clip_image002Like the sun is incomplete without the moon, dog without a cat and a watch without its tick tock; a fine scotch is incomplete without maturing. After the whisky has been distilled, all that we have is freshly distilled spirit. Much like having freshly made wine or beer. The process of maturing a whisky was an unknown art and was discovered by accident. Back in the old days, casks were merely used as storage containers and nothing more. While a major portion of the spirit was consumed in a quick span, owing to continuous manufacturing, a few casks here and there would remain unused and lie there until somebody would discover them. I am sure, the scot who must have discovered must have been the happiest in a drunken stupor.
Lot of factors play a pivotal role in the preparation of the whiskies. Malt, Grains, Water, Weather, storage conditions at the warehouse to name a few. Of all these, the storage in wooden containers is what is the most important. Whisky without its woody flavor would remain just freshly manufactured spirit. It is the aging in wooden casks that add to its now so known and acceptable flavor. While storing in wooden casks is important, not all and sundry wooden casks can be used. The finest scotch can be matured only in either an ex Bourbon cask or an ex Sherry cask. Even the wood that is used for these depends and is carefully selected.
While completely fresh, virgin casks, known as fresh oak casks were popular ages ago, it was a completely known fact that the strong flavor of wood in such casks would actually over power all other flavors and leave a lot to be desired. These were hence lesser in circulation. On the other hand, USA had a rule that none of the Bourbon casks could be used more than once. The thrifty Scots bought these casks for their finest whiskies and stored the spirit in them.
A lesser known fact, again accidentally discovered by the Scots was to use the discarded Sherry casks. These casks are made out of ‘European Oak’ and are known for their distinctive flavor. Back when the alcoholism in Britain was on the rise, several casks of Sherry which was imported from France would lie thrown and strewn around as litter. This was picked up by the Scots at a friendly price and the same would be used to mature the Scotch.
clip_image004While nearly about 90% of the Scotch ends up in a Bourbon barrel, matured Sherry scotches like Black Dog’s Triple Gold Reserve makes them a much sought after commodity. Sherry casks are usually larger than bourbon barrels and come in several different sizes. A HOGSHEAD holds 250 liters, while a BUTT is twice that size with 500 liters. Distilleries sometimes use other sizes (like the 450 liter PUNCHEON) as well, but the vast majority of the casks are still barrels, hogsheads & butts.
clip_image006These days, both bourbon and sherry casks are used more than once. A sherry cask that has seen four or five fillings is no exception. When a cask has held and aged whisky for the very first time it’s called a FIRST-FILL cask, after a second filling with fresh whisky it’s a SECOND-FILL cask, etc. With each filling less and less character is transferred to the whisky. Depending on the pedigree of the cask it will become ‘exhausted’ after a couple of fillings.
There are various wood effects. Sherry casks impart winey and raisin notes to a malt, and port casks even more so; bourbon casks tend to produce soft, sweeter malts with vanilla tones and fresh wood. Keeping the tradition of delivering the finest scotches, Triple Gold Reserve is a pedigree whisky that not only uses advanced maturation patterns, it also ensures that every Triple Gold Reserve is truly worth its name.
Pictures and reference: http://www.maltmadness.com/malt-whisky/beginners-guide-05-maturation.html


Disclaimer: The content featured above is only for people aged above 25 years. Underage drinking is illegal and against the law. Drink sensibly and carefully and please never drive under the influence of alcohol.

