Electronics Gadgets

Highlights D2H companies are now offering smart boxes with mirroring and streaming Videocon and Airtel are some of the first companies to offer this You can stream videos and watch broadcast TV with a single box One of the significant changes in TV in recent years is that not all of it is on TV anymore. As we noted earlier, cord cutting is feasible in India now, and as Internet connections improve, this is going to become even more of a reality. That means watching some shows on broadcast TV, while others are streaming over Netflix, Hotstar, or Amazon Prime Video.If you have a Smart TV - which is to say most TVs released in the last couple of years - then you can press a button on your remote and switch over to the TV's interface, and load up your favourite apps. Otherwise, you'll need to buy a Chromecast, or an Amazon Fire TV Stick, or some other similar smart box to add this functionality to your TV. That means an extra set of wires in your house, ...

Highlights The InFocus Turbo 5 is priced starting at Rs. 6,999 It features a metal unibody and 5000mAh battery It will be available 4 on Amazon India starting July InFocus has been quiet for a while now. Its last major launch was the InFocus Epic 1, way back in October last year. The company is now back and looks to compete against the likes of Vivo and Oppo which enjoy a considerable market share in the country. At the launch event, InFocus outlined its new strategy for India, and stated that it is planning to launch more new smartphones throughout the rest of 2017. With the InFocus Turbo 5, the company is offering a large 5000mAh battery housed in a slim and light metal unibody. This smartphone will be available in two variants, and has been priced at Rs. 6,999 for 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and Rs. 7,999 for 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. We got our hands on the higher-end version for a brief time at the launch event, and here are our first impr...

The new XBR-X900E model from Sony has a few minor picture quality downgrades from the XBR- X930E above it in Sony's 2017/2018 lineup. It has a different yet new processor included the 4K HDR X1 engine, which has been redesigned with upgrading content to look more like HDR content in mind. Video signal processing is a particular strength of Sony and has been for years. It has full array local dimming, one of the best features an LED/LCD TV can have when done right (which the X900E does). The last new feature I'll mention here is the X-tended Dynamic Range Pro 5X, which is a contrast enhancement booster mechanism, and not one of my favorite features, due the fact that it usually makes little difference to the viewer and can add flicker to the picture. All three of these features are slightly scaled down compared to the X930E, but are still very robust. Other features included are a Triluminous display, widened color gamut for HDR, Motionf...

Today's TVs can look nice enough hanging on the wall, but nobody would mistake one for an actual painting. Until now. Samsung's newest TVs try their damnedest to mimic real art. Called The Frame, the "TV" has a bezel that looks like a picture frame and displays images from its extensive internal art library. You can also pay to download more professional art from Samsung's store, or display your own photos. And just like fine art, you'll pay a pretty penny to own one. The 55-inch model costs $2,000 while the 65-inch goes for $2,800. Optional wood bezels in white, beige and walnut cost $200 for the 55-incher and $250 for the 65-incher. The Frame comes standard with a plain black bezel.  Instead of turning off like a normal TV, leaving a blank black rectangle on the wall, The Frame is designed to always show its picture when someone is in the room. It uses a motion sensor that keeps the image onscreen as long as it senses m...

The Samsung Q7 QLED TV is one of the best-designed TVs ever, with sleek, modern styling and impeccable fit and finish. The innovative "invisible" wiring system and breakout box make installation superclean. Picture quality is very good, especially in bright rooms.samsung's "QLED" is a brand-new term for a lot of people, and the world's No. 1 TV maker calls it "the next innovation in TV." With the Q7 series, however, there's more innovation in design and features than in picture quality.   The Q7, Samsung's least costly (but still expensive) QLED TV, is a tour de force of sleek extras. Its awesome "invisible" fiber-optic cabling combines with an external connection box to make clean-looking installations easier than ever. It can control connected gear automatically using just the TV remote, even if your stuff is stashed away in a cabinet. And its beautiful aesthetics, down to the remote, the stand and even the b...

Highlights The Canon EOS 1300D features Wi-Fi and NFC capabilities. The camera has an 18-megapixel sensor with Digic 4+ image processor. You get a 3-inch LCD display with a 920K dot resolution. Design and build Canon hasn't strayed too far from its current formula, and the EOS 1300D looks virtually identical to its sibling. The body is built entirely of plastic with a matte texture which is good for grip and is somewhat resistant to scratches. There's rubber padding where your fingers and thumb would go, which makes it easy to shoot with one hand. Fit and finish are fairly good, although the quality of the plastics suggest that this device was made with a tight budget in mind. The body of the EOS 1300D is a bit lighter at 440g and a bit more compact than the EOS 1200D, which is only really noticeable when you compare them side by side. On the left, the 1300D has an input for a wired remote, a Mini-USB port, and an Mini-HDMI port. All the buttons...

Highlights The Sony A6300 boasts of 425 PDAF points. The camera supports 4K and 120fps slow-motion video. The A6300 can be charged using a USB power bank. Naturally, when the company announced its successor this year, we couldn't wait to get our hands on it. Sony India has been quite aggressive with the launch, making the A6300 available here just two months after its US launch. At Rs. 74,990, the A6300 costs a huge premium, but boasts of an impressive set of features usually found in cameras that cost a lot more. Is it, then, every bit as good as it looks on paper? Let's find out. Design and build At first glance, the A6300 reminds us a lot of its predecessor, but there are subtle changes which have been made for the better. It retains the same compact shape which means one can easily slip it into a cargo pocket. It's a bit heavy though at roughly 404g, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it doesn't feel like a toy. Some improve...