lets get reaaaddddy toooo rrrrummmbbblllle!!

romeo

romeo - i10 kappa 2
              model: Asta

Date of commission:  15 Oct 2010

FIRST REPORT:
   Date: 26 Dec 2010
 
   Love:
    - looks:
          ~cute but aggressive (something that was missing in the old one)
          ~the front grille gives it the air of respect
         ~ the rear has been tweaked a bit to give it a better look (amazing how a tail lamp adjustment makes such a big change in appearance)
         ~ side profile the same
     ALL SAID AND DONE: it wil never match the Polo or punto or i20 or the jazz
                                                               but it does look better than Ritz, wagon r, a-star and beat

   - interiors: rich and neat - that is all there is. the panelling and the finishing although not as good as that of honda or vw, is way better than the paltry maruti cars.
      ~the dash with the chocolate colour:  hyundai have done away with the beige dashboard because of the reflection - and thats a reflection on the company - they are willing to listen.
      ~roomy front - decent rear - much better than beat or the swift which feel like caves at the rear
      ~decent boot space with lamp

  - instrument panel:
     ~ blue: the old green (which looked pretty ordinary) has given away to a blue cluster. although it does look sporty it doesn't match up to the faint orange of cars like figo or jazz
      ~useful gear shift indicator
     ~ no distance to empty indicator
     ~ nice set of useful buttons for the audio system (in house)

  - audio:
       ~when you go in for a budget car (4-6 L) its safer not to have high expectations on the audio system
      ~ the old i10 was one such car.. but behold.. the speakers have changed. the audio output wil be second only to honda jazz

  to be contd..

Inception

   There are movies that make u laugh or cry or maybe just make u wonder why you wasted 100 bucks for 2 hours of crap with a headache as a bonus. But then.. there comes this rare movie that stirs and immerses u rite into it.. Inception does just that. 
   I had no clue what the word 'inception' meant (still not clear on the exact meaning) but the plot is quite simple and the director makes sure you dont get lost in this rather 'in the future' concept. However, its the depth of the screenplay that is just simply amazing.
  The movie is about the wonder that is the human mind.. and the way it has been made just re-enforces that fact. Our mind is capable of such greatness. But we choose to forget that and carry on in our daily mindnumbing routine. Sadly, our senses being tickled constantly by several enjoyable stimuli has left us numb. There is never time in the real world to stop or even pause. So really..  what is there to think about? Am I gonna invent a time machine or discover anti-matter by making a frown and screwing my eyes shut?  probably.. NO. But to sit idly at a park bench or on a beach or just staring into the starlit sky for an hour can be in itself be thought provoking. Your body - being bound to one place - and your mind, not distracted, starts to wonder. Every journey needs a Starting point.. this is yours. 
   

sony ericsson X 10 minipro: user review

after a month long search.. i finally got my hands on this gorgeous phone.

  The world of mobile phones now offers such a wide range of options that the consumer gets spoiled by choices. Let me explain how i handled this.. my budget was Rs.12000-17000. and wat i was lookin for in my new phone were these:
  
  - capacitative touch phone
  - android OS
  - 3G, WiFi, GPS
  - solid build
  - good UI (user interface)
  - decent batt
 
  These were my essentials. this quickly helped me narrow down my choices. the only thing that was nagging me was that HTC legend and Samsung wave were offering much more for just a couple of thousand more. ruled out legend cos it was priced at 23000. but wave s based at 19000. and its got multitouch and many many features. but it runs on the new BADA OS. it was just too risky.

   now, let me come to minipro. when i had a look at the mini, i thought, " this s just too small!!". The phone does not sit comfortably in ur hand (and if u happen to have big hand with stubby fingers pls close this review). And i cudnt get my hands on a minipro to c how it felt to hold it. and the good news it.. with the querty keyboard giving it an extra thickness and the extra few millimetres of length, the phone s compact in ur hand. and it feels like a mobile phone.. unlike the big touchscreens like iphone which feel pretty bulky.

  the build s solid. querty slide out feels high quality. not weak or loose at all. the three keys below the display are good. only nag is that the power off/ lock button feels a lil hard to use. but other than that there r no complaints on the build.
 
  the touchscreen s good. very responsive. i have used the iphone for sometime and the response i got from minipro is comparable. its unlike the resistive touchscreens like Nokia's much hyped 5800.. which i found really annoying to handle. u got to actually punch the screen to get a response. with the minipro - its just a feather touch.
  
  coming to the best part.. the UI. excellent. i had a w300i some quite sometime. i have also used nokia N73 and samsungs X480. but i fell in love with sonyericsson's user friendly UI. N73 was supposed to be a really high end phone but there s not even an option for repetitive alarm. u either use the calendar or set the alarm every nite. and i dont want to even talk abt samsung's dumb phones. but those were quite sometime back. sony's reputation has taken a hit from then and companies like HTC have gone way ahead. but with the Xperia X 10 and its younger siblings, i think SE with retake some of the market.
   
  the UI s very very friendly. from sms to Gps the learning curve s very easy. timescape s a bit overhyped. i dont use it that much.
  
  and comin to the batt which was the one thing that was worry me. the phone handles two days with just calls and messaging. with gps, listening to music and other stuff - one day max. but the charging time also s lightning quick. 30 mins for a full charge.
 
  Sound quality s good. the volume of the ringer could have been a lil higher but this wil not be bothering u. SE selection of songs in here sucks. so get ur own.
  
  as for cam.. so far the indoor shots i have taken are mediocre to say the least. i have not yet tried outdoor pics. but as i am not gonna be using this as a primary camera this doesnt bother me much. but the gallery interface s smooth. the pics just flow from one side to another. viewing videos s not bad at all considering the screen size.

  all said.. for Rs 16000 - this gadget packs android OS, capacitative touch, neat UI with 3g,wifi and gps. plus a querty.. and all in a size that fits in ur palm. wat more can u ask for?

  my advise.. if u r new to the touchscreen world like i am and dont expect heavy use (like hrs of browsing or listening to music) go for it. if u have already tried bigscreen phones like the iphone or htc and u r looking for more - this s def not the phone for u.

  will keep this updated as i continue using the Mini Pro. pls do leave queries if any.