Hollywood’s affable Men in Black duo dressed in super slick black suit and black sunglasses are back together after a decade doing what they best do, policing the aliens and saving the world but then this time, its the Agent J (Will Smith)  who gets most of the suiting err filming. If you thought MIB2 over killed it with the Alien madness, MIB3 is more human both emotionally and with less Alien show pieces. Yes, MIB franchise cannot get away with its famed line-ups of aliens-of-comic-very-animalistic-protypes, so earlier in the movie. we have a chinese restaurant scene where in you get your diet of Alien creatures fighting it out. But then it mostly ends there. A dynamic shift in this edition of MIB seems to be some lessons learn a decade back and so the movie does not over kill or overwhelm you with ‘alien creatures’.

Agent J (Will Smith) can never stop himself from nagging his senior, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) over his stiffness and lack of emotions in his life and towards him, while in a lunar prison camp Boris ‘the Animal’, the villain and the last remaining member of a roughe alien race  breaks free after being locked up for 40 years and revisits Earth with vengence to destroy it as well as kill Agent K, who had captured him and also reason for loss of an arm. So how does he plans to go ahead with his revenge? he goes back to past exactly July 16, 1969 the day Agent K had captured him. His plan to kill Agent K in past and destroying earth in the process that K had undone it during that time. This scheme ofcourse takes our Agent J to crash land into the past to save his partner in black as well as our planet and thereby us in the future. Head spinning eh? Well, its all the time travel jet lag, I suppose! In the end though Agent J comes out knowing a bit about his own past and that of Agent K, which adds to the sentimental, emotional value to this MIB fare.

Its Will Smith all the way who outshadows his aged senior. And another noteworthy casting is Josh Brolin, who does a pretty neat impersonification as the younger version of Tommy and also the character as well as casting of Michael Stuhlbarg as Griffin, an extraterrestrial being who call it a curse or boon or both can see and be in  any moment of past,present and future and calculate the probability of every possible outcome of a situation in all the linear and non-linear combinations.While the bigger let down is the villain, who just fizzles out after a big bang intro and a lunar jail break. Ofcourse he is beasty with his own unique  (?!) alien dart-board-styled killing method but then it just fails the MIB funda. Though visual graphics are more refined in this movie compared to the the previous two (ofcourse the technology has come a long way since the last two movies), seems like the underline given to the production team is not to overkill as they did in the MIB2. So it is more of a controlled visual effects here be it in characters and their execution. The back to the past does has its few funny moments especially when Will Smith is told ‘its propably not the best of his times’ for men of his color and also when he finds his ‘younger’ senior drastically different than how he knows him to be in the ‘future’ present. Though not very hillarious, at best you can smile and go on.

So the final word MIB3 is better than MIB2 but fails to live up to the uniqueness and the originality MIB1 had, still it can be watched once, you won’t regret too if you don’t.

The future is in motion gesture technology. And already companies are experimenting in motion gesture technology in gaming, mobile devices and SMART TV’s and have rolled out products. When it comes to computing, we rely on hardware – mouse, keyboard and touchscreens. All this is set to revolutionize with a breakthrough technology announcement by  Leap Motion, a San Francisco-based motion-control software and hardware company who wants to change the future of human/computer interaction.

Leap Motion has announced Leap, the world’s most accurate 3-D motion control device as of date.  Though Microsoft’s Kinect has made the motion gesture technology popular and more relevant in practice, Leap a device not larger than an iPod, is 200  times more sensitive and accurate than any product currently on the market, if the company has to be believed. And more importantly is quiet affordable with the limited pre-order deviced priced at US $ 70.

What exactly is the device, The Leap?

For beginners it looks inconsequential in appearance, a small block of hardware USB peripheral device roughly the shape of an iPod or your whiteboard duster. Plug it to your laptop or computer, run the software and you are all set to leap forward. Leap creates  a 3D interaction space of 8 cubic feet to precisely interact with and control software on your laptop or desktop computer. And you are ready now to control a computer/laptop in three dimensions with your natural hand and finger movements.

Possibilities of the Leap technology

Leap opens a whole new imaginative possibilities in various fields. With the SDK available for developers, software developers can push their imagination to new heights around the technology.

