smart ®

FREE!Issue 117June 2013ISSN 1726–3358

SA’s LARGEST TECH MAGAZINE

Small WondersTop tiny tablets explored

All the hottest newproducts!

Acer R7 comingHere’s the Hinge

3D gunning itWould you print a 3D gunand go shooting? Well nowyou can, since the plans forthe Liberator, a working 3Dprintable firearm, have beenreleased on the internet (seeThe Big Issue on p 26).

There are a fewrequirements beforeshooting one of these, first ofwhich is access to a highquality 3D printer, costingupwards of R80 000. Youalso need a firm love of risktaking, since many believethat the Liberator is as much

a danger to the person behind the barrel as it is to the one in front. Likemost technologies, the price of 3D printers is set to drop (you canalready pick one up for R10 000), while the quality of the guns will onlyimprove, so it’s not surprising that the US government is concernedabout this development.

While the printing of 3D firearms is thought-provoking, I’m moreinterested in seeing what will come from laboratories working onbioprinted meat. Companies such as Modern Meadows are doing justthat. Although finding your local Pick n Pay stocked with this type ofproduct is still a long way off, I can’t wait to put a 3D printed steak onthe braai.

Enjoy the issue,Mike (michael@techsmart.co.za)

TechSmart Issue 117, June 2013

10 Lenovo ThinkPad TwistWith a screen that doesn’t mind doing a bit of Twist, can the newThinkPad blend the best from the world of tablets and ultrabooks?

20 Top 5 Executive SaloonsIf you’ve just won a massive tender (all legally, of course) and don’t knowwhat to do with the dosh, let us point you to our fine choice of the top 5executive saloons.

The Beats Executive shows the more mature side of the Beats Audio range.We relax in aural bliss thanks to its active noise cancellation technology.

16 Beats Executive

Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. No material, text or photographs may bereproduced, copied or in any other way transmitted without the written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or of the editor.We recognise all trademarks and logos as the sole property of their respective owners.TechSmart shall not be liable for any errors or for any actions in reliance thereon. Allprices were correct at time of going to print.

Editor print & onlineMike Joubert > 012-342-5141michael@techsmart.co.za

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Contents

10" tablets are so last year. The rage now is tiny 7" (and slightlybigger) models. In the market for one of these? Check our top 4selection first.

6 10 16

6 Top 4 Small Tablets

20

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ho have contributed to the Linux kernel.

There can be only one

Top Tech Titbits

Market research company, Canalys, has revealed that a grandtotal of 308.7 million smart mobile devices (notebooks, tabletsand smartphones) were shipped globally during Q1 2013.Thanks to Android-powered smartphones accounting for 75.6%of all smartphone shipments, and a consumer shift fromnotebooks to tablets, Google’s Android powered a whopping59.5% of all of smart mobile devices shipped in Q1. Apple’s iOSran on 19.3% on them, and Microsoft’s operating systems(Windows 8 and Windows Phone) handled the workings on afurther 18.1%.

How much will you pay for 108 million blogs and 50 billionposts? If you are Yahoo! a cool $1.1 billion it seems. That iswhat the company pulled out for blogging site Tumblr,apparently intended to bring some youthful dynamism back toYahoo!, frequently perceived as out of touch with the newgeneration of internet users. Yahoo! also gave theirphotography social networking sight Flickr a much neededmakeover, now offering a massive 1 TB of free storage foranyone joining the site.

Yahoo! acquirs Tumblr, updats Flickr

After months of rumours, Microsoft finally liftedthe lid on its Xbox 360 successor andPlayStation 4 rival. The Xbox One is poweredby an octa-core x86 CPU, and boasts 8 GB ofDDR3 RAM, a 500 GB hard-drive, a Blu-rayplayer, USB 3.0 ports as well as HDMI inputand output. Accompanying the console is anewly designed control pad, which features anintegrated battery compartment, new D-pad,triggers with their own vibration feature, andWi-Fi Direct to the mix. Although the consolewill not require a continuous connection to theweb, it will need to connect to the internet atleast once every 24 hours and is also notbackwards compatible with Xbox 360 titles.Expect it in December.

2

NEWS

Local mobile shopping application, PriceCheck, beatout more than 100 000 applications from around theglobe to be crowned App of the Year at the recentlyheld BlackBerry Achievement Awards in Orlando, Florida. PriceCheck is an online shopping and pricecomparison directory that has been specifically developed for South African users as it takesinternational exchange rates into account. The mobile app is available for free for BlackBerry 10-operating devices and enables shoppers to scan product barcodes or search for specific items tofind out where these can be bought and which outlet is selling these at the most affordable price.

PriceCheck bags top honour

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The third BlackBerry 10 running smartphonehas been announced, this time in the formof the mid-range Q5. Just like the Q10, theQ5 continues with the physical QWERTYkeyboard but also offers a 3.1" (328 ppi)touchscreen. The Q5 is powered by aQualcomm Snapdragon dual-core CPUrunning at 1.2 GHz per core, 2 GB of RAMand 8 GB storage. It will be available inselected markets including Africa by thestart of July 2013. No local retail price isavailable yet.

BlackBerry Q5

HP’s newly announced tablet/notebook hybrid, the 10.1" SlateBook x2, aims to offer users anAndroid-based interface and notebook familiarity, complete with mouse control. It runs Android4.2.2 Jelly Bean and sports Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 4 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz. Enabling it toperform as an Android-based notebook is the included keyboard, which connects to the screen bymeans of a dock connector. This brings both a multitouch trackpad and mouse navigation to theparty. It is expected to carry a $480 (R4 320) pricetag when it is released Stateside in August.

HP SlateBook x2

Hot New Products

If you want a tabletdedicated to cooking in thekitchen, then Archos’ 9.7"ChefPad may just be upyour alley. The tablet boastsa dual-core 1.6 GHzprocessor, and offers aChef Apps Selection whereaspiring Chefs can discovera selection of the bestculinary apps ranging from recipes to cooking tips and TV. It retails for$200 but local availability is still to be confirmed.

Archos ChefPad

The good news is that thenext instalment of arguablythe most famous racing titlein the world, Gran Turismo,has been announced. Thebad news? We would haveto wait for Xmas for thedelight to get behind thewheel of GT6. There will be 1 200 vehicles in-game at launch and 33different tracks, with more coming via downloadable content. Expect thenew compact gaming engine to make the title even more gorgeous.

By the end of this month, SouthAfricans should be able to putin an order for a new Samsung85" ultra high definition SmartTV. This 4K telly offers a screenresolution (3840 x 2160) fourtimes greater than full HD. Thecompany is offering its latestSmart TV at the special introductory price of R385 000 or around R4 530per inch, with this offer being valid until 24 July.

Samsung 85"Ultra HD Smart TV

Fans of the Golf GTI who find the 155 kW and280 Nm from its turbocharged four-cylinderengine to be somewhat underwhelming, canstart salivating over the prospects ofVolkswagen’s Design Vision GTI concept car.This vehicle is powered by a twin-turbocharged three litre V6 engine that churnsout 370 kW at 6500 RPM and 560 Nm oftorque at 4000 RPM. This GTI rockets fromstandstill to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds(compared to 7.3 seconds of the standardGTI) sans the slightest hint of torque steer dueto power being sent to all four wheels.

VW Design Vision GTIconcept car

Gran Turismo 6

4

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ain in performance prom

ised from Intel for its next-gen (S

ilvermont) Atom

SoC

s along with 5x better energy efficiency.

Apple’s iPad Mini may not boastthe Retina display that graces the9.7" iPad, but it is nonetheless aworthy contender. While its specsmay more closely resemble theancient-in-Apple’s-terms iPad 2,with its 1024 x 768 resolution andA5 CPU, the 7.9" size makes it moretravel friendly that the larger iPads.Furthermore, the screen has beenmade the focus of the device,thanks to a trimming of the sidebezel. However, its real strength isthe fact that it too is backed up bythe same army of apps that accountfor the other iPads’ popularity, makingit a formidable portable tablet in itsown right. RRP: From R3 600.

iPad Mini

FEATURE

While there is no shortage of 9.7"to 10.1" tablets from which tochoose, with Apple’s vaunted iPadstill reigning supreme, over thepast year or so another tabletcategory has been quickly gainingprominence – the 7"-8" device.

Indeed, this category has particularlybecome a force to be reckoned with, as thetablets offer the functionality and power oftheir larger bed and couch-dwelling 10.1"counterparts, while beating those tabletswhen it comes to portability. Here are ourtop four picks:

THESE FOUR

KINGSThe top smalltablets available

Nexus 7The second seven-incher on this list, Asus’FonePad similarly boasts superb quality build,Android Jelly Bean and an affordable R3 000pricetag. It also differs in some important ways.Rather than a Tegra 3 processor, the devicesports Intel’s Atom Z Series SoC and 1 GB ofmemory which left us with no complaints withregards to its performance. Also to its credit, amicroSD card slot to expand its storage isonboard. Additionally, it is possible to use thedevice as a voice-supporting smartphone ifthat takes your fancy. Rounding it off was aglossy and contrasty screen with a familiar1280 x 800 HD (216 ppi) resolution, whileechoes of being a somewhat smaller versionof the excellent Transformer Prime, secured it aplace on our list. RRP: R3 000. [RN]

Asus FonePadEasily a budget darling, the Google’s Nexus 7(manufactured by Asus) does not look, feel orperform as though it is a cheapie alternative.While it can be picked up for R3 000, Google’seffort is a fast and responsive masterpiecethanks to its Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-coreprocessor (at 1.3 GHz), 1 GB of memory andstock Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2. The latestversion has not only bumped up its storagecapacity to 32 GB, it has also received the 3Gcellular treatment as well. The Nexus 7’s LEDbacklit IPS screen, which offers a resolution of1280 x 800 (216 ppi), is still more than adequatefor reading ebooks, playing games and web-browsing, all encased in a solid product thatfeels closer to a premium device in the handrather than a budget offering. RRP: R3 000

The largest tablet on this list and billed asthe creative’s companion, at 8", the GalaxyNote 8 also packs something the others donot – a dedicated S Pen stylus, which makesdrawing and writing on the device apleasure. Factor in a spacious screen with a1280 x 800 resolution (189 ppi), a 1.6 GHzA9 quad-core processor, 2 GB of memorypowering superb performance, and amicroSD card slot for expandable storage,and you have a real contender. Add to thissome genuinely useful features, such as theability to open two apps side by side, andReading mode, which offers softer sidelighting, and you have a tablet that shouldnot be overlooked. It’s the most expensivegoing for R7 200.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

6

64%. Percentage of the 19.5 m

illion tablets Apple sold during Q

1 2013 that were iPad M

inis.

about the contrast or clarity of fonts on offer. Worth noting though, is thatlike the Asus FonePad, the glossy screen is quite reflective. On the plusside though, it is also very bright and boasts some lovely colours. Sufficeto say, this meant viewing pictures on it in particular was enjoyable.

