Are eBook Readers Redundant in Today’s Times?

Books are one of the few joys in life that really have no parallel. People can be as ignorant as they want but a good book lures even the most bored and disinterested people toward it. An excellent and compelling storyline makes it possible for people to actually live in that story. Seeing the craze that people have for books and stories, technology enthusiasts wanted to come up with ways in which books could be read, without the need to carry a 1000 page book around, and to keep the light in the room on all night. This is what spurred eBook readers to become a part of mainstream devices among the latest electronic gadgets. An exclusive device, low power consuming, which allows you to read without disturbing people around was the dream for book lovers a few years ago. However, seeing how fickle and fast moving technology is, after all these years, is it possible that eBook readers have become redundant?

It is no secret, as several sources of the latest gadgets news too have reported, that the sales of eBook readers have seen a slump off late. People aren’t as fascinated by eBook readers as they used to be. There are several reasons for this, the foremost one being that many of the latest electronic gadgets can do everything that eBook readers can do, and then some more. Smartphones and tablets can easily carry as many eBooks as required and come with great lighting, allowing you to catch up on your reading anytime and anywhere.

In fact, since most smartphones today have a screen stretching 5 inches anyway, it doesn’t make sense to carry a 7 inch device just for reading. Thus, for users, it seems silly and it means that besides your smartphone, laptop, tablet and smartwatch, there is an additional eBook reader that you need to carry around all the time just to read. Carrying and charging an extra device is a cumbersome venture, especially when you other gadgets will be competing for the charging plug.

stacked books with a tablet on top

Furthermore, several eBook reader brands today, seeing the shift in people’s preferences toward smartphones, are releasing apps which allow users to read eBooks on their smartphones. It made headlines in the latest gadgets news when Amazon Kindle and the Nook, two premier eBook reader brands, came out with apps for both Android and iOS devices. Thus, this further makes it easy to enjoy similar experiences on your smartphones and tablets. Also, let’s not forget the cost factor – a good eBook Reader can cost as much as a budget smartphone, which means you will really need to put aside some cash for it if you want it.

Another way of looking at the matter is that many book lovers stress that no device in the world can really replace the feel of a good book, with its pages and smell. The favourite repeatedly read books, with dog eared pages and cracked spines, are a source of pride for many book enthusiasts. Hence, in the end, perhaps it is time for eBook reader brands to re-think their strategy, as people are now becoming weary of carrying multiple devices, which are becoming more of a burden than a convenience.

Rotimatic: A Gadget Marvel or Publicity Stunt?

Make no mistake – housewives, homemakers, working women and moms all have one worrying feature in common – ‘what do I make for dinner tonight?’ The million dollar question has spurned arguments, fights and exasperated sighs from husbands and families in general at the dilemma that plagues every married woman every single day.

Hence, at times like these, it is frustrating to see that all of the latest electronic gadgets available in the market are of no use at all in the house. In fact, even so many of the kitchen gadgets seem silly, redundant and what seem to take more time and effort to use and operate than ever. Hence, when the latest gadgets news reported that a special device was in the making which would actually be able to cook and make ready to eat hot rotis, flatbreads eaten widely by Indians, it was every woman’s dream come true. Women would rather get a gift like this on their anniversary than a diamond ring.

The Rotimatic is a unique machine, which can deliver hot fresh rotis at the rate of one roti per minute. You simply need to load the machine with flour and water (oil if needed) and then, switch it on and a while later, rotis start popping out. You can also adjust the extent to which you want the roti cooked, along with its thickness and the amount of oil. It all sounds too good to be true, so perhaps that is the case.

Since making it to the latest gadgets news more than two years ago, there has been no update on the product whatsoever. An initial pre-order list was opened only to Singapore and American residents. The target audience, a chunk of who are actually Indians who still live in India, have had no news regarding any launch or even a pre-order list being announced. What’s worse, the product hasn’t yet even been delivered to the ones in Singapore and the US. There have been no updates on what the holdup is and besides a few selected reviews of well known sites, no one has really been able to see this miracle machine in action. This begs the question, why announce this product and open a pre-order list when nothing was ready? And why give hope to thousands of women when this product may still be far from reaching their actual kitchens?

This product was also featured among the latest electronic gadgets at the CES 2015, where some people managed to get hold of the makers and founders of the company which is dishing out the ‘Rotimatic’ – Zimplistic. Even then, the couple behind this miracle machine were being evasive about when exactly this product will actually become a mainstay in people’s home. Considering the immense demand, it is understandable if there is a slight delay meeting customer expectations but unfortunately, women may have to wait quite a while before being relieved of the arduous kitchen duty of making rotis for the entire family.

