The mobile phone has become an indispensable part of our lives but most of the smartphone owners face common problems. The problems are shortage of storage space due to the installation of the innumerable number of apps, power/battery management, app hopping (jumping from one app to another), etc. This is the problem that startups are trying to address so that the there is more stickiness to the app since it provides more services under one roof.
Yagerbomb Mediaplans to address this problem with its app FloChat. FloChat is a hybrid chat platform that lets you connect with your friends, colleagues, etc. via its instant messenger and also gives you the freedom to browse and share content from across apps from its own context. Today we review FloChat on Android that can be downloaded from here, so let’s get going…
FloChat: Hybrid Messenger + Multiple services via micro-app integrations
FloChat is India’s first hybrid messenger which is simple, private and comes up with a personalized experience. The major USP of FloChat is that it brings context to conversations, thanks to its partner ecosystem [Zomato, Uber, Ola, BookMyShow, DineOut, Goibibo, Jugnoo, CouponDunia, Bing, YouTube, and Tenor].
The size of the FloChat App is only 27MB which means you can save 100’s of MB that would otherwise have been occupied by its partner apps!
FloChat: Express yourself with Reaction and EmoGIF
With FloChat, you can discover, browse, chat and transact and that too without leaving your chat window!! Users can express themselves using Reaction [#facepalm, #oops, #thankyou, etc.] or via EmoGIF. The company has partnered with Tenor that brings personality to your conversations.
Some of the salient features of FloChat are below:
Group Chat: Create groups and add any number of people you like, no limit on the number of people who can be added to a group.
Multimedia Messaging: Send video, image, text, gifs, memes and voice messages.
Secret Chats: With this feature, chats would disappear or self-destruct in a *poof*
GIF Gallery: Hundreds of free GIF’s to express your feelings available from some of your favorite shows and movies.
Better Privacy: It gives you the highest level of control over your privacy. You would need to add people before they can message you.
Edit messages after you have sent them: Have you ever misspelled your messages or auto corrects have caused more mistakes than corrections? Now you can edit messages after you have sent them.
Free Voice & Video Calls (Coming Soon): High-quality free calls anywhere in India including group audio and video calls.
Real-time Location (Coming Soon): Instead of having to tell others where you are, just use real-time location sharing.
Payments (Coming soon): This is one of the most anticipated feature which is expected to release in the future versions of the app since it would bring Payments integrated into chat.
Some of the screenshots from the FloChat app are below
FloChat: Floda – Chat meets AI
FloChat also comes integrated with Floda which is an AI based chatbot. Floda can help you out with booking tickets, getting your generic queries answered or even suggesting you the best place for a romantic lunch/dinner 🙂 We asked some generic questions to Floda like temperature in Mumbai, to book movie tickets, etc, and results were accurate. The overall experience was breezy since Floda could decode our requests within a few seconds.
FloChat: Closing thoughts
FloChat is a feature packed hybrid instant messenger app that helps you stay connected with your loved ones. The power of FloChat lies in the premise on how you can get things done all within the chat! With integration of Floda, it brings more meaningful context to conversations. If you are searching for an app that is not demanding on storage space but helps you stay connected with friends, then you should download FloChat.
What is one word that you can associate with Banking? The answer would be synonymous-Endless paper work, Multiple follow-ups for account related transactions, Long queues [irrespective of the transaction] to name a few. Fast forward now, things have definitely improved and one of the driving factors that made ‘banking transactions’ less hassle-free is the smartphone revolution and rapidly growing internet penetration.
Before you further read on, we request you to re-read the previous statement again 🙂 It mentioned Banking Transactions have become hassle-free but once in a while you still need to visit the Bank !! The treatment that you would receive at a particular bank branch would also depend on whether it is your ‘Home Branch’ or not. Bank going ‘Paperless’ as well as ‘Branchless’ would be considered a highly exaggerated statement.
