Don’t Buy a Kindle, The Kindle Oasis at all

Why would you need an epaper when there is solid weighted printed physical paper book? Kindle is an eBook reader for addictive reading. Books are not. You cannot carry all your books even though you are addicted. That is for your greater good.

Kindle might be Amazon’s best innovations with e-ink displays that can standby days but, they are electronic devices after all. Books don’t need charging and all. They work for ages without charging. Can a Kindle standby a week more crossing a month?

Any Kindle would hardly standby for a month on single charge. Whatever!!

A physical book is a sweet weight in hand and people would love to hold it even for style. Can you walk along with grace with a Kindle in hand?



Of course you can walk hands-free more stylishly by keeping the Kindle comfortably in your bag. Kindle Oasis might be more comfortable, but I am talking about walking with grace here.

(Sighs)

A physical book smells good. And a Kindle?

Can you smell a Kindle? How does it smell?

(Ewww)

Books and bugs are cats and rats. The fun of smashing insects with books is nothing like anything. Can you smash a bug with a Kindle? You could kill them both with a blow if tried.

You can write anything on the papers in a book. You can write your name, your family name, your pup’s name, your computer’s name and all the names of your neighbors on it.



Yeah! you can write on it. Because, paper is meant to be written something on.

Can you write anything on Kindle?

You can even bind the cover pages and stick any Spiderman or Doremon labels on it. Can you stick any labels on the Kindle?

Of course, you will get the Kindle cover. But, it is not made up of paper at all.

(Pfft)

On the top, who would want to carry the thousands of books with them while travelling? If people are that much bookworms, they better stay at home and travel in their own imagination.

Books can be made pillows sometimes depending on the situation. You can’t get the sophistication of sleeping on the books while reading anywhere else.



(Wahh!!)

The ‘chluk-chluk’ page turning sound sounds far better than ‘chitak-chitak’ button pressing sound on Kindle.

And the thickness, especially the Oasis is so thin, it’s just 0.13’’ inches (8.5mm). It can be broken if any weights placed on it in the store room. Books don’t break.

(How can a reading material can be so thin? What a design!)

One can even store one’s bills and other papers in books. Can you store anything else on Kindle?

Epaper? Isn’t that what it is? Will people store e-money in that or what?

(Sarcastic laugh)

{ Someone whispers: I can get 5 Kindle books for the price of one physical book. Can you buy something like that? }

(Who’s that?? Searching……)

{ The same person: Would you buy a new book again if you get the book damaged or what? }

{ The same person again: I can have a Kindle and a pet rat in the same room. Can you have a rat at any corner of your home where there are books in it? }

{ The person with knockout blow: I save paper, I save trees, I save earth and life on it without stopping to read. Can you do the same without stopping to read? }

Ahem! Ahem!

So, That’s why, you don’t dare to buy a Kindle. Do not prefer the Kindle Oasis at all.

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How Not to Overspend and Save Money on Hard Drives

Hard drives are the physical and accessible stage devices that we are using in this technology era. Mechanical, SSD or Cloud, whatever you call it by the name, the data will finally has to store in a physical device.

You might have learnt in the school days that computers’ hardware is perishable and can worn out with time. Of course, hardware would. Because they will be made form the earthly available materials only.

The bottom line is that we end up buying a new hard drive if anything goes wrong with the existing one. Sometime it is not about the buying a new hard drive, it is about saving the money.


Any hard drive with emulators and heavy tools installed will worn out sooner than expected. The best way to retreat the investment of money on new HDDs is to avoid ignoring the health status of the devices.

We have many HDD health showing tools available for both Windows, Mac and Linux. Some of these tools not only monitor the status of the health of the hard drive but also provide simple options to defrag, delete junk and optimize the drives at regular intervals.

Let’s see what should we focus on, in order to save money on hard drives maintenance and while buying them.

Avoid bad and incompatible software

Bad software means the programs that destroy the system software while running. Software like emulators and simulators destroy the hardware by force rendering the capability of the hardware to perform. They even overtake the control of the file system format on the local machines to operate the tools on the emulator with their native environment.

