Capangpangan Emagz

DIGI-TYRE ECO EC201

Ahead of its class and setting the standards

Two reasons why EC201 is not just a base performance tyre: quality performance and good appearnace.

Performance Features Better safety performance through innovation 1. Newly adopted Nylon Edge Band -T-rated radials -Treadwear 400 / Traction A / Temperature A (Treadwear and traction grades do not apply to 12-inch sizes.) -Stability for better steering at high speed 2. Flow Tie Bear -Improved anti-hydroplanning performance 3. Straight Grooves -Efficientdrainagethroughstraightgrooves Good appearance that last a long time 1. Powerful combination of Wear Cut and 3-D Round Finish for durability that lasts and lasts Long life assured by controlling irregular wear with a combination of wear cuts in the blocks and the 3-Droundfinishinthesecondblockofthetiebar.

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EC201 upgrades the standards for base-performance tyres.

contents MAY 2006 T3 WWW.T3MAG.COM.PH

on the cover 36 Select Hybrid Cars 65 Big Test Slim Laptops 72 Group Test Thin TVs 52 Rated Dopod 900 47 Rated Sony Ericson W900i 50 Rated Nokia 6111 82 Explore Area 51

regulars 6 Hello 42 Send 44 Gadget Giveaway 112 Standby

explore 82 Searching for alien life in Area 51 with high-tech gear 95 Make you own sushi

spend 103 Over 175 gadgets rated, with buying advive you can trust

82 AREA 51ARE ALLIENS AMONG US? T3 INVESTAGATES

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contents MAY 2006 T3 WWW.T3MAG.COM.PH

rated a-z 55 Alcatel OT651 50 Archos Gmini XS202S

48 Canon lxus 60 bigtest 56 Canon lxus Wireless Slim laptops 61 Canon Powershot A430 67 Acer Travelmate 3012WTMI 64 Dopod 838 66 Asus W5AE 52 Dopod 900 70 Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook 60 Kingcom JoyPal 823 P7120 54 Kodak V570 69 Sony Vaio VGN - TX2HP 63 LG AN11OB 68 Toshiba Portege R200 58 MPIO FY700 64 Nokia 3250

50 Nokia 6111 grouptest 57 Nokia 6708 Plasma TVs 59 02 xda Atom 73 Hitachi 42PD7200 60 Popcom MP001 76 Panasonic TH-42PV500M 56SamsungSlimfitWS32Z30HE 75Philips42PF9966 49 Sony Cyber-shot DSC - T9 74 Samsung PS42S5H 47 Sony Ericson W900i

62 Sony Vaio VGC - VA1 head to head 53 Toshiba Satellite L20 78 Sony Cyber - shot DSC - R1 vs Casio Exilim P505

4 T3 MAY 2006

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Turn up the appeal for only P89.75. For the most complete line of male personal care products use OHM, Over all Hygiene for Men. Cologne Spray. Styling Gel. Facial Cleanser. Body Soap. Exfoliant. Toner Moisturizer Serum. Facial Wash. Deo Stick. Deo Roll-on. Aftersave Lotion

for more information, call our customer care hotline at 984-3288, send text messages to 0918-921-5520 or email [email protected] Customer Care, HBC Home of Beauty Exclusives, G/F HBC Corporate Center, 548 Mindanao Ave. cor. Quirino Highway, Novaliches, Quezon City

5 WAYS TO TURN HER ON

Make an impression. With a little mys-tery, you can get any woman to reveal it all. For the artist whom the women can never forget.

Show off your moves. Sporty, athletic, and grabs thier attentipon. For the jock for whom winning is everything.

Exude it. Because as they say, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. For the over-achiever who always gets the job done.

Establish Connections. Friendly, disarmng and verydifficulttoresist.For the front-liner who can get anyone to smile.