With the Digital India, Digital Banking and Financial Services landscape looks positive. Some of the major factors that can impact [and some are already impacting] ‘Digital Banking’ are:
Aadhar by UIDAI [Unique identification for every Indian resident]
Banking to the un-banked
Introduction of the ‘Digital Locker’ [Secure storage provided by the Government of India for storing your important documents]
Massive policy changes for incentivizing Digital Payments [as announced in Union Budget 2016]
Introduction of Unified Payment Interface [UPI]
Banks have been taking massive steps in order to make Banking hassle-free, environment friendly ensuring that safety & trust is not compromised (at any step). Though Online Transfers, E-Passbook, Bill payment contribute a lot to making banking more ‘Green’, opening an account in a bank still requires submission of lot of documents 🙁 This was the ‘vacuum’ in the banking sector that was required to be filled-in and DBS (Development Bank of Singapore), Singapore’s best and Asia’s safest bank has decided to take the lead to make Banking : Paperless, Hassle-free and Rewarding [via Cash-backs] with introduction of Bio-metrics authentication and account opening with only Aadhar Card.
Say hello to a new way of banking so you can live more, bank less [#livemorebankless] with Digibank. Let’s look into the salient features of Digibank and how they are embarking a new banking revolution by making the Bank truly ‘Digital Bank’ !!
Digibank is broadly divided into two sections – DigiExpress & DigiSavings.
Open new savings account in a whisker
Once you download Digibank on your smartphone, you can open an e-wallet account in less than 90 seconds. Once the account has been setup, you get a virtual VISA debit card to shop, pay utility bills, book ticket etc. In today’s time, it is very important to have an efficient ‘Partner Eco-System’ and Digibank has partnered with 10000+ e-commerce merchants so that customers get ‘Cash-back’ when they shop 🙂
You can convert your account into zero balance DigiSavings account by just submitting your Aadhar Card or PAN Card details and completing your bio-metrics authentication at their partner outlets. They have ensured that all the ‘Safety and Trust’ standards are adhered so that banking using Digibank is more secure !!
DigiSavings – Single account, multiple benefits
Compared to interest rates offered by banks on savings account, customers get high returns [7% interest on Rs. 1] when they convert their Digibank’s e-wallet account into DigiSavings account. You also get cash-back of 5~10% when you shop using Digibank on their partner websites.
You can maintain Zero balance account [with zero maintenance fees] and enjoy unlimited [& free] ATM withdrawals. This is definitely an interesting step to make e-banking more secure & hassle-free.
Easy and Secure payments
Adding a new payee or biller on the Digibank app is very simple. Digibank has a dynamic in-built security which is even more secure than the OTP. The entire transaction process is seamless yet very secure. The breezy UI just makes banking on Digibank enjoyable 🙂
24*7 Virtual Assistant, Personalized offers and Money Optimizer
Digibank comes with 24*7 Virtual Assistant that is powered by artificial intelligence. It keeps a track on your spending’s, shopping habits etc and provides you with customized alerts, bill payment reminders etc.
This ensures that customers get ‘tailor made alerts’ which are of their interest thus increasing the conversion rate. The offers do not only stop there but you also get Hyper-local offers based on your ‘shopping history’ as learnt by the virtual assistant. Get answers to all your banking queries in an instant with the 24*7 virtual assistant either via Voice or Text.
Brand Ambassador & Brand Mascot that ‘itself’ speaks for the product
Sachin Tendulkar is the brand ambassador of Digibank and being a cricket fanatic, I loved that the ‘most respected batsman’ is associated with the right products and Digibank as product has all the promise !! As a brand, it is very important that it’s mascot conveys the right message at the very first moment.
Digibank has played the cards right by having Digor, a dino that has adapted to change and has been evolving since pre-historic times just like the Digibank app (that has made banking more secure and seamless).
Closing Thoughts
As seen in the Digibank product launch, time has come for customers to #unbankit and switch to Digibank, India’s first mobile-only bank. You should definitely have a look at the launch video where Digor unleashes the power of DigiBank & showcasing the simplicity of DigiBank. DBS’s Digibank is an exciting step towards making banking Paperless, Signature-less without compromising the security features [thanks to extensive use of Bio-metrics] of physical banking !! We are sure that this is just the baby-step in taking banking to a whole new level by combing Bio-metrics and Aadhar Card authentication. You can find more about Digibank here
Join the Digibank revolution! You are an existing Digibank customer, please leave your experience/feedback in the comments section…
Entire 2015 had revolved around startups in the Hyper-Local segment that aimed at bringing more convenience to the customers by delivering daily chores at the doorstep. This was all done at the click of a Button i.e. through an app. Be it Peppertap (that recently shut down it’s Grocery Business), Grofers etc., each one of them wanted a share of the pie.
