apps – Tech Raman

Eight App Business Card Organizer Review – Not Just an ordinary card scanner app

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 17:04:09 +0000

Scan, Network and Interact:

For a starter, Eight is not just another business scanning app, via the app an user can instant message other users as well as share news and updates with your network, making it an effective tool for boosting your career and sales opportunities and information dissemination. Sounds a bit like LinkedIn? Why not, any interaction with your peers and contacts is good and if an app can keep the networking relevant it gets the extra brownie points.

Eight also happens to be a Linked-in sort of tight networking medium with interactive features and offers a news stream to push through your events, happenings, achievements that would be visible to your professional peers to take notice of.

Eight app is easy to use; you start with scanning your own business card first to create a profile. You can also customize your profile complete with a career summary listing your skills, experience, qualifications etc if need be, list your career history and other information. After all, you never know someone out there could be looking out for that one skill you are proud of and excel and it could lead to an interesting career turn and rewards ahead. You can add contact by scanning the business cards you have amassed and not just that unlike most other business apps, where Eight shines though is its ability to connect with other Eight users by company or by name, didn’t I tell you there is a LinkedIn like feature built-in in this app. There is also a wireless connect option which allows you to wirelessly add a nearby contact either with Bluetooth or QR reader. A Tag option helps to easily search or sort your contacts. Taking a cue from social networking platforms, there is a feed where the users can publicly post a message. Eight also comes with messaging system allowing you to directly ping a contact and take the conversation further. If you are concerned about privacy, Eight also offers a control over post visibility and you can either make it public, Eight users or your connected contacts. The privacy setting gives a good control over who sees your data. Eight app is a good idea envisaged and executed, it is not a just another business card app but a wholesome professional networking and a cloud-based business card management service. While conceptually it is good, being a new platform in India, it would need time for the business community to lap it up and more users to get on-board for the platform to be more effective. Sansan Inc is betting high on Indian market and says would be partnering with co-working spaces, coffee shops where usually many business networking happens to make Eight, a must have app for the business community to be connected. Eight is running a #TogetherMade campaign stressing on the fact that everyone is #TogetherMade carrying influence, guidance or inspiration from different people they come across in life. Eight as an app helps in securing the contacts as well as keep them in contact through their networking and interactive features. ]]>

SanDisk Dual Drive and SanDisk Memory Manager – Dual Drive, Multipurpose Daily Drives

Lakshmi Rajan — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 18:08:30 +0000

Yes, the Smartphone storage has got better now. Even budget mobiles with 32GB storage has become common these days, so some might even think do we still need the little pen drives still? Well, hell yes, it still has its place and let’s see why. It’s for no reason that the feature called OTG is enabled in most smartphones these days and is also one of the most deciding factor for many when they choose their smartphones. Not everything needs to end up in the phone storage, there are different needs and use cases. Mini USB Pendrives are convenient for immediate backup,to move files between Smartphones, PCs and laptops. To carry your favourite media files, when you are on travel, to take quick backup of the memories you shoot on camera and many more. While the storage has become beefier on the smartphones, so is the media contents stored, so still the Dual drives make sense to free up the space instantly and for safe backup too. And with Sandisk Dual drives having cross compatibility with Android, Mac , Windows it offers seamless transfer between various gadgets and qualifies it to be one of the most versatile little gadget to carry around. Western Digital owned Sandisk has wide range of mini drives which they call as Dual drives. The Sandisk Dual with USB 2.0 plug at one end and the more contemporary Sandisk Ultra Dual with a faster USB 3.0 plug. Then there are various storage options to choose from ranging from 16GB to 128GB. The Ultra dual with the USB 3.0 connector is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports and can get speeds of upto 150 MB/s, so works well if you are a habitual big transferer of big media files. Apart from the drive itself what captured my attention was the Sandisk Memory Zone app available both on App store and Play store. The app is a neatly done memory manager to manage on your phone, the card and in cloud. And not just the memory management, the app can also has few more aces up its sleeves by doubling as file browser, backup, file compressor and also integrated media player. There are two utilities that stand out for me in this app, one is the automatic backup which I can schedule it on one particular day of a week and time and it makes sure my new contents on my phone be it the photos, videos or even files are automatically backed up into the drive. Neat, no manual work here. Secondly, It also allows to backup the images I put into the social media apps like Instagram, Twitter or Facebook which I might be posting from different devices and all gets backed up again here when I give the necessary permission to the app. Again, pretty neat and practical. It also allows to push the content to cloud directly via the app. https://youtu.be/1Zs3VU9A298 So now you might agree with me right? mini drives are not going to be history and SanDisk Dual Drives along with the Memory Zone app has made it a worthy addition to check in a gadget must have lists. Share your thoughts.]]>

