Take off the pointy shoes, wear your fl ip-fl ops at work and make your life easy to manage with these gadgets

1

^LaptopThe HP dv2610tx is a highly capable machine, with a snappy Intel Core2 Duo processor, a gigabyte of memory and Windows Vista Home Pre- mium. Coming in a neat package with a distinctive fi nish, this laptop pretty much defi nes a ‘personal’ machine.

Add to that, the ability to write double- layer DVD+R discs as well as use the Lightscribe system to make great disc art. Good speakers to boot, but most impressively it has a huge 160GB drive.

Rs 48,990

2

^PrinterThe all-in-one, Canon Pixma MX308, functions as a printer, scanner and a fax machine and reduces the amount of clutter on your desk, so you can put your feet up and relax. It does all its three jobs impressively and very fast, printing up to 22 pages a minute and sending a fax in just three seconds.

This is no poser! Not just that, when you have to take a print out of a photograph, it will print out an image with vibrant colours in under a minute.

Rs 7,995

3

^{Cell phone}The RIM BlackBerry 8820 is the latest and greatest device in the BlackBerry range and features among other things Global Satellite Positioning support (Airtel even offers a free voice-aided navigation service) but in addition to the BlackBerry’s legendary e-mail support, this one features a beefi er processor and Wi-Fi support as well. But like all BlackBerries before, this device, of course, allows you to carry your offi ce with you.

Rs 31,990

03/08

ALPHA MALE

SEX HEALTH FITNESS NUTRITION WEIGHT LOSS PSYCHE LOOKSGEAR WISDOM THE CEO IN SLIPPERS WORDS: KUSHAN MITRA PHOTOGRAPHY: ANSHUMAN SEN

Ask Your Gear Guide

All that’s wired is not weird By Kushan Mitra

SEE THE LIGHT

Why don’t my pictures come out at night? How can I correct my digicam settings to get results?

Sidharth Saxena, Pune

F

or the best low-light or night photography, and I assume you don’t want to use a fl ash, you need a Single-Lens Refl ex (SLR) camera where you can set shutter speeds and a tripod to keep the camera stable. To capture a good picture of the night sky, for example, you will need at least a two-minute long exposure on a good camera. In addition, you will need to adjust light exposure settings and fi lm speeds. If you want to capture a moving image you might need a fi lm speed of ISO 1600, but the image could be bad. If you have a point-and-click regular camera, you may not be able to change shutter speeds, but you should be able to adjust fi lm speeds and make the sensor more light-sensitive. It will be a hit-and- miss process till you fi nd the right settings. But honestly, for good night photography, buy a good digital SLR like the Canon 40D.

NET GAINS

Which is better for surfi ng the Net—a PC or a Mac?

Paul Matthew, Kolkata

T

he best thing about the Internet is that it is device- agnostic, and what could make a difference is not the hard- ware but rather the software, and the surfi ng experience on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Opera can be quite different. But between a Mac and a Windows PC, there is no difference whatsoever since most browsers work on both.

Kushan Mitra is an Assistant Editor with Business Today and spends much of his free time fi ngering around with the latest electronic toys. Send in your tech and gear worries to him at menshealth@intoday.com

4

^HeadphonesThe round-ear noise-cancelling Bose QC3 headphones not only cut out the extraneous noise but also have fantastic sound reproduction, allowing you to enjoy music no matter where you are. The QC3 model comes with an extremely slick charger kit for its non-standard battery, which might be its only bad point, but the battery does last a fairly long time, more than enough for a long fl ight or a couple of days’ work!

Rs 21,263 (price inclusive of taxes)

5

Music player

You do need a device to store all your music on, and what better device than the Apple iPod Touch, the same old reliable iPod system with a touch-screen twist. Though the ‘Touch’ is a bit pricey, it’s really cool with the ability to scan through albums and photographs with the fl ick of a fi nger. The 16GB memory of this device allows you to store up to 4,000 songs, not as much as the iPod Classic, but the touch-screen is worth it!

Rs 23,600 (16GB model)

All prices are Indian retail prices, before tax unless specifi ed, and can change at any time

MARCH 2008 MEN’S HEALTH 45 www.menshealthindia.com

SEX HEALTH FITNESS NUTRITION WEIGHT LOSS PSYCHE LOOKSGEAR WISDOM

1

Which part of your body’s fat is reduced when you do situps?

2

Stretching encourages upper- diaphragm breathing. True or false?

3

If you want to tone your muscles, what kind of workout should you do?

4

Which training form uses reps of high- intensity work followed by rest periods?

5

Which system of yoga had its origins in the Yoga Korunta manuscript compiled by sage Vamana Rishi?

6

Besides increasing abdominal and back strength, a Swiss ball is good for improving stability. Right or wrong?

7

What is the name of the muscle that is in the back part of the lower leg and runs from its two heads just above the knee to the heel?

8

Considered the best indicator of cardiorespiratory endurance, what is best defi ned by the Fick Equation?

9

Name the collection of globular pro- teins that is a mix of beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin and

serum albumin.

10

What exercise uses the strength and elasticity of muscles to pro- duce fast, powerful movements?

AN SW ER S 1. A ll p art s; 2 . Tr ue; 3 . S tre ngt h tr ain ing

; 4. I nte rva l tr ain ing

; 5. A sht ang a V iny asa Y oga

; 6. R igh t; 7 . G ast roc nem ius

; 8. V O Max; 2

9. Whe y; 1 0. P lyo metrics

Pub quiz