Feel it. Turn up the heat and make the women sweat. For the hunk who never fails to break their heasrts

TURN

IT

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hello WELCOME TO T3

I’ve been skinny all my life,and let me tell you,it hasn’t exactly causes hordes of nubile young girls to follow me around the mall. in the real world, being skinny doesn’t automatically make you hot stuff. Not so with gadgets.We drool over slim mobile phones,lap up thin laptops, and are amazed by anorexic digital cam-eras. Skinny gadgets are the rockstars of the electronics world, and in the issue we’ve rounded up some of the best. And so everyone from my mother to my pub-lisher tells skinny old me to eat more. My frugal, starving-writer diet is far from ideal in the real world, I am told. but in the gadget world, an mp3 player that consumes less power is news, and a car that sips in-stead of guzzles gas is a big deal, especially in this hard times. Honda civics have always been known as zippy econo-cars, but now that they’ve gone with a hybrid engine, they look to be hotter than Kate Beckinsale in that leather suit she wears in underworld... The Civic is thefirst of awholewaveofHybrid cars thatwillbe coming to the old P.I. in the months to come. In the meantime, we’ll give you the, er, skinny on every-thing you need to know about this sexy new hybrids.

Vince Sales, EditorText the Editor by sending T3 ED <message><name> to 2929. Please include your email address.

PS. And if you’re still hungry for more cars, check out our sister(brother?) publication, TopGear magazine, which yhis month features the fabulous Nissan Murano, Bon apetit!

team SUMMITMEDIA.COM.PH T3MAG.COM.PH skinny all the

Sanyo’s Xacti C6 is one of the smallest,lightest camcorders in the world and itwill actually allow you to take stills whileyou’refilming,withoutchangingmode.Just 23mm thick and 145g in weight-that’s less than some mobile phones-the ergonomic, groovily futureretrostyled snapper takes six-megapixelsnaps and records MPEG4 vids to SDcards. A two-inch, swivelling display willensure that you stay focused, whilethe digital stabilization keeps your30fps footage rock solid. To underlineits trophy-gadget status, the C6 is also available in a selection ofluxurious-sounding colors, includingvinatge silver, sparkling ruby and onyx black. Or, as we prefer to call them,“silver“, “red“ and “black“.Sanyo’s Xacti C6 is one of the smallest,lightest camcorders in the world and itwill actually allow you to take stills whileyou’refilming,withoutchangingmode.Just 23mm thick and 145g in weight-that’s less than some mobile phones-the ergonomic, groovily futureretrostyled snapper takes six-megapixelsnaps and records MPEG4 vids to SDcards. A two-inch, swivelling display willensure that you stay focused, whilethe digital stabilization keeps your30fps footage rock solid. To underlineits trophy-gadget status, the C6 is also available in a selection ofluxurious-sounding colors, includingvinatge silver, sparkling ruby and onyx black. Or, as we prefer to call them,“silver“, “red“ and “black“.

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Twist for music with the new Nokia 3250 Excellent sound quality and powerful built-in speakers Up to 10 hours of dedicated music playback* FREE 512 MB Micro SD memory card to store your favorite songs expandable to 1GB Fast and easy access to music dedicated keys via a stylish twist mechanism Easy PC to phone transfer of your personal music

www.nokia.com.ph *Variation in operation times may occur depending on SIM CARD, network and usage settings, usage style and environments. Use of FM radio and integrated handsfree will affect talk and stand-by times.

Available at all Nokia Stores and selected Nokia Dealers. Make sure your new Nokia Mobile Phone comes with original enhancements and is protected by a 12-month warranty on parts and services from Nokia Care. Buy only at authorized Nokia outlets. For inquiries, call Nokia Careline at (02) 886-1234

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select THIS MONTH’S HOTTEST NEW GADGETS

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It’s a real looker, and better yet, instructions walk you throughit allows you to manipulate and the whole process.edit your images with precision, The Pentax doesn’t just takeright there on the spot, great pictures. With its twomoments after taking them. tone aluminum body, it is a The touchscreen means no picture. The stunning three-twiddly nipple-buttons and no inch LCD screen makes even endlessmenu-surfing.YouthegrayBorg-cubedesignofwant to changethe mode? Just SM Malls look vibrant, whiletap the screen to bring up the the build quality maintains themenu and zip through it. Want Optio range’s reputation forto edit a pictyre? Do it with near-bomb-proof sturdiness.your pinky, or the chewed-up Still, for all the T10’send of Mont Blanc. stylishness, and the six- You can even annotate megapixel lushness of theimages, crop them, deal with snaps it takes, its crowningred-eye and add all sorts of glory is that touchscreen. Itfilters,withouttheneedforalookslikebuttonscouldbePc. Then you send them direct endangered species.to a printer. On-screen www.pebtax.com

