All Posts in Review

|In: EduTech|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Technology plays a major role in our lives. Areas or domains that were once untouched can now be explored with the power of technology. It has enhanced the overall experience of banking, communicating, shopping, learning, etc. and one sector that is currently witnessing the change is Education. E-learning or Ed-Tech have been the pioneers of change in the field of education. Gone are the days when learning could only be done inside classrooms [closed walls], now you access tons of educational content from leading institutions, renewed professors, etc. free or at a negotiable rate on the internet.

Image Source – elearning

Ed-Tech: Changing the way we pursue Learning

The major advantage of e-learning is that it reduces costs drastically and content could be accessed while you are on the go. All you require is a good phone/PC and a decent internet connection to access their material. As per a recent employability report, India requires close to 119 million more skilled workers by 2022 and most of the sectors except agriculture would require skilled workforce in the next seven years! Many of these skills do not fall under the purview of the traditional education system and e-learning can play a major role in filling the ‘Skill Gap’. Rising internet penetration, falling handset rates, wider adoption of digital technologies/digital media act as catalysts for the nascent e-learning sector. Though MOOC [Massive Open Online Courses] have been the torch bearers of the e-learning revolution, they also have a number of shortcomings.

One industry that has changed considerably due to the internet is the Media and Entertainment industry. Gone are the days when you need to turn on your television in order to get your daily dose of entertainment. That industry is no more a subsidiary industry in the Indian economy but has also started contributing substantially to the economy. Similar to other industries, the media industry also faces a serious dearth of trained professionals and there is a need to fill the demand-supply gap. TalentEdge, a new age ed-tech firm that offers courses in partnership with world leading institutes aims to solve this problem for the entertainment industry through tailor-made courses.

Image Source – TalentEdge

The TalentEdge advantage

TalentEdge offers exclusive specialized courses that are market relevant as well as industry specific. For some of the courses, they offer a blend of online as well as offline learning opportunities through practical learning. The faculty at TalentEdge are industry leaders who have the domain as well as working experience. The major advantage of TalentEdge is that it has been able to recreate classroom type interactions in the virtual world. It so far trained close to 3 Lakh individuals and corporate learners.

TalentEdge: Cloud Campus, learning in the cloud

Though TalentEdge offers digital courses, it ensures that sessions are interactive and students can also learn from each other. Digital learning on TalentEdge is powered by Cloud Campus – its in-house interactive technology solution. Cloud Campus enables social collaborative learning, content curation, gamified content, assessment, and analytics so that students can learn on-the-go.

TalentEdge: Partnerships & Affiliations

As it is widely known, a certificate is just a piece of paper which holds value only when it has some industry affiliation/relevance. TalentEdge has left no stone unturned in that aspect and has partnered with top Indian & International Institutes including namely IIT, IIM, XLRI, etc. and with renowned corporates like OLX, Viacom 18, Wizcraft, etc. Thanks to these partnerships, it is able to offer an array of Programs and Services curated by world-leading institutes and corporates!

TalentEdge: Courses in Media & Entertainment

TalentEdge offers a number of courses for this vertical in association with MICA. The course has been designed in such a way that it offers insights into the business of media and also gives an in-depth view of the emerging trends in that industry. The lectures would be delivered by experienced faculty from MICA using Cloud Campus solution.

Some of the advantages of the course are below [Source]

  • PG Certificate from MICA
  • Learn from the best at MICA
  • Gain MICA Alumni status
  • Keep up with the latest in Media & Entertainment
  • Understand the nuances of Business of Media

Who should attend

  • New media entrepreneurs
  • Marketing & Advertising professionals
  • Media Planning & PR executives
  • Entertainment & event professionals

TalentEdge offers curated courses in the field of Media & Entertainment based on your requirement, some of which are below

PG Certificate Program in Advertising Management and Public Relations

The course aims at skill as well as perspective building for junior and middle-level executives in the domain of Advertising Management. It seeks to deliver skills for managing advertising businesses, by combining theoretical learning in the field of communication with the right blend of management education. The next batch starts from August 2017 and the course duration is 12 months.

