BMW Motorrad India recently launched the S 1000 R in India. Along with three variants, the naked roadster is available with a plethora of electronic and mechanical upgrades. The German manufacturer has ensured to offer class-leading features at a competitive price. Here are some of the best ones:
It is derived from the BMW S 1000 RR and enhances its character as a dynamic roadster.
The ‘tail up – nose down’ look gives the all-new BMW S 1000 R a significant visual impact along with its new body elements.
The new LED headlamp lends an even more muscular look. The fuel tank side panels, the tank centre cover, the side panels in the shape of a stylised ‘R’ and the engine spoiler have also been redesigned.
It also gets a reversible handlebar clamp for increased reach and better riding position and options for seat height adjustment.
In addition to the primary colour Racing Red non-metallic, the M Motorsport paint finishes are available with the Style Sport and the M package options.
The S 1000 R is the first model in BMW Motorrad’s portfolio to inherit the iconic colours of the all-new BMW M 1000 RR.
The exclusive M Motorsport paint finish is reserved for the M package with the base colour Light White non-metallic in combination with Light Blue, Dark Blue and Red.
The S 1000 R is fitted with a newly developed 999cc, water-cooled 4-cylinder in-line engine.
It is based on the all-new BMW S 1000 RR engine and generates 165 hp of maximum power and 114 Nm of peak torque.
The bike has a 0-100 Km time of 3.2 seconds and can achieve an electronically limited maximum speed of 250 km/h.
It features a ‘Flex Frame’, which is the optimum interplay between the frame design and the engine as a load-bearing element. It improves the aerodynamics of the motorcycle and helps keep the weight low.
The BMW S 1000 R is fitted with the four modes ‘Rain’, ‘Road’, ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Dynamic Pro’ as standard. These enable individual adaptation of the most diverse control functions such as Engine (throttle), Engine Brake, Traction Control, Wheelie-Control, ABS and ABS Pro to suit the rider’s own skill level and riding style.
JLR India today announced that it had begun deliveries of the new Range Rover Velar in India. The SUV is available in the R-Dynamic S trim on Ingenium 2.0 l petrol and diesel powertrains. The 2.0 l petrol engine delivers a power of 184 kW and 365 Nm of torque, and the 2.0 l diesel engine provides a power of 150 kW and 430 Nm of torque. The new Range Rover Velar is priced from ₹ 79.87 Lakh, ex-showroom in India.
Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India, said, “Range Rover Velar is one the most aspirational SUV’s in India because of its peerless blend of avant-garde design, luxury and technology. In its latest avatar, with introduction of new technology and convenience features, the Range Rover Velar has become more desirable than ever.”
The Range Rover Velar comes with new features such as 3D Surround Camera, Electronic Air Suspension, Cabin Air Ionisation with PM2.5 filter and a new Pivi Pro infotainment system. The SUV is sure to shake up its competition and make headlines. Let’s see how it fares in the market!
Apart from the new SUV, Jaguar Land Rover is also progressing in leaps and bounds in sustainable technology. The company is developing a prototype hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) based on the new Land Rover Defender, with testing scheduled to begin this year.
The FCEV concept is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s aim to achieve zero tailpipe emissions by 2036, and net-zero carbon emissions across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039, in line with the Reimagine strategy announced last month.
FCEVs, which generate electricity from hydrogen to power an electric motor, are complimentary to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on the journey to net-zero vehicle emissions. Hydrogen-powered FCEVs provide high energy density, rapid refuelling, and minimal loss of range in low temperatures, making the technology ideal for larger, longer-range vehicles or those operated in hot or cold environments.
Back to square one. This time last year, things were pretty much the same. We were in lockdown, confused, and the fear of the unknown. This year, we know how to deal with Covid and know somewhere there are vaccines, but still, uncertainty looms large on us. It’s been almost a year since we have attended any tech launches. Automobile brands have no choice, and they have also been forthcoming.
We have seen the whole house attending almost whenever a launch invite hits our mailboxes, be it the Hyundai Alcazar at Alila fort or the VW Taigun in Goa, the Renault Kyger, or the Mercedes A-class. I really can’t wait to meet folks from the tech industry at a banquet hall or on top of a fort or a boat. Face to Face meets is what the craving is for.
