We Grilled These Gadgets

Another month goes by while playing with a handful of gadgets. While some passed our test, others miserably failed!

Amkette Trubeats Metal

One of the most essential gadget an urban lad should carry is a portable Bluetooth speaker. Now, speaking of portable, the first word that comes to your mind is – lightweight. But, this product is a complete anamoly. Trubeats Metal, as the name suggests, is built with a metal alloy drum to produce the loudest sound from possibly the smallest space. It measures 57 x 62 mm in dimensions and weighs just 315g. Designed to deliver a power packed heavy bass sound, the Bluetooth enabled portable device also has a built in mic that delivers loud sound for both party and calls. Owing to its metal bezel, the sound that is reproduced is concrete, crisper and heavier. The sound box also gives an ample playback time of more than 6 hours which is certainly not the best, but neither is bad. What amazed us was the bass output of this portable player which certainly stands apart as a stellar feature for this price. Price ₹2995

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Huawei Ascend P6

When current owners of the iPhone 5 swoon over a phone, you know you’re holding something truly special in your hand. The Huawei Ascend P6 might be a mouthful, but it strikes a strange chord in the heart — the same chord that the iPhone tingles and that’s a lot more than other phones have been able to accomplish. The colours look brighter, the phone is thinner than the iPhone 5S and the touch is stellar. It’s also a quad-core so it doesn’t hang if you use Whatsapp, Twitter and FB together and it costs ₹30,000 (26,000 on Flipkart). So, sounds like a fair deal, eh? It actually is, till you go on roaming and the metal trims turn so hot you can fry baby eggs on them. Thankfully, it calms off soon after its let off some steam. Another grouse we had is the voice clarity, which goes bad and then gets better on its own. Apart from these two bits of erraticness, the Ascend P6 is a great phone. Price ₹29,990

HTC One Mini

The mini is a mid-to-high-end aluminum-clad smartphone with a 4.3-inch display, designed for those who want a premium device without the massive size — now that’s a relief. Beautifully designed, you are left completely awestruck when holding this phone. The sheer slimness, compact form and of course the price. However, the plastic injected around the edges of the phone makes it seem like a less refined iteration of One. The camera is superb with the inclusion of the Zoe mode that plays along with four second burst shot mode and Image Signal processor (ISP). Under the skin, it’s powered by a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 1 GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. While using the phone, our biggest quibble was the lack of processing power and the limited storage. Price ₹36,790

Micromax Turbo

When Hugh Jackman endorses an Indian phone, we have to take a closer look at it. The built quality is a mix of plastic and aluminum back finish, which makes it look gorgeous. The 5-inch full HD display screen with 1080x1920 pixels resolution and pixel density of 440ppi ensure that text is crisp and the colours come out beautifully. You will be satisfied with the 13MP camera as long as you take snaps in a well-lit environment. The Turbo is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM onboard. It comes with 16GB of internal storage and uses the tried and tested Android 4.2. Price: ₹19,999

Acer C720 Chromebook

The C720 is aimed for first time laptop users who don’t want to burn a hole in their pockets. In the grand scheme of things, it’s the C720’s price point that makes it appealing while on a smaller scale it’s this notebook’s excellent performance that makes it stand out amongst peers. From the outside, the grey shaded Chromebook gives a fairly utilitarian and business-esque look. The keys are also solid and can be used to type quickly, which is of particular importance for many users. The touch is a tad bit unresponsive, albeit only power users will feel so. What comes as a surprise is the fact that the laptop doesn’t heat up and is deadly quiet. Performance is where the Acer C720 shines, and anyone who plans to use the system regularly for work or as a primary laptop will find no flaws. For us, the Acer C720 stands taller than the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook.. Price ₹22,999

From the December 2013 issue of FHM India.