Smartbuy issue dated June 29, 2011

Smartbuy Business Line

G A D G E T S

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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A U T O |

L U X U R Y

www.blsmartbuy.com

Grand lady, grander experience At the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Page 12

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BlackBerry Playbook Future of Air Travel

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

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

www.blsmartbuy.com Become a fan of our Facebook page: BL Smartbuy Follow us on Twitter

Carry your style

Creative D80

This snazzy one-piece Bluetooth speaker from Creative comes in an array of funky colours like pink, blue, green and black to match your style. Small enough to fit in your backpack, you can connect up any Bluetooth device including your phone and tablet in a few simple steps. Dual 3-inch full range drivers provide dynamic audio, and an integrated AUX-in allows connection to other audio devices.

Rs 2,699

Cover photo: S.Muralidhar

Big-screen wonder

HTC Sensation A 4.3-inch HD display adorns the HTC Sensation, at the heart of which beats a powerful, 1.2-GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor. The smartphone’s 8-megapixel camera features ‘Instant Capture’ and is capable of shooting high-def videos at 1080p.

Rs 32,700

Up in the air

Iomega Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition The new single-drive Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition from Iomega makes it easy for you to share files, photos, slideshows, music libraries and other files with anyone you want, anywhere in the world. The device allows one-touch copying with the QuikTransfer button on the front panel. The drive comes in 1TB and 2TB capacities.

Rs 7,999 (1TB); Rs 9,999 (2TB)

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Sexy screen

BenQ EW2430V

This multimedia monitor from BenQ is equipped with a True 8-bit VA LED panel with a viewing angle of 178°. Smart focus helps you concentrate on the main viewing content when a selected portion of the screen is highlighted. PIP/BIB technology allows you to display two different incoming visual contents separately to maximise entertainment. Connectivity options include 2 HDMI ports, 4 USB ports, headphone jack and component jack.

Rs 17,200

Wirefree music

Logitech Z120

Think small!

Lenovo ThinkPad X1

The latest in the ThinkPad lineup, the X1 features a 13.3-inch super bright infinity screen made with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. For a fully fledged multimedia experience, you have Dolby Home Theatre V4, HDMI and an HD webcam. The rapid charge function allows you to recharge batteries up to 80 per cent in only 30 minutes.

Weighing under 2 kgs, it’s the perfect travel companion.

Rs 85,000 onwards

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The brand new speakers from Logitech are designed to connect to just about any audio source that uses a 3.5 mm plug and is easily powered via the USB port on your laptop or netbook. The compact pair does away without the clutter of unsightly cords and allows you to take it along wherever you go.

Rs 775

TABLET review Ketaki Bhojnagarwala hen the BlackBerry Playbook was announced last year, there was a lot of talk about it being an ‘iPad killer’. At the time, the main contenders in the smartphone category were Apple and BlackBerry. This week, the Playbook was finally officially launched in the Indian market. Unfortunately for BlackBerry, the dark horse better known as Android has in that time, leveraged its way up to the top of the ladder. All anyone can talk about these days are Honeycomb tablets, and of course, the formidable iPad 2. So does the Playbook have what it takes to stand its ground?

Playing the

W Hands-on

Like the iPads, the Playbook is available in three storage capacities – 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. Unlike the iPads, the Playbook has a nice selection of connectivity ports – mini USB, micro HDMI and a three-pronged port for the optional docking station. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, and grilled stereo speakers on either side of the black bezel, which deliver great sound - for a tablet. Crisp, clear and with ample loudness, it was great to watch a movie or listen to our favourite tunes. The only physical controls are a power button, volume up and down, and a play/pause button in between. These were really iffy, and caused a lot of frustration after many futile attempts jabbing at them. They work ok if you manage to get a fingernail into the picture, but if you’re not one for manicures, then you might find it a problem. There are two cameras, a 3-meg front camera and a 5-meg rear cam. Videos displayed a lot of detail, with good colour reproduction. The best part, both the cams support Full 1080p HD recording.