 

History
clip_image002Black Dog was launched in 1883, with the name Millard Black Dog by James McKinley from the second generation of the Leith Scotch whisky blending family. The whisky was named by Walter Millard, a Scot from the East India Company, who brought the whisky to India. He was fond of angling, and chose to name it after his favourite salmon fishing fly, known as the Black Dog, which he used to fish in the Spey and Tay rivers in Scotland.
McDowell & Co (now known as USL) and United Distillers formed United Distillers India Limited in 1992, creating India’s first joint venture in the alcoholic beverages industry. It began bottling operations in Nashik to produce Black Dog for the Indian market.
Black Dog was only available in 60 ml and 750 ml bottles in India until January 2008, when the company introduced 180 ml, 375 ml and 2 litre bottles in select markets.
Blends
Black Dog Scotch Whisky is available in five variations:
1. Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve – A new feather in the cap, as the name suggests, is the only Scotch that is matured using triple maturation process. This involves a maturation process in which matured Grain and malt whiskies are mixed and once again matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts for an extra longer period of time to give the blend a distinctive flavour and a delicate finish giving it a position next to any 12 year old blended Scotch.
2. Black Dog Black Reserve Blended clip_image004Scotch Whisky – Earlier known as Black Dog Centenary, is a blend of malt spirits from the various regions of Scotland. It is an eight-year-old Scotch whisky blended from 32 different aged single malt and grain whiskies.
3. Black Dog Gold Reserve Aged 12 Years Blended Scotch Whisky – Earlier known as Black Dog Deluxe, the Black Dog Gold Reserve Aged 12 Years Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend of 25 whiskies from all the regions of Scotland – Speyside, Islay, Highlands and Lowlands, each matured for a minimum period of 12 years.
4. Black Dog Reserve Aged 18 Years Blended Scotch Whisky – This expression is a blend of aged malt and grain whiskies, aged for a minimum of 18 years in oak casks. It received the Gold Best in Class Award in the Scotch Whisky – Deluxe Blend – Aged 18 Years. Category at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2011, and was rated Gold at the Internationaler Spirituosen Wettbewerb 2013.
5. Black Dog Quintessence Aged 21 Years Blended Scotch Whisky – This expression includes 25 single malts and grain whiskies from the highland region of Scotland – in particular from the Speyside Valley. The blend is matured in used Oloroso sherry butts from Spanish Bodegas. It is a limited edition for which only 3540 bottles have been produced. The blend was rated Gold at The Internationaler Spirituosen Wettbewerb 2013.


Disclaimer: The content featured above is only for people aged above 25 years. Underage drinking is illegal and against the law. Drink sensibly and carefully and please never drive under the influence of alcohol.

 

Baap ka raaj samajh rakkh hai kya?
Whatsapp ka taaj pehen rakkha hai kya?
Jise dekho har hafte Daughter’s week bana deta hai,
Fokat ka message hai to kya baap ka maal samajh leta hai!

Aaj Daughter’s week, kal biwi chalisa,
Kabhi to aadmi ke man ko de dilasa!
Na koi poochta hai, na koi pehchanta,
Har waqt office aur ghar ka hi Raasta?

Shaadi shuda hai banda,
gale main laga hai faansi ka fanda,
Koi to bulao, Kabhi pyaar se puchkar lete,
Abbey, kutte ko bhi hum se zyada pyaar hai milta!

Rhyming ki aisi ki taisi,
nahin karna hai mujhe rhyme,
saala zindagi ban gaya hai jaise act of mime!
daaru bhi gale se neeche nahin utarti,
saali chadhne se pehle hihai ludak jaati!

Post ke title se kuch nahin hai lena dena,
woh to kuch likhna tha, so likh dala,
Ab aake maarega kya?
Chal hat! mujhe nahin hai ab aur likhna!

