Chip 05 May 2008 Magazine

WE
PUT
WINDOWS,
MAC
OS
AND
LINUX
INTO
THE
ARENA.
THEN
THROW
IN
WE PUT WINDOWS, MAC OS
AND LINUX
INTO THE ARENA.
THEN THROW
IN SOME INDIAN
OUT WHICH
OS WOULD
SUIT YOU.
SOME
INDIAN
OPERATING
SYSTEMS.
FIND OPERATING
OUT SYSTEMS.
WHICH FINDOS
WOULD
SUIT
YOU.
May 2008 Volume 5 Issue 6 Rs 125
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FREE!
Recover deleted data

from flash memory
POWER PROTECTION
AND MANAGEMENT
The shocking truth about how surges and dips can damage your devices.
40 ways to save Power and slash your electricity bills this summer
PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
Cowon iAudio A3 TE
Cowo
E
ST
It plays almost
any media format,
including DVD files.
34Photo printers
Digital Cameras
for the holidays
S
OFTW
SOFTWARE
OF THE MONTH
ThinkFree Office 3.5

Think
The
Th free office automation
tool that feels similar to
Microsoft Office.
for your vacation photos
And:
A
nd: The
The latest
latest laptops,
laptops,
C
P Us , m
otherboards.
CPUs,
motherboards.
MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO 14 PLUS

Use your PC as a movie editing studio with this software.
Plus: Data Recovery Software Pack, Windows Vista SP1.
EXCLU
S IV E
Goo
Google tells CHIP how Indian developers
create exciting Orkut applications
EDITORIAL
The Second Laptop

J
ust when I was getting used to the idea of having two computers at home (the
trusted desktop and the new laptop), I heard that vendors will soon convince us
to buy a second laptop. While some may think this is more than required, laptop
vendors believe it is justied. In fact they are looking at an entirely new category, already
being referred to as Net top, MID and some other names.
The lightest and sleekest laptops always compromise somewhere and reviewers are
quick to point out deciencies. The MacBook Air for instance, (reviewed in CHIP, April
2008) is featherweight at 1.36 Kg. However, it lacks an optical drive. Its rival, the Lenovo
X300 does not have an internal hard drive (it has a 64 GB Solid State Drive).
Users have got to start accepting the fact that it is a huge challenge for manufacturers
to t in all the essential features into such small form factors. Instead, we need to ask
ourselves what do we really need? And what features are we actually going to use?
If you surf the Web on-the-go, then the small screen of a smart phone may not give
you a satisfying experience. These are good enough for reading short e-mails, stock
Users have
got to start
accepting the
fact that its a
huge challenge
to t in all
the essential
features into
small form
factors
quotes and news clippings. I wouldnt be comfortable reading PDF documents or viewing
PowerPoint slides on tiny screens. Typing reports is out of question (even with a slide-out
keyboard). A UMPC or ultra-portable might sufce for such tasks, but their high cost puts
these out of reach for many. And a full-featured laptop is just too heavy and delicate for
students or sales executives to lug around. Thats why the industry believes there should
be a product that falls somewhere in between.
So heres what the new product should ideally be like. We need a light, robust device
with a screen size (8 12 inches) that is comfortable for reading text. It should have
decent battery life (at least 2 hours) and it must run our favorite applications (preferably on
Windows). It should have built-in Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity and enough USB ports.
A few months ago, Asus representatives were in our ofce to brief us about their
new products. When business development manager Francis Kao pulled out a little white
notebook, I thought it was just another ultra-portable. When he booted this device and
explained all the features, we got thinking. Perhaps this was the device that fullled all the
requirements stated in the previous paragraph, after all. And when we enquired about the
price, Mr. Kao said it would be below Rs 20,000. That device was the EeePC.
After the success of the EeePC, other laptop manufacturers are rushing to introduce
something similar. MSI will launch its sleek Wind device in Q2. Also watch out for
Fukatos low-cost Datacask. HP already offers a range of mini-notes. The HCL MiLeap
MVO2 (reviewed in CHIP, April 2008), is another ne example. It is a tablet PC that runs
Windows Vista. It has a 7-inch display, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB hard drive and built-in wireless
networking. It costs approximately Rs 33,000. Last year, a device of this kind would cost
Rs 1.5 lakh. And at just 960 grams this one is really light!
If you just want to surf the Internet on-the-go, consider Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs)
with Intel atom processors (expected at the end of this year).
So maybe, you are going to need a second laptop, after all.
| Brian Pereira
editor@chip-india.com
P.S: The CHIP Customer Care cell is standing by to address your queries and grievances. Do get in touch
with Sarita Quadros at customercare@infomediaindia.com. Call 91-22-40302 805. You can subscribe to CHIP
online at eshop.infomediaindia.com.
MAY 2008 INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP
|7
Contents
Go online for
regular updates at
www.chip.in
MAY 2008
COVER STORY
NEWSWIRE
20
22
56
Top brass at PlayStation India gives
today! We compared 34 digital
Some of the latest software and
away some vital secrets about
cameras to help you make the
freeware reviewed to keep you
PlayStation 3 and PSP.
perfect choice according to your
virtually updated. ThinkFree Ofce
Software Center
taste and budget.
3.5 is our software of the month.
Internet Lifesavers
72
Anywhere, Anytime Photos
86
Mystify Mode: Off
Five portable photo printers
CHIP takes you back to the basics
compared to give instant
to show you what the different
Orkut drives OpenScoial
photography a whole new
modes on digital cameras do.
Orkut is coming back to give
dimension. Find out which one is
Facebook a good run for their
made for you.
money and users! Find out how.
COVER STORY
Smart Downloaders
Goliath is Here!
managers against each other for all
The extremely versatile portable
you downloading freaks out there!
Power Crisis Management
media player Cowon iAudio A3 is
We are staring at the ordeal of a
our product of the month and its
power crisis this summer. CHIP
competition is nowhere to be seen.
this in good control now and in
96
We pit ve popular download
76
shows you how you can keep
100 Build Your Dreams

LEGO is back in a virtual avatar to
literally help you build your dreams!
78
The Birth of a Computer
102 Flashed Out?
the future. Dont miss the power
A pictorial account of how
saving tips!
computers are produced at the
This is your chance to recover all
Zenith Factory in Goa.
the data you lost on your USB ash
HARDWARE
40
86
Everybody wants a digital camera
anywhere in the world!
32
APPLICATIONS
Shutterbugs Rejoice!
A Strategy for the Game
Share your health with doctors
24
HARDWARE
Top Gear
drive. Its time to get it all back!
84
PS3: Blown Wide Open!
104 A Medium Full of Surprises
We bring you reviews and
CHIP brings to you an infographic
recommendations of the latest
which takes you deep into the
CHIP reader, Dr. Ajit Singh, shares
hardware you wanted to know
interiors of the PlayStation 3. Find
his take on Internets journey and
everything about!
out how this wonder works.
how it has pleasantly affected him.
8 | INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP | MAY 2008
Contents
APPLICATIONS
HANDS ON
110 SketchUp Homes
MAY 2008
HANDS ON
UNWIND
128 Frontlines - Fuel of War
Let Google SketchUp be your
Yet another FPS which takes you
virtual architect to help you plan
into the heart of war, but does
and build your dream home
it have the glue for your gaming
with furniture, accessories, and
throne? Get inside and nd out
everything else. Do call us for the
where it scores and where it is
house warming!
sore. Get on the Frontlines!
114 Managing Address Books
130 Army of Two
Heres your perfect recipe to a well
We carried the preview of this
organized party or get-together.
game a few months back and it
Export contact details from your
is nally here to rock us. Find out
default mail client to an MS Access
whether it lives up to the hype,
database. Print customized labels
goes above it, or does it simply
and manage your guest list!
pass by.
116 CAT5 Intercom
Olympus
telephone devices to good use and
God of War has enjoyed a wide
make an intercom for your home.
following and comes with sky-high
Its fairly simple, costs close to
expectations. We have a feeling
nothing and is quite creative!
that this PSP version will not let us

down either!
118 Revitalize your BIOS!

133 Buzz and Singstar
and time keeps resetting? Maybe,
Two entertaining games for the
you need to look deep down inside
PlayStation 2 are here for the
your cabinet and change the CMOS
perfect weekend evening at home
battery. No more living in the past!
with family and friends.
UNWIND
HARDWARE REVIEWED
Fujitsu Lifebook T4220 tablet
Nvidia 9800 GX2
Samsung SGH-800
Sahara ImageBook 12WS
Panasonic MP3 player
Asus EAH3450 Top
Canon CanoScan 8800F
Klipsch iGroove HG
Dlink DNS-323 Network Storage
Freecom Toughdrive Pro U&F
G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK
Dicota Notebook Webcam
Divoom xForce 2 Speakers
132 God of War: Chains of
Heres a workshop to put broken
Wondering why your system date
Go online for
regular updates at
www.chip.in
REGULARS
07
12
14
16
80
106
120
134
138
148
Editorial
DVD Contents
Colophon
Letters
PC Congs
Dr. CHIP
Tips & Tricks
Market Watch
Townsquare
Last Word
MAY 2008
DVD Contents
RED HOT
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 14 PLUS
FULL SOFTWARE
Think Free Ofce 3.0
TOYS
GAME DEMOS
Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights
Sam And Max: Night of the
Raving Dead
Sins of a Solar Empire
Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis
Hard to be God
Europa Universalis: Rome
GAME TRAILERS
Playstation 2 Singstar Bollywood
and Buzz Quiz Gameplay Videos
GAME ADD-ONS
Unreal Tournament 3 Bonus Pack
LINUX
SimplyMEPIS 7.0 Linux (32-bit)
SimplyMEPIS 7.0 Linux (64-bit)
TOOLS
MULTIMEDIA
Blubox
Pivot Stickgure Animator
Graph Paper Printer
Audacity 1.2.6
MAGIX Photo Manager 2007
Magix Xtreme Photo & Graphic
Designer
Magix Audio Cleaning Lab 12
Xtreme Photostory on CD & DVD 6
Cyberlink Power Director 6
Winamp 5.5
INTERNET
Pop Up Stopper Free Edition
GmailAssistant
Firefox 3.0 Beta 5
File Sharing Software Pack
Download Manager Pack
SECURITY
eScan Anti-Virus
AVG Internet Security 8
SYSTEM
Teach2000
Advanced Uninstaller PRO
PNotes
CyberLink Power DVD 8
Windows Vista SP 1
Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.12
Cube Desktop 1.3
Magicdisc
PDF Creator
Gnu cash
File Splitters Software Pack
File Zippers Software Pack
File Recovery Software Pack
Google Sketchup Videos
MUST HAVES
WinRAR 3.71
Ntune 5
nVidia Forceware Vista 174.74
nVidia Forceware XP
174.74
ATI Catalyst Drivers XP 8.3
ATI Catalyst Drivers Vista 8.3
You can send your requests for

software for the next months DVD to
feedback@chip-india.com
Quick
Quote
MAY 2008 | VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 06

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LETTERS
Letters
Reading CHIP helped
A few suggestions
Dear CHIP,
Dear CHIP,
Im a rst year student of the National University
I would like to congratulate you for the work
of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. Ive been reading
done in the April 2008 issue. The articles on
CHIP for four years and have learned many
MacBook Air and the OS showdown were
things from this magazine. In fact I denitely
brilliant. I have a few suggestions.
have an edge
I remember that there were two CDs (Toys
over my friends in
and Tools) with earlier issues. Then you started
terms of computing
giving a single dual layered DVD. It was a
knowledge. I must say your articles are exciting
practical and smart move. You have also started
and very enlightening indeed. Take the Green
giving a separate Hands-on book. As a reader,
Computing article (CHIP, March 2008) for
I nd it cumbersome handling two separate
instance. I never imagined that computer
books and preserving them for future reference.
peripherals emitted such a high amount of CO2
Can you incorporate the supplement book in the
in our environment.
main magazine itself?
The CHIP dual layer DVD is becoming more
I would also like to point out that if you
constructive and fascinating. I hope you guys
really want to curb piracy, what is the point of
keep on doing the excellent work. I wanted to
dedicating entire supplements to expensive,
request you guys to provide some good demo
proprietary software like Microsoft Ofce 2007?
versions of games, in future.
As a student I cannot afford this software.
How about a shootout of all the latest DirectX

10 supported Graphic Cards, such as of AMDs
3800 series and Nvidias latest 9500 and 9600
Instead, why dont you include articles on free

open source software such as OpenOfce.org?
Microsoft will end support for XP sooner
or later, and many like myself cant afford to
series?
The article on external hard disks in the
March 2008 issue was remarkable. But how
successful are internal hard drives used in
upgrade their systems to Vista or the next

version of Windows.
The point is you should start a series of
external casings? I heard they are far cheaper
articles or tutorials discussing most popular
than external hard disks from different brands.
Linux distros which are compatible with the
Himanshu Sikarwar
hardware available today. The tutorials can teach

novices like myself the procedure for installing
Linux.
Dear Himanshu,
I am glad that CHIP helps you increase your
Subsequent articles could follow up and
knowledge on computers. We promise that
tell us about the software bundled along with
we shall seriously consider your suggestions
Linux which rival popular proprietary software.
for content. With regard to your question
Finally, you can include a tutorial that will cover
about using an internal hard disk in an
basic programming skills essential for working
external casing. It is a more economical
in Linux.
Sagar Pawar
option, but not a robust solution. The casing

of external hard drives are
built to withstand shock
Dear Sagar,
and in some cases these
Thank you for your suggestions. You will
are water resistant too.
soon see some articles on Open Source
So if you frequently carry a

hard disk about, you can buy
an external hard disk and it will
certainly be a better option.
Team CHIP
Sachin Pandit
software. It might interest you to know that

Microsoft offers Student Editions at rates
that are lower then commercial versions for
their operating systems.
Team CHIP
LETTERS
Letters
SMS
us!
Since we like knowing whats on

your mind and what you think about
our magazine, we now bring you
another way to get in touch with us.
Have something to say about a test
review? Liked a feature story? Was
the workshop useful? SMS us your
feedback!
Heres how:
For comments on a story, create
the following message:
ICCO <Your comments here>
Example: ICCO The cover story was
very useful
Send us your comments in
160 characters per message.
To rate a story, product review, etc
look out for the story tag at the base
of each article and use it as follows:
ICCP <Story tag> <Rating>
Example: ICCP PWS 5
The Story tag is mentioned at
the base of every story in the
magazine and the Rating is on
a scale of 1 to 5.
Finally, send your messages to
57007
Cheers!
SMS replies to our stories
A Bit of Torrent
From: Airtel, Assam
Dear CHIP,
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Congratulations for the ne work in the
SMS: hi, its noyon from jorhat, assam. cover
March 2008 issue. The article Pirate Slayers
story on operating system showdown is pretty
was excellent. I am now aware about the
good. budget phone comparison is also well.
consequences of software and music piracy.
overall a nice work done.
I use le sharing networks like BitTorrent for

downloading legitimate content like Linux distros
From: VODAFONE, Kolkatta
only. Please include an article about BitTorrent.
Sent: Monday, April 07, 2008
The external storage devices comparison was
SMS: march issue on green computing was
superb. After reading that, I decided to go in for
amazing. makes d magazines tech initiative a
a 2 GB Transcend Jetash V30.

Mahesh Mohan
responsible initiative 2. hats off 2 u guys 4 d

gr8 work.
CHIP experience
From: Airtel, Madhya Pradesh
Dear CHIP,
Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008
I am pursuing a career in Animation. I regard
SMS: giga-licious! external storage device
myself as a complete tech freak and love reading
review in march ed. was awesome. ive settled
tech-related magazines and surng sites for
for 750gb seagate pro. keep up the gud wrk!
knowledge and news about gadgets and gizmos.
From: VODAFONE,Mumbai
a hobby and has now become a lifestyle. I
Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2008
remember reading an article in CHIP (Last Word
SMS: hi my name is bala n i am a girlie gamer!
section) about one of the employees who had
lost odyssey review really touched my heart n it
come back to work for CHIP, after a period of
made me buy it. thanks, it is an epic!
absence. He described the atmosphere at CHIP
Participating in the CHIP forums began as
as warm. I would be lucky to experience even

From: Spice Karnataka,Karnataka
a fraction of it. CHIP is undoubtedly one of the
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008
best magazines I have come across in a long
SMS: hi i am mahesh.aprl issue rocks.last word
time. Keep up the good job guys. Cheers to the
story is vry amusing.cvr story is good. but a
Site Admins and Moderators.
little biased... ovrall a gr8 issue..

From: BSNL,North East
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008
SMS: hi chip! I like the preview of the game
dead space. could you put the demo version
570 07
IC C O
T ha t
n co
as a fu
on the next DVD.

ver s to
ry
From: Airtel,Orissa
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008
SMS: being an energy auditor your march issue
of green computing was very exciting. thanks.
With hundreds of SMSes sent to us, this new
feedback system has evoked tremendous
response. Going ahead, were using what youre
saying to incorporate changes into our content.
Keep them coming!
Akaash Dudwani, Nasik
ERRATA
In the issue dated March 2008, we
unintentionally mentioned in the Infographics
section (Payment Gateways) that a standard
credit card contains 12 digits. This should
be corrected to read 16 digits. We also
erroneously mentioned that payment gateways
use the 12x4 encryption model. Instead, it is
the 16x4 model. We regret both errors.
We also regret a couple of typographical
errors in the April 2008 issue. Page 78,
MacBook Air: 450 nm CPUs should
correctly read 45 nm CPUs. Page 120, Sony
Playstation 3: The word gambling should
have instead been gaming.
Please send your letters to:

editor@chip-india.com or
NEWSWIRE
A Strategy for the Game

In conversation with CHIP Atindriya Bose, Country Manager, PlayStation, Sony
Computer Entertainment, spills the beans on his plans to take this platform to
the next level. BY BRIAN PEREIRA
Can you comment on the demand
and supply for the PlayStation
console in the country? Which type of
console is selling well?
What factors can you attribute to

these encouraging numbers?
Two things worked for us. The PR and
media coverage helped and there is now
PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable
almost a cult for this gaming platform. The other
(PSP) are fast selling products for us here.
thing that helped was our decision to match the
In fact we were caught by surprise when we
grey market price and expand the ofcial
launched PlayStation in India. We expected
channel. From around 150 shops that used to
people to pick up the PS2 rst and then the next
sell PS, we today have over 1,000 retail points
generation model (PS3). But PSP is also ying
for PS products. The pricing for PS2 is Rs 6,990;
off shelves. PS3 is well known in the market,
PSP sells for Rs 7,990 and PS3 is priced at Rs
but weve had difculty pushing sales in the
24,990. So the price differential between grey
ofcial channel. The total
market and ofcial channel for PSP and PS2 is
market for PS3 is 15,000
almost negligible. If someone claims to have got
units. I sell 6,000 units
their PS units at a much lower price (in the
through the ofcial
Indian market), there is a possibility that the unit
channel and 9,000 units in

the grey market. Unlike the
other two consoles (PS2
and PSP) for which we
have subsidized the
cost, its very difcult
to cut the 35 percent
import duty and 12.5
has been hacked. In some cases, grey market

vendors are replacing the original controller with
an inferior one. Hence they are able to reduce
the price.
The other important decision that worked
well was to replicate the games locally and sell
each at a price point of Rs 500.
So the running cost has decreased and a
percent VAT on a
wider range of games is available. Couple this
high-end product (PS3).
with the low, subsidized cost of the console.
Thats why we have

sales. However, the
What kind of localization are you

doing for games?
other two consoles
The Singstar and Buzz games (Ed: both
difculty with PS3
have surpassed our
experiments to bring in local content. We are
8,000 PS2 consoles
working with leading India game developers like
and around 5,000
Trine Game Studios, FX Labs and Aurona
PSPs monthly. The
(Pyramid Saimira Group). We are also in
current installed base
discussion with others.
of PS2 in India is
Pramod Jadhav
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are reviewed in the Unwind section) are
expectations. We sell
We will work with them in easing the
around 3,25,000 units.
process of getting into full cycle game
There are between
development and content on the PS platform.
60,000 to 65,000 PSP
We will have a developer conference in
units here. PS3
India very soon. So there will soon be a lot
numbers will be
of initiatives for creating games with Indian
between 12,000
themes. We hope to have one new Indian game
15,000. Were really
every month for the PS2. After a year or two
pleased with these
there will be games with Indian characters that
numbers.
appeal to international audiences.
SMS us! Story code: NSP to 57007
FEATURE
How will the localized games

differ from the ones that you
sell in other markets? Where will
you compromise to keep the price
low?
promotional activities at the Sony Worlds.

The Singstar activity occurs at many
malls. It has then moved into the modern
retailers (showrooms). Now it is going into
the BPOs and nightclubs. We also want
Our forthcoming low-priced India
to set up these experience zones in army
theme games will not be trashy.
canteens. We want to go wherever the
These will have high quality graphics and
game available at the right price.
What are your initiatives to

tackle piracy for PS2 games?
How frequently will you

launch new game titles in the
Indian market? How many titles
have you launched so far? Can you
tell us about forthcoming titles?
What about parallel launches?
All the international PS3 games are
consumer is present.
launched in India and we always try
good gameplay. The number of levels in

the games will be reduced to make the
NEWSWIRE
catching the Day 1 launch of all the SCEE
How does hacking degrade

the performance of the
machine?
(Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)

published games.
We also work closely with the other
The Sony warranty become void
big publishers to ensure the key titles
when you tamper with the machine.
are made available in time for the Indian
We are seeing a lot of piracy for PS2
You wont be eligible for Sony service.
games. Its not so easy to pirate PSP
While you can play the pirated game on
market through their distributors.

The games come in either through
games, but it has started happening. But
the hacked console, there will be a
Sony or through other publishers like EA.
we counter that by providing many of the
performance issue over a period of time.
You also have publishers like Activision,
games on our online PlayStation store
The system will have a tendency to crash
THQ, Konami and others. Barring one
(Store.PlayStation.com). So one can
or freeze.
or two publishers, most of the titles are

available in India. It is a parallel launch.
download a game on the PC and put it on

a Memory Stick (for the PSP).
We are also working with the Indian
Music Industry (IMI) group, who are
Any plans for launching the

PlayStation Network and the
PlayStation Store (online) in India?
spearheading our anti-piracy efforts. We
PlayStation Network and the
work with the judiciary and policy makers
PlayStation store are key online
to nd ways to tackle this problem.

On the business side, we will offer
ready with the store. It is just a matter of

timing. We are delaying the launch of the
(for PlayStation 2). These games used to
store because India is not yet broadband
cost Rs 1,600. The pirated game costs
readydownloads take time. And Indians
Rs 125. Now people dont mind the small
do not blame the ISP. They blame the site.
difference and are ready to pay for the
We do not want to create a dissonance. A
original game.
full PS3 game is a 20 GB download. It will
chip modication (hacked systems).
in parallel across the PAL territories

(Europe, Middle east, India, Australia,
New Zealand).
brian.pereira@chip-india.com
initiatives for the platform. In fact we are
the games at a very low price of Rs 500
We are also looking at other areas like
Both God of War and GT 5 are happening
take the entire day to download it with the

current bandwidth.
We will also launch Home for India,
We see that you are

displaying the consoles at
entertainment spots like pubs and
restaurants. What about
experience zones in retail?
another online concept. We will have a PC

download site so that one can download
the games on the PC and then put them
on Memory Stick (for PSP). Expect all this
during the current nancial year.
We have also done so in retail. We

experience. We are doing it (experience
What about PS3 starter

packs?
zones) with retailers who are interested.
There will be starter kits in India.
realize that gaming is all about the
Croma and Reliance Digital have
There will be a lot of game
experience zones. Even traditional retailers
bundling. We will also work with Sony
like Vijay Sales, Sumaria and Sony Mony
Pictures to introduce DVD bundling.
have realized that experience zones are
But we need to gure out the right price
important. They know that creating
points.
consumer excitement is an issue.

One of our retailers held a racing
competition. We also carry out
ATINDRIYA BOSE
Country Manager, Playstation,
Sony Computer Entertainment
| 21
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
Internet Lifesavers
The Internet has relentlessly been bringing the world together. Now, it dives into
a whole new realm and promises the pink of health, no matter how far away you
are from the doctor or a hospital. BY ARJUN JASSAL
regular childhood chicken pox. Although
for MRI and CT scans, colours, and shades also
he was admitted at a hospital, things
added to the ever-expanding size of the le.
had weakened because of the disease and was
digital medical instrumentation machines, store
now being ravaged by full-blown pneumonia.
images in a format called DIACOM. Only certain
Although the hospital staff was trying their
type of machines can create these images,
best, the situation wasnt getting any better.
and only specic readers can open them. Also
Desperate for a second opinion, Joshi got in
the les can be as large as 300 MB making
touch with a doctor he knew in Jamshedpur,
transfers over the Internet extremely slow, adds
Jharkhand. It was ten oclock in the night when
Bhatnager. This where the duos knowledge of
the doctor asked for my sons medical reports. I
digital archiving came in, they decided to use
did have them in digital format, but I had left the
a variety of compression software and convert
pen drive at home. There was no way I could
all image les into format called PDF/A-2.
have reached home and mailed the reports in
Adobe has clearly stated that this format will
time, recalls Joshi. It was that day, almost a
be supported by all their future software. And no
year ago, that Joshi decided to create a method
matter what, it will open the les without having
by which he could get easy access to medical
any problems in displaying the colors and the
records. Along with Manish Bhatnager, and a
fonts, explains Joshi.
nil Joshis seven-year-old son had the
were steadily growing worse. The childs body
whole year of juggling with compression and
The problem didnt end there. Today most
Although the resolution and size problem was
communication technologies, their combined
solved and the site was becoming an effective
effort, myhealthrecords.in, was recently
repository of all sorts of medical records, the
launched to the public.
duo still needed doctors to ascertain whether
Both of them had experience with digital
the images could be used in emergencies.
archiving, but the accuracy and the detailing that
There was an emergency case that came to us.
were required for medical records took them
Somebody had met with an accident and we had
to a whole new level. Most medical records
to digitize the records so that a doctor sitting in
come in a wide variety of formats. While paper
the US could view them the same night. They
ones are easy to scan and upload, lm based
accepted the images, and used them to help
records like X-rays, MRI scans, CT scans cant
the patient, says a smiling Bhatnager. Doctors
be handled in the same manner. Firstly, the
seem to agree. There is a slight loss of data
lm itself is transparent, so it cant be scanned.
in the image due to compression of les, but it
Secondly, most lms are at least 14X17 inches,
isnt perceptible to the naked eye. There is one
making them too big to be digitized easily. Most
problem though: a certain post processing that
importantly, every detail in the lm has to be
can be done using a DIACOM image cant be
captured accurately. The dynamic range, from
done using a PDF image. Also the FDA hasnt
black to white and all the shades of gray in
approved PDF images. Yet the advantages that
between, must be recreated just as it appears
PDF images provide in terms of storage space
on lm. One speck of wrong reproduction
and speed of transfer cant be over looked. In
can cause a misdiagnosis; this becomes even
most cases the images can be used to make
more difcult when the size of each spot is
reliable diagnoses, says Dr Bharayt Aggarwal,
40 micrometers, explains Bhatnager. Thats
Radiologist at Dewan Chand Aggarwal imaging
a millionth of a meter, the size of a speck of
center in Delhi.
dust on the head of a pin. But when you need

Pramod Jadhav
This was only for black and white X-ray lms,
Yet storing records is just the tip of the
resolution of that magnitude, the space taken by
iceberg when the users health is at stake. Since
the image les starts going through the roof.
this is highly personal and condential data, no
SMS us! Story code: NIL to 57007
FEATURE
A profile page on myhealthrecords.in displays all your vital statistics and

allows you to link to family members and pets profiles as well.
NEWSWIRE
You can upload, manage, and view records including digitized copies of
physical X-rays and MRI scans.
user would want his medical history to
site the doctor can charge a consultation
have your entire records up and running
fall into the wrong hands. We dont want
fee which the patient will be able to pay
he adds.
drug manufacturers or marketers to target
through a payment gateway.
We in India like to describe each little

pain that we have. If a patient were to
people by going through their medical
Storing of medical records isnt a new
records. The situation could worsen if
concept, Google health, Microsoft health
write all of this to the doctor, hed have
the data falls into the hands of insurance
world and a host of others already exist.
to write 500 words every time which is
companies, they could use it to hike up
What makes this site different is the way in
just not feasible, says Joshi. Instead the
premiums that they charge the user,
which it targets Indian users. Here we still
site has integrated voice tags along with
says Bhatnager. Because of this, the site
use a lot of paper and lm. Not everybody
the proles. You dont have to write, just
doesnt have any advertising and secures
can scan them and upload them on their
record what you want to tell the doctor and
all content using 128-bit encryptionthe

standard for other condential data like
e-mails. What we have created is like a
bank vault. You keep all your information
there, and you choose what you want to do
with it, he adds.
Together, with storage and security,
myhealthreords.in, has created space
where a user can simply go and upload
all the medical records and reports of
the entire family, including the pet. But it
We in India like to
describe each little
pain that we have. If a
patient were to write
all of this to the doctor,
hed have to write 500
words every time.
send it, he adds. This feature is set for an

upgrade as the founders also want to add
videos and live chat into the site which can
easily help patients explain their troubles.
This digitization of records, a
membership fee and a yearly upkeep
fee, is expected to keep the site running.
The real challenge is to take this service
to the rural areas, where healthcare is
virtually non-existent and people are left
to the mercy of quacks. People are forced
doesnt stop there. There is also a doctors
own, explains Joshi. To facilitate this, the
to come to big cities and spend months
chamber, which has been set up. If a user
founders have started kiosks all around the
on getting reliable treatment. This site
has an ailment, he can choose a relevant
country. For a small fee, we will take your
can really help them, says Bhatnager.
doctor from the list, share his medical
records digitize them, create your online
Currently, testing of this concept is slated
reports with him and seek an opinion.
proles and make them functional. All
to start in Gonda, a village in eastern Uttar
While this doesnt eliminate the need to
within 48 hours, after which your physical
Pradesh. We plan to create a model
see the doctor in person, it does reduce
records will be returned to you, says
where one person from the village is
the number of trips required. If a doctor
Bhatnager. The rates for digitization have
trained enough to operate the Internet
has seen you, and has asked you to get a
been kept low enough so that most Indian
and help all the other villagers in tracking,
couple of tests, you dont have to go back
citizens can use it. When you join the
uploading, and translating their records,
to him, you can simply share the results
site you end up paying the most as a lot of
he adds. With every six villages in the
over the Internet. You save your traveling
records have to be uploaded. After this the
country expected to get one Internet kiosk
costs and time, and this enables the doctor
cost is just once in a while. At ten rupees
under the aegis of the Common Service
to see more patients, says Joshi. But
for scanning A4 records and creating the
Center scheme, the net might just be the
the reduced number of patients doesnt
metadata, hundred rupees for uploading a
cure to all our ailments.
mean lesser earning for the doctor. On the
MRI, weve noticed that in Rs 700 you can
arjun.jassal@chip-india.com
| 23
NEWSWIRE
FEATURE
Orkut drives OpenSocial

Today, our entire universe is embedded in the Web. CHIP spoke with Google
product marketing manager Manu Rekhi in Mountain View, California, about just
how social the Web is going to be. BY ARJUN JASSAL
Pramod Jadhav
acebook had the rst movers
Google went the other way, creating an
India is better than the rest of the world,
advantage; they made the API
application development sphere that would
the interface, experience is the best ever
development environment
let a developer launch his creation on a
seen, says Rekhi.
succeed. For that we are grateful to
variety of networks, stretching from Orkut
them, says Google product marketing
and Yahoo! to MySpace and Friendster.
this. There is an application called
You need three things to make any
Photobuzz thats been created by a
manager Manu Rekhi, from the companys
The applications seem to be reecting
mothership in Mountain View, California.
website successful: a quality product and
company in Gurgaon. It lets you play with
Kind words from a man who has been
user experience, marketing to bring in the
animation; for example, it will let you
trying to eliminate that very advantage
trafc, and nally, monetization to pay
take your friends prole picture animate
even before last November, when Google
back your investors. By using OpenSocial,
it and send it back to him. MTV was so
announced its OpenSocial application
the developer just has to concentrate on
impressed with it that they have given
programming interfaces (APIs). In India,
the rst. The other two are handled by
animations for it, adds Rekhi.
at least, rst there was Orkut and then
the social networks, adds Rekhi. Since
came Facebook; the younger player
these applications tap into the vast user
create an event which will automatically
made up for its late arrival by introducing
base of social networks, developers get
call your friends to it. The best part is
applications that let users communicate in
easy access to a large number of people.
that this application is integrated with
all kinds of ways, such as playing scrabble
Also since ads can be placed inside the
maps, so that your friends can nd the
or inicting mindless zombie bites on
applications, developers can also rake in
venue without any difculty. Another
each other. These applications attracted
cash from their code.
quintessentially Indian application that
scores of new users, creating trafc that
But its not only the developers who
Hangout, another application, lets you
is sure to become a rage on Orkut is
was unimaginable before it. Now, with the
gain. The networks get to attract and
Teenpatti, a card game traditionally
release of 19 applications on Orkut, Google
keep more users on the basis of these
reserved for festivals and close friends. I
has upped the ante between the two rivals
new bubbling applications. This is where
hadnt played it since I was 12, and today
once again.
Orkut is planning to score a major point
I spend three hours relearning the game.
in India: 8 out of the 19 applications have
It actually lets you chat with other players
have created a storm. Its the how
been developed right here. Its not like
in real time, and there is also a ranking
they have been created, by whom and
something created for the US or UK is
system that tells you who is the best
for whom thats made the difference.
being brought here, these applications
player at that time, he adds.
While Facebook has ensured that only
have been developed by Indian
developers who downloaded its API are
companies for Indian users. The quality
the applications were already being used
allowed to build applications for them,
[of applications] that we are getting from
by tens of thousands of users. Yet there
Yet its not just the applications that
In the twelve hours just after launch,
SMS us! Story code: NOR to 57007
FEATURE
One of Indias most popular card games, Teenpatti is now online. Play with
your friends with live chat, betting and rankings.
NEWSWIRE
Invite all your friends to hang out, but dont worry about giving them
directions. Just pinpoint the venue on a map.
For a man whos spent more than
is a deeper problem here, most of the
now, we need to focus on the users rst
social networks havent been able to
and think about the revenue later. Yet
six months strongly spreading the word
generate revenues that can sustain them.
for the users, things are denitely slated
of OpenSocial to encourage developers
Rekhi feels that its just a matter of time,
to improve. I think these applications
to adopt it and then spent hours sifting
If you look at the history of search, it took
will make the Web more social. In the
through a whole range of applications, its
a while to get the revenue model right.
future, you will be able to take the social
truly a culmination of long drawn plans,
It was three years after AdWords was
graph with you; if you go to a Rediff or a
and the start of a whole new wave of
released that the revenue started coming
Sulekha, youll be able to take your friends
connectivity.
in. Its the same with social networking
along, says Rekhi.
| 25
NEWSWIRE
NEWS SNIPPETS
In the News...
Danger Barometer
High Risk
Experts have warned

against mails
with attachments
containing jokes
that are packed with
trojans. Just delete
the mail you recieve
from unknown people
Medium Risk
Low Risk
OPEN SOURCE
Ubuntu 8.04 to include long term

support, new features
buntu Linux 8.04, codenamed Gutsy
default browser. Ubuntu 8.04 integrates with
Gibbon, was released on the 24th of April
PolicyKit for ne control over user access
in both desktop and server versions. This is
permissions, and PulseAudio sound server
the rst release in two years to qualify for
for mixing sound from different applications
long-term support. With maintenance and
across multiple soundcards.
updates provided ofcially, users and
N
New
end-user applications include
developers are assured of a stable

e
B
Brasero for CD/DVD burning,
platform to work with.
Are you safe enough?

Outdated
Signatures
Current Antivirus
Softtware
18%
53%
Ubuntu 8.04 is expected to

make inroads into the realm of
business desktops as well as
continue to expand the base of
casual Linux users.
New features include the latest version of
Transmission for BitTorrent downloads,

Uncomplicated Firewall for desktop
security, F-Spot photo manager, the
T
Totem video player with YouTube
su
support, and Inkscape for page layouts.
But probably the most interesting feature
is the incorporation of Wubi, a new installation
the Linux kernel, 2.6.24, as well as GNOME
mode using which Ubuntu can be installed on
2.22.1 and Xorg 7.3 for performance, reliability
a Windows machine as if it were any other
and user interface tweaks. Also noteworthy
program, without any need for repartitioning a
is the inclusion of Firefox 3 beta 5 as the
hard drive.
29%
No Anti-virus Softtware
An easy job for hackers: Of all the people
interviewed, only half surf the Web with sufficient
anti-threat protection
Source: G DATA
The Nastiest Viruses

Cash card systems: Trojan-Spy.Win32.Banker.ciy
Payment systems:
Trojan-PSW.Win32.VB.kq
Online banking:
Modification by Trojan spy
E-Mail Trojans:
Email-Worm.Win32.Netsky.q
The best hidden:
Trojan-Downloader.Win32
WEB
New spam-related web page found

almost every three seconds
nline security vendor Sophos has

published a report on the origin and
distribution of spam in the rst quarter of

2008. After analyzing unsolicited email sent
around the world for the entire quarter,
Sophos claims that 92.3 percent of all email
was spam. Also during this period, they
The smallest:
Trojan.DOS.DiskEraser.b
The largest:
Trojan.Win32.KillFiles.mb
pages every day, or one almost every three
The most annoying:
Backdoor.Win32.Aebot.e
seconds.
The most common:
Trojan-Downloader.Win32
Source: Kaspersky
FIGURE OF THE MONTH
10 minutes
The amount of time data can stay
intact in a computers RAM at -50
degrees Celsius.
Source: Princeton University
detected 23,300 new spam-related web
While the USA and Russia held on to

their positions at the top of the list, the gap
between them narrowed as compared to the
last quarter of 2007. Turkey was new to the
number three spot, with 5.9 percent of the
worlds spam.
Spammers are creating more and more
web pages to link to in their emails, as a way
to bypass spam lters. Unsuspecting users
click the links and are taken to pages with
content that would otherwise be blocked.
NEWS SNIPPETS
NEWSWIRE
WEB
The Pirate bay to sue

anti-piracy agencies?
he Pirate Bay, which calls itself the worlds largest BitTorrent

tracker, has announced its intention to le for damages against
the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI),

an organization which claims to represent the interests of the
recording industry worldwide. The website wants compensation
for the trafc that was blocked by a Danish ISP after a court ruled
that it had assisted copyright infringement by allowing access to
the site. The ruling apparently contravened European Union law.
The Pirate Bay has also announced that any money it receives
in a settlement will be used to provide grants to Danish musicians
who share their music online.
Earlier, they had launched
a new website, called The
Jesper Bay after the head
of the Danish IFPI, which
contained instructions on how
to circumvent the block.
The original ruling has also
come under scrutiny because
The Pirate Bay was not involved in the proceedings at all and was
not heard in court. The IFPI also had no rights over the music of
some of the people it claimed have suffered as a result of le
sharing, and had named them in the lawsuit without consulting
them. It also transpired that the police ofcer in charge of the
investigation might have been hired by Warner Bros while the
investigation was in progress.
Prior to this, The Pirate Bay had also led a police complaint
against antipiracy company MediaDefender, which works on
behalf of Sony, Universal, Paramount and Ubisoft amongst others.
The Pirate Bay showed that emails leaked from MediaDefenders
servers clearly showed that the company had launched illegal
denial of service attacks on The Pirate Bays servers, engaged in
illegal hacking and repeatedly ooded them with spam.
SECURITY
New security risks

discovered and patched
Sun Java: Security holes in current versions of the Java
software allow attackers to access data on your PC. Specics of
the vulnerability have not been released by Sun.
Solution: Install the latest version, Java 6 Update 5, and uninstall
all older versionsyou will need to do this manually.
Microsoft Access: Malicious code can be installed and
executed on the computer using the Access Jet Engine through a
security loophole in the MDB le format.
Solution: An update is not available yet. Microsoft points out that
Internet Explorer 7 and Outlook can block MDB les.
| 27
NEWSWIRE
NEWS SNIPPETS
SECURITY
US Government
to reduce number
of gateways
SECURITY
Spear-phishing scam uses accurate

details to target CEOs
he United States Government
has launched a scheme to
2,000 top company executives into installing
reduce the number of internet

gateways used by its various
new scam surfaced on the Internet

in early April, tricking approximately
malicious software on their computers.

The emails received by company
departments from approximately
executives, including many CEOs, informed
4,000 to a more manageable 50.
them that they were required to appear in a
The move is a response to growing
federal court. A link provided in the mail then
concerns about online espionage
sent them to a page resembling an ofcial
and terror attacks. The move should
US Government website, where they were
also allow for simpler management
informed that a plugin was required to read
and monitoring of web trafc.
the court documents. The URL did not lead to
scams which land in users inboxes as spam
an ofcial US government website, although
email, each email is individually designed
plan, as it is known, required
it had been created to look deceptively like
for a single recipient, with his or her name,
government agencies to submit
one. The plugin, of course, was the malicious
company information, and even phone
a plan for reconguring their
payload in disguise.
number. Users who would otherwise be
The Trusted Internet Connection
networks and Internet access

systems by April 15.
The move is already being
This kind of sophisticated targeting of

specic individuals has now come to be
known as spear phishing, and points to
suspicious of strange email messages have

also been fooled.
The scam has so far proven difcult
regarded by many analysts as
an increase in the sophistication of criminal
to contain, since the number of emails
long overdue.
scams. In contrast to most common phishing
circulating has been so small.
MEDIA
LEGAL ISSUES
Wikipedia to be
published
d
in print
Microsoft loses appeal over Vista

Capable stickers
n an age when
many publicationss
its Vista Capable and Vista Premium
minimum system requirements were lowered
are struggling to
Ready stickers were intentionally
so that Intels lower-end integrated graphics
compete with the Internet, the
misleading to consumers.
German edition of wikipedia.com is

to be published as a print volume.
icrosoft has lost its latest battle in a
computers to run Vista without the Aero
case brought against it alleging that
interface. It has also been revealed that the
Investigators will now be
chipsets would qualify.

The suit alleges that as a result of
allowed to unseal internal
the deliberate confusion, customers
Microsoft email messages as
ended up with much less of a computer
condensed articles which will
part of a discovery process to
than they would have expected they
be selected on the basis of their
gather evidence.
were getting.
The edition will contain 50,000
The minimum system requirements
relevance to readers. Mirroring
A number of comments
current pop culture, the edition
made by Microsoft staffers
to qualify for the Capable and
will have articles on television
are already known publicly.
Premium Ready rating have been
shows, comic characters
Amongst the most damning
criticized as being too low. Computers
and celebrities in addition to
of them is an internal memo
sold with the Vista Capable sticker
more academic topics such as
sent by Vice President Mike
historical events.
Nash, stating I personally got burned... I
all of its high-end graphical features enabled,
now have a $2,100 email machine. Other
especially the Aero interface with its 3D,
second largest language edition
messages have revealed widespread
transparency and animation effects. The
online, with 2.3 million articles.
internal criticism of the move to publish low
Aero look and feel has been one of the most
system requirements and to allow lower-end
heavily promoted of Vistas new features.
The German Wikipedia is the
can run Windows Vista, but not with
NEWS SNIPPETS
NEWSWIRE
INDUSTRY
Dell to cement its position

in India
ell has announced plans to expand production at its

manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The
company announced that its entire range of laptops from budget

models to high-end models was now being manufactured there.
The company also announced plans for a budget laptop, to be
called the Dell 500. Aimed at small businesses and the education
market in emerging nations, the machine will be priced starting
at Rs 24,500 and will offer a choice of Windows or Ubuntu Linux
as the operating system. While specications were not disclosed,
the Dell 500 will come with an onsite warranty in 600+ cities.
India is the fastest growing market for Dell worldwide and
g
laptops have emerged as the fastest growing
form factor. In fact, Dell has decided to
focus on laptops worldwide as a strategic
growth priority and the start of laptop
production in India is an important part of
our plans, said Dell APAC President PaulHenri Ferrand in a statement to the press.
WEB
Webware contest reveals

the top 100 web services
ebware.com, a site owned by CNET Networks and

dedicated to discovering the best of the Internet, has
announced the winners of its annual Webware 100 awards. Over

1.9 million web users voted for their favorite web-based apps, and
10 winners each in 10 categories were announced. The 10 most
popular web apps overall were DeviantArt, Facebook, Firefox,
Friendster, Gaia Online, Google, iTunes, Maxthon, MySpace, and
YouTube. Other notable winners include:
AUDIO: BlogTalkRadio, eMusic, ilike, Last.fm,
Live365, Pandora, Zune Marketplace,

BROWSING: Firefox, Google Reader, iGoogle,
Opera, Safari, Windows Live Home

COMMERCE: Amazon, Craigslist, eBay, Google
AdWords, Kayak, PayPal, Woot, Zillow

COMMUNICATION: Gmail, iChat, meebo, Pidgin,
Skype, Windows Live Hotmail, and Yahoo! Mail

PRODUCTIVITY: 30 Boxes, Basecamp, Google Calendar, I Want
Sandy, Remember the Milk, Yahoo Calendar, Zoho

SEARCH: Answers.com, Ask.com, Google Earth, Google Maps,
Hakia, Wikia, Wikipedia, Yahoo

SOCIAL: Bebo, Google Groups, LiveJournal, Yahoo Groups
UTILITY: BitTorrent, Box.net, LogMeIn, OpenDNS, OpenID,
ShareFile, Yahoo Briefcase, Yousendit

VIDEO: Amazon Unbox, Joost, Netix, Vimeo, Youtube
| 29
COLUMN
PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY
Wheres my Broadband?
I
ts an evening like any other and Im sitting
I want each episode of my favorite TV shows
at my computer, surng the Web. I have my
dropped into my playlist as soon as they air. I
browser running, with 10-12 tabs currently
want multi-party videoconferencing. And I want
open. One of these tabs is a funny YouTube

video forwarded to me by a friend. The reason
JAMSHED AVARI
Assistant Editor - Technical,
CHIP
I dont think
any of us have
experienced
real broadband
enough to really
appreciate
the difference
it makes.
to do most of these things simultaneously.