Now let’s look at the screen. Saving the best for last really applies in this case. The 7-inch 1024x600 HD screen not only feels as smooth as silk, but is one of the best I’ve seen on any tablet so far. I spent hours watching videos on the Playbook – trailers on YouTube, episodes of Grey’s Anatomy on Sidereel, and media that I loaded on – two entire seasons of Archer and even an HD version of Tangled. Excellent colour reproduction, sharp detail, no stagger between frames. Unlike the Acer Iconia Tab I reviewed a couple of weeks ago, there was no visible pixelation on the screen. One of the USPs of the Playbook of course is embedded Adobe Flash 10.1 support – you don’t even have to download an update. Over a high-speed Wi-Fi connection, I was able to load Cartier’s Flash website in under a minute.

User interface First time users of the Playbook are likely to get a tad befuddled by the tablet – primarily because there are no indicators or buttons to enable navigation. Instead, the Playbook functions on an entirely ‘gestural’ interface. So even though you can lock or unlock the screen by depressing the power button on top, you can also swipe upwards on a blank screen to revive the Playbook. Like the new BlackBerry smartphone interfaces, the Menu screen displays the first row of icons at the bottom of the screen. You swipe upwards to bring up the entire Menu screen, and downwards to close it. Swipe downwards on the notification bar, and you get the settings menu. Similarly, to close an application, you just swipe upwards, which will minimise it as a large-ish icon on the top half of the home screen. To close it completely, you swipe it upwards again. You can navigate between open apps by swiping from side to side. I know this must sound complicated, but trust me, it takes just a couple of minutes to get the hang of it. The only thing I would advise is that if you’re planning to buy a Playbook, make sure you get a demo first.

Photos: S.S. Kumar

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right game?

Performance The processor is a snappy dual-core, 1GHz TI OMAP. The Playbook runs on the QNX OS, with 1GB of RAM. Our team got this unit a few weeks before the launch date, and even though earlier review units have had updates to the software, we were prompted to download another update a few days after we started using it. Overall, the tablet is quite zippy on the performance front. I managed to use it without any glitches with three or four apps running in the background. Occasionally, I’d notice the corners of the screen glowing red, but this is only BlackBerry’s way of telling you that the memory is running low, so you just need to zap out a few running apps and then everything goes back to normal.

You can also delete any media content you’ve downloaded on to the Playbook, a win for someone who’s used to the iPad’s strict interface.

The Playbook as of now has only a Wi-Fi model, so you won’t be able to insert your 3G SIM card for fast browsing speeds. The idea is of course, that you buy a Playbook because you’re an existing BlackBerry user. You can use Internet Tethering to utilise your BlackBerry’s data plan once you pair them up.The Playbook offers approximately seven hours of battery life. I only had to charge it once every two days, with a few hours of video playback and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.

The biggest boo-boo of the Playbook is of course the lack of a dedicated email app. That’s right. You can’t configure an email account to the tablet unless you ‘Bridge’ your smartphone to it. Setting up the Bridge was a relatively simple procedure. Download the free app on your BlackBerry, and then follow the steps on the Playbook. It’ll prompt you to ‘scan’ a barcode, after which it pairs. You’ll immediately see a bunch of new icons at the bottom of the menu screen – your Email, Calendar, BBM, etc. On the Playbook’s larger screen, these apps actually look pretty impressive. The Playbook stores only a cached copy of your inboxes, so the data gets wiped clean once you unpair your phone. The downside of course is that if you don’t have your phone on you, you won’t be able to access any of the BlackBerry services.

Media The most disappointing thing about the Playbook was the App World. Because QNX is a new OS, a lot of the BlackBerry apps aren’t compatible with it yet. So that means you don’t have a Twitter app, Angry Birds and Skype (as of now you can only make video calls to other Playbook users, since the tablet doesn’t support VOIP). There isn’t much to choose from in the App World, and most of the paid apps have terrible reviews. The few free apps that we downloaded were quite disappointing, and apart from Need for Speed, we didn’t find anything interesting.

The WebKit browser was quite peppy, and it (sort of) offers tabbed browsing. The two cameras gave good results in bright light, although the only mode options are Auto and Sport – a weird combination. The HDMI-out lets you stream high-def content on to your telly via the Playbook, or even presentations at the office.

Our Verdict The biggest issue with the Playbook, as with all other RIM devices, is that you don’t get to exploit its full potential unless you subscribe to the BlackBerry services. So while this means that the tablet is the obvious choice for BlackBerry users, it’s not the best option for the vast majority tablet buyers who are not.

Love: Crystal clear screen, good connectivity options Hate: Disappointing App World, not so attractive for non-BB users 16GB: Rs 27,990; 32GB: Rs 32,990; 64GB: Rs 37,990

FLIGHT of fantasy

Mach-ing geography history!

