Friday, February 26, 2016

So, you want to buy an airpurifier in India? (1/2)



Buying an airpurifier in India

With air pollution "in the air", there is a surge in the number of people looking for an air purifier.  As always, there are way too many choices at all the different price ranges and narrowing down on one can be downright harrowing. In this digest, we will provide an overview so that you can make an informed choice.

At the minimum, the air purifier should be able to take out the particulate matters (Dust etc.). For a start a air purifier should at least remove particles over 0.3 microns. For comparison, the human hair measures 40 microns thick.  Our body naturally removes particles that are 10 micros or over. The finer particles are the challenge since they can bypass the nasal hair and mucous and penetrate into the upper lung) and potentially the blood stream

If you want an air purifier, the first thing is to try and be clear on why you want one. Your choice - the price points, brands etc. will depend on that. So, what's your reason?
  1. Removal of particulate matter above a certain size (Most common need)
  2. Removal of various other allergens, then be open to other filters.
  3. Odor/gas removal (E.g. Formaldehyde - when you have recently renovated/painted)
  4. Ability to kill microbes. However, ensure adequate ventilation etc. for some of the by-products such as Ozone to get dissipated. E.g. Ionization is supposed to kill of a range of bacteria and viruses.
You can consider the air purifier world to be in two groups. The HEPA filters and the non-HEPA filters (which purifies with other techniques). Yes, there are more ways to look at this, but we believe the above method makes your choice a little easier.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of excellent articles that gives a good idea of how to choose an air filter. We have curated a few articles from China since people there have been facing pollution issues for a while and there is good content available on what people there have done.

Here is the link to part 2 of this guide


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Sunday, February 21, 2016

Best senior citizen friendly phones (and launchers) in India



Your need: Smart phone for senior citizen. Need touch screen, good camera and most regular features

Based on your needs, the options are
  1. To buy a phone that was custom designed for Senior citizen. Yes there are a few phones in this category, but none of the mainstream brands do this.
  2. Get a regular (mainstream) Android phone and install "launchers" that will make the phone easy to use for senior citizens. Launcher is an app that you can download and it will load up as soon as you boot the phone. You can disable this later if you choose to (which will revert the interface to the standard Android look and feel)
Option 1 : A senior friendly phone
  • Most of the available phones are the traditional candy bar phones with larger keypads. Few of them are iball, Philips, Swingtel. Only Mitashi supports a touch screen phone. You can get a more complete list here. Most don't have cameras too.
  • Mitashi stands out in this category for your needs. They support a touch scree, a camera and a software that is senior citizen friend too. 
Option 2 : A regular Android phone, with a senior friendly launcher
  • You have plenty of choices if you get into the regular Android phone category. Lots of great phones with good camera and touch screen capability
  • There are various apps that are available that will help you with this. Wiser, Necta and Big Launcher are the popular ones in this cateogry. (Here is a good summary of these).
  • Big Launcher costs Rs. 100, but may be the best fit given your needs. It appears that Mitashi phones use Big Launcher.
Recommendation 
  • One factor that you need to consider is the service centers available to repair the phones if you run into any trouble. From this perspective, we would recommend buying a regular Android phone and to install one of the launchers available.
  • Buying a regular Android phone instead of a custom phone, makes available a lot of good phones to choose from
  • You may want to buy a good protective cover so that the screen does not crack if it gets dropped automatically.
Android phones to consider
  • For your needs, Moto G (3rd gen), Xiaomi (Redmi, Mi), Lenovo A6000, Micromax may be good options to consider.
  • Please do look at the availability of service centers in your city / neighborhood (or be sure you are comfortable mailing it in, if and when there are issues)
If you still need further help, please add the needs in your notes so that we can refine it further. If you like the recommendations, we can help you with ordering the phone (and the software).

Sources

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Donate excess food through these organizations

Here's an extract from the article of a few organizations and their contact numbers in a few cities.
Please go through the article for further background on these organizations and contact numbers in other cities.
Bangalore
  • Feeding India : +91-9871178810
  • Shivakumar : +91-9900568514
Chennai
  • Feeding India : +91-9871178810
Mumbai
  • Mumbai Dabbawala's "Roti Bank" Initiative : +91-9867-221-310 or +91-8652-760-542
  • Feeding India : +91-9871178810
  • Shelter Don Bosco : +91-22-2415 0562
Pune
  • Feeding India : +91-9871178810
Sources: 
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Friday, February 19, 2016

Spiralizers

This page was custom generated based on the inputs provided by D***p


Basic types of Spiralizer we looked into:  Handheld, Horizontal Hold, Vertical Hold

We looked into the vertical hold in greater detail. Here is a summary of our research that should help you with your decision.

