PlayStation Move – Trigger happy!
There’s no doubt, the most striking attribute of the PlayStation Move motion controller add on to the existing PS3 console is it’s under $100 price tag. (INR 3650) Don’t let the price tag fool you though, the PS Move Motion Controller is one well build device. It’s an unquestionable 10 on 10 to the people responsible for hardware ergonomics at Sony.
When we unboxed the kit we immediately noticed that the PlayStation move controller is nothing like the Wii. This one’s sleek, it has been built to fit in your hand unlike the squarish Wii controller. Similar to the Wii controller, the PS Move features an action button on the front and a trigger behind, both of which couldn’t be better placed for game play. The start and select buttons on the sides are a little hard to reach but then again, you don’t want to accidentally push them while in the game.
In addition to the controller comes the PlayStation Eye camera with its abysmal picture quality at 640 X 480 pixels, but as long as it detects the controller, we aren’t complaining. The device comes bundled with a startup disc with some very interesting demos including Tiger Woods PGA ’11.
What’s different about the Motion tech?
Is the PlayStation Move just another Wii? The PlayStation Move controller features a rather funny looking white bulb at the head. Most people believe the camera detects the illuminated bulb and you have motion! Fact is, the PS Move controller uses both this, and feedback from an inbuilt gyroscope to offer precision the Wii is nowhere close to. Unlike the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation Move can’t be fooled. If you need to swing your arm to settle that Gladiator duel, a flick of the wrist won’t do. Unlike the Wii, which used Infrared sensors, depth perception has been incorporated into the Sony, so this motion sensor can tell how far you are from your TV screen.
The Downsides?
To buy a second controller or a navigation unit is an additional expense and an Archery or Ring Boxing based game just won’t feel right with one controller. Some PS3 games incorporate avatars and snapshots of the player with the PlayStation Eye camera device which shocks us even more with the camera’s grainy picture quality!
Is it selling?
Like hot cakes it is. The PlayStation Move backed by the quality of games the PS3 has to offer is a far better deal than the Wii hands down. Once again the price tag being a very compelling factor, one has to wait for some innovative game concepts to emerge, and they will. All said and done, worth every last penny!
Tat2Me – an interview with Ketan
Ketan Vaidya is no novice to the fast moving world of creativity with tattoos in India. Having started in 2006 at the ripe age of 21, he’s come a long way and has set up his own studio at the upmarket Lifestyle Mall in Mulund, Mumbai offering various Tattoo and Body Piercing products. We spoke to Ketan about what Tattoos mean to the urban youth and what they should look out for.
What should a tattoo signify?
In my opinion, a tattoo practically stays with you for life, so make sure its something you closely relate to. You shouldn’t reach a stage where a few years down the line you end up feeling like you never got it. At Tat2Me, we make it a point to speak to our clients and guide them on the various options. We help them make an informed choice.
Is hygiene really that big a deal?
Hygiene is everything! I personally train and keep a close vigil on my artists and myself for all kinds of hygiene lapses. We make sure all our equipment is properly cleaned and sterilized. I urge all of you out there to make sure your tattoo artist is just as vigilante and careful as we are.
How do you judge quality?
Well there really isn’t much you can do here. Just make sure you’re gone through the artist’s past work and let him explore his options with your tattoo. I’ve come across a lot of cases where a client is so rigid on his requirement that he’s eventually not as satisfied as we had hoped he would be. Keeping an open mind and experimenting is the name of the game. Then again, never let the artist compromise on quality!
What health implications does a tattoo have?
Apart from a little bit of discomfort after getting one, none whatsoever. Do not visit a tattoo studio whilst under the influence of alcohol. Also, do mention any skin allergies to the artist prior to getting the tattoo. Eat something before visiting the studio since a tattoo may make you feel dizzy and nauseated.
Tito’s & Café Mambo – Goa
A decent bar, awesome small eats and ample room, Tito’s & Café Mambo seems to have cracked the code by appealing to both club and lounge patrons.
Café Tito’s is a well situated club off the Baga – Calangute road in Goa. The wood finished interiors of the patio style lounge are just as appealing as the less roomy dance floor which sports a traditional bar table and a DJ vestibule. Friday and Saturday nights are crowded but thanks to Goa’s party culture, a weeknight isn’t a letdown at all. The music rates an unquestionable ten on ten. We hung around for hours and not once did we hear a bollywood track.
Café Titos’s offers a fairly wide range of alcohol but they seem to have refrained from premium alcohol. Cocktails are unusually overpriced and we were a little disappointed when our drinks showed up in plastic, disposable glasses. When asked why, they said that customers tend to break glasses. As a paying customer though, that’s difficult to stomach without a sour taste.
