Asus LolliFlash from Amazon.in

Why Buy : 

Got the asus zenfone laser 2 for review and found that they lacked accessories but had plenty listed on their official site . First one which looked "useful" was this tiny flash for selfies . True people are obsessed with selfies , but atleast that beats them being obsessed with others . Plus a bit of creativity does help in any kind of photography . 

A bit of History : 

Taking Selfies in the dark is a pain , especially with focus and when in motion . Alternate option is to use someone else's camera flash to shine some light , but too many stretched out arms in the photo . 

Brand :

Asus : https://www.asus.com/in/Phone-Accessory/LolliFlash/

Source :

http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B014CLVLHI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

Why Buy This : 

I had no idea you had LED flashes for front camera . Noticed a few cheaper LEDs too . Stuck to the name and went for the colour since the wife is the one going to be using this anyways . Hence the red lolli , which kind is more pinkish though !!!

Pros : 

• Two LEDs with 3 different intensities 
• Colour filters for LEDs for dramatic selfie finishes 
• Better selfies , especially when taken in low lighting like restaurants and bars . 
• Comes in various colours

Kons :

• Does not help much as a regular flash for the primary camera . Asus does have another flash for that though
• The filters don't fit the flash properly and tend to fall of with the slightest touch . Not sure why this does not have a better fit as the filters can easily get lost 
• The pin is dummy and does not help charging . 
• Need a separate mini usb charger cable for that 
• No flash control from the camera settings on the phone itself.

Do's : 

• Carry it in a box or a purse

Don'ts :

• Dont keep it in your pant pocket as the plastic dummy jack might break
• Dont stack the filters together as it may tear Find a way to fasten the filters a bit tighter 

Used with :

Primarily with Asus zenfone laser 2 . Have to try it with other smartphone cameras

Price : 

Rs.865 . Currently at Rs.899

Capdase Car Mount Holder from Amazon.in

Why Buy : 

Google Maps . Finding it tough to find routes through the city and state , a Car Smartphone holder is a must have these days . Got two phones , think they sell a two headed one as well but that sounds a bit too distracting for the road . Glad they don't have one for tabs :O . Smart phones keep falling of the dash and not a lot of places you can stash them too . Additional advantage is clicking photos on the go , rather when parked in traffic . Mobile phones cannot be used as dash cams , but till then , this should be fine . Plus they make cool time lapse videos

A bit of History : 

Tried a Rs.400 chinese model from a local "ICE" shop (In Car Entertainment) .Thanks to Chennai's bad roads , the phone and the holder part kept falling off from the suction base . No injuries to the phone by too risky . Got a replacement from the same shop and same thing . They just used a long flexible road to attach to the suction and this was just pushed in place to the base and not even screwed . Shop guys said they could stick it , but no further replacements or buy backs .

Brand : 

Capdase : http://www.capdase.com/:

Source : 

Amazon.in : http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B005ZST8PA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01

Why Buy This : 

Found this brand in almost all the high end mobile accessory shops in malls but all of them seemed pricey . After the debacle with the chinese brand , just went ahead and bought this off Amazon and some discount . This was way before i got to know about some awesome sales on amazon and other sites .

Pros : 

• Sturdy and made with good plastic 
• Suction hasn't given in yet after almost two months
• Ease of fixing and removal , though mounting the phone single-handed could be a bit tricky at times
• Option to lock rotation
• Short neck doesn't make it too distracting

Kons :

• Pretty short neck . Though this was shorter than the chinese model , this works to some extent , enough to not showup in photos taken with the mobile cameras , taken horizontally
• Cannot flex the neck while driving , which could be irksome when the passenger shifts it to their side and you want it back to yours . Safer to park and make adjustments anyways.
• Cushion grip holding the sides of the phone seems to lose shape over time to the shape of the edges of the phone , hence try to squeeze the sides strong enough while mounting it.

Do's : 

Ensure the phone is secure each time you lock it

Don'ts : 

No Movies please , too distracting . or Facebook , or whatsapp !!!

Required for:

Mobile holder for Nexus 5 and Asus Zenfone Laser 2 . 

Price :

Rs.970 . Current price on amazon is around Rs.1060 .

Verdikt : Stick to branded parts when trying to keep your precious possessions safe and sound !!!

Becoming a Smartass : Xolo Q800 , My first smartphone !!!

Technically this could be my second smartphone with touch capabilities . My previous Samsung Champ without a camera model laster more than 2 years , which crosses the average 1 year relationship period people have with their phones . After taking my samsung champ through hell , it was time for an upgrade. This was pretty quick as i spent 2000 bucks on a samsung white basic phone without camera and lousy display . Lousy display to view facebook !!! So took the battery , the headphones from this new phone and attached it to my old and nearly dead samsung champ. Worked like a charm , except i had to use the handsfree all the time and little irritating using it.

