Month: January 2021

Buying Guide for the Ubiquitous devices…Mobiles

Lifestyle / By / Leave a Comment / ,

The communication has always been fundamental to human progress and has changed drastically from big cumbersome but elegant plain old telephone sets to modern flashy handsets.

The mobile telephony with animal spirited innovations has added rocket pace to journey of communication, so much so that it has subsumed lot of contemporary devices in its laps like  Radio, Analog Cameras, Walkman, Tape recorder, Light Torches even the televisions and desktop screens are being at the threat with mobiles being viewed as first interface devices for millions for internet with advancement of networking  technology from 2G, 3G, 4G etc.

Now, we are in stage of evolution that mobiles have become basic need of everyone for all types of our daily works and mobile telephony penetration seen as index of development. In the after world of Corona pandemic, the online life without mobiles is hard to imagine.

With so many mobile set options available in market and launch of new models every other day and flash sales, choosing the right one for ones need and budget can sometime become nightmare. So let me try to offer some help, though not a tech geek, based on personal experience and collected information, i thought to share few details of mobile sets that one must give thought before finalizing the set in ones hand.

So we start by talking little about mobile phones essentials.

The mobiles can be broadly classified as Feature Phone & Smart Phone based on their features and capabilities. We shall talk both one by one.

FeaturePhone:

These are simple mobile sets with simple features for good old voice communication. They are recognized by their traditional keypad with small screen and light weight in their design. The sets comes with standard features like FM radio, Light torch, Simple Camera.

With voice calling and text messaging as the key services, these sets having simplicity in handling are generally very good for senior citizens, students or working blue collar workers with their long battery backup, so you don’t need to run for charging the sets all the time. And also these are good sets to feel nostalgic about monotonic ring tones and snake ladder games.

SmartPhones:

These are mobile phone which are capable of performing lot of complicated work on the move like laptops but some limitation more like mini computers. With the advance of fabrication technology and ecosystem of apps for each purpose, the smart phone has become a way of life.

The features of smart phones are getting updates on hourly and daily basis, its very difficult to catch hold of innovations but still if we don’t embrace the changes then there is real danger of being left out of the trend. So its wise to go little details of major part of smart phones, so that you may pick the set of your choice and need as every thing comes at price tag attached.

Network-2G, 3G, 4G & coming 5G:

A key part of any mobile phone specification is its operating frequency bands. 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and coming 5G represent the five generations of mobile networks where G stands for ‘Generation’ and the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 represent the generation number. Right from 2G to 5G , the evolution offers faster & higher data transfer speeds and greater capacity allowing many more devices to be connected at the same time.

Processor:

Today’s smartphones can do more than just call or message. They are equipped with features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB connectivity, accelerometer, gyro sensor, GPS, proximity sensor and over the top plethora of apps. Every action you perform on your smartphone goes straight to the processor. You can compare it to the brain of the human body.

One can say that the ultimate prize in the smartphone arms race is still Processor speed. You would notice when apps lag or when swiping takes an eternity. The speed at which a processor processes a certain action depends on a number of factors like the number of processor cores, the clock speed is another important aspect.  A processor with a 1-Gigahertz (GHz) clock speed can process 1 billion instructions per second. The general rule is that higher clock speeds make for faster phones. The number of cores ensures actions are always processed on time.  So next time, don’t just look at the amount of cores, but also at the clock speed.

Operating system:

A operating system is most important software that helps to run other application software on mobile devices. It is the same kind of software as the famous computer operating systems like Linux and Windows, but they are light and simple to some extent, as it combines the beauty of computer and mobility of hand use devices.

Most popular mobile operating systems include Apple iOS (OS 1, 2, 3….14) and Google Android ( Cupcake, Donut, Eclair…Nougat, Oreo, Pie). With increasing processor capacity, having latest OS is always better but it comes with cost. Also deciding OS for your phone, do look for apps availability, both iOS and Android platforms are fairly similar with millions apps in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store respectively.

Battery:

Your smartphone could have a shrink-ray or turn lead into gold and it would still be useless without energy. There are ways to boost the battery life of your gadget, but at the end of the day a larger battery is going to last you longer. Now days in modern cell phones there are only two types of batteries used Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion. Li-Poly are ultra-lightweight, do not suffer from memory effect, on the other side Lithium Ion cell phone batteries are expensive, but they have higher energy density and better overheating performance compared to Li-Polymer.

Few key common features: Battery Capacity, Battery Life and Battery Size.