• Imagine what an artist can do with his motion gestures on the computer screen, It would become his digital canvas to paint through his finger movements.
• A leap forward for engineering field to work on 3D modelling softwares
• Immense possibilities in the surgical and medical fields and studies
• Gaming would be a whole lot of fun when made with Leap in mind
• A fun and intuitive interaction with the computer by clicking, grabbing, scrolling and using familiar gestures like pinch to zoom in 3D space.

And much more … only we have to wait for the software developers to unleash their creative possibilities. To begin with, the intuitive interaction with the computer to enable the basic computing needs with great accuracy itself is a fun idea to fiddle with.

Pre-order of Leap Box

Leap is available for pre-order for limited period for USD 70.  Click over here  , if you fancy a device.

Fascinating isn’t it?

Its summer time again! Time to indulge on fruits, juices and water to cool your body and mind. Good folks around us came together to bring out a summer special photo-up exclusively for us. And also we have listed out some of our articles that might help you beat summer as well as provide amazing food facts that do wonders for you. Beat the heat!

Credits:

Photographer: William G K

Models: Shiva Prasad, Pavana, Warren, Mahipal (from left to right)

Make-up: Satish

Styling & Concept: Sanjiv Vakharia

Costumes: Zenia

So munching on watermelon and sweating out on summer? Don’t miss out our following articles that would refresh your body.

Do you know watermelon are powerhouse of certain nutrients and packs health benefits?

Some juicy tips about juice

Power fruit therapy – The Famous Five

Health benefits of Mangoes

Salads – Food with benefits

Healthy Eating  – Soups!

Juice it up!

Why you should drink water?

If RGV continues to make his crime genres and explore further the nexus between law and underworld, I won’t be surprised if an ‘Underworld Rights Association’ pops up and sue him for continued mockery at them.  On the other hand, RGV also deserves appreciation for tirelessly finding new methods to shoot his favourite genre in all blood and gore.  Caught between the crime genre and RGV are the poor audience who brave to see him. The good news is audience are getting ‘intelligent’ enough that the first day first show I watched saw barely half dozen ‘brave hearts’ in the movie hall including the ‘duty bound’ not-so-lucky me and my unfortunate friend.

RGV yet again plots a script wherein he implores the nexus between criminals, policemen and politicians and how at times the ‘working’ relationship gets blurred for ‘convenience’ . Shivnarayan (Rana Daggubati) is a tough cop who believes in fixing the crime through encounter deaths. He is roped in by Mahadev Bhosle (Sanjay Dutt) into his crack team – a special department constituted by government to deal brutally the criminals taking control of Mumbai. In due course, Shiv comes across the reality where there is a nexus between certain elements of police and polticians with the underworld. Shockingly he also realizes Mahadev himself  works for a deadly don turned terrorist, Ghauri while Sarjerao Gaikwad (Amitabh Bachchan), the willy criminal turned politician says Government has made a deal with another don, Sawatya (Vijay Raaz) to check the growing power of Ghauri. And Shiv is sucked into the commotion, blood and never ending gun-fires in all camera angles, leaving all of us poor audience battle for our own survival.

RGV explores unconventional camera movements and angles that goes behind butts, under legs and all possible place in the name of ‘unconventionalism’ and ‘experimentation’. When I saw a dhoti clad Vijay Raaz I expected some unconventional ‘don’ism only to find him fizzle out to a sorry stage. Well, reduced to sorry figure is not just himself but almost the entire cast barring Big B. Abhimanyu Singh tries his best to be a hysterical don with a side kick love interest, a lady cheetah who purs, dares and also shakes her butt and sends the movie into a B-grade stuff along with Nathalia Kaur whose item song stands cheaply on its own league aided by the prowling camera. Coming to Big B, he seems to have had his last laugh in the movie as a poltician and remdinding his Sarkar performance, he is one his own league inspite of some unintentionally ‘funny’ dialogues. Last man standing, I don’t know for what reason he still has a huge faith in RGV at this stage of his long  illustrious career.

My final word…

RGV has lost it. Department is an suicidal attempt and a DOT – Department of Torture.