Bangalore based Mobmerry brings brick and mortar retailers into the digital wagon

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 13:12:50 +0000

I started my career as a fashion designer before opting out to be a pro blogger. The initial periods of my designing career had many roadblocks, I create beautiful saris but connecting with the right customer was a bigger challenge. Later, I came to know even for customers hyper local discovery was not easy in big cities with many chaotic layers and vastness. What if there is an app that connects a potential buyer with local retailers. I have a gift coupon I can redeem from a chain of store. I keep a tab daily on newspapers or when I pass by one of their stores to see if any festive discount sales happening so that I can redeem it. What if there is an app that buzzes me off the festive discounts when I pass by the store locality. My wife liked this particular dress from Allen Solley but unfortunately her desired size was not available in that store. What if I could add the product to the wishlist and an app alerts me if it is available in any store nearby me. These and many more such instance is what Mobmerry wants to ease out. Mobmerry, a new hyper local discovery wants to connect such dots, make hyper local discovery easier and bring the local retail stores on the digital platform.Even restaurants can buzz out their new menu, food festivals etc when a foodie passes by. Based out of Bangalore, Interaction One, the startup behind the Mobmerry says, with footfalls nosediving in brick and motor stores, the convergence of digital with traditional retail format could help in not just bring in customers but also increase the conversion rates of sales as it targets the users who are more likely to buy based on their profile, previous buy patterns, wishlists and other parameters. https://youtu.be/53IjA7dNUvc Interaction One is currently testing out and fine tuning the app at Indira nagar, Bangalore, a urban shopping hub dotted with big brand stores, boutique designer studios, local retailers and a food-and-beverage hub. They already have some big brands associated like Aviraté, Celio, Guess, Jack & Jones, Kazo, Lee, Vans, Vero Moda, Wrangler etc. Mobmerry has also partnered with Virtuous Retail for its , VR Bengaluru on Whitefield main road. Mobmerry will deploy over 300 Beacons across the centre to enhance shopping experiences for VR Bengaluru’s patrons. Mobmerry supplies for free the beacons to the retailers. The beacons are developed by Kontakt.io, a Poland based company. Beacon is a small match box sized square device which the retailers would be placing in their stores and the beacons will alert out the the Mobmerry app users if there is an interesting deal that suits their profile and shopping pattern. Krishna Prasad, CEO and Co-founder, Interaction One says,

“Retailers can’t wait for customers to come to them. Consumer shopping habits have changed; you have to take your product to them. Stores and brands that deliver easy integrated ways between digital and physical are the ones that are going to succeed, this means having technology that has these tools and solutions. Mobmerry delivers the power of smart discovery of products using a taste and preferences algorithm for consumers and a platform for retailers to take the physical world to these connected consumers via Beacons (IOT).”

Mobmerry plans to setup 1000 beacons in their three months first trial period and it would be interesting to see how the adoption rate would be and how the retailers lap it up. After the trial period, they plan to expand to other areas of Bangalore and then slowly to Mumbai, NCR and later spread out to other cities in India. So if you are around Indiranagar, Bangalore download the Mobmerry app and see if it changes your shopping experience.]]>

No more Goebbels: Yes We Can through Social Mobile apps

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 18:15:31 +0000

Hitler would have found it difficult to handle his propaganda strategy in his conventional way had he lived now. His main propagandist, Joseph Goebbels believed “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it” Not anymore. Thanks to Social mobile apps, world has shrunk to your palms and the billions of social conversations everyday in the world make sure the truth is not lost or undermined. In this context the impact of social mobile apps on 2014 Indian general election is crucial and potential game-changer and let’s put it into perspective.

120 million first-time voters, 155 million mobile internet users

It is estimated that close to 12 crore (120 million) youths will be eligible to vote for the first time in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Why this is significant? In the last 2009 polls there is no single party that garnered more than 12 crore votes. So the arrival of 120 million first-time voters make a lucrative catchment for any political party and more importantly it is crucial that the youths are inspired and mobilized to vote, even if they have to opt for the NOTA (None Of The Above) button on the electronic voting machine to voice their opinion. The other data to come out this week via the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is the number of mobile Internet users in India will reach 155 million in March around the time Indian general election is scheduled. It can safely be assumed that most of them would be using one or other social apps to communicate with world. So it becomes crucial to motivate the youth to step out and vote and the message needs to be put via social apps like WeChat, Twitter, Facebook etc which works on different scale and unique approach but at the bottomline brings forth the conversations on your finger tips.