A hard drive of 500GB (suppose) will be divided into 450GB and 50GB (suppose the emulator assigned memory) for the emulator and that chunk of memory will be differently formatted for the native file support the emulator. This leaves the hard drive summarize the total storage on the computer as 450GB.

The emulator assigned memory can be retrieved later after removing the emulator software on the system but, the part of storage that was assigned will dump a lot of junk and bad clusters while re-formatting back to computer’s file format. This leaves the system loss some part of the hard drive storage as dead memory.

Use the emulators rarely. It is always better to buy a specific device or hardware instead of emulating it on the working system.

The less you use the emulators on the computer the less are the chances of hard drive failure. The less the chances of hard drive failure the less the chances of buying a new hard drive. Thus, your money will be saved.

Buy hard drives with large capacity at one time

You may not need the high capacity storage drives for your usage. But the need for data storage will never end. The greed for information will always open doors to storage expansion on your computer.

If you compare the prices of the storage devices, the larger capacity hard drives are cheaper than the lower capacity hard drives. For example, Seagate Expansion 1TB Portable External Hard Drive costs $55 where as same Seagate Expansion with 2TB Portable External Hard Drive costs just $80. The 5TB version of same Seagate Expansion Portable External Hard Drive costs just $130. Hope you got my point.

Buy/expand cloud storage instead of multiple hard drives

You can also save money on hard drives by opting for cloud storages. You can access your data anywhere with a computer having an internet connection. If you wanted to expand the storage, you would be having to upgrade to a higher storage plan. That’s it.

Pricing on the cloud storages will have to be paid monthly. If we take Google Drive as an example, spending $1.99 per month on 100GB monthly is a worthy investment if you are a power data user. Their highest plan is $299.99 for 30TB storage monthly.

If you are running a business, it is completely worth going for Google cloud storage.

Hope that helps!

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5 Best Wireless Keyboards for Apple Mac/iOS Devices of 2016

When it is about working for long hours, there is a need for sophisticated equipment for high productivity. One cannot work on the laptop keyboard all the hours. The sitting posture might also not be good when working on the laptop.

Apple MacBook devices are known for their excellent computing experience. They are wonderful machines to work on. But, when you are working on any multimedia project or editing a video, trackpad and laptop built-in keyboard will add stress to complete the job. So, it is always better to have an external mouse and keyboard when working in office.

Any mouse will work the same with Mac or Windows, but the keyboards should be specific. Apple’s official keyboard is costly and is not quite affordable for everyone. There are many other alternatives for it online. Let me pick some good looking and best performing wireless keyboards for your Apple MacBook that are under your budget and requirement.

1. GMYLE Universal Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

GYMLE Universal Bluetooth Wireless is a 3 system keyboard compatible with iOS, Android and Windows. It works on AAA batteries and can last up to 3 months (depends on usage though).

Buy GMYLE Wireless Keyboard from Amazon

2. Satechi Bluetooth Wireless Smart Keyboard

Satechi Wireless keyboard is compatible with Mac OSX, iOS, PC, Android and Windows operating systems. You can easily switch between 5 connected devices and can be used as both wired and wireless based on the purpose and need.

Buy Stechi Wireless Smart Keyboard from Amazon

3. Anker Ultra Compact Slim Profile Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard

Anker Ultra Compact wireless keyboard is shorter than the traditional keyboard and fits in 2 thirds of the space that it would take. This keyboard is compatible for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac operating systems. It comes with 800mAh internal rechargeable battery that lasts long for 6 moths on single charge.

Buy Anker Wireless Keyboard from Amazon

4. Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750

Logitech Wireless Solar keyboard charges itself in any natural light and can work for 3 months in total darkness. It is built ultra slim and comes with a Logitech unifying receiver that connects to additional compatible devices.

Buy Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750

5. HDE Mini Aluminum Wireless Multimedia Keyboard

As the name sounds, HDE Mini Aluminum Wireless Multimedia Keyboard is a mini keyboard easy to carry and is compatible with the iOS devices like iPad and iPad pro. This keyboard can also be connected to Windows PCs.

