Smartbuy issue dated November 10, 2010

Smartbuy Business Line

G A D G E T S

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Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A U T O |

L U X U R Y

www.blsmartbuy.com

Boys’ toys - Lambos tested Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 ASUS-Lamborghini VX6

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New iPods reviewed Functional furniture

WHAT’S HOT this week

Team Smartbuy Editorial Anushya Mamtora anushya@thehindu.co.in

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala ketaki@thehindu.co.in

Mahananda Bohidar mahananda@thehindu.co.in

S.Muralidhar muraliswami@thehindu.co.in

Design Bryan Gaughan aqua@thehindu.co.in

Balakrishnan designkbala@thehindu.co.in

Advertising Contact R.Diwakar ramdiwakar@thehindu.co.in 044-28576649 +91 9841270226

Web Advertising Contact N. Amarnath amarnath@thehindu.co.in

Circulation Contact R. Mohanram mohanram@thehindu.co.in

www.blsmartbuy.com

Sound and vision Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 10 The latest display unit from the Swedish company is an addition to its existing range of LED TVs. The new BeoVision is a 32-inch FullHD TV with edge-lit LED display. The unit offers both Master Link connectivity and DVB-HD module. The fascia of the BeoVision 10-32 is part fabric (available in a range of colours) encased in a highgloss, polished aluminium frame. Mount it on your wall or place it on the motorised stands on a table, the 32-inch BeoVision will elegantly own the space it occupies.

To be announced

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Thirst for more?

Motorola Quench XT3 While most companies are going big with their tablets, Motorola has launched the Quench XT3, its miniaturised tablet with a 3.2-inch capacitive screen. The compact device just weighs about 114 grams, is based on Android 2.1, packs in a host of Google services and offers features like pinch-andzoom. The unit also sports a 3-meg camera with digital zoom and LED flash that result in great pics and videos, which you can easily upload to your favourite social networking sites.

Rs 14,990

Gimme some sunshine Logitech K750 The sleek K750 that could adorn your desktop is not just wireless but can be powered by solar energy. The ergonomic keyboard has specially designed Logitech Incurve keys that support the shape of your fingertips as you type. The keyboard has an in-built power indicator that will warn you if it is low on charge. And the best part? You can even charge the keyboard with the light available indoors on days when the sun refuses to peep out! $79.99

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Stay in touch, on the go Jabra GO 660 The latest ear-candy from Jabra features the ‘Noise Blackout Extreme’ that keeps the ambient noise out and helps you carry on with your conversation. With the Jabra LINK 320 USB Bluetooth adapter, you can connect it simultaneously to your desktop or laptop as well as your mobile phone. You have three Ultimate-Fit ear-gels and two sizes of ear buds thrown in with the GO 660.

Rs 6,758

Decked up desktop Dell LED monitors A new range of LED monitors from Dell offer to bring home entertainment to life with Full HD displays optimised for watching movies, gaming and editing multimedia. The stylishly designed monitors have a nicely lit front bezel, intuitive touch controls and a glossy black display. Designed to meet high environmental standards, the ENERGY STAR 5.0 compliant monitors are made of environmentally preferable materials such as arsenic-free glass and mercury-free panels as well. $199.99 onwards

Shoot me! Canon PowerShot G12 Canon’s PowerShot G12 is a powerful combination of a 10-meg CCD sensor and a high-performance DIGIC 4 processor that’s designed to provide outstanding image quality in all lighting conditions, including low light. Other features in the camera include Canon’s proprietary HS System, 720p HD movie recording and Hybrid IS to help capture crystal clear images and videos. The body has a 2.8-inch high-res LCD screen, a multi-control dial as well as a front dial that provides for a quicker manual control. You can transfer the picture you shoot wirelessly with the Eye-Fi connectivity option.

To Be Announced

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NOTEBOOK review

Power up, Lambo style

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala ne look at the 550-2 on this issue’s cover is all it takes to know that Lamborghini is associated with power and luxury, sunny yellow, sexy-styling and top-notch quality. However, the brand is not restricted to the iconic sportscar alone , but, now extends into lifestyle products and other merchandise like clothing and accessories.