Vespa, the iconic Italian brand, the heartthrob of millions across the world for decades makes a dashing come back to India sure to rekindle nostalgic memories as well as to create a classic style statement in our roads. Sporting a fresh, new chic look with oodles of sex appeal yet retaining the vintage charm, Vespa’s unique retro shape, classic design is a sure shot head turner. Vespa has evolved with time and spells refinement and excitement over it and has a premium vintage wine feel about it.

Everything about Vespa is a fashion statement be it the round head lamp, the signature chrome grille, cute looking vespa logo splashed at many places, chrome handle bar ends, chrome mud guard garnish (there is enough chrome all over that gives it a very up-market, jazzy feel yet not over done) or even the pillion grab rails or the tail lights that juts out to match with the overall retro styling and craftsmanship. Everything is so well put together like a piece of art making it a class apart from other scooters in the market.

The vespa is compact in size and is made of a monocoque full steel body frame, a signature Vespa feature since 1946. Don’t let the words ‘steel’ make you think of ‘heaviness’ , trust me its extremely light to handle and this can be felt the moment you take it off the stand. The handle bar is well positioned and easy on you while riding and sports a chrome rim to accentuate the style quotient.

The rear follows the retro styling with clear lights and with a dash of chrome again and the signature vespa logo…

Come to the sides, you cannot miss the cute looking Vespa logo. Seems like one will never get bored of seeing this logo that the scooter proudly splashes all over it …

The form factor has a smooth flow all over it even in the step-in areas. Check out out the compact glove box seamlessly integrated and the  black foot board strips on the floor.

The instrument cluster is clear andd white faced with a chrome boundary line. It’s well laid out and sports a speedometer, odometerm fuel guage and a digital clock along with the turn and light indicators.

If I had one complaint about Vespa it is the quality of plastic used in these controls. It just looks odd and pretty cheap.

A neat looking glove compartment that looks fluently insync with the design. Its functional via the ignition lock.

Down the seat where the body flows to the floor is a small compartment that can be screwed open for you to check on the spark plug.

Again you are treated with bright chrome in exhaust can that in itself  looks good and ‘cute’ (Did anyone count how many times, I used the word ‘cute’ ? Well, sorry I can’t stop myself!)

Yet again a dash of chrome and signature logo and a 3 spoke, alloy combination wheels. The nylogrip tyres comes with a tech specification of 90/100-10 53J if you are interested about the numbers

Pop the seat up and you get an under seat storage good enough to fit in your helmet and may be few odd things.  The fuel in-let is also tucked in here.

Engine, tech specfications and ride quality of Vespa LX 125

The hallow storage box can be removed and it exposes the engine and other stuffs…

What lies hidden is a  4 Stroke, 3 Valve, Single Cylinder, Air Cooled 125 cc engine which pounds out a max power of  10.06 PS @ 7500 RPM and max torque of 10.6 Nm@6000 RPM, making it the fastest scooter on Indian roads in this segment. A 8 liter fuel tank means fill it, shut it and forget it coz of the impressive 60 kmpl mileage the company claims which means expect a range of 400 – 450 kms on a realistic mixed riding conditions. Impressive for a scooter!

Thumb the starter button and the Vespa LX 125 settles into a mild idle buzz, wrench the throttle and it surges forward smoothly without any stress. It feels light and easy over negotiating city traffic and it cruises very well on open stretches. The extra power adds a dash of sportiness and peppiness. The riding position and the posture feels very comfortable and never tired you down. Though the compact nature of the scooter offers a compact pillion seat, so I am not sure how many of those heavy-butted ones might complain about it. This machine performs superbly better than most of the modern looking ones out there.

The front and back coil spring and dual effect shock absorber are decent enough to give you a well balanced ride, comparable with most other scooters. After all no scooters can give you a butter smooth ride on our potholed roads.  Vespa LX 125 has a good turning radius with a decent ground clearance with no problems in negotiating the ‘ups and downs’ of our roads.

Colors of Vespa LX 125

Vespa LX 125 is available in 6 colours to suit your style quotient – Nero Volcano (black), Monte Bianco (white), Rosso Dragon (Red), Giallo Lime (Yellow), Midnight blue, Rosso Chianti (brown). The yellow and red are sure to grab the attention instantly and and along with the white makes my pick out of the six colors.