But those are just pipe dreams with my
Im multitasking so much is that the video has
ridiculous 256 kbps connection. I say ridiculous
been buffering in the background for the last
rst because 256 kbps is a laughable speed,
half hour and Im waiting patiently for it to nish
second because the actual speed almost never
loading. After clicking the link I waited for the
even approaches that number (even after
page containing the video to load, lowered the
factoring in the difference between kb and KB),
volume to zero as soon as it started playing, and
and third because Im paying about as much
then switched to another tab so I dont see the
for it as people in most other countries pay for
contents and spoil the fun. When its nished
2-8 Mbps. The only saving grace is that its an
loading, Ill play the whole thing from the
uncapped connection, meaning I dont have
beginning. If I dont do this, Ill end up watching
a limit of capacity (in megabytes or gigabytes
the clip in bursts of a second at a time with
per month) as well as speed. And this kind of
agonizing blank space in between, which will
connection is considered way above average.
pretty much kill everything about it that might

have been funny.
In fact its so above average that my ISP

doesnt even admit this on its website or in any
Ive paused whatever downloads I had
printed material, that it exists! I heard from a
running in the background and quit my instant
friend that if I phoned the ISPs helpdesk and
messaging programs. Im opening a few pages
specically asked for the unlimited plan, Id be
of text, but only with the utmost trepidation.
told of its existence and allowed to sign up. The
After waiting half an hour already, I really dont
ofcially listed plans come with a cap of about 1
want the video to get interrupted, forcing me
GB per month at the same price.
to start buffering it all over again. This has
What do you think is a reasonable rate
happened countless times, usually when 75-80
to pay for a broadband connection? Even a
percent of the video has loaded.
thousand rupees per month is a huge chunk
I havent yet been able to stream a video on
of most peoples earnings, and broadband is
YouTube (or any other video sharing site) the
understandably not a priority for most people.
way its meant to be streamed. What I should
Id say that Rs 500-800 per month is reasonable
be able to do is click a link to a video, wait a
for me, considering that my work and leisure
second or two, during which time at least a
requirements depend on my Internet connection.
minute of it should get buffered, and then just
And so a quick check of the rates listed ofcially
start watching. By the time Im 30 seconds in,
by a few local and national ISPs is quite
the whole thing should be loaded and I shouldnt
revealing. 256 is by far the most common speed
have to deal with any skipping or stuttering.
available, but within my budget a 2 GB cap per
We as individuals are being crippled by the
month starts looking generous! Some offer
speeds were forced to put up with. In fact I
uncapped access between certain night hours,
dont think any of us have experienced real
and at least one ISP cryptically lists its speed (for
broadband enough to really appreciate the
capped plans only) as 256 kbps up to 2 Mbps.
difference it makes. I want to work at the speed
One offers a 1 Mbit plan for Rs 3,600 per month.
that I think, without waiting for web pages
Thats as much as a 5-20 Mbit plan in other
to load. I want to watch entire videos within
countries. Most dont have anything above 2
seconds of clicking a link, and make Internet
Mbit listed and one has a 2 Mbit uncapped plan
voice calls in which I can actually hear complete
that costs Rs 20,000 per month!
sentences from the person on the other end.

I want to play games in real-time and stream
movies or music albums without waiting a week.
Why are we paying and still not getting the

speed? Where is my real broadband?
COVER STORY
Power Crisis
Management
CH shows you how to

CHIP
deal with power shortages
dea
this summer, and protect
your electrical appliances
you
and computers from power
faults and failure.
fau
BY B
BRIAN PEREIRA, FRANCIS DSA &
DUS
DUSHYANT KHILNANI
Pramod Jadhav
SMS us! Story code: CPM to 57007
COVER STORY
an you go an entire day without lights

and fans? No daily x of cable TV, music,
Internet or computer games either. You
probably wouldnt experience this if you live

in the heart of a metro like Mumbai where
electrical power is taken for granted. But
day-long power cuts are a way of life for people
living in Mumbais exurbs and in other parts
of the state. Why, even major cities like Delhi,
Bangalore and Kolkata face power shortages.
More than three-fourths of Indias population
lives in villages, and many of these villages
do not have electricity. Each year, thousands
leave remote villages or towns and ock to
powered cities in search of employment. As
a direct consequence, power requirements of
the city increase exponentially. Most modest
shanties in Mumbai have electricity. And due to
the present real estate boom, additional power
lines will be installed in new buildings. During
the summer months, electrical consumption
increases as air conditioners and fans operate
for longer durations. Can the state keep up with
the increasing energy demands?
The state cannot meet its complete energy
requirement by buying additional power from
neighboring states. In fact, a major television
news channel has declared that Mumbai will
face a shortage of 900 Megawatts this summer.
So all of us need to be prepared to sweat
it out. We need to be prepared for power
glitches like blackouts, brownouts, spikes and
surges. This can turn out to be a costly affair
too. Erratic power conditions can damage
fridge compressors and sensitive electronic
devices like computers. So clearly, you have an
impending crisis on your hands.
In this story, we discuss how power is
heavily consumed and explain various power
glitches. We advise you on the right power
protection equipment for your devices. Be sure
to read our power saving tips!
| 33
COVER STORY
The demand for more power

Summer is here and its once again
Power Failure
holiday season. Schools and colleges are
While grid failures and power trips can
closed for two months. If the family has
lead to 'blackout' conditions, irregular
postponed its vacation this year, then
power supply can also have a damaging
indoor activities will abound. This means
effect. It can cause power lines to
increased usage of the TV, DVD, music
burn out, power trips and fuse burns.
system, computer, gaming console and
For example, if you are staying in an
other appliances at home. Fans, lights and
area that has several lifestyle malls
air conditioning units will be in operation
and entertainment zones, the power
for longer hours. The increased demand
consumption in that area increases during

the day, causing the voltage to possibly dip
for power will of course mean that power

suppliers will need to keep up and make
provisions for extra supply.
High-end speaker systems consume a lot of

power. You can save power by using headphones.
immensely or even fail.

Power failure or even voltage
central air conditioning systems for the
uctuations can be a threat to electrical
and water heaters consume a lot of
whole building. Industrial areas and
equipment used in homes and ofces
power. What many fail to realize is that
ofce buildings also need more power
(See box: What could go wrong with
even electronic equipment like TVs, DVD
during summer. Computers, printers
power). Sudden voltage peaks or dips
players, and computers (when used
and specialized machinery need air
can cause severe damage to electronic
frequently) can lead to inated electricity
conditioning as they are prone to failure if
and electrical devices. For instance, the
bills. These devices consume a signicant
overheated. Hotels and restaurants also
compressor in a refrigerator, which is
amount of power, even in standby mode
need additional power for continuous
usually in operation 24x7, would burn out if
(see the cover story on Green Computing
cooling, even when they are not packed to
the voltage suddenly dips or rises. Heavy
in CHIP, March 2008). Even a careless
capacity.
spikes would pass directly through the
Appliances like air conditioners, irons,
act, like keeping a refrigerator door open
Power companies in the state supply
computers power supply unit to the hard
for too long, can increase consumption
a nite amount of power. If they cannot
drive or motherboard, causing malfunction
(explained later in this story).
meet the additional requirement during
or crashes. This would lead to data loss,
summer, then frequent power trips and
data corruption, or component failure.
Power is heavily consumed at public

entertainment zones: movie halls,
load shedding are bound to occur. This will
gaming zones and malls. These have
also lead to voltage uctuations.
Well next take a look at the power

protection equipment that you need.
What could go wrong with power?

Power irregularities can occur due to various
reasons. While modern electrical appliances
are built to withstand typical voltage
fluctuations, PCs, peripherals, notebook
adapters and other electronic devices are
more sensitive to power glitches. Heres a
look at what can go wrong on the power line.
SURGE: An increase in voltage lasting a few
fractions of a second. Surges are caused
when power hogging
appliances such as
SURGE
air conditioners are
switched off. If this
happens frequently,
consider putting the appliance (air
conditioner) on a separate phase line. Surges
can cause computer equipment to shut off
and may result in data loss.
SPIKE: A spike is a tremendous increase in
voltage (up to 6,000 Volts) for a duration of
a second or less. Spikes are caused when a
bolt of lightning strikes a power line or when
SPIKE
power is restored after a

blackout. Thats why it is
strongly recommended
that you switch off
all equipment when a
blackout occurs.
BROWNOUT OR SAGS: This is a common
power fault. When power guzzling appliances
like motors and air
conditioners are
SAGS
switched on, they draw
substantial amounts of
power, causing dips in
voltage elsewhere on the phase. A brownout
or sag is a decrease in voltage levels that
could last for a time interval ranging from a
fraction of a second to a few hours.
NOISE: While watching TV, we sometimes
notice that the picture is distorted when
someone switches on the mixer in the
kitchen. This is caused by Radio Frequency
Interference (RFI) or Electromagnetic
Interference (EMI).
Noise, as the condition
is commonly called, can
play havoc with circuits
in computer systems.
It can lead to data corruption, data loss
and system freezes. Other causes of noise
are broadcast transmissions, microwave
radiation and electrical storms.
BLACKOUT: This condition arises when there
is no voltage supply (zero voltage) for an
extended period of time.
A blackout is commonly
referred to as load
BLACKOUT
shedding. Since most
electrical devices do not
operate below 80 V, a dip in voltage below
this may also be regarded as a blackout.
DROPOUT: This is a blackout that lasts for
less than one second. It could occur due to
a loose connection of the fuse or due to a
wiring problem, for instance.
NOISE
COVER STORY
Power Protection Equipment

Now that you are aware about various
power glitches and the damaging effect
these can have on your computing
This is a basic circuit diagram of

an analog voltage stabilizer (for
demonstration purposes only).
equipment and appliances, you must
Correction
Arm
be keen to protect them. You need to

understand how these work and how they
protect. Below are a few power protection
AC Input
Voltage
Sensing
Circuit
solutions. When you are able to discern
Correction
Motor
between them, you will be able to decide

which solution works best for you. For
Constant
Output
230V
AC
most people, power protection means

investing in a spike guard. While this is the
most affordable solution, it will not protect
your equipment from blackouts, brownouts
components do the same work, so theres
power to be released for the equipment
and voltage uctuations.
less latency. However, both types of
connected to it.
VOLTAGE STABILIZER:
stabilizers have one problem (unless you
This device, as its
buy an expensive high-quality stabilizer):
amount or intensity of spikes they can
name suggests,
they have a higher risk of sending or
handle. If the spikes are huge, they can
stabilizes the
bypassing spikes through them. So it
either damage the spike buster or even
voltage from the
makes sense to use a spike buster too.
pass right through its lter. Use inverters
main power source
SPIKE BUSTERS: These units look like regular
or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
to the operating
extension boards or power strips. They
when spikes, voltage uctuations and
electrical unit. The
are commonly used for computers and
black outs are common.
unit is connected
other electronic equipment like televisions
INVERTERS: These units comprise of
to the mains, and
and home stereos. These units dont
circuitry to convert regular 220 V AC to
the operating unit is given ltered power
consume electricity, but lter out small
DC and to store the electric charge in an
through the stabilizers internal circuitry.
spikes and minor electrical disturbances.
internal or external battery. The DC power
Heres how it works: The inside of a
Spike busters have a 5 ampere fuse and
from these batteries is then converted
stabilizer contains a huge copper coil
an electrical lter. A spike buster is also
to pure, stable and spike free 220 V AC
with a moving (motorized) arm, which is
known as a surge suppressor.
power for electrical equipment.
controlled by a voltage detecting circuit.
As explained earlier, a spike is a power
Spike busters too have a limit to the
An inverter does not have a voltage
The circuit detects a low or high voltage,
surge in an electrical line. Spikes can
sensing device at the input to regulate the
in the input section and accordingly rotates
also be an annoying interruption when
voltage. However, it can detect a power
the arm clockwise or anticlockwise to
you are listening to music or watching
cut, or zero voltage, and then switch to
increase or decrease the output voltage,
TV. For instance, if someone is using the
battery mode. This is quite similar to
thus keeping a constant voltage output.
mixer while you watch TV, the picture is
the way emergency tube-lights work in
distorted. And if you are listening to music,
ofces, elevators and local trains.
Lets assume that the voltage in the

area increases from the regular 220 V
you will hear crackling sounds. When your
to 300 V. The circuit detects a voltage
neighbor is doing some carpentry or tiling
and factories to run basic, low-power
difference of 80 V. It tries to restore the
work, the electric drill or cutter causes
electrical units like fans and lights.
original voltage setting by rotating the
similar electrical disturbances.
Inverters sell well in power affected areas
arm by a certain distance on the coil.
When the mixer-grinder or the electric
Inverters are used in homes, ofces
like industrial zones, villages, and small
This distance acts like a resistance and
drill is used, it runs a motor
cities. These areas witness frequent load
decreases the voltage at the output to
that creates ne sparks
shedding and scheduled power cuts.
a stable 220 V. The power sent to the
inside the unit. These
electrical appliance is a constant 220 V.
sparks are carried through
electrical equipment like ACs, refrigerators
the main power line in your
or even computers, as such equipment
The stabilizer is available in analog and
Inverters can't be used for heavy-duty
digital variants. Analog types have the
home or building, causing
rotating arm. Since the arm is driven by
disturbances which can
a motor, the latency is high; and it might
damage delicate electronic
There are heavy duty inverters that
be too late by the time the arm moves to
equipment. These spikes
can handle air conditioners. These
the correct position to adjust the voltage.
are cut-off or ltered by the
use lead-acid batteriesthe type
Digital stabilizers dont use arms; digital
spike guard, allowing cleaner
used in cars or trucks.
draw lot of power. Also, the power output

of an inverter is not completely ltered.
| 35
COVER STORY
UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supplies)

This rather popular electronic device
STANDBY UPS: This type of UPS includes a
fraction of the power is used to charge the
continues to supply electric power to
transfer switch that switches the output
battery. When the power fails, the switch
the load for a certain period, after loss of
load to internal inverter (battery) in case
disconnects the AC input and connects
power from the mains, or when the input
the primary AC power source fails. The
the battery to give power to the load.
voltage is below normal levels.
usual switching time is around 1 to 5
Here too, there is a switching time, and it
milliseconds, during which the load is
can cause a power trip to certain types of
is IEC 62040-3, which denes limits
momentarily interrupted. If the computers
computer power supplies.
on the output voltage acceptable for
power supply cannot handle the
ONLINE UPS: In this type of UPS, the input
switching power supplies (SMPS or
interrupted power, it will switch off. Cheap
AC power is used to continuously charge
PSU). Hence a UPS is largely used for
power supplies have this issue in handling
the battery and the battery is used to
computers. This unit is similar to an
power interruptions. This type of UPS is
power the inverter circuit to run the load.
inverter and gives out uninterrupted power
not very costly.
There is no switching done in this case,
in case of power cuts. But the power
LINE INTERACTIVE UPS: This type of UPS
and hence the power interruption to the
handling capacity is much better than an
normally regulates the input voltage to
load is close to nil.
inverter, and the power quality is superior.
a certain extent by using some lters
There are various types of UPS systems
and transformers. The UPS contains a
expensive and the life of their battery is
available. The most common ones are
bi-directional inverter or charger which is
also lower (because of frequent charging
described as follows:
always connected to the load and only a
and discharging).
machines, computers and CCTV systems. You

can opt for two basic types of UPS systems:
STANDBY UPS: This provides a surge
protected power for all your load/equipment.
However in the event of power irregularities
or power failures, the unit automatically
switches to battery backup mode.
LINE INTERACTIVE UPS: This provides
more enhanced power protection using
a built-in voltage regulation circuit. The
regulator allows the UPS to handle more
power fluctuations, without necessarily
having to switch to battery mode. It switches
to battery mode only when the power fails.
upon the load connected to it. For instance,

if a 500 VA UPS is connected with a load
of 200 Watts, the runtime would increase
by almost 150 percent more than the rated
time. For example, if you have a 500 VA
UPS (30 minutes on full load), and the load
is 200 Watts, the runtime of continuous
power would be approximately 1 hour and 10
minutes. Higher runtimes call for a UPS which
supports or accepts additional batteries.
SOFTWARE: This feature is important
for those who consider installing a UPS for
servers. The bundled software installed on
the server, coupled with a USB or RS232
cable running from the UPS to the computer
(load) helps in data protection too. In case of
a power failure, for instance, if the UPS gives
you 10 hours of backup power, the server will
be powered for 9 hours and 30 minutes and
will keep alerting the administrator that the
UPS is running out of standby battery power.
In case the server administrator fails to take
notice of the alert, the software triggers an
automatic save and the server successfully
shuts down without any data loss.
All the above features can add up to the
price of the power protection unit and may
not be necessary for most users. However,
check the manufacturers website for the
products features before buying one. We
found a helpful guide for UPS on the APC site.
You can find it here: http://www.apc.com/
products/category.cfm?id=13
The generic standard for UPS systems
These types of UPS are usually quite
UPS, stabilizer or spike guard?

You need the right kind of solution to protect
all your power sensitive electronic equipment
from power failure. Making a choice can
be confusing. You might ask yourself if you
need a UPS and stabilizer. And if the choice
is UPS, then which type? Through this small
guide, we hope to guide you in making a
straightforward decision. First of all, you
need to understand the type of power
problem you face: spikes, surges, brownouts
or blackouts?
Surge suppressors are most commonly
used for peripherals like fax machines,
printers etc. The qualities you would want to
look out for in surge suppressors would be:
The current rating should be 5 amps.
The filter should not let a voltage of more
than 250 Volts pass through.
Response time of less than 10 ns.
LED indicators for over/under voltage, line
faults, and blown fuse indication.
If you live in an area where the power dips
or rises are common, then you must consider
either a voltage stabilizer or a UPS. Consider
a digital automatic voltage stabilizer instead
of an analog one. The response time of power
stabilization is faster and more accurate in
the digital stabilizer, because it does not have
a motor to control the power variation.
For brownouts and blackouts, consider
buying a UPS. This is the most common and
best solution for those needing continuous
power supply for equipment like fax
When buying a UPS, consider these features:

CAPACITY: It is measured in VA (Voltage
Amps)the maximum power the unit can
handle. Here you need to ensure that the UPS
can handle the amount of power needed by
the load. Add up all the power needed by your
equipment and make sure the UPS rating is
equal to or more than the required power
rating. For instance, if your computer is
using a maximum of 600 Watts including the
monitor, buy a UPS rated 1000 VA or 1 KVA (at
least 25 percent more than the requirement).
For most computing systems, a 500 VA or
1000 VA UPS would suffice.
RUNTIME: The manufacturer of the UPS
measure how long their UPS can provide
power to the equipment during a power
failure. This runtime will depend completely
COVER STORY
How to manage and save power

Weve discussed how power surges occur
and how to prevent them from damaging
electrical appliances. But consumers
have a bigger concern: huge electricity
bills during summer. It seems people like
to use electronic equipment to enhance
their lifestyles and give more thought to
the way in which others pronounce their
names than thinking of critical issues such
as power management. For instance, does
anybody think about power consumption
before buying lifestyle products such as
two-door refrigerators?
In this section, we shall discuss vital
What is tripping?
lesser power and produce lesser heat. The
The temperature in an air-conditioned

room needs to be kept constant at the
preset value (for instance 20 degrees). In
order to obtain this, the internal thermostat
detects a fall in temperature below the
preset value, and tells the compressor to
shut down. This is called tripping. Similarly,
with a rise in temperature, the thermostat
tells the compressor to restart. You must
have noticed a periodic sound in a window
AC. Its the sound of the compressor
tripping.
consume less than a quarter of the power
aspects with regard to power consumption
best substitute for bulbs is CFLs, which

(say 9 Watts).
ELECTRIC IRON (700 - 1100 WATTS): Although
irons are not kept on at all times during

usage, these too are power guzzlers;
however there are ways to curb its usage.
Heating up an electric iron takes a while
before you start ironing clothes. Once the
iron plate is hot, the internal thermostat
cuts off, but after dropping to a certain
temperature, the plate is heated again.
Every heating cycle adds up to the power
consumption.
in homes and ofces. For instance,
have air compressors, and hence utilize a lot
well be elaborating on equipment that
of energy. Refrigerators are never switched
you can wait till the
consume heavy amount of power such as
off, except during defrosting or for cleaning.
clothes pile up over
high-end computers, refrigerators and air
Saving power in this case can be difcult,
a period of time, and
conditioners etc.
but you can follow a few steps to increase
then iron them on
power efciency.
the same day. An
For each device, well mention its

power requirements, and offer tips to
When the
To save power,
exception being that,
enhance its efciency. Well also tell you
refrigerator door is
youre in a hurry to
about alternatives that gobble less power.
frequently opened or
go somewhere and
kept open for a longer
you need your favorite
Cooling Systems
period, the cool air
shirt ironed.
AIR CONDITIONER (3000 WATTS): In an air
escapes causing a rise
HEATERS (3000 WATTS):
conditioner (lets refer to them as air-cons),
in the temperature
Although were in the
its the compressor that consumes most
inside. This causes the
middle of summer, its worth mentioning
of the power. Its worth mentioning, that
compressor to work
that taking regular warm water baths
air-cons fall into the most power hogging
continuouslywithout
can be expensive, especially if you use
beasts category. The power they consume
trippingto keep
a geyser or boiler. Electric water heaters
depends a lot on the surroundings, in and
the refrigerator cool. If the door is kept
use immersive coils that work on a similar
outside the air conditioned area.
closed, the temperature remains constant
principle as that of an electric iron.
If youre out to buy a new air
without rising. Therefore, the most
While consuming loads of power,
conditioner, a window AC is a better
importantalthough clichtip is to keep
the coil heats the waterinside the
choice than a split unit. A split unit has two
the refrigerator door tightly closed.
chamberup to a certain temperature
main components, the air blower, mounted
before the internal thermostat cuts/trips
on the inside wall of the house, and the
Illumination
off. If the hot water isnt used before its
compressor unit, on the outside. Hence
BULBS/LAMPS 100 WATTS: Common house
temperature drops, the thermostat forces
there are two fans used, one in each. In
bulbs use heating elements such as a
the coil to re-heat the water, thus wasting
a window unit, one fan does all the work,
tungsten wire, which lights up. This also
power. Hence, switch on the
except air compression.
generates heat, thus consuming lot of
water heater for
power40 - 100 Watts.
a while, say ve
If you really want to save power while

keeping your home cool, opt for a cooler
oler
Most
Mo fancy light ttings use these
minutes, and turn
as opposed to an AC. Air-coolers
bulbs for incandescent (yellow)
it off. Turn it back
have two simple internal motors
lighting.
on for more hot
that run on the standard power
If one nuclear family uses
waterif needed.
supply. In the TIPS section, we
around ve to ten such bulbs,
Simple! If taking a
tell you how to use air conditioners
imagine
i
the power that is
warm water bath
efciently.
collectively
co
consumed. In contrast
is unavoidable, take
REFRIGERATORS 700-2000 WATTS: Like
to incandescent
i
bulbs, uorescent
a look at the TIPS
air conditioners, refrigerators too
tubes and CFL lamps use much

tube
section.
| 37
COVER STORY
WASHING MACHINES (500 - 600 WATTS): These
days most homes use washing machines.

Washing machines have powerful motors
to spin at high speeds with the heavy load
of wet clothes.
This too, results in heavy power
consumption. But, it is better to wash
more clothes at once than run the machine
repetitively on different days. However,
take care not to overload the machine, or
else it may get damaged.
Modern homes also have dishwashers,
and these are common with well-heeled
Energy calculator for computers

ENERGY CALCULATOR FOR COMPUTERS
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/
psucalculatorlite.jsp
There are online energy calculators
available on the Internet such as the
Extreme power supply calculator.
All you have to do is punch in the detailed
configuration of your PC or laptop and hit
the calculate button. The aggregate of
power consumed by all the components,
is displayed.
people. These machines use a heating

element to wash dishes with warm water,
thus consuming more power. When
switched on, the same amount of water is
used, regardless of the load (one dish or
a machine full of dishes). So wash all the
dishes at one go, and avoid washing a few
dishes at a time. If you avoid repetitive use
of the machine, you can save power.
COMPUTERS: Computers have a good scope
to restrict themselves from wasting energy.
ENERGY CALCULATOR FOR HOME

APPLIANCES
http://www.rel.co.in
Similar to the above calculator, this
website can help you calculate power
consumption of electrical appliances
used at home or at office. You should
take a look at the tab labeled Knowledge
center, located at the top right corner of
the screen.
To utilize the minimal amount of power,

internal components can be tweaked
through the operating system and third-
Lets take a quick look at some of the
GRAPHICS CARDS: In the gaming world, if
party applications.
most power-hungry components.
the computer is a car, then the graphics
GAMING PCS (500-600 WATTS): Gaming or
CRT MONITORS: These monitors consume
card is the engine. When it comes to
high-end computers use more power than
maximum amount of power due to the
playing games on a PC, the graphics
standard mainstream ones. PC games
technology involved.
card is the most signicant component.
have certain prerequisites with regard
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) is used in
Most of the recent graphics cards require
to hardware, such as better graphics
monitors and television sets. The tube
power that cannot be supplied through
cards, higher amount of memory, better
comprises of power-guzzling components,
the motherboards PCIe slotsdue to
processing, high-capacity hard drives and
such as an electron gun and an EHT (extra
limitations of the connectors. Hence, most
a monitor that supports higher resolutions.
high tension) transformer. These monitors
mid- and high-end graphics cards have
Higher the performance of the computer,
emit harmful radiations. A good substitute
6-pin and dual 6-pin power cables.
the more power it will consume.
is the LCD (TFT) monitor.
OTHER COMPONENTS: Power consumption in
LCD monitors use a completely
Such cards need efcient heat

dissipation due to higher clock speeds
PC components differs to a great extent.
different technology besides they do not
and large amounts of RAM. This calls for
CRT monitors and graphics cards consume
have tubes. They use Thin Film Transistor
bigger fans and high-end water cooling kits
the most power.
(TFT) technology, which involves
with additional fansall of which increase
humongous amounts of tiny transistors
power consumption.
Next comes the processor (CPU) and

other components such as hard drives,
that require miniscule amount of power.
SSD drives, RAM, optical
They do not emit any radiation, hence are
drives, expansion cards,
harmless and power-efcient
and devices using the USB
at the same time making
and FireWire standards.
them a good option.
Moreover, even additional
However, even if you
components such as water
use a CRT monitor, there
cooling kits demand a
are ways to curb the power
considerable amount of
consumption using some tips.
power. It is wise to use these
You can take a look at a few
judiciously and save power.
tips on the following page.
COV R STO
COVER
STORY
RY
Power saving tips

Air conditioners
released steam straightens the creased
If you arent keen on playing games,
Keep the temperature at about 23
clothes faster than a standard iron, hence
avoid installing a graphics cardespecially
degrees, which is cool and pleasant even
using lesser time and power.
models with liquid cooling solutions.

Disconnect/remove all unwanted
in summer.
Use coolers instead of air conditioners;
Heaters
hardware from the cabinet such as unused
due to the absence of a compressor, the
Make use of solar-powered heaters to
oppy drives, optical drives, hard drives,
power consumed is much lesser.
heat water instead of using boilers.
expansion cards and so on.
As far as possible, keep doorsto the
Use instant water heaters instead of
Avoid overclocking your processor or
air conditioned areaclosed, so that warm
storage boilers, as the former heats up
graphics card if you want to save power.
air doesn't enter the room and the cool air
only the required amount of water. In
Overclocking causes the processor/GPU to
doesnt escape.
contrast to that, the latter heats up gallons
run at higher clock speeds and consume
of water unnecessarily.
more power.
Refrigerator
When using a water heater, keep the
Set the monitor to automatically shut off
Open the refrigerator door only when
water-tap closed so that the hot water
or go in standby mode when idle.
needed and avoid keeping it open for a
doesnt get replaced by cold water coming
Turn the monitor off when your
long time.
from the inlet. This will ensure a speedy
computer is unattended, for instance
Most high-end units have a door alarm
heating cycle. But make sure that, you
when downloading les overnight.
which goes off when the door is kept
either turn off the heater after some time
You do not need a fully lit up screen at
open for a long period.
or open the tap to let the hot water ow
all times. Reduce the monitor's luminosity
Using a single-door refrigerator instead
(or do both). Failing to do so, may cause
till the point it is visible.
of a twin door saves power.
damage to the coil inside.
Laptops
Do not use a fan where the refrigerator

door is in line.
Cell phones
Reduce the luminance of the backlight
Let left over food cool down to room
Use a car charger instead of plugging
to save power when possible.
temperature and then store it in the
the charger into a wall socket at home.
Keep the wireless switch turned off
refrigerator. This way, the freezer uses
Do not keep your phone for charging
at all times, unless you are connected or
lesser energy to freeze the food.
overnight, this will damage your phone and
want to connect to a wireless network.
When heating refrigerated food; heat up
waste power at the same time.
Every time you give AC current to your
required quantities of food as opposed to
When using the computer, charge your
laptop (from a wall socket), the battery
an entire four course meal all at once.
phone using the USB port. This uses
begins a new charge cycle. Charge your
the power from the PSUwhich may
laptop battery only after the battery is fully
otherwise be wasted.
drained.
Illumination
If you have a graphics card, but rarely
When working on a laptop, you may not

need much ambient lighting; you can use a
General
use games or 3D applications, make use
USB lamp (5 V DC) as opposed to a regular
When alone, use stereo headphones
of tools that help you switch from the
40 - 60 Watt bulb.
instead of Hi-Fi speakers.
discrete GPU to integrated graphics. For
For a night lamp, use a zero watt bulb or
When family members dine or watch
instance, the PowerPlay and PowerMizer
an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp.
TV in the same room, the need for lights
tools by ATI and Nvidia respectively.
Walls in your house which receive the
and fans elsewhere does not arise so
Minimize unnecessary seeking of your
most considerable natural light should be
ensure that all other lights and fans are
hard drive head by uninstalling unwanted
painted in lighter/pastel shades to reect
switched off.
programs. Defragmenting your hard drive
light. This way, articial lighting during day
Instead of keeping the television, music
periodically is another good to avoid hard
time wont be needed.
system, printer, scanner, speakers and any
drive seek time.
You can use uorescent tubes instead
other appliance and device, on standby
Use the Balanced mode in 'Power
of incandescent/tungsten bulbs.
mode, switch them off completely. Better
Options'. This will utilize the processor
Use CFLs as they arent inexpensive,
yet, you can remove the power plug from
only when needed.
and are yet very power-efcient.
the socket.
Keep your laptop free from dust
Keep a regular check on your monthly
particles and keep it cool. Improper heat
bill to curb power consumption.
dissipation causes the fan to spin faster,
Iron
causing further power consumption.
While ironing, you may turn off the iron

completely when it is heated up. Turn the
Desktops
iron on againif there are more clothes.
Use LCD (TFT) monitors or TVs instead
Using a steam iron also helps, as the
of CRTs wherever possible.
brian.pereira@chip-india.com
francis.dsa@chip-india.com
dushyant.khilnani@chip-india.com
| 39
HARDWARE
Jagdish Limbachiya
Top Gear
ts time to check out some products that fell
when compared to an 8800 GTS and GTX, but
into our itchy hands this month. Find out how
you may prefer buying it only if you have a big
they fared at the CHIP Test Center.
heart and pocket. The bulky new Samsung
Freecoms Toughdrive Pro U&F is robust
SGH-800 5 mega-pixel camera-phone is
and feature-rich but its price overshoots its
denitely good for entry-level photography
capacity of 250 GB. On the other hand Saharas
enthusiasts who wish to carry around a camera
ImageBook 12Ws offers good value for money.
for basic clicking. It has a very good screen with
Fujitsus Tablet PC is also a good feature-packed
a fantastic keypad and it also features optical
performer but its price is also bordering on the
zoomthats quite cool for a mobile phone!
higher side.
The overclocked Zotac 9800 GTX Amp
Edition turned out to be a better performer
More products have been reviewed in-depth

in the next few pages, so lets not spoil the
suspense right away. Dive in!
Ratings Explained
The productsExplained
in the individual and comparison tests
Ratings
the higher is the weightage allotted to it. In
share exactly the same test procedures.
addition, there is a Value for Money rating, which
Each product in Top Gear is rated on a scale
features of the product in relation to the price. High
Build Quality, Features, Ergonomics, and Warranty.
performance and lots of features at a low price
These vary according to the characteristics of the
translates into a better Value for Money rating.
hardware. For instance, ergonomics (ease of use)
This rating is calculated using current prices of the
is not important in a graphics card and therefore, it
products.
will not be evaluated for this.

A products Overall Rating is calculated
is calculated from the performance and the
of 5 for different key parameters: Performance,
NOTE: The prices mentioned here do not include
taxes. Hence, they will vary according to the taxes
by assigning weightage to each evaluation
applicable in the city or state where you buy the
parameterthe more important a parameter,
product from.
SMS us! Story code: HTG to 57007
TESTED
HARDWARE
LAPTOP
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220

Specifications
Dimensions (WxHxD): 295x40x243 mm; Weight:
2.15 Kg; Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7300,
2.00 GHz; Chipset: Intel GM965; Memory: 1 GB
DDR2-533; Hard disk: 120 GB; Optical drive:
DVD-combo; Screen size: 12.1-inch; Native
resolution: 1024x768; Connectivity: 56 Kbps modem,
gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth.
Price
Rs 1,05,000
Contact
Fujisan Technologies Ltd
Phone
022-30213388
E-mail
gathani.paresh@fujisan.co.in
Website
www.fujsan.co.in
Warranty
1 year
RATINGS
Build quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
DESIGNERS TOUCH
Although feature-rich, the 4220 doesnt
impressive, for instance, the touch pad
The LifeBook T4220 clearly indicates
have an integrated webcam which might
and buttons are a users delight. When in
Fujitsus continuing endeavor to give the
come across as a downside.
tablet mode, the adjustable notch at the
masses a good quality, user-friendly and
BUILD QUALITY: Having an all-silver matte
top of the screen can be used to lock the
feature-packed tablet PCat a premium of
nish classy casing, it offers good build
screen which is a pretty cool feature!
course. Lets see what it has to offer.
quality and overall sturdiness. The well-
PERFORMANCE: The LifeBook 4220
FEATURES: The core components of the
placed stylus, hotkeys and ports offer
performs well for mainstream and mid-
LifeBook 4220 are similar to that of Dell
quick accessibility. Usability too is quite
level applications. Graphically intensive
Inspiron 1520which is based on a

performance chipset, the Intel PM965.
The difference being, the former is built
around the IGP variantIntel GM965. The
processor too is common to bothIntel
T7300, 2.00 GHz.
The LifeBook has 1 GB DDR2-533
MHz memory and it houses a 120 GB
hard drive. In spite of onboard graphics;
photographers and designers may rejoice,
for it features a WACOM-certied 12.1inch touchscreen (http://www.wacom.
com) ensuring immaculate precision and
durability. The screen is well calibrated (for

stylus only) and offers a native resolution
of 1024x768 pixels. Along with the stylus,
the bezel houses a nger print scanner and
ve hot keys.
Connectivity options include gigabit
Ethernet, a 56k modem, and a Wi-Fi
a/b/g/n module. The Wi-Fi standard n
will sufce for future standard hot spots.
applications may topple, as discrete
Scores
Synthetic Scores
SiSoft Sandra XII
Processor Arithmetic
Dhrystone
18784 MIPS
12765 MFLOPS
Whetstone
CPU Multimedia SSE Float
59928 fit/s
Memory Bandwidth
3828 MB/s
Drive Index
29 MB/s
PCMark 05 (overall)
4059
CPU
5200
Memory
4301
Hard disk
4022
Seq read/write
33 MB/s
Battery life (reader test)
4 hrs 4 mins
Real-World Scores
File compression: 200 MB files
80 sec
to RAR using best compression
Audio conversion: 50 MB
MP3@160 kbps-70 kbps WMA
Video encoding: 1 min MPG to
x.264 format
Cinebench R10
169 sec
90 sec
graphics is absent. Thats precisely why

game benchmarks were not included while
testing the T4220.
For real-world benchmarks, we used
le compression and A/V encoding. Most
of the tests churned out impressive scores
except for some memory-centric ones,
such as memory bandwidth. This is due to
its relatively lower memory speeds.
VERDICT: Its a useful tool for designers
and illustrators to make digital imprints. If

budget is not a constraint and you need
a tablet offering an excellent feature
set, good performance, and a nice
touchscreen, then this is a great option.
FOR: Good touch response, overall
performance, feature set, Wi-Fi n

standard.
AGAINST: Slightly heavy on the lap and on
the pocket. More memory would have
229 sec
been great.
| 41
HARDWARE
TESTED
GRAPHICS CARD
Zotac GeForce 9800 GTX Amp Ed.

Specifications
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 9800 GTX; Memory: 512 MB
GDDR3; Core speed: 756 MHz; Memory speed:
1150 MHz; Memory bus width: 256-bit; Stream
processors: 128; DirectX support: 10; Interface:
PCI-e x16 2.0; Video outputs: Dual-link DVI.
Price
Rs 24,999
Contact
Aditya Infotech Ltd
Phone
011-26223810
E-mail
sales@adityagroup.com
Website
www.zotac.com
Warranty
5 years
RATINGS
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
ADIEU 8800 GTX
dual-link DVI outputs and HDTV output
Crysis still remains a tough nut to crack
While the 9600 GTX and 9800 GX2 are
via an HDMI adapter bundled in the
at high resolutions with eye candy set to
targeted at the mainstream and enthusiast
package. Theres a provision for S/PDIF
max.
segment, the newly announced 9800 GTX
audio input on the side of the card next
VERDICT: If you already own an 8800 series
ts between the two. The spanking new
to the two 6-pin PCIe power connectors.
card, youre not missing anything great.
GPU is meant to replace the old 8800
Like the older 8800 GTX, the 9800 GTX
Instead of buying a 9800 GTX we suggest
GTX which is no longer in production as
too features two SLI edge connectors
you buy an 8800 GTS, 512 MB and save
it was cannibalized by Nvidias own 8800
for supporting both 2-way and 3-way SLI
a few thousand bucks unless you have a
GTS which offered similar performance
congurations.
deep pocket for a 3-way SLI setup.
at less than half the price. Lets nd out
PERFORMANCE: The scores clearly indicate
FOR: Better than the 8800 GTS due to
what this new member of the GeForce 9
that this factory-overclocked 9800 GTX
overclocked core and memory.
family has in store.
delivers merely a few more frames per
AGAINST: Nothing.
FEATURES: The 9800 GTX is based on the
second than the 8800 GTS. This means
G92 core that we have seen being earlier
that at stock speed, the 9800 GTX would
TEST BED
in the 8800 GT, 8800 GTS (512 MB),
perform almost similar to the 8800 GTS.
PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650,
and 9600 GT. With core and memory
Nonetheless, youll be able to comfortably
3.0 GHz
speeds of 675 MHz and 1100 MHz,
play games at high-denition resolution
MOTHERBOARD: Asus P5K Pro (Intel P35)
Nvidias new baby is slightly faster than
but with effects set to low or medium.
MEMORY: 2 x 1 GB G.Skill DDR2-800
the 8800 GTS, 512 MB and it is aimed
Scores
at the high-end segment. Zotac has
Performance
3DMark 06: SM 2.0 | SM 3.0
FEAR
1280x1024 High, 2xAA
1600x1200 Max, 4xAA
Call of Juarez
1280x1024 Balanced, 2xAA
1680x1050 Low, 4xAA
Crysis
1280x1024 Medium
1680x1050 Medium
1920x1080 Medium
already gone a rung higher and bumped

the core speed 12 percent higher to 756
MHz. The memory speed too has been
bumped by 50 percent. Despite these
differences, the design of the card isnt
different than Nvidias reference design.
The card is tted with a dual-slot cooler
about the length of the PCB, quite similar
to that of the 8800 GTS. Going by Nvidias
specications, the 9800 GTX features
8800 GTX
5094 | 5310
8800 GTS (512 MB) Zotac 9800 GTX Amp

5652 | 5524
6177 | 4596
134 fps
84 fps
131 fps
76 fps
151 fps
86 fps
27.9 fps
32.1 fps
30 fps
33.2 fps
31.6 fps
37.2 fps
64.16 fps
52.12 fps
45.96 fps
66.75 fps
54.62 fps
47.71 fps
68.21 fps
60.82 fps
56.28 fps
HARDWARE
TESTED
MOBILE PHONE
Samsung SGH-800
Specifications
Dimensions (WxHxD): 101x51.1x18.8 mm;
Weight: 134 g; Display: 2.4-inch, 240x320,
256K colors, Camera: 5 MP; Internal Memory:
160 MB, Expandable memory: microSD
Price
Rs 21,799
Contact
Samsung India Electronics
Phone
011-41511234
E-mail
joydeep.r@samsung.com
Website
www.samsung.com
Warranty
1 year
RATINGS
Build quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
WELL CONNECTED
rate in MP4 format and is a lot better than
somehow drains quicker than expected. It
Samsung have put in decent effort in
still photography.
takes insanely long to charge and heats up
making the SGH-800. It enters the ring as
We liked the GUI at rst, thanks to the
as well during the process.
a typical high-end-almost-digital-camera
large, visible icons and brilliantly animated
The charging port (which is also the
phone similar to its counter parts at Sony
wallpaper. The playback of music les can
USB port) is covered with a fragile looking
Ericsson, Nokia and LG. The Metal series
be controlled even in a minimized state.
ap. Though it makes the side of the
clicked off pretty well with cellphone users
However, the rmware isnt fast which
phone look neat (as compared to some
and this rendition (with a better camera) is
pulls down the operation pace. Images
exposed holes) it does make you a little
an icing on the cake.
take a long time to capture and need you
cautious while opening and closing the
FEATURES: The brilliant 2.4-inch display
to hold the camera still for a while after
ap. The slot for microSD cards has a
screen is simply fabulous for viewing
shooting. The startup of the phone has
similar design. The A2DP Bluetooth 2.0
media. The camera makes the most of
an elaborate introduction which explains a
support is helpful for audiophiles to enjoy
the specs with a 5 megapixel lens. The
lot of extra measures to save battery and
stereo music wirelessly. It also provides
3x optical zoom makes real eye candy
to display its status. This is for the simple
Bluetooth printing. The Ofce suite
for photography enthusiasts. It is blessed
fact that the battery of the phone is the
provided in the G800 is great to use and
with red-eye reduction, brilliant shooting
weakest link of the camera. Despite claims
so is the PDF viewer. The multimedia
modes, adjustable lens exposure to light,
of a 220-hour stand-by time, the battery
support for the phone includes playback of
gridlines, an amazing ash and anti-shake
most leading le formats including MP3,
among other exciting features. The
AAC, WMA, etc. You can view your videos
autofocus and face detection technologies
on a larger scale using the TV-out. It also
are well implemented in the camera.
has a FM tuner.
Somehow the captured images arent
VERDICT: A good phone for photography
always as impressive as those of even
enthusiasts but there are better ones out
menially built cameras. The sharpness and
there that fall within the same price range.
RGB color balance dont add up to the best
If you are a Samsung patron then this one
possible images. Motion capture is a bit
will not disappoint you.
of a let down which is also the case with
FOR: Good camera for video shooting,
the macro mode. Video shootings using

the Camcorder are more than impressive.
The video le is captured at a good frame
optical zoom is excellent, fantastic keypad.

