Samsung Galaxy Note Series 3

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9000

Rs. 49900

Inclusive of taxes (approx)

Key Features

• 13 MP Primary Camera with Auto Focus and BSI Sensor
• 2 MP Secondary Camera with Smart Stabilization and BSI Sensor
• NFC Support
• Full HD (1080p) Recording and Playback Support
• 5.7-inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) Display
• Samsung Smart Scroll and Samsung Smart Pause
• Octa Core Processor (1.9 GHz Quad + 1.3 GHz Quad) and 3 GB RAM
• Air Gesture and Air View
• Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) OS
• S Pen Optimized Features: Air Command; Action Memo; Scrapbook; S Finder; Pen Window; Multi Window; Direct Pen Input
• Dual Camera: Dual Shot / Dual Recording / Dual Video Call

Screen - As Beautiful As Life

 5.7 inch full HD Super AMOLED screen 

Smarter is Better

Dynamic and modern-looking, the Galaxy Note 3 pulls together content from news, social media and everything else into one easy-on-the-eye My Magazine view.

Taking multitasking to a whole new level, the Multi-Window mode allows you to not just copy and paste from one window to another but also do things like chat with two different people at the same time, play a video while scrolling through the news and even browse the net while checking Facebook on the side. Similarly the Pen Window ensures that you can keep the calculator open in a small window while you are working out a budget for the month.

Intuitive to the extent of being almost magical, the device surprises you with its efficiency. Wave your hand over the device and get things done in a jiffy - the Samsung Note 3 comes with Air Gesture and Air View support that ensure that actions are made simpler and more effective, especially when you have to check for specific apps among dozens and operate hands free. Also, when you read, the sensors detect eye movement, scrolling accordingly and pausing when you look away with the Smart Scroll and Smart Pause.

Simplicity with extreme convenience takes precedence in the Note 3 that lets you play with a palette that brings five useful S Pen features to you in a platter. The Action Memo that recognizes handwriting and converts it into actionable links, alarms and such is one feature you could get used to. It also comes with Scrapbook to organize pieces automatically, the S Finder for quick access, a Pen Window to draw in and Screen Write to make quick annotations - the palette makes simple things fun.

Camera - Capturing Life Effectively

The Note 3 from Samsung armed with a fabulous 13 MP primary camera with a high CRI LED flash that sports a BSI sensor to ensure that your clicks come out great even in low light conditions. With Image Stabilization, one of the first of its kind on such devices, the pictures you take on the Note 3 are ones that will be crisp and sharp, discounting shaky hands or less than perfect conditions.

The secondary camera does as much justice to your selfies and video chats with 2 MP at your disposal that comes with smart stabilization. With dual camera support, you can use both the cameras simultaneously when you take a picture, record or video call a loved one.  What’s more, the Note 3 captures precious moments in full HD video and plays it back for you to relive life the way it is meant to be.

Punchy Performance

A powerful Octa core processor packed with all the strength of 1.9 Ghz Big-Core Quad and 1.3 Ghz Small-Core Quad processors under 3 GB of RAM help you switch from an intensive gaming session to taking down a simple memo easily with excellent battery and power management.

Running on the Android v4.3 (Jelly Bean) operating system, the Note 3 reinstates belief in smooth, effective use of technology with all the elements of brilliant, beautiful yet functional design. Great graphics, useful restrictive profiles, easier text input and an appealing fluidness are but a few features that stand out. With NFC support, you can use the device to share media with the least hassle, wirelessly.

Apple Macbook Pro

MacBook Pro with Retina display: First look

When I was 13, I was sent to the optician for the first time, and came home with glasses. Suddenly, the world was sharp all around me. I was surprised by the crisp lines of the tree branches against the sky. It was news to me that I was near-sighted, because I had been used to seeing the world in a blur.

Apple Inc. sells a similar epiphany, starting this week, in the shape of a notebook computer. One of its new MacBook Pro models has a "Retina" display, a screen that packs four times as many pixels as a standard display.

Why is this a big deal? It's not easy to describe in print, but a look at the screen tells the whole story. It's like putting on glasses and realizing you're nearsighted. Much like the screen on the latest iPad, the new display makes all other screens look dull and fuzzy.

Even the icons on the Mac screen look so much more detailed. On the calendar icon, you can make out the dots for the individual dates. On the Address book, you suddenly see that the "at" sign on the cover is embossed.

