Blog

After discussing the various camera types available in India, lets focus on the features and what exactly the different jargon associated with them means. Most of us are ignorant of many features and aspects that we should be looking for in a digicam and usually get swayed by flashy ads and sleek models displayed in the media. Initially, lets cover the ones which matter the most to us here in India.

Resolution: Trying to find your way through the Mega Maze of Mega Pixels..! Well, don’t get swayed by those 8 MP, 10 MP figures. Resolution is important because it tells you how large an image you’ll be able to print. A 8 MP camera will allow you to print a 16×20-inch image – would you ever need to print an image that size (probably most of us don’t have a printer that can do it, either). A 5 MP camera will do fine for most users - it will allow you to print an 8×10-inch photo with all details still intact. And then if you’re only shooting photos to post on Orkut(Facebook, Bigadda etc) or just email them to your friends, images shot with a large resolution result in huge image files, not of much use. For that 2-3 MP resolution’s just fine. Also, whats more important is the size of the sensor rather than number of pixels. Usual size for standard digicams is 1/2.5 - 1/2.7 inches. About 5 MP is kind of optimum pixels that is placed on a chip that goes with sensors of this size. Manufacturers have placed upto about 8 MP on the same chip. How do they pack so many pixels on the same size chip? They interpolate. Interpolation can increase the resolution to interpolate and use a 5 MP chip to produce a 10 MP image. The quality will be not be as good as if the picture was taken with a true 10 MP chip.  So, just figure out what you need the digital camera for before going blindly on MP count figure.

Zoom:Many first time buyers are fooled by ads/salespersons about phenomenal zoom levels possible in a particular digicam brand. There are two types of zooms you’ll see referenced on a digital camera: optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom is the maximum amount of zoom the lens supports at its highest resolution. This means that if a camera has a 4X optical zoom, you can zoom in to 4 times the image size and still have a high-quality picture. Digital Zoom, on the other hand, is just going deeper into a photograph and will always lead to pixellations and a lot more noise. The effect of Digital Zoom is same as zooming in a picture in your PC/laptop. My advice? Simply, ignore the digital zoom, and look for a digital camera with an optical zoom based upon how you’d actually use it. Unless you want to shoot wildlife(in that case you would need at least 10x to 12x), your usual day to day photography would be well handled by a 3x zoom which is available on most digital cameras.

Battery Life: This may be the last thing that people check while buying a digicam. However, it will save you much in costs and frustration if you factor it in before buying one. Most cameras now boast of a 2.5 or even 3 inch LCD screen which eats up the battery in no time. There are two kinds used by most digicams available here. Standard AA-size batteries and Rechargeable batteries made by the manufacturer, also known as a proprietary battery. So, here’s the cache, initially rechargeable lithium-ion batteries appear much more energy-efficient and cost-effective, but you’d need to wait for them to get recharged before you can shoot anymore, unless you keep one spare. Your friend may have a Sony and you a Canon, but neither of you can exchange your batteries to use in another’s camera. Standard alkaline batteries (AA size) on the other hand can be found at almost any place and you can buy a pair (or two) without burning a hole in your pocket and even if they run out.

Have you made the switch to a digital camera from the traditional film camera, already? or you’re the last person in your lane/office that still uses a film camera? Do you get embarrassed when your friends on Orkut ask you to upload your pictures/email them? Many here in India still prefer film cameras because of their familiarity, affordability and top image quality. A look at the prices on TolMol for digital cameras would assure you that digicams are in your budget range now. Couple with it the advantages digital cameras offer, such as the ability to preview instantly and digitized images, you may be ready to make the leap to digital.
However, with so many models from various brands(approx 300 on TolMol at last count) to choose from and so many features/specs to consider, selecting the best one for your needs might appear like a herculean task. We at TolMol understand this and have tried to explain the types and features of digital cameras in this guide which would be a series of articles on this blog. Once you know what it all means, you can choose the best one for yourself.

First up, lets see the different types of digital cameras available in India currently. You can find one based upon your personality type!

• Ultra Compact:

This camera is for you if you like to take a camera along everywhere you go, to parties, shopping malls and even small outings. It can fit into your pocket and generally has a good build quality with metal body. Of course it comes at a price that’s a little extra compared to ones which have same features but are a bit bigger.

• Compact:

This is most popular amongst all digicam types. Its compact, lightweight and easiest to use. Great for point-and-shoot photo-taking, it offers plenty of scene modes. Some have semi-automatic and manual controls. Right from capturing those languid moments of life to taking pictures of your family and friends, it finds its use on all occasions.

