Thursday, July 21, 2011

Samsung’s Light-Weight N100 Takes Off

Samsung has launched a new netbook today, called the N100. It’s based on the Intel Atom N435 dual-core processor that runs at a speed of 1.33 GHz. Unlike almost other netbooks in the market, the N100 runs on Intel’s MeeGo operating system. The 10.1-inch display netbook comes bundled with 1 GB of DDR3 memory and a 250 GB 5400 rpm hard drive. The display supports a standard resolution of 1024x600. Graphics is powered by an integrated Intel GMA 3150 solution. The battery on the N100 is only a 3-cell one. Being a netbook, it’s light-weight and weighs no more than 1.03 kg. 
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One of the first to offer the MeeGo OS


Samsung claims that the new MeeGo operating system should offer good energy efficiency and performance. The operating system is optimized to let users view online and offline content easily, as well as social networking services. Samsung is also offering options for a free DOS operating system version and Windows 7. The keyboard on the N100, according to Samsung has been designed with good spacing, making the typing simpler. The Samsung N100 is priced for Rs. 12,290, which makes it one of the cheapest netbooks around. 

HTC ChaCha Launched for Rs.15,990

HTC’s much awaited ‘Facebook phone’ has just been launched in India for Rs.15,990 and will be available in the market shortly. The phone will feature the beefed up 800MHz processor and Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. This will be HTC’s first touch and type QWERTY handset and will go on to compete with Nokia’s E6 and LG’s upcoming Optimus Pro.
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Now, your FB updates are just a button away


What sets this phone apart from the competition is the dedicated Facebook button which is context aware meaning if you’re viewing a photo or a video, the button will light up allowing you to share that instantly with a single press. You can even update your status, upload a photo, share a picture, upload a video, share a link to a website by the same manner. Other features include:

  • 2.6-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 320 pixels
  • 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS with A-GPS, Wi-Fi Hotpsot
  • Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP
  • 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Memory expandable to 32 GB

If you are a Tata DOCOMO customer then the new combo schemes HTC is offering may interest you. 3G users get free 3GB of data and 3hrs of mobile TV that's valid for three months while 2G customers get free data of 3GB and 300min of talk time (Tata-to-Tata) free for three months.

Google and Pottermore Sign Ebook Deal


Pottermore is bringing Harry Potter to the digital format with ebooks and has signed a deal with Google to use their literary services for this purpose. This fall, Harry Potter will make its ebook debut on Google eBooks, which lets users port their purchases to 80 other readers. The ebooks will be available via Google eBooks, as well as its iOS and Android apps. However, since the Kindle doesn't support ePUB or PDF files, it is not clear how the eBooks will be supported on that device. The books, as previously reported, will be DRM free.
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Buy your Pottermore ebooks via Google



Google also said that it will provide the payment platform via Google Checkout and the video platform via YouTube for this digital Harry Potter experience. This means, that you will be paying for the eBooks directly to Google as opposed to other services like PayPal or Amazon Payments. Pottermore is expected to open up in October. Since the release of the last movie in the series, Potter fanaticism is at an all time high and Pottermore seems to be catching fans just at the right time. Google, too, will stand to gain by partnering with the Pottermore website right at the opportune moment.

Edimax Launches 3G-6218n 150Mbps Wireless 3G Portable Router


Edimax Technology has announced the launch of the 3G-6218n 150Mbps Wireless 3G Portable Router in India. One of the main features of this model is that users can create a Wi-Fi hotspot wherever a 3G connection is available.

The 3G-6218n has a built-in battery, 3G/3.5G support, as well as cable/xDSL Internet support. The 3G-6218n Wireless 3G Router allows converting an Internet connection from either a 3G/3.5G USB modem card or a cable/xDSL modem into a Wi-Fi network. When both these options are not available, users can share an Internet connection via a smartphone with Internet tethering capability.
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Edimax Launches New Router


This enables users of major smartphone manufacturing companies like - iPhone, HTC, Blackberry, Nokia; and Sony Ericsson to create their instant Wi-Fi hotspots. The router also consists of an inbuilt rechargeable Li-ion battery, which allows up to 4 hours of wireless connectivity to multiple users in case an electrical outlet is unavailable.

