What’s life without a Bluetooth Speaker?

It is hard to imagine what’s life without a Bluetooth Speaker? I think the biggest chunk of time one spends talking on the phone nowadays is via Bluetooth paired ear buds, neckbands or headphones. The range of devices available is mind boggling. Really, what’s life without a Bluetooth Speaker?

A few years ago I had a Bluetooth headphone. I thought I’d listen to music on it during the morning and evening commute in the Delhi Metro. I tried it but found it was too heavy and had to turn the volume up to overcome the ambient noise.

Over a period of time lighter variants have come up. The noise cancellation feature enhances the listening experience by not allowing in the ambient noise. This is useful when travelling by a noisy mode because music does not have to compete with the ambient noise. I have tried this feature in a pair of headphones but it causes discomfort in the ears after some time (at least to me).

Another useful feature is Active Noise Cancellation in the microphones which can be useful in conference calls. This is supposed to prevent the distracting background noises from going through the microphone. I must say I have tried it in a few headphones without much success. Wonder if the more expensive models do a better job of this.

Over the years we have a collection of a few Bluetooth speakers, earbuds, headphones and a neckband in our household.

The Bluetooth version keeps changing and backward compatibility helps. I’ve not tried if all the laptops and mobiles are compatible with all of the audio devices.

Each family member has their own preference. If one is borrowing from another member of the family, it is best to unpair the device after use.

CRIC QUIZ 2023-PART4

As another exciting season of the Indian Premier League ends, You can win of a fabulous prize by answering this straightforward question. so go ahead and participate in this quiz.

What should you do to Win in the Cric Quiz 2023 – PART 4

Which team won INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, 2023-SEASON 16?

Give the right answer to the question given above and win a prize in this quiz.

Click ‘Enter to Win‘ and Leave a Comment with your answer.
First 10 Correct Comments in this quiz will win a prize!! Refer to the Official Rules.

ऊपर दिए गए प्रश्न का सही उत्तर देकर ईनाम जीतें.

क्लिक करें ‘एंटर टु विन’ और लीव अ कमेंट सेक्शन में अपना उत्तर दें.

पेहले 10 सही कमेंट ईनाम पाएँगे !!
ऑफिशिअल रूल्स देख लें.

Prizes in Cric Quiz 2023 – PART 4

A Gift Card worth Rs. 10/- of an online shopping portal will be given to all the winners. Should this not be possible an alternative gift of similar value will be provided.
हर विनर को Rs. 10/- का ऑनलाइन शॉपिंग गिफ्ट कार्ड मिलेगा। किसी कारणवश यह नहीं हो पाया तो लगभग इतने ही मूल्य का कोई और गिफ्ट दिया जायेगा.

Delhi to Sariska Tiger Reserve – Part 1

Recently we made a a trip from Delhi to the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, Rajasthan. This video is about the places we saw on the way.

I will post another blog about the wildlife we saw in the Sariska Tiger Reserve.

CRIC QUIZ

EASY AND SIMPLE CRIC QUIZ 2022

Dear viewers,

Big cricket season is up ahead with new players and excitement. So start the cricket season by participating in this quiz. Test your knowledge and your crickness by participating in this Cric Quiz.

QUESTION: Which two teams are playing against each other in the opening match of IPL Season 15?

What should you do to Participate in the Cric Quiz

Give the right answer to the question give above and win a prize in the Cric Quiz.

Click ‘Enter to Win‘ and Leave a Comment with your answer.
First 30 Comments in this quiz with the right answer will receive a prize!! Refer to the Official Rules.

ऊपर दिए गए प्रशन का सही उत्तर देकर ईनाम जीतें.

क्लिक करें ‘एंटर टु विन’ और लीव अ कमेंट सेक्शन में अपना उत्तर दें.

पेहले 30 कमेंट ईनाम पाएँगे !!
ऑफिशिअल रूल्स देख लें.

[contesthopper contest=”2454″]

Prizes in the Cric Quiz

A Gift Card worth Rs. 10/- of an online shopping portal will be given to each winner. Should this not be possible an alternative gift of similar value will be provided.

हर विनर को Rs. 10/- का ऑनलाइन शॉपिंग गिफ्ट कार्ड मिलेगा। किसी कारणवश यह नहीं हो पाया तो लगभग इतने ही मूल्य का कोई और गिफ्ट दिया जायेगा।

The Winner of this of this Quiz is Poonam Verma

The answer is Chennai Super Kings[CSK] and Kolkata Knight Riders[KKR]

Official Rules:

The instructions and Terms & Conditions are as follows:

• Enter your email id and Click ‘Enter to Win’

• Leave a Comment with the answer to the contest question

•Login using Gmail id or Facebook id only

•Prizes this month: First Thirty Correct Comments in a quiz will receive a prize. They should also have provided their email id and clicked ‘Enter to Win’

•A Gift Card worth Rs. 10/- of an online shopping portal will be given to a each winner. Should this not be possible an alternative gift of similar value will be provided.

