PLAY is somewhat a new player in the world of smartwatches but has garnered a lot of attention lately. The company recently introduced a finely crafted smartwatch, Playfit Dial, an affordable buy in the premium segment. Let’s see what the little dynamite offers!
Display
Playfit Dial smartwatch comes with a display of 1.75-inch IPS resolution in a square dial. The smartwatch offers 99 cloud watch faces to meet your moods and outfit for the day.
Build Quality and Design
The watch has a zinc alloy with a silicone strap and IP67 dust, sweat, and rain resistance. The gold metal finish makes it an aesthetic buy, blending design and comfort, protected by toughened glass.
Playfit comes with sports modes like walking, cycling, running, badminton, skipping, yoga, football, etc. One can also measure their heart rate and blood oxygen (SpO2), and calories on the go, along with monitoring your sleep. The PlayFit App will help keep a record of one’s activities and health data in real-time. A prominent missing feature for female users is the absence of a menstrual date tracker.
Other Essential Features
An exciting feature is its long battery life, i.e. five days long playtime with Bluetooth calling with a standby time of up to 30 days. It has a battery of 210mAh. The smartwatch lets you answer and make calls quickly and ensure you don’t miss a notification by displaying it on the smartwatch screen. Playfit dial comes with a camera button and an EBEL (Enhanced Bass Extra Loud) audio output to listen to music. One can easily pair it with both Android and iOS devices.
Conclusion
Overall, the watch is a decent buy with both pros and cons. The inbuilt audio speaker is a unique feature and an all-angle clear, and bright display. However, it takes a little longer to connect with your phone for a first-time user, but it would be an easy ride if you follow the user guide.
After almost a year, finally, ASUS launched its compact smartphone 8z in India today, which was postponed earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company dubbed the smartphone as a “perfect smartphone” due to certain features such as its easy to operate screen reachability, sleek design and, of course, the Qualcomm snapdragon 888 processor, which is one of the fastest processors out there.
While making the smartphone, the company made sure that it would fit in every pocket, be it jeans, tracks, shorts, jackets, leggings or even gym wear. The smartphone sports a 5.9″ inch screen and is priced at Rs 42,999 for a version with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The newly launched smartphone by ASUS competes with the Xiaomi 11T Pro, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, and the OnePlus 9RT.
The smartphone arrives with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and has a glass back. ASUS 8z smartphone features a dual rear camera setup, a 64-MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor with an f/1.8 lens and a 12-MP Sony IMX363 secondary sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide lens. It has a refresh rate of 120Hz and is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.
The year 2021 went well, at least better than 2020. As of December, the pandemic situation was pretty much under control in India, but with the arrival of a new year, another variant (Omicron) landed here. As a result, many state governments added new COVID-19 restrictions, not allowing people to stretch their travel legs. However, the new variant turned out to be a faded rendition, and according to experts at WHO, it shall pass within a few weeks, and with that, we can hit the outdoors again. Going for a trip to popular places would be a bad move in current times, and it’s a pretty outdated move. That’s why we’ve come up with 16 off-beat travel getaways to take up 2022 in style.
Historical Places & Ruins:
Champaner & Laxmi Vilas Palace, Gujarat
The ancient city is considered one of Gujarat’s most fascinating historical attractions. The off-beat destination is as old as the 8th century, and it will hook you instantly with its heritage places, including a number of forts, mosques, monuments, tombs, arches, temples, and step-wells. The Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park located in Champaner is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers an authentic flavour of architecture. The famous Laxmi Vilas Palace – the Vadodara’s royal family residence is a must-visit place if you’re planning to explore around Champaner. The palace is built over 500 acres (four times the size of Buckingham Palace), and it is about 50 Km from Champaner.
Basgo, Ladakh
Basgo is a historic castle town located on the mighty Indus River in Ladakh and is famous for its Basgo Monastery and Gompas. The ancient temples and structures around Basgo are part of the UNESCO world heritage site. The monastery is a perfect example of Tibetan architecture, and the Basgo Palace is among the 100 most endangered heritage sites in the world. The once proliferated town is now wrapped in ruins, with almost zero infrastructure. The Basgo town has been featured in many Bollywood movie songs, including Satrangi Re from Dil Se and Dil Dance Maare from Tashan.
Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
The name Orchha means ‘Hidden Place’, which is enough to pay a visit to this historic town. The beautiful city of Orchha is nestled royally near the banks of the Betwa River. The historical place is built with a vision that one can find historical landmarks every time a river makes a turn. The site is far away from the reach of regular tourists, making it a more peaceful destination. The place’s main attraction is the Orchha Fort, an architectural marvel of the town built on an island on the Betwa river and Chattris, memorials to the rulers of Orchha. If you decide to visit Orchha, don’t forget to attend the light and sound show at Orchha Fort, which starts at 6:30 PM in English and at 7:45 PM in Hindi.
Shettihalli Rosary Church, Karnataka
Ruins and forgotten structures are always fascinating, especially when connected with folklore and Shettihalli Rosary Church is one of such gems. The French missionary church located in the Hassan district of Karnataka is popularly known as India’s only floating church. Interestingly, this dilapidated church remains submerged in water during monsoons, and when the water level decreases, it slowly starts appearing as a full, allowing the tourists to witness its glory. The hauntingly beautiful church was built in the 1860s in the French Gothic style of architecture, but later on, in 1960, the government deserted the area to construct the dam, and the church lost the centre of attention.
Beaches & Islands:
Maravanthe Beach, Karnataka
Maravanthe is a uniquely positioned beach offering an incredible view with the mesmerizing Arabian Sea on one side and the Souparnika river on the other side. The beach is an ideal choice to hang out with friends and family. The place is about 105 km from Mangalore, and one must catch a lovely boat ride across the Souparnika River during golden hour and watch the sunset. You can visit the nearest Padukone village, birthplace of famous badminton star Prakash Padukone and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone during your trip to Maravanthe.
Bhogwe Beach, Maharashtra
Goa and Gokarna are the places that made the Konkan coast popular, but the coast has much more to offer than these usual places, only if you’re willing to go off-road. The secluded, loneliest and pristine Bhogwe beach is one of India’s few cleanest beaches selected for blue flag certification. The picturesque beach is situated on the shores of Sindhudurg District and is famous for being the merging point of the Karli River and the Arabian Sea. The beach is located at the base of Nivati Fort, which offers majestic views of the Bhogwe beach along with the Golden rocks and a glimpse of Tsunami island.
Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu
Dhanushkodi – often referred to as India’s Ghost Town, is situated on the southeastern tip of Tamil Nadu’s Pamban Island (Rameshwaram). In 1964, a monstrous cyclone turned this once-bustling trade hub into an eerie ghost town. Except for a few fishermen folks, nobody lives in Dhanushkodi, and no tourists are allowed to enter the town after 6 PM. Dhanushkodi has extreme natural conditions, and it is a bit risky to get into the water due to high waves, but the experience you’ll have while driving towards the tip, walking on the beach and exploring the ruins is out of this world.
Majuli Island, Assam
Majuli, nestled amidst the mighty Brahmaputra River, is the world’s largest freshwater island. It’s a must-visit place for every traveling enthusiast because due to climate change, in the next 20-25 years, the lush green and pollution-free island may completely disappear from the earth’s map. The isolated island is over 420 square kilometres in size and home to several tribes, mainly the Mishings. The green fields and the water bodies of Majuli island will stay in your heart for a long time, and you’ll feel blessed for the rest of your life.
The Hidden Paradise of North-East:
Bhalukpong, Arunachal Pradesh
The Seven Sisters of India offers everything you’re looking for in a serene trip, but the beautiful town of Bhalukpong has its magic. The unexplored town is located along the southern reaches of the Himalayas in the West Kameng district, and it is surrounded by the evergreen forests of the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary. Due to limited connectivity options, Bhalukpong hasn’t been nourished as a proper tourist destination, but if you’re looking for a calm and cozy holiday destination, then the breathtaking town of Bhalukpong is the place for you.
Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh
If you’re a fan of independent music in India, you probably have heard the name Ziro Valley before. The underrated town is surrounded by untouched forests, offering unmatched scenic and wildlife grandeur. Zero Valley is located 15 kilometers from Itanagar and is one of the best places to visit in North East India. The photogenic valley is famous for hosting the Ziro Music Festival, rice fields, lush bamboo forests, scenic trails lined with pine and bamboo trees. The hill hamlet provides a sound and peaceful camping experience as it is home to 300 birds and 170 butterfly species.