  • A few features of this router are:
  • Smartphone Internet tethering capability
  • 3G/3.5G and Cable/xDSL support
  • 3G/3.5G and Cable/xDSL connection fail over
  • Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery
  • Green Ethernet technology
  • Hardware WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) button
  • 1 x 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for WAN or LAN
  • 1 x USB port for 3G/3.5G USB modems
  • Compatible with IEEE 802.11b/g/n standards

Simmtronics Launches India’s First Solar-powered Desktop


How’s this for green computing? Simmtronics Semiconductors have launched a new range of desktop PCs that are powered completely by solar energy. This new line-up is best suited for areas that encounter frequent power cuts or villages that don’t have the luxury of electricity. The solar PC is available for a price of Rs 28,990 that includes the solar setup, as well and a year's worth of on-site warranty.
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Perfect for areas with frequent load shedding


Simmtronics claim the PC can run for more than 10hrs without solar energy, which is good enough for a day's worth of work. Now don’t expect a high end rig here, obviously the PC is designed for basic computing tasks like a few Office applications, light multimedia usage and internet surfing. The specifications include a Via C7 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, keyboard and mouse and a 15.6-inch LED monitor. The operating system used is Linux (exact distro is unknown) and the kit includes a 74W solar panel with charge controller, SMF battery and AC inverter. Powering it in the monsoons will be a bit of a challenge though, perhaps you'll need multiple batteries for a few days worth of power.

iPad 3 to go Beyond HD


If you drooled over the HD resolution of the iPad 2 and thought that it couldn’t get any better then maybe the iPad 3 will make you eat your words, at least that’s what a report in The Korea Times claims. The report, in an affirmative tone stated that Apple will maintain the screen size to 9.7-inches and is all set to wrap up its full HD stint, as well as make way for better, higher-resolution screens, which one of our earlier reports claimed could go up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. That was, of course, just a rumor back then.
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Beyond HD (Image credit: 9to5Mac.com)


The report further revealed that technology giants, LG and Samsung are very close to bagging the deal with Apple. Apple apparently is currently testing the samples of high-resolution LCD displays belonging to LG and Samsung at a lab in China. Those keenly following our reports on the Apple vs. Samsung saga would find it difficult to believe that Apple is looking at employing Samsung’s technology to its own. But, Samsung’s multi-faceted approach (its presence in the finished goods, as well as parts) to business makes its friendship more desirable.
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However, reports also direct us to the fact that Apple has been known to keep its list of providers same for all versions, across all its product categories. Hence, Apple looking elsewhere for its needs seems unlikely.

LG Accused of Selling Defective Optimus 2X (G2X) Handsets


Popular consumer electronics brand, LG has an impending court trial in the U.S District Court for Southern District of California in the wake of large scale defects being spotted on the T-Mobile’s version of Optimus 2X (G2X). Being sued at the Californian court, LG’s smartphones were found to randomly freeze, or shut down causing a lot of inconvenience to the users. These defects, the complaint stated occurred even when a call was on. If that was not enough, then the screen’s poor display qualities were exposed too making watching videos a hellish experience. As per the consumer complaints, the smartphone’s back light bled into the screen, thereby exposing its faults. The errors have been spotted on the T-Mobiles USA version of the prestigious Optimus 2X for a cool $250.
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Defective?


Shockingly so, according to reports, these issues haven’t cropped up in a day. They have been around since the very beginning and LG too is aware of it, only that instead of addressing the issue, they chose to ignore it. Now, although a complaint has been filed solely under Terry Horvarth, it voices the displeasures of several other irate consumers. The complaint is a detailed account of Terry’s ordeal that began just days after he purchased his smartphone. Strangely, the problems persisted even after Terry got his model replaced. 

