Science City Kolkata Review

 Have fun with Science

My Ratings: 5/5

I am residing in West Bengal for almost five years and been to Kolkata many times. But recently when I visited Kolkata with my mother, wife and brother; I decided to visit Science City just to pass few hours but was amazed to see the place and spent almost 5 hours without a single boring moment. So, I thought of discussing this amazing place with you all.

Location and Reachability

The science city is located at JBS Haldane Avenue at the crossing of EM Bypass and Park Circus Road (nearby landmark is Ruby Hospital). There are easily available public transport- taxis as well as buses- to this location.

The centre is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day of the year except Holi. You can get further information on its website www.sciencecitykolkata.org.in.

The Science City

Science City is the largest science centre in the sub-continent under National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture and is started in 1^stJuly 1997. It consists of two buildings - the Science Centre and the Convention Centre.

The Science Centre has Space Odyssey, Dynamotion Hall, Evolution Theme Park, Maritime Centre and a Science Park. The convention centre has a theatre, mini auditorium and a seminar building.

The Space Odyssey has Film Theatre, Time Machine, Mirror Magic, 3-D Theatre and exhibitions related to space science, motion, electricity and virtual reality. The Dynamotion Hall has a Butterfly Corner, Aquaria, robotic insects and lots of interactive exhibits on science & technology.

Places of attraction

Some of the major sections of science city are as follows:

1. Dynamotion Hall- It is practical experience of science theories like wave motion, sound waves, gravity etc that you have mugged up in your younger age. There are lots of interactive exhibits on science & technology for both education and entertainment of the visitors.

2. Power of Ten- An innovative exhibit that tries to explain the power of ten with live examples in the form of photographs. It is must to experience how a zero can change the size of universe.

3. Aquarium- It is just like any other aquarium but good to see it in science city.

4. Butterfly Enclave- I have noticed this type of enclave for the first time in my life where you can observe live butterflies in real-like surrounding.

5. Illusions- It is an interactive exhibit displaying the effects of motion and placement on our visual perception.

6. Mirror magic- You might have seen many mirror magic in local fair but it is an upgraded and modified version of all that. It is really fun to see what a simple mirror and its reflection power can do for our entertainment. There is a mirror maze also which is quite interesting.

7. Time machine- It is basically a machine which will make you travel in time but actually it is not a time travelling but a synchronisation between motion and visuals. It is a fully closed chamber controlled by hydraulic motion control system with a screen in front and provides virtual experience of space flight or journey into unknown world. It is not recommended for heart patients and people suffering from dizziness etc.

8. 3D Vision Theatre- It is a small theatre with limited seating capacity of almost 30 people. It shows a 3D film of 15mins duration. But I assure you that I have seen some of the best 3D effects at the most affordable price. There is a long queue on holidays and weekends so be prepared to wait for around 1hour to get in.

9. Evolution Theme Park- It is a theme park depicting the evolution of animals especially the extinct species. I have seen many models of dinosaurs in many museums but here was unique with moving limbs and roaring sound effects. It is really fun to move through it in dim light with real like effects.

10. Science Park- It is an open-air park with many interactive exhibits on science. It comprises Caterpillar Ride, Gravity Coaster, Musical Fountain, Road Train, Cable Cars, Monorail Cycle, butterfly nursery and many other exhibits on physical and life sciences. It also has a beautiful garden maze.

11. Earth Exploration Hall- It is an exhibition of earth housed in two-storied building, one floor depicting northern hemisphere and the other one depicting southern hemisphere. Important features like geography; lands & people of both hemispheres are displayed using attractive visuals, interactive multimedia, video walls, and panoramic videos etc.

12. Space Theatre- It is like any other theatre that shows movies related to some or other aspect of science. It is a time consuming activity so you can even avoid it.

Facilities

1. Filtered drinking water is available inside the premises.

2. There are south & north Indian restaurants where you can have lunch. The prices are on bit higher side considering the quality.

3. There are few fast food kiosks where you can have tea, coffee, cold drinks, patties etc.

4. Toilets are located in science centre and Evolution Park.

Ticket Rates & concessions

1. Entry fee- Rs.20 per person.

2. Space Theatre- Rs.50 per person

3. Evolution Park- Rs.10 per person

4. Time Machine- Rs.10 per person

5. 3D Theatre- Rs.20 per person

6. Monorail- Rs.10 per person

7. Road Train- Rs.10 per person

8. Cable Car- Rs.25 per person

9. Caterpillar- Rs.5 per person

10. Gravity Coaster- Rs.25 per person

11. Concessions for organised group (20 members or more)- Entry fee, Cable car ticket and Space Theatre is Rs.20, Rs.20 and Rs.40 respectively per person

12. Concessions for organised school group- Entry fee, space theatre, 3D theatre and cable car is Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.10 and Rs.15 respectively per person.

13. Concession for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families- Entry fee is Rs.10 per person.

Things not to be missed

1. If you have never experienced cable car journey, it’s the right place to do so. Enter the science city complex using rope way near the main entrance.

