Smartbuy issue dated December 29, 2010

Smartbuy Business Line

G A D G E T S

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

A U T O |

L U X U R Y

Nudes all the way!

Fashion’s ’skin-deep’ formula Page 12

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Microsoft Kinect experienced New MacBook Air reviewed

www.blsmartbuy.com

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

Circulation Contact

Desi offering Zen Pad

R. Mohanram mohanram@thehindu.co.in

www.blsmartbuy.com

The Android 2.1 powered Zen Pad is the latest Indian attempt at a tablet. You can access social networking sites, chat, and watch videos on the built in YouTube app. It comes with an HDMI port so you can connect it to your TV. It also features a 0.3-meg camera at the rear.

The screen is an LED backlit with a resolution of 800x480, with the only gripe being a resistive touch screen.

Rs 13,990

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Cover photo courtesy: Lanvin

Break into 3D! ASUS G73Jw The G73Jw from ASUS is a 3Dready, HD gaming laptop from the Republic of Gamers. The laptop features a 17.3-inch glare display with a 3D LCD panel.

The gaming machine features an output through which you can connect to a 3D-enabled TV via the new HDMI 1.4 standard and continue the action without any loss in fidelity.

The ASUS G73Jw runs on Intel Quad Core i7740QM, has a 1TG hard drive, a 2-meg cam and comes bundled with a 3D receiver and a pair of 3D glasses.

Rs 1,21,499

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Media splash Samsung Wave 723 The most premium of the Wave series, the 523 features a brushed metal back cover and integrated leather flip. It includes a 5-meg camera with LED flash, music player and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also allows easy access to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. It also has Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi and USB to keep you connected.

Rs 13,500

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Slim display LG E90 This ultra-slim LED monitor from LG measures just 7.2mm in thickness, adding a dash of style to your PC. It is available in a screen size of 21.5-inches, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. A response time of just two milliseconds means you always see sharp images even in fast moving sequences. The monitor is also equipped with HDMI output. By reducing power consumption by up to 40 per cent less than conventional displays, the E90 is eco-friendly too.

Rs 16,900

Looks that kill Tag Heuer Meridiist Python The latest from the glittering Meridiist range of handsets is the Python. With a stainless steel body with satin finish on both sides, the luxury handset is studded with 208 diamonds. The display is a smoked sapphire crystal glass and the camera shutter is a polished stainless steel one with the Tag Heuer logo encrusted in diamond. The On/Off buttons on the Meridiist Python too feature the understated bling of a green East African tsavorite and red ruby.

Rs 6.5 lakh

True to life Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D W3 The 3D cam from Fujifilm lets you capture high-definition movies in 3D effortlessly with its 3D Auto function. Equipped with 3x optical zoom lens, you can go as close as 38cm when shooting macro. The 10-meg clicker comes with Super Intelligent Flash and Scene Position features that give you optimum results without manual intervention. The cam, equipped with two lenses, allows you to capture two images of the same frame with different colour patterns, different sensitivity and telephoto and wide-angle shots simultaneously.

Rs 27,999

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Mac to

NOTEBOOK review

Ketaki Bhojnagarwala t the Apple keynote address in October this year, Steve Jobs jokingly asked the audience, “What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?” But he wasn’t kidding then as he later unveiled the new range of MacBook Air laptops – they truly are the ‘next generation of MacBooks’. With the addition of 11 and 13-inch notebooks to the MacBook Air range, Apple is clearly sending a message - that the future of laptops are devices which are ultra light, ultra portable and ultra performers – all without the help of an optical drive. We tell you why the Air might be a worth considering – whether you swear by Macs or PCs.

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For the MacBook user If you’re an Apple loyalist, you’ll love it, though you might think that the Air would be a downgrade from the Pro. The folks at Cupertino have a different take on the subject though – they feel that the Air is the notebook of the future. The Pro has been marketed as a complete solution – a notebook to take care of your work and personal needs.

So let’s see how the Air matches up to it. We got hands-on with the 11.6-inch version.

When you first lay your eyes on the Air, you’ll wonder if it can really pack in everything that the thicker and larger Pro has to offer. The 11.6-inch Air weighs just 2.3 pounds, and we found it really easy to carry around. It’s also incredibly thin - measuring just 0.68 inches at its thickest point and 0.11-inches at its thinnest. Its 13.3-inch big brother isn’t so big either – weighing just 2.9 pounds and

measuring the same in thickness.