With the Hyper-local segment getting over-crowded with many players & customer-acquisition costs rising, it gave rise to the next wave of commerce namely ‘Conversational Commerce‘. Here the consumer has the privilege to locate nearby businesses, chat with the business-owners and place order on the App. Once the order has been confirmed, logistics team delivers the order at your doorstep (free of cost). This is termed as O2O (Online to Offline) commerce. The startups that pre-dominantly operate in this market segment are GoodBox, Look Up, MagicX etc. Some of them use AI to reduce manual intervention when answering questions from customer over the chat (thus resulting in reduction of overall operational costs).
The core of all these ‘Conversational Commerce’ startups is to leverage medium of chat so that customers can order anything (food, grocery etc.) on the app. For curiosity purpose, we happened to give a shot to GoodBox and the experience was overall satisfactory (right from Items Search-> Adding them to cart-> Placing the order and doing the payment). In this article, we review GoodBox App from features, reliability, UX, payment etc. point of view; so let’s get started.
GoodBox is a conversational m-commerce startup that has is co-founded by Abey Zachariah [ex-RedBus core team], Anand Kelaginamani [IIM-B], Charan Raj [ex-Accenture], Mahesh Herle [ex-National Instruments], Mayank Bidawatka [ex-RedBus core team & co-founder The Media Ant], Mohit Maheshwari [IIM-B] and Nithin Chandra [NIT-K & IIM-B].
It aims to bring neighbourhood Kirana stores, saloons, spas, restaurants etc. online and helps them create a store-front [using the GoodBox Seller App] within minutes. Just like traditional e-commerce companies, there is a customer facing app and the other is Seller app [that seller can use to manage his inventory]. It provides the seller Seamless Discovery, Ordering and Payment. It was recently in news when they acquired SmartPocket for an un-disclosed amount. It had earlier raised $2.5 Million in Series-A funding from Nexus Venture Partners.
GoodBox : Key Features
As mentioned earlier, GoodBox wants customers to connect, chat and buy (the final transaction) from your local businesses without any compromise on the privacy. On launch of the app, it shows the registration page where user needs to enter his/her mobile number and email. An OTP is then received to complete the verification. We found the registration process very simple and less time-consuming (since un-necessary fields were not required to be filled at the registration time).
The App only requires access to GPS and the number is kept private (since the entire transaction occurs over chat)!! Some of the key features of GoodBox are:
Discover : Find businesses around you which might otherwise might take time to locate.
WhatsApp like easy chat interface : Since virtually every mobile user in India is present on WhatsApp, hence it was primarily important that their chat interface did not have many deviations in it’s UX. The customer facing GoodBox app is very well designed and is easy to use (since we are all familiar with WhatsApp)!!
No Middleman : There is one to one chat between the customer and seller that results in lesser delay (in responding to chats).
Business Profile : You can check the Business Profile, Business Timings, Last online status of the seller, location etc. What we liked about this feature is that there was a specific mention about the seller’s average response time (on chat) and that coupled with Last Online mightresult in customer-stickiness i.e. if Seller response time is fast, than there are high chances that customer might not look for similar seller in his/her vicinity.
Payment : Payment can be done either via Card or Cash. Surely, the team at GoodBox would be working with the SmartPocket team for their in-house wallet integration that would result in better margins on every per-transaction.
Online Catalogue & Prompt Delivery: 100+ categories (Groceries, Restaurants, Chemists, Laundry etc) are present on the app. It has tied-up with major super-markets and local grocery stores in Bangalore (for the areas where GoodBox is currently operational). There are 10000+ grocery products and browsing (and comparing them with similar products) is very easy.
BESCOM Bill Payment : You can pay your BESCOM bill on GoodBox without any hassles. You need to just enter your Account ID to make the payment.