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Ginger Tiger was nice to invite us over bang in the middle of the week for a blast of Mongolian/Cantonese inspired delectable cuisine. Trudging through the traffic when I reached their restaurant at the fag end of the day, I was really in no mood for any kind of nonsense. All that I expected was that taste buds be pampered and my belly, satisfied! Ginger Tiger, a JSM Corporation enterprise, did just that.
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Not only was the ambience drool worthy, but also the staff was extremely well trained and knowledgeable. Every recommendation, every dish, every drink was truly remarkable. Generally, most of the restaurants that cater to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians are biased towards the latter half of their customers. However, with Ginger Tiger, I found them no only welcoming but also their menu containing a nearly equal proportionate spread available for vegetarians. This would mean, us veggies don’t have to stick to just a limited few off the list for choice!
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I tried the signature Vodka based drink and was really blown off my senses. The drink tasted amazing and was really smooth down the throat. Given the fact that I reserve my scotches for special occasions, Vodka is something I would love to have any day. I also tried a Tequila based drink but then seriously, I wasn’t really impressed. The other drinks that I sampled were all great.
Starters included steamed vegetable momos, Crispy Babycorn Sichuan Style, Batter Coated Zuchini with Sweet Chilli Bean Sauce and Crispy Mushrooms with Spring onions. Of all the four, I really loved the baby corn and mushrooms while the opinion on the rest was debatable. We had also ordered ourselves soups with me trying the veg wonton soup. All that I can say about it was that it was nice.
The main course revolved around us trying several items off the menu including one totally customized rice item. I really liked the idea of the customized rice item. It brings out the true chef in you! I am not a great fan of Aubergine myself so I would not really comment on how it tasted in Sliced Aubergine in Chilli Hot Bean Sauce, however the Spicy Thai Rice tasted really great. It had a hint of lemon grass in addition to the punch that it delivered. The Black Bean Noodles were really tasty and yum in the avatar they were presented to us in. They were slightly wet and had baked bean sauce all over it giving it an entirely different taste altogether.
Moving on from the main course to the dessert was really easy given the fact that I am a big fan of anything that is sweet and is established to taste good. The fare was started with a delectable serving of homemade ice creams and equally appealing Sizzling Fudge Brownie! The two managed to blow my senses away.
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If I was to go by the taste of the desserts that I had had until now, I really shouldn’t have been expecting any more. However, the chef had a different opinion and he did not really agree with me. He brought in his signature dish, one of his own innovative creation, the Chocolate Spring Roll! I bet I have never had something like this ever before. I shamelessly asked for another serving and he was glad to get it for me.
The food served is not priced very expensive either and the average cost for a group of 4 should settle around Rs. 1000/=. If I were to visit the place again, it would surely be for the crispy mushrooms and the chocolate spring roll!
All pics used are thanks to my good friend Nivedith!
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Kotak Mahindra Bank has been long associated with exemplary musical tastes since long. This association goes back to the year 2008 when it first collaborated on ‘Dakshinayan’, a 1 day music festival featuring stalwarts from the Carnatic Music Fraternity. In 2009 they worked to create ‘Rhythm & Dance’, an event which was held during the Infinite India conference for all RE & PE investors at the Taj Lands End.
In 2011, they came up with the Splendor of Masters for the first time. This featured Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, ace Harpist Gwyneth Wentink from Netherlands and accomplished Saxophonist George Brooks from USA. This was held in Mumbai (Nehru Centre) and New Delhi (India Habitat Centre). In 2012, they featured Ustad Shujaat Khan (Sitar- Hindustani) with Vidwan Vikku Vinayakram (Ghatam – Carnatic) Ganesh-Kumaresh (Violin – Carnatic) and George Brooks (Saxophone -Jazz & Newage). This was held in Mumbai (Nehru Centre) and Bangalore (Chowdiah Memorial).
In 2013 they created a unique combination of artists, a unique dance presentation by – Madhavi Mudgal (Odissi) & Alarmel Valli (Bharatnatyam) followed by Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena), Mohamad Farghaly (Oud), Hamada Farghaly (Qanoon) and Rakesh Chaurasia (Flute) with interesting percussions.
This year keeping with the tradition of featuring the best, they created an ensemble that was brilliant in content and unparalleled in artistic synergy featuring Ustad Shujaat Khan (Sitar & Vocals – Hindustani) with Prasanna (Guitar- Carnatic & Western), Phil Mathurano from New York (Drums), Selvaganesh (Kanjira), and Abhishek Raghuram (Carnatic Vocals) and other percussionists.
Each artist was a master of his true worth. Every moment, every minute was not only scintillating but electrifying. So much so that, the crowd continued to cheer and egg on the artists to continue without a break. The peak of the event happened to be when Selvaganesh decided to put his skills to display. He not only recreated a rustic musical and magical world, he also imitated almost every musical instrument that plays with a high bass. Not a single instrument was spared. Amazing experience I must say.
The jugalbandi between Abhishek and Prasanna was another thing to look out for. Truly, both are prodigies in their own self! Mesmerized, the crowd went begging for more. So much so that, during the break, most of them were still glued to their seats!
Although the event was kicked off with Ustad Shujaat Khan playing the sitar, it was not until after the break when all artists donned the stage together that his true worth was brought forth! Truly, this was the closest I could get to Indian music. I now realize why our elders keep telling us that the music in movies is not really worth and up to the mark. It is because they have heard the real music all their lives!
I surely wish Kotak Mahindra Bank comes up with such an event soon so that I can relive the magic. BTW, I am going to be the first in queue when the music CD for this event is brought out! For nuts, I would not want to let go of such a marvelous gem!