This link provides a good overview of the different types of spiralizers

We really liked this post from TwirlyBites that provides an excellent, detailed analysis of the difference between the 3 blade and 4 blade spiralizer. A must read if you are debating between these models.
The summary : The 3 blade is pretty good and you will be happy with hit. Buy the 4 blade version if you want to create "noodles" that are as thin as vermicelli or "Angel hair pasta".
Here are the few products that you can look at from Amazon.
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Choice of OTG

This page was custom generated based on the inputs provided by K***a

Assuming it's for standard house hold (and occasionally baking larger quantities for get togethers etc.) - a capacity in the range of 30L should be sufficient.

If you are thinking about potentially going commercial, we would recommend that you look for something in the 40L range - give you a bit more oomph. You can always upgrade to higher capacities later, if your baking business takes off.

For selecting a specific product, do double check the service in your neighborhood before deciding.

Morphy Richards and Bajaj are the two fairly popular brands in this category. Here are the products for a quick reference.
Do come back and let Bewgle know what you decided. Will be very helpful for the rest of us to know. 

Happy baking.

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Hardware encrypted USB sticks


This page was generated based on in inputs provided by A***r

Hardware encrypted USB sticks offer superior protection when compared to the software counterparts and is practically tamper proof. Also, these can be used without needing any special administrative privileges and usually no special software to install.

Here are a few options based on the need (selected from Amazon):

Another popular range is manufactured by Kanguru . Kanguru does not seem to be available through the online stores and can be bought through their dealers in India.

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Thursday, February 18, 2016

Hand made craft ideas for decorations (birthday party)

This was generated based on the inputs provided by K***a
Here are a few suggestions based on your inputs.
This has some fabulous ideas for party decortaions. Most are simple enough that you should be able to do with your kids. http://www.marthastewart.com/274286/kids-party-decorations
If you are looking for activities to do with all the kids who attend the party, here are a few options:
We know the party is after 2 months. If you need any help in planning or packages, let us know. We can connect you with a few who offer such services.
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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

To BNI or not to BNI

BNI has been around a while. It's is a business referral network. The objective of BNI is to help small business generate referrals, leads (and introductions) for each other. 
This is achieved through the various BNI chapters who meet regularly (weekly). There is a well established protocol that members follow in asking and for getting help in these chapters. You can attend a few of these sessions as guests to get a feel of BNI and it's value.
There is a fee associated with being a part of BNI (About Rs. 30K-40K - including a one time fee and an annual fee). Please check with the organization for specific details.
  • If your business is the kind of business that needs referral from people, then it is worth considering joining the organization.
  • If your business gets leads from other channels (E.g. Internet) and/or you already have enough leads, it may not make sense to join BNI.
  • There is a solid time commitment (that you have to attend the meetings regularly). Typically for breakfast. So, unless you think you can make time for this, you should not join the organization.
  • It's not a MLM scheme that pays people based on the businesses they have generated. 
If you think you are up for it, explore by attending one (may be a few) of the sessions as a guest. Get an idea of the time commitment that you may have to put in (and the logistics around making it happen). When you attend the session, get an idea of the other members of that chapter to get  gut check on the quality of leads you might get. You can decide to commit based on that. 
Once you come back from the session, do share your opinions so that others benefit from the same.
Sources: 
Here are a few links that are worth going through to give you a background.
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    Your ultimate voice enabled home entertainment controller



    This recommendation is personalized for R*m based on the inputs provided by him
    Looking for : Voice controlled universal remote that can work with a variety of devices (existing and ones to be bought). Budget about Rs. 5K.
    Broadly there are 3 approaches to do this.
    1. Buy a device that does it all (E.g. At the higher end Logitech Harmony can set you back by something like Rs. 25K)
    2. Buy a “connector/adaptor” which will be the IR blaster that you can control from, say your phone
    3. Install an app (Smart IR Remote - Anymote) in an Android phone with an IR blaster and use Google’s voice controls (GoogleNow)
      1. If your current phone does not support IR, then get a low cost Android phone with IR or get an external IR blaster/adapter
      2. Use Google Now’s voice recognition to do the voice control
    Based on your needs - budget and voice commands that you intend to use it for as specified in your response to the questionnaire, our recommendation is to proceed with Option 3 (Installing on an Android phone).
    Rationale : Voice recognition is a pretty hard problem and it’s tough to get it right. Add the Indian accent to it, it becomes harder :). Google Now has improved tremendously over the years and continues to get better (and quite likely very superior to various other speech recognition systems).
    A device such as Logitech Harmony may be good, but considering the difference in the budget, our recommendation is for Option 3.
    Take a look at the following video to see the app in action along with Google Now :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZGC5Qtc0TE
    Do let us know if it helped. If you need to buy a phone for this purpose, we have the context and have a couple of recommendations.
    Speak away!!!
    -------
    Sources

