My first new cellophone...finally !!!

I recently got a new cell phone for myself after much pestering from friends and family. So in comes the Nokia 5310 Xpress Music phone and out goes the good for mostly nothing Sony Ericsson (referred to as SE henceforth) T610. Initially I was in favor of buying the SE (again!) W580i Walkman phone. But I gave the Nokia brand an edge over SE although I liked the W580i more. Both phones have similar features like a 240*320 screen, a decent camera (2MP), are music oriented, look sleek and stylish, are priced around 10k, and that’s more or less the features I need in a phone. Here’s why I chose 5310 over W580i…

1. Money. The 5310 cost me at least 1k less.
2. Memory. The 5310 has a 1GB card while the W580i comes with 512MB.
3. Slider. W580i is a slider phone which is a strict no-no for me.
4. Width. The 5310 I suppose is the sleekest Nokia phone available in the market and is definitely a lot thinner than the SE.
5. Brand. Nokia is to phones what Maruti Suzuki is to cars. Just like you might chose a Swift over a similar priced and similar features Getz, same way I chose a Nokia over a SE.
6. Experience. It tells me a blind man can use a Nokia phone coz we are so used to it. An SE on the other hand takes eons to get used to (it took me a few months to figure out how to insert numbers while messaging with the T610, and that too by accident).
7. Looks. The Nokia certainly has an edge in this department and the black and red edition looks simply stunning.
8. Music. The Nokia has pretty hopeless speakers but sounds real good with the headphones. I won’t say it’s better than the SE though. The Walkman tag on the SE is enough proof of its sound quality. I suppose that’s the only department where the SE beats the Nokia hands on.

But the Nokia does have its share of negatives too…

1. A super slow-mo camera with no flash. If you’re looking to click a few quick pics, just forget about it coz it takes almost 15 secs to recover from the “shock” of clicking a picture. The picture quality is good only when there’s enough light around.
2. Screen brightness and contrast not adjustable. My daddy dear has a Nokia 6300 which has a more vibrant display with the same resolution and colors as the 5310, and when I compared the two, my heart almost sank. But I’m getting used to it now.
3. No search for music. You have to scroll all the way to the song you want to listen to.
4. No cover provided like the Nokia 6300 making the body (screen in particular) prone to scratches.
5. FM radio reception is as good as when you’re sitting in a bunker even when you’re out in the open.

And few positives…

1. Great sound through earphones. I’ve almost stopped listening to my iPod since I got the 5310 and that’s how good it is. The standard Nokia earphones supplied with the phone are simply hopeless. I tried listening to the music with my iPod earphones and the result was pretty encouraging. I’ve since given away the Nokia earphones to someone who can put it to better use.
2. Fast enough interface. Files stored on the memory can be accessed quickly even when it’s almost full.
3. Looks real cool and stylish in your hand, partly due to the red and black color scheme and mostly due to the real sleek body. I got an all black edition though.
4. Has a decent battery life even though some of my friends said otherwise.

So its 4 positives and 5 negatives. But believe me it’s not that bad. I’ve grown really fond of the phone over time and it’s probably the best phone that you can get for 9k, period.

The LP560-4...i'd sell myself to be with you just once...

Another post courtesy of TopGear...Girish Karkera reviews The Lamborrrgeeeeniiiii Gallardo LP560-4...It makes you sit up and damn yourself for having driven everything non-glorious all your life.





There are always heated discussions in the office when it comes to dividing the world. You could divide them as man and woman, or rich and poor, or intelligent and stupid or more ridiculous bits like those who have had sex and those who haven’t or those who have seen the snow and those who haven’t.
So can a man who is rich, intelligent, has had sex (preferably with a woman) and seen snow light up a cigar and declare that he has seen it all? Apparently not.
Because the world is further divided into those who have driven Lamborghini and those who haven’t. And for those who haven’t can’t really blame those who have if they are too distracted from the time they set their hands on the steering wheel to the next morning when the trace ends with a cup of hot coffee.

The LP560-4 is not just a newer Coupe; it’s almost an all-new car. Its faster, more manageable, more refined, more comfortable… well, those last three are relatively speaking. But who cares? It’s noisy, its loud, it’s in your face. It’s a Lambo!!!

Honestly, when driving the LP, the environment is the last thing on your mind. In a way it’s good that Lamborghini takes responsibility for the eco part. Lets you enjoy the more surreal experience of being engulfed in the car, seeing everything blur past you, except every second person on the street rooted to the ground, the kid with his hands on his ears and a wide grin on his face.

Take a look at the interiors. It’s a smasher. Yes, there’s no such word. But what the hell, there’s no such car either.