Price TBA

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Dead and ‘Berried?Sony Ericson might make Blackberry bitter

Imagine all the features of blackberry push email, big-boy’s keypad, etc-but in a ruggedly handsome shell. That’s Sony Ericson’s M600. Just 15mm thick, it won’t spoil the line of your suit, and the near-proper keypad (two letters per button) soon becomes second nature. The screen is touch sensitive, while a jog dial makes for easy contact-foraging. Its 80MB memory stores MP3s, PDFs andothermediafiles.Theonlylowisthescreenquality, which doesn’t measures up to the new BlackBerry 8700G. Still, the M600-available in black or white-should leave RIM sweating, and best of all, David Beckham doesn’t have one (he can’t spell his name).

www.sonyericson.com

Price TBA

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Alpha emailThis tiny Wi/POQ con-nects your Bluetooth mobile phone to pick up your email. A QWERTY keyboard lets you tap out replies, and a more upmar-ket version will include a photo viewer and PC-syncing software.www.wipoq.com

Beer monsterAt last! Japanese brewer Asahi has created a robot that will pour you the per-fect pint. All you need is 36 tokens from Asahi cans and one of the 5,000 that have been made is yours. The catch? They’re only available in Japan.www.wipoq.com

Wi-fi wabbitThe Nabaztag is a curios rab-bit. Using Wi-Fi it reads the news out, keeps you up to date on the stock market and even predicts the weather. Controlled via website, he can wiggle his ears when you get email, or glow red and dance when you shares plummet in value. That’ll cheer you up.

www.nabaztag.com

CenterfoldFatter than the RAZR, but carries it well

BenQ has linked up with Siemens and lunched two new RAZR-baitingphones.ThefirstistheEF81.It’s2mmfatterthantheRAZR,butpunchesaboveitsweightthanksto3Gvideo calling and a two-megapixel camera. It doesn’t fell cheap-in fact it closes with a nice clunk-but display’s pretty poor. Second there’s the S68 candybar. It’s slim at 13mm, but features are pretty basic and a large 1.8-inch color dis-play.They’rethebestRAZResquephoneswe’veseen,butyou can’t beat the real thing.

www.benqmobile.com

THE RULES DIGITAL VIDEO EDITING

1) If you don’t look good even during sloe-mos of your homemade “scandal“, time for a career change.2) Nope, the card reader does not accept 8mm celluloid3) If you look a bit dark in the video, twaek the brightness settings. If you still look dark, twaek it some more. If there is no improve-ment, rub some whitening cream on your face. Apply redo the scene.4) Inserting nude scenes does not help im-prove the story... no wait, it does!5) No matter how you rearrange the scenes, Dude Wheres My Car will always be the stupidest movie ever.

Long distance shooterThe DSC-H5 combines goodies such as a 7.2 megapixel CCD, 12x optical zoom 3-inc LCD and Sony’s Super SteadyShot technology to give youLarry Bird-like ac-curacy and consistency when shooting from away beyond the arc. Tight shorts and high-top shoes notincluded.

www.sonystyle.com

$140(about P7,200)

Price TBA

$599(about P30,640)

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H A M I L T O N THE AMERICAN BRAND SINCE 1892

KHAKI X - WIND The Perfect Co - pilot

AsthecrowflieswiththenewKhakiX-WindAutomaticbyHamilton,navigationis looking good. The new Khaki X-Wind Automatic guarantees that it’s wearer keeps right on track. This stylish chronometer may turn heads-but thanks to it’s clever, integrated navigation feature, deviations are off the agenda. The Khaki X-Wind Automatic is the world’sfirstdrift-anglecalculatorinawatch,enablingpilotstoaccuratelycalculateand record the crosswinds they will encounter on their planned journey. And for those needing to navigate their way through life on the ground, this new Hamilton timepiece is also the perfect co-pilot.

