Mitsubishi HC6000 has good collection of picture controls and it includes Gamma modes. They are really the picture modes along with different curves of gamma. The best preset, for me is Cinema and the two user modes let you do some gamma curve adjustment but I won’t recommend doing this unless you don’t know what you’re doing. There are some selectable color temperatures available and for people who want to calibrate the unit professionally, there is User color temperature. Auto Iris feature lets you open and close the Iris and this depends on the brightness of the scene. I would recommend you to keep this shut off because it causes both the black and while level to shift up/down depending on the content of the picture. Both the white and black needs to correctly set and it has to remain constant too for best picture performance. Connectivity on the Mitsubishi HC6000 is quite generous considering this is a front projector. There are two HDMI ports which is better  [...]

The Web interface of Vizio XWR100 dual-band wireless router is divided in 3 parts – Wireless, Router and Internet. These parts let you customize the settings of the router’s function. For instance, the Internet lets you change the way this router will access the Internet and you can also optimize the connection for streaming video. Apart from that, you can turn the Internet connection on and off for some computers on the network. There is also handy Internet speed test which quickly shows you the broadband connection speed. The router part too lets you access the settings of the router like firewall, default IP address, etc. The Wireless part lets you customize the wireless networks. You can also turn on the third network here for use with the host legacy slow clients or guests. I found that the Vizio XWR100 dual-band wireless router interface was responsive and intuitive. It has most of the basic features that you’d want in  [...]

Nokia 6500 Classic is different from Nokia 6500 slide. They have the same name but the differences end here. Slide 6500 is bulkier and has a better set of features. They include 3.2 megapixel camera armed with Carl Zeiss lens, microSD expansion slot and FM radio. Nokia 6500 Classic has two megapixel camera and there is no expansion slot. Instead, you get one gigabyte internal memory out of which 920 MB is available for storage to the user. This will be enough for taking snapshots and can also hold about 230 songs of around four megabytes each. There aren’t a lot of features here and the phone is made for budget users. The interface is user friendly and refined. Nokia 6500 Classic is quite similar to Nokia 6300. One big enhancement on the 6500 is the inclusion of 3G (WCDMA 850/2100 MHz) which gives you roaming capabilities. The big disappointment here is the lack of camera for video calling. Nokia 6500 Classic  [...]

Sonim XP3300 Force is a very durable phone with a strong body. It complies to the military specifications for thermal shock, transport shock, humidity, fog and salt. The device can tolerate temperatures between 131 degrees and four degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees and minus 20 degrees Celsius). You can also submerge this handset in water till six and half inch depth and it will still come out smiling. Other than that, this phone can stand oil and pressure up to one thousand pounds per square inch. I performed a lot of tests on it like dropping it on hard surfaces, throwing it down stairs, stamping with boots and putting in freezer. The device was unaffected. I then submerged the Sonim XP3300 Force underwater and then made phone calls. I also smashed the handset on the ground with a concrete brick wrapped around it. Hammering a nail on the phone made a tiny scratch. The gadget failed in one test – I tossed it up in the air and watched as it landed on the concrete. The  [...]

Sony NEX-3 is one of the compact, stylish and mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras in the market that are increasingly popular. It is equipped with 4/3 type sensors that are lesser as compared to other entry level cameras like SLR. The main and latest development seen in these cameras is APS-C size sensors. The first camera to come with this feature was Samsung NX1 and is now seen on Sony models like NEX-5 and NEX-3. Both models come with 14.2-megapixel sensor and high-definition movie capabilities. The NEX-3 is equipped with 18-55mm kit lens, neck strap, add-on-flash and battery charger. All DSLR models are bulky and come with optical viewfinder mechanism. The Sony NEX-3 features a three-inch flip out LCD screen that displays 921k dots and the screen can be tilted 45 degrees and can be  [...]

Samsung Transform is a mid range Android phone with a slider full QWERTY keyboard. This phone is meant for messaging enthusiasts. Spring gives phone with Android 2.1 which is a dated version but they are going to offer the Froyo update. On this phone, you will find all the typical Android features. You get the five home screens, three onscreen buttons and Google search widget. The three onscreen buttons relate to phone navigation, opening up the app tray and launching Sprint ID. Samsung Transform is amongst the first three phones, and the first one from Samsung to have Sprint ID. The Sprint ID is a profile which lets you preconfigure the shortcuts. Wallpaper, widgets, e-mail and the Wi-Fi settings on the five start screens of the phones. You can just load these Sprint ID packs instead of personalizing the start screens for wallpapers, apps, and tool-set. I  [...]

While reviewing the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300, I realized that the manufacturer has borrowed a lot of ideas from the previous models. Frankly speaking, this is just an old wine served in a new bottle. It has a few features that we didn’t have in the predecessors and hence I won’t recommend upgrading to this handset if you already own the old one. For instance, this phone has GPS and 3G that the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520 didn’t have. Apart from a few goodies here and there, this phone doesn’t have any major inclusions. This would still be a good choice for users looking for an entry level smartphone. Cost of this phone is $79.99 with a two year service agreement. Address book on the RIM BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 is limited only by the available memory which means it is virtually endless. The SIM card can take in additional 250 contacts. A single entry can take multiple phone numbers, street addresses and e-mail addresses. You can make groups of your callers  [...]

When I first saw the Nikon Camera Control Pro 2, I wasn’t really sure about it. I am into portraiture photography and have tried some similar applications like Canon’s Remote capture and Leaf Capture. The big advantage here that made me drool was that I could see the photos on my computer immediately. Also, I got the ability to verify 100% if the exposure, focus, lighting and composition were up to my expectations. This in turn meant great shots every time and I could ditch the bad ones immediately. Also, there won’t be any time wasted in post processing. The Leaf and Canon application which I have previously used was pretty fast and this is really important. It would have been useless if I was shooting with my device tethered to my computer and the PC froze all of a sudden. So I first downloaded the trial version of  [...]

Star Battalion is an iPhone which costs $6.99. It is an arcade type shoot-‘em-up flying game having great visuals and actions. The single player campaign is solid and will keep your entertained for hours as you blow the bad guys away. There are plenty of characters to choose from and each has their own unique skills. You can choose one and engage it in chaotic dog fights or you can take to the skies to some cool flying missions. You can calibrate the iPhone before every level for getting the most out of the touch screen and tilt controls. For throttling, you have to use the slider on the right and tilting steers the ship. For advanced maneuvers like rolling a barrel, you need to swipe finger on the screen. The game gives you directions where ever there are tricky maneuvers. I really liked the graphics in the Star Battalion, they were excellent and the pictures are optimized for the new Retina Display. Beautiful maps and complex ship models make the  [...]

HP ProBook 5310m come enclosed in magnesium alloy base and aluminum brushed chassis so that it can survive the daily commute rigors. The weight of this machine is 1.72 KG and at 23.5mm thin design, this laptop is slimmer and lighter as compared to the consumer version – Pavilion dm3. The ProBook has chiclet buttons and this is because they are in fashion right now. But the area between the buttons is made up of glossy plastic and it is a fingerprint magnet. For the keyboard, the manufacturer has put in rubberized texture; whether this is good or bad is purely up to you. The touch pad supports multitouch gestures. HP ProBook 5310m has sleek and clean looks and there are just three shortcut buttons. They are for activating wireless radios, QuickLook 3 and HP QuickWeb functions. HP ProBook 5310m laptop doesn’t have an optical drive but there is external DVD burner option included in the configuration. I was given the optical drive too with my review  [...]