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    Tuesday, February 16, 2016

    Eligibility criteria for various professional degrees & institutions



    • Eligibility criteria for IIT & NIT
    • BITS
      • BITSAT rank
      • 12th pass and > 75% in PCM
    • PES
      • PESAT (Entrance exam). > 60% in PCM
    Resources
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    Monday, February 15, 2016

    Home safe / lockers around Rs. 5000

    These recommendations are custom generated based on the inputs provided by S**n

    Based on your requirement of a key based locker, the Godrej Premium coffers fits well with your needs. Here are the links to these products on Amazon.
    • This has a slightly retro look and feel and is a classic

    If you lose the keys, Godrej will replace them for a fee (We have asked Godrej for the right price for the above models. Will update you once we get to know)

    If you are open to electronic safes then Taurus and Stilo seem to be of the right size. Here is a review that shares a customer's experience in the event you forget a password.
    If you forget the password (or if the system malfunctions), Godrej will send a technician to fix it. Each visit will cost you Rs. 500.

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    Michellin tyres for Ertiga



    The recommendations are custom generated based on the input provided by R**a

    Based on your needs here are a couple of products that are recommended for your needs

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    Saturday, February 13, 2016

    Things to consider

    As a first bike, one tends to over analyze. Get a decent enough first bike (not high budget) and don't analyze to get the perfect one. There are lots of models out there and most of the decent brands offer a pretty decent bike that you will not go wrong.

    The important thing is to get going and to get on the bicycle. It's not a permanent choice. You can always exchange / upgrade later.


    Key things to consider Don't worry about
    Budget (including accessories)
    Riding comfort
    Weight (if you have to carry it sometime)     		Too specific features (E.g. Disc brakes)
    Getting all the accessories

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    Good keyboard for intermediate players

    The following personalized recommendation was generated based on inputs provided by C***a


    Based on the inputs provided by you, we checked with 3 music schools in Bangalore for a recommendation of the instrument to buy for an intermediate student.

    Yamaha PSR-i455 seems to be the popular choice. Price ranges from 20K-22K in various sites.

    At a more advanced level Yamaha s750 is recommended. This is only for the serious player (Costs about 65K)
    • Yamaha PSR-i455 (On Amazon)
    • The adapter is sold separately : Yamaha PSR-i455 power adapter (On Amazon). It's a 12V input and is typically not available as a standalone unit in the local stores. So, do consider ordering this along with the instrument.

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    Friday, February 12, 2016

    Bicycling accessories that may be needed


    This information is custom generated based on the inputs provided by the user. This list is likely to be different based on your needs.

     Typical accessories that may be needed (Likely overall cost about 3-5K)
    • Helmet 
    • Stand (Very convenient if your office does not have a proper cycle stand. Else you need to hunt for a wall to support the cycle) 
    • Locks (Don't buy the cheapest one. It does the job in the beginning but rusts out and jams fairly easily. Get something with a slightly thicker key too)
    • Reflectors (if one is not bundled in)
    • Mask - Depending on how dusty / polluted the routes you plan to drive through are). (Neomask recommended) (Costs around Rs. 600-1K)
    • Seat cushion
    • Pant clips (and/or) Chain Guard
    • Cycle Pump (If you want to keep it handy). Believe it or not, it's harder to find a bicycle repair shop than it used to be.
    • Tool set (Screw drivers for you bicycle etc.) - Typically costs about Rs. 350 (in Decathalon)
    • Bell (The shops should typically throw this in) 
    • Lights (If you are going to be riding through dark patches)
    Optional
    • Carrier
      • Usually not needed. But if you want to keep your bags there (and not lug it in your back), then get something to hold that in place too
    • Active wear (T-shirts, Shorts etc.) - bicycling friendly type
    • Bike computer
      • Your phone should do the job of keep track of the distance etc.. But this may be an interesting thing to get too, if you like things like this. 
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    Wednesday, February 10, 2016

    Shure headphones without microphones


    NOTE: This  personal recommendation has been custom generated for D***p based on the inputs provide by him. 
    .
    Here are the Shure headphones (without microphones) that are available for sale on Amazon.

    Here are the Shure headphones that are available on Flipkart  . Flipkart seem to be carrying a wider range of Shure products. Unfortunately, Flipkart is not providing the information on which models have microphone and which don't.

    They range from Rs. 3.6K to Rs. 36K. The 215 series is competitively priced around the 7K-8K mark. 