No guts, no gloryMoving on to the internal guts of the device, the VivoTab Smart opts forIntel’s Atom Z2760 dual-core processor, along with 2 GB of memory and64 GB of storage. On this front, we found that Intel’s processor managedto cope quite ably for the most part with regards to general performance.Playing a game or browsing the web, for example was fine, until weventured into playing videos from YouTube. Then, it seemed like theprocessor struggled a bit, eventually freezing and necessitating a restart.

However, we discovered this seemed to be mostly due to the choice ofbrowser used on the device. Surprisingly, Internet Explorer performed farbetter than Chrome, where scrolling through media-rich web pageswasn’t quite as smooth as we have enjoyed on other devices.

Speak up!Instead, the one unavoidable negative for us was the sound. While theaudio quality was alright, we couldn’t help but feel the VivoTab Smartwould have been better served with two speakers rather than just the oneon its left side when held in landscape orientation.

Also onboard was a micro HDMI and micro USB as well as a micro SDcard reader, along with a two megapixel front snapper forteleconferencing and an eight megapixel back snapper.

To the pointFor those holding out for a full Windows 8 tablet that’s capable of runningregular Windows 8 programmes, the Asus VivoTab Smart is what you arelooking for. With an LTE version available as well (not tested here), as faras Windows 8 tablets go, the VivoTab Smart is a very decent offering. Itcomes in at a not too bad price of R7 000 plus R800 for the wirelesskeyboard. [RN]

Asus has a knack of producing high quality, solid devices, and on thatfront, the VivoTab Smart is no exception. The 10.1" tablet feelscomfortable to hold and reassuringly well built in the hand, despiteweighing in at a modest 580 g. In fact, it felt a bit like a larger Nexus 7 insome regards, at least on the surface, which certainly counted in theVivoTab Smart’s favour.

Beyond skin-deepDesign wise, there is not too much to comment on, as the device iscompletely robed in black, broken only by the silver Asus logo. This,however, is not necessarily a bad thing. As Amazon’s Kindles haveproven, there can be an advantage to a device feeling like it disappearsin the hand, in deference to the content it is hosting.

To this end, and the one design choice we were happy to seeimplemented, is that the device offers a nice, spacious bezel, whichmade holding it in one’s hands, without inadvertently touching thescreen, a breeze. In fact, while one handed, smaller tablets, such as 7"devices can get away with a thin, nearly non-existent bezel, thesame does not hold true for devices of 9.7" and up, which onenaturally tends to hold with both hands and thus needs space torest one’s thumbs.

Navigation is accomplished by a singular capacitive windowskey, which returns users to the Metro-style home screen.

Beauty shinesAnother staple of Asus’ offerings has been – and on the VivoTabSmart, remains – sharp screens. Its screen resolution of 1366 x768 fares quite a bit better than it does on a 15.6" or even 13.3"notebook or ultrabook, and we certainly had no complaints

8

HARDWARE

For those holding out for a full Windows 8tablet that’s capable of running regularWindows 8 programmes, the AsusVivoTab Smart is what you are looking for.

At the moment, the pickings for a decentWindows 8 tablet aren’t as abundant as manymay hope. Can Asus’ VivoTab Smart rectify that,and is this the tablet that Windows 8 users havebeen waiting for?

ASUS VIVOTAB SMART

10

At a recent press event held in New York, Acerpresented a slew of new products, with most of theattention focusing on the unique look of the R7notebook.

Although manufacturers released a number of notebooks withtouchscreen functionality to make use of Windows 8’s capabilities,we’ve found that we barely make use of touch unless the designmakes it easy to do so (case in point, the great Lenovo Yoga). TheAcer Aspire R7 looks set to do just that, featuring an ‘Ezel Hinge’ thatmoves the display forward and into different positions to help maketouch more intuitive. This new hinge’s functionality is made possibleby a repositioned mousepad, now found above the keyboard, and notbelow as per usual.

Just the four of usIt does need to be seen to be believed, as it enables this 15.6"

notebook to offer four modes of operation. Apart from the regularnotebook mode, Ezel mode pulls the screen closer to the user tomake it easier to touch. If you flip the screen over, you’ll find the R7 inDisplay mode, a good way to watch a movie (the sound over thespeakers also switches), while the Pad mode allows the R7 to beused much like a tablet.

As far as specs are concerned the R7 looks like a solid offering,boasting a 15.6" full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS touchscreen; an Intel Corei5 third-gen processor; up to 12 GB of memory; either up to a 1 TBhard drive or 256 GB SSD; and a full-size backlit keyboard. It alsoincludes an HDMI port, SD card reader, audio jacks, three USB ports,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a converter port supporting VGA, RJ45 and USB.The sound quality should be solid, with four 8 Watt speakers andDolby Home Theatre provided.

To the pointAlthough this Ezel hinge design looks interesting and appears toenhance the touch-experience, how well the repositioned mousepadand lack of palm-rests will be received remains to be seen. The AcerAspire R7 is set to arrive in South Africa in July, and customers will beable to buy a unit for R13 000.

HARDWARE

Lenovo’s ThinkPad Twist harks back to the olden days of‘tablet computers’, only juicing it up with the latest tech.

It’s not called the Twist for nothing, since if you turn this ultrabook’s screen,you can fold the device into four main positions. Obviously you have thenormal notebook position (in which you’ll almost never use thetouchscreen); Stand mode (good for watching movies); Tent mode (aslightly risky position with the notebook resting on the top of the screenand bottom of the keyboard); and Tablet mode.

Since the ultrabook twists around a hinge located at the bottom of thescreen in the middle, in Tablet mode you end up with the screen coveringthe keyboard, and luckily not as is the case with the Lenovo Yoga, with thekeyboard exposed at the bottom. The Tablet mode comes in handy whenyou want to read books on Kindle or just browse the web.

It’s a ThinkPadBeing part of Lenovo’s business-focused ThinkPad range, you can becertain of two things: solid build quality and an excellent keyboard. As perusual Lenovo does not disappoint, even though the keyboard is not backlitand from an aesthetic point of view, they could have extended the mattefinish around the keyboard to below the screen too. Talking of which, the12.5" screen’s resolution stands at a so-so 1366 x 768; a touch of full HDgoodness would not have gone amiss.

As far as workload is concerned, the Twist can deal with a lot, sinceonboard is a very generous 8 GB RAM and the same Intel Core i7-3517Urunning at 1.9 GHz that also powers the Acer S7. Apart from 500 GB harddisk you also receive a not so common WLAN port, SD card reader, 2xUSB 3.0 ports but only a mini HDMI port. Our model was 3G enabled.

To the pointAs an ultrabook, the Twist will provide the business-ready performanceexpected from it, with the added benefit of its twistable screen. Justremember that at 1.58 kg, this unit is bulkier and heavier than regulartablets. If you don’t want the extra bulk, wait for the Lenovo Helix comingsoon. With Windows 8 Pro installed the Twist retails for R12 000. [MJ]

Lenovo ThinkPad Twist

The Twist provides the business-readyperformance expected from it, with theadded benefit of its twistable screen.

On the hinge: AcerAspire R7 launched

Top 5. Microsoft entered the top 5 tablet vendor list for the first tim

e in Q1 2013 by selling 900 000 S

urface tablets for a 1.8% tablet m

arket share.

11

TABLETS

There is no shortage of consumer orientated tablets onthe market today, but HP’s ElitePad 900 takes athoroughly different approach, aiming squarely atenterprise users, to laudable effect.To start, the first thing one notices about the tablet is its exceedingly solidconstruction. It feels like it is built to last and perform under pressure, andthat it can be relied on for important, rather than frivolous tasks.

Additionally, its black and silver colour scheme lends it a modern, ifsomewhat conservative air. While its 630 g weight wasn’t as light as othertablets, we did not find it overly heavy to comfortably hold for long stretcheseither. Beyond surface considerations, the tablet’s 10.1" screen was actuallyquite impressive, offering a 1280 x 800 resolution. It proved to be both verybright, and nicely contrasty, which made viewing documents and webpages on it a pleasure.

Guts and GloryThe device, which runs on Windows 8 Pro, sports a dual core Intel AtomCPU Z2760 clocked at 1.8 GHz. This seemed to be up for general tasks,such as productivity work, web browsing, checking email and the web, andthe like.

However, it is in the small, thoughtful details where the ElitePad shines.For example, the tablet boasts two cameras – an eight megapixel backsnapper and a 1080p HD camera on the front. The latter, along with thedigital dual-array microphones, and crisp, loud audio, is particularlyintended to enable clearer videoconferencing. The tablet does come with adongle which enables one to connect USB sticks and external hard drivesas well, to complement the up to 64 GB of SSD onboard storage. Also worthmentioning, and essential to its business users, is HP’s own client securitysuite, which offers a host of tools aimed at ensuring the security of the datacontained on the tablet.

To the pointFor its target market – businesses – the Elitepad certainly presented itself asbeing a tablet to reckon with, one we suspect would fit in very nicely in anenterprise or corporate setting. It has a RRP of R12 000 with a range ofaccessories, including an enterprise class docking station, available. [RN]

It is in the small, thoughtful details wherethe ElitePad shines.

Huawei, in association with Google, have released a new7" tablet with their MediaPad 7 Lite. Can it competeagainst the likes of the Nexus 7 or Asus FonePad?