• Mid-Range:

You are a back packer who hitch hikes at the word go. In your camera you expect high quality lenses and advanced features for creative control. You need mega telephoto zooms lenses or wide
angle lenses. Image Stabilization is one feature you can’t do without. Well, if you want so much, then go for this camera type.

• Digital SLR:

If you’re a professional photographer or a photography enthusiast who understands how to use ISO, aperture and shutter speed to your advantage, you need something which is top-of-the-line. A Digital Single Lens Reflex camera has outstanding optics to produce high resolution images. It also comes with interchangeable lenses – if you’re shooting a very specific project, you can change out the lens on a digital SLR to get a better shot and sophisticated accessories. It can function automatically though it also has a full range of manual controls. You would surely be able to capture just what you need with a digital SLR. The only thing that might hold you from going for this one might be its price, though the price is dropping for entry-level digital SLRs.

Hope, this has helps in identifying the digicam type. In the next part, we would cover the various features of digital cameras. Stay tuned!

Valentines Day in India is being celebrated with such pomp and glory these days that it has become the second biggest money spinner after Diwali for many retailers. Valentine’s Day is certainly among the top four festivities in India now. According to the Retailers’ Association of India (RAI), the total spent on Valentine’s Day gifts last year was about Rs 12 billion ($270 million). According to Gibson Vedamani, CEO of RAI, the marketing and merchandising power of romance has grown exponentially over the last few years. “Valentine’s Day in India has been assuming greater significance with every passing year. In 2007, the occasion accounted for Rs 1,200 crore ($272 million) in product sales.” Jewellery, flowers and chocolates are amongst the various gift items that sell like hot cakes.

With Valentine’s Day round the corner, most of the online stores have come up with special Valentine’s offers. We at TolMol realize the mounting pressure on you to find the perfect gift for your Valentine. Demonstrate the degree of your love, affection and commitment for your loved one with a little help from cupid aka. TolMol Gifts. Through a wide range of options, we have aggregated some unique gifting ideas for you to compare. Select a gift for your Valentine from a lovely bouquet of fragrant flowers, to delicious chocolates to interesting gift hampers to cuddly soft toys and scented candles and woo your Valentine!. Why, you can even flatter your Valentine with personalized gifts and see the smile on her face. So follow your heart and please your Valentine.

You see shopping malls coming up almost everywhere in India these days. Even small towns now boast of mega-malls attracting much awe from people living in bigger cities visiting them occasionally. Not to be left behind, net savvy Indians have emerged as the third biggest credit card users globally for online purchasing, next only to the Turkish and Irish e-shoppers. The facility to research and review a product on the web and the diversity of products available on it is surely a big draw. According to the data released by the “Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet Shopping Habits”, a staggering 78 per cent of the Indian respondents (those accessing Internet) have used the Internet to make a purchase, while more than 55 per cent of the respondents have made at least one online purchase in the past one month.

The survey further reveals that online shopping has opened up new avenues, especially in the realm of traveling where Internet has made it convenient to book tickets. As many as 73 per cent Indians have purchased airline tickets/reservations in the past three months, this percentage being the highest for any country in Asia Pacific.

As per the survey, other popular items amongst Internet shoppers from India include books (46 per cent), electronic equipment (29 per cent), tours and hotel reservations (24 per cent), videos/DVDs/games (23 per cent), event tickets (23 per cent), clothing/accessories/shoes (21 per cent), and music (20 per cent).

Its the time saving factor that is attracting more and more people to Online shopping in India. Also, be it any product, small or big, expensive or cheap, it’s all available on the internet from numerous websites competing to provide the best deals to attract shoppers on their site. At the end of the day, its the consumer who is the winner of this fierce competitive world of online sales.
We at TolMol strive to help you in making an informed buying decision by bringing all these deals from different websites at one place. So, what are you waiting for, go ahead and get that best deal, without the fear of facing a traffic jam and the huge weekend crowd at the mall!

