One Byte at a time ;)

Living in a world where smartphones are so common,it seems more common are the apps which have taken the world by storm and WTF rules them all. Oops! by WTF I mean Whatsapp,Facebook & Twitter.We all have apps like 2048,candy crush,clash of clans and temple run catering to our need of sharing scores with our friends .Today there is an app for almost everything on the digital stores.

But where does this take us few years from now,will we be more productive than ever before or will we be more social or will we enter some million dollar bounty hunts in games!,I believe-"smarter the phone we're using,dumber we're making ourselves",If I could just talk to a few application making companies and see what is their ideology behind making an app,Is it the monetary factor by cashing on human weakness or is it really there on the store to solve a real world problem.If I could I would have kept a perfect harmony between apps that are there just to pass time and apps which are really taking over the problems we face today.

Fed of a some news reading apps.a month ago I came up one such app which made me fall in love with it.It's called NewsBytes

I am a voracious "NewsPaper" reader, but since the pace of life has changed after I've been going to the college , now I am left with very less time and that has led me to find alternatives for useful stuff in the form of apps,Android has a plethora of apps which sometime gets very confusing,it's like going to a fish market to find the best fish shop or a situation of buying a budget smartphone onlinemyou are in the middle of so many choices.I always wanted an app which could secrete the best of all news houses available in the country and this is when my wait was over after I found NewBytes,

It is a very simple & elegant app much like an apple product,you open the app and are greeted with a screen that has a relative image in the background

and all the important points in the form of bullets with an addition of small block which often says-"Press it,will you" and i always press it just to find some really great insights about the event,from not so known facts to the development of a particular event since it had it's first step in the internet or rather news. The layout is very crisp and it's the best UX I have had  among the apps catering to News on Android platform.

Scroll to the right and you've all the important news of the day till the very moment!,you tap the settings button and a simple switch ask you if you want to get notified which I think is not needed as who wouldn't want to get notified about any recent event/happening,I'm excited to see how notification work once the India-South Africa series starts!,The people behind this App have done a great job and  found out that they have their own Engine which secretes the news from all the major news houses with the news then is tailored by human editors thus making use of both the technology and human resource. Mitchell kapor once said-" getting information off the internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant" which is very true as we are stuck with a lot of information,the situation is much similar to finding the best fish in the fish market or looking for a needle in a haystack.

NewsBytes solves this problem with the perfect harmony of technology and human resource,It will really help the people on the go,the youth and almost anyone who wants to get updated First with the right information.The app is a boon for the students who are preparing for government jobs especially as it is a smart way to save time and i'm convinced-"all it takes is 7 minutes",what else joy can you've when it would require people like me 1.5 hours to go through the newspaper that too of the last day narrowed down to just 7 minutes per day,Now that's a smart app made by very smart people,I know this app will go a long way and make a niche segment for itself!.

Go and try the app,it indeed is a much needed app!

NewsBytes App 

MOTO E 2nd Gen contest by Defodio -Think.work.Create (https://www.facebook.com/defodio)

Most of the Low-cost Android smartphones have almost always gotten a bad rap because of the compromises made with their processors, the quality of their screens, and many more edits in order to achieve a low price. That’s changed recently and Motorola has played a huge role in that change with its Moto series of smartphones, specifically the Moto G and Moto E.The once hugely popular manufacturer has had its consumer devices wing spun-off into the streamlined, subversive Motorola Mobility, now owned by Lenovo and focused primarily on doing things the ‘Google Way’.What you will see in this Moto E(2nd Gen)though is a low price tag, followed by a list of specifications that will make you look at the price and titles again, just to make sure someone hasn’t got them confused.

This is the new Motorola that has been carved from the remains of the old guard: simple, affordable and reliable. And it’s a winning combination that is being continued with a second generation of smartphones.

Design:

The second generation Moto E surely isn’t the only affordable device in this price segment. But does it make too many compromises in order to reach that low price? Let’s find out.

In terms of design, the 2nd gen Moto E don’t look terribly different, though the latest model does only have one silver bar on its face for the loudspeaker. The Moto E (2nd Gen.) has a plastic body that feels solid and a curved back that rests nicely in your hand. Motorola has also used the well-known dimple found on older Moto devices, giving you a place to rest your finger during phone calls.