On the ‘good’ front, the MediaPad is certainly well built and a pleasure tohold, as its gently tapering corners and excellent construction materials,make it feel both ergonomic and substantial respectively. This, despitethe fact that the tablet is a little heavier than the competition, at 370 g,and at 11 mm, is a bit thick.

The good and the beautifulThe tablet is rather attractive though, as the black bezel surrounding thescreen is framed with a touch of white, while the back is silver aluminium.

The MediaPad 7 bests the Nexus 7 in one arena, as it offers a microSDcard that can cater to expandable storage (up to 32 GB); notableparticularly as the version we tested only had 8 GB of integrated storage.Indeed, the tablet has slots for both microSD storage and a SIM card for3G connectivity, which places it at first place as a competitor to Asus’FonePad as well.

Our main problem, however, came from the tablet’s performance. Wecould not be certain whether this was due to only running Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich) as opposed to Android Jelly Bean, or the 1.2 GHzCortex-A8 processor and 1 GB of RAM. Either way, we found the tablet tobe less responsive than we would have liked and this translated into aslightly sluggish user experience when watching YouTube videos,browsing the web and playing games like Fruit Ninja, a pity, since thesound is quite good.

Also disappointing was the battery, which seemed to drain quitequickly, going from 85% full to half of that in a few hours, with light use.Furthermore, the battery didn’t seem to hold a charge very well either.

To the pointThe MediaPad 7 is a bit of a mixed bag. While we appreciated the verygood build, expandable storage and decent screen, it is let down by lessthan optimal performance, ultimately making it an average 7" at best. It iscurrently only available for R229 per month on a SmartData 2 GB Cell Cdeal. [RN]

Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite

The MediaPad 7 is let down by less thanoptimal performance.

HP ElitePad 900

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SMARTPHONES

12

After releasing the best-selling Androidsmartphone of all time, Samsung now takesthings full HD with the 5" Galaxy S4.

Samsung Galaxy S4

The Korean company opted not to reinvent the wheel with the design of theGalaxy S4, which is actually 3 g lighter and 0.7 mm thinner than itspredecessor, packing an enhanced 5" (1080 x 1920; 441 ppi) screen thatdelivers exceptional picture quality. Samsung again ‘clothed’ its king inplastic robes, making this smartphone feel like the pauper to HTC’s princelyOne, which boasts an aluminium body.

Powering the Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) operating S4 is an Exynos 5Octa 5410 chipset. This calls upon four Cortex-A15 cores (1.6 GHz each)for processing-intensive tasks, and four Cortex-A7 cores (1.2 GHz each)during lighter workloads. Samsung’s S4 humbled all other rival devicesduring benchmarking, but the real benefit of the Octa-core is the vastdifference experienced in the speed between the S3 and new S4.

New software a must?Samsung is known for including numerous software features to enhance itsdevices and the S4 packs more than ever. In practice, we found them moregimmicky than useful, with the only exception being the universal remotecontrol functionality. This allows users to control an array of compatibleelectronic devices via the IR blaster on the top of the smartphone andSamsung’s WatchON app. We had no trouble using our S4 as a remotecontrol for an old school LG and Samsung full HD TV.

Samsung upgraded the rear-facing camera from 8 MP to 13 megapixels,with this main shooter reinforced by a 2 MP front-facing snapper. It’s a greattool and users can employ both cameras simultaneously to remain in thepicture even when you are taking photos or recording videos.

To the pointSamsung’s Galaxy S4 currently has no equal when it comes to battery life,benchmarking performance and an extensive line-up of software features.The plastic design still bothers, which means alternatives such as theequally excellent HTC One deserve a look. S3 owners looking to upgradeand fans of value-added software features, no matter how useful theyactually are, will definitely love the new Galaxy S4. RRP: R9 000. [HD]

The S4 currently has no equal when itcomes to battery life, benchmarkingperformance and software features.

Full Article bit.ly/reviewS4

Nokia’s entry-level Windows Phone 8 smartphone,the Lumia 520, boasts some impressive spec bang,considering its affordable pricetag.

Nokia Lumia 520

In terms of design, the Nokia Lumia 520’s removable matte plastic backcover feels quite sturdy, but lacks the quality feel of the polycarbonatecasing employed on the higher-end Lumia models. Beneath this coverresides both the microSIM slot and the non-hotswoppable microSDmemory card slot that enables users to expand the phone’s 8 GBstorage by as much as 64 GB.

The power insideJust like its bigger brother in the Lumia stable – the Lumia 620 – the 520is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8227 CPU,running at 1 GHz per core, along with 512 MB of RAM. In general,performance does suffer a bit compared to the Lumia 820 and 920, asthis budget CPU and RAM combo could not hinder noticeable lag,particularly when multitasking.

Also onboard is a 4" (480 x 800 pixels; 233 ppi pixel density) IPS LCDcapacitive touchscreen. It sports the same super sensitive touchtechnology as found on the Lumia 920, so we could easily use the phonewhilst wearing gloves – a handy feature to have in these cold wintermornings. Missing from the 520’s repertoire is Nokia’s ClearBlacktechnology, meaning the screen is highly reflective in direct sunlight.

Found at the back of the 520 is a 5 MP autofocus camera (no front-facing snapper offered) that can record HD-Ready (720p) videos at 30 fps.Performance of the camera was unimpressive overall, producing averagelooking photos outdoors and often grainy shots indoors, especially in thepresence of poor lighting conditions. Video quality was better as the 720pvideos were lag-free, although the colour appeared a bit faded.

To the point If you are willing to try something new in the form of the Windows PhoneOS, the Lumia 520 makes for an excellent value offering, retailing for agood R1 900. Not only does the device look stylish, but it delivers thesame specs, including a WVGA display and dual-core CPU, which onenormally finds on Android-based rivals costing twice as much such,including the R4 000 Samsung S3 mini and HTC’s Desire X. [HD]

If you are willing to try something newin the form of the Windows Phone OS,the Lumia 520 makes for an excellentvalue offering.

20 seconds. How

long it could take to charge your phone in the future, thanks to a super capacitor developed by Californian teen Eesha Kare.

CAMERAS

The lens, which is particularly aimed at professional sports and wildlifephotographers, has several notable, distinguishing features. The primaryone though, is the inclusion of an integrated 1.4x extender.

This can be engaged, or disengaged by flicking a lever rather than byhaving to risk exposing one’s camera to dust by removing the lens.Additionally, it transforms the lens into a 280-560mm on full framecameras like the EOS 5D Mark III or the EOS 1D X, for example, or into a448-896mm on an APS-C body with a 1.6x crop factor.

The lens further boasts a fixed f4 aperture, ideal for use in low light andfor capturing pleasingly blurred backgrounds. Engaging the teleconverterdoes cost you a stop though, in this case rendering the lens into a stillrespectable f5.6.

Built to lastAs we have come to expect from Canon’s premium L lenses, the EF 200-400mm has been built to handle life in the rough, boasting a magnesiumalloy design, environmental protection and specialised lens coatings.

According to Canon, the optical design includes both fluorite and Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens elements, which help minimise chromaticaberration and eliminate colour blurring. Advanced anti-reflectionSubWavelength Structure Coating (SWC) and Super Spectra Coatingfurther reduce ghosting and flare.

The final feature worth mentioning is the newly designed optical ImageStabiliser (IS), which provides users with a four stop advantage.Furthermore, an IS Mode 3 applies image stabilisation only at the time ofexposure, which enables photographers to pan with fast-paced actionwithout IS overcompensating for movement.

To the pointUnderstandably, these features do come at a price, and the lens isexpected to retail for about $10 000 (R90 000) if not more, when releasedStateside, while local availability is expected by the beginning of thismonth. Although no official local pricing has been confirmed as yet,indications are that it will be in the region of R130 000. We suspect this isa lens that will separate the men from the boys so to speak, or at leastcompel a visit to the bank.

Canon has finally confirmed the impendingrelease of one of the most anticipated lenses forwildlife and sports photographers, their EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x.

Long awaited Canonsuper telephoto emergesfrom the wild

With each iteration of Canon’s powerful G-series compact camerarange, there’s another reason to buy one, but also to adopt a wait andsee attitude in anticipation of the next one. In the case of the G15 it isnot only what Canon added, but also what they left out, that made uslove this camera.

Solid improvementsFor those who don’t know, the G-series, along with Nikon’s P7xxx series,is the most powerful compact camera range you get, adding a host ofsemi-professional features, such as programmable custom buttons, tothe mix. The latest G15 is a significant step up from the G12 (moreabout the G1 X later), bringing along some solid improvements, mostnotably a very quick f1.8 lens. This makes it easier to take portraits witha very shallow depth of field, while also combining well with the high ISO(12 800 max) settings for excellent low-light performance. There’s still noGPS or Wi-Fi included unfortunately.

Fold-out blessingIt’s not often that we’re happy about something that is left out, but withthe G15 its lack of fold-out LCD screen comes as a welcome surprise.We barely used it on the previous models (your usages might differthough) and it added a surprising amount of bulk to the camera. Withoutthe screen, the new G15 is in the region of 10% lighter and 20% smaller– a difference you notice when carrying the G15 in your pants’ pocketswhile hiking up a mountain.

But what about the G1 X you might ask? The PowerShot G1 X comeswith a larger sensor, better battery life and lower noise, but it’s alsosignificantly larger and more expensive than the G15. For us, the G15 ismuch like Heinrich Brüssow – solid as a rock, quick off the mark and onhand to grab pictures where larger cameras find it difficult to operate.

To the pointThe fact that the G15 is so small made it our prefered tool when on thego, much more so than a bulky DSLR. With its fast f1.8 lens, we wouldnot only recommend this for semi-pros looking for a compact secondcamera, but, also as an alternative for those who are considering theDSLR market for the first time. A good R4 600 asking price beats mostof the entry-level DSLR and mirrorless offerings. [MJ]

After recently spending some quality time withthe G15 in the Maluti’s, our love affair with the G-series is back on.

Canon PowerShot G15

The fact that the G15 is so small made itour prefered tool when on the go.

