP

PROPORTA SAFEKEEP

THE BIG ONE

It might not be oozing with high fashion but, hold up, this is still one smart-looking leather wallet, and it’s got more tech nestled inside it than you can throw a fistful of coins at. There’s a credit- card-sized smartphone charger and an RFID-blocking pocket to keep your contactless pay cards from clashing. `3,170, www.proporta.com

BELLROY ELEMENTS TRAVEL

PHOTOGRAPHY: NEIL GODWIN

Designed for the more adventurous swag holder, the Elements Travel has a tough, waterproof exterior for keeping nasty weather at bay. It’s a heck of a case, too, with room for all your monetary essentials, and you can even stash your smartphone in it. `9,250, www.bellroy.com

05

02

POSH STUFF

FO’ YO’ MONEY

MULBERRY CROSS-GRAIN LEATHER CARDHOLDER

MONTBLANC STAINLESS-STEEL MONEY CLIP

It’s not just women that get to covet the Mulberry motif. Men can have a taste of the England-based establishment, too: this sleek cardholder is made from pil f natural leather, has four car and comes in a variety of ta `9,000, www.mulberry.com 28 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology To

y

Sometimes, you don’t need the frills, but you don’t want to look like a two-bit gangster with a paperclip, either. Step forward Montblanc and this super-chic clip to grasp your crisp notes. Made in Germany from stainless steel, it’s built to last an eternity. `15,500, www.montblanc.com 5

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

TALKING TECH OPINION

Duncan Bell is learning… …but not as fast as the machines. Are we about to see an era of truly intelligent tech?

S

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

who it was and we told it, in so many words, “That’s Dave, you idiot, we already told you that.”

Giant steps After a week, though, it did start to recognise us, including whether we were clean-shaven or had grown a bit of a beard. It couldn’t tell it was us if we donned balaclavas but, due to the unusually hot weather, we hardly ever did that. Now, the clever aspect of this is not so much that the facial recognition actually worked (and via video rather than stills, which must be more difficult), but that the Welcome had learned something. Netatmo reckons the next step is to get it to recognise pets. Not to differentiate between animal and human faces, or even to tell cats from dogs, but to differentiate between specific pets - to know its Lassie from its Tyson. Now, that’s cool. Th is brought to my attention something fairly profound: machine

It started to recognise us, including whether we were clean-shaven or had grown a beard learning is no longer a contradiction in terms. These things are getting smart. Consider, if you use Gmail, when the last time you received spam in your main mailbox was. Not recently, I’ll wager, because its Google brain has successfully identified what spam looks like. Presumably, the algorithm is something like this: (inappropriate greeting) + (mention of African country or a bank, but not

your bank – and anyway, it’s spelt wrong or the wrong logo is attached) + (number of uses of ‘$1,000,000’, ‘satisfy’ or ‘best meds’) x (weird formatting errors) = spam likelihood. Then there’s Orpiva, which claims to be able to recognise outfits from photos, then hook into a huge database of clothes retailers to enable you to recreate the latest look worn by David Beckham or Huw Edwards - either with the exact same clothes or the closest match from Peacocks or something. Or how about Skype’s new translation service? It absolutely melts my brain that you can now talk into Skype in English, and over in China someone hears what you’re saying in Chinese. A few years back, Skype users were lucky if they could communicate in English and have it understood by an English person. Funnily enough, Skype Translate has problems with accents at the moment - to get it to work optimally, you have to put on an American twang. But guess what? Honeywell had the same problem with its voice-controlled thermostats but now reckons they can ‘learn’ new accents and ways of talking. None of this is quite like human intelligence, of course, but it’s certainly the beginnings of it. What’s amazing is that it’s turning up not just in military hardware and university laboratories, but in gadgets and apps that anyone can use. Th is is where tech starts getting really interesting…


ILLUSTRATION CIARA PHELAN

ometimes, big advances in technology come at us in unexpected ways. The first iPhone revolutionised the mobile-phone industry, but it didn’t become a huge smash because it invented new things; rather because it repackaged innovations from existing ‘smartphones’ of its era, then added the ability to zoom into photos by stretching the screen, causing people to go, “Ooh!” That brought the whole concept of mobiles as a platform for all sorts of things above and beyond calls and texts to the attention of a much wider audience than those using, say, Windows Mobile or the Nokia N95. Th is month, I had a similarly eye-opening experience via an IP cam. There are approximately five billion Web-connected cameras coming out every week at the moment. They allow you to creepily snoop on people in your household, or be alerted to the fact that your house is being burgled while you’re in Florida (although, no, the police are very sorry but, for manpower reasons, they’re not going to go and investigate that. But you can have a crime reference number if you pop into a police station on your return). Because there are so many of these cams, their makers need something extra to stand out. For French firm Netatmo, that something was to add facial recognition. We set up T3’s Netatmo Welcome (“La caméra qui reconnaît les visages!”) with a certain degree of cynicism. My previous experience of such tech was via Apple’s iPhoto, an app that has about the same success rate with face recognition as Stevie Wonder. Sure enough, having logged images of various team members, it failed to recognise any of us as we came into the office. However, each time it saw what it thought was a new face, it asked

ILLUSTRATION ROMAIN TRYSTRAM

YOUR PHONE IN 2020 FROM BATTERIES THAT CHARGE IN MINUTES TO SCREENS THAT LET YOU FEEL WHAT THEY’RE DISPLAYING – WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF HANDSETS Words Andrew Williams


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Think the phone industry has

FOLDING PHONES

become boring? A few millimetres

LG has already released two flexible

added here and there? Slightly

phones in the G Flex series, while

sharper displays? Marginally faster

Samsung is being tipped to release

processing? Well, all that’s about to

a folding mobile by the end of this

change. There are advances in

year, with patents hinting at a

phone technology on our doorstep

three-way folding device that can

that will make today’s phones look

flip its insides out to make a tablet.

about as powerful as a Tonka truck.

The next step after that is screens

From batteries that charge in

that can be folded and even rolled

minutes and last a fortnight, to

up. LG’s display team showed off a

mobile internet that lets you

folding device last year, and claim

download a movie in three seconds,

we’ll have roll-up devices by 2017.

to screens that don’t just curve but

Like current curvy phones, they will

fold into sections, phones aren’t

use OLED screens, which will also

going to look and feel like they do

get you near-perfect contrast.

for long.

MAGIC TOUCH NANOBATTERIES

Typing on a touchscreen just isn’t

Battery life is the biggest bugbear

the same as clicking away on a

among phone users. With our

keyboard, but cool new technology

phones becoming more powerful

is merging those two worlds.

and boasting better displays, it’s

What’s more, the technology that

understandable that the batteries

could add keys to touchscreens

struggle to last a full day.

when we need them could also add

The good news is that the

Braille, change the surface texture

nanobattery is coming. Made of

to let us ‘feel’ what’s on screen, or

tiny tower structures that are

just poke us in the leg all day long

hundreds of times smaller than the

when some fool makes an app for

bits in current power packs, they’re

your friends to annoy you with.

so fine they can be 3D printed. So

One company working on this

what’s the benefit? There are a few:

innovation is Tactus, and it already

the power you get for their size is

offers a way to invisibly add

incredible, they can be squeezed

contours to a phone screen. Called

into more phone components, and

Tactus Phorm, it makes bumps

they can fully charge in minutes.

appear over your phone’s keyboard,

Soon, we won’t talk about topping

enabling you to touch-type in a way

up overnight, but while the kettle

that most people just can’t with a

boils.

normal phone. It works by pushing

Want something even more

liquid up through a film into invisible

out- there? How about a phone

bubbles in a layer above the display.

battery that’s powered by water?

It’s currently a bit limited, though, as

Hydrogen fuel cells, first proposed

it’s operated manually, feels a bit

by Samsung back in 2008, use the

mechanical and can only pop up in a

reaction between water and a

pre-defined spot.

metal element in the phone to

HTC has been one of our favourite brands for the past couple of years, fusing metal and power to offer beautiful smartphones. This year’s One M9 benefits from a power boost but there’s something eerily familiar about the phone – it looks very similar to last year’s One M8 (although it’s still stunning). Claude Zellweger, HTC’s associate vice president of design, insists that, despite the obvious comparisons to last year’s model, there are important differences. “The precision and the craftsmanship [in the M9] are superior to the One M8,” he begins. “From a distance, it’s easy to say the One M9 is similar to the One M8, but once you pick it up – and once you start living with it – the build is better and the finish more luxurious. These things mean that when you go back to

using the One M8, it feels like the old one.” The key message here appears to be evolution without being too radical. The One M9 built on the undeniable good looks and power of the M8, adding a refined subtlety and craft to the design. Zellweger explains: “We wanted to continue building on these things, as opposed to launching a different direction every year. “We’ve made some changes in terms of the battery and the user experience. I really like evolutionary design – when I think of the cars I like, it’s the same approach.” The M9 is not the last of the line, as Zellweger concludes: “You’ll see how we evolve this and it will all make a lot of sense.”

But this is a space that’s got a

produce hydrogen gas, which then

lot of clever heads nodding in labs

powers the cell. We’re still waiting

the world over, as companies seek

for a Samsung-Evian tie-in, though.

to do something

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

IN DEPTH THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE HTC ONE M9


with phones that will help them grab an edge. Take Fujitsu’s pioneering work with haptic feedback: using ultrasonic waves to create tiny vibrations in the screen, it can make parts of the display seem rough, bumpy or extra-smooth. It can even mimic textures, giving you a feel completely different from standard glass, which could make Candy Crush Saga even more addictive than before. We’re not sure why you’d want it, but Senseg has been working on a way to make your screen feel like sandpaper, using electrostatic vibrations. We can just see the tagline now: ‘Samsung Galaxy S7: your DIY buddy’. THE PS4-KILLER Back in the day, we dreamed about home consoles beating arcade-machine graphics. Then it was all about seeing how long it would take PCs to flatten console graphics. Now we’re in the big race to see how long it’ll take phones to outdo the consoles. Given its prowess in the graphics- card space, it’s no surprise that Nvidia is pushing forward to make the mobile phone a real rival for your console, with the brand confirming to us that the tech is advancing at a rate of knots. It’s already using PC-style processors in its Tegra phone chips, and next year we’ll see graphics brains that are ten times faster than the current crop. Considering we’ve already got chips that can handle 4K output and 256 cores, that’s a huge amount of power from a teeny space. It thrashes the Xbox 360 and the PS3 by some metrics already. So by the time next year’s models roll around, the PS4 and Xbox One will barely be out of primary school in console-

lifespan terms, but may already be old news.

SCI-FI PHONES According to Joshua Bell of London's Natural History Museum, the future of phones could be decidedly sci-fi. Instead of being an extension of ourselves, they could become part of us – think of your palm being implanted with keyboard circuitry, or your brain jacked up to apps that control rather than suggest your workout options for the evening. If that's too Total Recall for you, you'll fare better with Apple CEO Tim Cook's suggestion that phones will simply become more powerful, more interactive and with longer battery life.


SU PE R SPE E DS Most of us are just getting to grips with 4G, but 5G is already revving its engine. You probably won’t get to taste its goodies until around 2020, but they’re set to revolutionise the way we use phones, offering speeds up to 70 times faster than what’s currently available. Want a movie in three seconds? Done. Fancy that Spotify album but not sure if you’ve got time to download it? It’s already happened in the time it took to read that sentence. Not only is that mind-bendingly fast, it’s about ten times quicker than your old computer hard drive could even save stuff. Good job tomorrow’s phones will use Flash memory that can write in hyperspeed. Streaming console-grade games to your phone will no longer have that annoying lag, so PS4 Remote Play on the bus will finally be a reality. And as long as the servers and websites on the other end are quick enough, browsing the Web and watching streamed videos will be just as quick as looking at content stored on your phone. FRANKENPHONES Here’s one you may have heard of: Project Ara, the modular phone. It’ll let you play Dr Frankenstein and construct your own modular monster out of the bits you always wanted in a mobile. It may sound like the LEGO of the phone world, and it sort of is, but it’s anything but an elaborate joke. Google is behind the Project Ara platform, and is working with a bunch of other companies to make the bits to help you craft your perfect phone from a base level of `3,500. How

about a phone with a radiation sensor? Or a breathalyser attached? Or a module with a set of stereo speakers so you can bang out tunes with, shock horror, some actual bass? These are all in the prototyping phase and, as the idea of modular phones takes off, we can see Kickstarter being littered with amazing suggestions. 3D SCRE E NS ARE BACK 3D is in a sad state right now. No one cares about it in TVs any more, and while the new 3DS has a decent stab, its graphics could have been piped from anywhere in the last 15 years. So who would have guessed phones would be the thing that sees it return lurching from the dead? Clever new screen tech could see 3D finally coming back to phones, after HTC and LG made glasses-free 3D phones back in 2011 that were so bad we haven’t seen any since. The dream for future 3D is to get to the point where the screen doesn’t become an instaheadache mess when you move your head more than about a centimetre to the side. And it looks like MSL technology might just do that. It will use a plane of thousands of teeny-tiny micro lenses that sit on top of a display, boosting the possible viewing angles of a glasses-free 3D display from about 20 degrees to a full 90. All the 3D, none of the compromise. With 4K phone screens in the works, and head-tracking already as advanced as it needs to be, your phone display may one day look like a portal into another world. Granted, it may just be your nan’s face on the other side, but it’s still the future and that’s good enough for us.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

T HE FUTURE IS CALLING WHAT WE'RE EXPECTING – AND HOPING FOR – FROM THE NEXT GEN OF SMARTPHONES

APPLE iPHONE 7

Excitingly, rumours abound that the South Korean giant’s new flexible technology will be adapted into 2016’s follow-up to the Galaxy S6 to make it look properly space age. While it’s likely to use the Exynos processor again, power is almost certainly going to increase, and Samsung may also ramp up the RAM to make the phone a real laptop rival – though we’re praying for better battery life this time around. Either Samsung takes a hit on the design front to increase the phone’s capacity (we only want another couple of millimetres), or it develops new battery tech. Either way, battery life must be improved.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

HTC ONE MX

The One M9 wasn’t enough of an update design-wise, so the One M10 (or MX, for the cool kids) needs to go all out to impress. HTC might well improve the clarity of the display, but we don’t really need more resolution unless it’s going to get bigger. What we do need is more battery power – whatever HTC is doing to make its handsets gobble juice, it needs to stop. The brand must understand that this is a big issue and work out how to make the new phone a market leader. If HTC is hell-bent on mimicking a luxury watch, it needs to go bigger. Make the chassis better than a Rolex, and stuff in more power than a laptop, and we’ll be cock-a-hoop.

We already know that Sony’s next flagship will have oodles of octa-core power, but we’d love to see an improved design, too. The bezels need to go, it needs rounded edges to make it more pleasant to hold, and we’d love an edge-toedge display. Other than that, we want Sony to return to what it does best. Take the Walkman’s smarts and add an amazing music player with Spotify built in, like on the PS4, to create the ultimate phone for tunes. Sony has a dedicated camera division, so the cameras in its phones should be great but they’re not. A big push there is a must to give the brand a hope of toppling Samsung.


ILLUSTRATIONS LUKE O’NEILL

SAMSUNG GALAXY S7

We’re really hoping the iPhone 7 appears this year, with Apple skipping past the 6S and bringing us more screen sizes. We love larger displays but often hanker for the smaller models, where we could noodle around without fear of dropping. We’d also love to see Apple ditch the wires when it comes to charging. Wireless charging is fantastic technology that’s coming to most high-end phones this year, and if Apple gets on board it really could be a game changer. If the Cupertino brand won’t drop the wires, it must at least toughen up its Lightning cables and throw in better battery life.

SONY XPERIA Z6

PRESENTS

N M MORE TECH ENLIGHTENM N …

P

Be honest, GaGu, can fitness trackers really get you fitter? There was a time when GaGu was a paragon of fitness. However, in recent years, a crippling addiction to gooey chocolate ice-creams has led to him losing a bit of definition and turning to fitness trackers. He’s tried just about every one there is. So, do they work? OK, statistics seem to prove that fitness-band users take more steps when they first start using their tracker of choice, but beyond that things get a bit sketchy. That’s ’cos all they really want to do is track steps, and that’s not the be all and end all of fitness. With brands like Withings and

ILLUSTRATION: RAMI NIEMI

A

Fitbit, you can tie in their bodymonitor scales so that you’re also tracking your weight through their respective apps. And with many trackers, you can also put in what you’re eating, so that you can count your calories as you go. Thing is, GaGu is aware that writing down the number of ice-creams he was eating didn’t change his behaviour

ABOVE “One more Mars bar and I should have enough energy to get to the pub”

“THE WAY TO MAKE FITNESS TRACKERS WORK IS TO TAKE ON FRIENDS, SHARING YOUR EXPLOITS OVER SOCIAL MEDIA”


d by

o k m ll b bl fi S fi k l Not so much. So, which trackers would GaGu recommend? The Mi Band (`999) is reliable, has a good app, and is so slim you can wear it and a watch on the same wrist. Fitbit’s Charge HR (`12,000) is eccentric and inaccurate in some ways, but smart and motivating. And Withings’ Activité Pop (`16,200) is nice-looking and has a step counter. However, the way to make these work is to take on friends, sharing your fitness exploits over social media. The problem with that is that, apart from the Nike+ FuelBand, none of these things has ever tried to enable you to compare all of your fitness activities. So if you cycle or row or workout, although many of these bands will grudgingly note this activity, most of them only let you compare the steps you took in- between. And where’s the fairness in that? W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

NEED TO KNOW: VENURAJ D K

SLEEP TRA ING

I want to get my child a toy I’ll enjoy playing with, too. Have you got any suggestions? Are you kidding? Children these days have toys so awesome, they make GaGu’s childhood seem Dickensian. Actually, it was quite a hard time: Guru’s dad once gave him two knackered Matchbox cars nailed to a piece of bark, and claimed it was a racetrack set. By far the most awesomest thing GaGu has seen this month is Anki Overdrive. This isn’t out till later this month. The starter kit is approx. `10,000, but by the time you’ve bought all the add-on cars and track sections – and you WILL have to buy all the add-on cars and track sections – you’ll have spent Junior’s college fund. Oh well. Overdrive is essentially racetrack set with artificial intelligence, guns, control via a mobile device, and cars designed by the man who made the vehicles in Tron: Legacy and Minority Report. You lay the magnetic track sections in any order you like, including having them weave over and under each other.

A

The cars then go round your track once, ‘mapping’ it before enabling you to race against your kids and also AI opponents of crippling toughness. Via your mobile, you accelerate, brake and steer the cars, fire weapons and activate tractor beams – it’s completely bonkers. The brains behind it include people who’ve worked on everything from robotics to autonomous (full-size) cars, and to see that tech expertise applied to a ‘toy’ is quite something. Also out this month are Parrot’s latest wave of Minidrones, with ‘Evolution’ devices to rule the skies, the ground and even the water. The new Hydrofoil drone has been burning up GaGu’s local duck pond at 10kph, with, it must be said, a certain amount of duck collateral damage. The problem with these things won’t be so much wanting to play with them with your kids, as finding the munificence to allow your kids to have a go on them.

JAYESH PATIL

GAGU, YOU’VE GOT TO HELP ME. I CAN’T SLEEP! Guru feels your pain. It’s the guilt, right? Whatever the cause, tech can help you… to an extent. YES, I’VE HEARD TALK OF ‘SLEEP TRACKING’. CAN IT REALLY AID MY RESTFULNESS? Here’s Guru’s view on sleep tracking: until recently, it was a near total waste of time, dogged by inaccuracy, unlikely claims and uselessness. Now, it’s, erm… slightly less so. HOW DOES IT WORK? Built into a good fitness tracker (GaGu recommends the Charge HR or Jawbone UP3) with heart-rate monitoring, and interpreted by a decent algorithm, sleep tracking can give you some useful info. It uses the motion sensors and HR tracker of your band to discern whether you’re in deep (near-zero movement, lowered heart rate), light or REM sleep (more movement). Or, indeed, if you’re awake. The aim is to get eight hours, with a solid slice of deep sleep. There’s some evidence that REM sleep aids creative thinking, so that’s desirable too.

MAHESH SINGH

Sunglasses: which Do you vape, do you rate, Guru? Gadget Guru? I’m trying to quit smoking.

GaGu has stood by four sunnies brands for as long as he can remember (three minutes on a good day). For luxury, Maui Jim’s construction and UV/glare-beating lens tech are easily up there with Ray-Ban, but without the ubiquitousness of that admittedly fine brand. For style and innovation, ic! berlin is the don. Its screwless hinge is as iconic as hinges get, while its ‘looks’ range from ‘classic with a twist’ to ‘you’ll need a lot of balls to wear that’. Finally, for the occasions that GaGu wants to dress like a top footballer, there’s Police – fans should check out its Neymar range. Lenses? Brown or very black, or clear-to-dark-in-a-trice Transitions lenses for that ‘1970s sex pest’ vibe. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Vaping is a crazy, crazy world, where people willingly walk around sucking on what looks like an instrument from the Mos Eisley cantina band, and get ever so cross if their pastime is criticised or described as in any way unhealthy online. On the other hand, it does appear to be better than smoking actual cigarettes. GaGu wouldn’t recommend anyone take it up, but if you’re looking to quit real smokes, Blu e-cigarettes seem like a good way to go. They look like real fags, as opposed to space flutes, they charge via USB, and users assure me they have “good flavour”.

HOW MUCH OF EACH IS IDEAL? This is where it gets less scientific: different people require different amounts. As with tracking fitness, perhaps the most useful thing is to look at whether the amount of deep sleep is going up over time. WHAT CAN I DO IF MY TRACKER SHOWS I’M GETTING ONLY LIGHT, INTERRUPTED SLEEP? Bad news: there are all sorts of reasons for poor sleep, and you’ll just have to try addressing each in turn. In order of potential expense, this could include: going to bed earlier, giving up booze and caffeine, using a lighter or heavier duvet, getting blackout blinds, changing your mattress, installing soundproofing, moving to a quieter area or getting your partner to whack you with a hammer, nightly. ZZZZZZZZZZZ… I don’t know why I bother.



NEED TO KNOW:

APPLE HOMEKIT

WHAT EXACTLY IS APPLE HOMEKIT, AND HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM APPLE HOME? HomeKit is a range of third-party, connected-home bits that work with Apple’s OS. Home is the app, coming on iOS 9, that will control them all. They’ve both been “pending” for what feels like an eternity, but there was an official announcement of HomeKit’s arrival at Apple’s big WWDC shindig in June. Though if you blinked, you might’ve missed it. AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? The connected-home market is in a mess at the moment, so having a standard from a popular brand such as Apple should be a good thing. In terms of the technical spec, the standout feature is that HomeKit products connect via Bluetooth 4.0 rather than Wi-Fi, which should be more reliable, and involve fewer dongles and router reboots. WHAT IF I WANT TO ACCESS AN IP CAM, MY LIGHTS OR A THERMOSTAT FROM OUTSIDE OF THE BLUETOOTH RANGE? You’ll need to access them via iCloud. Word is that this’ll require an Apple TV acting as a hub. WHAT HOMEKIT, ER, KIT IS AVAILABLE SO FAR? Perhaps explaining why the HomeKit introduction at WWDC was so brief, the answer is – as Paul Daniels used to say – “not a lot”. Elgato has some attractive sensors, which have been in the pipeline for ages (we first covered them over a year ago), iHome has a plug, and then there’s stuff for lighting and whatnot from brands even Gadget Guru has never heard of. However, products are promised shortly from bigger hitters such as Philips, Withings, Honeywell and Osram. HANG ON, I HATE APPLE. WHAT AM I TO DO? Fret not. Google has its own Internet of Things unifying system coming. It currently goes under the sexy name of Project Brillo. It’s gonna be Android vs iOS all over again. There’lll be blood up the alls!

