To start with, I do not particularly like the hardened cable that stays in one place, but I was pretty surprised by how well Sennheiser 300 sits on my ears. After trying these earphones on, I would not like to change a thing about them, except a few, which we will talk about shortly.
IE 300 has a decent treble response if we talk about the sound signature, but the bass response on these is pretty sick! Infact, bass response is the standout feature of this device and has a very strange texture. You usually get to hear two types of bass responses in headphones. One is similar to the natural bass sound, like an ample drum space being hot by a large stick, and the other is an electronic one, which is artificial but more powerful. IE 300 has a more natural texture to it but is supremely strong. I recommend buying it if you have an ear for the particular tuning.
Remember that these earphones cost around Rs 30,000 and is not for a regular headphone user. The device is specially designed for audiophiles who give music their all. Inside the box, you get different sets of earphone tips – silicon, foam and E types; and a soft case for keeping your earphones safe. These earphones are much more expensive than the entry-level ones but promise an experience that capitalises on the benefits of high-resolution audio streaming.
The body is completely made up of plastic, with each earpiece weighing around 4gms. The included hard cable is detachable, uses a standard MMCX connector, and has a 3.5 mm plug for the incoming audio signal.
I like these earphones because they give gentle, cheerful beats, and the vocals and instruments all sound distinct and full-bodied. I could listen to all the elements in track as it was meant to be heard.
However, the downer for IE 300 is that it lacks the microphone feature. If you receive a call when your earphones are plugged in, you’ll probably have to plug it out.
Indore, the cleanest city of the country, has never really excited the auto enthusiasts, but it’s like a turbocharger now and gets the adrenaline pumping and is on the map of all automobile manufacturers and enthusiasts alike. This surge in acceleration for Indore is because of NATRAX – National Automotive Test Tracks – which is about 50 KM from Indore, and the 11.3-km long track is currently the fifth-largest high-speed track in the world. For Auto Manufacturers, it’s a testing facility equipped with all sorts of tracks, but for enthusiasts, the needle stops or instead starts from the high-speed track. Usually, one would like to get their sports car, M or AMG machines and Max them here, but the Excitement of seeing the needle touching those extreme bars and redlining the speedometer is totally diabolic, and going through those parabolic curves is an exhilarating experience.
We had taken the Mercedes AMG GLE 63 S Coupe, which Roshan maxed at 295 km [check our Mercedes story. On the other hand, I wanted to drive a regular sedan and take the needle to the max, and hence zeroed down on a rather familiar Honda City. Will get to the “Why” of it ahead. Before that, Let’s get a reality check – How many of us can afford a Lamborghini, Porsche and the likes? But when you’re at NATRAX, a sudden rise of adrenaline will make you drive your regular sedan like a supercar.
While the Indian market is currently obsessed with all sorts of SUVs, sedans have their unmatched charm and appeal, and whoever said tracks are only made for supercars haven’t risked driving an everyday and affordable sedan on it. We always believe in breaking patterns, and we had an opportunity to break this old-school saying, so we did it most unexpectedly- by driving the Honda City on a high-speed track.
Why Honda City?
And why not? Honda City is one of the ideal sedans in our country and has been a household name since its first launch in 1998. Honestly, it was the first car that I bought with my hard-earned money, and somewhere I still have an emotional connection with. It’s a decorous sedan that amazed the world with its brilliance, year after year, decade after decade, and emerged as a game-changer. The car is so phenomenally dominant in the Sedan segment that no wonder it stands tall in every car manufacturer’s rival list. The sporty lineup of Honda City has grown tremendously over the years, but for me, the excitement of driving a Honda City remains the same because some things never change. When you are attempting to touch the top speed in an engine which is not meant for race track; you have to be careful with your choice or else anything can happen when revving at such top speed. That’s where you can rely on Japanese engineering.
The 2021 Honda City is 4549 mm long, 1748 mm wide, and 1489 mm tall. The wheelbase of the car hasn’t changed, it’s still at 2600mm, but the 5th-gen Honda City has a 10 mm lower stance than its predecessor, which makes it more suitable for a track experience. The cabin offers an ultra-premium feel and sophisticated vibes along with perfect driving position and adjustable headrests. An important feature to have for parabolic curves of a high-speed track. With the tilt & telescopic steering wheel adjustments and the plush comfortable seats, one can easily get in the right posture no matter how tall or short you are. Again high speed runs on the track guzzles fuel like a thirsty camel in the hot desert.