Sandakphu
Sandakphu is the highest peak in the queen of hills – Darjeeling, which offers an incredible panorama of the world’s highest snowline. The town is named after a poisonous wolf’s bane plant that grows naturally around the peak. Sandakphu is famous for its treks and is popularly known as Trekkers Wonderland. The place offers excellent mountaineering and adventure sports possibilities due to its location. If you’re a mountain lover, you should consider visiting this place and going on a Sandakphu Phalut trek, as it is one of the best winter treks in the Himalayas.
Mechuka
Situated in the West Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, Mechuka, Mechukha, or Menchukha valley is a must-visit tourist destination in North-East India. The Buddhist hamlet houses several tribes, including Libo, Bokar, Ramo, and Memba Tribes. The Valley is located 29 km away from the famous McMahon Line that separates India and China. The rhythmic sound of the river Siyom, snow-capped mountains, wooden bridges with colorful Buddhist prayer flags, vast grassland with grazing horses, and dotted houses can make Mechuka a perfect off-beat destination.
The Territory of Big Cats:
Jawai, Rajasthan
Jawai Bandh (Dam) is one of the few places where you can spot a leopard in the daytime, and that’s why the place has become one of the hot favourite tourist destinations in Rajasthan. The site has plenty of natural caves for leopards, and they live peacefully here without causing any conflict with humans. The big cats have been winning hearts here with their human-friendly nature, and tribes who live here consider these big cats the guardians of their local deity. Along with leopards, you can easily spot crocodiles basking in the sun at river banks and migratory birds, making Jawai a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts.
Hemis, Ladakh
Hemis is the ideal place for people who wish to spend some time in the lap of nature and to see the globally famous, rare and endangered snow leopard. The scenic hamlet is located between the snow capped mountain ranges of Ladakh and is bounded by the ever-gorgeous Indus river and the majestic Zanskar range. The Hemis Monastery is ranked as one of the wealthiest monasteries in India, and it houses an iconic copper gilded statue of Lord Buddha along with stupas made of gold, silver, and other precious metals. The Hemis National Park boasts about 200 leopards, along with other endangered species such as Asiatic ibex, Tibetan wolf, the Eurasian brown bear and the red fox.
Sundarban, West Bengal
Inscribed as a world heritage site by UNESCO, Sundarban is the kind of place where you’ll witness the true side of nature, a tale of survival. The place lies on the delta of three rivers, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The mangrove forest is home to Royal Bengal Tigers. Once you’re on the boat to spot the Bengal Tiger, you’ll not feel less than you’re a guy from an episode of the national geographic channel. Besides Bengal Tiger, it is home to various wildlife species, including red-faced rhesus monkey, saltwater crocodile, spotted deer, crested serpent eagle, oriental honey buzzard, and Goshawk.
Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka
The rare species always attract the crowd, and if you’re a staunch wildlife enthusiast, especially the one who’s into felines, then you must have heard the name “Saaya.” The word Saya means Shadow, and it is the name of the elusive male black panther that wildlife enthusiasts and tourists often spot in the southern part of the Nagarhole National Park. The majestic park is quite picturesque with hills, valleys, streams and Kabini, a part of the park, has become famous in recent years for the sighting of a real-life Bagheera. The black panther is exceptionally confident, and it will hypnotise you with his appearance.
Back then, life was a bit challenging, especially in terms of dating because asking someone out in person is not everybody’s cup of tea, then and even now. About 25 years ago, entrepreneurs Gary Kremen and Peng T. Ong decided to come up with a solution and launched the first dating site in the form of Match.com. Since then, the online dating world has evolved dramatically, as it changed the course of dating and brought everything on our plate within one click.
We enjoyed the online dating phase on websites, going ahead with time, several marriage sites launched to help people find the right partner and then the app culture arrived, which turned out to be a milestone in the dating universe. We were swapping right-left all the time, and then the COVID-19 pandemic swapped right on us. So, dating companies started figuring out a solution to help singles and this time, they came up with something unbelievable.