Dr. Falguni Vasavada Oza is the professor for the course. Dr. Falguni Vasavada Oza can be contacted on LinkedIn and Twitter. The course consists of the following modules

  1. Marketing
  2. Consumer Behavior
  3. Advertising
  4. Digital Marketing
  5. Public Relations
  6. Media Management
  7. New Media
  8. Client & Agency

Further details about the course structure, eligibility, course fee, etc. can be found here

PG Certificate Program in Media & Entertainment Management

This course is designed in association with MICA where they offer a certificate online program specifically designed for the media and entertainment industry professionals and enthusiasts looking for an in-depth knowledge and a career path in the sector. The next batch starts from November 2017 and the course duration is 4 months.

Dr. Darshan Ashwin Trivedi is the professor for the course. The course consists of the following modules

  1. Brands – How brands are communicating with consumers today
  2. Consumer Behaviour
  3. Media Ecosystem
  4. Communication Planning
  5. Media planning and buying
  6. Audience Research
  7. Integrating Digital, POE Media, Programmatic buying, Importance of Listening
  8. Future of Media & Media business challenges
  9. Business of Media
  10. Film Marketing
  11. Sports Management
  12. The importance of content – Paid content and consumer generated content

Further details about the course structure, eligibility, course fee, etc. can be found here

On completion of the course, participants would receive PG Certificate issued by MICA.

TalentEdge : Closing Thoughts

Whether you are an aspiring media entrepreneur or a PR/Media person willing to sharpen your skills, look no further than tailor-made courses from TalentEdge.

If you have already enrolled for Media & Entertainment courses from TalentEdge, do leave your feedback in the comments section…

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

InFocus, a pioneer in projection and display technologies have launched the InFocus Turbo 5 (#InFocusTurbo5) for the power hungry users of India. The special feature of this budget smartphone is the massive 5000 mAh battery. The InFocus Turbo 5 would be exclusively available on Amazon.in from the 4th of July in two different color variants – Mocha Gold and Pure Gold.

The phone comes with a hybrid dual-SIM (Nano+Nano/microSD) support and has a beautiful all-metal design which might make it the ‘most powerful’ smartphone in the prize range of below Rs. 8000/-. It also has a fingerprint sensor at the back for enhanced security and the company claims that the fingerprint sensor is extremely fast & can unlock the smartphone in less than 1 second.

Talking about the specifications, the InFocus Turbo 5 is powered by the 64-bit Mediatek MT6737 processor that can be clocked maximum to 1.25 GHz and has Mali T720 MP1 GPU support. In terms of storage, the phone would be available in two different options – 2GB RAM/16GB ROM priced at Rs. 6,999/- and 3GB RAM/32 GB ROM at Rs. 7,999/-. The InFocus Turbo 5 also has the reverse charging feature i.e. it can act as a USB Host and hence can be used as a power bank for charging other devices.

InFocus Turbo 5 specifications

The smartphone sports a stunning 5.2-inch HD display with a display resolution of 1280*720 pixels with a 2.5-inch curved glass on the top. Though the main USP of the InFocus Turbo 5 is the huge 5000 mAh non-removable battery, the smartphone is extremely comfortable in hands inspite of having a 5.2- inch display as it weighs only 164 grams. The length is 149.5 mm and the thickness is 8.95 mm. The smartphone is also apt for one hand usage since it does not look or feel bulky!

It has 4G or VOLTE support. As far as the cameras are concerned, the InFocus Turbo 5 has a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash with f/2.2 aperture and 5-megapixel front/selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture. The smartphone has Android 7.0 (Nougat) out of the box. In terms of connectivity, the InFocus Turbo 5 comes with 4G VOLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, FM Radio, A-GPS, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Light sensor and range sensor. It also has 3.5 mm audio jack support.