The keypad of the SHG-G800 is great to use
thanks to the wide and distinctly placed keys.
AGAINST: Slow rmware, bulky size, battery
life, heats up while charging.
HARDWARE
TESTED
LAPTOP
Sahara Image Book 12WS

Specifications
Dimensions (WxHxD): 302x38x227 mm; Weight: 2
Kg; Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5450, 1.66 GHz;
Chipset: Intel GM965; Memory: 1 GB DDR2-667;
Hard disk: 160 GB; Optical Drive: DVD writer;
Screen size: 12.1-inch; Native resolution: 1280x800;
Connectivity: gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g.
Price
Rs 36,499
Contact
Sahara Computers & Electronics Ltd
Phone
0120-4397235
E-mail
info@saharacomputers.co.in
Website
www.saharaglobal.com
Warranty
1 year
RATINGS
Build quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
ITS BLACK, ITS WHITE
BUILD QUALITY: Plain and simple is what
experience. The keyboard used is good.
It seems like Sahara is coming close to
comes to mind at its rst glance. The
The ports, card reader, and the switch
giving competition to the old hats in the
12 WS has a combination of solid black
for wireless are all well placed. Overall
industry. The Image Book 12 WS performs
and white colors which is different
ergonomics and build quality is average
well for its price and offers most of the
from the usual all-black, white or grey
but the screen dangles a bit.
standard features available today.
colored laptops. Wed say, the looks
PERFORMANCE: Testing the 12 WS was
FEATURES: The 12 WS is built around the
are above average, but its actually a
interesting mainly because it surpassed
Intel GM 965 chipsetthe IGP variant
matter of personal choice. Though the
even the big players in particular areas. For
of the Intel 965 thats popular amongst
quality of plastic used for the body isnt
testing, we used synthetic benchmarks
most laptops. Powered by the Intel Core
very impressive, the overall surface is
such as SysoftSandra XII and PCMark. We
2 Duo T5450, 1.66 GHz, armed with 1 GB
scratch resistant. With regard to overall
also used real world tests which are mainly
DDR2-667 memory and a 160 GB hard
ease of use, dont expect a jaw dropping
intended to test the CPU performance.
drive, its a good laptop at its price. It runs

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
and is mainly intended for mainstream
applications. The onboard graphics and
the 12.1-inch 16:10 screen let you enjoy
widescreen movies at resolutions of up to
1280x800. Besides watching DVD movies,
you can use the DVD writer to also backup
data. For external storage and ash media
cards, use the 3 USB ports and the
card reader respectively. Other standard
features include Bluetooth for short range
data transfer and a webcam and audio
jacks for A/V communication via the
Internet. Connectivity is offered via gigabit
Ethernet, a 56k modem and Wi-Fi a/g. The
package also includes a driver disc, user
manual, and a carry bag.
Scores
Synthetic
SiSoft Sandra XII
Processor Arithmetic
Dhrystone
15533 MIPS
10676 MFLOPS
Whetstone
CPU Multimedia SSE Float
50141 fit/s
Memory Bandwidth
3430 MB/s
Drive Index
42 MB/s
PCMark 05 (overall)
3503
CPU
4042
Memory
3493
Hard disk
4108
Battery life (reader test)
2 hrs 47 mins
Real-World
File compression: 200 MB
files to RAR using best
94 sec
compression
Audio encoding: 50 MP3 156 sec
160 Kbps to 70 Kbps WMA
The results show that for 1.66 GHz and

2 MB L2 cache, the processor performs
pretty well. The hard drive performed
even bettergood read\write speeds. It
surpassed the Dell Inspiron 1520 and the
Fujitsu LifeBook 4220.
The battery remains good for about
three hours and still the laptop doesnt
heat up much, which is certainly an upside
with the 12 WS. All in all, the performance
is average.
VERDICT: At this price, its a good laptop
for mainstream applications and watching

movies. Playing games is out of the
question.
FOR: Good read/write speeds.
AGAINST: The build quality and battery life
could have been better.
HARDWARE
TESTED
MP3 PLAYER
Panasonic SV-SD 770V

Specifications
Display: 1.5-inch monochrome; On-board memory:
None; Memory expansion: SD card slot; Battery:
Rechargeable 490 mAh li-ion; FM Radio.
Price
Rs 4,050
Contact
Import Stuff
Phone
022-26735709
E-mail
sales@importstuff.co.in
Website
www.importstuff.co.in
Warranty
3 months
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
THE NEW PLAYA IN TOWN
with it is the slight lag in the response to
players settings we discovered a couple
The Panasonic SV-SD 770V is an MP3
key presses.
of interesting options called S-XBS1 and
player which, at best, is a mixed bag of
The reason why we havent mentioned
S-XBS2. When we enabled S-XBS1,
surprises. At rst glance this player looks
the internal capacity of the player is
it gave the music a good heavy sound
impressive with a glassy black front and a
because it has none! We expected at
tinged with bass. If S-XBS 1 was good,
silvery metal body. It feels solid to touch
least a gig of memory, but we found
then S-XBS2 must be better! And so we
and is a bit heavy unlike some of the
that the Panasonic SV-SD 770V didnt
enabled it. We were almost blown away!
sylphlike MP3 players out there. The face
have any internal memory of any sort.
The sound was much better with bass and
has a monochrome LED display. Right
Storage is provided by SD memory cards
treble being reproduced very satisfactorily.
besides it are the controlling buttons:
which of course dont come bundled
However, volume levels were only
play, stop, fast forward and a couple
with the player! Another problem with
passable. The earphones are large and
morethe mode and search function
it is the limited memory capacity. It is
cannot be worn for long periods of time
keys. On the sides, youll nd the USB
not conrmed that the 770V has SDHC
though they do their job well.
connector for transferring data, a memory
compatibility. In our opinion, this is a
card slot (Secure Digital memory cards
glaring defect.
The main reason the 770V feels so

solid is because of its battery. Rated at
When we installed the software
490 mAh, this power packed cell can go
housing, a pinhole opening for the in-built
that came bundled with the player, we
on and on. After the initial hour or two of
microphone, a button for marking songs
discovered that the driver wasnt Windows
charging, we didnt need to recharge the
on the playlist, and the standard 3.5 mm
Vista compatible. So we went around the
battery even once for the two weeks over
connector and a hold button.
bend and simply stuffed the SD card into
which we reviewed the 770V.
are supported), a sliding lid for battery
a card reader, copied a few MP3s onto
VERDICT: Players from Cowon, iRiver and
to scroll up and down the playlist as well
it and put it back into the player. Picture
even Creative can give you a better bang
as the menu. The great thing is that you
our surprise when we discovered that the
for the buck. The 770Vs price tag just
can do the same thing by sliding your
player said that it couldnt nd any songs
doesnt justify itself. Besides the pricing, it
nger up and downthanks to a feature
in the card! So we reinstalled the software
is a fairly good MP3 player with nice sound
called Touch Slider. You can activate or
onto a machine running XP. It took a little
and easy controls.
deactivate it in the player settings.
ddling about but in the end we got it right
FOR: Fantastic bass, intuitive touch slider
You can use the volume control buttons
The interface on the player itself is

pretty user friendly and most users will
be at home with it. The only gripe we had
and it was up and running.

Initially, the audio quality was lacking
bass. After twiddling around with the
controls, never-say-die battery.

AGAINST: No internal memory, no bundled
card, lethargic interface.
HARDWARE
TESTED
GRAPHICS CARD
Asus EAH3450 Top

Specifications
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 3450; Memory: 128
MB DDR3; Core speed: 820 MHz; Memory
speed: 700 MHz; Memory bus width: 64-bit;
Stream processors: 40; DirectX support: 10.1;
Interface: PCIe x16 2.0; Video outputs: DVI,
D-sub, S-video, and component (via dongle).
Price
Rs 2,850
Contact
ASUS Technology Pvt Ltd
Phone
022-67668800
E-mail
media_india@asus.com.tw
Website
www.asus.com
Warranty
3 years
RATINGS
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
HD 3450 RELOADED
PERFORMANCE: Even though the card runs
VERDICT: Buy this card only if youre a
Asus has been a pioneer in concocting
on half the amount of memory, it delivers
casual gamer looking for slightly better
something different out of new chipsets.
25 percent better performance than the
frame rates. However, make sure your
This time we got our hands on a tweaked
stock card. Since it delivers barely playable
case is well cooledits temperature d
variant of the ATI Radeon HD 3450. Lets
frame rates at 1024x768, it certainly isnt
can soar as high as 80 degrees C while
see what makes this different.
meant for gaming. With an increase of
running at full speed for a long time.
FEATURES: With Top sufxed to the name
three to ve fps, the game play is certainly
FOR: Good overclocked performance.
of the graphics card, its obvious that
smoother, but you wont be able to go
AGAINST: Inefcient heat sink.
this one is factory-overclocked. Being
beyond 1024x768.
fabricated using a 55 nm process, the new
Note that more than gaming, the HD
TEST BED
GPUs belonging to the HD 3000 series
3450 is an IGP replacement targeted
MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-
dissipate less heat and hence remain quite
towards video playback making it ideal for
S2H
cool. The HD 3450 offers more headroom
home theater PCs. Belonging to the HD
PROCESSOR: AMD Athlon 64 FX-62, 2.80
for overclocking. Taking note of these
3000 family, the GPU is equipped with a
GHz
facts, Asus has cranked the core speed
video processor that can decode high-
MEMORY: 2 x 1 GB G.Skill DDR2-800
from 600 MHz to 820 MHz, and memory
denition videos.
HARD DRIVE: WD Caviar GP 500 GB
speed from 500 MHz to 700 MHz. An

increase of 36 percent in core speed
without requiring active cooling shows
how cool the HD 3450 runs.
The card sports a passive cooling
system with an aluminum heat sink
spanning half the length and the entire
width of the card. Additionally, Asus has
halved the amount of memory that comes
installed on the stock card and used
DDR3 memory instead of DDR2. So the
EAH3450 Top features only 128 MB of
video memory which is 40 percent faster
than the stock memory.
Scores
Performance
Core | Memory speed (MHz)
3DMark 06
SM 2.0 | SM 3.0
FEAR
1024x768 High, 2xAA
1280x1024 High, 2xAA
Call of Juarez
1024x768 Low, No AA
1280x1024 Balanced, 2xAA
Crysis
1024x768 Low, No AA
1280x1024 Medium, No AA
Temperature after benching
HD 3450 Stock
600 | 500
Asus EAH3450 Top

820 | 700
584 | 665
740 | 839
17 fps
11 fps
23 fps
15 fps
12.3 fps
3.8 fps
13.8 fps
4.2 fps
11.06 fps
7.33 fps
51 fps
25.1 fps
9.1 fps
80 fps
TESTED
HARDWARE
MEMORY
G.Skill F2-6400CL4D-2GBHK
Specifications
Capacity: 2 GB (1 GB x 2); Speed: 800 MHz
DDR2 (PC2-6400); CAS Latency: 4-4-3-5;
Operating voltage: 2.0 to 2.1 volts.
Price
Rs 3,500
Contact
Prime ABGB Pvt Ltd
Phone
022-23896600
E-mail
gulbir@primeabgb.com
Website
www.primeabgb.com
Warranty
5 years
RATINGS
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
SHARP MEMORY
out how far it can survive. In order to ramp
VERDICT: Get these if youre looking for
It can be safely said that when it comes
up the memory speed, we kept increasing
affordable low-latency DDR2-800 sticks
to memory, there are very few who look
the FSB and lowering the multiplier so
for a speed boost. If you need something
beyond size and frequency. No doubt
that the CPU speed remained constant at
better look out for modules with higher
higher frequencies translate into better
3.0 GHz. We had to loosen the timings to
frequencies and tighter timings.
system performance. However, memory
4-4-4-12 so that the modules had some
FOR: Good overclocked performance, good
latencies too play an important role,
room to breathe comfortably.
especially for gamers and enthusiasts.

So how about overclocking your
It was a treat to note that these babies
cooling.
AGAINST: None.
touch the 1000 MHz mark. The modules
TEST RIG
processor by those few extra megahertz?
had to be fed with 2.40 Volts in order to
The G.Skill F2-6400 CL4D is one
keep them stablethats 0.3 Volts above
PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650,
contender that promises breakneck
the specied maximum operating voltage.
3.0 GHz
performance with its tight latency.
The heat spreaders were doing their job
MOTHERBOARD: Asus P5K Pro (Intel P35)
FEATURES: While most standard DDR2
well with this setup.
GRAPHICS CARD: Asus EN8800GT, 1 GB
memory modules available in the market

come with a latency of 5-5-5-15, the
G.Skill F2-6400CL4D boasts a latency of
4-4-3-5 at 800 MHz with voltage running
between 2.0 and 2.1 volts.
The one which we got our hands on
is a 2 GB kit comprising a matched pair
of 1 GB modules. The modules have
a heat spreader clipped onto them for
effective heat dissipation. The heat is
transferred from the memory chips to the
heat spreader by an overlaying thermal
tapesweet and simple.
PERFORMANCE: We tested the memory at
the specied latency (4-4-3-5) and then

we pushed it to its extreme limits to nd
Scores
Speed
Latency
SYNTHETIC SCORES
ScienceMark 2: Memory bandwidth
PCMark 05: Memory suite
REAL WORLD SCORES
File compression: 200 MB files to RAR using best compression
Video encoding: 1 min MPG to x.264 format
Audio encoding: 50 MP3-160 Kbps to 70 Kbps WMA
GAMING
FEAR
1024x768 @low
1600x1200 @high 2xAA
Crysis
1024x768 @low
1680x1050 @medium
800 MHz
4-4-3-5
1000 MHz
4-4-4-12
6216 MB/s
6413
7435 MB/s
6998
49 sec
28 sec
83 sec
39 sec
28 sec
83 sec
450 fps
68 fps
474 fps
69 fps
103.72 fps
45.68 fps
111.82 fps
45.7 fps
| 51
HARDWARE
TESTED
SCANNER
GO PAPER-LESS
adapter, Adobe Photoshop Elements
Canon CanoScan 8800F
The CanoScan 8800F from Canon offers
CD-ROM and lm guides to accommodate
exceptional image quality with good speeds.
35 mm lms and slides. Installation
Stylish and compact, this product can help
is quite simple and the usage is even
you reduce all your paper work and old
simpler. Just press the functional buttons
photos (including negatives and positive
to scan your document into an image or a
lms) to electronic formats in seconds.
PDF and send it directly to e-mail, editing
The product does not use the traditional
Specifications
S
ifi
f
i
Dimensions (WxHxD): 272x102x480; Weight:
4.17 Kg; Resolution: Optical- 4,800x9,600 dpi,
interpolated - 19,200x19,200 dpi, 48 bit;
Price
Rs 13,995
Contact
Canon India Pvt Ltd
Phone
1800-345-3366
software, or to a printer. The scanner
uorescent lamp for scanning, but it is
has a good build quality with a dual tone
the rst scanner from Canon to use a
silver and black body, with a rugged and
high-luminance white LED lamp. This
sturdy shell. The scanner can power up to
technology eliminates the warm-up
ready-to-scan mode in just 7 seconds and
time required by conventional lamps
can scan documents as fast as 19 seconds
and thus reduces the scanning time by
for an A4 size photo scanned at 600
instantaneously scanning from a cold start.
dpi. It can convert a regular ofce color
This scanner can simultaneously scan up
document to PDF in less than 17 seconds

at 300dpi. We used the supplied OCR
E-mail
info@canon.co.in
to 12 or 4 frames of 35 mm negatives and
Website
www.canon.co.in
positive lms or slides respectively making
software to convert a magazine page to
Warranty
1 year
lm scanning easy and fast. It also uses
a word document in just 36 seconds and
the FARE Level-3 technology to reduce
with least errors.
RATINGS
dust and scratches from the images,
VERDICT: The 8800F is a great scanner for
besides carrying out backlight correction
professionals and home/ofce users who
Features
and grain reduction automatically. The
require fast, easy, and quality scans.
Overall Rating
scanner lid has four scan-to-PDF function
FOR: Good scanning quality, speed, easy to
Value for Money
and three customizable buttons. The
use, one-click buttons.
package includes the scanner, power
AGAINST: None.
IPOD SPEAKER DOCK
GROOVY TUNES
PERFORMANCE: The installation of the device
Klipsch iGroove HG
The term iPod has become synonymous
impressed us a lot. Just plug the power
with MP3 players in todays age. Almost all
pack in and you are good to go. The iGroove
college going teens and young professionals
supports all generations of iPod, right from
carry with them an avatar of Apples music
the rst monochrome display iPod to the
playing marvel. However, listening to music
current iPod Touch.
Build quality
Performance
alone isnt too much fun, is it? When you
Specifications
S
ifi ti
Dimensions: 140x406x165m; Weight: 2.1 Kg;
Frequency response: 65 Hz 17 kHz; Acoustic
Output: 98 db.
Price
Rs 14,990
Contact
Onkyo Sight & Sound Pvt Ltd
Phone
022-55023524
E-mail
usamah@onkyo.co.in
Website
www.klipsch.com
Warranty
1 year
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
Features
We used ve songs encoded at 320
have an amazing music library, all you want
kbps to test its audio capabilities and we
to do is share it with your friends and family.
found that while the treble is perfect,
This is where the Klipsch iGroove HG comes
the bass suffers at high volumes. What
in. The iGroove is a stereo speaker system
aggravated us more was the absence of
for the Apple iPod.
dedicated controls for bass and treble to
FEATURES: On the face of it, the iGroove does
rectify this problem.
not have any special features as such. It has
VERDICT: The iGroove HG is a decent dock
of a curvy form factor with few controls. The
system with clear and loud sound and a
iPod docks in the centre, with the speakers
stylish form factor. The compact remote
next to it on both sides.
control and the angular body of the product
The body has only three buttons, two

for volume and one for power. Even the
mini remote that comes along has minimal
ooze of panache.
However, it has problems with the bass

settings and with a price tag of Rs. 14,000
controlsvolume, track selection, power
is absurdly overpriced.
and play/pause.
FOR: Stylish form factor, minimal controls,
It comes with adapters for the iPod
easy installation and use.
Overall Rating
Nano and iPod Mini, and also a stereo
AGAINST: No controls for bass and treble,
Value for Money
adapter for those who use players other
the carry handle does not offer good grip,
than the iPod.
horribly overpriced.
NAS DEVICE
DIGITAL SAFE
runs on a Linux operating system and hence
Dlink DNS-323
If you are in need of a centrally located data
the device makes partitions of EXT2 or 3 le
storage device for your home or ofce,
systems and not NTFS or FAT. The interface
this product should interest you. The Dlink
to congure the device is browser-based
DNS-323 Network Storage Enclosure can
and very easy to follow. It will take you
be used to store documents, music, videos,
anywhere between six to twelve minutes
photos, and almost anything thats digital, in
to completely congure this device and let
a central location on your network. It does
it loose on your network. The device can
not require a computer except once at the
also be used as an iTunes server for music
time of installation and conguration. The
sharing. A software bundled with the device,
DNS-323 comprises of a DHCP server.
called Memeo AutoBackup can be installed
Hence, you can congure this product as a
on all the computers on the network to take
DHCP server on your network and use it as
backups. You can also use its internal backup
a basic server for IP address management.
option to schedule your backups directly
You can even use the DNS-323 as a print
from any computer on the network. The
server and connect a USB printer directly to
DNS-323 also features an in-built FTP server

option so you can host your les from home
to the world using an Internet connection
Specifications
S
ifi i
Dimensions (WxHxD): 104x132x198; Weight: 1.22
Kg; Supported Hard drive type: 3.5-inch SATA HDD
(any capacity) x2; 1 USB Print Server port.
Price
Rs 18,375
Contact
Dlink India Pvt Ltd
Phone
022-30616666
E-mail
sales@dlink.co.in
the device. This NAS supports two SATA
Website
www.dlink.co.in
3.5-inch hard drives that can be installed
Warranty
1 year
very easily by anybody. Just slide the front
with a live IP.
panel upwards and against you, and insert
VERDICT: Using the DHCP server option, this
the two drives in the bays by pushing it
device can be a good data center for small
gently all the way inwards. Once done,
ofces and home networks.
Features
congure the two drives in RAID levels 0 or
FOR: Good build quality, easy installation,
Overall Rating
1 or just use them in JBOD mode (Just a
feature rich.
Value for Money
Bunch Of Disks). You also have the option
AGAINST: No USB ports for storage
of using one single hard drive. The DNS-323
expansion, hard drives can be easily stolen.
EXTERNAL STORAGE
WHITE ELEPHANT
itself using the USB or Fire Wire bus,
Freecom Tough Drive Pro U&F
The dual interface Tough Drive Pro U&F
eliminating the need for an additional
250 GB external storage from Freecom truly
power source.
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
The product is bundled with NTI
denes what it is made for. You can store

all your important les, music, movies, and
Shadow backup software for both PC and
other data using its Fire Wire or USB ports
MAC which enables you to automatically
with great ease. Its more-than-usual external
protect your data.

To determine the speed of the Tough
storage capacity is certainly its USP. Lets
Specifications
S
ifi ti
Dimensions (WxHxD) 85x22x153 mm; Capacity: 250
GB; Weight: 264 g; Hard disk type: 2.5-inch, 5400
RPM, 8MB Cache; Interface: USB 2.2/Fire Wire 400.
Price
Rs 24,000
Contact
J S Equipments
nd out in which other aspects does this
Drive, we copied 1 GB of data to and
Freecom shine.
from the drive. We found that the Firewire
FEATURES AND BUILD QUALITY: The Tough
speed was quite low as compared to the
Drive has a very strong and sturdy build
speed of data transfer from the USB bus.
quality. It has an external soft silicone cover
Check out the scores for yourself in the
that keeps the drive from slipping and it also
table given below.
acts as a rst layer of defense against any
VERDICT: The Freecom Tough Drive can
possible shocks.
be a very good travel companion to keep
Phone
022-30944054
E-mail
jse@vsnl.com
Website
www.freecom.com
which can further protect it against falls
purposes.
Warranty
1 year
from up to two meters. This is the perfect
FOR: Dual interface, speedy transfers,
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
Features
Overall Rating
Value for Money
It has an internal anti-shock mechanism
additional data or simply for backup
feature for such devices which are prone
backup software.
to falls and shocks. This 2.5-inch drive has
AGAINST: Can get dirty if not handled
an impressive 5400 RPM and it powers
carefully. Very expensive.
Data = 1 GB
USB 2.2 (MB/sec)
FireWire 400 (MB/sec)
Single file (read/write)
27.8 / 22.2
23.8 / 18.9
Multiple files (read/write)
22.7 / 19.2
21.7 / 16.9
TESTED
HARDWARE
HOME CAMERA
which you can put to good use. You can
WEBCAM
Dicota has come out with a brilliant
also set the amount of time you would
Dicota Notebook Webcam
notebook webcam which should suit the
want your video to be captured. The
needs of a wide range of users.
quality of image captured is decent but if
FEATURES: Due to its sturdy clamp, this
you capture it at a higher frame rate, the
camera can be easily mounted on any
quality may be distorted so beware of that.
notebook monitor. With its sleek look and
We tried the webcam on IMs like
feather light weight, this device can be
Yahoo messenger and MSN and it was
carried in your pocket.
quite helpful and easy to congure. For a
It ashes a red light which indicates
notebook webcam, it has a long USB cable
that it is ready for use. This webcam is an
which may get irritating at times while
Specifications
S
ifi i
absolute acrobatit can be rotated up to
working with your notebook.
Frame rate: 30 fps@ 640x480, @320x240,

@160x120; Still image Resolution: 800x600,
640x480, 352x288, 320x240, 176x144, 160x120.
360 degrees, thus allowing you to capture

almost anything surrounding you.
The installation of the webcam is
The bundled CD that comes along with

the webcam provides a software which
can be used for zooming in and out of your
also very simple and straightforward. It
videos while capturing them which is a
can capture still images in a variety of
Price
Rs 1,800
Contact
J S Equipments
Phone
022-23810713
useful feature.
E-mail
jse@vsnl.com
resolutions which is a good feature to
VERDICT: This device is a good option for
Website
www.dicota.com
avoid photo compression later. Video les
those who would simply want to have a
Warranty
1 year
can be captured at different frame rates in
webcam for fun and use it on and off for
AVI format.
casual purposes.
To get more out of your captured video,
For live online meetings, there are
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
you can also add a frame before capturing
several other webcams available with
Features
anything or even apply various image
better output quality.
Overall Rating
effects to it. There is a good amount of
FOR: Good resolution output.
Value for Money
presets for these frames and effects
AGAINST: None.
SPEAKER FORCE
The satellites are rated at 20 Watts each
The Divoom xForce 2 is a 2.1 speaker system
and the subwoofer is rated at 30 Watts
that looks very impressive at rst glance.
giving the system a total of 70 Watts of
With a matte black nish, this audio system
RMS power. The xForce 2 is a three way
comprises of two satellite speakers and
system with the subwoofer providing
one chunky subwoofer with a silver colored
low frequencies (an adequate amount of
propylene cover over the cone. One thing we
bass) while the satellites which have two
noticed while setting up the system is that
separate speaker cones handled the mid
the satellites are pretty unstable. They have
tones and highs. On the whole, the tonal
a tendency to fall over. The Divoom xForce
balance sounded warm. Sounds were
2 has a wired remote control which allows
reproduced faithfully on the xForce 2. At
you to control the volume and has a short
low to mid range volumes, the xForce gave
male-male 3.5 mm connector cable encased
a pretty good showing for itself. Bass is
in the back. If you decide to play some music
ample, though, it was only when we turned
off your cell phone or MP3 player, you can use
the bass all the way down and muted the
this cable to connect it to the speakers. The
mid tones that we could hear the higher
best part is that you dont need to disconnect
SPEAKERS
Divoom xForce 2
Specifications
Total RMS Power: 70 Watts; Subwoofer: 30 Watts
RMS; Satellites: 40 Watts RMS (2X20w); Frequency
response: 20 Hz-20 khz.
Price
Rs 2,535
Contact
Esys Information Technologies Ltd
Phone
022-66910348
frequencies. There wasnt much of a hiss
E-mail
shahnawaz@esysmail.com
the audio-out cable from your PC. As soon
on these speakers at high volumes either.
Website
www.esys.in
as you connect the cable to your player, the
Our only grouse was that at higher volumes,
Warranty
1 year
sound input from your PC is automatically
clipping was pretty high and the sounds
cut off and the speakers play audio from the
tore very easily.
device youve connected. The rest of the
VERDICT: Though not recommended for
controls (volume, bass, treble, and balance)
audiophiles, the Divoom xForce 2 is well
Features
are strategically placed at the side of the
worth the price for the average gamer.
Overall Rating
subwoofer along with a blue LED that serves
FOR: Easy connectivity with external devices.
Value for Money
as the power indicator.
AGAINST: Clips at loud volumes.
RATINGS
Build quality
Performance
| 55
HARDWARE
DIGITAL CAMERA COMPARISON
Shutterbugs Rejoice!
34 of the best cameras in the market compared to further narrow your choice
down according to your requirements and budget! BY CHIP TEST CENTER
Pramod Jadhav
SMS us! Story code: HDG to 57007
ou can never relive those precious
HARDWARE
The technology used in digital cameras
moments in life, but you can surely
has matured to such an extent that you
cherish them. So how does it feel
can hardly nd cameras with resolutions
seeing pictures of yourself when you were
less than 6 megapixel. The most striking
a tiny tot or group photos of your batch
developments have been in the eld of
mates when you were in school? Thanks
image sensors, image processors, and
to the birth of a camera its possible to
optics. Just imagine 12 million pixels
preserve memories.
packed in an image sensor about the size
In this digital age, it goes without
of your nail! The reduced size of image
saying that capturing and sharing photos
sensors has given birth to ultra-compact
cant get easier with a digital camera.
cameras that can easily slip into your
Unlike lm cameras which were in vogue
pocket. Equipped with a powerful image
a couple of years ago, you no longer
processor, these pixel powerhouses do
have to worry about loading a lm roll in
not compromise on features and deliver
the camera and then keeping a track of
superior imaging quality. Some new
the number of pictures you click. With a
features which we now have in digital
capacious memory card loaded in a digital
cameras are face detection, more scene
camera you can store hundreds of images
presets, and widescreen image formats.
onboard. Remember the days when you
While face detection feature keeps all
had to wait anxiously to see the snaps
the faces in a scene in good focus, more
until they were ready at the photo lab?
scene presets make photography even
And when it came to sharing memories
more simpler for those who are new
with your near and dear ones, you had
to digital photography. Last but not the
no choice but to carry the photos around
least, high-end mega zoom cameras
or send them by mail. Digital cameras
boasting telescopic zoom-lens can zoom
not only let you preview photos before
into distant objects up to 18 times! Mega
shooting but also let you view them at the
zoom cameras have proven to be highly
press of a button. Transferring and sharing
economical substitutes for SLR cameras
images is hassle-freebeing in digital
with high magnication zoom lens. In
format you can transfer images to any
contrast to a good mega zoom camera
storage medium or send them via email
with 12x zoom lens, an SLR camera with
to any part of the world. With these and
that kind of lens wouldnt cost less than
many more advantages offered by digital
a few lakh rupees. Thanks to the small
cameras, no doubt lm cameras have
image sensors which require shorter focal
almost reached obsolescence.
lengths for greater magnication.
When digital cameras rst appeared
In this roundup, we put 34 digital
on shelves, they boasted resolution of 3.2
cameras to the grind, spanning all for
megapixel, and you could buy one only
factors and budgets. So whether youre
if you had a heavy wallet. Today digital
new to digital photography or a budding
cameras have become so affordable that
photographer, theres something for
you can buy a decent entry level digital
everyone in here. Flip over to nd out
camera for as low as Rs 6,000.
which one clicks the best.
| 57
HARDWARE
TEST PROCESS
This time we took a detour from our
40% Ergonomics
regular test methodinstead of testing

the digital cameras in-house we used the
test results from the test lab of our parent
40%
Build
quality
a lot of user intervention for operation.

Hence, a digital camera must be easy and
comfortable to use.
In this section points were awarded
brand, CHIP Germany. The reason being,
for the intuitiveness of the user interface,
their test processes conform to the ISO
and elements which contributed to the
and CIPA (Camera and Image Products
user comfort such as grip, weight balance,
Association) standards.
layout of the control panel buttons,

shortcut buttons, and so on.
Moving on to the details of the test

process, we segmented the digital
cameras into three categoriesultra-
Warranty and support
compact, mainstream, and mega-
With complex mechanism and precisely
zoom. The tests were based on four
aligned components digital cameras are
parametersbuild quality, ergonomics,

performance, and warranty and support.
Lets nd out what went into evaluating
5% Warranty & Support
15% Performance
Weightages used for evaluating digital cameras.
each of these parameters.
Performance
The cameras were evaluated for their
delicate and prone to malfunctioning.

Hence, its important for a digital camera
to be backed by robust warranty and
support. Here, we took note of the
basically used to evaluate the quality of
warranty period offered by each brand on
the cameras optics.
their digital cameras and the strength of
Apart from the above tests, time taken
their support network. We evaluated the
faithfulness in reproduction of colors
for startup, autofocus, ash recycle, and
support network in terms of the number
and details. The following performance
capturing images (with and without ash)
of service centers present in the country
tests were conducted for performance
were also noted.
and their reach across various cities. This

section accounted for ve percent of the
evaluation.
RESOLUTION TEST: This test was conducted
Build quality
using the ISO 12233 test chart. Shots of
Since digital cameras are portable
this chart were analyzed for clarity of ne
devices, they should be sturdy enough to
Value for money
details produced by the camera.
withstand the occasional knocking around
The tests were concluded with the Value
overall score.
NOISE TEST: Shots of this chart were taken
when on the road. Here, we evaluated the
for Money index which was calculated by
at the lowest ISO speed, ISO 400 and 800
quality of the shell, knobs and buttons,
stacking the performance, build quality,
in a pitch dark room. The grey patches of
battery compartment, lens protection, and
and ergonomics against the price of the
the chart were analyzed for noise levels.
so on.
camera. The higher the scores in relation

to the price, the higher this index. In each
VIGNETTING: Using an evaluation software
and reection chart by Imatest, test shots
Ergonomics
category, we awarded the camera which
were analyzed for the uniformity in light
Being highly complex devices with
offered the highest value for money with
distribution. This vignetting test was
numerous functions, digital cameras need
the Best Value award.
The above test setup comprising Gretag McBeth color chart, test patterns,
vibrant colors, and skin tone, was shot in both tungsten and daylight lighting.
The above ISO 15739 Noise Test chart was placed in the foreground of a light
sphere for truly even distribution of light in the background.
Rs 19,990
Rs 19,995
Rs 22,990
Rs 24,995
Casio Exilim EX-V7
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200
Canon Digital Ixus 860 IS
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200
Rs 20,990
Rs 34,695
Pentax Optio Z10
Canon PowerShot G7
Rs 35,000
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18
CHIP Best Performance
Rs 28,500
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9
CHIP Best Value
Rs 20,995
Rs 23,990
Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Rs 16,995
Rs 19,500
Fujilm FinePix S9600
Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
Rs 11,500
Rs 15,990
Fujilm FinePix S5700
Mega zoom
Rs 19,999
Kodak EasyShare V1253
Rs 17,999
Rs 14,999
Nikon Coolpix P50
Rs 19,995
Rs 14,950
Pentax Optio E40
Canon PowerShot A650 IS
Rs 12,990
Rs 5,499
Rs 9,995
Kodak EasyShare C613
Mainstream
Rs 18,995
Rs 19,500
Rs 17,000
Rs 18,990
Pentax Optio S10
Rs 16,500
Casio Exilim EX-Z1050
Samsung NV10
Rs 14,995
Rs 12,995
Canon Digital Ixus 70
Rs 15,490
Rs 12,000
Fujilm FinePix F50fd
Rs 11,950
Nikon Coolpix S200
Pentax Optio M40
Rs 9,500
Rs 10,990
e
ric
Fujilm FinePix F40fd
Ultra Compact
Na
me
BUYING GUIDE
*VFM out of 5
10 MP
8 MP
8 MP
8 MP
9.1 MP
8 MP
8 MP
7.1 MP
10 MP
8 MP
12 MP
12 MP
10 MP
8 MP
8 MP
8 MP
7.1 MP
6.1 MP
12 MP
12 MP
8 MP
8 MP
7.1 MP
8 MP
10 MP
10 MP
10 MP
8 MP
7.1 MP
7.1 MP
12 MP
7.1 MP
7.1 MP
8.1 MP
s
Re
u
ol
n
tio
63
81
46
75
74
61
55
90
75
65
28
53
59
38
37
23
40
52
64
60
55
66
87
56
84
72
71
93
12
77
65
38
78
80
rf
Pe
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.6 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.6 inch
CD
e
siz
1/1.8 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.6 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.8 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.72 inch
1/1.7 inch
1/1.8 inch
1/1.8 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.7 inch
1/1.7 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/2.5 inch
1/1.8 inch
1/1.8 inch
1/1.75 inch
1/2.35 inch
m
or
e*
c
an
**Features and performance out of 10
2.0
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.0
3.0
4.0
5.0
1.0
1.0
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
2.0
2.0
3.0
5.0
2.0
2.0
2.5
3.0
2.5
3.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
2.0
3.5
3.5
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
l
Va
ue
fo
ne
o
rm
y*
38 - 380 mm
35 - 420 mm
28 - 504 mm
31 - 465 mm
36 - 432 mm
28 - 300 mm
36 - 360 mm
38 - 380 mm
12x | 4x
18x | 4x
15x | 30x
12x | 4x
9.6x | 2x
10x | 4x
10x | 20x
10x | 4.8x
6x | 4x
7x | 5.1x
38 - 266 mm
35 - 210 mm
3x | 4x
6x | 4x
3x | 4x
3x | 4x
3.6x | 4x
3x | 4x
4x | 4x
3x | 5x
3.7x | 4x
3x | 6x
3.8x | 4x
5x | 10x
7x | 4x
4x | 4x
3x | 5.4x
3x | 5x
3x | 4x
3x | 4x
3x | 4x
3x | 4x
3x | 8.2x
3x | 4x
3x | 6x
3x | 6.9x
m
oo
37 - 111 mm
35 - 210 mm
36 - 108 mm
36 - 108 mm
28 - 420 mm
37.5 - 112.5 mm
35 - 140 mm
36 - 108 mm
36 - 133 mm
35 - 105 mm
28 - 105 mm
35 - 175 mm
38 - 266 mm
35 - 140 mm
38 - 114 mm
35 - 105 mm
38 - 114 mm
36 - 108 mm
35 - 105 mm
35 - 105 mm
35 - 105 mm
38 - 114 mm
38 - 114 mm
36 - 108 mm
Fo
al
le
t
ng
5 cm
1 cm
1 cm
1 cm
7 cm
1 cm
1 cm
1 cm
2 cm
8 cm
5 cm
1 cm
5 cm
5 cm
5 cm
15 cm
5 cm
13 cm
5 cm
5 cm
3 cm
1 cm
10 cm
2 cm
6 cm
4 cm
10 cm
5 cm
3 cm
3 cm
7 cm
10 cm
2 cm
f/2.8 - f/3.7
f/2.8 - f/4.2
f/2.7 - f/4.5
f/2.7 - f/3.5
f/2.8 - f/4.9
f/2.8 - f/4.3
f/3.5 - f/4.4
f/3.5 - f/3.7
f/2.8 - f/4.8
f/3.5 - f/5.4
f/3.4 - f/5.3
f/2.8 - f/4.8
f/2.8 - f/4.9
f/2.8 - f/4.9
f/2.8 - f/5.6
f/2.8 - f/5.2
f/2.6 - f/5.5
f/2.7 - f/4.8
f/2.8 - f/5.8
f/2.8 - f/5.5
f/2.8 - f/5.8
f/3.5 - f/4.4
f/3.4 - f/5.3
f/2.8 - f/5.5
f/2.8 - f/5.4
f/2.8 - f/5.1
f/2.8 - f/5.1
f/3.1 - f/5.9
f/2.8 - f/4.9
f/2.8 - f/4.9
f/2.8 - f/5.1
f/3.1 - f/5.9
f/2.8 - f/5.2
60 - 1/2000
60 - 1/2000
30 - 1/4000
15 - 1/3200
30 - 1/4000
15 - 1/2000
30 - 1/2000
25 - 1/1000
15 - 1/2500
4 - 1/1440
8 - 1/1200
15 - 1/2000
8/1/2000
8/1/2000
8 - 1/1000
4/1/2000
15 - 1/2000
5 - 1/1400
15 - 1/1600
25 - 1/2000
15 - 1/1600
25 - 1/1000
60 - 1/800
1 - 1/1600
4/1/2000
15 - 1/1500
4 - 1/1000
4/1/2000
1 - 1/1500
15 - 1/1500
8/1/2000
4 - 1/1000
25 - 1/2000
3 - 1/2000
Sh
pe
rs
te
ut
)
le
-Te
e
id
W
(
e
ur
rt
pe
cr
ma
ng
a
or
f/2.8 - f/5.1
m
mu
i
in
7 cm
al
ic
pt
(O
l)
ita
g
Di
S
e
pe
50 - 1000
100 - 1000
100 - 1600
O
IS
100 - 3200
100 - 1600
80 - 3200
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
80 - 3200
64 - 1600
80 - 1600
64 - 3200
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
64 - 2000
80 - 1000
80 - 1600
80 - 1250
80 - 1600
100 - 3200
80 - 1600
80 - 3200
64 - 800
80 - 1600
64 - 1600
100 - 1000
80 - 800
50 - 3200
80 - 1600
80 - 1600
100 - 6400
c
se
d(
T
TF
sp
Di
y
la
(S
2 inch | 207K Pixel
2.5 inch | 207K Pixel
3 inch | 230K Pixel
2 inch | 235K Pixel
3 inch | 230K Pixel
3 inch | 230K Pixel
|
ize
s)
Ba
ry
tte
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
4 x AA
4 x AA
2 x AA
Li-ion
4 x AA
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
4 x AA
Li-ion
Li-ion
2 x AA
2 x AA
2 x AA
2 x AA
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Li-ion
Re
typ
1 yr
2 yrs
2 yrs
1 yr
3 yrs
1 yr
3 yrs
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
2 yrs
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
2 yrs
1 yr
1 yr
2 yrs
1 yr
2 yrs
1 yr
3 yrs
2 yrs
3 yrs
2 yrs
1 yr
1 yr
1 yr
3 yrs
ra
ar
W
y
nt
HARDWARE
Ultra Compact - Casio Exilim EX-Z1050
Ultra Compact - Fujifilm Finepix F40FD
Mainstream - Canon PowerShot G7
Specifications
Specifications
Specifications
Weight: 155 g; Resolution: 10 MP; Focal length:

38 - 114 mm; Aperture: f/2.8 - f/5.1; Zoom (Optical |
Digital): 3x | 4x; ISO Speed: 80 - 800

Digital): 3x | 6.9x; ISO Speed: 100 1600

Digital): 6x | 4x; ISO Speed: 80 1600
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Rs 16,500
Casio India Pvt Ltd
011-41054330
NA
2 years
Rs 9,500
Fuji Films India Pvt Ltd
0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
2 years
RATINGS
RATINGS
RATINGS
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Rs 24,000
J J Mehta & Sons
022-24302104
info@jjmehta.com
1 year
worlds rst pocket-sized 10 megapixel
to feature a dual memory card slot, as it
with a tough matte-black exterior made
camera, the EX-Z1050 sports a large
supports the popular SD card along with
of metal and plastic. Its lighter in weight
display screen at 2.6-inch. The display
the xD-Picture card. The stylish, metal-
and aunts an array of upgrades to its
takes up most space at the rear leaving
and-plastic body camera features an 8.1
predecessor. Some of them being; the
lesser space for the control panel. It
megapixel resolution sensor with a 3x
Digic III processor, a wondrous 2 cm
has a 1/1.75 inch CCD which results in
optical zoom, a shutter speed of 1/2000
macro focus, a 10 MP 1/1.8-inch CCD,
a 10.1 megapixel resolution. Sporting a
sec and ISO modes ranging from 100 to
6x optical zoom lens and optical image
3x optical zoom and a rapid autofocus
1600. Manufactured without a manual
stabilization. Plus, the G7 is crowned with
time of 0.13 seconds, it is the fastest
mode, this camera is aimed at beginners
an ISO dial while the ISO lets you choose
in this category. It supports ISO speed
who prefer compact point-and-shoot
from a range of 80 to1600 for low-light
ranging from 80 to 800a good feature
models. The camera has a large 2.5-inch
conditions.
as speeds exceeding 400 result in very
LCD display and a shoot modes dial on
noisy images. The shutter speed ranges
the rear of the camera. Additional features
has its downsides, such as its price. At
from 4 sec to 1/1000 sec and is adjusted
include face detection.
a whooping Rs 34,695, why wouldnt
maller than its predecessor, the

EX-Z1000, which is claimed to be the
he F40fd is the rst camera from

Fujilms Finepix range of cameras
he Canon PowerShot G7big brother

to the G6is a smart-looking camera,
Although the G7 is a performer, it
automatically by the camera depending
The camera doesnt suffer much
on the lighting conditions. Although you
from chromatic aberration which helps
someone buy an SLR camera as opposed

to getting restricted to a digital one?
dont have complete manual control over
in good reproduction of colors with less
Secondly, the G7 surprisingly doesnt
the exposure, you have the option to take
fringing problems with objects in bright
support RAW image format nor an optical
your pick from 38 preset scene modes,
lighting. The macro mode is below average
zoom for the A/V shooting mode. If one
depending on the subject and the lighting
needing a minimum distance of 7 cm from
has a thing for the user-friendly interface
condition. The camera can capture seven
the subject. All these and more combined
of digital cameras, then its better to opt
images per second in burst modeyou
with the performance and build quality
for a mega zoom camera. All-in-all, theres
wont miss the perfect moment in an
compared to its price tag makes the
no doubt that the G7 performs well, but is
action scene. If youre looking for style and
Fujilm FinePix F40fd take the Best Value
it worth the buck, our answer is, no!
stellar performance at the same time, this
award in the ultra-compact category.
FOR: Commendable macro focus, presence
one is just right for you.
FOR: Dual memory card slot, good color
of ISO dial and hot shoe support.
FOR: Stylish, good picture quality.
reproduction.
AGAINST: Overpriced, no support for RAW-
AGAINST: No bundled memory.
AGAINST: Slightly heavy.
image format.
HARDWARE
Mainstream - Kodak Easyshare C613
Mega zoom - Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3
Specifications
Specifications
Specifications
Weight: 200 g; Resolution: 6.1 MP; Focal length:

Digital): 3x | 5x; ISO Speed: 80 1250

Digital): 10x | 20x; ISO Speed: 80 - 3200
Weight: 400 g; Resolution: 7.1 MP; Focal length:

Digital): 10x | 4.8x; ISO Speed: 64 1600
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Rs 5,499
Kodak India Ltd
1800-22-4949
contactindia@kodak.com
1 year
Rs 15,990
Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
sonyindia.care@ap.sony.com
3 years
Mega zoom - Fujifilm Finepix S5700
RATINGS
RATINGS
RATINGS
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
Rs 11,500
0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
2 years
2.4-inch TFT display, the Kodak EasyShare
featuring a 10x zoom lens in a compact
digital camera on a shoestring budget.
C613 digital camera wins the Best Value
shellso compact that it doesnt look
Resembling an SLR camera, the FinePix
award hands down. The reasona good
like a mega-zoom camera when the lens
S5700 offers a good and sturdy grip. It
ratio of nice build quality, very good
is completely retracted. Sporting a black
needs to be loaded with four AA batteries.
performance, decent ergonomics to the
shell with a grainy matt nish, the camera
This entry-level mega zoom camera
price. It is the cheapest 6.1 megapixel
features a 1/2.5-inch CCD with a focal
features a 7.1 MP image sensor and a
camera in the mainstream category, selling
length of 6.3 mm which translates into
telescopic zoom lens which can zoom 10
at a mere Rs 5,499. It has programmable
38 mm when compared to that of a 35
times into distant objects.
mode options with 17 different scene
mm lm camera. Hence the eld of view
modes. Another good feature is that it
at the widest angle is a tad narrower as
with digital zoom activated. The camera
has all three metering options (Matrix,
compared to other cameras in its category
offers sufcient features for creative
center weight, and spot metering). You can
which have shorter focal lengths. Like all
photography. With ISO speeds ranging
record videos with audio; however it does
other cameras belonging to Sonys Cyber-
from ISO 64 to 1600, you can capture
not have a TV out feature. An advantage
shot series, the user interface of the H3
shots in low light without the need for
of this camera is the option of using AA
isnt much different. The rear panel of the
ash. However, we noted the results
size batteries, unlike other cameras which
camera sports a 2.5-inch LCD display and
are a bit noisy even with ISO set to
have a built-in chargeable battery which
a control pad featuring 5-way navigation
minimum. Another weak point is its macro
requires you to carry a bulky charger.
and shortcuts for ash, self-timer and
rangewhile most digital cameras in the
Also, the ash recharging time is pretty
macro mode. The zoom rocker is located
category allow shooting extreme close ups
fast. The minimum distance required
to the top right of the display. Feature-
from a distance of 1 cm, this one needs
from the subject in macro mode is 13
wise the DSC-H3 comes quite close to
to be at least 5 cm away from the subject.
cm which is inconvenient when clicking
the chunkier mega-zoom cameras in its
Nevertheless, the camera is a good option
object close-ups. So if you are looking for
category. If youre looking for a mega-
for its price. Rs 11,500 for a 10x mega
a very basic point-and-shoot camera for
zoom camera with superb performance on
zoom camera loaded with features, it
casual photography during family trips and
a tight budget, grab this one.
cannot possibly be a bad buy.
parties, this is the cheapest option.
FOR: Light and compact, good build quality,
FOR: Good grip, large aperture at full zoom.
FOR: Use of 2xAA batteries.
very low noise levels.
AGAINST: Using ISO speeds greater than
AGAINST: Noisy images in low light.
AGAINST: None.
400 doesnt make sense.
very easy to use, slim and compact

camera with a sufciently large
he Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H3 is the

younger sibling of DSC-H7 / H9
he Fujilm FinePix S5700 is targeted

at those looking for a mega zoom
You can further zoom ve times
| 61
HARDWARE
Personal Take
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Anand Tuliani
Being a shutterbug, I prefer to invest in

a good digital camera packed with loads
of features to play around with and get
creative. The features that I rst look
out for are short focal length, larger
aperture for shallower depth of eld,
image stabilizer, and last but not the least
good ergonomics. Of course, I want the
best combination of these at a good price.
Given a choice I would grab the Canon
PowerShot S5 IS. With an SLR-like look
and feel, the camera offers excellent
ergonomics and is packed to the gills with
features. It sports a 12x zoom lens with
an aperture of f/3.5 at full zoom. If you
dont have the budget to buy this one, grab
the best performer, the Sony Cyber-shot
DSC-H3, priced at Rs 15,990.
Francis Dsa
Choosing the right camera for ones

personal or professional purposes can be
quite confusing. There are a lot of factors
one has to keep in mind before procuring
the right camera. Important factors include
resolution, optical zoom, ergonomics,
weight, aperture, and the list can go
on and on. If you need a basic pointand-shoot camera for your children or
parents who would not want to go through
the advanced settings of the manual
modes, I would suggest the mainstream
Kodak EasyShare C613 camera with a
6.1 megapixel resolution. The camera is
very easy to operate, extremely portable
and stylish. It has a good set of features,
including metering and programmable
modes for different lighting conditions.
If you are looking for cameras having
features and performances similar to an
SLR camera, make a choice from the mega
zoom section according to your budget.
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Build quality (40%)
Ergonomics (40%)
Performance (15%)
Warranty & support (5%)
Ultra compact
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200
Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
Rs 19,990
87
53
60
52
87
100
50
75