Pricing of Vespa LX 125

Ok there is a price to pay for all good things in life and coming up with a iconic character, history and a classic style Vespa is a premium scooter.  At around Rs 73,000 in Mumbai and Rs. 80,525 on-road  price, Bangalore , its not a scooter for masses but it would definitely find its own league of proud owners who would be flaunting it and make a style statement. Let the colleges re-open, you will be finding lot many youngsters zipping across and not to forget young working professionals.

And my final verdict…

Ultimately it is a premium lifestyle product in scooter segment. ‘It touched my heart‘ and ‘left a mark‘, ‘Eighteen till I die‘ and then its Vespa that never ages.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) who thrilled us with their quarter litre bike, the Honda CBR 250R now unleash it’s smaller sibling, the CBR 150R. This bike comes from the iconic CBR family with racing DNA of Honda.

Looking strikingly similar to CBR 25oR atleast visually, the bike looks smashing from every angle and feels more proportionate than the bigger sibling. Looks Leaner, trimmer and looks more muscular.

Look and feel of CBR 150R

CBR 150R takes its design cue from Honda’s VFR 1200F much like its elder sibling.  The Y shaped  headlight design identical to the larger variant looks neat and crystal clear. But in CBR 150R you have two unique eye design lights flanking the main head beam. It gives the bike a mean look and also a predator on prowl effect.

The combination of analog and digital instrumental panel are very similar to the one sported in 250R, though the metallic trimming is missing over here. So what we get is a digital speedometer, fuel gauge and trip meter and an analog tachometer.

The round built-in LED tail lights with separated signal lights adds a dash of sportiness.

The sporty full cowling makes the bike all the more better on aerodynamics. It expresses an aggressive character, complimenting Honda’s racing track genes.  Compared to the 250R, the fairings are slightly flatter and the panels bit smaller. Talking about the stickering  job, it could have been better if more attention paid to it. It is loud and seems like the sticker design hastily done. Well, these kind of design elements are very personal opinion, so who knows some of you out there might even like it!

Sporting a wide tubeless tyres that provides excellent road grip and enhancing the handling aided by front and rear disc brakes.

Engine, performance and ride quality of CBR 150R

CBR 150R sports a 149 cc,  4-stroke carburetted single cylinder 4 valve DOHC engine that delivers maximum power of  17.58 Bhp @ 10500 rpm and max torque of 12.66 Nm @ 8500 rpm.

As I saddle myself on the soft cushioned seat and fire-up the motor to a lovely rasping sound, the bike feels a lot more compact and nimble to handle. The dial’s tacho bar jabs across the dial in response to a blip of the throttle, the bike takes off ripping forward, building the power steadily. The bike feels seriously quick, flicks through corners effortlessly and feels flawlessly stable with great maneuverability. Significantly this bike packs in a mean punch and the suspension at both ends are firm and well damped enough to cope with our Indian conditions. The braking is precise and confident. All said and done, in city traffic 150R feels slightly less responsive but not to the level of making an issue out of it. Hit on an empty stretch or highway, all is forgiven and its a sheer pleasure to ride when the RPM’s high. The gearbox are pretty sharp and smooth. Under all riding conditions expect a decent mileage of 40-45kmpl. The riding posture is great for a long distance ride.

CBR 150R colors

The bike is available in four colors.

Variants of CBR 150R:

CBR 150R is available in two variants standard and deluxe. Technically both the variants are same. The difference is in the graphics or lack of graphics in the standard variant. Frankly, speaking I liked the white standard that is thankfully minus the overdone graphics.

Price of Honda CBR 150R

CBR 150R is priced at Rs 1,254,21 (ex-showroom price, Mumbai) for the standard variant and the deluxe variant is 1K more.  The pricing is definitely a bit steeper considering you can get KTM Duke 200 for 3K cheaper and Yamaha R15 for almost 10K  less. So, Honda CBR 150R is a super-premium bike price-wise and would make many a potential buyers think twice before putting their money into it.

So what are the difference between Honda CBR 250R and CBR 150R?

CBR250R uses a trellis type diamond frame while the  CBR 150R uses a steel twin spar frame

The exhaust can of CBR 150R is shorter.

The meter dials of CBR 150R does not get the silver trim that the bigger variant sports.