GoodBox : Detailed review
Once the user logs-in to GoodBox, it takes you to the home screen. You can now search for Businesses who are present on GoodBox (and available in your vicinity) via the ‘Explore’ button. What we really liked is that the Seller rating is also displayed along with the search, this results in making informed decisions since user does not have to go to ‘Seller Profile’ to check the rating!!
Once you have short-listed the seller, you can start chatting with them. In case if the seller does not respond in stipulated time (which is the average response time), the Reminder feature is turned ON. Once the user selects Remind, GoodBox would ping the seller once they are online. It is a very good approach so that the seller does not loose a prospective customer (which might result in customer retention).
The Seller Business Timings are also mentioned in the address bar that is necessary so that it is clear to customer whether any response from seller is expected (at that very moment).
For the review, we ordered cake from nearby Cake Shop (that is listed on GoodBox) and the entire process was seamless. Payment was done using Mobikwik and delivery was prompt (within 30 minutes) & was fulfilled by the Cake Shop itself. Similar to Hyper-local businesses, GoodBox relies on Seller’s logistics capabilities (if they have it) or might have tied-up with logistics providers that provide last-mile delivery (which is useful for sellers who do not want to own logistics).
GoodBox : Scope for improvement
Last online : When we searched for sellers, we noticed that there are many sellers who were ‘last online on GoodBox’ 2~3 months back. For the purpose of the review, we pinged them but there was no response from them (even after 30 minutes). On the other hand, some sellers did not respond even after having read the message!!
This might result in bad-customer experience and hence, it becomes primary for the GoodBox team to educate sellers about timely communication.
Pin Code suggestion : GoodBox is currently present in selected areas of Bengaluru. Hence, in order to target their next ‘area of expansion’; it would have been better if a text-box was provided where customer could enter his/her pin-code. Once GoodBox is present in that locality, customer can than be notified about it thereby resulting in better customer stickiness.
Bar Code support : Similar to Amazon Dash, where user scans bar-code of the product and is prompted to add the product to the cart; GoodBox can add support for bar-code scanner (in it’s app) so that user can scan the bar-code and continue with the next step for completing the purchase.
Once product is searched, it can then list down the ‘Sellers in customer’s vicinity’ making the entire cycle of ‘Product Discovery and Purchase’ more friction-less !!
GoodBox : Closing Thoughts
We liked the overall look and feel of the GoodBox app. The customer-facing app is very well-designed (we could not look into the seller-side app). The entire concept of interacting directly with business owners is very unique and saves lot of time in communication (which might not have been the case if an agent was involved).
As mentioned in their mantra, GoodBox is definitely taking “Buying from local businesses” a notch higher!! GoodBox for Android is available here, GoodBox for iOS is available here. If you have used the GoodBox App, please leave your experience in the comments section.
Many of my friends who plan to come to Bangalore ask me “How is the night-life there & what are some of the hip-hop places around your locality”. Well, we have all come across this situation where we have landed in a new city & want to enjoy the ‘Night Life’ in the city 🙂 Every city has something unique to offer whether it is culture, food or even night-life.
But if you cannot enjoy the night-life than you have an option to relax at home & prepare tasty lunch/dinner. When I was a bachelor, it has occurred many times with me that during the weekend, we used to short-list many dishes clubbed with cocktails but the end-result used to be very surprising 🙁 Blame it on our ignorance to prepare awesome food or laziness on our side to not look for quality recipes freely available on the internet. This was way back in 2005~06 where there were not many smart-phones [to be more precise there were lot of feature-phones:)].