Without a doubt, the core feature of the InFocus Turbo 5 is the massive 5000 mAh battery pack that makes it an ideal smartphone choice for social-media junkies, watching videos or listening to music, playing games, etc. The super-long lasting battery is 1.6 times more powerful than what is available on other phones. The 5000 mAh battery pack is rated to last for around two days on a single charge and can deliver up to 34 days of standby time, 23 hours of video calling. The InFocus Turbo 5 is ‘Made in India’ product and is manufactured by Foxconn that is a long-standing technology partner with InFocus.

InFocus Turbo 5 pricing and availability

The power-packed InFocus Turbo 5 would be available in a limited edition Mocha Gold variant and Pure Gold variant exclusively on Amazon. The sale starts from 4th July,12 PM. The variant with 2GB RAM & 16 GB storage is priced at Rs. 6,999 and the one with 3GB RAM & 32 GB storage is priced at Rs. 7,999.

According to you, what features would make the InFocus Turbo 5 an excellent smartphone? Do drop your points in the comments section of the article.

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

When it comes to smartphones, two features that matter the most are – Performance and Battery. It goes without a doubt when you consider buying a new phone along with these two main requirements, you would also need a phone that sports a good camera, has an awesome display, supports 4G, should be secure and should feel good in your hands. In a nutshell, the phone should have the most sought after features but should also be rightly priced.

Talking about smart-phone and innovation, InFocus is one company that has been at the forefront of it. It is a pioneer in projection as well as display technologies. The main specialization of InFocus is that it offers low-cost smartphones with same high-end specifications as compared to its competitors. It made its foray into the crowded and highly competitive smartphone market in late October 2016 with the launch of InFocus Epic 1. It is back with another beast of a phone called InFocus Turbo 5 (#InFocusTurbo5).

InFocus Turbo 5 comes with a 5.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 by 1280 pixels. The 4G mobile is powered by Mediatek MT6737 processor that is clocked at 1.25 GHz. It comes with 2 storage options – RAM: 2GB/3GB and ROM: 16GB/32 GB. As far as the cameras are concerned, the InFocus Turbo 5 has 13-megapixel rear camera with 2.2 aperture. The rear camera resolution is 4280*3120 pixels and it also supports 1280*720 pixels video resolution. The front/selfie camera is  5-megapixels. The front camera resolution is 2592*1944 pixels and it supports maximum 640*480 pixels video resolution. It has a fingerprint scanner

The InFocus Turbo 5 runs on Android 7.0 and measures around 149.5mm*74mm*8.95mm [Length*Width*Thickness/mm]. It also supports expandable storage via micro SD Card. All the standard connectivity peripherals like WiFi, Bluetooth [4.0], FM Radio, A-GPS, Sensors [Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Light] are available on the InFocus Turbo 5.

Though the phone looks interesting, according to our initial review these are some of the standout features of the phone:

  1. Powerful Battery – The InFocus Turbo 5 comes with a power packed 5000 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. With such a monster battery, you can expect the battery juice to last at least for a couple of days!
  2. Comfortable Screen Size – There is no specific mantra when it comes to choosing a right screen size for a smartphone. However, the display in InFocus Turbo 5 is rightly placed at around 5.2 inches due to which it is easy to use even in one-hand operation mode. It is one phone that can comfortably fit in your jeans pocket. It also makes reading as well as typing a delight.
  3. Mocha Gold Variant – In today’s time, most of the smartphone owners want to choose the color that suits their personality. This is one of the primary reasons why smartphone companies offer phones with different color variants. In Focus Turbo 5 would be exclusively available in Mocha Gold color that would make the entire phone stand-out in the crowd.
  4. Light in hands yet more powerful – Though the InFocus Turbo 5 sports a 5.2-inch touch display with 5000 mAh battery, it still feels light in hands. The length is 149.5 mm and thickness is 8.95 mm which does not make the phone look bulky. Though the phone has a metal body, it does not add to the overall weight of the phone. The weight of the phone is only 164 gm.
  5. Made in India, manufactured by Foxconn – InFocus and Foxconn leverage each other’s technical know-how and have a long-standing partnership. Production and assembly are handled by Foxconn’s world-class engineers. This is the ‘Seal of trust’ for InFocus Turbo 5!