So either LG has to face a humiliating court trial or compensate the users - a number which is easily in thousands - in an out of court settlement, neither of which is going to help its image in the market.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

True blue: The Lakes of Ladakh

"So is it Pangong Tso tomorrow or Tso Moriri?" asked Dorjee, my guide and driver as I stretched my legs and gulped another cup of green tea. Most tour operators recommend just one of these high altitude lakes, but I was greedy. I wanted to visit not just two, but the third lake, Tso Kar as well. Dorjee grinned when I told him our plans and he suggested that we camp at Pangong. On an impulse, we agreed.

It was barely dawn when we drove from Leh. The mountains reveled in the golden light. The sky was fast changing colours as the clouds showed up in the horizon. It was bright and sunny within a few hours. The weather, I realized in Ladakh is downright moody. I went there expecting some snow and all I got was some harsh sunlight burning my skin.



The journey however was a dream. Our jeep was packed with our tents and we had a new travel companion, our personal cook who brought in some hot steaming momos.  We stopped by a mountain stream amidst the mountains and out came tiny chairs and a dining table. It was breakfast time.

The landscape changed drastically as we gained altitude. We crossed Changla Pass at 17590 feet and stopped for tea .and then plunged a few feet downhill to about 14270 feet.  We saw the marmots and had a close encounter with a pair of black necked cranes on the way. But there were no roads. The mountains circled us. And then we saw it! A thin sheet of blue, almost like a mirage, appearing out of the various shades of greys and browns. It was the first view of the lake.

Pangong is one massive stretch of blue, except that one can see various shades of blue. The colours kept changing by the minute. We were there rather early and had the lake to ourselves for a while, until the tourists finally arrived. We drove down, looking for a place to pitch our tents as we crossed Spangmik, the smallest settlement and possibly one of the last Indian villages which housed less than ten families. It was like almost being on the edge of the world for the Line of Control does pass through the lake itself.  In fact locals told me that only one third of the saline lake lies in India and the remaining in Tibet.

Dorjee decided to pitch a tent in a small enclosure, located right on the banks of the lake. I looked around and saw some fields in the distance and a small house further away. And the tents came up – there were four of them, one for the bedroom, another for the dining, third for the kitchen and the last for the dry toilet. It was our private piece of paradise. The sky was clear as we walked along. A soldier with a prayer wheel guarded the border at the further end. The villagers brought their precious pashmina goats home. The stars came up as the lake was bathed in moonlight, the mountains beaming with a glow. A sumptuous meal was waiting for us, as we tucked into our sleeping bags for the night.

We drove back to Leh the following day, took a break and then continued onto the next lake, Tso Moriri . A different village, a different lake .Korzuk, the village had one of the most charming monasteries in all of Ladakh and it was getting ready for its festival.

We spotted birds and beasts and loads of the Changpa nomads grazing their cattle. Tsomoriri is indeed a birder’s paradise. The saline lake is one of the breeding grounds for a variety of birds, most of them rare and endangered. The mountains reflected in the bright blue waters, their tips glistening with ice and snow. The landscape was vivid with colours . Most of my friends prefer Tsomoriri to Pangong , but my favourite however remains the latter .

Meanwhile the weather changed. The bright blue skies turned dark as the rains lashed the mountains. The waters drenched the lake. The temperature suddenly dropped and the tented camps where I was staying had no heaters. We shivered and quivered, finally putting the thermals to use as the temperatures slid below zero.

Dorjee predicted it would snow and we decided to leave early the following day stopping by at Tso Kar, the third lake which seemed more like a wetland to me. The colours had turned into a monotone and all the blues had melted into shades of white. We stopped at a local shop for lunch-a quick bite of noodles and momos and just as we neared Tanglang La at 17580 feet, it started snowing. And before we knew it, the snowstorm interrupted our journey as a truck, stuck in the heaps of snow stalled all the vehicles.

We were still very far from Leh and we remained there, high up in a mountain road surrounded by snow. Finally Dorjee got bit impatience and walked out into the snow storm, in his thin jacket and shoes to remove the snow with bare hands. Soon a crowd gathered to help and many hours later we were back on the road. I did want to see snow capped mountains, but I had no idea it would be a stormy experience.