Fast forward now, we are all busy in our lives & in most of the scenarios – be it searching for a Doctor/Carpenter or even a Life-Partner; MOBILE PHONE has become our default companion. Few weeks back, a friend of mine [who is an entrepreneur] visited Bangalore since he had to pitch his idea to a VC firm. As an entrepreneur he was busy building the product & working his heart out to get the Minimum Viable Product. As expected, his meeting with the VC firm was awesome & hence he decided to treat us with lovely Cocktails !! Instead we treated him first 🙂
My wife & myself looked out for Cocktail Recipes on-line & we came across LiveInStyle – Your single point contact to discover great events Happening around you and the best Night Life in your city. It’s section on ‘House Parties’ was very helpful for us as we could get some great inputs on how to make great cocktails. We had an in-house celebration with the Cocktails but that was not the end of celebration 🙂
Me, my entrepreneur friend & others decided to go Clubbing. Blame it on my ignorance or my reserved nature, I have not been to many pubs since I am not a ‘Party Animal’. We could co-relate this situation with the problem we had in finding Cocktail recipes; so we decided to check out Pub Finder in India section on LiveInStyle. We checked out the INSIDE PUBS category where they have everything listed about the PUB. PUB FINDER & INSIDE PUBS combination did help us to zero in on a Pub in Indiranagar.
We reminiscenced the good old College Days & my friend continued his ‘Product Pitch’ even when he was drinking… In fact, great ideas are born on a drinks table 🙂 We did give him some feedback about his product, so his visit to the Pub did not go Futile (An entrepreneur is always looking to improve his/her product every single moment :)) It was almost 2.30 AM & it was time to head back home. Being a responsible citizen, it was very important we kept our motto of Live Responsibly alive !! We booked an on-demand taxi obviously via the mobile phone & reached home safely 🙂
LiveInStyle saved my day by being a ‘Partner in finding Pubs’ and ‘Partner in Home Parties’ which made every moment special !!
Few weeks have passed by & we are still awaiting good news from my entrepreneur friend as to when he would be back to Bangalore for his ‘second meeting’ with the VC firm:)
Disclaimer : This blog caters to audience above the legal drinking age in India, i.e., 25 years.
Few years back [or to be more precise before the advent of WhatsApp], SMS was the de-facto way of sending messages. Fast forward now, WhatsApp has more than 800M users in India & the growth has been nothing less than phenomenal. Just like me, you would have always felt the requirement to look out for a cross-platform app where you can make calls/send messages to users across different platforms.
This is the problem that n-gage messenger, world’s first 360 degree lifestyle Chat app is trying to solve. It is the world’s first app that enables users with or without a Smartphone to make 1 to 1 or group video calls and send rich personalized messages across other social media and messaging apps. Unlike other similar apps, as soon as the user joins, they can start sending rich personalized messages and have video calls with family and friends who do not have n-gage.
Today, we review the n-gage messenger & n-gage messenger lite which like FB lite is low on memory footprint & works on Android phones with low memory.
Features : n-gage
n-gage messenger has the following features:
Chat : 1-1 Chat, Group Chat, Voice & Video message and more
Privacy : There are different privacy levels, some of which are below
Group : Like any other messenger app, n-gage also supports creation of Group. Unlike other group chats, with n-gage users can create groups with up to 300 participants from their contact lists to enjoy multiple conversations under one group. With this, n-gage users can share multimedia files and even exit several group conversations without leaving the group. Just like ‘Labels in Gmail’, you can create different groups, label them for better identification & clarity.
Audio & Video Calling : You can use n-gage to call your contacts irrespective on whether they are present on n-gage [just like a normal call] or who are present on cross-platforms like WhatsApp. n-gage to n-gage calling worked flawlessly & there was no audio/video lag.
n-card & n-stickers : Like other messengers like Hike messenger, n-gage aims to cater the needs of the diverse Indian audience. They have separate section to send n-cards where users can send ‘soft cards’ during occasions like Christmas, Diwali etc.
Know : With n-gage messenger, users can get their daily dose of information e.g. If you are interested in Health, Lifestyle etc. n-gage would curate the content for you in the ‘Know’ section of n-gage. We found this feature quite useful & in order to drive user-growth, they have integrated all the social media features in the app. It would have been even better if n-gage had done cross-app information sourcing i.e. getting curated and personalized content from other apps like Daily Hunt.
Localized Content & Indian Language Support : n-gage
n-gage enables its users to connect with family and friends from around the world in over 45 languages. Users can share messages, doodles, and attachments on various other social platforms such as WhatApp, Facebook, Emails and SMS, without requiring the other person to download the app.
Providing ‘Localized Content’ could have been an interesting add-on feature which can be targeted to users interested in content [in languages other than English].