Is InFocus Turbo 5 the best VOLTE smartphone available in the below 8000 price segment? The InFocus Turbo 5 goes on sale from the 4th of July, 2017 on Amazon.in. What according to you are the major features that excite you about InFocus Turbo 5, do leave your points in the comments section.

|In: FloChat|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

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 Media plans 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.

[FloChat App Download link]

If you are an existing user of FloChat, please share your feedback in the comments section…

|In: Books|Last Updated: | 2 Comments

One of the primary reasons book addicts prefer biographies, diaries, etc. is the vast amount of learnings embedded in the biography. You can learn on how the personality [on whom the biography is based] dealt with ups & downs, his personal life, how he made his important career decisions, etc. In almost all the cases, biographies are based on lives of the rich & famous e.g. Steve Jobs, Dhirubhai Ambani, Elon Musk, etc. Contrast to biographies, people who pen down their own autobiographies have an interesting story to tell about their lives, learnings, etc. Many times, authors who write their autobiography might not be that rich & famous but they have encountered ample amount of learnings that can definitely be of help to the readers!

Mr.Bhadani with Jimmy Wales [Source]

One such autobiography is that of Mr. Gangadhar Bhadani who was once described by Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, as the most prolific Indian Wikipedian. He was in the top ten worldwide contributors for months. He is around 65 years old and has lived in 17 places & 24 dwellings across India. He is a retired bank officer but unlike other bank officers, his life is full of interesting happenings 🙂 At a tender age of 55, he started contributing to Wikipedia and his book Choice in Chaos: A Wikipedian’s Autobiography is the first attempt by an English Wikipedian to share his life story.

About the Author

Mr. Gangadhar Bhadani is a retired bank officer and a prolific Wikipedian. In ‘Choice in Chaos’, he shares his life story, a tale spanning six decades of his life so far. Post-retirement [i.e. at the age of 55], he started contributing actively to the English version of Wikipedia and this according to him has been a life changing moment. You can connect with him on Facebook here.

Choice in Chaos: A Wikipedian’s Autobiography – Detailed Review

Since Mr. Bhadani has lived in seventeen different places across India, the book takes us back in time and a young Indian of this era can paint a picture of India along the way. Being an autobiography, in Choice in Chaos, Mr. Bhadani has touched upon various aspects of his life – Childhood, multi-dimensional adulthood, life as a banker and his experience as an active Wikipedian where he is passionately contributing since 2005.

The book starts off with the post-independence era in the chapter – Arrah Zila Ghar Ba. In this chapter, he recollects all his childhood memories of celebrating independence with fervor in the Arrah city that belongs to Bhojpur district. We loved the overall references that he has brought out throughout the book, example below

A human being is a creature encapsulated in his past. Despite all attempts, one does not forget many things and probably every incident, every word, every scene, sight, and smell continues to reside, consciously and sub-consciously, like granite granules inside one’s psyche not to be destroyed despite all efforts.

There is a lot of reference to Hindi words since Mr. Bhadani has mainly stayed in the northern regions of India [a couple of years were spent in Chennai when he was employed with Chennai Zonal Office]. Each chapter [Chapter 1~ Chapter 17] has a collection of memories, learnings, etc. where these chapters document his life in 17 different places in India e.g. Chapter 1: Arrah, Chapter 2: Tatanagar, Chapter 3: Muzaffarpur…. In the initial chapters, he has focused on his childhood, how living in a different set of conditions [and with a variety of people] shaped his thinking and adulthood. He has beautifully documented different facets of relations, be it with his parents, his elder brother, his daughters, etc.

Though each of these chapters has a beautiful connect where he walks us through his childhood, adolescence, multidimensional adulthood; the fascinating chapter of his life starts when he starts contributing actively to English Wikipedia. Mr. Bhadani recounts the moment when he was awestruck as soon as he started exploring Wikipedia while he was posted in Chennai. That Aha! moment is recounted in Chapter 21: Armenian Street to Mount Road where he mentions how he felt rejuvenated and blissful in the company of English Wikipedia.

