The DELL 21' inch Monitor S2240L

The Dell S2240L is a 21.5 inch Monitor that goes with some of the finest computer hardwares available today. Not only it is classy to look at, but the picture quality is one of the best these days. The glossy look does have an advantage of giving the extra posh-ness in the screen, but it does also come with a lot of glare. the only negative of this screen.

But all in all, it is worth the money i paid (Rs 9457).

The AMD FX-8320 8-core Piledriver processor

We have been introduced to the new world of 8 core processors by the champion in low cost processors, AMD. This new FX 8000 series features 8 cores, using the Piledriver technology, sporting a speed of 3.5Ghz, and memory of 8mb caches.


It can be used to overclock, and hereby improve the performances of your system. It uses an AM3+ socket, and 125W power wattage.

Watch the above video to see its specs and what the box contains

Retro Phone Handset

Yeah, we know all about bluetooth headsets for cell phones, but forget that stuff! We have here the latest development in cell phone technology and it's a big hunk of beautiful plastic. An accessory for your phone that you can really grab onto. Something with heft and that good-old-American solid construction feel - like a 1972 Cadillac.
The Retro Phone Handset is a new production replica of the Western Electric 500-series model, which was the classic phone handset for several decades. It's been slightly modified to work with the headset jack of most cell phones (or via a "hands free" adapter kit, sold elsewhere). Just plug-in and dial - or for added effect, put your cell phone in your pant's pocket - then it looks like you're talking on a phone connected to... well, who knows?
Also has these great features.
2.5mm jack will work with most phones (Motorola, LG, Samsung)
Small button built-in to handset for answer/end
Connection can also be made using a "hands free" adapter kit (not included)
No batteries required
Includes: handset and classic curly phone cord with connector
Adapters now available for: Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens - $4.99 each
Works with Blackberry, does not work with RAZR or Nokia phones

Toshiba HD-A2 - review

Toshiba’s second generation HD DVD players have arrived. The entry level HD-A2 ($499) has been available for several weeks now and by the time you read this the HD-XA2 (HDMI 1.3 & 1080p) should be should be on store shelves as well. After having spent about four weeks with the HD-A2, I’m ready to give my final review. However as with all the next-generation hi-def disc players, the players themselves are ever evolving by means of firmware updates. So keep in mind just as we saw several firmware updates with the HD-A1 & HD-XA1, we’ll likely see firmware updates for this second generation of players as well.
Before I get started here I want to get a few things out of the way. This review won’t delve into the overall merits of HD DVD versus Blu-ray. I’ve made my preferences known and in all honesty I doubt I could think of another way to rehash the subject, even if I wanted to. For the immediate future at least, both formats are here to stay. Suffice to say if you want my recommendation on which way to go, I’m still of the opinion that HD DVD offers the highest quality, least expensive entry point into hi-def optical disc playback. As always however, your mileage may vary.
First Impressions, Specifications and Set-up:
The Toshiba HD-A2 outputs 480p, 720p, and 1080i over HDMI and component and it up-scales standard definition DVD’s over the players HDMI 1.2a output. Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD (core only), Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital and standard DTS processing are supported. The player also sports a rear-panel Ethernet connection, slim-line design and greatly improved load times over its predecessors. The players build quality is still impressive even if it’s not the tank the HD-A1 was. The case is still made of metal and the brushed/stainless flip-down front tray adds to the players overall curb appeal.
As mentioned above, gone is the bulky, industrial look of the HD-A1; the HD-A2 is nearly half the height of its predecessor and considerably more polished looking. Toshiba appears to have taken much of the criticism of the first generation players to heart not only with regard to performance but with the aesthetics as well. The included remote control is also an improvement over its predecessor. The A2’s remote looks, feels, and operates much like any other DVD remote you’ve ever used. The buttons (non-backlit) are arranged intuitively with all the necessary functions up-front and center.

The players HDMI output (Audio & Video) was my primary connection method for the review, however I did spend a bit of time viewing a handful of discs over the component output. One welcome change over the HD-A1 is the A2’s HDMI performance. The A2 is rock solid in this regard and once a HDMI handshake is negotiated it takes quite a bit of meddling to fault it. I alternated between HDMI audio for TrueHD sound tracks and the player’s optical connection for Dolby Digital Plus, to get a better feel for the audio capabilities of both outputs.
HQV Benchmark Results:
Per usual I’ve included my HQV benchmark results and of course these results are for standard definition playback only.