Lamborghini has also forayed into co-branded electronics, much like its competitor Ferrari. A few weeks ago, what arrived on our test bench was a turbo-charged netbook, the Asus Lamborghini VX6. Unlike the previous netbooks in this range, the VX6 loses the trademark yellow characteristic and opts instead for demure black or white. We ran this netbook through a series of tests to find out whether it matches up to the Asus and Lambo marks of excellence.

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First look Although we were slightly disappointed not to have a cheery yellow Asus-Lambo unit at hand, the glossy black unit we got for review still made heads turn. With a screen size of 12.1-inches, this netbook is bigger than the standard 10.1 inches we’re used to seeing.

The reflective black plastic cover is so shiny, we could see our faces mirrored on it, and the raised, curved edges add definition.

Near the hinge is a grille that imitates the trademark Lambo honeycomb style grille that the sportscar gets for its nostrils! The gold and black Lambo logo is embossed on the top, giving the netbook a distinctive look.

Power on the laptop and the pre-recorded trademark Lambo ‘engine revving’ sound plays, psyches you and preps you up for the Lambo experience.

Inside, you’ll find a black chiclet style keyboard and palm-rest, which fits snugly in a silver casing. On top of the keyboard, at either side, are two buttons. The one on the left starts up the Asus Express Gate Cloud software and the other is the main power button. The buttons are rectangular with a diagonal bend towards the inside, and

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the main button has a white LED light that flashes when the netbook is powered on.

Between the buttons is another gold embossed Lamborghini logo.

The trackpad is smooth and glossy, and larger than what we’ve seen in a lot of notebooks. The bottom of the trackpad has indicator lights for power, battery, Wi-Fi and a lock icon.

On the left, you’ll find a VGA port, an HDMI port, one USB port and an SD card reader. The right side has two high speed USB 3.0 ports, a headphone and microphone jack, LAN port and a Kensington Lock slot.

Specifications Dimensions - 297 (W) x 204 (D) x 28.67(H) mm Weight - 1.5Kg (w/ 6cell battery) Operating System - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium Display - 12.1” LED Backlight WXGA Screen HD(1366x768) CPU & Chipset - Intel® Atom™ D525 (Dual Core; 1.8GHz) / NM10 Memory - DDRIII SO-DIMM 1GB/ 2GB / 4GB** (Maximum 4GB) Hybrid Storage - 250GB / 320GB HDD + 500GB ASUS WebStorage** Camera - 1.3 meg Input / Output 1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 X USB 2.0, 1 x LAN RJ-45 2 x Audio Jack (Headphone / Mic-in) Battery - 6-cell Li-ion Battery Pack

Photo: S.S. Kumar

Performance

Hardware We were really impressed with the keyboard on the VX6.

If you’re used to a notebook or PC, typing on a cramped netbook keyboard can be difficult at first, but we had no problems getting used to this one from Asus. Keys were well spaced out and gave good tactile feedback, and we were comfortable typing for long hours.

The trackpad was smooth to touch and responsive, and also supported pinch to zoom. We found it easy to zoom out of photos but zooming in posed some problems at times. The physical left and right click buttons on the trackpad are absent and have been replaced by one long button that can be depressed for a left and right click. This feature was quite user-friendly too.

The 1.3-meg webcam provides decent low light performance, however any rapid movements resulted in visible blur.

Videos looked crisp and clear on the 1366x768 widescreen HD display and played without any stagger.

The colour reproduction was impressive. The extra two inches made watching videos a more comfortable experience.

The VX6 comes with Bang & Olufsen speakers, and provided impressive sound, by netbook standards. However, they are placed at the bottom, which often leads to sound getting muffled when the VX6 is on your lap.We felt that the 320GB hard drive was sufficient for most storage needs.

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The VX6 is powered by an Intel Dual Core D525 1.83 GHz processor. The unit that will be commercially available in India will ship with 2GB RAM, however the unit we got for review came with 4GB of RAM. We were able to multi-task without any strain on the laptop, with multiple browser windows open, and we switched between running videos, music and photos quite smoothly.

