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02
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CHIP_COVER_FEB_2012.indd 1
8 Superzoom
cameras:
Capture every
distant object
1/25/2012 5:26:35 PM
EDITORIAL
Uncertain times
he news this past month has been filled with stories of clashes between law
enforcement officials and common citizens. Some of these people have
been involved in activities that are illegal (or that exist only in grey areas of
the law), while others have been caught unawares as they just go about
living their everyday lives. Some have been blindsided by foreign cultural expectations,
and some have gone rogue in deciding to enforce their own standards of justice.
Governments and establishment bodies are fighting back by passing heavy-handed
laws and granting themselves more power to crack down on criminals, often
steamrolling everyone else in the bargain.
These are uncertain timesmany of the things we unknowingly take for granted
could soon change in significant ways. The Internet as we know it today is slowly being
replaced by something quite differentits long held role as a preserve of free speech
and expression could soon be a distant memory. Concepts of privacy, anonymity, the
freedom of movement, and the ownership of digital assets are being challenged and
reformulated. The interests of a powerful few are beginning to overshadow the greater
common good: the SOPA story, crackdowns on websites, the persecution of political
dissidents, the painting of casual criminals as terrorists, the identification and hunting
down of civil protestors, and various other attempts to muffle political criticism and
impose specific moral values are but a few examples of this. A less immediately
obvious (but not unrelated) trend is the gradual erosion of users rights and
expectations when it comes to privacy and anonymity online.
But perhaps this was only to be expected in the normal course of events. Things
that once existed in states of joyous anarchy have become regulated and policed over
timethe societies we live in, for example. Like all societies, power will shift between
individuals, be passed down through legacies, or be snatched away by rebels. The
Internet was instrumental in enabling revolutions and overthrowing dictators in 2011
and has also not been enough to do so in some cases. In 2012, its already being used to
fight all-out war. Loosely organized groups are beginning to assert themselves, with
peaceful campaigns and educational drives such as the undeniably successful
January 18 blackout. Unfortunately, there are also those who believe in guerrilla
tactics such as attacking and disrupting the operations of governments and
corporate entities in retaliation to perceived wrongdoings. Other hackers (to
use the term in a non-pejorative sense) are discussing plans to launch their
own underground, unregulated Internet and possibly even launch satellites to
help achieve this goalno matter how unlikely it would be in the long term
for any of these efforts to succeed where the current Internet falls short.
Noble intentions aside, actions such as these are already being used by
governments to justify even tighter regulations on Internet use.
Many will just go with the flow for lack of an alternative, and many will
remain unaffected by the changes. There will also be those for whom
such luxuries aren't afforded. The silver lining here, as SOPA protestors
so ably demonstrated in January, is that there's nothing stopping any of
us from fighting back.
Jamshed Avari
editor@chip.in
0030212_Editorial.indd 3
02/2012
1/25/2012 8:32:25 PM
Contents
82 COVER STORY
POWER
NEWSWIRE
TEST CENTER
FEATURED
12 In the News...
34 Product Spotlight
36 Hardware Tested
26 Intel Tech-Mom
58 XX Motherboard comparison
28 CES 2012
02/2012
0040212_Contents.indd 4
70 Software Spotlight
72 Software Tested
100 3D Printing
1/25/2012 7:24:01 PM
/
/
/
/
/
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.
.
.
.
5
5
5 #(
+
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FEBRUARY 2012
)#
(($
& $)
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SU
UBSC
CRIBE
E NO
NOW!
OW!
Turn to page 42
BEFORE
34 TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
The latest hardware reviewed
AFTER
70 TEST CENTER
SOFTWARE SPOTLIGHT
Dynamic Photo HDR
112 HANDSON
SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE
Underclock for longer battery life
HANDS ON
106 Dr CHIP
POWER
TOOLS DVD
8.5 GB of essential tools for everyday life
REGULARS
03 Editorial, 06 Colophon, 08 Letters,
12 In the News..., 18 The Buzz List,
20 New Products Launched, 78 PC Configs,
104 Web Watch, 106 Dr CHIP, 114 Tips &
Tricks, 122 Market Watch, 135 Contests,
138 Personal Tech
DVD HIGHLIGHTS
RED HOT APPLICATIONS
FULL SOFTWARE
FULL GAMES
GAME DEMOS
Final Fantasy VII Remake
GAME TRAILERS
The Darkness II and more...
0040212_Contents.indd 5
02/2012
1/25/2012 7:25:00 PM
COLOPHON
MANAGING EDITOR
Hatim Kantawalla
hatim.kantawalla@network18online.com
DEPUTY EDITOR
Jamshed Avari
jamshed.avari@chip.in
DEPUTY EDITOR - TECHNICAL
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anand.tuliani@chip.in
COPY DESK
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DESIGNER
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ILLUSTRATORS
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Padmini Harchandrai, Aaron Almeida, Karan Shah,
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HEAD - INTERNET
Tushar Burman
CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
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02/2012
0060212_Colophon.indd 6
Published by Lakshmi Narasimhan and printed by Mohan Gajria on behalf of Infomedia18 Ltd.
Editor: Lakshmi Narasimhan
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1/25/2012 7:26:29 PM
LETTERS
STAR
ER
LETonT
's
th winner
INBOX
This m
gets a coolset
accessories
Radiation
R
d
Blues
Hello
H
ll CHIP
CHIP,
subscribed to your magazine and I am loving it. I really appreciate the collection of
I have just
j
artic
articles.
I am a big fan of your reviews and I take into consideration every detail you mention
be
before
buying my gadgets. I am a 15 year old student who is studying in Mahatma Gandhi
I
International
School (MGIS), Ahmedabad. I have recently been working on a project that is
related to creating awareness about mobile radiation. I am working really hard on this and I
have also bought a microwave leakage detector which can calculate EMF radiation. It is a
very useful device as it shows us how much a mobile phone radiates and, taking that into
consideration, which one is the best to buy. I am planning to measure all possible models
from different companies to check their radiation level. I would really love to spread
awareness through CHIP, which is indeed the most trusted tech magazine in India.
Thanking you,
ZAID MANIAR
Hi Zaid,
Za
a
Hi
You
ourr project
pro
Your
sounds quite promising. The problem of cellphone radiation has been debated for years,
ha been no conclusion yet as to the exact nature of its effects. India is all set to make prominent
and there has
mandat
SAR labels mandatory
on mobile phone boxes, but the unregulated mushrooming of mobile phone towers might
Th project you've undertaken is certainly timely and relevant to all of us. We're curious to know
be a bigger risk. The
Sachin P
Pandit
andit
and
equ
more about the equipment
you have purchased and the conditions under which you intend to test mobile phones,
so please do write back to us with more details and any preliminary findings you might have. We'd be glad to
help out and also to discuss the results in a future issue. Best of luck!
TEAM CHIP
Gadget crazy
Dear Abhishek
Hello CHIP,
CONTACT INFO
02/2012
0080212_Letters.indd 8
- TEAM CHIP
XPS thoughts
Hello CHIP,
Regards,
Dear Shadab,
SHADAB MEHDI
- ABHISHEK
TEAM CHIP
1/25/2012 7:31:17 PM
LETTERS
Unfair pricing
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TEAM CHIP
TEAM CHIP
Bad habits
Dear CHIP,
community.
Dear Ravi,
RAVI KAWADE
Dear Priyanka,
- ADITYA
WRITE TO US!
CUSTOMER CARE
10
02/2012
0080212_Letters.indd 10
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Fax: +91 22 3003 4499
Subscribe online at eshop.infomedia18.in
1/25/2012 7:31:27 PM
NEWSWIRE
NEWS SNIPPETS
IN THE NEWS...
DANGER PREDICTION
Individuals aren't
much at risk from
criminals, who
seem to be taking
a post-holiday
season break.
However civil
liberties continue
to be challenged
in many parts of
the world.
LEGAL ISSUES
LOCATIONS OF MALWARE
USA
29.27 %
Ukraine
4.60%
Russia
16.46 %
Virgin Islands
2.84%
Germany
12.72%
Canada
1.99%
1.99%
11.28%
Netherlands
7.82%
Great Britain
5.93%
Romania
China
5.10%
Others
DISTRIBUTION OF A SUPERWORM
WEB
DATA IN MILLIONS
0
12 01 02 03
MONTHS 2010/2011
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
4 billion
YouTube videos are viewed per day. Over
an hour of video is uploaded per second.
Source: YouTube
12
02/2012
0120212_News Snippets.indd 12
1/25/2012 7:52:49 PM
NEWSWIRE
NEWS SNIPPETS
LEGAL ISSUES
LEGAL ISSUES
LEGAL ISSUES
LEGAL ISSUES
An Australian teacher in
of Canada detained in
infringement. O'Dwyer
to be insulted, as a result of
to downloadable copies of
security by moderating
hundreds of thousands of
in anti-government protests.
continued to be in custody
on Facebook promising to
illegal content.
his software.
SOFTWARE
INFRASTRUCTURE
WEB
specic TLDs, users can now set up registries for any word
and their plans for it. The fee, over US$ 100,000, is intended
as 1994, in response to
to pure IPv6.
14
02/2012
0120212_News Snippets.indd 14
1/25/2012 7:53:09 PM
NEWSWIRE
NEWS SNIPPETS
SECURITY
SECURITY
NEW SECURITY
RISKS DETECTED
AND PATCHED
SECURITY
ANDROID
An intentional design decision in the
way apps are granted permissions
allows for third-party advertising
modules to piggyback on the
permissions of the host app. A
malicious third-party module can then
steal private user data and pass it to a
remote server.