SHYAMAL K BANU

What’s the best app to find good places to eat? The reader-sourced apps are hard to beat. Users know their stuff, and their reviews are whittled down to easy-to-browse highlights. That means you don’t have to suffer the Trip Advisor effect, where you have to wade through reams of reviews from muppets who complete their 1,000-word whinge with, “Worst of all, my gazpacho was cold – and when I complained, the waiter was very rude!” Also handy if you live in Mumbai: Zomato or Burrp offers locationbased guides to restaurants, bars and more. It’s rolling out to more cities as we speak.

GURUPRASAD SAPRE

I need a new TV. Do you think I should get a 4K one? A

ABOVE Like your meat so raw, it hasn’t even been born yet? There’s loads of kitchen tech out there for you

GaGu is always at the front of telly tech, having been the first in his street to embrace colour, both Betamax and VHS. The difference between those upgrades of yore and moving to 4K today is that after a brief spell of charging a mint, set manufacturers are now pretty much giving away those extra pixels. The thing about buying a TV is that it’s probably going to last a decade or more, even if the latter years of its life are spent in the guest bedroom or the loft. So although there isn’t a lot of 4K content worth watching right now, it’s still well worth diving in.

“AFTER A SPELL OF CHARGING A PREMIUM, TV MANUFACTURERS ARE NOW PRETTY MUCH GIVING AWAY THOSE EXTRA PIXELS”


NITESH D’SOUZA

Is it me or is kitchen tech getting a bit more ‘manly’? A

Gadget Guru is a bit like a cross between Sanjeev Kapoor and Gordon Ramsay, in that he’s foul-mouthed, and has massive furrows on his head, a very fat tongue and a tendency to say, “Wicked and all that, bosh!” And yes, probably driven by the rise of such masculine cooking role models, he’s noted that, in recent times, kitchen gadge has got bigger, higher-specced and more like a Panzer tank. This recently came to a head when he took receipt of KitchenAid’s Blender, a device so wonderfully over-engineered, it wouldn’t look out of place under the bonnet of an Aston Martin. It does pestos and the like in about a nanosecond and, given a minute or so, will reduce even the firmest vegetables to a quivering pulp. Only real men (and women) of the kitchen need apply.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


GANESH RAJPUT

I’m pretty much in love with my iPhone 6, but one thing really bothers me: the battery life. How can I go about improving it?

Before resorting to a bulky battery adapter case that will dent both your wallet and your street cred, there are a number of tweaks you can perform to eke out more battery life. One of the iPhone 6’s biggest juice drainers is the screen: it’s brighter and bigger than ever before, so you’ll want to make sure it turns itself off pronto – head to Settings > General > Auto-Lock and reduce the time before it shuts off. Reducing the screen brightness to a comfortable level will also do wonders for your battery life. Many apps regularly update

themselves behind the scenes, and this can quickly deplete your battery. Open up Settings > General > Background App Refresh, and turn off any apps that you’re happy updating manually. You can also make battery gains by turning off unnecessary features. If you don’t have any Bluetooth gadgets, turn it off. Same with Wi-Fi. And if you don’t care for Apple knowing where you are all the time, switch off Location Services as well. Not a fan of Siri? Sacrifice her in the name of battery life – you’ll be grateful for the extra time.

SUBHAM WAGH

I’ve lost my phone three times now, which has caused me all kinds of stress. How can I find it if it goes AWOL again? If you’ve got an iPhone, select Find My iPhone (in your iCloud settings) and the next time it vanishes, head to either www.icloud. com/#find or the Find My iPhone app from another Apple device. From there, you’ll be able to see if the little bugger is online – if it is, you can ring it, send a message begging for it to

be returned, or remotely wipe the data from it. Google has made it even easier: type ‘Where’s my phone?’ into a browser (signed in with the same Google details as on the phone) and you’ll be shown it on Google Maps. You can then ring it, lock it or erase it from your computer.


NAGRAJ CN

My phone’s keyboard is rubbish. Is there anything I can do? A Good news: whether you have an Apple or an Android phone, there are a number of options that will improve your typing experience. SwiftKey is excellent: free of charge, it offers a number of layouts, a range of languages and a top-notch prediction engine. Alternatively, give Swype a go. While this one costs a small fee, it’s both slick and – once you get the hang of it – great fun, enabling you to glide between characters to quickly form words in one continuous flow. If customisation floats your boat, Fleksy is the one for you. Another free app, it offers tons of weird and wacky colours and themes for sprucing up your keyboard – and it’s super-fast, too.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Now read your favourite magazine wherever you go... Available on PC... Mac... Tablet... or any other handheld device!

`120 September 2015

ly to be sold separate material, not

WE REVIEW LER FLAGSHIP KIL

Promotional 2015 issue. September

S2 ONEPLU THE LATEST

nded Recomme

Melody unlimited

FREE D C AUDIO E INSID F

et Magazine!

Gadg The World’s Leading

&RRoshajeshan

ore Kish Kumar

GY TODAY I SEPTEMBE R 2015 I ISS

LUME 01 ISSUE 02 VO

SEPTEMBE

W.T3M R 2015 WW

AG .IN

UE 02

FITNESS LAB CUTTING-EDGE SURVIVING A

NY RX UR LIFE I SO IMPROVE YO TE TECH TO THE ULTIMA

THE T L U IMATE

SLASH BILLS YOUALRCON TROL OF

TAKE TOT BS H SMART BUL YOUR HOME WIT

ASY REST GEGEA R FOR

AMAZIN THE PERFECT NIGHT’S SLEEP

VE TO IMPRLO E IF YOUR YOUR RY AREA OF ENHANCE EVEH THE HOTTEST HOME WIT HT NOW! GADGETS RIG

W I8 100 IV I BM

KITCHEN GETS S GADAPP LIANCE

PREMIUM PHONNEBUSY HEACAD NS MONEY CA BEST

CLEVER ASION FOR ANY OCC

WW W.T3 MA G.I N

ME / BMW i8 / HTC ONE IV 0 10 RX PLUS! SONY

Digital Platform Partners Available on

www.zinio.com/t3mag.in

THE BEST GADGETS FOR IMPROVING EVERY AREA OF YOUR LIFE WORDS JOE SVETLIK ILLUSTRATION MAGICTORCH


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

CONNECTED-HOME SPECIAL

THE ULTIMATE HOME TECH

If your home isn’t connected, you’re stuck in the last century. We’ve got all the gadgets and apps to transform your space into something truly T3-worthy… W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

A few years ago, the conn beyond the reach of us no l f lk d specialising in digitally u d h had the market sewn up, and if you wanted to add a touch of tech to your space, you’d have to shell out a small fortune. Now, however, the tech has become more affordable, more capable and easier to use. And Apple’s HomeKit platform will undoubtedly bring connected gadgets into the mainstream by integrating support for several devices in its mobile products. In other words, the connected home is now a reality. But what to buy? It’ll have to look good, as it’ll be on display in your space; and it’ll have to make your life easier, whether that’s by doing your hard work for you, or enabling you to communicate with it from afar using an app. If it can talk to your other gadgets as part of the Internet of Things (IoT), even better. We’ve put together the ultimate T3 pad, with smart TVs, Wi-Fi coffee makers, electric vehicles, robot mowers and even gadgets to help you fall asleep… SEPTEMBER 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 43

THE LOUNGE

The TV is the most important device in your lounge, so get a good one. The LG 65EC970T is recommended – the TV has a speedy performance, and there’s also the fact that when you switch it on, apps restart exactly where you left off, just like on a phone. Pair that with a Roku 2 and you’re laughing. The streaming box was upgraded recently, and now enables you to bookmark a film when it’s in the cinema and receive a notification when it becomes available for streaming. But it’s not all about visuals. What about music? The PS4 now has Spotify, so you can stream all your playlists through PlayStation Music. With over 30 million songs and more than 1.5 billion playlists to choose from, it

should keep you entertained for years. When it comes to sharing the love, Sonos CONNECT is the best streaming system around. It offers more than 60 music services, including recent additions 22tracks, Mixcloud and Saavn. Finally, for those of us who can’t afford an actual butler, there’s a digital equivalent in the form of Amazon Echo. It features ‘Alexa’ – Amazon’s equivalent of Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana – who will answer any query you give it. A recent update means it’s now compatible with Philips’ Hue lights and switches, and Belkin’s WeMo gadgets. If only it could take your suit to the dry cleaner, too.


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

LG 65EC970T `5,79,900, lg.com

PS4 `39,990, playstation.com

Roku 2

Sonos CONNECT

`5,900, roku.com

`27,900, sonos.com

CONNECTED HOME APPS CONTROLLING YOUR HOME WILL BE A PIECE OF CAKE WITH THESE

01 GOOGLE CHROMECAST Plug the Chromecast dongle into your TV’s HDMI port and you can stream films and TV shows to it. The accompanying app helps you set up your device, connect it to your Wi-Fi, personalise your TV screen and manage your settings. Free; App Store, Google Play W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

02 ULRECO This iOS app enables you to control your TV, lights, sound system and more, without having to open separate apps for each. It’s free but includes in-app purchases for some devices, so could prove costly in the long run. But for the essentials, it’s unbeatable. Free; App Store

03 SAMSUNG SMARTTHINGS If you own some Samsung smart devices, this is the app for you. It controls your fridge, washing machine, air con, vacuum cleaner, oven and lighting. Pair with a Samsung smartwatch and you can do it all from your wrist. Free; App Store, Google Play

04 iHAUS

05 CONTROL4

This app helps you to manage your life from your mobile device – from what time your alarm goes off in the morning, to how quickly your lights wake you from your slumber. It learns your habits, too, reminding you to do stuff when you forget. Free; App Store, Google Play

If you’ve installed a Control4 homeautomation system, this app turns your mobile device into the ultimate home controller. Manage your audio, video, lights, heating, security and more, from anywhere. Once you’ve used it, you’ll never go on holiday without it. Free; App Store, Google Play


THE BEDROOM

Philips Wake-Up Light From `5,999, philips.co.in

The Withings Aura will fast-track you to the land of nod. It plays soothing noises, and pulses relaxing colours to help you drift off, whether you want a power nap, a disco nap or a 12-hour deep sleep. SleepPhones are headphones for bedtime, enabling you to listen to your favourite classical music, whale noises, etc, or simply cut out your partner’s snoring. They’re comfy, and their headband-style design means you won’t wake up throttled by a cable. Which is always a bonus. Worried how well you’re sleeping? Try Luna. It’s a mattress cover that tracks your snooze without the need for a wearable. It analyses your sleep phases, as well as your

heart and breathing rates, and makes suggestions for better rest. It’ll even heat each side of the bed to a different temperature, to suit both your and your partner’s needs. Getting up can be tricky, even in summer. The Philips Wake-Up Light mimics sunrise, brightening the room gradually over 30 minutes so you can wake up naturally. You can add a natural sound effect, too, the volume of which will slowly increase until it’s time to get up. Pick from Birdsong, Birds in the Forest and Zen Garden. If you don’t want to disturb your partner, the Fitbit Charge HR is a better bet. It has a silent vibrating alarm that will wake you and you alone.


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Fitbit Charge HR `12,990, fitbit.com/in

Withings Aura `20,000, withings.com

Luna From $235 ( `15,275), lunasleep.com

SMART LIGHTING

FIVE BRIGHT IDEAS FOR ILLUMINATING YOUR HOME

01 PHILIPS HUE

02 MISFIT BOLT

Connect to these bulbs over Wi-Fi, and you can change the colour from an app on your phone. Choose from saved modes like Sunrise and Sunset, or pick a hue from the huge palette on offer. There are also presets that suit your current activity, like Concentrate, Energise and Relax. `4,995, philips.co.in

The Bolt is a similar proposition to the Hue, but can be controlled using the Misfit Flash fitness tracker: just set up a function using the accompanying app, and click the Flash’s button to activate it. You also don’t need a hub, like you do with the Hue. $49.99 (`3,249), misfit.com

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

03 BELKIN WEMO Again, you can control these bulbs from your phone – for example, you can change colour and dim them from wherever you are. Pair them with the WeMo Switch and you can turn them off, too. Ideal for scaring anyone who’s at home. `7,999, belkin.com/in

04 MK ELECTRIC ASTRAL Home-automation specialist Honeywell has a smart lighting system, too. You won’t need new bulbs, but you will have to replace your light switches with Honeywell’s, and connect a device to your router. But it’s worth it for remote control of your lights. `4,500, mkelectric.com

05 LG SMART BULB LG’s offering enables you to set timers for when your lights switch on and off, and also vary the brightness – ideal for romantics. If used for five hours a day, each bulb will last for ten years. They don’t change colour, but they do flash when your phone rings. `TBC, lg.com

AUGUST 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 47

THE KITCHEN

Samsung RF858VALASL `3,49,900, samsung.com

Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Smart Toaster 4 Slice `15,300, sageappliances.co.uk

Can’t be bothered to get up off the sofa to make a cuppa? With the Smarter Wi-Fi Coffee Machine, you don’t have to. You can set it going from your phone, so it’ll grind the beans and brew your cuppa while you watch TV. It’ll make 12 cups at once, too, which is handy if you have friends staying over. Fancy something a little stronger? How about a nice pint of home brew made by the PicoBrew Zymatic, the world’s first automated home-brew machine? It pulls in recipes from the cloud so you can brew up a tasty beverage with no hassle. And if you rustle up a great recipe of your own, you can use the cloud to share it with others. Need somewhere to store

your beer? The Samsung RF858VALASL fridge is a cool choice. It has four compartments, and you can set different temperatures for each. Meld is the smartest cooking tool in town. The Clip monitors the temperature of what’s on the hob and sends the information to the Knob, which automatically adjusts the heat of the burner. This eliminates the guesswork of what a recipe means by ‘cook on high’. And you can monitor it all via an app. Speaking of burning, the Sage by Heston Blumenthal The Smart Toast 4 Slice enables you to check in on your bread without stopping it cooking, so you’ll have perfect toast every time.


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Smarter Wi-Fi Coffee Machine `17,999, fi rebox.com

PicoBrew Zymatic $1,999 ( `1,29,935), picobrew.com

NAS DRIVES THESE CLOUD STORAGE DEVICES AREN’T PIE IN THE SKY

01 SYNOLOGY DISKSTATION DS412+ This is the big daddy. It’s built for office set-ups, so has plenty of options for a large household. It can support up to 50 IP cameras, making it a home-security system, and it offers 16TB of storage, which should be more than enough. `42,000, synology. com W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

02 ASUSTOR AS-604T

03 WD MY CLOUD

04 LACIE 5BIG NAS PRO

05 QNAP TS-469 PRO

NAS drives don’t get much easier to use than this. The Web interface is a doddle, so even technophobes can back up all their files. The server is highly customisable, too, so you can tweak it as you see fit. One of the most comprehensive NAS drives on the market. `41,800, asustor. com

The My Cloud is not only one of the more affordable options out there, but it also gives you the option of saving your stuff to your own personal cloud. This reduces back-up times and means there’s no recurring fees. A great option for those on a budget. `15,250, wdc.com

As you’d expect for that massive price, this has a lot going for it. There’s 20TB of storage, it’s fast and it’s also much simpler than some we can think of. The downside is that it doesn’t have many features, but we’re happy to make that trade-off for better ease of use. `49,990, lacie.com

It might not be the simplest to use, or the cheapest, but the TS-469 Pro has plenty to offer those who have the patience and the money. Packed with features, it’s one of the nippiest drives around, and doesn’t sound like a jumbo jet taking off, which is a big plus. `90,950, qnap.com


VITAL STATS Power output: 220w Lactic production: 4.8mmol/l

BLOOD, SWEAT AND FEARS IN THE ULTIMATE…

FITNESS T3’S FITNESS ADDICT VISITS A HUMAN PERFORMANCE LABORATORY TO LET CUTTING-EDGE TECH ANALYSE HIS STRENGTHS (AND SURPRISING WEAKNESSES) WORDS

DAMIAN HALL

PHOTOGRAPHY

JOBY SESSIONS


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

The mission Using himself as a guinea pig, our man has been tasked with discovering how a leading sportsscience laboratory can improve an athlete’s performance. Will he be up to it?

The man Damian Hall is fairly fit but feels that he could be even more so. His dream is to be able to arrive at work without being out of breath (he claims it’s from running, anyway).

The science GlaxoSmithKline’s Human Performance Lab works closely with elite sports stars to develop training, recovery, nutrition and competition programmes. It can simulate any environment, which is proving useful to athletes preparing for next summer’s Olympics in Rio, and regular visitors include Rory McIlroy and England rugby captain Chris Robshaw. For more info, visit www.gskhpl.com. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


Like a lot of people my age (let’s call it sub-40), I’m having a midlife crisis. It’s easy to deal with, though. Instead of driving a Ferrari and attempting to date 20-year-olds, I just run a lot. Running is addictive. For all the blisters and chafes, there are the endorphin highs of personal bests, getting medals (even if you finish 473rd) and, I’m told, more shapely buttocks. The first few years of running are brilliant; nearly every race a PB. But then comes the inevitable plateau. How can I continue to improve? And with the right diet and training, could I beat that Mo Farah bloke? GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Human Performance Lab (HPL) in Brentford works with elite athletes, from Jenson Button and the Brownlee brothers to Premier League footballers and polar explorers. All are assessed, advised and fine-tuned using a raft of gleaming, bleeping, cutting-edge tech and best-in-class scientific expertise. I beat Jenson Button (who, to be fair, sits down for a living), and also James Cracknell, at this year’s London Marathon, so I arrive at GSK HPL with confidence in my athletic prowess. But, given the once-over on this space-age equipment, will I be found out as just a balding hack with delusions of sporting grandeur? First up is analysis of my body

Having my resting metabolic rate tested. Belching now would be catastrophic

composition. GSK HPL has something called a Bod Pod – essentially, a large egg with a window that uses air displacement plethysmography (ADP) to accurately assess how much fat a person has. I’m given a funny hat and told to sit in it, but it turns out that for someone as ‘lean’ (read: skinny) as me, an old-school skinfold test will be more accurate. Senior scientist Matt Furber gets out a big pair of pliers and gently squeezes the fatty bits of my body. Breathing in doesn’t seem to cheat the test. I have a body-fat percentage of 6.5; a total sum of eight skinfold sites of 45mm – similar, alarmingly, to a world-class sprinter (though there the similarities end). For endurance sport, a low body-fat percentage is best, as every unnecessary kilogram can slow you down, affecting economy and VO2 max (the body’s maximal ability to use

01

04

THIS PAGE 01 Honestly, officer, it’s not what it looks like… Me in the Bod Pod 02 I’m unlikely to get a job as Arnie’s stunt double 02

03 A skinfold test reveals that there’s more fat on a cold chip 04 On the isokinetic dynamometer. Try saying that after ten pints

03

oxygen during exercise). I’ve been cultivating skinniness to go faster. “I wouldn’t go any leaner, though,” advises Matt. “Too lean means a reduced immune system and a struggle to recover from hard training.” Point taken.

LIE DETECTOR The second test is surprising and brilliant. It involves lying in a temperature-controlled environmental chamber for 20 minutes, wearing nothing but a towel and a big plastic space-helmet thing, while my resting metabolic rate is recorded. The only way I can fail the test is by falling asleep (which I almost do three times). The verdict is that I burn 1,485 calories a day, just by lying down. This is the amount of energy my body needs just to function, without any activity or movement.

1

2

3

4

THIS PAGE 01 Wearing a mask for my lacticthreshold test 02 I look a bit daft; luckily, I don’t notice because I feel so awful

I’m literally spraying the scientists with sweat as I grunt, gurn and cuss behind the mask I’m told that this is a lot for someone of my body size, showing that I have a high metabolic rate. This is a good thing.

BRAIN DRAIN Next, they test my brain. “Until recently, sports science focused on what happens below the neck”, says Dr Barry O’Neill, GSK HPL’s cognitive lead. “But mind and athletic performance are definitely linked.” I’ve had less than four hours’ sleep but the task seems dunce-simple, requiring me to press keys when I see certain cards on a monitor. But then I have to answer, “Have you seen this card before?” *Error noise!* And another! I score below average for my age on three out of the four tests. The lying-down test was more my forte. Finally, it’s time for breakfast, and we talk nutrition over yoghurt and granola. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

“There’s some scaremongering about carbs at the moment,” says Matt, “but generally, an elite endurance athlete will eat a lot of them. They’ll struggle to perform maximally if they don’t.” We can all be cleverer with our diets, though. “You need carbs to fuel a highintensity session,” says associate scientist Josh Jackman. “But for a long, slow run, you could do it fasted to promote metabolic adaptations that will enable you to use more fat as fuel. Also, if you’re trying to moderate weight loss, you could eat more protein to promote muscle maintenance and potential fat loss. Eat more fruit and vegetables, too. The micronutrients they contain are essential for daily bodily function, immunity and recovery.” The next test, with senior scientist Tess Morris, is on an isokinetic dynamometer.

03 Monitoring my performance as I go is quite motivational 04 My results reveal that I have good endurance and efficiency

It’s like a standard quad-exercise machine but way more sci-fi, and it offers resistance to hamstrings at the same time. For elites, it can be used to measure muscle power and find biomechanical imbalances. Tess yells something at me, and my leg pumps away, fighting the resistance. The first five are OK. The next five are tough. The last five are horrible. The results reveal that my quads are stronger than my hamstrings, which is usual. But the percentage of work my hamstrings do is high – once again, this is a good thing.

LACTIC FLOODING Then things get ouchy. A lactic-threshold test is used to help determine heart-rate training zones, by finding your lactic threshold (where lactic acid starts flooding your bloodstream) and lactic


THIS PAGE 01 No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to overtake that man

01

02 He might be laughing but I’m dying inside 03 I’m tired, sweaty and aching – but pleased with my day’s work

02

03

NEVER MISS turnpoint (where you’re seriously fatigued almost to the point of stopping). I get on a bike, put on a mask to measure my breathing, and a heart-rate monitor, and pedal hard. The power output is increased every four minutes, starting at 140W and finishing at 220W, with blood samples regularly taken from my finger. About five minutes later, I’ve turned into a human sweat fountain, literally spraying the too-polite-to-mention-it scientists as I grunt, gurn and cuss behind the mask. Finally, it’s all over – and I can barely walk. My lactic production is low (it reaches 4.8mmol/l), which means I have good endurance and efficiency. But the interesting bit is that I think I’m working harder than I really am. My body can do more – my mind just needs to let it.

HELL ON A TREADMILL Finally, a VO2 max test. Wearing a mask again, I run on a treadmill while, every minute, either the speed or gradient is increased. It’s easy, then

tough, then really tough, then desperate. My lungs are screaming and I’m certain something inside me is going to pop or break. Finally, after ten increasingly hellish minutes, I stop. My maximum oxygen intake is measured at 64.7ml/kg/min (or 4.12 litres per minute). A sedentary adult would usually score 30-40; the average gym goer 40-50; weekend warriors 50-60; Premier League footballers 60-70. Above 70 is for elite endurance athletes. I’m chuffed with that. To improve my VO2 max, Matt suggests high-intensity interval running – like 10x400m sprints. It’s been a morning of sweat and science. There’s no pro running contract on the table, but I do take home three nuggets of information: a) I’m fitter than I thought I was; b) I can improve my top-end anaerobic capacity, to increase my VO2 max; and c) as the kindly scientists put it, my reaction times aren’t quite up to speed. In other words, I’m a real-life Forrest Gump.


SUBSCRIBE TODAY! P106

The things I do for T3… For my session at GSK HSL, I had to get up at 5am and wasn’t allowed any breakfast or caffeine. So I was hungry and grumpy when I arrived… and worried that the testing might involve an anal thermometer. When I asked about it, Matt informed me that it was available if requested. My lack of sleep surely contributed to me doing poorly on the simple cognition test – that’s my excuse, anyway.


SEVEN NEW ADVENTURES WITH TECH YOU CAN START TODAY!