We picked the car’s petrol variant, which is Water Cooled and powered by an Inline 4 Cylinder i-VTEC DOHC with VTC and throws 89 kW (121 ps) best-in-segment power and 145 Nm torque albeit with a 40-litre fuel tank capacity. The six-speed manual transmission, which features 6 forward speed ratios, and CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), is the best innovation from Honda. We also wanted a car in a relatively affordable price band of around 15 lakhs on the road. So all of this makes it a perfect choice. Agreed?
The final lap towards the Top Speed
I did the first three laps just to get used to the track, understand the curves and straights, align the car with the track, and make mental notes in my mind. The fourth lap was an attempt to touch 190 km and see how the car behaved, and there I was fully confident to go for the kill. It was the 5th lap which was the one for records. Few checks – A/C off, Camera Mounted on the speedometer, seat belt fastened and I started pushing the pedal hard with all my thrust and engaged my right foot with the accelerator against gravity.
There is a time when you feel like lifting your feet to calm your fast pacing heartbeat, especially in those parabolic curves, but you have to keep reminding yourself against it. One lift-off means whatever you have gained in terms of speed will neutralise. I continued pounding and finally touched 208 km. Maybe had I prevailed more, I could have touched the 212-215 km mark, but it was a hot day. We had been driving the car for continuous laps and just the night before drove it from Mumbai to Indore on stock tyres. But the Honda City played like a true champion in my pursuit to set the records straight and helped me prove a point that, if you are half a good driver and have a trusted sedan, then it can be fun anywhere, even at Asia’s longest high speed track.
Two-screen or dual-screen gadgets are becoming a trivial trend, but keeping aside the audience’s interests, several top-notch companies are investing in the idea and developing two-screen devices. We have witnessed the launch of two-screen products such as Galaxy Fold 3, Galaxy Flip 3, Asus ZenBook Duo 14, and Lenovo ThinkBook Plus in the past few months.
Amongst all of these gadgets, we’ve reviewed some and sent them back to the places. However, to our luck, we got a chance to keep the Asus ZenBook Duo 14 for a bit longer, and that’s why we decided to come up with a long-term review where we can assist you to understand the complete details of the 14-inch Asus ZenBook Duo 14.
Design & Build Quality
Asus is known for offering the world’s best motherboards and innovative gadgets such as high-quality personal computers, graphics cards, and other technology solutions. The company’s latest addition, the uniquely designed Asus ZenBook Duo 14, is an update to last year’s Zenbook Duo 14, and it arrives with a massive slab of a second screen.
On the outside, the ZenBook Duo 14 features a concentric circle pattern etched on top, and it looks elegant. The glossy silver Asus logo stands apart and strikes a laptop with a classy look. On the inside, it features two screens, as mentioned in the name, and it is as wide as the main screen, but it makes the laptop sacrifice its ergonomics.
Along with a head-turning design, the Asus ZenBook Duo 14 endures a well-built form. The full-HD laptop features sturdy and robust screens, tough enough to take a hard punch. The Duo 14 is not a lap-friendly laptop, and most of the credit goes to its raised bottom panel and the second screen, as it doesn’t sit flush and changes the conventional wrist-rest space.
Display
The ZenBook Duo 14 features two stylish, seamless and steady displays, which are unquestionably beneficial if you prefer working on a laptop while commuting in a car. The laptop features a primary display of 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) and an additional compact display of 12.65-inch (1920 x 515), dubbed as the ScreenPad Plus. The Zenbook Duo 14 offers an immersive viewing experience with a four-sided frameless NanoEdge display and its second screen automatically tilts up to an angle of 7° which reduces glare and reflections for improved readability.
The dual display is best for journalists, writers or students who like to open/switch various windows/tabs at a time. They can use the ScreenPad Plus to track the latest news/articles and use the primary one to write their own. The Duo 14 is the best option for users who want more than one display. The laptop also features a handy button above the touchpad that immediately swaps the contents of your primary and secondary screen. The ScreenPad Plus is beneficial for gaming, especially when you like to play games and run video references side by side.