SOLUTION: Users should check the
origins of apps they download, and
developers of free apps should be
very sure of the ad modules they use.
AJAX
Web surfers are at risk from a new
attack method that loads exploits in
small increments on seemingly
innocuous pages, through the use of
Asynchronous JavaScript And XML.
SOLUTION: Users are advised to keep
their Web browsers and security
suites updated at all times.
aw in their rmware.
by masquerading as popular
credentials.
LEGAL ISSUES
SOFTWARE
WINDOWS
A vulnerability in the kernel allows
attackers to bypass built-in security
mechanisms and execute arbitrary
code. The bug affects Windows XP,
Vista, 7, Server 2003 and 2008/R2
SOLUTION: An automatic update fixes
the issue.
WINDOWS
Specially crafted TrueType Font Files
(TTF) embedded within documents
could force malicious code to be
executed on a Windows PC. The flaw
has been rated as critical, with
potential payloads including the
extremely dangerous Duqu worm.
SOLUTION: An automatic update will
soon be available.
16
02/2012
programmers "achievements"
0120212_News Snippets.indd 16
1/25/2012 7:53:27 PM
NEWSWIRE
BUZZ LIST
BUSINESS
WEB
factories, Foxconn is
apply for any sort of recognition, and merely went along with the
their situation is so
bad that they literally have nothing to lose. Over 200 staffers on
for salary raises were not met. More than 15 workers have jumped
off Foxconn buildings in the past two years due to high levels of
POLITICS
BUZZ
LIST
SOPA support
shrinks after Web
blackout protests
A series of coordinated blackouts,
unprecedented in the history of the Web, is
directly responsible for at least a dozen US
lawmakers withdrawing their support of the
controverisal SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act)
and PIPA (Protection of Intellectual
Property Act) which are still being
considered in Washington DC. The bills have
been criticized for their inclusion of
provisions that would allow copyright
holders to make Websites disappear from
the Internet without notice or trial, using
18
02/2012
0180212_Buzz List.indd 18
1/25/2012 4:21:41 PM
NEWSWIRE
WESTERN DIGITAL
PRICE: TBA
WEBSITE: www.zotac.com
IBALL
Convenient scanner
iBall ClickScan is
re-defining the
scanner experience
ng and
productivity by digitizing
ny document or
ClickScan can capture any
shutter.
esolution in about
to A4/A3 size at high resolution
PRICE: TBA
WEBSITE: www.htc.com/in
oject a paper
one second. One can project
ZOTAC
Powerful compact PC
eration or
the progress of any operation
R function
demo. Its powerful OCR
(Optical Character
Recognition) enables
conversion of image of
he new
computing needs. The
nd
energy efficiency and
high-definition
video playback
in a compact
drive.
PRICE: Rs 7,900
WEBSITE: www.wdc.com
2nd generation
t
ZBOX platform enhancements
debuting with the AD04 series include an
HTC
Smartphone for
women
A3 and A4 size
scanning options. The
use friendly Click-scan is
user
USB po
powered (no adapter
i d)
required).
PRICE: TBA
WEBSITE: NA
ASUS
Rhyme, a women-centric
accessories in a unique
drive preinstalled.
20
02/2012
1/25/2012 4:29:13 PM
NEWSWIRE
COREL
Photo workflow
manager
its digital
photography
introduction of Corel
AfterShot Pro, a
total photographic
workflow solution
enthusiast
photographers with
PRICE: TBA
WEBSITE: www.kingmax.com
PRICE: Rs 38,000
WEBSITE: www.asus.in
complete RAW
workflow, flexible photo management,
RAZER
THERMALTAKE
Flexible
gaming
mouse
PRICE: Rs 5,900
WEBSITE: www.corel.com
KINGMAX
Performance SSD
fans. Th
The universal all-in-
platforms.
PRICE: Rs 4,999
WEBSITE: www.razerzone.
com
PRICE: TBA
WEBSITE: www.
thermaltake.com
22
02/2012
jamshed.avari@chip.in
1/25/2012 4:29:35 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
Consuming RO water has reduced the number of Diarrhoeal cases, body pains, joint pains and swelling that
are assumed to be the aftermath of the high Fluoride intake.
02/2012
1/24/2012 9:29:05 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
In India around
95,000 villages are
without electricity
nan
nancially
empower the women and
m
most noteworthy amongst them
b
ses
being
the Eurodiya that harnesses
so
n
solar
energy to light up homes. In
atmosphere.
future ahead.
priyanka.tilve@chip.in
02/2012
25
1/24/2012 9:29:13 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
It's a sad fact that most housewives in our country are at the bottom of the Internet literacy
spectrum, and this holds true not only for the rural areas, but also in the metros. The Intel
Tech-Mom initiative hopes to change this. BY PRIYANKA TILVE
oday, having a PC at home
is commonplace. In fact, we
26
02/2012
priyanka.tilve@chip.in
1/24/2012 9:30:13 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
Through his company Damascuz Fortune he wants to make a major impact on the environment by reducing
the global warming and provide employment to many.
hour.
to many.
priyanka.tilve@chip.in
02/2012
27
1/24/2012 9:31:35 PM
NEWSWIRE
CES 2012
Acer Aspire S5
A slim, sober followup to the S3,
Acer distinguishes itself with a
motorized platform popping up at the
back to allow access to the USB 3.0,
Thunderbolt, and video ports.
HP Envy 14 Spectre
Everyone took notice of the Spectre, with its glass
lid and palmrest. This baby has an HD screen, Beats
Audio, solid-state hard drive and backlit keyboard,
and is still only 20mm thin.
Intel Nikiski
This promising vision of the
future was first shown
off at Computex.
CES attendees
got to see how
its transparent
panel allows a user
to interact with Windows
8's live even when the lid
of the device is closed.
28
02/2012
0280212_CES 2012.indd 28
1/24/2012 9:40:23 PM
NEWSWIRE
Polaroid SC1630
Here's an oddity: this isn't a phone, it's actually a camera that runs Android! The SC1630 packs a 16megapixel sensor with 720p video capability and 3x optical zoom lens. You also get to play music or
video files and run a variety of Android apps and connect to the Internet via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. There's
huge potential for future upgradability, but for now you'll get geotagging, direct uploads to social
networking sites, face recognition, and editing capabilities such as cropping and red-eye reduction.
Samsung WB150F
Consumer cameras are
getting Wi-Fi friendly, and
this model is no exception.
You can upload photos
directly to social networks
or online storage sites,
and even use your Android
smartphone as a remote
shutter release.
Seagate GoFlex
Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock
MacBook Air owners who are itching for a
few extra ports will love this. With a single
Thunderbolt connection, you'll get three USB 2.0
ports, FireWire 800, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and a
pass-through Thunderbolt port for daisy-chaining
a display panel or more storage devices.
WikiPad
0280212_CES 2012.indd 29
02/2012
29
1/24/2012 9:40:44 PM
NEWSWIRE
LG 84LM9600
Sharp Aquos LC-80LE844U
Is 80 inches big enough for you? Though it might be a behemoth,
the panel tops out at 1080p HD, so you'll have to sit at least 10 feet
away from it to get a clear picture. You'll get SD card, USB, HDMI
and Ethernet connections. There's a built in Web browser and a few
streaming media apps, and you can even connect to a service rep
live online.
Toshiba L7200
There might not have
been any recordbreaking 100-inch-plus
TVs at CES this year,
but Toshiba showed off
its new flagship with
a respectable 55-inch
screen. The "smart"
functions include a
searchable TV schedule,
passive 3D, Wi-Fi
with DLNA, 2D-to-3D
conversion, and instant
media sharing from
Toshiba tablets.
30
02/2012
0280212_CES 2012.indd 30
HTC Titan II
Sony Xperia S
Sony and Ericsson are
officially parting ways,
and the models shown
off at CES carried only
Sony's name. The Xperia
S has a 4.3-inch screen,
dual core 1.5 GHz CPU,
and 12-megapixel
camera with 1080p
video capture. Sadly, it
runs Android 2.3, though
an upgrade to ICS is
promised for soon after
its early 2012 launch.
1/24/2012 9:41:13 PM
NEWSWIRE
Griffin Twenty
Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming system hasn't been
licensed by many home stereo equipment makers,
prompting Griffin to launch the Twenty. By plugging an
Airport Express router into the unit and then hooking it up
to your speakers or home theater receiver, you'll be able to
stream tunes wirelessly from an iPad, iPhone or Mac.
Pioneer AVIC-Z140BH
This is not just your average car stereo! In addition to music, Web radio and streaming
services, you get an advanced navigation system, voice control, Bluetooth integration for
hands-free calling, and the ability to use iPhone/iPod apps on the large 7-inch screen.
iTwin
iTwin, another single-product
company, wants to make file
sharing between PCs a no-brainer.
Plug the USB dongle into a PC, mark
the files and folders you want to
share, and then detach the rear half
and plug that into the second PC.
Files transfer via the Internetnot
the fastest or most convenient, but
simple enough for most.
Victorinox SSD
Want a terabyte of storage space in
your pocket at all times? This oddity
from Victorinox is more SSD than
pen drive, and uses a hybrid eSATA/
USB 3.0 plug for practicality. Besides
the graphical capacity readout and
256-bit encryption, you also get an
airport-friendly case that dispenses
with the usual array of blades.
Switch Lighting 75
Logitech Cube
0280212_CES 2012.indd 31
02/2012
31
1/24/2012 9:41:32 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
The three-day event lived up to its name and showcased some spectacular talent. BY PRIYANKA TILVE
3A
32
02/2012
0320212_IIT Techfest.indd 32
Mexy Xavier
1/25/2012 1:31:30 PM
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
10
10 JAPANESE DESIGN: Also part of the Techfest was a display of Japanese designs by The
Japan Foundation. This display included products from post-war Japanese design to the
more contemporary ones.