100
50
100
71

94 x 60 x 21 mm
186 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
35 - 175 mm
f/3.5 - f/4.4
5x | 10x
25 - 1/1000 sec | NA
80 - 3200
Only TFT
96 x 60 x 28 mm
188 g
1/2.7 inch
12 MP
4000 x 3000 pixel
36 - 133 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.8
3.7x | 4x
15 - 1/1600 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Optical
|||
||
10 | 8
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
31 MB | None
Memory Stick Duo
Li-ion
|||
||
11 | 7
Optical
JPEG
|
1024 x 768 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
1952 x 1903 | 1462 x 1605 | NA

180 | 351 | 387
1.57
1.5
2.1 sec
0.25 sec
5.9 sec | 10.9 sec
1 cm
2.4 Wh
NA | 0.88 W
2368 x 2487 | 1807 x 1920 | 1706 x 1976

217 | 330 | 465
1.47
1.2
0.9 sec
0.54 sec
9.1 sec | 17.6 sec
5 cm
4.1 Wh
0.34 W | 1.58 W
3
193
193
1
130
105
* Prices are indicative and are subject to change, taxes extra
95
55
Overall Score (out of 100)

Value for money
FEATURES
Dimensions (WxHxD) mm
Weight
CCD size
Effective resolution
Maximum resolution
Focal length (35 mm equiv)
Aperture (Wide - Tele)
Zoom (Optical | Digital)
Shutter speed (Auto | Manual mode)
ISO speed
Viewfinder
TFT display (Size | Resolution)
Modes (Prog | Av | Tv | Manual)
Metering (Matrix | Center wght | Spot)
No of modes (Scene | white balance)
Image stabilizer
Image formats
Output (Audio | Video)
Maximum video resolution
Video with audio | zoom type
Memory (Built in | Bundled)
Supported media type
Battery type
PERFORMANCE
Resolution at ISO (min | 400 | 800) (ISO 12233)
Noise at ISO (min | 400 | 800) (ISO 15739)
Maximum chromatic aberration
Vignetting (maximum aperture)
Startup time
Time to autofocus
Capture time: 5 images (without | with flash)
Minimum macro range
Power consumption
Standby power (without | with display)
WARRANTY AND SUPPORT
Warranty period
Number of service centres
Number of cities having service centres

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 24,995
HARDWARE

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 18,995

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 19,995
Casio Exilim EX-Z1050

Casio India Pvt Ltd
011-41054330
NA
Rs 16,500

Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
Rs 22,990
Casio Exilim EX-V7

Casio India Pvt Ltd
011-41054330
NA
Rs 19,500
81
81
51
84
50
100
68

50
100
67

62
56
55
100
31
52
74
93
42
93
66
52
0
87
43
56
50
100
67

50
100
67
31
0
50
100
64

91 x 56 x 26 mm
190 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
35 - 140 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.5
4x | 4x
1 - 1/1600 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Optical
93 x 59 x 26 mm
180 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
28 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.8
3.8x | 4x
15 - 1/1600 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Only TFT
3 inch | 230K Pixel
91 x 57 x 24 mm
155 g
1/1.75 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
38 - 114 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.1
3x | 4x
4 - 1/1000 sec | NA
80 - 800
Only TFT
91 x 59 x 27 mm
173 g
1/1.7 inch
12 MP
4000 x 3000 pixel
35 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.5
3x | 6x
25 - 1/2000 sec | 1 - 1/2000 sec
100 - 3200
Optical
96 x 60 x 25 mm
190 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
38 - 266 mm
f/3.4 - f/5.3
7x | 4x
5 - 1/800 sec | 60 - 1/800 sec
64 - 800
Only TFT
|||
||
33 | 8
Sensor
JPEG
|||
|||
||
15 | 7
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
||
15 | 7
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
38 | 8
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
15.4 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
9|6
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
31 MB | None
Memory Stick Duo
Li-ion
1916 x 2021 | 1593 x 1655 | 1555 x 1516

247 | 462 | 461
1.02
1.0
1.8 sec
0.30 sec
6.2 sec | 10.5 sec
2 cm
4.1 Wh
0.27 W | 1.87 W
1896 x 2056 | 1621 x 1790 | 1533 x 1564

248 | 384 | 556
1.43
0.7
1.2 sec
0.43 sec
10.1 sec | 16.5 sec
3 cm
4.1 Wh
NA | 1.45 W
1803 x 1734 | 1265 x 1356 | 1204 x 1288

151 | 380 | 585
1.76
1.2
1.7 sec
0.13 sec
7.6 sec | 16.4 sec
10 cm
4.8 Wh
NA | 1.46 W
2397 x 2428 | 2203 x 2086 | 2033 x 1960

188 | 299 | 306
2.22
1.2
3.2 sec
0.51 sec
7.9 sec | 16.1 sec
5 cm
3.4 Wh
1.2 W | 1.38 W
1741 x 1697 | 1640 x 1658 | 1167 x 1384

175 | 423 | 563
1.97
1.0
1.6 sec
0.63 sec
7.1 sec | 7.7 sec
10 cm
3.5 Wh
NA | 1.19 W
1
130
105
1
130
105
2
NA
NA
3
193
193
2
NA
NA
|
848 x 480 Pixel
NA | NA
11 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
| 63
HARDWARE
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Build quality (40%)
Ergonomics (40%)
Performance (15%)
ULTRA COMPACT
Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
Rs 10,990
10

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 14,995
Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
Rs 12,000
89
76
75
43
49
43
80
100
0

Value for money
FEATURES
Weight
CCD size
Maximum resolution
ISO speed
Viewfinder
Image stabilizer
Image formats
Battery type
PERFORMANCE
Startup time
Time to autofocus
Minimum macro range
Power consumption
Warranty period
50
100
64

38
31
77
52
0
50
62
100
50
62

89 x 57 x 24 mm
147 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
38 - 114 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.2
3x | 6x
25 - 1/2000 sec | 1 - 1/2000 sec
100 - 1000
Optical
90 x 57 x 19 mm
150 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
35 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.9
3x | 4x
1 - 1/1500 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Only TFT
3 inch | 230K Pixel
|||
||
7|6
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
56 MB | None
Memory Stick Duo
Li-ion
|||
||
15 | 7
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
93 x 59 x 23 mm
180 g
1/1.6 inch
12 MP
4000 x 3000 pixel
35 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.1
3x | 8.2x
8 - 1/2000 sec | 1 - 1/1000 sec
100 - 6400
Only TFT
|||
||
14 | 8
Sensor
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
25 MB | None
SD, xD
Li-ion
1917 x 1841 | 1693 x 1747 | 1475 x 1526

226 | 538 | 566
4.51
1.1
1.5 sec
0.36 sec
5.8 sec | 14.2 sec
2 cm
3.4 Wh
0.67 W | 0.9 W
1817 x 1916 | 1624 x 1825 | 1422 x 1651

246 | 527 | 483
1.43
0.7
1.5 sec
0.40 sec
6.1 sec | 11.2 sec
3 cm
2.8 Wh
NA | 1.26 W
2520 x 2627 | 2185 x 2276 | 2185 x 2259

267 | 367 | 422
4.30
0.7
2.7 sec
0.54 sec
16.1 sec | 26.1 sec
7 cm
3.7 Wh
NA | 1.34 W
3
193
193
1
130
105
2
25
25
100
HARDWARE
11
12
13
14
Samsung NV10
Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd
011-41511234
jitender.c@samsung.com
Rs 17,000
Fujifilm FinePix F40fd

0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
Rs 9,500
Pentax Optio S10

IDLDPL
011-46096400
contactus@idldpl.com
Rs 18,990

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 12,995
66
86
51
50
61
63
0
65
13
50
60

40
72
31
100
74
40
71
61
0
79
37
100
52
50
59

100
50
100
58

96 x 60 x 18 mm
167 g
1/1.8 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
35 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.1
3x | 5x
1 - 1/1500 sec | 15 - 1/1500 sec
100 - 1000
Only TFT
96 x 59 x 24 mm
180 g
1/1.6 inch
8.1 MP
3296 x 2472 pixel
36 - 108 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.1
3x | 6.9x
3 - 1/2000 sec | NA
100 - 1600
Only TFT
87 x 54 x 21 mm
132 g
1/1.8 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
38 - 114 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.4
3x | 5.4x
4 - 1/2000 sec | NA
64 - 1600
Only TFT
86 x 54 x 20 mm
143 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
35 - 105 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.9
3x | 4x
15 - 1/1500 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Optical
|||
||
11 | 7
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
20 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
14 | 8
No
JPEG
|
640 x 320 Pixel
Yes | NA
25 MB | None
SD, xD
Li-ion
|||
||
13 | 6
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
22 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
14 | 7
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
1991 x 2068 | 1491 x 1450 | 1364 x 1384

265 | 436 | 637
3.00
0.4
3.2 sec
0.40 sec
6.0 sec | 9.0 sec
4 cm
3.1 Wh
NA | 1.79 W
2305 x 2231 | 2031 x 2043 | 1778 x 1904

285 | 349 | 428
1.49
0.6
2.6 sec
0.31 sec
13.9 sec | 13.9 sec
7 cm
4.1 Wh
NA | 1.25 W
2152 x 2347 | 2145 x 2176 | 1940 x 2034

261 | 489 | 598
1.28
1.4
1.7 sec
0.29 sec
11.6 sec | 18.9 sec
6 cm
3.7 Wh
NA | 1.76 W
1387 x 1414 | 1113 x 1052 | 1020 x 873

214 | 418 | 450
4.60
1.4
1.1 sec
0.35 sec
13.3 sec | 28.4 sec
3 cm
2.8 Wh
0.29 W | 1.27 W
1
160
130
2
25
25
1
6
6
1
130
105
| 65
HARDWARE
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Build quality (40%)
Ergonomics (40%)
Performance (15%)
15
17
MAINSTREAM
Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 19,995
Pentax Optio M40

IDLDPL
011-46096400
Rs 15,490
73
64
40
83
39
78
50
58
60
59
52
12
13
24
0

Value for money
FEATURES
Weight
CCD size
Maximum resolution
ISO speed
Viewfinder
Image stabilizer
Image formats
Battery type
PERFORMANCE
Startup time
Time to autofocus
Minimum macro range
Power consumption
Warranty period
16
ULTRA COMPACT
Nikon Coolpix S200
Nikon India Pvt Ltd
0124-4688500
panchal.himanshu@nikonoa.net
Rs 11,950
100
50
44

100
50
100
69

96 x 58 x 19 mm
126 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
38 - 114 mm
f/3.1 - f/5.9
3x | 4x
4 - 1/1000 sec | NA
50 - 1000
Only TFT
97 x 58 x 18 mm
135 g
1/2.35 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
36 - 108 mm
f/3.1 - f/5.9
3x | 4x
4 - 1/2000 sec | NA
50 - 3200
Only TFT
|||
||
15 | 8
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
20 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
16 | 5
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
22 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
112 x 68 x 56 mm
385 g
1/1.7 inch
12 MP
4000 x 3000 pixel
35 - 210 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.8
6x | 4x
15 - 1/2000 sec | 15 - 1/2000 sec
80 - 1600
Optical
|||
||
15 | 8
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
4 x AA
1757 x 1828 | 1426 x 1486 | 1429 x 1399

295 | 442 | 813
5.36
0.9
1.5 sec
0.28 sec
10.0 sec | 14.0 sec
10 cm
2.7 Wh
NA | 1.04 W
1771 x 1843 | 1487 x 1639 | 1438 x 1488

354 | 584 | 577
2.34
1.4
3.8 sec
0.89 sec
17.1 sec | 18.2 sec
5 cm
2.7 Wh
NA | 0.98 W
2202 x 2229 | 1777 x 1892 | 265 | 438 | 680

1.81
0.9
2.2 sec
0.50 sec
9.1 sec | 11.0 sec
1 cm
12.0 Wh
0.32 W | 1.92 W
2
5
5
1
6
6
1
130
105
HARDWARE
Terminator
APERTURE: This is thetechnical
18
19
20
Canon PowerShot G7
Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 34,695

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 9,995
Nikon Coolpix P50

Nikon India Pvt Ltd
0124-4688500
panchal.himanshu@nikonoa.net
Rs 14,950
78
72
69
65
0
50
69

92
48
52
52
52
100
50
61
name given to the hole that allows

light to pass through in a camera.
In digital cameras, the aperture of
a lens controls the amount of light
that reaches the image sensor.
Thus it affects exposure as well
as depth of eld. If enough light
does not reach the sensor, the
image will end up being either
very dark or extremely bright
resulting in loss of details.
SHUTTER SPEED: Shutter speed
is the time for which the shutter
is held open during clicking a
photograph to allow light to reach
the film or image sensor. The rate
at which the shutter can be kept
open depends on the amount of
light available and the type of
shot. If you want to shoot pictures
of fast moving objects like a car
race, etc, the shutter speed needs
to close faster to prevent the
possibility of a blur.
ISO: This standard specifies
signal-to-noise ratio and
brightness requirements for a
camera to earn a certain ISO
rating. The ISO rating is directly
related to the camera sensor. The
ISO setting changes as per light
requirements under very specific
conditions. It is typically used
when facing low light or in night
shots where more light needs to
reach the sensor and the aperture
(also the shutter speed cannot be
compensated in such a situation).
A shot taken with higher ISO
values is more prone to noise.
WHITE BALANCE: Normally our
eyes compensate for lighting
conditions with different color
temperatures. A digital camera
needs to find a reference point
which represents white. It will
then calculate all the other
colors based on this white point.
A perfect white balance in a
camera thus results in better
color reproduction and overall a
better quality image.
44
23
24
100
50
100
58

106 x 72 x 43 mm
355 g
1/1.8 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
35 - 210 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.8
6x | 4x
15 - 1/2500 sec | 15 - 1/2500 sec
80 - 1600
Optical
|||
||
15 | 8
Optical
JPEG
|
1024 x 768 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
90 x 64 x 43 mm
231 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
35 - 140 mm
f/2.6 - f/5.5
4x | 4x
15 - 1/2000 sec | 15 - 1/2000 sec
80 - 1600
Optical
|||
||
14 | 8
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 16 MB
SD
2 x AA
95 x 66 x 44 mm
200
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
28 - 420 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.6
3.6x | 4x
8 - 1/1000 sec | 8 - 1/1000 sec
64 - 2000
Optical
|||
||
16 | 7
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
52 MB | None
SD
2 x AA
1951 x 2089 | 1692 x 1745 | 1267 x 1415

237 | 342 | 551
2.83
0.4
2.0 sec
0.50 sec
7.0 sec | 11.0 sec
2 cm
5.6 Wh
0.36 W | 2.12 W
1743 x 1834 | 1510 x 1529 | 1342 x 1494

252 | 446 | 502
1.24
1.0
1.6 sec
0.46 sec
13.4 sec | 29.0 sec
5 cm
6.0 Wh
0.45 W | 1.39 W
1921 x 1929 | 1560 x 1568 | 1342 x 1486

178 | 302 | 483
1.73
0.8
3.6 sec
0.89 sec
10.4 sec | 48.2 sec
5 cm
6.0 Wh
1.1 W | 1.28 W
1
130
105
1
130
105
2
5
5
| 67
HARDWARE
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Build quality (40%)
Ergonomics (40%)
Performance (15%)
21
MAINSTREAM
Kodak India Ltd
1800-22-4949
Rs 19,999
23
Pentax Optio Z10

IDLDPL
011-46096400
Rs 20,990
Kodak EasyShare C613

Kodak India Ltd
1800-22-4949
Rs 5,499
76
69
38
64
54
53
34
28
27
0

Value for money
FEATURES
Weight
CCD size
Maximum resolution
ISO speed
Viewfinder
Image stabilizer
Image formats
Battery type
PERFORMANCE
Startup time
Time to autofocus
Minimum macro range
Power consumption
Warranty period
22
65
13
50
55
100
27
50
54

100
50
51

102 x 55 x 24 mm
175 g
1/1.72 inch
12 MP
4000 x 3000 pixel
37 - 111 mm
f/3.4 - f/5.3
3x | 4x
8 - 1/1200 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Only TFT
94 x 58 x 26 mm
146 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
38 - 266 mm
f/3.5 - f/5.4
7x | 5.1x
4 - 1/1440 sec | NA
64 - 3200
Only TFT
91 x 63 x 34 mm
200 g
1/2.5 inch
6.1 MP
2848 x 2134 pixel
36 - 108 mm
f/2.7 - f/4.8
3x | 5x
5 - 1/1400 sec | NA
80 - 1250
Only TFT
|||
||
21 | 5
No
JPEG
|
1280 x 720 Pixel
NA | Optical
26.5 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
14 | 6
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
52 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
17 | 5
No
JPEG
2268 x 2118 | 2035 x 1988 | 594 x 599

278 | 347 | 682
1.44
1.3
2.8 sec
0.31 sec
21.9 sec | 23.0 sec
5 cm
3.7 Wh
NA | 1.98 W
1574 x 1678 | 1504 x 1535 | 1232 x 1207

194 | 556 | 586
1.71
1.1
2.5 sec
0.76 sec
13.4 sec | 15.0 sec
8 cm
2.6 Wh
NA | 1.35 W
1658 x 1675 | 1468 x 1414 | 1186 x 1132

257 | 453 | 913
1.46
0.9
3.5 sec
0.28 sec
12.2 sec | 12.4 sec
13 cm
6.0 Wh
NA | 0.95 W
1
46
46
1
6
6
1
46
46
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
16 MB | None
SD
2 x AA
100
24
Pentax Optio E40
IDLDPL
011-46096400
Rs 12,990
25
26

Kodak India Ltd
1800-22-4949
Rs 17,999

Kodak India Ltd
1800-22-4949
Rs 14,999
70
49
100
11
27
50
47

95
94
81
65
27
50
MEGA ZOOM
J J Mehta & Sons
022-24302104
info@jjmehta.com
Rs 35,000
36
37
39
38
13
0
27
62
35
40
HARDWARE
100
50
47

100
50
100
89

94 x 61 x 23 mm
176 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
37.5 - 112.5 mm
f/2.8 - f/5.2
3x | 4x
4 - 1/2000 sec | NA
80 - 1000
Only TFT
103 x 55 x 25 mm
185 g
1/1.8 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
36 - 108 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.9
3x | 4x
8 - 1/2000 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Only TFT
105 x 56 x 28 mm
162 g
1/1.8 inch
8 MP
3273 x 2457 pixel
36 - 108 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.9
3x | 4x
8 - 1/2000 sec | NA
80 - 1600
Only TFT
141 x 85 x 142 mm
734
1/1.8 inch
10 MP
3648 x 2736 pixel
35 - 420 mm
f/2.8 - f/3.7
12x | 4x
1 - 1/2000 sec | 60 - 1/2000 sec
100 - 3200
Electronic
2 inch | 207K Pixel
|||
||
16 | 5
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
10 MB | None
SD
2 x AA
|||
||
21 | 5
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
32 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
21 | 5
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
32 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
|||
||
15 | 7
Optical
JPEG, RAW
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
None | 32 MB
SD
Li-ion
1686 x 1727 | 1048 x 1095 | NA

242 | 572 | 592
1.29
0.8
3.7 sec
0.56 sec
13.5 sec | 16.5 sec
15 cm
6.0 Wh
NA | 1.04 W
1961 x 2001 | 1643 x 1331 | 1355 x 1202

293 | 637 | 834
1.54
1.0
2.5 sec
0.65 sec
20.0 sec | 19.0 sec
5 cm
3.9 Wh
NA | 1.69 W
1784 x 1776 | 1579 x 1685 | 1199 x 1325

239 | 670 | 629
1.54
0.6
4.4 sec
0.60 sec
10.4 sec | 14.6 sec
5 cm
3.9 Wh
NA | 1.72 W
2200 x 2222 | 1960 x 1896 | 1417 x 1481

223 | 216 | 298
2.00
0.7
1.4 sec
0.40 sec
5.0 sec | 7.5 sec
5 cm
5.1 Wh
1.79 W | 1.82 W
1
6
6
1
46
46
1
46
46
1
1
1
| 69
HARDWARE
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Build quality (40%)
Ergonomics (40%)
Performance (15%)
28
30

J J Mehta & Sons
022-24302104
info@jjmehta.com
Rs 28,500
83
100
94
66
46
100
50

Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
Rs 15,990
92
97
75
0

Value for money
FEATURES
Weight
CCD size
Maximum resolution
ISO speed
Viewfinder
Image stabilizer
Image formats
Battery type
PERFORMANCE
Startup time
Time to autofocus
Minimum macro range
Power consumption
Warranty period
29
MEGA ZOOM
Sony India Pvt Ltd
011-66006600
Rs 23,990
100
89
90
100
11
0
50
83

100
50
100
83

110 x 83 x 86 mm
450 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
31 - 465 mm
f/2.7 - f/4.5
15x | 30x
25 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/4000 sec
80 - 3200
Electronic
3 inch | 230K Pixel
|||
||
9|9
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
31 MB | None
Memory Stick Duo
Li-ion
118 x 75 x 88 mm
407 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
28 - 504 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.2
18x | 4x
60 - 1/2000 sec | 8 - 1/2000 sec
100 - 1600
Electronic
|||
||
14 | 7
Optical
JPEG, RAW
|
848 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
27 MB | None
SD
Li-ion
106 x 69 x 48 mm
264 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
38 - 380 mm
f/3.5 - f/4.4
10x | 20x
25 - 1/2000 sec | 30 - 1/2000 sec
80 - 3200
Only TFT
|||
||
9|8
Optical
JPEG
1574 x 1575 | 1337 x 1360 | 1205 x 1262

185 | 323 | 416
2.58
1.0
2.5 sec
0.34 sec
6.5 sec | 13.3 sec
1 cm
12.2 Wh
1.02 W | 1.16 W
1599 x 1649 | 1410 x 1502 | 1248 x 1345

210 | 337 | 337
1.22
0.3
2.4 sec
0.63 sec
10.2 sec | 10.7 sec
1 cm
5.1 Wh
2.26 W | 2.33 W
1924 x 1984 | 1719 x 1819 | 1469 x 1579

191 | 296 | 306
1.90
0.5
0.8 sec
0.25 sec
6.0 sec | 16.3 sec
1 cm
3.4 Wh
NA | 1.02 W
3
193
193
1
1
1
3
193
193
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | NA
31 MB | None
Memory Stick Duo
Li-ion
31
Canon PowerShot S5 IS
Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 20,995
32
33
34
Fujifilm FinePix S9600

0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
Rs 19,500
Fujifilm FinePix S5700

0124-4325500
kwada@fujifilms.com
Rs 11,500
Canon PowerShot SX100 IS

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 16,995
74
92
74
78
81
50
73
77
75
61
52
80
31
100
HARDWARE
55
52
31
50
74

79
66
100
50
73

100
50
100
69

117 x 80 x 83 mm
550 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3264 x 2448 pixel
36 - 432 mm
f/2.7 - f/3.5
12x | 4x
15 - 1/3200 sec | 15 - 1/3200 sec
80 - 1600
Electronic
|||
||
9|8
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
NA | Optical
None | 32 MB
SD
4 x AA
128 x 93 x 129 mm
760 g
1/1.6 inch
9.1 MP
3488 x 2616 pixel
28 - 300 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.9
9.6x | 2x
4 - 1/4000 sec | 30 - 1/4000 sec
80 - 1600
Electronic
2 inch | 235K Pixel
|||
||
5|9
No
JPEG, RAW
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
None | 256 MB
xD, CF
4 x AA
106 x 76 x 94 mm
400 g
1/2.5 inch
7.1 MP
3072 x 2304 pixel
38 - 380 mm
f/3.5 - f/3.7
10x | 4.8x
25 - 1/1000 sec | 4 - 1/1000 sec
64 - 1600
Electronic
|||
||
14 | 7
No
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Optical
27 MB | None
SD, xD
4 x AA
109 x 72 x 47 mm
310 g
1/2.5 inch
8 MP
3265 x 2448 pixel
36 - 360 mm
f/2.8 - f/4.3
10x | 4x
1 - 1/1600 sec | 15 - 1/2000 sec
80 - 1600
Only TFT
|||
||
11 | 7
Optical
JPEG
|
640 x 480 Pixel
Yes | Digital
None | 16 MB
SD
2 x AA
1566 x 1825 | 1522 x 1726 | 1383 x 1469

251 | 483 | 513
1.66
1.1
1.8 sec
0.40 sec
6.3 sec | 11.3 sec
1 cm
12.0 Wh
1.97 W | 2.11 W
2281 x 2203 | 1950 x 1727 | 1497 x 1520

190 | 396 | 554
3.00
0.3
0.7 sec
0.62 sec
6.4 sec | 11.8 sec
7 cm
8.6 Wh
2.72 W | 2.88 W
1731 x 1718 | 1371 x 1307 | 625 x 1052

282 | 493 | 466
1.35
0.2
2.6 sec
0.32 sec
8.1 sec | 9.8 sec
1 cm
10.6 Wh
1.89 W | 1.71 W
1737 x 1767 | 1513 x 1490 | 1485 x 1386

265 | 382 | 552
1.41
0.2
2.3 sec
0.50 sec
9.4 sec | 25.1 sec
1 cm
6.0 Wh
NA | 1.5 W
1
130
105
2
25
25
2
25
25
1
130
105
| 71
HARDWARE
PHOTO PRINTER COMPARISON
Anywhere, Anytime Photos

Six little photo printers compared to help
you make the right choice of extending your
photography repertoire. BY CHIP TEST CENTER
he current trend in various
witnesses feature-packed printers
your cell phone. You can use PictBridge
technology products calls for
which can t into a handbag. The best
to print photos directly from your
convenience, ease of use and
part is that, you dont need to connect
digital camera. So, all you need to carry
affordability. Narrowing down to
it to a computer to print. Be it digital
for instant photographs anywhere
convenience, portable devices such
cameras, memory cards, cellphones,
is one such lunchbox-sized photo
as laptops and cellphones are getting
USB ash drives, these printers can
printer. The print quality, portability,
smaller but more complex by the
print from any source. For instance, if
and ease-of-use of these printers make
day. Photo printers too, are following
the printer is Bluetooth-enabled, you
them worthwhile to photographers and
a similar trend. The current trend
can directly re prints wirelessly from
frequent travelers.
Pramod Jadhav
SMS us! Story code: HES to 57007
HARDWARE
TEST PROCESS
This month has been pretty colorful, thanks
15% Ergonomics
to the miniature-sized photo printers, that

kept sneaking into our test center. Inspite
Build quality
40% Performance
Here, we mainly looked for things such as

the quality of the body, the buttons and
10%
Build
quality
of their size, they showed mammoth

performance. The evaluation of these
the sheet feeder. Ratings were also given

on the basis of presence of covering aps,
printers was done on the basis of their
resistance to scratches and nally the
features, performance, ergonomics, build
aesthetic appeal of a printer.
quality and warranty & support.
Ergonomics
Features
We rated the ergonomics on the basis
Portable photo printers are intended for
of size and spacing of buttons, and
personal use, hence we concentrated
presence of hotkeys for functions such as

cropping and so on. We also checked the
largely on Features. Firstly, we checked

30%
Features
the dimensions and weight; the smaller

and lighter the printer, the better the
points. Then we noted their print
adjustability and readability (image-clarity)

5% Warranty & Support
of the display and nally we evaluated the

intuitiveness of the user interface.
Weightages used for evaluating printers
technology; printers incorporating dye

sublimation technologyas opposed to
results from each printer. The same photos
Warranty
inkjetscored better points. Ratings were
were printed on each printer and we
Here, points were awarded on the basis of
also given by checking the interface, such
conducted a detailed analysis of their print
the warranty period offered on the device
as USB, Bluetooth and PictBridge. Printers
quality. Ratings were given, based on the
and the size of each manufacturers service
featuring all options, scored highest in
closeness of results to the original test
support network. We concluded the
this area. The GUI interface was checked
targets with respect to color reproduction,
test with the calculation of the Value for
for the availability of print modes such
contrast, details, skin tones, and so on.
Money (VFM) index which was derived by
as layout styles and color modes. Rare
The contending pictures were printed at
stacking the features and performance of
features such as battery operability and
300 dpi, comprising nature, human and
each device against its price.
red eye reduction were given extra points.
still objects. These images can bring any
Finally, we rated the printers on their
photo printer down to its knees, as they
Economy index, the lower the price, the
incorporate a wide gamut of colors, ne
better the points.
details, skin tones and gradients.
Performance
printed the three different picturesof
Features and price are vital factors, but
different le-sizesconsecutively, on each
performance is the most important one.
printer. Thereafter, we noted the average
We rst got three different photos printed
time taken between the three. Printing
in a professional photo lab. They were
was carried out using the Default Quality
used as test targets to check image
settings using a CF card in the printer.
To evaluate the printing speeds, we
We unwound a dye sublimation cartridge to

display the four different colors of thermal ink.
BUYING GUIDE
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Buying Guide
Nova Digital Photo Printer 786
Rs 5,500
Rs 12 per print 80 sec
Canon Selphy CP 740
Rs 5,995
Epson PictureMate PM210
Rs 8,999
Kodak Easy Share 500

*VFM out of 5
50
3.5
Rs 9.72 per print 86 sec
70
56
Rs 9,900 Rs 13.75 per print 83 sec
67
53
Rs 10,499
Dye sublimation 1.5-inch
||
||
Good looking
Dye sublimation
2-inch
||
||
Good looking
Inkjet
2-inch
||
||
1.2 Kg
Downright sexy!
Dye sublimation 3.5-inch
||
||
2.4 Kg
Good looking
Inkjet 3.6-inch
||
||
1.6 Kg
Passable looks
1.1 Kg
2.5 Kg
3.5
3
**Features and performance out of 100
| 73
HARDWARE
Personal Take
SpecScan
CATEGORY
Francis Dsa
Performance (in terms of print speeds)

and print quality are the two most vital
concerns while buying a digital photo
printer. You would also want to look at the
price per print (print economy) if you want
to print photographs on a large scale.
Canons Selphy CP 740 would be the
best choice for a personal digital photo
printer as its size is small; it is compact
and very easy to use. The highlight of
this printer is certainly its price and print
economy.
If portability is not too much of an
issue, you can opt for the feature-rich
Epson PM 270 photo printer. It has a
large 3.6-inch crisp LCD display, optional
battery operating feature, and has a pretty
good print economy of Rs 9 per print.
The build quality is excellent and it is the
fastest printer of the lot we reviewedit
takes just 42 seconds per print. However,
the printer loses out when it comes to
print quality as it uses inkjet printing
technology. I would recommend opting for
a dye sublimation technology based printer
for photos as it is much easier to maintain
as compared to inkjet printers.
But as far as features go, opting for the
Kodak Easy Share 500 is a good choice. It
features quick access or shortcut keys to
carry out photo editing on the y. Rotate,
slide show, crop, red eye reduction, zoom,
and Bluetooth are some of the shortcut
keys available on this printer. The most
important and helpful feature of the Kodak
Easy Share is Bluetooth availability. Using
this feature, you can directly print your
photos from any mobile phone, laptop, PDA
or any Bluetooth enabled device by just
sending the le to the printer.
To conclude, when making a choice for
a photo printer, take a look at its features,
print economy and build quality before
settling in for a cheaper model. Finally also
look for easy availability of service and
supplies in your city.
Name
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Price*
RATINGS
Features (30%)
Build quality (10%)
Ergonomics (15%)
Performance (40%)
Warranty (5%)

Epson India Pvt Ltd
080-30515000
sales@eid.espon.co.in
Rs 10,499
84
96
86
72
67
23
100
50
100
72
50
100
71

215 x 145 x 152 mm

2.4 Kg
Inkjet
3.6-inch
||
|

334 x 78 x 166 mm
1.2 Kg
Dye sublimation
3.5-inch
||
|
||
||
|

Rs 9 per print
||
||
|

Rs 13.75 per print
Very Good | Very Good | Very Good Very Good | Very Good | Very Good

Good looking
Downright sexy!
Very Good | Very Good
|
|
Excellent
Very Good

|
|
Good
Average

42 sec
83 sec
Below average
Very Good | Poor | Very Good
Average | Below average
Average
Below average
Very Good
Good | Average | Good
Good | Very Good
Very Good
Average
1
179
140
1
45
30
75
74
53
0

Value for money
FEATURES
Dimensions (WxHxD)
Weight
Print technology
LCD display size
Interface (USB | PictBridge | Bluetooth)
Integrated (Bluetooth adapter | Card reader)
Battery operable
Printing features
Layout (Borderless | ID | Index sheet)
Color modes (B & W | Sepia | Enhanced)
Red eye reduction | Image cropping
DPOF
Print economy
BUILD QUALITY
Quality (Body | Buttons | Sheet feeder)
Presence of covering flaps
Resistant to scratches
Aesthetic appeal
ERGONOMICS
Button (Size | Spacing)
Hotkeys
Red eye reduction | Bluetooth
Crop | Rotate
GUI intuitiveness
Clarity of display
Adjustable display
PERFORMANCE
Printing time (per page)
Print quality
Skin tone
Color reproduction (Red | Green | Blue)
White balance | Greyscale
Reproduction of details
Overall contrast
WARRANTY
Warranty period (years)
Kodak Easy Share 500

Kodak India Pvt Ltd
1800-224-949
contactindia@kodakindia.com
Rs 9,900
HARDWARE
Canon Selphy CP 740
Canon Selphy CP 740

Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
Rs 5,995

Epson India Pvt Ltd
080-30515000
sales@eid.espon.co.in
Rs 8,999
Nova Digital Photo Printer 786

Nova Photos
011-23283567
rafnova@vsnl.net
Rs 5,500
59
61
88
60
48
70
56
83
44
43
44
50
96
50
68
100
100
50
100
62

10
0
50

179 x 63 x 127.1 mm
1.1 Kg
Dye sublimation
2-inch
||
|
215 x 145 x 152 mm

2.5 Kg
Inkjet
2-inch
||
|
185 x 83 x 182 mm
1.6 Kg
Dye sublimation
1.5-inch
||
|
||
||
|

Rs 9.72 per print
100
44
||
||
|

Rs 9 per print
||
||
|

Rs 12 per print
Specifications
Dimensions (WxHxD): 179x63x127.1 mm; Weight:
1.1 Kg; Print Technology: Dye Sublimation; Print
Economy: Rs 9.72 per print; LCD display size: 2-inch
Price
Contact
Phone
E-mail
Warranty
Rs 5,995
Canon India Pvt Ltd
1800-345-33-66
info@canon.co.in
1 year
RATINGS
Features
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Performance
Overall Rating
Value for Money
hile evaluating any type of printers, it

gets really tough to pick out a single
printer and title it the best from amongst

a lot. But after our scores were evaluated,
it was revealed that the Canon Selphy CP
740 stood out to be the sole winner of the
Best Performer and Best Value awards.
The CP 740 uses Dye Sublimation printing
Very Good | Very Good | Very Good
Below average | Poor | Average

technology and prints only on photo paper.

Good looking
Very Good | Very Good | Very Good

Good looking
cartridges and 108 photo papers, priced at
|
|
Excellent
Below average
|
|
|
|
key for red-eye reduction and the rest of
Excellent
Poor
Very Good
Poor
print modes. It has a retractable PictBridge
that support mini-USB connectors. The
86 sec
86 sec
80 sec
Good
Average | Very Good | Below average
Excellent | Very Good
Very Good
Good
Good
Below average | Below average | Very Good
Average | Below average
Average
Very Good
Below average
Average | Good | Poor
Poor | Average
Excellent
Below average
1
130
130
1
179
140
1
15
15
Passable looks
The cartridge package includes three

Rs 1,050, which accounts to a comfortable
Rs 9.72 per print. The printer has an
excellent build quality. It has a shortcut
the buttons are for layout, date stamp and
cable which can be used for cameras
overall performance of the printer was
good with an average print speed of
up to 86 seconds per print. The print
quality showed excellent white balance,
grayscale values and reproduction of
details. Although the color reproduction of
blue was below average, the overall print
quality was acceptable.
FOR: Compact, retractable PictBridge cable,
AGAINST: Bad LCD display quality, no color
modes or cropping options.
| 75
HARDWARE
Goliath is Here!
Let your jaw drop to the floor. The Cowon A3
deserves this reaction! BY AMOGH RANADIVE
Pramod Jadhav
hat exactly is a Portable Media

Player (PMP)? Is it a device which
can seamlessly play all your music,
movies and all other types of media? If that

indeed is the case, then the Cowon A3 is the
most complete PMP we have seen till date.
Coming in variants of 30 and 60 GB and packed
to the brim with exciting features, the A3
means that you do not have to get into the
promises to fulll all your media needs and it
hassles of ripping DVDs and VCDs to enjoy
surely does not disappoint. Lets take a look at
them on the A3. Just copy the VOB or DAT
what makes the Cowon A3 a gadget to die for.
les and you are good to go. In context to

audio, the A3 has support for formats like
Ergonomics and Build Quality
AAC, ASF, OGG, AC3 andwait for itall
RATING: 5/5
compression levels of FLAC!
At rst glance, the A3 looks exactly like
The A3 can record audio with the in-built
its predecessorthe Cowon A2. Dont be
microphone and video through line-in. So, if you
disillusioned by this fact, because the A3 starts
like a TV show, just plug you A3 to the TV and
showing its true colors once you press the
start recording! You can use the AV out port to
power button, which is located at the right side
view movies stored on the A3 on your TV. As is
of the player. The joystick and the four slim
standard practice with almost all MP3 players,
buttons ae located on the right, whereas on
the A3 comes bundled with FM radio. MobileTV
the left side there are inputs for AV and DC,
is also supported, but unfortunately it is not
earphone jack, composite in, S-video in and a
available in India. Apart from the audio/video
mini-USB port. The speakers and microphone
aspects, the A3 also has a picture viewer and
are located on the top of the player, and the
document reader. The crisp looking LCD screen
reset button is located at the bottom. The A3
supports a resolution of 800x480 and can show
has a good grip and a sturdy build quality. The
16 million colors, in an aspect ratio of 16:9. The
input ports are well concealed by a ap and the
package includes a mini USB to USB extension
buttons have a good tactile feel.
Contact
Features
Price
RATING: 5/5
Throw any possible video or audio format at the

A3, and it will play it without any difculties.
Apart from the standard MPEG and AVI les,
the A3 can also play VOB and DAT les! This
Contact
Phone
Email
Warranty
: Rs 20,000 (30 GB)

Rs 24,000 (60 GB)
: Lipap Systems Pvt Ltd
: 9819917440
: iaudio@lipap.com
: 1 year
SMS us! Story code:HGH to 57007
HARDWARE
cable through which you can jack your

ash drive into the player and transfer les
from it to the A3s hard disk.
Video Playback
RATING: 4.5/5
Let me make no bones in saying that

watching movies on the A3 is simply
a pleasure that every individual must
experience. The A3 uses its 16:9
widescreen to full effect and plays
videos like a dream, reproducing every
detail and color perfectly. While the
Connect your pen drive and transfer media files

on the fly!
external speakers are loud enough to
equalizer settings and turning up the bass
enjoy movies, we would recommend
enhancer a little.
The buttons give a tactile feel but the joystick can

get a little frustrating.
using good surround headphones for

the ultimate portable movie watching
Nobodys Perfect
experience. The A3 struggles a little bit
Although the A3 is a feature packed
while playing 720p HD content though.
heavyweight which can do little wrong,
However, this is just a minor shortcoming
we managed to nd a few faults. While
and in no way does it stop the A3 from
the A3 provides a good chunky grip, it is
being an entertainment heavyweight.
still bulky and very inconvenient to carry

around in your denim pockets. Whats
Audio Playback
more frustrating is that a good carry case
RATING: 4/5
is not included in the package. It is a must
The A3 offers crisp audio playback,
for every PMP in the market to have a
playing the bass and the trebles
carry pouch and not including that in the
instances initially when it would go left
awlessly. The sound quality is enhanced
package might not go down well with
when we wanted it to go down, or go up
with the in-depth equalizer, which has
customers.
when we wanted to press it. However,
8 presets. The jetEffect technology

provides the cherry on the cake.
jetEffect is a combination of four
The headphones are of substandard

quality, and after just 4 minutes of listening
The A3 is a little bulky and a nuisance to carry

around in tight pockets.
we were able to master the joystick

within a few hours of dedicated usage.
to music on them, we found ourselves
sound enhancing technologies which are
reaching for our personal headphones
Final Say
Mach3Bass for perfect bass, 3D Surround
and the change in quality was noticeable.
RATING: 4/5
for the surround sound effect, BBE for
We also missed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The Cowon A3 offers stunning video
clarity and MPEnhance for lling in
connectivity on the A3. Browsing the
and crisp audio playback. With support
missing MP3 segments.
Internet on the gorgeous LCD screen
for every codec and format possible, the
would have been a treat!
entertainment possibilities are endless.
These features make it easy to fully

customize your audio experience on the
We also experienced a few nagging
True, there are a few shortcomings but
A3. However, we noticed that the best
problems with the joystick at the
these can be overlooked. With attractive
audio quality was achieved after tuning
beginning. There were quite a few
prices of Rs 20,000 for the 30 GB and Rs

24,000 for the 60 GB, the A3 is a brilliant
buy with excellent features and good
value for money. So if you are looking
for a one time investment in portable
media players, do not even dare to look
anywhere else.
FOR: Excellent video playback, vibrant
widescreen LCD, support for every

possible audio/video codec.
AGAINST: Lacks a carry pouch, stock
earphones are pathetic, joystick can be a

The stereo speakers and microphone are located
at the top of the player.
The ports on the side are protected by a sturdy

flap which also provides the name of each port.
little frustrating.
| 77
HARDWARE
FEATURE
The Birth of a Computer

Zenith Computers invited CHIP to tour its PC manufacturing facility in Goa. See
how one of Indias largest PC vendors runs its operations. BY JAMSHED AVARI
manufacturing units. Set up by Zenith

facility occupies 60,000 square feet of
about 10 stations per line. Workers at
at a local market. In fact any kind of
space and is ISO 14001 certied. PCs
each station require a maximum of
work in Goa seems out of place! But
and laptops are shipped out from here
three minutes per machine, and the
tucked into a quiet, green corner of
and sent to more than 500 Zenith PC
average PC is assembled in 15 minutes
Zuari district is one of Indias oldest PC
World outlets and thousands of dealers
at. That means that each line can
across the country.
produce 250 machines in a day, and so
The factory has four production
oa brings to mind images of

lazing around on a sun-drenched
Computers nearly 30 years ago, the
lines running simultaneously, with
beach or shopping for cashews
the factory can put out around 1,000

fully assembled machines per day. Take
a look at how it's all done.
g
c ordin
but ac
,
h
c
e
t
high inc e
ra te s
k ve r y
ed
delib e
ot loo
n
is
t
g
it
h
d ion
in
or mig
ir- c on
dition
a
lo
n
f
o
n
y
c
o
r
n
c to
of air
ed in
T he f a
e lac k
b e us
d e, t h
s will
t
in
c
h
u
S
d
to
pro
Zenith
mos t
ts.
n
e
m
n
enviro
Production Manager Vinayak Shinde expla

ins how one PC from
each batch is put into this temperature /press
ure-c ontrolled
chamber, where it must run for hours at
a stretch. The PCs in
the picture are looping the Windows XP
tour.
Storage takes a huge amount of space. Apart from the

thousands of crates full of parts waiting to be worked on, there
has to be space to store thousands of already-assembled PCs
waiting to be shipped out.
trays rather than

embly line on wheeled
PCs move down the ass
firs t station,
the
is
s
veyor belt. Thi
using a conventional con
them for all the
e
par
pre
and
ssis
the cha
where workers unpack
internal component s.
HARDWARE
Electric screwdrivers make things faster and

easier. Each screwdriver has its torque calibrated
for metal-metal, metal-plastic or plastic-plastic
joints, so that nothing can rattle or come loose
during shipping.
and
erating system
d so that the op
te
ica
pl
each
re
e
on
ar
ed
Hard drives
anually inst all
t have to be m
n
l
do
ua
e
an
ar
m
s
ftw
ea
so
er
default
w minutes, wh
s takes just a fe
es
oc
.
pr
e
ive
dr
Th
r
.
PC
an hour pe
uld take at least
inst allation wo
PCs and laptops from each batch are left running continuously
for hours. A diagnostic burn-in test is performed, and the
machines are monitored for any failure.
t part s
es and mos
re. The bodi
he
r part s
ed
he
bl
ot
m
d
e also as se
M, drives an
A
R
e
th
t
Laptops ar
iwan, bu
ed from Ta
are import
.
nd
ha
are fitted by
To demonstrate the strength of its packaging,

factor y workers pick up
a packed PC and drop it from arm height a numb
er of times on each
side and corner. The PC is the unpac ked, physic
ally checked, and put
through tests again.
Zenith Computers Executive Director Devita Saraf

(L) and Managing Director Raj Saraf pose with the
all-in-one Smart Style PC, against the backdrop of
the factory they run.
HARDWARE
PC CONFIGS
PC Configs
GAMING ( ENTRY LEVEL
EVEL )
Processor
Rs
3 3, 4 0 0
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+, 2.6 GHz
4,800
Motherboard
Asus M2A-VM
3,450
RA
RAM
2x 1 GB Transcend DDR2-667 MHz
2,100
Ha
Hard disk
Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 - 250 GB SATA
2,750
G
Graphics card
XFX GeForce 8600GT - 256 MB
5,000
O
Optical drive
LiteOn Super AllWrite LightScribe - 20x DVD Writer
1,650
Network
N
card
Onboard 10/100/1000 GbE
Monitor
M
ViewSonic VA1703WB - 17-inch TFT
Keyboard
Ke
Logitech Internet Pro Desktop
Mouse
M
Included in Combo
Speakers
Sp
Altec Lansing ATP3 - 2.1 stereo
Sound
card
So
Onboard high-definition audio
PC Case
iBall Gamer with 400 Watts power supply
8,200
850
2,850
Power supply unit Included with the PC Case
1,750
TOTAL
33,400
GAMING ( MID-RANGE )
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550, 2.33 GHz
7,400
Motherboard
MSI P6N SLI Platinum
7,300
RAM
2x 1 GB Kingston DDR2-667 MHz
2,100
Hard disk
Western Digital Caviar SE16 - 320 GB SATA
3,750
Graphics card
MSI GeForce 8800 GT OC Ed. - 512 MB
Optical drive
Network card
Monitor
ViewSonic VG1930wm - 19-inch TFT
Keyboard
Mouse
Included in Combo
Speakers
Creative Inspire T6060 - 5.1 surround
Sound card
PC Case
Cooler Master Elite 330
Power supply unit Power Safe 500 W
TOTAL
Rs
5 5, 3 5 0
13,000
1,650
10,000
850
4,400
2,100
2,800
55,350
SMS us! Story code: HPC to 57007
PC CONFIGS
HARDWARE
GAMING ( HIGH-END )
Rs
1,10,185
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, 3.0 GHz
Motherboard
XFX Nvidia 680i LT SLI
RAM
G.Skill F2-6400CL4D - 2 GB DDR2-800
4,600
Hard disk
2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 - 250 GB in RAID 0
5,600
Graphics
G
card
2x MSI 8800GT OC Edition - 512 MB
Optical
O
drive
Network
card
N
Monitor
M
Dell SP2208WFP - 22-inch TFT
Keyboard
K
Razer Lycosa
4,500
Mouse
M
Logitech MX518
2,500
Speakers
S
Creative Gigaworks G500 - 5.1 surround
Sound
S
card
PC
P Case
Cooler Master Centurion 534 Plus
8,900
10,200
26,000
1,650
15,386
22,999
3,850
Power supply unit Cooler Master Extreme Power 600W
TOTAL
4,000
1,10,185
WORKSTATION
Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2.4 GHz
11,000
Motherboard
Asus P5N32-E SLI
12,800
RAM
G.Skill F2-6400CL4D - 2 GB DDR2-800
Hard disk
2x Western Digital Caviar RE2, 500 GB in RAID 0
14,400
Graphics card
Leadtek Quadro FX 560 - 128 MB
13,500
Optical drive
Network card
Monitor
Dell 2408WFP UltraSharp - 24-inch TFT
Keyboard
Logitech Internet & Multimedia Keyboard
Mouse
Logitech MX518
Speakers
Creative Gigaworks G500 - 5.1 surround
22,999
Sound card
Creative X-Fi Elite Pro
25,500
PC Case
Antec Titan 550
4,600
45,066
825
2,500
6,250
7,300
Input Device
9,000
TOTAL
1,68,390
1,650
Power supply unit Antec Trio 650

Wacom Graphire 4 Tablet 6x8 (optional)
Rs
1,68,390
| 81
HARDWARE
PC CONFIGS
HOME BASIC
Processor
Athlon 64 X2 4200+, 2.1 GHz
3,000
Motherboard
Asus M2A-VM
3,450
RAM
2,100
Hard disk
Western Digital Caviar SE - 160 GB SATA
2,300
Graphics card
Onboard graphics
Optical drive
Network card
Monitor
ViewSonic VA1912w - 19-inch TFT
Keyboard &
mouse Combo
Speakers
Altec Lansing ATP3 - 2.1 stereo
Sound card
PC Case
iBall i648 with 400 watts power supply
Rs
2 6, 6 0 0
1,650
9,000
850
2,850
Power supply unit Included with the PC Case
1,400
TOTAL
26,600
HOME THEATER PC
Rs.
77,777
Processor
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+, 2.5 GHz
4,790
Motherboard
Asus M2AVM-HDMI
4,800
RAM
2,100
Hard disk
Western Digital Caviar SE16 - 320 GB SATA
3,750
Graphics card
Gigabyte GeForce 8500GT - 256 MB
4,250
Optical drive
1,650
Network card
Monitor
Dell E248WFP - 24-inch TFT
Keyboard & Mouse Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110
19,188
2,100
Speakers
Creative Gigaworks G500
Sound card
PC Case
Cooler Master CM Media 260
8,200
22,999
Power supply unit Cooler Master Extreme Power 380W
2,000
TV tuner card
1,950
TOTAL
Compro VideoMate TV PVR/FM
77,777
HARDWARE
INFOGRAPHICS
PS3: Blown Wide Open!

