Q: I want to buy a headphone. Should I go for a Bose or SkullCandy? How much will they cost? I need a headphone that can give me clear sound, clear bass. I also need a unit that will rest on my ears without causing any discomfort. - Charles Braganza, on email
G&G: Headphones are very personal devices, so don't go by the brand. Try out each headset in your shortlist and decide which one is best for you. If you are lucky, you might be happy with the result of a headphone which is not too costly. Also see which one feels best on your ears. The best headphones come from JBL, SkullCandy, Sennheiser and, of course, Bose. Prices for good headphone will start around Rs 500 and go up to Rs 25,000. In our books the best out there is the Bose OE2 at Rs 8,100.
Q: I have an HCL laptop which has an Intel i5 processor, 2GB RAM and Intel HD graphics. I want to upgrade the RAM to 4GB, but I don't know which DDR3 RAM to buy. Are all DDR3 laptop RAMs the same? How do I know the clock speed of my RAM? I have zeroed in on the Transcend DDR3 4 GB laptop RAM. Is it worth buying? - Rajshekhar Sirimala, on email
G&G: The RAM you have selected seems good enough. But you will need to see if it is compatible with your laptop and its processor. So better show it to an expert. You should be able to get a good RAM test at www.primatelabs.ca/geekbench/
Q: I have a Samsung Galaxy Note smart phone. Can I use it to store a few of my Word files and view them occasionally. I want this facility for very light work. - Ashok K Jain, on email
G&G: For documentation, you need to download a documentation application like Quick Office. Also check if your phone has Polaris Office on board. It can also handle documents.
Q: Do you think the new Nikon D800 is a good option for amateur photographers? And please review the product soon. - Bobby Joseph, on e-mail
G&G: The Nikon D800 is undoubtedly one of the best DSLRs available. Amateurs are likely to be a bit intimidated by the complexities of the camera. But it will take just a week to master it.
Q: Suggest the best sound-bar system for my 40-inch Samsung LED TV. Also please review affordable sound bars in the coming issues. - Rituraj Mishra, on email
G&G: Of all the sound bars available in the market now, the Intex Sound Bar Marvel 250 is the best value for money. We reviewed the unit in the May 2012 issue. The Marvel 250 has wireless and other topend features. There are units which might give you better sound, but they will also cost much more than this.
Q: My uncle wants to buy an affordable phone with Android Ice-Cream Sandwich. What do you suggest? - Rakshit Batra, on email
G&G: The lowest priced Ice-Cream Sandwich phones currently in the market are the HTC One V and Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V, both of which are priced at Rs 18,000.
Q: I am a regular reader of your magazine. Please tell me the price of Samsung Galaxy Y and its features. Is there any other 3G Android phone that comes for under Rs 9,000?. - Rachit Singh, on email
G&G: The Samsung Galaxy Y is retailing between `7,500 and `8,000 in the Indian market. Android phones priced under `5,000 are not very fast and are not able to handle many of the applications. You don't have many good options under `9,000 but the you can consider the HTC Explorer, Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos, Motorola FIRE XT or the LG Optimus NET P690.
Q: Need a phone with QWERTY keypad, 5MP camera, email access and access to Twitter. - Vrinda Vasudevan, New Delhi
G&G: Most handsets will allow you access to email and Twitter. So you need a phone with QWERTY keypad and and a 5 MP camera. We would say choose from BlackBerry Curve 9360, HTC ChaCha and Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro.