Hardware and Build Quality:

The Moto E (2nd Gen.) features several notable upgrades over its predecessor. The front of the Moto E(2nd Gen) includes a 4.5-inch display that’s slightly larger than the original E’s 4.3-inch screen and it has got a 960*540 -630*379 resolution. In the front of Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s display is a VGA front-facing camera.The second generation model’s has a 5Mp rear camera with an auto focus shooter and the original’s is fixed focus. Finally, the new Moto E’s got double the storage of its predecessor (8GB vs 4GB), a 2390mAh battery that’s considerably beefier than the first Moto E’s 1980mAh battery, a new Snapdragon 410 processor, and 4G LTE connectivity.

Extras
One other hardware detail that’s worth mentioning is about customization, there are Motorola Bands that you can buy. Motorola also sells these Grip Shells that are priced at $19.99 each and come in blue, raspberry, turquoise, golden yellow, and charcoal color options. These Grip Shells have a thick, rubberized outer ring that offer considerably more protection than a Motorola Band, and they also have a plastic rear to protect the Moto E’s backside.It’s also worth pointing out that in order to access the Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s SIM slot of microSD card slot, you simply remove the Band or Grip Shell that you’ve currently got on the device. Both slots are on the opposite side from the power/lock and volume buttons.

Features:

Considering this is Motorola’s entry level phone, the Moto E(2nd Gen) sports a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 pixel display. The phone runs Android 5.0.2 and houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC which has a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz along with an Adreno 302 GPU. This is paired with 1GB of RAM.

Motorola’s also included a few other custom apps with the Moto E (2nd Gen.) Motorola Alert will let you designate emergency contacts and, if you’re in an emergency, you can press a button to quickly shoot off a text message, call an emergency service, and sound a super-loud alarm. You can also send a Meet Me message to a friend with your location or use Follow Me to send your current location in selected intervals to certain recipients.

It may sound like Motorola has packed a lot of its own apps into the Moto E (2nd Gen.), but that’s really not the case. Several of them are hidden away in the Moto app, and if things like Motorola Alert and Motorola Migrate really bother you by sitting in the app drawer, you can disable them and hide them for good.

Lollipop here is just as you’d expect, with Material Design notifications, new Quick Settings, and updated software navigation buttons.

Performance:

Considering it houses the entry level Qualcomm system-on-chip, performance numbers aren’t the best. But thanks to no skin on the phone, the response shall be quite smooth.

Software and Motorola Apps: 

The Moto E runs a nearly stock version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, and just as on the Moto X and the Moto G, comes with plenty of personalized software to make life a little easier.
With the Moto app, you can set your phone to keep the screen off at specified times (such as at night when you’re sleeping). Android’s Downtime Settings silences your notifications and only alerts you when someone on your Favorites list calls or sends a message. You can also set an auto-reply to missed calls from your Favorites when you’re in a meeting.


Motorola packed nifty gestures into the Moto E as well. You can launch the camera app by flicking or twisting your wrist quickly twice, and repeat the action to turn the selfie cam on.

Lazy users like myself will appreciate being able to say “OK, Google” when the Home screen is open to activate voice control. The Moto E recognized my commands well, opening Chrome and showing me the weather forecast. Unlike on the Moto X, though, you’ll only be able to use the “OK, Google” command to activate Google Now on the home screen.
Just as on the Moto G (2014), Motorola has bundled the Alert app to send your location to emergency contacts. You’ll also get Migrate for porting your contacts, photos and accounts to or from a different phone, whether it’s a Moto, iPhone or other device. Motorola also tosses in an FM Radio app so you can tune in to your favorite channel by plugging in a set of headphones.


Battery: 

The Moto E (2nd Gen.) comes equipped with a 2390mAh battery, which is quite a bit larger than the original Moto E’s 1980mAh battery. And while the new model includes LTE, which was missing from the original, the Moto E (2nd Gen.) still manages some impressive battery life.

Benchmarks(Tested by Online Professional Reviewers):

Quadrant: 9413;
Geekbench: 330 (single core) and 1136 (multiple core);
AnTuTu: 17731

Conclusion

When looking at the complete package, I think it’s safe to say the new Moto E retains the title of best budget Android. As mentioned above, by closing the specification gap with the larger G, it almost makes the bigger phone obsolete if it weren’t for the 5 inch panel being a deal breaker for many.

Despite competition from lower tier brands, you will still struggle to find anything that really matches the full specification, build quality and brand prestige of the Motorola's new rollout!

It’s not a phone for the masses in established, mature markets, however it will still find an audience here. Plenty of discerning consumers looking for a bargain will be pleased and it’s an excellent first phone or backup.