Though the Y shaped headlight looks similar, watch out for the two unique eye shaped lights in CBR 150R flanking the main head beam.

No engine kill option in CBR 150R

No day flash in CBR 150R

CBR150R’s four paint schemes are completely different from that of the CBR 250R

DOHC 4-valve engines, yes! but then obviously they are not entirely similar.

What I liked in CBR 150R

looks mean, lean and crispier than CBR 250R0

Good premium 150 cc bike for every day use

A good looking mini-sports class bike

Good performance and handling as expected from Honda

Good mileage

What I did not like in CBR 150R

Sticker job

Steep P-R-I-C-E!

It is quiet refreshing to see an earthy, rustic love story set amidst an Indian landscape with all its desi elements  at a time when most movies suffocate us with phoren locations, glitz and gloss. Ishaqzaade could be yet another adaptation of true blood love stories that derive inspiration from Romeo and Julliet.  But it proves again if the script is well adapted with local flavour, supported by brilliant acting and live wire energy, engaging music a timeless love story will never bore you.

Set in a rural landscape of Uttar Pradesh, where the language well understood is guns, two feudal politicial families belonging to different religion fight elections. We cannot deny a reality that as we aim to be a superpower in the making, there are elections won or lost in the name of religion and caste, family honour upheld by blood and inter-religious and inter-caste marriages are still a taboo in many areas, which hunts down the love and bay for its blood.

Parma (Arjun kapoor)  and Zoya (Parineeti Chopra) belongs respecitively to warring political feudal families – the Chouhans and Quereshis. Like their family, naturally both of them develop contempt and hatred for each other. While Zoya is a bubbly, studious yet a strong headed girl who aspires to become a MLA one day like her dotting father and protective brothers, Parma from the clan of Chouhans whose grandfather is a hardened, canny politician. During an election campaign where both the clans eye the seat, a care-free, trigger happy Parma falls in love with Zoya or does he really? What follows is high voltage events of treachery, love, bullets and blood.

Its a time tested love story but refreshingly scripted, executed and enacted. It is hard to believe its debut movie of Arjun Kapoor, son of Bonney kapoor. He is rustic with an infectious smile and as Parma a care-free and daring youth, he stands tall amidst all the star kids in the industry.  He is one actor with lots of originality and potential and an promising actor to watch  in coming years. As far Parineeti Chopra, though its her second movie, she is all natural and at ease donning the grease. Together both of them  bring a  rustic flavour of love this season you better not miss.

Yes at times, the move is bit predictable but then all is forgotten with a very well planned out, scripted and enacted story aided by Amit Trivedi’s music. While Pareshaan and Ishaqzaade are already chart toppers, Chokra Jawaan and Jalla walla are rustic foot tappers. Cinematography by Hemant Chaturvedi is another highlight of the movie.

GingerChai Verdict: A high voltage rustic love story that is sure to win over you.

More and more Indians are buying smartphones and Samsung with 45% share of the Smartphone pie is aiming to grab 60% share this year. With numbers around eight million units in 2011 to around projected 18-19 million units in 2012, it is a fast growing, lucrative market no handset maker can miss out. Samsung with its vast array of Galaxy range of smartphones has its scheme marked out and entry level Android smartphone models like Galaxy Y plays a crucial role in the number game. Riding on the success of single SIM Galaxy Y, Samsung has launched Galaxy Y duos, the double SIM variant.

There are many who juggle two phone connections, for some to separate the work calls from personal ones, while some make use of best of two network operators. Hey XYZ tel offers better call plans while ABC tel offers better data plans! Life becomes simplified when you have a Dual SIM phone. Galaxy Y duos is aimed at this segment and to those who wants a valued branded phone on a limited budget. With a 3.14″  display, a 3 MP camera and a larger capacity battery to support the dual SIM, Galaxy Y duos has a slightly better spec configuration than its single SIM sibling.

On the back is a plastic panel like in most Samsung phones but it looks durable and it feels good while holding. The texture of the panel also provides good grip. You also find on top of the back a  3.15 MP camera and alongside a loudspeaker grille to its right. And then beneath them, the obvious Samsung logo.

Removing the back panel is quiet an easy job and being a dual SIM. I have noticed many of the dual SIM mobile users  keep changing atleast one of the SIM quiet often and so an easy-to-open backpanel is a good addition.