Within a period of few weeks, Mr. Bhadani had already created many new pages and his edits caught the attention of other members of the Wikipedia Community. Some of the articles that were initiated by him are Chennai Central, Chennai Port, EID Party, Guindy National Park, etc. According to him, Armenians in India is the most significant article created by him. Subsequent chapters describe his interesting journey as a Wikipedian and how he networked & learnt from fellow contributors.

He even recounts his encounter with Kiruba Shankar, social media entrepreneur from Chennai where Mr. Bhadani was invited to participate and guide participants in an event named the Wikipedia Academy. There are references to Wiki Conference, the flagship conference of Wikimedians held in association with the Wikimedia Foundation. The autobiography closes with a chapter on Jharkhand where Mr. Bhadani currently resides and spends his time on different assignments.

Closing Thoughts

Choice in Chaos – A Wikipedian’s Autobiography is an interesting book that has many learnings from each one of us. The key takeaway is ‘Passion can be followed at any age since age is just a number’. At 24 Chapters and 284 pages long, it is definitely a good read where you can experience/feel the various phases of life in various parts of India!

You can purchase Choice in Chaos – A Wikipedian’s Biography by Gangadhar Bhadani by clicking on the link below

Thank you Mr. Gangadhar Bhadani for sending us the review copy of Choice in Chaos, we enjoyed reading the book …

|In: Review|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

There is a very famous quote – Education and Skills should go hand in hand. This saying applies to all of us since the primary focus during the course of obtaining a degree is to obtain good marks and stay ahead of the crowd. It would be fair to say that the syllabus and courses in the engineering field are mostly designed to deliver information rather than imparting skills. Hence, it becomes very crucial to bridge the ever-widening Skills Gap.

Image Source – Data Security

Needless to mention that with the advent of the internet and rapid development in the technological field, it is very important to keep pace with the latest trend. During my engineering days which was way back in 2002, most of us wanted to join MNC’s and had plans to become a manager in order to lead a convenient life. There was a trend to work in the industry for a couple of years, grow up the corporate ladder and settle down as a Manager but times are different now and growing focus in on Doing things as well as getting things done!

As per a National Employability Report by Aspiring Minds, there is a significant skill gap due to which many of the engineering graduates are ‘unemployable’ and need to be trained in order to them employable [Source]. This is an alarming scenario and this is where MOOC, online courses, and courses with hands-on training by reputed institutes can be of great help. Though Data Science, IOT, NLP, etc. are in huge demand, skills like CCNA, Networking are still in huge demand. CCNA certification is still in huge demand and the most sought out even in 2017.

Whether you are an engineer fresh out of college or an experienced professional, it is worthwhile to invest your valuable time on CCNA training and opt for some good CCNA courses. The main USP of getting a CCNA certification is that you can expect a pay hike of around 20~30% after getting certified. If you love networking, dealing with complexities of TCP/UDP, and all things related to networks than Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is the course that you should opt for. The CCNA course lays the foundation of your networking skills and establishes you an expert in that field certifying your capability to upkeep complex enterprise level networks.

One dominant player in the field of providing training for CCNA and other networking related courses is Koenig Solutions. The most interesting part of their training is the ‘transparency’ with which prospective candidates opting for any course on their platform can look at the trainer’s profile and lookup for their expertise!

The various categories of CCNA certifications are below:

  • Cisco Routing & Switching
  • Cisco Security
  • Cisco Collaboration
  • Cisco Service Provider
  • Cisco Data Center
  • Cisco Wireless

As mentioned earlier, technological advancements are inching ahead at a rapid pace and everything & everyone is connected. With Internet Of Things(IoT), push towards being Digital citizens, etc. Security plays a crucial role to ensure that enterprise as well as customer data is safe and there is no data breach. Cisco CCNA Security Certification is one such credential that showcases your skills and expertise in that domain. CCNA Security is a must-skill when it comes to making a career in the Network Security Domain.