As far as quality of crowd goes, Tito’s management has levied an INR 500 entry fee for couples but that doesn’t help much because stag entries are common place. All you need to do is offer them more money. That takes away from the quality and makes the ambience more intimidating.
All said and done, Tito’s is one of the only night clubs in Goa which offers passable alcohol, food, ambience and room at the same time. We wouldn’t really say it accents the best traditions of Goa’s night life, but it’s certainly worth one visit.
You know you’re in Goa when …
- Every second store, is a wine store.
- A can of Heineken is cheaper than a can of Red Bull.
- City roads are narrower than an SUV’s radials.
- Most tourists inevitably end up heading to Cafe Tito’s!
- Washrooms in the swankiest of places welcome you to the gripping fragrance of puke.
- People pay a thousand rupees (Indian) for a two minute Parasailing session with a chute that has gaping holes in it.
- There are 10 touts selling JetSki rides for every 1 visitor on the beach.
- Hotel Room tariffs are erratically dynamic values.
- The traffic police don’t deal with the traffic, they just shut down complete lanes!
- You’re detained by the cops for driving sober, pending a psyche analysis.
The concept of link shorteners is not new. There are numerous sites such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com which provide link shortening services on the web. Recently internet giant Google has released link shortener goo.gl which offers great speed and in-depth analytics. However, the ingenious brand always brings out new ideas to surprise the web-world. Link shortener goo.gl also provides an option for making a QR Code by simply adding “.qr” at the end of any goo.gl URL. QR codes are ideal for mobile use, and particularly Google has been using them effectively for easy installation of Android apps and more. For instance, Google uses QR codes to highlight “Favorite Places” in search results.
QR Codes are often termed as paper-based hyperlinks. You can simply click a picture of a QR code with your smartphone to get redirected to a site using your mobile phone’s browser. These codes also have digital significance – A QR code can be added to a tweet, or it can also be displayed on a web page to get information directly on a mobile phone. The concept of QR Code is gradually diminishing the distinction between PDAs, digital content, and paper-based communication modes.
Jaguar grabbed the limelight on press day at the Paris Auto Show 2010 by pulling the wraps off its high performance C-X75 concept car. The brand celebrated its 75th anniversary with the launch of the concept car which marked a new trajectory of high-performance Jaguars with minimal or zero emission.
The C-X75 is a perfect example of the old-school super-car in terms of its performance, but it is completely contemporary when it comes to maneuvering. Each wheel is equipped with a 145 kW (195 bhp) electric motor for propulsion, alongside a centrally vaulted battery pack.
Inspired by Jaguar’s XJ220, the C-X75 runs on electric motors that work in sync with a pair of micro gas-turbines producing a torque of 1600 NM and a power of 780bhp. These turbines compress air to run a generator that produces electrical current recharging the lithium-ion battery pack. The car takes 6 hours for complete charging and traverses a distance of 68 miles when fully charged. The C-X75 produces an acceleration of 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and reads a top speed of 250 mph that is 330 km/hr.
With the gas turbines running in the C-X75, CO2 emission only shows 28g/km. The embedded four-wheel-drive system provides outstanding grip for the high-performance car. The car flaunts a plush and luxurious interior made of leather, neoprene and soft-touch materials. The seats are vaulted over the bulkhead resembling a single-seat racing car.
The Managing Director of Jaguar Cars, Mike O’Driscoll stated that the C-X75 is an engineering marvel designed as a tribute to all the Jaguar patrons across the globe!
India After The Ayodhya Verdict
Despite the fast growth of modern India, the nation lives in an era of medievalism in many ways. A majority of the masses are still unable to break age old shackles of an aggressive past raised around religious conflicts. A day after the Ayodhya Verdict was announced by the Allahabad High Court, India remained quiet with no major outbreaks reported in any state. However, the judgment that the 2.77 acre disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts among Hindus and Muslims, with two-thirds conferred to Hindus, still revives fears of a new clash between the two communities.
In the year 1992, Babri Masjid was demolished by the Hindus, spurring riots that resulted in the loss of more than 2000 lives. Since then, Muslims wanted the resurrection of the mosque while the Hindu groups demanded to rebuild the ancient temple that they claim once stood there.
The court verdict failed to please either religious group. The Muslim groups are not satisfied with a third of the land, there are plans for further appeal in the Supreme Court. Political parties are stepping in to find loopholes to aggravate the tension. Mayawati, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh had attacked the Centre for not granting adequate paramilitary forces to handle situation in the aftermath of the verdict, though the state has over 1000 jawans of the Rapid Action Force and over 5000 security personnel appointed by the Central Government.