Inside nests a 1300mAh Li-Ion battery. Samsung assures a healthy battery life of 360 hours of stand-by and up to 17.5 hours of talk time in 2G and 9 hours of calls in 3G. Even our testing showed a very healthy battery with both SIM on and fairly good usage and on standby.

On top above the place where the battery nests and to the left of the camera, you can find the slot for memory card.

And beneath the battery, you will find the slots for two SIMs.

Talking about the dimensions of the phone. Duos with  109.8 x 60 x 12 mm figures is marginally larger than Galaxy Y and also its 3.14″ TFT display with a resolution of  240 x 320  is also marginally bigger than Galaxy Y’s 3″ display.

Below the screen is the physical home button flanked by two capacitive keys one each for menu and back key.  A long press of the home button also opens up the task manager.

Like all other samsung phones, on top on the right side you find the power on/lock button and on the top left side you have the volume rocker and a lanyard eyelet. On the top of the phone you have the 3.5 mm headphone jack which can be used to plugin the earphone that comes in the package or any of your favourite standard headphone.

Gently slide down the notification area on the touchscreen you can fiddle with the various settings: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Sound and Auto rotation of the display. Below the top run of the above mentioned settings are the true indicators of the dual SIM Duos, where it allows to toggle quickly between SIM1 and SIM2 and also indicates the network carrier.

Dual SIM card management and features in Galaxy Y Duos:

As mentioned in the above image, from notification one can toggle quickly between SIM 1 and SIM 2.

Further settings can be made in the ‘SIM card manager’ that can be accessed in the settings menu.

In case you have to swith on and off individually your SIMs, go to settings >  “SIM card manager” which can also help save battery at times when you are squeezing out the last bit of the remaining battery and want to conserve a little longer.

Also you can choose which SIM you want to set for data usage.  Dp note that only one SIM can be used at a time for data usage. So you can wisely choose which carrier gives you the best data plan and set that SIM for data.

By default, while the data usage is under process, the other SIM gets inactive for incoming calls, though there is a an option to receive incoming calls via other SIM card while using data service that you can find in the SIM card manager. Enabling it might marginally slow down the transmission, though not that much.

The call log is integrated and shows the dialed, received and missed calls of both the numbers. Each call entry has a small number icon in blue color background that shows the SIM used. There is also an option to view the call logs by any one particular SIM.

 Messaging, Email, Apps and Social integration in Galaxy Y duos

Messaging is pretty neat and easy. The keys are comfortable to type and even though the  3.14″ screen is bit small still it is decent enough a space to fiddle around with the keys. The messages are threaded and you also get a message application specific search to dig into your message box. Rest of the message setting and usability are pretty straight forward.

Just like the call log, each message in a thread has a numbered icon in blue that indicating the SIM  used to send and receive the message.

For email, you have a gmail app where you can integrate all your gmail ids. For non-gmail emails, the other email set up comes into use and supports multiple POP or IMAP inboxes.

Like all other Galaxy models and in Android phones in general, Galaxy Y duos comes pre-installed with google apps like google maps, Gtalk, google search, youtube etc

You also has Samsung’s Social hub which simplifies your communication pattern and preferences and give you a one point real time access to your various social networking and to access multiple email accounts.  Social networking and communication simplified.

Then there is Google Play store, where you can download both free and paid apps but then with the limited screen size and specification of the device, don’t expect all the apps to work fluently on the device but then you still have a pretty huge number of apps to keep you engaged.

You also has pretty good pre-installed utility apps like calendar, Notes, calculator, alarm clock and voice recorder.

Then there is Samsung apps for more app search.

The phone comes pre-installed with polaris Office viewer. So you can view Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents  and view PDFs too. Its only a view-only version and you cannot edit the files, unless you opt to register and pay for a fuller version with Polaris.

Not to mention you have Google maps and navigation in case you missed out your directions.

Camera and Audio performance of Galaxy Y duos

Galaxy Y Duos sports a slightly better 3.15 MP camera than its single SIM sibling, Galaxy Y. Sadly, it does not sport a flash either.  You also have to get used to lack of physical camera key.  For an average consumer, the captured images are decent enough to store their memories. There are also camera features like smile shot, preset scenes, geotagging, effects, on-screen guidelines and panorama mode.

