Nikon Coolpix AW100 Review

When one thinks of rugged cameras, either Olympus or Panasonic are among the brands that one thinks of instantly. These brands have been launching tough, shockproof cameras for years and though a tad on the pricier side, they are extremely efficient and perform in the way they are intended to. So, how does the competition respond to a unique camera such as this? By launching a similarly attributed camera with their own implementations. Who better to target this segment of cameras, other than Nikon, one of the world’s most popular camera manufacturers. Nikon has responded by launching their first rugged camera, the Coolpix AW100, with AW being an abbreviated form of All Weather. This camera boasts of features such as being waterproof up to 10 metres, shockproof from a drop of 5 feet as well as freezeproof up to -10 degree Celsius.

Unique locking mechanism on the battery bay

Design and Build Quality
Mostly cameras from this segment are chunky, even though they feature in the compact camera segment. The AW100, on the contrary is pretty slim and makes other tough cameras look ugly in comparison. It is available in four colour options, which are black, blue, orange and camouflage. The review piece given to us was the black model and as far as rugged cameras go, this is a really stylish looking, compact camera.

Like other all weather cameras available, there is no large lens adorning the face of the camera. Instead, the lens is located in a depression at the top right hand side on the front. The LED flash and the AF assist are also located on the face of the camera. Nikon have used a minimalistic approach, while designing the look of the camera. It will appeal to those who do not want anything too fancy or flashy.

On the rear of the camera is the large 3-inch screen that flushes along the body. Alongside the screen, to the right are the camera’s controls such as playback, zoom, menu, four-way navigational pad, etc. Most of these buttons have a squarish shape and like the rest of the camera, they too are made of hard plastic. The top of the AW100 features the shutter release button along with the power button. The GPS antenna is also housed in this panel at the top. A button featured on the side of the camera is the GPS/ Action Control button for adjusting settings when wearing gloves.

3-inch screen flushes along the body

Connectivity options for the camera are located in a bay at the side of the camera and they include a proprietary USB port and a mini HDMI port. Located in this bay are the battery as well as a memory card slot. The unique thing about this bay is its flap. To prevent the seepage of water, Nikon has provided a button, which needs to be pressed and a knob to be turned. Only once this is done, the bay will open. On the underside of the flap there is a rubber padding that ensures that it is further protected from water.  

The build quality of the camera is really good and there was no need for all the extra bulk that is usually found on other rugged cameras. By reducing this bulk, Nikon has made the AW100 a sporty and stylish looking camera. This camera is not heavy, so shooting with a single hand is possible as it weighs just 178g. This camera is extremely compact as well and one can easily fit it in a shirt pocket, trouser pocket or a purse.

Features
The main feature of the Nikon AW100 is its rugged abilities, which include being waterproof up to 10 metres, shockproof when dropped from a height of 5-feet and freeze resistant to around minus 10 degree Celsius. These are pretty neat features for a camera that is priced at this amount. The camera features a 16MP CMOS sensor, which allows one to click good pictures in low-lit environments. With the use of a 16 MP sensor, which is the size of 1/2.3 inches, one can click pictures at a maximum resolution of 4608 x 3456. This makes printing on large format papers possible. By using a CMOS sensor, Nikon claims that photos can be captured with great image quality as well as low image noise.

Large meshed shutter release button on the top

The camera has a 5x optical zoom with a vibration reduction feature that allows one to capture images from a distance with a reduced amount of blur. This feature can certainly help when one is performing adventure sports, such as rock climbing, mountain biking, etc. Apart from the rugged capabilities of the camera, it also has other interesting features such as 1080p video recording at 30fps, GPS capabilities and a whole lot of scene modes. The camera features a maximum ISO sensitivity of 3200, this makes shooting in low-lit areas possible.

The interface of the camera is similar to that of other Nikon cameras. So, if one has used a Nikon in the past, getting used to the camera will take place instantly. For those who don’t know, the interface of the Nikon is extremely easy to navigate through. One can just use the menu option to access options, then to select they need to press the OK button. The camera supports memory cards, such as SD, SDHC and SDXC. These sort of cards are found quite freely in the market. The features of this camera are really good and one would surely enjoy using them in extreme as well as in normal conditions.

Performance
This is a rugged camera that is meant for people who are into a lot of outdoor activities. These activities may, at times force the photographer to hold it in a single hand and shoot. The camera has a matte finish so gripping it does not pose a problem. The shutter release button is fairly large as well, which allows one to easily snap a picture. The camera was dropped several times from heights, ranging from two feet to five feet and not only did it work well, it came out unscathed, too. Apart from this, we ran our regular test such as the ISO sensitivity test, zoom test, etc. in a controlled environment as well as outdoor to gauge the performance of this compact camera.