I

t was noisy even in the cabin, and it was relatively cramped, but the Concorde’s grace and ability to get you from New York to London before you had left has meant that we’re still utterly captivated by supersonic air travel.

With its beak-like nose and sleek shape, it became known over its short life span, beginning in the 1960s as the Great White Bird of the skies, prone to make observers on the ground misty-eyed even as it thundered above. After all, it was a time when we thought travel to the moon would become commonplace in just a matter of years. The Concorde made geography disappear, it encapsulated hopes and dreams.

It screamed: the future!

That fascination with supersonic travel and the Concorde is nowhere more evident than at the Paris Airshow. The Concorde, housed in a corner of Le Bourget’s air museum, attracts a steady stream of visitors – holding up respectably against the latest nimble military aircraft and helicopters, and ultra-luxury superjets being paraded around outside.

When three Concordes touched down for the very last time back in 2003, a revamped version seemed almost inevitable – surely with all the aerospace technology out there, a Concorde 2.0 would soon follow? Eight years on we’re still waiting. But, just when you thought that it might be in vain, at last week’s Paris Airshow those hopes have received fresh impetus with two concept planes being unveiled.

Most tangible of all is French titan EADS’s Zero Emission Hypersonic Transportation – ZEHST for short - which the company says could be ready for commercial use as early as 2040, and with an unmanned drone possible in the next ten

years.

Standing in front of a large mock-up of the plane at Le Bourget, EADS’ chief technical officer, Jean Botti, readily admits there’s still a long way to go, but has a grip on its fundamentals. The shape will be similar to that of the Concorde – a tribute, say EADS, to the designers of the original all those decades back. Tickets will be priced somewhere between that for a Concorde and your standard private jet.

The plane will be powered by three sets of engines – regular turbo engines, powered by algae-based biofuel that allow the plane to take-off; two rocket engines run by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen that get you from Mach 0.8 to Mach 2.0; and finally a set of bio-fuelled ram jets that take you all the way to Mach 4, 32 kilometres above the surface of the earth. Two and a half hours after leaving Paris, you could be in Tokyo. That’ll be the end of in-flight entertainment!

On descent, the plane will glide down engineless from its maximum height till it enters the atmosphere, at which point the turbo engines will kick in, taking you down gently – like a normal plane.

EADS engineers say they want to completely disconnect from the past, touting the plane’s green credentials as well as its ‘softer’ side. Unlike the Concorde’s infamous sonic boom, the ZEHST’s will be

more concentrated and contained, taking the plane up at a steeper slope, while above the atmosphere you won’t hear a thing.

The sonic boom as it lands will be directed above the plane as it descends into the atmosphere, also containing it. For those worried about the angle of take-off and landing, that won’t be an issue either apparently: the plane’s seats will adjust to the slope to give a passenger a totally nonrollercoaster experience.

As for comfort, the planes could even have some of the features of the concept plane that its Airbus subsidiary is talking about – like seats that mould to your body shape, and ‘intelligent’ cabin wall membranes that can control the air temperature around you.

If this all sounds a bit hyperbolic, a little known company called HyperMach Europe Aeronautics is taking things one step further. The Sonic Star, which HyperMach is planning to sell by 2021 may not be as fast as the ZEHST (it will go up to Mach 3.6), and may not fly as high ( about 18.9 kilometers) but is flashier, with a number of different interiors being planned for the 2.6 metre high, 2.7 meter wide cabin. Master bedrooms, bathing facilities, lounges and dining accommodation are all possibilities, says its enthusiastic CEO, Richard Lugg.

HyperMach is planning a green version too, using a Hybrid engine called an S-

Imagine travelling so fast that your conversations become history even before they can be heard! Before it was grounded, the Concorde made it possible to travel faster than sound. Now, a new breed of aircraft is in the wings, and will rewrite the way we fly in the future. VIDYA RAM reports live from the Paris Airshow MAGJET 4000X designed by its partner SonicBlue. What’s more, it claims to have technology able to drastically cut the sonic boom overland. While HyperMach won’t be drawn on who the company’s partners are going to be, it is confident on timing: the certification process will kick off as early as next year.