T
he third version of the PlayStation is among the most advanced game consoles in the world today. To give you an idea
of how advanced it is, consider the fact that quad-core processors are coming to desktop computers now, while the PS3
(as its popularly known) was released a year ago with a nine-core processor! Called the Cell processor, the graphics
pumped out by it are phenomenal. There arent many gaming consoles which can touch the PS3 where raw processing power
is concerned. But the processor is not the only super component within that sleek black casing. What we see here is the
motherboard which houses the Cell processor, graphics, memory, and audio chipsets.
EE+GS : The Emotion Engine

chip was made famous by Sony
RSX: The graphics chipset
which runs at 500 MHz. Built using the
of the PS3 is called the
vaunted G70 architecture, the RSX is
when they launched it in the PlayStation
Reality Synthesizer. The RSX chip
manufactured using the 90-nanometer
2. It was the main processor of the PS2
is the graphics core of the PS3. Its
process. This graphics processor
and was powerful enough to be used in
responsible for pumping out all those
can crunch pixels in a wide range of
missile launching control systems (or so
mouthwatering graphics that have
resolutions: from 480i/576i
Sony said). The name Emotion Engine
become the hallmark of the PlayStation
SD up to 1080p HD.
was a misnomer though; the name
series. Manufactured by Nvidia, it runs
evoked the idea that it was powerful
at a speed of 550 MHz and is part of
enough to generate facial meshes that
Nvidias 7800 GPU family,
could display human-like emotions. It

did nothing of the sort. In the PS3, the
EE is relegated to a secondary role; it
enables backwards compatibility
for PS2 games on the PS3,

which means that PS2
games on the PS3 wont have
better graphics as some might
expect. The Emotion Engine
(this chip is also used in the
slim PS2) was however removed
from all units manufactured
after September last year. These
were the 80 GB versions of the
PS3 and the removal of the EE was
done (ostensibly) for cost reasons.

However, backwards compatibility
has improved with software updates
from Sony.
IO Bridge: The IO Bridge is a

chip, which is not found on the
PS3s closest competitorthe Xbox 360.

It controls the Input/Output functions
within the console. This includes
controlling the USB 2.0 interface in the
PS3 and reading or writing data using
the multi card reader which can read SD/
MMC, CompactFlash, Microdrives, and
Memory Stick/PRO/Duo.
INFOGRAPHICS
HARDWARE
Gaming consoles are taking over the entertainment world. These technological
marvels are the last word in digital entertainment. We take a look at the heart of
the most famous consolethe PS3. BY VIJAY GEORGE
Cell Processor
Multicore processors are the next big
which can be used to help study the
The most famous component
thing in processor technology today
process of folding of proteins. The
of the PS3, the Cell processor was
because of their capability to perform
data processed could then be sent
developed by IBM and is capable
several threads of data processing
back to the University and used to
of running at speeds of over 4.5
together. Single core processors can
study diseases such as Alzheimers
GHzthe Cell has nine cores! This is
do the same thing, but they have to
and Parkinsons disease. Of course, a
astonishing since even today, quad-
run faster and faster. This implies
processor as powerful as this requires
core processors are something which
that the core speed of the single core
proper cooling. The PS3 has a massive
most people have only heard of. Most
processor has to be increased to
heat sink and fan assembly, mounted
of the processors which are available
such an extent that without plenty
over the entire mainboard. The heat
for home use run around ve times
of cooling, it runs the risk of melting!
sink has a series of interconnected heat
slower. Out of the nine cores, one
In fact, so powerful is the processing
pipes which help direct heat away from
core is a 64-bit PowerPC core and the
power of the PS3, Stanford University
the chips.
rest are separate processing cores.
released a downloadable application
RAM
The PlayStation 3 has 256 MB of XDR (eXtreme
Blu-ray drive
The PS3 uses a Blu-ray drive
Data Rate) main memory and 256 MB of GDDR3
to run game CDs/DVDs and movies.
video memory for the RSX. XDR RAM runs amazingly
The PS3s read-only Blu-ray drive is a
fastat a frequency of 3.2 GHz. This is one of the
slot loading drive. With data transfer
advantages of the PS3 over the Xbox 360. While the
speeds of around 30MBits/sec it needs
Xbox has 512 MB of RAM, it runs far slower than the
to be spun at speeds equivalent to a 3x
PS3s RAM. Also, the Xbox 360s RAM is shared
DVD ROM drive.
which places additional load on its processor.
- vijay.george@infomediaindia.com
| 85
APPLICATIONS
Jagdish Limbachiya
Software Center
his month, we bring you plenty of
is Panicwares Pop-Up Stopper. Procrastinate by
freeware applications to play with, such
spending time with Pivot Stick Figure animator,
as an animator program, a virtual notes
and make animation graphics in no time with
application, a media player and pop-up blocker,
this easy to learn program. Schedule and
as well as a couple of shareware applications
manage your appointments, tasks and alarms
one of which helps compress photos.
with PNotes, a desktop application that lets
Blubox is a compression utility that can
you post virtual sticky notes on your computer.
efciently reduce the size of those photosbut
Then, there is Teach2000, a must for tutors who
does it stand up favorably when compared to
plan to teach computer savvy students. This
IrfanView? Then, we take a look at Advanced
applications main feauture is the ability to easily
Unistaller Pro, a useful le utility that will
create tests in Web page format.
effectively erase any traces of previously
The Software of the Month title is accorded
uninstalled software from your Windows
to ThinkFree Desktop suite, that comes with
registry and the list doesnt just stop here.
new features for their ofce applications, as well
For those who routinely use multiple Web
as a new syncing tool that lets you store and
browsers to surf the Internet and need a pop-up
share your documents online and collaborate on
blocker that can manage and block unwanted
them with colleagues and friends.

-deepti.krishnan@chip-india.com
pop-ups over these diverse applications, there
Ratings Explained
The parameters used for evaluating software are
by compiling the features and the utility of the
assigned a graphical rating out of a scale of 5.
application against its price. In case of freeware
These measures include performance, features
and shareware tools available for downloading
and ease of use. The overall rating shown in the
from the Internet, we replace the price with the
reviews is based on all these factors.
download size (and therefore, the time taken to
In addition, there is a value for money rating

for each application. This rating is obtained
download the application) for arriving at the value

for money rating.
SMS us! Story code: SWS to 57007
TESTED APPLICATIONS
COMPRESSION UTILITY
BluBox v 4.1.2.001
System Requirements
Windows 2000, XP or Vista. Microsoft .NET
framework version 2.0 or higher. 1.0 GHz
processor, 256 MB RAM and 25 MB hard drive
Price
Rs 1,400 (approx)
Contact
BluBox
Website
www.blubox.com
RATINGS
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Overall Rating
Find it on
this months
THE SHRINK BluBox is a handy little
Add File, Add Folder and Remove. On
discovered that the software does not
product that compresses high resolution
proceeding, you can choose the archive
support optimization for CPU usage with
photos. Now, when you upload images,
format as BLU or ZIP, set the archive
the multi-threading option. When tested
you will also make it easier for the
location, name and encryption password.
on a quad-core, the application didnt use

all the cores efciently. Moreover, the ZIP
people downloading them. The default

folder opened is My Pictures. The top
Testing
format compressed le does not change
panel contains the menu items and ve
A folder sized at 811 MB containing JPEG
with the compression level and resize
buttons - New, Open, Add, Extract
les was used to test the product. The
options. The default settings produced a
and Settings. The Settings window has
specications of the machine used are:
248 MB le. The High image compression
two tabs, the rst being Compression
MOTHERBOARD: XFX 790i Ultra
level with no resizing created a 91.5
Settings where the user can set the
PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650
MB BLU compressed le. Compare this
compression type as either Image or
MEMORY: 2 x 1 GB DDR3-1666
to a 92 MB folder where the pictures
Binary, set the compression levels which
HARD DISK: Western Digital WD5000AACS
are compressed using IrfanView at a

compression rate of 50 percent. While
range from Lossless, Low, Medium,
On testing, it easily compressed a
High to Maximum. You can also resize
60 MB folder of photos to a 7 MB BLU
the image resolutions are comparable, the
your images from the Original size to a
format le using default settings. ZIP
BluBox loses to IrfanView because of the
custom size. Using the General tab, you
format is also supported but it doesnt
BLU compression format. Someone who
can enable the password option while
compress as wellthe 60 MB folder
uses IrfanView to compress the images
creating a new archive. Thus, your images
could only be compressed to 25 MB. We
doesnt require special software to view
can be protected from prying eyes. The
1m 34s 91.5 MB
2m 33s 92 MB
the images, while the BluBox le can
navigational side which has two windows,
only be opened using the BluBox viewer,
one which shows archived les and the
downloadable for free at the ofcial
second which displays the folder list. The
website www.blubox.com.
bottom panel has four main buttons in

addition to standard image buttons like
Verdict
Rotate, Fit to screen and Actual Size.
A thumbs up for easy and efcient
Slideshow, Email as an attachment,
compression with support for many image
Print and Upload to Web to upload the

images to a FTP site.
When creating a new archive, a wizard
dialog box opens up with buttons to
formats.
Irfanview
BluBox
Image compression test between BluBox and

Irfanview yielded no difference in resolutions.
FOR: Easy to use, easily navigable.

AGAINST: Need free viewer to extract les
and view images.
| 87
APPLICATIONS TESTED
UNINSTALL Advanced Uninstaller
PROGRAM UTILITY
Advanced Uninstaller Pro

Price
Contact
Website
Rs 1,600 (approx)
Innovative Solutions
www.innovativesol.com/uninstaller/
RATINGS
Installation Monitor (peculiar to
Pro is one of those few programs that
this suite) keeps a log of all les that
come in handy when things go wrong in
are changed, added, copied during the
Windows. Some programs are either not
installation process. This is a great benet
suitably designed and leave traces behind
for keeping tabs on installations, though
after uninstallation, or like adware/spyware
it is of no use if it isnt run at the time of
programs, refuse to uninstall. Advanced
installation. Be careful with this though
Uninstaller Pro really helps in such
as any changes you make with other
Features
situations. Its got several tools such as
unrelated les during installation could
Performance
monitoring installations, startup manager,
very well be recorded as well.
Overall Rating
duplicate les, Control Panel manager,
Value for money
services manager with several proles,
for those who want a thorough uninstaller.
Start Menu tools, browser cleaners,
FOR: Thorough, good descriptions for tools.
Find it on
Registry tools and scheduler manager all
AGAINST: Unnecessarily skinned, a little
this months
thrown into one hefty package.
cluttered, can remove wanted les too.
Ease of use
Advanced Uninstaller Pro is imperative
System Requirements: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, 500 MHz, 256 MB, 30 MB disk space
UNPOP Most modern browsers
Certain sites need pop-up blockers to
suppress pop-ups automatically, but
be disabled. Therefore, we recommend
some pop-ups do get through. To block
shutting any pop-up blockers within the
these, the browser needs to be separately
browser as well as any toolbars that do
congured which can quickly get to be a
thissuch as Google toolbarand only
pain if multiple browsers are used.
enable this application.
This pop-up stopper is smart and
Unfortunately the pop-up blocker
POP-UP BLOCKER
Pop-up Stopper Free Edition

Price
Free
Contact
Panicware
Website
www.panicware.com/
product_psfree.html
RATINGS
congurable over all your browsers. It
doesnt allow any white-listing of sites
doesnt block New Window commands
that you want to allow pop-ups from,
issued by a user, unlike some other pop-up
which ought to be mandatory for a
Performance
stoppers. Customize pop-up alarms with
pop-up blocker. Perhaps this exists in the
Overall Rating
sound, text-bubbles, or a subtle mouse
Professional edition.
color change when a pop-up is blocked.
FOR: Good pop-up blocking independent of
Ease of use
Features
Individual pop-up windows can be allowed
browsers.
Find it on
by holding down the [Ctrl] or [Shift] key.
AGAINST: No white-listing of sites option.
this months
System Requirements: Win 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, 500 MHz, 256 MB, 5 MB disk space
MEDIA PLAYER
Audacity 1.2.6
Price
Free
Contact
Audacity Developer Team
Website
audacity.sourceforge.net
RATINGS
AUDACIOUS Windows has absolutely
amplitude-envelope editor, a customizable
no Audacity to provide a good audio
spectrogram mode, and a frequency-
editing program. This multi-platform open
analysis window for audio-analysis
source editor is great at what it does. It
applications. Built-in effects include bass
has 32-bit oating point audio, a clean
boost, wah wah, and noise removal. The
uncluttered interface, good plugin support
program also supports VST plug-in effects.
and project management features.
Ease of use
This editor can record and play sounds
Features
Performance
Overall Rating
Find it on
this months
Dont expect this to be a commercial

program such as Cool Edit Pro or Sonys
and import and export WAV, AIFF, MP3,
Soundforge but if you are looking for a
and OGG as well as FLAC with this version
free feature-rich audio editor, it doesnt get
right out-of-the-box. You can freely edit
better than this.
using cut, copy, and paste features, with
FOR: Powerful audio editor, additional
unlimited undo functionality, mix tracks,
plugin support.
and use the eye-catching Beat Analyzer.
AGAINST: Needs more features but we are
The program also has a built-in
only being picky.
System Requirements: Win All, Linux, Mac OSX, 500 MHz, 256 MB, 15 MB disk space
TESTED APPLICATIONS
QUIZ TIME Though created with
your quiz from the students perspective
EDUCATION
languages in mind, quizzes in Teach2000
and generate Web pages using CSS
can be modied to cater to any subject
style sheets in three formatsPractice,
Teach2000 v 3.5.0
Price
Free
Math, Chemistry, Physics etc. Fiddle
Link, and Match. You can also save
Contact
Teach2000
with options like custom sounds and
your question and answer list as a CSV
Website
teach2000.memtrain.com
smileys shown during the test these
(Comma Separated Value) or Excel le.
include cute aliens and trick-or-treat.
Then, send a link or an attachment to your
There are two input modesAdvanced
students as they prepare for their exams.
and Simple. While Simple mode allows
There are examples to efciently handle
you to add and edit, sort and format
foreign symbols, calculation of statistics,
questions and answers, Advanced mode
12 dictionaries for translations and
has features like second answer list and
synonyms and examination of vocabulary.
alternative questions. Answer types can
FOR: Rich variety of test types.
be multiple choice, multiple choice with
AGAINST: Needs a lot of tweaking as it
Find it on
multiple answers, or Yes/No. Review
was primarily designed to test language.
this months
RATINGS
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Overall Rating
System Requirements: Windows 95/98/XP/Vista
VIRTUAL STICKYS Jotting down
separately. Choose from a variety of skins
phone numbers, tasks, scheduling play
or create your own with PNSkin Creator.
dates and carpools are made easy with
Notes can also be skinless that allows
PNotes. It is fast, light, and portableit
stretching them to any reasonable size.
leaves no traces in the Windows registry
PNotes can also join notes into groups
and can be started from any drive (xed
of your choice. You can create, modify,
RATINGS
or ash) on any computer. Take your notes
delete and relocate groups by a simple
Ease of use
with you to any location.
click or drag-and-drop. Change groups for
STICKY NOTES
PNotes v 3.5.0
Price
Free
Contact
Andrey Gruber
Website
pnotes.sourceforge.net
Features
Tweak the general look such as
Performance
each note performed by dragging it into an
font, transparency, scroll bar and skins.
appropriate group. PNotes is fully Unicode
Schedule alarms using sound alert
supported and can be translated into many
and visual notication. Other options
languages.
include saving all notes on program close,
FOR: No installation, no traces left behind.
Find it on
conrmation before delete and save. Any
AGAINST: No option for sending or sharing
this months
portion of notes text can be formatted
notes in a network.
Overall Rating
System Requirements: Windows 95/98
POWERFUL STICK ANIMATION
dimensions, load different backgrounds,
This is a cool software that creates
then save as an animated GIF, sequence
animations using simple stick gures.
of bitmaps or a native le, a pivot le (.piv)
First, open the gure builder to edit
or a stick gure le (.stk), so that they can
the current stick gure type. Change
be edited later. You may encounter an
selected segment lengths, add line,
occasional error while saving the project
add circle, toggle segment kind,
as a GIF. Please make sure you save the
duplicate segment, delete segment,
animation as a .PIV le rst, to ensure that
change segment thickness of the gure.
the animation is not lost.
Static or Dynamic toggles the selected
TIP: To reduce line jaggedness, make the
segment; dynamic segments shall move
animation big, then choose to reduce the
in an animation, a static segment wont.
frames in the GIF optionsthe more the
Built-in stick gures include man, cowboy,
reduction, the smoother the edges.
realistic man, horse, elephant, clock,
FOR: Simple tools and intuitive building
alphabets, and numbers. Set the animation
AGAINST: PNG and TIF support missing.
ANIMATION
Pivot v 2.25
Price
Free
Contact
Peter Bone
Website
www.geocities.com/
peter_bone_uk
RATINGS
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Overall Rating
Find it on
this months
System Requirements: Windows 95/98
| 89
SOFTWARE OF THE MONTH

OFFICE SUITE
ThinkFree 3.5
System Requirements
Intel Pentium compatible PC, Intel based Mac;
256 MB RAM (512 MB Recommended); 200 MB of
available hard disk space; Windows Vista/XP/2000
Price
Free
Contact
Customer Support
Email
sales@thinkfree.com
Website
www.thinkfree.com
RATINGS
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Overall Rating
Find it on
this months
LOOK AND FEEL ThinkFree Desktop
FEATURES: Write comes with all the basic
is a free ofce suite and is a comparable
tools needed for creating a simple report
alternative to Microsoft Ofce, especially
or text documentheaders and footers,
since its interface is designed to look, feel,
section based editing, word case tools,
and behave like Ofce. When you open
tables, hyperlink, images and paint.
ThinkFree Ofce suite for the rst time,
Calc is a useful spreadsheet tool with

ThinkFree Desktop comes with a word processor,
spreadsheet, presentation and syncing tool.
you can be forgiven if you think that you
over 300 functions ranging from complex
are working with Microsoft Ofce 2003.
engineering to simple nancial work.
ThinkFree recently came out with its much
Other tools include chart wizard, string and
hyped revolution or revamp, as we at
number auto ll, protected sheets, multiple
CHIP call it. Apart from an upgrade of the
cell formatting, format picture and various
to the Ofce suite also includes automatic
suite from version 3 to 3.5, which comes
print options.
le synchronization with a free 1 GB online
slides as images.
A new addition of ThinkFree Manager
with numerous new features, they have
Show is the ThinkFree equivalent to
storage account after registration. With
also incorporated an online collaboration
PowerPoint and is compatible with it. It
this new add-on, you will never have to
workspace, just like Microsofts Ofce
comes with automatic slide layouts, slide
worry about losing your les again. Simply
Live Workspace. ThinkFrees Write is
master, drawing tools and clipart, color
store and access all your documents on
comparable to Word, Calc to Excel, and
scheme selections, dynamic animation,
ThinkFrees secure storage server, without
Show to PowerPoint. The latest edition
slide transitions, and the ability to save
the hassle of backing it up. You also do
also supports Ofce 2007 formats such as
not have to worry about the process
DOCX for Word 2007. Thus, you can open
of managing and uploading the latest
MS Ofce 2007 les without corrupting
changes you made when you were ofine.
the document layout or contents.
ThinkFree Managers le synchronization

feature handles your changes for you and
Once you navigate to ThinkFree Online

(member.thinkfree.com), register and login
updates the latest le information. Thus,
to your account and you can download
you can now disconnect from the Internet
ThinkFree Ofce Free. After installation,
without disconnecting from your work.
four desktop icons for the ofce programs
When you open ThinkFree Manager, a two
are created while an icon adds itself to the
panel view of your My Ofce les, as well

as any sync issues are displayed. Easy
system tray which you can use to launch

any of the four programs and log on to
MyOfce or Workspace.
Formatting table properties in Write is no different

than the procedure followed in Word
buttons on the top toolbar let you Sync,

or open up Write, Calc, and Show, as well
TESTED APPLICATIONS
Features
allNew
projects,
tasks, issues and other users.
as add les, write feedback, or open up a

Web browser to navigate to My Ofce
WRITE
online. Simply drag and drop your les into
Print margin support
the window and click Sync at which time,
Phonetic guide support
a progress window opens up to track the
Improved table editing
synchronization of the les. The upload
CALC
reects on your online My Ofce almost
Improved calculation engine
immediately.
SHOW
Print margin support
ONLINE: ThinkFree Online provides an
online suite to consumers free of cost.

Since this can be accessed using a Web
Use ThinkFree Manager to sync your desktop

documents with your online content.
Added support for Grid & Guide

Improved Drag & Drop
browser from anywhere in the world,
Improved Print performance
incompatible operating systems are no
Quick Print option for faster printing
longer an issue. Efcient le organization

is another useful feature along with
Apart from these, there are also numerous
online collaboration tools that allow for
other bug fixes that will make working
easy access to project les, and live
with the Office Suite a more enjoyable and
document embedding where documents,
stress-free experience.
spreadsheets, or presentation slides can

be easily inserted into posts. Dubbed
The Manager manages all topics and
as My Ofce (myofce.thinkfree.com)
issues, and the Members are those users

who can view and create tasks and issues
and supported by ThinkFree Docs (docs.

thinkfree.com), you can manage your
documents anywhere and anytime with
Take collaboration to a new level with the My

Office and ThinkFree Docs online.
with their authority being curtailed to only

those that they create the project. Invite
the 1 GB of free storage space. ThinkFree
synchronized folders on your Desktop. You
people to your collaborative workspace,
Ofce for ofine desktop le creation,
can choose access permission (co-author
and set up e-mail notication rules, such
ThinkFree Online Ofce for online le
or viewer) for your document.
as alerting users when any content is
creation, and ThinkFree Manager is a sync
Your ThinkFree Onlines Workspace can
changed or updated.
tool between these. It also comes with a
be used for collaborative work between
COMPARISON: Even if you have only
powerful HTML online editor which can be
geographically diverse locations. There
used Microsoft Ofce till date, the design
used for power blogging, with many easily
are three levels to document sharing with
and operation of ThinkFree is very similar
editable templates and layouts and the
Projects, Tasks, and Issues levels
and there exists a very low learning curve
option to add in services like Yahoo maps,
of organization. Project is the top-level
to get you familiarized with ThinkFree
YouTube videos and Flickr images.
category, Topics are the sub-categories
Ofce. Microsoft recent release Ofce
while Issues offer support for user
Live Workspace Beta is the ThinkFree
made more convenient: instead of
comments. You can set up each members
equivalent of My Ofce and Workspace
sending e-mails with attachments to
access permissions starting with Owner,
Beta. Both give users the ability to upload
share your documents with other people,
Administrator, Manager and Members.
and access les from anywhere, anytime
simply e-mail a link to the le located
While the Owner can create projects, the
using only a compatible Web browser
either on ThinkFrees servers or in your
Administrator is in charge of managing.
and lets users collaborate on projects
Sharing documents has also been
and share les. Finally, Microsoft offers

users 500 MB online storage space, while
ThinkFree currently provides one GB.
Verdict
An awesome tool for home users and
ofce users alike at a low cost.
FOR: Ofine Desktop application with sync
to online My Ofce lets you get at your

les from any location and at any time.
AGAINST: Noticeable hitches with Firefox
Calcs Chart Wizard can easily create bar graphs,
pie charts and area and doughnut diagrams
Choose from a variety of design templates in

Show and add some jazz to your presentation
version 2.0.
deepti.krishnan@chip-india.com
| 91
APPLICATIONS FEATURE
Mystify Mode: Off

Do the different modes on your camera confuse you? CHIP
shows you the functions of all shooting modes so that you can
optimally use your camera and get better results! BY ANAND TULIANI
ecause they involve the science of

light, digital cameras are highly complex
devices with a brimful of intricate
mechanics and all sorts of controls. Those who

are new to photography often avoid using any
other mode besides the Automatic mode as it
delivers satisfactory results. The most common
reason for this avoidance is the settings that
seem like Greek and Latin in modes requiring
manual intervention. Also, there are some
users who avoid tinkering with manual modes
fearing they might be unable to revert to the
original camera settings. So have you ever tried
experimenting with modes such as Program,
Shutter Priority, or Manual? These may sound
daunting but offer a greater degree of control
over exposure in various lighting conditions, or
while shooting different types of subjects.
No doubt the automatic mode works quite
well in most cases. However, the camera can
get fooled by certain lighting conditions and
result in erroneously exposed or unfocussed
images. In such cases, other modes come to
the rescue. Another big drawback of using the
automatic mode is that your creativity gets
restricted. You cannot harness the true potential
of your camera without using manual or partially
manual modes to your advantage.
Its a common misconception that you
need a high-end camera laden with features
to capture great shots. Yes, you do need
certain features such as manual mode, high
zoom lens, white balance settings, and last
but not the least, a good image processing
engine. However, todays mainstream digital
cameras come equipped with some of these
features which offer a good degree of control
over exposure. But at the end of the day it all
depends on how you see the world! Even if
you have a plain vanilla point-and-shoot digital
camera without many features, you can refer
to the following tips suited for your camera and
Pramod Jadhav
achieve better results.
SMS us! Story code: AVC to 57007
FEATURE APPLICATIONS
In order to use a digital camera effectively,
Lens
you need to be conversant with certain
focal plane
(CCD sensor)
digital camera terminologies. Here are

some of the commonly used terms you
2
f/16
f/4
f/8
f/2
will frequently come across while reading

about digital cameras.
Focal length
The focal length is the distance between

the focal point of the lens (center of the lens)
focal length
and the CCD sensor or lm when the lens is

focused at innity. The focal length of a lens
is expressed in millimeters and is usually
marked on the cameras lens mount. The
focal length of the lens also tells the power
of magnication. So if you come across
something like 5.8 34.8 mm printed on
the lens mount, it means that the lens of
the camera can zoom six times into distant
objects. A lens with a focal length equal to
approximately the diagonal size of the lm
or sensor is known as a normal lens. A lens
with a focal length shorter than normal is
referred to as a wide-angle lens, whereas a
f-number and the intensity of light halves
in the case of f-stops, shutter speeds are
telephoto lens has a longer focal length.
as you advance to the next stop. This
arranged in a similar scale so that one
leads to the decrease in the diameter of
step in the scale corresponds to that in
the aperture by a factor of 2 or 1.414.
the f-stop scale. For instance, a shutter
The aperture is the opening in the lens
An f-stop scale which corresponds to a
speed scale with one-third steps would
through which light passes to the sensor.
factor of 2 would look something like f/1,
look something like 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10,
The amount of light passing through the
f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, and so on.
1/13, 1/15, 1/20 and so on. Note that here
lens is controlled by adjusting the diameter
So at f/4 the intensity of light reaching the
the shutter halves every third step.
of the aperture. Thus, larger the aperture,
sensor is twice as much as in the case of
the more light is allowed to pass through
f/5.6. In most digital cameras, the f-stops
the lens and vice versa.
are further divided in one-third steps. For
ISO 5800:1987 from the International
instance, between f/5.6 and f/8, youll nd
Organization for Standardization (ISO)
f/6.3 and f/7.1. Hence in this case, the
denes a scale for determining the
The f-number expresses the diameter
intensity of light reduces by a third as you
sensitivity of the lm to light. The higher
of the aperture in relation to the focal
advance to the next stop. Note that using
the ISO rating, the more sensitive is the
length of the lens. Thus, the f-number is a
larger apertures and smaller f-stops results
lm to light. While lms with lower ISO
ratio of the focal length and the aperture
in reduced depth of eld wherein one
rating require more light to record an
diameter. For instance, the f-number
subject will be in focus, while the rest of
image, those with higher rating need less
f/2.8 denotes that the focal length (f) of
the image will be out of focus. Likewise,
light. In a digital camera, the ISO rating
the lens is 2.8 times the diameter of the
larger f-stops will have an increased depth
indicates the sensitivity of the sensor
aperturethe slash indicates division.
of eld with the entire frame in focus.
to light. Most digital cameras have ISO
Aperture
F-number
ISO speed
settings ranging from 80 to 1600.
So at a focal length of 5.8 mm with

f-number set to f/2.8, the lens will have
Shutter speed
6
Noise
an aperture diameter of 2.07 mm. Hence,
The shutter is like a curtain that opens
mathematically, smaller f-numbers indicate
and closes to allow the sensor to be
Noise is the random variation in the
larger apertures which in turn allow more
exposed to light for a specic amount of
luminance of pixels that are given equal
light to be transmitted to the sensor, and
time (shutter speed). Shutter speeds may
exposure. With ISO speed set high
vice versa.
range from a few seconds to a fraction
(400 and above), some cameras nd it
In a digital camera, the f-number is
of a second. Shutter speeds faster than a
difcult to maintain a uniform exposure
adjusted in steps known as f-stops. Each
second are usually displayed as fractions
for every pixel in the image. To increase
stop is denoted by its corresponding
of a second such as 1/15 or 1/2000. Like
the sensitivity of the sensor to light,
| 93
Shooting modes explained

PROGRAM
MANUAL
All that you can do in the automatic mode

is change the image quality, resolution and
set the self-timer. Using the program mode
you can set the ISO speed, white balance,
flash intensity, metering, and color modes.
However, the aperture and shutter speed
are automatically controlled by the camera.
So if you want to get a bit creative without
tinkering with exposure, this is the mode you
should explore.
In Program, Tv and Av modes, the camera

automatically attempts to set the right
exposure. Hence you do not have complete
control over the exposure. With the shoot
mode set to manual, you can set the aperture
and shutter speed independently thereby
gaining complete control over exposure.
Master this mode and youll be an ace at
using your digital camera. Use the light
meters reading and reciprocity to get the
right exposure in this mode.
SHUTTER PRIORITY
SCENE
This mode automatically sets the f-stop for

correct exposure depending on the shutter
and ISO speed you set. Apart from these,
you can even control the parameters that
are available in program mode. The shutter
priority mode is useful while capturing fast
moving objects or in cases when the light
conditions are poor.
This mode is meant for those who arent

familiar with camera settings. Most digital
cameras have preset settings for various
scenes such as portrait, landscape, night,
fireworks, kids, pets, and so on. The aperture,
shutter speed, ISO speed, white balance, and
metering are optimized for each of the scenes.
However, any of the above mentioned modes
when used correctly may deliver better results.
APERTURE PRIORITY
This mode allows you to control the depth
of field or the area of the image you want in
focus. You first have to set the desired f-stop
and the camera automatically sets the shutter
speed depending on the light condition and ISO
speed you set.
MOVIE
Use this mode to capture videos with your
digital camerajust like a camcorder. The
capture duration depends on the capacity of
your memory card.
the camera amplies the voltage from
aperture set to f/5.6, the shutter speed will
adjusting the aperture and shutter speed
each element in the sensor prior to
have to be lowered by one step, which is
automatically. The suggested f-stop and
converting the signal to a digital value.
1/80. Thus reducing the f-stop by one stop
shutter speed are displayed when you
This amplication in voltage results in
and doubling the shutter speed, and vice
press the shutter button half way down
random pixels having uneven illumination
versa, would yield the same exposure.
to autofocus. Should the shutter speed
(incorrect color values) or noise.
This relation between the aperture and
or f-stop need correction for the right
shutter speed is called reciprocity. Using
exposure, the light meter displays the
this feature you can get good control over
recommended values. The light meter
the depth of eld in an image.
comes in handy while using the manual
Exposure
The amount of light passing through the
mode in which the exposure has to be
cameras sensor (exposure) is controlled

by setting the aperture and shutter speed.
The light meter
Lets say that the aperture and shutter
Modern day digital cameras are equipped
speed are set to f/4 and 1/160 respectively.
with a light meter which determines
To achieve the same exposure with
the right exposure for a photograph by
controlled manually.
White balance
Digital cameras process colors depending

on the lighting condition where they are
used. The camera automatically adjusts
the colors of an image so that the white
objects appear white under the current
lighting condition. This is called white
balance and it allows the colors of an
image to be true under different lighting
conditions such as cloudy, uorescent, day
light, tungsten, and so on.
10
With the shutter speed set to 1/13, the light meter suggests lowering the speed by 2/3 step. When lowered to
1/8, it shows no problem. Note that the highlights and the colors are brighter when the exposure is correct.
Metering
The metering system in a digital camera

evaluates the amount of light in a scene
and accordingly calculates the optimum

exposure. Many digital cameras have more
than one method of metering light.
EVALUATIVE: In this method, the scene
is split into a matrix of zones which are

evaluated individually. The exposure is
determined by the algorithm specic to
the camera. Select this method when you
want the camera to evaluate the exposure
for the entire scene.
CENTER WEIGHTED AVERAGE: This is the most
common metering method and used as

the default method in cameras that do
The first picture was shot using aperture priority (Av) with metering method set to Evaluative. Due to the
bright background, the face is underexposed. Note the difference with metering set to Spot.
not offer other modes. Here the exposure

of the entire scene is averaged but the
emphasis is placed on the center (60 to 80
percent) of the scene. This method is ideal
for shooting portraits.
SPOT: With spot metering, the camera
takes the reading from a very small area

(usually the center) of the screen (1 to 5
percent). This method of metering is very
precise and it doesnt evaluate other areas
in the scene. It is ideal for brightly backlit
subjects or if the object is too small and
you need it to be perfectly exposed.
Objects in the foreground stand out with shallow depth of field. Note the change in the depth of field when
we reduced the aperture from f/2.8 to f/7.1the objects in the background appear clearer.
Try these out the next time you shoot

GOOD LIGHTING: When youre shooting in
good lighting conditions such as a well lit

room or broad daylight using program mode,
ensure the ISO is set to minimum and the
metering method is set to evaluative. If the
subject is brightly backlit (for instance,
a group photo with a bright sky in the
background) set the metering mode to spot,
focus on one of the subjects face, and
then shootall the faces in the photo will
be properly exposed. If youre using the
aperture priority mode, use higher f-stops
(smaller aperture) for good focus across the
entire scene.
MACRO SHOTS: When using the macro mode
(extreme close-ups), set the shooting mode
to aperture priority and select the lowest
f-stop (largest aperture). If the subject is too
small, set the metering mode to spot so that
it is properly exposed. If the camera sets the
shutter speed low (below 1/20) due to low
light, keep increasing the ISO until you get
a shutter speed reading above 1/20, or else
you may end up with a blurry shot due to
unsteadiness. Keep your hand as steady as
you can while shooting.
This shot was taken using a simple point and shoot camera using the Manual mode. Try tinkering with
the exposure the next time you shoot a sunset scene.
NIGHT SHOTS: When shooting in low light,
use the shutter priority mode (to ensure

you get steady shots). Aim to get steady,
well-focused shots with least noise. Begin
with the ISO speed set to minimum and the
metering method set to center-weighted
average. Set the shutter speed to around
1/30 and half-press the shutter release
button to check if the camera is able to pick
an f-stopthe camera will warn you if the
light is too low and it is unable to pick an
f-stop. If you get an error inspite of trying
your best, keep increasing the ISO speed
until you get an acceptable shutter speed

reading. Now shoot!
SUNSET SHOTS IN EARLY EVENINGS: Try this
trick around an hour or so before sunset.
Set the shooting mode to manual, ISO
to minimum, metering to evaluative, and
shutter speed to maximum. With the f-stop
initially set to least, keep increasing it until
the scene looks as if its late evening. Tweak
the shutter speed and f-stop to suit your
needs, and then release the shutter when
youre ready!
| 95
Smart Downloaders
Just about everyone who uses the Internet at some point or
the other finds the need to download files. CHIP gives you a
lowdown of five efficient download managers. BY GARETH MANKOO
his comparison of download managers

includes the most popular ones around
including Free Download Manager,
GetRight and Download Accelerator Plus. We

will scrutinize each one individually and leave it
to you to decide which ones the best.
Mass Downloader 3.4.7

Mass Downloader can be considered as one
of the best download managers around thanks
to its great features and also its fast download
speeds. The application is heavier than GetRight
and FlashGet but is also a lot more useful if you
are looking for more than just le downloads.
To begin with, it provides exciting new features
like browsing of ZIP les before downloading
them. This is very helpful especially if you are
downloading a ZIP le and you arent aware of
the contents of the le. There are many other
features that make this downloader standout
from its contemporaries. The columns in the
user interface can be customized to display only
those which you nd useful.
It supports drag and drop of objects from
Internet Explorer pages. It stretches your
bandwidth consumption to its maximum
capability and utilizes it to the fullest. The
transfer rate of data from FTP and HTTP sites is
good using Mass Downloader. It also supports
SOCKS and RTSP proxies. A new feature
that is added in the latest renditions of Mass
Downloader includes the ability to download
streaming videos. By leaving the download
as a background application, you can save
your system resources to be used by other
applications.
Downloads can be scheduled for further
use as well. You can queue up your downloads
so that the next download begins the moment
the previous one is complete. Click on Tools |
Options and expand the Download branch and
in that click on Startup. Here you can select
Pramod Jadhav
the number of downloads that you want to keep
SMS us! Story code: ASD to 57007
You can select the number of active downloads you want to run
simultaneously.
Create sections by pressing the [+] key. The more the sections supported by
the site, the greater the download speed.
active. You can have a maximum of 100
conversion of the ash videos into other
appear on your screen that will display
downloads running at any given time.
formats from FLV. Besides this, it also
the download status. This will be placed
provides cool le sharing and an upload
above all other applications and occupies
manager.
very little desktop space. It helps keep you
Another exciting feature is the

ability of Mass Downloader to continue
downloading of les that have been
It provides support for FTP and HTTP
updated on which les are downloading at

a given time.
incompletely downloaded by other
so that you can download full websites
download managers. This is a huge
and huge les. BitTorrent les can also
Security is well applied to the
advantage of using Mass Downloader.
be downloaded using Free Download
downloader in the form of warnings
And nally, you can set priority levels to
Manager. The accelerated download speed
that pop up every time you download
downloads. The lowest priority level is
can make torrent downloads quicker and
a malicious le. If a certain user has
Background. This will give more priority
that makes FDM a better downloader
downloaded a le and has had a bad
to downloads from other sites and the
option for your torrents as opposed to
experience, then he can mark the le
High priority level dedicates all your
most other software.
as unsafe so that other users do not
bandwidth to the current download.
Free Download Manager is now open
download it as well.
source software. This means that the
Free Download Manager
source code is available for users to
Download Accelerator Plus 8.6x
Free Download Manager is known to be
modify and customize according to their
Download Accelerator Plus is a free
among the leading download managers
requirements. They can also add more
downloader. It is also available in premium
around. It has a variety of features that
value to the product by introducing new
versions which are charged and provide
can help you with downloads and can also
features and adding to the already long
more features. It is considered to be
add a touch of sophistication and style.
list of advantages that the download
among the most popular download tools
The user interface is heavier than most
manager already has. Every time you
on the net. It claims to have a user base
other download managers but that makes
have a download running, a blue cube will
of up to 145 million. It can make your
it easier to use. Downloads can be queued
downloads quick with the help of the
and organized so that the bandwidth usage
patented technologies that have been
can be controlled. You can create and
worked on by the developers. These
add sections for your downloads in order
technologies facilitate multiple connections
to increase the speed. FDM is said to
that help in boosting the speed with
increase the speed by up to 600 percent
multiple entry points for your les.
which is astronomical. It can revive dead
The main window of DAP has many
broken downloads and those which have
subsections that provide multiple
faced some sort of interruption.
functionalities for the downloader. It is
A new feature added into latest
divided into four main sections that are
renditions of Fast Download Manager is
represented as tabs. The rst tab is the
the ability to download ash videos. The

videos can be pulled from Youtube, Google
and other such sites. It also supports
Downloads tab. As the name suggests,

Free Download Manager allows you to select
different Views that display various components.
it handles all your downloads and displays

the download progress and le status
| 97
File Download Manager comparison
FlashGet 1.9.6
GetRight 6.3d
Mass Downloader
Free Download
Manager
Download
Accelerator Plus
Size on disk
4544 KB
4833 KB
1996 KB
5775 KB
8325 KB
License
Freeware
Shareware
Shareware
Freeware
Freeware
Software
Anti-Virus Check
6-10 times
8-10 times
8-10 times
6-10 times
8-10 times
File Management
Sections\Fragments
Torrent
Scheduling
FTP/HTTP Support
Speed
Ease of Use
GUI
in the form of a grid. Next on is the

Completed downloads tab that enlists
source that you are seeking it from.