A few weeks back Rapoo was kind enough to send me the H3080 (http://rapoo.com/showdetails.aspx?P_No=h3080) wireless headset for review. It has been a fun time reviewing the headset. Rapoo, a fairly unknown brand to me did actually manage to blow me away with the quality of both build as well as sound.

A little about Rapoo, right from their site (http://rapoo.com/aboutus.aspx)

Founded in 2002, RAPOO is dedicated to offering excellent, cutting-edge wireless peripheral products to users around the world. “Wireless Your Life” is the simple philosophy that RAPOO has always adhered to.
RAPOO has constantly paid close attention to the continuous changes in user demands and to providing corresponding solutions. The RAPOO range of wireless mice, wireless keyboards, wireless headsets and wireless speakers is tailored to meet the needs of PC users. Bluetooth headsets and Bluetooth keyboards for intelligent terminals, like mobile phones and tablet PCs, are further featured in RAPOO’s broad portfolio. Multimedia keyboards and Multi-Link (dandelion technology) product suites for the home theater round out the RAPOO range.
RAPOO possesses a top class R&D design team which has a deep understanding of the industrial aesthetic standards of today’s world and can accurately grasp the end-user experiences in the market. In the IF Design Awards 2012 and 2013, four products of the RAPOO Blade Series won awards, which further strengthened and honoured RAPOO’s relentless pursuit of offering the best user experience.
RAPOO was listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 002577) in China in April 2011. In order to provide more end-users around the world with excellent products and services, RAPOO launched its global market strategy in 2011 to enable global users to simultaneously share RAPOO’s technological achievements.
RAPOO’s mission is to “Wireless Your Life”, meaning that RAPOO is constantly striving to bring more and more people around the world unique wireless enjoyment and in doing so create a brand-new wireless lifestyle.

Now about the headset. The device functions on the 2.4 GHz WiFi Channel and employs COM- Ti membrane vibrating technology which delivers a clear and bright treble and a deep and mellow bass. The device comes in a foldable design with a neat pouch to store the headphones in. Package contents included a Pouch, the Headset and a WiFi device to pair the Headset and the Computer.

The device itself is available in two colours, black and white. I found no problems pairing the device with my Windows 8 PC and my Mac at home. After pairing, the device worked without a glitch in the said 10 m range. I have tried the device with multiple types of Music ranging from Indian Classical to Heavy Death Metal. The device performed perfectly fine each time delivering true to life sound. I also managed to try the device out with few games that I had on my PC as well as Skype. The sound that was transmitted was great as well. All in all, the device turns out to be a great package for some one who is looking for something that would meet not only needs of music and games but also as a perfect companion for making calls back home or to the girlfriend in the dark of the night! 😉

The only grouse that I had was that if the connecting WiFi piece (In the center of the image above) is lost, the device may be rendered useless. I am not really sure if the spare parts are available in India already. Alternately, it would have been great if the device could connect to the PC/Laptop with WiFi support directly by the means of a software installation. This would at least reduce the number of support calls to the company.

