Gadgets for the Future

Philips LED Bulb (Price: Rs 599 onward)

Specs: 5W, White/Yellow with 250 lumens; 7W, White/Yellow with 350 lumens; 15 years life span.

If you are thinking of replacing your CFL lamps with an LED one, Philips has some good options. Available in 5W and 7W in both white and yellow lights, these bulbs throw focused light and hence are even considered as reading illumination.

With an average life span of 15 years, as claimed by Philips, these are approximately 50 per cent efficient than CFLs.

Mercury and lead free, these doesn't even emit harmful radiations or ultra-violet rays and are soft on the eyes.

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Apple iPad 2 (Price: Rs 16,900)

Specs: 9.7- inch touchscreen; 1 GHz dual-core processor; 64 GB space; Wi-Fi, 3G; Rear and front cameras; 10-hour battery life; Gyro and accelerometer; 613 gm.

Apple has got some stiff completion from Android operating systems. But at the moment it is the best among tablets. A 9.7-inch touch screenis presented to you wrapped in a slim silver aluminium casing. The 4.3iOS user interface is easy to adapt to.

There are hundreds of thousands of applications available on the iStore which enhances the iPad experience. Apple added two camera at the front and back to enable videochats and HD videography. What further arms it for the future is itsstandby time.

The tablet can stay alive for 30 days in standby mode.The iPad 2 is a device for casual gaming, light office work and multimedia use. It is a gadget that is well worth the buy.

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Airtel Digital DVR (Price: Rs 4,490)

Specs: 3D-ready; TV recording; Up to 550 hours stor-age; Digital Dolby 7.1 surround support; HD channel bouquet; Advanced search; Parental controls

Airtel's latest Digital DVR sup-ports 3D viewing. The DTH company also provides HD Channels such as National Geographic, Discovery HD, Star Sports HD and Movie Now HD. One can record over 550 hours of favourite shows with pause, rewind and fast forward functions.

The DVR is not the sleek regular set-top box one gets with Airtel, but a bulky box that takes up double the space. Users get a full functions remote control for easy browsing and recording.

An HDMI cable comes in the box which lets the users connect the DVR to any HDTV. The picture clarity on the HD channels is amazing. It is almost as good as Blu-ray movies.

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Samsung UA55D8000YR (Price: Rs 2,49 lakh)

Specs: 55 inches; Smart functions; Full HD resolution; Internet access; HDMI, USB, Component ports; 29.7 mmwidth; 18.6 kg weight.

Samsung's latest TV is one good looker with an edge-to-edge expanse of 55 inches.

But beyond looks, it is also an intelligent machine that provides crisp 3D and 2D images, besides access to the Internet. You can, therefore, surf the Web or see videos on YouTube. You can also useit for chats on Skype, for picture viewingon Picasa or to interact on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

And how about chatting on GTalk? Now how's that for the "idiot box"? The 8000 series TV comes with new active shutter 3D glasses and converts 2D content signals into impressive 3D panoramas.

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Samsung Galaxy SII (Price: Rs 30,000)

Specs: 4.3-inch display; 8 MP camera; 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory; 3G, Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; 1650 mAh battery

With only two smartphones running on adual-core processor, LG Optimus 2x and Samsung Galaxy SII, our future-proofchoice is the Samsung device.

A bigger 4.3-inch, super AMOLED display, ultrarich colours, sleek body combine with adual-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz,1GB RAM and the latest version of the Android OS make the SII a smartphone capable of competing even with a tablet or a mobile computing device.

The 8 MP camera can replace with ease any digital camera, while the sound output would put a media player to shame. A must-have smartphone for geeks.

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Amkette Flash TV HD (Price: Rs 3,995)

Specs: XVID, MPEG4, FLV playback;WAV, MP3, AAC playback;USB 2.0; SD card reader; HDMI,Component; IR remote control.

There are many multimedia hubs in the market that run the Amkette Flash TV HD close. But this one edges out the rest due to its excellent user interface. Amkette ditched the usual square enclosures and embraced a disk-type exterior shell.

The Flash TVHD can do it all-play movies from USB thumb drives, memory cards and even attach multiple hard drives using a USB hub. Users can see the preview of the movies to select them and play HD movies using the HDMI output.

The hub even supports 7.1 channel sound output. Because it is light, one can carry it around without trouble. At the moment a branded HDMI cable comes free with it.

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Sony BDP S370 (Price: Rs 9,990)

Specs: Single BD/DVD/CD slot; Full HD 1080P video; DVD upscaling; USB/HDMI/Component/Ethernet ports; 2 kg weight

The reason why we picked this player and not any other BD player which can also play 3D is because of its tempting price.