A common way to measure battery capacity is through mAH an abbreviation for “milliampere hour,”. Higher the mAH, the higher the mileage of your smart phone.

Another feature that distinguishes different mobile batteries is its usage part – replaceable and non-replaceable.

Also don’t forget about good mobile charger (with ports USB-C, Micro-USB or wireless ) that are durable and perform well in every environment conditions as it is charger which provides the traction energy to batteries because in our price-sensitive market, chargers often receive low priority and get the “after-thought” status. Chargers are commonly identified by their charging speed.

Display:

Smartphones are as much about enjoying media as they are about communicating. You watch movies, play games and view photos on your mobile screen and you want the crispest display around. There are many display types used in smartphones: LCD, OLED, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, TFT, IPS, TFT-LCD. Each having their own specialties and short comings, so much for technicalities. Normal features that should come to user mind while comparing different displays are display size (in inches from 4.7 to 6.5), viewing angles and outdoor readability, color reproduction, refresh rate and of course resolution or pixels per inch (ppi) figure, which is referred to as pixel density (HD, Full HD, QHD/2K, 4K/Ultra HD). All comes with pinch of salt i.e concerns about power, as larger, higher-resolution displays demand evermore battery sizes.

Of course in last comes Gorilla Glass, a special strong glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops and bumps of everyday use as replacing a damaged display really cost a lot dear.

RAM:

RAM which stands for random access memory is short term storage that hold all data of your phone like apps, photos, videos, and music while running or when it’s not using it, but might in the near future and it helps your smartphone perform and feel fast. But having more RAM inside in our phone, only allows for more apps to run in the background or call it multitasking. The real performance also depend upon how efficiently the phone controls its own processors and tightly controls its software. So don’t always fall for mobile giants gimmicks for bigger RAM.

Storage:

Most smartphones come with anywhere between 16 and 32 gigabytes of in built storage, high-end models featuring 256GB or 512GB.  The operating system of phones generally takes up about 4GB to 8GB of storage and need to factor about the same for all your apps. Videos and photos take up a lot of storage space. But if you like taking a lot of photos and videos then you should consider bigger storage or check if your phone has expandable storage, so that you may buy a microSD card for extra inserted external storage into your phone.

But in the end, Extra space is a nice luxury, these days you’ll be saving most of your media in the cloud and portable hard disk can also be better & safer options.

Camera:

You don’t have to be a pro photographer to see the difference between modern phone cameras and the ones on your old flip-phone. A great camera is important for more than just great photos. You can use your camera for some surprising other things, like visual search.

It allows you adjust or control every parameter of you shot. But believe me most of features like Resolution, White balance, Shutter speed, Focus, ISO, Photography Modes are never fully understood by common folks like us and adjusting any is daunting task  but lot of information over net is available  which can be perused by photography enthusiast to explore their mobile cameras. For mortals like us can look for features like Camera Lens, Zoom, Megapixels, Camera Flash, Smart Image Processing, High quality Videos.

Safety features:

Water resistant, Screen Lock, Sim card locker, Bio metric Recognition, Locate you phone or GPS, Data Backup protection are some of safety features that one may like to look depending on individual usage of phones. The after sales services also play good part in ensuring the longevity of these fallible devices, though modern unwritten design mantra of companies is for changing the models more frequently.
 And finally the user is the king, so reading the review and experiences of genuine buyers also help in knowing the pros and cons of various models, their after sales service supports and may guide in zeroing on the final purchase among the choices.
If we little rewind of our recent flash back time, the two major changes that happened in year 2016 that changed mobile telephony for ever. Many Chinese and others began manufacturing smartphones in India and introduced entry-level smart phones models within pocket friendly cost bringing within the buying limit of masses. The same year, telecom company Reliance Jio launched a new service with free nationwide voice and data for one year and competition among incumbent service provider ensured plunging of the cost of data and made calling free to almost zero.
The Corona Pandemic further pushed the digitization and thereby the reach and penetration of mobiles. With advent of ever going new technologies the mobile usage are bound to increase. So we are not escaping from these ubiquitous mobile devices any time soon in future also. The need is to figure out the pocket friendly ones for our requirements. Though we have just scratched the tip of iceberg called mobile communication, hope you find this buying guide useful in finalizing in you purchase. Thanks for reading and do share your valuable feedback.