New Delhi has serious concerns over the fact that India has numerous sacred places built over the ruins of ancient relics. It would be alarming if ancient histories trigger further communal clashes. Such issues will pose a threat to national peace until the country learns to embrace secularism.
On a very different note, India can learn a lot from the US presidential elections, wherein 2 contenders face each other in the thick of competition, battle it out while never losing their calm or self respect and at the end of it all the winner offers to appoint the conceder to a post in his cabinet. That’s open mindedness, that’s maturity, that’s human nature at its best!
Perhaps, the Ayodhya Verdict should be accepted by all concerned parties to cease further strife.
Research in Motion announced the long-debated BlackBerry Tablet – the PlayBook at its developer’s conference in San Francisco. The PlayBook has been developed to help RIM contend with the iPad and the array of Android tablets predicted to hit the market in the coming months.
The tablet will use an OS created by QNX Software Systems, a company purchased by RIM earlier this year. The new Operating System – BlackBerry Tablet OS will offer complete OpenGL and POSIX support with web standards like HTML5. The PlayBook is compatible with Flash 10.1 and Adobe AIR apps. Some salient features of the professional tablet include a 7-inch 1024 x 600 multi-touch display, dual-core 1GHz CPU, 1 GB RAM, and a 3 megapixel front-facing camera besides a 5 megapixel rear lens. The device flaunts a slim outlook and weighs only 0.9 pounds.
The core business of RIM is the BlackBerry smartphone and the tablet could create a mass confusion among the smartphone app developers due to change in the development platform. The device is expected to be released in April 2011. However, RIM has not stated any approximate price of the tablet, except that it will be available in a price range that competes with the iPad. It is for RIM to find out if the tablet creates a great competitive standing or an impediment to its smartphone sale.
The New BMW X5 Unveiled!
The new BMW X5 was debuted at Bird Automotive, the new BMW dealership premises in Gurgaon, India. The car has been presently launched in two variants: BMW X5 xDrive50i (petrol) and BMW X5 xDrive30d (diesel) for sale across India.
The fascinating car has a typical BMW front apron structure with the standard fog lamps. However, the conspicuous front and rear faces painted in body color highlights the vehicle’s sporty outlook. With its noticeably contoured bonnet, symmetric round headlights feebly cut off at the top and huge BMW kidney grille, the new BMW X5 flaunts an impressive front end featuring power and elegance. This luxury vehicle is designed with a huge interior space and high seating position to accommodate up to seven people with optional third-row seats.
The new top-range model is the BMW X5 xDrive50i. It features a V8 power unit with BMW TwinPower Turbo and High Precision Injection and yields an output of 300 kW/407 hp. It delivers a maximum torque of 600 Nm at 1,750 to 4,500 rpm and accelerates from 0 – 100 kmph in 5.5 seconds.
The other model, which is the new BMW X5 xDrive30d contains a six-cylinder diesel engine with TwinPower Turbo with Common Rail direct injection and yields an output of 180 kW/245 hp. It delivers a maximum torque of 540 Nm at 1,750 to 3,000 rpm and accelerates from 0 – 100 kmph in 7.6 seconds.
If you are a luxury freak car lover with money to spare, the new BMW X5 is the right choice for you!
Calvin Klein Fragrances
Anything and everything that bears the name Calvin Klein has got to be the best and their fragrances are not an exception. There are several products to take into consideration as well in their line of perfumes. Their full line of fragrances will entice you to come back to it again and again…
Some of their perfume products are even marketed to both sexes in the same product, as a matter of fact Calvin Klein was the first who made unisex scents a rage and has always created amazing fragrances for both men and women. To be able to do this that is to make the same fragrance for both men and women, the perfume line must be high in quality. It must be natural smelling, offer a clean scent and one that is purely sensational. Perfumes of this quality are hard to come by and as such these products are matched by a few and used and admired by many.
Everything associated with Calvin Klein fragrances are beautiful from their aroma, to their packaging to even the models used in their advertisements. Wearing these fragrances will surely make you feel good and get you noticed. If you are shopping for a new scent, Calvin Klein has a wide variety of products on the market, one is sure to appeal to you. A Calvin Klein fragrance is also an excellent choice for a gift, as it appeals to many different age groups
Calvin Klein is perhaps one of the best known names in fashion and their fragrance line is one of the most successful lines for both men’s as well as women’s perfumes. Those that are looking for something that offers a wide range of depth and keeps you smelling good for a long time should consider the perfumes offered by cK.