Soon we were back on familiar territory. It was not the bright blue sky that welcomed me to the plains but the blue of the River Indus that greeted us. My tryst with the mountains was heading to an end as it was my last day in the Land of high passes.

Lakshmi Sharath is a media professional, a traveler, travel writer and blogger. After 15 years of sitting in front of a desk in several media organizations, she decided to travel and see the world. Since then she has covered 20 countries across five continents; her passion lies in exploring the nooks of India.

Spotted: Kajol and Tanisha

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Bareilly baby boy with 34 fingers and toes sets new Guinness record


Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), July 20 (ANI): Akshat, a baby boy over the age of one, registered his name in the Guinness world records for having a total of 34 fingers and toes.
He has set the record for having the highest number of fingers and toes and hails from the Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh.
Amrita Saxena, the mother of the child, said it was difficult for her to believe that her son broke the world record, until a family friend convinced her.
"He (family friend) read on the internet about the baby born in China with 31 fingers. Then he said that my boy has broken the record of having 34 fingers. At first, I was not convinced at all. It was hard to believe that my son has broken the record. But later, he along with my husband and my younger sister registered the data in the Internet. Then I was asked to submit certain documents after which his name was in the Guinness World Records," added Saxena.
Doctors attending to the child informed the mediapersons that it was a rare phenomenon and diagnosed it as polydactyly.
"The person who is diagnosed with it is polydactylic. It is due to certain defects in the bone development of the uterus. The reason behind this defect can be either developmental congenital formation or chromosomal anomalies, which is due to maternal infection or drugs," said Dr. Parul Gupta, a gynaecologist.
Gupta further explained that this congenital physical anomaly could be easily cured by performing a surgery.
"Yes, it is absolutely curable. Mostly people go for plastic surgery. And sometimes when polydactyly is minimal, it can be cured normally, without an operation. And if there is a major problem, then people prefer to go for a plastic surgery," added Gupta.
Meanwhile Saxena was a little worried for her son's future. She aspires for her son to lead a 'normal' life and wants him to undergo proper treatment for it.
It is quite interesting to know that Polydactyly or polydactylism is also known as hyperdactyly. It is a congenital physical anomaly in humans, dogs, and cats having supernumerary fingers or toes. (ANI)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Pictarine Acts as Aggregator for All Your Online Pictures

Pictarine is a new service that allows you to aggregate all your pictures across various sites like Twitter (photo services like Twitpic, Yfrog and Lockerz), Facebook, Instagram, Picasa and Flickr. This way, your friends can see all your pictures without having to hop across various services. Other services include discovering your friends' photos (especially if they're on Instagram and you don't follow them). Mobile and DSLR photos can be added too, allowing all your pictures to be in one place. This however, doesn't mean that Pictarine is hosting your pictures. The other websites continue to host your pictures.
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Put it all in one place



The website seems simple enough. You sign up for a Pictarine account, then add your Facebook, Twitter and whichever other accounts you wish to add. When you add Pictarine for Facebook, it asks you the same questions for authorization as any other third party Facebook app would. You then have what Pictarine calls 'zests'. A zest is a virtual album created of aggregations of photos from your various sites. The service has boost mode, which allows you to upload pictures to the various websites, as well as download from them with a single click. To sign up for Pictarine, click here.

Transfer Photos from Facebook to Google+ using Fotolink

So, you’ve managed to get a Google+ account, but don’t know where to start. You've managed to upload a profile picture, join a few circles and update a few streams. What's social networking without photos? However, all your photos are linked to your Facebook account. Here are a few quick steps to get your photos copied from your Facebook to your Google+ account. Fotolink, developed by Primadesk Inc allows easy integration of all your images from one account to another and has a relatively easy way to get all your Facebook images onto Google+.