ISO sensitivity test

ISO Sensitivity Test
From the image above, we can see that at ISO 125 there was no image noise whatsoever, and the colours looked accurate. From ISO 200, we can see that the colours look a bit desaturated, but there was not much noise seen. From ISO 400, onwards, we can see a slight amount of image noise. From ISO set at 800 onwards, we can clearly see the noise levels rise and at the fastest ISO which is 3200, the noise levels are extremely high.

Zoom test Zoom Test The camera features an optical zoom of 5x, with an equivalent to that of 28-140mm lens in 35mm format. While using the camera with its zoom set to maximum, we noticed that there was no blurring in the shots. The VR image stabilizer takes care of the blur and one can expect to capture crisp images even when on the move. Performance Continued While clicking pictures outdoors, we noticed that the camera handles direct sunlight pretty well and the images captured do not look dark. Outdoor images had a very minimum amount of colour fringing and this can be noticeable only if an image is zoomed in on a PC. Indoor images shot really well, too. There was not much grain noticed in these shots, which is great while capturing pictures indoors. Shooting in macro mode is really good as there is a lot of detail visible in these types of shots. Macro images provided a lot of detail We recorded videos in 1080p to check the video recording qualities of the camera and we were quite pleased with the results. The video recorded well and there were no transition issues when moving from a dark area to a bright one. Video playback was good as well and we faced no issues with it, whatsoever. The flash of the camera is quite powerful and it can illuminate an area of approximately 15-feet. A 1050mAh lithium ion battery is bundled with the AW100 and Nikon rates it at approximately 250 shots. GPS button located at the side Verdict The Nikon Coolpix AW100 is available in India at a street price of Rs.15,000. The camera has some really amazing features and looks pretty stylish as well, especially for a rugged camera. It is quite slim, too, as far as compact cameras, in general, are concerned. Performance-wise, it has done really well and with its shock resistant capabilities put to the test, the camera came out on top. A thing that is really going for this camera is its price. There may be some differences, which feature in other rugged cameras that may not feature on this one. But taking everything else into consideration, this is something that should definitely not be overlooked, if you are in the market looking for a tough camera.