Now this is something close to my heart!

Micro Focus Brings the Mainframe to iPads with Rumba+ Mobile
Rumba+ Mobile improves end user efficiency and productivity with fast and simple access to mainframe based applications from iPad tablet devices
Bangalore, India, 23 October 2013: Micro Focus (LSE: MCRO.L), a leading provider of enterprise application modernization, testing and management solutions, today announced the availability of Rumba+ Mobile on iPad, the first terminal emulator and user interface (UI) modernization application for tablet devices. The new solution enables organizations to quickly modernize green-screen applications on mobile devices. The newly presented interfaces quickly improve the end user experience, boost productivity and bring a modern look and feel to legacy business applications, all without the need to change application code or use specialist development skills. 
The Rumba+ Mobile terminal emulator offers a native iPad client application, taking full advantage of iOS functionalities. It turns green-screen applications into touch-screen apps, with integrated and customizable gestures capabilities or skins, in addition to the use of controls such multi green-screen tables, tabs, images calendars, drop down menus and much more.iPad gestures are also fully integrated and can be customized to interact with the host or to control the terminal emulation session.
According to Gartner, Inc. in a recent report “2013 is the year many organizations woke up to the imperative to do something about mobile”[1].  But according to Kevin Brearley, Director of Product Management at Micro Focus: “The need for mobile apps is challenging the agility of many critical legacy applications today. Traditional 3270 and 5250 or “green-screen” applications are a good example of this.  They can be considered out-dated, difficult to learn and navigate for today’s modern user.  This not only frustrates employees, but often affects a business’ customer service. In trying to bring these applications forward, organizations often rewrite the entire green screen application, or adopt a middleware solution that connects business logic on the mainframe to the user interface. It’s time consuming and costly and can have an unacceptable time to market.
“Our innovative Rumba+ Mobile solution enables businesses to extend existing application investments through the modernization of mainframe and iSeries green-screen applications.  Adopting new trends and technologies allowing mobility like this can enhance a business’ agility and ultimately their competitive advantage. We are helping organizations to improve end user productivity, shorten business process learning cycles and cut through laborious data input/retrieval processes to respond faster to market dynamics. As a result, customers will realize the benefits of increased efficiency, whilst any investments and knowledge present in the existing mainframe applications will be preserved.” 
Rumba+ is part of a family of enterprise application modernization technologies from Micro Focus, which help organizations transform the value of their core business systems.  In addition to Rumba+ Mobile, companies can also take advantage of Rumba+ Web to enable remote access to centralized applications through web browsers, and Rumba+ Desktop for simple but efficient improvement to their traditional Windows client view of these legacy applications.
Rumba+ Mobile apps is now available in the iTunes store.
– Ends –
About Micro Focus

Micro Focus, a member of the FTSE 250, provides innovative software that allows companies to dramatically improve the business value of their enterprise applications. Micro Focus Enterprise Application Modernization, Testing and Management software enables customers’ business applications to respond rapidly to market changes and embrace modern architectures with reduced cost and risk. For additional information please visit www.microfocus.com

Lenovo, one of India’s leading PC players, today announced the launch of a new range of feature-rich gaming PCs, powered by Windows 8 and the Intel® Core™ i7 processor.  This move signifies Lenovo’s entry into the high potential Gaming space that caters to the Next Gen PC user with products that offer robust performance.