•Color Bar/Vertical Detail: Pass – Score 10 of 10•Jaggies Pattern 1: Pass – Score 3 of 5•Jaggies Pattern 2: Pass – Score 3 of 5•Flag: Pass – Score 5 of 10•Picture Detail: Pass – Score 10 of 10•Noise Reduction: Pass – Score 10 of 10•Motion Adaptive Noise Reduction: Pass – Score 10 of 10•3:2 Detection: Pass – Score 10 of 10•Film Cadence: Pass – Score (Combined) 40 of 40•Mixed 3:2 Film, Horizontal Text Crawl: Pass – Score 5 of 10•Mixed 3:2 Film, Vertical Text Crawl: Pass – Score 10 of 10•Total Score:116 out of a possible 130.
Standard Definition DVD Viewing:
The Toshiba HD-A1 and HD-XA2 were widely lauded for their standard definition up-scaling capabilities, so of course I was quite interested to see how well the HD-A2 performed the same task. The first disc up was my well worn and just as enjoyed Superbit edition of ‘The Fifth Element’. I wanted something familiar for this test and I can’t think of a disc I’ve viewed more throughout the years. The colors were vibrant and well saturated and the overall image was on-par with the up-conversion from my XA1.
I skipped forward to chapter eight where Leeloo is crawling through the air-ducts; the shadow detail, sharpness and overall detail were all spot-on. The motion was fluid and lifelike and the flesh tones were very believable. Overall I was quite satisfied with the A2's standard definition DVD playback and I never had the feeling that I was missing something or felt the desire to pop the disc back over into the XA1. For those of you who’ve heard the rave reviews about the HD-A1 and HD-XA1’s standard definition DVD playback, rest assured that the HD-A2 carries on in the same vein.
HD DVD Playback:
With all the precursory futzing around out of the way it was time to get down to brass tax, HD DVD playback. I started off with Universal’s recent release of ‘The Mummy’; fun movie, great characters but of course we’re not here to discuss that, you want to know how the HD-A2 compares to its predecessors with HD DVD playback. I began by exploring how well the A2 navigated the disc’s menu system. Paging through even the two-tiered sub-menus, the response was quick, decisive, and exhibited none of the lag present in some of the first generation players.
I skipped forward to chapter 7’s ‘Chamber of Death’ sequence. The audio was every bit as good as I’d remembered with the HD-XA1, high frequencies were dispersed evenly across the soundstage and the bass was deep and full of impact. Obviously as much of the film takes place in a crypt, the disc is jammed packed full of scenes with fine shadow details. Throughout the disc, subtle shades of gray and dark gradients were all rendered with striking realism.
Moving onto a film that’s become somewhat of a lightning rod in comic fan circles, 2003’s ‘The Hulk’ offers a glimpse into HD DVD nirvana. Say what you want about the film itself (I happen to prefer my comic based movies dark and challenging, versus shiny and safe) but few would argue ‘The Hulk’ doesn’t deserve its rightful place in the reference HD DVD list. From the very first glimpse of the opening montage onward, this disc delivers superb visuals. As a testament to this discs transfer quality even with all the CGI and visual effects that are laden throughout the film, ‘The Hulk’ still manages to look like film when the shot allows.
Scene after scene of ‘The Hulk’ with the HD-A2 exemplified what the format is capable of, crystal clear, highly detailed, high definition with superb audio quality. This consistency from shot to shot, in my opinion at least, plays a huge part in the immersion factor that’s so critical in a pre-recorded films ability to draw you in and just let the story unfold. Another interesting thing I keep re-discovering with HD DVD is text legibility. For example when an actor is holding/reading a newspaper you can often make out the actual text on the page and not just the headlines.
Back to audio performance for a minute, during chapter 16’s ‘Betty and the beast’ sequence; the deep, breathy growls from the mutated attack dogs reverberated throughout my entire room. As the Hulk picked them up and slammed them to the ground one by one, the thud from the PSB SubSeries 9 felt as if it might shake the room apart. Make no mistake the Dolby Digital Plus soundtracks encoded on many HD DVD’s of late deliver exceptional sound quality.
The Dolby TrueHD tracks found on titles such as The Phantom of the Opera, Training Day, Constantine, Troy, The Perfect Storm, The Ant Bully, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Batman Begins, V for Vendetta, Superman Returns, and Lady in the Water on the other hand, offer a whole other level or audio performance. During a recent demonstration of ‘V for Vendetta’ I had a client proclaim, “That’s the best home theater sound I’ve ever heard”. Obviously comments like that one make my job much easier. The odd part is that we weren’t even in the high-end demo room, but that’s a story for another day.
Lastly I wanted to re-visit another title I’ve come to rely on for demonstrations, 2005’s ‘King Kong’. This disc offers jaw dropping visuals and some fantastic action sequences to boot. I’ve bookmarked (“B” on your HD DVD remote) 01:41:55 (chapter 35 for those of you finding it for the first time) as my scene of choice to show off not only the disc, but HD DVD in general.
The T-Rex Battle is a treat for the eyes and ears, the lush jungle backdrop provides layer of detail upon layer of detail to take-in. The audio, as alluded to earlier, is no slouch either. Every ‘chomp’ from the attacking T-Rex’s is placed perfectly in the soundstage and delivers just the right amount of pop to make an otherwise impossible scenario just a tad bit more believable.
I really can’t stress this point enough but gorgeous visuals are only half the story with HD DVD. The final moments of the T-Rex battle in Kong are pure home theater audio-heaven as every thud, string from the orchestra, and grunt from the ape himself are crystal clear, sonically accurate and fully engaging. If you’re in the market for or just picking up your first HD DVD player, be sure to grab a copy of ‘King Kong’, your eyes and ears will thank you.