Regardless of it’s current position the Khaki X-Wind Automatic has a sporty, high-tech design and is 44mm in diameter for easy visibility in all senses. The distinctive chrono comes with a choice of a black or silver-colored dial and has an easy-to-read display. In order to foster the adventurous aviation spirit, Hamliton has createdtwo new interpretations of “loopimg” on this latest addition to it’s Khaki series.The Khaki X-Wind Automatic has a brown stitched leather strap with an extension that allows the watch tobewornoverabulkyflyingjacketandafixedlooponthestrapensuresthatthe watch stays in palce. A double buckle in the shape of an “H” adds extra security. The Khaki X-Wind Automatic is also available with a black, stitched rubber stap. The adventurer character is underlined by water resistenace to 100 m and a sapphire crystal.

NAVIGATIONAL NOTESThe starting point for the crosswind calculation is the rotation of the externalturning bezel to mark thw wind direction and real speed of the aircraft orsea vessel - for example 180 mph. Following this, key informationis sourced from the map or control tower - the difference betweenthe geographic and magnitec poles plus the wind speed and direction on the journey. Reffering to either the nomographengraved on the reverse of the watch, or the one on thesmall card supplied with it, the pilot suntracks the differencebetween the poles e.g. 30 degrees from the 90 degrees line marked onthe nomograph. From the resultant 60 degrees point on the arcthe navigator traces the curved line until it curses the speedcurve-inthisexampleat40mph.Thislastfigureis split by creating a right - angle going down to the horizontal scale which the line in this example touches this at 20 mph. By adding the resuktant 20 mph to the vessel’s actual speed of 180 mph the navigator obtainsafigureof200thatheorshesetsontheouterbezelusinga second crown and consequently relates to the correspondingfigureontheinnerbezel,here6.5.Thislastfigureisthecrosswindcomponent.Thefinalstepistoaddthecrosswindcomponent to the magnetic heading - 6.5 + 130 = 136.5. Thepilot then selects 136 degrees on the inner bezel to remiond him that thisis the direction to take in order to reach the desire destination directly.

Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, PA, USA. Known forinnovative design and watch technology, Hamilton is a member of theSwatch group, the words largest watch producer and distributor, with 157productionsitesinSwitzerland.TheSwantchgroupistheofficialtimekeeperanddata-handling operator for the olympic game in Athens, Turin, Beijing and other cities.

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Skin flickSSanto introduces itssuper-cool, super slim,alumni camcorder

Sanyo’s Xacti C6 is one of the smallest,lightest camcorders in the world and itwill actually allow you to take stills whileyou’refilming,withoutchangingmode.Just 23mm thick and 145g in weight-that’s less than some mobile phones-the ergonomic, groovily futureretrostyled snapper takes six-megapixelsnaps and records MPEG4 vids to SDcards. A two-inch, swivelling display willensure that you stay focused, whilethe digital stabilization keeps your30fps footage rock solid. To underlineits trophy-gadget status, the C6 is also available in a selection ofluxurious-sounding colors, includingvinatge silver, sparkling ruby and onyx black. Or, as we prefer to call them,“silver“, “red“ and “black“.

www.sanyo.com Price TBA

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THE RULES BROADBAND SURFING

1)Having broaadband access in your home means only one thing, NERD!2)Contrary to what people might say, you cannot downlod a asocial life.3)Faster downloads=less hard disk space by the second.\4)”Broad”band does not means it’s exclusiveforsurfingnudewomenon the net.5)Surfingthenetisnotanextremesport, though spyware may cause a crash.

Deep impactCreative’s Gigawork T20 PC stereo speakers use the company’s BasXport technol-ogy to make low-frequency sounds. That means you get gangstagrade bass without the need to hide a honking great subwoofer under your deskwww.creative.com

DrinkeatchLance Armstrong has teamed up with Nike to create a watch. The Oregon Square Dial Features a hydration alarm, which beeps at regular intervals to remind you to drink vital when doing vigor-ous exercise.www.nike.com

Wet one ohNeedles to say, digital cameras and water is one cocktail we wouldn’t want to mix-till now! The 6-megapixel, waterproof Pentax Optio W10 comes with a 2.5 inch LCD and a face-recognition feature for proper focusing. Faces be damned! We could’ve used one of these dur-ing last month’s bikini shoot!

www.h2ocamera.comHard disk, easy useThe HDD camcorder with a company thumb stick

JVC pioneered hard drive camcorders, so it should be onestepaheadofthefield.ItslatestEverio‘corder,theGZ-MG21,addsathumbstick,perchedontheedgeofthe2.5-inchflip-outLCD.It’sactuallymoreusefulthanitsounds,makingflickingthroughstillsandmenus effortless. Seven hours of DVD quality footage can be crammed on to the 20GB hard disk, and there’s also an absolutely mammoth 32x optical zoom. If you don’t have a PC, videos can be burnt directly to the optional Apacer AD330 DVD burner.