    Between the two stores, Amazon seems to be cheaper (when Bewgle checked it at 1.30PM on Feb 10).
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    Monday, February 08, 2016

    Places to learn Pranayam in Koramangala, Bangalore

    Koramangala has both the commercial Yoga Studios (such as a1000yoga, YogaBinge etc.) and those that are run by various spiritual/religious organizations such as Isha, Art of Living and Swami Sukabodhananda (Nirgunamandir).
    List of places that teach Pranayam in Koramangala, Bangalore.
    Do you want to inquire about availability in any of these sessions and book a place? Let us know and we can help.
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    Sunday, February 07, 2016

    Games that can be played with little ones


    Games that can be played with your little ones

     Summarizing a few from different sources

    • Alphabet game : Go through this with different themes. E.g. Animals, Cities, Names etc.
    • Dot Game : Make a grid of dots. Each player takes turn to connect a pair of dots. Goal is to close four sides of a box. The person who closes the box gets that point.
    • Various Memory games
    • Rock-Paper-Scissors
    • While on the road: 
      • "I wonder where that car is going", Make up your own song
      • Audio books of stories : If you have heard it many times, then speak along with it (with the emotions). It's a lot of fun :).
    Check the links below for a lot more ideas.

     References
    • http://www.pbs.org/parents/summer/road-trip-games-for-kids/
    • http://www.minitime.com/trip-tips/10-Best-Car-Games-for-Kids-article
    • http://www.momsminivan.com/bigkids.html
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    Thursday, February 04, 2016

    Choosing your gaming cosole for a 13 year old 2/2

    This post is specifically generated for S*** based on the inputs provided by her. Your needs may be different. To explore, initiate a request on Bewgle.


    First things first : You can't go wrong by picking either of these consoles (Microsoft Xbox or Sony PS4). Both are great consoles with a great set of games. In fact, the hard core gamers have one of each.

    We took into account your preferences (of the user, interests, type of games etc.) and here are our suggestions. 

    Price : The price point is pretty comparable (for the 500GB version and without Kinect), so we are not including that in the consideration. Both have their share of child friendly games. Xbox (because of Kinect) has different / more.

    Reasons to pick PS4 
    • Console Performance & Graphics : PS4 still seem to have a slight edge with core gamers and game developers (likely due to the slightly superior specificiations which translates to better performance) 
    • If "core gaming" is going to be a priority in the house hold the PS4 is a choice. It is generally agreed that the graphics on PS4 is better and overall it is quicker. (for the discerning gamer)
    Reasons to pick Xbox
    • Physical activities / games : Given the possibilities of "physical activities" that Kinect enables, we believe you child and family will enjoy various games that allow for you to move and play. It is primarily due to this factor that we believe Xbox+Kinect will be the right gaming console for you.
    • Interesting projects : Apart from these games, given that your child is getting into an age where they will learn programming - the possibilities of doing various "Kinect projects" (with the motion sensor) opens up interesting possibilities. (Check here for some : https://channel9.msdn.com/coding4fun/kinect)
    • Choice of console in Xbox
      • The options are : Xbox 360 and Xbox One. However, Xbox 360 is about to be retired (Microsoft will stop supporting it actively by end of 2016), we would suggest to invest in Xbox One.
    • Microsoft is rolling out a software update practically every month. So, the console will likely get better with subsequent iterations
    • The other factor that we considered was the "Parental Control" (Specifically Timing control - that the Xbox 360 used to support. Unfortunately, Xbox One does not support it currently. But, this is very sought after feature from the community, and we believe Microsoft will  support this in the future.
    In summary, after considering your specific needs,  Xbox One Console (500GB) with Kinect seems to be a very good fit. This bundle costs Rs. 37,990 on Amazon.
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    Wednesday, February 03, 2016

    Choosing a gaming console for a 13 year old - Part 1/2


    This post is specifically generated for S*** based on the inputs provided by her. Your needs may be different. To explore, initiate a request on Bewgle.

    In general the choice will be between Xbox, PS4 and to some extent Wii-U.

    Let's start with the simpler one first : If your child is young (say < 10) and if family gaming is what you are looking for then Wii-U could have been the choice. But considering what you get for the price, we got to give it a skip.

    For older kids, the choice is clearly between PS4 and Xbox.
    • PS4 : Not many variants to deal with.
    • Xbox : The two product lines are the older Xbox 360 and the newer Xbox One.
      • Xbox 360 is the older platform (which Microsoft has said it will support till late 2016). Xbox One is the new platform. If you choose to buy an Xbox - then, unless budget is a constraint, it is recommended to go with the Xbox One.
      • Xbox with Kinect addon. Kinect is motion sensing device that allows users to move around and play the games. E.g. You can swing your hands freely to mimic a serve while playing tennis, without holding any device. Lot of fun.
    I am sharing a couple of links that should be useful for you to read. We are recommending these links based on the needs that you specified earlier . We also skipped the usual "in-depth" (and confusing) reviews :-). We will share further details (and potentially a recommendation) in the next post.

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