02

ENJOY THE ULTIMATE BIGSCREEN SOUND EXPERIENCE AT HOME

03 BEAT THE FLAB WITH A SMART JUMP ROPE

01

RIDE EUROPE’S FASTEST ZIPLINE AND CAPTURE THE RUSH

DRIVE THE LENGTH OF ‘WESTEROS’ WITH TOMTOM

05

04 RIDE THE HO BIKE TECH

06 RIDE A ROBOT UNICYCLE

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

THROW A HOUSE PARTY WITH GRAMOFON

07 SEPTEMBER 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 55

TECH ADVENTURES

RIDE EUROPE’S FASTEST ZIPLINE AND CAPTURE THE RUSH

FILM YOUR ‘FLIGHT’ A small, light action camera like the Drift Stealth 2 is perfect for capturing your aerial adventure in 1080p HD

Tear it up on Zip World’s 160kmph-plus zipline experience in North Wales, and capture the mile-long thrill on a Drift Stealth 2 camera Velocity at Zip World, in Snowdonia, is Europe’s longest and fastest zipline, with riders reaching speeds of over 160kmph during its mile-long course. Obviously, you’ll want to share the exhilaration of what Zip World describes as “the nearest thing to flying”, so mount an action camera like the Drift Stealth 2 to your safety helmet via the Drift Head Strap Mount. Compact and light at 97g, the Stealth 2 captures full HD video, sports a rotatable lens and runs a three-hour battery life from a full charge, ensuring you’ll be able to record every moment of your experience. Feeling nervous about ‘flying’? Relax! The Zip World team will ease you in gently with the Little Zipper, a smaller and slower (up to


72kmph) zipline, to help build your confidence before you try the full-tilt version. Then the Velocity zipline will fire you across what was once the world’s largest slate quarry, offering up beautiful views of the North Wales coastline and beyond, all of which you can capture via your rigged-up action camera. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, take your Stealth 2 down into Zip World Caverns, a newly opened underground zipline course that will have you negotiating a spectacular subterranean world – inaccessible for the last 200 years – via ziplines, tunnels and scary Indiana Jones-style rope bridges.

START YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

AGENDA

RIDE EUROPE’S FASTEST ZIPLINE TAKE TO THE SKIES Zip World describes its milelong Velocity experience as “the nearest thing to flying”

EPIC JOURNEY Velocity is the fastest zipline in the world, and has views stretching out over stunning coastal scenery. You’ll be soaring 152m in the air, exceeding speeds of 100mph!

Zip World costs `6,000 per person, with family tickets from `22,000 (www. zipworld.co.uk). As the Velocity zipline ride can be weather-dependent, the website gives daily weather updates, so best check before you set off. In order to capture your Zip World experience, you’ll need to purchase an action camera. The Drift Stealth 2 (`14,900, www.driftinnovation.com) captures full HD video and feels light, too. Attach it via a Drift Head Strap Mount (it will go over your safety helmet) to capture every moment of your flight. You can also hire action cameras from Zip World, subject to availability on the day – you can’t book them in advance, so it’s at your own risk! Grab the free Drift Connect app and use it to download your Zip World footage to your smartphone or tablet, ready for sharing via social media or uploading to YouTube.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


TECH ADVENTURES HEROIC SOUND Onkyo’s Dolby Atmos systems offer such realistic sound, you’ll swear Optimus Prime is actually having a scrap in your living room

02 ENJOY THE ULTIMATE

BIG-SCREEN SOUND EXPERIENCE AT HOME Marvel’s Ant-Man has been saving the world on the big screen, and now you can get superhero sound at home with Onkyo’s range of Dolby Atmos systems Dolby Atmos is an incredible sound format that’s been wowing cinema audiences for a while, and now it’s available for home-cinema set-ups. What makes Dolby Atmos so exciting is that it’s the first audio format based on audio objects, rather than channels, which makes the sound realistic. For example, if there’s a helicopter flying overhead in the film you’re watching, the sound will travel overhead too. We’re loving the Onkyo range of Dolby Atmos systems – especially the TXNR646 (you can also check out the SR444, which sells for `34,900). If you’re watching a shoot-’em-up movie, for instance, with Onkyo’s incredible sound system you’ll find yourself ducking for cover as bullets seemingly fly overhead – Atmos makes you feel like you’re there! The latest blockbuster films, such as Transformers: Age Of Extinction and

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, are being released on Dolby Atmos-enabled Blu-ray, so it’s a great time to upgrade your home cinema and continue the heroes movie theme at home.

START YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY You’ll need an AV receiver that can handle Dolby Atmos, and the Onkyo TX-NR646 (`54,900) offers the perfect balance between value and quality (onkyo.com). Once you’ve got the AV receiver, you’ll need speakers. If you already own a 5.1 speaker system, build around it by adding height speakers – try upwards firing Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers like Onkyo’s SKH-410 (`12,900) to bounce the audio over your head. With your Dolby Atmos system and speakers sorted, you’ll want to load up on the latest movies sporting Dolby Atmos soundtracks. We love Transformers: Age Of Extinction.

03

Beat the flab with a smart jump rope Strip body fat, compete against friends and gain insight into your health Feeling doughy around the middle? Sophia the Rope is just the gal to get you back on track. Dubbed the world’s smartest jump rope, Sophia (available from www.sophiatherope.com for $59/`3,835)is on a mission to transform your flabby body into a lean machine. Sporting an optical module (which counts rotations), a triaxial accelerometer and a built-in display, with calories and ‘jumps’ counters, Sophia offers immediate feedback on your workout. The rope connects automatically via Bluetooth 4.0 to the companion app to record stats for you to view in depth. The app also has an Arcade Mode, which enables you to challenge other Sophia-using friends to a workout. A magnetic clipping mechanism keep the handles together when the rope isn’t in use, the leather grip ensures comfort, and you can get one month of battery from a full charge (based on 30 minutes of use per day). As Rope Skipping World Champion Timothy Ho says, “Sophia the Rope combines fitness data with the ability to share your workout on a screen and compete with your friends in Arcade Mode. This is every jumper’s dream come true.”

“With Onkyo’s incredible sound system, you’ll find yourself ducking as bullets seemingly fly overhead” 58 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today SEPTEMBER 2015

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

AGENDA

R

BUILT-IN VISION No need to worry about carrying lights and keeping them charged – they’re part and parcel of the Commuter’s framework, powered by your pedal work

RIDE THE HOTTEST BIKE TECH ON YOUR NEXT CITY OUTING

which has smartphone-activated, keyless entry and an in-built accelerometer that detects when the lock is being tinkered with – it immediately sends an alert to your smartphone. The Skylock has other cool features, including the ability to notify your registered emergency contact if you take a bad spill off the bike.

Don’t get left behind in a plume of diesel fumes – equip yourself with the latest, hottest car-beating bicycle tech and keep your new wheels safe with an ultra-smart lock Nothing beats powering past a queue of motorists stuck in traffic, and Canyon’s new city bike is the ultimate cycle-lane weapon. The Canyon Commuter has been designed to make getting around on two wheels simple, with dynamopowered lights integrated into the frame, and a belt-driven hub at the rear (available on the top model, the Commuter 7.0), so there’s no chain or gears to maintain. A single-speed belt option is also available, as well as regular gears. The Commuter’s standout feature is its frame, which looks positively utilitarian, but somehow satisfyingly futuristic. Part of its minimalist style is down to the lack of cables

START YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY

or wires – they’ve been hidden inside the frame to maximise smoothness. Other highlights include powerful all-weather hydraulic Shimano disc brakes, and Canyon’s infamous VCLS 2.0 seatpost. Constructed from a mixture of carbon and basalt fibres with a leaf-spring-esque design, it takes the sting out of potholes, keeping your derriere intact after a ride. The Commuter is the high-end model in Canyon’s new Urban range, but if your budget won’t quite stretch to `1,49,900 for the Commuter 7.0SL, or `1,59,900 for the Commuter 7.0, take a look at the Urban bike, which starts at a reasonable £599. Want to keep your new wheels safe? We’re keen on the forthcoming Skylock,

Choose from the Commuter or the Urban bike (from `59,900, www.canyon. com). The Commuter has all of the smart features mentioned above, as well as a rack and mudguards. The Urban shares some of the Commuter’s features but is essentially designed for quick jaunts. To pre-order the Skylock ($159/`10,335), head to www.skylock.cc and get a massive 35 per cent off. Skylock works by connecting to your phone over Bluetooth. Once you’ve downloaded the app (Android or iOS), you can keep tabs on your lock and bike.

“Canyon’s new city bike is the ultimate cycle-lane weapon” W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


TECH ADVENTURES

DRIVE THE LENGTH OF ‘WESTEROS’ WITH TOMTOM

0 5

Game Of Thrones season five is over! Desperate for your next fix? Then explore ‘Westeros’ by car using TomTom’s latest satnav It’s hard to believe Game Of Thrones is over for another year. Alas, we must find new ways to satiate our dragon-sized appetite for Daenerys and co. And what better way to do that than by visiting ‘Westeros’? As true Thrones fans will know, some of the most memorable scenes from earlier seasons were filmed in northern Ireland. If

you want to visit the locations at your own pace, you can do so with the help of TomTom and Visit Causeway Coast and Glens. The latter, a website packed with info about GoT locations, offers a ‘Self-Drive Itinerary’ – choose from one-, two- or three-day itineraries and plan your adventure. Once you’ve chosen which locations to visit, it’s time to get pally with TomTom’s

GO 6100, an all-in-one satnav offering enough features to impress even Margaery Tyrell. The Lifetime Traffic feature gives you real-time traffic updates, ensuring you don’t get caught up behind any Dothraki bloodriders, while a fully interactive screen enables you to pinch, zoom and swipe your way around the GO 6100’s interactive map. But the main event is My Drive, a TomTom app through which you can personalise your interactive map by adding favourite destinations – ie GoT filming locations – and even set your destination (via the app on your phone, tablet or PC) before you get in the car.


BEWARE THE DRAGONS We don’t all have a mythical beast to ride, but visiting GoT locations is easy with TomTom

Jump on a robot unicycle

06

Go green this summer with the Ninebot One E+, an electric unicycle from the owners of Segway

If you’re ready to join the green transportation movement but want something a little more off the wall than, say, an electric bicycle, take a look at the Ninebot One E+ (from `45,000, www.ninebot.com). Described as a “personal transportation robot”, it looks like something out of Tron. This nifty electric unicycle is packing a 1,500-


See www.visitcausewaycoastandglens. com, click on the ‘Game Of Thrones’ box, scroll down to ‘Game Of Thrones Self-Drive Itineraries’ and choose one. Purchase the TomTom GO 6100 satnav (`29,900, www.tomtom.com). Finally, download TomTom’s My Drive. Using the app, make your GO 6100’s interactive map personal by adding GoT filming locations via ‘add a new place’.

watt motor, weighs around 13kg and reach a maximum speed of 21.8kmph. The unicycle is self-balancing, so in theory you should be able to place your feet on either side of i and bomb off into the sunset. Being tad more realistic, prepare to look bit of a tit during your first few at riding this baby – unless you ha core strength than Hugh Jackman an Hawks combined. The Ninebot One E+ rubber- coated, foldable handle for lifting, plus anti-skid layers on t p and an LED headlight up front. With waterproof frame for riding around rain, this funky unicycle has Bluet so that you can use it with the Nin to access a suite of customisable l g schemes (for the display panel) and

pp

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

AGENDA

THROW A HOUSE PARTY WITH GRAMOFON

07 Ring of light The LED light ring blinks red during set-up, turns blue when playing music, and goes green when Spotify is on. Bothered by the pretty light? Then turn it off, miserable!

THROW A HOUSE PARTY WITH GRAMOFON Get your best summer tunes at the ready – this cool little audio device can be used to blast the same or different playlists in every room of your house Nab an inexpensive multi-room audio set-up with Gramofon, the little black box that you can plug into your audio system via a stereo RCA cable. The Gramofon connects easily to your Wi-Fi network so that you can stream music from any Wi-Fi-enabled device, such as a smartphone, tablet or computer, making it perfect for house parties where you want to blast the same playlist in various rooms of your house. Gramofon was initially made to work with Spotify, but the box’s reach has been extended to work with other music-streaming

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Why Wi-Fi? Using Wi-Fi to link audio devices gives a longer range than Bluetooth, and the connection won’t go bye-bye when your phone rings and take their turn as DJ, playing tunes from their own Wi-Fi-enabled devices.


services like Rhapsody, Napster, Tunein and doubleTwist, with SoundCloud and Tidal promised soon. As well as streaming from the cloud, you can play music stored on your device. You’ll need a separate Gramofon for each speaker system but, at less than 5,000 bucks per device, it’s not so bad. Controlling it all from the AllPlay Jukebox app, you can choose to have different music in each room, or you can synchronise each Gramofon so that they all play the same tunes at the same time. The Gramofon also acts as a Wi-Fi hotspot, so friends can join your network

Decide which rooms you want to party in to get an idea of how many Gramofons (`4,200, www.gramofon.com) you’ll need. For example, if you’re partying in the living room and kitchen, you’ll need one Gramofon and a speaker in each room. Plug one Gramofon into one speaker in each chosen room. Use the set-up app to configure and name each Gramofon, eg ‘Kitchen’, and then Wi-Fi connect. View your players (devices) in the Jukebox app. Group them, then select ‘for all’ from your device-stored music or cloud music service, or keep them separate and choose different tunes/playlists for each Gramofon. Party on, Wayne!


Self-driving cars, driverless trains and 3D-printed houses were once the stuff of science fiction, but they’re starting to become reality in our cities, transforming the way we live Words: Joe Minihane 62 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today SEPTEMBER 2015

T

oday’s cities are developing at a never-before-seen rate. In 1900, just three per cent of the global population lived in urban centres. By 2008, that number had reached 50 per cent. According to the United Nations, five billion people will live in cities by 2030, representing around 75 per cent of the global population. How cities develop, and how technology helps that happen, is one of the biggest issues facing the planet right now. “My belief is that our culture is moving away from materialism towards experientialism, and the world’s leading cities are where this trend is going to happen first,” says James Wallman, futurist and author of the book Stuffocation. “In the future, one of the ways that cities will compete is by being better, more exciting, experiential playgrounds.” Wallman believes that cities offering greater social status through culture will be the ones that develop fastest and W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Big Read

FUTURE CITIES PEDAL POWER How London's skyline might look if Norman Foster's proposed 'SkyCycle' bikeways come to fruition

ultimately come out on top in the global race. But, he says, it’s not just the cultural experiences that will help them stand out from the rest of the pack. As we start to derive social status from health – so–called amortality, a concept explored by author Catherine Mayer in her book of the same name, and driven by the inexorable rise of wearable and fitness tech – our cities are going to have to adapt accordingly.

BIKE REVOLUTION That means a greater emphasis on cycling and walking, says Wallman. Paris is already leading the charge here. In April this year, it revealed plans to spend €150million on cycling infrastructure in order to become the leading biking city in the world by 2020. Cycle routes will be doubled in length to 1,400 km, with the aim of trebling journeys by bike from five to 15 per cent. Not only will that improve the health W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

of Parisians, it should go some way to combatting the French capital’s growing problem with pollution. Fewer cars means less CO2, which means cleaner air for everyone. London is not far behind. Foster and Partners’ new 250 City Road apartment development in EC1 has just shy of 1,500 bike-parking spots – one and a half per apartment. There’s even a bike-repair workshop. Norman Foster’s designs for futuristic ‘SkyCycle’ bikeways running above the capital’s train lines caused a stir when they were revealed last year. Meanwhile, work is currently under way on new north-to- south and east-to-west cycle superhighways, segregated from traffic to provide a safer experience for cyclists. It all plays into a greener vision of the future city. “Cities will be much cleaner places to live in the next few decades,” says Wallman. Cycling is obviously set to play a big role in this – but then, so is the ultimate symbol of futuristic SEPTEMBER 2015 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 63

Big Read

FUTURE CITIES 01

01 Norman Foster's 250 City Road development is bike-friendly, offering almost 1,500 parking spaces for cycles 02 With no steering wheel, Google's self-driving cars take humans out of the equation completely 03 Driverless Tube trains will be in service in London by the mid 2020s 04 Mercedes' four-seater F 015 is a vision of driverless luxury 02

04

SEOUL THE FUTURE CITY THAT’S ALREADY HERE Says Colin Marshall, Notebook On Cities And Culture podcaster, “If you look at the West in general’s ideal of a future city, I’d say that Seoul captures it through the sheer speed of its development. In just 40 or 50 years after the Korean


on Google’s self–driving project, speaking in a video detailing the Big G’s approach to its vehicle.

FORBIDDEN CARS The potential to change how we drive in cities – and the impact on air quality, seeing as these cars are powered by electricity rather than fossil fuels – is huge. “I think that once there are a few on the road, it will accelerate quickly,” says Dr Ian Pearson, of future-technology, marketing and strategy consultant Futurizon. “We’ll see the beginnings of replacing public transport with self-driving cars.” This, says Pearson, could be especially true in newly built towns and cities, many of which are likely to appear in the UK as the demand for housing continues to soar. “You could put inductive loops in new road surfaces so that you can automatically power a vehicle, and you could charge consumers by having RFID [radio-frequency identification] chips or location sensors in the bottom of the cars.” It all means that owning a car in a future city will not only be unnecessary, but also forbidden.

War, the city went from nothing to everything. This goes especially for its infrastructure: first, look at the amenities of the subway — its extensiveness, its frequency, its climate control, its mobile and internet connectivity, the robust economy operating in its stations, the fact that it has toilets — then look at how quickly they’ve built it. “South Korea, unlike the US and England, never lost its focus on creating a future city. In fact, one could argue that the country has

almost concentrated too much of its money, energy and population on rebuilding Seoul. But it still serves as an example of what Western cities could be if their redevelopment continues apace. “Seoul’s built environment exhibits so much change. If you consider constant change to be one of the necessary conditions of cityhood — and I do — then Seoul achieves it many times over with its very nature.” www.colinmarshall.org

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

I M AG E S : R E X F E AT U R E S

transport, the self–driving car. More than any other product, the self–driving car is the apotheosis of future-city tech. Every auto maker wants a part of the action. The Mercedes F 015 is perhaps the ultimate expression of what we can expect from a luxury automated car. Ford’s driver-assist cars are also pointing a way towards a safer driving experience. But it is undoubtedly Google’s self– driving cars that have most captured the public’s imagination. Automation is the name of the game when it comes to self–driving cars. According to Google, around 1.2 million people are killed on the roads each year. More than 90 per cent of those deaths are down to human error. That is the key reason why Google’s strange-looking prototype cars do not have steering wheels and are powered by computers rather than people. Unlike driver-assist technology, the objective here is to take human control out of the equation completely. “If we can bring in technology that is always paying attention, that can see what is going on around it, that never gets distracted, this is a huge opportunity to save lives and make the world a better place,” says Chris Urmson, the lead

Big Read

FUTURE CITIES 03

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW THE FUTURISTIC TECH THAT’S ALREADY DRIVING OUR CITIES SELF–DRIVING CARS

3D PRINTERS

Google’s driverless motors are already on the streets of San Francisco. Auto-parts maker Delphi’s model recently drove from the city to New York. While there was a human in the car in case of emergency, 99 per cent of the trip was completed in automated mode.

Chinese construction firm WinSun last year announced that it had 3D-printed ten houses in just 24 hours. In January of this year, it constructed a five-storey apartment block in the city of Suzhou. The reduction in waste and labour costs is set to herald a building revolution, and could, in theory, reduce house prices.

DRIVERLESS TRAINS Transport for London last year showcased its new Tube trains, which will be able to run without a driver. The carriages are set to come into service by the mid 2020s.

CITYMAPPER The mapping app for iOS and Android works out when you’ve changed cities, serves up live bus times, hooks into taxi services and suggests more efficient routes.

“In cities, you will not be allowed to drive a car,” says James Wallman. “Driverless cars will lead the way; there’ll be far fewer accidents and far less pollution.” With such vehicles being on the road at all times, it would open up new space for development. “You wouldn’t have to search for parking; you’d just leave it and it would go off and help someone else to get where they’re going,” says Urmson. “Imagine cities where parking garages aren’t there, where that land has been turned into homes or turned into parks.”

MODULAR HOMES How we build these homes – the materials we use and the energy we consume – is another area that’s set to undergo major change over the next ten to 20 years. Space is already at a premium. But with consumer goods shrinking, cultural materials such as books and music now digitally accessible, and the potential for new transport systems to open up areas for development, the space we need to live will shrink exponentially, says Wallman. “Our homes will be much clearer visually; you won’t need as much stuff,” he says. Architecturally speaking, we are already moving towards smarter ways to build our homes, utilising more space in order to accommodate more people. So–called modular homes, where bathrooms and kitchens are built off-site and plugged into a mainframe, are becoming increasingly popular. But it is 3D printing that is one of the most exciting areas in house-building right now. In 2014, Chinese 3D-printing construction firm WinSun revealed that it had printed ten houses in just 24 hours. In January of this year, it showed off a five-storey apartment block in the eastern city of Suzhou. It made the parts in its factory before assembling them on-site, giving a vision of how buildings could be constructed in future cities. According to WinSun, it could mean building

APPLE WATCH The direction tools on Apple’s new smartwatch, with haptic feedback for left and right turns, could help to bring an end to us staring dumbly down at our smartphones and crossing roads without looking. Smarter implementation of mapping tech, breaking away from screens, is likely to play an important role in future cities.

times come down by up to 70 per cent, with a 60 per cent drop in waste. It’s not just smart, it’s environmentally friendly too. “If you can print locally, it solves problems,” says Pearson. “Today, 3D printing is expensive. It has a long way to go before it changes the world, but it does have a lot of potential. There are a lot of real benefits.” Pearson says that developments in carbon and graphene are also likely to change the way we build offices and houses in future cities. “Carbon is one of the very big coming technologies,” he says. “In 15 to 20 years, we’ll be using a lot of carbon instead of steel. At the moment, graphene is strong but very expensive. However, the costs of that are plummeting and it may well become a major building material.” The direct result is that, instead of using thick concrete and steel, thinner, sturdier, carbon–based materials could be used, utilising space more efficiently. But, says Pearson, there’s one other key factor in future buildings – augmented reality. He and Wallman both believe that Google Glass, alongside other products, will play a major role in how we see and interact with buildings. “When you look at buildings, you won’t see that building, you’ll see an AR overlay,” says Pearson. “That means you can make a dirtcheap building and still make it look elaborate.” It also means there’s potential to make the same building or product look different to different people. You can almost hear brands salivating at the prospect of serving up tailored content via smart specs, without having to splash out on old– style billboard advertising. Ultimately, the city of tomorrow is being created as we speak. It’s not the stuff of science fiction, but grounded in the relentless development of modern technologies, ones that we’re seeing and reading about every day. The future is a lot closer than you think.

You will not be allowed to drive a car in cities.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


PREMIUM HEADPHONES LOOKING FOR A BETTER LISTENING EXPERIENCE? OF COURSE YOU ARE! DITCH THOSE EARBUDS IN FAVOUR OF THESE ON-EAR AND OVER-EAR DELIGHTS… Words: Rob Carney

uying headphones isn’t an easy task. There’s a raft of manufacturers out there all gagging for your attention – from big brands such as Philips, to the lesser-known, but still excellent, Grado Labs and Audeze. Let’s first categorise what we mean by ‘premium headphones’.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOBY SESSIONS

B

These aren’t studio-quality headphones, but they aren’t your throwaway earbuds either. They’re over- or on-ear cans that will undoubtedly enhance your listening pleasure, whether you’re playing music through a phone, a high-res audio player, a dedicated DAC or your home hi-fi. The majority of these headphones fall within the `20,000-`70,000 price range – that’s about as premium as you could get. So, what should you consider? Well, of course, the major factor is sound quality. We’ll be honest – all of the headphones here sound good. You won’t be disappointed with any of them, we promise. But they do have very different listening qualities – and even different connections in the case of the Philips M2/L and the Musical Fidelity MF200 – and your preference will determine your purchase.