We’re used to the sturdy build of the Pro, so we naturally wondered about the Air being flimsy. But the Air too is constructed from a single piece of aluminium, just like the Pro, and is equally resistant to bumps and falls.

If you’re used to the Pro, you may think that an 11.6-inch notebook might be a compromise on functionality, but we found that the Air incorporates a full size keyboard and trackpad. The trackpad supports a variety of multi-touch gestures, which we explored in detail in our Apple Magic Trackpad review.

Inside, the software isn’t very different from what you get on a Pro. It’s powered by a 1.4 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. The 13inch is slightly more powerful, with a 1.86 GHz processor.

We had multiple windows open – a few Safari browser tabs, iPhoto, iTunes, TextEdit and QuickTime, and all the applications ran smoothly.

The screen is LED backlit, and at 1366x768 pixels, it’s high def. Apple promises five hours of battery life, and the

Air didn’t let us down when it came to that.

Other features that the Air has to offer is a FaceTime camera and the new suite of iLife applications.

For the PC-user If you’re wondering whether its time to change loyalties from a PC to a Mac, the Air might just be the laptop that changes your mind, however it does come with its share of negatives.

When it comes to looks, most notebooks fail to match up to Apple’s pure aluminium, minimalist design. And we have to say that the compact Air is one of the most beautiful feats of manufacturing we’ve laid our eyes on.

One of the most interesting things Apple has done with the Air is to eliminate a conventional hard drive, and opt for flash storage instead. The Air achieves its size-zero form-factor by doing away with the exterior casing of a hard drive, and using just the flash chips themselves.

While this makes the notebook ultra portable, you get only a limited amount of storage. The 11-inch Air is sold in

the future 64GB and 128GB capacities, which is really limited when you compare it to the 250GB-500GB standard that most notebooks seem to be loaded with nowadays. The 13-inch isn’t much better when it comes to storage – you can opt for a 128GB or 256GB version.

It could be argued that you can increase your on board storage by using a portable hard drive, however, the Air is equipped with only two USB 2.0 ports, which could be a bit of a hindrance if you like your notebook to be a media hub. The Air also lacks a card reader, which is pretty standard on most notebooks today. However, it does include a Mini DisplayPort, for digital video output.

These negatives might deter you from making the move to Apple, but there are some positives you can consider.

What you do get with an Apple product is amazingly fast software. The Air took us less than a minute to boot up, which is a refreshing change if you’re used to a regular Windows boot up time. It offers up to 30 days of standby time, without draining any of the battery. We woke up the Air from sleep mode after two days of it being on standby,

and found that the Instant On promise that Apple makes really works.

The battery levels were the same from where we left off, and the notebook gave us a few hours of juice before the battery died out.

Like we mentioned earlier, a full sized keyboard and trackpad are a welcome addition, especially because most laptops with a small form-factor tend to compromise on these features.

The lack of an optical drive could be a big set back for many notebook users, but Apple does allow DVD or CD sharing wirelessly from any other Mac or PC that’s nearby. Given the fact that most content can now be shared on a memory stick, or is available for download, the lack of an optical drive shouldn’t be a deterrent.

What we think When we first saw the Air at a special Apple preview event a few weeks ago, we were under the impression that the lack of the optical drive and small size classified the laptop as a netbook. However the team from Apple were quick to point out that this was in fact a notebook – because its powerful processors and graphics make it almost as capable as the Pro. The first generation of MacBook Air laptops didn’t make a mark as performers, but our hands on experience with the new breed of Air laptops only reinstates what Apple says – “It’s a real MacBook in every sense of the word.”

11.6-inch – 64GB/128GB: Rs 60,900/Rs 72,900 13.3-inch – 128GB/256GB: Rs 79,900/Rs 98,000

Photo: S.S. Kumar

DESKTOP review

Photo: S.S. Kumar

The screen of your dreams?

Mahananda Bohidar very time we buy a desktop, most of us are bothered about the OS and the hardware specs, and are subconsciously sifting through the technical mumbo-jumbo that choosing a computing device always involves. But all of us have at least that one family member who couldn’t care for the specs or the graphics quality, but just wants a device that’ll satisfy their simple expectations from a personal computing/ multimedia device.

Designed especially for that purpose is the HP DreamScreen that landed on our desk for review. The DreamScreen 400 is a touch-based desktop with an impressive 18.5-inch display. Power on the system and you have the option of logging in as a guest user or creating a new profile, either that of a ‘Student’ or ‘Adult’. The one usually adopted for kids (Students) prevents them from accessing certain subscription privileges via the DreamScreen.