I’m sure the E will also do very well in emerging markets – the addition of LTE support makes it a grand choice for those where cellular networks provide the only available Internet connection, plus Motorola’s recognition and durability puts a seal of approval and trust over lesser known manufacturers.

It's a perfect gift for a first time user or a new phone for an elderly relative, the E should be right at the top of your shortlist.

Sojourn to Murthal !

Sometimes great things happen out of impromptu planning,and that's the essence of a worthy life.
It was a blunt Wednesday noon when we were all squattered in library doing our assignments, something which we usually finish only at college.Being a foodie,it is always great to explore new places and taste local food,and with friends accompanying you,they are like spices which actually make the whole affair a regal one,with them you get the courage to do things you would otherwise not do.
Out of the discussion which started from Amritsar we compromised a little over distance and finalized on Murthal ,a name synonymous with yummy paranthas.Thanks to Aman Bansal who freed us from the thought of how we would reach Murthal,he drove us to Murthal in his Swift within straight 25 minutes like a matured driver and not a beast,however in the middle of the journey once it became so hot that i wanted to request him to turn on the AC but felt it's better to settle for an open window.

The five of us Shikhar,Nivesh,Sahil,Aman & me

We had all assembled near Jahangirpuri around 12:20 and were all set to go,few minutes into the car,Shikhar's snooring caught our attention and that's it!!, when in group friends just need a spark to pull someone's leg.I guess he did not sleep later that day.En route we played a few songs and in no time reached Murthal around 1:00 pm.
Our brain works in images so I had been told that we're heading to a famous "dhaba" which we all know is made out of rusty beds,tin over heads and few trucks in the parking bay but a glimpse of our destination from some distance ,I saw the "dhaba" which was actually a 2 storey building with ample parking space and a fountain in the front.

The Sukhdev Dhaba

.
Few steps and we spotted a few students from our college,Aman went to greet them while we quickly made our way to catch a table.Once Inside it was all good and we found a table pretty soon.There are two huge halls,one with AC and the other one Non Ac, as it was winter we decided to be little intelligent and settled in the outer non ac hall.

Dine time

There were people from all age groups munching one common thing: a Paratha with few add ons like chai which was the second common thing followed by lassi.A quick go-through the menu and we ordered a paratha each for the five of us with daal and Paneer(Cottage Cheese).

Paratha with white butter,paneer & daal

Even inside the "dhaba" there were several franchise opened up like that of a mouth freshener stall,sweet eateries etc.15 minutes up and the waiter arrived with a giant smile on his face.I took a few random clicks for my restaurant review.

Green pepper!!

Onions & Pickles

The plate had a paratha(mix in my case) with a huge dollop of clarified white butter,I spent a few minutes just watching the butter slowly melt all over it,accompanied with some daal and paneer ,we quickly finished with the first one and dared to go for another round of it, so we all ordered one for each of us along with 2 daal's.I did a mistake of having breakfast so couldn't really lick the plate, Now the bill time!! and every waiter's delight!!! I was expecting somewhere around 650-700 but surprisingly the billed rolled out to be around 1100 rupees, So next time you're taking a pit stop at Sukhdev Dhaba,do remember to
Taste the first paratha really slowly,
Bring your own daal or paneer and if you really want to spend the change,
Buy a bottle of distilled water.
However though i still don't know why Aman gave that tip to the waiter,It's his job to showcase a smile and a warm attitude.

Anyhow after undergoing a gastronomical journey,we went outside and were now ready for the shutterbugs and got a few pictures clicked with the tab and my camera.After a short stroll we headed back and thought of doing something crazy i.e. we called few of our friends being really alienated and I can't disclose what we really did on the call but I really feel sorry for all them,in-fact two guys we called are really boiled up over me now,but then few things are better enjoyed in company of your friends.Soon after some Mumbai like traffic we headed towards NSP(netaji subhash chandra palace).

At NSP

NSP is a popular hangout for the north-west Delhiites, it's like an urban suburb with huge office buildings and food courts,showrooms heaped in the ground floors,we sat there for a while,chatted over some funny things and later clicked a few pictures,

The Selfie time

It was a short fun time and in the end we complimented the visit with a chocolate paan,yet another example of how SME's or even shops know how to evolve with the new generation.All together it was a great day spent with friends. We're soon planning to repeat the same with Samir, don't worry Samir, I am just talking about a tour!!