Alienware M17x :A Gamers Delight !!
Alienware is an american boutique computer maker famous for its powerful machines and unique sci-fi themed designs.All their machines are high on power and heavy on the wallet(generally). Alienware became wholly-owned subsidiary of Dell in 2006 but still operates separately.Now dell brings Alienware to india .Alienware takes the place of dells old gaming line -XPS laptops and desktops which are being phased out now.
The first of Alienware gaming line is Alienware M17x a mammoth machine which is easily the largest(40.5X32 cm),heaviest(>5kg) and most imposing laptop in indian markets now.The specifications of Alienware M17x are such that it dwarfs any other in the indian technology arena .
Alienware M17x comes with a quad-core Mobile core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU running at 2.53 Ghz with a 12MB L2 cache.The standard memory is 4GB extendable to 8GB.Graphics are handled by dual Nvidia GeforceGTX 260Ms in SLI mode with 1GB of RAM each with option to upgrade to dual to dual GTX 280Ms.The storage option available are 160GB, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB at 7,200RPM.
Other Specifications are:
Internal High-Definition 5.1 Surround Sound Audio
Slot-Loading Dual Layer Blu-ray Combo (BR-ROM, DVD+-RW, CD-RW)
Integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps)
Internal Wireless a/g/draft-n with MIMO (2×2) Technology)
Internal Wireless Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
4 Hi-speed USB 2.0 ports
1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo (2-in-1 port) with PowerShare
IEEE 1394a (4-pin) port
ExpressCard Slot
DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA – Video Output
Front Speakers Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
Center Speaker and Subwoofer Audio Out Connector / Headphone Jack
Rear Surround Audio Out Connector
Audio In / Microphone Jack
Two Built-In Front Speakers
Now on to other features
BinaryGFX:This technology gives users the ability to switch between discrete or integrated graphics
Stealth Mode:This mode can also be called the power saver mode,in this mode discrete graphics cards are turned off and other components throttle down to achieve a 65W power limit.
Numeric key:It have separate numeric keypad as in desktops which is uncharacteristic for a normal laptop.
Lighting:There are customizable lights in the glowing alien head logo keyboard,track pad edge ,media control button and speaker grill.
All these said but now comes the factor which guides the deal in india the most “price” , According to the dell site the price is Rs.138,000(includes taxes and delivery charges).
Windows 7 XP Mode :””Last Mile” compatibility Technology
FIAT 500 : Dont Go By the Look !!!
Few days back while at Ernakulam i spotted two pieces of unusually shaped(for Indian standards) small car of FIAT at a TATA – FIAT outlet alongside a TATA nano.The size of the car made me feel that it is something in line with the nanos but this time from FIAT.
The shape and look made me curious about the model .The curiosity made me to visit the official site of FIAT India,there i found out that the car was FIAT 500 a reincarnation of the retro classic Fiat 500.But a surprising truth was waiting for me “Indian price is 1487500(kochi)”.I checked if there is any decimal point before the last zero ,no there wasn’t any.This increased my curiosity on this” small car” or “Lifestyle Car”(A term which i found repeatedly user for describing it in my reading) and left out in the web of information to explore it.Here i would like to share with you the facts that i came across during this exploration.
According to the literature at the fiat India website FIAT 500 made its first appearance in Indian automobile arena on 18th July 2008.As stated earlier it is the reincarnation of Classic FIAT 500 which was originally designed way back in 1957 by Dante Glocosa in Turin.FIAT 500 in its new incarnation had many coveted accolades to its credit like European car of the year 2008 award.
The price might be the reason behind it not becoming a common sight on Indian roads.This heavy price tag is attributed to fact that it is imported as CBU(Completely Built Units) which attracts many types of cost including the taxes and levies.
Now let us have a peek into the features of this “small” car.The variants available now are the 3-door LOUNGUE and SPORTS with null difference in their price tags.FIAT 500 is powered by 75bhp Fiat’s State -of-Art 1.3 litre 16-valve multijet turbo diesel engine.On the safety front it comes with 7 airbags(a first in its class) that include a knee bag.The level of security it provide to the passenger have earned it a5-Star EURO NCAP Safety rating.
FIAT also provide us the option of styling our fiat 500 the way we want by their FIAT 500 Personalisation Program.
We can hope to see more FIAT 500s on Indian roads in future ,But still the price tag is a constraint.