The Corona teachings: Journey from 2021 to 2022

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The Year 2021 has just passed by, the year will be remembered for Corona Pandemic around the world and survival struggle of mankind against it. With the advent of New Year 2022, the hope of overcoming this pandemic has started brewing with majority population are now vaccinated. So it’s high time to take a pause, look into flashback memories and realize that, did the cruel Pandemic teach us anything or can we learn any thing from heartbreaking Pandemic. Though corona tragedies made us realize how much we are superficial and brittle in humanity, feelings and overall responsibilities. But in the hindsight it also gave us some positive lessons we must not ever forget ever. I have tried to list few based on my experience which you might also agree:

1.Every problem has solution.

It’s a old slogan but in corona pandemic it is again proved that every problem has a solution. From simple steps of Social distancing, mask, sanitizer and now vaccine within just 1year, all have come as solution of once looked unconquerable corona pandemic. The need is not to be bogged down  or loose balance, but face the problem head on for solution. Its true of individuals, society or even country.

2.Problems brings opportunity also.

Though many lost their livelihood in pandemic but some looked it in another way and started from scratch to turn away this misfortune, turning adversities into opportunities. This pandemic gave new opportunities to the makers of mask and PPE kit as well as of sanitizer makers. Even many giant companies realized that there is no need of such big company infrastructure and maintenance, work can be done from home, helped them optimizing the cost and sail through turbulent times.

 

3.Savings are capital.

As a generation, we always lived by credit cards and spending like there is no tomorrow. We forgot the golden learning taught by our elder to save a little for hard times. Corona pandemic told us that you never know when you became jobless, homeless or may be with half salary. So keeping some saving for such unknown future should always be mantra from now.

4.Every work has its own importance, no work is small.

With spread of pandemic and the lock–down followed, we all got locked up in our houses. We then realized that even managing good & clean home is both an art and a science. Corona pandemic told us that no work is small and even sweeper and house maids are much more important for maintaining our life continuity. So always respect the service rendered by them which we lot of time forget to do.

5.Patience is real strength.

Our patience is terribly tested by this Pandemic by closing us in our houses and making a social distance from community. So we could not go out for office, for shopping and meeting our friends, children could not go to parks & what not. but we all waited patiently to see the things change slowly and finally the happy days are again knocking our doors.

6.Incomplete knowledge is dangerous.

When Corona struck us, no body had any idea about this deadly virus. And every day some new information came some baked and some half baked. With fast paced social media apps and internet, at start many rumors were also got circulated about corona which caused large scale spread of disease. So, rather trusting any forwards, a clear and complete information of any situation, may be from multiple sources can help us to make better decisions.

7.Many droplets in combined may fill ocean.

When this terrible tragedy struck, no one was sure how to respond. Everything was looking big mesh and no where to start from. Then some wise people started individual efforts at their level to untie the situation, then lot of single efforts started pouring from all side and from the combined efforts of these, lot of help could be generated for needy people. So no effort is small however big the problem is, the better will come one day only when a small start is made by some one somewhere and need is to unite the people in worthy cause.

8.Superheros really exists.

We all grow up following media & cricket stars, thinking them reel heroes on screen. But in Pandemic Doctors, Nurses, Health workers, Paramedical staffs, Police even Ambulance drivers turned out to be real superheros, as it were them who stood in front line to save us from deadly virus with scant regard for their safety and families. So, now when your little toddler ask you that whether Superheros exist, tell them that Yes, superheros really exist and we have seen them toiling hard against virus and saving lifes.

9.The more you distribute to needy people, more you have.

The pandemic brought out some of best trait of human being that is to help others. Many hands came forward to help the people in distress and keep the spirit of humanity alive. Many distributed clothes, foods, medicines, water and got themselves richer by earning the blessing of distressed mothers, sisters, fathers and sons.

…

The Corona teachings: Journey from 2021 to 2022Read More »

16सुपरफूड्स (superfoods)- साल की स्वस्थ शुरुआत

Nutrition, Nutritional keywords / By / Leave a Comment /

साल 2020 जाते जाते बहुत सी सीख दे गया उसमें से एक यह भी है कि सबसे जरुरी खुद का स्वास्थ्य है। उसके लिए स्वस्थ खान पान और साफ सफाई बहुत जरुरी है। इसलिए नए साल 2021 में, हम बात करेंगे सुपरफूड्स की, जो हमारी सेहत को अच्छा रखने में हमारी मदद कर सकते हैं।