HyperMach is right to be hasty. U.Sbased Aerion Corporation – not on show at Le Bourget - is well under way with plans to build its Supersonic Business Jet capable of achieving Mach 1.6, using two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 series engines - flying from Paris to New York in four and a quarter hours. The company says it has already received around 50 letters of intent and around $80 million in deposits for aircraft orders, while it completed preliminary flight tests of up to Mach 2 in collaboration with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Centre, last year.

While the supersonic planes generated no end of excitement at the airshow this week, there was also considerable scepticism – more on the sheer costs of the project than the technology – which already exists for space travel. With planes targeted at value, short-haul travel (such as the Airbus A320) being the show’s big sellers, will there be enough demand driven by the sheer ability to travel from Paris to Hong Kong and back within a day to make the projects worthwhile?

And why not call it a Concorde? Botti laughs loud when I ask this question. “No, no, no…not a Concorde,” he says. ”If you want to kill this thing off call it a Concorde.” It was a technical marvel, but the Concorde was also noisy and very polluting. “We’re talking about a different animal here.”

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AUTO focus

The M, now in an XS The rear gets a similar treatment, with four tailpipes, an integrated spoiler in the trunk lid, and an air diffuser low enough to brush the tarmac. The entire car is so anchored to the ground that it seems to be built from the asphalt up.

The 3.0-litre, six-cylinder motor has twin turbochargers, which force extra air into the system. It makes 335 horsepower, 35 more than the engine in the already fast 135i. An unfair advantage over the other M cars which have naturally breathing engines? You bet. There’s a reason oxygen doping is illegal in sports.

Jason H. Harper ut the BMW 1 Series M in a line-up of small sporty cars, and you’d choose it as the vehicle most likely to have taken performance-enhancing drugs.

The regular 1 Series is the smallest vehicle in BMW’s portfolio. A two-door coupe with awkward dimensions, it has a short body, high roof and wheels pushed out to the extreme edges. Pricing starts above $31,000.

For the 2011 model year, a special $47,000 performance model is offered. Dubbed the 1M, it gets a series of steroid injections from BMW’s M division, resulting in a mightier engine, sharper suspension and aerodynamic accents.

The performance-tuning division, M, has a long history of modifying already-fast Bimmers. No wonder the 1 Series is suddenly jacked up with Schwarzenegger swagger.

The arches around the wheels bulge, like Arnold-worthy deltoids, to better accommodate the 19-inch wheels and wider stance. The front has sprouted a low-hanging fascia with three air intakes, located below the double grill, evoking a set of six-pack abs.

P

M3 wannabe The most famous M vehicle is the M3, the amplified variation of the 3 Series coupe and sedan. The original M3 was a 1988 model with 192 horsepower and a curb weight of less than 2,900 pounds. Only 4,000 were made. Talk about a sought-after car. But like most modern vehicles, the M3 has become larger and heavier over the generations.

BMW calls the 1M the “spiritual successor” to that sprightly, first-generation M3. Though longer, taller and

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Photos: Bloomberg

wider, the 1M looks roughly the same size if you tilt your head and squint. It weighs around 3,300 pounds, ensuring a nimble attitude around corners, and 60 mph arrives in 4.7 seconds. That’s the same time as the current V-8powered M3, which has 414 hp.

This may be the only year that the 1M is made - BMW says it has no plans for another model year. If that’s the case, consider snapping one up, immediately. I fully expect it to be a sleeper model that will be coveted in the future.

perky player. The track has a couple of slow, tight corners which catch me out every time. Come in too fast and most cars push wide, taking you off the desired driving line.

The 1M is light enough to maintain a quick pace into these tough spots. Trust in the superb grip of the tires, the

Few features BMW has chosen not to add too many features: It comes in three colours (white, black and a pleasing orange); the sole interior is black with contrast stitching; and only two option packages are available (technology and convenience). With an eye to saving weight, you can’t get a sunroof either.

Pricing tops out at a not inconsiderable $54,000, and more than a few potential buyers will think the interior looks spartan (or cheap) for that sticker. They have a point.

It’s a good thing the driving dynamics are as concentrated as the looks. It only comes with a six-speed manual, a terrifically fluid transmission with gears that flow like water. The clutch is easy too.

I was lucky to have a full day with the car at my favourite proving ground, the Monticello Motor Club in upstate New York. I know this track almost better than any other, having tested everything from Ferraris to an F1 race car here.

agility of the aluminium suspension and the ease at which you can both induce and correct gentle slides.