Imagine you’re sleeping on a couch while your TV is on, and your dog is wagging his tail near you because your phone is vibrating. Suddenly, you woke up from a nap only to realize you’ve promised someone a date. Now, she’s already there, waiting for you, and you’re still in your shorts, thinking about a reason to convince her. Well, in real life, this kinda situation might lead to a quick argument, but when the metaverse dating arrives, you will endure the situation. Let me tell you how?
But first understand, what is Metaverse?
You’ve probably heard a lot about the metaverse already, but most of us didn’t care to know what it is actually? The term metaverse first occurred in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. In simple language, the metaverse is a shared digital reality where users can connect to each other, build economies and interact in real-time. It’s the future of the internet, where anything can be done, but it remains to be seen like AI and blockchain.
All the top companies worldwide are investing tons of money in the metaverse, from Facebook to Nike, everyone wants to be a part of it. If you ask about dating companies, tinder’s parent company Match Group is already working on building a dating metaverse. For now, I’ll suggest, don’t dive deep to learn more about the metaverse because it’s way too complex, and the term doesn’t refer to any specific type of technology.
What will dating be like in the Metaverse?
I hope you’ve visualized yourself in the above scenario where the guy in shorts is thinking about what to say to his date? You might suggest convincing her with truth or perhaps with a lie. Now, I’ll tell you how metaverse dating will help you duck a similar situation? First and foremost, such concerns will not even occur in metaverse dating because here, you’re a 3D avatar, and to activate it, you only have to wear the necessary Virtual Reality (VR) gear.
You don’t have to leave your couch, you don’t have to drop your dog at your friend’s apartment, and you don’t even have to take a shower because you’re going on a date in metaverse where none of these things matter. Your metadate will look like this: You both have to wear VR headsets to track eye movements and facial expressions. Besides VR gear, both of you will have to wear haptic gloves, a wearable device that mimics tactile sensations of virtual objects.
You can decide any place that exists in the metaverse to meet each other. Now, imagine you’re waiting for your date in an outdoor cafe, and then a date tracker notifies you that your date is about to reach. You put your headphones on to avoid anxiousness, but you’re having a hard time focusing. And then you look up and see a beautiful girl in a skirt with a button-up shirt walking towards you. She has what we call a perfectly toned figure and eyes like pearls that shine like stars. She waves at you and joins you for an ice-cream date. You both are having a good time, and then the waiter shows up with a bill. You’re about to pay, and then your subconscious warns you, “Split it bro! She might like it if you allow her to pay her part” And “What if she didn’t like the gesture?” says the other one.
Finally, you prefer to wait, and she puts her hand on yours, of course through the haptic gloves (don’t worry, you’ll get the same feelings) and says, “Let’s split it for now”, and then both of you pay your share of the bill with tinder/bumble coins. While walking her out, you plan to ask her for another date, this time – a real one, but again your subconscious stops you by saying, “Don’t rush the things, wait for her message and what if she’s not this captivating in real life?”, and you drop the idea.
The benefits of dating in the Metaverse
What do we do while preparing for a first date? We think, we think a lot and then overthinking kills us; sometimes, it even adds pimples to make it worse. We usually look for a nice outfit, we make sure that we’re behaving well, we rehearse all the table manners, and many more things. While in metaverse dating, you don’t have to follow these old-school rules. In meta dating, you set your own rules, you choose your looks. Basically, you have a right to do whatever you want!
When meta dating will come into our lives, please don’t overdo anything. Choose your avatars carefully, and try to create an avatar that really matches your persona. Otherwise, you might end up dealing with rejection on your actual date with that special someone. Metaverse dating is beneficial for every one of us as it will allow us to meet our date in a virtual world where you can get an unbelievable amount of information about how your date feels about you without them saying a word.
Did you know?
On 5th Feb, a Bhopal-based couple, Abhijeet Goel, a tech entrepreneur and Dr Sansrati Jain, a pedodontist, tied a wedding knot and became the first couple in India to marry in the 3D Metaverse. The couple created a scenic beachside environment to host their wedding, where the guests also joined in via their digital avatars. The virtual wedding took place on Yug Metaverse, an Indian company that creates a metaverse for marriages, virtual events, exhibitions, business meetings, and conferences. The wedding was associated with two media agency brands, Wavemaker India for ITC Ltd. and Matrimony.com. Who conceptualised, organised and executed the wedding.