The homescreen has all the icons that you’ll need access to, very similar to a smartphone. Powered by an Intel (ARM-based) processor, the desktop is based on the idea of letting you access services and apps at a touch. So you have an app called ‘Education’ that might put an end to the gruelling hours (mostly for the kids) you spend supervising the completion of homework. You can get them to select their own study schedules and revise their lessons.

Simple concepts in the sciences and Mathematics are explained with the aid of graphics (albeit low-end and simplistic) and each little virtual chapter ends with a quick assessment.

However, the experience of navigating through the DreamScreen 400 is slackened by the poor touch sensitiv-

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ity. Suffice to say that it’s inaccurate enough for you to have to tap at least two to three times on an icon to activate it. This, however, was not the case when we played a couple of games on the system.

Every new user profile you create comes with its own ID number. This number is used to make video calls from the DreamScreen. The best part about making video calls from here is the fact that the people who you want to connect to need not have a DreamScreen or any other chat client on their PCs. They can just log in to the website (www.hp-ds.com), register a user id and PIN, and they can make or receive calls from you. When we made calls from the DreamScreen to a PC, it connected almost immediately with a small window relaying the video at the bottom left and an option to use the internal mic or connect an external one.

Although the DreamScreen comes with a virtual keyboard, you cannot use it for browsing the internet which is a real let-down. Thankfully, the peripherals come bundled with the DreamScreen.

The Travel facility is a remarkably convenient app that lets you book train and flight tickets online. You don’t even have to log in to the IRCTC website or any other travel website to book your tickets. All you have to do is enter your destinations and it’ll show you the list of trains or flights available. The online payments are made through a secure gateway, says HP. There’s also an Airfare calendar that displays fares throughout a month (within the next 6 months) and lets you book accordingly, although this feature wasn’t very accurate when we used it.

The DreamScreen needs to be connected to the internet to access most of its features. We used an internet dongle

but you could also plug-in an Ethernet broadband connection that you might have at home.

This HP DreamScreen also has an ‘Utilities’ app that includes a bunch of productivity tools like File Manager, apps to create text documents, spreadsheets and presentations that are based on Open Office, and a DVD Player.

It also has ‘Movies’ that come pre-loaded with a bunch of Bollywood flicks and a dedicated channel that lets you watch shows featuring the who’s who of the B-tinsel town.

The DreamScreen also has a ‘News’ app that gives you an exhaustive list of shows to choose from and that’s not just restricted to hardcore news. Lifestyle, humour, gadgets and sports are some of the genres you can choose from.

The ‘Music’ app already has a couple of albums loaded on to it. You can listen to all the songs listed for free but will be charged a small sum for downloads. Buffering time was negligible but the quality of some of the files wasn’t exactly outstanding.

While the DreamScreen has a bunch of multimedia and utility options, there’s no multi-tasking, which means if you are listening to music you have to close it to access Travel or Documents.

For people who couldn’t bother themselves with the nitty-gritty of technology or computing, the DreamScreen is a decent one-stop solution for everything they might want to use a personal computer for. And although HP does have a line-up of all-in-one touch-interface desktops this one seems to have been slotted in a price range similar to most other entry-level PCs in the market.

Rs 19,999 Love –Nice bunch of apps and services Hate – Bad touch interface, low-end graphics

CONSOLE review

Time to Kinect Ketaki Bhojnagarwala ardcore gamers have always been branded as couch potatoes. Nintendo changed that perception when it launched the Wii, which kickstarted motion control gaming. This year Sony’s Playstation followed suit with the introduction of the Sony Move.

So when Microsoft announced that it’s highly anticipated motion control gaming sensor, Project Natal, was finally going to hit the shelves as the Kinect for Xbox, people wondered how it would be different from the other consoles in the market.

The answer was controller-less gaming. There is nothing to strap on to your wrist! The Kinect makes you, the gamer and the controller. You interact directly with the Kinect interface, and gaming makes a shift from a Graphic User Interface to a Natural User Interface.

With a bunch of games already in the market, and a lot more on the way, we literally jumped in to our TV screens to find out what the Kinect had to offer.

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Inside and out The Kinect is surprisingly compact for its capabilities. It is encased in a rectangular, black, shiny plastic body. The camera and sensor console rests on a motorised stand, which automatically adjusts its tilt for calibration. On the front surface there is a RGB camera, with a VGA resolution of 640x480. The other two cameras are depth sensors, which are in fact infrared projectors, allowing the Kinect to capture 3D video under any ambient lighting conditions. There are also four microphones which pick up noise from anywhere in the room.