Superfoods

सुपरफूड्स सुनकर हम सबके दिमाग़ में क्या इमेज आती है? ऐसा खाना जो हमारी सारी ज़रूरत पूरी करे और हमको एकदम फिट रखे। जबकि वास्तविकता में ऐसा कुछ नहीं है। सुपरफूड्स नाम मार्केटिंग कंपनियों का फ़ैलाया हुआ जाल है। ऐसा कोई भी फ़ूड नहीं होता जिसमें सारे न्यूट्रीएंट हों और एक ही फ़ूड खाने से हमारे शरीर की ज़रूरत पूरी हो जाए। तब भी हम आज ऐसे कुछ फूड्स की बात करेंगें जिसमें सभी तो नहीं कह सकते पर हाँ ज्यादातर न्यूट्रीएंट होते हों और जो आसानी से उपलब्ध भी हों।

इसमें सबसे पहले आता है:

1. नट्स(NUTS)   

 

नट्स हमारे शरीर के लिए बहुत फायदेमंद होते है। अगर बात करे नट्स की तो बादाम, किशमिश, काजू, पिस्ता, मूंगफली, अखरोट आदि जैसे कई प्रकार के होते है। इसने वो सभी पोषक तत्व मौजूद होते है जो हमारे शरीर को चाहिए। लेकिन इनका फायदा तभी उठाया जा सकता है जब इसका सेवन नियमित मात्रा में किया जाये। ज्यादा मात्रा में इनका सेवन आपकी सेहत को नुकसान भी पंहुचा सकता है।

सबसे अच्छी बात यह है कि इनको आप चलते फिरते कही भी खा सकते है। यह हमारे शरीर को भरपूर उर्जा प्रदान करते है और कई तरह के रोगों से लड़ने में भी मदद करते है। मेमोरी पॉवर को बूस्ट करते है। नट्स प्रोटीन्स, फाइबर, मिनरल्स और अनसैचुरेटिड फैट से भरपूर होते हैं। कई लोगों का यह मानना भी है कि नट्स का सेवन अगर सही ढंग से किया जाए तो यह हमारा वजन घटने में भी मदद करते है।

2.ओट्स (जई)(OATS)

 

ओट्स का नाम तो हम सबने ही सुना होगा यह बनाने में भी आसान होता है और काफी हेल्दी भी होता है। ओट्स में आयरन, कैल्शियम बीटा ग्लूकॉन जैसे बहुत से तत्व मिलते हैं। जो लोग डायबिटीक हैं या जो वसा अनियमितता के शिकार हैं उनके लिये ओट्स काफी कारगर होता है।

3.साबुत अनाज (WHOLE GRAINS)

साबुत अनाज अर्थात दाने के तीनों भागों को खाया जाता है जिसमें रेशा युक्त बाहरी सतह और पोषकता से भरपूर बीज भी शामिल है। साबुत अनाज सेहत से भरपूर्ण होता है। भूसी एवं बीज से विटामिन ई, विटामिन बी और अन्य तत्व जैसे जस्ता, सेलेनियम, तांबा, लौह, मैगनीज एवं मैग्नीशियम आदि प्राप्त होते हैं। इनमें रेशा भी प्रचुर मात्र में पाया जाता है।

सभी साबुत अनाजों में अघुलनशील फाइबर पाये जाते हैं जो कि पाचन तंत्र के लिए बेहतर माने जाते हैं, साथ ही कुछ घुलनशील फाइबर भी होते हैं जो रक्त में वांछित कोलेस्ट्रोल के स्तर को बढ़ाते हैं। साबुत अनाज कार्बोहाइड्रेट का भंडार होता है जो कि स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य के लिहाज से बहुत अच्‍छा होता है।

साबुत अनाज का सेवन करने वाले लोगों को मधुमेह, कोरोनरी धमनी रोग, पेट का कैंसर और उच्च रक्तचाप जैसे रोगों की आशंका कम हो जाती है। साबुत अनाज में पाए जाने वाले फाइबर अंश पेट में गैस बनने की प्रक्रिया कम करते हैं एवं पेट में स्थिरता का आभास होता है, इसलिए ये शारीरिक वजन को कम करने में सहायता करते हैं।

साबुत अनाज और साबुत दालें प्रतिदिन के आहार में अवश्य सम्मिलित करने चाहिये। धुली दाल के बजाय छिलके वाली दाल को वरीयता देनी चाहिये। साबुत ताजे उबले हुए चावलसे बनाए गए इडली, उपमा, डोसा आदि रिफाइन्ड अनाज से बने पैक किए उत्पादों जैसे पस्ता, नूडल्स आदि से कहीं बेहतर होते हैं।