Taking a ‘Selfie’. The act of photographing often num

erous self portraits using a smartphone and posting them

to social media netw

orks.

Unlike your run-of-the-mill Beats headsets aimedat younger, flashier audiophiles, the BeatsExecutive headphones were designed with roadwarriors and frequent flyers in mind.

Beats Executiveheadphones

Fitting its target audience, the Executive is thankfully more subdued thanthe regular, some might say bombastic, Beats headphones. Due to theincorporation of brushed aluminium within the frame, the Executive simplyoozes quality and style, whilst its padded leather earcups keep your musiclistening experience comfortable, even during extended periods of use.

This headset is a bit more compact compared to your average Beatsearphones, which is a plus for road warriors needing every bit of suitcasespace. As always, Beats provides a branded travel case that delivers somedegree of drop protection. You can fold the Executive up for convenientstorage thanks to two hinges on either side of the headset.

PerformanceAdding to its appeal is the fantastic active noise cancellation technology.This works well and is also a treat within a noisy open office environment.This feature is powered by two AAA batteries with the unfortunate drawbackthat the headphones will not work without the battery power.

As expected from a premium headset, the audio quality was excellentoverall with the usual extra dollop of bass response normally associatedwith Beats headsets. You get two audio cables in the retail package, one ofwhich sports an in-line remote control for controlling the music playback.Another inclusion we’re happy to see is an airline adapter (two pin jack) thatallows you to leave the airplane’s paltry earphones unopened whilelistening to the in-flight entertainment through your Executive.

To the point Beats Executive headphones are stylish, comfortable, and offer somefantastic noise cancellation technology as well as excellent sound,especially in terms of bass. All of these features culminate in a pair of firstclass headphones, catering to all the auditory needs of business travellers,including the handy airline adaptor. It carries an RRP of R3 600. For moreinfo contact Phoenix Distribution on 011-592-9200 or the company’s CapeTown office at 021-487-4640. [HD]

The Executive’s looks are more subduedthan the regular Beats headphones.

You get earphones for audiophiles and thenthere’s gaming headsets tasked withimmersing players in their virtual worldsonscreen. Razer’s Electra headset tries to giveyou the best of both worlds.

Razer Electra gamingheadset

The sizeable and weighty (284 g) design of the Electra headset does notquite make for a portable experience, but for gamers the leatherette earcushions allow for optimal comfort during long gaming stints. These alsohelp with noise isolation so as to keep the focus on the action onscreen.

Audio quality Even more important than the styling is the audio performance, and duringour gaming tests the Electra impressed with its crisp sounds, which helpedpinpoint enemy locations within Far Cry 3 and Crysis 3. We alsoappreciated the clear engine harmonics within Forza Horizon and ambientsound effects whilst playing FIFA 13.

When listening to music and watching movies, the Electra headset alsofared well, but note that bass levels are not exactly up there with Beatsunits, and while audio quality is good overall, it is not a match fordedicated music earphones such as Nokia’s Purity HD by Monster. It mustbe said that the Purity earphones and Beats (any of them) costs aroundthree to four times more than the Electra. The Electra comes with a secondcable that incorporates an in-line mic for incoming calls, but unfortunatelythere are no in-line volume controls or a call/reject button on this cable.

To the pointRazer’s Electra gaming and music headset make for an excellent, all-round gaming headset, due to its crisp audio quality and comfortabledesign. One concern is the 1.3 m length of the cable, as it might betoo short to comfortably reach your gaming rig if it’s placedunderneath a desk.

If you will be using your earphones to listen to music more than thesound of gunfire whilst playing an FPS, then the RRP of R600 will be betterspent on a pair of Skullcandy Hesh 2s for instance. [HD]

During our gaming tests the Electraimpressed with its crisp sounds, whichhelped pinpoint enemy locations.

AUDIO100 hours. N

umber of hours of video footage uploaded every m

inute to YouTube in 2013, up from 72 hours in 2012.

ADVERTORIAL

18

Over the last few years Pinnacle Africa,distributor of advanced ICT equipment andmanufacturer of products such as the ProlinePC range, has been focussing on thebusiness sector in conjunction with all themajor software and hardware providers withinthe IT and mobile environments. Likewise,Samsung has followed on its consumerstrengths with a targeted focus on corporatecustomers.

Now the two companies are joining forcesby offering smartphones and tablets; value-add services; and customised bundles,directly to the end-user. Many institutions canbenefit from this, including those seeking tooutfit their staff, along with educationalinstitutions looking for cost-effective digitalsolutions for teachers and students, forexample.

The model essentially allows corporates toleverage existing IT budgets which have beendedicated for device capex spend, and toprocure mobile devices via traditional ITchannels. Pinnacle Africa fits nicely into thischannel as they are a major distributor ofmobile technology.

A new approachAs this new business model has evolved,Pinnacle Africa has listened to what theirclients need. “Initially, when we first tried thismodel,” says Gerhard Hartzenberg, divisionalhead of Samsung, Pinnacle Africa, “wenoticed that, from a pricing perspective, themarkets we were targeting were extremelyprice sensitive. A more innovative approach

was needed, so we started offering lowermemory variance devices and, mostimportantly, Wi-Fi only options too. This ismost definitely a unique selling point from ourperspective as it can be deployed to staff orstudents without any additional fees.” Theidea has found traction within the educationand corporate world because there is asignificant price difference between Wi-Fi onlyand 3G models. The option to go with Wi-Fionly models is further enhanced by many bigorganisations having easy access to Wi-Fiinfrastructure.

Pinnacle Africa also saw that many of theircustomers needed to have mobile businessapps or content loaded onto devices beforesending it to the end-user. “It was impracticalto order 1000 units and then have usersphysically install the required software on eachunit themselves. We decided to offer a servicewhereby we would preinstall content that theclient needed” Hartzenberg noted.

Personalisation is keyThe product customisation does not end here.Pinnacle Africa is able to put specific brandingand covers onto smartphones and tablets.“Further, we can insert marketing collateralinside the device packaging, so that if thecustomer wants any particular communicationaround a specific offer, it is available. Thisallows for the product to become a client-specific out-of-box experience which has beenextremely popular as many of our clients wantto personalise their offering going to the enduser. We are, at our core, hardware movers

and our entire drive is to create value forpeople who are buying hardware from a capexperspective and need reliability, after-salesservice and product flexibility, ‘’ Hartzenbergcontinued.

Hartzenberg further believes that thesuccess of Pinnacle Africa’s various packagesis based around a trend where consumersrealise that they can purchase a device of theirchoice, and then look for a separate voice anddata bundle. ‘’What we have seen of late isconsumers actually going out and buyingdevices and using them on a pay-as-you-gobasis. You may want two or three differentdevices but don’t necessarily need a contractfor each of them. Furthermore, customers mayfind a great deal and want to upgrade withouthaving to take out a new contract. You cansimply use your existing contract on your newdevice.”

Service is everythingTo complete their value-add offering,Hartzenberg says that Pinnacle Africa havelaunched an industry first. “For the first time inthe mobile industry, we are offering a two-yearon-site, next-business-day warranty onSamsung smartphones and tablets. Thismeans that if customers have a problem witha device, they can phone one number and wewill send out a technician who will offer post-sales service and support. If the techniciancannot fix it on the spot he will do a swap-out.This, we believe, will be of great benefit to thecorporate world, since smartphones andtablets have evolved into critical businesstools. It is simply not viable to wait 14 days toget a device back.”

For more info on Pinnacle Africa’s mobilecommunications offerings, contact them on011-265-3000 or go to www.pinnacle.co.za.

Pinnacle Africa and Samsung have partnered in South Africa tobring you a raft of cost-effective new packages to meetcompanies’ mobile needs.

PinnacleAfrica andSamsung –uniquesolutions forunique needs

Like Jaguar and Mercedes, BMWasserts that drivers do notnecessarily need a big, honking V8to get the best performance out oftheir über-sized luxury barge. The740i is powered by a turbocharged2979 cc V6 that delivers 235 kW at5800 RPM and 450 Nm of torquebetween 1300 and 4500 RPM. Thishas the Beemer schnelling its wayto 100 km/h in a quick 5.7 secondsonto a regulated and illegal top-end of 250 km/h. BMW claims a7.9 litres per 100 km average fuelusage figure.

The recommended retail price ofthe standard 740i comes in ataround R1 009 500, which seemslike a bargain compared to theLexus, but this considerable RRPstill leaves the 740i with a ratherlengthy options list. This includespaying another R8 800 for parkassist and R27 400 for a nightvision system.

Ingolstadt’s biggest luxury sedanmight sport the same massiveframe as the rest of the largeexecutive competition, but it cutsdown on the weight thanks to itsall-aluminium Audi Space Frameconstruction. The A8’ssupercharged V6 generates 213 kW and peak torque tally of420 Nm, with at least 90% of thistotal being available within a widerev range between 2500 RPM and4850 RPM. This sees the A8accelerating to 100 km/h in 6.1seconds, while consuming a frugal(for this category) 9.1 litres per 100km on a combined cycle.Acquiring an A8 3.0 TFSI will leaveyour bank balance R943 500 in thered, but includes a plethora offeatures as standard, including apremium Bose sound system, 4-zone climate control and front andrear park distance control withreverse camera.

The LS460 is powered by a 4.6litre V8 that delivers 285 kW at6400 RPM and 493 Nm oftorque at 4100 RPM, enablingthe driver to propel this fivemetre long vehicle to 100 km/hin 5.7 seconds, onto anelectronically governed terminalvelocity of 250 km/h. Fuelconsumption figures are aclaimed 10.7 litres per 100 kmon a combined cycle. Parkingthe Lexus LS460 in your garagewill set you back R1 236 700,with the sole consolation thatthis purchase adds everyconceivable feature on theoptions list. This includes anupgraded Mark Levinson soundsystem featuring 19 speakers, a15 channel amplifier, true 7.1surround sound andconnectivity for virtually everytype of sound input the likes ofBluetooth audio streaming.