All new Xbox 360 Slim consoles have a Kinect port at the back, so you can just connect it to the sensor unit with the supplied cable. For older Xbox models, the Kinect ships with a USB connector cable and an AC adapter.

Starting up Setting up the Kinect is as easy as plugging in the cable to

your Xbox. Once that’s done the Kinect will take some time to configure its settings. Microsoft recommends that in order to play, you should stand at least 6 feet away from the sensor, if we came any closer it was impossible to play.

We had to practically rearrange the furniture in the room in order to play, and for people in cramped or smaller rooms, this can be quite hard to do. But in the interest of safety the space recommended is the best bet.

Once the Kinect detects you, the next step is voice calibration. This takes a while to do, but it’s worth it, considering that it allows the sensor to differentiate between voice commands and sounds coming from your TV.

Navigation Navigation took a while getting used to, since we’re used to just flicking buttons on a controller. When you wave your hands in front of the sensor, it allows you to navigate between different menus. After a few minutes of awkward waving and waiting, we got the hang of it. In order to select a function, you simply have to hold your hand on top of a tile.

To get back to the Kinect Hub, even if you’re in the middle of the game, you have to stand straight with your left hand held at a 45 degree angle, which should bring up the screen in a few seconds. It’s pretty accurate, but it led us to inadvertently bring up the Kinect Hub even when we didn’t mean to.Another way of navigating is voice commands. You simply have to shout ‘Xbox’, and you’ll get a whole range of other voice commands that you can prompt the sensor with.

Gaming Microsoft sent us four titles to try on the Kinect. Here are our impressions.

Dance Central We had a lot of fun playing this one. You can choose from a couple of levels, ranging between easy and hard, and imitate the dance moves on the screen. The Kinect detects your entire body for this one, so you’ll have to perform the moves correctly, and this includes moving Smartbuy

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your hands, legs and upper torso. The menu also came with easy to use swipe features which were easy and intuitive to navigate.

Kinectimals This one is sure to be a favourite with the kids. The hardest thing in the game was to choose which cub to adopt, but once that’s done its fun all the way. You gain points for grooming and playing with your cub. A pair of virtual hands will track your movements on the screen and let you literally ‘pet’ your cub, something that really won us over. What we didn’t like was the quality of the narration and the storyline which was kind of slow moving.

Joy Ride This is a pretty standard racing game, where you have to literally steer with your hands. You don’t get much control over the way the car moves – it’s mostly just hit and miss.

There are some fun features like power boost and stunts that you can perform, to help you gain an edge over competitors.

Kinect Sports This comes with your usual package of gaming sports, such as Bowling, Boxing, Table Tennis, etc. Bowling was a lot of fun, and very addictive. With Table Tennis we didn’t have the same level of control that we got on the Playstation Move. It’s a pretty standard line-up of games, but we prefer Wii Sports.

Bottomline The Kinect is futuristic, to say the least. Many might compare it to the Wii or the Move, but the fact remains that it is controller-less gaming. Most of the games the Kinect has launched with right now are family oriented, so right now we don’t feel that they would appeal to hardcore gamers. Having said that, the Kinect has immense potential, and with games like Star Wars in the making, the Kinect could possibly take gaming to a whole new level.

Kinect Sensor only: Rs 9,990 With Xbox 360 (4GB): Rs 22,990 (Both ship with a free copy of Kinect Adventures)

AUTO focus

Photo: NewsMarket

Surviving superbikes Matthew Oakley resting a hill out of a fast triple right-hander into a chicane on a Kawasaki motorcycle, I commit a classic mistake, the kind that tends to create a mess of broken machinery and bone.

I downshift too early, my back wheel locks and fishtails.

I freeze, arms locked, eyes like dinner plates fixated on the gravel trap racing toward me. Somehow I manage to coast through the piles of stone chips, slide across the grass and get back onto the track unscathed.

“Nice save,” says instructor Graham Knight, giving me the thumbs up once we’re back in the pit lane. “Basically, you did everything wrong on the track and everything right off it. Generally it’s preferable if you stay on the track.”

The stomach-churning moment taught me several rules of motorcycle racing all at once. Which is why I’ve paid $1,850 to take part in Knight’s three-day Highside Tours event in the Thai resort town of Pattaya.

While budding bike racers can head to academies like the California Superbike School in Los Angeles, or the Ron Haslam Race School at Silverstone, England, the Bira International Circuit mixes the high-octane buzz with beach relaxation and Thailand’s most frantic nightlife.