Rocket in, sling out. Suddenly those corners seem easy.

There’s enough mid-range power that I generally left the 1M in third gear around the entire South course. That’s the kind of sweet-spot torque which guarantees a good time on curvy mountain roads.

After several very hard laps, the brakes were smoking. I jumped into an M3 for comparison’s sake. That car feels more serious, it’s true, and there’s no question it has more power.

But it doesn’t allow the same level of latitude as the 1M, which is light enough that you can attack a corner many different ways, correcting big mistakes on the fly. Come in hard in the M3 and make the same error and you’ll likely find yourself in the dirt.

Who says that the little guy never wins?

The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe at a glance Engine: 3.0-litre, twin-turbo, inline 6-cylinder, with 335 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque Transmission: Six-speed manual Speed: 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds Gas mileage per gallon: 19 city; 26 highway Best feature: All that muscle in a constrained frame Worst feature: Spare interior Target buyer: The Bimmer lover who can’t find an original 1988 M3 Price as tested: $54,085

Gentle slides

(The author writes about autos for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

While the 1M won’t compare to them, it still proved a

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AUTO news

Carrera goes all-wheel

P

orsche is widening the top end if its Carrera model line and pairing up each of the two 911 Carrera GTS with an all-wheel drive twin. So the 911 Carrera GTS Coupe and Cabriolet will combine the 408 hp (300 kW) top of the range engine of the Carrera GTS family with the intelligent, all-wheel drive Porsche Traction Management (PTM).

The 911 Carrera 4 GTS power unit has its origins in the 3.8-litre, six-cylinder Carrera S engine. A wholesale revamping of the intake duct added 23 hp (17 kW), taking the power output to 408 hp (300 kW) at 7,300 rpm. At full power the Carrera 4 GTS Coupé sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.6 seconds, the Cabriolet in 4.8 seconds. The Carrera 4 GTS is fitted as standard with a six-speed manual transmission but the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) sevenspeed is available as an option if desired. The PDK shaves an additional 0.2 seconds respectively off the

Sprucing up the Continental GT T

he Bentley Continental GT just got sexier with the new Mulliner Styling Specification, a range of Bentley-designed styling options.

Styled by Raul Pires, Bentley’s head of exterior design who, under the leadership of Design Director Dirk van Braeckel, was the creative force behind the lithe shape of the Continental GT, the Mulliner Styling Specification underlines the iconic form of Bentley’s new GT. With its “sharper lines and darker, lower appearance the design subtly underscores the extrovert, flamboyant nature of the new Coupe.”

Black carbon-fibre extension blades, positioned beneath the sills, sweep down the sides of the Continental GT, providing a fresh interpretation of the striking profile of the Bentley coupe, drawing the eye to the sharp powerlines and muscular rear haunches. Each extension blade features a discreet ‘Winged B’ motif. At the rear, a fullwidth black carbon-fibre diffuser adds greater definition to the GT’s signature twin, flared, elliptical exhaust tailpipes.

The new Mulliner Styling Specification’s Classic Pack features a unique front bumper splitter, strakes integrated into the front intake grilles, side extension blades and a rear diffuser, all made from high-gloss, black carbon-fibre. These are complemented by a range of individual design options, comprising black, carbon-fibre rear spoiler and door mirror cowls as well as distinctive, black-painted 21-inch ‘Elegant’ alloy wheels and dark mesh front wing vents with black carbon-fibre bezels.

In addition to these core features, customers have the freedom to personalise their cars still further with some optional features – having the stylish rear spoiler in carbon fibre, the option of 21-inch 7-spoke Elegant alloy wheels in a dramatic black-painted finish with contrasting bright machined detailing and dark chrome wing vents.

The Classic Pack is available to order from June 2011 onwards and the optional design features can be ordered from authorised Bentley dealers from Autumn 2011.

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acceleration times from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph).

Visually too the new models have additional features like the type name on the doors and rear lid, reflective stripe between the taillights, Sport-Design front apron with black painted spoiler lip and special side skirts, also in black. The GTS models run on 19 inch RS Spyder wheels in black with central locking and gloss-lathed rim flanges fitted with 305/30 ZR 19 tyres on the rear axle.