Ergonomics & Ports
One of the flaws of the Zenbook Duo 14 is its keyboard and mousepad. The company has done a decent job adjusting both of these essential aspects in a tiny space, but somewhere deep down, we all know we’re not satisfied with it. The secondary screen, ScreenPad Plus, leaves extremely little room for the touchpad, which forces Asus to create a vertical mousepad.
Also, as mentioned earlier, one can not rest their palms while typing; it’s a bit of a task in itself and a hard one to follow. Along with the mousepad, the keyboard also looks cramped and compromised for the second screen. Centre-aligned mousepads and empty keyboard decks are comfortable for every individual, whether right-handed or left-handed.
One aspect that doesn’t suffer due to the secondary screen is the ports. The Zenbook Duo 14 features a range of ports, including USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, two USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, a full-size HDMI 1.4, an HDMI connection, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio port. The dynamic laptop also emphasises support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth.
Performance
Performance and endurance are two departments that one should not worry about if you’re planning to buy the Asus Zenbook Duo 14. The performance is in line with the competition, and with an 11th gen Core i7 processor lying inside, paired with 2GB Nvidia MX450 GPU, 16GB DDR4x RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD, the ZenBook Duo 14 is assuredly more than enough to handle a number of heavy tasks.
The Duo 14 is equipped with the new ScreenXpert 2 software and offers a plethora of built-in apps, including a new Control Panel app, which comes with customisable commands and shortcuts for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro and After Effects. The base model arrives with an Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. The 1.6 kg laptop scores 5,330 points on n Geekbench 5.3.
Battery Life
The Asus Zenbook Duo’s battery life is surprisingly decent, and it can pull enough juice from its 70Whr battery to provide you with a solid six hours of working time. Naturally, laptops in this category tend to last a long time but in the case of Zenbook Duo, the second display is a vital culprit on battery drain. The bundled USB-C charger takes about an hour and 20 minutes to fully charge the Duo 14. After fully recharging the laptop and putting it in power saver mode, it offers over 10 hours of standby time. The fans only fired up during gaming, but you can turn them down by visiting Asus’ control centre. Overall, throughout the use, the Zenbook Duo 14 stays cool and provides wholesome enjoyment.
Verdict
Finally, we’ve arrived at the question, is the Asus ZenBook Duo really worth your time and money? Well, Yes. The Asus ZenBook Duo 14 is a pretty unique ultrabook that provides a number of innovative features, including audio equipment certified by Harman Kardon but surrenders ergonomics for a big second screen. With the price starting from ₹99,990 and going up to ₹1,34,990, it’s a decent choice and durable enough even with its dubious hinge. The Asus ZenBook Duo 14 continues to redefine what a laptop should build like, but at the end of the day, it ultimately depends on the user’s preference and whether it adds value to the user’s life or not?
Vu Televisions are the new hottest thing for the television market. The brand is now the largest selling TV brand in the large size 4K TVs, with over 30 lakhs TV sold and a consolidated sales of Rs. 5,000 crores.
The brand is self-funded and claims to be one of the only debt-free and profitable companies in the consumer tech industry. Vu owes this to the successful balance of its distribution across offline and online platforms, with a 50-50 ratio strategy. They believe in delivering excellent quality products and providing the best customer service, which has led to a 97% customer-repeat ratio.
Vu experiences high demands from GenZ and the Millenials nationwide. To reach them directly, the brand has recently launched an online store that promises the best prices, faster delivery, genuine products, faster installation, and guided shopping. Vustore.com has an average selling price per unit of Rs 20,000, which is highly affordable compared to what 4K TVs usually cost.
The new online store will enable nationwide customers to browse with ease and shop with confidence. The brand has always been customer-oriented and makes sure it exceeds customers’ expectations. But what’s good without a little human touch? Vu enables guided shopping with personalized assistance via chats and calls. The brand will also notify all its customers via WhatsApp about the order and delivery status.
Devita Saraf, Chairperson and CEO, Vu Televisions, said,
“Ever since we started the company, Vu has been a youth favourite! However, during the lockdown I received hundreds of messages on social media from young people across the country asking to make our products more affordable and accessible. Today’s Gen-Z and Millennial buyers are the most informed, intelligent and connected generation in history. We’ve taken their requests seriously and launched a platform that addresses their needs without compromising on the luxury brand experience that Vu is famous for.”
The brand’s 43” 4K TVs remains their best-selling segment sold at the price of Rs.24,999/-, which is currently the ongoing price of FHD TVs. The brand’s 43” FHD TVs will then be sold at Rs.19,999/-.
