Putting together a home theatre system is a daunting task, more so if you need it to integrate with your existing equipment. From that perspective, the Bose Lifestyle 235 system, a 2.1 home entertainment system made up of a head unit, subwoofer, iPod dock and dinky speaker arrays, is a breeze to set up, and it starts when you open the box.

The components are packed in multiple smaller boxes and clearly numbered, so when you pick up the quick start guide, you know which box to open first, and how to identify the various connections you need to make. Within 15 minutes, I had the entire set-up in place. This is where Bose’s Unify integration system takes over, and guides you via a step-by-step process to connect each of your existing devices — PlayStations, DVD players, set top boxes — and set-up the remote to operate each. At this point, I’d suggest you also run AdaptiQ, which analyses the room’s acoustics and calibrates the sound accordingly.

You’ll soon realise the power of the petite Gemstone ES speakers. With three drivers each, two pointing forward and one to the side, sound’s pushed out and around the room, and the result is about as accurate and room filling as can be with a 2.1 system. The Acoustimass bass module, hidden from view, comes to life with the low frequency rumbles in a movie, and ordinary TV viewing benefits with the fuller sound as well.

Overall, the package is neat, gets the job done well and without a fuss…if you can afford the Bose premium. A value offering this is not.

• Rating: 8/10

• Price: Rs 1.63 lakh (with iPod dock)

• URL: http://bit.ly/fi2Z1U

Killing fields

There are run-off-the-mill first person shooters, and then there are ones that transport you into the shoes of a person, a first person experience, if you will. Sony’s latest PlayStation 3 exclusive, Killzone 3, is amongst the latter — every move you make is immersive, and the combat so fast-paced and brutal that you’ll forget the weak storyline. You’re dropped into a war between humans and Helghast, the red-goggled, mask-wearing enemies who will stop at nothing short of universe domination. Your mission is simple — wreak maximum damage on the enemy before you’re rescued, caught or killed.

To be fair, the storyline and the one-dimensional characters seem almost an afterthought, pulling the overall intensity of the game down. There’s a fair chance you won’t even notice these weaknesses because the rest of the game is so darn good. Controls are excellent, gameplay keeps switching between action on foot and behind the wheel of a powerful vehicle. The environments are gorgeously detailed, and enemies are realistic. Skirmishes are intense, and while I’ve played only the single player mode, the multi-player action in the game has been highly regarded as well. Killzone 3 is a must-have for fans of PS3 shooters because little else comes close in terms of intensity and pace of gameplay.

• Rating: 8/10

• Price: Rs 2,499 (regular); Rs 2,799 (Limited Edition, includes maps, coupons) and Rs 7,990 (Helghast Edition, includes helmet)

• URL: http://bit.ly/etDIax' http://bit.ly/etDIax

High on music

Logitech’s S715i iPod/iPhone speaker dock looks like any of the hundreds of iPod docks out there, but this one can travel. The unit claimed an ambitious eight hours of music playback, and managed in the region of six-seven hours, not bad given most of the competition needs to stay close to a power socket. The S715i sports eight drivers, including two rear-firing ones on the back, and can push out some seriously loud music from an otherwise compact package. Even if you aren’t with the Apple party, a 3.5mm audio input lets you plug in other MP3 players.

• Rating: 7/10

• URL: http://bit.ly/eIpl2R

• Price: Rs 9,995

Classy case

Own a first Gen iPad and jealous of the Smart Covers the Gen2 owners will be flashing? Pick up a Case Mate Venture case for your ’pad — it’s made of black polyurethane and has a stylish green accent piping. The folio style case holds onto the iPad and offers protection without losing access to the ports and buttons on the sides. Unsnap the buttons behind the iPad and the Venture transforms into an iPad stand, propping it up at the perfect angle for movie viewing or using with a Bluetooth keyboard. The only downside is that the angle is fixed, and doesn’t allow the iPad to sit at a shallow angle for typing on-screen.

• Rating: 8/10

• Price: Rs 3,495

• URL: http://bit.ly/hZbDTC' http://bit.ly/hZbDTC

In the February 27 issue we said that “ViewSonic’s ViewPad 7 might have been a big winner if it didn’t run the outdated Android 1.6 OS.” That should have read: ViewSonic’s ViewPad 10.