Camera phone, redefinedSony Ericson calls them Cyber-shots now!In a gutsy move, SE has applied the Cyber-shot moniker to their high-end camera pohones-and rightfully so. The K800i has a 3.2-megapixel sensor with autofo-cus,xenonflash,QVGAdisplay,MS Micro support and 3G connec-tivity. There’s also an EDGE vari-ant, sans front cam, dubbed K790i.

www.sonyericson.com.ph

Price TBA

Price TBA

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GADGET GURUGot any questions about the stuff you have or that new toy you’ve been eyeing?Email our resident tech-nerd at [email protected]

WHEN N?When will the nokia N80 will be released? The internal memory consists of how much MB? How about the mini SD card? Which one is better than the other? Nokia N80 or the Erickson W800i? How about Nokia 6280? When will it be featured in t3 magazine?Jalainie SalvadorThe Guru syas: We expect the N80 to be available by june this year. It has 40MB of internal memory, expandable to 2BG via MicroSD cards. The N80 is a different kind of phone than the W800, since the N80 is a #G device with a 3-megapixel camera. By specs alone, the N80 is a more capable phone. As for the 6280, while it is a 3G phone, it runs on Nokia’s less-powerful (but still capable) Series 40 interface-unlike the N80 or N70 which run on Series 60. It also has a fxed amount of memory of 74MB. we’ve already asked Nokia for a review unit, so keep you eyes peeled for that future review!

WHAT’S WITH WINDOWS MOBILE?Can you give me different between Micro-soft Windows Mobile 2003 PocketPC phone edition second edition and the latest Windows 5.0, and what is the added features on it! Thank you very much.Adonis LlavoreThe Guru syas: One of the most biggest differences between WM 5 and WM 2003n(alleditions)isthatWM5isaunifiedplatform-meaning it supports smart phones, PcketPC phones and Pocket PC’s. This is good news for developers. For end-users, WM5 supports Flsh ROM (also known as non-volatile memoryu). In the past, you risked losing all data if you battery ran out. In WM 5, you data remains intact. Microsoft has also included upgrad-edversionsoftjeirmobileOfficesoftwaresuit. Include now is Mobile Poiwepoint, which can only playback presentations. Me-dia Player 10 is also part of WM 5.

DESPERATELY SEEKING DVB-HOla gadget guru! Gadget freak here askin for yourhelp‘boutNokia7710.Isthespeakerofit loud enough to bother other people? And how‘boutthegames?Aretheyaddictive?Andsince the internal memory of it is 90MB, could it save an MP3 songs for about 150? And I’m reallyconfused‘boutthemobile-tv.I’mdyingtoknow what it is. I mean is that an accesory? Or a network dependent feature? What? And what is the difference between mobile-tv, DVB-H TV, T-DMB of Samsung SGH-P900? Please please please answer me as early as possible before I let my money out of my own hands!FrancescaThe Guru syas: We found the 7710’s speakers adequete, and you can save MP3s in internal memory if you wish. You can opt for a lowerbitratefortheMP3stodecreasethefilesize. While we were wowed by the 7710, the device is being used to demonstrate emerging tehnologies, to prove that it can be done. Case in points DVB-H. DVB-H (stands for Digital Video Broadcast for Handhelds), and you would need to replace the back plate of the 7710 to make use of it. However, there’s more to it than just an accessory purchase. The content provider (TVnetworksandbroadcasters)willneedtofinda way to re-format their content to the DVB-H standard. A third party can come in to do this for them. The telcos also will have to provide facilities and servers for this, and of course, there is always the question of “how much”. We’re sure the telcos are looking into the feasinility of DVB-H, and mobile TV in general. We are able to witness a demo of DVB-H last year in Singapore, and it shows some premise. Several countries in Europe will be launching their DVB-H services come June 2006 - just in time for the FIFA World Cup. Nokia’s head of DVB-H support in their future handsets, but didn’t give us any concrete details. Local implementation of DVB-H has a long way to go, but we used to think 3G would never come here. You never know.