12 HUMANOID ROBOT:
T: Nao, the
humanoid robot, was
quite a show stealer.
Built to mimic human
behavior, it can
express emotions
like fear, joy, pride,
happiness, anger,
and sadness,
amongst others.
It can also recognize
ow
face, shapes, and follow
your sound. With 25 degrees of
freedom, there is lots he can do, from a
ncing!
hand that grips to dancing!
12
11
13
0320212_IIT Techfest.indd 33
02/2012
33
1/25/2012 1:31:38 PM
TEST CENTER
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
HARDWARE
VERDICT
XXXXX
SMARTPHONE
SAMSUNG
GALAXY NOTE
VERDICT: Beats all the Android smartphones on the planet
FOR: Excellent display, stylus input, sleek design, lightning fast.
AGAINST: TouchWiz UI holds it back.
courageous. The
Samsung Galaxy Note
LAPTOP
XXXX
FOR: XXX
AGAINST: XXXX
but successful at the same time because it was
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rs XXX
XXXXX: XXXXXX;
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
XXX
XXX
XXX
of use you will see it fray along the edges, with the
www.XXXX.XXXX
SPECIFICATIONS
you rm feedback.
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
34
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 34
1/25/2012 4:03:50 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
VERDICT
battery makes it more open to use for extended
periods of time. It is this troika of power, battery-life,
XXXXX
pages
from the Web. Twitter and Facebook apps
LAPTOP
XXXX
Battery Life
FOR:
XXX
its competition. Higher priced products like the HTC
AGAINST:
XXXX
Sensation XL are left trailing behind. Its no different
impressive
6320 points compared to the 4,500-odd
XXXXXX
points of some
XXXxof the other dual-core processorpowered devices. So,
its very clear that the Galaxy
- dushyant.khilnani@chip.in
Note is more than just marginally faster.
Verdict
Do yourself a favor and go get the Galaxy Note.
Media Playback
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 31,750
www.samsung.com
Samsung India
1800-3000-8282
NA
RATINGS
HDMI, which
SPECIFICATIONS
these together are the best arguments possible
for
a better option
FEATURES
is exactly like
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
Rs XXX
www.XXXX.XXXX
XXXXX: XXXXXX;
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
XXX
XXX
XXX
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
The Galaxy Note is almost as slim as the Galaxy SII, but wider due to the large display size.
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 35
02/2012
35
1/25/2012 6:12:14 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
TABLET
LENOVO THINKPAD
FOR: Excellent keyboard folio, useful hotkeys and widgets, good build quality,
USB host and SD card slot.
AGAINST: Bulky design, stylus shouldnt have been optional.
IdeaPad is targeted
Rs 44,871
www.lenovo.com
SPECIFICATIONS
- Anand Tuliani
VERDICT
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
36
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 36
1/25/2012 6:12:26 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
SMARTPHONE
ory
and has also left out external memory
amish
whites usually took on a slightly creamish
tch
daylight from any angle was top-notch
- Shayne Rana
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 29,000
www.nokia.co.in
VERDICT
Nokia India
022-30303838
NA
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 37
02/2012
37
1/25/2012 6:12:32 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
PHONE
HTC SENSATION XL
FOR: Good screen, Decent quality earphones, Decent battery life.
AGAINST: No memory expansion slot, Expensive, Under-specd.
www.htc.com
HTC India
9811428765
shaurya.vedvyas@brightpoint.com
Rs 39,990
SPECIFICATIONS
- Rossi Fernandes
VERDICT
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
38
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 38
1/25/2012 6:12:45 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
TABLET
SONY TABLET S
VERDICT: A decent yet expensive Android tablet.
FOR: Display quality, wedge-shaped design.
AGAINST: No expandable storage, poor camera, expensive.
he stylish Tablet S features a
PHONE
- Naina Khedekar
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 29,990
www.sony.co.in
Sony India
1800-103-7799
sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
PHONE
HTC RHYME
VERDICT: A great phone, but badly priced.
FOR: Sense 3.5, very good camera, good multimedia features, compact design.
AGAINST: Expensive, color scheme may not be for everyone, Charm indicator is
mostly a gimmick.
he Rhyme features a unibody
Rs 27,500
www.htc.com
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
HTC India
9811428765
shaurya.vedvyas@brightpoint.com
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
- Roydon Cerejo
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
40
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 40
1/25/2012 6:13:02 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
PHONE
MICROMAX A85
VERDICT: You get what you pay for!
FOR: Cheapest dual-core phone in the market, well built, cool UI tweaks
AGAINST: Stuck on Froyo, not user friendly, average camera and battery life,
doesnt offer very good value.
agged as a Superfone, Micromaxs
PHONE
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 15,290
www.micromaxinfo.com
Micromax Informatics
1860 500 8266
info@micromaxinfo.com
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
- Roydon Cerejo
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
DIGICAM
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 7,199
www.canon.co.in
Canon India
0124-4160000
info@canon.co.in
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
- Karan Shah
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 43
02/2012
43
1/25/2012 6:13:36 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
DIGICAM
PANASONIC DMC-GF3W
VERDICT: One of the smallest Micro Four Thirds comes at a high price.
FOR: Compact and stylish, touchscreen, lightweight, great image quality.
AGAINST: Expensive, interface is not that great.
he DMC-GF3W is one of the
PHONE
- Aaron Almeida
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 38,799
www.panasonic.co.in
Panasonic India
0124-4596600
prdesk@npi.panasonic.co.in
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
CAMCORDER
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
be expanded by up to 32 GB using an
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 5,200
www.geniusnet.com
Genius India
044-42088250
ho@inspaninfotech.com
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
- Anand Tuliani
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
44
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 44
1/25/2012 6:13:47 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
ULTRABOOK
ASUS
ZENBOOK UX31
FOR: Sexy design, Ultra thin, Good specs.
AGAINST: Glitchy keyboard, Super expensive,Fragile.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 89,999
www.asus.in
ASUS Technology
02267668800
reachus@asus.com
playback.
- Karan Shah
VERDICT
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
46
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 46
1/25/2012 6:14:03 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
LAPTOP
ASUS X53SC
FOR: Good bang for the buck, very powerful,
AGAINST: The keyboard layout could have been better.
he latest addition to
or upgrade them.
ASUS Technology
02267668813
helpline_west@asus.com
www.asus.in
Rs 37,999
SPECIFICATIONS
serious consideration.
- Anand Tuliani
VERDICT
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
48
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 48
1/25/2012 6:14:21 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
LAPTOP
performance of the
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 78,900
www.dell.co.in
RATINGS
listening to music.
The XPS 14z comes with an 8-cell
- Roydon Cerejo
VERDICT
BUILD QUALITY
ERGONOMICS
BRILLIANTLY ELEGANT!
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
50
02/2012
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 50
1/25/2012 6:14:37 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
MOTHERBOARD
GIGABYTE 990XA-UD3
VERDICT: An excellent mid-range motherboard.
FOR: Excellent performance, good feature set, very good layout.
AGAINST: None.
he Gigabyte 990XA-UD3
Rs 10,920
www.gigabyte.in
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
GigabyteTechnology
022-40633222
sales@gigabyte.in
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
- Anand Tuliani
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 51
1/25/2012 6:20:24 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
BLUETOOTH HEADSET
WIRELESS ROUTER
USB SPEAKERS
JABRA SUPREME
DIGISOL DG-BR4000N
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 7,999
Rs 1,426
Rs 990
www.jabra.com
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
www.digisol.com
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
RATINGS
www.iball.co.in
RATINGS
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
Best IT World
1800 300 42255
sales@iball.co.in
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
BUILD QUALITY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
FEATURES
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
- Francis Dsa
52
02/2012
- Francis Dsa
- Francis Dsa
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 52
1/25/2012 6:20:34 PM
TEST CENTER
HARDWARE
STORAGE
INTERNAL STORAGE
SANDISK MEMORY
VAULT
VERDICT: Preserve your photos and
videos for a lifetime.
FOR: Rock solid build, storage pouch
included.
AGAINST: Below average transfer speed.
SPECIFICATIONS
POWER SUPPLY
WD SCORPIO BLUE 1 TB
VERDICT: A high performance, high
capacity and low power consumption
storage upgrade for portable computers.
FOR: Low power consumption, high
performance, notebook compatible.
AGAINST: None.
SPECIFICATIONS
COOLER MASTER GX
450 WATT
VERDICT: Great for moderate gaming
PCs and workstations.
FOR: 80 PLUS certication, 5-year
warranty.
AGAINST: No modular design.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 3,499
Rs 10,650
Rs 4,500
Power rating: 450 watts, Security: VOP, UVP, OPP, OTP and SCP
Connectors: 1 x 20+4 pin M/B, 1 x 4 + 4 pin 12 V, 1 x 6-pin
PCIe, 5 x SATA, 3 x peripheral, 1 x FDD.
www.sandisk.com
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
www.wdc.com
SanDisk
022-67090886
wendy.sept@sandisk.com
www.cmstorm.com
Western Digital
9873437221
rishi.prasad@wdc.com
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
RATINGS
RATINGS
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
BUILD QUALITY
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
FEATURES
OVERALL RATING
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
- Anand Tuliani
54
02/2012
- Francis Dsa
- Francis Dsa
0340212_Hardware Standalones.indd 54
1/25/2012 6:20:52 PM
TEST CENTER
MOTHERBOARD COMPARISON
Super
Boards
TEST PROCESS
parameters:
brackets too.
limited numbers.