Now there are cars which are supremely more comfortable, but the LP560-4 treads the thin line between comfortable and sporty (uncomfortable). It’s nothing short of gymnastics getting in and out of the car. Insides are dominated by the huge seats and…err…that’s about it. There’s very little room for anything else. A small storage space behind the seats but nothing much of quantity can you keep there. Books, maybe. But whoever heard of Lambo owners carrying books in their cars?

Like most of its predecessors, the LP560-4 is true to the Lambo spirit. It still evokes childish glee every time you see it. You still want to touch it. You still want to take a chance and flick it around a corner. But only this time there's a better chance you will be alive to tell the story of catching the car by its tail and bringing it in line again. The new Gallardo has matured. The bull may be quiet but the nostrils are still flaring. Don’t let your guard down.

(Just in case you wanted to know what the complicated nomenclature means...
The LP560-4 gets an all-new engine with a total of 560 power strokes (approx. 552bhp). Also, this a mid-engined car (Longitudinale Posteriore) and power goes to all four wheels (4). That should explain it all.)

Why a Lambo is a Lambo afterall...

I was out in the market one evening to get the latest issue of Overdrive. Just as I was flipping through the magazine’s pages after paying for it, this strange looking green colored “3000 bhp issue” of TopGear lying on the stands caught my attention. Being a fan of Jeremy Clarkson already, I couldn’t resist shelling out another 60 bucks for this issue which promised Veyron vs. Koenigsegg and Ferrari vs. Lambo shootouts apart from a road test of the Gallardo LP 560-4.



While exploring the psychology behind two of Italy’s great car makers Ferrari and Lamborghini, I came across some very interesting “expressions” by the writer Michael Harvey concerning Lambo’s heritage. I present here a few excerpts from this article. Talking about the contrast between the two companies, the writer has to say…

Racing provides the contrast. Ferrari has to race. Because racing ties Ferrari history together, the company takes its heritage more seriously than most.

Lamborghini on the other hand are impelled not to race. Lamborghini, you see, don’t measure itself. There is only one absolute about Lambo, which is the mantra to be ‘the most politically incorrect car company in the world’. Lambo’s cars aren’t really about performance, not in the measurable sense of ability to corner or steer faster than the others. They are about sensation and drama. Lambos exist to make a fuss. And if the fuss - noise, rumble, visual drama, acceleration- adds to the weight and detracts from the ability to function as a sports car, then so be it.

Lamborghini’s participation in power boating makes more sense than it would for them to enter F1, because the boats are more brutal, and the people who surround them more a bunch of playboys than technocrats. The ‘sport’ to which Lambo attaches itself is bullfighting. Something to with the noble, the brave, the (that word again) dramatic.

Lamborghini’s brand message remains determinedly at odds with any visible attempt to make the world a better place, other than for the car’s owner. A supercar anyway has to leave you, in a good way, all shook up, and that’s Lambo’s simple message.


Text courtesy: BBC TopGear Vol.3 Issue 10 July 2008

When i gave it back to the thhullas !!!! muhauhahahaaa.....

This happens to right be up there on my "happiest moments of my life" list...

One fine day me and my friend JK were on our way to some company in Noida sector 63 for a presentation. As it was raining, i took out my car and gave our bikes some rest.

As we neared the office, there was some waterlogging on the two lane road such that one lane was immersed in water while the other lane was a little drier. Now this police jeep that seemed to be in no hurry was crawling right in front of us in the dry lane. I couldnt overtake him as the other lane was all muddy and watery. I was a little apprehensive about honking behind the jeep at first. But i was getting late. So after some coaxing from my friend JK, i honked a little honk. As expected, the thulla driver refused to acknowledge my honk. So i honked once more. This time too he didnt care to budge.
And then came the moment of reckoning. I dont know what crossed my mind. I decided to overtake the thulla jeep from the wrong side i.e. the watery one. Now as i overtook the jeep, i realized it was an old style open jeep with no side doors and when i made this daring overtaking maneauvre, i splashed the muddy water all over the thulla in the jeep.
OOPS i said and FUCK said JK. We thought we had made the most foolish mistake of our lives and the thulla is obviously going to take his revenge in some way. I waved my hand at the thulla instinctively as if to say sorry and this was not intentional. And you know what, the thulla actually waved back at us as if to say he undertood it was not deliberate. I slowed down my car as a precaution against further damage before completing the overtaking.

Doode, we just laughed our hearts out after that. I even checked my rear view mirror a few times to make sure the thullas weren't following to take revenge. In the end, the incident passed off peacefully. But what a day it was. I guess the thulla would never ever drive that slow in a dry lane lest he wants to get soaked up again...