Graphics are powered by NVIDIA Ion and the netbook also comes with the Optimus technology which enables you to switch between graphics automatically, which we first tried on the Asus Bamboo U43Jc that we reviewed a few weeks ago. We also tested the Streetfighter IV Benchmark game, and were impressed with the quality of the graphics.

However, we suspect that playing hard-core PC games on this would be a bit of a letdown.With the Wi-Fi on, we played a few videos, surfed the web and played some music and the battery ran out in three and a half hours. Our Verdict The Asus Lamborghini VX6 is definitely more stylish than its other small counterparts, and its dual core processor definitely makes it a better performer. The Lambo branding does make it a collector’s item, but the question is whether you will be convinced it’s worth the elevated price tag.

Love: Stylish looks, good graphics performance Hate: Pricey, average battery life Rs 42,999

SOUND bytes Ketaki Bhojnagarwala Mahananda Bohidar

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efore Apple Inc. stepped into the industry with its line of music players, one would just say, “Hey! Check out my new Mp3 player!”

You know for certain that Apple iPods have carved out a distinctive niche in the portable music world as they are the only ones which are probably never referred to as just another Mp3 or music player .

The iPods succeeded in transcending the ‘generic’ very early in the game. But do they continue to work their magic with the latest in the range – the iPod Touch (4th Gen), iPod Nano (6th Gen) and iPod Shuffle (4th Gen)? Here’s the answer.

Taking a bite of the perfect family

Touch, like never before Apple iPod Touch The fourth generation Apple iTouch is now closer to iPhone territory than ever. At first glance, you can see that it is visibly thinner, flat on the back and with curved edges, so it fits nicely in your the palm.

The next feature you notice is the inclusion of a tiny camera on the top, which you can now use to make Face Time calls to iPhone 4s and compatible Macs.

A camera has been integrated on the top left corner on the back, which is designed for HD recording but can also be used to capture stills. There is also an integrated speaker located at the bottom, which is encased in a tiny grille.

We were pleasantly surprised by how loud the speaker was, considering its size. Next to the speaker is a standard dock, and on the other side is a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The unit still ships with the average white iPod earphones, so we’d recommend you invest in a good pair from brands such as Sennheiser or Bose if you are picky about the quality of reproduction.

Unlike the single button we saw on previous iTouch models, the volume rocker switch has been replaced by two separate buttons.

The iTouch ships with an A4 processor, three-axis gyro sensor and a Retina display, taking on the iPhone 4 head to head. The only obvious difference being the fact that you can’t make calls with the iTouch.

The HD video recorder takes crisp and clear videos, and once you’re done with them you can either choose to email them or upload them directly to YouTube.Of course, if you’re looking at stills, the camera doesn’t compare to the 5-megger you get on the iPhone 4.

You can switch cameras by touching a button on the top of the screen, and both the cameras let you use tap to focus.

Gaming on the iTouch is still an engrossing experience. We tried the usual Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies and Guitar Hero on the player.

We even checked out a few pre-loaded racing games on the iTouch, and found that the new gyro sensor gave us better control than before.

There is a pre-installed app called the Game Centre, which keeps tabs on all your scores on the different games you play.

Rs 15,400 onwards

Apple iPod Nano

Photo: S.S. Kumar

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‘Tis time for FaceTime We also got to try the new FaceTime video-chat feature on the new new iPod Touch. With FaceTime, you have the option of communicating via video with your iPod Touch, iPhone or a Mac. We connected the iPod Touch test unit to a Mac, which was running the Beta version of FaceTime. After logging in with our Apple ids, connecting via FaceTime was almost immediate, very similar to the time taken to connect a voice call. The sound quality was good but the volume relayed from the Mac to the iPod Touch was not as loud as it was the other way around. This, however, could have been a minor issue with the Mac itself. The video-calling experience was smooth and the images transmitted were excellent.

One feature that won us over was the ability to effortlessly switch from the front cam to the rear one. This would be amazing to put to use if you are showing off your newly done-up home to your family abroad or are travelling to a new place and want to share the experience with your friends back home.

One small melody Apple iPod Nano In the five years since the 1st gen iPod Nano was released, the latest iPod Nano is the first one to integrate touch capabilities.