4.दही (DAHI or CURD)

दही का प्रयोग हर घर में होता है। लेकिन क्या आपको पता है दही में कई प्रकार के पौष्टिक तत्व मौजूद होते हैं जिनको खाने से शरीर को फायदा होता है। आइए हम आपको बताते हैं कि दही आपके शरीर के लिए कितना फायदेमंद है। दही में कैल्शियम, प्रोटीन, विटामिन पाया जाता है। दूध के मुकाबले दही सेहत के लिए ज्यादा फायदा करता है। दही में दूध की अपेक्षा ज्यादा मात्रा में कैल्शियम होता है। इसके अलावा दही में प्रोटीन, लैक्टोज, आयरन, फास्फोरस पाया जाता है।

5.बेरीज़ (BERRIES)

बेरीज़ पौष्टिकता का खज़ाना होते हैं। इसमें विटामिन्स, मिनरल्स, फाइबर्स और एंटीऑक्सीडेंट भरपूर मात्रा में मिलते हैं।

एंटीऑक्सीडेंट क्षमता हृदय सम्बंधित बीमारियों और कैंसर जैसी बीमारियां दूर भगाने के लिये होता है। बेरीज़ इम्युनिटी मज़बूत करने के साथ ही साथ पाचन सम्बंधित समस्याओं से भी छुटकारा मिलता है।

कुछ कॉमन बेरीज़ :

रस बेरी (RASHBERI)

स्ट्राबेरी (STRAWBERRY)

ब्लूबेरी (BLUBERRY)

ब्लैकबेरी (BLACKBERRY)

6.क्रूज़फेरस सब्जियाँ (CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES)

वेजीटेबल जैसे कैबेज, Cauliflower,Broccoli, Sprouts ये फाइबर युक्त होते हैं और ये कैंसर, हार्ट अटैक वगैरह का ख़तरा कम रहता है। इस ग्रुप की सब्जियों में इण्डोल ग्लूकोसिनोलेट होता है जो कि गट में हेल्थी बैक्टीरिया मेन्टेन रखने में मदद करता है।

ये वजन घटाने के साथ डायबिटीज़ और दिल से जुड़ी समस्याओं को भी कम करती है। चूंकि इसमें कैल्शियम पाया जाता है, इससे हड्डियां मजबूत होती है।

7.शकरकंद (SWEET POTATOES)

 

 

  शकरकंद को स्वीट पोटैटो के नाम से भी जाना जाता है और इसमें ऊर्जा का खजाना होता है। अक्सर लोग इसे आलू से जोड़कर देखते हैं लेकिन पोषक तत्वों और स्वास्थ्य के लिहाज से इसके कई फायदे हैं। कुछ कॉमन फायदे:

i. शकरकंद में कैलोरी और स्टार्च की सामान्य मात्रा होती है। वहीं, सैचुरेटेड फैट और कोलेस्ट्रॉल की मात्रा इसमें न के बराबर रहती है। इसमें फाइबर, एंटी-ऑक्सीडेंट्स, विटामिन और लवण भरपूर पाए जाते हैं।

ii. शकरकंद में भरपूर मात्रा में विटामिन बी6 पाया जाता है, जो शरीर में होमोसिस्टीन नाम के अमीनो एसिड के स्तर को कम करने में सहायक होता है। अगर इस अमीनो एसिड की मात्रा बढ़ने पर बीमारियों का खतरा भी बढ़ जाता है।

iii. शकरकंद विटामिन डी का एक बहुत अच्छा सोर्स है। यह विटामिन दांतों, हड्ड‍ियों, त्वचा और नसों की ग्रोथ व मजबूती के लिए आवश्यक होता है। ब्लड सेल्स का निर्माण भी ठीक से नहीं होता। शकरकंद आयरन की कमी को दूर करने में मददगार रहता है।

8.ज्‍वार (JOWAR)

भारत में बड़े स्‍तर पर ज्‍वार की खेती की जाती है। ज्‍वार फाइबर, पोटाशियम और फास्‍फोरस से भरपूर होता है। पोटाशियम और फास्‍फोरस कोलेस्‍ट्रोल को कम करता है और हाई ब्‍लड प्रेशर को नियंत्रित रखने में मदद करता है जबकि पाचन के लिए बहुत जरूरी होता है। डायबिटीज के मरीजों के लिए तो ज्‍वार का आटा बहुत ज्‍यादा फायदेमंद होता है।

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