Uncertainty breeds chaos and challenges the status quo. This is why we are seeing a colossal jump in Bitcoin pricing to reach its current price of Rs 46 lakh. It’s mind-boggling to see the opportunity lost, and tech entrepreneurs, including Musk, have been investing rather openly in it. Most tech entrepreneurs have this resulting fire to change the world, challenge everything, and don’t want to hand control currencies into the hands of the government. There are massive pros and cons of bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and we can quickly write a book about it, but we can’t ignore it either. Ether is another crypto on a meteoric rise, and we have gone down to a miniature crash course to mine it, just in case, it tickles your brain somewhere.
It is impossible to decode the future of the world. Electric cars and lithium batteries leave an enormous carbon footprint and have damaging effects. Improperly disposed batteries contribute to water and air pollution. When depleted, these batteries are tossed into the trash, and they end up in landfills, where they decay and leak. As the batteries corrode, their chemicals soak into the soil and contaminate groundwater and surface water.
With the large-scale adoption of electric cars and waiting on the brink is a booming recycling industry, these batteries will also find better use after discarding. Hopefully, we will breathe clean air in time to come. Until that happens, do your bit to save energy. Remember that a 2 degree further rise in our temperature will have catastrophic effects. Even worse than Covid.
Facing new challenges every day requires a special kind of power. Lamborghini celebrates this Women’s day with Ananya Birla and all the other women trying to change the world for the better. As a strong, bold and powerful woman herself, Ananya possesses the capabilities to unlock any road in her life, just like the Urus.
Today we will unbox the Oppo Enco X, the upcoming True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earbuds. We will also compare them to the top-spec Apple Airpods Pro and the Realme Buds to see which one comes out on top in our first impression.
It is not often that people opt to switch to smartphones with a completely different operating system. But for those who do, there is always the question of how to transfer data between Android and Apple! Well, we are here to answer just that today as we show you a quick and effective way of transferring your WhatsApp data from an Android smartphone to an iPhone.
When SpaceX’s latest launch, the SN8, burst into flames, millions of dollars evaporated but there was not a single wrinkle on Elon Musk’s forehead. In fact, the mad scientist went on to congratulate his team on the failure! That’s how the man is built; taking failures into his stride and on a mission to do the impossible. The idea of building a colony on Mars is the wildest and weirdest dream anyone can have, and if anyone has the ability to execute it in our lifetime, it is probably Musk. I have always been fascinated by him, his journey, his tweets, the hero of startups, and one crazy soul who does first, think later, and goes all in. Read his book, Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance and you will start believing even in Spiderman and Superman. Why Elon Musk, you ask? Because it’s that time of the year when you will be making new year resolutions, and in that it’s a must that you should slide in after you have browsed through our take on 31st parties in these Covid times.
The turn of the year always brings positivity, aspirations, and hope. 2021 will definitely go down the century as the year where hope for 7.5 billion people are all glued in for the vaccine, for the skies to open, to live freely, to stay alive! By this time, the preparations for CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas are in full swing, like many things now it’s a ritual which will be missed massively in fact for the first time ever since the first edition of Exhibit came about – 15 years ago.
Since then, we have seen a lot of highs and lows, though nothing as radical and life-changing as this pandemic. Nevertheless, it is our Nature to bounce back harder than we are hit and that’s exactly what we have done. We persevered through the toughest of times and faced the highest of pressures. But as they say, only the coal that can sustain the highest pressure turns into a diamond. It’s a wrapping issue of 2020, and we have just dropped our podcasts on Spotify and other platforms, next time give us a thumbs up, we will have plenty of conversations, tech hacks coming up there. Moving forward to the next year, all we can wish to carry forward from this year are the learnings, the lessons, and the alterations that we have voluntarily done to our lives. Otherwise, I think you all would pretty much agree that 2020 should have never existed!
Hewlett Packard, or HP as it is most commonly known, has always been the go-to brand for style, functionality and reliability. Among its wide range of laptops is the latest Envy 15, which targets the professional users such as video editors, creators, and graphic designers. While it is loaded with top-notch specs, it does have its share of shortcomings. Will the HP Envy 15 make your colleagues green with envy? Find out.
Aesthetics and first impressions:
One glance at the HP Envy 15 is enough to conclude that it is indeed a professional laptop and it carries that badge with pride. Thanks to its aluminium build in a silver-metal finish, the laptop oozes subtlety and elegance. That is complemented by the stylish chrome HP logo on the display lid, while the slim bezels on the top and sides of the 15.6-inch full HD IPS display panel further enhance the sleekness of the laptop.