Apple deserves credit for having worked on a small screen real estate and still being able to offer a comfortably responsive touch interface.

Add to it the fact that the Nano, without doubt, delivers the kind of good sound quality that people have, by now, started associating Apple iPods with.

While a lot of the hullabaloo was about the ‘Multitouch gestures’ that the 6th Gen Nano is capable of, we were surprised (not too pleasantly) to discover that when the company says ‘Multi touch’ it just means that we can use two fingers to rotate only the display in any direction we want to.

The tiny 1.54-inch screen has an impressive display and feels quite adequate as you thumb through your music, swap tracks or show off your photographs.

For some of us who have trouble remembering where we kept our tiny little iPod, there’s a clip-on which comes handy.

Even if you choose to go for a run or want to tune in during your daily commute, the Nano, clipped on, makes a perfectly hassle-free companion.

While the screen is very impressive, playing around with the functions or thumbing through your music once in a while, really drains out the battery.

It might be able to come close to Apple’s claim of a battery life of about 24 hours of music (after a full charge) only if you do not keep activating and making use of the touch screen too often.

Rs 10,700 onwards

Dare to bare Apple iPod Shuffle The 4th Gen Shuffle has no resemblance whatsoever to its predecessor, which was a thin, sleek device with absolutely no buttons on the body. The familiar trademark Apple click wheel is back, bang at the centre of the petite device.

With all the songs that we loaded, we could use the tiny ‘Power’ button on the top of the Shuffle to customise to play the tracks in order or shuffle them.

Keep the slider at the centre of the tiny slot to be able to listen to tracks in the order that you’ve stored them or shift it to the left to turn the ‘Shuffle’ feature on.

Next to the headphone jack is the indicator that flashes orange or green depending on the functions you are running or warnings that the player might want to alert you to.

The 4th Gen iPod Shuffle carries over the VoiceOver technology from the previous generation that ‘speaks to you’ in a way of alerting you if the battery is low, reading aloud music track names and such little interactions.

Small and with no-frills, the new Shuffle is the ideal device for someone who just wants to plug in and play on without any other distractions.

Apple iPod Shuffle

Apple iPod Touch

Rs 3,200 onwards

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AUTO focus

Photos: S. Muralidhar

Back to the future for Lambo S.Muralidhar amborghini’s punch line in much of its advertising and brand promotion reads ‘The world’s most uncompromising sportscar brand’. To really experience this iconic super car and appreciate the sincerity behind that statement, you need to drive one to full potential.

What better place to push a Lambo to its limits than a Formula One racetrack. After all it would seem that there is much in common between the F1 car and the Lambo. On average they are about the same length and width and are built with similar performance purposes. Not top speed, but acceleration is the key parameter for both. And high speed cornering ability is a genetic inheritance in both cases.

Driving a Lambo on regular roads is a relatively easy proposition, though you can’t truly appreciate the car. Put one on a track and it can open your eyes. First of course, you experience this inexorable urge to drive the Lambo but are also intimidated by your driving skills or the lack of it. The Lambo can be a completely different animal on the track and taming it takes some skill.

These thoughts are running through my mind as I stare out of the windscreen of the new LP 550-2 parked on the pit lane at the Shanghai International Circuit. Behind me, the Lambo’s 5.2-litre V10 engine is letting out its baritone sonata waiting for my next move.

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I was at the impressive Shanghai circuit at the invitation of Lamborghini and we were driving the new LP 550-2, the same model that was also offered as a limited Valentino Balboni edition, to honour Lambo’s most famous test driver of 40 years. The LP 550-2 has performance figures that are somewhat comparable with F1 cars – top speed of 320 kmph, and acceleration from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.9 seconds. And unlike the Gallardo LP 560-4, this one had even more comparables with the F1 car because, like the latter, power is delivered by the engine only to the rear wheels in this Lambo too.

The Italian Job The Gallardo LP 550-2 is a pure bred Lamborghini. It marks a kind of return to the exciting edginess of the rear-wheel drive layout for the Gallardo. Meant to appease fans of the raging bull that expect a very high level of hands-on involvement, the LP 550-2 also continues to be an extremely safe super sports car.

