Q: I want a smartphone and I am considering the Samsung Galaxy SII as I fell in love with it after reading its review in G&G. But, I'm an iPhone fan. I'm willing to wait till September for the iPhone 5. I am really confused.
Ruby Puri, on Email
G&G: The Samsung Galaxy SII is undoubtedly the best smartphone around. The dual core processor and extra bright display are amazing. As for the iPhone, we don't have a clue to when Apple will officially launch the 5th edition of the iPhone in India. Even if you ask a relative or friend to get the device for you from the US, the global warranty will not be valid in India till the time Apple launches it here. But considering the fact that Apple might just launch the iPhone 5 across all carriers, there are chances that the phone might be here soon. Also, there is no harm waiting till September. By then, the price of the Samsung Galaxy S II might also have come down a bit.
Q: I want to buy a laptop. Which is the best laptop that I can get for under Rs 32,000?
Prashant Tiwari, on email
G&G: There are quite a few available for that price. Our picks for entertainment are Lenovo G570, Sony Vaio E series A42EG and the Dell Inspiron 14. For business needs, go for the Dell Vostro 1015.
Q: I am planning to buy a home-theatre system. I have a budget of Rs 20,000. Please suggest a good system with all the latest features. It should sport an aesthetic design too.
Vijayadat Kagita,on email
G&G: With the funds at your disposal, you will get a DVD HTS that can upscale movies to Full HD resolution. Sony's DAV-DZ640, priced at Rs19,990, is a new top-of-the-line HTS that will suit your purpose well. It has all the latest features, including USB playback and, yes, it is good looking too. Later on if you feel you want better picture quality then you can add a Sony Blu-ray disc player to the system.
Q: What are the must-have features that I should consider when buying a laptop. Could you please help me with this information?
Ramesh Parihar, on email
G&G: Well, that depends on what your needs are. If you want the laptop for business, then security should be the top feature. If you want it for entertainment purposes, then a large hard drive and a bright screen are important. If gaming is your passion, then a fast processor and a good graphics card are needed. However, if you just want an overall best feature, then we would say it would have to be a good screen. That is the component you will be using the most-or looking at every time you use the laptop.
Q: I want to buy a gaming console. I know that I have the option of getting either the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360. Which is a better choice?
Dilip PMK ,on email
G&G: If you just want to enjoy games, then were commend the Xbox 360 with the Kinect attachment. Playing games with your body as the controller is a lot of fun. That takes gaming to a whole new level. But if you are looking forward to watching good HD movies via your console as well, then the PS3 provides the better Blu-ray disc support. Pricewise, both cost around the same.
Q: I want to buy a smartphone for under Rs 15,000. It should preferably be an Android v2.3 and have a superb touch interface, though the camera quality doesn't matter much to me.
Vishal Verma ,on email
G&G: You don't have many options if you want the Android v2.3. One that you can consider is the HTC Wildfire S. It is a compact smartphone with a 3.2-inch capacitive display and good touch interface.
Q: I want an Android smartphone from among Sony XperiaX10, Sony XperiaPro and Sony Xperia Ray because of its 16X zoom.C ould you tell me about 1) The best among them? 2) Tentative date/month of the launch of Xperia Pro and Xperia Ray in India? 3) Does any other Android smartphone have zoom equal to or more than 8X? 4) And is the 16X zoom in the above phones optical or digital zoom? What is the difference?
Daga, on email
G&G: If you are planning to buy a phone on the basis of its zoom, you may be thinking in a wrong direction. Be it in cameras or mobile, it is the optical zoom that is important. Here the lens moves to capture distant images. Digital zoom only magnifies a captured image. Also, you may need a tripod to use a 16x optical zoom. In any case, mobile phones come only with digital zoom. If you want to buy a good camera phone, check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. It comes with 8MP camera. Other options are Nokia N8, LG Optimus 2x, Samsung Galaxy S 2 and HTC Incredible S. Of the phones you have mentioned, the Xperia X10is a really old device now. There is no official confirmation about the launch date of the others.