Half an hour after hanging up the leathers, you can have a cocktail in hand and your toes in the Gulf of Thailand.

As travelers increasingly seek out new experiences on holiday -- like leaping off bridges, scaling rock walls and swimming with sharks -- bike racing as a pastime still

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tends to prompt uncomplimentary adjectives that suggest varying degrees of stupidity or mental imbalance.

High-Speed Yoga The desire to climb relatively unprotected onto a fast machine and lean it over to the point where parts of your body are skimming the road is, admittedly, a little suspect.

But, as Knight makes it repeatedly clear, the people who do it best are not hot-blooded, cackling lunatics intent on making the world unsafe for the elderly.

They are those who have mastered a level of calmness, mental discipline and physical coordination akin to some sort of high-speed yoga. Only sometimes do they cackle.

“Slow it down and the speed will come later,” Knight tells me and the other seven riders in my group.

Slow is a word I hear a lot from the experienced racers sharing the track with us -- men on 1,000cc superbikes who fly past me on the straight as if I’m driving a golf buggy.

Off the bikes, they are not whooping, high-fiving and butting chests. They are soft-spoken, modest and selfeffacing fellows who give measured answers to each awestruck question, usually containing the word slow.

Booby Traps The second day, with the track now familiar and the correct body position learned, I try to put their advice into practice on the Kawasaki ER6-NR, a light, powerful and nimble 650cc streetbike that’s ideal for the less-experi-

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enced trackster. Bira is a short, technical circuit, sprinkled with booby traps for the novice.

“A racetrack designer’s job is to fool you into driving it like its road,” Knight says to one of the riders. “In your case, they’ve succeeded admirably.”

The first task is to build a mental map of the circuit with visual triggers to guide you through each lap – start braking next to that oil stain, turn in at the end of that curb, aim for that paint splash, and fix eyes on that tree.

Without it, the track becomes a series of challenges that are rushing by too fast. You get confused. You get scared.

You panic. You crash.

Death Grip In the rising tropical warmth of the second morning, I’m trying to do many counter-intuitive things all at once. Like not holding the handlebars in a death grip, or accelerating instead of slowing down when the bike starts to run wide.

After another half-day trying to piece it all together, it finally starts to work. I’m getting into a rhythm. The corners are flowing, the bike is leaning over further, I am hanging off the machine with a modicum of grace. I even indulge in the occasional cackle.

Then, approaching a hairpin bend I surrender to a flicker of doubt. For a second, my eyes wander to the edge of the track. Next thing, I’m up against a wall of tires as Knight rides past, shaking his head.

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

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AUTO news

BMW launches the X1 in IndiaW

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MW launched the compact X1 luxury sports utility in India last week. The X1 joins the larger and better appointed X6, X5 and the X3 siblings to complete a quartet of offerings from this German marquee in this popular vehicle category.

The X1 is a significant launch for BMW here also because of its price position. Since BMW has decided to bring in completely knocked down kits it can offer the X1 at a starting ex-showroom price of just Rs 22 lakh, making it the most affordable vehicle from the brand.

The X1 sports the same classic modern crossover looks that the other three too share, and yet has a very different character to its design. It has been launched in three variants – the X1 sDrive18i (petrol), X1 sDrive20d (diesel) and X1 sDrive20d Exclusive (diesel).

The interior of the BMW X1 is characterised by clear function and a modern style. In the cockpit, the centre console is tilted slightly towards the driver so that the relevant operating functions are arranged to provide a sense of personal control. The elevated seating position, the feeling of space, a wide range of storage options and the variable interiors are meant to enable the user of the X1 to get the most both in an urban environment and beyond.

The interior of the X1 can also be flexibly adjusted to individual requirements. It has room for spontaneity through fully variable rear seats with separately folding centre section and adjustable backrest angle. The rearseat backrest comes with ten-stage tilt adjustment from 1 to 31 degrees. The backrest is also divided in three parts (a split of 40/20/40) and can be individually folded down to

increase the luggage compartment capacity from 420 litres to a maximum of 1,350 litres.

A turbocharger with variable intake geometry and common-rail fuel injection gives the 4-cylinder diesel in the new BMW X1 sDrive20d a maximum output of 177 bhp at 4,000 rpm as well as a maximum torque of 350 Nm all the way from 1,750 to 3,000 rpm. It accelerates to 100 kmph in 8.3 seconds with the ability to achieve a top speed of 205 kmph. The average fuel consumption is said to be 15.24 kmpl as measured by ARAI for the Indian market specifications.