Sound matters Let’s start with the most important thing: sound. Headphones have different frequency responses – the range of bass, mids and treble. So before you buy anything, have a think about what you’re after. Do you want heavy

bass or a more neutral listening experience? If it’s bass you’re after, there are manufacturers – notably Beats – that emphasise the lower frequencies (ie bass) to give a signature sound. But while headphones like these can be enjoyable to listen to, they often lack the separation and delivery of music that the artist intended (no matter what the manufacturers say). Also be aware that you’re never going to get the kind of bass

Do you want heavy bass or a more neutral experience? in headphones that you would from a good subwoofer. If you want to check out the frequency response of your intended cans, the best bet is to go to headphones.com, where you can plot out a graph of the bass, mid tones and treble. But to help you along, we’ll outline what all of the headphones featured here sound like, along with a brief explanation of their individual responses.

Over or on? There are two different types of headphones featured here – over-ear and on-ear. Let’s


W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

PREMIUM HEADPHONES

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


PREMIUM HEADPHONES

T3 recommends...

The higher end

EASY LISTENING What we’ve got on our ears in the T3 office

HEADPHONES OF DESIRE These cans sound great, but you may have to remortgage to buy them

01

Headphones are a very personal thing. They engulf you with your favourite music, and they also say a lot about your style. We test headphones all the time, and these six models have stood out as excellent options. From the huge yet brilliant Audeze EL-8 to the isolating, comfortable B&W P5 Wireless, there’s a set of headphones here for everyone; whether you want to listen in your front room, in the office or on the bus into town.

ABYSS AB-1266 DELUXE

01

Yes, these almost Medieval-looking cans really do cost £4k. So what do you get for the same price as a small car? All the components are made from solid aluminium, while planarmagnetic tech contributes to a sound that will delight even the most dedicated of audiophiles. Just don’t leave them on the bus. `4,00,000, abyss-headphones.com

02

02

ULTRASONE EDITION 5 Each ear cup on these traditionalist beauties is made from moor oak – which Ultrasone says is hundreds of years old and unrivalled in terms of grain and colour. And the ear cups themselves are made from Ethiopian long-haired sheep leather! If it’s quality materials and sound you’re after, look no further. `3,00,000 (limited edition), ultrasoneheadphones.com

03

MCINTOSH MHP1000 McIntosh says its MHP1000 cans have a smooth, full-bodied, non-fatiguing response – enabling you to hear new facets of your favourite songs. Well, you’d hope so for £2k! They’re also supercomfortable, with premium leather ear pads for extended listening. Add a McIntosh headphone amp to make them even better. `2,00,000, mcintoshlabs.com

think about what those terms mean for a minute as, although it may seem obvious, there are a few nuances you need to be aware of. Over-ear headphones are, as the name suggests, cans that fit entirely over your ear, engulfing you in sound. Two examples here are the B&O Play H6 and the Audeze EL-8. The bigger ear cups seal your music in, blocking out everyday noises. But over-ear headphones can be cumbersome – the Audeze EL-8 are big and relatively heavy, meaning they aren’t so great for portable use and are more suited to listening in the home. On-ear cans sit, unsurprisingly, on your ears. For some people, this can be a little uncomfortable for extended listening sessions, but for optimum listening on the move, and maximum versatility, on-ears make sense.

Closed or open? Within the over-ear and on-ear categories, there’s also the choice of closed-back or


open-back headphones. What does this mean? Well, speaker drivers in headphones emit sound in both directions, so with a closed-back pair – which feature a hard casing on the outside of the headphones – the music is blocked to the outside world. This is obviously much better for travelling, as it means the old woman on the bus can’t hear your impeccable taste in Nineties hip-hop. So why would you want an open-back

With openbacked ’phones, you can get a much wider, larger sound W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

PREMIUM HEADPHONES

01

02

03

04

05

06

PHILIPS FIDELIO M2L

GRADO PS500E

AUDEZE EL-8

B&O PLAY H6

Handmade in Brooklyn, NYC, these open-backed (meaning they’ll leak sound) on-ear headphones are subtle yet bright, and have an excellent soundstage. They’re also comfortable – and they look ace. `60,000, gradolabs.com

With their wooden veneers and brushed- metal ear cups, these look – and sound – the bee’s knees. Planarmagnetic tech makes them easily driven by mobile devices, and they feature rich bass. `49,990, audeze.com

Probably the most stylish cans here, the H6s are a relatively neutralsounding set of headphones. We adore the premium lambskin ear ups and leather headband, and rate the choice of colours. `32,500, beoplay.com

MUSICAL FIDELITY MF-200B

BOWERS & WILKINS P5 WIRELESS

Built to work with the V90-BHA headphone amp, these can be picked up in an amp/ headphone bundle for `45000. Neutralsounding and impressive. `25,000, musicalfidelity.com

The P5s are a great set of cans, and the fact that they’re wireless adds convenience to the mix. The best Bluetooth ‘phones on the market. `33,000, bowers-wilkins.com

These have a builtin DAC and plug directly into the Lightning port on your iPhone, iPad or iPod. This does mean you won’t be able to use the headphones with another device, though. `20,000, philips.co.in

03

04

pair, which don’t block your music from being heard by all and sundry? Well, with open-backed cans, you can get a much wider, larger sound – almost like you’re in a room listening to music (a good example of an open-backed on-ear is Grado’s PS500e, which we’ll get onto a bit later). If you have a listening room or similar, open-back may be the way to go, but for a more versatile set of headphones that you can use anywhere, closed-back is the best option. But again, it’s a matter of personal taste and circumstance.

Over-ear, dear B&O’s Play H6s are excellent and surprisingly inexpensive over-ear headphones. As we’ve come to expect from the Danish audio company, design and sound are perfectly paired – the cans are characterised by an über-stylish leather headband and memoryfoam-topped lambskin ear cups, which are seriously comfortable for extended listening. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

05

06

And, even though they’re an over-ear design, they’re sufficiently compact, making them an option for both home and on-the-go listening. Frequency responses are fairly neutral, though bass is punchy and the 40mm drivers deliver clear detail. The Play H6s also have a 3.5mm jack on both ear cups, meaning you can daisy-chain them to another pair of headphones (or simply switch the cable from one ear to another). Like many modern headphones, they come with an inline mic for controlling your music on your smartphone. You may need a headphone amp to get the very best out of them, though. We’ll get onto headphone amps later. The other over-ear cans featured here are Audeze’s EL-8s – the closed-back version, to be precise. The EL-8s are certainly on the chunky side and, with their wooden-veneer edges and brushed ear cups, are an acquired taste. But they sound incredible: deep bass is paired with smooth mid tones and exceptional

reproduction at high frequencies. To put it in simple terms, they have a large sound. The thing that separates the EL-8s from the other cans here is that they use planar-magnetic technology rather than electrostatic drivers (you’ll find an excellent explanation of the technology at bit.ly/1SmDCJD). Because of this, they can be driven easily by mobile devices without any kind of headphone amp.

ON-EAR WONDERS Let’s move on to the on-ear headphones featured here, starting with the Grado PS500e. As we’ve mentioned, these are open-backed – and they’re the epitome of open-backed cans. If you’re listening to your music at loud volumes, those around you will be able to hear it clearly. But the benefits of the wider soundstage are clear: these Grados are subtle yet bright, have great instrument and vocal separation, and deliver an incredibly rich sound. The fact that they’re


SMARTWATCHES

The best…

DACS AND AMPS Digital-to-analogue converters and amplifiers to make your music shine

01 CHORD 2QUTE An all-in-one DAC and headphone amp, the 2Qute connects to your device via USB, coax or optical, and supports DSD64 and DSD128. `99,500, chordelectronics.co.uk

02 PIONEER U-05 This USB DAC certainly looks the business. It supports high-res audio playback, while the hi-bit 32 function upscales 16- and 24-bit signals to 32-bit quality. `70,000, pioneer.eu

03 The Musical Fidelity MF-200B headphones are designed to work with the V90-BHA balanced headphone amplifier

FIIO A3 The Fiio A3 is a great portable headphone amp. Just strap it to your mobile device (using the supplied rubber bands) and boost your headphone’s output . `4,000, fiio.net

Choose your smartwatch carefully: what you wear on your wrist says a lot about your personality

handmade (you’ll find a serial number scratched into the plastic) makes them even more appealing.But they certainly aren’t the ideal choice for commuting, even if they can easily be driven by your iPhone, iPad or mobile device.

Bluetooth brilliance Noise-cancelling headphones are always popular with travellers and commuters, as are Bluetooth models – thanks to the complete lack of wires to get tangled up in. If you’re on the bus or train a lot, one model you might want to consider is Bowers & Wilkins’ P5 Wireless. While these aren’t noise-cancelling cans in the truest sense of the word (ie they don’t have a battery and mics to drown out the outside world), they isolate noise brilliantly and the sound quality is, as you’d expect from B&W, utterly superb. These are almost certainly the best Bluetooth headphones on the market at the moment. Their rectangular cups and pads are extremely comfortable, materials are premium and they deliver excellent bass – without crossing

04

The Grado Labs AUDEZE DECKARD PS500e cans are bright and have ICON AUDIO HP8 MKII great instrument 05 separation

A lovely brushed-metal design, with the specs to match. The Deckard handles 16 to 32 bits, and sampling rates from 44.1kHz to 384kHz. `60,000, audeze.com

over into Beats territory. If these don’t take your fancy, B&O’s H8s are another excellent option. These offer active noise cancellation, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.

06

In terms of cool, there ain’t much better than than this pure-valve headphone amp. But it isn’t a cheap amplification option! `65,000, iconaudio.com

Lightning appeal The Philips Fidelio M2L headphones offer something unique – a built-in DAC (digital to analogue converter) that bypasses the crummy DAC on your iPhone. The one limitation is that these ’phones connect via the Lightning port, meaning you’ll only be


SENNHEISER HDVD 800 They say once you go DAC you’ll never go back, and this is a great example. You can run four sets of cans off this, as well. `1,60,000, en-in.sennheiser.com W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

SMARTWATCHES

The best…

AUDIO SERVICES

Some top choices for music buying

01 TIDAL

02

Jay-Z and his music chums are onto something with Tidal; the service continues to grow its catalogue of music. You can stream in 16-bit CD-quality for `2,600 per month. `2,600 per month, tidal.com The Philips Fidelio M2L headphones plug directly into your Apple device’s Lightning port

QOBUZ This French service is another to offer a huge number of tracks, enabling you to either stream in CD quality or download in 24-bit highres. Well worth a look. `2,000 per month, qobuz.comr

03

HDTRACKS You can’t stream music from HDtracks, but you can purchase all the latest high-res, 24-bit albums. The downloads aren’t cheap, though – expect to pay up to `2,000 per album. Pay per album, hdtracks.com

able to use them with a compatible Apple device. If Apple is your brand of choice, though, you can’t go far wrong with these headphones. They deliver excellent sound – especially if you’re listening to high-res audio files (through Onkyo’s HF Player app or similar, as the Apple Music app can’t play FLAC) or streaming from Tidal. Something we haven’t spoken about in detail is headphone amplifiers. These essentially enable you to drive your cans louder, but can also add clarity and neutrality to your music when played on a computer or mobile

device – and are aimed at a pretty niche, audiophile market. Some headphones/ amplifier combinations are designed to work together, such as the Musical Fidelity MF-200B cans and the V90-BHA balanced amp. The bottom line is that choosing a pair of headphones depends on your listening requirements, but the models here should cover all bases – from extended listening sessions in your lounge to blasting out tunes on the train. Our advice? Get down to your local retailer and try out as many pairs as you can with your own music.

HOW TO… GET HIGH-RES AUDIO ON YOUR IPHONE

01

GET THE APP

The Apple Music app doesn’t currently support high-res, 24-bit FLAC files. But worry not, there’s a sneaky way of being able to play them on your iPhone. Simply head to the App Store and search for ‘Onkyo HF Player’. This is Onkyo’s custom music app.

02

UPGRADE

To enable the high-res functionality, you need to make an in-app purchase. This costs `799 but is a bit of a bargain considering you’ll be able to transfer all your 24-bit music files and play them on your iPhone (remember, they take a lot of space).


03

TRANSFER TUNES

In order to move your purchased tunes into the app, you’ll need to use iTunes to transfer the files. Click on your device in iTunes, then scroll down to the File Sharing pane. Here, click on the Onkyo HF Player app icon, then hit the Add button.

04

AND LISTEN!

Browse to your highres, 24-bit FLAC, WAV or DSD files, then add them to the app. Sync your iPhone, then open HF Player on your handset. Why not pair your phone with a dedicated DAC (or Philips M2L cans) for a better listening experience. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


EXPERT REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP YOU BUY WITH CONFIDENCE

REVIEWED IN DEPTH THIS MONTH... 074 OnePlus 2 078 HTC One ME 082 Samsung Galaxy A8 086 Sony RX100 IV 089 YU Fit 090 Hyndai Creta 094 Earphones 096 Games 102 Apps 105 Entertainment

The scores explained

How we test… OUR MISSION IS TO BRING YOU THE CLEAREST RECOMMENDATIONS WE CAN – AND THAT MEANS A GREAT DEAL OF HARD WORK HAPPENS BEFORE A PRODUCT EVEN REACHES OUR PAGES!

Because we only feature products the T3 team would happily use ourselves, we end up discarding a significant number of options in each category before settling on a final shortlist to review. In this respect, T3 Select does exactly what it says on the tin, picking

Forget it

only the best of the best to test; the gear we know you’ll want to seriously consider purchasing and come away with clarity on which one is the best in its category or for a specific task. It goes without saying that every product in T3 Select has been thoroughly tested by our team of experts, enabling you to buy with total confidence.

Below average

Good for the price

Very good all round

An exceptional, best-in-class product

Our five awards

Only the best products – those that score five stars – receive our coveted Platinum Award

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

This is given to winners of our group tests, so you can see exactly which is the best at a glance

This accolade and others like it show you which gear is best for specific features or tasks

For kit that demonstrates exceptional industrial design and refinement, in addition to being great

Awarded to products that are energy-efficient or help to protect the natural environment


REVIEW

Words: Amit Bhawani Phoneradar.com

OnePlus 2 THE SECOND COMING nePlus started with a premise to offer the world a flagship killer. In 2014, the company announced its first smartphone, the OnePlus One (OPO) at an aggressive price. What was interesting about the phone was that it offered more bang for the buck. Fast-forward to this year, the Chinese mobile startup has launched the second iteration of its flagship. Now that the device is out, does it hold the candle against the competition? Let’s find out.

O

REFINED DESIGN We believe there is no perfect design for a smartphone; it’s just placing all things in their right places and making it as intuitive as possible. The biggest change in terms of design on the OnePlus 2 over OPO is the removable back cover. This makes it easier for consumers to change the back panel of their choice. OnePlus as a company is also

banking on the same, which is why they’re offering four back panels — Bamboo, Rosewood, Black Apricot and Kevlar as optional back cover options in addition to the stock Sandstone Black. The decision to build an aluminium-and-magnesium crafted frame for the new device is a good one as it gives the phone a stylish look and durability. We didn’t feel the same way with the OnePlus One. Another interesting addition is the Alert Slider. It allows users to change the profiles between All Notifications, Priority Interruptions and No Interruptions. Talking about the buttons and ports, the right edge houses the volume rocker keys and power button. The loudspeakers are placed on the bottom edge whereas the back features a camera module. Moving onto the display, there’s no difference in size and PPI (Pixel Per Inch) count between the previous


and new flagship device from OnePlus. Both offer a 5.5-inch 1080p display with a 401 PPI count. Though, what is improved on the display is that it is bright and at 600 nits, the device is one of the brightest ones in the market. The display quality is excellent when it comes to legibility under sunlight, colours and crispness are good and offers a 178-degree viewing angle.

POWERHORSE OnePlus has stepped up with the performance of this flagship with the Snapdragon 810 chipset, despite the chip being in the news for overheating. OnePlus has

SPECIFICATIONS PRICE `24,999 URL www.oneplus.net SCREEN SIZE 5.5-inches RESOLUTION 1920x1080 pixels DIMENSIONS 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85 mm WEIGHT 155g FRONT CAMERA 5MP REAR CAMERA 13MP STORAGE 64GB RAM 4GB BATTERY 3300mAh W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select ONEPLUS 2

LASER FOCUS Laser focus below the camera sensor makes the phone’s camera focus quickly

ALERT SLIDER A dedicated key for changing notification profiles

FINGERPRINT SENSOR Secure the phone with up to 5 fingerprints

BLE BACK V R p

ng back is now easy

USB TYPE-C Uses the new reversible USB standard cable

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


ONEPLUS 2

GLOSSY FRONT Contrary to the Sandstone finish, front is a glossy one

OnePlus 2 is powerful, fast an has a good camer integrated the second version of the Snapdragon 810 SoC and although we did face some heating issues while shooting a 4K video, Oneplus 2 manages the heat better. Combined with the 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, Adreno 430 GPU, the phone gets the much needed performance boost. This is where the combination of CPU, GPU and RAM comes into play on OnePlus 2. Talking about the benchmark numbers, the device scored around 54,000 points on Antutu and 4,000 on Vellamo. But do the numbers mean that the device is always up to task with high performance? Not exactly. We experienced some issues, like when we switched to the Airplane mode; the device was inoperable for at least five minutes. Again, it might be a software bug, but you shouldn’t expect such trivial issues to crop up when you’re using the same build for almost two weeks. There is no Cyanogen love for the OnePlus 2 this time but comes with the second version of Oxygen OS. The Oxygen OS 2.0 offers a pure Android stock experience with customisation options on top. For instance, the Oxygen OS 2.0 offers theme options to swapping operation of capacitive buttons. There’s even dark mode that changes the phone’s user interface to grey to make it

easier on the eyes. The OnePlus 2 back houses a 13MP resolution camera aided by a laser autofocus, which helps in faster focusing of an object. The camera quality is great. The aperture remains at f/2.0 with 1.3μm pixels that improves low-light shots. On the video part, it supports up to 4K recording albeit can record only for 10 minutes. The OnePlus 2 camera also touts OIS but we felt it was not up to the mark. The front-facing camera is on par with other flagship devices that enables wide-angle selfies with large groups. OnePlus 2 is also equipped with a fingerprint sensor that doubles up as a home button. The fingerprint sensor works well and we had a success rate of about 80 percent in our tests. This is company’s first smartphone to sport dual SIM capability that allows users to use two Nano SIMs. Both SIM slots support 4G connectivity. Though, what’s not interesting from the practical perspective is the USB Type-C standard on a smartphone. Since devices with USB Type-C are very few, you’ll be left high and dry in case you forget the charger. The battery capacity on the OnePlus 2 has got a jump from OnePlus One’s 3100mAh to


3300mAh but th l d out to be a mixed b The phone gave u b h but faced some is hb drain, making it drain a good 10 percent within a span of 15 minutes while using the camera app. And the bummer is that there is no quick charging, even though, Snapdragon 810 supports Quick Charge 2.0. OnePlus 2 is an upgrade that company deserved, but not what its users were expecting, which is what we feel. They missed out on features like Quick Charging, NFC, and 2K Display, which is currently the norm with all flagship devices from other manufacturers. That said, when it comes to performance and user experience the OnePlus 2 is hard to beat by other flagships, and a good upgrade over the OnePlus One.

T3 SAYS It’s a good device at the price with some flaws T3 RATES Price, overall performance T3 SLATES No quick charging, Quad HD display

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

REVIEW

Words: Kunal Gangar

HTC One ME ME TOO - HTC’S LATEST SMARTPHONE WITH A LUXURIOUS DESIGN hat started as a single device in the One range, HTC has got a lot of choices to offer to consumers today in its flagship series. The Taiwan-based company is currently offering at least 10 devices from the One series but the takes the top spot is the recently announced HTC One ME, which we’re taking a thorough look at this month. HTC has always focused on the phone’s design and the One ME is a prime example of that. The phone is a visual treat that makes it as good looking as Apple’s iPhone 6 or Samsung’s Galaxy S6. Unlike the complete metal finish, HTC has gone with a two-tone finish on the One ME. The front side of the phone boasts metal finish whereas the back side features a polycarbonate shell and the end result is a beautiful, clean look. The phone is not slim by today’s standards but the phones sits well in the hand and with a curved back, it

W

gives a good grip on the phone. As far as placement goes, the loudspeaker is laid out on the top along with the a fingerprint sensor and front-facing camera whereas the power button, volume buttons and microSD card slot on the right hand side. The left hand side features the dual nano SIM card slots while the top and bottom sides feature an IR blaster and microUSB port, 3.5mm headphone jack respectively. HTC One ME features a 5.2-inch display supporting WQHD resolution (1440x2560) with a pixel density of 565ppi (pixels per inch). The display quality is amazing and thanks to the high resolution, the images and text appear sharp and crisp. The phone also supports motion launch gestures that allows user to swipe or tap on the display to execute some commands. MediaTek chips are often associated with mid-range devices so colour us surprised when HTC


decided to use it for their flagship products. But given our experience with MediaTek’s helio X10 processor, we were more than happy with the overall performance. The helio X10 is an octa-core processor and coupled with 3GB RAM, the phone offered comparable performance to that of phones running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon or Samsung’s Exynos chipsets. If synthetic benchmark is any indication, the phone scored well around 40000 points in Antutu benchmark. The phone runs on Android Lollipop with Sense UI 7 on top.

SPECIFICATIONS PRICE `37,000 URL www.htc.com/in SCREEN SIZE 5.2-inches DISPLAY LCD RESOLUTION 1440 x 2560 pixels DIMENSIONS 150.99 x 71.99 x 9.75 mm WEIGHT 155g FRONT CAMERA 4MP REAR CAMERA 20MP STORAGE 32GB RAM 3GB BATTERY 2840mAh MICROSD SUPPORT: YES

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select NE ME

BOOMSOUND SPEAKERS The front-facing dual speakers are loud and offer a rich audio experience

QUAD HD DISPLAY The display is crisp and has a good viewing angle

HTC takes design seriously and it shows on the One ME as well WWW

N

S

0 5

y

y 9

HTC ONE ME

IR Blaster Coupled with the app, you can use the IR Blaster to change TV channels

TWO-TONE BODY Metal on the front, soft plastic at the back gives the phone a premium look HTC’s customised user interface is more or less similar to the previous iterations but is smooth and lag free. Swiping on the left reveals BlinkFeed that updates world news, social updates in an eye pleasing manner. Moving on to One ME’s multimedia prowess, the phone is capable of playing loads of multimedia files and enhancing the multimedia experience is HTC’s BoomSound dual front-facing speakers with Dolby Audio surround. The loudspeaker output is very good with no sign of distortion. The camera on the One ME boasts a 20 megapixel sensor at the back and though the camera takes some really good pictures in outdoor lighting conditions, it’s a different case when you click pictures indoors. The images look sharp on the screen but the fully blown up picture talks a different story. There’s way too much noise in adequate lighting conditions. That said, taking pictures with the camera is fast with the camera booting up in a second and sports an easy to use interface. It can capture up to 20 images

continuously and allows to add more modes like Bokeh, Photo Booth and Split Capture. On the video front, the camera supports 4K video recording but is limited to 6 minutes only. The UltraPixel camera on the front takes some good selfies and with the beauty mode support, users can clean up the selfie for a flawless skin in real time. If we talk about its battery life, the 2840mAh battery gave us roughly 11 hours of usage on a single charge, which is considered average in today’s competition. All said and done, the One ME is a competitive device and if you’re the one who doesn’t take too many photos indoors, the HTC One ME gives little reason to complain. The phone retails for Rs. 37,000.