The features that this Blu-ray disc player offers at such a low asking price is astounding. Compatible with any HDTV, one can view moving pictures in Full HD mode.

The USB 2 port makes playing media from thumb drives possible. The BDP S370 can even upscale DVD movies to 1080p resolution. Add a Wi-Fi adaptor to the system and users can coolly stream videos, movies and pictures from the Internet.

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LG Smart TV 55 inches (Price: Rs 30,000)

Specs: 55 inches; Smart functions; Full HD resolution; Internet access; HDMI, USB, Component ports

LG has finally launched its Smart TV, which had made quite a stir at CES 2011, in India. Designed for international programming, this TV is going to play content from Indian producers as well.

Content providers like Zapak, Carwale and NDTV are on board, according to the company. At 55 inches, the LG Smart TV is perfect for a home with a large living room or for a home theatre set-up.

New features like Smart Share functionality allows users to wirelessly stream data from their PCs to the TV.

A web browser is also integrated with the TV, thus enabling users to browse their favourite online entertainment and news websites.

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Philips HTS7140 (Price: Rs 61,990)

Specs:BD player; Virtual surroundsound; 1080p resolution;Sub woofer; HDMI, USB, FM;115 W power consumption;6.4 kg weight

You haven't heard surround sound if you haven't heard this sound bar from Philips.

The HTS7140 has an in-built Blu-ray disc slot to play 3D movies at the highest resolution. Unlike channelled home theatre systems, this one does not require you to be at the sweet spot to enjoy surround sound.

No matter where you are in the room, you will always get the best surround sound delivered to your ears. Apart from BD, MP3s, DVDs and VCDs this sound bar can play media directly from USB pen drives.

All popular formats such as DivX, MPEG4 and Xvid are supported. At just 6.4 kg, this sound bar can be mounted on the wall under an HDTV.

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Bajaj ICX 7 Induction Cooker (Price: 2,546)

Specs: Variable temprature: 70 to 270 degree; Delay start timer; Display; 8 preset cooking options.

Capable of cooking food much faster than a conventional gas stove, the ICX 7 from Bajaj is an independent cooktop that can be placed in any part of the house.

Unlike a fixed wattage selection in other induction hobs, this one has different power selection that varies between 120 W and 2000 W. It has a delay timer option and 8 preset options, including soup, braise, boil, deep fry, hotpot, stir-fry, fry and stew. Elegant looking, it automatically shuts off when the vessel is lifted.

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Samsung CE104VD-B (Price: Rs 10,690)

Specs:28-litre capacity; Maximum cooking time: 99 minutes; 41 auto cook menu; 40 to 270 degree Celsius convection temperature.

This microwave oven from Samsung comes in 28-litre capacity. With its triple heating system, it considerably improves cooking times. It has 41 auto cook menus. And the ceramic enamel cavity that renders it scratch-free comes with a full five-year warranty.

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Canon 7D (Price: Rs 1,31,995)

Specs: 18 MP sensor; 3-inch LCD; 1080 P video; 6400 ISO; 73.5 mm slim (body); 820 gm

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words, but if clicked with the Canon 7D, it may possibly be worth more. This is one of the finest DSLR cameras in the market for all types of photography - wildlife, fashion, people or industrial products - this camera suits all purposes.

It comes with a superior 15-85 mm lens, good for both close ups and distant shots. The 18 MP sensor combines with the lens to create spectacular images. Its 19-point auto focus systems works superbly and one can access each one of them manually as well.

For high speed photography it can click images at 8 frames per second. This ensures you do not miss an emotion or moment. It also captures videos in Full HD 1080 P resolution.

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Apple iPhone 4 (Price: Rs 34,500 for 16 GB)

Specs: 3.5 inch display; 5 MP camera; 16GB/32 GB internal memory; 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS; 137 gm.

Android phones are getting popular but Apple still manages to dominate the heart and mind of many. Officially launched in India around a month ago, the iPhone 4 has got looks worth flaunting.

The flawless touch interface, access to the best application store ever with over 3.5 lakh apps, unbeatable sound output, a crisp "Retina" display and power for playing heavy games all make it a winner.

Addressing the complains of many, this smartphone has an upgraded 5 MP camera with LED flash, which is also capable of capturing videos at 720 p resolution. Apple did make video calling among most of its products using its Facetime application child's play. The feature works over Wi-Fi. Assisted-GPS and digital compass are also onboard.

Courtesy: Gadgets & Gizmos