Koenig’s CCNA Security Training focuses on imparting skills for configuring a LAN switch & IP router, connect to WAN, and find potential security threats. It has an in-depth training module on troubleshooting in enterprise networks since enterprise networks can be susceptible to many security related threats and customer’s data might be at stake. After the course completion, candidates would acquire the necessary skills to configure, manage and troubleshoot a medium-sized enterprise network and ensuring that security of the network is never compromised.

The CCNA Security Certification course would include the following modules:

  • Learn to work on a medium-sized enterprise LAN with multiple switches
  • Manage support for VLANs, spanning tree and trunking.
  • Understand WAN technologies and configure OSPF and EIGRP in IPv6/IPv4
  • Work with network functions for access points, firewalls, and wireless controllers
  • Understanding the fundamentals of QoS, cloud services, and network programmability.
  • Troubleshoot enterprise network deployments and manage services for smooth operations of a network.

Candidates interested in CCNA Security have options to customize their learning packages like Learning modes [classroom training/fly me a trainer], Training type [group/individual], Training location, etc.

With the world becoming more connected, data breach can be a deal-breaker for any enterprise. So go ahead and take the first baby-steps in the field of networking by opting for a CCNA certification…

|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The bold step to ban the Rs. 500 & Rs. 1000 notes hogged the entire limelight and the 2016 USA Presidential Elections took a back seat on many news channels! Though there were some short-term problems that every commoner had to face because of this ban but definitely there seemed to be huge long-term benefits associated with this bold decision! Though the historic date of November 8th [when demonetization was announced] is long gone, it still remains a major point of discussion online as well as offline since this decision touched the lives of each & every Indian irrespective of the financial status of the person.

Image Source* – Online Term Plan

Some of the discussions divert towards Financial Planning, Tax Saving Techniques, Term Insurance, etc. Demonetization coupled with other factors like Donald Trump’s appointment as the President of USA did have a tangible impact on our overall economy but it also taught a very important lesson – Life is uncertain & Financial Planning should be followed with proper execution. Every investor is different and their asset allocation strategy primarily depends on factors like age, net worth, financial goals, existing portfolio and most important of them all is Risk Appetite.

There is a very famous saying Don’t put all your eggs in the same basket and hence along with wealth accumulation & wealth enhancement, it becomes imperative to look at a very important factor – Comprehensive protection plan. As it is said that ‘Sometimes you need to solely think about your near & dear ones and forget about profit creation while making an investment‘. Given the rapidly changing lifestyle, eating habits, uncertainty around life, etc. it becomes critical to invest in a Term Insurance plan.

Unlike normal insurance plans, Term Insurance is a type of life insurance that provides pure life cover. It provides insurance for a certain period of years and if the insured dies over the policy tenure, the death benefit is paid out. But in case the insured survives the tenure, no payout is made. There is no profit/savings component with a term plan but it is still one of the most affordable insurance plans compared to the normal insurance endowment plans. It is an ideal investment option for someone who has taken loan [whether it is a home loan, car loan, etc.], someone who has invested in new ventures, someone who is a sole bread-winner or someone who wants to ensure that his/her family stays in comfort even after his/her demise !! We earn for our family 🙂

Since Term insurance plans are directly linked with person’s feelings for the dear one’s, major insurance companies in India offer that product, though there are very few that offer excellent benefits coupled with customization like Edelweiss Tokio Life TotalSecure+

Edelweiss Tokio Life-TotalSecure+ is a comprehensive protection plan that provides the benefits of Life Cover as well as cover against critical illnesses. It provides an overall protection for your family. It is one of the best term plans that is highly customizable where you can customize the premium paying term, mode of payout [for death benefit]. The mode of payout can be lumpsum or a regular income. You can also choose a rider you want to strap on. There are no investment benefits and unlike traditional insurance plans, its T&C are very easy to understand 🙂

It provides life cover with an option to cover up to 35 critical illnesses. The basic plan covers 7 illnesses. Some of the important features of the Total Secure Plus are mentioned below

Image Source – Total Secure Plus

There is a flexible premium paying term where the insurer can do a Single Pay, Limited Pay [5, 10, 15, 20, 25] or Regular Pay for a Basic Life Cover and Regular Pay for Basic & Comprehensive Health Cover. For the Regular death benefit mode, the insurer can choose the period for which the death benefit can be paid [it could be either 36, 60, 120 or 180 months]. Monthly payouts can be customized in equal monthly sum or increasing monthly sums (increase annually @ 5.00% pa compounding). There is also a Combo option which takes care of immediate requirements as well as monthly expense.