Typical of the GTS, sporty black Alcantara covering on centre panels, steering wheel rim, gearshift and handbrake lever, door handles and door storage box lid and extension are offered as standard in addition to a range of leather upholstery options. The 911 Carrera 4 GTS Coupé is offered in Germany at a price of €111,956 (all inclusive) and the Cabriolet costs €122,071. Both models will be on sale in Germany from July 2011.

MELANGE luxury redefined

Wet n’ wild

Repel Wet, the latest collection from Timberland is perfect for the monsoons. Equipped with the ion-mask technology and Bionic canvas, the range includes footwear and apparel perfect for the rains.

Available at its stores.

Price on request

Chic fashion meets traditional motifs in Holii’s new range of vibrant hued clutches and bags.

Rich brocade and elegant embroidery, the names are desi too… Saraswati, Radha, Amba and Satviki. Available at its stores.

Rs 1,000 onwards

Truly Indian

A smooth ride

Oily face, no way!

Another running shoe from Nike, this Lunar Glide+3 features the Dynamic Support wedge for a smooth run, ultra-soft Lunarlon foam and an innovative midfoot strap.

Available at its stores.

Rs 6,995 (women) and Rs 7,495 (men)

Celebrating the pen!

Kiehl has three new products up its sleeve.

The Ultra Facial Oil-Free range has a cleanser, toner and gel cream to keep the skin well moisturised and bid goodbye to the oily shine. Available at its store in New Delhi.

Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,750

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125 years of the pen. Waterman commemorates the occasion with the exclusive 125 Ans Edson in palladium and soft blue lacquer.

Available at Makoba, Chennai.

Rs 2 lakh

The timeless charm of Oriental hospitality S.Muralidhar ow often do you get to stay in a hotel that is also a major tourist attraction? Not very much even for many of us Indians who have been to a few heritage properties in Rajasthan.

Located on one of the most prime stretches of riverside real estate in bustling Bangkok, the Oriental receives a steady stream of visitors everyday and with good reason. With its resort style layout and resilience since it was first opened back in 1876, it has even earned itself a nickname – the grand lady of Chao Phraya.

H

Making History It must have taken a special level of clairvoyance to have built the Oriental 135 years ago at exactly the same spot where it stands even today. But greatness sits lightly

on this lady’s shoulders. The Oriental has had its share of historic transformations from being a small 16-room property to its current 393, from being war ravaged to being hit hard by extensive flooding when the Chao Phraya River broke its banks. But the Oriental stood its ground because besotted celebrities and guests keep coming back to experience this gem of the orient.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group took over management of the Oriental in 1973. After a multi-million dollar renovation effort that made it one of the most luxurious hotel properties in the world, the hotel was also rebranded in 2008.

For a luxury five-star hotel property of its age, the Mandarin Oriental manages to seamlessly combine the old and the new.

The colonial architecture of its old wing, which now houses the famous author’s suites and the steel and glass structure of

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its modern 16-storeyed wing, which houses the newly refurbished rooms and suites, express a unique fusion of two worlds. Antique furniture, louvered shutters, ceiling fans and Victorian Fretwork in the old wing speak to guests about the hotel’s rich past, even as flat panel displays, shower cubicles and infinity pools pamper them in the new wings.

The experience I stayed in one of the rooms on the tenth floor of the new wing with a spectacular, framed view of the Chao Phraya river. The Chao Phraya cuts through the middle of Bangkok and flows ceaselessly – I mean both the river and the boat traffic on it. Big barges being pulled by tug-boats and carrying sand and container cargo, fishing trawlers, private luxury boats, long public transportation boats and even the floating shuttles of the hotels lining the river are all busily going about their business through the day. At night, the sights are even more beautiful, with the hotels’ luxury dinner cruises floating by.

You can experience the fantastic sights and the sounds of the Chao Phraya from atleast four of the Mandarin Oriental’s eight restaurants. The restaurant that I chose to experience was Sala Rim Naam, which serves authentic Thai cuisine. Subtly changed to suit an international audience, the buffet dinner at the restaurant

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was amongst the best Thai cuisine that I have experienced. The setting is also Photos: S.Muralidhar grand, after the interior of the restaurant was revived to look like a mini palace and there is a Thai Classical dance show every night.