  • Go to the Fotolink application from your Facebook account and allow access, just like any other application.
  • An integrated window will open that will display yours as well as your friends recent photos and albums. Click on the album you want to share with your Google account or select the photos to be shared and press Copy. The files will be copied to the clipboard. 
  • Next, select ‘Photo Accounts’ and click on the Picasa Logo. Enter your Google username and password and press Connect. A separate window will appear that will ask you for access. Click on Allow Access.
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Fotolink Access


  • Your Google account is now integrated with Fotolink. Maximize the ‘My Online Accounts’ tab on the left hand side of the screen. Click on your account name that has been created. Create a separate album/ Click on an existing album and press Paste on the right hand side of the screen. Your pictures will be linked to your Google+ account.
  • Log into Google+ Click on the photos tab. Next click on ‘Your albums’. Your photos will be available there. You can share it with your circles or post it on your stream. 

It’s that simple. So do try this out as I have and let me know what you think in the comments section below. Happy Google +ing!

Street View: Google and Karnataka Govt. Discuss Future


It can be recalled that a while back, we had reported that one of Google’s immensely popular services, Street View faced a complete ban in the city of Bangalore, India. Citing security concerns, as one of the key issues that came in the way of Google’s Street View getting a go-ahead, the government added that the recent terror attacks in Mumbai had only made matters worse for Google.
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Getting the Street View


According to a report in The Economic Times, a recent meet between the legal team from Google, that included Google's legal expert, Geetanjali Duggal and Venkatesh Hariharan, Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, in Bangalore and BJP’s media spokesperson, S. Prakash, as well as, the party’s lawmaker C.N. Ashwath Narayan, it was discussed that Street View was heavily violating security norms. However, Google’s representatives made attempts to convince the leaders that the Street View services would only display historical monuments and shopping complexes. Post the vicious attack on the nation’s financial capital; all metros including Bangalore were put on a high alert. In such a scenario giving out even the tiniest of details, let alone complete ‘Street View’ would be grave, the leaders added. 

The BJP government in Karnataka has asked Google to approach the Centre for further orders. According to BJP’s media spokesperson, S. Prakash, the Data Protection Act 2000 needed amendments keeping in mind technological advancements that have taken place, since its inception. Both parties are now looking at a third way, that of data protection. Although clashing on most grounds, both Google and the Karnataka government agreed that the entire mechanism needed serious monitoring. 

Google’s authorities now cite further discussions with local authorities as their next logical step. For the rest of us, it’s now a wait and watch game.

Olympus PEN E-P3 Digital Camera


One of the recent developments in the digital camera space has been the introduction of the mirror less, micro four-third sensor cameras. Some of the companies that are really pushing the envelope have been Olympus and Panasonic. There are a bunch of things that make these sort of cameras interesting. They are compact, although not as compact as the smallest point and shoot cameras and yet have the ability to produce SLR quality images. The reason for that is they have larger sensor sizes than point and shoot cameras, which means they have superior image quality.
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14-42 mm lens bundled up


Olympus has re-introduced the PEN line of cameras in the digital camera era. Now, there’s a new model. It’s called the E-P3 and it’s the flagship model of the PEN range. Two cheaper models, the E-PM3 and the E-PL3 are yet to follow. The E-P3, like the older E-P1 and E-P2 are targeted at those who are looking to upgrade from a point and shoot camera to a camera with better performance, minus the complexities of a full-fledged DSLR. We first looked at these cameras at an Olympus briefing held in Mumbai, a few weeks back.

Design and Build Quality
The EPL PEN E-P3 has not changed much in design since its predecessors. The PEN E-P3 we received in our labs was a stylish matte black camera with hints of chrome highlights along the edges. Like other PEN cameras, it is compact in design and can fit easily in the hand. It is slightly larger than a standard point and shoot.
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40 - 150 mm lens option also available


Unlike the E-P1 and E-P2, this camera comes with a built-in flash that is concealed in the frame of the camera. A simple press of a button next to it is all it takes to deploy the flash that is held inside the body by a set of springs and hinges. These buttons include a dedicated video recording button for shooting videos at 1080i and a Fn1 key  for setting various functions of this camera. Other controls found on the rear of the camera are standard buttons, which are seen on most cameras such as a four way navigational button for flash, aperture priority, auto focus and a timer. The navigational pad also doubles as a scroll for adjusting various camera settings. Besides these the other buttons found are playback, info, menu and erase. A silver jog dial is also located on the back and this is used for adjusting wide-angle and telephoto.
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Mode dial on the top


On the top of the camera is a mode dial for changing between the different modes of the PEN E-P3. Other buttons found here are a camera shutter-release button, on/off switch and a secondary function button called Fn2, which can be used to change ISO sensitivity in the manual mode. It has different functions in the different shooting modes.