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Nokia Lumia 800 Review

It’s the end of the year and Nokia has finally announced its “Piece de resistance” handset – the Lumia 800. It’s the first, of course in the series and is based on their MeeGo running N9 device only this one is, of course, running on the latest version of the Windows Phone 7 OS, which is Mango. We’ve already done a detailed preview of the handset where we outlined the kind of features it comes with, but here’s a closer look at the overall functionality. Form Factor The Lumia 800 is built out of a single block of Polycarbonate plastic. Don’t let the ‘plastic’ part sway you as the handset is quite durable. It sustained quiet a few hard knocks and drops from about 2 feet without too much of scratching or any issues with functionality. The 3.7-inch, slightly raised gorilla glass display, although quite a fingerprint magnet, survived quite a bit of torture without giving in to scratches. So, in terms of durability and funky design form, the Lumia 800 is definitely high on our ranking. If the slippery shell doesn’t meet your fancy, worry not as Nokia has thrown in a rubberized case that makes it much easier to manage. Slim and sleek Check out our Hands-On preview for more information on the 800’s design.  Features and Performance Interface Powered by a 1.4GHz Scorpion processor and running the Windows Phone Mango (7.5) OS, the Lumia 800 is a seriously speedy handset. When it comes to functionality, as limited as the OS itself may be, the Lumia 800 manages to do everything it’s capable of extremely well. WP7’s stripped down; visually simplistic user interface is what keeps most of their handsets, irrespective of processing power, running quite smoothly. The Tile and Hub set up is really what makes WP7 so attractive. Unfortunately for Nokia though, this fantastic piece of hardware can’t live up to its true potential that’s curtailed by the OS. The Linpak Benchmark test we subjected it to gave us a score of 49.3 Mflops, which is impressive as far as mobile handsets go. Multi-tasking was, of course, a non-issue. Simple and easy to mange UI Although WP7 is a user-friendly system, like we’ve said many times before, it’s still in its nascent stage and will require a considerable amount of tweaking before it can really give Android or iOS a run for their money. The few things about the Lumia 800 we took issue with, included the fact that Nokia has decided to go Micro SIM on us and also leave out the external memory support. Like the N8, the uni-body design translates to; should your phone hang, restarting it will not be as easy as it used to be. Thankfully, the Lumia 800 functioned without any “hang-ups”. But it seems like a - if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em - type of sentiment is at play here. What we also noticed with the otherwise crystal clear display was that whites usually took on a slightly yellowish tone. This was especially noticeable on websites with white backgrounds. Other than that, visibility in broad daylight from any angle was top-notch.   Media It was quite surprising to see that Nokia missed on including any audio enhancements for the 800 and that is a major downer. Audio quality was consistent with any other high-end smartphone, but it could have surely been better with a few options to personalize the output. We did find the decibel level a tad low, especially in crowded areas. The speaker phone was also a little too low for our comfort level. The built-in FM radio was just fine and even managed to pick up signals quite well on a daily commute through the city. Nokia has pre-installed TuneIn for Internet radio options as well. The audio quality would have been so much better with some enhancement options Once again, we were plagued with the Zune menace, meaning we had to make sure that our videos were first compatible with the software, before it could take its own sweet time transferring to the handset. Once on the handset, the picture quality, Nokia’s Clear Black Display enriched the colors. 16Gigs of internal storage space is also quite a bit to keep media lovers fairly satisfied, even if they can’t extend it any further.  Connectivity The connectivity domain, the Lumia 800 comes across as a very capable smartphone. Packing 3G Wi-Fi capabilities under its belt, you’re good to go wherever you are. What is lacking though is the facility to create a hotspot, something that even the guys at Apple made sure of including with their latest devices. While we’re quite fond of the IE browser on WP7, the lack of Flash and Silverlight support was a bit of a setback. Speed-wise, the browser functions very well. Setting up accounts of any kind is a breeze, just sign-in and let the device do the rest from syncing with People’s Hub for your contacts to e-mail and calendar dates. Social networking, chatting, posting messages is a real easy task on the 800. One of the better mobile navigation tools The Lumia 800 also includes Nokia Drive, Nokia Maps and Bing Maps, which we thought was overkill. Nokia Drive is a real boon for those unfamiliar with cities they’re travelling to or even living in. The interface is easy to read and getting locations and details in the area is also simple and quick. With Bing Maps pre-loaded, Nokia Maps seems a bit redundant, but it’s there, nonetheless. Times Point is another pre-loaded application that gives you all kinds of information on what’s going on in your geographic location. There’s also the Weather Channel and Nokia’s App Highlights that showcases a list of Lumia 800 friendly apps, specifically chosen for the device. You can shake the handset to get new apps displayed. The marketplace is loaded up with all kinds of handy apps and plenty of free Maps for Nokia Drive. Pity no one’s developed a multiple codec supported video player… yet.  Misc. Features Basic mobile functionality from the Calendar for appointments, reminders etc, Alarm clock and a Calculator are also onboard. What you don’t see here, you could easily find on the market place. Microsoft Office with SkyDrive and Office 365 support is also really handy. For work and Play Camera An 8 megapixel shooter is strapped onboard the rear of the Lumia 800 with Dual LEDs comprising of the flash. Settings include scene modes, white balance, ISO settings, a few effects and a Macro mode. Sadly there’s no 1080p HD video recording support, which is another drawback. The maximum resolution is 720p HD for video. Image quality was not what we expected from a Nokia device. Image focus was a problem in most areas when talking about quality in slightly low lit outdoor conditions. Video recording, in stark contrast was quite good with pretty decent audio levels. Not as good as we hoped Battery A 1450mAh battery sits under the Polycarbonate shell and is quite capable of providing users with a fairly decent battery life. In our stand alone video test, with all connectivity turned off, the Lumia 800 ran for 6 hours and 35 minutes before shutting down. In our tech2 Loop Test, we ran the handset for 8 hours and 20 minutes non-stop. Usage, with EDGE running constantly, included 2 hours of video, 2 hours of audio, 2 hours of audio streaming, 2 hours and 20 minutes of calls. On 3G though, don’t expect too much as we were barely able to use it for a full day before it required a charge. A warm yellowish glow off the display The Bottom Line Nokia has priced the Lumia 800 at Rs. 29,990 (MRP), which does make it one of the more expensive WP7 handsets on the market today. This could be a problem for the company as cheaper options like the HTC Radar could pose as a competitor. Granted we’re talking about a company that was once held in extremely high regard in this field, but if Nokia is looking to make a serious comeback, the Lumia 800, as well-built and powerful a device as it is, is just too damn pricey. The last thing we need right now is another “premium” type product with limited functionality; I think we’ve gone way past that curve.  Should the new WP7 updates bring features like hotspot creation, Flash or at least Silverlight support, HD video recording and most importantly reduce dependency on specific content transfer software like Zune, the Lumia 800 is just the handset to take Nokia back up a few notches on the list. Price : 29000 rs