Europeans are always obsessed with the cars they make and the food they eat. Europeans are always obsessed with the cars they make and the food they eat. They always fulfil the quest of hunger of the gourmet and never fail to impress an auto enthusiast with its overall product offering. One such Swedish car accompanying is Volvo, and its latest offering is the flagship 7- seater luxury SUV – 2022 XC90. Just to spice things up, we invited Master chef Shipra Khanna on a 7-course meal to discuss a luxury palette and the luxury SUV over a hearty meal.
Shipra Khanna is one of the most glamorous Master chef from Shimla. Apart from making delicious food, she is also an author, TV Host, content creator and food consultant. She has achieved the milestone of earning the tag of “Youngest Female Celebrity Chef in India” and knows what goes inside to make great dishes. Along with Volvo XC90, we have come up here in the majestic and exclusive farmhouse restaurant, Saltt, a 2-hour drive from our suburban Mumbai. Well, if you own a chopper, you can land up directly here because this place also has an exclusive helipad. Still, we preferred the XC90. The drive is always more fun if the destination, company, and conversations are exciting.
The 2-litre mild-hybrid petrol-powered Volvo XC90 is an ideal choice for such weekend gateways. Whoever owns this car wears a badge of honour and respect in society. It is targeted and Built for an ambitious individual with an appetite for success and a taste for luxury. It is not just about simpler and sophisticated looks or the best family haulier; Volvo XC90 is way more than that. It is equipped with tons of mind-blowing features and unique characteristics. We are on our quest to taste the 7-course meal where the Master chef will talk about the dishes, and Editor-in-chief will throw lights on the Volvo XC90. Both experts in their own fields.
1st Course – Lets Soup it
On the Bowl: Minestrone Milanese Soup
Shipra: It’s the safest thing to start your meal and to warm up your system. Hearty root vegetable and tomato flavoured thick soup with pesto, Parmigiano and pasta. A good Soup acts like engine oil and gets you a good start that you need for the 7-course meal coming forward.
RS: Since it’s on safety, Volvo has always been known for providing its safety masala in the beautiful dish – we call it car. With best-in-class safety ratings, Volvo XC90 also gets an intelligent Driver assistance System that detects and helps drivers to avoid a collision with other motorists and pedestrians on the road. The car is smart enough to detect any danger on the road; the brakes are applied automatically without thus avoiding mishaps and further damage. Cool, isn’t it? It also gets a 360-degree camera, a blind spot Information System, and lane keeps assist features to keep you all safe and secure while travelling. Just like this Soup, it’s as safe as a car can get.
2nd Course – Lets get Healthy!
On the Bowl: Goat Cheese Ball, Rocket and Citrus Salad
Shipra: What we have now is the second course meal, which is a fresh garden salad. Freshly cooked vegetables are always good for your health. It has got a lot of antioxidants, and we have got proteins in the form of cheese. The salad also contains a lot of essential fibres and iron that are always good for health. Most importantly, it has got orange vinegar, which acts as a palate cleanser. It is one of the most exciting courses because it has got a different medley of flavours.
RS: Talking about health, Volvo has made the environment cleaner and healthier by providing a hybrid engine option in this vehicle. Not only this, but the brand has also committed to putting one million electrified cars on the road by 2025. Such initiatives make a great impact on decreasing the pollution level in the atmosphere. By the way, did I tell you that this Volvo xc 90 comes with an air-purifier system that filters the polluted air and allows its occupants to breathe clean and healthy air inside? It gets a synthetic fibre-based filter and ionization, which kelps the cabin up to 95 per cent healthier by filtering out PM 2.5 particles inside the cabin.
3rd Course – Lets make an appetite for the Appetizer
On the Bowl: Avocado and Goat Cheese on House Sour Dough Toast.
Shipra: This is the third Course. It’s an appetizer. The idea for an appetizer is to build an appetite or rather space for the Main Course. And this is Avocado on the Sovada Bread.
RS: Talking about the space, the boot space comes as an extreme necessity to carry all your baggage for long road-trip journeys. Despite being a 7-seater, the car has an expansive 397 litre of boot space to gulp your entire essential luggage.
4th Course – Lets dig on to Mains
On the Bowl: Parmigiana Eggplant Vol-Au-Vent
Shipra: This is the French dish – Vol-Au-Vent. It looks extremely beautiful on the outside. No Doubt. But on the inside, it is stuffed with vegetables, Primula Cheese, and many flavors.