The camera being slightly smaller than a DSLR isn’t the easiest to grip with one hand. The handgrip on the camera is interchangeable with additional options being made available to users. These can be installed by merely screwing them on to the body. Olympus has bundled a 1150 mAh battery along with the camera and the battery bay is located underneath.
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Mini HDMI port available


Features
The Olympus E-P3 uses a micro four-third, 12.3 MP sensor. Its distinct design means there’s no folding mirror mechanism. The screen at the rear is a 3-inch, 6,14,000 dots one. Olympus specifies that the screen used is an OLED. Unlike most other cameras, the E-P3 comes with a touchscreen interface, which is used primarily for selecting focus areas on the screen and also for altering settings.
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Spring loaded flash


Olympus provides lens options with the E-P3. The standard kit includes only the stock 14-42mm (3.5-5.6) lens. We received the dual-kit lens kit, which includes an additional 40-150mm (4-5.6) lens. Other than the proprietary USB port, there’s also a mini-HDMI port so you can output videos to a large TV or projector.
Features (Continued)
The last major product update, the E-P2 did not include a built-in flash, this one does. HD video recording capabilities are also present. It can shoot videos at HD 1080i using AVCHD and the AVI format.
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Full zoom on


Olympus has taken a slightly different approach with the PEN E-P3. Some of the features include a special art feature, which is basically a set of filters that give you instant results. Olympus has also updated the interface on the PEN series of cameras. The E-P3 specifically has a very minimalistic interface with not too much happening on the screen at any given time. Icons and artwork used on the interface are dense and compact. Olympus has bumped up the amount of filters from six to ten. Hidden in the Scene mode is a 3D feature where it can click 3D pictures and can be viewed on a 3D compatible television.

Performance
The Olympus PEN E-P3 is bundled with various features and different shooting modes. Images shot outdoors seemed a bit dull in the iAuto mode, though focusing was accurate. Images appeared detailed and no color fringing was noticed. However, those images that were shot at low ISO sensitivities appeared very bright and the color looked off in most respects.
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Low ISO sensitivity saw color fringing


The Olympus PEN E-P3 performed shoddily in images that were shot indoors, with a lot of colour supplementation being noticed. Images shot in iAuto mode appeared crisp and clear but, the colour supplementation was a turn off. Both the 14-42mm and the 40-150mm lens lend themselves well to macro photography. This was a major plus point of this camera. The flash lit up approximately ten feet of a well lit area, which is impressive for any camera flash. The camera allows users to accurately limit the amount of light that leaves the flash.

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Macro image shot well


Focusing isn’t consistent. The camera manages to click photos quickly when there’s sufficient light and the objects are prominent. While focusing on walls or plain surfaces, focusing is slower and sometimes the auto focus system refuses to focus.

Olympus bundles a 1150 mAh lithium ion battery along with this camera and they rate the battery at approximately 330 shots, which is quite impressive for a camera with all these features.
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Flagship model of Olympus


Verdict
The PEN E-P3 sells at a maximum retail price of Rs. 39,999 for a single lens kit (14-42mm) and a maximum retail price of Rs. 46,999 for a dual lens (14-42mm lens and 40-150mm). While this may be a step up from point and shoot cameras, the PEN E-P3 has its fair amount of quirks for a camera looking to break into the DSLR market share. While it may have a ton of interesting features and packs a ton of concepts into a compact body; this camera is still not competent enough to match up to DSLR when it comes to quality.

Looks and flamboyance are this camera’s forte and it does well in the features department too. However, for a price of almost Rs. 47,000, one would rather opt for a lower price ranging DSLR camera and achieve better image results.