58
02/2012
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 58
Jagdish Limbachiya
Joshua Navalkar
1/25/2012 6:27:42 PM
800W PSU.
following tasks.
encryption.
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 59
02/2012
59
1/25/2012 6:28:22 PM
TEST CENTER
MOTHERBOARD COMPARISON
of the components.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 29,780
www.asus.com
ASUS Technology
022-67668800
reachus@asus.com
RATINGS
LAYOUT
FEATURES
- Anand Tuliani
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
motherboard at a reason-
www.msi.com
workstation.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 18,900
CONTACT
PHONE
EMAIL
RATINGS
LAYOUT
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
- Francis D'sa
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
60
02/2012
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 60
Joshua Navalkar
1/25/2012 6:28:57 PM
TEST CENTER
MOTHERBOARD COMPARISON
GIGABYTE X79-UD5
GIGABYTE Technology
022-40633222
sales@gigabyte.in
Rs. 21,287
Rs. 20,750
SpecScan
NAME
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
OVERALL
Features (40%)
Layout (15%)
Performance (40%)
Warranty (5%)
65
62
100
99
98
60
0
50
66
100
100
93
60
100
50
60
100
50
100
84
82
82
64 GB | 8 | 1866 MHz
5|0|1|0
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x16
Realtec ALC 898 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | None
8/4|4/4
4|4|2|0
64 GB | 8 | 1866 MHz
4|0|2|0
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 892 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | None
6/6|4/2
4|4|2|0
64 GB | 8 | 1866 MHz
3|0|2|1
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 898 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | 2
8/6|2/2
4|6|2|0
||
||||
8 x SATA cables
||
||||
6 x SATA cables
Wi-Fi card | |
||||
8 x SATA cables, USB 3.0 bracket
5|5|5|5|5
5
5|5|5|5|5
5
5|5|5|5|5
5
5|
5|
5|
10.27 sec
16 sec
36 sec
10.33 sec
16 sec
36 sec
11.1 sec
18 sec
38 sec
27.9 fps
36.39 fps
51.7 fps
27.9 fps
36.47 fps
27 fps
35.91 fps
51.5 fps
51.2 fps
3 years
3 years
3 years
Synthetic tests:
PCMark Vantage:
Overall | Mem | Game | Productivity
3DMark Vantage:
Overall | GPU | CPU
3DMark 11:
Overall | Graphics | Physics | Combined
MSI Kombustor:
Kmark | Graphics | Physics
SiSoft Sandra 2011:
Proc Multimedia | Mem bandwidth | Media Transcode
Cinebench R11.5
Real World tests:
POV-Ray
File Compression
Video Compression
Gaming:
Unigine Heaven
Crysis Warhead (1920x1080, Enthusiast, No AA)
Mafia II (High, AA, No PhysX)
WARRANTY
Warranty period
Scores out of 5
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 61
02/2012
61
1/25/2012 6:29:30 PM
TEST CENTER
MOTHERBOARD COMPARISON
NAME
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
OVERALL
Rs. 22,966
Rs. 24,380
PERSONAL TAKE
SpecScan
ANAND TULIANI
anand.tuliani@chip.in
Intels latest Sandy Bridge-E platform is an
expensive investment and you would want to get
the most out of it. So its recommended to spend a
few thousand Rupees more and get something that
offers a good blend of features and performance.
The MSI X79A-GD45 is good value for money, but it
Features (40%)
Layout (15%)
Performance (40%)
Warranty (5%)
56
02/2012
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 62
50
100
60
0
50
100
79
64 GB | 8 | 1866 MHz
3|0|2|1
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 892 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | 1
6/8|4/2
4|4|2|0
32 GB | 4 | 1866 MHz
4|0|2|0
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Supreme FX III | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | None
6/6|4/2
4|4|2|0
||
||||
6 x SATA cables
||
||||
8 x SATA cables
5|5|5|5|5
5
5|5|5|5|5
5
5|
5|
Synthetic tests:
PCMark Vantage:
Overall | Mem | Game | Productivity
3DMark Vantage:
Overall | GPU | CPU
3DMark 11:
Overall | Graphics | Physics | Combined
MSI Kombustor:
Kmark | Graphics | Physics
SiSoft Sandra 2011:
Proc Multimedia | Mem bandwidth | Media Transcode
Cinebench R11.5
Real World tests:
POV-Ray
File Compression
Video Compression
Gaming:
Unigine Heaven
Crysis Warhead (1920x1080, Enthusiast, No AA)
292.26 Mpix/s | 28.34 GB/s | 1.18 MB/s 292.35 Mpix/s | 28.3 GB/s | 1.16 MB/s
11.32 Pts
11.41 Pts
11.12 sec
16 sec
36 sec
10.32 sec
17 sec
36 sec
27.5 fps
36.25 fps
27.9 fps
35.95 fps
51.5 fps
51.1 fps
Warranty period
5 years
3 years
Scores out of 5
62
99
81
FRANCIS D'SA
francis.dsa@chip.in
100
96
100
53
100
1/25/2012 6:30:03 PM
TEST CENTER
MOTHERBOARD COMPARISON
10
ECS X79R-AX
Elitegroup Computer Systems
886-2-21621177
www.ecs.com.tw
INTEL DX79SI
Intel Technology
022-67137000
NA
Rs. 23,000
Rs. 18,900
Rs. 18,700
Rs. 12,500
Rs. 21,850
63
50
44
93
90
50
50
93
98
60
100
44
92
94
60
0
49
100
60
100
50
97
91
90
60
100
50
60
100
50
100
78
76
74
73
71
32 GB | 4 | 1866 MHz
4|0|2|0
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 892 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 2 | None
6/4|4/2
4|8|2|0
32 GB | 4 | 1866 MHz
3|1|0|0
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Supreme FX III | 7.1-channel
Optical | 1 | None
8/4|2/2
3|4|1|0
64 GB | 8 | 1866 MHz
3|0|2|1
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 892 | 7.1-channel
Optical | 2 | 2
6/8|2/2
4|2|0|0
32 GB | 4 | 1866 MHz
3|0|2|1
CrossFireX and SLI | x16 | x16 x8 x8
Realtec ALC 898 | 7.1-channel
Opt + Co-ax | 1 | None
2/ |6/2
4|2|0|0
BT and Wi-fi | |
||||
12 x SATA cables, USB 3.0 bracket
||
||||
6 x SATA cables
||
||||
6 x SATA cables
||
||||
None
||
||||
6 x SATA cables
5|5|5|5|5
4
5|5|5|5|5
5
4|5|5|5|5
4
4|5|5|5|5
5
5|5|5|5|5
5
4|
5|
5|
4|
4|
195.44 Mpix/s | 28.24 GB/s | 0.985 MB/s 269.82 Mpix/s | 28.47 GB/s | 1 MB/s
10.17 Pts
10.44 Pts
11.62 sec
18 sec
41 sec
11.08 sec
18 sec
36 sec
10.27 sec
17 sec
36 sec
11.1 sec
18 sec
38 sec
12.18 sec
19 sec
42 sec
27.7 fps
36.45 fps
27.7 fps
35.38 fps
27.9 fps
36.38 fps
27.6 fps
36.12 fps
27.2 fps
35.93 fps
51 fps
50.9 fps
51.7 fps
51.7 fps
50.2 fps
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
3 years
0580212_Motherboard Comparison.indd 63
02/2012
63
1/25/2012 6:30:42 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
TEST PROCESS
on ve parameters
ergonomics, performance
sections:
64
02/2012
Joshua Navalkar
1/25/2012 6:39:57 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
PERSONAL TAKE
ANAND TULIANI
anand.tuliani@chip.in
test score.
percent.
FRANCIS D'SA
francis.dsa@chip.in
performance front.
as our Runner-up.
Jagdish Limbachiya
02/2012
65
1/25/2012 6:40:27 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
A GREAT
PERFORMER WITH
A SOLID BUILD.
level.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 24,990
Dimensions (WxHxD): 124 x 82 x 92 mm; Weight: 528 g; CCD size:
1/2.33 inch; Resolution: 12.1 MP; Optical zoom: 24x; Aperture: F2.8
- F5.2; Shutter speed: 60 - 1/2000 sec; ISO range: ISO 100 - 1600;
Display: 3-inch 460 K dots
Panasonic India
0124-4596600
helpline@in.panasonic.com
CONTACT
PHONE
recommendation.
FEATURES
ERGONOMICS
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
66
02/2012
Joshua Navalkar
1/25/2012 6:41:01 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
VERDICT
A GREAT CAMERA
ON A BUDGET
FOR HOBBYISTS
OR PROS WHO
ARE JUST
STARTING OUT.
CONTACT
year warranty.