T3 SAYS A stylish looking phone with decent performance T3 RATES Design, BoomSound T3 SLATES Camera


20MP camera is good for outdoors and starts up really fast

UltraPixel camera on the front captures 3 times more light than a regular camera sensor

Fingerprint sensor which is integrated in the home button is one of the best ones you’ll see on an Android device

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


g lden Quad: Le Tackling the Go

II ` 125.00

T E ST EOD SS

MARUTI SUZU

KI S-CR

ww w. ca rin

di a. in

ite i20 C v Hyundai El nda Jazz i-DTE SHOOTOUT: Ho

e 002 Volume 11 / Issu

EXCLUSIVES

5 / September 201

Silent and se91c0-rePtS

Lambo’s hybrid V10

Aston’s 200-mph rebirth

e Flat-out in than lc u 800+ PS V

NEW FORD

R U O V A E D EN

ts? Everest heigh to s le sa V U S e Blue Oval’s Can it take th TESTED

zE Mercedes-Ben

t 400 Cabriole

S FIRST DRIVE Mustang EcoBoost

PUBLISHING

ar CRDe Mahindra Th Coupé 63 S G Mercedes-AM

e Ford 5 Competizion FIAT Abarth 59


www.zinio.com/carindia

REVIEW

Words: Kunal Gangar

Samsung Galaxy A8 THE TOP DOG FROM GALAXY A SERIES IS A LOOKER n the current hierarchy of Galaxy smartphone range, Galaxy A phones come in third, after Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series. The phones off er good looks, decent performance and most importantly, are aff ordable. Samsung’s Galaxy A8 is no diff erent. But does Samsung’s off ering stand out in the sea of smartphones available in India right now? Let’s fi nd out.

I

SIZE ZERO First glance at the phone and you’ll realise how slim it is. Samsung has done a commendable job to shrink the phone under 6mm (5.9mm to be precise) yet packing some noteworthy hardware. It’s clear Galaxy S6 was the inspiration for Samsung while designing the Galaxy A8 because the phone boasts a similar unibody design

crafted metal sides. Samsung has replaced the glass on the back of the Galaxy S6 with plastic and has a very thin 1.2mm bezel around the display. In short, the Galaxy A8 does not look cheaply made which was the common complaint with many Samsung phones in the past — but a premium-looking phone. If we talk about the placements, the power button is placed on the right hand side whereas the volume up and down button is placed on the left along with the dual SIM slots. The microUSB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack is placed at the bottom. Samsung still maintains a physical home button but this time, the button also doubles up as a fi ngerprint scanner.

STEADY PERFORMER The display on the Galaxy A8 measures 5.7-inches with full


resolution support (1920x1080). Samsung uses its signature Super AMOLED panel that makes the colours look vibrant and blacks, deep. The brand does not offer a lot of customisations when it comes to the perfect colour and saturation but Samsung has a mode called Adaptive Display that automatically optimises the colour range, saturation and sharpness to offer the best quality picture. Now we turn to the things that are under the hood. Galaxy A8 comes with Samsung’s own Exynos 5430 octa-core processor that boasts a clock speed of 1.8GHz for

SPECIFICATIONS PRICE `32,500 URL www.samsung.com/in SCREEN SIZE 5.7-inches DISPLAY Super AMOLED RESOLUTION 1920x1080 pixels DIMENSIONS 158.0 x 76.8 x 5.9mm WEIGHT 151g FRONT CAMERA 5MP REAR CAMERA 16MP STORAGE 32GB RAM 2GB BATTERY 3050mAh W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select SAMSUNG GALAXY A8

GERPRINT SENSOR w t

fingerprint sensor ks well but needs turn on the screen st to unlock

UNIBODY DESIGN SUPER SLIM Samsung has p lot of things 5.9mm phone

k d th

The combination of plastic and metal unibody design looks d th G l y

g l k d l d with the octa core SoC is 2GB RAM and both work well to off er a decent performance. While we may not term speedy or flawless, the combination works well to give a satisfactory performance. One good thing about the Galaxy A8 is the ample storage. Samsung sells Galaxy A8 with 32GB internal storage and it’s a good way to go, considering 16GB internal memory does not cut it for many consumers these days. 32GB is less for you? Fret not, because Samsung has also come up with a way to integrate a microSD card slot. While users can expand the storage to up to 128GB, there’s a trade-off to achieve the expansion of the storage. The phone comes up with a Hybrid SIM slot that allows to use the phone to accept either an additional SIM to act as a dual SIM phone or use the slot as a microSD slot. The idea is novel but may disappoint consumers who want the best of both worlds. The phone excels in multimedia playback and supports a variety of file formats. It can also play 4K videos with ease. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

MULTI WINDOW Multi Window feature is handy if you want to do multiple things at once


SAMSUNG GALAXY A8

A really slim phone that will attract some eyeballs HYBRID SLOT The slot supports either a microSD card or a nano SIM

MY MAGAZINE BlinkFeed-like alternative for Samsung devices

Samsung has also concentrated on making the picture taking experience better on the Galaxy A8. While you won’t fi nd a dedicated camera button, you can activate the camera by double clicking the home button. This is a good way for users to get to click pictures as it takes just 0.9 seconds to start when the phone is unlocked or about 1.7 seconds to start from sleep. The rear-facing camera features a 16MP f1.9 sensor and it takes some good quality pictures. The noise is kept in check and outputs good colours with contrast. On the video side, the phone can record in up to full HD resolution. The front-camera boasts a 5MP f1.9 sensor that also allows to take wide-angle 120-degree selfies. The camera also has a Beauty mode to remove blemishes from the face in real time and supports full HD video recording as well. The last piece of noteworthy hardware present in the Galaxy A8 is the fingerprint scanner and it’s certainly an improvement from Samsung’s first generation implementation. Unlike the swipe,

which users previously had to do, this phone requires one to place their fi nger to unlock.The success rate with unlocking the device has also been improved as it can detect the fi nger at different angles but still misses out sometimes. The fi ngerprint can also be used to login into Samsung account and even be used to sign-in to websites. The only gripe we’ve in addition to occasional wrong detection is that it requires one to turn on the display and then unlock it. Samsung has also managed to fit in a larger-capacity 3050mAh battery in the slim shell of the phone. In our regular usage with a single SIM and a screen on time of about three hours with 4G connectivity, we got around 14 hours of run time before finding its way to the wall socket. The Galaxy A8 runs Android 5.1.1 with TouchWiz UI on top of it. Despite some disatisfaction for Samsung’s customised user interface amongst consumers , the company has been improving it and has made it considerably faster on the Galaxy A8. We did not find the interface to lag or slow down during our usage. Samsung has also


added Themes support to enhance the visual appeal, which can be downloaded from Samsung’s dedicated theme store. Additionally, the phone retains the nifty Ultra Power Saving Mode that changes the screen to greyscale and restricts the use of apps for an extended battery life. The Galaxy A8 is the result of Samsung’s effort in the last one year. With good-looking devices like the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge, Samsung is rolling down its design expertise into the lower priced phones. In fact, the Galaxy A8 is better in some aspects to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S range with better battery life and memory expansion slot. Add to it, an affordable price tag as well.

T3 SAYS An all-round performance with a good camera T3 INDIA RATES Design, Battery life T3 INDIA SLATES Fingerprint scanner

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


G A ZI N E, EE LE R M A 1 TW O W H . O N ’S IA IN D

DIA.IN WWW.BIKEIN

2015 SEPTEMBER

persport u s t o -p in tw w the ne

ISSUE 002

F Z Y A H A M YA

VOLUME 11

We ride

` 100

B Y FA R !

INSIDE TESTED

Honda Livo

Hero X

treme

Sports

FIRST RIDE

FEATURES

PUBLISHING

KTM Freeride E-SM and E-XC

e Nomadic Rid ippin’ Tr aha Benelli Road s Years of Yam Leg II ou ri lo G y Sixt d: ua Q Golden Tackling the


www.zinio.com/bikeindia

REVIEW

Words: Sujith Gopinath

Sony Cyber-shot DSC RX100 IV EXCELLENT CAMERA WITH A HEFTY PRICE TAG he RX-series from Sony is regarded as one of the top performers in the compact cameras segment. The RX100 and subsequent upgrades have improved with each iteration and the latest RX100 IV takes the camera’s video capability a step further.

T

COMPACT YET STURDY The RX100 IV looks and feels almost identical to the RX100 III. The outer shell has a robust build with a combination of metal and engineering plastic. The tiny built-in pop-up viewfinder and flash fits snugly into its assigned slot and springs up when the flash release lever is pulled. Though we favour a slow, carefully damped release of flash, we doubt if Sony could have accommodated additional gears and springs in this little compartment. However, given the mechanism, there is an inherent flaw that is

operate. The camera is easy to use and has an intuitive interface. The tiny EVF helps in low-light situations to eliminate camera shake. Propping up the viewfinder will switch on the camera. Images appear crisp both in the viewfinder and the LCD with legible information display. Given the size, the camera lacks a proper grip, thus making it slippery. Hence, we would advice users to attach and use the wrist strap without fail.

consistently observed in these accessories propped on simple hinges — exposed cables or circuit strips. And in the case of the RX100 IV, the metal hinge appears to press against these strips when the flash is lowered into the slot. A similar exposed strip is found in all tilt-only LCD screens, and the RX100 IV is no exception. The LCD at the back measures 3-inches in size and is sharp at 1.2 million dots. Although the display is not touchscreenenabled, the screen is complemented with a jog dial surrounded by play, cancel, function and menu buttons.

The improvements of the RX100 IV over the RX100 III are mainly related to 4K video recording and highspeed image capture. But to enjoy

PICTURE PERFECT

SPECIFICATIONS

That said, The RX100 IV is a joy to use. It’s compact enough to fit in one’s hand, though one thing that works against the size is the use of small buttons, which users with large fingers may find a bit difficult to


EXCELLENT PERFORMER

PRICE `69,990 URL www.sony.co.in SENSOR EXMOR RS CMOS SENSOR SIZE 13.2mm x 8.8mm LENS TYPE 24-70mm equivalent ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* Lens EFFECTIVE PIXELS 20.1MP LCD 3-inch 1.28m-dot ISO 125-12800 FOCUS MODE Direct Manual, Manual, AF-S, AF-C W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select SONY RX100 IV

EASY CONTROLS The physical jog dial makes it easy to surf through options quickly

OLED EVF Electronic view-finder is a 2,359k-dot OLED EVF

CONTROL RING Easy-to-use lens-mounted control ring allows to operate pro-style manual control

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


SONY RX100 IV

A pocketable camera but needs a deep pocket to own one

TILTABLE LCD 180˚ tiltable LCD makes it easier for taking selfies

BUILT-IN NFC Pairing with smartphones is easy with built-in NFC

these advantages, you need to use an SDXC Class 10 or UHS-I compatible memory card. 4K videos are limited to five minutes per video where the camera uses XAVC S format to record 4K. Users can even opt for AVCHD or MP4 format to record high-definition video. On using it, we found the Autofocus fast and precise, and could lock on to the subject even under low light. Out-of-the-box JPEG images were sharp, except at f/11, and this remained consistent throughout the zoom range. Darkening of corners was controlled very well. We did not observe darkening even at f/1.8 at the wide-angle end. The lens eliminated Flare and Ghosting, but we observed a tinge of purple fringing in strong against-the-light shots. All metering modes performed well as expected. Surprisingly, we observed barrel distortion from around 55mm up to the telephoto end, while there was no distortion at the wide-angle end.

Images in the LCD and viewfinder appeared sharp, though it was cumbersome to use the small EVF. The EVF eyepiece optics is also treated with ZEISS T Coating to reduce unwanted reflections for clear corner-to-corner visibility. The camera reproduced colours true to the original, especially under natural light. Slight cast produced under artificial light sources were easy to remove in post-processing. The RX100 IV supports ISO sensitivity up to 12800, which frankly, is not usable. Images, however, noise-free up to ISO 1600, while slight noise was observed at ISO 3200 and 6400. The camera also comes with camera modes like Sweep Panorama and variety of scenes like Fireworks, Gourmet, Pet, Sunset and Portrait. Couple of other interesting features include wireless connectivity and PlayMemories Camera apps. Built-in Wi-Fi and NFC makes it easier for


smartphones to connect for easier sharing and act as a remote shutter button while the PlayMemories Camera apps enhance the camera with extra functions. Do note, some of these camera apps need to be purchased separately. The RX100 IV is a great little camera that takes excellent pictures and videos but at an MRP of `69,990, we would consider this quite high for a compact camera. with a 24-70mm lens.

T3 SAYS Great little camera but high on price T3 RATES 4K Video recording WiFi and NFC, Advanced Steady Shot T3 SLATES Only 5 min of 4K Video capture, Slippery Body Too Pricey

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

REVIEW

Words: Kunal Gangar

YU Fit

AN AFFORDABLE FITNESS TRACKER THAT FAILS TO IMPRESS SPECIFICATIONS PRICE `999 URL yuplaygod.com SCREEN OLED DISPLAY WATER RESISTANT YES

here was some demand for fitness trackers in the Indian market but it was Xiaomi that opened the market and spruced up the demand with its display-less Mi Band. YU Fit is a direct competitor to the Mi Band that tries to one up with an OLED display but can it really topple India’s cheapest fitness band? It does not take a second guess to know YU Fit’s design inspiration. The core unit can be attached to the rubberised band that is bundled with the device. Additionally, to charge the YU Fit, it uses a USB flash drive like attachment to charge it. The rubberised band feels comfortable when worn on the wrist and comes with a number of loops to fit on many wrist sizes. The biggest differentiator between the Mi Band and the YU Fit is the

T

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

screen. While it’s nice to have a display, the usage on the YU Fit is pretty basic. Firstly, the display is not touchscreen but YU compensates it by having a dedicated key alongside the display that can be pressed to activate the display. The display shows off the time and tapping the dedicated key a number of times reveals missed notifications, steps walked, calories burnt and distance travelled. The display is ineffective during an incoming call or a message. The only thing that the device does is vibrate for an incoming call. It would have been nicer if YU Fit supported displaying contact names or the phone number of the incoming call, which would have enhanced the display’s functionality. Performance of the YU Fit was a mixed bag. Pairing the YU Fit along with a compatible smartphone is done through YU Fit’s app whereas to track the steps, burnt calories, YU asks to download Healthifyme. We found the requirement to download another app just to see the fitness data unnecessary. However, Healthifyme is a useful app. The app also acts as a food tracker

that has a huge database of Indian food items and even allows to hire coaches for personalised tips and tricks to get fitter and achieve the fitness. Speaking about the fitness data, in our regular use, the YU Fit did a decent job in tracking the steps. However, the counted steps were off when you travel the same distance with a Mi Band or Samsung’s Gear Fit. When it comes to battery life, the YU Fit gave about 5 days of continuous usage. YU Fit may seem like the one fitness tracker to get if you’re on a budget but YU has some work to do to make it track steps accurately and until they do, Mi Band will still hold the crown of being the most affordable and better fitness tracker. Even without a display!

T3 SAYS YU Fit looks good on paper but not with execution T3 RATES Build Quality, display T3 SLATES Inaccurate tracking


DRIVE

Words: Jim Gorde

Hyundai Creta AN ALL-WEATHER CAR THAT MAKES DRIVING ON INDIAN ROADS A BREEZE he best of both worlds. How often have we heard that phrase? Most often, it is used with reference to a house in the country close to the highway. What it implies in the true sense and in the real world is a crossover of benefits.

T

Not everyone needs a two-and-ahalf-tonne 4x4 to take on a wet road. They could simply do with high ground clearance, wide enough tyres, car-like handling, and, while they’re at it, more space and a big car feel too. With a larger monocoque to work with, there can be a big car with all the creature comforts and space for passengers and cargo, just like the massive SUV. Except, this one is more comfortable, doesn’t guzzle fuel and is actually drivable in all weather conditions. Following in the footsteps of the Tucson and ix35, Hyundai has created the new Creta, which takes several of its ‘Fluidic’ design cues from its larger sibling, the Santa Fe. The exterior

proportions look generous. The rising shoulderline makes it look far more angular and sharp than the Santa Fe.

INSIDE STORY Inside, the greatest thing the Creta has going for it is the space on offer. It’s big enough to accommodate five passengers with ease, including three well rounded adults at the back. The seats offer good support and are very comfortable. Adjustable headrests are a highly appreciated inclusion too. At the rear, the head room is good too and the seats offer enough knee room. The boot space is also generous and will easily hold the luggage for a family all set for a long weekend. The dashboard looks good and is also equipped with a premium sound system, touchscreen AVN with Bluetooth support and rear parking assist. In short, the interior, as expected from Hyundai, is well laid out and equally well finished.

WHAT LIES BENEATH Under the bonnet, the familiar


1.6-litre four-pot turbo diesel (from the Verna and Elantra) makes 128 PS and 260 Nm. The automatic transmission on offer, however, is from the latter: a six-speed unit, and shifts up quickly in the interest of efficiency. This helps keep the cabin sound level appreciably low. Power delivery is progressive and makes the Creta a convenient city offering, while also ensuring it won’t run out of breath on the highway. It dismisses 100 kmph in just over 12 seconds and hits a true 160 kmph. Under braking from 80 kmph, it behaves well and feels sure-footed. The fuel efficiency figure we achieved was as high as 14.5 kmpl on the highway. Don’t fret, because even in the city the Creta CRDi AT delivered a double-digit figure. The Creta is available from `8.6 lakh, but this 1.6 automatic diesel (CRDi AT) we’ve driven here is priced at `13.58 lakh, all prices ex-showroom, Delhi. The car is certainly on the premium side but it’s already got a lot of competitors shaking in their boots. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select HYUNDAI CRETA

Projector headlamps and LED DRLs are visual gold Hyundai India knows what sells

Creta offers both performance and comfort

Smart tail lamp cluster integrates warning and stop lamps, with turn indicators and reverse light wedged nicely in-between

Cabin feel d spacious - b t Quality is d d th automatic t is a bless h dealing w th h t city traff

A

d t th d and window controls, a comfortable armrest and a very usable door pocket which actually holds a usable bottle

f

Boot space is morethan-adequate; splitfolding rear seat only in the AT model.

Turbo-diesel 1.6 CRDi motor is peppy with 128 PS and, with up to 14.5 kmpl, offers decent fuel economy

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


SMACKDOWN

GAMING LAPTOPS

MSI GS60 2QD (GHOST) Vs durable and powerful, msi’s machine is a sound choice for gamers

HP OMEN 15-5116TX

this angular laptop adds a touch of glass to the playing xperience

` 1,49,799, IN.MSI.COM

` 1,59,990, HPSHOPPING.IN

DESIGN

DESIGN

The laptop’s magnesium-alloy body is light and durable, and features an attractive brushed-aluminium lid that can be opened with one hand. Minimal decal placement means it’s unmistakably a gaming laptop.

The Omen boasts a sleek, trapezoidal, black aluminium body that’s sure to grab attention. Its silver hinge gleams in the light of six red LEDs around the back, where three USB 3.0 (and other) ports are positioned.

FEATURES

FEATURES

A 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD give you plenty of room for games, which can be downloaded using the laptop’s fast AC Wi-Fi. Its three USB ports are good for connecting a headset to be used instead of the laptop’s average speakers.

The laptop’s glossy, 15.6-inch, Full HD touchscreen is bright but suffers from reflections. Bang & Olufsen sound from a two-speaker set-up brings games to life, but a 256GB SSD means storage is lacking.

PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE

Intel’s i7-4720HQ processor, Nvidia’s GTX 965M graphics and 16GB of RAM give this laptop the edge for gaming. It can get hot when it’s working hard, though, and the fans can be noisy. MSI quotes a battery life of up to four hours.

The Intel i7-4720HQ processor, Nvidia GTX 960M graphics and 8GB of RAM are adequate for 1080p gaming and multitasking. The laptop’s whirring fans run at a persistent audible murmur, while battery life stands at a quoted 4.5 hours.

USABILITY

USABILITY Touch operation helps when navigating Windows 8.1, and the Omen’s keyboard features configurable illuminated keys and a row of special bindable ones, too. It has a wide, smooth trackpad with HP multi-touch gesture support.

The lack of a touchscreen means one less way to interact with Windows 8.1, and its full-size number pad is more suited to accountants than gamers. The springy SteelSeries keyboard and roomy trackpad are excellent, though. RATES Powerful internals chew through top titles with consummate ease, and you can store tons of them. SLATES There’s no touchscreen, the speakers are poor and there’s a lack of dedicated gaming keys.


1st

2nd

RATES The Omen’s responsive touchscreen, satisfying sound and bindable keys ramp up the immersion. SLATES Meagre storage capability and an overly reflective display become frustrating after a while.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


VOL 4 ISSUE 9 MAY

H

ON

G A Z IN E C HN OLOOGGY M A HNOL EE AAND ND TTEEC SSCCIEIENC NC NG DI A E L NG S DI ’ A D L E T HE T HEWWO OR R L D ’ S L

THE TEN

SMAR T

THE

HACKER’S GU IDE

NS VTEHENYTEIO N R A OF S+ EC TR ON IC PR IN TE D EL E NE ED LE -F RE + VA CC IN ES NG PA N + YI ! SM AR T FR R AN D MO RE FL YI NG CA

und er ryt hi pri nte d eve elf ).

HOME S

SHOULD WSE? LIEN CONTACT A

PLUS!

ERAS, ACTION CAM S, AND BIONIC BOOT WILL AT OR TH AN ELEVATAPE SKYLINES RESH

70X ISSN 2249-6

BR E PETT IS

2015 ` 110

th


www.zinio.com/popularscience

SUPER SIX

COMMON SPORTS-EARPHONE FRUSTRATIONS ARE A THING OF THE PAST, THANKS TO CLEVER NEW LUG-DWELLERS THAT WILL BRING OUT YOUR INNER CHAMP


Getting an earful Words: Damian Hall port and earphones have rarely been on the same team. Many a run has been ruined by self-ejecting earbuds, bramble-loving wires or the fact that Survivor’s Eye Of The Tiger just doesn’t sound as dog-damn inspiring as it ought to. But, thankfully, all that is changing. A new generation of sport-specific earphones promise to turn us all into temporary Rocky Balboas as we pound the hills and pavements, or work up a sweat in the gym. Combining great sound with (in some cases) smartphone and Bluetooth compatibility, they’re truly performance-enhancing. Most importantly, they’ll stay stubbornly but comfortably in your waxy cavities, so you can concentrate on your running rhythm without having to keep reaching up to insert them back into your ears. Altogether now: ‘Rising up, back on the street...’

S





YURBUDS LIBERTY WIRELESS MONSTER ISPORT LUETOOTH `5,300, yurbuds.com WIRELESS SUPER-SLIM

JABRA SPORT PULSE WIRELESS

Like most of the earphones here, these are sweatproof, boast a decent battery life (around six hours), and come with a remote control that enables track skipping and call taking. What’s different is that the earbuds are designed to fill your lugs and, thanks to TwistLock and FlexSoft Comfort Fit technology, are guaranteed “never to hurt or fall out”. They grip ears like superglue, but in complete comfort. Sound quality is superior, especially at ambient levels, while audible alerts for low battery is a nice touch, preventing the horrible surprise of mid-song shutdowns.

These comfy earphones are much more than mere music transmitters – they’re your new coach. A tap of an earbud reveals your time, distance and heart rate (there’s a monitor built in), with a voice telling you if you’re working too hard or being lazy; and you can dissect your stats in greater detail via an app. The immersive Dolby sound curls around your earlobe like a pleasing sort of ear worm, and sound isolation is effective, too, meaning you can drown out passing lorries. Battery life is a modest five hours, but these are simply the best around.

`9,950, monsterproducts.com

A clever ‘flat’ (in a good way) battery and folded circuit board mean these are, well, super-slim. Sitting almost flush to the ear, they can be worn comfortably under helmets, goggles and such like. They stay in place, too, thanks to a patented earhook and angled ear-tip combo. As well as being water-resistant and sweatproof, they’re antimicrobial and washable. Bluetooth range is an impressive 15m, and battery life is over five hours. The sound is a little on the trebly side, but they’re a perfectly enjoyable experience overall.