Honda established itself as one of the topmost manufacturers of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment globally. The Japanese company also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft, power generators, robots and mountain bikes. Let’s take a look at the top 5 Honda divisions.
Honda Motorcycles
Honda has come a long way from manufacturing noisy scooters to making the finest cars on the planet, but people will always remember the company for its motorcycle division. Since 1955, Honda has been the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan and one of the topmost motorcycle manufacturers globally. Honda started venturing outside the Japanese motorcycle market in the ’60s and began exporting their motorcycles to the United States.
Along with Robert Emmenegger, creative director, Grey Advertising, the company created an innovative 12-year-long advertising campaign, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda”, and it became hugely successful, helping the company to sell over 90,000 motorcycles. The campaign marked the inception of the decay of domestic and British motorcycle brands in the US market and helped Honda to rise as a top motorcycle manufacturer.
Honda Automobiles
After Honda Motorcycles, a large sum of the company’s annual sales came from Honda Automobiles, which the company began manufacturing in 1963. The first car from Honda was the S500 sports car, which had chain-driven rear wheels. Over the next few decades, the company expanded their range of vehicles and exported its automobiles to the United States and other parts of the world.
In 1986, the company ventured into the luxury car segment and became the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand- Acura. Soon, the company released the wildly successful Acura brand to the American market to gain ground in the luxury vehicle market. Since its inception, Honda has produced several prosperous cars, including the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Honda City.
Honda Engines
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest engine manufacturer that sets the standard for reliable and hard-working engines. When it comes to making engines, Honda focuses on better fuel efficiency, higher power output, superior and quieter performance. Honda engines are built with high-quality elements designed for optimum performance in the harshest environments. Honda engines are renowned for being easy to start but, despite being known as an engine company, Honda has never built a V8 for passenger vehicles. Honda engines powered the entire 33-car starting field of the 94th Indianapolis 500, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, in 2010.
Honda Robots
Being a motorcycle and automobile manufacturing expert, Honda has always shown interest in Robotics. Since 1986, the company has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research. The Japanese company developed its first humanoid robot in 1986 and named it the Honda E series. The E series was a collection of experimental humanoid robots made by Honda between 1986 and 1993.
The series later evolved into the Honda P series and helped Honda gather the knowledge and expertise necessary to create Honda’s advanced humanoid robot: ASIMO, which the company released in 2000. ASIMO was the world’s most advanced humanoid robot of its time, and even today, it is the world’s only humanoid robot able to ascend and descend stairs independently.
Honda Aircraft Company
Honda Aircraft Company is an aircraft manufacturing company founded as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company in August 2006. The aircraft division of Honda has pioneered new technology in its HA-420 HondaJet and is responsible for producing the HondaJet family of aircraft. Honda Aircraft Company builds aircraft with the latest innovations in aviation to change the way we travel.
The company has introduced several innovations and cutting edge technology in general aviation aircraft, including an over-wing engine mount, carbon composite fuselage and natural laminar flow wings. In late 2003, an experimental HondaJet equipped with Honda HF118 engines completed its initial flight test, and in 2005, the aircraft division made its world debut for the public. Since 2017, the HondaJet has been the most delivered aircraft in its class, earning the accomplishment for the fourth consecutive year.
Did You Know?
As of October 2021, Honda’s market capitalization was valued at over $52 billion.
The Honda Accord was the first foreign vehicle manufactured in the United States.
Honda has its airport.
The Honda Gold Wing motorcycle has been in production for over 40 years.
The Honda Civic was Honda’s answer to the ’70s Fuel Crisis; the car is still one of the best value and fuel-efficient options on the market.
Honda made the first four-wheel-drive car, the 1987 Honda Prelude.
Honda’s logo is the most conservative one as it has remained unchanged in its entire history.
Every Honda CR-V manufactured from 1997 to 2006 had a picnic table under the cargo area.
What do people usually wish to have after they become a billionaire? A luxury car, a luxurious villa at a prime location- possibly with a helipad, tickets to outer space, private planes, private islands, luxurious superyachts, and the list goes on, but a vast majority of people definitely want to own a luxury car. However, if you look at the list of top billionaires of the world, most of these moguls prefer affordable cars over luxury cars, a strange choice isn’t it?
