Six DRM-free games on Humble Bundle for Android 4

A heads up for Android owners looking for games on the cheap - you get to name your price for the latest Humble Bundle, which offers six DRM-free titles for Android in its fourth and latest installment.

Based on the 'pay what you want' model made popular by this series - these games are redeemable on Steam, and playable on the desktop on Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can choose to have your payments split between developers, charity, and the EFF. Together the cost of all the games in this collection would cost you $119 - but paying anything more than the average purchase price - $5.95 will get you Amanita Design's puzzle-adventure Machinarium. Other notable titles in the line-up include puzzlers and adventure games like Crayon Physics Deluxe, Splice, Eufloria, Waking Mars, and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP.

The Humble eBook Bundle recently served eight DRM-free ebooks in PDF MOBI and ePub formats at a name your price offer. This is the tenth bundle in less than two years.

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Must Buy Superphone - Apple iPhone 5

It's spending season this fortnight, that time of the year when you're most likely to be splurging your money on a gadget. In this series, our crew of gadget-obsessed boffins pick the best deal in each category, from entry-level dual-SIMs to superphones, tablets, ultraportables and luxury laptops. We've spent plenty of time deliberating on our choices, saving you the trouble of poring through a sea of specs sheets, reviews and benchmarks. Today we're gonna tell you why we think the iPhone 5 is the best superphone/smartphone you can buy. Feel free to debate your choices and suggest alternatives in the comments below.
Apple iPhone 5 – Overview

This is the new generation Apple iPhone which just recently launched in the Indian market. Apple officially unveiled this smartphone on September 12, 2012 and it is also the first Apple iphone to sport a larger 4-inch display with an 16:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone comes with iOS6 and it is powered by a dual-core Apple A6 processor clocked at 1.2GhHz. It comes in two colors including – Black/Slate and White/Silver. One disappointment is Apple Maps but you can use the MapMyIndia app which is a great replacement. It is rated to provide up to 8 hours of talktime.

Specs

• Apple iOS6
• Dual-Core Apple A6 processor clocked at 1.2GHz
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, LTE, 100 Mbps; Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
• 8 megapixel rear camera with autofocus and LED Flash, front facing 1.2 megapixel camera
• 4-inch LED-backlit IPS display, 640x1136 pixels resolution, 326 ppi pixel density
• 1,440 mAh battery

Pros

• Great design and display
• Extremely lightweight
• A huge range of quality apps and games

Cons

• The default navigation app “Apple Maps” is a downgrade from Google maps.
• Known camera issues
• No major improvements on the OS front

Bottom Line
It is a great update to the previous generation iPhone with a great design and a few new interesting features. Needless to say it is the best iPhone till date with a gorgeous 4-inch Retina display. However, there are great Android devices in the market which cost lesser.

Alternatives: Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X+, HTC 8X, LG Optimus G, Nexus 4

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First Look: Windows Phone 8

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 is the second generation Windows Phone operating system from the company. The company first reviewed the operating system back on June 20, 2012, it released to the manufacturers on September 12, 2012 and finally reached the consumers on October 29, 2012. This is a beautiful mobile operating system which is a great blend of style and simplicity. It seems that Microsoft has picked some of the key features from its competitors and added some of its own to create a great experience for its user. We will talk about this in detail in the upcoming review, for now here is a quick look at Microsoft's latest mobile operating system.

So the first thing that one will notice on Windows Phone 8 are its three different tile sizes, these are resizable and one can place them anywhere they wish. Swiping to the left from the homescreen pulls out the app list.

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Must Buy Mid-Range Smartphone- LG Nexus 4

It's spending season this fortnight, that time of the year when you're most likely to be splurging your money on a gadget. In this series, our crew of gadget-obsessed boffins pick the best deal in each category, from entry-level dual-SIMs to superphones, tablets, ultraportables and luxury laptops. We've spent plenty of time deliberating on our choices, saving you the trouble of poring through a sea of specs sheets, reviews and benchmarks. Today we're gonna tell you why we think the LG Nexus 4 is the best mid-range smartphone to buy. Feel free to debate your choices and suggest alternatives in the comments below.

LG Nexus 4- Overview

Usually by this time, the winners and losers of the year are quite clear, but it is playing out differently this year with many promising entries coming in later than usual. LG’s Nexus 4 has been announced, but the phone’s haven’t begun shipping yet. However, the price and configuration combination of the Nexus 4 makes it one of the most anticipated smartphone releases of the year, and poses a serious threat of iPhone with its comparable specs at nearly half the price. 