The 150 bhp 4-cylinder petrol version featured in the new X1 sDrive18i provides a similarly economical entry

Mahindra’s new offroading adventure

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ahindra & Mahindra has launched its legendry 4x4 offroader, the Thar CRDe, in India, for offroading enthusiasts and ‘retro look seekers’. An evolved version of the Mahindra CJ340, MM 540, the Classic and the Legend, the Thar CRDe reflects the rugged DNA of the company and interprets it in the form of a stylish offroader. The Thar is a manual 4x4 machine with a powerful CRDe engine 77kw (105 bhp) and features drive by wire technology, which is capable of providing it variable speeds and acceleration. Its tough rigid ladder frame chassis helps handle this excess power, and light and responsive integral power steering gives it good manoeuvrability. Modern suspension layout of IFS and abuse resistant rear leaf springs delivers a great balance between ride and handling.

It’s been priced at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex showroom Delhi, BS IV variant) and Rs 4.47 lakh, (ex showroom Jaipur, BS III variant). The Thar is also available with a DI engine as a base variant, which will be positioned as a lifestyle vehicle for the rural market with both two wheel and four wheel drive options. It will be launched in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Mangalore this month and in other cities in January 2011.

into BMW’s X models. This engine delivers peak torque of 200 Nm at 3,600 rpm reaching its maximum output at 6,400 rpm. Acceleration from a standstill to 100 kmph comes in 10.4 seconds with a top speed of 200 kmph. The average fuel consumption of the X1 sDrive18i is 11.24 kmpl as measured by ARAI. All versions of the new BMW X1 are equipped as standard with a six-speed automatic transmission with short reaction and gearshift times.

A BMW communiqué said that in India, the new X1 comes with the dynamic rear-wheel drive system which means the driver enjoys typical BMW agility and driving pleasure.

MELANGE luxury redefined

Ice, ice baby

Vogue goes retro

Porsche Design’s treat for perfume lovers is this fresh woody-floral composition cased in an ‘ice block’ resembling container. The Essence Summer Ice is available at its store in Emporio Mall, New Delhi.

Bold, playful and chic, Vogue’s Spring Summer’11 ‘Retro-Glamour’ collection is striking in its vintage inspired shapes, colours and styles. Head to select eyewear outlets and head back to the 70s.

Price on request

Rs 4,580 to Rs 4,970

A dream to remember Making a fragrant entry this week is The Body Shop with its Dreams Unlimited range of perfumes, body lotion and body wash that’s feminine in its orange oil, blackcurrant, green chilli, iris and cedarwood notes.

Available at its outlets.

Office fashion Montblanc’s single gusset briefcase from its Nightflight Cruise collection is classic in its midnight blue silk cotton fabric and printed calf skin. Available at Montblanc exclusive boutiques.

Rs 475 to Rs 1,495

Rs 50,950

Gold glam

A step up from honey

A day cream, serum, eye cream, night repair and cleansing mousse – Pond’s Gold Radiance anti-ageing kit is infused with real gold microparticles and promises to keep your youthfulness alive. Head to lifestyle stores and other outlets for more.

The nutritional and rejuvenating honeybee secretion can now be your beauty secret. Jafra Ruchi Cosmetics India’s Royal Jelly line includes a lift concentrate, milk balm, body complex cream and hand complex cream.

Rs 1,101 to Rs 4,101

Rs 599 to Rs 899

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FASHION fundas

Going nude and looking good!

When vibrant reds, electric blues, neon pinks or even the classic black and white give way, this colour will help you sail through a fashion faux pas. ANUSHYA MAMTORA tells you how the nudes tone down your ensemble, yet up the style meter Burberry

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f you had sat in front of the television wide-eyed at this year’s Oscar awards, the number of sophisticated nude gowns and accessories that dotted the red carpet was unmistakable. Whether it was Miley Cyrus glittering in a buff-coloured Jenny Packham gown, Demi Moore’s ruffled Atelier Versace, Victoria Beckham’s nude ensemble with black detailing or Mariah Carey pairing her blue Valentino dress with nude peep-toes, the colour sizzled on the red carpet, caught the attention of shutterbugs and received the thumbs up from critics too.

The Little Nude Dress is now touted to be a wardrobe essential, right in line with the LBD, and that is saying a lot.

But sporting a nude need not be a ‘washed out’ affair. If you carefully choose the right kind of nude to go with your complexion in the case of a dress, or pick the perfect accessories that goes with almost anything, you have just found your fashion saviour.