The other restaurants are Le Normandie, said to be Bangkok’s finest French dining venue, The China House known for its avant-garde 1930s Shanghai Art Deco interior, the award-winning Lord Jim’s, which serves what is arguably the best seafood buffet lunch in Bangkok, The Verandah Coffee Shop and BBQ Riverside Terrace, which offers open air dining by the riverside and Ciao, an outdoor Italian bistro (seasonal). My personal favourite at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok was the historical Authors’ Lounge serving superb Afternoon Tea and snacks. Set to look like a colonial era mansion from the inside, this lounge’s pleasing white and pastel green colour scheme and wicker work furniture.

The Oriental has hosted innumerable celebrities and many of them are authors and literary greats whose works were inspired by the property and its settings. The hotel in turn has been inspired by them and the result are the author’s suites each named after greats like Somerset Maugham, Joseph Konrad, Noel Coward, John Le Carre etc. Each of these exclusive suites have been customised and decorated with handpicked specialities that were the per-

S. Muralidhar

HOTEL review

sonal favourites of the author they have been named after.

I also had the opportunity to experience the award-winning Oriental Spa, which is located across the river from the hotel’s primary location. One of the most relaxing experiences after a day of walking through the crowded streets of Bangkok, my personal masseuse’s nimble fingers seemed to be able to gently stretch out and relax every tired muscle on my body. I experienced the Signature aroma oil massage treatment.

Lingers on The charm of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok lies in its ability to stay with you long after you have left. The genuine warmth and hospitality of the hotel and its people lingers on like an after glow. And it is the small little touches and the thoughtful additions that reminded me of my stay. Like the fact that the restaurants in the hotel always remember your personal preferences and make sure the food is served exactly the way you’d want it every time you went there again, like the delicious desserts and a replenished tropical fruit basket that the butler leaves behind every night in your suite, and like the way a tourist map is presented to you just when you hesitate at the lobby, trying to mentally go over the plan for your day of sightseeing…almost telepathic!

Of course, it is the people that eventually make a difference in the hospitality industry and the staff at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok is a beautiful example. Take Chatchai Klompirom, the senior butler who serviced the room during my stay. A soft-spoken, middle-aged, local with eyes that shone of warmth and experience, he spoke immaculate English and gave me some of the best tips to make sure I could pack in the most experiences in the hotel

and around the city.

You do expect the usual enquiry about your stay in the property. But, you will see the difference if the butler asked you that question while being candid about some of the criticisms from previous residents about the room missing the high-tech touches that some of the other luxury properties further along the river front might offer.

The genuineness of that question is just one example, amongst the many others which make you want to believe that every member of the staff at the Oriental strive to go beyond the norm. And the hotel rewards them with some of the most elaborate inhouse staff facilities that I have ever seen.

It is kind of telling about this beautiful heritage property that you still have to use a key to open the door to any room or suite at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. There are no swipe cards. Guests don’t come to stay here for the digital creature comforts that any other property in Bangkok can provide, but rather to appreciate the marriage between the oriental past and a cosmopolitan present that the Mandarin represents very much like the city it resides in.

You don’t check-in to reside at the Oriental Bangkok, you check-in to experience it. That is the charm of the Grand Old Dame of the Chao Phraya.

Property: The Mandarin Oriental Location: Oriental Avenue, Bangkok Tariff: US $ 495 to $ 4,500 Current Promotions: The 135th anniversary package with tariff starting from Thai Baht 11,799 (approximately Rs 17,000).

Valid till September 31, 2011. muraliswami@thehindu.co.in

TASTER’S choice

Elin McCoy y night, Rajeev Samant parties at Mumbai clubs with supermodels and Bollywood friends. By day, he’s the restless CEO of India’s largest winemaker, Sula Vineyards.

We’re having lunch in Tulsi, a new Indian restaurant in Manhattan, a quiet backdrop for someone who says a Grateful Dead concert was one of the defining moments of his life.

The 44-year-old Samant, a windsurfer and yoga practitioner, is wearing a cufflinked white shirt and jeans. Designer sunglasses perch on his smooth shaved head.

Bollywood, he says, reflects and influences India’s changing view of wine.

“Until 5 years ago, if a woman drank in the movies she was either a fallen woman or a vamp,” Samant says with a smile as we sip his aromatic Sauvignon Blanc, one of four Sula wines available in the U.S. “Now a glass of red in a film is a cool accessory. It’s socially acceptable and sophisticated.” Despite the country’s traditions of teetotalers, whisky- drinking, and byzantine anti-wine regulations and taxes, India’s wine industry is booming.