Diwali fireworks can already be seen in the stock-market with the Sensex crossing 20,000. It has certainly set in the mood for Godess Lakshmi to step into the market. Stocks from Auto Sector amongst others have helped lift the Sensex to touch this new milestone with BSE Auto rising 0.27%. Traditionally, Diwali is also the time when auto marketers step on the gas to ride what’s considered the best demand season of the year. Dipawali hence sees a flurry of activity, from new models and upgrades to marketing and promotional campaigns, distribution and other ramp ups and more.
In my previous article I had talked about the discounts on offer from Auto manufacturers, lets get to the specifics now. You might like to compare each on TolMol Autos before arriving at a conclusion about the one best for you. For buying an Auto, in terms of variety, options, bargains on price, ac-cessories and insurance, this is about as good as it gets. So what if the interest rates still bite a bit, if they didn’t the bargains wouldn’t be that good, would it? Enough talk, lets get to the details of these offerings for Diwali 2007 now (Cars First):

• For the die-hard Maruti-Suzuki customer, its latest hatch, the Zen Estilo, comes with a Rs 45,000 rebate with dealers pitching in with further discounts on interest rates. Its other models too pack in quite a punch: the WagonR carries a discount of Rs 40,000 and the Alto Rs 34,000 while the old war horse Maruti 800 is off by Rs 25,000. Maruti’s mid-size sedan Esteem offers an impressive discount of Rs 56,000.
• Popular compact car Santro comes at Rs 25000 off while the Accent sedan carries a special price of Rs 4.99 lakh for a select few days. Hyundai is providing some value additions on its B plus Getz and C-seg Verna in addition to these discounts. The company is doling out a Rs 10,000 exchange bonus scheme on its Verna and Getz Prime models. A new car is being launched and its called “i10″, lets see if it manages to score a perfect 10 on your parameters!!
• Tata Motors is offering Rs 61,000 off on its Indigo Marina, Rs 45,000 on Indica Xeta petrol and Rs 40,000 off on the Indigo diesel range. Then Tata Motors has also rolled out a CRDi Safari followed by an Indica with V2 turbo and airbags and a Sumo Victa Turbo DI.
• Mahindra-Renault is offering a rebate of Rs 40,000 on its mid-segment Logan.
• Fiat Palio Stile hatchback is also off by a handsome Rs 38,000.
• General Motors is offering discounts of up to Rs60,000 or about 16% of the ex-showroom price for Spark, the car that is six just months old. GM is also expected to soon launch some limited editions and model up-grades.
• Honda has given a face-lift to almost all its products during the year, and has launched several limited editions of its various models.
• Czech auto maker Skoda introduced a third variant of its flagship model Superb last month
• Bentley has launched two convertibles - the Azure and the Continental GTC
• Ford rolled out a limited edition Fiesta which carries additional features like the 1.6 litre duratec engine delivering 101 bhp power, outside rear view mirror, stylish alloy wheels and an MP3 player with speakers and roof antenna

Well, bikes now and it appears that there’s a price war going on in the motorcycle market, this Deepawali.

• Market leader Hero Honda announced a discount of Rs. 2020 on its entry-level CD Deluxe and followed it up with Rs 2400 off on executive segment offering Splendor NXG. It also launched Hunk in the premium 150 cc category
• Its arch rival Bajaj responded by announcing a price cut of Rs. 4000 on its Platina. It has also launched a new product called XCD-125 and an upgraded version of Avenger which now features a 200cc engine
• Not to be left behind TVS motors is offering its upgraded Star City featuring 110 cc engine at the same price as its earlier 100 cc model.

With Diwali round the corner and Dussehra just gone by it seems to be just the right time to go in for that Auto purchase decision you have been postponing for a while. Well, your procrastination can’t be faulted much given the sharp spike in lending rates, which have risen by as much as four percentage points in the past three quarters to a five-year high.

This festival season vehicle manufacturers have news to cheer you up. Are you wondering that I am going to announce a sharp drop in auto loan interest rates? Well, not exactly! Though lending rates have eased a bit but they are still high enough to stop you from rushing to the nearest Auto showroom. Its a fry cry from previous years when Auto majors just couldn’t keep customers away during this auspicious period, traditionally the buying season for big-ticket items. So, you may be tempted to ask where’s the good news? Here it is: Most Auto firms are offering hefty rebates in the form of deep discounts. Many firms are even offering holidays to exotic locations, guaranteed buy-backs, cheaper financing, personal digital equipment, a year of insurance and other such goodies as part of the sales package.

Still, you need to find and compare the features, specifications of each before making that big decision. TolMol Autos to aid, whether its a bike or a car. Just compare your favourite autos side by side before visiting the showroom.