Buy HDE Mini Aluminum Wireless Multimedia Keyboard from Amazon

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Hope you liked them all. Choose one among those 5 and get computing on Apple Mac/iOS devices on your fingertips.

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Tricks to Buy Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in Flash Sale (No Scripts)

It is not an updated script or a super fast computer or internet. It is all common sense and little knowledge that acted for me today while booking Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 from Amazon’s flash sale. I haven’t used any scripts or helping apps for adding the unit to my cart. My story can help you book Redmi Note 3 next time.

Note: However, the working of this trick depends on various factors like health of the web browser, speed on the internet connection and working conditions of your peripheral devices.

Register for flash sale from two Amazon accounts

I have registered for flash sale from my two Amazon accounts. Because two can give you more chances than one single account. Don’t do it from more than two, because you may not get time to hit the ‘buy’ button all at a time.

Do not use script, it may mislead

I actually wanted to use a script but, I didn’t rely on it much. Websites like Amazon can trick you with the script parameters that may end you up with wrong product in the cart.

The script I have used was taken from a blog. I was pretty convinced to use the script for Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 flash sale this time until I found this comment under his post, suggesting the changes needed in the script.

The commenter suggests the change ‘jQuery("button:eq(0)’ in the script to ‘jQuery("button:eq(3)’. Technically, this change will add up the gold 3GB/32GB version of Redmi Note 3 in to cart. However, Amazon has kept on changing the order of smartphone list from sale to sale to confuse the script developers.

Beware of the web browser you use

So, I used my two registrations, one with script and another normally. I found during the countdown to start a sale that the browser(Google Chrome) which am I using for script purpose is showing wrong countdown time with almost 5-7 seconds lately. The countdown for 2GB/16GB products are a step ahead. Initially, I thought the sale was set to start like that by default.

I checked another browser (Mozilla Firefox) which I am using for normal booking purpose. The timers are running correctly on this one. This started smelling fishy and uninstalled the script extensions and additions on the Chrome and refreshed the page.

For my surprise, the problem is not with the scripts but the browser itself. The code related to run timers is not working in order. I still ignored this and waited for the sale to start.

Browser extensions will add weight

The web browser you are using to book the phone should have very few to no extensions on it. Because, the extensions can prolong the page loading time of the web pages. It might be in seconds that you cannot notice normally. But, during flash false, each second counts.

Do not rely on Mi.com limited stock open sale

As it is an open sale, those who haven’t registered and those who have will be on the page jamming the servers to load lately for slow internet speed connections. The sale on April 27th on Mi.com was over in a few seconds.

Do you own research in selecting a color or the device

If you want to grab the phone in a flash sale, decide over the version based on the specifications and color. Do not waste your time asking people ‘which one would be good looking?’. It is the performance that you should ask about, not the color. Different people will have different interests over the color the device. So, decide the color first.

Or the person you asked might mislead you to trim the competition for that color version during the sales.

Read my story..

What I noticed for April 27th sale was people were bragging about the 3GB/32GB Gold version. The Amazon page was also showing 3GB/32GB Gold version only for the upcoming sale. Space grey was my first preference and target, but all I saw in the stock was the 2GB/16GB version. That was a decision making time for me. I am a techie and a power user; 2GB/16GB will not come to any use of my usage but, the regarding the looks space grey rules my mind.

Just as everyone does, I joined a few groups in social media and started asking queries about the phone. Some of my questions about availability 3GB/32GB grey version were not answered satisfactory.

I have found the 3GB/32GB grey version on Mi.com which says out of stock. I thought everyone is after gold version of Redmi Note 3 and underestimated the hype for the grey version. More over the availability of 3GB/32GB version reviews on the internet are of gold version's. So I've decided to grab a gold version compromising the grey looks.

Finally, when the sale started on April 27th, I have my two browsers opened Chrome and Firefox. Chrome with more than 10 extensions dumped me loading the page for life time and leaving me a waiting list status where as Firefox added the 3GB/32GB grey unit quickly into my cart.