Edelweiss Tokio Life-TotalSecure+ provides Tax Benefits where Life Cover is covered under 80C & Life Cover with Basic or Comprehensive Health cover is covered under 80D. As mentioned earlier, the premium is very less compared to traditional policies, so it’s a cost effective option. The lingering question now is whether Edelweiss Tokio Life-TotalSecure+ is cost-effective, so let’s look at the cost effectiveness of the term insurance.

At Rs. 9,180 per annum, the premium amount for a 1 crore cover/ 30-year policy term for a male, 33-year-old non-smoker [no frills] is low. Throw in the health cover options and the premium rises to Rs. 11,685 and Rs. 13,164 for the basic and comprehensive options, respectively. In comparison, the annual premium for other larger player’s e-Term is roughly Rs. 27,500 per annum under the same set of parameters – and this is minus the health cover benefit. The policy is indeed extremely affordable and cost effective.

Given the uncertainty surrounding our lives, the ever changing economic environment, fast forward lifestyle, increasing liabilities like home-loan, car-loan,etc.; it is very important to invest in a well-designed term insurance plan in India like TotalSecure+ by Edelweiss Tokio Life.

If you are an investor in the TotalSecure+ policy,  please leave your review in the comments section…

Disclaimer: Information provided in the article is based on my research and I do not have any holding in it.

|In: Review|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

As Indians, 8th November is one date that has been etched in our memories since that was the date when Demonetization was announced by PM Modi. Whether the outcome was achieved or not is still an on-going debate 🙂 However, talking about dates, there is another one that can be considered as a game changer in the gaming industry and the date we are talking about is 14th December.

Image Source – Techcrunch

You might be scratching your head hard to recollect the specialty of it, well it was on that particular day when the addictive game of Pokemon Go was announced in India. Pokemon Go can be easily touted as a game that changed the phase of Augmented Reality [AR] gaming. You would have seen gamers going crazy to catch Pokemon’s at any cost and there was a huge amount of stickiness to the game.

Augmented reality [AR] is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented [or supplemented] by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data whereas Virtual reality [VR] typically refers to computer technologies that use virtual reality headsets to generate the realistic images, sounds and other sensations that replicate a real environment or create an imaginary setting [Source-1, Source-2]. There was a time when AR/VR was only limited to Video Gaming but it is now being used in different sectors like real-estate, customer service in banking, e-learning, etc. As a matter of fact, more the adoption of these technologies better it is for the AR/VR industry.

As per an industry report,

Over the past few years, AR & VR market has been growing in India on account of increasing penetration of head-mounted displays in entertainment & gaming industry, rising defense spending coupled with surging demand in the country’s healthcare sector. Over the next five years, anticipated growth in the country’s defense budget, and rising demand for AR & VR enabled products for training purposes are expected to emerge as the major factors driving demand for AR & VR products in the defense industry.

AR & VR market is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 55% during 2016 – 2021. Increasing AR usage for enhancing the gaming experience, growing penetration of head-up displays in the automotive sector, rising use of AR in pico-projectors, etc., are driving the AR & VR market in the country [Source – Techsciresearch]. Though there is a steady increase in the adoption of AR/VR, it is still primarily used by gamers since it completely redefines the gaming experience.