Being an Indian, the majority of times, we assume a person’s status or their richness on the basis of what car they drive? We have a very straightforward and lame way of thinking on this one. A person driving or travelling in a Lamborghini or Mercedes car can’t be an ordinary fellow, and a person driving or travelling in a Honda or Ford car can’t be a billionaire. However, the reality is way too different from your predictions, and we’re here to disclose the reality.
Jeff Bezos
The Amazon founder, chairman, and CEO, Jeff Bezos has no less status than a celebrity, but when we talk about celebrities, we usually assume either they’re travelling in luxury cars or flying from one place to another by their private jets and choppers, but in the case of Jeff Bezos the results are contradictory. You’ll not believe it, but the man who’s currently on the list of top 5 richest persons in the world surprisingly drives the Honda Accord, which is one of the decent but affordable cars in the market.
Jeff Bezos used to work at Wall Street before he founded the largest online retailer in the world. Before you give it a second thought that he’s driving a newly launched Honda Accord, then hold your horses, it’s not a recent one. He’s been driving the Honda Accord, which he bought in the year 1999, which gives us clarity that Amazon only spends money on things that matter to the customer. Also, in one of his interviews, when asked about the reason behind this unobvious choice of ride, the man who has a wealth of close to $200 billion smiled and answered, “it’s quite a good ride”.
Mark Zuckerberg
The second billionaire who prefers an affordable car over a luxury car is quite an obvious name to guess, and everyone knows why? The next person on the list is the man behind the glorious success of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and if you don’t know why it is an obvious name, have you ever noticed the Facebook founder and CEO in a different outfit than his regular plain grey Hanes t-shirt and blue jeans? Obviously not! Now think, if a man who owns several top social media platforms prefers simple outfits for his everyday outing, then why would he invest a hell of a lot more money for a regular ride?
The millennial software mogul was often spotted driving a black Acura TSX (approx. priced at 25 lacs) and Honda Fit, which is marketed as Jazz in India. Along with these two cars, he was even spotted driving an Italian-made car, Pagani Huayra, on some occasions. When asked why he prefers Acura TSX, he said, “it’s safe, comfortable and not ostentatious.” About Mark Zuckerberg, the millennial software mogul, almost everyone knows he prefers to live below his means, and he never misses to show it to the world.
Alice Walton
Alice Walton is not a very common name when it comes to billionaires, but you can always guess about someone’s family background by taking a look at their last name. The co-heir to the fortunes of Wal-Mart and daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, is the second wealthiest woman in the world, after L’Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. Alice, the current board member of Amon Carter Museum, owns over US$13 billion in Walmart shares, but when it comes to spending some, she’s a pretty economical person.
Alice drives a newer but still considerably older 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch, but her reason for driving the car is a bit more sentimental. Her father, Sam Walton, used to drive a 1979 Ford F-150 before his passing, and that’s why she has an emotional attachment with the Ford F-150 cars. Another angle behind preferring the Ford F-150 might be her involvement in multiple automobile accidents. In one of them, she lost control of a rented Jeep during 1983, shattering her leg, and in the later years, she once overspeeded and killed 50-year-old Oleta Hardin, and in 1998, she hit a gas meter while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Warren Buffet
Warren Buffet is an American business tycoon, investor, and philanthropist who likes steaks, Coco cola and candies from See’s that Berkshire owns. Mr Buffet serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and is famous for making billions on Wall Street with some serious investments. Warren Buffet is known for spending a minimal amount on almost everything; for example, he never spends more than $3.17 on breakfast, and he lives in the same house he bought for $31,500 in 1958.
Warren Buffet is not the guy who will waste a dollar on materialistic items, and he proved it by driving domestic cars. He drove a 2006 Cadillac DTS for nearly a decade, and recently he purchased, a new 2014 Cadillac XTS when his daughter convinced him it was embarrassing. When it comes to the share market Warren Buffet has a keen eye for when and when not to spend cash, but about cars, he’s not much interested in having luxury models. When asked for the justification, he said, “I only drive about 3,500 miles a year so I will buy a new car very infrequently.”
Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer is a former CEO of Microsoft and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. He served as the CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, and just like several other billionaire Microsoft executives, he prefers to drive a cheap car. The American business tycoon and investor is a loyal Ford customer and has proudly driven Ford cars for most of his life because his father was a manager at Ford Motor Company. In 2009, Ford CEO at the time, Alan Mulally, personally delivered a new Ford Fusion Hybrid car in celebration of their one-millionth vehicle equipped with SYNC, an in-vehicle communications and entertainment system.
Larry Page & Sergey Brin
Larry Page and Sergey Brin together founded Google in 1998 and Alphabet in 2015. Since their Stanford University days, these two have been working together and have achieved massive success in their profession. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have a net worth of over $50 billion each, but their similarities don’t end there, as they both opt to drive Toyota Prius for a while now. Speaking about individuality, Larry Page is the 8th richest person in the world and only takes an annual salary of $1, and he’s very unconcerned about the low pay while Sergey Brin, the president of Google’s parent company, Alphabet and the brother-in-law of Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, shares his partner’s fondness for the eco-friendly hybrid vehicle.
Dustin Moskovitz
If you’ve seen David Fincher’s 2010 release movie, The Social Network, closely, then you might have an idea of who’s Dustin Moskovitz. He is one of the young wizards associated with founding the world’s biggest social media site, Facebook. After his exit from Facebook in 2008, he cofounded Asana, a web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. In March 2011, Forbes reported Moskovitz to be the youngest self-made billionaire in history, and he only holds a 2.34% share in Facebook. Despite having a net worth of over $25 billion, Dustin Moskovitz prefers to live like an ordinary guy and drives a Volkswagen R32.
With the world finally picking up the pace postpandemic, a lot of hustle-bustle has begun. We started travelling full-fledged and tried to pack in
as much as we had missed it during the lockdown. Though our travelling never stopped with automobiles & Topgear required us to be on roads all the time. We are in full swing to host the Exhibit Tech Awards next month, and with a lot of things happening simultaneously, we managed to catch hold on a lot of stuff that you will encounter in this issue. With segmenting the categories to finalizing the jury panel, this issue will give you a sneak peek into all the nomination categories. Don’t forget to vote for your favourite gadgets while you can at www. exhibit.tech/awards21.
This issue majorly talks about the history & evolution in various tech domains. Be it phones, gaming consoles, in-car infotainment systems, we have tried to cater for a number of topics for you to indulge into. On the automotive front, we got our hands on the future of electric mobility in India. We drove the all-new Audi E-Tron GT, and god !, it was an exhilarating experience. We were pretty sure that if the future looks like this, we are in good hands. The all-new Maruti Suzuki Celerio took us around the city of Udaipur, with much contentment and confidence of its own. It is with the time that we will see if it actually delivers the claimed fuel economy in real-world driving.
The Swedish automakers are not falling behind either. With the Volvo XC60 making its entry with a facelift that saved it from mid-life crises, is here to take on the likes of its German competitors. It is a sharp looker, and with all the added tech and driving aids, we are sure it is one of the safest cars to be driving around in.
And we had some crazy boy moments while rocketing the Mercedes Benz AMG GLE 63 S coupe at Asia’s longest high-speed test track NATRAX. It is (A)ggressive, (M)ean and (G)olliath and has got every character an AMG must-have.
The lines between technology and automobiles have been fast blurring and a progressive journey from phones to smartphones has been on the rise. Crypto is forever exciting and remains volatile, one significant news from anywhere can create havoc in all crypto exchanges. On that
note, we have rounded up crypto exchanges and all their founders – meet them on the following pages. And to sign off we got Bollywood playback sensation Armaan Malik who could have also been a successful actor owing to his chiselled looks makes his debut with us for our cover story with the realme GT Neo 2. It’s an exciting issue and definitely an exciting month next one which marks our 16th anniversary. Stay tuned and stay safe.
Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail and man responsible for making email the medium it is today, is now back with a new social video messaging app called Showreel. The platform’s objective is to create video resumes for job applications, match job seekers with companies, network building, and turn cold calls into business deals.
But how and why is this app any different, and why it could possibly become an inspiration for future similar platforms? People prefer video content over images on social media, which could be the next big thing in the job-seeking industry. Well, if you think about it, sending a video message to employers looks much more personalized and convenient.
The Introduction to ShowReel
As soon as you open the Showreel app, Sabeer Bhatia gives a minute-long video introduction on why you should be creating video content for your business or job profile to stand out from the crowd. To quote him, “If you are starting out in life and want to get noticed among the hundreds of resumes to hiring managers, you need personalized video content. If you are not seeking for a job currently, you can use this platform to practice interviews. The conversation between you and me, as well as the video you created will remain private, until ‘you’ decide to put it out.”