Elegant Ensemble Nude can seldom be bold or aggressive. Its neutral colour seems more elegant and apt for flowy gowns and chic

knee-length dresses. However, winter collections of some popular brands show nude overcoats blending in perfectly with black knee-length boots.

Dominating your look with the colour is a popular trend, where you can pair a nude Lanvin cocktail gown with matching sling backs, clutch and even neutral make-up, with variations in its texture and shine.

Fashion labels are also combining nude and black for a better effect, in the form of black lace, embellishments, detailing or belt in a striking nude dress.

You can also play up the subtle look by popping in a colour by way of a loud accessory - black pumps and tote, a siren red peep-toe with hot red lipstick, or simply a colourful chunky neck-piece or cuff.

Some neat picks from international fashion labels include pieces from Burberry Prorsum, BCBG, Herve Leger bandage dress, Valentino embroidered lace dress, Alexander Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, Lanvin and others. Indian designers too experiment with the colour - from Krishna Mehta’s nude tunics with intricate white motifs, to Tarun Tahiliani’s blingy saree and Rocky S’s shimmering dress

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with a black belt.

Accessories to off-set Louboutin’s classic pumps, Fendi’s ‘propah’ tote, Stella McCartney’s flirty hobo, Diane Von Furstenberg winter gloves… the colour finds a prominent place in the look books of the biggies in the fashion business. While nude accessories can be teamed with a similar ensemble, it also helps tone down bright colours and clashing patterns with its neutral effect.

Interesting buys include Fendi’s Fendishire Mid-Shaft suede boots and clutches and bags, Stella McCartney’s tie-up sandals and hobo with a black handle and a pair of espadrilles from Jimmy Choo.

While Christian Louboutin nude peep-toe pumps has become a wardrobe staple, Alexander McQueen’s Nude Studded Britannia Clutch (a smooth leather box in nude with gold tone studded union jack detail and a gold tone trim and Swarovski crystal detailed skull clasp) is a quirky hit.

There are also labels that pair nude shades with a bright

colour in footwear and bags, and is ideally paired with a dress of the second colour.

For that diva look ● Pick a silhouette that flatters you and is not too tight ● If you want to maintain the subtle look yet experiment with colours, team your nude drape with ivory, light gold or grey accessories ● Nude pumps go best with black, green, yellow and red dresses ● Wear a bright belt on a nude cocktail dress for just the right pop of colour or a nude belt with a brilliant dress for that much-needed break ● Also pick up nude jewellery if you want to seal the look

Natural look Nude make-up is delish when used intelligently and with the right outfits. It doesn’t make your face look pale but actually gives it a softer touch. While it blends in effortlessly with a nude ensemble, it lends innocence to the face when sporting a power look and cuts down on the kitschy quotient when donning a mix of loud colours.

Most brands have exclusive nude shades of foundation, concealer, lip gloss and balm and eye make-up. The trick is to pick the nude that goes best with your complexion and highlight it with the right colours for the perfect look.

Must-haves include Lancome’s Juicy Tubes Rose Fishnets, a rose-nude shade lip gloss, Burberry’s Nude Glow and DiorSkin Nude fluid foundation.

Want to go nude? Don’t worry, it no longer raises eyebrows!

Diane Von Furstenberg winter gloves

Fendi bag, clutch and suede boots

What is nude colour?

This colour is a fashion controversy of sorts. There has been a lot of debate about the use of the term nude and its racist allegiance to the fair skinned. Critics say the ‘nude’ shade varies with the wearer’s complexion. Despite all the hullabaloo, ‘nude’ remains high up in 2010’s hottest trend list.

Nude covers a range of subtle and pastel hues which are fleshy, creamy and peachy. The colours used by fashion labels that fall under its umbrella are chalk, crozo, dust, birch, putty, light beige, tan, buff and others.

Stella McCartney hobo

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TASTER’S choice

John Mariani ar be it for me to perpetuate the idea that champagne is only for holidays, business deals, weddings and World Series wins, but year-end festivities are upon us and drinking a good champagne seems almost requisite.

To my mind there is none more celebratory than rose, which was once disparagingly regarded as “the pink stuff.”

Rose champagnes are something of an anomaly in a region where the winemaker’s goal is traditionally to make as white a wine as possible, even when using black Pinot Noir grapes. In most regions, still or sparkling rose is made by macerating the red grapes at pressing to achieve colour.

Champagne is that rare appellation that allows roses to be made by blending in red wine, and today 90 per cent of Rose champagnes are made this way.