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1st pictures of the Sony branded smartphone surface

Early this month, we had reported about Sony taking over the Sony Ericsson branding, and was fast working on launching the handsets under this new branding, preferably by mid-next year. However, till this moment, no one had a clue as to what to expect on the first Sony handset. A report by SEMC Blog has revealed that the first handset to come under the Sony branding is the Sony LT22, codenamed Nyphon. This handset may probably be Sony’s first flagship handset and will come with Android Gingerbread. It will reportedly feature a 1GHz dual-core U8500 chipset from ST-Ericsson. Apart from the specifications, there are image leaks also of the Nyphon, giving us a preview of what the handset will look like. Sony Xperia Nyphon to be the first Sony smartphone? (Image credit: IT168) Here are some of the rumoured specifications of what the Sony Xperia Nyphon may feature: Android Gingerbread 4-inch qHD display 1GHz dual-core U8500 chipset 1GB RAM 16GB of internal storage 8MP Exmor R camera The smartphone looks pretty stylish Although it will come with Gingerbread at the time of launch, the report claims that it will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich, later. Sony Ericsson is expected to be re-branded by mid 2012 and probably we won’t see this handset, until then. Let us know your reactions about the first handset from Sony in the comments below.

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Game of The Year 2011 - 1st person shooting

The best shooter this year is...

Now that we’re done with Action genre, it’s time to move onto first person shooters. And the nominees are: Crysis 2 (Xbox360 PS3 PC) Explore New York, Crysis 2 style Crysis 2 ditched its predecessor’s island setting in favour of a more urban one with New York City. Granted the game was a lot smaller in size, but this change in direction allowed developer Crytek to craft one of the most beautiful game worlds, out there. The AI populating this game world was unfortunately dumb as hell, but that didn’t make kicking butt in an augmented Nano suit any less fun.  Battlefield 3 (Xbox360 PS3 PC) Time to get your battle on After all the trailers and the trash talk, DICE and EA finally managed to deliver a superior military shooter experience this year. Sure, the single player campaign felt a bit contrived, but you never really play a Battlefield game for its story; you play it for its addictive, persistent multiplayer that delivered the goods in spades. And it really helps that all this is neatly wrapped up in a very technically impressive package.  Portal 2 (Xbox360 PS3 PC) Oh there you are Even though Portal 2 was not exactly a shooter, it was one of the most entertaining puzzle games played from a first person perspective. Picking up directly from where the sequel left off, Portal 2 amped up the puzzles, introduced a ton of new gameplay elements and even added in a stand-alone, co-operative play into the mix. We were a bit skeptical about how co-op would work in the Portal universe, but rest assured, it’s the cleverest implementation we’ve seen till date. Bulletstorm (Xbox360 PS3 PC) My foot, your butt Bulletstorm was an ode to old school first person shooters developed by none other than People can Fly, the guys behind the original Painkiller. The game was juvenile, crude and a bit low on the whole story front, but it made up for that in leaps and bounds with explosive, balls-to-the-wall gameplay. And even though the game never made a huge dent at sales, it still has a special place in our hearts. Killzone 3 (PS3) Killing in the name of The Killzone franchise is associated with gorgeous visuals, heart pounding action, large scale battles and intense multiplayer and in that respect, Killzone 3 did not disappoint. Also helping matters was the fact that Guerrilla Games tweaked the game’s control scheme, so it didn’t feel like you were controlling a 1200 pound guerrilla (yes that’s a pun not a typo), anymore.  And the winner is... Battlefield 3 (Xbox360 PS3 PC) If you’re a fan of modern day military shooters, Battlefield 3 is your best bet, this year. The single player campaign may have been a tad dull and predictable, but DICE more than made up for that with a highly addictive multiplayer component we’re playing till date. Unlike other online shooters that penalize players for lacking razor sharp reflexes, Battlefield 3 allows newcomers to ease into the game by offering them support roles as well. If running around the battlefield dishing out ammunition or health doesn’t seem like an exciting prospect, grab a chopper and rain down hell fire on ground targets or command a jet and become a force to be reckoned with. The undoubted winner Battlefield 3 also gets our unanimous approval for being the most technical sound shooter out there. DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine brings fire fights to life in a very gorgeous way with some phenomenal lighting effects and texture work, while the game’s sound, simply put is the best in the business.

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