SPECIFICATIONS
Rs 20,990
PHONE
EMAIL
Panasonic India
0124-4596600
helpline@in.panasonic.com
RATINGS
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
02/2012
67
1/25/2012 6:41:34 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
Rs. 28,995
Rs. 20,990
SpecScan
NAME
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
OVERALL
Features (25%)
Build quality (15%)
Ergonomics (20%)
Performance (35%)
Warranty (5%)
71
66
97
94
98
87
100
50
97
87
81
59
88
100
65
67
0
50
100
100
50
100
84
81
77
124 x 82 x 92 mm | 528 g
1/2.3-inch | 12.1 MP
25 - 600 mm
F2.8 - F5.2
24x | 4x
30 - 1/2000 sec
ISO 100 - 3200
EVF | Flip out
3-inch, 460 K dots
120 x 80 x 92 mm | 498 g
1/2.33-inch | 12.1 MP
25 - 600 mm
F2.8 - F5.2
24x | 4x
60 - 1/2000 sec
ISO 100 - 1600
EVF | None
3-inch, 460 K dots
|||
||||
||
17
|||
||||
||
11
|||
||||
||
17
||||
| | | None
||||4
8|
1920x1080 | 60 fps | Optical
70 MB | 4 GB
||||
| | | None
||||7
7|
1920x1080 | 24 fps | Optical
0 MB | 4 GB
||||
| | | None
||||4
8|
1920x1080 | 60 fps | Optical
70 MB | 4 GB
||
||
||
5|5|5|5
4.5
4|5|4|5
5|5|5|5
4.5
4.5
5||5
4|5|5
4||5
5|5|5
5||5
4|5|5
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
1 cm
4|4
3.8 | 4.9
4 | 4.5 | 4.5
4.5 | 3.5
0 cm
3.5 | 4.5
4.7 | 3.9
5 | 4.5 | 5
1 cm
2.5 | 3
3.3 | 3.6
3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5
4.5 | 4
4.5 | 3.5
3 years
2 years
3 years
Aesthetic appeal
ERGONOMICS
Grip | Rubberised grip | Ease of menu navigation
Buttons: Size | Spacing | Tactility
Shortcut buttons: ISO | Flash | Self timer | Macro
Info | Video rec | EV | Custom
PERFORMANCE
Macro range
Overall contrast: Indoors | Outdoors
Overall capture quality: Indoors | Outdoors
Noise test (ISO): 400 | 800 | 1600
Video: Image quality | Playback smoothness
WARRANTY
Warranty period
Scores out of 5
68
02/2012
Joshua Navalkar
1/25/2012 6:42:14 PM
TEST CENTER
CAMERA COMPARISON
OLYMPUS SP-810 UZ
Olympus Imaging India
022-61420400
enquiry@olympus.in
Rs. 22,990
Rs. 23,950
Rs. 24,995
Rs. 20,999
Rs. 20,999
65
62
63
100
85
88
76
71
33
0
100
50
100
87
98
50
84
65
63
67
100
68
88
75
67
50
73
100
58
67
100
50
67
100
50
100
77
76
76
75
66
122 x 87 x 93 mm | 577 g
1/2.3-inch | 16.2 MP
27 - 810 mm
F2.8 - F5.6
30x | 7x
30 - 1/4000 sec
ISO 100 - 3200
EVF | Tilting
3-inch, 921 K dots
106 x 76 x 74 mm | 413 g
1/2.3-inch | 14 MP
24 - 864 mm
F2.9 - F5.7
36x | 4x
1/4 - 1/1200 sec
ISO 80 - 3200
None | None
3-inch, 230 K dots
|||
||||
||
16
|||
||||
||
15
|||
||||
||
11
|||
||||
||
17
||P|
||||
||
16
||||
| | | None
||||2
7|
1920x1080 | 60 fps | Optical
19 MB | 4 GB
||||
| | | None
||||3
6|
1920x1080 | 30 fps | Optical
102 MB | 4 GB
||||
| | | None
||||7
7|
1280x720 | 30 fps | Optical
0 MB | 4 GB
||||
| | | None
||||1
6|
1920x1080 | 30 fps | Optical
20 MB | 4 GB
||||
|||4
| | | | None
5|
1280x720 | 30 fps | Optical
14 MB | 4 GB
||
||
||
||
||
5|5|5|5
5|5|5|5
4|5|4|5
5|5|5|5
4|4|5|5
4.5
5 | | 4.5
5|5|5
5||5
4.5 | 5 | 5
4||5
5|5|5
5||5
4|5|5
5||5
4|4|4
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
|||
1 cm
3.5 | 5
4.2 | 4.1
2.5 | 2 | 3
1 cm
4.5 | 2.5
3.8 | 3.6
2.5 | 4 | 4
0 cm
5|4
4.5 | 2.9
3 | 2.5 | 2
1 cm
3|4
3.7 | 3.1
3 | 3 | 2.5
5 cm
3.5 | 4.5
3.2 | 3.1
1.5 | 1.5 | 1
4.5 | 5
4.5 | 4
4.5 | 4
3|3
3.5 | 3.5
1 years
2 years
2 years
2 years
2 years
02/2012
69
1/25/2012 6:42:55 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
SOFTWARE
SPOTLIGHT
BEFORE
HDR TOOL
DYNAMIC
PHOTO HDR
AFTER
FEATURES
70
02/2012
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 70
The extracted preview frames are useful for evaluating multiple options using
filters and other presets.
1/25/2012 6:45:53 PM
ON DVD
FEBRUARY 2012
FULL SOFTWARE
FULL GAMES
LINUX
Angry Aliens
Assault Droid
Grand Prix Racing 1.1
Happy Note! Valentine 1.1
Love Ahoy! - Dating game
Meet My Valentine
Meet My Valentine 2
My Secret Valentine
Ultra Monster Truck 1.1
Ultra Nitro Racers 1.2
Valentine Seeker and more...
LINUX DISTRIBUTION
GAME DEMOS
PERFORMANCE
Our test rig was an average desktop PC powered
by the Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 processor, 2 GB
of RAM, and running Windows 7 Home Premium,
GAME TRAILERS
VERDICT
HDR works best for high contrast scenes and
landscapes in broad daylight, and uffy clouds are
icing on cake. Even interiors of large cathedrals
shot at wide angle look great with the tonal values
at optimum levels.
SPECIFICATIONS
$54 (approx Rs 2,800)
www.mediachance.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
CONTACT
Mediachance
PHONE
NA
Via website
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 71
Photoshop.
Linux Mint 12
LINUX TOOLS
amaroK 2.5.0
Android SDK Release 16
ATI Radeon Linux Display
Drivers 11.12
BitNami Joomla! Module 1.7.3-1
Horde Groupware Webmail
Edition 4.0.5 and more...
TOOLS
MULTIMEDIA
Adobe Camera Raw 6.6 RC1
Aneesoft Free iPod Video
Converter 3.0.0.0
As Video Converter 4.1.1
Avi2Dvd 0.6.4
Beauty Guide Lite 1.4
Color Picker 1.0
DVD Cutter 1.7
FastPictureViewer 1.6 Build
226 (32-bit)
FlicFlac Converter 1.01
Free Mp3 Recorder 1.1
Free Studio
Freemake Video
Converter 3.0.0.2
Fun3D 1.0.4.15 Beta
HTML5 Converter for Adobe
Captivate 5.5
Kestrel GX 1.2.2
Macrium Reflect Free Edition 5.0
Build 4168
MOscillator 5.06 and more...
INTERNET
Torrent 3.1 Build 26616
Chit Chat for Facebook 1.454
Download Accelerator Plus 9.7.0.7
Firefox 9.0
GetGo Download Manager
4.8.2.1233
Google Chrome 17.0.963.12 Beta
Internet Download Accelerator
5.12.1.1291
Internet Explorer 8.0 XP
Internet Explorer 9.0 Vista
Internet Explorer 9.0 Windows 7
Jordy Downloader 1.0.5.0
Opera 11.60
Pidgin 2.10.1 and more...
MOBILE
Audioro BlackBerry
Converter 3.00
Audioro BlackBerry
Tour Converter 3.00
FBReader (Symbian) 0.99.5
IP Cam Viewer Lite 4.2.4
Kaspersky Mobile Security
(Symbian) 9.4.104
MobileWitch Bluetooth Remote
Control 3.6.0 and more...
SECURITY
Antirun 2.4
AntiVir Personal 12.0.0.869
Blank And Secure 2.41
Comodo AntiVirus
5.8.213334.2131
COMODO Cleaning Essentials
2.0.212902.151 Beta
Efficient Password Manager 3.0
Build 315 and more...
SYSTEM
3DP Chip 11.11
Desktop Calendar XP 5.05
DiskBoss 2.0.16
DocPad 11.0
Drives Monitor 6.1
GiMeSpace Free Edition 1.1.1.20
GoswainthaDiary free
personal diary software
Portable 1.2.0.0 and more...
MUST HAVES
.NET Framework Version 4.0
AMD Catalyst Drivers 11.12 XP /
Vista / Win 7
DirectX 9.0c (Jun 10)
Java Runtime Environment
1.7.0.2 (32-bit)
NVIDIA Forceware 285.58 WHQL
XP / Vista / Win 7
Realtek High Definition Audio
2.67 XP / Vista and more...
ADOBE PLAYERS
Adobe Air 3.2.0.1320 Beta 2
Flash Player 11.2.202.95
Beta 2 (IE)and more...
E-BOOKS
CHIP ARCHIVES
September 2011 To
November 2011
- Anand Tulianii
1/25/2012 6:45:58 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
VERDICT
A FEATURE RICH
POWERFUL VIDEO
EDITING TOOL
WITH GOOD
HARDWARE
ACCELERATION.
VIDEO EDITOR
CYBERLINK
POWERDIRECTOR 10
The preview window at the right as well as the
storyboard view makes it easy to work.
SPECIFICATIONS
75 (approx Rs 4,800)
www.cyberlink.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
CyberLink Corp
PHONE
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
-feedback@chip.in
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
72
02/2012
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 72
1/25/2012 6:46:08 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
SYSTEM UTILITY
www.iobit.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT
IObit
PHONE
NA
NA
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
- Francis Dsa
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
SYSTEM UTILITY
WEBROOT SECUREANYWHERE
ESSENTIALS
VERDICT: A decent all-in-one system tweaking and securing utility, but for a bit steep price.
FOR: Privacy monitoring, website phishing and legitimacy detection.