When you install the software, you are
smaller subsections so that the speed of

downloads is increased by more that 500
all the les that you have downloaded
prompted to enter the e-mail address and
percent. You can make the most of this
using DAP. An exciting new feature that
other details. This isnt a compulsion but
especially if you have a very slow Internet
has been added to DAP is the inclusion of
if you do so then you will receive special
connection, such as a dial-up connection.
an online search page in the downloader.
offers from the DAP website.
With the help of the Multi-server Hyperthreading Transportation technology your
It is basically a browser that can be used

to quickly look for the les you want. It
FlashGet 1.9.6
download les can be copied rapidly to the
links directly to search sites that can help
FlashGet is a light, useful and very
disk without too much of a delay caused
you look for downloadable les and then
minimalist download manager that
by missing bits.
download them directly using DAP. You can
makes sure that it downloads your les
download entire sites and select only the
efciently rather than providing scores of
up minimum system resources. You can
les of certain formats that can be selected
unnecessary features. It is great if you
customize the color of various parts of the
by using the available lters. Finally it has
are seeking just a simple downloader that
downloader like the graphs, windows, text
this really cool FTP service that ensures
doesnt occupy too much space on your
and backgrounds. Click on Tools | Options
that you receive your le from the exact
hard drive. Your les are broken down into
| Graph/Log and customize these settings
The DAP browser can be used to search for files that can be downloaded. It
makes it quicker to download the files directly from this point.
The GUI is extremely light and uses
FlashGet helps you modify the GUI by changing the color schemes of various
elements of the application.
GetRight allows you to control the search methods that are used for searching
your mirrors.
You can specify which file formats you would like to download automatically
using GetRight.
to your satisfaction. It also provides with
le. Select the le and click OK. The
Play feature that automatically congures
easy download scheduling so that you
download will commence and you will
your rewall to provide Port Forwarding.
can arrange for certain downloads to be
have your torrent le on your system in a
It also supports download from FTP and
completed later on. It is easy to set up
short while. It is great for users who want
HTTP clients.
download rules for sites.
their downloads to be done in a simpler
When you have a download in progress,
and less sophisticated way.
To increase the speed of your

downloads, GetRight provides good
monitoring controls for mirrors. Mirrors
you can simply minimize the application

to the task bar. It runs in the background
GetRight 6.3d
are additional sources that have copies
and saves CPU utilization caused because
GetRight is a great browser that has
of the le that you are downloading. You
of the GUI. You can select the appropriate
evolved through various versions and
can search for additional mirrors using
antivirus utility needed to check for the
revisions. The 6.3d is one of the latest
GetRight. In the conguration window,
presence of viruses. The storage of les
renditions of this downloader. You will
you need to click on the Mirror Search
in the memory can be managed really
be allowed to use the le for 30 days
section. Here you can look for Mirrors
well in this software. You can create
using the trial version. It has a modest
manually or set up an automatic search.
category folders for different downloads
user interface that doesnt consume a lot
You can also search for additional mirrors
so that every time you download a
of system resources and it also makes
using the FTP search. To make the
certain kind of le it can be stored in
sure that the downloads are efciently
search for nearer mirrors easier, you can
the respective category. For instance, if
completed even if there have been
select your mirrors by clicking on Mirror
you download software then it can be
interruptions in the download process.
Options. You can specify your location
stored in a category folder that you have
An amazing feature that highlights
here to get linked to better mirrors and

thus increase your download speeds.
created exclusively for folder les and
the specs of this browser is that it is
if you download an MP3 track then it
capable of recovering downloads that
can be added to a music folder. You can
have suffered from broken links and
interface can also be controlled from
manage download folders and create new
other hindrances and it also carries out
here. Click on the Interface and you will
categories by clicking on Manage | New
some good error handling mechanisms.
see an option of either modication of
Category. Advanced users can also create
You can download torrent les using the
Sounds and Icons. The viewing options
a download database that will keep them
downloader.
can also be controlled here by selecting
informed of the number of downloads they

have made at all times.
Another useful feature is the ability of
GetRight has introduced support for
The sound notications in the user
the appropriate options that you want
BitTorrent downloads in versions 6 and
to include into the tray icon and also the
above. GetRight will be set as your
appearance of the tray icon itself.

You can automate your downloads
the downloader to accept and download
default BitTorrent downloader only if you
BitTorrent les. First download the torrent
have no other applications installed that
thanks to the Automatic Mode. Here
les to your machine. These les need to
perform the same action. Else you have to
you can select how many simultaneous
be opened in FlashGet so that the les you
manually perform this action by clicking on
downloads you need to make at a time.
are looking for can be downloaded. Once
the Congure icon and then selecting the
You can also select how many open
you have the .torrent le downloaded on
checkbox in the BitTorrent section. The
connections you want at a certain time.
your system, click on File | Open torrent
downloader provides a Universal Plug and
- gareth.mankoo@infomediaindia.com
| 99
Build your Dreams

This is probably your last chance to be a construction magnate. LEGO is back,
this time as an application which gives you all the freedom of undoing! So step
back into your childhood and make mature models. BY ARJUN JASSAL
Pramod Jadhav
hey said you were too old for playing
Bring on the bricks
where and how you would want to start
with toys. Concentrate on your
The application is available on LEGOs
your work. Although this is like working
studies, they said, concentrate on
website with a simple downloadhit
on industry worthy design software, it
your career, and be more responsible. But
install and youre ready to let your inner
simplies the process by removing all
then again, these were the same people
artist loose. The start screen itself couldnt
unnecessary options.
who said gaming is only for kids, that you
have been simpler; it starts by giving you
would never need more than 256 KB of
a choice of what type of LEGO you would
CAD software with a view that can be
RAM and that the Internet would never
want to build.
rotated around three axes. You can rotate
amount to anything for people who dream
There are usual blocks, Technic models
You get the experience of working on
individual blocks, and of course join them
games. Obviously, they were wrong. So
and Mindstorm robots to choose from.
with a resounding click. Thankfully, the
lets get back to toys. LEGO, the little
Once the decision is made, the builders
builder removes the monotony of design
brightly colored bricks of plastic that
asks if you want to build a model from a
software, by simply providing all the types
helped fuel our adolescent imaginations
catalogue provided with the app, or if you
of blocks on the left side of the screen,
have now given us a tool that will translate
want to Free Build. While the former
and giving you a handy set of options on
our designs of cars, trucks, spaceships and
bombards you with a set of run of the mill
the right.
even whole cities into blocky plastic. Their
models, its the free build option that
application, the LEGO Digital Designer,
really holds the juice. Click on that and the
denite advantages. Instead of re-building
brings all the joys of yesteryears to your
3-D grid roles itself, helping you decide,
anything, a clone tool lets you choose
This is software which means it has
desktop. Yes, LEGO has come of age. This
multiple blocks and recreate them without
little piece of free software, gives you the
any effort. Another selection tool lets
entire universe of LEGO, from the basic
you choose all blocks that are connected
blocks to the programmable Mindstorm
to each other so you dont have to keep
series, all without the physical limitations
clicking blocks to remove or replace them.
of real space. There are unlimited blocks
The best part is that this application retains
that you can use, the building space never
all of the standard Windows shortcuts, so
ends, and once youre done, with a click
your Ctrl + ngers can easy cut, copy,
of button and swoosh of a credit card,
paste, open a new le, go through old

models. This way, you wont need to strain
the ingenious brick maker will send you

all the pieces so that your creation can
become the centerpiece of your pad.
This is how LEGO looks at the startsomething

that legends can be made of.
your brains with a whole new lexicon of

commands.
SMS us! Story code: ALE to 57007
This is how the building grid in LEGO looks like. It is quite easy to use and it
gives a detailed idea of your models.
Here's something we were putting together and the potential is quite clear!
Now, run along and crystallize your imaginations.
Another brick in the wall
of the model without having to piece
exactly how to build the model, minus all
Once the workspace opens you can get
it again. A selection tool lets you move
the erroneous steps and embarrassing
down to building. The left hand toolbox
multiple bricks without taking each one
moments you may have had.
carries all the type of bricks in the LEGO
and moving them one by one. Most
universe. Since shifting through all of
importantly, a hinge tool lets you rotate all
the mode you would want to re create
these would take a supercomputer years
the movable parts of your model so that
your model in. Building, vehicles and
to gure out, these have been divided into
you can see their movement as it would
technics all have different rst steps, and
sub categories. With a click you can select
happen in real life. This is particularly fun
the application stresses on that. Yet this is
standard 2X2 rectangular bricks, tyres,
when youre building a gear intensive
Web 2.0, and LEGO isnt far behind. Each
train tracks, and yes, you can also build
model from the Technique series.
of the three different types of models,
The guide mode also lets you select
Factory for normal blocks, Creator for
your own LEGO person. The selection

automatically creates the brick on the
Brickbats for the block head
technics and Mindstorms for robots,
grid, so that you can place it in whichever
What happens when youve already
come with online options.
manner you want. Things get even simpler
created your masterpiece? Thankfully,
after that. You just need to drag each
you need not avenge your last model for
Internet for every one to see and even
block over the last one, to connect or t
components for your next use. In fact,
order the bricks and get them delivered
them. Yet there are a few problems. Since
once youve created multiple models,
to your house, for a fee. The best ones
the structure is 3-D and your screen isnt,
you can put them all onto a common
make it to LEGOs Web gallery cementing
rotating the model to place certain pieces
grid; build an entire city, railway system,
you as one of the most revered nerds of
can be troublesome. The application has
airport, spaceport, whatever your heart
all time. You can also convert your model
a tendency to connect the selected brick
desires. And it doesnt stop there.
into an HTML guide, which gives all the
with whichever part of the model it sees
Once the hard work is done, you can
You can upload your creation onto the
building steps and is very simple to share.

But what next? Youve created a city,
rst. This can get frustrating. The only
start enjoying the model. View Mode
plausible/easy way out of this is to zoom
lets you see your model against a number
showed it off to the entire Internet, got a
out of the building area, rotate the model
of exotic locations. Built a hummer? See
formal plaque into nerd-dom, ordered the
till you see it at the required angle, zoom
what it would look like in a desert. Create
bricks in real life, now what? Well like all
back in and then place the piece.
a chopper and see how it whooshes in the
true LEGO fans know, every builder has
skies and yes there is also a whole screen
a secret fantasy to smash his creation
any of the rst models. Once you get
full of starsperfect to show off your
into the little blocks its built of. While
familiar with the application, things
latest rendition of star trek. While this is
doing this in real life is quite painful, in the
become as easy as the real bricks. The
fun, the screen shot option in the builder
builder its hilarious. A small icon lets you
strictly-for-computer-tools also make
doesnt let you capture the model and the
bomb your creation. With a single click
life a little easier. The left hand tool
backgroundall you get is the blocks.
your masterpieces gets blasted into little
This seems like a problem in creating
pieces that tumble all over the screen.
box gives you all the things you did
Once the ogling is done, the builder
with your hands, but cant do with a
can also be used to create a step-by-step
Thankfully they come back together. Go
keyboard. As mentioned earlier, a clone
guide of your creation. Like a ash movie,
build and do show us your models!
tool lets you speedily recreate a part
the building guide mode shows you
| 101
Flashed Out?
Since USB flash drives have a space constrain, data deletion and replacement is
unavoidable. But, what if you accidentally delete crucial data on it? Heres how
you can carry out data recovery using various tools. BY DUSHYANT KHILNANI
ith the advancement in the
Start Scan from the Menu bar. Once
design of data-recovery
the progress barat the bottomshows
applications, it is possible to
100%, a list of recoverable and
recover data from all types of media
overwritten (unrecoverable) les is shown
such as hard drives, ash drives, and
on the right hand side frame.

TIP: You can even search a particular
optical media etc. Of course, recovery

also depends on how critical the damage
le by using lters before beginning
is. If its simply a shift-delete scenario,
recovery. Simply click on Filter to input
then there can be 100 percent recovery.
various criteria during recovery.
But again, this is only possible if the data
STEP 2: Once the les are listed, click on
hasnt been overwritten.
the Types buttonat the bottom left
In this workshop, well take you through
The checkbox below the results lets you maintain

the folder structure of the recovered data.
cornerto list various le types in the left
the process of data recovery using various
frame. Now, instead of going through the
TIP: The center of the screen has ags
applications. Some of these are paid
entire assorted list, simply click on the
belonging to different countries; choose
software and some are freeware hence
le type to display the les belonging to
the relevant language for the interface.
the feature set amongst these applications
that type, for instance, Bitmap (.BMP). If
STEP 4: Now, click on the Start Undelete
may differ.
you remember the le name (or at least
button from the Menu bar to save the
the initial letter), the le path or size, you
recovered les. The les having the
can further narrow down your search by
status of Very good indicate that they
As the name suggests, this application
clicking on the relevant tab at the top of
are completely recoverably. And the ones
allows you to recover deleted data from
the right hand side pane. Better still, you
indicating overwritten are unrecoverable
your hard drives as well as ash media. In
can simply sort by the status of les.
les. However, although overwritten
spite of being freeware, it is feature-rich;
STEP 3: After narrowing down your search,
les are supposed to be unrecoverable,
hence weve chosen this application as
check the boxes corresponding to the
we tried recovering some and it worked,
an example to show you how to undelete
les intended for recovery. Now, before
so even if you see a le marked as
data. The applications interface is quite
you start the recovery, change the path to
overwritten, make sure you tryat least
efcient and user-friendly.
a different target drive when recovering
onceto save them before giving up.
STEP 1: To begin recovery, select the drive
from the C drive. This is done to avoid
letter/s from the left frame and click on
overwriting of data. In Windows XP, the
Undelete Plus (Find it on
les get saved by default in the

folder, C:\Documents and Settings\
Username\My Documents.
Now that weve seen how data

recovery tools function, lets take a look at
what other applications have to offer. Since
the procedure is quite similar for most of
the applications in this category, we shall
The Open button placed at
give you a brief insight on each one. We
the bottom-right corner will
shall also highlight unique features of the
help you change the path.
applications if there are any.
NOTE: It is crucial to
use a separate physical
Recuva (Find it on
disk (not just a different
The latest Recuva v1.12.291 boasts of a
partition) for saving the
great success rate of recovering deleted
recovered les. For
data. However if the drive is formatted
instance, if youre
then this application fails in its purpose.
recovering data from
For testing, we deleted all les from
drive C, make sure that

recovery is made on to another
physical drive, such as an external
hard drive or ash drive.
the pen drive and overwrote a little data

(less than the deleted amount). On trying
to recover, the application shows the
overwritten les and the ones that arent
Sachin Pandit
SMS us! Story code: HFO to 57007
ash recovery, Raid recovery, CD&DVD,

partition recovery and a few more. Most of
the applications on the website are paid,
however, the site offers a few freeware
downloads. For instance, Raid 2 Raid,
address book recovery, NTFS reader, Linux
recovery and so on. All of these share an
identical and user-friendly interface. We
shall walk through DiskInternals Flash
Recovery 3.2 for familiarization.
Green icons indicate good status, the orange
indicate poor while the reds are unrecoverable.
STEP 1: While launching, the application
In the evaluation version, the standard search is

deactivated.
searches for the drives in a computer and

overwritten. However, recovery is only
ends up in the main window.

Here, you need to select the drive for
possible in the case of the latter.
button and click on the right-arrow button.

The next screen allows you to select
STEP 1: Though the application doesnt have
data recovery and clicking on Next will
the type of partition for the drive, for
many features to offer, its pretty simple
run a Full drive scan. For a fast drive
instance FAT 32. Clicking on the right-
to use. Just click on the drop-down arrow
scan, you can use the Options link at the
arrow key thereafter starts the scan for
next to the Scan button and select a drive
bottom-right corner.
retrieving deleted les.
for recovery. You can also set Options
STEP 2: Once the recoverable les/photos
such as show les hidden in system
are listed, choose the les by checking the
window and you can see which les are

recoverable.
Finally, the les are listed in the next
directories and so on.
corresponding boxes and click on Next
STEP 2: Now, lets click on the recover
to save them. You may also use lters
button. Dont worry; youll get to change
to narrow down your search (similar to
data can be resurrected, under various
your target folder before the les are
Undelete Plus).
stages of damage. Whether it is hard
saved. Check out the screen shot! Simply
STEP 3: Once youve clicked on Next at
drives or ash media, the rst thing to do
select the target drive and folder, and hit
Step 2, recovery from here on is a piece of
after an accidental deletion/format is to
the OK button.
cake. All you have to do is click on Next
completely stop writing any data onto it
TIP: This application will allow you to
to save les and enter the target path in
(not even a small program) immediately.
secure delete your les too. Take a look
the next step.
This will increase the chances of recovery
at the screen shot, the context menu on
NOTE: All evaluation versions of
immensely.
the recoverable le shows the options
DiskInternals applications ask for an unlock
Secure Delete highlighted and Secure
key while trying to save the les which
Restoration (Find it on
delete checked.
means you have to buy the software.
Here, all you have to do is, select the drive
Use these options only if you are 100
Weve seen a number of steps on how
However you get an idea of whether the
for data recovery and click on Search
percent sure about deleting the les
les youve deleted can be recovered or
deleted les. Once the les are listed,
permanently.
notby getting their preview for free.
click on Restore by Copying.
Data Doctor Recovery
good candidate for recovering data using
http://www.diskinternals.com
(Find it on
this application. Restoration allows you
Applications under this group are
www.datadoctor.biz
to erase the data completely from the
segregated into categories for different
Heres another series of recovery tools
drive. This application doesnt need to
application areas such as NTFS recovery,
thatll help you retrieve data even from
be installed on the computer. Simply run
formatted ash media and drives.
it from your USB ash drive in case of
However, here the case is same as
recovering data from a hard drive and
DiskInternalsyou can only preview the
vice-versa.
A formatted ash drive will not be a
DiskInternals (Find it on
recoverable data unless you pay for the
If you know the size or date of modification of the

file, you can select it in the right panel.
software. Nonetheless, lets check out
Useful links
how it works. Here, we have selected
www.datadoctor.biz
the Data Doctor Recovery Pen Drive
www.majorgeeks.com
application for a demo. And we shall
www.ntfs.com
explain in brief, as to how this application
www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/
functions.
datarecovery.shtml
In the rst window, you need to select

the drive, check the advanced radio
www.free-backup.info
| 103
A Medium Full of Surprises

Life was never the same after I discovered the Internet a decade ago. Its been a
pleasure watching it evolve and become indispensable. It is also a place where
one does not leave his wits at home. BY DR AJIT SINGH
I started
on a journey
alone. People
joined, and
look a caravan
has formed
he Internet was born in small isolated
Todays users would not understand how big a
groups. It began with US universities
change it was to usher in multimedia. They
and the US Department of Defense
missed the age when the biggest hard disk had
forming ARPANET in 1969. Others linked

up later and data transfer protocols evolved
into nally what the internet is today.
a capacity of a few GB.

The user friendliness of Windows is taken
for granted today. Todays generation never had
There is often a generation that straddles a
to type commands or ll in Interrupts to play
new invention, nds it difcult to accept it but
a game. There were times when technicians
eventually succumbs to its charms. The Internet
charged money to congure your modem;
is one such technology that was dismissed by
getting on to the internet was a thrill. That
most as a medium meant for computer geeks
iconic sound of a modem handshake (while
with nothing of interest for the common man.
connecting to the Internet) will always linger in
While this medium may not yet be perfect, it
my memory.
does provide many benets. And since I have
As consumers, weve experienced exorbitant
used the Internet as it evolved, I will write about
telephone charges, hardwiring of rickety
my experiences in this article.
lines, standing in multiple queues to renew
PCs, mobiles and Internet came at a later
accounts, stolen hours, and the utter confusion
stage in my lifelater than I would have wished
of conguring email clients. In comparison, the
for. Yet I took to them with a vengeance like
consumer today if not yet king is certainly
many of my generation.
a duke. Private players promised more,
When these technologies were introduced,
yet delivered lessand we paid the price.
they still bore marks of drab previous
We wallowed in the luxury of multimedia,
existence, and you could smell fresh paint.
games, Internet but the smart ones realized

the commercial value and an entire service
industry was born from transcription to call
centers and now online law consultancy, and
online tutors.
Benefits
E-commerce in India picked up slowly, mirroring
the rise of credit, now debit cards, real-time
banking, and the courier industry. Then crime
followed. Some States seem determined to
pursue cyber crimes. With the exception of a
few online services (like Amazon), we can now
shop online on international sites.
There was nothing historic about what I rst
did on the Internet. Like most people I fooled
around and searched for Cindy Crawford. I
couldnt get enough of her on Yahoo, then the
big daddy of search. Then I read an article about
two youngsters with a new approach to search,
called Google. The other search engines still
havent still recovered from the Google punch.
So what about the Internet? I am thankful
Sachin Pandit
for this medium. It offers plenty of information
SMS us! Story code: ARS to 57007
for the restless and curious. I did derive
heroic statistics from a rewalls display
as the primary resource. There are
some good value from the Internet. It
is probably some kid scanning open
great sites offering free content like the
helped me teach my children Math and
ports and the real bad guys offering you
Gutenberg project, a huge online voluntary
Science. Later we looked up exam results
malicious programs disguised as MP3
resurrection of great books. I raise a toast
online. We also go online to download
songs, images and system les.
to all those who keep so many good
various application forms (Passport,
The Internet is also a playground for
things free on the Internet. Where else
school admission, visa) and also to track
the devils advocate. Take a look at some
could one see the terrain and slope of the
the status of an application. For the
of the spam you might get on a daily
great tank battleeld of Kursk, or the evil
past seven years Ive accessed my bank
basis. The vulgarity in that unsolicited mail
face of Reinhardt Heydrich, or research
account online and paid bills. Today I see
can make even a pervert throw up. And
the brilliant campaigns of Hasdrubal, the
that there are more security checks in
you will even notice the clever methods
younger brother of Hannibal?
place, like transaction passwords and
spammers use to get past email lters.
There are some gems on the Internet
random digits on the back of credit/debit
Intentionally misspelled bad words (that
too. For instance, you can read an article
cards. But I can understand why. The rate
are bound to be in any black list). What
written by a Pakistani journalist about
of online crime has grown.
is really sickening is the demeaning
haunting ghazals of Master Madan, a
words and pictures of kids and women in
Lahore boy who died at the age of 14,
pornographic content.
way back in 1930s, and you have to listen
Most airlines, hotels, and even

the Indian railways now sell tickets
online. This is a boon to Indians and
Some plant a webcam in a public toilet,
to them.
we are spared the bother of standing in
changing room, or mount one on a tube,
serpentine queues for tickets and traveling
all for a cheap thrill. Can that be fun?
commerce. Like the Mahabharata or Old
long distances to reservation ofces. Your
Women are vulnerable on dates, in hotels,
Testament it has wisdom, beauty but also
parents will remember the days when
and in rooms with x-ray vision. They are
blood, rape, hate etc. But isnt that what
they had to go to the bank (and take half
the target of night scope glasses, and
life is all about? You need the will to walk
day leave) to update a passbook. Even
ubiquitous cameras and camera phones
on the cobblestones not in the mud.
senior citizens (who have retired) benet
usually in the hands of boy friends.
from online transactions.
Undoubtedly, Pornography has kept
News, research, and entertainment,
The Internet is on assault for another

reason and battle lines are drawn
the software industry going in lean times,
concerning copyright material sharing
and spurred development of cutting edge
by le sharing clients like the Pirate Bay
technology, video formats, compression,
and Limewireall of which are in legal
frustrations. While frequently dropping
and Digital rights. A line needs to be
tangles. An artist releases a new song,
lines may be a thing of the past,
drawn between whats normal and
and people download it from the Internet
insufcient bandwidth, overwhelmed
downright sick but who gets to dene that
within hours. Is that ethical? No, say the
servers, and high download costs is an
line is the difcult part.
lawyers. Yes, says a little girl. I share a
Security lapses
The Internet also has its share of
irritant, and the wait for 3G is endless.
For example, a gently explicit Horacio
CD or a storybook with a friend, so why
Apart from these technical deciencies,
Altuna comic, or even the very explicit
the Internet is plagued by security
Ignacio Noe Piano tuner amongst
breaches.
others, may be described as humorous
Even Microsoft, who is busy plugging
not a song?"
Everyone learns on the Internet.
art by many, but are regarded as obscene
security holes comes back with a new
write programs to steal information from
by others. The only common boundary
browser that has tabs, better security,
your computer, and these programs also
agreed by most, mercifully, is child
and a download manager. Opera is a
make your computer crash frequently.
pornography. Governments also shy
very good browser and Mozilla Firefox
Using malicious programs they steal
away from dening the boundaries of
is a community affair that keeps getting
passwords or track your online and
decency and pornography as there are
better. Chat disappoints. Even the best
computing activities. It seems hackers
strong lobbies for freedom of speech and
topics seem to have a resident bull as
are always ahead of the security software
expression.
bully, and the chit chat is inane.
anti-virus software, the menace of
Research resource
you wont need a hard disk and operating
malware does not seem to go away.
The Internet is great for any research
system to browse the Web. Youll
with a study showing more school
probably use your cell phone for this
children in the US turning to the Internet
purpose. Lets also wait for Internet 2 and
There are bad guys out there who
So what does the future hold? Maybe
developers. Nothwithstanding popular
Programs like a Firewall are supposed

to be a wall between your computer and
see what it has to offer.
the outside world. There are adware,

spyware, malware, trackers, Trojans, key
loggers, worms, root kits and dialers
that somehow get past a rewall. The
The Readers Contest was concluded last month.

However, we continue to print selected entries
from the lot received.
The views expressed in this article are
entirely those of the writer.
HANDS ON
[Q] Hi, Dr. CHIP. I am Shuvankar from

Bhadreswar (W.B.). I am using a PC running
Sachin Pandit
on Windows XP, with 512 MB RAM, Pentium

IV 3.06 GHz CPU, 160 GB hard disk. My
Dr CHIP
[Q] Hello Dr. CHIP. Whenever I start my
PC is running comparatively slower since

last month. I used to maintain the hard
disk using Windows tools. However, now
the speed of my PC is not satisfactory.
Can you suggest any software that can
enhance the performance of my PC? Does
defragmentation affect a hard disks life?
computer, right after the POST (Power On
Shuvankar Dey
Self Test), the following error prompt is

displayed: Hard disk: S.M.A.R.T. command
failed. <Press F4 to resume>. What should I
do to solve this problem? Please help me.
Naved Ahmed
Hello Naved. The error means that your

hard drive is on the verge of failing. Please
back up your data and purchase a new hard
drive. S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and
Reporting Technology) is a monitoring system
for computer hard drives. It helps detect and
report various indicators of reliability, besides
Software like Ccleaner can help flushing junk files and

also erase private information stored in browsers.
anticipating failures. Keep this option enabled

in the motherboards BIOS to help detect hard
drive failures well in advance.
Defragmenting your hard drive doesnt

reduce its life. To increase the speed of your
computer, you can add more memory (around
1 GB more) and if possible, use a dedicated
graphics card. To clean unnecessary les on
your hard drive, use Ccleaner.
[Q] Hello Dr CHIP. Im a major fan of CHIP.

I use a Toshiba Satellite E50 laptop. When
I switch my laptop on, I get a message
which says Zerocfgsvcmfc - application has
encountered a problem and needs to close.
Got a computer problem?

Write to Dr. Chip at
drchip@chip-india.com
I would really appreciate it if you could tell

me why this happens and how I can fix it.
S.M.A.R.T is a feature which helps detect hard drive
problems in the early stages so you dont face data loss.
Thanking you in advance.

Nabeel
SMS us! Story code: DCP to 57007
DR CHIP
HANDS ON
[Q] Hello Dr. CHIP. Ive encountered a

serious virus problem in my computer.
My systems configuration is P4 3.4
GHz, 1 GB Corsair DDR2 RAM, 250
GB Hitachi SATA HDD, Asus P5B
Motherboard and Nvidia 7300GT
graphics card. The problems are:
I use Avast Home Edition antivirus
Disable unwanted entries in Msconfig to stop
loading erratic or unnecessary programs.
Hello Nabeel. The problem seems
System File Checker or SFC can help restore

corrupted and deleted system files.
on my PC and regularly update it. It
without any problems. Regular Windows
works ne but it is not able to detect
updates can protect your computer from
a virus named music.exe. I think the
vulnerabilities caused due to viruses and
virus entered my system through a pen
Trojans.
As for your third question, there seems
to be a compatibility issue with the
drive. Every time I manually delete it,
driver or software of the wireless LAN
it re-appears after the next boot. I use
to be some driver corruption with Vista.
card. Check the latest driver updates on
Vista Ultimate and XP dual booting on
Use the command sfc /scannow from
the Internet for your laptop, especially
two separate hard drives. I use Trojan
Run or from the DOS Prompt and make
for your wireless network card and
removers separately but they have
sure you have your Windows Vista DVD
the motherboard chipset. If it does not
been of no use.
ready when needed by Windows. SFC
help, try disabling the Wireless Zero
My friend who also uses Avast
(System File Checker) scans your entire
Conguration service from the list in
antivirus has a similar problem. He has
operating system to nd any corrupted
Mscong, or just delete or rename the
a virus in his system but Avast cant
and damaged les and replaces them
le zcfgsvc.exe located in C:\windows\
detect it. He formatted the hard disk
accordingly.
system32 folder.
& reinstalled Windows XP. But after
We suggest you download Windows
2-3 days, the system got infected with
SP1it may help too. Keep your operating
[Q] When I open any drive, it brings up
the virus again. When he double-clicks
system updated at all times. The same
the Open With option and gives me
on any folder, its size becomes 37.0 KB
applies to all antivirus and antispyware
a list of programs including Internet
and has an .EXE extension. The data
applications too.
Explorer, Adobe, VLC, Word, etc. I have
inside the folder gets corrupted. Please
scanned the system and updated my
suggest a solution as soon as possible.
antivirus but the problem persists.
I use Vista Ultimate. Initially
[Q] Dear Sir, I would like your help and

advice on the following:
it worked ne and would detect
I have a Logitech wireless keyboard
everything I connect, for example, card
and mouse. The battery of the mouse
readers, extra HDD, Bluetooth, etc. But
gets drained in just 2-3 days because
for some time now, when I connect
the light at the bottom of the mouse is
hidden le called Autorun.inf in the root
any of these things, it asks me for the
always on. Is there any way to switch it
directory. You have scanned the system
driver, even for external hard drives.
off other than removing the batteries?
with updated antivirus software, but you
Whats the problem? I regularly update
How can I convert content on a
should also try scanning the hard drives
Windows with Windows Update.
video cassette to a CD or DVD?
with an antispyware tool. Delete the
Please suggest a solution for these
There are some video les on a DVD.
Autorun.inf les from the root directories
problems. Thanks!
When I try to copy them to the hard
Please mail me a solution.

Aliasger Kiranawala
Hello Aliasger. Your drives have a
of the drives and reboot the computer. It
Ajay Vikrant
disk, all les gets copied except one

which is about 1 GB. An error prompt
should work ne.

Hello Ajay, please try using the
following software along with your Avast
antivirus on both operating systems: AVG
Antivirus, AVG Rootkit, AVG Spyware,
Lavasoft Adaware and Hijackthis.exe. I
am sure it will get rid of the Trojan. Also
format your pen drive after removing
the virus from your computer. The same
applies to your friend. Make sure your
friend and you also use legal operating
Autorun.inf is a file created by the virus in every
partition or drive on your computer.
systems. This will help in updating the

operating system from the Internet
Save your searches to avoid wasting time looking

for the same files on large volumes.
| 107
HANDS ON
DR CHIP
appears saying that the DVD is not
shirt) between the battery terminals to cut
in good condition. Is it possible to
off the power to the mouse.

To convert a video cassette into a VCD
retrieve the data?

I do embroidery designing work on
or DVD, you need a video capture card, a
my computer. My computer is also
VCP or VCR, and video capturing and CD/
used by others. I am looking for a
DVD burning program. Pinnacle TV tuners
system or program which can help me
are quite good for converting videos and
disallow copying data to a CD or a USB
burn them to DVD or VCDs.

If the DVD is scratched, then it is not
drive without my permission.

I also have a problem with le
possible to retrieve data from it. There is
renaming. I have le names, for
some software that attempts to retrieve
instance, 1.abc, 2.abc, and 3.abc
data from damaged CDs/DVDs but it may
etc. Now I want to rename them to 1p.
take hours and there is a possibility that
EISA Healthy preloaded IBM Rescue
abc, 2p.abc, and 3p.abc and also as
your DVD writer/ROM may get burnt out.
and Recovery. I dont want to ddle
1p_mn_1.abc, 2p_mn_2.abc and so
Also there is no guarantee of data retrieval.
with this hard disk nor do I want to
on. Is there any software or system
Try the application ISObuster to check if
touch its MBR, since sometimes I
which can help me do that?
it can solve your problem.
feel helpless to some problems and
I have one folder which contains
A simple and easy method is to disable
By using Vmware, one can run multiple operating

systems on the same computer.
I am forced to reformat the drive. By
about 40,000 design les which is
the CD/DVD writer and the USB ports
Gods grace its been almost a year
located at D:\les\. I use Windows
from the BIOS of the motherboard and
and I havent needed to format the
Search very frequently but it is very
then lock the BIOS with a password.
HDD. Now, I want to install Linux OS
irritating. Every time I have to browse
Whenever you need to use them, simply
(RedHat and Ubuntu). Is it possible that
to My Computer, and go to D drive,
enable them before starting Windows.
I can install it on a new disk (in master
then scroll down and so on. Is there
Another way is to use Gpedit.msc (the
mode) and then later attach it to my PC
any way that the system can remember
Group Policy Object Editor) to disable the
(in slave mode) and when I need to run
this path?
use of a CD/DVD or USB device. But if you
Linux I press F8 for boot options? Will
Suggest some book (not a website)
forget to undo the same, you may land up
this protect my master HDDs MBR?
which can give me in-depth knowledge
with minor problems. BIOS tweaking is a
of Windows XP from the very basics to
secure way to do this.
Also can I run different operating

systems on 2 monitors? As in, on 1
Try using QuickFileRename,
monitor I run Windows XP and on
I want to understand the full tree
BetterFileRename or Batch-File-
other monitor, Linux. Can I do this
structure which opens in Device
Rename. Just Google these names and
while also sharing resources of the
Manager in the Hardware tab in
download the les.
same PC.
a very high level.
System Properties from the Control
You can save your previous search
My PC conguration is: P4 3.0
Panel. I want to know what each
strings. Simply, use the Save Search
GHz processor with 800 MHz FSB HT
section and subsection means, what it
option from the Search window. Try using
technology, 910G or GV motherboard
represents in a computer system, why
Windows XP for Dummies available
with 1.5 GB DDR2 RAM running at
it is important, what if I delete it and
at any local computer book store. To
533 MHz, an 80 GB SATA HDD and no
also every other little or big detail.
understand all that is displayed in the tree
graphics card installed.
Amit Jain
structure in the Device Manager, you will
Jagmeet Singh
need to study advanced Windows. There

Hello Amit. First of all, try using a
good brand of batteries (such as Duracell)
is a whole lot of information available on

the Internet which you can refer to.
and check how long they last in the
Hello Jagmeet. To use two

monitors on one computer simultaneously
you will need a graphics card with two
mouse. If the problem persists, then the
[Q] Hi Dr. CHIP, I study at Guru Nanak
VGA D-Sub or DVI ports. The display card
mouse is at fault. If you do not want to
Dev University, Amritsar. I am trying
should have two physical connections to
remove the batteries, then you can hack
to learn Linux using video tutorials.
attach two monitors at the same time. If
into the plastic shell and install a manual
The problem is that I cant watch and
your motherboard has two PCI-e slots, you
switch to turn off the power. This will void
execute the videos simultaneously. I
can connect two display cards too.
the warranty of the mouse, or you could
want to set 2 monitors to do this. Can
end up making it look ugly. Alternatively
you include any tutorial for this in the
motherboard, you can try installing a PCI
you can insert a small rm plastic strip
next CHIP issue?
graphics/3D card to run two monitors.
(from a visiting card or from the plastic

used in the collar of a newly purchased
Also, I have one 80 GB HDD which

has 2 partitions (a) NTFS C: and (b)
Alternatively, if you have an older
Once the cards are set and the drivers are

installed, just use the display properties
DR CHIP
HANDS ON
to enable Extend my desktop onto this
I obviously need to insert the media
monitor and you will be able to use both
every now and then. Since they are so
monitors. You will not be able to use two
many in number, I would like you to
operating systems on one single computer
recommend the type of cloth I should
at the same time.
use to wipe off dirt, thumb prints, and

scratch marks on the disc surface.
If you need to do the same, I would

suggest you try VMWARE as this will
Also tell me what kind of cases are
enable you to use two operating systems
best to maintain discsplastic, paper
at the same time and on different
sleeve or glass cases? Of late, Ive

come to know of many products
monitors too. You can also share the same

resources.
If you need to install Linux without
Some motherboards installed in branded

computers do not provide a PCIe slot.
available in the market for CD/DVD

cleaning. Please suggest a product
touching the hard drives MBR, you can
me buy a decent graphics add-on. I am
pertaining to CD/DVD disc cleaning
install it on another hard drive. Physically
not worried about the HP guarantee
available in the market.
disconnect the current hard drive and
(it has expired). Please help me in any
install the new hard drive on the secondary
way possible. The motherboard is only
had mentioned about using SFC/
master IDE bus. If it is a SATA connection,
worth Rs 1,000 currently because its
scannow to repair corrupted files in
then remove the older hard drive and
chipset is outdated.
Windows XP. But the command doesnt
connect the new hard drive with another
Niaz Ahmed
In your September 2007 issue you
run on my system. Please help.
SATA connector (e.g. use the old HDD

on SATA1 and the new one on SATA2,
Navraj Shubham
Hello Niaz. If you solder a PCIe
remove the cable of SATA1 for now).
slot to the motherboard, there is a chance
Install Linux on the new hard drive with a
that it will work. But only a slot would not
lint free cloth to wipe your CDs and DVDs.
regular installation procedure.
make any difference, as there are many
You can use a lens or spectacle lens
more components that are needed to
cleaning cloth and liquid to clean the dirt
support PCIe graphics cards.
off the CD/DVD, but make sure you wipe it
Once the installation is complete, you

can reconnect SATA1 (the old hard drive)
and change the boot sequence in the
The information you are getting from
Hello Navraj, you can use a good
in a circular manner from inside out of the
BIOS to boot through your choice of the
PCWorks is the BIOS information read
operating systems on the two drives by
off the CMOS chip. Your motherboard
pressing the F8 button. Its simple but
seems to support a PCIe slot, but the
Alternatively, a micro ber cloth from 3M,
can be a little confusing for new users.
manufacturer has chosen not to have
called Scotch Brite, is available in the
Take help of a friend who has dealt with
it soldered on, possibly for cost-cutting
market ranging from Rs 40-80. This cloth
hardware solutions before.
reasons or to sell a more expensive
should give you best results.
upgrade.
[Q] Hi Dr. CHIP, I am Niaz Ahmed from
If you do want to go ahead with
media disk.
Do not apply too much pressure.
To store your discs, use a CD case

which has jackets coated with plastic but
Chennai. I have a serious problem with
physically soldering on a PCIe slot, I
where the inner surface is made from lint
my motherboard. I have a branded
suggest you speak to a local motherboard
free, scratch proof cotton material, for
PC, Compaq Presario 1425IL, with
repair outt (nd an expert who deals
safe keeping. It is available in all stationary
a PTGD-LA Goldfish2 motherboard
in chip-level repairs) to nd out if the
stores and does not compromise on
from ASUS. Last month I decided to
motherboard can in fact do what you are
quality or price. Storing in plastic, paper or
buy a graphics card for it, but I found
looking for. Alternatively you can also
the jewel cases may damage your DVDs
out that there was no PCIe slot on
check with Intel or ASUS if this can be
in the long run. Sony CD/DVD cleaners are
it, but it does have pins with a label
done. Just e-mail them using the links on
supposedly the best. Hunt for 3M cleaners
just above them that reads PCIe
their websites.
if available.
x16. I installed PCWorks 2008 and
I would recommend you dont try
it detects the PCIe x16 bus. I dont
soldering the slot on yourself, because
there is a space after the SFC command.
know if my motherboard is actually
if there is any problem, leave alone the
Type in the command sfc /scannow in
a case of error from Compaq! But
expired warranty, you may land up with
the Run eld. If your machine does not
please tell me whether I could solder
a dead motherboard and will have to
have the SFC command, copy the SFC
a PCIe slot to it? Since upgrading the
purchase the upgrades which would cost
executable from some other machine
motherboard, processor and RAM
you Rs 10,000 anyway.
which has Windows XP, to the Windows
As for the SFC command, make sure
folder on your computer.
would cost me around Rs 10,000. But

making the provision of PCIe slot on
[Q] Hi Dr. Chip, I have a lot of original
my current motherboard would help
game CDs and DVDs. To play games
Send in your queries to Francis DSa at

drchip@chip-india.com
| 109
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
SketchUp Homes
Everybody has heard about Googles version of an all purpose

3D modeling softwareSketchUp. Many CHIP readers asked
for a How-To on using the product and this is it! BY DEEPTI KRISHNAN
iring an interior decorator is not a

viable option for everybody. Some
designers might stretch your budget,
while some interviewed for the position may

believe that psychedelic colors of the 70s are
making a comeback. When you are up against
such circumstances, turn to SketchUp! This
software by Google has simple tools that can
be harnessed for either an impromptu sketch
of your house, or even a detailed architectural
design which you can hand to your remodelers.
Just learning the basic tools is enough to create
anything you would want, so dont limit yourself
to only houses.
Basics
The toolbars on the top and left side have very
few tools. This makes SketchUp easy to learn
and more importantly, easier to re-learn for the
occasional user. In SketchUp, you can start
drawing anywhere you want on the frame.
When you move your cursor over a button and
pause or hover, SketchUp displays the name of
the tool or button. Standard view and display
tools are on top, while entity creating and view
tools are on the side.
ORBIT TOOL: Allows us to rotate our line
of sight around our model by simply

holding and dragging. Instead of using
the orbit tool, you can also hold down the
mouse wheel or the middle mouse button to
achieve the same result.
ZOOM TOOL: By clicking and dragging,
you can move your line of sight closer

to or further from your model.
PAN TOOL: Scroll your view by clicking
and dragging. You can use these three

tools to look at your models in entirety.
PENCIL TOOL: Lets you draw anywhere
on the window. Just press and hold the

primary mouse button. The length of
the line is displayed on the bottom right hand of
Pramod Jadhav
the screen. As you pull the line parallel to one of
SMS us! Story code: HGS to 57007
WORKSHOP
HANDS ON
the axis (red, green, or blue), the line turns
closed boundaries, nor do they create any
geometry using the select arrow by
into the color of that axis. Release the
geometry. Simply click and drag off the
clicking on or dragging a selection window
button when the line is long enough or
edge to pull off a parallel distance. Like all
around your geometry. The cursor aligns to
specify the length of the line by simply
actions in SketchUp, you can type in a
any surface you hover over. The cursor
typing it in and pressing [Enter]. While a
value during or afterwards to specify the
also changes to the color of the axis
press and drag creates a single line, you
offset distance.
direction when it is normal to that axis.
can create a series of lines by clicking on
PROTRACTOR TOOL: Moving this tool
Click once to set the center of rotation.
end points. Hitting the [Esc] key exits the
over surfaces aligns it to that
Then move the mouse in the direction you
tool and cancels the next tentative line.
plane. First, select the center
want to set for the base line of rotation
INFERENCES: These are made
location of the protractor by clicking a
and click a second time to set it. Lastly,
automaticallyas you move your pencil
point. The second step is to dene the
move your cursor around the center of
tool over a line, a red point indicates that
orientation of the bottom edge by
rotation and click a third time to set the
the tool is in On Edge, green points
selecting a second point. The nal step is
rotation angle.
indicate that the tool is on the End Point,
to swing the cursor around to the desired
SCALE: Once a surface is created
while Midpoint is indicated by a cyan
angle. By staying near the protractor, the
in SketchUp, it can be reshaped
point. A colored dotted line inference
angle will snap to ve degree increments.
dynamically using the scale tool.
shows an axis direction inference. A
FOLLOW ME: A surface can be
Each of the green boxes is a scaling grip.
handy feature in SketchUp is Color by
extruded along a path using this
As you move the cursor over each grip, a
axis accessible by going to the menu
tool. Click down on the surface
hinting vector is drawn to show you where
Windows | Display settings | Edge Color
and drag the mouse cursor over an edge
the opposing vector for the scale operation
| Color by Axis from drop down list. This
path to follow along. The extrusion will
will be. Click on a grip and move the cursor
shows any line of edge drawn parallel to
follow the cursor from edge-to-edge. Note
around to reshape the geometry. Holding
an axis in the color of that axis. Thus, any
that all the edges along the path must be
down the [Shift] key will cause the
edges not in red, blue, or green are not
touching end-to-end. In a complex model,
geometry to scale in both directions.
orthogonal to each other.
you can preselect the edges with the
COMPONENTS: Using SketchUp, objects
PUSH PULL TOOL: This lets you
select tool by clicking on the edges. Then
may be assembled into components.
manipulate surfaces easily. Simply
click the follow me tool and touch it on the
Hover over a component with the
press on a face and drag in the
surface to be moved along that path.
move tool, and click on one of the red
direction you want to go. In this way at
OFFSET: Select a surface with the
tick marks. These are rotation grids for
faces can be extruded into 3D volumes.
offset tool by clicking once on the
quick spinning of components. To edit a
Specify the distance after you release the
surface. The red inference dot
component, right-click and chose Edit
mouse button just like specifying the
shows us the edge from where the offset
Component or simply double-click on
length of a line.
distance will be measured. Moving the
the component. When done with editing,
RECTANGLE TOOL: Once it is
mouse outwards from the original surface
right-click on the component and choose
activated, click and drag or click
makes an offset larger than the original
Close Component. When a component
two opposing corners to place a
and moving the mouse inwards makes a
is created, it is added to the component
rectangle on the ground plane or on a face.
smaller one. Once you have determined
browser accessible from Windows |
Whenever a closed boundary is created
the offset distance, click once to nish the
Components or hotkey Q. This browser
where all the edges lie on the same plane,
command. To repeat the same offset
shows the existing library of components
the surface is lled automatically.
distance we have just made, double click
that comes with SketchUp. If you want
ERASE TOOL: Using this tool you
on another surface you wish to offset. The
to edit one instance of the component,
can combine or heal any two
next surface you wish to offset does not
simply select the component you want
coplanar surfaces into one.
need to be in the original shape.
to break away, right-click on them and
Multiple edges can be erased by rubbing
PAINT BUCKET: Activating the paint
choose Make Unique.
them while pressing the mouse button
bucket tool allows you to apply
COMMON MISTAKES: The most common
when you release, the element selected
the material directly to edges and
mistake is not trusting the computer,
will be erased. Removing edges causes
surfaces. Textures can be applied just like
especially since it can be a little deceiving
the attached surfaces to be destroyed
colors. Simply choose a material swatch
in perspective view. For instance,
since there is no longer a closed boundary
from the material library and paint it into
drawing a rectangle using the pencil tool
to dene the faces.
your scene. You can also create a new
without using the inferences created by
TAPE MEASURE TOOL: Use this tool
material and assign a texture image to it
SketchUp can lead you to believe that
to create a dashed construction
from a digital image on your computer.
you are drawing a box, while a top view
line. These act similar to edges

for inferring or snapping, but do not create
ROTATE: To begin rotating the
will show that it is not a 90 degree angle.
geometry, rst pre-select the
An accidental drag creates a little line
| 111
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
Modelling your Dream House

segment and breaks up a longer edge into
three or more parts. So if you draw a little
line segment, just hit Undo.
STEP 1: We shall begin in the top view
by drawing a map of our model house.