Have two delivery addresses ready before adding

Finally, somehow I had my grey 3GB version in m cart but when I clicked the checkout button, the error popped up showing that the seller cannot deliver the product to my address. After wasting a lot of my time over thinking, I have reminded of my friend in near by city and the time left was 3:00 minutes and counting down. I made a call asked his address, filled up the delivery form, paid for the product and when it was running below 20 seconds, I proceeded the checkout very dramatically that would only see in movies.

 

Don't play a hero like me at such times. Have two different addresses ready before the start of the sale.

 

That's all I can advice according to my experiences. Use simple common sense and do not always rely on scripts. All the best for the Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 next Flash Sale. Share you experiences in comments below.

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Don’t be fooled by the colors; Simply choose the performance

What makes you go nuts when buying electronics online? The color or the performance?

 

Both matters of course!

 

A device that you would love to hold and carry should match your design interests and choices. Of course! It should.

 

No one wants to buy a smartphone with dumbest design and super performance (though). People rather choose to buy the one with better design and less-super performance. ‘Looks’ also matter as we spend much enough bucks on it.

 

Smartphones-style icons; a good combo. If not, there won’t be crazy night outs for iPhone x’s release in front of the stores. There won’t be design patent legal cases running in the court. Design matters for a lifestyle gadget and it is an universal fact.

 

Does design matters for gadget accessories too?

 

May be!

 

May be not!

 

In case of ‘may be’, we can consider the headphones, wrist bands and digital watches, flip covers and so on.

 

In case of ‘may be not’, we can consider the memory cards, batteries, wall mount chargers, USB cables and so on. All these accessories need not to be perfectly designed or furnished stylish.

 

For example, a flat wired USB cable or round wired USB cable does the same job but only differs in design. Also, though a flat wired headphones and round wired headphones do the same job, we’ll go with the stylish one among the both. Probably, most choose the trending flat wire design.

 

There is a justification in it. Headphones appear to public and USB cables won’t while using. People won’t use USB cables hanging over their ears or nose while walking down the street. Will you?

 

(Imagine it once and that should have made you laugh)

 

So, what this is all about? Sync between design and technology?

A sort of. There is a hidden third musketeer in the topic, the ‘marketing’. Before we dive into the hidden marketing technique, let’s talk about the price ranges of the gadgets and accessories differed by designs and colors.

 

Believe me, I won’t take long ago examples and the count won’t cross over two. Yes, two example are very fine to make you understand well.

 

Take an example of the latest flick Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The technical specifications of both the devices are the same but the edge version differs in design. Its edge bended screen, 100 extra mAh battery and 6gms less weight costs you Rs.9000 ($140) more compared to the normal screen version.

 

 

Do they (odd design features) worth it?

 

Never!

 

“That’s just a pure gimmick to trick consumers”, said a famous gadget reviewer on YouTube.

 

In a case, if style really matters to you, 9K rupees (i.e., $140) is not an issues at all but still not worthy.

 

For another example, consider Asus’s Zenpower 10050mAh power bank. It is available in different colors but with the same specifications and capacity. The only variation that we can notice is the color. For our surprise, the price varies with color. The variation of the price ranged from Rs.100 to Rs.400 (i.e. from $1.5 to $6.5).

 

 

It may not be a big deal if the general price of the power bank ranged in big digits. But it shows Rs.1,499 ($23). Does it make sense increasing 33% of the price for particular colored pieces?

 

The point is

We buy everything online today. “With great demand comes great price variation”, said some market-man in the past. The price set varies depending on the demand in the market. Remember iPhone 5S with gold finishing was sold for higher prices than usual on ecommerce stores? But the original price of it is as same as the rest of the sibling versions, space gray and silver finishing on the official Apple website.

 

I agree that style matters for people. If you are buying something little more stylish than the regular, check for its price hike and analyze if it is worth buying. 9K INR for edged screens is purely a stupid marketing trick executed by Samsung Corporation.

Tagging hiked prices for power banks of specific colors is the dumbest trick ever. A power bank cannot be showcased in public even. Is the company not aware of it? Yes, they are.

 

There is a hidden dimension here

If people are mad about a color, they would buy it for 33% extra price. If they are not, they would consider the wisest solution, buying it for general price. Seller would get the profit anyway.

 

What do you think?

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