If the still images are decent enough to manage with, that cannot be said about the video though. Stuck at a QVGA resolution, if you have any inclination to post your videos to youtube, sorry.

 Browsing in Galaxy Y Duos

Yes, the website opens pretty well and in rich color as show in the picture below. But then remember, the screen size  with its low resolution pretty much limits the browsing experience. But then you have the zoom option which is pretty easy through multi-pinch zooming or double tapping or I don’t know who will require this but you also get a dedicated zoom key option. So browsing would require pretty much of zooming to read.

 Tech specification and key features  of Galaxy Y Duos

3.14″ TFT display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels

109.80 x 60.00 x 11.95mm and weighs 109 g

Android Gingerbread 2.3.6

Dual-SIM (dual stand-by)

832MHz ARMv6 processor

290MB of RAM

160 MB internal memory

1,300mAh Li-Ion battery

Expandable memory upto 32 GB, 2 GB memory card included

3.15 MP fixed-focus camera with geotagging

Stereo FM radio

3.5mm audio jack

Polaris Office viewer pre-installed

Connectivity includes bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, AGPS, microUSB,WAP

Talk time: 360 hours of stand-by and up to 17.5 hours of talk time in 2G and 9 hours of calls in 3G

What I like in Galaxy Y Duos

Neat SIM card management and Dual SIM notifier

Affordable dual SIM Android phone

Compactness and build quality.

Impressive battery life and talk time.

And for the brand conscious buyers, it’s Samsung – currently the world’s numero uno smartphone maker.

What I did not like about Galaxy Y duos

Low screen resolution

lack of Adobe flash support, though you can watch youtube videos through installed youtube app.

If you are a Tamilian, most propably your grandmother would have told you to have a நல்லெண்ணெய் bath on atleast Diwali day. நல்லெண்ணெய் in tamil literally means ‘good oil’ and it refers to sesame oil also known as gingelly oil or til oil.  And for many Tamilian households at least a generation back,bi-weekly  ‘good oil’ bath is a must. Also, gingelly oil finds its way into cooking in traditional foods.  When I was a child, I detested its taste but my mom tactfully used it in her cooking and the taste slowly grew upon me and later when I learnt more about the gingelly oil, I am happy my food intake includes it.

Sesame has its origin in India and so it’s not surprising that Ayurvedic manuals has a rich reference to a  lot of health benefits in it  as well as used it extensively in our traditional cooking especially in South India. It also happens to be one of the earliest extracted crop-based oil by mankind.

Ok now let me list down various health benefits of gingelly oil. A word caution though, if you are prone to peanut allergies, do take a test if you are allergic to sesame oil.

Bring down your blood pressure!

Most of us are used to refined vegetable oil these days for various  reasons that even includes easy to cleanse the oil off the cooking utensils! But it would do your health a bit of good if you substitute or at least include sesame oil in some of your recipes because gingelly oil lowers blood pressure. And don’t we hear every third adult say he or she has high BP?! Studies on effect of sesame oil on Blood pressure has shown substitution of sesame oil brought down systolic and diastolic blood pressure to normal.

Good fat Vs bad fat

Gingelly oil being low in saturated fat and high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats makes it an ideal choice for cooking. And for those who are puzzled by these ‘fatty’ terms, in simple words just remember:  “Good” fats—monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats—lower disease risk.  “Bad” fats—saturated and, especially, trans fats—increase disease risk. So, sesame oil being on the ‘goody’ list makes sense for you.

Push down your cholesterol!

Apart from being a ‘good’ fatty oil and helping your heart, Sesame also contains sesamin and sesamolin, two kinds of beneficiary fibres that helps in lower the cholesterol.  Sounds a good news, isn’t it?

Keep you skin healthy!

Gingelly oil has a property to cool the body temperature. So in hot and humid places like Tamil nadu, it was a traditional practice to take sesame oil bath. Even now traditional households make sure to pamper themselves with oil bath on Tuesdays and Fridays. Gingelly oil body massage helps to maintain the body temperature at ideal levels and also after applying oil on head and body and retaining it for half and hour before bath helps in rejuvenating one’s body and mind.