Click the Rectangle tool and draw boxes
connected to each other according to the
gure on the left. Start out by drawing a
main box with the following dimensions:
22, 25. Use the Offset tool and click on
Draw Rectangles precisely or loosely.
A model house plan drawn with precision.
the surface moving the mouse outward

to create an outer wall boundary. Specify
the thickness of the wall by typing in
6. Draw a Rectangle from the top left
inner wall measuring 10, 8 and a similar
box from the inner bottom left. Make an
upper right box measuring 10, 5, and a
bathroom measuring 4, 56. Now use the
Offset tool again to create inner walls of
thickness 6. Use the Erase tool to get rid
of any double wall edges.
STEP 2: Now, we will use the Push/Pull
tool to raise the walls up to a height of

8. Click the Push/Pull button; raise the
surface and type in the specied value.
Switch the view from top to perspective to
see the model raised. To work on texturing
the walls and decor of the northwestern
room, drag a selection window to
highlight all the walls except those of that
Hide walls to work on inner rooms - paint the walls with colors or textures using the Paint Bucket tool.
room, then hide those walls by going to

Edit | Hide. Also, click the X-Ray or
Wireframe button on the top toolbar.
Lets start decorating the room by
setting the wall paint or texture. Click the
Paint Bucket icon in the top toolbar. This
opens up the Materials browser window.
In the drop down list of the Select tab,
click on In Models which is a selection
of plain paint, while Materials lets you
choose from an array of different textures,
Scale large components to fit your model.
Place components such as doors on your model.
from Asphalt to Wood. Click Colors

and select a light pink shade by double-
STEP 3: Windows | Components opens
the left toolbar. This brings up the green
clicking on it. Hover the paint cursor over
up the Components browser - check out
scaling grips. Move the mouse over the
the surface and click on it. Use the Orbit
the built in models. In the Select tab,
top right green box which will display as
tool to access all the walls that need to be
click the arrow on the drop down list and
Uniform Scale about opposite Point.
painted in that shade. If you cant see the
scroll to Architecture. Select a window
Click and drag the mouse downwards and
colors, you might be in the Wireframe
component and place it on the wall
watch the window shrink. We can specify
mode. If so, hit the Shaded button. As
surface by moving your mouse cursor over
the exact height of the window by typing
you begin work on other rooms, remember
the surface and clicking.
in a value, say 1/2. Use the Tape Measure
to Unhide the walls by selecting Edit |
If the window looks bigger than the
Unhide | All. Reselect all surfaces not to
room, dont worry, we can scale it down
the window (45 15/16 by 31 5/16).
be modied, and hide them.
by clicking the Scale tool located on
Draw a box of the same measurements on
tool to measure the height and width of
WORKSHOP
HANDS ON
Modelling your Dream House (contd...)

STEP 5: Now to add in the furniture,
lets start with the main room. From

the Components browser, select
Architecture from the drop down list,
double-click on the Couch and place it
close to the door. Use the Rotate button
to orient it against the wall. In a similar
way, we will add a coffee table. Now to
Archways - draw the geometry, Push/Pull to create a hole, then use Follow Me for a curved surface.
add extra objects or components to the

room, let us click the Get Models button
which will open up a Web browser to
Googles 3D Warehouse (http://sketchup.
google.com/3dwarehouse/). Note that
you will need to establish an Internet
connection to do this. Type lamp in the
search eld and click [Enter]. This should
bring up quite a few choices for you to
download from. We chose a trendy oor
lamp. The browser will prompt you with
Add furniture to your model from 3D Warehouse.
Edit Component - replicate, re-texture, clone.
the following dialog box Load component

directly into model?. Click Yes and place
the lamp in the main room. Similarly, add
in other components of furniture, like
tables, chairs and bookshelves. Let us
add a chair to the dining table - right-click
on the Dining component and click Edit
Component. Select the chair; go to Edit
| Copy, then Edit | Paste. Alternatively,
hold down the [Ctrl] key while selecting
the chair with the Move button. This will
automatically create a copy of the chair
component. Now use the Rotate button
to orient the chairs around the table. When
you are done editing the component, rightclick outside the active area and select
Close Component.
Voila! Your 3D model is ready.
Use the Component Browser to add components, then Rotate groups, components or surfaces.
the wall surface and then use the Push/
kitchen wall and then use the Erase tool
Pull tool to create a hole in the wall. Now
to combine it into one surface. Use the
use the Move tool, click the cursor on the
Push/Pull tool to make a hole in the wall.
center of the window and move it around
Draw a half circle using the Curved Line
to align it on the surface. We shall put
tool on the bottom of the path. Then click
in the door for the room using the same
on the Follow Me tool and lead the cursor
method.
over the curved surface path by clicking
STEP 4: Let us make a curved entrance
the cursor over the half circle and moving
between the dining room and the kitchen.
the mouse along the path. Note that you
Use the Rectangle and Curved line
have to recolor this new surface using the
tool to make a curved geometry on the
Paint Bucket tool.
The end result in SketchUp - your dream house.
| 113
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
Managing Address Books

Export contact details from your default mail client to an MS Access database.
Print customized labels and efficiently manage your guest list BY DEEPTI KRISHNAN
Pramod Jadhav
hings can get quite daunting when
Step 1
shall be using the format of a sample
you are handling an enormous guest
Open Microsoft Access. Go to File | New
table so do not exit the wizard by hitting
list, for say, a wedding reception.
| Create blank database. If a wizard opens
Cancel. Change the radio button from
Typing in the address details and names
up, click Cancel. This should bring up a
Business to Personal. This will reect
manually can lead to numerous small
blank database. Note that the top toolbar
a change in the Sample Tables available.
errors with our minds busy selecting the
contains icons for general purposes, for
From the Sample Table list, choose
dinner menu, seating arrangements, and
instance, New, Open, Save, as well
Guests. For now, you can import all the
options for the live band.
as Access specic icons, like Analyze,
Sample Fields in the table by clicking
Many are acquainted with Microsoft
Relationships, Properties, and New
the double arrow button >>. If you feel
Words Mailing Wizard, but did you know
Object. The left panel lets us switch
condent enough, scroll through all the
that you can use Microsoft Access to
between the different types of objects in
elds available and individually select the
import your address book from your mail
a databasefrom Tables to Modules.
ones you want by highlighting the said

eld and clicking the single arrow button
client, and print addresses immediately?

Sheets to print labels are easily available in
Step 2
>. Before clicking on Next, conrm
the market, and they come in a variety of
Clicking on Tables will switch the view to
that the list titled Fields in my new table
shapes and colors. Wow your friends and
the Tables tab. Double-click on Create
contains the elds you want. On the
family by customizing the label font and
table by using wizard. This should bring
following screen, you can enter a name
design!
up a dialog box titled Table Wizard. We
for the table. Check the Yes eld for the
Six easy steps to creating an Access database from your Address Book
Step 1
Import Outlook contacts into Access by going to

Get External Data from the File Menu.
Step 2
Alternatively, export your Address Book from

Outlook to Access via Import and Export.
Step 3
Enter your Guests contact information manually

using the Form Wizard tool in Access.
SMS us! Story code: HGO to 57007
WORKSHOP
HANDS ON
option Set a primary key for me and click
client, then the previous step wont work.
Step 7
Next. This brings us to the nal screen of
For instance, if Thunderbird is your default
In order to print labels using the contact
the wizard, click Finish.
mail client and you want to import your
information, go to Reports and click
contacts list from that address book, rst
New on the database toolbar. In the
Step 3
open up Thunderbird. Click the Address
New Report dialog, click Label Wizard
There are two ways you can input the
Book button, and in the window that
and set the table as Guests. You can
data in the elds. One way is to do it
opens up go to Tools | Export. In the
now select the size and manufacturer of
manually. However, if you already have
dialog box titled Export Address Book,
your labels. Most labels sheets have a size
a complete address book in your mail
type the File Name as Contacts and File
written on the box. If your manufacturer is
client, you can use Access to import the
Type as Comma Separated and click
on the list, select it and set the size, if not,
information from that address book. To
Save. This will save the address book
enter in the dimensions using Customize.
transfer your Outlook Address book to an
list as a CSV le. Now, from the Import
Here, we set in the manufacturer as
Access database, you can do it directly
dialog box in Access, scroll to the location
Avery and the Product Number as Avery
from Outlook itself. Open up your mail
of this le, choose File Type as Text File,
J8160. You can customize the font in the
client and go to File | Import and Export.
select Contacts.csv and click Import. In
next window.
Select Export to a le and click Next.
the Import Text Wizard, select Delimited
Set Create a le of type to Microsoft
and click Next. Choose the delimiter
not be readable. Select the elds that
Access and click Next. Select the
that separates your elds to be Comma
you would like on your mailing label, for
Contacts folder and click Next. Type
and click Next. In the succeeding screen
instance, FirstName, LastName, Address,
the le name and location in the text eld
check the eld In an Existing Table and
City and so on. When you want the next
as Contacts.mdb and My Documents
choose Guests from the drop down list
line to start, press enter, and the shaded
respectively and click Next. On the last
and click Finish.
line will indicate the current row. You
Note that a font size less than 8 will
can even type in any standard text such
screen, click Finish.
Step 6
as To or include the Spouse on the
Step 4
In case you need to enter in additional
label and address it to {FirstName} and
An alternative method to importing your
contact details to your guest list dont
{SpouseName} {LastName}. Hit Finish
Outlook address book is to open up your
worry about having to import in your
when you are done and view your Label
Access database. Now, go to File | Get
address book all over again. The best way
Report that is ready for printing. Open
External Data | Import. In the dialog box,
to accomodate those stragglers is to add
up the report in Design View and insert
click the eld File of type and scroll
them into your Access table using a handy
images from Clip Art, or your photo folder.
down the list till you can select the value
feature called Forms. In your Access
Outlook(). However, this will only work
database window go to Forms. Double
conrm the aesthetics of the labels before
if either Microsoft Outlook or Outlook
click on Create form by using wizard.
printing it out. Additionally, you can even
Express is your default mail client.
Set the table as Guests and import all
use the tables Thank You Note Sent and
the elds by clicking on >> and then
Conrmed elds to track your invitees
Step 5
click Finish. This provides a user friendly
status. So there you go, have a wonderful
If you dont have Microsoft Outlook or
form in which you can enter your guests
and well organized party!
Outlook Express as your default mail
information.
Step 4
Create a customized Label Report in Access to

print out the mailing labels.
Finally, click on Print Preview and
Step 5
View your Label Report in Print Preview mode to

confirm the contacts name and addresses.
Step 6
Extra: Export contacts from your Thunderbird mail

client as a CSV file, and import it into Access.
| 115
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
CAT5 Intercom
Put your broken telephones or unused land line instruments at home to good
use by making your own intercom! This workshop will show you how you can
do this at home! BY DEEPTI KRISHNAN & FRANCIS DSA
Pramod Jadhav
t has been over a century and a half
power adapter. Any laptops idle or unused
only require four wires for the intercom
since Alexander Graham Bell whispered
power adapter is the best choice. Dont
to function, so if you dont already have
the words Mary had a little lamb and
worry if the voltage level isnt exactly 9
a network cable connecting computers
changed the way mankind communicated.
Vanything with an output voltage below
between oors or rooms, you can use any
Modern life is unimaginable without a
24 V will do the job. Note that the intercom
ordinary telephone cable with four cores or
telephonic devicebe it a sophisticated
needs to be powered at one end of the
two pair wires.
cell phone or an archaic pulse dial
circuit only.
telephone still in use in certain parts of
The scenario for which we designed
Construction
India. If you have gone fully digital, dont
and built this intercom included two
If you plan on using an existing network
thrown out your land line instruments in a
rooms having computers connected over
cable, (like in our workshop), note that
hurry. This workshop will help you make a
a network CAT5 cross-cable. Since a
pins one, two, three, and six (from the
functional small distance intercom device.
network cable consists of four pairs of
RJ45 connector) are used by the network
wires, of which only two pairs are used by
adapter while the rest are just not needed.
intercom at home is to use two old land
the network adapter, the other two unused
Check which wires are used in your cable.
line telephone handsets, run a wire
pairs were perfect for our purpose. We
In our case it turned out to be the orange
between them and apply some power. An
Checklist
and orange-white, green and green-white.
A straightforward way to build a simple
improvised circuit can include a buzzer at

both ends, so that the person at the other
end can be alerted to pick up the phone.
First of all, you need to decide which
rooms you will install the intercom. Then
you need to collect all the materials listed
on this page before getting down to work.
There are different ways to power
the circuit. The rst is to simply use a 9V
battery. However, the downside to this
option is that battery will drain out in no
time leaving the intercom connection
Jadhav
dead. Pramod
Alternatively,
you can power the
circuit using any good pure 12 V DC
RJ11 female connectors (two Pcs)

Phone handsets (two Pcs)
Buzzers (two Pcs)
Bell switches (two Pcs)
A long enough two pair wire, a CAT5
network cable would do.
Using a wire cutter, we need to cut and

separate out the remaining four wires. We
shall now be using these four wires for our
TOOLS
A pure DC power adapter 9 - 24 V DC

(any unused laptop adapter will do)
Wire stripper
Screwdriver
Some electrical tape
Wireman knife or blade
SMS us! Story code: HGO to 57007
WORKSHOP
Step 1
Carefully cut the sleeve of your cable using a blade

and expose the inner wires.
HANDS ON
Step 2
First identify the wires to be used for the intercom.

Then, using a wire cutter, separate and cut them.
Step 6
Connect the wires of the RJ11 jack, buzzer, and

switch according to the diagram given below.
Existing CAT5
cross-cable network
PC1
PC2
Telephone 1
2
3
6
2
3
6
5
7
8
5
7
8
Telephone 2
Buzzer 1
Power
supply
9-24V DC
Buzzer 2
+
Switch 1
Switch 2
The internal wiring of an intercom system shown here is based on a network cable, a switch and buzzer alert method, along with a land line telephone instrument and
a good DC power adapter.
workshop. Now simply cut the sleeve of
Testing
the CAT5 cable carefully and dig out the
Press any one switch to check if the
unused wires, then cut them carefully. The
buzzer beeps at both ends to conrm
other wires can continue to be connected
whether the ringer is functioning. Next,
to the RJ45 connector, and be used for the
pick up the handsets at both ends, start a
existing network.
conversation with the person at the other
Now that the wires are ready to be
end of the line to conrm the working
used for the workshop, twist the ends so
of the intercom circuit. And Voila! the
that you have pointed tips. Refer to the
intercom is ready.
circuit diagram above and connect all the
If the intercom doesnt seem to be
Give a professional touch to your intercom by

incorporating the switch and buzzer in the front.
To improve on this, you can design your

own complicated array of switches in
elementsthe switches, buzzers and RJ11
working properly, refer to the circuit
a more efcient manner by connecting
jacks. Finally, hook up the telephones cord
diagram and nd the fault to ensure that
more wires and handsets to make a larger
to the RJ11 jack and power up the circuit
the connections of the circuit are correct.
intercom.
with the battery. Now, your intercom
This short workshop described a method
device is all ready to be used.
to install an intercom device in your home.
| 117
HANDS ON
WORKSHOP
Revitalize your BIOS!

Does your computer live in 2000 although we are in 2008? Maybe it is time to
replace your CMOS battery. BY AMOGH RANADIVE
very time Prashant boots up his
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
computer, the rst thing he does

is reset the time from 00:00 A.M
January 1, 2000 to the current time and

date. He has run several anti-virus and
spyware scans and has even gone to the
extent of reinstalling his operating system
more than once. What Prashant does not
realize is that his time and date settings
are not being reset by any virus! So
what could be the real reason behind his
computers desire to live in the past?
System settings like the time and
date, boot device priority, and even
overclocking settings which are accessed
through the BIOS are stored in the
CMOS. To preserve these settings, the
CMOS needs to be supplied with power
constantly. When the PC is turned off,
this power is supplied by a lithium coin
cell located on the motherboard. It is
when the power of the battery begins
to die out that the BIOS settings keep
reverting to the defaults, leading to a
constant change in system time and date
which is most noticeable. The CMOS
battery can drain out if your PC has not
been used for a prolonged period of time
or if your system is more than 18 to 24
months old. CHIP recommends you to
change your CMOS battery every 1-2
years. Here is how you can successfully
change your CMOS battery.
STEP 1: Unscrew and open the side
panel or top cover of your PC cabinet

A normal CMOS battery is supposed
(depending on the type of cabinet that
CMOS battery. The standard required is a
you have).
CR2032 lithium coin cell, and it generally
to last for a minimum of 3 to a maximum
STEP 2: Locate the CMOS battery on the
costs around Rs. 25.
of 10 years. However, the battery life also
motherboard. It is a at button cell about
STEP 5: Fit the battery into the holder and
depends on the type and quality of the
the size of a standard 50 paisa coin. See
ensure it is tted properly. You should
battery, temperature inside the cabinet
the image for reference.
hear a slight click indicating that the cell
and general uptime of the PC.
STEP 3: Use a small at screwdriver
is placed properly.
to lever the cell out. Take caution to
STEP 6: Navigate to the BIOS and enter the
until your battery is completely dead.
handle it with care so as not to damage
system settings such as current time and
Change it every year to ensure hassle
the surrounding components on the
date, boot device priority etc. Press the
free computing and your computer will
motherboard and the battery holder itself.
F10 button to save the settings to CMOS
not have to live in the past anymore!
STEP 4: Obtain a replacement for your
and exit the BIOS.
Hence, as a precaution, do not wait
SMS us! Story code: HRB to 57007
HANDS ON
TIPS & TRICKS
Tips
Tricks
MAY 2008
Share your tips. Write to: tnt@chip-india.com
Umesh Dahiwalkar
Tip of the month Skype

Using hidden special smileys when
chatting
Online chats without smileys? Thats simply
unbelievable! Many users actually even need
more smileys than those that are available under
Emoticons.
Skype has some hidden symbols in
addition to the usual smileys that are available in
the program window. However, you cannot use
these emoticons unless you enter their codes
directly. So, you should enter one or more of the
following codes during a chat session to access
the hidden smileys: bandit, drunk, finger, etc.
www.wackyb.co.nz/skype_smileys gives you
a good overview of the available smileys and the
different sequences to type using the keyboard.
WINDOWS
121
1.
Windows 2000, XP
Mounting ISO files as logical drives for direct access
2.
Windows XP
Setting up user accounts faster via templates
3.
Windows Vista Ultimate
Restoring deleted files with just a few clicks
4.
Windows Vista
Reactivating Flip3D
5.
Windows 2000, XP, Vista
Viewing all file extensions in Explorer
6.
Removing unwanted context commands in the Media Player
7.
Structuring installation routines yourself
8.
Faster copying and pasting with a mouse click
9.
Windows XP
Accessing hidden hard disks when setting up Windows XP
10. Windows XP, Vista
Reading additional song information from CD text data
11. Windows 2000, XP
Correcting mixed up icons
APPLICATIONS
You can choose which smileys you want and enter the
corresponding code in your chat window.
125
12. Word 2000, XP, 2003, 2007
Leafing through large documents made easier
13. Office XP, 2003, 2007
Opening and editing documents in the OpenOffice format
14. Nero 7 Premium
Starting the burn process with a double-click
15. Excel 2007, XP, 2003, 2007
Legible and harmless formatting of large numbers
16. Internet Explorer
Exporting websites to other PCs from the security zone
17. Thunderbird
Accessing your contacts faster
18. Mozilla Firefox 2.x
Changing to Thunderbird from the browser
SMS us! Story code: HTT to 57007
TIPS & TRICKS
WINDOWS
is the case, click repeatedly on Add Drive
HANDS ON
On the right side of the window, all
Windows 2000, XP
till a free drive letter is available. Now mark
user accounts set up on the system are
Mounting ISO files as logical drives

for direct access
the relevant entry in the list and click on
listed under User Settings with the
Mount. Then, browse to the desired ISO
exception of the one that is currently being
ISO files are images of complete
image and click on Open. You usually do
used. Click on the desired account. You
CDs. For example, Linux setups are
not need to change the options of the next
can now access the account settings via
distributed in this form via the Internet.
dialog and you can simply conrm with
the General, Windows Restrictions,
Here, it would be more practical to
OK. You can now work with the mounted
Feature Restrictions and Block
start the set up for Linux directly from
image just like a normal CD-ROM drive.
Programs tabs. Options that cannot be
the ISO file instead of having to burn a
When you are done, remove the link to
accessed directly have been explained
CD first.
the ISO le. For this, click on the Eject
in the English manual that can be
If you want to use ISO les from

your hard disk as complete CDs by
tab. Then open Driver Control once again
downloaded from www.microsoft.com/
and click on Stop there. You have thus
downloads.
unblocked the drive letter again.
another advantage: You can use existing
mounting them as drives, there is a tool

from Microsoft that allows you to do
that easily. It is even more convenient
with the application Daemon Tools
Using Windows SteadyState has
Windows XP
accounts as templates. To do this, follow
Setting up user accounts faster via

templates
the Export User link on the home page.

In the following dialog, enter a name under
but it is suspected to contain adware.
Creating several user accounts on a
File name under which you want to store
You can download the Microsoft
common PC is annoying: You want
the account prole as a template. It has
tool from: download.microsoft.
to work quickly, yet at the same time
the le extension .SSU. Then select the
com/download/7/b/6/7b6abd84-
keep logging on to individual accounts
account under User name and click on
7841-4978-96f5-bd58df02efa2/
separately for configuring special
Import User. In the next dialog, select the
winxpvirtualcdcontrolpanel_21.exe
settings. Instead, you can do all that
SSU le and click on Open.
centrally as well as be able to use an
You can now dene the name and also
existing account as a template for other
a password for the new user account.
accounts. Heres how:
Conrm this information and click OK.

Please note that a Beta version 2.5 of
With Microsoft Windows
the tool is also listed on the result page
SteadyState, you can manage user
of the Microsoft download server, which
accounts centrally. Go to www.microsoft.
according to Microsoft should run under
com/downloads/ for this. Search for
Vista.
steadystate here and follow the link with

this name. After validating your copy of
1 Once you've mounted ISO files, access them
like any CD drive from Windows Explorer.
Windows, you can download the setup

le. Version 2.0 of the tool runs only under
Windows Vista Ultimate

Restoring deleted files with just a
few clicks
Start the program and unzip the le.
Windows XP with SP2. To install it, run the
Its Monday and you want to take
Within the unzipped folder youll nd a le
SteadyState_Setup_ENU.exe le you just
presentations that you have created
named VCdControlTool.exe and another
downloaded and follow the instructions.
over the weekend to office. So out
named VCdRom.sys. Youll need both to
You will need to validate Windows again
comes your USB stick. And as luck
run the tool.
here. Then open the tool with Start | All
would have it, you may have mistakenly
INSTALLING THE TOOL: Copy the VCdRom.
Programs | Windows SteadyState.
overwritten the current version with
sys driver to the directory C:\
an old one. So does that mean all your
Windows\system32\drivers. Then run
efforts are wasted?
VCdControlTool.exe. Click on Driver

Control and then on Install Driver. In
Dont panic. You can access
the next dialog, browse to the directory
earlier versions of les with the help of
C:\Windows\system32\drivers and nd
Snapshots. The prerequisite for this: The
the VCdRom.sys le in it. Now click
System Restore for the hard disk must
on Open and in the next dialog, on the
be activated. To do so, click Start | Run |
Start and OK tabs.
Control Panel and click on Performance

and Maintenance and then System. In
SETTING UP THE DRIVE: Click on Add Drive
and check that the requested drive letter
2 You can manage different user accounts
the classic view of the Control Panel, you
is not already used by a local drive. If that
centrally from Windows SteadyState.
can reach this window directly by double-
| 121
HANDS ON
TIPS & TRICKS
Independent of the settings in the

folder options, extensions of certain le
types will usually not be displayed. You
can however remove this restriction.
For this, click Start | Run, enter
regedit and click on OK. In the editor,
click to the left at the start of the structure
on My Computer and then select Edit |
Find. Enter the term Never ShowExt and
3 To restore a file, select Performance and
maintenance link and System restore link.
4 Enabling Flip3D in windows vista allows you to

toggle freely between several windows
click on Find next. No Value is allocated

to this character sequence. When
clicking on System. On the left side of
removing the check-mark for the Lock
adjusting this option, you must thus delete
the window, select System Restore.
taskbar command in the context menu.
it completely with Edit | Delete.
Windows then requests you to select
Right clicking on the Quick Start bar opens
an account with administrator rights and
a context menu. Select Open Folder and
Now press the [F3] key to continue
enter the right password. Then check-mark
File | New | Link in the dialog. Enter the
searching through the registry. In this way,
the desired hard disks in the Automatic
command 'rundll32 dwmapi #105' as the
delete all entries with the name Never
Restore points eld for system restore
target and click Next.
ShowExt in the registry main branch
and conrm with OK.
Dene Flip3D as the name and
Conrm the safety query with Yes.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Do not edit any
click Finish. The link is immediately
other branches.
as soon as a system restore point is set;
available again. You can also use the same
CAUTION: Before deleting, right click on it
normally, once every day.
command to create a link on the desktop
and click on Export to create a copy of
or to bind the request to the center mouse
the respective key. You can thus double
a le leads to a snapshot being created
button if you have installed a mouse
click on it and re-paste it in the registry at
immediately. The function therefore does
driver that allows a self-programmed key
any time.
not provide security for realtime changes,
conguration.
NOTE: If you want to modify only certain
which is another reason for backing up
NOTE: Flip3D functions if the Aero effect
entries, you will nd the settings for the
your own les regularly, and accessing
in Vista is activated, which requires a
important hidden le types .url, .lnk and
Snapshots only in case of an emergency.
reasonably up-to-date, high-performance
.scf in the branch HKEY_CLASSES_
computer.
ROOT under the key InternetShortcut,
Windows archives old le versions
Unfortunately, not every change in
For this, right click on the le

in Windows Explorer. Then select
Properties in the context menu and
activate the Previous versions tab. The
File versions list provides an overview
Inkle and SHCmdFile.

Viewing all file extensions in
Explorer

Removing unwanted context
commands in the Media Player
of all available versions. Mark the desired
In the folder options of Windows
entry and click on Open. In order to save
Explorer, you have configured a setting
Windows Media Player adds additional
a copy of the marked version in the le
so that the program lets you view
commands such as Include in queue
system, click on Copy. With Restore,
all known types of file extensions.
to the context menu of various media
you make the marked copy current and
However, the information is still
files. Since you do not use these
thus overwrite the previous one.
missing for URL files as well as the
commands, you want to make the menu
browser favorites.
smaller and neater.
Windows Vista
Reactivating Flip3D
The exact names of the context
The new Flip 3D function makes
commands differ with different versions
toggling between open windows fast.
of Windows Media Player. The settings
But the icon to activate it in the quick
for these context commands are in the
start bar has disappeared. You want to
Windows registry, but are hidden behind
restore it.
CLSID codes. For deleting them, open

the registry editor and browse to HKEY_
CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID{8DD448E6-
The icon for calling upFlip3D
C188-4aed-AF92-44956194EBIF}. Then
can be restored with a rundll link. First

make sure that the taskbar is not locked
by right-clicking on an empty space and
5 On regedit window, click File menu, select

Find. Browse for Never ShowExt to delete it.
create a backup copy of this registry

branch by clicking File | Export and then
TIPS & TRICKS
HANDS ON
computer where they should be copied.

EASY COMPILATION: Open Start | Run,
enter iexpress and click on OK. A

wizard is started. Activate the Create new
Self Extracting Directive les and click
on Next. Even the following command
Extract les and run an installation
command remains activated. In the
Packaged les dialog box, click on Add
6 Delete`KEY_CLASSES_ROOT/CLSID/
{8DD448E6-C188-4aed-AF92-44956194EBIF}.
delete the key.
and add the required les.

In the following dialogs, you can
8 With TXMouse you can copy and paste data by

using the mouse alone.
congure settings for license instructions,

messages, system restart and other
The Freeware tool TXMouse
tasks. In the last step, save the generated
for Windows enables additional mouse
Copy to CD or disk, Add to
SED le (Self Extraction Directive) to be
functions in Windows. You can download
synchronization list, and Add to burning
used later on.
TXMouse from http://fy.chalmers.
list. Conrm the security query for
COMPLEX INSTALLATIONS: Here, an additional
se/~appro/nt/TXMouse/TXMouse.exe.
deleting the entire key with Yes.
INF le which contains instructions for
TXMouse does not need to be installed.
the exact setup process is used. Include
Simply copy it to the folder C:\Documents
sub-key {CE3FB1D1-O2AE-4a5f-A6E9-
it in the installation package like the other
and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\
D9F1B4O73E6C}. It is responsible for the
les. In the dialog box, select the INF le
Programs\Autostart. You can then use it
context command Play with Windows
at Install program, set the Post Install
once youve restarted your computer.
Media Player or Playback. At the same
Command setting to None and click on
time, delete the key {F1B9284F-E9DC-
Next. Then, carry out the further steps
a jiffy using the mouse. Mark any text
4e68-9D7E-42362A59FOFD} that is
of the wizard and specify the storage
and copy it to clipboard with a click. A
responsible for the context commands
location for the archive.
click on the center mouse button or the
It is responsible for the commands
Repeat the same procedure for
Include in queue, Add for playback or

Add to playback list.
In the dialog eld Congure reboot,
Copying and pasting can be done in
mouse wheel is sufcient to paste the
select No reboot and click on Next.
content from the clipboard. This process
Save the generated SED le and click
works in all programs because TXMouse
on Next twice. When the archive is
reproduces the key combinations [Ctrl]
Structuring installation routines

yourself
extracted at any point in time, the les as
+ [C] and [Ctrl] + [V] wherever you need
described in the INF le are copied to the
to copy and paste things. Moreover,
You want to transfer a database or a
system in question.
TXMouse also changes the focus of the
self-written tool in such a manner that
NOTE: Regenerating the installation archive
active window automatically as soon as a
the relevant files can be automatically
after a modication can be automated
new window is opened. Even that helps in
installed at an appropriate location of
through the existing SED le. For this,
sparing a few clicks.
your choice, and that too via a small
start iexpress with the command line
routine.
option /N and specify the name of
the SED le after a space. Also use

You can compile several les in
the options /Q and /M to suppress
Windows XP
Accessing hidden hard disks when
setting up Windows XP
an archive using self-extracting archives
the dialog boxes and minimize the
Sometimes when you try to format and
and determine the location on the target
windows. You can also save the complete
install Windows XP a Setup did not
commands in a small batch le for a
find any hard disk drives message is
simpler call-up.
displayed. What do you do?
7 The Installation instruction for the exact setup

process is used is put in additional INF files.

Faster copying and pasting with a
mouse click
The problem arises if you have a

system with a serial ATA hard disk. The
original XP setup CD does not contain
Linux allows users to copy data directly
a suitable driver for the SATA controller
using mouse buttons, without having
chip on the motherboard due to which the
to go through the finger acrobatics of
setup cannot detect the hard disk. You can
[Ctrl] + [C] and [Ctrl] + [V]. Is it possible
integrate the missing driver directly when
to add this function to the Microsoft
booting. The driver is usually available
operating system?
with the PC or the motherboard on a
| 123
HANDS ON
TIPS & TRICKS
Quick Tips
accesses the CD and then reads the

available CD text. This method requires the
DISPLAYING THE VOLUME SLIDE BAR
CD drive and the burner to support the CD
You can Display Volume Control In

Taskbar via Start | Settings | Control
Panel Sounds And Audio Devices
text and the suitable data to be available
INSTALLING XP COMPONENTS
hardware-related system process.
For fast installation of components, just

copy the i386 folder from the setup CD
to the root directory of your hard disk.
Therefore, it works only if you use a user
DISPLAYING DESKTOP
for saving information such as track lists in

a data eld on the audio CD. They should
the motherboard or PC manufacturers
In contrast to [WIN] + [M], [WIN] + [D]

shows the desktop even if there are open
dialog boxes or messages.
website. Often, the manufacturers page
RUNNING THE ON-SCREEN KEYBOARD
the Internet.
also contains a program for creating a
disk controllers such as ICH7R and ICH8R
If you want to make entries with one

hand while talking on the phone, click
Start | Run and type the command
osk to activate the on-screen keyboard.
Your OS has been behaving weirdly,
at www.downloadcenter.intel.com,
FASTER START MENU OPERATION
with the icons in My Computer on
for example under the names Chipset |
In the Windows registry, navigate to

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\
Desktop and decrease the menu
showdelay value to 100 milliseconds to
accelerate your start menu.
the Desktop and the Quick Start bar
CHANGE THE DESKTOP ICONS
cache properly. To verify this, open a
In Windows Vista, you can change the

size of the desktop icons simply by
keeping the [CTRL] key pressed and
turning the mouse wheel.
folder with incorrectly displayed icons.
9 Download SATA driver on Intel website to stop

Setup did not find any hard disk drives error.
CD. It is also available on the Internet at
suitable driver disk. Intel provides the

relevant software for its integrated hard
Chipset Software | Intel Matrix Storage

Manager and 32 bit disk conguration
program. You can also download the
conguration program using another PC.
After inserting the disk, you need to
run the tool. Then, boot the computer
on which you want to install Windows
from the CD and press [F6] at rst setup
screen. Now insert the driver disk and
press [Enter]. The setup lists the available
on the CD.
NOTE: Access to the CD drive is a
account with administrator rights. CD text

is an extension of the audio CD standard
not be mixed up with the title information

that some media players can fetch from
11
Windows 2000, XP
Correcting mixed up icons
have been changing of their own free

will. There are several reasons why
this could happen. This can happen if
Windows no longer updates the icon
Refresh the screen by pressing [F5].

Then close the window, re-open the
folder and then restart the computer.
If the problem persists, renew the icon
drivers. Select the one that is suitable for
You can download WMPCDText from
cache IconCache. Windows recreates
your computer and press [Enter]. Windows
bmproductions.xnum.org/morepages/
the file automatically if you change the
integrates the SATA driver and nds the
wmpcdtext.
color depth of the display. For this, right
hard disk in the next step.
Run Windows Media Player after

installing the plugin. Conrm the displayed
10
Windows XP, Vista
settings in the dialog that appears. After
Reading additional song information

from CD text data
inserting an unknown CD, you can try
click on a free area of the desktop and

select Properties.
In the Settings tab, modify the
to read data from the CD text. For this,
current color depth from Maximum (32
When playing original audio CDs, Media
activate the Now Playing option and
bit) to Medium (16 bit). Click on Apply
Player software manages to fetch artist,
then right click on the title. The context
and Yes one after the other to conrm.
album and track information from an
command Read CD text then directly
Then set the original color depth again.
10 A right-click will allow you to read track lists
11 Creating this registry key will make Windows
online database. However, this is not

the case when it comes to CDs that you
yourself have compiled.
For some self-made compilations,

additional information such as track lists
are saved in the data eld of the audio CD
as CD text. But unlike music players such
as Winamp Windows Media Player cannot
read them. A free plug-in helps retrot
the necessary functions in Windows
Media Player version 10 onwards.
and other data with WMPCDText plug-in.
cache icons lesser than the limit you specify.
TIPS & TRICKS
HANDS ON
If that is still not sufcient, click Start |

Run, type regedit and click OK to
open the registry and nd the key HKEY_
LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\
Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. In the
right-hand pane of the window, create the
REG_SZ value Max Cached Icons with
Edit |New | Character string and set it to
2000 for example. This number denes
the number of intermediately saved
icons. Values between 100 and 4096 are
possible here.
After closing the registry, delete the
12 Self-defined bookmarks help you locate

important places in the document in a jiffy.
the bookmarks appear in the document.
13 The Microsoft Office packet can also read and

save OpenOffice formats using an add-in.
letters EN in the lename.
le ShellIconCache or IconCache under
Incidentally, the Location option is
your prole in Documents and Settings\
also referred to as Position in Text in
The setup checks whether your PC is
Local Settings\Application Data and then
Word 2000. You can delete a selected
equipped with the prerequisites and loads
restart the computer.
bookmark by clicking on it and then
the missing components if any. It then
selecting Delete.
analyzes the Word version and offers it for
APPLICATIONS
12
Word 2000, XP, 2003, 2007

Leafing through large documents
made easier
Now start the installation process.
selection. Check the setting, click Next
13
Office XP, 2003, 2007
and end the installation.
Opening and editing documents in the

OpenOffice format
and PowerPoint. You need to rst extract
Similarly, install the add-ins for Excel
Leafing through voluminous documents
The free OpenOffice has established
from compressed archives before
can be annoying: either you end up
itself as a competitor to Microsoft
running setup.exe. Links for Excel
having a sore finger after scrolling the
Office. You might frequently receive
are available at: https://sourceforge.
mouse or you use the [Page Up]/ [Page
documents in the Open document
net/project/showles.php?group_
Down] keys to reach the appropriate
format. But MS Office cannot open
id=169337&package_id=226811 and
location in your document.
these.
for PowerPoint at: https://sourceforge.

Bookmarks or text marks help you
An open source project has
id=169337&package_id=232625.
After restarting the Ofce programs,
when you are faced with this dilemma:
developed suitable converters with the
you can use these to mark places in the
support of Microsoft. These converters are
you will nd the Open ODF les and
document and jump to these in no time.
available as add-ins for Ofce applications.
Save as ODF commands in the Dile
CREATING BOOKMARKS: Place the cursor
PREPARING YOUR PC: Your PC must have
menu. The converter opens the write-
where you want to mark the document.
the latest version of the .NET framework.
protected ODF les in the new Ofce
In Word 2007, activate the Insert tab in
Microsoft has made this available
2007 format. Hence, you need to rename
the ribbon. Then, click on Bookmarks. In
for download at 'www.microsoft.
and save the le in a Microsoft-compatible
older versions of Word, you can reach this
com/downloads'. Look for .NET
format before exporting it. For this, open
dialog via the Insert | Bookmarks menu
Framework Version 2.0. Download the
File | Save as, enter the desired name and
command. Enter a name for the bookmark
Redistributable Package and install it.
click on Save. It is only then that you can
in the Bookmark name tab. You can
Converters developed for Ofce 2007
export the le via the new File | Save as
refer to this bookmark with this name
also function with and 2003provided
ODF menu command.
thereafter. The name should not contain
the Ofce Compatibility Pack is installed
NOTE: Check the converted le before
spaces, hyphens, other special symbols
as well. This tool is available at www.
making any changes since all formats and
and punctuation marks. Click on Add to
microsoft.com/downloads. Look for
le properties are not supported in the
create the bookmark.
Microsoft Ofce Compatibility Pack, and
current application versions.
NAVIGATING WITH BOOKMARKS: Open
download and install it.
the Bookmark dialog box as described
INSTALLING CONVERTERS: Now install
above and double-click the desired entry.
the actual extensions. The converter
Alternately, you can even select the
available at https://sourceforge.
bookmark using the Go to command.
You create back-ups of important
With options such as Name and
id=169337&package_id=200089 has
documents and regularly burn them to
Location, you can sort the list either
been developed for Word. Download the
a CD or DVD using Nero. However, it is
alphabetically or in the order in which
English version. You will recognize it by the
time-consuming to do so.
14
Nero 7 Premium
Starting the burn process with a
double-click
| 125
HANDS ON
TIPS & TRICKS
Start the backup process with a

simple double-click. The tool required
Quick Tips
ones of the tool. You can obtain a list of

all parameters with the command line
for this nerocmd.exe is located in the
SAVING OFFICE DOCUMENTS
command: 'nerocmd.exe > c:\temp\
Core folder in the Nero 7 installation
nerocmd.txt'. When you press [Enter],
with the Windows command prompt and
Write the filenames given in save dialogs

within quotation marks to avoid the
default extension from being added.
automate specic tasks using parameters.
UPGRADING INTERNET EXPLORER 7
English in the folder C:\temp.
A tailor-made command can be saved as
NOTE: In the listings, the gray line separates
BURN ON ORDERS: To create a backup of the
Click on the Add to favorites icon and

then Import and export to import and
export favorite sites.
hypothetical folder C:\BurnDisc on a DVD,
MAKING EXCEL FORMULAE VISIBLE
a break up to this line. Look out for spaces.
open Start | All Programs | Accessories
These have been marked with a red point
to the Core folder in the Nero installation
With [ALT] + [SHIFT] + [&], select all

cells with formulae that refer to the
selected cell either directly or through
other cells.
directory, with for instance: cd c:\tools\
CHANGING POWERPOINT FONTS
Nero\core. Then type the following
--iso <FIlename> --create iso fs --verify
To change fonts quickly, open a

presentation, then open a text object in it
and then use the Format | Replace fonts
command to change fonts quickly.
--dvd c:\BurnDisc\*.* recursive. Conrm
NUMBERING WORD FILES
with [Enter]. Nero automatically burns the
directory. You can start this program
batch le.
| Command Prompt. Type the CD

(change directory) command and switch
command after the prompt: nerocmd.exe

--write --real --drivename <DVD Drive F:>
Nero writes the le nerocmd.txt along

with a list of all parameters described in
a program line from the other. Always

enter the complete command line without
in the listing.
15
Excel 2007, XP, 2003, 2007

Legible and harmless formatting of
large numbers
You calculate large numbers in your

tables, but the usual formatting is often
illegible, and changing the format leads
to inaccurate rounding of amounts.
CREATING A BATCH FILE: At rst glance,
Click Insert | Page numbers, click

Format and activate the Start at option
to start the document from a specific
page number.
typing such a command seems more
DUPLICATING A PAINTSHOP PRO IMAGE
The best way is to increase the predened
difcult than using the graphical interface.
Quickly create a duplicate of the active

image with [SHIFT] + [D] to avoid making
accidental changes to the original.
view format for a thousand-tag. For this,
C:\BurnDisc folder to the DVD including

all its sub folders and les.
However, this changes as soon as you

type the command in a batch le which
In case of user-dened formats,

the original number is retained in the
background, independent of the formatting.
place the cursor in the desired cell with

and open Format | Cells or press [Ctrl] +
[1]. Then select the Custom entry in the
takes almost no time to start. For this,

open a text editor and enter the command.
desktop. A simple double-click sufces to
Category list under Number and select
It is important to enter the complete path
start the back-up.
the #.##0.00 string as Type from the list
for nerocmd.exe in the beginning. If the
UNDERSTANDING THE PARAMETERS:
under the input eld.
path contains empty spaces, enclose the
The following is a description of the
entire command in quotation marks.
parameters used: --write is used when
two points at the end of the character
For representation in millions, add
you want to write data to a blank CD/DVD.
string each point stands for a division by
command in the second line if necessary.
You can only simulate one burning process
thousand. The eld now shows #.##0.00..
This ensures that the prompt window
without --real. You can assign drive
and Excel shows a preview in Sample.
closes only after you press a key so that
letters with the accompanying alphabets
If your result is 1468000, the format
you can even view the messages that
which are separated by spaces and come
automatically rounds the number to 1.47
appear when nerocmd.exe starts. Save
after --drivename. With --iso, you can
million. The number of zeroes after the
the text le with a BAT extension on your
name the burned CD whereas --create_
decimal point determines the accuracy
You can even add the Pause
iso_fs creates an ISO le system. Nero

checks the result with --verify after the
writing process is complete.
The --dvd parameter selects a DVD as
media type. Last but not the least, you can
give a name, followed by the --recursive
parameter, to the le for which back up
has to be created by using wild cards such
as *.* for all les, so that Nero also burns
subdirectories.
14 You can control the burning program with
many parameters using the nerocmd.exe.
We have not included all parameters in

this list, but these are the most important
15 You can customize formatting of large numbers

without affecting the accuracy of the result.
TIPS & TRICKS
HANDS ON
Mozilla Firefox 2.x
with which the number is given; it shows
be copied to a new PC where you can
three digits after the decimal point for
simply start it with double-click. After the
#,##0.000... In order to give the number
obligatory conrmation query, which you
with the unit, add the unit to the respective
will answer with Yes, the data is added to
There was an icon in Firefox 1.5, with
character string, e.g., #,##0.000.. mn..
the registry.
which you could call up the mail
Use the format with three points and the
NOTE: Many times, even harmful websites
program in no time. This particular link
usual abbreviation bn to show the amount
try to add themselves to the list of
is missing from version 2.0 onwards.
in billion so the entire character string
trustworthy sites using this key. You can
would be: #,##0.000... bn.
check whether there are other unknown
16
18
Changing to Thunderbird from the

browser
The free Get Mail extension

re-integrates the button with the browser.
entries for the Windows Update in addition
It is available at https://addons.update.
Internet Explorer
to those you have added and the default
mozilla.org/en-US/refox/addon/110.
Exporting websites to other PCs from

the security zone
values you have set.
The process of installation is the usual
The Microsoft browser manages

an integrated zone model in which
Firefox process: click Install on the
17
Thunderbird
website and Install Now in the following
Accessing your contacts faster
dialog. Then restart Firefox.