Private Chat & Schedule : n-gage
n-gage enables chats to stay private, with the app offering an expansive range of privacy features to suit individuals needs. It also has an integrated feature called ‘Schedule’ which keeps a track of users reminder’s, occasions etc.
We particularly liked the ‘Scribble’ feature where user can write something on the scratchpad of n-gage & send it across to a group/individual. It is like having ‘Stylus’ support in n-gage 🙂
lite for low end phones : n-gage
Considering the fact that there still many users who are ditching their feature-phones for low end Android devices, it becomes very much necessary to cater to this end of the market. n-gage has released a stripped down version of the n-gage messenger rightly termed as ‘n-gage lite‘.
The lite version is quite snappy & fast and we found it very useful. We tried the app on Android phone with 832 MB of RAM & there was no lag in the app’s performance.
Closing Thoughts : n-gage
There were certain hiccups during the review but overall we found the app to be useful though the UX needs a huge improvement. n-gage messenger aims to be a one-stop destination for all the user’s requirements i.e. Messaging, Group Chat, Calling, Privacy and much more… Their mantra is to be your Lifetime Companion.
Given the fact that they have winning features of WhatsApp, Hike in it’s app, we would not be surprised if they also incorporate ‘Social Shopping’ in their future releases 🙂
How many times do we encounter a situation where our phone becomes dam’n slow 🙁 Many times, clearing cache, uninstalling apps also does not help. This might be more frequently observed in older Android phones which have less than 1 GB of memory. I still own a Samsung Galaxy Note-I which has 862 MB of RAM & 2 GB of internal storage.
Limited internal storage keeps me on my toes whenever I have to install any new “Memory Hungry” app & limited RAM ensures that I run minimum number of apps in background so that there is less CPU consumption. Ultra-economical handsets priced under Rs 5,000 are also a fast-growing segment of the Indian Android market. Hence, it becomes very important for companies to cater to the users in emerging markets like India.
As per the State of the Android Mobile Web report released by Opera, 77% of it’s users on Android, accessing the web from phones that cost Rs 10,000 and under. In order to cater to this segment, ‘Lite’ versions of the app are released which can also work on phones with less RAM [or require lower internet band-with]
Keeping the phone secure & junk-free becomes an utmost priority for these BOP Android users 🙂 Today, we have a look at 360 Security Lite which is Mobile antivirus and Performance application for Android users & an ideal #MadeForIndia app [I am reviewing the 360 Degree Security Lite App for the #MadeForIndia activity at BlogAdda]
Why – 360 Security Lite
The primary difference between 360 Security Lite & 360 Security is that the app is only 4 MB in size & it works flawlessly even on phones with less than 1 GB of memory. We installed the 360 Security Lite on Samsung Note-1 and there were no issues. There was no lag in the phone’s performance after the installation & scanning for junk took only few seconds [Time would depend on the data available on the device].
360 Security Lite is the only all-in-one Android optimizer, Speed booster, Battery saver and antivirus app that optimizes your background apps, manages the memory space, cleans junk [cache] files and extends your battery life, while keeping your device safe from virus and Trojans.
We also executed the Top command & there was minimal increase in CPU load after it’s installation.
Key Features – 360 Security Lite
As mentioned earlier, the key factor of the ‘Lite’ version of 360 security is it’s low memory footprint & lowest power consumption [Remember, this app might be scanning for Junk/Viruses etc. in background depending on it’s settings].
Boost: Offers options to kill energy-consuming apps that result in extension of Battery Juice.
Clean: Scans & cleans junk files to free up the storage space.
Antivirus: One tap-option to scan your phone for Viruses & Trojans. It is trusted by more than 200 million users.
Low memory footprint – 4 MB installation package.
Battery Saver, Junk Cleaner & Security – 360 Security Lite
As per the 360 Security blog, they have tested the Lite version on number of low end devices [phones with less than 1 GB memory].
Battery Saver – They have analyzed numerous app’s at the source code level to identify CPU hungry apps. ‘Battery Saver’ feature extends the phone battery life by more than 40%. Along with the battery saver, they could have also provided an option to set different ‘Battery Profiles’ which is available in other app’s like DU Speed Booster.