The bottom bezel, however, takes away some of the glamour with its rather large design. The backlit keyboard is flanked by speaker grilles on both sides (From Bang & Olufsen, particularly) that give out quite decent audio output, while the arrow keys are accompanied by a nifty fingerprint scanner. The touchpad is also quite smooth (more on that later).
Two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 support, a full-size HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-A 3.1 port and a microSD card reader constitute the left side of the laptop. The right side houses a headphone jack and another USB-A 3.1 port. All this is housed in a sleek case measuring 14.1 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches (LxWxH) and weighing 2.14 kg. This does seem like a lot, but it can be seen as a compact design if you consider the specs it comes loaded with.
Video and Audio:
As mentioned above, the laptop gets a 15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) IPS, anti-glare display. Its 60 Hz refresh rate might not be in the same league as 144Hz screens, but the display is clear, crisp, and colourful nevertheless. Most colours on-screen pop out vibrantly, but it isn’t too abrasive to the eye.
HP has added a 720p webcam to the mix, which does its job as it should but is nothing to ponder over. However, the highlight of the webcam is the external shutter and microphone mute keys on the keyboard. Coming to the B&O speakers, a decently stereo surround sound can be experienced, though an immersive experience is not guaranteed.
Hardware:
I can safely say that the HP Envy 15 gets one of the best keyboards to work on. Comfortable, intuitive and well-lit, the keyboard looks as pleasing as it is to work on. The trackpad also does its job well and there is hardly anything to complain about here. If you had to be nitpicky, you could wish for a bigger trackpad, but that will only be an occasional woe rather than a regular complaint. The keys are not only well-spaced, but the back-lighting also ensures that every individual key can be clearly seen. The layout is overall quite symmetrical and pleasing to the eye.
Internals:
Armed with an Intel Core i7-10875H CPU, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q GPU, 16GBDDR4 RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD, the laptop can take on anything that you throw at it. Be it heavy files, complex designs or intense gaming, there is nothing that the HP Envy 15 can’t handle. However, the laptop isn’t immune from heating, which it does after a while of extensive usage. It isn’t unmanageable, however, and can be overlooked as well. For the average commercial user, this laptop will fulfil all purposes and will still have the capacity for more. Nevertheless, it could offer a better performance had it been equipped with better internal components such as an Nvidia RTX series graphics card or 32GB of RAM.
Should you go for it?
Priced well above the Rs 1.50 lakh mark, the HP Envy 15 is not a casual buy for sure. But if you are willing to invest that kind of money, you will definitely be pleased with the outcome. There is not much that is left to desire for after owning an Envy 15, but that is only if you are a jack of all trades. Purpose oriented buyers such as gamers or professional video creators might want something more from it, but the Envy 15 will still carry all the tasks given to it diligently.
When you get a car like the first-ever M8 Coupe, for a couple of days, what do you do? You plan a short trip. Hence we zeroed in on Alibaug since the M2M ferry ride with the M8 was an exciting proposition, and we had an invitation from my friend Devita Saraf who owns Vu Televisions for her 85-inch Armani clad TV launch. They called and she promised me we could shoot anywhere in the artistic villa where the launch was taking place. Just like you are always in search of water in the desert, we are forever looking for backdrops, clean roads to drive, and something new. So this kind of invitation was tempting and we booked our seats on the M2M ferry. But we didn’t read the finer lines, unfortunately (more of that later.) The M8 is such an exclusive car that when you go to book online amongst the choices of cars under BMW, it has everything including M2 but not M8! Anyway, the ferry starts at 7.30 am from Mumbai to Mandwa [ port of Alibaug] and you have to reach 30 mins earlier. That’s what we missed and then we tossed a coin and chose heads to take the roads, and heads it was. As they say, when you start your voyage, you do not return unfinished. Later, we realized the pathetic state of roads towards Alibaug will test our manoeuvring skills and mind control to the fullest and we had to pull over, measure the craters and anticipate the ground clearance with our imaginary inch tape, step back inside and glide over it, without any ground touches that is. Imagine when you are strapped inside a machine that has 600 horses under it and you are driving at 15-20 kmph for a bad patch of stretch, you will just be cursing heavens up for everything. This makes me give the judgment that the ground clearance of M8 which is 128 mm (About 5 inches) and is lesser than the Lamborghini Huracan Evo RWD which is 135mm, but slightly higher than the Ferrari Portofino which is 120 mm can surprisingly make its way through our specially pothole-riddled Indian roads. And they say supercars are not practical!