2. Click photos in mirror magic area where you will get innovative pictures.

3. Don’t miss the 3D show there.

4. Have a look on beautiful maze garden in Science Park. It looks best from the cable car.

5. Just sit outside the evolution park and enjoy the musical fountain.

Recommendations

This amazing place is very well conceptualised and created that it takes at least 5-7 hours to be completely satisfied by it attractions and offerings. It is recommended for people of all age groups especially children, to explore the world of science and technology in a better and interactive way.

Science city is one place where you will love the science happening around you and you will surely love to get lost in cycle of evolution with roaring dinosaurs, mammoths, and many other Jurassic life size creatures with moving limbs. And the best part is that you can enjoy the whole journey in less than Rs.200 per head.So place it at the top when you are in Kolkata next time.

Nokia X7 Review

 Half-hearted attempt of Nokia

My ratings: 2/5
 
I am back with another mobile review, or I should say another Nokia mobile review. Just for record, this is my seventh mobile review, and fourth Nokia mobile review. I am using this mobile for last few

days, so thought of sharing my views on it.

Talking about basic features, it is having 8MP camera with dual LED flash , 8GB storage capacity using microSD card (expandable up to 32GB), GPS, Wi-Fi & 680MHz ARM 11 processor.

Design    

At first sight, it looks attractive with large 4in screen and somewhat unique angular looks with four grills on ea ch corner . It seems as these grills house speakers in it but actually only bottom two have speakers; other two are just for symmetry purpose. Handset feels solid with 146gms weight and 11.9mm maximum thickness.


The top of the phone has 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port and ON/OFF switch. Interestingly, there is no usual Nokia specific charger slot. Nokia has shifted to USB charging option.

The backside of the phone is metallic and curved that looks attractive and durable. It gives the feel of premium handset. I have seen few high ends phones from Samsung equipped with plastic cover that is total turn-off.

There are four side buttons/ slots that housed in this curvy back plate. On the left are slots for memory card and SIM card . These two are very tricky to open but easy. You have to press the slots to one side to open it. The slot covers are not attached to the frame and came out with a holder for SIM and memory card. I didn’t like this design, as it seems that those parts can be damaged or lost very easily.

The other side has camera and volume button . These buttons are in level with the frame and it is hard to feel those buttons. You may take time to get used to these types of designs.

On the front there is 4in huge AMOLED screen with resolution of 360x640 pixels and only one Menu/ Home button in middle at the bottom. The screen glass is anti-scratch gorilla glass. There is no front camera in this mobile.

Performance

The phone is equipped with 680MHz processor but it nowhere lags behind 1GHz processor phones. Actually Symbian is designed in a way that it doesn’t need high-speed processor. It offers great responsiveness to touch input . The sweep between three homescreens is very smooth that you will hardly notice any delay.

The phonebook is just like the old Nokia phones although they have added few details to it. There is no direct linkage to social networks . You have to manually connect each contact individually to social network, so you can imagine if you have a large contact list.

The call quality and signal reception is forte of Nokia and it goes well in this phone also. While communicating over phone, just be aware to keep the touch screen portion of the phone away from the cheek and ears. The touchscreen is so sensitive that even earlobe can disconnect your call or put you on hold.

The onscreen QWERTY keypad is bit cramped unlike phones from other brands. You may take time to get used to it. There is option of switching keyboard to alphanumeric mode also.

The 8MP camera is ok but doesn’t have the capabilities of Nokia N8 . It can record videos at 720p resolution. And yes, there is no front camera and I am surprised that in this 3G world why they have not given that option.

The USP of this phone is the amazing video playback capability . It is just a pleasure to watch videos on this 4in AMOLED screen.

Sound quality is good , courtesy to its two speakers. But personally I don’t feel the clarity in the sound when I compare its sound to Nokia N8.

There is 350MB internal storage and Nokia provides 8GB memory card with this phone. It is having 32GB memory capability. Internal storage is always a better choice when comparing to external storage.

There are all the major connectivity options in this phone. It even provides USB-on-the-go feature but there is no cable provided for that (unlike Nokia N8) and you to purchase it. The web browser is just ok but have all the basic features. I personally prefer Opera mini browser for my browsing need.

The 1300mAh battery lasts for two days with normal usage. The battery is covered under non-removable metal plate and it is not user accessible. It is not a problem unless your phone hangs and in that case you have to hard reset the phone, which is not a preferable option.

The phone is currently running on Symbian Anna but the latest version- Symbian Belle is about to launch in a month time with many improvements.

Symbian vs. Android

This is the most talked about topic whenever we talk of Nokia phones. As per my opinion both the OS has its own limitations and advantages. I will try to briefly compare both the OS.

1. Symbian has better battery performance when compared to Android .
2. Android always scores far ahead when we talk of Apps , but the bigger question is how many of us regularly use apps.
3. Symbian is user friendly OS and customizable.
4. Symbian is still using old school of menu layouts- the style that was used in first Nokia mobile. It is expected that they are revamping the whole look in the yet to be launched ‘Belle’ version (already in use in newly launched mobiles).
5. Symbian updates are more inclined towards performance boost unlike Androids that is loaded with useless apps.
6. Android is for complicated users with lot many options. Symbian is best for those who use mobiles for calling and browsing.
7. Default web browser of Symbian is comparatively slow but there is always an option of Opera or other third part browsers that work better.
8. Symbian provides lifetime free map support unlike most Android phones that provide limited accessibility.