At the Shanghai track, I shift up with the steeringmounted paddles, exit the pit lane that runs parallel to the main straight and negotiate the first of a total of 16 turns.

The LP 550-2’s engine starts to warm up. The next seven turns and the short straights between breeze by, though I have only just started to stretch my legs in the wheel well.

I make the last turn to the main straight and finally floor the throttle eagerly. The LP 550-2 takes off. Even for

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drivers who live with super cars every day, the raw power and acceleration ability of the Lambo can give an adrenaline rush like no other. The engine spools up and munches tarmac so fast, that I’m forced to double shift up the six-speed gearbox to prevent the engine from overheating.

The main straight is a shade shorter than a kilometre and by the time I slam on the brakes to take on the right turn at the end, the LP 550-2’s speed had crossed 230 kmph. Remarkable, backrest-pinning acceleration by the Gallardo LP 550-2, which you can actually feel. And, mind you, I was only driving in regular auto mode, not on Sports or Lambo’s proprietary Corsa modes. Of course, the top speed limited at 320 kmph was still some way to go.

The most important technical characteristics of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 can easily be identified from the model name – LP, which stands for ‘Longitudinale Posteriore’, the longitudinal mid-engine mounted just in front of the rear axle, while the ‘550’ refers to the output in bhp/ CV and the ‘2’ stands for (two-wheel) rear-wheel drive. In its first incarnation, the new technology was deployed in the limited edition Valentino Balboni model, which was restricted to 250 units.

The right genes In the LP 550-2, the standard Gallardo’s main features are carried over. Of course, one of the key attributes that also gets carried forward is the model’s excellent directional

stability at high speeds. The aluminium spaceframe chassis is uncompromisingly hi-tech. All four wheels run on aluminium double wishbones with specific kinematics in the front and the rear, which further aids the super sportscar’s excellent handling.

The rubber-metal bearings are further hi-tech elements, supporting Lamborghini’s distinctive handling characteristics.

The rack-and-pinion steering gives the driver a close connection with the road, delivering an intense appreciation of dynamic forces and momentum.

Precise, breathtakingly fast, yet safe and reliable – the Gallardo LP 550-2 truly allows the driver to experience its full dynamic capability. The tyres – 235/35 ZR 19 front and 295/30 ZR 19 rear – almost seem to mesh with the tarmac at the racetrack. They come from the Pirelli P Zero series and were developed specifically for Lamborghini LP 550-2, featuring extremely low rolling resistance and simultaneously also helping reduce fuel consumption.

While the front axle steers with the highest precision levels, the new chassis set-up consistently and reliably maintains the stability of the rear, thus limiting body rolling and pitching to an absolute minimum.

In order to shape a unique character combination of fun and safety, engineers in Sant’Agata Bolognese have carried out extensive modifications to the LP 550-2.

It was not simply a matter of focusing on changes to the rear axle: the car’s entire dynamic set-up has been changed, including springs, dampers, stabilisers and tyres.

The aerodynamics was also adjusted to take into account the new power distribution.

pulling power throughout the rev range.

The powertrain is also unusually wide for a V10 and its design offers the added advantage of a low centre of gravity. The dry sump lubrication serves the same purpose, while also ensuring reliable oil supply, even under heavy lateral acceleration on the race track.

The V10 uses petrol direct injection ‘Iniezione Diretta Stratificata’ as an innovative means to achieve optimum performance versus moderate fuel consumption. Direct injection supports the excellent performance of the V10 under full load, reduces knocking tendencies and as a result also enables the very high compression ratio of 12.5:1.

Thanks to the exceptionally powerful V10 engine, controlled oversteer is also very easy to achieve. I got to experience this too a few laps later, when a bit of opposite locking was needed to pull out of the oversteer situation.

Thanks to its consistent handling characteristics, and the ESP assistance system specifically redeveloped for this vehicle, the Gallardo LP 550-2 is one of the most safest sportscars available.