AGAINST: Pricey.
ebroot SecureAnywhere
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
- Francis Dsa
SPECIFICATIONS
www.webroot.com
Webroot
PHONE
RATINGS
EASE OF USE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 73
02/2012
73
1/25/2012 6:46:17 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
VERDICT
SIMPLE AND
EFFECTIVE VIRUS
PROTECTION FOR
THE COMPLETE
HOME NETWORK.
mail clients.
www.gdatasoftware.co.uk
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT
G Data Software
PHONE
RATINGS
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
-feedback@chip.in
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
74
02/2012
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 74
1/25/2012 6:46:26 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
SYSTEM UTILITY
SYSTEM UTILITY
DVD COPIER
REGISTRY HEALER
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
DVDFAB PLATINUM
EDITION
VERDICT: An excellent DVD duplicating
utility for homes and professional use.
FOR: CSS decryption, region code
removal, video compression.
AGAINST: None.
SPECIFICATIONS
Freeware
Rs 1,415
www.escanav.com
www.zoneutils.com
www.dvdfab.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
CONTACT
CONTACT
KsL Software
PHONE
+91-9322359065
PHONE
NA
CONTACT
xsales@escanav.com
NA
PHONE
NA
NA
RATINGS
RATINGS
RATINGS
FEATURES
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
EASE OF USE
EASE OF USE
PERFORMANCE
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
EASE OF USE
OVERALL RATING
VALUE FOR MONEY
- Francis Dsa
- Francis Dsa
- Francis Dsa
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 75
02/2012
75
1/25/2012 6:46:36 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
ART
GAME
123D Sculpt
Meanwhile
Free
Free
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
transparent background.
- Jamshed Avari
GAME
Area 51 Defense
- Jamshed Avari
PHOTOGRAPHY
Nostalgio
$0.99
OVERALL RATING
Free
iPhone, iPod touch, iPad; iOS 3.0
OVERALL RATING
missing is a tutorial
viewnder-style previews in
in-app purchases.
76
02/2012
- Jamshed Avari
- Jamshed Avari
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 76
1/25/2012 6:46:49 PM
TEST CENTER
TESTED
PRIVACY
SYSTEM UTILITY
with everyone, so Gallery Lock
Lite allows you to hide your
Freeware
Freeware
Android
Android
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
network, be it at home or at
or password on a browser
need to do is a one-time
and pinch-to-zoom.
- Anand Tuliani
GAME
Tangram
SCREEN RECORDER
Z-ScreenRecorder
comprising of a square,
Freeware
Freeware
Android
Android
OVERALL RATING
OVERALL RATING
Z-ScreenRecorder requires
included.
notication area.
0700212_Software Standalones.indd 77
- Francis Dsa
02/2012
77
1/25/2012 6:47:01 PM
TEST CENTER
ANAND'S PICKS
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 219 g; Resolution: 14.1 MP; Focal length: 24-384
mm; Optical zoom: 16x; Aperture: F3.3-F5.9; Shutter speed:
60-1/4000 sec; LCD: 3-in, 460K dots; Video: 1920x1080
ANAND'S PICKS
www.canon.co.in
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 245 g; Resolution: 16.2 MP; Focal length: 24-384
mm; Optical zoom: 16x; Aperture: F3.3-F5.9; Shutter speed:
30-1/1600 sec; LCD: 3-in, 921K dots; Video: 1920x1080
www.fujifilm.in
SPECIFICATIONS
0780212_PC CONFIGS.indd 78
www.nikon.co.in
02/2012
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 223 g; Resolution: 12.1 MP; Focal length: 28-392
mm; Optical zoom: 14x; Aperture: F3.1-F5.9; Shutter speed:
15 - 1/3200 sec; LCD: 3-in, 461K dots; Video: 1280x720.
78
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 215 g; Resolution: 16 MP; Focal length: 24-360 mm;
Optical zoom: 15x; Aperture: F3.5-F5.3; Shutter speed: 8
-1/2000 sec; LCD: 3-in, 460K dots; Video: 1920x1080.
1/25/2012 6:50:49 PM
TEST CENTER
ANAND'S
PC CONFIGS
COLUMN
CAMERA DILEMMA
T
anand.tuliani@chip.in
0780212_PC CONFIGS.indd 79
02/2012
79
1/25/2012 6:50:55 PM
TTEST
TE
EESST CE
CCENTER
ENT
N TE
TER
R
PC CON
PC
CONFIGS
CONFIG
FIGS
GS
PC CONFIGS
GAMING - ENTRY-LEVEL
Rs 49,260
Rs 77,250
Processor
6,100
Processor
7,500
Motherboard
6,000
Motherboard
8,000
RAM
RAM
2,100
Hard disk
5,300
900
Hard disk
7,300
Graphics card
8,100
Graphics card
Optical drive
950
Optical drive
950
Monitor
7,400
Monitor
10,850
Keyboard
1,670
Mouse
Included in combo
Speakers
F&D FD600
Sound card
2,990
-
Keyboard
Mouse
Razer Salmosa
11,100
950
1,700
Speakers
7,500
Sound card
5,000
PC Case
1,950
PC Case
2,800
Corsair GS500
3,600
5,300
Operating system
4,300
Operating system
TOTAL
49,260
HOME
Rs 32,375
TOTAL
6,200
77,250
HTPC
Rs 91,550
Processor
3,450
Processor
5,750
Motherboard
6,100
Motherboard
7,300
RAM
900
RAM
1,800
Hard disk
Hard disk
5,300
Graphics card
Onboard graphics
Graphics card
5,350
Optical drive
950
Optical drive
11,000
Monitor
Monitor
14,850
Keyboard and
mouse combo
Keyboard and
mouse combo
Speakers
Sound card
PC Case
iBall Pride
Operating system
TOTAL
80
02/2012
0780212_PC CONFIGS.indd 80
5,300
7,050
680
1,895
1,750
Speakers
Creative Gigaworks T3
Sound card
PC Case
4,300
Operating system
32,375
TOTAL
1,650
15,000
4,250
10,700
2,400
6,200
91,550
1/25/2012 6:51:02 PM
TEST
TTE
EST
S T CE
CCENTER
CEN
E NTE
T ER
LAPTOP
L
LAP
APT
PTOP
OP
P CONFIGS
CO
CONF
NFIG
IGS
S
LAPTOP CONFIGS
BUDGET
MAINSTREAM
DESKTOP REPLACEMENT
Intel Core i5
MEMORY 1 GB or 2 GB
HARD DRIVE 320 GB or higher
DISPLAY 14.1-in or 15.6-in
GRAPHICS On-board
WEIGHT 2.3 Kg to 2.7 Kg
OTHER Bluetooth, DVD-writer, Wi-Fi b/g, Webcam
PRICE RANGE Up to Rs 35,000
MEMORY 2 GB or 3 GB
MEMORY 3 GB or more
WEIGHT 2.3 Kg to 3 Kg
WEIGHT 2.5 Kg to 5 Kg
LENOVO G470
Rs 28,690
HP PAVILION G6-1201TX
Rs 40,950
HP PAVILION DV6-6165TXX
Rs 58,450
HP PAVILION G4-1117TU
Rs 33,440
DELL XPS 15
Rs 66,900
0780212_PC CONFIGS.indd 81
02/2012
81
1/25/2012 6:51:32 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
POWER
Today's batteries are weak, expensive and explosive.
Researchers are working on new power packs
that will our mobile world: the future will bring us
batteries that charge in seconds and offer 20 times
more performance than anything available today.
BY MANUEL SCHREIBER
ACCUMULATOR
SPONGE CATHODE
GEL BATTERY
CARBON BATTERY
NANO BATTERY
TRANSPARENT BATTERIES
SLEEPWELL WIFI
82
02/2012
Sachin Pandit
1/25/2012 6:57:18 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
BATTERY DESIGN
Energy is created when lithium ions move through the
electrolytes from the anode to the cathode
Positive pole
Insulator
and
electrolyte
Electrode
(Anode)
Electrode
(Cathode)
Negative
pole
For
manufacturing
the cathode,
the polystyrene
is pressed first
To fill the
cavities, the
material with
nickel is poured
inside
On heating the
polystyrene, it
evaporates,
leaving behind
a porous nickel
framework
9.000
Anode
Cathode
Fluoride ions
Cathode
Metal
200
150
90
Performance in Wh/l
(Watt hours per liter)
Lead
battery
Ni-Cd
battery
Ni-MeH
battery
Li Io
battery
Now the
nickel is
coated with
electrolytic
material
Fluoride
battery
02/2012
Petrol
83
1/24/2012 9:53:34 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
Anode roll
Cathode roll
Complete
laminate
Carbon fiber
Polymer
gel and
glass fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon serves
as the car body
the material
charges like
every other
battery
1/24/2012 9:53:40 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
coordinator Dr Emile Greenhalgh.
The researchers would also be able to increase the range
of cars by about 130 km in combination with conventional
batteries. That would be double the performance of the latest
electric cars which normally only go up to 150 km in one
charge. With the new technology, it would be possible to have
smaller and simpler cars for city traffic, where one could easily
afford to operate a normal battery for short distances.
Super condensors are the basis of the research project as
they have a higher capacity compared to normal condensers;
and in comparison to batteries, can emit more energy in short
bursts, for example while accelerating a vehicle. Researchers
are using carbon ber as an electrode material. The electrolyte
is a polymer gel and its isolator is glass ber. The major
advantage is that battery behaves like normal carbon and can
be used in the exact same way. As of now there are already a
couple of prototypes, but the researchers cannot predict when
the material will be released in the market.