Nokia X7 vs. Nokia N8    

This comparison is for those who are inclined towards Nokia phones but unable to decide the model. The closest competition for X7 is N8 so am pointing out the major difference between these models.

1. X7 has 4in screen as compared to 3.5in of N8 .
2. The standby time of X7 is better than N8, due to its higher capacity battery- 1300mAh compared to 1200mAh of N8.
3. N8 has 12MP camera with Xenon flash, whereas X7 has 8MP fixed-focus camera with twin-LED flash.
4. N8 has 16GB internal storage ; an X7 comes with 8GB microSD card for storage.
5. There is no HDMI support in X7 when compared to N8.
6. N8 comes with all the necessary cables.

Must have Apps    

1. Swype - It enables you to write mails and messages in sweep steps.
2. Sleeping screen - A unique screen saver option where you can have any picture as screen saver in pixilated form.
3. fMobi - An interesting app to satisfy your FaceBook requirements.
4. Opera Mini - It is must for faster and cheaper web browsing.

Pros

1. Large and awesome display with good video playback
2. Overall hardware and design
3. Battery standby time
4. Lifetime free Nokia maps & music support

Cons

1. No front camera
2. No built in storage
3. Relatively low screen resolution
4. Sluggish default web browser
5. Fixed focus camera
6. No HDMI support
7. No physical unlocking button

Recommendations

This is the trickiest part of this review to write recommendation for this phone. I just can’t ignore the existence of Nokia N8 in the market. And considering N8, I will never recommend this phone . The phone is priced in the range of Rs.20k and N8 is priced at Rs.22k.

There is only one positive aspect and that is its 4in screen. You can go for this phone if you are fan of large screen else just blindly chose Nokia N8 (if you really want to own a Symbian-based Nokia) .

Apple iPod 2GB

The Most Affordable Apple

My ratings: 4/5

Apple- the fruit always fascinated me since my childhood. My early summers were spent in mango orchids and winters in guava orchids. Apple was a fruit that was always costlier than other fruits (in northern area). I have grown up but the fascination still remains- not to the fruit but to the gadget.

I was planning to have an Apple product since long time but the exorbitant pricing stopped me. I needed something portable for listening music while I am walking or am in gym. The need was to purchase a portable MP3 player and what is better than Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB - with its cute little size and Apple branding.

Looks & Design - It is a square aluminum case that comes in array of bright colors (silver, orange, blue, pink, and green). I choose blue color to match the color of my N8.


It has got a white navigation circular pad to adjust the volume and skip tracks . In the middle of the circle sits a Pause/Play button. It’s generally easy to press these buttons without looking. It looks rock solid and durable with its scratch-free aluminum finish . It is having a clip on the back , which is sturdy enough to cling even to thin layers of clothing.

It has got a Voice Over button on the top of it, between the headphone jack and On/Off switch. This feature announces the names of playlists, tracks, and artists, as well as the battery status. Just press this button to hear the name of the track and artist you’re listening to, and press and hold it to hear the names of various playlists loaded on it. Press the button twice to hear the battery status.

It has 2 Gigabytes of storage capacity, but actually provides 1.88GB of usable space, with 1.83GB initially available for audio content .

It charges through its own USB cable that connects through the 3.5mm headphone jack and has a switch letting users turn the device off, or play playlists in order or in Shuffle mode. I can even charge it from my N8 thatz a big plus for me. It is rated for 15hrs music playback .

Music - The iPod is inclusive of classic white headphone with 3.5mm jack . The quality of music is awesome and is better than any other MP3 player of this range in the market. It does not have Bluetooth , so wireless headphones aren’t an option.

Like all Apple products, music can be transferred only via iTunes that can be downloaded free from the Apple website.

Pricing - The MRP of Apple iPod Shuffle 2GB is Rs.3200. I purchased it from infibeam.com at Rs.3068. You may get it from stores at prices varying from 2.8-3k, depending on your bargaining skills.

Pros
1. Best music quality in this price range
2. Lightweight design with sturdy clip
3. Awesome looks with attractive colors
4. Long battery life
5. Option of storing and playing multiple playlists
6. Cutest MP3 player in the market

Cons
1. Cannot simultaneously recharge and play music , as there is common port for headphone and USB cable
2. Total dependency on PC as iTunes is the only way to transfer music
3. No Bluetooth

Final Words - The iPod shuffle is an affordable MP3 player, and one of the smallest music players in the market. If you are planning to purchase a player in the range 2-2.5k, then better go for iPod Shuffle as it will give a boost to your ego (for those who are Apple freaks). It is highly recommended for people who don’t mind inability to choose a particular song , especially gym-goers, who wouldn’t want to look at their MP3 players while working. It is well-designed, easy to use, and in a word, a steal at this price.

An Apple a day keeps the enviers away.