Rock your group!

Any good social app worth its merit has somewhere a group icon coded that allows you to converse with a group of friends. So laud your friends to #VoteForIndia. Remember it’s a chain reaction and if each of us can create the buzz amidst our groups, it can bring a long queue of people waiting to cast their vote on the d-day.

Scream out!

You don’t have to climb the mobile tower to scream out #VoteForIndia but use the good little screen space most social mobile apps provide to adorn your profile. Use the cover space and profile image space to spread the awareness.

Sharing is caring

And the social mobile apps has given a golden spoon to feed your peers and friends with informations. Spread the links of articles, share images, inspire people to bring a change by voting. Yes, We Can! Even a funny cartoon can inspire someone to come out in open to mark their presence on the voting booth. So don’t mind sharing and re-sharing make people understand that a wasted vote is a big shame!

Take a Selfie, Flaunt your ink!

We love taking selfie, don’t we? On election day, don’t forget to cast your vote and take a selfie flaunting your ink mark on your finger – a proof that you endorsed your right to vote. Needless to say, don’t be shy to photo-bombard your selfie. After all voting is your right and a proud moment to cherish because you have laid a small brick on the foundation of which this nation stays together. ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ – JFK. Let’s make a new twist to the quote ‘Not just ask what your social mobile apps can do for you, ask what you can do for your country via the apps’ ]]>

Plants vs Zombies 2 is now available on Android

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 05:54:56 +0000

Plants vs. Zombies 2 in Australia and New Zealand in October and now is good to download and play for Android users around the world. Though it is a free to download and play game, you can also buy in-game goodies to go on a fastrack mode. It is notable that like the original game, even the free mode is quiet good for addictive gaming. You can also track achievements and leader-boards. The Android version works with devices running Android 2.3 or higher. To download it from Google Play, hit the source link below. Source: Google Play ]]>

LOL your way with GoComics app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone

Lakshmi Rajan — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:30:50 +0000

Source: Google Play, Windows Store, App Store (iTunes)]]>

Cinemagram for Android now available, lets you easily create GIFs and share

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:39:21 +0000

Cinemagram an app that turns your videos into a four-second animated GIF is launched now in Android after successfully making its presence in iOS for over a year now. Though there are many other GIF maker applications available in Android, Cinemagram differentiates itself from other by means of various enhancements and built-in social sharing features. If you think your video needs a makeover, the app allows for various special effects like filters, speed,and looping controls etc. It also gives you the ability to freeze portions of a video into a single still image and allowing for a small area of the picture with movement. Like Instragram, people can also follow, comment and check out your four-second creations. Finally what everyone wants to do – SHARE to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are also options within Cinemagram. So check out the Cinemagram in Google Play HERE ]]>

Google Play Movies now in India and Mexico

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:59:19 +0000

Google is expanding its Play portfolio in India and Mexico with Google Play Movies now available in India and Mexico. This follows the recent opening of Google Books few weeks back and also availability of Nexus 7 in India few days back through Google Play. Google movie hoard is available in both countries on the web and through the content’s Android app. To view the Google Play Movies catalog on web click HERE To access the Google Movies & TV App, click HERE Google Play movies also lists some of Hindi movies in the Movies database and hopefully Google will be adding more Indian regional movies available soon. With Google play movies in India, good news keeps pouring in for the Android users for one of the big mobile base in the world. ]]>

Nokia Transit Beta now available for full-touch Asha phones

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:08:36 +0000

Nokia today announced that its Nokia Transit App would be available for full touch Asha series devices thereby making the useful city and public transport navigation app to its range of low and mid-end feature phones. Nokia Transit for the Asha full touch feature phones enables the users to search for public transport stations/stops, addresses and POIs, look at the multiple routes to a destination and follow the list of directions for various public transport modes, save destinations for future uses, offline mode where the user can save the favourite journeys saved etc. Nokia Transit apps which is currently in beta works with Nokia Asha 305, 306, 308, 309, 310 and 311.]]>

Typing in Hindi becomes easy with Google Hindi Input App for Android

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 18:41:35 +0000

Transliteration is different from translation; the sound of the words is converted from one alphabet to the other, not the meaning.For example, if you type ‘Namaste’ in English, it will be converted to नमस्ते . Google Hindi Input App also gives you a default Hindi keyboard on Android Jelly Bean devices. For more information, check the video demo below. To visit the app page in Google Play store, click HERE ]]>