Responsible power The heart of the Gallardo has also been retuned, and its characteristics optimised for rear-wheel drive In the LP 550-2, the compact and lightweight power unit generates 405 kW (550 bhp) for a car whose dry weight is only 1,380 kilograms, guaranteeing amazing performance.

The engine‘s displacement of 5,204 cc boasts, alongside the extreme specific output of 105.7 bhp per litre, a maximum of 540 Nm of torque which is sent to the crankshaft at 6,500 rpm. The ample torque curve ensures outstanding

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Me, Myself and …

In keeping with the image of the Gallardo as a super sports car that can be driven safely on the track and on regular roads, Lamborghini has given the LP 550-2 generous and sporty equipment as standard. Driver, passenger and side/ thorax airbags are fitted, as well as two-zone adjustable climate control, radio, TFT display and USB/iPod interface. Seats in fine leather upholstery include electrically adjustable backrests. It is also provided with bi-xenon

headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The wheels sport the Apollo double-spoke design and the brake callipers have a black finish.

Further options add to the comfort levels – these include a navigation system, a Bluetooth hands-free system, an anti-theft warning system and a rear view camera. Also available as an option is the Lifting System (front axle height control), which clears obstacles by raising the front at the touch of a button – will come in handy when you are faced with a speed breaker on our roads.

For buyers who are looking for bespoke options in their own Lambo, the possibilities presented by the ‘Ad Personam’ individualisation program are virtually inexhaustible.

A supersports car is a powerful expression of its owner’s personality, and should fit perfectly with their ideas and desires. ‘Ad Personam’ offers a host of options enabling buyers to add their own particular style both to the interior and exterior of their Lamborghini.

The latest product to be developed by Lamborghini is conceived especially for those drivers that want to relive and analyse their performance. The set, comprising a video camera and recorder, as well as a telemetry unit, enables professional evaluation of scenarios such as racetrack laps – all incorporated into an extremely easy-to-use system.

My laps at Shanghai in the LP 550-2 were also recorded using this new system. It was meant to preserve the moment for posterity. But, I’m guessing it will also replay in high-def who was in control – the car or the driver!

Top: The sound of the V10 reverberated thanks to the curved roof of the Shanghai track’s Grandstand Middle: If you’ve been wondering what’s inside the bonnet of a Lambo.

Enough space for a couple of briefcases.

Bottom: Double-stitched leather and meticulously machined aluminium knobs – the classic Lambo touch for the interiors of the LP 550-2

MELANGE luxury redefined

Juicy bites Revlon’s latest is its Just Bitten LipStain by ColorStay that promises to give you some ‘kiss-proof’ shiny and moisturised lips.

In ten attractive hues, the pout magnet is available at lifestyle and cosmetic stores.

Rs 750

Sparklers for men Of the sober kind though, as Alfred Dunhill unveils its latest collection of cufflinks for Autumn Winter 2010.

Pink gold with diamonds, brass and sterling silver, men can take their pick at its boutiques for a dapper look.

Price on request

Make a note Kick-started Christmas shopping? Then Moschino’s Sketches notebook covered in a printed fabric with the iconic sketches of Franco Moschino can be ideal for that to-do-list obsessed friend. Available at Moschino boutiques.

25 Euros

Bag-drobe friendly!

In a vibrant range of gold, red, purple and green, Hidesign’s festive collection of bags is fun to sling around at work or play. This hobo in faux croco and lamb has an old-world bow for a vintage charm. Take a peek at Hidesign stores across India.

Rs 3,195 (bag in pic)

For Porsche fans If this German luxury automobile maker has won your heart, this fragrance might too. Casing an intense version of the original, ‘The Essence Intense’ incorporates Sybirian pine, black pepper, cinnamon, vetiver and blueberry, among other notes and the sleek aluminium container is a winner all the way. Available at its store at Emporio Mall, New Delhi.

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PREMIUM interiors Stackables from Patio

Voila! Fun Functional Furniture A cabinet in the morning, a table for four in the evening, a storage unit at night.