Electrode
Cell
Electrolyte
Electrolyte
Pump
Pump
Anode
(Nickel/tin)
50.000 nm
Cathode
(Polyaniline)
Polyethylene
oxide
Aluminium
50.000 nm
1/24/2012 9:53:43 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
Separator
and
Electrolyte
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
mW
800
40
600
Ohne SleepWell
Mit SleepWell
35
400
200
0
30
mW
800
25
SLEEPWELL Wi-Fi
Client 1
600
400
20
200
0
800
15
600
10
Client 2
400
200
5
0
86
Iperf
The anode of this battery is made from nickel and tin and
the cathode from polyanilin. A gel-type polyethylene oxide
(PEO) is used as a conductor that also insulates nano wires.
Aluminum and copper are put in wires to close the current
circulation. At the moment, researchers are working on the
stability of the battery because even the latest versions
diminish in energy capacity after roughly 20 charging cycles.
YouTube
02/2012
Pandora
Batteries are not only performing better, but are also getting
smaller and more exible. Researchers have been doing
work even on their visual appearance. As a rule, todays
ugly batteries disappear somewhere inside the chasses of
devices, which is ne because the devices are not transparent.
However prototypes of transparent displays are already being
researched and researchers are also working on transparent
tablets that can curl up like a newspaper. A research team
of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford
University in California has manufactured the rst transparent
lithium ion battery, so that the user does not have to stare
at a battery block. As none of the existing materials can be
made transparent nor are transparent alternatives available,
the designers are trying to reinvent the battery and make its
elements smaller. For the electrodes, a latticed framework
was developed for which every rod is only 35 micrometers
long Something smaller than 50 micrometers is not visible
to the naked eye explains researcher Yuan Yung. The base
material is PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane), a silicone that is
used among other things in cosmetic products. According to
the researchers, the battery should be close to 60 percent
transparent and very exible, even when layers are placed
over one another to increase the capacity. This is necessary
because at the moment, the concept battery has only half the
power of a lithium ion battery. Although the manufacturing
process is complicated, the costs should not be much higher
than that of todays lithium ion batteries.
1/24/2012 9:53:46 PM
FEATURED
COVER STORY
a notebook or the touch screen of a tablet are pressed. The
faster and more frequently the user taps at his device, the
faster the battery could charge. What sounds like a paradox
should soon become a reality thanks to a pressure-sensitive
sheet. The idea is that when a user types a text on his/her
notebook, the released kinetic energy while typing should
generate small amounts of electricity for the battery. This
piezoelectric effect develops when crystals like quartz are
formedat least in theory. The practical implementation in of
such a technique is not easy at all. Researchers at the Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia have
succeeded in measuring the pressure and voltage arising out
of normal typing activity in eld of 10 to 100 nanometers. For
comparison, a blood corpuscle is about 8,400 nanometers.
The electricity produced by pressing keys could increase the
life of a charged battery by up to 10 percent. The researchers
want to accommodate such sheets in mobile devices but also
in medical applications. Pacemakers, for example, could be
charged solely by harnessing the patients blood pressure.
Display
protection
LCD-Panel
Charging
sheet
Battery
02/2012
87
1/24/2012 9:53:49 PM
FEATURED
BROWSER HACKS
The Best
Browser Hacks
Dozens of hidden functions are lying around in Firefox, Explorer and Chromewe show you
how you can find and use these the best of these treasures.
BY MICHAEL ECKSTEIN
Firefox
Load pages faster
Shorten waiting times
Run scripts for longer
Chrome
Activate Flash on demand
Use more profiles
Use plug-ins incognito
Internet Explorer
In
Us full-screen mode as standard
Use
Enable multiple parallel downloads
En
Show more popular websites
Sh
88
02/2012
Jagdish Limbachiya
1/24/2012 10:21:37 PM
MOZILLA FIREFOX
The open-source browser is valued for its enormous flexibility. You can easily speed
up page downloads, shorten waiting time while installing add-ons, and suppress
unnecessary virus scans
VALUE: False
useful settings.
use
[+] about:cong
[-] browser.tabs.animate
Sh
Shorter
page download
times
tim
[+] about:cong
[-] nglayout.initialpaint.delay
VALUE: 100
VAL
value to false.
FOTO: THINKSTOCK/ISTOCKPHOTO
Typ
Type nglayout in the lter bar of the
VALUE: 0
[+] about:cong
[-] browser.download.manager.
scanWhenDone
[+] about:cong
[-] dom.max _ script _ run _ time
VALUE: 20
Recommend More
Websites
[+] about:cong
[-] browser.urlbar.maxRichResults
VALUE: according to choice
VALUE: False
download.manager.scanWhenDone in the
02/2012
89
1/24/2012 8:10:01 PM
FEATURED
BROWSER HACKS
GOOGLE CHROME
This browser conceals interesting configuration options in the settings page about:flags.
For example, activate the in-built Flash stopper and use different profiles simultaneously.
[+] about:ags
[-] Click-to-Play
VALUE: Enable
external Reader.
VALUE: Enable
changes.
need them.
[+] about:ags
[-] Focus existing tab on
open
VALUE: Activate
VALUE: Enable
Sign in.
[+] chrome://extensions
[-] Allow in incognito mode
[+] about:ags
[-] Disable hyperlink auditing
Activate.
protected.
with it.
90
02/2012
1/24/2012 8:10:08 PM
MS INTERNET EXPLORER
Microsoft has hidden many tools for its browser in the Windows registry. For example,
e,
you can start Explorer automatically in full-screen mode and download more files
simultaneously than seems possible.
key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings:
CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
InternetExplorer\TabbedBrowsing\
CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\
VALUE: MaxConnectionsPerServer = 4
VALUE: AlwaysShowMenus = 1
AlwaysShowMenus back to 0.
feedback@chip.in
02/2012
91
1/24/2012 8:10:24 PM
FEATURED
Legal Trouble
with Social Networks
From file sharing networks to social networks, copyright organizations are going after naive
users. Could you be the lawyers next target?
BY CLAUDIO MLLER
92
02/2012
1/24/2012 9:57:58 PM
FEATURED
Stolen images
If you use protected
comic images or
promotional photos as
your display picture,
you might be fined.
Insults
Hostilities against
persons and
companies are the
most common cases
in which legal notices
have been served.
Party photos
Snapshots of others
cannot be published
without their approval
Personal details
If you give away mail
addresses of others
without permission
on Facebook through
the address book
search feature, you
could be violating data
protection laws
Video links
If you are breaching
YouTube video
copyrights, then you
should not post videos.
Doing so will make you
guilty and liable
pictures.
Posting responsibly
Christian Solmecke.
However, if the party photographer
informs all guests in advance that he
Safe circle
If you publically
post on Google+,
you can be warned
in the same way.
But that can be
avoided with the
circles function.
02/2012
93
1/24/2012 9:58:08 PM
FEATURED
Dangerous links
If you are unsure whether
a YouTube video is safe in
terms of copyright, then
better not post it.
94
02/2012
1/24/2012 10:26:06 PM
FEATURED
feedback@chip.in
02/2012
95
1/24/2012 10:26:12 PM
FEATURED
The Fastest
Hard Disk
New solid-state drives are too fast for the SATA connection. Now, super SSDs and better
connections can overcome this problem with RAID connections or PCI Express.
BY CHRISTOPH SCHMIDT
96
02/2012
VERDICT
The fastest drive that we have measured
in the CHIP Test center is the OCZ
RevoDrive3. Even expensive home-made
RAID arrays cannot beat its performance.
The RAID-0 system with two Patriot Pyro
SSDs impresses as a very fast,
reasonably-priced system drive for PCs.
Notebooks that are hindered by slow
SATA 3 Gbps ports get the biggest speed
jump with the SSD 320.
SMS us! Story code: FFH to 51818
1/23/2012 8:15:52 PM
FEATURED
SATA 6 Gb/s
RAID-0
PCI Express
Availability
Still rare
Costs
None (onboard)
None (onboard)
Transfer rate
Up to 600 MB/s
Up to 1,200 MB/s
Up to 4,000 MB/s
Reaction time
Optimal
With limitations
Optimal
Compatibility
No problems
No problems
Certain motherboards
TRIM command
Yes
No
OS Installation
No problems
No problems
RAID systems.
Possible in laptop
No
No
speeds.
modern motherboards.
on an SSD.
02/2012
97
1/23/2012 8:15:54 PM
FEATURED
OCZ
RevoDrive 3 X21
OCZ Vertex 3
(VTX3-25SAT3-240G)1
1,350
2,400
2,000
1,000
340
420
Total rating
77.6
70.6
65.2
64.4
59.3
58.9
92
100
83
82
60
45
64
26
28
32
47
65
99
96
100
95
95
98
Capacity (nominal)/port
480 GB/PCIe
1 TB/RAID-0
1 TB/RAID-0
500 GB/RAID-0
240 GB/RAID-0
Reading/writing
(compressible data, MBps)
1,378/1,300
1,142/969
994/483
992/601
963/937
523/501
Reading/writing
(uncompressible data, MBps)
731/492
1,162/897
961/919
970/590
390/266
520/290
9,854.5
3,643.7
3,922.9
5,009.0
7,037.5
10,174.0
6,984.0
4,729.4
4,494.6
3,159.5
6,150.5
7,024.5
7.9 2
9.1
4.1
2.0
2.3
1.3
TEST RESULTS
2 Manufacturers figures
1/23/2012 8:16:04 PM
FEATURED
Exotic problems
Corsair Force GT
CSSD-F120GBGT-BK1
940
190
500
290
55.5
51.7
48.9
14.7
23
44
41
12
100
40
35
85
97
95
38
3 TB/SATA 6 Gbps
267/214
521/497
482/322
122/122
267/224
523/161
495/315
152/150
16,420.5
5,880.5
4,736.0
76.0
7,289.0
5,665.0
6,715.0
170.0
1.0
1.2
1.0
9.6
02/2012
99
1/23/2012 8:16:09 PM
FEATURED
3D PRINTING
3D Printing
Fed with a suitable 3D graphic, these printers can create three dimensional objects
with the help of lasers and synthetic materials.