High-resolution photos look really, really sharp. Low-resolution photos, like those on Facebook, are revealed as mushy and indistinct.

With a resolution of 2,880 by 1,800 pixels, the Retina screen can show every pixel in a five-megapixel shot, all at once. It has more pixels than a high-definition TV set - 2.5 times as many.

As you might expect, this epiphany doesn't come cheap. The MacBook Pro with Retina display starts at $2,199.

That's nearly three times more than the average consumer spends on a laptop, but it isn't a bad price for the video editors, photographers and graphic designers who are the intended buyers.

In fact, the new MacBook looks like a steal compared to a regular, non-high-resolution MacBook with a screen of the same size, at 15.4 inches diagonally. When a regular MacBook is upgraded with the 8 gigabytes of RAM and 256-gigabyte flash-based "hard drive" that come standard on the Retina model, it costs $2,399. So you're basically saving $200 by getting the better screen.

There are a few other differences between the Retina MacBook and the regular one. It's thinner, lighter and lacks a DVD drive. It even lacks an Ethernet port for Internet connections. This was a problem as soon as I unpacked the unit, because getting on the office Wi-Fi can be troublesome. Apple sells a $29 Ethernet adapter that plugs into one of the two high-speed, multi-purpose "Thunderbolt" ports. It would have been a nice gesture for them to include one in the box.

If the stripped-down features of the MacBook Pro remind you of something, it's probably the MacBook Air, that ultra-slim laptop Apple first released in 2008. Many who saw it then recognized it as the future of laptops, and the new MacBook Pro is the proof of that prophecy - in many ways, it's a super-sized MacBook Air.

The MacBook Pro is just 0.7 inches thick. That's the same as the Air at its thickest point, but unlike the Air, the Pro doesn't taper into a wedge shape. It's the same thickness all the way through, making it feel a lot more substantial than the Air.

The screen is partly to blame for this. That's because the sharper screen is also darker. To get it looking as bright as other laptops, Apple has to pump more light through it. More light takes more power. To get the Pro to last for about seven hours of work (a claim I did not have time to test), Apple had to increase the size of the battery. It takes up nearly half of the internal space of the laptop.

I suspect the Retina screen is coming first to a relatively big MacBook because its chassis provided Apple with the space to expand the battery. In a MacBook Air, there's no space for a bigger battery, so a Retina screen would have meant shorter battery life. That would have been a tough sell.

I hope Apple or another manufacturer figures out a way around the battery issue, because I want to see this type of display in every device. Of course, desktop displays aren't limited by power consumption in the same way, so we can hope to see super-resolution monitors soon. It's time for our computers to give us glasses.

Samsung Smart Watch

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Samsung's Galaxy Gear, a new device worn like a wristwatch, is certain to gain much curiosity when it starts being thrown in public. The intensely black rectangular screen and orange strap on the wrist of a Samsung executive immediately caught my eye as he entered a meeting room to give a preview of the gadget.

Samsung will start shipping the $299 Gear smartwatch in September.

I had a chance to play with a pre-production unit for about 10 minutes and briefly with the version that Samsung announced Wednesday in on the eve of the IFA consumer electronics show.

Like similar products already being sold, the Gear is not an independent device. For useful functionality, the Gear needs to be linked with a specific Samsung smartphone or tablet computer. The pairing is done wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection built in to both sides.

• The Gear's display is a touch screen measuring 1.63 inches diagonally. 
• Its strap has an embedded camera. 
• The Gear supports apps such as Facebook and lets the wearer answer incoming calls or check email without picking up the smartphone that's paired with it. 
• The Gear is not the smartwatch with a flexible display, as disclosed in recent Samsung patent filings.

With smartphones and tablets now ubiquitous, the technology industry is trying to create a new category of products to wow consumers. Many analysts believe the next big step for consumer electronics is advanced computing technology in everyday objects such as wristwatches and glasses.

Sony introduced its latest SmartWatch in June and unveiled an update Wednesday. Qualcomm announced a smartwatch on Wednesday as well. Google is working on Google Glass - a device designed to work like a smartphone and be worn like a pair of glasses. Apple is seeking an iWatch trademark and is widely believed to be developing a watch that uses the same iOS software as its iPhone and iPad devices.

Meanwhile, the response to projects such as Pebble, a smartwatch that received more than $10 million in investment pledges through funding website Kickstarter, also attests to the public interest in this trend.