With shrinking spaces and expanding demands, classic and funky multifunctional furniture is the new norm, says ANUSHYA MAMTORA

Coffee table from PortsideCafe

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decade ago, the most adventurous one could get with a piece of furniture was a wall mounted table that could be folded away when not in use or a simple sofa that could stretch into a bed for your guests at night. Today, multifunctional furniture is common among young homemakers who live in apartments and are always on the move. And we are not talking of those make shift and whacky ones which are promoted by tele shopping episodes on TV, but some sturdy ones from reputed national and international brands that will stay with you and serve you for a long time to come.

The basics For those who are really hard pressed for space, there are some simple yet extremely useful pieces of furniture that are popular among space savers. The drop-leaf table is one such. If your home is the most sought after destination for parties and a large table is too huge for the room as well as

your family, pick up a drop-leaf that can be expanded on all four sides to make a two or four seater into a six-seater or more.

Similarly, a sofa for two can be converted into a threeseater with extra options like making it a chaise lounge or even changing the direction and proportions to make it take the shape of any space you have. While Living in Style has an interesting range of single sofas that can be made into a comfy bed, Ebony Gautier’s sofas can be extended to become a chaise lounge.

The latest entrant into the Indian home space, Italian brand Poltrona Frau’s Massimosistema range of sofas is a luxurious way of managing living room space as the sofas can be changed to a dormeause, two-seater or three-seater as per your convenience.

Stylish entrants There have been a slew of chic functional pieces that have

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hit the market too. Coffee tables doubling up as storage, little chairs that can be arranged into an artefact when not in use, a full fledged bar hiding inside a trunk… designers and companies are letting their creative juices ooze out as they craft some simple yet unique concepts. PortsideCafe is one such store that has a neat range of functional pieces that can easily blend into the décor of any modern home.

Some interesting ones include a kitschy coffee table modelled like a suitcase, quaint bar units that miraculously appear from an ancient trunk and an aesthetic ‘library sofa’ with inbuilt book shelves for those who love to pile on books but don’t have space for racks.

Also an ideal pick as garden or terrace furniture is ‘Stackables’ from Patios. The cute little chairs and table can be stacked up into a vase after a round of evening tea.

Ebony Gautier’s ‘Cocktail console’ is a dream come true for apartment dwellers who want to alternate between a console to stock displays and a dining table!

Isidoro drinks cabinet: Poltrona Frau

Ebony Gautier’s Cocktail Console

Bar bar dekho Are you a connoisseur who likes to display your finest bottles of malts and wines in a mini bar unit but worry about your spouse complaining of giving away a portion of the living room? Then functional bar units are your best bet. The trend today is to conceal your special collection in a unit that resembles a trunk or wardrobe but transforms

into an amazing bar with all the appropriate slots when open. Poltrona Frau’s Isidoro cabinet opens like a book with glass and bottle holders with metal rings and a folding shelf that can be used to mix the drinks. On the outside, the saddle leather covering adds class to the display.

PortsideCafe’s whacky range of bar units are also fun to sport and easy to use and comes in four varieties – Wardrobe, Trunk, Captain Cabin and Fragile. While the War-

drobe comes with a foldable table to double up as a service counter, the Trunk has a small pull out tray, the Captain Cabin in leather tones can be stacked away as a neat cabinet and Fragile which resembles wooden crates is an old-world living room display that houses all your liquor.

Whether dual, functional or multifunctional, it’s useful furniture with an appealing twist that is ruling the modern furniture roost.

New launches The D factor Intricate roses crafted in brass with high gloss nickel plated finish, Gautam Dhawan’s newly designed Rozdip mirror is a wall mounted beauty. Available at Exhibit D, New Delhi.

Rs 95,000

Cheery vases In bright yellow with a lovely pink flowers, Casa Paradox adds to the festive season with these gorgeous vases. Available at its store in New Delhi.

Price on request

Divine seating Tangent’s latest is its Divino range of sofas that are super comfy to lounge around in and are available in full and half leather at Tangent – The Furniture Mall.

Price on request

TASTER’S choice

Bourbon’s comeback led by cult labels 1975. “We knew we had problems with the burn on the back of the palate, which comes mainly from grains. We asked ourselves, can we create a Bourbon in the Maker’s Mark style people already love that is really, well, yummy.”