Junk Cleaner – App Caches, Thrash files & WhatsApp files constitute to 90% of the Junk that is found in our phones. 360 Security lite cleans this junk & also identifies Large Files and provides recommendations to users for it’s removal.
100% Security – There is ‘Real-Time Protection’ Setting which ensures that your device is 100% secure. It scans newly installed apps, new updates & file system to protect your mobile security in real time which also could hide your private messages. The ‘Quick-Scan’ option when enabled would perform a full system scan.
Clean Up – 360 Security Lite
There are numerous settings in the app like ‘Clean Up Reminder‘ which sets weekly reminder to clean up the Junk, ‘Uninstall Reminder‘ that notifies when an App is uninstalled so that it can be completely removed from the device, ‘Clean Safe List‘ where user can add app’s that they feel are Safe [like Banking Apps etc.] and that can be ignored during clean-up.
100% Secure – 360 Security Lite
User can set ‘Real-Time Protection‘ that scans any new file/app etc. that is located on the device. However, this might slow down the phone a wee-bit but slight hit in performance is better than loosing sensitive data 🙁 You can set ‘App Installation Alert‘ where every new app would be scanned during the installation time. We recommend that you keep this setting enabled as it would keep your phone secure from apps that are downloaded accidentally [by clicking on the ad’s] which indirectly ensures that your data is also safe !! Similar to the ‘Clean Safe List, there is ‘App Ignore List‘ where you can add Trusted Apps so that they are not scanned on install/update/uninstall.
In a nutshell, 360 Security Lite is definitely ‘Lite’ in size but heavy on ‘Features’ 🙂 We would definitely recommend this app for sub 5K Android phones since there was no lag in performance after it’s continuous useage. With features like Android Speed Booster, Junk Cleaner, Intelligent Power Saver and Exclusive Booster, this app will keep your phone functioning as new for a long time.
Tech Tip : Get unlimited remote access to your android applications from anywhere on any device(PC/Mac/android/iOS) by loading Bluestacks application on your hosted xendesktop with affordable citrix xendesktop pricing from CloudDesktopOnline.com. Learn more about hosted SharePoint, Exchange, MS Project Server and managed azure services by visiting one of the leading cloud hosting providers – Apps4Rent.
We leave you with the 360 Security Lite commercial that rightly states – Don’t get stuck in your phone
Head on to the Play Store & download the 360 Security Lite. If you have used the app, please share your thoughts in the comments section.
All of us love the movie Taare Zameen Par, the movie touched our hearts because of the “Teacher Student” chemistry. The movie had a very interesting dialogue “Every kid has his/her own share of likes & dislikes. It is left up to us to capitalize on that passion by encouraging them”.
The teacher [Aamir Khan] could identify Ishan’s passion for drawing. He went an extra mile to maneuver his teaching style to suit Ishan’s needs [or a dyslexic kid] which helped the child a lot. In the end as we all know, Ishan excelled both in drawing & studies; thanks to his teacher 🙂
Every person has that one ‘Special Teacher’ in their life who has inspired and motivated them to follow their passion. Every child is unique and has his/her own talents. With changing times and fast moving life, parents/teachers find it difficult to locate a suitable activity hub to nurture their child’s talent.
KleverKid, an innovative after-school startup aims to bridge this connect between parents and the activity hubs by keeping the parents informed about the best after-school programs happening in the city. It plans to democratize learning by helping parents to find the best tutor, workshop, skating master, programs etc. to nurture child’s abilities.
Today we have a look at KleverKid which can be loosely termed as “Helping hand for parents to get the best out of their kids” 🙂
Hyper-local Education marketplace
The biggest problem parents face when they move to a new city or new apartment is “How do I find a suitable tutor for my kid”? KleverKid comes in very handy in this scenario. Being a resident of Bangalore [Whitefield area], we performed a search on KleverKid for “Academics & Sports” program-type and the results were encouraging.
The interesting aspect is that it also shows “The distance between your location & the selected institution/club”. This gives a feel-good factor for the parents [lesser the distance, better for them]. The information on the facilities provided by the selected institute was up-to-date & we could further filter out the options at micro-level.