New Office 2016 for Mac Finally Released.

A union of two big names for all the right reasons is always welcome. After all this time, Microsoft has finally released Office for Mac. It has been half a decade since any major release from Microsoft for the Apple device and with the new release, Microsoft clearly wishes to make its Mac users feel like they are top priority. In fact, Han-Yi Shaw, Microsoft’s head of Office for Mac has reasserted this by out rightly saying “We wanted to make sure that Mac users feel like first-class citizens in the Office story”. The Mac is only one of the additions to the list of latest gadgets news is that Microsoft has been working hard to make the Office as universal an application as possible.

Thus, the much awaited Office 2016 for Mac is finally here and it comes with many updates that favour easy use and enhanced functionality. The update covers the expected five forces of Office – Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and OneNote, all customized and enhanced specifically for Mac. The Word feature comes with a special Design tab which lets users dramatically improve the look of their document by adding effects and designs. The most significant enhancement is seen in Excel, where there are pointers even for relative novices in the field of Excel, as you can get prompters on what chart to use for the kind of data you have. There are also embedded shortcuts and tools to aid users with gaining better insight through deeper analysis and study.

Similarly, Office 2016 for Mac also comes with PowerPoint improvements, which include not only changes and enhancements in the viewing and presentation part but also in animations. Like the extent of animations present wasn’t enough, now there are also added animations to spruce up your presentation. The very organized Outlook has only become more organized with better sorting of mails. Lastly, the OneNote is a pleasant addition to Office for Mac, as users can now jot down notes in digital diaries and can change fonts and add effects to them too.

The best part is that the use of Office for Mac isn’t restricted to only Mac but extends as well to other latest gadgets. News is that every three out of four users of Apple products use Office for Mac on their other devices too, such as their iPads. With the new enhancements and improvements, it looks like Office is all set to make Mac users feel happy and privileged.

This is definitely a step in the right direction for Windows. They should rather concentrate on profitable ventures like these, rather than their hardware debacles like Lumia phones. Microsoft has always been a software giant and it would do well for the company to stick to that. Although it has achieved some success with its Surface range, with the Office and Windows, Microsoft has two horses that are set to run and win in the long run.

Is Buying a Smartphone Online Safe?

Online shopping isn’t considered an eyebrow raising endeavor anymore. Irrespective of what your need may be, online shopping is the answer. Right from small stationary items and hair clips, to home theatre systems, e-commerce sites have it all. People now, after doing their homework by studying all of the latest smartphone specifications and features, buy smartphones online, which isn’t really news anymore. However, what is news is that after all this time, there are people now turning away from buying expensive and heavy investment items online, due to a few bad experiences and negative reviews.

While criticisms of online shopping isn’t new, is there really enough proof regarding cons of online shopping for people to be put off it for life? Imagine what a negatively experienced user goes through. After pouring his heart into researching everything about the latest mobile specifications, imagine ending up with something quite different from what you paid for.

Some people have landed with deliveries that came with the wrong cell phone model or color. Some more unfortunate customers end up without an earphone set or charger in their box. And the exceptionally unfortunate ones end up with a soap or a big brick instead of a smartphone in a box. Of course, these are exceptional cases and any of the stages of packaging could be to blame in this case.

However, once bitten twice shy is definitely true for several users who have had a bad experience such as those mentioned above when shopping online. Well, the good news about buying a smartphone in a store is that at least you yourself needn’t bulk up on the knowledge of the latest smartphone specifications yourself, as there will be a salesman to let you know about what features are present in which smartphone. And you may even get a chance to hold a similar model in your hand, so that you get a feel of the phone.

However, brick and mortar stores can never replace the convenience of being able to make a purchase from the comfort of your home. The best thing to do in such a case is to be cautious but not too cautious. Always make purchases only from authentic websites that everyone knows and who have a good reputation of not only delivering goods properly but also of addressing customer grievances on time and respectfully. Go through different handheld news to know which websites users are recommending for purchases.

Such news not only update you about the latest mobile specifications but also in related forums, users often speak of their experiences with smartphone purchases, providing vital guidelines on the do’s and don’ts of buying a smartphone. So, keep your eyes open and follow these pointers to make a smart and safe online smartphone buy.