Gadget reviews: HTC mini HD, Karbonn K777, Mac Mini and Sony Cybershot W320

Four gadgets that will leave all the geeks wanting more: HTC mini HD, the all-new Mac Mini, Karbonn K777 and Sony Cybershot W320.

HTC mini HD: An alternative to any high-end phone
Price: Rs 19,800

The best things come in small packages. This is usually true with diamonds, rings and film stars. You can now add the HTC Mini HD to that list.

It is only the size of a credit card and manages to keep up with the best phones in the business. The phone possesses no buttons. The three along the bottom are touch-responsive and work well. And the screen is touch-sensitive.

HTC keeps up its style with a metal roll bar to adjust the volume. It takes the fun of the iPhone and the business of the Blackberry and tries to combine them to create a phone that is a cut above the rest.

But it doesn't quite do it. This is simply because it runs on Windows-based software, which is inferior to Android or Apple software. But if anyone can resurrect Windows on a phone, it is HTC.

This phone is still great for work and play; the 3G-technology and Wi-Fi means, you will always be accessible by colleagues at work. Plus the easy to use Twitter and Facebook apps will enable you to be a social butterfly.

The phone can download millions of apps, too. Which means, getting from place to place has never been easier, with apps like Google Maps and HTC Footprints to guide you.

I am fond of the phone's yellow undercover when you remove the back. Which shows the phone was built with care, giving you confidence that it will not break easily.  It also makes you smile whenever you see it. This phone is charming and an adequate alternative to any high-end phone.

 

 

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Every year, Apple has journalists chomping at the bit with expectation of how each new product would be 'different'. Of course, they are always playing their cards close to their chest. This was the same with the new Apple Mac Mini.

At first glance, the sleek aluminium design takes on the classic Apple look. But it also extends on this style by becoming the thinnest Mac Mini to date at only 1.4 inches.

Apple has also shown that they do respond to users' comments with the addition of a HDMI slot. This will please new users as previous owners were desperate for this feature because they are using their HDTVs as monitors.

The desktop produces stunning picture quality when watching HD movies and will become a great addition to many people's home entertainment setup. It now possesses a SDXC reader, pushing gaming to a new level.

Apple has made uploading available at just the click of a button with the installation of a SD card slot. The standard model comes with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM and a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive.

But with the case being so easily removed by turning a disc, Apple has made it easy to add memory or RAM to this already-impressive software. OS X Snow Leopard can be purchased for those using it largely for business work.

But at a starting price of Rs 37,643 with no monitor mouse or keyboard, are you getting much bang for your buck?

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With its black candy bar look, the Karbonn K777 will have you licking your lips. This phone's big selling point is its price -- it is at a staggeringly low price of Rs 4,500 and there is not much that it cannot do.

It has a 2.4-inch screen, with a solid resolution, and has the ability for 8GB expandable memory. Rather than picking a particular area and making it outstanding (like Apple on gaming and Blackberry with e-mailing), Karbonn has concentrated on making a phone which is not exceptional at anything but very good at everything.

Just looking down the list of possible specifications for a mobile phone, it ticks all but a few of the boxes. It has a 3.2 megapixel camera, an FM radio, an impressive music and video player and the full range of connectivity options.

The phone boasts of an impressive GPRS and Edge signal capabilities. So you will get signal and Internet in the middle of nowhere. However, it does not have 3G capability.

But that is really a step too far for the price at which Karbonn is retailing. One statutory warning, though.

Karbonn is not an established phone manufacturer and therefore, it may be less predictable. Not even if you insure it, the phone will still be worth its salt. It truly is a jack-of-all-trades and will fly off the shelves.

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If you offered a 14.1 megapixel lightweight, sleek, stylish camera in an array of colours for under Rs 7,000 to a passerby, they would bite your hand off. It is only just heavier than a packet of playing cards and will keep you entertained as well.

The camera boasts a 4x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens with a 26-105mm equivalent focal length.

It also manages to squeeze in a 26 mm wide-angle view, so you won't accidently squeeze anyone out of your group photos.

Unlike most cameras in this price bracket, it manages to enlarge photographs without straining the clarity of your picture. For people who want a stylish camera, but aren't obsessed with finding the perfect lighting or scenery, this point-and-shoot camera is manna from heaven.

This simplicity extends to its touch screen layout, which even a trained monkey could operate. The 2.7-inch screen also allows even a relatively technological novice to touch up photos without the need for any expensive software like Photoshop.

It has an in-built anti-blur mechanism to counteract those who have unsteady hands.

Also, if you just pop this camera into intelligent mode, not only will it automatically select the focus exposure and white imbalance before a shot is fired, it will also pick out the faces in the photo and ensure better clarity.

The camera has incorporated a new technology called 'smile shutter'. If the lens detects a smile, it will snap shut, ensuring it captures all your smiley moments.

Clearly, this camera will have you smiling from ear to ear.

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