`12,250, jabra.in

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Select

SPORTS EARPHONES


04 ONE FOR OLD-SCHOOL JOGGERS 03 ONE FOR SERIOUS ATHLETES

05 ONE FOR MINIMALISTS


05 ONE FOR MINIM ALISTS


SENNHEISER OCX 686G SPORTS

SOL REPUBLIC RELAYS SPORT

BEATS POWERBEATS2 WIRELESS

If you don’t want your Top Gun soundtrack to cease mid-run as the battery dies, there are still good wired earphones around, such as Sennheiser’s OCX 686G Sports. Like their wireless rivals, these are sweatproof, come with a carry pouch, and offer different ear-fit options and a remote control that enables phone calls. Earhooks keep them in place, while an adjustable clip on the wire, for attaching to your T-shirt, is a nice touch. The bass-orientated sonics are clear, and background noise is obscured well.

These minimalist wired earphones are an enticing old-school option. Each bud is barely the size of a small coin, slotting quickly and imperceptibly into your ears. They’re remarkably secure, too, thanks to their unique angled design and a pliable rubber ring around each bud that wedges inside your lughole. Sweatproof, dustproof and waterproof, they also boast of a useful clip on the wire, and come with free eartips for life. Sound quality is good, if a little on the bassy side, and they come in shades of white, black, blue and yellow.

The box is swish, the carry case is swish… and the earphones themselves aren’t half bad, either. Adjustable earhooks mean there’s no forcing buds into lugholes, and they stay in place effortlessly.They’re so light (24g), you’ll hardly notice them (they’re the least obtrusive pair in this comparison), and they’re also sweatproof. A remote control enables you to skip tracks and take phone calls, while the battery lasts six hours and can be fully charged in 90 minutes. The sound quality is decent but by no means the best on test.

From `7,999, en-in.sennheiser.com

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

`16,995, beatsbydre.com

`5,999, solrepublic.com


GAMES

GA ME OF THE MON TH!

Batman: Arkham Knight NEW BADDIES, A BIGGER GOTHAM AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BATMOBILE MAKE THIS THE BEST ARKHAM GAME YET Prices vary, Mac, PC, PS4, Xbox One ocksteady Studios has finally made a Batman game where you can do everything the Caped Crusader does in the opening of the animated series from the Nineties. You can turn up in a Batmobile, beat up some thugs, then pose dramatically as you gaze across the Gotham City skyline. Arkham Knight is full of moments like this – scenes that recall the best bits from the character’s history, brought to life in an extraordinary open world. Rocksteady’s third and final game in its Arkham trilogy remaps Gotham City as a much larger playground than we saw in the second game, Arkham City. It now feels like three cities put together, a trifecta of distinctive environments all built with the Batmobile’s capabilities in mind. More about that in a moment. Now under siege from the Scarecrow and an annoying, whining mystery enemy known as the Arkham Knight, Gotham often looks like the Los Angeles

of Blade Runner: all neon lights, relentless rain and smoky streets. You can scale Wayne Tower and jump off again with no restrictions. This is a breathtaking, grim world that feels handcrafted for the ultimate Batman power fantasy, and is absolutely the reason to buy Arkham Knight. Being able to drive the Batmobile around this environment is a valuable addition to the series, even if the handling is a little slippery. This is a beast of a machine that tears through a surprisingly large number of concrete walls and pillars, rocketboosts between rooftops like the Tumbler from the Dark Knight movies, and slingshots Batman into the air for a glide boost or pre-emptive attack. It’s a lot of fun to just drive around Gotham City. Unfortunately, Rocksteady overcomplicates it beyond that purpose and does a lot more harm than good. The vehicle combat in Arkham Knight is a misfire. Essentially, it’s Batman vs some robot tanks.


TOP Batman can now join up with his closest allies for tagteam attacks

Riddler challenges are back, and you’ll need the Batmobile to solve some of them

The Batmobile assumes a battle position where it can move precisely in a 360-degree space, using its main cannon to take out these unmanned drones. Rocksteady treats this as a third pillar to the existing predator and freeflowcombat sections of the series, affording it a dispiriting amount of time in the main story. But it lacks that feeling of progression beyond a couple of special moves and weapon improvements. Battling these unmanned drones becomes repetitive. It’s as simple as avoiding their visible line of fire and picking them off. These are not dreadful sequences; they just compare poorly to everything else the Arkham series excels at.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

GAMES B E S T G A M E S F O R ...

PLAYING DETECTIVE

Put on your thinking cap with these crime-solving titles

HER STORY This groundbreaking game sees a woman interviewed seven times by the police about her missing husband. It’s your job to analyse the video clips to piece together what really happened. `499; iOS, Mac, PC

D4: DARK DREAMS DON’T DIE

Being able to drive the Batmobile is a valuable addition to the Arkham series The Batmobile is a mixed affair, then, but the game’s straightforward stealth and crunchy melee combat are as world-class as they were in the previous two titles. There’s no reinvention here, just tweaks to give players new strategies and things to learn. One of the best new predator tools is a device that imitates the voice of Batman’s villains, and can order guards to investigate specific objects or places, breaking them from the pack and allowing the player to land an easy stealth knockout. In freeflow, contextual attacks mean that the Dark Knight can drag a guy’s head into an electrical box (which somehow doesn’t violate his rule of not killing people), or bring a light fitting down on top of some poor bastard. He can also throw W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

TOP Gotham City is three times bigger than ever before ABOVE LEFT The titular Arkham Knight proves an annoying but formidable foe ABOVE RIGHT Taking down bad guys is still as fun as ever

batarangs while gliding; and if the Batmobile is in close proximity, he can use its blank bullets to spam an enemy out of the air as a winning combo finisher. Another new option with this game is the tag-team attack, which sees Batman pairing up with some of his closest allies to perform deadly finishing moves, switching between two playable characters. Batman: Arkham Knight offers an unparalleled interactive superhero experience that’s as rich as any fan of the Caped Crusader could hope for – and with one of the best open worlds we’ve ever had the pleasure of exploring, it’s among the nicestlooking games ever seen on console.

T3 RATES The game features one of the best open worlds ever created T3 SLATES Batmobile combat is a big letdown T3 SAYS Arkham Knight is an ambitious and successful finale to Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy, with a standard-setting open world that you must experience

In this mysterious game, you play a detective investigating the murder of his wife. All you have is her final words: “Look for D.” Oh, and an ability to time-travel. `1,099; PC, Xbox One

L.A. NOIRE It’s quite old now, but this is still an excellent recreation of 1940s and 1950s Los Angeles. You play as Officer Cole Phelps as he attempts to expose the corrupt underbelly of the famous city. `1,999; PC, PS3, Xbox 360

PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY – DUAL DESTINIES Capcom’s weird and wacky lawyer/detective is back with more cases to solve, and crime scenes to investigate. `3,000; 3DS, iOS


GAMES

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China A MUST-PLAY FOR CREED FANS, THIS STEALTH GAME IS PACKING ACTION, ADVENTURE AND A COOL REVENGE PLOT `662, XBOX ONE, PS4, PC hat have you become, Ezio? While this could be a question validly posed to the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise, it can actually be answered when it comes to 2.5D side-scroller China. The game ties into the Assassin’s Creed: Embers animated short film – but whereas in that, Ezio mentored concubineturned-assassin Shao Jun, in this he’s relegated to the role of trainer. No need to get your blades in a twist, though, because this slice of stabbing through the Far East is far more enjoyable than you would initially think. A completely new adventure, the game takes place in 16th-century China (something reflected by the artwork, which we’ll come to later). Squashing the Creed concept into a two-dimensional stealth-athon complete with awareness cones,

W

Ubisoft collaborator Climax Studios has deftly handled its source material. Free-running? Check. Sync points? You bet. Eagle Vision? On it. Blending? Eventually. It turns out that flattening the franchise actually forces you to play far more to the strengths of the Brotherhood than ever before.

BRING ON THE RED STUFF Stealth is key in this game. Not only are you rewarded for staying hidden, but enemy combat is a frustrating death-fest until you learn some new tricks. Shao Jun rolls slickly between hiding spots, makes the most of a limited amount of firecrackers to stun on-duty guards, and clings magnificently to the ceiling with her rope dart. Jun handles impressively as you clamber out of enemy sight, but be silly enough to get yourself caught and she’s somewhat infuriatingly underpowered – even


BELOW Set in 16th- century China, the settings at each level look majestic

if she can dodge bullets. Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China is eye-stabbingly beautiful. Flags are wavering brushstrokes, tiny painted birds flutter past and the background alone will have you constantly reaching for the Share button. Jun’s revenge quest of moving Ubi concept art is also coated in O Positive. The endless red stuff literally leads the way as you follow the endless smears of painterly gore up walls and across skylines. Yet, while later levels are cleverly designed with environmental puzzles and a real sense of depth as the camera swivels around buildings – zooming as you hurtle in and out of the screen as needed – early levels are oddly flat and slightly confusing.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

GAMES PL AY T H I S!

BEST NEW GAMES Get your fill of gods, beasties and baseball

BROKEN AGE: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURE

ABOVE Exciting gameplay and gorgeous art make this game stand out

A beautiful-looking game about a girl and a boy leading parallel lives, who must break free from family constraints and duties in order to fulfil their own destinies. `1,900, PS4

FAR LEFT Walls pose no obstacle when you’re out for bloody revenge LEFT Explore everriskier environments the deeper in you go

There’s stealthy fun to be had if you’re willing to be patient in the shadows Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China unfortunately stumbles to the halfway point before we get a chance to properly find our feet.

A FRESH EXPERIENCE The stumble at this point is largely thanks to the constant barrage of new tricks needed to explore ever-riskier environments. Floors begin creaking underfoot, caged birds pipe up and start tweeting when disturbed – ‘@shaojun, you’re #busted’ – and some guards are armed with lamps to see directly into the shadows. All of it stings rather badly… until you learn to smugly slide-kill and train for the enjoyably precise combat that becomes more and more satisfying than that of the main Assassin’s Creed games. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

If you love playing stealth games, you’ll find plenty to please you here

Some of the most interesting moves, such as the teleporting Helix Dash, are only revealed in the last hour of a four or five-hour run, making the New Game Plus mode a far better offering than the original playthrough. Still, there’s an awful lot of love for the series, and satisfyingly stealthy fun to be had if you’re willing to be patient in the shadows. Assassin’s Creed has become a massive franchise, steeped in lore and weaving, complex plot threads. If Chronicles: China is an attempt at creating a fresh experience in the AC arsenal, it’s succeeded.

T3 RATES No mere spin-off, this is a great addition to the series T3 SLATES The constant barrage of new tricks and ever-riskier environments to explore is tiring T3 SAYS After a shaky start, it’s an enjoyably stealthy affair, but only Creed aficionados will care deeply for the story

TITAN SOULS This much-loved action adventure is going down a storm. Titan Souls is about gods, monsters and one solitary hero on the quest for truth and the source of all things. `1,100, PC, Mac, PS4

ODDWORLD: NEW ‘N’ TASTY In this stunning remake of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee, now with enhanced audio and gameplay, you can explore ancient ruins, fight carnivorous beasties and foil evil plans. What more could you possibly want? `1,500, Xbox One

MLB 15: THE SHOW Featuring updated player rosters and new running and sliding animations to enhance your gaming experience, The Show is a must-play for newcomers and baseball pros. `4,900 , PS4


GAMES

ABOVE Battles are fast and furious, and the special effects dazzling

The Elder Scrolls Online

RELEASED ON THE MAC AND PC LAST YEAR, THE REVAMPED ROLEPLAYER NOW BRINGS ITS MMO FUN TO THE CONSOLES `4,000; Mac, PC, PS4, Xbox One ver since its inception, The Elder Scrolls Online has tried to service the demands of two very different audiences: diehard Scrolls fans who crave depth and the ability to go it alone, and MMO enthusiasts who want a constant flow of fresh, exciting adventures to share with friends (and enemies). Although it’s been out on Mac and PC for a while, it’s now made its way onto the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On paper at least, this game nails the basics of a proper Elder Scrolls title. Many series trademarks, such as starting off as a prisoner, an elaborate character-creation tool, and – oddly enough – basic quest design, make the move to MMO fairly well. Sadly, it’s missing the unbridled liberty of its single-player counterparts. Instead of the series’ iconic open worlds and emphasis on exploration, you find areas effectively blocked off by high-level monsters. Instead of exploring that space alone and feeling that you’re someone who’s been chosen for a special journey by the powers that be, you shuffle along the same paths as everyone else. It’s fortunate, then, that as an MMO,

E

ESO can stand proudly on its own. For one, it tosses out standard character classes in favour of a more dynamic system. You pick between four main types of character, with each having a clearly defined skill set. But to master these skills, you actually have to use them, and that opens up interesting gameplay variety. Any time I felt it necessary to make a change to one of my skills, all I had to do was use that ability or item more often. Progression scales with levels as well, so taking up a new weapon in a max-level area will take a fraction of the time as trying to train up something new in the beginning. Throughout the course


TOP For the first time ever, you can explore the Elder Scrolls world with your friends

The brilliantly realised world is the strongest part of the game

of the game, you’ll also have the opportunity to up skills and abilities that aren’t intrinsic to your class, and that opens up even more options for character differentiation and customisation. However, while there are a host of opportunities to gain new skills, this process isn’t infinite, so max-level characters won’t all have the same skill set. Most veterans of the genre will tell you that MMOs are about grinding and endgame content. With only a handful of outliers, that’s largely been the case since World Of Warcraft’s debut in 2004. Elder Scrolls Online does more than most to buck that trend by attempting to justify its monthly cost primarily with quests and content that’s readily accessible to everyone. The tension between Elder Scrolls aficionados and MMO fans shows at every level. Instead of trying to create a totally unique experience inspired by both schools of design, they trample over one another and tarnish what could otherwise have been the ultimate tribute to the series.

T3 RATES The world is fantastic; it has some creative quests and excellent game modes T3 SLATES It suffers from an inconsistent design and feels a bit too much like a standard MMO T3 SAYS ESO struggles to balance between its single-player legacy and its decidedly MMO trappings

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

GAMES

LEFT A dragon! We finally come face to face with one of the most intimidating creatures in GoT, while the whole world in this episode seems more true to Westeros

Game Of Thrones Episode 3: The Shadow In The Darkness THE FORRESTERS’ STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE GETS INTENSE `VARIES, PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX ONE, APP STORE icking up the story of House Forrester, a clan of Stark bannermen fighting to protect themselves from encroaching enemies after the fall of Winterfell, things have started to get very interesting in this version of the dramatic Game Of Thrones world. In every series of the TV show adaptation, there’s the inevitable build-up. You know, that gradual inching of characters into position so that they’re poised for action. Telltale’s game adaptation largely follows this same structure, with a slow beginning, but now we’ve reached the halfway point it feels like the pawns are finally in place for the big events to unfurl. For starters, there’s a dragon in Episode 3: The Shadow In The Darkness. It’s an exciting moment that the heel-dragging false start of Episode 1: Iron From Ice wouldn’t have led you to expect. Also, it’s exhilarating to finally face one of GoT’s scariest creatures... excluding Cersei Lannister, of course. More than its predecessors, The Shadow In The Darkness feels more grounded in the Westeros of the TV show. Here you’re on the peripheries of

P

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Margaery and Joffrey’s ill-fated wedding. There’s also something delicious about the anticipation of knowing what’s about to happen, even if you won’t see it on screen.

MARCHING INTO BATTLE Unlike in past Telltale outings, your decisions don’t feel like they carry heavy weight. In The Walking Dead (another Telltale title), for example, characters lived and died as a result of your choices – ones you felt a genuine investment in. In The Shadow In The Darkness, the march towards a full-on scuffle for Ironrath feels inevitable, whether you play warmonger or diplomat. It’s true that in all Telltale games the general plot is mapped out

As usual, the oil-painting aesthetic might divide opinion

War is finally heating up in this latest episode of GoT

ahead of you, but here it feels particularly transparent. Still, the plot does feel like it’s coming to life. We’re engaged with Rodrik and co holding the fort at Ironrath, Asher swashbuckling in Essos, Mira in the snakes’ nest of King’s Landing, and Gared freezing his unmentionables off at the Wall. The Shadow In The Darkness does an impressive job of integrating the best parts of the previous episodes, showing how vulnerable the main characters are while still giving players inspiring moments of power to push on and complete their story. This game version of GoT isn’t as compelling as the books or the TV show, but Episode 3: The Shadow In The Darkness does enough to keep players intrigued about what may happen in future episodes.

T3 RATES The dragon! The plot in this episode also feels more dynamic than in previous episodes T3 SLATES The oil-painting syle is a bit jarring at first, and the beginning is a slow build T3 SAYS GoT fans who have the patience to play the long game will love this latest chapter


APPS

10 WORLD C HANGING APPS DISCOVER THE APPS THAT HAVE SHAPED OUR SMARTPHONE LIVES – AND MEET THE NEW APPS THAT COULD REPEAT THE TRICK

2

Words Craig Grannell

1

3 TWITTER

GOOGLE MAPS

PRICE Free WHY IT'S GREAT Twitter has revolutionised 'sharing'

PRICE Free WHY IT'S GREAT We don't get lost any more

Initially dismissed as pointless, Twitter is now a crucial way for many to access and break news. The combination of Twitter and smartphones began a revolution in how information is broadcast that still continues today.

Getting directions on mobile used to be painful, but when smartphones, connectivity and Google Maps clicked, everything changed. The app has since added public transport info and local details, guides and listings.

4 ANGRY BIRDS

PRICE From free WHY IT'S GREAT It changed mobile gaming With over a billion downloads, Angry Birds represents a product that changed people’s thinking regarding mobiles, given how mundane app sales were pre-smartphone. But this feathered flinger was also important in reframing gaming; for many, it was the point where smartphones became a major platform for games, rather than simply being a means of wasting time until they were sat in front of a ‘proper’ console again.


5 YOUSICIAN

BRUSHES

PRICE From free WHY IT'S GREAT Because it makes learning fun

PRICE Free WHY IT'S GREAT Art can now be created on phones

Turning dry learning into a game will become a major part of education, which is why Yousician rocks: it nabs the note-hitting format of Guitar Hero, spins the display 90 degrees, and tricks you into learning to play a real guitar.

The 1 June 2009 issue of The New Yorker featured a painted cover by Jorge Colombo. The twist: he’d painted it using Brushes. Finally, here was proof that smartphones weren’t just for checking emails.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

APPS

6

7 KORG GADGET

IMPLOSION – NEVER LOSE HOPE

PRICE `2,650 WHY IT'S GREAT Korg's made music creation mobile

PRICE `620 WHY IT'S GREAT It's pushing mobile gaming boundaries

For beginners, Korg Gadget is a bunch of synths to noodle with. For old hands, it’s effectively a studio combining tweakable sounds and a songcreation system. Solid proof that powerful creativity on the go is now a reality.

8

Mobile-first, yet the visuals and action-packed gameplay seem more at home on a hyper-powerful box under the telly. The gap between mobile and console gaming is closing with games like this.

10

9 EDITORIAL

MYHEART COUNTS

PRICE `663 WHY IT'S GREAT We can write novels on the move

PRICE Free WHY IT'S GREAT Now we can help aid medical research

If the Phablet is going to replace the PC, we need an app for when we're tapping out words. For that, Editorial is the best. Download ‘workflows’, which are actions that perform tasks like organising and uploading content.

ResearchKit could be Apple’s most valuable release. The app taps into your iPhone’s Health data to improve medical research. MyHeart Counts got 11,000 sign-ups in 24 hours after tying in with Apple’s structure.

iMOVIE

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

PRICE `330 WHY IT'S GREAT iMovie handed film-making to a new audience

Although simplified compared to its already streamlined desktop cousin, it was iMovie that proved desktop-style tasks could be performed on a mobile phone. It’s one thing to trim a clip, but this app went full Kubrick, enabling elaborate edits to be made, and credits and soundtracks to be overlaid. It was the start of the smartphone going from an entertainment device you owned to the only gadget you needed, regardless of what you want to do.


APPS S E V E N H O T A PP S F O R …

SEVEN HOT APPS FOR MOBILE MONEY The world is going digital and so is our money. Here are seven mobile apps that makes using money virtually easily.

01 PAYTM

PayTM will store your cash or credit card details that can be used to shop, pay for an Uber ride or pay your phone bill. Free; App Store, Google Play

02

MOBIKWIK

Similar to PayTM with less cluttered interface and more cashback offers and ability to pay for cab rides. Free; App Store, Google Play

03

FREECHARGE

Frecharge is a recharge app that offers wallet services for faster mobile or DTH recharges. Free; App Store, Google Play

04

BOOKMYSHOW

PayUmoney is service where you can get some discount on online purchase every single time. Free; Google Play

05

AIRTEL MONEY

Airtel Money now offers a revamped wallet experience that works with a number of services. Free; App Store, Google Play

06

OXIGEN WALLET

Another service approved by RBI that allows to transfer money, recharge phone or DTH connections and more. Free; App Store, Google Play

07

PINGPAY

A service by Axis Bank that allows users to send or ask for money over social networks. Free; App Store, Google Play

NAVMII A SATNAV ON YOUR SMARTPHONE. AND IT’S FREE. SURELY, THERE’S A CATCH? Free; available on all platfor ms This satnav app comes with a range of functions usually found only on paid-for navigation apps. Navmii, a voice-activated app, is available for more than 87 countries (including Spain, Italy and France) and is regularly updated to make finding your way around easier. You don’t have to rely on your data connection either, as you can download maps over a Wi-Fi connection and then later use them offline, helping to keep

MOLESKINE TIMEPAGE AN ELEGANT CALENDAR THAT LOOKS SWISH WHILE HELPING YOU GET ORGANISED `330, iOS If you love Moleskine’s range of journals, you’ll adore the company’s new app, which brings the company’s eye for aesthetics to your iPhone. Moleskine Timepage is sleek and minimalist, but it doesn’t skimp on features; combining useful calendar tools and gorgeous design elements that enable you to keep up with all of the social events and work tasks you’ve got planned. Getting specific, you can dive in to each event for more information. If an


data costs down if you’re exploring overseas. The interface is uncluttered, and the HD maps are simple and clear to read. Elsewhere, there’s integrated Google Street View, automatic re-routing, and you can navigate via postcode, city, street or point of interest. You can also get real-time traffic information via the app. Best of all, Navmii’s handy sleep mode is activated when you stop driving, so you don’t need to worry about the app sucking all of your battery life.

event takes place in a certain location, for instance, the app will display a map along with information on how long it will take to get there, and what the weather is like. Is it raining where you’re going but you don’t have an umbrella? Don’t worry, as the app integrates with Uber so that you can quickly hail a taxi to get you where you need to be. Moleskine Timepage also comes with an Apple Watch companion app, so if you have Apple’s must-have wearable you’ll get even more use out of this stunning digital organiser.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

ENTERTAINMENT

Words: R Srinivasan

Epic Indian swashbuckler TAKING A DEKKO AT THE FACTORS BEHIND ALL-TIME BLOCKBUSTER BAAHUBALI’S SUCCESS. onsidered to be one of the most expensive films to be made in India and which took three years, the bilingual epic historical fiction film Baahubali (The one with strong arms) made in two parts by director S S Rajamouli, has conquered the hearts of viewers world-wide. There are far too many factors that work in its favour. The totally thrilling entertainer is an enticing brew of action, adventure, love, valour, betrayal and vendetta with all the ingredients doled out in just the right proportions. The extravagant revenge saga is loaded with stunning VFX, especially in the second half which features an almost 45-minute long breathtaking battle sequence that showcases clever tactics and brilliant war formations. Then there is the attention to detail (in costumes and weapons), skillful choreography, royal sets that portray the grandeur of the past and great music throughout the film - right from an enticing item song, a passionate song for a

C

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

warrior fighting for his mother and motherland till a battle cry). As its crowning glory, all the thespians turn in sterling performances. A laudable feature is good winning over evil. The film begins on an emotive note in the ancient mythical kingdom of Mahishmati with mortally wounded Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) protecting an infant by holding him above the raging river. She hands the infant to the villagers and points to the top of the waterfall before being swept away. Sanga (Rohini) and her husband name the infant Shivudu. At various stages of his childhood Shivudu (Prabhas) tries to scale the waterfall. As a young man Shivudu, to help Sanga and as the first inkling that he is destined for greatness, effortlessly picks up a massive rock Shivling on his shoulders and places it below the waterfall. After scaling the waterfall, he meets Avanthika (Tamannaah), whose group is against king Bhallala (Rana Duggabatti) and intends to rescue queen Devasena (Anushka Shetty), Shivudu’s mother. To help Avanthika, Shivudu rescues Devasena from Mahishmati and is chased by Royal Guard Kattappa (Sathyaraj) who

Trivia While some reports say the film grossed over Rs 570 crore in nearly 40 days, an undeniable fact is that it is one of the all-time highest grossing Indian films worldwide. Incidentally, the film’s screen writer K V Vijayendra Prasad, also wrote Salman-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The story of why Amarendra Baahubali was killed in Baahubali 2 has been leaked out on some social sites.

realises that Shivudu is Mahendra, son of late king Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas in a dual role). In a flashback it is revealed that Bhallala was inimical to his cousin Amarendra. When a horde attacked their kingdom and Sivagami declared that the one who slays the enemy chief will become King, Amarendra fought fair but Bhallala used foul means to win. Sivagami wisely made Amarendra, in view of his qualities, the new king. Cut to the present where Kattappa makes a shocking revelation at the film’s ending. The twist in the tale makes viewers eagerly await Baahubali 2 in 2016.