Like the XF, Jaguar’s sublimelystyled XJ also sports an inherentability to turn other executivesaloon owners green with envy.This stylish cat sprints forwardcourtesy of its 2995 ccsupercharged V6 that churns out250 kW at 6500 RPM and 450Nm of torque between 3500 and5000 RPM. Drivers will bring up100 km/h on the speedometer inunder 6 seconds en route to anelectronically limited top end of250 km/h.

Despite its Cheetah-likeperformance, the Jaguar is notsuch a thirsty cat, with acombined-cycle (town andhighway driving) fuel usage figureof 9.6 litres per 100 km. Theprivilege of sliding into thedriver’s seat costs around R1 018100, which makes it one of themore affordable vehicles in thiscomparison.

BMW 740iAudi A8 3.0 TFSI Lexus LS460 Jaguar XJ 3.0 V6

So you’ve finally been awarded a seat on the board of directors. How do you celebrate? By giving to charity? Don’tbe silly. You opt for one of these Top 5 large executive saloons, of course.

20

VEHICLES

TOP 5 large executive saloons

Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueEfficiency

on some of the other vehicles in this comparison the likes of bi-xenonlights with LED daytime driving lights and reversing camera with parkingguidance. Also standard are less common features such as attentionassist that detects drowsiness and encourages the driver to pull over for arest, and pre-safe, which warns drivers of an impending crash threat andactivates the safety equipment in case. The only real threat to the S-class’leader-of-the-pack status comes in the form of its newly unveiledsuccessor, which only launches later this year internationally. [HD]

Mercedes-Benz’s S-class has always been the benchmark within thismotoring segment, debuting tech that even James Bond does nothave access to. The Stuttgart stallion gallops forward thanks to a 3498cc V6 that provides 225 kW at 6500 RPM and 370 Nm of torque at3500 RPM, which is enough to reach 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds andlimited top end of 250 km/h.

The entry-level model in the current range is the S350 BlueEfficiencywhich goes for R1 047 000. This nets buyers features that you will also find

Top 3. The best-selling passenger cars in South A

frica during April 2013 w

ere the VW

Polo Vivo (2231 units), V

W Polo (1828), and the Toyota Etios (1581).

Mercedes-Benz is aiming to send prospective RangeRover buyers on a dealership detour via its newlylaunched, second-gen premium SUV – the GL-class.

Mercedes-Benz debutsnew GL-classSUV locally

After driving onto South African roads in 2005, Audi’s A3 Sportback wenton to sell more than 15 000 units and land the South African Car of theYear title back in 2006. The new A3 Sportback now offers some extra headand legroom for rear seat passengers. Other practical enhancementsinclude a larger luggage compartment featuring 380 litres of space in thebasic configuration, and up to 1 220 litres of loading space with the seatsfolded down.

The new A3 Sportback is not just more practical but also a bit more eye-catching thanks to exterior design changes including its single-frame grillewith signature bevelled edges and large air intakes. Standard cabinequipment now includes Bluetooth with voice control and audio streaming.

PowerplantsUnder the bonnet resides a highly efficient 1.6 TDI engine that delivers aclaimed combined-cycle fuel usage figure of just 3.9 litres per 100 km,

Audi is looking to provide some ‘schnell’ to itssales courtesy of the new, more spacious, A3Sportback.

New A3Sportbacktakes to SAroads

21

VEHICLES

that is rocketed forward by a 5461 cc twin-turbocharged V8 thatgenerates 410 kW at 5750 RPM and 760 Nm of mountain-ascendingtorque between 2000 and 5000 RPM. The AMG gets you to 100 km/h inunder 5 seconds, while its top speed is limited to 250 km/h. All thisperformance does mean that this powerplant is a little less frugalcompared to the GL 500, at a wallet-emptying 12.3 litres per 100 km on acombined-cycle.

Helping drivers stay in control when venturing far off the beaten track isa wealth of features, including Mercedes-Benz’s 4MATIC permanent four-wheel drive system. Additional driver aids include a driving-off assistant,Downhill Speed Regulation as well as a specialised program setting foroff-road driving.

To the point The premium pricing of the GL-class does mean that you will not seeone in every driveway, as the cheapest model, namely the GL 350BlueTEC 4MATIC comes in at R966 246, whilst our pick of the range –the GL 63 AMG – sports a pricetag that is even more exclusive at R1669 636. Watch out for one the next time you’re overtaken by a blue lightbrigade on the highway.

Apart from an exclusive pricetag, the GL-class now offers a whisper quietride thanks to its NVH qualities (noise, vibration, harshness) being on parwith the S-Class, while also ironing out the impact of any speedbumpsand potholes thanks to its fully load-bearing air suspension system,dubbed AIRMATIC. The bump-free ride can be enjoyed by up to sevenpassengers (2-3-2 seating arrangement).

Engines choicesDiesel fans can opt for the GL 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, which boasts a 2987cc turbocharged V6 diesel engine churning out 190 kW at 3600 RPM and620 Nm of torque between 1600 and 2400 RPM. This sees the mammothframe of the SUV reaching 100 km/h in less than 8 seconds onto aterminal velocity of 220 km/h. This frugal diesel motor uses a claimed 7.4-8 litres per 100 km on a combined-cycle (highway and town driving).

Petrolheads can slide into the driver’s seat of the mighty GL 63 AMG

while also being capable of rocketing the car from 0-100 km/h in under 11seconds on its way to a top speed of 194 km/h.

Buyers can also opt for two TFSI petrol engines, namely a lighternew 1.4 TFSI and our pick of the two – the new 1.8 litre TFSI, whichchurns out 132 kW and 250 Nm of torque. With S tronic and front-wheel drive, the 1.8TFSI sprints to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds and has atop speed of 232 km/h. Combined-cycle fuel consumption for thisengine is 5.6 litres per 100 km.

To the pointThe Audi A3 Sportback is a tech savvy driver’s dream thanks to aplethora of tech, including the company’s excellent MMI (multi-media interface) infotainment system. Buyers with deep pockets areable to expand upon this courtesy of a laundry list of enticingoptions, the likes of a Bang and Olufsen sound system and radar-based detection system that incorporates park distancecontrol.

The pricing for the variants of the A3 Sportback that are currentlylocally available starts at R290 500 for the A3 1.4T FSI manual S andgoes all the way up to R339 000 for the A3 1.8T FSI S tronic SE.77

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If you’re part of a tech savvy family wherea range of electronic devices needs constantcharging, then the LeitzMulticharger is the gadgetfor you. With this chargingstation you’re able torecharge up to fourdevices simultaneouslyvia USB. While threesmartphonescan easilylay sideby side onthe non-slipdesk, a 10" tabletcan be slotted intothe back of the Leitz,making it possible to continue working on it.Three short cables are included, comprisingone for Apple, a mini USB for compactcameras, and a micro USB cable for Androidphones.

FEATURE

22

attend workshops McNally is presenting herein South Africa, courtesy of Nikon. On this oneday lighting workshop, photographers of alllevels can see the master at work, while alsosharing in his extensive knowledge. Theworkshop will look at lighting problems,solutions, tactics and strategies, with the aimto get the best pictures requiring the leastamount of gear.

There are two workshops scheduled, one

coming to the Cape Town InternationalConvention Centre on the 25th of June, whileJo’burg gets its chance on the 27th. Ticketsfor McNally’s lighting workshops cost R2 000and include a R1 000 discount voucher whichmay be used on products purchased inexcess of R2 500 during the event. Go towww.webtickets.co.za to book, or visitMcNally’s blog at www.joemcnally.com tocheck out his portfolio.

It’s not often that atruly world famousphotographer visitsSouth Africa, so it’swith great interestthat we’re lookingforward to JoeMcNally’s upcomingworkshops.

Nikonbrings JoeMcNally toSA

If you’ve ever tried to master the off-cameraflash, chances are that the name Joe McNallypopped up during your web searches.McNally can be described as a master of light,having shot for numerous publications, mostnotably LIFE, Time, Sports Illustrated andNational Geographic. In fact, he photographedthe first all digital shoot for NationalGeographic not too long ago in 2003.

Photography enthusiasts have a chance to

Terms and Conditions apply.

“Whether you need to print thekids’ latest school project, thatBoard presentation in time forMonday morning or yourwedding invitation, you areprobably concerned about thehigh cost of printing, or theamount of trees killed or thatyou are running out of ink fastand the job is nowhere neardone. For quality you can trustfor less, original HP printersand ink supplies are the bestchoice, every time. With HPCombo Packs, you can save an average of 20% on the cost of buying twocartridges separately. So by saving, you get quality you can rely on, precisionengineered for your printer no matter the size or importance of your printing jobat home or the office. It helps you and your business to reduce wastage and usemuch less resources. Only HP original supplies deliver unmatched quality for the most professionallooking prints in South Africa.”

In order to celebrate HP ink getting the job done, we are giving away an HP Ink Advantage 4624 4-in-1with original cartridges. The value of the prize is close to R3 000. To stand a chance to win, tell us aboutyour worst printing disaster. Write your answer on TechSmart’s Facebook page(facebook.com/techsmartmag) during June 2013, and you might just be the winner.

A LeitzMulticharger!A 4-in-1 printer

To stand a chance to win, go to TechSmart’sFacebook page (www.facebook.com/techsmartmag) and write “I want to win the LeitzMulticharger!” One lucky person will be selectedto win the Leitz, valued at R3 200.

Competition runs until 30 June 2013.

COMPETITIONS

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Winners will be selected randomly. Survey ends 30 June 2013. Terms and Conditions apply.

Toshiba certainly knows how to make solid devices, and its Excite 10 tablet is ample testimony to this fact. The Excite 10 feelssomewhat more compact than other 10.1" devices that have crossed our path, a factor which certainly counts in its favour whenholding it in one hand. One considerable differentiating factor of the device, and something we appreciate in any tablet, is thepresence of expandable storage via a full sized SD card slot, making this one tablet that can actually host up to 128 GB of storage.