BY JRG GEIGER
100
02/2012
Free 3D model
construction
3D printing needs a three dimensional
object model as input. One can
construct these using expensive CAD
programs, but free tools such as Google
SketchUp also suffice (sketchup.google.
com). For 3D printing, there are various
standard graphic formats of models.
STL (Standard Triangulation Language)
is by far the most common. SketchUp
internally uses its own le format
(SKP). Using a plug-in, SKP les can be
converted into the STL format.
feedback@chip.in
1/23/2012 7:21:11 PM
FEATURED
3D PRINTING
Laser
Laser
4
3
2
2
3
02/2012
101
1/23/2012 7:21:26 PM
FEATURED
SOCIAL ACTIVISM
Social Activism:
Shedding the
Slacktivist Tag
Social networking has changed a lot, from the way we
communicate to the way we consume news. And last year,
a new face of social networking emerged; that of bringing
about change.
BY PRIYANKA TILVE
Activism or Slacktivism?
Slacktivism making
way for activism
102
02/2012
1/23/2012 7:20:15 PM
to be anti-government sentiments.
Ruben, who believes in freedom of
priyanka.tilve@chip.in
02/2012
103
1/23/2012 7:20:19 PM
FEATURED
WEB WATCH
Web Watch
FONTSTRUCT.COM
WARRANTIFY.COM
FETISE.COM
registered users.
Fontstruct.com.
104
02/2012
1/23/2012 7:27:38 PM
FEATURED
WEB WATCH
SHARING
INFORMATION
WITHOUT VERIFYING
FACTS CAN LEAD TO
LOTS OF CONFUSION.
PRIYANKA TILVE,
SENIOR FEATURES WRITER
FREERICE.COM
02/2012
105
1/23/2012 7:27:51 PM
HANDS ON
DR CHIP
Sachin Pandit
Dr CHIP
SEND YOUR QUERIES TO: drchip@chip.in
video memory.
P5kpl-am/ps motherboard, 2 GB of
Arpit Lakra
Suyash Kant
Abhishek
106
02/2012
1060212_Dr_CHIP.indd 106
1/23/2012 7:29:21 PM
HANDS ON
DR CHIP
earliest reply.
Unaise
advance.
Vaibhav
over price.
1060212_Dr_CHIP.indd 107
02/2012
107
1/23/2012 7:29:32 PM
HANDS ON
DR CHIP
browsers on Google.
Sagar Goel
Carefully open the external HDD, extract the drive,
and plug it into a SATA port to get to your data.
damaged.
warranty exchange.
108
02/2012
1060212_Dr_CHIP.indd 108
Anuj Chandra.
1/23/2012 7:29:41 PM
HANDS ON
DR CHIP
GA8I865GME-775rh motherboard
I downloaded an image of a
Chinmay
Nero or alike.
As for your UPS, you should check
the manual for the fault indicators
readings. Usually a red LED indication
means a faulty battery, dead battery
or overload on the output.
VLC or MPC does not have any
or MPC)?
Sachin
themselves.
advancedPCtweaker.com/exe-errors/
mscank.sys.html
at drchip@chip.in
INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP
1060212_Dr_CHIP.indd 109
02/2012
109
1/23/2012 7:29:48 PM
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
Galaxy Note.
XEN_KJ4-v5.0-CWM5.zip). Download
Development.
The Micro USB cable of the phone:
needed.
select Copy
few steps.
2.6.34.7-N7000XXKJ4-CL641703. The
le in this folder.
DISCLAIMER: Rooting the phone involves hacking into the rmware and operating system of the phone. As these procedures are risky
and can permanently brick or damage your phone, we will not be responsible for any damage caused to your phone. A bricked phone
can result in warranty issues. Root your phone at your own risk.
110
02/2012
1/23/2012 8:12:13 PM
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
3
scrolling across the window. Let the
utility do the needful while you wait and
be rebooted.
Once the reboot happens, you
watch.
step.
francis.dsa@chip.in
TIP
goes well in
the above step,
you should get
the message
stating that the
procedure is
complete and
the phone will
ALTERNATIVE
02/2012
111
1/23/2012 8:12:17 PM
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
overclocking their
mobile phones to
02/2012
really benet?
112
First make a nandroid backup so that you can undo all changes
in case you make a mistake somewhere or if something goes
wrong while flashing the kernel.
overclocked processor?
Jagdish Limbachiya
1/23/2012 8:13:21 PM
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
consumption. There are a few that might
allow you to do so, but have limitations
free.
ABYSSNOTE KERNEL 1.5 OR
here (http://www.multiupload.
com/01PAF6M0BO)
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/
showthread.php?t=1329360)
CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY
(approximately 5 10 minutes).
Thats it!
francis.dsa@chip.in
02/2012
113
1/23/2012 8:13:25 PM
HANDS ON
Tips &
Tricks
FEBRUARY 2012
Sachin Pandit
WINDOWS
WINDOWS XP / VISTA / 7
at hand
WINDOWS 7
Open the control panel option
from startmenu7.com.
114
02/2012
1/23/2012 6:38:06 PM
HANDS ON
WINDOWS 7
WINDOWS XP / VISTA / 7
Enforce a password change for
user accounts
policies.
affinity-tools.com/usbfresher/. Download
changed successfully.
02/2012
115
1/23/2012 6:38:15 PM
HANDS ON
WINDOWS XP / VISTA / 7
Locate the biggest file on the
drive within a split second
le.net/freeware/largest-les-nder.
WINDOWS XP / VISTA / 7
Connect Microsoft SkyDrive
as a network drive under
Windows
WINDOWS XP / VISTA / 7
Use a picture of your choice as
the folder preview
within reach
116
02/2012
1/23/2012 6:38:26 PM
HANDS ON
10
formula =INDIRECT("'"&A2&"'!"&B2)
principle.
APPLICATIONS
10
11
Firefox 4-7
several sheets
add-ons.
11
12
02/2012
117
1/23/2012 6:38:31 PM
HANDS ON
12
14
Google Chrome
15
14
Space that is no longer in use is actually freed
through Compact.
Firefox 7
16
16
13
15
YouTube
Generating links such that
videos start at a specific point
requirements.
BlackBerry button.
addons.mozilla.org/en-US/refox/
addon/password-exporter/?src=api.
118
02/2012
1/23/2012 7:14:46 PM
HANDS ON
LibreOffice
19
18
having to reformat it
19
18
be stored.
Firefox 7
17
17
userlogos.org/extensions/fastdial has
packet.
02/2012
119
1/23/2012 7:56:18 PM
MARKET WATCH
MARKET WATCH
PROCESSORS: Intel
NAME
Intel E5700 Dual-Core
Intel E5800 Dual-Core
Intel E7500 Core 2 Duo
Intel Core i3-2100 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i5-2310 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i5-2300 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i5-2400 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i5-2500 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i5-2500K (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i7-2600 (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i7-2600K (Sandy Bridge)
Intel Core i7-990X
PRICE (Rs)
CPU SOCKET
3,525
3,700
3,850
6,850
9,000
9,700
11,300
12,300
12,900
17,900
18,900
62,260
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1155
LGA 1366
NUMBER OF
CORES
2 Core
2 Core
2 Core
2 Core
4 Core
4 Core
4 Core
4 Core
4 Core
4 Core
4 Core
6 Core
CLOCK SPEED
MFG PROCESS
TDP
3.00 GHz
3.20 GHz
2.93 GHz
3.10 GHz
2.90 GHz
2.80 GHz
3.10 GHz
3.30 GHz
3.30 GHz
3.40 GHz
3.40 GHz
3.46 GHz
32 nm
45 nm
45 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
32 nm
CLOCK SPEED
MFG PROCESS
TDP
2.80 GHz
2.70 GHz
3.20 GHz
2.60 GHz
3.40 GHz
3.60 GHz
2.90 GHz
2.80 GHz
3.20 GHz
3.30 GHz
3.30 GHz
3.10 GHz
45 nm
45 nm
45 nm
32nm
45 nm
32 nm
32nm
45 nm
45 nm
45 nm
32 nm
32 nm
45 W
95 W
125 W
100W
125 W
95 W
100W
125 W
125 W
125 W
95 W
125 W
65 W
65 W
65 W
65 W
95 W
95 W
95 W
95 W
95 W
95 W
95 W
130 W
PROCESSORS: AMD
NAME
PRICE (Rs)
1,950
3,350
6,100
6,300
6,800
7,250
7,300
8,100
8,900
11,175
11,199
12,500
CPU SOCKET
AM3
AM3
AM3
FM1
AM3
AM3+
FM1
AM3
AM3
AM3
AM3+
AM3+
NUMBER OF
CORES
1
3
4
4
4
4
4
6
6
6
6
8
PRICE
(Rs)
2,725
3,650
4,800
5,150
5,400
5,999
6,100
6,300
6,350
6,425
6,900
7,375
8,800
CPU
SOCKET
AM3
AM3
AM3
AM3
FM1
AM3
FM1
AM3
FM1
AMD FM1
FM1
AM3
FM1
CHIPSET
MEMORY SUPPORT
DVI | HDMI
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
DDR3
|
|