Finally decided on a smartphone and the reasons for that ranged from camera option , blogging to just getting fed up of everyone asking me to be on watsapp !!! I cannot eat without clicking food , especially when eating outside and carrying the DSLR is a clear giveaway at restaurants that i am a blogger . So after a bit of research i got down to the , then newly launching Samsung Grand . Was expecting it for around 15000 rupees , but Samsung gave it for 21000 , too bad , as it looked promising , even with a low resolution screen . Next was the Micromax Canvas 2. It had the looks (hate white though) , speed , screen size and ram i required. Even went so close as to buy it during the first 20 minutes of it's launch , when it was still in stock , but one question from wife changed all that , 'Will you keep it for more than a year' . While i pondered on this question , micromax had already sold out in less than 30 mins . Disappointed i kept searching and landed on Lenovo's p770 which had bigger batter and OTG , on the go usb which i though was cool . Only until someone pointed out that all new smartphones have that option. Never the less called Lenovo and asked for dates , which they didn't have so asked them to keep me informed. On D-Day for Lenovo , i was desperate so called all Lenovo dealers and only one had it . Went there and he said he just sold it !!! I was furious .

Finally saw that Xolo had a model Q800 and got it the very first day it was released . Didn't even check if it had LED for camera . Just the right specs and price for me .

Pros :

• 1 GB Ram
• 4.5 inch screen which is just right for my pockets and doesn't feel like your holding a small diary to your face
• 'Does it come in Black???; Yes indeed. 
• Rs.12000 only !!!
• GPS Navigation
• Charger which doubles up as a data cable 

Other stuff which i didn't bother much about was the latest android version , which i had no clue of.

Kons :

• No Pouch or case available
• Finish in front looked good while the back panel didn't. On opening the back panel , the camera finished looked very ordinary and the battery was huge.
• No dedicated camera button
• Mono Speaker , really bad for movies !!!

After few weeks of usage found these cons :

• Battery drains quick . Went on a trip to native , but phone barely made it through the day without charging
• Camera apps are plenty , but none seem to be good . Low light photos are bad .
• Dropped it a couple of times with a low cost cloth pouch but someone dropped it without it and the side silver lining has cracked on one side and the smooth back panel is actually peeling off !!!

If you are looking for smartphone which is cheap and looks and feels good enough , just go for this one . They are coming out with numerous models , but always check the RAM , the more the better, atleast for me !!!

Website : http://www.xolo.in/q800

All photos taken with the q800 under artificial lighting. Hence no picture of the mobile itself. But that's available on their site !!!

Saint Gobain Mosquito Nets

After trying to fight a lone (losing) battle with the mosquito menace , using just a an electic bat and a torch light, decided to go for the netlon nets . These nets were placed in my place , since my childhood , but they just were too tough to maintain and most of it were cut and not usable now . It did have it perks , keeping me awake late into the night to write my blog , but this was taking a toll on my sleep and gym !!!

Called up a local fellow , who said he would charge around 30 per sq feet and said would charge for measurement to give a quote even. Tried another fellow on just dial and he said it would be around 23 and just 20 if it exceeds over 100sq ft . This is one time i wished i had bigger windows for other reasons.

The guy took the measurement for free and mentioned our windows were more than 100 sq ft. The options he had was normal stiff netlon ones and the new saint gobain (the glass makers) , with their fibre mesh , which are flexible and allows more air and light too. Opted for black ones , even though the window frame is brown. They had grey , off white , brown and black too !!!

I was told they would get it ready in 3 days , but got it on the 2nd day. Though the guys came pretty late in the evening , they finished the work within the said 30 minutes. Seems quite simple too. They did not remove the previous netlon velcro on a few frames and stapled over it . 

They did show a demo of how to use and wash it. Seems you shouldn't pull it out too hard . 

Pros :

•  Keeps mosquitoes out 
• Allows good amount of air and light
• It works as a net , attracts the mosquitoes to sit on the net and makes it easy to hit with the bat !!!

Kons : 

• Keeps moquitoes in . So you have to kill the ones inside your home , just one more sleepless night to go
• Rats !!! bit a hole through the one in the kitchen on the first night itself :( . We were warned of this. Just stuck tape on this for now. Might opt for stainless steel one for the kitchen.
• Did not fix the main door frame with this mesh , so still got few mosquitoes coming in and out at nights

Overall a must have for peaceful sleep at night. Not sure about the future though as it still gives me nightmares !!! Why , the product is called SkyNet !!! 

Zebronics Wireless Headphones Review

Found these at a sale at landmark , was being sold for Rs.499 against the usual Rs.799 . Too many of these were found , which made me think if they were really that bad. Tried it then and there . Guy put it on fm and a little headbanging and you lose reception. Asked him if he had a song to listen too, he said no , but they had option to connect to phones or mp3 players. Connected my phone to it and listened to a song from my collection . Bass was good and clear.

 Pros :

• Wireless ,
•  Additional Cables to use it for wireless or wired head set. 
• Cushion on top . 
• Adjustable Size
• Got it on sale

Kons :

• AAA battery on one side of the head set makes it heavier on that side a bit
• Flimsy plastic battery covers which might break on first drop.
• Batteries not included , so just tested with FM. 

Konclusion : Got it so that i can listen to movies and music while i blog , without having wires tangled on the bed or having to your 5.1 speakers and disturb the kids sleep !!! Only issue now is i got to switch from Desktop to Laptop often. Should have got another one ???

Website : http://www.zebronics.com/products/headphone-and-mic-wireless/vivo