• 10.1" screen with 1280 x 800 resolution• Nvidia quad-core Tegra 3 processor• Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich• Stereo speakers• 1 GB RAM• 5 MP camera• SD card expansion• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n• Durable aluminium surface

The Toshiba Excite 10 tablet features:

TechSmart 2013

Reader Survey

What TechSmart said in our Toshiba Excite 10 review:

Read our full review here: bit.ly/10toshiba

1st prizeToshiba Excite 10 tablet worth R5 500courtesy of Toshiba

Other prizesworth R8 850 courtesy of Mantality3x Build YourOwn Robot Armsworth R950 each

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3x Mini DVCameras worthR875 each

3x Mini Microscopesfor iPhone 4 worthR525 each

5x 80s RetroiPhone Cases and

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worthR225each

We need your help to make TechSmart better! Fill out our 2013 ReaderSurvey online and stand a chance to win these prizes worth over R14 000.Go to www.techsmart.co.za and enter before 30 June 2013.

23

InnovationPrize for Africawinner usesflies for feedHow can flies help withthe production of asustainable source ofanimal feed? Theanswer is provided bya South African-basedcompany, AgriProteinTechnologies, which

has walked away with $100 000 as winner of the 2013 Innovation Prizefor Africa (IPA). Selected from more than 900 applications from 45countries, the AgriProtein solution collects biodegradable waste, feedsit to flies that in turn produce larvae that are ground into protein toprovide a more ecologically friendly, naturally occurring type of animalfeed. This approach improves the nutritional value of meat and lowersthe cost of animal feed for African processors and farmers.

NEWS

24

Green NewsSci News

Panasoniccelebratescentenary withsolar lanternprojectPanasonic haslaunched its hundredthousand solar lanternproject through whichthe firm will donate

100 000 solar LED lanterns to people living within electricity-deprivedregions including Africa and Asia. The firm plans on completing thisgoal by the time it will celebrate its 100th anniversary during 2018.Panasonic has donated 3000 lanterns to non-profit organisationswithin Myanmar while another 5000 compact solar lights (CSLs) weredelivered to non-governmental organisations in India. Kenya will alsobe receiving 2000 CSLs for use within a local refugee camp during thefirst half of this year.

General Motors (GM)has become the first USautomaker to sign a‘Climate Declaration’, towhich parties commit toaddress climate changeby promoting cleanenergy and limiting their

carbon emissions. GM stated that it remains committed to energyefficiency throughout all of its global operations, with the goal ofreducing its energy consumption by 20% by 2020. The firm is also thetop rated US automotive company making use of solar powerStateside, hosting two of the five largest rooftop solar arrays in theworld, and producing one of the top selling hybrid cars in theChevrolet Volt (pictured above).

GM signsClimateDeclaration

Picture by:Barcroft Media

Going for goldSome world-changingscientific discoverieshappened quite byaccident. And we may haveanother on our hands.Scientists describe in thejournal NatureCommunications, how aseemingly failed chemistryexperiment turned out to bean easy way to extract goldfrom other materials. Theymixed two solutions, one

containing ring-structured starch molecules and the other a gold salt,expecting to see 3D cubic molecules forming. Instead, bundles ofultrathin gold wires formed as needle-like structures – all in less than aminute. The scientists say that their discovery may lead to anenvironmentally friendly method for the industrial isolation of gold asstarch can replace toxic cyanide salts used currently. WhatRumpelstiltskin would not have given for this.

Red alertBulls apparently hate it,motorists stop when theysee it and now a study sayscompetitive sportsmen diggit. What’s up with red?According to a recent studyin Psychological Science,male athletes’ choice ofwearing red may be linkedto their testosterone levels.A group of 73 men wereasked to participate in a

competitive task and they could choose either a red or a blue symbol torepresent them on the chart. To determine testosterone levels,researchers collected a saliva sample from each participant before theyknew about the nature of the task and another at the end. Resultsshowed that the guys who chose red symbols had higher baselinetestosterone levels. However, the colour choice made no difference inactual performance, which suggests that the ‘red advantage’ is basedon the perception of the opponent.

A team of scientists arebursting their own bubbles.And doing the math toshow how it works.According to their report ina recent issue of Science,the process can bemodelled by solving a set offour differential equations.Each equation describesspecific physical

characteristics of bubbles, ranging from what happens on the surfaceof the thin membrane to how a cluster rearranges itself after one bubblehas burst. After five days’ number crunching the team were able to puttogether real-time movies to show how the bubbles burst, one by one.The findings can be useful in bubble-conscious applications such asbeer brewing or making foaming soaps. Unfortunately, it can’t explainwhat to do about the office big mouth. [LP]

Foam party

21.8 km/hour. S

peed at which a new

ly created robotic cheetah can run. Not too shabby, but still not as fast as the 112.6 km

/hour attainable by a real cheetah.

7 June 2013

To watch

25

After Earth should answer two questions – doesWill Smith still have the pulling power to rake inthe eyeballs, and can director M. NightShyamalan redeem himself in the wake of suchnonsense as The Last Airbender and TheHappening? A thousand years after Earth wasevacuated, a father and son (Smith and his son

Jaden) make a crash landing on the now transformed planet. The twosoon realise that due to some interesting evolution, humans aredefinitely not top of the food chain anymore.

After Earth

21 June 2013

Terence Malik-directed movies do not come alongthat often, so it’s good to see the auteur back sosoon after 2011’s Tree of Life. As with all Malik’sfilms, it’s very difficult to précis the plot, but for yourticket price you receive Oscar winner Ben Affleckas love interest to Bond-girl Olga Kurylenko(Quantum of Solace). Also starring is the excellent

Javier Bardem (the Bond villain in Skyfall) as a man of the cloth who’sexperiencing a lapse of faith. Expect the usual breathtakingcinematography and an otherworldly cinematic experience.

To the Wonder

With a number of blockbuster movies heading tolocal shores this month, there is no shortage ofgood movies to watch.

ETC...ETC...

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7 June 2013

Whether Star Trek Into Darkness stays true to thecreator of the franchise Gene Roddenberry’soriginal vision can be debated, but at least it lookslike a good sci-fi romp. The accomplished J.J.Abrams is again at the helm, with Into Darknessalso starring two of our favourite British actors –Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead), returning as

Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott and Benedict Cumberbatch(Sherlock, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) playing main antagonist Khan. Khanis set to not only destroy the starship Enterprise, but, as a good bad guyshould, also life as we know it. Can Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) and hisintrepid crew phase him out of existence?

Star Trek Into Darkness

28 June 2013

After the poppycock that was SupermanReturns, we did not hold our breath forthe franchise, thinking that the 1978Christopher Reeve portrayal might wellhave been the high watermark for Kal-El. That was until we saw the new trailer.Man of Steel will be directed by ZackSnyder, who in our opinion did a sterlingjob on Watchmen, 300 and, yes evenSucker Punch. Henry Cavill (The Tudors,The Cold Light of Day) plays the title

role; and the movie also features Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe,who had to promise he would not break out in song a la LesMisérables before he got the part.

Man of Steel

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26

Web Time Wasters

THE BIG ISSUE

www.whitewhine.comWhite Whine

If you like your humoursardonic with a doseof cutting, White Whinetracks and delivers acollection of first-world‘problems’ upon whichviewers haveunderstandablyheaped scorn. These

are updated daily, and range from the character complaining they hadto refrain from going shopping because their mother was buying themanother car, to the person in a tizz because they couldn’t make areservation for tea at the Ritz via the web. The best way to view themis to click for a random white whine and be prepared to shake yourhead in bemusement or dismay.

http://documentaryheaven.comSometimes you don’t want to kick off your shoes and relax with thelatest dumb comedy. DocumentaryHeaven is right in calling itself“Food for your brain,” since it sports a myriad (more than 2100) ofdocumentaries, sourced from various places around the net. You’llfind programmes relating to pretty much any topic available, fromscience to religion, technology, music, conspiracy and nature,amongst others. You’ll also find full movies which are hard to come byat your regular video rental, such as the excellent Exit Through the GiftShop. Worth many visits.

DocumentaryHeaven

bit.ly/howsearchInside search

It’s likely somethingyou use every day, ifnot every hour, buthow much do youreally know about howsearching for somerandom fact, andreceiving themultitude of results,actually works? InsideSearch aims to

enlighten. In the process, it dishes up some interesting facts andfigures – such as the fact that there are presently 30 trillion pages onthe net. Indeed, sorting through all these pages – which is done by‘crawling’ through links – is a dazzlingly complex task that involvesemploying String Theory while avoiding the scourge of spam.Fascinating stuff.

The Big Issue

Last month the first shots were fired from a 3Dprinted gun. As expected it sparked debateregarding the future of 3D printed firearms.

For many, 3D printing is a revolution, using a special hardened plastic toprint, layer by layer, actual physical objects. While there are many usesfor this, for example the printing of spare parts for models or architectsconstructing 3D replicas of their projects, American Cody Wilson hadother ideas. Starting last year in August he created the non-profitorganisation Defense Distributed, with the aim of providing freelyavailable plans for 3D printable firearms.

Shoot ‘em upIn a relatively small amount of time, Wilson’s ideas came to fruition,since last month he managed to fire the first shot from a 3D printed gun.Called the Liberator, the gun is constructed out of 16 pieces, 15 of whichwere printed on an $8 000 3D printer. The final part is a simple nail thatyou can buy from a hardware store (the bullets are also shop bought).

Wilson’s success led him to release the plans on his website, eventhough at this stage the Liberator cannot fire more than one shot at atime. This, while its ability to withstand the pressure associated withshooting more than a few rounds, is in doubt. In the two days before theAmerican State Department ordered him to take it down, the blueprintsfor the gun were downloaded 100 000 times. And just because it is notavailable on his site any longer doesn’t mean they are gone – the plansquickly made their way to torrenting networks such as The Pirate Bay.

To the pointThe availability of 3D printed guns, and the US government’s attempt toregulate these, brings up numerous difficult questions. On the one side,the Liberator is crude, costs a lot to produce and seems to be as muchof a danger to the person behind the gun as in front – for now at least.For the US government the problems are numerous: Is it at all possibleto stop the distribution of these blueprints? Is banning the plans not aviolation of freedom of speech? How do you enforce a ban on printing3D guns? Do you regulate the sale of 3D printers at all? These questionswill most probably be answered by US courts. [MJ]

INTERNET

3D PRINTED GUNS

150 petabytes or 150 000 terabytes. Am

ount of email data M

icrosoft had to migrate over six w

eeks, to move all of its H

otmail users over to O

utlook.com.

