A in’t broke? Don’t fix it. While Nokia’s smartphone platform strategy isn’t exactly working wonders, their recent models haven’t been half bad, hardware wise. Taking a cue from their N8 and E72 phones, Nokia’s launched the C7 and the E5 and I took them out for a spin.

Think of the C7 as the more conservative younger sibling of the N8, in terms of styling, specs and price tag as well! That said, it’s a sleek device to hold, replete with metal, glass and premium plastics that one can slip into a pocket with total ease. A bright 3.5in 640 x 360-pixel AMOLED capacitive touchscreen adorns the face of this device, and the touch response is without issues.

You also get a 8-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash while a second VGA camera faces forward for 3G video calls (if and when they come!). Unlike the N8, there is no HDMI output but you do get the full complement of connectivity options. The camera is worth mentioning — pictures are detailed and balanced even though you are working with a fixed-focus camera, and 720p videos produced by the camera are a treat to watch.

Granted that the platform it ships with (Symbian^3) which we first saw on the N8 isn’t for everyone, but at this price point, the C7 is a an excellent piece of kit and the multimedia support and connectivity options do make up in some part for its failings on the software front.

With the E5, Nokia’s taken the same form factor that made their E-series business phones such a hit. The body is predominantly plastic, and the extremely attractive budget pricing means there’s a distinct absence of the chrome trimmings we’d seen on previous E-series devices.

It’s still solid to hold, and comfortable to use. The screen is an as expected 2.4-in, but is adequately bright and crisp for business use (hint: don’t expect to watch too many movies on this). But really, it’s the keyboard which is critical to whether you’ll walk away with this phone, right? My reactions to the keyboard were mixed — the keys were tactile enough to type fast, but the overall layout was a bit cramped.

If you have large fingers, you should try this out in the shop before you pay. The rest of the device is bog standard — a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash, a reasonable selection of apps, and the same processor (600MHz) that powers the E72, which is a relief when you’re multitasking on the device. But if this is your first business phone and if work is what you need this for, the E5 will take your money further than most phones.

Rating: E5: 8/10, C7: 8/10

Price: E5: Rs 10,599; C7: Rs 18,999

URL: E5: http://bit.ly/dXlpl4 ; C7: http://bit.ly/fUxQYS

Amazing race

A shade over a 1,000 cars, with over 70 track variations and hundreds of possible events. There’s a good reason why Gran Turismo 5 was the most anticipated driving title in a long, long time — question is, does it live up to its own ‘The Real Driving Simulator’ billing? For one, after the interminable delays associated with the game launch, I personally hoped I’d be able to kick the tires and light the fires the moment I popped the disc in. But no, it took a nearly one-hour-long install before I could get started! Starting up, you notice how much the interface has changed, taking GT5: Prologue fans a good while to get used to and revealing what a beast of a complex game lies underneath.

Fortunately, if you’re not the type to tweak your cars for hours on end before a race, you can drop into an Arcade mode game, which is not just an easy way to just race and build confidence but it also gives you an opportunity to play with cars that you might not unlock for a long time. That said, as you progress through the games challenges and levels, you’re more than rewarded by the gorgeous track, audio and car content, and the six years this game has been in the making really show in the details. When the credits roll, you’re left wishing this game were a tad more complete, there are some rough edges in the interface and gameplay, but even so, it would be impossible not to recommend this game.

Rating: 8/10

Price: Rs 2,499

URL: http://bit.ly/fPucVu' http://bit.ly/fPucVu

Power gaming

MSI’s reputation in the PC component market is well known, and this time, they’ve brought that firepower to the desktop replacement/gaming laptop market. With the GT663R, you aren’t just paying for the Alienware-esque styling and flashy LED-accents — there’s the 16-in monster of a display, matched ably by Core i7 740QM quad-core processor and Nvidia Geforce GTX 460M graphics with 1.5GB of dedicated memory (the laptop ships with 2 500GB hard disks and 8GB of main system memory as standard). Add to that best-in-laptop-class Dynaudio speakers, and you have a formidable companion to haul over to your next gaming party. It may not match the swagger of an Alienware, but it does enough to hold its own.

URL: http://bit.ly/fJyNaf

Price: Rs 1,49,999