The new range includes the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p which boosts multimedia gaming with stylish looks along with easy options to add more storage or graphics. Equipped with high-performance graphics and premium audio that makes it a true multimedia powerhouse, the Y510p is a perfect option for the serious gamers.
Also part of the new portfolio, the much-awaited, CES award winner, Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 is the world’s first multi-user, multi-touch, multi-mode table PC with hundreds of pre-loaded games that can be played anywhere at home. This interpersonal device brings families together for a shared computing experience over the solitary computing nature of most other devices. Its USP includes a supersized screen, dynamic graphics and touch screen and it also doubles as a user’s high performance, all-in-one 27-inch desktop. Horizon brings a new perspective to computing – one that makes the experience shared, collaborative and personal.
Shailendra Katyal, Director- Consumer Business, Lenovo India said, “We are happy to enter the gaming sphere with a complete portfolio of gaming machines that cater to both individuals and families. Lenovo is fostering its growth in the PC+ era through these multi-media devices that will add a new dimension to our existing portfolio of Consumer products and redefine the concept of gaming in India.”
Lenovo IdeaPad Z510, a multi-media notebook with a good balance of features and performance is the third member of the gaming family. The laptop is equipped with a powerful processor, graphics performance along with an integrated DVD drive and superior audio quality.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y510p – Key features:
·         Boosts a unique Ultrabay feature which enables instant swapping for dual capability and increase in storage space
·         Runs on 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7- processor and operates on Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro
  • Enabled with speakers supporting Dolby Home Theatre designed by JBL for immersive sound
  • Integrated Dual graphics support; NVIDIA SLI – up to NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB dual graphics
  • Backlit Accutype keyboard with individual rounded keys, offering easy typing even in the dark
Price: Rs. 69,990/- (taxes included) – The product is also available on thedostore.com
Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon 27 – Key features:
·         Winner of 14 + awards at the International Consumer Electronics Show 2013
·         With integrated Aura interface activated, it enables two or more people to access content, videos, pictures and play games
·         Comes with unique Table PC accessories such as Joystick, Striker and E-dice, in addition to preloaded games, wireless mouse and keyboard.
·         Supported by NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 620M 1GB/2GB graphics with DirectX® 11
·         Operates on 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7- processor for smooth multi-tasking
·         Features stereo speakers with Dolby® Home Theatre® V4
Price: Rs.1, 36,500 /- (taxes included)
Lenovo IdeaPad Z510 – Key features:
·         The 15.6” laptop runs on 4th generation Intel® Core™ i7- processor
·         Up to 16GB DDR3L memory
·          Enables users to stream the content wirelessly to a big screen with Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology
·         OneKey® Recovery makes data backup and recovery simple
·         Offers stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theater certification for immersive sound

Price: Rs. 50, 990/- (taxes included)

I have been fairly busy off late which has led to a lot of back log in terms of blogs pending work. Honda Amaze was one such. However, this is one such experience that I would not have forgotten about even if I had chosen to write about it a few months down the line. It was a drive that not only left me exhilarated but overly amazed as well! Truly a drive to Amaze!

The experience started from the Taj Vivanta, ITPL and extended until Narsapura and back. 7 cars and several drivers, AKA us. All in a team each and all with a mission! A mission to enjoy the drive.

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Now a quick review about the car:

  • First Impressions

The first impressions that the car would leave you with is probably that of a very sedate car. One that you would use with your family alone and probably not pump down the gas too much. The looks are fairly timid and leave you wondering if the car can really Amaze you. Of course, once you see its tail, all such thoughts are swept aside. The car has a definite Honda look to it that it manages to carry off with elan!

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  • Build Quality

While the body is very solidly built and inspires confidence once inside the cocoon like interior shell, the car that we had did not have it’s panel gaps upto the mark. There were several instances when I felt that probably if I used a finger nail a little too much, the part would separate and fall off into my hands. Same way, a little towards the A pillar, the plastics on the dashboard started vibrating violently on certain RPMs. I was told that may be this was an issue with just the car that I had. None of the other teams experienced or reported about it though. May be it really was my car!

The Music System on board had a definite premium feel to it and did not at one moment cause unwanted vibrations in the speakers. This definitely is a plus to me since I am a music junkie and carry my music where ever I go.