RROW

HN ’S TEC

OLOG

AY Y TOD

E I SEPT

TOMORROW’S TECHNOLOGY T O D AY I S E P T EMBER 2015 I ISSUE 02

TOMO

2015

02

LT I M THE U

AT E

TECH

PRO TO IM

I

UR VE YO

LIFE

Denon ENVAYA Worth `19,900/-

TECH TO IMPR OVE YOUR LIF E I SONY RX1 00 IV

E I ISSU

T H E U LT I M AT E

MBER

& E B I R C S SUB IN

Two lucky winners can win

Bluetooth speakers

W

from Denon every month*

*(Limited period offer)

enon ENVAYA Mini Worth `12,500/

WHY WOULD YOU SUBSCRIBE to T3 Here are

4

Really Good Reasons!

1 DELIVERED FREE TO YOUR DOOR 2 SAVE UP TO 33% ON COVER PRICE 3 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE AGAIN 4 AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL,

A SERIOUSLY GOOD QUALITY MAGAZINE...

THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

1

Online Visit at http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/

2

Call +91 22 4352 5252

TO SUBSCRIBE

3 years subscription `4320 Pay `2,900

and save `1,420 on the cover price (33% off)

3

Post Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, C-Wing, 2nd Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013, India.

1 year subscription `1440 Pay ` 1,100

and save ` 340 on the cover price (23% off)

YOUR DETAILS (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Name: Mr/Ms ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Occupation .........................................................................................................................Date of birth ........................................................................ Address ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... City ......................................................................... State ....................................................................Pincode .............................................................. Email ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Mobile ............................................................................... Phone (Off) ............................................Phone (Res) ............................................................ Kindly draw the Cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)

Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no. ............................................................................................................................................... Dated ................................................................ Bank .................................................................................................................................................................................................... Branch .................................................... Visa

MasterCard Card No. ............................................................................................. Card expiry date ...............................................

Name (as appears on card) .....................................................................................Date ................................................................... Signature ........................................................... Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W). Mumbai 400013. You can also fax the order for credit card purchases to +91 22 2495 5394 For clarifications, email: [email protected] or call +91 22 4352 5252 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/ Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.

T3 SEPTEMBER 2015

Or please charge my credit card


Retro

T3 as a magazine/ezine rightly focuses on products that are new and under development. This, of course, does not suggest or imply that everything old is bad and outdated. The pace at which technology moves, demands that we cover all product developments for our readers. In few cases, this means going back to the past. Look at the

Words H. S. Billimoria

Inside 109

HARRY BELAFONTE

110

Kishore Kumar & Rajesh Roshan - Melody unlimited Snippets

112


worldwide revival of turntables. Only 15 years ago, the turntable was consigned to the dustbin. Today, pressing plants are hard pressed to meet the demand. The area where retro is most in demand is music – both Western and Indian, and T3 India seeks to address this gap. We hope you enjoy this section.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

HARRY BELAFONTE

Retro

HARRY BELAFONTE he music of Harry Belafonte transcends all age barriers and is largely popular even today. Belafonte was born in Harlem in New York in 1927 and soon distinguished himself as a singer, song writer, actor and social activist. Harry Belafonte’s songs include the legendary

T

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

Jamaican Farewell, Banana Boat Song, Matilda and Hawa Nagila. Belafonte’s songs are catchy, have deep meaning and are produced and sung in his unique inimitable style. Attend a Parsi wedding in Mumbai and you are sure to hear Harry Belafonte’s most famous numbers.


Retro KISHORE KUMAR / RAJESH ROSHAN

Kishore Kumar & Rajesh Roshan - Melody unlimited After R D Burman, Rajesh Roshan would easily qualify as the second composer to have exploited Kishore Kumar’s voice to the maximum. Rajesh entered the music scene at a time when Kishore was already on top and Bhool Gaya Sab Kuch from Julie (1975) This pathosfilled duet is unforgettable and easily ranks as one of Rajesh Roshan’s top numbers. Picturised on Laxmi and Vikram, this song achieved phenomenal popularity. Another Kishore number from the movie, Dil Kya Kare, is also a gem. Anand Bakshi teamed up with Rajesh Roshan to write the lyrics. Yaadon Mein Woh from Swami (1977) This solo is sung with such passion by Kishore that it can bring tears to your eyes. Picturised on Shabana Azmi and Girish Karnad ( as they proceed for marriage), this song in the background aroused great passions. Swami’s music was so good that all the other songs were

the two created some really unforgettable melodies. Rajesh Roshan’s forte is soulful, melodious music and Kishore’s voice suited his tunes to a T. Let us look at their top numbers together.

its main competitors and the Dheeraj Kumar (Yesudas) number, Ka Karoon Sajni, stole a bit of its thunder. Amit Khanna wrote the lyrics for this Basu Chatterjee film.

gist of Kunwara Baap and Rajesh produced the song’s tune. Mehmood was in tears and promised Rajesh that he would henceforth provide music to all his films. As a lori, Aa Re Aa is a classic.

Dilruba from Yehi Hai Zindagi (1977) What a tune and what orchestration! This LataKishore duet ranks as one of RR’s best ever and is indicative of his musical style. Another Kishore number, Pyaar Ka Badla was also equally melodious and full of pathos.

Jab Jab Jo Jo Hota Hai from Vishwanath (1978) At one time, Subhash Ghai was supposed to have remarked that apart from LP, Rajesh Roshan was his choice as music director. This single from Vishwanath has also been sung separately by Lata Mangeshkar.

Aa Re Aa from Kunwara Baap (1974) There is an interesting story behind this song. Mehmood’s brother, Anwar had taken Rajesh Roshan to meet Mehmood for work. Mehmood gave Rajesh the


Tumse Badhkar Duniya Mein from Kaamchor (1982) Kaamchor was Rakesh Roshan’s first film as

producer to have hit the jackpot. A great deal of the success was due to brother Rajesh’s melodious music. The story is that when Rajesh sent Kishore Kumar the tape for Tumse Badhkar, the singer was so impressed by the tune that he cancelled all recordings to rehearse for it! Alka Yagnik has rendered the slightly weak female vocals for this duet. The same song was also recorded in Chandru Atma’s voice. Another duet, Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna by Kishore and Lata was also very popular. Chal Kahin Door Nikal Jaaye from Doosra Aadmi (1977) This song would probably rank amongst Rajesh Roshan’s best. Sung by Kishore, Lata and Rafi, the tune is a typical Rajesh Roshan composition. It topped the charts although the film was a mediocre fare. The song was W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

also beautifully picturised by Yash Chopra on Rishi Kapoor, Raakhee and Shashi Kapoor. Doosra Aadmi also featured three more Kishore duets and all three were popular. Title song from Baton Baton Mein (1979) Basu Chatterjee and Rajesh Roshan teamed up for Priyatama, Khatta Meetha, Hamari Bahu Alka and Baton Baton Mein and the combination resulted in some memorable songs. The title song of Baton Baton Mein is a memorable duet by Kishore and Asha, nicely picturised on Tina Munim and Amol Palekar. The instrumental version was also available on the original soundtrack. Main Tujhse Pyar Karoon from Telephone (1985) Few would have heard of this Ramsay production starring Parveen Babi and Shatrughan Sinha. The Kishore Kumar solo, however, is still fresh in the minds of Rajesh fans. Incidentally, Rajesh also wrote the lyrics for this song. Rajesh provided music for yet another Ramsay film, Sannata. Thokar Pe Hai Saara Zamana from Duniya Meri Jeb Main (1979) This Shashi Kapoor- Rishi Kapoor film was a flop but the title song stood out for its pace and W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

rhythm. Kishore was accompanied by Rafi in this male duet. Pardesia Hai Sabko Pata from Mr. Natwarlal (1979) This KishoreLata duet is still popular for its rustic charm and energetic picturisation on Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. Definitely amongst Amitabh’s best songs. Mr. Natwarlal also featured the first song sung by Amitabh Bachchan, Mere Paas Aao.

hit. This Basu Chatterjeedirected film had lyrics by Amit Khanna.

O Ri Hawa Dheere Se Chal from Shriman Shrimati (1982) One more lori from Rajesh Roshan to hit the mark. Picturised on Sanjeev Kumar and Raakhee, the pathos in Kishore’s voice comes through clearly.

Tu Pee Aur Jee from Des Pardes (1978) The music of Des Pardes was of a high order and singling out one Kishore number is rather difficult. Tu Pee Aur Jee , however, stands out for its ‘hatke’ tune and quality lyrics.

Tumko Khush Dekhkar from Aap Ke Deewane (1980) A highly emotional duet beautifully rendered by both Kishore Kumar and Mohd Rafi and picturised on Rishi Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan. Mere Dil Mein was yet another hit Kishore duet from this film.

Main Akela Apni Dhoon Pe from Man Pasand (1980) This movie had an outstanding score and this solo, picturised on Dev Anand stood out for its unconventional tune and Kishore’s rendition. Another Kishore duet ( with Lata), Sa Re Ga Ma, was also an instant

Tracks from films like Do Aur Do Paanch (the title song and Meri Zindagi Mein), Khuddaar (Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain with Lata), Khatta Meetha (Thoda Hai, Thode Ki), Ek Aur Sikandar (Hai Ma Khuda Tu Nahin Hai Magar with Manna De and Alka Yagnik) and Ek Hi Raasta (Bin Saathi Ke Jeevan Kya) could also make it to this list but one has to draw the line somewhere.

T3 is pleased to bring you a free audio CD of Kishore Kumar’s hits with Rajesh Roshan in association with SaReGaMa. Since the audio is recorded in a lossless compression format, all songs mentioned above could not be accommodated.


Retro SNIPPETS

Snippets e talked to Rajesh Roshan about our favourite songs of his when he collaborated with Kishore Kumar, and he not only spoke at length about the numbers but also embellished it with a fascinating story:

W

“Once Kishoreda had to dub my song Tum Se Badhkar from Kaamchor in the evening at Mehboob Studio at around 5 pm. In the morning, when he was on his way to Film Centre to sing a song for RD Burman, Kishoreda was listening to my song on his car’s cassette deck. He got so influenced with Tum Se Badhkar that he asked Abdul, his secretary-cumdriver to turn the car

back home as he was not in a mood to go to Film Centre.

with Lata Mangeshkar. The sudden death of Rajesh’s father Roshan had put the Roshan family into a tizzy There was panic at Film and when a young Rajesh Centre! RD Burman’s took to music direction, morning shift had started Lata gave him her full at 9 am with a lot of support. This was musicians and this decision particularly apparent was taken at around 1 pm. in Rajesh’s early days RD Burman’s song got and resulted in some cancelled, which was quite unforgettable numbers in a loss for the producer. Julie, Swami, Inteha, Babu, When I met Kishoreda at Anubhav, Kaamchor, Des his residence the same day Pardes etc. Later on, with to check whether he was Lata becoming more well and coming to choosy, younger female Mehboob, he was in a singers like Alka Yagnik jubilant mood; he and Sadhana Sargam got a promised me he will reach look-in. in time. And indeed he was punctual. He sang with a (Yes, we did think of an tonal quality never heard audio CD of Lata with before. and completed it in Rajesh Roshan, but you will an hour’s time. This is one have to wait for that one!) of my most cherished memories of Kishoreda.” ajesh also did his bit to promote new singers. Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, ust like Kishore Kumar, Penaz Masani, Babul Rajesh Roshan had Supriyo and Sadhana formed a very good team

J


R

Sargam owe a lot to Rajesh Roshan, who gave them major breaks in film singing. usically, Rajesh was at his best in the following ten films:

M

1. Julie 2. Swami 3. Kaamchor 4. Yaarana 5. Des Pardes 6. Man Pasand 7. Mr.Natwarlal 8. Kaho Na Pyaar Hai 9. Na Tum Jano Na Hum 10. Aetbaar Kaash, Aap Ke Deewane and Khudgarz could be added to this list. It is indeed sad that a talented composer like Rajesh Roshan now works only for his brother. Come on Bollywood, listeners want to hear more from Rajesh! W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

p116

p118


ONLY THE BEST OF THE BEST – LOVINGLY CURATED BY OUR TEAM OF TECH EXPERTS IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE VERY BEST TECH AVAILABLE TODAY, YOU’VE DEFINITELY COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE. T3 Elite is the best gadget-buying guide you’ll ever encounter. To create it, we’ve ruthlessly filtered all the categories that count, to bring you rock-solid recommendations. We’ve selected a Super Six of elite gear for each of the categories listed below.

116 Cameras (DSLR) 117 Smartphones

Inside

117 Tablets 118 Televisions 118 Laptops

p117 Stay up to date with the latest gadget news and reviews online at www.t3mag.in

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

114 Bikes (600-1000cc)

119 Fitness trackers

114 Cars (Hatchback)

119 Smartwatches

115 Cars (Sedans)

120 Home Audio

115 Cameras (Mirrorless)

120 Headphones


AUTOMOTIVE T H E S U PE R S I X

Bikes{600-1000cc} 01

TRIUMPH DAYTONA 675

02

DUCATI MONSTER 821

www.triumphmotorcycles.in PRICE: `12,38,000 Triumph Daytona 675 is one of the ultimate motorcycles that you can buy in India. Powered by a 675 cc, in-line three cylinder engine, the Daytona has enough power for an intoxicating riding experience. T3 INDIA SAYS The Daytona is an extremely easy-to-ride motorcycle thanks to its compact size.

www.ducati.co.in PRICE: ` 9,00,000 Ducati’s Monster series is its oldest model in continuous production. The latest Monster 821 takes the game to another level with a new liquid-cooled 821cc L-Twin motor, making it the most rider-friendly Monster yet. T3 INDIA SAYS With superb ergonomics and a powerful 112 PS motor, the Monster 821 is a demon you can easily tame.

03

DUCATI 899 PANIGALE

04

HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750

05

DSK BENELLI TNT 899

06

KAWASAKI Z800

www.ducati.co.in PRICE: `13,02,000 The gorgeous-looking 899 Panigale from Ducati is the ultimate track tool. Its 898cc L-Twin motor produces 148 PS, enough to set any racetrack on fire. T3 INDIA SAYS The 899 Panigale surely sets a new benchmark in the sportsbikes category.

www.harley-davidson.in PRICE: `4,32,500 H-D’s easy-to-ride cruiser with a liquid-cooled 749 cc V-Twin motor and superb pricing is an enticingly irresistible motorcycle under `5 lakh. It also won the Indian Motorcycle of the Year award. T3 INDIA SAYS An American cruiser that echoes H-D’s rich heritage and tradition available at a superb value.

www.dskbenelli.com PRICE: `10,80,000 One of the best products by the Italian bike-makers in India, Benelli’s TnT 899 is standing proof of superior Italian design. It features a powerful 898cc in-line three motor that gels perfectly with is elegant styling. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are looking for an exotic style statement then the TnT 899 is surely the bike for you.

www.kawasaki-india.com PRICE: ` 8,19,000 The Z800’s radical styling is perfectly complemented by a powerful 806 cc, in-line four motor, making it a highly desirable motorcycle. T3 INDIA SAYS The Z800 is a stylish modern-day motorcycle that will suit your individual style quite well.


T H E S U PE R S I X

Hatchbacks 01

HYUNDAI I20 ELITE www.hyundai.com/in PRICE: `6,50,000 onwards Hyundai has raised the bar in this segment with the new Elite i20, which not only looks good but also boasts of ample space and good ride quality. T3 INDIA SAYS Best choice in this segment, if you can afford it.

02

HYUNDAI GRAND I10

03

MARUTI SUZUKI CELERIO

04

www.hyundai.com/in PRICE: `5,50,000 onwards Good build quality, good handling, good interior space and lots of equipment make the package offered by the Grand i10 very attractive – and a substantial improvement over its predecessor. T3 INDIA SAYS Apart from the one piece seat in the front, there is very little to dislike in this Hyundai.

www.marutisuzuki.com PRICE: `4,50,000 onwards Maruti’s new small car comes as usual with an attractive price, low running costs and a class leading automatic manual transmission. T3 INDIA SAYS This little car lives up to Suzuki’s reputation of producing some of the best small cars in the world.

HONDA JAZZ www.hondacarindia.com PRICE: `5,30,000 onwards The new Jazz has just been launched and has all the usual Honda attributes – practicality, ample internal cabin space and decent equipment. A diesel engine is an added bonus. T3 INDIA SAYS It’s a Honda!

05

TOYOTA ETIOS LIVA

06

VOLKSWAGEN POLO

www.toyotabharat.com PRICE: `6,00,000 onwards For some reason, Toyota has not marketed the Liva well; which is unfortunate, because the new Liva now has decent interiors, excellent diesel engine, ample space and Toyota’s famed reliability. T3 INDIA SAYS The Liva should be a contender for you if you are looking for a hatchback between `5 to 8 lakh.

www.volkswagen.co.in PRICE: `6,50,000 onwards Well built with good interiors and very good handling. The Polo deserves a higher rating but for the exorbitant service and spares costs and a cramped rear. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are of average Indian height and love a Volkswagen badge, give the Polo a good look.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

AUTOMOTIVE T H E S U PE R S I X

Sedans 01

TOYOTA COROLLA ALTIS www.toyotabharat.com PRICE: `15,00,000 onwards The Corolla has been the world’s top-selling sedan for years. The reasons are obvious. Whilst it is not the best in any specific field, it is above average in all and this makes for an irresistible package. T3 INDIA SAYS Most reliable car in this segment. If you want a trouble free vehicle, this is your best option.


Luxury 01

www.mercedes-benz.co.in PRICE: `1,30,00,000 onwards Elegant looks with top-of-the-line luxury features make it the world’s top luxury car. If you can afford it, it’s safe to say you will not be worried about the cost of spares and service. T3 INDIA SAYS If you want to make a statement, this is the car to make it in.

02 HONDA CITY

02

AUDI A6

03 AUDI A3

03

MERCEDES-BENZ E CLASS

04

04

BMW 520D

05

TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID

www.hondacarindia.com PRICE: ` 8,50,000 onwards In its category, the Honda City has become a one-horse race. Good engines, high fuel efficiency and above-average reliability have endeared the City to Indian customers. T3 INDIA SAYS If you want a small saloon, go for the City.

www.audi.in PRICE: ` 24,00,000 onwards This one can almost be considered as a luxury car. The combination of refinement, performance, ride and handling that the A3 offers is unique in this segment. T3 INDIA SAYS If your budget stretches more than `20 lakh, the A3 should definitely be on your shortlist.

HYUNDAI VERNA www.hyundai.com/in PRICE: ` 8,50,000 onwards At the moment, the Verna is probably the prettiest saloon in the market and offers high levels of trim and equipment. Apart from that, it is also very good value for money. T3 INDIA SAYS Good combination of aesthetics and value for money.

VENTO/ 05 VOLKSWAGEN SKODA RAPID www.volkswagen.co.in PRICE: ` 9,00,000 onwards The Vento from Volkswagen provides high build quality, a superb diesel engine and very good handling. However, watch out for high-service and spare-parts costs. T3 INDIA SAYS One for Volkswagen fans.

06 NISSAN SUNNY/RENAULT SCALA

www.nissan.in PRICE: ` 9,50,000 onwards The most underrated car in this segment, the Sunny offers good interiors, space, good ride quality and fuel efficiency. T3 INDIA SAYS The Sunny deserves more success in the Indian market.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS

06

www.audi.in PRICE: `46,00,000 onwards The Audi bolsters its premium line-up with the A6, which continues to set the benchmark in its segment with its refinement, plush interiors, superior ride quality and NVH levels. T3 INDIA SAYS At or around `50 lakh, the Audi A6 deserves a very close look.

www.mercedes-benz.co.in PRICE: `55,00,000 onwards The new E Class from luxury car-maker Mercedes-Benz is much improved and forms an excellent alternative to the Audi A6. Additionally, in India, it also offers its owner added status. T3 INDIA SAYS Good solid choice in its segment.

www.bmw.in PRICE: `45,00,000 onwards The Beamer is top choice for sheer performance and driving pleasure. However, it is not as spacious as the competition and unless specified, comes with run-flat tyres. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are the driver, the 520D should be your choice.

www.toyotabharat.com PRICE: ` 35,00,000 onwards The Toyota Camry Hybrid has it all – good looks, great comfort and it is also more planted than many other so-called, luxury cars. The only thing missing on it is the Lexus badge. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are not brand conscious & value reliability, this is the one to go for.

VOLVO S80 www.volvocars.com/in PRICE: `57,00,000 onwards All Volvos promise high levels of build quality and safety and the S80 is no different. However, the badge is not as strong as some of the other luxury cars. T3 INDIA SAYS A good-looking, solidly built luxury car from the Swedish company.


CAMERAS T H E S U PE R S I X

Mirrorless 01

SONY A7R II www.sony.co.in PRICE: ` 2,39,990 40 percent than the original the A7R, the A7R II comes with a 42.4MP back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS sensor, 4K video shooting in a compact body. T3 INDIA SAYS Expensive but packs in a lot of bells and whistles.

02

OLYMPUS OM-D EM-5 MARK II

03

PANASONIC LUMIX GH4

04

OLYMPUS OMD-EM1

05

FUJIFILM X-T1

06

PANASONIC LUMIX GM5

www.olympus.imaging.co.in PRICE: `68,000 onwards* Olympus continues to surprise with substantial improvements in each new model and the EM5 Mark II is no different. It promises a very attractive high resolution mode at 40MP. All the other Olympus features are there as well. T3 INDIA SAYS The best offering from Olympus to date.

www.panasonic.com/in PRICE: `1,00,000 onwards* This is the flagship Lumix from the Panasonic stable and is equipped with Venus engine that improves picture quality while reducing noise. In short, it offers the best combination of still and video shooting in the market. T3 INDIA SAYS If video is important, choose the GH4.

www.olympus.imaging.co.in PRICE: ` 95,000 onwards* The original flagship from Olympus continues to be popular among customers and sells well. It definitely deserves a look if you want the Micro Four Thirds standard. T3 INDIA SAYS A solid workhorse from Olympus.

www.fujifilm.in PRICE: `1,07,000 onwards* Fujifilm has had great success with its retro-style mirrorless cameras. The X-T1 has an APS-C sized 16.3 MP sensor and promises 8 frames per sec along with very good build quality. T3 INDIA SAYS Attractive retro model!

www.panasonic.com/in PRICE: `50,000 onwards* The GM5 is currently the smallest mirrorless camera in the market. A magnesium alloy body and a pancake lens make this camera pocketable. T3 INDIA SAYS Easy to carry around and very good handling. * Body only



DSLR 01

NIKON D810 www.nikon.co.in PRICE: `1,80,000 onwards* This 36.3 MP semi-professional DSLR from Nikon is the camera to own. Given its high build quality and performance, this camera is hardly likely to let you down. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are a professional or hardcore enthusiast, look no further.