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An ex wewouldn’tmindseeingAnd the make-up sex is optionalWe normally are wary around ex’s,but in the case of the Casio Exilim EX-Z850,we’dwelcomeitwithopenarms,thanks to endearing traits such as an 8.1-megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD and built-in anti shake technology www.exilim.com$399(about P20,500)

The Big K is catching up ...and it’s about time! Joining the ultra-zoom fray is the 6- megapixel,10x-opticalzoomedZ650 offering from imaging giant Kodak. It’s got\ Kodak’s Color Science imaging brains that ensures accurate colors and exposure no matter what you are shooting.

www.kodak.com.ph $399(about P20,500)

Pinch hitterBeing tagged “budget” isn’t a bad thing at allYou’ve got budget airlines, budget hotels, budget meals.Nothingwrongwithanyofthem,anddefinitelynothing wrong with a budget phone either. Especially when it’s something like the K310i. Underneath that inmistakably Sony-Ericson exterior is a 128x160 pixel, 65k-color display, MP3 support and VGA cam-era. That sounds like the specs of the K700i back in its heyday, if you ask us. And no, we aren’t complaining!

www.sonyericson.com.ph

Well, mine is three inches!Beenq’s X610 claims that it’s the slimmest digital camera comes not onlywith a 3-inch LCD, but with image stabilization as well. It’s got on-board image editing functions, and also captures MPEG4 video in VGA resolution.

www.,benq.com

Topped up im AA hourYes folks, if you’ve got a bunch of AA powered devices, the CH1HRCP-4 charger from Energizer is just the ticket. It tops up rechargable AA batteries in just hour! About P,000.

www.energizer.com

A new S - classFujitsu Siemens calls their Lifebook S7110 thin and light - we prefer calling them sleek and sexy (when was the last time you told a lady she was thin?). In that 1.8-kg shell is an Intel Duo Core chip, so expect blazing performance without taking a hit on battery life.

www.fujitsu-seimens.com

Price TBA

Price TBA

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Case closed!Because scratched up gadgets are just plain uncoolSo you’ve taken the plunge and blown you savings on the latest whiz-bang convergent megapix-eled Wi-Fi’d gizmo. You probably are in the “honeymoon” stage now, swooning and fawning over your latest acquisatiion. Then you notice that miniscule scratch, then another. Heed our advice, invest in a case. from day one. A little protection never hurt anyone.

Pivot treo 650/700Black Silicon CaseP750

Pivot 02 xda AtomBlack Silicon CaseP750

Pivot treo 650/700WhiteSilicon CaseP750

Pivot 02 xda Atom-White Silicon CaseP750

Brando N70 ClearPlastic CaseP580 Brando W800i Clear

Plastic CaseP580

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Walking on airT3 tests the latest tech for your toes

Anyshoeaficionadowillagreethatfewothershoes have shaped the industry like the Nike Airmax did when it was released almost two decades ago. It was a new concept back then, but it is only now that running on air has ever been so literal. Even though the technology has been around for 25 years, old-fashoined would be the last phrase to describe it - in fact, this seems more like a culmination of Nike’s experience of working with air. Judging from previous incarnations of the shoe you already know the design and use of suede is true to its Airmazx roots. Its overall guise is impec-cable. The most important question is, how does it really feel? The moment you put them on, you’ll immediately conclude that its sibling, Nike Free, can rival it in terms of wieght. The pri-mary reason for this was the removal of the foam that is usually found in most, if not all, running shoes. That leaves nothing but air in the sole. If you don’t mind the attention the shoe gets because of its radical desing, run-ning around the indoor track and on the treadmill couldn’t get any more comfort-able. Though it may be the only pair of shoes which we can wholeheartedly say, give us an added bounce while running, the 360 is obvi-ouslynotfitfortheoutdoors,orthehardcorerunner. Broken glass or thumb tacks? Just imagining those full-lenght Air-Soles giv-ing out a hissing sound is enough to give us nightmares.

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Top scorerGet your kicks with some football fashion

You may not know the difference between a volley and an instep drive, but you do how to mix and match your clothes. This selection will give you instant footballing cred. Just do some research about the offside rule, uk?