First impressions:
Now let’s get the context: in 10-20 years when roads will be silently driven by the onslaught of electric cars, some cars will bring internal combustion engines (ICE) back from the grave. One of them is the BMW M8 Coupe. 600 HP and 750 Nm torque makes it a complete animal and also the most expensive BMW M car in the market. The M8 Coupe is a car that rides beautifully, offers plenty of usabilities, and is technically super-skilled, but still, it doesn’t thrill me as much as the 5-bench, more practical Audi RS 7 Sportback did. But there is something about the M8 that mesmerizes you and goes beyond its shortcomings especially the rear two seats. The Exhaust noise which is an aural delight and the way it is designed, it’s a stunner of a machine, which on roads gets the “neck swivelled” attention. Also, the RS 7 has a ground clearance of 109 mm, which means there would be a bloodbath with underbelly scraped by the rough patch underneath and we could have been putting stones and sand on the roads to Alibaug. The M8 Coupe is available in the country as a completely built-up unit. The vehicle body looks more powerful, refined, and luscious with the sportiness that is typical to BMW. It is the petrol variant in the M8 lineup and is priced at ₹2.15 Crore (ex-showroom). So, if you want to buy an M8 Coupe, double-check on your accounts and obligations and don’t ever drive it to the Income-tax office which you can do with the Audi RS 7 Sportback and keep it parked there and silently gallop to 0-100 in 3.6 seconds. The M8 can do that in 3.3 seconds but won’t be a silent process.
The design:
The M8’s muscular lines are broad enough to threaten all the cars from the highway, at 4,867 mm long and 1,907 mm wide, it’s quite a large coupe, and yes, it’s weighty- 1,955 kg; it has aggressive bumpers, two exhaust pipes, new alloy wheels, and the version we were given had 20-inch profile tyres, normal is 19inch. The large, extended hood and tight-fitting roof raise its charm and grab your attention. It is available in Automatic (Torque Converter) transmission and offered in 6 colours. Gray being the most boring until you step on the pedal. It has a small number of precisely drawn lines and sweeping surfaces which is modern and aerodynamic. The slim twin LED headlights on either side of the BMW kidney grille, encapsulate the focused look reminiscent of BMW stablemates past and present.
The athletically sculpted rear wheel arches and flared shoulders flow into a powerful rear end, whose width is emphasized by vertically stacked reflectors. On the rear, there are trademark quad-pipes of all full-M models and a gloss black rear overskirt.
Inside the M8:
The interior design is a harmonious blend of racing flair and luxury ambience. The M8’s every little part is luxurious as you’d expect from a 2-Crore car. But it will also remind you that the newly launched 2 series also has the same interiors and the instrument cluster, which is where I have a problem. In a flagship car, you need flagship interiors and not homogenous interiors which cut across all range of cars. Period.
In trademark M style, there are red strokes on the start/stop button and the M leather steering wheel’s M buttons. The interior also features an eye-catching cutout with integrated “waterfall” lighting for additional emphasis. The standard interior trim strips in Carbon Fibre also accentuate the high-performance models’ sportscar feel.
The M Sport seats, M leather steering wheel, M specific displays in the instrument cluster, and ergonomically optimized arrangement of all controls give the driver everything they need to enjoy an exciting driving experience. An interactive head-up display and a 12.3-inch device cluster; While the dual-zone climate control, an easy-to-use 10.25-inch infotainment screen, and Harman Kardon 16-speaker audio system will keep you smiling. Apple CarPlay, No Android – Again strange, SiriusXM with HD Radio, a 32GB drive, two USB ports, and WiFi with voice-activated navigation is available as standard. Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system is optionally available only with the flagship model, which is the one we had.
It has only 6 colours of ambient lighting, and none of them suits its two-tone interior. The position of the USB cable port is a little bit awkward when the USB is connected with some other device, it’s not easy to get your phone back from the wireless charging pad, it snugs most of the time.