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  • Ride Quality

Now this is where Honda’s engineering steps in. With their Earth IVTEC technology, Honda has not only managed to make the engine more Environment friendly but also driver friendly. The engine in n way disappoints you. The Petrol Engine is supposed to return a mileage of 18.8 KMPL whilst the Diesel is supposed to deliver 25.8 KMPL. We were in the Diesel version of the Amaze.

While this is definitely not the first time I have driven a Diesel powered car, this was may be the first time that the car felt ever so sporty. The front Bucket seats had lumbar support and were height adjustable. Frankly, I have never found Lumbar support to be too much of  a use to me. I generally prefer to cushion my back with a small cushion.

The Back seats were also largely comfortable enough providing not only enough Thigh Support but also ample leg room with the driver seat completely pushed back. It is also large enough to comfortably seat 3 full sized tall adults and a kid or two on the lap!

  • Performance

The Honda’s Diesel Engine is a complete power horse and definitely makes for a fun drive be it in the city or the highway.

In the city, the short gear throw ensures that you don’t end up changing the gears too often leading to a more relaxed and comfortable drive in all kinds of traffic conditions. The traffic induced fatigue is also largely reduced. Now this was one reason why I said that the lumbar support was not really needed. Because I never felt fatigued either in my legs or my back.

On the highway, it’s my way or the highway feel! The short gear stick and short gear throws coupled with short gear ratios results in a very sporty feel! I felt no where lacking while overtaking or while wanting that need for extra rush. Each time I stepped on the gas, the car responded instantly and provided ample feedback! There were several instances where I overtook other teams and they were left stunned and me grinning for the instant performance rush that it gave.

  • Ratings

First Impressions: 7.5/10

Build Quality: 6/10

Ride Quality: 8/10

Performance: 9/10

Overall: 8/10

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Some Pictures from the drive!

We were privy to the Nokia Asha 501 Launch at Bangalore on the 29th of June, 2013 where the handset was displayed to us and also given to us to try. Available in a range of colors, the phone which along with an attractive pricing comes in attractive packaging boasts of a multitude of features and innovations!

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The phone comes with an astounding 40+ days of standby on a single SIM and 26 days on Dual SIM and supports 3G. The phone UI looks like it has been done ground up from the scratch and borrows heavily from the interactions that were a part of the erstwhile Nokia’s N9.

The UI works entirely on swipe and boasts of a new feature called Fast Lane. What this basically does is to log 50 of your past, present and future activities that seamlessly allow multi tasking. Since the OS is Nokia’s Series 40 at the back, it has not been optimized for multi window based multi tasking yet the Fast Lane manages to pull it off effortlessly. The UI has also been optimized for maximum screen real estate usage

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The phone comes preloaded with a host of 45 apps and games which Nokia believes would more than suffice any person who would want to start using the phone out of the box.

Nokia has successfully implemented several nifty features which goes on to say how much of thought process must have gone in behind developing the phone. We were told that the average user spends 30 percent of his battery time in looking at the time and checking for notifications. Nokia capitalized on this by providing a lock screen screensaver that works at minimal power yet shows a clock and all your notification without as much as moving a finger. Of course, if you do want to make use of the phone, a double tap at the screen brings it to life and displays the notifications in detail. Making use of the Swipe UI, a simple Swipe would take you to the app and display the contents of the notification.

The phone being for the youth features a interchangeable back panel which should be available off the counter from day one.

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However, with so many loaded features, there is one trade mark feature that Nokia has managed not to let go, viz. the sturdiness feature. The phone was physically abused right in front of our eyes by dropping it, banging it and throwing it. The phone was working perfectly fine despite all this! Oh so typical Nokia!

The highpoint of the demonstration was a Gesture Based Music Player which was wonderful! It allows you to be a Mozart in the true sense! A simple wave and the music plays the way you want it to! Truly innovative!