Despite Rose’s perky image, the top champagne producers have for some time now put the same diligent efforts into their Roses as into their Blanc des Blancs and prestige cuvees, and the astronomical prices can be about the same. Still, there are currently so many superb Roses in the market, selling for well under $100 a bottle that the idea of spending $200 and more for a vintage Rose seems a bit excessive.

Also, I find that so many of the top-of-the-line Roses are deliberately made to be bone dry, which I think robs them of the component of fruit that is essential to any wine, sparkling or not. I found a 2002 Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Rose Brut ($170) more than austere, even a little soapy, and 2004 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rose ($225) drier than I recall in other years, without the blossoming fruit I’ve always loved about this marque.

F

Balanced Style I will admit to being in thrall to Perrier-Jouet’s 2002 Fleur de Champagne Brut Rose, whose signature style has always been to balance fruit and citrus flavours with finesse.

Unfortunately, it sells for $250-$300 a bottle.

At a media tasting at New York’s Felidia restaurant, with a first course of smoked salmon and radicchio and a second of risotto with seafood, I found a wide array of delectable bubblies, with the best of them priced well under $100. Here are some of my favourites.

Nicholas Feuillatte Brut Rose non-vintage ($47-$55) Unlike the 2002 vintage cited above, this is a sleek, gorgeously constructed wine with perfume and ripeness.

If this is a workhorse champagne, it’s from very fine stock indeed.

G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut Rose non-vintage ($56-$63) Good old Mumm-sy, the Champagne you always see in movies being splashed about. Its former predictability has evolved into admirable consistency in a style that has depth and celebratory sparkle.

Bruno Paillard Rose Brut Premiere Cuvee non-vintage ($60-$75) The charm of this pretty Rose is in its adaptability to so many foods, from lobster to chicken, from smoked salmon to light desserts, and its high colour is a joy in itself.

Henriot Brut Rose non-vintage ($56-$60) If you expect fruit in a Rose, Henriot delivers gushes of it, which makes it a fine aperitif to kick off the evening and ideal with holiday sweets and cookies and dark chocolate.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Rose Reserve non-vintage ($70)

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Deep salmon-pink colour married to floral, almost roselike notes, with a good ballast of citrus in tandem with the fruit.

Louis Roederer 2004 Brut Rose ($65-$76) Absolutely luscious and downright creamy. For me, this is the very essence of a Rose champagne.

Ayala Brut Rose Majeur non-vintage ($47-$55) Since Bollinger bought this small estate in 2005, it has improved greatly with a light-bodied style in direct contrast to Bollinger’s staid, classic austerity. Though perhaps it doesn’t have enough body for afterwards, everyone should enjoy a glass or two before dinner.

(The author writes on wine for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

Photos: Bloomberg

Pink is in this season

BEVERAGE launch

Pop the champagne New-year celebrations get a whole new high with Piper Hiedsick’s Cuvee Brut champagne crafted from Pinot Noir and hand-selected parcels of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. While the nose is replete with citrus fruits, ‘Granny Smith’ apple and hints of warm ‘toastiness’, the palate is fresh with mature notes of pineapple, nutmeg, white pepper and oriental zest.

Rs 6,040 (New Delhi), Rs 4,700 (Mumbai) and Rs 4,067 (Bengaluru)

Rare Glenfiddich India saw the release of a specially selected Glenfiddich Vintage from 1961, a rare single malt that has been bottled from a single cask. The Vintage has a vibrant aroma with zesty, fruity notes and a unique ripe pear character. It also has a tangy citrus, lavender and oaky flavours with a mellow and sweet finish. Available exclusively at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi.

Price on request

A rose from Bava FineWinesnMore and Italian winemaker Roberto Bava have joined hands to unveil the Rosato Monferrato Ciaret DOC, created specially for the Indian market. Made in the Piedmont region, the wine has a flavour of fresh forest berries with cherry compote and ruby grapefruit. ‘Gulab’ and ‘chandan’ dominate the nose and the finish is refreshing with a deep tang of pomegranate.

Teamed best with sautéed mussels or clams from Kerala or Goan fish curry.

Rs 1,345 (Mumbai) and Rs 1,540 (New Delhi)

Blue blooded ‘Heirloom’ Cased in an exotic packaging designed by Tarun Tahiliani made with exquisite leather and embellished with 18k gold electroplating and Blue Sapphire Swarovski, Johnnie Walker Blue Label’s ‘Heirloom’ is an ideal gift if you want to make a classy impression.

Available at select premium wine stores.

Rs 20,500(Mumbai)