Product: Nokia E72
Price: Rs 22,989
GOOD DEAL: Trying to best the E71, widely hailed as the top-selling Qwerty device in the world, is no easy task. But the latest Nokia offering seems to have managed it effortlessly. With a better keypad, an optical navigational key, a 5 MP camera, longer battery life and built-in storage, this phone may dent the BlackBerry market.
Product: Nu iPig
Price: Rs 4,500
GOOD DEAL: Admittedly, it's the appearance that catches the eye. The iPod dock is shaped like a pig, where the eyes are speakers, ears are for volume control and a green LED indicator is in the form of a smile. The 2.1 stereo system packs a 4-inch sub woofer tucked away in the belly, a standard 3.5 mm jack and a remote control. It also fares well on the price chart.
Product: Tata Swach
Price: Rs 999
GOOD DEAL: Imagine the potential of a portable water purifier that requires no electricity or running water to operate. The cartridge bulb of the Swach can purify up to 3,000 litres— tackling bacteria, but not impurities like arsenic—after which it needs to be replaced. So, a family of five can now access safe drinking water at just Rs 30 a month.
Product: Samsung HT-X725
Price: Rs 19,990 onwards
GOOD DEAL: It's compact, looks good and sounds even better. The home theatre system is also a better buy than Sony and LG products in a similar price bracket. The icing on the cake is the Bluetooth feature that lets you connect it with compatible portable devices easily.
Product: Miele Washing Machines
Price: Rs 1.4-2.15 lakh
BAD DEAL
The good news is that the famous German brand has come to India. The bad news is that it's unaffordable for most. Yes, you are paying for quality, but also factor in repairability. While a Miele product is tested to work for up to 20 years, repairs can cost a bomb. Not only will your local, trusted handyman, who is cheaper than the company engineers, be out of his league here, accessibility of parts too will be a problem.
Product: Dell Adamo XPS
Price: Rs 1.5 lakh
BAD DEAL
Would you be willing to pay Rs 65,000 extra just for sex appeal? Yes, this laptop boasts an innovative, guaranteed-to-turn-heads design. But it's heavier than the Sony Vaio X and weaker in terms of specifications, be it battery life, image resolution or CPU power. The Vaio X also comes with a bigger port selection, whereas Dell offers dongles as a substitute. All in all, it would be better to wait for the new Adamo XPS launching early next year.
Product: Genius G-Shot V 1200
Price: Rs 10,995
BAD DEAL
The digital camera seems to have a lot going for it. The 12 megapixel device comes with a 3x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch colour display, anti-shaking technology, an intelligent auto scene selection mode and video shooting. But this is only on paper. Unfortunately, the camera's built is pathetic, the images are not sharp, the colours are washed out and the battery life is limited. It would be far better to pick the Canon A480 and save around Rs 2,000 in the process.
Product: Tata Photon TV
Price: Rs 75 per month for all channels
BAD DEAL
Live TV on the go sounds great. Too bad that it's not cost-effective. Consider the Photon Plus plan, where you get 15 GB of free downloads for Rs 1,500 a month. Given that the average data usage is 1.5 MB per minute of TV viewing, you get to watch only 166 hours worth of shows in a month, assuming you don't do anything else. Any additional usage will cost you 50 paise per MB. Moreover, special events like cricket matches will cost extra. At best, you can consider subscribing to one channel for Rs 4 per month.