Specs

Display: 4.7 inch IPS Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 768x1280 pixels (~318 ppi)

CPU: Qualcomm APQ8064, quad-core 1.5 GHz 

GPU: Adreno 320

Storage: 8/16 GB storage, 2 GB RAM

Camera: 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps, Secondary Camera

Connectivity: HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, TV-out, microUSB (MHL) v2.0, A-GPS support and GLONASS

Battery: Li-Po 2100mAh

Pros

Carries the latest version of Android that adds some nifty features

NFC, MHL, wireless charging

Offers great, if not the best value for money

Cons

The phone is unreleased, so it’s not field tested

Does not have SD card reader, instead relying on online storage

Bottom-line:

Nexus 4 is expected to start shipping in North America and other regions sometime this month; however, India cannot be that far behind on the list. Those in the market for mid-ranged smartphones may want to hold out until this one is out.

Alternatives under 20k: Galaxy Nexus, Lenovo S880, HTC 8S, Desire X, Atrix 2, Lumia 800, Xperia Sola

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Asus Nexus 7 will launch in India tomorrow, priced at Rs. 19,981 for 16GB variant

Asus has confirmed that their very first Nexus tablet will arrive in the Indian market tomorrow. The tablet is now listed on Croma’s online store and has a Rs. 19,981 price tag for the 16GB variant.

The Asus Nexus 7 is an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based tablet which was unveiled at Google I/O earlier this year and since then it has been the best selling Android tablet globally. Asus announced that the company has been selling almost one million units every month.

This Nexus branded tablet manufactured by Asus was initially announced in two variants of 8GB ($199) and 16GB ($249), However Asus announced earlier this month that the 8GB variant will be discontinued and the 16GB will be priced for $199, while the new 32GB will be priced at $249. So in India the device is selling for almost double its price, but it still seems to be in budget and includes high-end specifications.

In term of the specifications the Asus Nexus 7 is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 clocked at 1.3GHz, it has 1GB of RAM, a 7-inch IPS display with 1280x800 pixels resolution, a front facing camera and it delivers a battery life of up to 9 hours. At the moment the company has not confirmed whether the 32GB variant will come to the Indian market.

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Must Buy Entry-Level Smartphone- Superfone Canvas 2

It's spending season this fortnight, that time of the year when you're most likely to be splurging your money on a gadget. In this series, our crew of gadget-obsessed boffins pick the best deal in each category, from entry-level dual-SIMs to superphones, tablets, ultraportables and luxury laptops. We've spent plenty of time deliberating on our choices, saving you the trouble of poring through a sea of specs sheets, reviews and benchmarks. Today we're gonna tell you why we think the Superfone Canvas 2 is the best entry-level smartphone to buy. Feel free to debate your choices and suggest alternatives in the comments below.

Superfone Canvas 2- Overview

Micromax’s line of products have always had the hallmark of providing a taste of the good stuff, at a working man’s wages. The company released a dual-SIM smartphone just in time to make it into our recommendation for this festive season. It is called A110 Superfone Canvas 2, and it comes with a five inch, 480x854px resolution screen, taking it close into phablet territory. For a phone priced around 10K, the Canvas 2 packs formidable hardware that includes a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz, 512MB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage, microSD reader, 2000mAh battery that is expected to deliver 5 hours of airtime on a full charge, and has Android ICS installed at factory.

Specs

Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)

OS: Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Processor: Dual Core 1 GHz

Camera: 8 MP ear, 0.3 MP front-facing.

Display: 5 Inch IPS LCD (480 x 800 Pixels)

Connectivity: MicroSD (up to 32 GB) Audio Jack, USB Port 2.0, 3G, 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0, FM Radio

Battery: Li-ion 2000 mAh

Pros

Has all the specs one would expect in a smartphone, and then some

On paper, offers great value for money

Cons

Judging by the specs, there may be compromise to be made with the phone’s multimedia performance

Bottom-line: The phone is relatively new to the market, so there is not saying how it will perform in the long run. However, the Canvas 2 looks quite impressive on paper, and that is worth at least considering for those in the market for an Android phone.

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Cooler Master release new entry-level, gaming-grade desktop chassis

Cooler Master has added another model in its formidable collection of entry and mid-level desktop cabinets. This one is called CM K50, and it has features that, a few months ago, would have been unheard of at this price point. The cabinet has plastic bezel and a steel body that is painted black, inside and out. This paintjob in the interior does something for its looks, but it also significantly extends the chassis’ lifespan. K50 ship with a single 120mm fan in the front, and supports four more of the same size. There is room for a long graphics card, six hard drives, and three optical drives. The interior has cut-outs for routing of cables, and the front panel has a USB 3.0 port. The CM K50 is currently available ex-stock, and will retail at Rs.3,999.

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Review: Apple EarPods

Pros:

Design

Excellent sound quality 

Superb form factor and build quality

Hands-free, compatible with iMac

In-ear, without being invasive

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