After the introductory video is over, you are presented with a well-designed screen that looks like social media. We have a Home button, Explore, Capture, Notifications, and Account at the bottom. At the top, you get to choose a topic to start a conversation, consisting of Professional, Personal, Startup, and Leadership. You can select any of the following, which contains a list of questions that Sabeer will be asking you. You get a ‘Swipe to Start’ feature at the bottom for starting the video conversation with Sabeer.
Compelling Tone
Since Sabeer cannot be present at all times, there is a video of him asking different questions at each step, which you have to record and send back. What I like about this app is that it has a compelling tone. It feels like you are having a conversation directly with the founder, and you are being listened to. Also, to see what a perfect showreel looks like, you can tap on the grid button where there are different reels that people have created using the application.
Sabeer Bhatia says that this format helps companies cut down on recruitment time by helping filter candidates faster. Also, he has plans to kick in AI for recruitment through better engineering.
Beyond recruitment, startup’s and matrimony, Bhatia already sees the platform being used to take surveys, especially where people find the written text difficult to understand. He also has plans to cover the health sector, where he will get doctors to formulate the right questions to plug gaps in the health system.
Black Friday has slowly become a global phenomenon, and the deals have already kicked off online markets across the globe, and we don’t want you to miss some of the top smartphone deals. So, if you’re looking to grab a smartphone with a huge discount or if you have missed the recent festival sale, then Flipkart is offering another opportunity to you in the name of the Black Friday sale. We have handpicked a list of the top 5 Black Friday smartphone deals on Flipkart, and we hope you’ll get what you missed at the previous sale.
Realme GT Master Edition (6GB)
Sale Price: ₹21,999*
The mid-range master Realme GT Master Edition is priced at ₹26,999, but the Black Friday deal allows you to purchase the phone from as low as ₹21,999*, and it appears like one of the best smartphone deals available on Flipkart today. The smartphone is one of the first phones in India that arrive with the new Snapdragon 778G processor. The smartphone offers a high-quality Super AMOLED display and a battery that charges up from zero to 100 per cent in about 35 minutes. The device packs in a 120Hz AMOLED display, 65W fast charging, 64MP triple camera setup, and is labelled one of the top-notch smartphones under ₹30,000.
Oppo Reno6 5G
Sale Price: ₹29,990
Oppo Reno6 5G is perhaps one of the most beautiful smartphones manufactured in recent years. The successor of the Reno 5 Pro is available priced initially at ₹35,990, but thanks to the Black Friday deals, you can get the smartphone for just ₹29,990. The smartphone carries almost all the features of its bigger sibling with some exceptions, such as it comes with flat edges and a matte-finished metal frame design. The iPhone 12 look-a-like smartphone sports a 6.43-inch full HD+ display, triple rear camera setup, 32MP selfie camera, and an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor paired with 8GB of RAM.
iPhone 12 Mini
Sale Price: ₹46,990
Vivo recently launched the X70 Pro and X70 Pro+ smartphones in the market and expanded its premium smartphone range. The X70 Pro+ has already been competing with the likes of iPhone 13 Pro and Galaxy S21 Ultra in terms of camera features. While the X70 Pro isn’t just a half-baked refresh of its predecessor X60 Pro but an updated version of the X60 Pro+ with a better AMOLED display and an improved camera system. The smartphone boasts a 6.56-inch full HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by MediaTek MT6893 Dimensity 1200 5G. The smartphone supports a 44W Flash Charge adapter which offers 60% of battery in just 30 minutes.
iPhone 12 Mini
Sale Price: ₹42,999*
Apple launched the iPhone 12 Mini in India last year. It is an affordable and compact yet powerful flagship phone the company has produced ever. If you’re one of those people who have been dreaming of a small phone but don’t want to compromise on quality, then iPhone 12 Mini is the best option out there for you. The phone offers a versatile camera, fabulous display, added benefits of 5G and MagSafe battery pack. Since its launch, it has been a favourite phone of many people as it sports almost all the features of the iPhone 12, and at the same time, it consumes a tiny space of your pocket.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro
Sale Price: ₹34,999
Motorola Edge 20 Pro is Motorola’s top-notch flagship model of 2021, which features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset and 12GB of RAM.