02

CANON EOS 5D MARK III

03

NIKON D750

04

05

06

www.canon.co.in PRICE: `1,87,000 onwards* Canon’s 5D series form the core of its semi professional customer base. Magnesium alloy body ensures excellent durability and both still and video are of high quality and the 22.3 MP sensor produces excellent pictures. T3 INDIA SAYS The best from Canon!

www.nikon.co.in PRICE: `1,25,000 onwards* If you cannot afford the the D810, the Nikon D750 is an excellent option with a 24.3 MP full-frame sensor. Pricing is also very competitive and Nikon offers excellent deals for kits with the camera body. T3 INDIA SAYS The best value for money full-frame camera in the market.

CANON EOS 7D MARK II www.canon.co.in PRICE: `1,15,000 onwards* The Mark II version of the 7D from Canon brings in much faster autofocus and 10 frames per sec shooting. With a 20.2 MP sensor, this is Canon’s best APS-C DSLR. T3 INDIA SAYS If you want an APS-C DSLR with the Canon brand, this is the one to go for.

NIKON D5500 www.nikon.co.in PRICE: `49,000 onwards* If you are just getting serious about photography, then opt for the Nikon D5500. It’s the best beginners’ camera and comes with a 24MP APS-C sensor as well as a tilt and swivel LCD. T3 INDIA SAYS If you are a beginner, this is the Nikon to go for.

CANON EOS 760D www.canon.co.in PRICE: `50,000 onwards* The 760D is a very competitive offering for the enthusiast. It features a customisable 19-point autofocus system that allows you to control every aspect of the camera and ensure high picture quality. T3 INDIA SAYS Latest update from Canon for the APS-C market is a winner.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

SMARTPHONES / TABLETS T H E S U PE R S I X

Smartphones 01

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

SAMSUNG GALAXY S6 EDGE www.samsung.com/in PRICE: `58,000 onwards As well as that gorgeous ‘infinity pool’ build, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge packs a brilliant camera and a pin-sharp QHD display. It’s pricey, though. T3 INDIA SAYS A stylish glass-and-metal design, a stunning screen and a great camera.

02

APPLE iPHONE 6

03

HTC ONE ME

04

LG G4

www.apple.com/in PRICE: `44,000 onwards Apple is at the top of its game right now. The iPhone looks better than ever, the battery life is improved and the camera still delivers the best phone photos. T3 INDIA SAYS The best iPhone ever made – it’ll make you consider giving up your Android.

www.htc.com/in PRICE: `39,500 One ME has a great design just like the rest of the HTC One lineup and comes with a Quad HD display, BoomSound with Dolby and 20MP main camera with an UltraPixel for selfies on the front. T3 INDIA SAYS Power-packed phone with good looks, camera and attractive price tag.

www.lg.com/in PRICE: `48,900 The G4 is a whole lot of features in a fairly compact space. It has a powerful screen, a faster processor and a much better camera – plus it’s encased in leather. T3 SAYS The G4 offers a lot for a decent price, but the leather is an acquired taste.

05

GOOGLE NEXUS 6

06

ONEPLUS ONE

www.google.com/nexus/6 PRICE: `36,999 The best Nexus model ever – if you don’t mind a phablet, that is. It’s got a bright, clear (and massive) screen, with brilliant Qi+ turbocharging. T3 INDIA SAYS A massive beast, but one that justifies the ‘best Nexus ever’ tag.

www.oneplus.net PRICE: `18,999 onwards Dubbed the flagship killer, the phone features an impressive hardware that is complemented with bloat-free Android OS. To top it off, OnePlus One sells at an attractive price tag. T3 INDIA SAYS If you’re looking for a phone that matches the performance of high-end phones, go for the OnePlus One.


Tablets 01 iPAD AIR 2

www.apple.com/in PRICE: ` 35,900 onwards The Air 2 is the fastest, best-looking and most feature-packed iPad yet. It’s expensive sure, since you’ll want more storage, but it’s definitely worth every penny. T3 INDIA SAYS Sleek, solid and a spectacular display – the Air 2 is a pleasure to use.

02 SAMSUNG TAB S 8.4

www.samsung.com/in PRICE: ` 32,500 onwards Razor-thin at 6.6mm and super-light at 298g, the Tab S 8.4 also features an 8.4-inch Super AMOLED display, 16GB of memory, oodles of interesting features and lots of power. T3 INDIA SAYS Ultra-portable and packed with the best tech you can imagine.

03

MI PAD www.mi.com PRICE: `12,999 After breaking into the smartphone market, Xiaomi is also trying to break into the tablet market with its Mi Pad tablet. The tablet features Nvidia Tegra processor, a high-resolution display that you’d generally find on a high-end tablet. T3 INDIA SAYS: The Mi Pad fits the bill perfectly if you’re looking for a value-for-money Android tablet.

04 GOOGLE NEXUS 9

www.google.com/nexus/9 PRICE: `24,900 An Android tablet without the manufacturer bloat, the Nexus 9 performs well and comes with some really premium touches. One of those, a 4:3-aspect screen, gives you more headroom on websites. T3 INDIA SAYS The Nexus 9 is a top all-rounder.

05 LENOVO YOGA TABLET 2 PRO

www.lenovo.com/in/en/ PRICE: `49,500 Yoga Tablet 2 Pro’s multimode feature makes it easy to use but its USP is the built-in projector; with a touch of a button, it can project a 50-inch image. T3 INDIA SAYS: A tablet with a built-in projector but on the expensive side.

06

IBALL SLIDE I701 www.iball.co.in/ PRICE: `4,999 If you’re looking for a highly affordable Windows tablet, take a look at iBall Slide i701. It offers a full Windows 8.1 experience running on Intel processor and freebies like MS Office, OneDrive storage and upgradeable to Windows 10. T3 INDIA SAYS: Not a performer but if you want basic usage, connect it to an external monitor and you get a full-fledged PC.


TVS / LAPTOPS T H E S U PE R S I X

TVs 01

02


Laptops SAMSUNG UE55JS9000 www.samsung.com/in PRICE: ` 3,14,900 Capable of a stunning picture, with amazing design and clear sound. It needs its settings tweaked to get the best picture, though, and standard def looks horrid. T3 INDIA SAYS This 55-inch is amazing in Ultra HD, but also brilliant in regular HD.

SONY BRAVIA KDL-50W800B www.sony.co.in PRICE: `1,12,900 This 50-inch boasts superb HD image quality, fabulous motion handling and a top discovery engine for online content, but there are limited catch-up channels. T3 INDIA SAYS Polished 1080p pictures and smarter features, all for a reasonable price.

03

SAMSUNG 55HU8500

04

LG 55EC930T

www.samsung.com/in PRICE: ` 2,41,500 Brilliant picture quality, and a pleasingly presented Smart TV hub with a gazillion apps. The screen also integrates well with other multimedia devices. T3 INDIA SAYS This 55-inch offers great picture quality and excellent smart features.

www.lg.com/in PRICE: ` 3,34,900 This 55-inch offers amazing picture quality, a host of brilliant smart features and dazzling looks. However, there’s no 4K and it’s quite expensive compared to others. T3 INDIA SAYS Looking for smart features and eye-popping images? This won’t disappoint.

05

LG 55UB950V

06

PANASONIC TH-65AX800D

www.lg.com/in PRICE: ` 2,19,900 Classy design and a webOS user interface that’s slick and very easy to get the hang of. Contrast performance is disappointing, though, and there’s some lag. T3 INDIA SAYS A great 55-inch TV that’s slightly hobbled by poor contrast and input lag.

www.panasonic.co.in PRICE: `3,29,000 Panasonic’s larger-than-life TH-65AX800D offers UHD resolution, good picture quality and all the Smart TV features. It also comes equipped with Swipe and Share. T3 INDIA SAYS Makes sure you have a big room to keep it!


01

DELL XPS 13 www.dell.co.in PRICE: `1,28,990 Brilliantly designed and outperforms its competition under the hood. Infinity Display gives you the expanse of a 13.3-inch screen on an 11.9-inch laptop. T3 INDIA SAYS Fantastic performance and build. It will serve you well for years to come.

02

MACBOOK PRO 13-INCH

03

DELL 13 7000

04

05

06

www.apple.com/in PRICE: ` 94,900 Lightweight, with improved performance and very good battery life – the 13-inch Macbook Pro will delight road warriors and coffee-shop loungers alike. T3 INDIA SAYS A reliable, powerful and practical MacBook, this is Apple’s best laptop.

www.dell.co.in PRICE: `65,390 onwards Dell’s 13-inch 2-in-1 works great as a laptop as well as a tablet that is complemented with latest Intel Core processor, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD,1080p screen. It comes with a stylus as well to take notes and draw sketches. T3 INDIA SAYS Stylish, powerful and a decent battery life.

ASUS UX305 www.asus.com/in PRICE: `49,999 Thin, light and attractive, with excellent build quality, the Zenbook UX305 offers a great balance of components, a perfect 1080p screen and an alluring price tag. T3 INDIA SAYS One of the best and most affordable Ultrabooks available.

LENOVO IDEAPAD YOGA 3 PRO www.thedostore.com PRICE: `1,15,990 One laptop that comes close to Lenovo’s design is the Macbook Air. The beautifully designed Yoga 3 Pro is a perfect combination of beauty with brains. The watchband-inspired hinge enhances durability of the laptop, making it easy to use as a tablet. T3 INDIA SAYS Good performance and exemplary looks.

ASUS EEEBOOK X205 www.asus.com/in PRICE: ` 14,999 Asus Eeebook series makes a comeback with the new 11.6-inch Windows 8.1 notebook. The notebook is targetted at consumers who want a full Windows experience at an affordable price. T3 INDIA SAYS A good affordable compact notebook for casual users with a good battery life. W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

FITNESS TRACKERS / SMARTWATCHES T H E S U PE R S I X

Fitness Trackers 01

Mi Band

02

GARMIN VIVOSMART

www.mi.com PRICE: ` 999 A highly affordable fitness tracker that tracks how active you are and works with both Android and iOS. The rechargeable battery lasts for up to 30 days, which means you don’t have to keep it plugged every few days like a smartwatch. T3 INDIA SAYS Cheap and reliable, with accurate tracking.

www.garmin.co.in PRICE: `10,990 The Vivosmart is one of the packed fitness bands that shows smart notifications of incoming messages or calls and even has a heartrate sensor. It also nudges to walk for a few minutes after a period of inactivity. T3 INDIA SAYS A power-packed fitness band with some unique features to separate from the crowd.

03

GOQII

04

SONY SMARTBAND TALK

05

06

www.goqii.com PRICE: ` 3,999 onwards Goqii is a fitness tracker with a twist that does the usual fitness and sleep tracking but assists the users with coaches to achieve the fitness goal. T3 INDIA SAYS A realistic approach to fitness tracking with coaches and experts helping the users.

www.sony.co.in PRICE: ` 9,999 Sony’s take on the fitness tracking that integrates an e-ink display for better battery life and even comes with a mic and a speaker to take on the occasional call or use a voice command. T3 INDIA SAYS Good improvement over SmartBand’s successor but needs a bit catch up to do with the competition.

FITBIT CHARGE HR www.fitbit.com PRICE: `12,990 Futuristic-looking yet discreet, the Charge HR gives you lots of info for your travels and even comes with continuous heart-rate recording. Features a long battery life. T3 INDIA SAYS In-depth fitness and sleep tracking, without shouting about it.

TOMTOM MULTI-SPORT GPS WATCH www.sports.tomtom.com PRICE: `15,000 A watch for fitness users that can check the pulse rate and track accurate real-time information with the integrated GPS. T3 INDIA SAYS A serious watch built for fitness aficionados.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N


Smartwatches 01

LG Watch Urbane

02

PEBBLE STEEL

03

04

05

06

www.lg.com/in PRICE: ` 29,990 The best-looking smartwatch in the market with an elegant metal body, stitched leather strap and colour options of gold and silver. It also comes with the latest version of Android Wear that brings always-on apps and improved battery life. T3 INDIA SAYS A good combination of looks and smartness.

www.getpebble.com PRICE: `19,900 The always-on, monochrome E-paper screen might not be for everyone, but it works great, and you get up to seven days’ battery. Loads of apps and easy to use, too. T3 INDIA SAYS Low on techy extras, but bags of charm and great ease of use.

MOTO 360 www.motorola.in PRICE: `12,999 Motorola has totally nailed the smartwatch looks with the 360 – it’s both futuristic and very stylish, and is sure to impress. Add to that, there’s a funky wireless charger, too. T3 INDIA SAYS Not quite perfect in this game, but the 360 is certainly a thing of beauty.

SAMSUNG GEAR S www.samsung.com/in PRICE: ` 24,900 The Gear S is a giant of a smartwatch. It’s got a gorgeous Super AMOLED screen and comes with loads of features. It runs on Tizen OS instead of Android Wear. T3 INDIA SAYS Big, bold and impressive – but the Gear S is also expensive.

SONY SMARTWATCH 3 www.sony.co.in PRICE: `15,800 Beats its closest competitors thanks to a built-in GPS, for accurate activity tracking. It won’t win any fans for its looks, but performance and battery life are good. T3 INDIA SAYS A great wearable for fitness, though it’s not for fashionistas.

PEBBLE www.getpebble.com PRICE: `10,200 The cheaper, plastic alternative to the Pebble Steel. Not as fancy as an Android Wear watch but works well with good battery life. T3 INDIA SAYS Pebble gets most of the things right, if not all in a smartwatch.


HOME AUDIO / HEADPHONES T H E S U PE R S I X

Home audio 01

02

03

04

YAMAHA YSP-2500 SOUNDBAR www.in.yamaha.com PRICE: ` 96,000 Sixteen 2.8cm drivers deliver an astonishing soundstage, while there are three HDMI 2.0 inputs with 4K passthrough, and outstanding DSP processing options. T3 INDIA SAYS Futuristic sound-reflecting technology offers amazing cinema sound.

NAIM MU-SO www.naimaudio.com PRICE: `1,00,000 A single, minimalist box offering an unforgettable music-streaming experience. Awesome design, brilliant sound and a flexible plethora of inputs. T3 INDIA SAYS A stunning object in its own right, and as an audio system it’s brilliant.

ONKYO TX-NR838 www.onkyoindia.com PRICE: ` 95,000 Give your home-cinema sound a lift with brilliant, seven-channel Atmos sound. The TX-NR838 offers comprehensive connectivity and wide format compatibility. T3 INDIA SAYS Atmos sound with the perfect balance of quality, value and functionality.

SONOS PLAY:1 www.sonos.com PRICE: ` 21,500 Excellent sound, reasonably affordable and fits snugly almost anywhere. Sonos Play:1 gets an improved app and support for even more services. T3 INDIA SAYS A superb-quality, affordable way to get some Sonos home-streaming love.

05

BEOPLAY A2

06

BOSE SOUNDLINK COLOR

www.beoplay.com PRICE: ` 22,990 Compact Bluetooth speaker from Bang & Olufsen that features high-quality material and sound. It comes with two channels on each side of the speaker and Power Response Enhancement ensures a 360-degree sound experience. T3 INDIA SAYS The good blend of performance and looks.

www.boseindia.com PRICE: `9,900 The Soundlink Color boasts a fun, curvy design, with impressive sound and awesome battery life. It won’t break the bank, either. T3 INDIA SAYS A curvy and perfectly portable Bluetooth speaker.



Headphones 01

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-M50x

02

SHURE SRH1540

03

04

www.audio-technica.com PRICE: ` 9,500 Looking for an all-round performance on a budget? M50x is the one to go for that offers balanced sound, tight bass and excellent build quality. T3 INDIA SAYS Great pair of cans with amazing performance at a competitive price.

www.shure.com PRICE: `41,000 With a flat audio signature, their sound is clean and lush, doing justice to any source. Bass isn’t lacking, it’s just crisp and subtle. They’re also extremely comfy. T3 INDIA SAYS These stylish headphones will please even the pickiest audiophile.

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-M70X www.audio-technica.com PRICE: ` 22,999 Successor to the value for money ATH-M50x that are comfortable enough for prolonged use and features improved build quality. Extended low and high frequencies with great sound isolation. T3 INDIA SAYS Discernible improvement in the performance over the M50x but at double the asking price.

BEYERDYNAMIC IDX 160 IE www.asia-pacific-india.beyerdynamic.com PRICE: ` 7,150 Comfortable, with solid sound performance and a slick, practical design, all at an affordable price. T3 INDIA SAYS With fine qualities aplenty, these cans are a smart buy for music lovers.

05

RHA T10I www.rha-audio.com PRICE: `13,999 The RHA T10I noise-isolating headphones offer amazing sound, tuneable audio and stunning build quality that focuses on looks as well as comfort. T3 INDIA SAYS The T10Is are premium earphones with incredible sound and style.

06 SONY XBA-H1

hwww.sony.co.in PRICE: `5,999 Boasting strong performance and slick design, Sony’s XBA-H1s will satisfy on multiple fronts. That is, if you can look past the lack of inline controls. T3 INDIA SAYS In-ear headphones with bags of style and bravado.

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

O

y

SAR 10 th ANN IVER

Velo

e We rid

25 ED TESTha Saluto 1200 Yama ulsar AS P Bajaj

s HT azona PASSES WIT

10 th ANN

RIDD

E

G THE

GOLD

10

XER S

F

E

COL LEC TOR

LIN TACK

00 KM TRE enelli 10 DAYS, 10,0 0F B E: -S100 CHALLENG X S G i uk AD N QU N Suz

HE GIX

FEATURES

ing Legends alities Rac Power Person 19 Years Top 10 bikes i: On Top for

Y SPE CIAL 244

S’ ISSU E

O

Ka w

w

Am 1130K

4

RIDE

SAR 10 th ANN IVER

TED 250 TESasaki Z

ce

DO

Y AR RS ! IVECIAL N AN SPE

EXC UBLE

O

u M -R3 lia T Apri ha YZF a Yam

E LUSIV

BImKola S W t a & Rn Chaz Davies E L A w o G I PAN ith Ducati’s 5 AUGUST 201

ISSUE 01

S’ ISSU E

smo DEN Turi 100 RIDV Agustaono V4 1

O

SX

0 0 0 d n ed a SHot1 , nak r action fo read

TOR PAG ES COL LEC Y SPE CIAL 244

S’ ISSU E

IG

NDIA.IN WWW.BIKEI

VOLUME 11


UK SUZ

Z

S’ ISSU E

5 201 JULY

GA

Why would you subscribe to Bike India? Here are

SAR 10 th ANN IVER

2

MA

BY FA R!

O

E 01 ISSU

ER

S’ ISSU E

` 125

S’ ISSU E

10 ME VOLU

EEL

ES COL LEC TOR CIAL 244 PAG IVER SAR Y SPE

N

H O W

MA GA ZIN E,


Really Good Reasons!

1 DELIVERED FREE TO YOUR DOOR 2 SAVE UP TO 36% ON COVER PRICE 3 NEVER MISS AN ISSUE AGAIN MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, 4 AND A SERIOUSLY GOOD QUALITY MAGAZINE...

PAG ES

THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE Online

1

Visit at http://secure.nextgenpublishing.in/

TO SUBSCRIBE

2

Pay ` 2,300 for 3 years subscription

and save ` 1300 on the cover price

Call

+91 22 4352 5252

3

Post Next Gen Publishing Ltd., Trade World, C-Wing, 2nd Floor, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai 400013, India.

Pay ` 900 for 1 year subscription

and save ` 300 on the cover price

International rate - for 1 year subscription ` 7,500 or $ 125 by air mail post YOUR DETAILS (ALL DETAILS IN CAPITAL LETTERS) Name: Mr/Ms .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Occupation ..................................................................................................................................................................... Date of birth ........................................................................ Address .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

City ........................................................................ State ................................................................................................ Pincode ................................................................................ Email .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Phone (Off) ........................................................................... Mobile ............................................................................ Phone (Off) .......................................................................... Kindly draw the Cheque/DD/PO in favor of NEXT GEN PUBLISHING LTD. (Please add Rs. 20/- extra for outstation cheque)

Please Find enclosed Cheque/DD no. ............................................................................................................................................................ Dated .......................................................... Bank ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Branch ........................................................ Or please charge my credit card

Visa

MasterCard Card No. ......................................................................................................... Card expiry date ........................................

Name (as appears on card) ............................................................................................................ Date...................................................... Signature ..................................................... Please complete the order form and mail it to us at Next Gen Publishing Ltd., 2nd Floor, C Wing, Trade World, Kamala Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (W). Mumbai 400013. You can also fax the order for credit card purchases to +91 22 2495 5394 For clarifications, email: [email protected] or call +91 22 4352 5252 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing of your subscription. Copies will be sent by ordinary post only. Next Gen Publishing will not be responsible for postal delay, transit loses or mutilation of copies. No cancellation of subscriptions will be entertained after commencement of subscription. Please mention your name and address on the reverse of your DD/Cheque. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in Mumbai only.

BIKE INDIA SEPTEMBER 2015

IN

’S D IA

W 1 T O.

SAR 10 th ANN IVER

COL LEC TOR 244 PAG ES SAR Y SPE CIAL 10 th ANN IVER

. 1 TW O IND IA’ S NO

O

O

S’ ISSU E COL LEC TOR 244 PAG ES SAR Y SPE CIAL 10 th ANN IVER WH EE LE R

LEICA THIS?

DESIGN DONS

BELOVED OF WAR REPORTERS BUT WITH A PRICE TO LURE BANKERS, A LEICA SAYS AS MUCH ABOUT YOUR STATUS AS IT DOES YOUR PHOTO INTERESTS. IS THE FULL FRAME ‘Q’ WORTH `2,90,000? ALUMINIUM & MAGNESIUM ALLOY BODY

3.68 MILLION-DOT RESOLUTION EVF

This feels solid in the palm. A thumb rest coupled with a diamond pattern exterior provide a firm hold

LEICA 28MM F/1.7 LENS This wide-angle prime lens features a manual focus lever for switching from auto focus and back again. Minimum distance is 30cm, and the lens is non-interchangeable

Part of the reason for the expensive price is the combination of German and Swiss engineering. With an unfussy design that echoes the Leica M Rangefinder, the metal Q promises years of distinguished service, while the life-like image relayed by the electronic viewfinder and back screen further entice us to mouth ‘wow’. Set against that, perhaps the cost isn’t so prohibitive. At the time of writing, Leica had sold out of stock at its Mayfair HQ.

Insane resolution relays a life-like image - ideal when trying to focus using the electronic viewfinder

THREE-INCH TFT LCD SCREEN A clear menu display makes selections simple, and a touchscreen control brings ‘Q’ up to date. Resolution impresses at one million pixels


24.2 EFFECTIVE MEGAPIXEL FULL FRAME SENSOR A chip the size of a 35mm frame of film is the Q’s selling point. Shots saved as Raw or JPEGs onto SD media

MINI HDMI AND MICRO USB SOCKETS Connectivity includes NFC, plus an integrated Wi-Fi module for wireless sending of stills/video, or remote operation via smartphones and tablets

W W W.T 3 M A G.I N

T3 Magazine - September 2015 IN.pdf

Recommend Documents