Back home, one company that is carrying the baton for utilizing AR & VR technologies for re-defining the gaming landscape is Smaaash Entertainment. Smaaash Entertainment was co-founded in 2009 by serial entrepreneur Shripal Morakhia and counts Sachin Tendulkar as its investor & Brand Ambassador. It is aimed at providing an exceptional gaming experience by combining sports with Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality. Smaaash Entertainment focuses on providing sports simulation technology based cricket, football etc. and other recreational activities, as well as a host of leisure activities including dining.

We visited Smaaash at 1 MG Road Mall in Bengaluru where Gladston Sequeira, Marketing Executive at Smaaash gave us a brief about the AR/VR games that are developed in-house by their R&D team. Apart from the experience, one thing that we really liked about their business model is that other gaming arenas are free to purchase those games from Smaaash which in turn spreads more curiosity about AR/VR !!

Some of the games that we experienced are listed below

Smaaash Cricket

Brett Lee is looking you in the eye. You got to have that shaken not stirred attitude to face off. The fielders will sledge; the crowd will be on your side. Let your bat do the talking at the 360-degree cricket simulator, where real world class bowlers will test your mettle with their genuine actions. You can find more about the behind Smaaash Cricket here.

Walk The Plank

Experience Virtual Reality as it takes the thrill quotient several notches higher. A dizzying 50 feet fall on either side and villainous monsters in your way. The only thing between you and death is a narrow plank. You will make it to the other side only if you can fight fear and vertigo at the same time. You can find more about the technology behind Walk the Plank here.

Finger Coaster

Wondered how designing a roller coaster by yourself would be? What if you could take a ride in one of those too. Your heart will be in your mouth when you ride on our physics-challenging, Oculus-based simulator. The better you design your ride, the more fun you will have. You can find more about the technology behind Finger Coaster here.

Nitro Wheelie

Get down and dirty on the racing track with Nitro Wheelie, a dirt bike game based on a platform boasting of six-degree freedom. Don racing helmets and get on different racing tracks, to puff up some dust. When it comes to dirt racing, nothing comes close to Nitro Wheelie. More details about Nitro Wheelie here.

Smart Arcade

With vintage favorites like Pac-Man, Air Hockey, Deal or No Deal and Simpson’s Soccer, you will never want to leave our time capsule. And if you enjoy more conventional games, there is Connect 4 and Fruit Ninja. More details about Smart Arcade here.

Super Keeper

Experience the drama, excitement, and emotions of a real penalty shootout, as you go one-on-one against our supersonic goalkeeper. At Super Keeper, it takes a lot more than mere skills to strike the ball to the back of the net. More details about Super Keeper here.

X2 Motor Racing Simulator

Bring out the F1 racer in you. At speeds of 200 mph, you got to hold your nerve as the torqued steering tests your driving mettle. Teamed with realistic racing simulation motions you will twist and turn in the 100% formula one car replica. More details about X2 Motor Racing Simulator here.

Some of the photos clicked during the visit are below:

Out of all the games that we played at Smaaash, Smaaash Cricket and Walk the Plank were cut above the rest !! The major difference between Smaaash Cricket and the Cricket that you can play at other malls using the Bowling machine is that in this case, you can actually feel that the actual bowler is bowling to you. They have collected action and speed samples of close to 20+ international bowlers that makes playing Smaaash cricket much more fun and entertaining. For e.g. If a fast bowler like Lasith Malinga bowls a slower ball, you can observe the change in pace. Live cricket commentary in the context of the game pumps the player up at you get a feeling that you are playing in a stadium 🙂 If you are cricket fan then you should definitely try out Smaaash Cricket !!

Walk the Plank is an amazing game that makes the best use of Virtual Reality. The player needs to cross 100 feet tall building on a six inches plank. That sounds a bit scary and the amazing cinematic graphics makes the overall experience even more thrilling.

More details about the games, dining, etc. at Smaaash can be found here & here. A couple of days back RCB skipper Virat Kohli was at Smaaash, Bengaluru and the atmosphere was electrifying. More details about his visit can be found here

This was our review of Smaaash that is located at 1 MG Lido Mall, Bengaluru. In case you have visited Smaaash, please leave your experience in the comments section…