To show the icon open View | Toolbars
web addresses can be defined as
You can access your contacts through
Trustworthy Sites using the security
the address book which you have to
| Customize. Then look for the Email
settings. Internet contents which you
open in a separate window. This is
symbol in the dialog and drag it to the
do not trust completely can be placed
actually quite longwinded.
desired position in the symbol bar by

keeping the left mouse key pressed. Click
in the Restricted Sites category. Many

entries get added to this list after some
An extension directly integrates
time. You want to now transfer this
contacts in the main window of
configuration to a new computer in the
Thunderbird in a sidebar which is
easiest possible way
similar to that of Outlook Express. The
Finish. A short menu with Read Email or

New Message appears after clicking the
free program ContactsSidebar can

Web addresses that you have
dened as secure and restricted are
be downloaded from http://jpeters.

no-ip.com/extensions/?page=tb_cs_
stored in the registry. You can export the
downloads. Open Tools | Add-ons,
required data from there to read it later on
click the Extensions symbol on top and
a new PC.
then click Install. Then navigate to the
Start the registry editor and open the
appropriate XPI le in the dialog window
HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Software\
that appears, and click Open. Click the
Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Restart Thunderbolt button after clicking
InternetSettings\ZoneMap\Do mains key.
Install now.
Select the entry and open File | Export
The new contacts bar is now
18 Click on the Download link on the add-ons

page to download the sidebar downloader.
new tab. Select the desired option and land
Registry File. Type a name such as zone
automatically active and shares the left
directly in the relevant area of Thunderbird
settings in the following dialog. See to
side of the program with the le structure.
as soon as it is registered as the default
it that the Selected branch option is
You can hide or show the new bar
application for mails.
activated under Export range and the
with View | Window Layout | Contacts
previously selected registry entry has been
Sidebar or even faster with [F4]. To resize
entered. Conrm by clicking Save.
the sidebar area, drag the line separating
the free Get Mail Plus 3.0. Visit http://
the panes and move it to the desired
webdesigns.ms11.net/getmail.html to
position. From now on, a double-click on
download it. Here click Get Mail Plus For
the entry in the sidebar will open a new
Windows Only. Further installation follows
email to a that contact. The context
as described above. Set up the Get Mail
menu of each contact provides more
icon just the same way. Open the Tools |
options. Besides accessing the
Add-ons menu command, search for the
Properties very quickly, you can even
Get Mail Plus entry and click Settings to
select the contact as the recipient of a CC
select the mail program. You can change
or BCC. The most useful function is the
default program to Thunderbird in the next
Forward Contact option in the context
dialog or enter the email program you
menu: this opens a dialog for composing
prefer. Conrm with OK.
The REG le that is created can now
16 When you export the file make sure that

Selected Branch option button is fixed.
If you have dened a different email

program as default, you can even use
Compiled by team CHIP
a new email and inserts the relevant VCF
tnt@chip-india.com
le as an attachment.
| 127
UNWIND
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IN
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REVIEW
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REV
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E
EW
There is no smoke without fire and there is no fire without fuel. Unfortunately,
this is just the case with Frontlines. BY AMOGH RANADIVE
n the league of rst person shooter
were quite disappointed with the weapons
games, there have been epical titles but
thrown at us. The assault rie res in burst
sadly we have also what we can call just
mode almost like an Uzi and recoils almost
the others. According to us, Call of Duty
as much as a sniper rie! This was really
4, Crysis, GRAW 2, are some FPS games
frustrating, as we had to waste massive
which fall in the epic category. Frontlines
amounts of ammo just to get a decent
however does not make it to this list.
headshot! The sniper rie looks more like
Frontlines is set in 2024, when oil and

natural gas resources around the globe
have been rapidly depleting and the world
a mounted machine gun but the distinct

crack of the sniper gunshot was enjoyable.
One specialty of Frontlines is that not
is on the brink of World War 3a war which
only does it let you play as infantry, but it
would be fought for fuel (hence the title).
puts you behind the control of tanks and
As usual, we have USA and the European
choppers as well. This is a nice idea, and
Union on one side and USAs beloved
the tank ghts although repetitive, are
enemies Russia and China in an alliance on
decent. However, controlling the helicopter
the other side. The game takes place in and
is absurdly difcult. We jumped at the rst
around Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, which
chance we got of ying a chopper, but soon
helps, or at least tries to help create wartime
enough, we found ourselves favoring the
atmosphere.
tanks instead as the chopper refused to
Modern weaponry, ability to control tanks

and choppers, an interesting plotseems
maneuver easily.
The Ragdoll physics used in the game
like a recipe for a decent, if not brilliant
are a shame to put it mildly. In one instance,
game, right? But not really. Why you ask?
when we sniped an enemy from a distance,
Read on to nd out!
he rotated 360 degrees and ew up almost

10 feet before coming straight down! AI
Gameplay
is also a disappointment with Frontlines
Frontlines puts you in the shoes of a
because it is quite predictable. Many times
soldier from the Stray Dog team, a
we found enemies standing a few feet away
battalion of soldiers from the Western
from us, but they were not even close to
Coalition. Considering the fact that the
realizing that death was staring at them
game is set in the near future, you get
from such a close distance!
to play and annihilate enemies with
The missions tend to get repetitive after
the help of droneslittle RC controlled
a short while itself. Most of the missions
devices which come in handy due to their
in Frontlines are: enter enemy stronghold;
portability and sheer nastiness. The original
kill numerous waves of enemies; take over
idea was to have you depend on these
stronghold; proceed to next objective with
drones to a certain extent for successful
a few destroy anti-air artillery objectives
accomplishments of objectives. However,
thrown here and there. Sure, there is a
we found out that you could easily give the
silent sniping mission too, but its not as
Red Star forces hell without even touching
captivating as the developers would have
these drones and relying solely on your
liked it to be. Call of Duty 4, for example,
assault rie and FPS playing skills. We
had a plethora of exciting missions, right
Pramod Jadhav
SMS us! Story code: UFL to 57007
REVIEW
These anti-tank vehicles fire rapidly and can

reduce your tank to dust within seconds.
Busting choppers is absolute fun. However, flying

them is not.
from in the battleeld to recon, and
was much more believable more so
from rescue to covert but you dont
because your character dies in it, and
nd that versatility here.
you get to witness, or rather play his
UNWIND
Use the drones to kick some butt without coming

in the line of fire!
last moments out. Our test rig which
Graphics
was armed with a GeForce 8800 GTX
For a game which demands
768 MB was able to play Frontlines
surprisingly high system requirements,
without any stutter at the maximum
Frontlines fails miserably in its
possible graphics settings.
graphics. The in-game world looks

more like a scene straight out of
Verdict
a G.I.Joe comic book more than a
All considered Frontlines does not
battleeld. Character art is extremely
give gamers anything different from
poorall good guys look the exact
other rst person shooters, nor does
same and all bad guys look the same
it have enough power in its storyline.
too! Also, the good guys have a blue
In fact, playing Frontlines may actually
visor on their helmets, while the bad
result in gamers losing taste in rst-
guys have the exact same visor, but
person shooters thanks to its sheer
in red. To make things worse, the
incapability of being as
developers even put in a nuclear
entertaining as a video
bombing in the middle of a mission!
game which in particular
Not only does the nuke explosion look
an FPS should be. The gameplay and
like the mere explosion of recrackers
graphics only keep you glued on your
compared to the nuke in Call of Duty
seat for not more than 20 minutes. To
4, but somehow, miraculously you
sum it all up, Frontlines runs out of
and your ENTIRE team survive the
fuel when you are miles away from a
blastrealism goes for a complete
gas station.
toss! The Call of Duty 4 explosion
RATINGS
4/10
The assault rifle in Frontlines is arguably the

worst weapon in FPS history.
For: Interesting story idea.

Against: Bad gameplay, poor graphics, average voiceovers, and lots, lots more.
Price: Rs 699
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Kaos Studios
Distributor: e-xpress Interactive Software Pvt. Ltd.
Phone: +91-22-2966-1017
E-mail: info@expressgames.in
Requirements: Dual core processor at 2.3 GHz, 1 GB RAM, minimum Nvdia GeForce 6800GT (8600GTX recommended), 8 GB HDD space, DVD ROM, DirectX 9.0c
| 129
UNWIND
REVIEW
After much anticipation, EAs co-op shooter is finally

here. Its time to save the world once morethis
time with a close ally. BY MAHESWAR SINGH
ears of War set
The whole focus is on co-operative
the standard
tactics where carefully planned
for two player
strategies and good communication
co-op shooting but EA
with your partner are critical in moving
Montreals Army of
forward. If you think that jumping in
Two has raised the bar
the line of re like a lone wolf with all
to a completely new
guns blazing will complete the mission,
level. This is the result
the only place you will actually land up
of a massive collection of
in is a bodybag! While you might think
co-operative actions which
that guns are primarily going to help
are vital to your survival
you survive, the super-weapon in your
and mission completion.
arsenal is actually Aggro, a system that
Also, a game-changing
is based around how forceful you or
Aggro system that
your partner is in combat.
inuences the action at

every step of your path helps
Army of Two break away from
If you continually shoot enemies

(or even blind re in their direction),
throw grenades or cause explosions,
you swing aggro momentum in your
the stereotype.
direction, which will in turn make every
Story
soldier focus their attention on you. This
Army of Two takes place over 16 years
might seem like a bad thing, especially
spread across several conict locations
when youre glowing red to indicate
around the world. Elliot Salem and
how aggressive youre being. However,
Tyson Rios, the two main protagonists
there are denite advantages of pulling
of the game are two battle-hardened
aggro. First of all, with all eyes on you,
US Rangers who join the private sector
your partner will turn transparent,
as mercenaries on hire. They basically
which means that he can sneak around
ght terror for big bucks with big guns.
and ank rival soldiers without them

knowing it. The other advantage of
The journey starts from a brief

training course in Somalia and the
aggro is that if you maintain this state,
mercenary work begins in Afghanistan
you move into whats known as overkill,
and Iraq. After some years of heavy
a bullet time inspired moment where
mercenary re ghts, they land on the
you do twice as much damage and are
aircraft carrier, the USS Constellation,
able to re unlimited bullets or sneak
and free the ship from terrorist control.
around completely invisible for about 16
Their path leads them through China,
seconds, performing melee strikes like
Korea and culminates in a hostage
choke slams or kicks to the stomach.
rescue mission and a nal showdown

at Miami Airport with action sequences
Co-op Maneuvers
which even John Woo would have
The co-op portion drives home the
emphatically applauded.
point that this is a game designed to

play with a friend. You already know
RATINGS
Gameplay
about Aggro, but the following is a list
Army of Two is a unique a shooter game
of the other maneuvers you will have to
which comes along only once in a while.
pull off with your partner:
7.5/10
For: Awesome graphics, innovative and unique gameplay.

Against: Some single player AI issues, short running time.
Price: Rs 1899
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Montreal
E-mail: contact@redington.co.in
Platform: Xbox 360/ Playstation 3
Pramod Jadhav
Distributor: Redington India
Phone: 1800-2453718
SMS us! Story code: UAT to 57007
REVIEW
UNWIND
STEP JUMP: One person stands up against
adding protective shields, adding
Multiplayer
a wall and holds his hands out while
larger capacity cartridges for guns. All
Every multiplayer match pits two teams
the other person jumps up. The second
of these augmentations will increase
of two players against one another
person can then reach down and pull
or decrease the stats of each weapon.
in a race to complete objectives,
his partner up.
The pimp out option turns your rearm
including rescuing citizens, assaulting
DRIVING AND SHOOTING: Self explanatory.
into an elaborate gold or platinum
and defending key strategic locations,
HEALING: When a player is injured, the
plated pistol with diamonds and other
sabotaging areas of a map, and a
other player up to him and either drags
embellishments. These weapons affect
lot more. There are 3 multiplayer
him to a safe area or heals him in that
your aggro powers.
gametypes: Warzone, Bounties and

Extraction. You can play via split screen
spot. The injured player continues to

shoot the enemy while being dragged.
Graphics, Audio and Performance
or you can establish a co-op game with
BACK TO BACK: Both players go back-to-
The visuals of Army of Two look
anyone who is online. While youre
back to cover each others non-armored
incredible. All gures come across
competing against an enemy team,
backsides and re in real-time at
with huge character models and sharp
youre faced with neutral, AI-controlled
enemies in slow motion.
detailsright from the top of their
enemies who attack both of you and
FEIGN DEATH: If player one is about to die,
protective face masks to the tattoos and
your opponents. Like the co-operative
he can fake his death. All the aggro will
scarred battle armor. Enemies are large,
campaign, you can spend the money
go to the second player. Then player
and animate smoothly. Environmental
you earn on-the-y in multiplayer
one can get up and attack from behind.
textures are clean and nicely done.
matches to upgrade your weapons.
RIOT SHIELD: One of the players picks up a
Many of the explosions that wind up
shield or a car door. Then, both players
rocking stages, the fuel cans you shoot
Conclusion
hide behind it and open re.
to destroy planes, look very good. If
Though not at the same pinnacle
OVERKILL: If the aggrometer is full, the
youre looking for a visually striking
reached by Bioshock, Army of Two is
player dishes out extra damage in
stage, the sinking aircraft carrier is eye-
still a unique console shooter. It is short
bullet time while the other becomes
candy indeed.
but the single-player game manages to
transparent.
The sound of the game is excellent.
provide a fun and engaging time while
PARATROOPING: While parachuting one
Be warned, however, that this title is
it lasts. However, it is the co-op and
player controls the speed and direction
denitely for adults, with a variety of
multiplayer section where the game
of descent, while the other snipes
curse words frequently dropped in
stands out. In short, what matters is the
ground targets.
conversation. However, the dialogue is
fun-factor and it is certainly there!
CO-OP SNIPE: Both players get into a
delivered extremely well, with all of the
sniping maneuver to double their power
main voice actors delivering their parts
or take out two targets simultaneously.
believably. The sound effects of the
SWAP WEAPONS. Self explanatory.
various guns are excellent and while
KUDOS: High-ve, slap, talk dirty, and
the music is more of a backdrop for the
even play air guitar.
action, its also well done.
maheswar.singh@chip-india.com
Weapons
You carry three rearms and a
collection of grenades into battle. The
primary weapon is frequently a machine
gun or a shotgun which is used for their
range and power. Secondary weapons
are typically pistols or sub-machine
guns that can back you up. Special
weapons include sniper ries, RPGs
and Stinger missiles. You can buy and
easily upgrade weapons with new
items, such as swapping out the barrels,
| 131
UNWIND
REVIEW
After revisiting every mans fantasy last year with God of War II, this year, Ready
At Dawn Studio returns to blow your minds! BY ABHINAY KHOPARZI
s the release date of God Of
may feel that the game ends too soon,
a commendable job to get the same
War: Chains Of Olympus came
but that is just because the game is too
gameplay weve come to love on such
closer, a lot of us tried to save
good to stop playing at any point.
a tiny platform. The game delivers
enough to buy a PSP. With all the hype
Once you have nished the game,
in every way and is a complete
and extremely high expectations,
you can get your hands on a few
experience even with the smaller
Ready At Dawn studios had a task on
treasures which include access to all
screen and slightly different controls.
hand. Lets nd out if they delivered
the FMVs of the game in a sequence,
the goods yet again.
a speeded up video montage of the
Olympus can be a valid excuse for
There is no doubt that Chains of
team at Ready At Dawn studios, and a
buying a PSP if you havent got one.
amazing FMV showing the story of
bonus costume for playing the game
If you do end up buying the console,
Kratos killing his family under the
with a hilarious new character model.
its best to buy the package. This will
inuence of Ares and leading an army
Additionally, the challenge of Hades is
get you the game, a PSP with the God
under the command of the gods. The
unlocked which enhances the replay
Of War paintjob, and a
gods promise to relieve him of his
value of the game. These challenges
nine-inch action gure
nightmares if he serves them well. The
are exactly like the challenge of Gods
of Kratos.
Persian army is attacking the Attica
in the previous games and are played
and Kratos has to ght back. After a
in special arenas with a specic
brief slicing spree of some soldiers,
number and method of kills for each
we move on to a door which suddenly
level. The challenges get increasingly
collapses to reveal a Gorgon who is
tougher and will keep most players
about to destroy Kratos. However
busy for weeks together. An even
in true GOW style, an even bigger
harder God difculty level also gets
Basilisk suddenly barges in and eats
unlocked and is accessible from the
up the Gorgon, leaving us ghting with
new game menu. This mode is the
this huge head of the monster. The
hardest mode in the game and will
game picks up fast enough for veteran
give you enough resistance to add
players but manages to make complete
even more weeks to your playtime.
The game starts out with an
sense for GOW to-be-addicts.

The range of environments is pretty
The visuals of the game are

absolutely stunning and the fact
wide and Kratos journey will take us
that you can take it in your pocket
down to the depths of Tartarus, into
simply adds another element to it. If
the Temple of Helios where we nd
there are people sitting around you
the re steeds. Here, we ght Charon
while playing the game, there is no
the gatekeeper, and Persephone, who
doubt everyone in the room will
tries to justify her husband Morpheus
be peering from behind your
twisted plan. The number of boss
shoulders as you slay
ghts in the game is pretty good and
Gorgons, and Medusas,
even their pacing is brilliant. The
and Cyclopes. Ready
length of the story is just right; you
At Dawn has done
RATINGS
9/10
Price: Rs. 1499

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
E-mail: sales@milestoneinteractive.com
feedback@
chip-india.com
For: It is God of War on the PSP!!! Superb visuals, sound, and gameplay.
Against: Slight lag on reloads, makes mortal life look too boring.
Developer: Ready At Dawn Studios
Distributor: Milestone Interactive
Pramod Jadhav
Phone: 022-28203319
SMS us! Story code: UGW to 57007
REVIEW
UNWIND
right answer and a Buzz button for
up to nine different types of rounds.
rounds such as Fastest Finger First
However, customized games require at
in which the player who buzzes rst
least two players. The game is packed
gets the chance to answer. Playable
with over 5,000 different questions
solo or in multiplayer mode, the
spanning topics such as general
basic game having three levels of
knowledge, sports, wildlife, movies,
difculty has two rounds. The game
music, television shows, celebrities,
intends to recreate a television quiz
history, geography, and so on. So
show and hence starts with the host
dont be surprised if you come across
eres something that
Buzz welcoming you followed by
questions based on Bollywood movies
promises to give you a
his curvaceous assistant Rose who
or Saas-Bahu TV serials. If you really
different gaming experience
explains the rules of the game. In
want to enjoy the game, use a
and help you hone your general
the rst round, you have to answer
PS2 memory card to avoid
knowledge at the same time. Buzz!
as many questions in the least time.
repetition of questions.
The Maha Quiz, developed in
The faster and correct you are, the
Happy Buzzing!
collaboration with Derek OBrien
more time you get to play the second
and Associates is ne tuned for
roundthe Hot Seat. At the end, you
the Indian audience. The package
can check out the hall of fame to nd
comprises a set of four controllers
out how intelligent you are. The game
that connect to a USB port of
play is hilarious with a choice of wacky
the PlayStation 2, and a game
characters (participants) and crazy
disc. Each controller has four
buzzer sounds. Apart from the regular
colored buttons for selecting the
game, you can customize the quiz with
and you are ready to roll.

The game has three main options
solo, duet, and group singing. In the
duet and group modes, the teams are
divided into red and blue and are rated
accordingly. With the simple interface,
re you tired of the monotony of
even a toddler could pick it up. For
RPGs (Role Playing Games), FPS
instance, the navigation controls and
(First Person Shooter), and TPS
lyrics of the track are displayed at the
(Third Person Shooter) games which
bottom of the screen. While singing,
involve brutal combat sequences and
the screen shows the ratings (good/
violent mutants? Well, even if youre
bad) and notes played in real time.
would store up to 8 recorded tracks.
not, SingStar for PlayStation 2 can
At the end, the ratings are explained
All in all, SingStar is great for parties,
surely divert your attention. It will
elaborately.
hang-outs, and other merry making
keep you and your friends and family

engrossed in a fun way.
Singstar is a good entertainment
Heres how it works; the system

picks up the sound pattern from the
microphone and the better it matches
package that lets you sing along with
with the tune of the song, the higher the
the latest Bollywood music videos. The
score. Vocals dont really matter, even
best part is that you get rated for your
if you hum, youre rated. Nonetheless,
performance too! The package includes
wed say, it rocks! You can save your
a DVD with 30 music videos, a USB
song by selecting Playback from the
converter, and two microphones. Just
menu and then hitting the Save
insert the DVD, stick the converter into
option. We recorded one Bollywood
the USB port on your PS2 and connect
track which occupied around 1
the two microphones to the converter
MB of space, so an 8 MB card
SMS us! Story code: UBS to 57007
venues.
Pramod Jadhav
| 133
MARKET WATCH
Market Watch
Motherboards: AMD IGP
Name
Price (Rs)
CPU
Socket
Chipset
Memory support
D-Sub | DVI | HDMI
PCIe x16 |
PCI | SATA | USB
Asus M2N-MX SE
2,809
AM2
Nvidia GeForce 6100 / nForce 430
DDR2-800 (Max 4 GB)
||
1|2|2|8
Asus M2A-VM
3,749
AM2
AMD 690G / SB 600
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
Asus M2N-VM HDMI
4,399
AM2 Nvidia GeForce7050 / nForce 630a
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
MSI K9NGM3-FIH
4,584
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
MSI K9AGM3-FIH
4,674
AM2
AMD 690G / SB 600
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
Biostar TA690G
4,950
AM2
AMD 690G / SB 600
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
Abit AN-M2HD
5,175
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
Motherboards: Intel IGP

Price (Rs)
CPU
Socket
Chipset
Memory support
Abit I-45CV
2,391
LGA 775
Intel 945GC
DDR2-667 (Max 4 GB)
||
1|2|4|8
Asus P5GC-MX
2,799
LGA 775
Intel 945GC
DDR2-667 (Max 4 GB)
||
1|2|4|8
Palit N73PV
3,056
LGA 775
Nvidia GeForce 7100 / nForce 630i
DDR2-800 (Max 2 GB)
||
1|2|4|8
XFX MG-630I-7159
4,229
LGA 775
Nvidia GeForce 7150 / nForce 630i
DDR2-800 (Max 4 GB)
||
1 | 2 | 4 | 10
Intel BOXDG31PR
4,450
LGA 775
Intel G31
DDR2-800 (Max 4 GB)
||
1|2|4|8
Intel BOXDG33BUC
5,791
LGA 775
Intel G33
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1|2|4|8
Asus P5E-VM HDMI
9,749
LGA 775
Intel G35
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
||
1 | 1 | 6 | 12
Name
D-Sub | DVI | HDMI
PCIe x16 |
PCI | SATA | USB
Motherboards: AMD Non-IGP

Name
Price (Rs)
CPU Socket
Chipset
Memory support
D-Sub | DVI | HDMI
PCIe x16 |
PCI | SATA | USB
Asus M3A78-EH
5,119
AM2+
AMD 780G / SB 700
DDR2-1066 (Max 8 GB)
NA
1 | 3 | 6 | 10
MSI K9N SLI Platinum
6,750
AM2
Nvidia nForce 570 SLI
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
SLI x8+x8
2 | 3 | 6 | 10
Abit AN9 32X
7,763
AM2
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
SLI x16+x16
2 | 1 | 7 | 10
Asus M2N-SLI
8,739
AM2
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
SLI x8+x8
2 | 3 | 7 | 10
MSI K9A2 Platinum
9,900
AM2+
AMD 790 FX
Crossfire x16+x16
4 | 2 | 6 | 10
Gigabyte M59SLI-S5
12,000
AM2
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
SLI x16+x16
2 | 2 | 8 | 10
Asus M3A32-MVP
13,299
AM2+
AMD 790 FX
Crossfire x16+x16
2 | 2 | 4 | 10
Asus M2 Crosshair
14,799
AM2
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
SLI x16+x16
2 | 3 | 6 | 10
NOTE: Street prices (incl. 4% VAT) by www.techshop.in as on 24 April 2008.
MARKET WATCH
CHIP brings you a roundup of all the latest and

greatest products on the market.
Motherboards: Intel Non-IGP

Name
Price (Rs)
Abit IP35-E
Asus P5N-SLI
Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9
MSI P6NSLI Platinum
XFX MB-680-ILT9
Abit IX38 QuadGT
EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1
Asus Rampage Formula
5,588
5,739
7,199
7,402
10,529
11,984
15,336
18,799
CPU
Socket
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
LGA 775
Chipset
Memory support
Multi-GPU mode
Intel P35
Nvidia nForce 650i SLI
Nvidia nForce 680i LT SLI
Intel X38
Intel X48
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)

DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
DDR2-800 (Max 8 GB)
NA
SLI x8+x8
SLI x8+x8
SLI x8+x8
SLI x8+x8
CrossFire x16+x16
SLI x16+x16
CrossFire x16+x16
PCIe x16 |
PCI | SATA | USB
1|3|4|8
2|2|4|8
2|2|4|8
2|3|4|8
2|2|6|8
2 | 2 | 6 | 12
3 | 2 | 6 | 10
2 | 2 | 6 | 12
Graphics Cards: Nvidia

Price
(Rs)
1,938
GeForce 8400 GS
x16
DX 10
XFX GeForce 8400 GS
3,029
GeForce 8400 GS
x16
DX 10
512 MB DDR2 | 64-bit
Gigabyte GeForce 8500 GT
3,668
GeForce 8500 GT
x16
DX 10
256 MB DDR2 | 128-bit
Palit GeForce 8600 GT Super
4,559
GeForce 8500 GT
x16
DX 10
XFX GeForce 8600 GT
5,229
GeForce 8600 GT
x16
Gigabyte GeForce 8600GT
5,456
GeForce 8600 GT
x16
Name
Point of View GeForce 8400 GS
GPU
Stream
processors
16
PCIe DirectX Memory | Bus width
Core | Memory speed
Video output
450 MHz | 800 MHz
D-sub + DVI
16
500 MHz | 800 MHz
D-sub + DVI
16
500 MHz | 800 MHz
D-sub + DVI
256 MB DDR3 | 128-bit
32
675 MHz | 1000 MHz
D-sub + DVI
DX 10
256 MB DDR3 | 128-bit
32
540 MHz | 700MHz
Dual-link DVI
DX 10
256 MB DDR2 | 128-bit
32
600 MHz | 700MHz
Dual-link DVI
Dual-link DVI
XFX GeForce 8800GS Alpha Dog
10,079
GeForce 8800 GS x16 2.0
DX 10
384 MB DDR3 | 192-bit
96
580 MHz | 700 MHz
MSI NX9600GT-T2D512-OC
10,643
GeForce 9600 GT x16 2.0
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
64
700 MHz | 950 MHz
Dual-link DVI
EVGA GeForce 9600GT
10,978
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
64
675 MHz | 900 MHz
Dual-link DVI
MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC
11,813
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
112
660 MHz | 950 MHz
Dual-link DVI
EVGA GeForce 8800GT Knock-Out
15,112
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
112
675 MHz | 975 MHz
Dual-link DVI
MSI NX8800GTS-T2D512E-OC
18,563 GeForce 8800 GTS x16 2.0
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
128
650 MHz | 975 MHz
Dual-link DVI
Dual-link DVI
XFX GeForce 9800 GTX
21,819 GeForce 9800 GTX x16 2.0
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
128
675 MHz | 972 MHz
EVGA GeForce 8800 GTX
27,665 GeForce 8800 GTX
x16
DX 10
768 MB DDR3 | 384-bit
128
575 MHz | 900 MHz
Dual-link DVI
XFX GeForce 9800 GX2
43,067 GeForce 9800 GX2 x16 2.0
DX 10
1 GB DDR3 | 512-bit
128x2
600 MHz| 1000 MHz
Dual-link DVI
Graphics Cards: AMD

Sapphire Radeon HD 2400 PRO
Price
GPU
(Rs)
2,419 Radeon HD 2400 Pro
DX 10
Stream
Core | Memory speed Video output
processors
40
525 MHz | 400 MHz
D-sub + DVI
Gecube Radeon X1650
3,904
Radeon X1650
x16
DX 9c
512 MB DDR2 | 128-bit
NA
500 MHz | 520 MHz
Gecube Radeon HD 2400 XT
4,024
Radeon HD2400 XT
x16
DX 10
40
700 MHz | 500 MHz
D-sub + DVI
Sapphire Radeon HD 2600 PRO
4,339 Radeon HD 2600 Pro
x16
DX 10
512 MB DDR2 | 128-bit
120
600 MHz | 500 MHz
Dual-link DVI
6,396 Radeon HD 2600 XT
Name
Gecube Radeon HD 2600 XT
PCIe DirectX Memory | Bus width

x16
Dual-link DVI
x16
DX 10
256 MB DDR2 | 128-bit
120
800 MHz | 700 MHz
Dual-link DVI
Sapphire Radeon HD 3850
11,989
Radeon HD 3850 x16 2.0
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
320
668 MHz | 828 MHz
Dual-link DVI
MSI Radeon RX3870XT-T2D512E-OC
13,050
Radeon HD 3870 x16 2.0
DX 10
512 MB DDR3 | 256-bit
320
775 MHz | 1125 MHz
Dual-link DVI
Gecube Radeon HD3870X2
24,413
Radeon HD 3870 X2 x16 2.0
DX 10
1 GB DDR3 | 256-bit
320x2
775 MHz | 900 MHz
Dual-link DVI
| 135
MARKET
HARDWARE
WATCH
PC CONFIGS
Market Watch
Intel Processors
Intel Celeron 420
1,826
LGA 775
Number of
cores
1
1.6 GHz
Mfg
process
65 nm
800 MHz
64 KB
Intel Dual Core E2160
2,949
LGA 775
1.8 GHz
65 nm
800 MHz
64 KB
1 MB
Intel Dual Core E2180
3,304
LGA 775
2.0 GHz
65 nm
800 MHz
64 KB
1 MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500
5,139
LGA 775
2.2 GHz
65 nm
1066 MHz
64 KB
2 MB
5,456
LGA 775
2.0 GHz
65 nm
1066 MHz
64 KB
2 MB
5,768
LGA 775
2.4 GHz
65 nm
1066 MHz
128 KB
2 MB
8,198
LGA 775
2.66 GHz
45 nm
1333 MHz
128 KB
6 MB
8,652
LGA 775
2.66 GHz
65 nm
1066 MHz
64 KB
4 MB
9,240
LGA 775
3.0 GHz
45 nm
1333 MHz
128 KB
6 MB
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
10,696
LGA 775
2.4 GHz
65 nm
1066 MHz
128 KB
8 MB
12,684
LGA 775
3.16 GHz
45 nm
1333 MHz
128 KB
6 MB
Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650
46,959
LGA 775
3.0 GHz
45 nm
1333 MHz
128 KB
12 MB
L2 cache
Product
Price (Rs) CPU socket
Clock speed
FSB speed
L1 cache
L2 cache
512 KB
AMD Processors
Product
AMD Sempron 64 3200+
Price (Rs) CPU socket

2,194
AM2
Number of
cores
1
Clock speed
1.8 GHz
Mfg
process
90 nm
FSB speed
L1 cache
HT 1600 MHz
128 KB
256 KB
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
2,802
AM2
2.1 GHz
65 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
1 MB
3,043
AM2
2.2 GHz
90 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
1 MB
3,267
AM2
2.3 GHz
65 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
1 MB
3,771
AM2
2.5 GHz
65 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
1 MB
5,087
AM2
2.6 GHz
90 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
2 MB
6,123
AM2
2.8 GHz
90 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
2 MB
7,579
AM2
3.0 GHz
90 nm
HT 2000 MHz
256 KB
2 MB
Price (Rs)
Capacity
Hard Drives
Product
Drive family
Hitachi HDS728080PLA380
Seagate ST380815AS
Hitachi HDT722516DLA380
Interface
Spindle speed
Cache
Deskstar 7K80
2,111
80 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
8 MB
Barracuda 7200.10
2,161
80 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
8 MB
Deskstar T7K250
2,401
160 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
8 MB
Barracuda 7200.10
2,697
160 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
8 MB
Western Digital WD2500YS
Caviar RE
4,279
250 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
16 MB
Western Digital WD3200YS
Caviar RE
5,119
320 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
16 MB
Western Digital WD5000AACS
Caviar GP
5,339
500 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
16 MB
Western Digital WD7500AACS
Caviar GP
7,679
750 GB
SATA
7200 rpm
16 MB
Western Digital WD1500ADFD
Raptor
9,799
150 GB
SATA
10,000 rpm
16 MB
Caviar GP
11,539
1 TB
SATA
7200 rpm
16 MB
Seagate ST3160815AS
Western Digital WD10EACS
PC CONFIGS
MARKET
HARDWARE
WATCH
Laptops
Price
(Rs)
Name
Weight
(Kg.)
Processor
Memory
(DDR2)
Chipset
Display
(inches)
Intel Celeron M, 2.00 GHz
512 MB
Intel GL960
15.4 wide
512 MB
Intel GL960
Acer Aspire 5315 NWLCi
22,999 2.60 Kg
Acer Aspire 4715Z NWXMi
29,940 2.60 Kg Intel Pentium Dual Core, 1.46 GHz
Acer Aspire 4520 NWXMi
29,940 2.48 Kg
AMD Athlon 64 X2, 1.80 GHz
HDD
Optical
Bluetooth
drive
80 GB DVD combo
No
14.1 wide 120 GB DVD writer
No
1 GB Nvidia nForce 610M 14.1 wide 160 GB DVD writer
Yes
Asus F5RL-99D
1 GB ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 15.4 wide 120 GB DVD writer
No
Acer Extensa 4620 NWXMi
33,899 2.40 Kg
1 GB
No
Intel Core 2 Duo, 1.50 GHz
Intel GM965
14.1 wide
80 GB DVD combo
Fujitsu Esprimo Mobile V5535
1 GB
SiS M672
No
Acer Aspire 4520 WXMi
35,499 2.48 Kg
1 GB
Nvidia nForce 610M
Yes
Fujitsu LifeBook V1020
1 GB
Intel GM965
Yes
Asus X50R
1 GB ATI Radeon Xpress 1100 15.4 wide 120 GB DVD writer
No
AMD Athlon 64 X2, 1.90 GHz
Lenovo ThinkPad R61 8932A42 40,299 2.91 Kg Intel Pentium Dual Core, 1.60 GHz
512 MB
Intel GM965
Yes
Toshiba Satellite M200-A413
40,320 2.27 Kg
Intel Core Duo, 2.0 GHz
1 GB
Intel 943GML
Yes
Fujitsu Esprimo Mobile U9200
42,499 1.90 Kg
1 GB
Intel GM965
No
Sony Vaio VGN-NR17G
44,900 2.80 Kg
1 GB
Intel GM965
No
Sony Vaio VGN-CR23G
49,990 2.50 Kg
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.00 GHz
1 GB
Intel GM965
Yes
Lenovo ThinkPad R61 8932A38
50,099 2.83 Kg
512 MB
Intel GM965
Yes
Sony Vaio VGN-FZ25GN
69,990 2.70 Kg
1 GB
Intel PM965
Yes
Toshiba Portege M600-E320D
71,542 1.89 Kg
1 GB
Intel GM965
Yes
Acer Ferrari 1100 WTMi
85,999 1.95 Kg
AMD Turion 64 X2, 2.0 GHz
2 GB
AMD M690T
Yes
TFT Monitors
Price (Rs)
Color
Screen size
Optimal
resolution
Aspect
ratio
Response
time
Brightness
Contrast
ratio
Video input
ViewSonic VA503M
7,514
Black
15-inch
1024x768
4:3
16 ms
250 cd/m2
500:1
D-sub
AOC LM525
7,961
Black
15-inch
1024x768
4:3
16 ms
250 cd/m2
450:1
D-sub
Name
ViewSonic VA1716W
8,743 Black & Silver
17-inch
1440x900
16:10
8 ms
250 cd/m
500:1
D-sub
AOC 177Sa
9,134
17-inch
1280x1024
4:3
8 ms
300 cd/m2
800:1
D-sub
Black
Samsung 732NW
9,697
ViewSonic VA1926W
AOC 197Va
10,978
Black
Black
17-inch
1440x900
16:10
8 ms
250 cd/m
600:1
D-sub
19-inch
1440x900
16:10
5 ms
300 cd/m2
700:1
D-sub + DVI
19-inch
1280x1024
4:3
5 ms
300 cd/m2
700:1
DVI
1000:1
D-sub + DVI
1000:1
D-sub + DVI
ViewSonic VX1940W
19-inch
1680x1050
16:10
2 ms
300 cd/m
ViewSonic VA2026W
20-inch
1680x1050
16:10
5 ms
300 cd/m2
2
700:1
DVI
700:1
D-sub + DVI
AOC 197P+
13,436
19-inch
1280x1024
4:3
2 ms
300 cd/m
ViewSonic VX2245WM
22-inch
1680x1050
16:10
5 ms
280 cd/m2
ViewSonic VA2226W
22-inch
1680x1050
16:10
5 ms
300 cd/m2
1000:1
D-sub + DVI
AOC 416V
25,728
24-inch
1920x1200
16:10
5 ms
300 cd/m2
3000:1
DVI
8 ms
1000:1
D-sub + DVI
ViewSonic VP2030B
30,198
Black
Black
Black
20-inch
1600x1200
4:3
300 cd/m
| 137
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Prole Logout [ Maheshwar ]
THIS MONTH ON chip-india.com

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post reply
CHIP-INDIA Forum Index
>> Site
Admin Talk
Author
Maheswar Singh
Site Admin
Message
quote
Posted: April 19, 2008 1:30 pm
del
Hello everyone!
piyushbajpai1 suggests the Apple iTouch,
This month a lot of members have been
but it seems like KDE really dislikes Apple.
asking us to change their usernames. We
ip
Finally Broken In chipper Ambarish
felt that there was quite a few valid reasons
Gunner is going for a Sony PSP and has got
and so we had two Username Change
a few queries for our hardware gurus. And
Days. Almost everyone took advantage of
as expected, our Super moderator Tanmay
this opportunity to get spanking new IDs.
was the rst one to reply. I really think buying
On the PC and Console Gaming section of

Joined: 15 Oct 2007
Posts: 201
edit
a PSP is a very good idea and the latest PSP
the CHIP forums, Grand Mage intelomkar
game GOW: Chains of Olympus really drives
has shared an extremely addictive ash
home the point. It is really an awesome game.
game which incidentally is touted as The
On the Tips and Tricks section, rst of all let
worlds hardest game. You just have to try
me tell you that our Grand Mage intelomkar
this one out! The link is http://armorgames.
and New member sidewinder1111 have
com/play/1043/the-worlds-hardest-game
separately developed neat applications which
Grand Mage coolpcguy has posted a
one can use to open and close CD/DVD drives
link where you can nd the rst review of the
from system tray! It even supports multiple
most anticipated game Grand Theft Auto 4.
drives. They have also posted the source code so

that you can also add some codes to make the
CHIP Addict Hashim has posted

a DIY on Mobile Arena where you can
program better! New member Morpheus3000
use an old cell phone battery as a super
has posted an excellent tutorial to turn your
battery for your remote controls.
old Windows interface into a neat MacOS
Newbie chipchip wants a motherboard

to complement an Intel C2D E8400 and the
topic has turned into a healthy debate about
interface. He has even listed the software

needed with linksa complete how to do it.
In the Software Section, CHIP Addict Vishal
Intel original motherboards and other major
Gupta is still doing a great job on updating his
motherboards like ASUS. Well, I would like to
wonderful Frequently asked Problems WITH
add that previous Intel motherboards are rock
Solutions thread which can help a lay man
solid in stability but they lost out on features and
combat usual OS problems. He has also tipped
overclocking prowess. But now that is not the
us that the highly anticipated Windows XP
case anymore. Intel has nally realized that if they
Service Pack 3 will be released on April 29, on
offer high performance CPUs with great OCing
the Windows website and it will be available on
capabilities, naturally they should also offer
Windows Auto-update from June 10 onwards.
overclockable platforms. Newer Intel boards like
Whizkids mrintech and NILANKO
the X48 offer a plethora of features with monster
HALDER are wondering how one can earn
OCing capabilities. Intel is even offering OCing
money through blogging and adsense. Whizkid
software. The competition is really heating up!
8thStandard is facing some problems with
Talking about motherboards, CHIP Apprentice
his download speeds and is searching for
Pradeep is asking for the best platform for the
solutions. A lot of people have posted their
AMD Phenom CPU and as usual, there are many
views and maybe you also could help him
suggestions from our hardware gurus. Check
out. Head over to the Internet Section.
these out in the Hardware Section of the forums.

CHIP Addict KDE is buying a Portable
Zephyr M. Keep Chipping!
Media Player and he wants to decide

between Creative, Cowon and Archos. Addict
profile
e-mail
Well, its time to say goodbye again.

Until next month, logging off, Maheswar
pm
maheshwar.singh@chip-india.com
LAST WORD
Heads and Tails
BY JAMSHED AVARI
to torture us. But we got to air our grievances
language. There are constant battles between
representatives from Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai,
editorial and advertising over the contents of a
Pune, Hyderabad and many other cities came
newspaper or magazine.
together for a refresher training session at a
s far as any journalist or writer is

concerned, sales and marketing are
at a recent meeting of the nation-wide CHIP
the two dirtiest words in the English
marketing and ad sales teams. Our brand
We at CHIP have drawn a solid line, with
mountain resort just outside Mumbai. The rst
the editorial team rmly in charge of magazine
night at the resort, we had a small party by the
contents and ad placement. Weve had to make
poolside. And so we got to get to know each
many tough calls over the years, but since CHIP
other in an informal setting (while attempting
relies on the trust and support of its readers,
to dance to some really bad music!) With the
the sanctity of editorial content has never been
conference room doors closed for the day, our
breached. We dont cut articles to t ads on the
war stories began to ow!
same page. We demarcate advertorials clearly.
I learnt a lot about the kind of pressure that
We dont accept brand or product placement
ad sales involves, the expectations clients have
offers. We dont entertain story ideas which
and the competition that exists in the market. I
show off certain products, as subtly suggested
heard stories about people who are outdoors all
by many companies!
day, running from meeting to meeting, explaining
Yet our ad sales force comes up with new
concepts, following up and negotiating deals.
ways to torture us all the time. Weve elded it
These are the people who represent us to
all, from suggestions that ads would be more
the entire industry, and who have to deal with
forthcoming if reviews were more favorable, to
complaints and threats because our editorial
direct demands for brand logos to be visible in
material is honest enough to point out each and
all photos of a particular CEO! Were constantly
every manufacturers weaknesses.
bombarded with requests to include the most
Unfortunately, the next morning saw us back
mundane press releases and shameless product
indoors. Our session centered on CHIP; the
plugs. Our writers and designers have been
magazine, the brand, its history, and the unique
forced to juggle pages and create new articles
mix of articles and reviews we create each
at literally the last minute to cover for some ad
month. We dissected the thought processes
that has been cancelled. And weve spent 24
that go into each section and type of article.
or 36 hours at a stretch in the

ofce, nishing off the
and what we avoid. We threw around ideas for
magazine so it can hit
all kinds of activities. And yes, the editorial side
stands on time, only
made its standards and practices crystal clear.
to discover that the
By lunchtime, we had a good idea of each
whole thing has been
others functions, aspirations and constraints.
delayed because
The sales team had a better grasp of the product
one advertiser hasnt
and how to represent it to our clients, while the
sent his artwork

yet! We nurture each
issue like a baby, so
editorial team had a new perspective on the

business aspect of running a magazine.
As evening came, we all piled into the
its no wonder we get
minibus that would take us back to the ofce.
possessive!
We laughed, chatted and made sure we had
We, the editorial
each others mobile numbers. We came back
team, often wonder
with an appreciation for the work of people
whether our sales and
who wed never met before, and we left behind
marketing people
the long-standing impressions of each other as
have been sent
necessary but painful evils!
straight from hell
We discussed what makes it into the magazine
Sachin Pandit
jamshed.avari@chip.in

Chip 05 May 2008 Magazine

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WE

Recover deleted data

ThinkFree Office 3.5

for your vacation photos

MAGIX MOVIE EDIT PRO 14 PLUS

The Second Laptop

MAY 2008 INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP

Top brass at PlayStation India gives

today! We compared 34 digital

Some of the latest software and

away some vital secrets about

cameras to help you make the

freeware reviewed to keep you

PlayStation 3 and PSP.

perfect choice according to your

virtually updated. ThinkFree Ofce

taste and budget.

3.5 is our software of the month.

Anywhere, Anytime Photos

Mystify Mode: Off

Five portable photo printers

CHIP takes you back to the basics

compared to give instant

to show you what the different

Orkut drives OpenScoial

photography a whole new

modes on digital cameras do.

Orkut is coming back to give

dimension. Find out which one is

Facebook a good run for their

made for you.

money and users! Find out how.

managers against each other for all

The extremely versatile portable

you downloading freaks out there!

Power Crisis Management

media player Cowon iAudio A3 is

We are staring at the ordeal of a

our product of the month and its

power crisis this summer. CHIP

competition is nowhere to be seen.

this in good control now and in

We pit ve popular download

shows you how you can keep

100 Build Your Dreams

The Birth of a Computer

102 Flashed Out?

the future. Dont miss the power

A pictorial account of how

computers are produced at the

This is your chance to recover all

Zenith Factory in Goa.

the data you lost on your USB ash

Everybody wants a digital camera

anywhere in the world!

A Strategy for the Game

Share your health with doctors

drive. Its time to get it all back!

PS3: Blown Wide Open!

104 A Medium Full of Surprises

We bring you reviews and

CHIP brings to you an infographic

recommendations of the latest

which takes you deep into the