RS: Most of our time will be dedicated to experiencing the main Course, just like the one will spend most of its time inside the cabin of the car. Volvo xc90 feels like a posh European coffee lounge. It has got matte natural grain wooden inlays with a chrome strip running across the dashboard with the premium Nappa leather everywhere you touch. Xc90 gets a big tablet-like infotainment system and a massive digital instrument cluster. XC90 seats are best in class with ventilated front seats with massage function and four-way electric lumbar support. One would not complain about rear seats as there is plenty of legroom and headroom on offer. This car, on the inside, cocoons you with its luxury offerings.
5th Course – Still on the Mains
On the Bowl: Tofu meal
Shipra: This is our fifth meal out of our 7-course meal. Tofu meal is actually a complete meal. It is a total powerhouse loaded with energy and performance.
RS: Performance always excites me, and talking about performance, the new Volvo XC90 is now BS6 updated and gets a 2.0-litre engine churning around 300hp and 420 Nm of torque which is mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox powering all four wheels.
6th Course – Lets have some Desserts
On the Bowl: Vegan Berry Tart
Shipra: Vegan Berry Tart is the first of our desserts. The dish is made with almond flour, and it’s got chocolates and berries inside it, making it one of the classic desserts. RS: Classic! That is precisely the perfect way to describe the Volvo XC90. Volvo cars are known because of their minimalistic and simple design language. All new chrome grille, a restyled lower fascia, reprofiled rear bumper and beautiful looking 20-inch alloy wheels make it look sharp and simple.
7th Course – Lets end with Chocolates
On the Bowl: Chocolate Mousse
Shipra: Finally, we are on the last Course of our 7-course meal, and this chocolate Mousse is the perfect way to end our meal. You see, a good dessert is something that will give you a great aftertaste.
RS: You are spot on Shipra. The aftertaste is of great importance, and Volvo understands this very well. One can feel relaxed and totally accomplished if the external factors of owning a luxury car, such as after-sales service and warranty, are completely sorted. Volvo has come up with the scheme wherein it promises a lifetime warranty on the spare parts purchased from its authorized dealers. It is the first time in India that such an initiative has been offered to luxury customers. The company also cares about its customers by providing them with an interest-free monthly EMI for the service cost. Thus one can enjoy maximum coverage without having to worry about the cost. The car also comes with two year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. With around 29 dealers spread across pan India, Volvo provides a hassle-free and secure ownership experience.
Well, that was the 7-course meal with the Volvo XC90. Good food and a great car are 2-important factors in making any journey , destination or the journey of life beautiful. Isn’t it ?
Despite technological advances, we as human species have managed to travel only a little over 4 lakh kilometres to the dark side of our moon. Why have we not explored further? The answer is simple – The lack of powerful rockets capable of transporting humans and their bare necessities any further. We’ve been sling shooting satellites beyond immeasurable distances across our solar system’s circumference for years at this moment in time. Speaking of which, Elon Musk, his SpaceX organisation and their latest Starship in its third iteration powered by innovative new boosters might just be the tools required to make the human species an interplanetary species.
Elon Musk and SpaceX showcased their new plans with their newest Starship in Texas on 10th February 2022. This new Starship is 50m in height/length, 9m in diameter, has a propellant capacity of 1200t with a thrust capacity of 1500tf and a loading capacity of 100-150t based on the orbit trajectory. The Starship is SpaceX’s main vessel that shall transport humans, materials, tools and much more from planet Earth to destined planet Mars. This being the third generation Starship, it has improved from the ones shown two years ago and has larger dimensions and relatively powerful yet efficient boosters named Raptor V2.
This new propulsion system is said to be smaller, efficient, have fewer parts and produce more thrust power than its predecessor, Raptor V1. One of the critical components of the mix is their new Raptor engine configuration, which beautifully aligns 33 propulsion nozzles with achieving optimal thrust levels. There’s something unique about the launch and catch towers designed for Starship and the Super Heavy (yeah, that’s a name) booster vessel. The Starship vessel shall be thrust into the earth’s orbit by Super Heavy, a 69m long, 9m in diameter just as the Starship, has a propellant capacity of 3400t and a whopping thrust capacity of 7590tf. The Super Heavy booster can thrust one Starship into orbit, return and land on its pod, all in six minutes!