The smartphone arrives with an impressive 144Hz display and clean near-stock Android. The Edge 20 Pro offers certain flagship features such as a periscope camera for greater camera zoom range, a bigger battery and an improved chipset. The sleek and slim Moto phone boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with HDR10+ support with a camera hole at the top centre and thin bezels all around. The smartphone is powerful enough to run almost anything you throw at it on the performance front without any hiccups.
Almost 70% of smartphone owners in the world can not live a single day without their smartphones, and more than 50% of smartphone owners believe that their phone is the most valuable asset they own. Being born in a tech-driven world, we naturally get attracted to every other newly launched smartphone, especially iPhones. Nowadays, many major smartphone brands offer remarkable trade-in promotions for users looking to upgrade their phones, and Apple is one such company.
Apple first launched its trade-in program in 2013 and encouraged a vast number of people to obtain the program and do their part for the planet and become beneficiaries by trading their old iPhones or smartphones after they are done with it. The company offers a substantial amount of credit to the consumers when they trade in their old phones, but why does the company offer such a deal? Why is that promotion so valuable to the company? What does the company do with old devices?
Apple Trade-In
Apple plays a mind game with its customers, and being faithful customers, we easily fall for the trap. The company knows human psychology, and they offer programs/promotions basis on it. After using the iPhone for about 2 or 3 years, they know that people start looking for another device and either hand over the old one to someone in the family and friends looking for a phone or sell their old iPhone as a second-hand unit to the local smartphone dealer. Unfortunately, all of the above acts hammer down the company, resulting in reduced sales of new iPhones.
Apple introduced a trade-in program when the company’s first quarterly profit decreased in 2013 after a long time, but the Cupertino, California, headquartered firm, started focusing more on it through advertising after the launch of the iPhone X. The idea was simple, the iPhone X was the costliest iPhone when it was launched for the first time and purchasing it was quite a hefty investment. A large number of customers wanted to buy it but couldn’t afford the price, and that’s when Apple aided consumers with a trade-in promotion and offered them a credit value for their old iPhones.
How does it work?
iPhone’s durability leads customers to buy older versions without any second thought, and since Apple launched its trade-in program, customers are on cloud-9, but if you look at the big picture, it’s supremely profitable for the company. Whenever customers opt for a trade-in program, they move from an older iPhone to a newer iPhone, automatically keeping users locked into Apple’s ecosystem, which best benefits the company. Secondly, by refurbishing the older iPhone and reselling it for a more affordable price in the market, Apple makes double profits from a single handset, boosting their overall revenue.
The company has built a specialised robot called Daisy that is capable of recovering any recyclable materials in a phone, which helps the company recover money from damaged devices. The robot is programmed to recycle a minimum of 200 phones per hour, recovering high-priced materials that could otherwise end up in a junkyard. The trade-in promotion arrives with a win-win situation for everyone, including the environment, as it helps the company reuse working elements from older phones instead of transferring them to the landfill.
A step-by-step guide to trade in your old iPhone or smartphone with Apple:
Answer a few questions about your current smartphone, such as questions related to the brand, model and condition.
After you finish the array of questions, the company will give you an estimated trade-in value and apply it as instant credit towards your purchase.
Add the instant credits to your new purchase and place the order for a new iPhone. You’ll get a confirmed delivery date of your new iPhone along with a trade-in exchange.
By the time the courier guy arrives at your doorstep, you should be ready with your old iPhone so they can run a diagnostic test and verify that your smartphone works.
The courier guy will check your old phone’s physical condition of the touchscreen, enclosure or back glass, camera lenses, front and back camera functionality, battery wear and tear, storage capacity, performance speed, Wi-Fi, mobile functionality and will ask you to turn off Find My iPhone and initiate a factory reset.
That’s it! Clear all these necessary steps, and you’ll have a new iPhone with the advantages of the trade-in value.
With this, Apple plans to retrieve materials from the old devices to make new devices. The action will subtract the need to extract new metals and components from the earth, helping the environment stay intact. According to Apple’s most recent environmental report, the average Apple device generates 252 pounds of CO2, accounting for about 77 per cent of the company’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The renovation method is preferable to save the environmental issues, and Apple might allow third-party companies to repair iPhones in the future.