Has the monotonous schedule of life made your soul yell to break free from this suffocating boredom of life? At this juncture, a hiatus to move out of this conundrum and heading towards a holiday destination across the vast expanse of India(or the globe!) seems like an appropriate option. For the time that you spend in travelling to any location, one not only gets the time to unwind but also learns about the diversity of life in and around of that area of visit. Moreover, a trip refreshes the individual(well, the complete family too!!) to take on the rigours of life with a better spirit.

This festival season, most online travel portals have come up with attractive promotional offers in the form of cash-backs upto 50%!! You can consider these cash-backs as a sort of a discount, which accrue back to a customer either in the form of gift voucher or reflects as credit on her credit or debit card statement.

In the currently crowded online travel space in India, how do you choose amongst the best deal being offered by MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Arzoo, TravelGuru, Cleartrip, Indiatimes and Journeymart.
TolMol Travel to your rescue again! Just, compare and select the deal best suited to your travel plans from amongst these on TolMol and off you go. May I say, Bon Voyage!

Give any name to it, this surely is the true pan Indian festival transcending all the barriers of caste and region. Celebrated across India with religious fervour and gaiety, it’s also a time to shop and gift. If Northern India observes rigorous fasts and prayers during Navaratras, with Ramlila in the evenings and Vijaya Dashmi on the tenth day, in Eastern India, its Pandal Hopping for populace during Durga Puja. Navratri in Western India holds a special significance and for the youth particularly its Dandiya (originally Raas and Garba dances to please the Goddess!) time. South India celebrates Dussehra(or Dasara) culminating in grand processions with the idol of Goddess riding in a golden Ambaari (Elephant-seat) heaved on Elephant-back(ever heard of Mysore Dasara!).

This festival season, most Electronics and Computers manufacturers have launched new models and offered cool discounts on many of existing models. Not to be left behind, even Auto majors have announced new offerings taking note of the popular belief that Navratras are an auspicious time to buy.

So, what are you waiting for, go check out the latest festival offering on TolMol and compare across different brands. Your loved ones expect Gifts during this time, just find the best according to their tastes and of course your budget!

Just the other day, a friend’s visit (rather his subsequent comment!) made me realize that my current computer has matured to the ripe old age of two years and is deemed obsolete. Now it’s time to purchase a new computer and the question is, “Should I buy a laptop or a desktop?”

Well, a laptop offers portability. This benefit alone could be enough to tilt scales in its favour, allowing you to take your computer to and from work, on planes, on camping trips, and practically anywhere else. With so many brands available in India such as Acer, Apple, Asustek, Benq, Bigapple, Compaq, Dell, HCL, HP, Iball, Intex, lenovo, LG, Sahara, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Wipro, Zenith (phew!) to choose from, I feel like hitting my browser and ordering one.

Just a minute, buddy. The question is would I be able to play Quake 4 and NFS carbon on the laptop I’m ordering with my budget? For the price of an average laptop, I could purchase a much more powerful Desktop. The choice would be from Acer, Apple, Bigapple, Dell, HCL, HP, Intex, Lenovo, LG, Sahara, Wipro, Zenith. Again an impressive list, I dare say. Also I could easily upgrade it when Quake 5 is released, which I probably can’t as easily in the case of a laptop.

However with the sort of dependence we have on our computers these days doesn’t it makes sense to carry it with you at all times?

I invite your comments on this interesting debate.

cheers
Om Prakash

Connectivity, Imaging, Music, Personalization and Internet/PC Integration. If these features (or maybe more!) are what you expect in a mobile phone then I hope you have been following the news. Mobile phone manufacturers have released many models just tailored for such need.
Now, the question maybe would be, where do you find them all, check out their specs/features and compare their prices?
Simple, just check out Tolmol. You’ll find the models just released in India such as Nokia N95, N76, Samsung F300, Motorola SLVR L9 and Sony-Ericsson W610i.

However, if you belong to the tribe that’s looking for a phone that is simple to use, small, lightweight, can store all your contacts, will last several days on standby and has good audio quality then maybe you would still like to go in for the older models.

Whatever your choice, you would surely find a mobile to your liking from the brands available on Tolmol. Here’s the manufacturer list, just for your reference:

• Nokia
• Sony Ericsson
• Motorola
• Samsung
• LG
• Sagem
• Benq
• Bird
• Philips
• Blackberry
• Dopod
• Haier
• HP iPAQ
• i-Mate
• O2
• Palm Treo
• Panasonic

Didn’t find your favourite brand, please let us know. We’d do our best to have it here!

cheers!
Om