*Terms & Conditions

1. OKTATA.COM has organized this contest

2. There is no entry fee to enter this competition.

3. By entering this competition an entrant agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions.

4. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older.

5. Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified. The contest is open to citizens of India.

6. The contest will end at 17: 30 on 31st March, 2022. Entries received after the cut-off time and date will not be considered.

7. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are not received for whatever reason.

8. The contest may be cancelled due to unavoidable reasons.

9.The winner will be notified by email within 30 days of the closing date. If a winner cannot be contacted within 30 days his/her reward will be forfeited.

10. You agree to post only comments relevant to the contest

11. OKTATA.COM’s decision shall be final, and no correspondence shall be entertained.

12. The participant agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry.

13. All content submitted by you to OKTATA.COM may be published by OKTATA.COM and OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to preserve, return, or otherwise make available to you or others any material.

14. OKTATA.COM may use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish, and otherwise make use of the Submitted Content in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter created—throughout the world and for any purpose—without compensation to you of any kind.

15. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM, you represent and warrant that the Content does not infringe any copyright, trademark, property rights, rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party and that you have the full and unrestricted right to transfer the Content to OKTATA.COM free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.

16. You acknowledge and agree that OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to post, display, or otherwise make publicly available any Content submitted by you.

17. You acknowledge and agree that Content submitted by you may be made available by OKTATA.COM for viewing, rating, reviewing, and commenting by the public. You acknowledge that comments or ratings that you disagree with or are unhappy about may be published or otherwise become associated with the Content that you submit to OKTATA.COM. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM you waive any privacy expectations that you may have with respect to the Content. OKTATA.COM will not be held responsible for any comments or ratings given by others.

18. You agree to hold OKTATA.COM harmless from and against—and hereby waive any right to pursue—any claims of any nature arising in connection with OKTATA.COM’s use of the Content submitted to OKTATA.COM and used in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion.

19. OKTATA.COM may provide the participants’ details to law enforcement agencies if required.

20. OKTATA.COM will send periodic emails to the participants. By participating you agree to receive such emails though the participant may “opt out” of these emails at any time through by sending an email to oktatacontests@gmail.com with the subject line “Unsubscribe.”

June 2019 Contest

June 2019 Contest

Guess this song and win a great prize in the June 2019 Contest!
Click Enter to Win and leave a comment with your answer.
Refer to the Official Rules.
बूझें ये गीत और जीतें एक शानदार ईनाम !
क्लिक करें ‘एंटर टु विन’ और लीव अ कमेंट सेक्शन में अपना उत्तर दें.
ऑफिशिअल रूल्स देख लें.

A Gift Card worth Rs. 100/- of an online shopping portal will be given to a random winner. Should this not be possible an alternative gift of similar value will be provided.
सही उत्तर देने वाले एक रैंडम विनर को Rs. 100/- के मूल्य का ऑनलाइन शॉपिंग गिफ्ट कार्ड मिलेगा। किसी कारणवश यह नहीं हो पाया तो लगभग इतने ही मूल्य का कोई और गिफ्ट दिया जायेगा.

The WINNER of this contest is MANTHAN GOHEL!
The song is Naina Jo Sanjhe Khwab Dekhte The.

Paragraph Writing Contest for Mothers

[contesthopper contest=”1733″]

The rules of the competition and instructions are as follows:

• This is a PARAGRAPH WRITING CONTEST for MOTHERS
• Contestants must enter their email and click ‘Join Contest’ at oktata.com/ paragraph-writing-contest-for-mothers/
• The topic is MY ONLINE SHOPPING SPREE
• Participants must write at least 300 words about the topic provided
• Venue: You can write in the comfort of your home
• Files with .doc & .docx extension should be mailed to oktataconstests@gmail.com by 11:30 PM, IST, on 9 July, 2017. Entries received later than that will not be considered. The subject line should bear: ‘Name of the Participant- PWC for Mothers-June 2017’ (e.g. Suruchi Verma-PWC for Mothers-June 2017)
• Speech to Text facility may be used on Android, iPhone and desktop computers since it can speed up submissions. Care should be taken to correct the text after using Speech to Text technology
• Test the Speech to Text service beforehand. Find a quiet place in your home and request family members to support you.
• The winner will receive a Gift Card worth Rs. 250/- of an online shopping portal. Should this not be possible an alternative prize of similar value will be provided.