SpaceX plans to make and launch 50 of these Starships and Super Heavy thrusters before the end of 2022. Why so many, you ask? As Elon Musk explained on stage, the human race will eventually need to become an interplanetary species as the sun’s radiation destroys our solar system in the next million years. This is humanity’s first viable step towards carrying life beyond our planet and dwelling through the multi-verse. Elon Musk also spoke about the plan to colonise planet Mars. The new Starships’ ambitious production and life cycle will have SpaceX making one whole Starship each month. This is necessary as the Starships with payload will be refilled with fuel in Earth’s orbit by another fuel filling Starship. We are already fuelling flying jets and planes via other planes on a harsh gravitational pull, so doing this in space shall be relatively more straightforward or challenging considering the sheer size of the Starships.
Fuelling the Starships is necessary to carry the payload to Mars and back. Elon Musk claims that with time, they will be able to produce one Starship and its booster each month and bring that close to making each unit in about three days. Coupled with the announcements of making 7 Raptor V2 engines per week, SpaceX is all in to make Starship the vessel of transportation from Earth to Mars. While SpaceX waits for approvals from Federal Aviation Administration in the USA, the first orbital flight of the Starship could be seen as soon as the first half of 2022. Subsequently, the first trials of orbital fuel filling shall commence as soon as 2023-24. Being super optimistic on stage, Elon Musk announced that the boosters could be refilled and reused in less than an hour while the Starships can do the same in 6-8 hours. If managed well, we could see three Starship launches a day in the future of time.
The ISRU is working closely with SpaceX and scientists to plan this Mars invasion of humans powered by massive Starships. The first few Starships will have no humans and carry essential goods required to set up an infrastructure for human colonisation. Plus, the first people to land on Mars could be groups of crucial workers and experts who will build a habitable infrastructure on the red planet. That said, each Starship can be configured to take about 100 humans and a payload each flight. The first trip of Starship shall be reserved for artists worldwide to witness a round trip around the moon. It took us years to achieve these advancements in space travel. Elon Musk is confident that SpaceX’s Starship, Super Heavy boosters, launch and catch towers and the new Raptor V2 engines will propel humanity towards becoming a multi-planetary species. We sure hope this becomes real in our lifetimes.
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series was highly anticipated, especially the Ultra model. Samsung bought a welcome surprise in the form of a flagship tablet – the Galaxy Tab S8 series. The Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 are offered in 3 variants, each with the Ultra variant commanding their flagship positions.
This new line-up of phones and tablets from Samsung features industry-first 4nm processors. Samsung is yet to confirm which processor is available in India but considering the 4nm information – We anticipate these phones and tablets to feature either Exynos 2200 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Monster specs as usual from these flagship offerings with up to 12GB RAM on phones to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage on the Tab S8 Ultra. Ranging from 6.1 inches on the Galaxy S22 to all the way 14.6 inches on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, Samsung has raided the android phone and tablet market with unique products this year.
In 2022, Samsung Galaxy S22 sees the return of glass sandwich design with Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on both front and rear. The camera setup has seen a new addition on all phones, starting from 50MP primary to 108MP primary on the top end. Varying in sizes, the Galaxy S22 series consists of the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The brightness levels have seen a bump from brighter 1500nits on the base model to 1750nits on the flagship phone. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra brings a taste of the Note series by adding a built-in S-Pen that stores neatly and performs better than any Note series thanks to 2.8-ms latency, the best from Samsung yet.
Samsung claims more robust chassis on these phones and offers them in reasonable weight despite their stronger shell. The Galaxy Tab S8 series brings the best of Samsung as a top-of-the-line Android tablet. Samsung barely has any competitors in this space other than the largest-selling tablet from Apple, the iPad.
It’s great to see something similarly powerful offered in a host of offerings starting from 11-inches all the way to 14.6inches, almost knocking the laptop category doorstep. Presented from a TFT display on the Galaxy Tab S8 to SAMOLED on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the S-Pen is a standard accessory with each Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series.