Within ICS and Jelly Bean operating mobile devices, app icons(shortcuts) are automatically added to your homescreen as soonas you have downloaded a new app. This is handy for users whowant quick access to newly installed apps on their device, butirritating to users who perfectly arrange every homescreen to avoidclutter and irrelevant shortcuts or widgets. You can turn off thisfeature by opening Google Play and accessing its settings todeselect the Auto-add shortcuts (aka Auto-add widgets on somedevices) toggle.

27

BlackBerry tipInstead of selecting the ‘copy’ feature rather hold down the ‘Shift’key (the button may look like aA) and use your track pad to selectthe desired text. Once done press your track pad to copy and pasteyour text.

APPS

Want to add emoticons to your messages but not surewhere to find them? Simply go to Settings, General,Keyboards. Under Keyboards you will find the option toAdd a New Keyboard. Select that and choose Emoji. Oncedone, you will see a globe icon next to the spacebar, where you will beable to access the Emoji keyboard in future.

Apple iOS tip

Apple iOS Apps of the month

Smartphone top tipsAndroid Apps of the month

BlackBerry Apps of the month

Android tip

Do you find it hard to sleep at night following anextended chat session on Facebook Messengeror WhatsApp? Recent research suggests thatexposure to blue light from your mobile devicedisplay before sleep, might be distorting your

body’s natural (circadian) rhythm and therefore, your ability to fallasleep. The Twilight app adjusts your device’s screen to the time of theday by filtering out the blue spectrum after sunset and protecting youreyes with a softer red filter to encourage a more restful night’s sleep.

AVG Memory & Cache CleanerThe handy Memory & Cache Cleaner fromantivirus and antispyware specialists, AVG,allows smartphone and tablet users to speed uptheir device’s performance by stoppingunnecessary processes running in the

background or RAM-hogging apps. You can also set the frequency(daily or weekly) by which the app should automatically clear yourdevice cache. In addition, this app enables users to quickly delete theirdevice’s browsing history, phone calls log and Google Play history.

Overkill 2Can’t get enough bullet dodging shooter actionon your PC and game console? Overkill 2 is anFPS title that will have the genre blasting its wayonto your mobile device. This game does notonly sport some decent graphics, but also

enables players to customise virtually every aspect of their guns. Thereare more than 30 weapons which you can trick out with various clips,scopes and other attachments.

Twilight

If you’re a blogger making use of WordPress,then you might want to have a look at the officialWordPress app. Besides allowing for bloggingon the go, WordPress grants you the ability toview your current stats, manage comments and

upload photos and videos. Other features include access to thedashboard and settings, while the latest version also offers support forBlackBerry 10 phones and the PlayBook. Just note that the app mightnot be as stable as we would have liked.

Galaxy WarsFans of Galaga will enjoy this free app by AvkoLabs. Harking back to the old coin-operatedgames of the 80s, Galaxy Wars requires you tohave quick trigger fingers since the extra-terrestrial forces keeps up a relentless attack. To

help you along the way you have access to different offensive anddefensive power ups, while other features include four different difficultylevels along with decent sound effects and graphics. More game modeswould have been welcomed. [IF]

Wheels On Fire ThemeSometimes you get tired of the look of theBlackBerry OS, signifying time for a newtheme. For all the car fanatics out there,Wheels On Fire is a free theme byAppsforBB.com. Besides an easy to use

navigation, this theme also delivers new icons providing your devicewith a fresh look. Other features include a custom outbound andincoming call screen and a new background screen lock. Do note thatthis theme has a tendency of freezing on certain models.

WordPress

Struggling to master your new smartphone? TechSmart ison hand to provide some helpful tips.

Fotopedia Reporter acts as a platform for itsusers to pick up the mantle of being a reporter,and thus generate and then share their owncontent. The app encourages users to submittheir photo-focused stories (accompanied by

some text) on topics of their choosing. The community of viewers canthen comment on, rate and share the results. While unfortunately oneneeds a constant connection to fully take advantage of the app, thereare some highly interesting stories, and spectacular photos, on offer.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Along with the full console experience of the samename, is this app, its mobile counterpart, whichpacks quite a punch in its own right. You start offwith three fighters from the DC universe with theirown unique moves and powers. Each of these can

be swopped at any point to take on three random opponents across amyriad of arenas. Emerging victorious consistently enables you to buy morecharacters as cards for your private army. Graphics are superb and theswipe-to-hit controls work beautifully. Free, albeit with microtransactions.

RockmeltIf like us you are also a prolific contentconsumer, then Rockmelt is a worthy app toadd to your news aggregator arsenal. It toogathers content from your Facebook and

Twitter accounts, favourite websites, blogs and online magazines, aswell as YouTube and RSS feeds, and presents them in a clean, ad-freeinterface. In essence, it makes surfing the web, and staying informed,considerably easier. Signing up for a free account also enables you tosave stories for later reading.

Fotopedia Reporter

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Playing music through your smartphonecan be a bore, and while portable wiredspeakers can do fine, going wireless isalways better. Sony’s palm-sized BTV5speaker pairs via Near FieldCommunication (NFC) and streamsmusic via Bluetooth. This speaker cango quite loud, and if you don’t expectcrystal clear audio will do just fine. Youcan also make and receive calls. R700.

Sony BTV5 Bluetoothspeaker

We often give notebookmanufacturers a hard time for neglecting to include backlighting on theirkeyboards, but Logitech steps up the keyboard accessory game bydoing just that. The external keyboard, intended for use with iOS andAndroid tablets, is also a pleasure to type on, boasting comfortablechiclet keys with better than average depth. It has a RRP of R1 200.

Razer’s Carcharias gaming headsetdelivers clear, distortion-free audiothat is accompanied by a decentdollop of bass, whether you areplaying games, listening to music orwatching a movie. We appreciated being able to use the headset’sinline controls to mute the noise cancellation-boasting mic or to turn thevolume up and down. RRP: R750

Razer Carchariasprofessional PCgaming headset

Adobe’s Elements photo-enhancementpackage is basically a stripped down version oftheir much larger and comprehensivePhotoshop. It contains everything the casualphotographer needs to both sort and enhancephotos, but for about R1 000 we’ll rather stickwith Google’s free Picasa.

Adobe PhotoshopElements 11

Gear in the office

28

NEWS

We never have enough space to feature all the products that made an appearance in our office. Here aresome quick thoughts on a few of them.

Logitech K810Bluetoothilluminatedkeyboard

Norton’s Mobile Security for securing iOSor Android devices shows its worth whenyour phone gets stolen, since you canremotely wipe your device, set off analarm, take pics of the thief or remotelytrack it. It also protects against malware,good if you download weird apps fromGoogle Play. We struggled with anunnecessarily complex installationprocess. R150 from Phoenix Distribution.

Norton MobileSecurity

Purchased a fancy new ultrabook only to findit limited in terms of USB ports? Solve this dilemmavia Belkin’s 4-Port Mobile Powered Hub, which turns asingular USB connection into four available USB ports. Unfortunately,with this being a USB 2.0 device, data transfers occur at a terminalvelocity of only 480 Mbits/s, compared to super-speed (USB 3.0)certified devices which offer transfer speeds of up to 5 Gb/s. RRP: R270.

Belkin 4-Port MobilePowered Hub

Thanks to thehexagonal buttonarrangement of thesix large mechanicalthumb buttons, the Nagaexpert makes it easy forMOBA (multiplayer onlinebattle arena) and action-RPGplayers to rapidly actuate their sixfavourite spells, attacks, items orabilities during intense online battles. Wedid find the gaming mouse’s 5600 dpi Razer Precision 3.5G LaserSensor to be a little overly sensitive, but this is easily remedied viaRazer’s Synapse 2.0 software. RRP: R1 000.

Razer League ofLegends Naga gaming mouse

Space will not be an issue with thisflash drive, as it sports a veryhandy 128 GB storagecapacity (plus an additional2 GB free online storagevia YuuWaa) toaccommodate a user’sdocuments, backups anda fair amount of multimediacontent. We like the fact thatusers are able to create a password-protected folder for private data.RRP is an expensive R1 240 for a USB 2.0 drive.

SanDisk CruzerGlide 128 GB

10 million. G

lobal sales tally of Sam

sung’s latest Galaxy S

4 smartphone w

ithin the first month of its launch.

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The size of a beer can,sounds as big as a Keg!This speaker providesmore than 12 hours ofplayback time on a single charge and can evenrecharge your mobile devices. Even more impressiveis the Charge’s sheer volume of sound, which gets loudenough for the neighbours to start complaining — with no distortion along the way.

The In&Out is a highcapacity, sleek looking,portable power pack with 2output ports that provideshours of extra power for your gadgetsand other electronic portable devices. Itincludes 8 connector tips which makes itsuitable for most smartphones, MP3 players,as well as tablets.

In&Out MobilePower Pack

Crosley MusicStation Many music lovers have dreamed of a daywhen they could own an all-in-oneentertainment centre. The Crosley Musician5 in 1 Entertainment Centre is a little musicaficionado that has the ability to play cassettetapes, CDs, MP3s, vinyl records, iPod, andAM/FM radio, all wrapped up in one vintageradio-style cabinet. An easy to use,everything-you-ever-looked-for music player.

No bigger than a credit card, andwith a supersharp stainless steelsurgical blade, non-slip armourrubber coated body, unique safetylock, and ultra-lightweight, this handy knife willeasily slip into your wallet for carrying. Just 3ingenious folding operations metamorphosisthe card into an elegant pocket utility tool.

CardSharp 2 Netatmo PersonalWeather Station

The age of Personal Robotic israpidly approaching, don’t get leftbehind! EZ-Robot has madebuilding robots easy and fun bydeveloping the world’s easiest andmost powerful unified robotplatform! The EZ-Robot CompleteKit includes everything you need tobuild your dream robot.