Diadora Italia Tee Adidas A Girl With a Ball Diadora Passion Red teeP799 P1,995 P599

Diadora Ireland Adidas Raul Photo tee Nike Teamwork teeP799 P895 P895

Diadora Sala Nike Air Tiempo RivalP2,499 P2,995

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ASUS W5AEP110,000www.asus.com.phASUS’S MAIN BUSINESS is making machines for the likes of apple and sony, so it knows a thing or two about laptops. It’s little surprise, the, that this is kitted out with a very powerful, hot0off-the production-line Intel processor. Despite the reasonably light 1.6kg weight and compact di-mensions, there’s still space for a 1.2-inch display. It’s a 16:9 ratio and has a special coating that makes color looks more vivid. This proved particularly effective when watching DVD’s, showing off the deliriously rich color palette of David Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me to great effect. That wide screen also means that the keyboard is wider, with good-sized keys. In fact, this has the most spacious keyboard on test. Battery life lets the side the side down here we managed to only get 146 minutes out of it before reaching for the AC plug.

In detailThe laptop is pre-loaded with Pow-er4Gear. This enables you to switch between various power modes to set your laptop for maximum perfor-mance or maximum battery life.

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In detailAcer’s e Settings Management tool is a utility that manages your laptop’s power settings, enabling youtoconfigureiteitherforlongerbattery life or towards better perfor-mance

ACER TRAVELMATE3012WTMI P109,800 www.acer.com.ph

A MACHINE WITH two brains, this sleek little number packs the latest technology into a slick, aerodynamic pack-age. Like Asus’s, this machine is powered by one of In-tel’s dual-core processors. These state-of-the- art chips cram two CPUs onto a single slither of silicon. The travelmate is quite light at 1.6kg, yet feels sturdy-drop this while running for a train/from the police and it’ll most probably survive. Helped by that Intel chip, it puts in the best perfor-mance of any machine in this test, easily coping with CPU-intensive tasks such as video editing as well as the usual spreadsheetsandWebsurfing.However,themainbatterylasts just 104 minutes, so if you’re going on longer trips you’ll also need to take the second, larger battery with you.

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TOSHIBA PORTAGER200 P139,900www.toshiba.comWITH ITS SUPER-SLIM frame, this one’s a real-eye catcher, but those rake-like looks come at a cost. Toshiba doesn’t have the same rep as Sony for making stunning-looking laptops but it’s pushed the boat ot here. At a perilously skinny 24mm thick, and weighing 1.4kg, this is so slim, we’re surprised People magazine hasn’t put it on it’s cover undaer a “worried” headline. The look’s been achieved by using a 1.8-inch hard disk instead of the 2.5-inch drives found in the oth-ers here. More vexinly, the optical drive’s been barfed out of its bulimic guts to further reduce ballast. Processing is coyrtesy of an Intel ultrs-low voltage chip. It’s not a top performer, but its low power needs means the ma-chine can run for 216 minutes without needing a top-up.

In detailToshiba’s old-faithful Power Saver application is extremely simple to use.Youcanconfigurethelaptop’spower usage simply by moving a bunch of the preference bars.

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In detailThe VAIO Power Management suite is a new addition onSony laptops and is simplicity itself to use, allow-ingyoutoconfigurepowerandbat-tery life to suit the way you work.

SONY VAIOVGN-TX2PH $2,700(about P140,000) www.sonystyle.com

THE LATEST IN Sony’s long line of small-but-perfectlt-formed VAIO laptops takes a novel approach to longer bat-tery life. The screen is lit by LEDs instead of the usual flourescenttubes.Itlooksverybrightundernormalcondi-tions, but in darker rooms, you can see a stripey pattern where the light converges from the LEDs. However, it makes the machine energy effecient enough to wring out 300 minutes of use from its juicebox. As well as the innovative 11.1-inch screen, there’s a built-in DVD rewriter and one of Intel’s low-voltage proces-sors,meaningit’sfineforeverydayuse,thoughithasn’tthepower for viseo editing. The trade-off that it’s extremely light-just 1.2kg-and compact. Naturally that makes the keyboard, even with its raised keys, tricky to get around. The real pain, though, is the narrowness and positioning of the mouse buttons-they’re on the front edge of the chassis.

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