*Terms & Conditions
1. OKTATA.COM has organized this contest for mothers towards the end of the kids’ summer holidays.
2. There is no entry fee to enter this competition.
3. By entering this competition an entrant agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions.
4. Contestants must be 18 years of age or older.
4. Details are provided at http:// oktata.com/paragraph-writing-contest-for-mothers/
5. Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified. The contest is open to citizens of India.
6. Entries must be made by Parents/Guardians by using their own email id.
7. The contest will end at 11: 30 PM, IST, on 9 July, 2017. Participants must Click on ‘Join Contest’ at the above link & email their submission to oktataconstests@gmail.com. Entries received after the cut-off time and date will not be considered.
8. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are not received for whatever reason.
9. The contest may be cancelled due to unavoidable reasons.
10. The winner will be notified by email within 15 days of the closing date. If a winner cannot be contacted within 14 days his/her reward will be forfeited.
11. OKTATA.COM’s decision shall be final and no correspondence shall be entertained.
12. The participant agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry.
13. All content submitted by you to OKTATA.COM may be published by OKTATA.COM and OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to preserve, return, or otherwise make available to you or others any material.
14. OKTATA.COM may use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish, and otherwise make use of the Submitted Content in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter created—throughout the world and for any purpose—without compensation to you of any kind.
15. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM, you represent and warrant that the Content does not infringe any copyright, trademark, property rights, rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party and that you have the full and unrestricted right to transfer the Content to OKTATA.COM free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.
16. You acknowledge and agree that OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to post, display, or otherwise make publicly available any Content submitted by you.
17. You acknowledge and agree that Content submitted by you may be made available by OKTATA.COM for viewing, rating, reviewing, and commenting by the public. You acknowledge that comments or ratings that you disagree with or are unhappy about may be published or otherwise become associated with the Content that you submit to OKTATA.COM. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM you waive any privacy expectations that you may have with respect to the Content.
18. You agree to hold OKTATA.COM harmless from and against—and hereby waive any right to pursue—any claims of any nature arising in connection with OKTATA.COM’s use of the Content submitted to OKTATA.COM and used in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion.

Water Purifier for home use

For decades we have been using a water purifier for home use. I do remember a time ages ago when a water purifier was not required. We used to live in a locality with 24 hours’ clean water supply. We could drink water straight from the tap. In the Winters that is. In the summers we had an earthen pot, the Matka, in which water would stay cool. It quenched the thirst much better than refrigerated water. Not only us but every one had a Matka apart from the fridge. The fridge would turn watery when the electricity would go off. And that was frequent. I think a Matka used natural sedimentation to purify water.

In due course of time the 24 hour water supply ran dry. We had restricted water supply in the mornings and evenings. Yet, we didn’t need a water purifier. We would store water in various pots and pans and a steel bucket. Gradually the quality of water deteriorated and we needed a water purifier for home use. It was an ultra violet water purifier, Aquaguard, by Eureka Forbes.

As time passed by RO Systems (Reverse Osmosis Water Purifiers) came into the market. These were intially very expensive and used only in offices and factories. Now RO water purifiers for home use are easily available. Practically all flat dwellers in Gurgaon and Noida use an RO system. In Gurgaon people use RO Systems to clean the bore well water. It is a slow process. An RO system can cost twice as much as the UV system.

I wonder what chai pakoda made with water from an RO system will taste like. Sometimes when there is no electricity supply and the water purifier can’t be switched on or when there is no water supply we need to buy bottled water. Though it is called mineral water it is just water purified by one process or the other. It has a queer plastic taste to it that sticks in the mouth long after having sipped it.

Paragraph Writing Contest for Kids

[contesthopper contest=”1712″]

The rules of the competition and instructions are as follows:

• This is a PARAGRAPH WRITING CONTEST for students in Classes IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI & XII in school

• Parents/Guardians must enter their email and click ‘Join Contest’ at https://oktata.com/paragraph-writing-contest-kids/

• There are four categories: Classes IV & V, Classes VI, VII, VIII, Classes IX & X and Classes XI & XII

• Topic for Classes IV, V – MY DREAM HOLIDAY
• Topic for Classes VI, VII, VIII – MY FAVOURITE HOBBY
• Topic for Classes IX, X – MY FAVOURITE SUBJECT
• Topic for Classes XI, XII – AIR QUALITY IN DELHI

• Classes IV & V participants must write at least 150 words about the topic provided

• Classes VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI & XII participants must write at least 300 words about the topic provided

• Venue: You can write in the comfort of your home

• Speech to Text facility may be used on Android, iPhone and desktop computers since it can speed up submissions. Care should be taken to correct the text after using Speech to Text technology

• Test the Speech to Text service beforehand. Find a quiet place in your home and request family members to support you.

• Files with .doc & .docx extension should be mailed to oktataconstests@gmail.com by 11:00 PM, IST, on 25 June, 2017. Entries received later than that will not be considered. The subject line should bear: ‘Name of the student- ‘Class XYZ’- ‘June 2017’ (e.g. Deepak Gupta-Class IV-June 2017)

• The winner will receive a Gift Card worth Rs. 250/- of an online shopping portal. Should this not be possible an alternative prize of similar value will be provided.