According to traditional Ayurvedic practices, “Abhyanga”  which is  the Ayurvedic oil massage helps in detoxifying body and provide relief from stress and flush out body toxins.

For those suffering from cracks and fissures in feet, regular feet massaging with gingelly oil helps.

Oil Pulling – Flush out your body toxins

You might wonder what and from where to pull out the oil eh? Well, its simple and effective method to flush out the body toxins and keep you healthy in general. In simple words, oil pulling is gargling with sesame oil.

So how does one do oil pulling?

In the morning, before breakfast on an empty stomach, pour one tablespoon (10ml) of Sesame Oil into your mouth. Swish and swirl the Sesame Oil gently, in a comfortable way, through the gums and teeth for about fifteen to twenty minutes. As the process continues, the oil gets thinner and whiter. If the oil is still yellow, the pulling process is to be continued. Spit it out, then rinse your mouth with warm water or mouthwash. Make sure you don’t swallow back even a drop of swished oil. Then, you can brush your teeth as you normally do.

Benefits of oil pulling.

• Helps in oral hygiene.
• Good for those suffering from bleeding gums.
• Strengthens the jaws.
• Flush out body toxins.
• Good for general health and curing sleeplessness etc.
• Normalizes nervous activity.

Go slim! Aids in weight loss.

Studies also shows usage of sesame oil helps in reducing body weight and maintaining good body mass index (BMI).

So what you waiting for? Are you not going to stock gingelly oil and substitute it for other cooking oil or at least include some in your cooking? Gingelly oil is indeed ‘good’ oil as we Tamilians call it நல்லெண்ணெய் – ‘Nalla ennai’.

No doubt that Suzuki Access 125 is a competent scooter in terms of performance but then a combination of factors like bland designing, poor marketing and a lack of overall buzz around it put brakes on the sales figures. Suzuki aims to go for an image makeover for its scooter portfolio with Swish 125 which looks youthful, trendy and more visually appealing.

On first impression:

It has a very desirable, trendy design.

Since it shares the same engine and almost other tech specifications of its elder sibling, Access performance should not be a worrying factor.

When parked next to each other Swish looks like an young, stylish kid in the block and Access a matured, mid aged. It would definitely appeal to the younger generation.

Swish is wrapped with ABS plastic/ fibre body panels which is not just light weight but also adds to the ‘cool’ quotient. And yes, they also would be a cheaper to replace, if need arises. The flowing lines of Swish along with the V-shaped front silhouette oozes youthfulness with a you-can-love-me-at-first-sight appeal.  Multi-reflector light nested in an arched wide design adds a sporty character to the scooter.

The integrated turn indicators on either side of the front panel with a V-shaped groove in the front adds to the trendiness of the scooter.

The rear of the scooter blends well with the body. The wavy stretched tail gate is nested pretty well and wraps around the rear.

A blue-backlit instrument cluster is practical, easy to read and the blue color adds to the bright auro.

The ignition point also unlocks the under-seat storage. It also sports a cap for the key opening.

The under seat storage is decent enough to hold your helmet and odd things. The fuel lid is also nested over here.

Suzuki Swish colours

Swish is available in 5 colours – Triton blue, flint grey, pearl mirage white,pearl mira red, sparkle black.

Engine, Performance of Suzuki Swish

Under the skin of Swish is  a 124 cc, 4 stroke, single cylinder OHC engine plucked from Access 125. So not surprisingly, it delivers 8.5 bhp @ 7,000 rpm and a max torque of 9.8 Nm @ 5,000 rpm very similar again to Access 125. The CVT auto gearbox is also the same shared by the earlier sibling.  Though it shares the same heart of Access 125, thanks to its slightly lower body weight it is very peppy to ride. It handles well on road and sprightly. It gives a decent 40-42 Kmpl.  Seating is pretty good with upright riding position.

The final word

Swish 125 is stylish, trendy and with a dash of youthful auro around it. Add to it a good performance and handling, Suzuki definitely now has a product to march ahead in the scooter segment but then it all depends now how good they would be at marketing the Swish into the customer’s mindset.  Priced at Rs 46,000 to Rs 50,000 (ex-showroom price) depends on whichever city you live, it is worth giving a test drive if you are planning to buy one.