The M Mode button on the centre console making its debut in the new BMW M8 Coupe can be used to alter both the responses of the driver assistance systems and the information shown in the instrument cluster and Head-Up Display. A simple press of the M Mode button engages the SPORT setting, in which the active driver assistance systems now can transmit alerts on speed limits and overtaking restrictions.
The digital drive display is not visually clear and sometimes you miss the much-needed information because of its dark tone nature and satellite navigation is not as accurate as google maps and it can lead you to unwanted roads.
Seats:
The M8 technically has four seats, but the rear seats are supremely compromised by the slanted roofline, and a wheelbase shorter than the old M6. Alcantara and leather encapsulate all occupants, but those in the rear would prefer to sit in an Audi RS 7, and it would look like a limousine in comparison. No legroom and headroom; it’s best for toddlers or pre-teens at best! Meanwhile, the front seats are magical, the driver and front-seat passenger will have a roomy cabin space adorned with extrinsic elements and ambient lighting.
Getting in and out of the front seats is easy, indeed for the driver, as the steering wheel will automatically elevate itself out of the way of your knees when you unlock the door or shut off the engine. Sweet.
The Boot:
It offers 420 litres of boot space and comes along with Automatic tailgate operation of the tailgate as standard. The trunk in the M8 is simply huge for this class and can swallow a pair of suitcases. In the cabin, the glovebox will easily contain a few necessary things, and the door cards can fit a couple of water bottles. There are a pair of cupholders in the centre console and another two slots in the back seating area.
Performance- It’s a wild child:
The M8’s 4.4-litre V8 is identical to the one found in the M5, and a development of the motor from the M850i, housing a pair of turbochargers within the V of the engine’s banks, improving responsiveness and shortening consumption and exhaust piping. The first-ever model draws the potential for its outstanding performance from the most powerful engine. The high-revving V8 unit with M TwinPower Turbo technology develops 441 kW/600 HPin the all-new BMW M8 Coupe, with 600 HP, acceleration in any gear, at any speed, is powerful and smooth. The high and rich performance power unit teams up with an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic, and the engine’s power is channelled to the road via the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.
The default mode in the M8 is the four-wheel-drive, which is good for maximum traction and control driving, but the four-wheel-drive sport mode turns M8 into a more wicked car. Here, the system transfers the maximum slice of the engine power to the rear wheels and which is what you need for control drifting, but when you deactivate the DCS mode that’s when it allows you to convert this into a ballistic rear-wheel-drive and converts the M8 into a monster.
The usual M8 also features dynamic damper control to soak up road imperfections and pockmarks, brake drying for increased wet-weather stopping power, brake-fade compensation, and cornering brake control systems alongside a standard active differential that takes more than just available grip into account to get the big-body coupe through turns more efficiently.
The engine stock is distributed between the front and the rear wheels, and it is fully variable using the transfer case electronically controlled multi-plate clutch before the active m differential splits it again between the two rear wheels as appropriate. It’s a four-wheel-drive, a rear-wheel-drive, and front-wheel-drive all rolled into one for a better drift, glide, and rev.
The new chassis technology clubbed with BMW M xDrive offers the variable distribution of the drive torque between the front and rear wheels. It also helps in optimized friction and driving durability depending on road surfaces. Overall, this is a brilliant and spacious powerboat, just not an analogue sprinter, and can manage Indian roads better than the RS 7.
The Last Words:
The First-Ever M8 Coupe is an exciting package, you can only have it with other cars in your garage and not just the solo one. It scores over the RS 7 on ground clearance and performance on road and is quicker than the RS 7 with an exhaust noise which is an aural delight. But the RS 7 is a practical performance car, 5-bench and you can just have one car parked in your garage and live your daily life.
What if I told you the words you casually throw around every day have a significant meaning? Well, there are many acronyms that serve a meaningful purpose but are often overlooked. These acronyms might sound like words themselves, but they are better understood in their fullest forms (pun intended). So without further ado, here are 15 everyday words whose full forms you might not know!
CAPTCHA- Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.”
INTEL- Integrated Electronics
YAHOO- Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle
GIF- Graphics Interchange Format
IMEI- International Mobile Equipment Identity
Generic:
DHL- Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn
BPL- Below Poverty Line
Wasn’t it surprising to know the full forms of these acronyms? Well, I was definitely amused by some of the names they represented. It just goes to show that when we say we can play with words, we really mean it!