The question on my mind is: Are Samant’s wines any good? The fruity 2010 Sula Chenin Blanc ($11) tastes simple, sweet and bland on its own, but works well with tangy scallops with red pepper sauce and other spicy Tulsi goodies. I much prefer the zingy 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($13). A smoky, soft 2010 Shiraz ($13) is better with tandoor-grilled lamb chops than oaky flagship 2008 Dindori Reserve Shiraz ($22).

Indian wines, global appeal

B

Stanford to Oracle The main Sula style is fruit-driven, with bright acidity and little oak that seem to accompany Indian food best. I was surprised, but definitely not stunned by the level of quality.

An urbanite who grew up in Mumbai, Samant studied at Stanford University and worked in finance at Silicon Valley’s Oracle Corp. (ORCL) before chucking corporate life to return home in 1993. During a wedding in Nashik, 120 miles north of Mumbai, he was captivated by a 20-acre (8-hectare) parcel of land owned by his father.

Samant tried farming organic mangoes there, then teakwood, tomatoes, roses. The aha! moment came when a friend from the U.S. West Coast asked if Samant was growing wine grapes.

By 1999, he’d enlisted California winemaker Kerry

Damskey, who consulted in Nashik, and planted vines, including zinfandel cuttings from Sonoma that Samant carried to India in a duffel bag. “The customs officer only cared about what they cost me. Nothing, I told him, and he waved me through,” says Samant, chuckling.

Persian Grapes Persian traders may have brought winemaking to India as early as 2,500 years ago, but India’s complex state laws and anti-alcohol bias, enshrined in the 1947 constitution have restrained development of the industry. Today, production is centred in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, where the Nashik Valley boasts 35 wineries.

Viticulture in the tropics requires a few tricks. “Summer is monsoon season, so we fool the vines into sleeping through it by pruning before rain starts,” explains Damskey. “We prune again when it stops. Then the grapes develop normally. We pick from January to March.”

Eco-Resort Sula quickly expanded and now produces 4,50,000 cases from 1,500 acres of vines. Samant drew drinkers by opening India’s first tasting room, then two restaurants. His annual music festival, SulaFest, draws 3,000 fans with rock bands like Petri Dish Project. The latest? A nearby 20-room eco-resort on a road dotted with water buffaloes.

Smartbuy

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June 29, 2011

“At least one member of every family in the nearby village now works for us,” Samant says.

Establishing a wine culture in India sounds like an uphill task. For one thing, most retail stores and warehouses aren’t air-conditioned. Yet, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India predicts the nation will drink 14.7 million litres next year, more than triple 2008’s 4.6 million litres. “We have a way to go,” says Samant. “China has 50 times India’s consumption.”

Boutique Vineyards As rivals contracted, Samant grew to become the biggest and most consistent producer. Now others are following, aiming for higher quality. Nashik’s Good Earth Winery, whose first vintage reached the U.S. last November, is another. Among the three imported, my favourite was the racy mineral-and-fruit 2008 Aarohi Sauvignon Blanc ($15).

As Samant and I sip green tea, he tells me that French Champagne house Moet & Chandon has been buying Nashik grapes for a premium fizz to be launched in 2012.

“Within the next decade India will be a 4 million-case market,” he says. Bollywood will help.

(The author writes on wine and spirits for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)

BEVERAGE launch

Wine for newcomers Catering to young wine lovers, Nirvana Biosys is out with its Zoya range of wines. The Zoya red is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a robust and smooth finish . Zoya White is a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat with a rich golden hue.

Rs 300

It’s salvation time

Honey, I’m home Jack Daniel’s latest is this Tennessee Honey. Described as the brand’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whisky, it’s mingled with proprietary honey liqueur for a unique and smooth taste.

Rs 3,000 (750ml) Rs 4,200 (1 litre)

Living Liquidz has launched its flagship wine brand Mokssh which boasts six varieties of wine – Shiraaz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Blush.

Rs 450 to Rs 650

Teacher’s new avatar Beaming in an exclusive and contemporary look is Teacher’s Scotch whisky.

While the Highland Cream bottle has “broader masculine shoulders and an enhanced bulbous neck” and new black, white and burnished gold look, the Teacher’s 50 gets a new packaging style and bottle too.

Price on request