Ratings, Reviews & more
Whether it is going for movies or ordering food online, reviews and ratings have played a pivotal role for driving user growth and ensuring transparency. The “Social” feature plays a crucial role in influencing the consumer behavior. This feature was very much required on KleverKid.
Instead of relying on Word-Of-Mouth, parents can now rely on the ratings/reviews given by others on the platform. We would love to see a “Verified” icon [similar to JD Verified on JustDial] to add another level of confidence for it’s users.
Social Sharing
With the increased penetration of WhatsApp, it is a medium that is hard to ignore. Parents using KleverKid can share details of a particular tutor/feedback to others via WhatsApp which would definitely prove beneficial for others.
Along with WhatsApp, users have options to share feedback on Facebook, LinkedIn & other social media channels.
Couple of features which we feel could have been incorporated:
Actual photographs of the facilities shared by existing users. This would drive more user adoption.
An option to compare services based on price/feedback/facilities.
If you are looking out for after-school programs or tutors for your kids, do give KleverKid a spin & share your feedback in the comments section.
MobieFit announced the launch of FirstRun App which is MobieFit’s first mobile app designed to make runners out of those who have never run before in their lives. FirstRun is the debut product of MobieFit, a company founded by Gourav Jaswal with Gul Panag as co-founder and born out of Prototyze, an incubator for technology-centered businesses.
Users can select from two running programs: a 5 kilometre program [based on Josh Clark’s world-renowned C25K program] and a 10 kilometre program. The most unique feature of the app is the personal trainer, Gul Panag.
FirstRun has many unique features that set it apart. Primary among which is the presumption that the user can run only one minute [yes, only one minute] at a time for the first session.
Features of FirstRun
Personal Trainer
A personal trainer guides users through the process, ensuring motivational levels never drop. Gul is the in-app personal trainer for the 5K and 10K programs, giving runners essential tips along the way.
Don’t worry about Speed or Distance
FirstRun does not focus on speed or distance, instead just encourages people to run for a set time.
With a combination of walking and running, the app ensures that exercising becomes easier for users at any stage of fitness or the lack of it.
Perfect for Beginners
On the first day, the runner only needs to run for less than 10 minutes with each run being only one minute. So even beginners can start running with ease. As they progress, the running time gradually increases.
Train for a 5K and 10K
The 5 kilometre program is structured in a way, that a beginner can go the distance in just 9 weeks, by running thrice a week. The 10 kilometre mark can be achieved by running thrice a week for 12 weeks.
Treadmill mode
Users can run outdoors or even indoors, since FirstRun has a unique treadmill mode, that gives you the right instructions at the right time.
In-app music player
Runners love music on their daily run, so there’s an in-app music player to keep them company every time they step out.
FirstRun is a great tool to train for marathons as it makes you a disciplined runner.
Quotes from Key People
Gul Panag, co-founder, MobieFit
I wish I had access to this kind of technology when I started running. If I had the support of a fantastic app like FirstRun, I would have definitely struggled less to run my first 3 miles.
Over the years, I have seen how important it is to bring fitness into our lives. I have witnessed first-hand the positive transformation it has brought in those close to me.
Gourav Jaswal, Founder and Director, MobieFit
FirstRun doesn’t just log your runs. It coaches you to run. While I have led an active life and been involved in many fitness activities, I was never a runner. This is what took me in nine weeks into running 5 km.
About MobieFit
MobieFit is a venture focused on m-Fitness. It helps you become as fit as you want, in the way that you want. MobieFit is one among many ventures born at Prototyze, an incubator founded by Gourav Jaswal. More information about MobieFit here
About Prototyze
Prototyze is an incubator, currently working in stealth mode on building mobile technology centered businesses in multiple sectors such as Financial Services, Health & Fitness, and Training & Learning. Two ventures catalyzed by Prototyze [MobieFit &HandyTrain] have already been incorporated as independent companies with independent teams, investment and trajectory. More information about Prototyze here
* Do give FirstRun [Download Link – FirstRun] a shot & share your feedback in the comments section.