*Terms & Conditions

1. OKTATA.COM has organized this contest to encourage kids to hone their skills during the Summer Holidays.
2. There is no entry fee to enter this competition.
3. By entering this competition an entrant agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions.
4. The details are provided at https://oktata.com/paragraph-writing-contest-kids/
5. Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified. The contest is open to citizens of India.
6. Entries must be made by Parents/Guardians by using their own email id.
7. The contest will begin at 11: 00 PM, IST, on 23 June 2017 and the participants must Click on ‘Join Contest’ before that. The contest will end at 11 PM 25 June 2017. Entries received after that will not be considered.
8. No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are not received for whatever reason.
9. The contest may be cancelled due to unavoidable reasons.
10. The winner will be notified by email within 15 days of the closing date. If a winner cannot be contacted within 14 days his/her reward will be forfeited.
11. OKTATA.COM’s decision shall be final and no correspondence shall be entertained.
12. The participant agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry.
13. All content submitted by you to OKTATA.COM may be published by OKTATA.COM and OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to preserve, return, or otherwise make available to you or others any material.
14. OKTATA.COM may use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish, and otherwise make use of the Submitted Content in any and all media, whether now known or hereinafter created—throughout the world and for any purpose—without compensation to you of any kind.
15. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM, you represent and warrant that the Content does not infringe any copyright, trademark, property rights, rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party and that you have the full and unrestricted right to transfer the Content to OKTATA.COM free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.
16. You acknowledge and agree that OKTATA.COM shall have no obligation to post, display, or otherwise make publicly available any Content submitted by you.
17. You acknowledge and agree that Content submitted by you may be made available by OKTATA.COM for viewing, rating, reviewing, and commenting by the public. You acknowledge that comments or ratings that you disagree with or are unhappy about may be published or otherwise become associated with the Content that you submit to OKTATA.COM. By submitting Content to OKTATA.COM you waive any privacy expectations that you may have with respect to the Content.
18.You agree to hold OKTATA.COM harmless from and against—and hereby waive any right to pursue—any claims of any nature arising in connection with OKTATA.COM’s use of the Content submitted to OKTATA.COM & used in any manner in its sole and absolute discretion.

Used Mobile Phones

My mobile phone journey started with a cellular phone. Well, years ago mobile phones were referred to as ‘cellphones.’ Subsequently the word ‘handphone’ gained ground and still later the word ‘mobile’ came into vogue. Now I am seldom mobile without my mobile. Over the years I have used mobile phones of various manufacturers.

As my first purchase I wanted to buy the Nokia 5110. It was a robust phone capable of taking a few knocks. Just before the shopkeeper handed it to me I enquired about any other new releases. I was handed a Motorola T300. I bought it and was greatly disappointed. Both with the quality of the phone and with my decision of not buying the Nokia 5110. Very soon the company I worked for deployed a CUG plan for all employees and I was handed an LG phone. Then the company policy changed and we were allowed to buy our own handsets. This time I made the right choice. I bought the Nokia 3310. Texting was a pleasure. The dictionary was wonderful. I swapped from one conference call to another. Like a breeze.

By this time I had used mobile phones for a few years and realized that the mobile phone device would change every year or so. Soon, thereafter I moved to another company and it was time for another device. Yet, again a Nokia.This time it was Nokia 6230i with a camera and Bluetooth. I used the GPRS frequently on this phone and even browsed the net a few times.

The next mobile phone was Nokia 3110. Moving contacts from the old to the new phone using Bluetooth was easy. I didn’t transfer contacts directly between the phones. I first transferred contacts using Bluetooth from the old phone to my computer and from the computer to the new mobile phone using Bluetooth.

Sometime later it was time for another phone change because the Nokia 3110 had suffered more than its share of knocks on the floor. Though I wanted to buy an Android I chose to go in for a BlackBerry Curve 9300 because it had a physical qwerty keyboard. When this wouldn’t go any far even after body and battery changes I opted for a Blackberry Curve 8520. With the Blackberry devices browsing on the phone zoomed up. I browsed in the park, browsed in the parking lot and confess to having browsed in the toilet. The optical track pad was great!

When the time came round for another device change I opted for the Red Mi Note 4G from Xiaomi. The big screen made reading long articles a simple and tiring experience for the neck. The best part was the battery back up of the phone. From that I migrated to a Samsung J7.

I have used an iPhone as well since many of my friends and relatives have one. Certainly the image quality of an iPhone is amazing. I have borrowed it several times and the iPhone’s camera is of outstanding quality.

My latest experience includes having used mobile phones with 2 SIM cards.