Turn your phone into a wallet and let it do thecarrying for you! The Silicone Smart Wallet isa high tensile pouch that stays on yourPhone via a special easy peel sticker.Save time – no more fumbling aroundin your pocket or handbag to findcredit cards or parking tickets! Fitsall smart phones including iPhone5,HTC and Samsung.

The first Personal Weather Station with AirQuality sensors, that wirelessly transmits allyour data to your smart phone (iOS andAndroid). Sensors capture temperature,barometric pressure, humidity, CO2

concentration and noise pollution.

Smart Wallet Phone Pouch

@TheGadgetShopSA

R1699Was R1899

R2799Was R2999

R2299Was R2499

R2299Was R2499

JBLCharge

Now the pen is not only mightier than asword, but mightier than a multi-tool as well!Most multi-tools ignore the humble writinginstrument but not the Tech Tool Pen. Contained

within its tiny form you’ll find not only a blue ball point pen, but aspirit level, ruler and two different screwdriver tips. This pen rules!

R109Was R129

R699Was R799

R149Was R169

Designed to sharpen every knife you own –straight bladed, curved, serrated, hunting andoutdoor knives. Uses flexible abrasive belts andprecision angle guides to sharpen; the sametechnology used by professionals! You will alsobe able to sharpen scissors, axes and almostany tool with a blade.

thegadgetshop.co.zaGreat Father’s Day Specials

R1299Was R1399

Work Sharp Knife &Tool Sharpener

Toolpen

EZ-Robot Complete Kit

R79Was R9980

%.

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R399.00

Letʼs face it, nothing is moresuspenseful than waiting for the

minute to change on a flipclock....Click!

R525.00

Flip Clock White

Switch on the Page Turner Lamp for

a uniquely retro desk light! Youchoose the design to best fit your

mood with 6 different designs.

Page Turner Lamp

R225.00

Make the connection from a song to your soul using these comfortable,high quality earbuds. For iPod and any other portable music player, theZion is beautifully crafted, socially responsible with FSC-certified wood, andbuilt for that intimate link between you and the music.

House of Marley Zion Mic Midnight

R999.00

90s StarTac iPhone

CaseThe epitome of flip-top retro, this 90s

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R315.00

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Armour WatchThe armour style watch has no face.Concealed LED lights appear within thechinks of the bracelet to reveal the time.

98%. A

mount by w

hich HTC

’s Q1 2013 profits decreased year-on-year from

$152 million to $2.85 m

illion.

The events within Star Trek take place after 2009’s Star Trek and beforethe forthcoming Into Darkness, sporting an original storyline penned byGod of War writer, Marianne Krawczyk.

It sees you playing as two familiar characters – either Captain Kirk(voiced by Chris Pine, the same actor who brings Kirk to life on thesilver screen) or Commander Spock (portrayed by Zachary Quinto).Kirk and Spock are up against the Gorn, an intelligent race of lizard-men who, probably due to the rising cost of labour and delays broughtabout by strikes, try to turn the galaxy’s species into an army ofzombie slaves.

All co-op roads lead to sub-par gaming experience The entire game is a co-op experience that is best played with a friend,with one player stepping into the legendary boots of Kirk while theother controls the equally renowned Spock. If you are playing alone,you get to pick your favourite Starfleet hero whilst the A.I. assumescontrol of the other. It is disappointing that this choice between eitherSpock or Kirk does not lead to different campaigns, since both areidentical, with some slight gameplay differences. Kirk favours a moredirect course of action by dispatching foes using a phaser, whilstSpock is able to adopt a more stealthy approach thanks to his weaponbeing a lot quieter with the ability to freeze enemies.

Unlike the guns in this title, the graphics are not out of the 23rdcentury, in fact it time travels back to 2010. We found that the graphicsare more on par with Mass Effect 2 than 2012’s Mass Effect 3. Onmore than one occasion, there were also noticeable graphical glitchesincluding a Gorn foe getting stuck in the nearby scenery.

To the pointStar Trek had a Galaxy of factors counting in its favour to become astoryline-driven RPG rival to games like Mass Effect. Unfortunately thatgoal has been severely hampered by sub-par graphics; gameplay thatis far too similar for either of the game’s protagonists; plus someannoying graphical glitches. It seems that trend of movie-to-gamingtitles being bummers continues. [HD]

A blockbuster movie usually has avideogame closely following itswarp trail, the latest being StarTrek. Will this title live long andprosper within the actionadventure genre?

Unlike the guns in this title, the graphicsare not out of the 23rd century.

GAMES

Star Trek

31

Whether it be zombie outbreaks in Left 4 Dead ornuclear war in Fallout 3, gamers have recently

grown quite accustomed to surviving on a ravaged planet. Last Light isthe sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033, a game loosely based on the novel ofthe same name by author Dmitry Glukhovsky. Developed by Ukrainiancompany 4A Games, the title throws players into the grime coveredtunnels of the Moscow underground as humanity seeks to eke out aliving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Like its predecessor, Last Light focuses heavily on story andatmosphere, especially for a first-person shooter. With a richly imaginedworld, massive attention to detail and all-round good storytelling, you’llfeel like you’re wading through irradiated subway tunnels in no time.

Shoot to killWhile Last Light borrows in no small part from RPG’s, the game isessentially a shooter. Players will need to manage more than just scantammo in the metro though; as gas masks, electrical chargers and evensimple lighters can often be the only thing between you and a shallowgrave. Most of the time however, firearms will be your saving grace withplayers wielding custom weapons to fend off irradiated monstrosities andideological maniacs alike.

As far as shooters go, Last Light has some of the most solidmechanics we’ve seen in years, with combat flowing smoothly fromstation to station. Every situation doesn’t necessarily have to call forRambo levels of violence though, as you also have the option of stealthilytaking out enemies and sneaking between tunnels from time to time.

To the pointThe atmosphere and graphical quality of Last Light is simply a joy tobehold; whether you’re skulking underground or racing from buildingto building on the barren surface world. In addition, good sound andworld enriching voice acting really helps set the stage for a world tornasunder. If you enjoy your first person shooting with a healthy dose ofaward-winning storytelling, then Metro: Last Light is among the creamof the crop. [JK]

Metro: Last Light takes us into themutant infested, radioactivesewers of the Moscowunderground. Can Mother Russia,and humanity, survive?

Metro: Last Light

As far as shooters go, Last Light hassome of the most solid mechanics we’veseen in years.

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GAMES

With Injustice: Gods Among Us (IGAU) the short answer is that the game isa triumph, by offering up an engaging superhero Tour de Force thatcompels one to keep coming back to play it for ‘just a little longer’.

Calamity has befallen Metropolis, with the sum of all fears realised, as thecity has been reduced to ashes by a nuclear explosion. In a bid to stop theexplosion before it happens, several of the superheroes, including Batman,Green Lantern, Nightwing, Green Arrow and Wonder Woman get suckedinto a parallel earth, where they are considered the world’s villains.

Complicating matters is the fact that in this parallel world, five yearsafter the calamity, former superheroes have turned into dark versions ofthemselves, starting with an enraged Superman, who in the wake ofMetropolis’ demise, and the death of his wife and son, killed The Joker.He then assumed control of an One Earth government, eventuallybecoming a seemingly invincible and intractable tyrant, the kind ofmenace he once would have protected mankind from. It falls to thealternate superheroes to confront him, return to their own time/spaceand set the world right.

The first rule of Fight ClubThis story premise sets the stage for some beautifully complex andengaging battles, as you step into the shoes of each of the superheroes –and a couple of villains – amid luscious graphics and brawl your way tovictory. You also have a strong variety of attacks, from the normal to theexceptional including basic attacks, combo attacks, special moves andthen your character’s unique power. Combining these in battle add up tosome spectacular fights, which take place on a 2D plane but withinbeautifully rendered 3D environments. Also on offer is a multiplayercomponent, which further allows you to extend the game’s longevity byfighting against your friends or against online opponents.

To the pointInjustice: Gods Among Us could have been a mishmash and a mess,and perhaps in an alternate universe, it is. In this one though, the gamedoes the vast DC world a great justice by proving to be a knockout.RRP: R600 [RN].

DC’s superhero universe is ripefor portrayal, in both moviesand videogames. The questionis always, can the medium dothe IP justice or does it betray itentirely?

Injustice: GodsAmong Us

Gods Among Us does the vast DC worlda great justice.

32

The sequel to 2011’s Dead Island picks up rightwhere the first game left off, with survivors beingflown off the holiday island on a helicopter. As

we finally land on a passing military vessel, our group is summarilyarrested and sent for testing by an unscrupulous looking man in asuit (what’s with bad guys and suits anyway?). Luckily we don’t staylocked up for too long as the ship is overrun that very night by theundead we were so desperately trying to avoid.

Melee a la ZombieThe original Dead Island introduced the concept of fighting zombiesusing mainly melee weapons, and the sequel continues that trend.The melee combat is done quite nicely, with virtually all weaponsdoubling as projectiles, with kicks and well-aimed strikes being usedto keep the biters at bay. It feels quite satisfying entering a room at arun, dispatching a zombie with an expertly thrown kitchen knife to thehead, kicking another in the chest and bashing its skull with a wrenchas it hits the ground.

Frankly, there really isn’t too much that sets Riptide apart from itspredecessor. Players consume food and other amenities for healthboosts; get to fight alongside AI companions from time to time; andcan loot the world for new weapons and items that allow you torepair your arsenal. One thing that Riptide does do better than mostFPS games is length. Like the original the game runs quite long,keeping players busy for 10 to 15 hours. This isn’t necessarily a goodthing though, as many levels start feeling more like grinds thananything else.

To the pointAll in all, however much we tried to enjoy the game we couldn’t shake

the feeling that we were dealing with a somewhat hastily producedsequel. While the game still delivers enjoyable zombie combat, it’shardly going to give veteran players a fresh experience and it couldn’tkeep us immersed for more than an hour at a time. RRP: R400. [JK]

We survived the zombies in thefirst Dead Island, but can wesurvive the second instalment ofthe franchise?

Dead Island: Riptide

All in all, however much we tried toenjoy the game, Riptide is hardly goingto give veteran players a freshexperience.

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ithin the first month of its launch.