Gadgetry

by SUBEL BHANDARI

FROM ISSUE # 121 (January 2006) | IN THIS ISSUE
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CLICK HAPPY: A digital camera is a must-have. You can get digicams with upto 7 MP in the market or get one like Kranti Ale's Sony Cybershot T7 with 5.1 MP. Digital cameras cost from Rs 4,000 to Rs 40,000. Digital SLRs, semi and professional cameras can cost upto Rs 1,65,000. Our photographer Anup Prakash uses a Fuji Finepix S2Pro.

MY MOBILE: With Mero Mobile giving away SIM cards with concert tickets, it's easy to get hooked on a cell-phone but there are a thousand sets to choose from. We recommend: Nokia 1100,1600, 2600, and Sony Ericsson J300i, K700 for being affordable and sturdy, Nokia 6600 for availability; Motorola Razr V3 for hi-tech design; Sony Ericsson w600i and w800i for walkman and 2MP camera; O2 mini for multifunctions; Nokia N70 and Nokia N90 for latest design and 2MP camera.

iPOD, DO YOU?: Dump everything and look for that apple. iPod is an ingenious portable audio device. You can get iPod shuffle for Rs 14,000, iPod Mini for Rs 19,500. A 4GB pod can hold around 1,200 songs and the battery lasts upto five hours. The iPod Nano is sleek, sexy, and can provide 14 hr of music playback for Rs 22,000. The latest is iPod video, which allows you to store 60 GB of music and videos for Rs 29,000. You can also get a Khasa iPod for Rs 5,000.

THUMBS-UP: Video game is the way to go. Games like Playstation 2 costs Rs 150 and the mod-chipped console will cost you Rs 17,000. XBox is the ideal console since its graphics, gaming technology and gameplay is better than Playstation 2. Microsoft has released XBox 360, the latest is XBox for a premium Rs 60,000 plus. The Sony Playstation Portable for Rs 22,000 is another gaming console that reminds you why God gave us thumbs.

MAC AND MINI: An assembled PC costs Rs 15,000-Rs 1,35,000, depending on its accessories and system. A system decent enough to handle gaming and graphics is available for Rs 25,000. But computers are always updated so whatever system you buy, make sure its easy to update. Try iMac, iMac G5 or Mac Mini for the ultimate power station you can have.