Together with Master Distiller Kevin Smith, Samuels sought to intensify Makers Mark’s nose, length and style of finish. After numerous attempts, they turned to Brad Boswell of Independent Stave Co., who recommended Maker’s Bourbon be finished in the original aging barrels but with the insertion of one-inch thick French oak staves seared (“toasted”) on both sides, which, over two to three months further aging, imparted considerable sweet spice to the Bourbon. The result was ‘46’.

Robust Style

Photos: Bloomberg

John Mariani t was the “burn” that was the problem.

In the 1980s the Bourbon industry was dying — distilleries were closing and people were being thrown out of work, said Bill Samuels Jr., president of Loretto, Kentucky-based Maker’s Mark distillery Inc. “The whole category was regarded as unsophisticated brown liquor with too much burn on the palate,” Samuels told me over dinner at Pat’s Steakhouse in Louisville, Kentucky. “Traditional Bourbons were regarded as something your grandpa drank on the porch. Thank God for Kentucky Derby Day — at least a lot of Bourbon got sold in mint juleps.”

Samuels, 70, with his father Bill, Sr., began trying to bring Bourbon back to favour in 1958 with their slightly sweeter and much smoother Maker’s Mark, made in copper stills which most Bourbon producers had abandoned.

The success of Maker’s Mark changed things rapidly and Kentucky’s 10 distill-

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eries all altered formulas, styles and marketing. Many came out with “small batch” and “single barrel” styles, such as the Buffalo Trace Distillery owned by the Sazerac Co., whose 2010 Antique Collection of limited- release Bourbons includes Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, George T. Stagg uncut and unfiltered 143 proof, and William Larue Weller, a wheat recipe Bourbon also uncut and unfiltered, at 126.6 proof.

According to the Distilled Spirits Council, in 2009, a healthy 15 million 9-litre cases of Bourbon & Tennessee whiskey were sold in the U.S.

Rampant Competition Facing such rampant competition, Bill Samuels knew Makers Mark, owned by Fortune Brands, had to come up with a new product without distancing its faithful customer base.

“We’d spent so much time and focus on simply not screwing up the product that we didn’t innovate,” said Samuels, who once studied rocket science, then law, before joining the family Bourbon business in

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“Maker’s Mark was created in the 1950s for people who didn’t like Bourbon,” Samuels said. “‘46’ is for people who like Maker’s Mark as well as other, more robust styles of Bourbon.”

On taking my first sip of ‘46’, which is named after the special staves Boswell created, a tangy, spicy burn ran along the edges of my palate, not the back of it. It tasted of cinnamon and black pepper, followed by vanilla and caramel notes, then a very long, lingering finish with all those components in sync. It is certainly one of the best Bourbons I’ve tasted, and at only about $35 a bottle and 94 proof, compared to the original Maker’s Mark at $25 at 90 proof, it’s an achievement that has become a cult favourite within a few months of release.

Samuels rolled ‘46’ out without fanfare or

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advertising, yet the 2010 supply of 35,000 cases will be sold out by January and will soon be on allocation. Samuels notes happily that there has been “zero negative impact on sales” of the original Maker’s Mark brand.

Jack Daniel’s I also tasted Jack Daniel’s Special Barrel Select, which is a Tennessee Whiskey, by law made with sour mash and filtered through a thick layer of maple charcoal before aging. Jack Daniel’s original formula, called Old. No. 7, has been joined by Gentleman Jack and, more recently, Single Barrel Select.

The latter was sampled as part of the 100th Anniversary of Nashville’s grand Hermitage Hotel, whose chef Tyler Brown conferred with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jeff Arnett to choose a cache of just 240 bottles with a Hermitage Hotel Centennial seal.

I found it a superb, soft but very bright whiskey, with both an edge and a supple sweetness that gave it depth and huge complexity. Depending on how you look at it, the availability of this whiskey only at the hotel’s Capitol Grille and Oak Bar can be frustrating or good reason to get into the spirit of the hotel’s history, a place where a lot of years ago a Tennessee girl named Dinah Shore used to croon “Skylark,” “Blues in the Night,” and “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You.” (The author writes on wine for Muse, the arts and lifestyle service of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

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