These tablets run on similar processors as the phones and should be plenty fast. Samsung claims up to 15 hours of battery life on continuous video viewing on these tablets. We shall wait and watch how efficient these new processors and products from Samsung are in the longer run. Samsung has started this year with a bang, and their new algorithms and hardware claim amazing nighttime photography and much more with the return of the S-Pen on phones. All of these run Android 12 with Samsung’s new One UI 4 that brings a host of privacy features and more. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the new Galaxy Tab S8 tablets are surely welcomed in a mundane market of look-alikes.
Xiaomi launched a few Redmi sub-brand products at today’s virtual event, including Redmi Note 11, Redmi Note 11S, Redmi Smart TV X43 and Redmi Smart Band Pro. The event was live-streamed through the Redmi India social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Let’s take a brief look at the products launched at the event.
Redmi Note 11 Series
The Redmi Note 11 series includes two smartphones, Note 11 and Note 11S, starting at ₹13,499 and ₹15,999, respectively. A majority of features are the same for these two 11-series smartphones. They both get a 90Hz refresh rate with an AMOLED dot display, come with MIUI 13 out-of-the-box and a 5,000mAh battery along with a 33W charger.
However, they differ in terms of camera, as Redmi Note 11 features a 50MP quad-camera setup that sports a 50MP primary lens, 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Whereas Redmi Note 11S also sports a quad-camera setup, it has a 108MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth sensor.
Redmi Smart TV X43
Along with the Note 11-series phones, Redmi launched Smart TV X43, the smallest TV in the X-series line-up. The smart TV is priced at Rs. 28,999, and it would be available for sale from February 16 ( at 12 PM) on the company’s website, Mi.com, Amazon and other retail websites. It sports a 43″ display with a 4K resolution that supports HDR, Dolby Vision, PatchWall software and IMDb integration.
Redmi Smart Band Pro
The Smart Band Pro is priced at ₹3,999, and it will be available for sale from February 14 on the company’s website and Amazon. The Smart Band Pro is priced at Rs. 3,499 for a limited period sale price.
Vivo has recently launched their T phone series in India and T1 5G is the first product under its wing. The base variant of Vivo T1 5G costs 14,990, 6GB+128GB costs Rs 15,990, and you can buy the 8GB variant for Rs 18,990. The device will be available online only and the sale will go live from 14th February. Check out the unboxing and first impression of Vivo T1 5G.
We grew up watching sitcoms where the guy randomly approaches the girl at the bar or in a college, tries to impress her with swag, initiates a chat, followed by both gazing at each other and at the end of the scene, they either start dancing on a song or walkout from the bar only to start dating on the very next day. Well, hold your horses’ dude, in real life, you’ll not meet such people.
I’m taking this reference because, being from a typical Indian family, I know how much movies influence our lives. Attend any wedding or take a look at the fashion trends, and you’ll nod yes, it does. However, we’ve surpassed those days at some level as a considerable cut of the young generation is challenging the norms and preferring casual dates and relationships by going against the old school intentions.
India has about 400 million millennials, but currently, the dating apps are only reachable to 2.5% of the population. The rise in the education sector and financial independence amongst the youth play a vital role in the revolutionizing romance in our country. Also, in recent times lockdown has played a synonymous role in the growth of the dating market in India as many single people obtain dating virtually.
Back in the 2000s, parents were against casual dating, but nowadays, most parents think dating helps their children widen their choices, and it’s the best way to understand each other. The dating culture not only revolutionized the city crowd but also played a colossal role in forming bonds in tier-two and tier-three cities which shows young Indians are breaking conventional walls, at least to find love.
The Rise of Online Dating
When Gary Kremen and Peng T. Ong founded match.com in 1995, the internet was already booming, at least in first-world countries. Later on, within a short span, dating culture spread out in the rest of the world like a pandemic, and people started focusing on its benefits, especially singles looking for a match. However, dating culture is still considered taboo in many countries, including India. Though, the recent reports tell a different story.
Thanks to Millennials and Gen Z, India has about 31 million people on dating apps.
Nowadays, if you ask 10 people how they met their partner? At least 7 of them will answer online instead of through family or friends, which speaks volumes about the rise of online dating. It all happened in the last decade only, when dating sites were replaced by dating apps. At first, at least during the initial days of their service, they were trying to help singles get a partner/date, but as they understood the growth prospects of the field, it became a business of love.
