Why WhatsApp Is My Favorite And Yours too

I still remember those days when we used to send letters to friends and relatives and wait for days and weeks for a reply. I even remember those lovely Christmas seasons when I used to sent a whole bunch of cards to everyone I know in this world and enjoy the fruits as beautiful cards in return. Today, you won’t find anyone writing letters or sending cards more often. I think these are the days of WhatsApp, and I do not mind telling the fact that WhatsApp has gracefully taken the chair of a postman.

Even in the midst of quick services like FaceBook Messenger, BBM, Skype, Google Hangouts (The once GTalk) iMessage or Line, you tend to choose WhatsApp the most, for passing a quick message to your friend, an urgent message to those at home or a reply to your client. The reason for this is quite simple. WhatsApp has got features that are easier to handle and you can pass on a message within split seconds to anyone in another corner of the world. And the highlight of this application is that it does not have any ads to irritate you. The reason why most of us reached out to WhatsApp was because it was much cheaper than text and it is free from ads. But I find it more quicker as it uses our phone number as its login id.

WhatsApp is a cross platform instant messaging app that can be used in devices for Android, iOS, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Phone. Sorry if I missed out any. You are able to communicate with other WhatsApp users through text (That’s my favorite), images (I use it to poke my friends at the stroke of midnight), voice (not a fan of that one) and videos (Yeah! I use it often).

Today, we get all kinds of lovely, strange and funny messages right in a jiffy through this wonder app that was created years back, in 2009. It was created by Ian Koum, who is a Ukrainian immigrant in Mount View, California.

The Creator of WhatsApp, wanted to give the users of WhatsApp, the liberty to share different statuses to those in their circles. I do hate to find the status “I am busy” in any one of my friends’ status. But I do love to see a whole bunch of my favorites ready with the ‘Online’ mode. Yet another feature of WhatsApp is that you can get a look at the time your friend was online by checking the “Last seen” feature. Hey! You can even block your “Last seen” if you take a quick tour into the privacy settings. But unfortunately, you will also lose the liberty to peep into others’ “Last Seen.”

The reason why the creator of FaceBook opted to buy this “Wonder App” was because it was the most popular application that majority of people use these days. It took $19 Billion for Mark Zukerberg to get hold of the ownership of this Application, and that is $42 per active user. And I am happy to say that I am one among those active users for whom Zukerberg has invested $42 on. ;)

Bidding Farewell to My Dear Old Friend- Orkut

I still remember the good old days when social networking was new to everyone and Orkut was the shining star that linked everyone far and near. It gave a new meaning to friendship, dating, love and relationship. Everything was Orkut and everyone out there were busy scraping in Orkut. Youngsters were struggling hard to increase the number of friends in their Orkut account, and many found life partners through this social networking site.

This social networking site is owned and managed by the Google Inc. This social networking website was meant for helping people meet new friends and to maintain the ones that already existed. The site was founded by Orkut Buyukkoten, who was an employee in Google Inc. The real reason behind the finding of this networking site was to find Orkut’s lost girlfriend. He lost her girlfriend in a train accident. Since her name did not appear in the dead list, he decided to search her in his own way.

Buyukkoten became an architect and soon he started hiring developers for the purpose of making software that could help him search for his girl friend. To accomplish his dream of finding his girl friend, he had to lose millions of dollars along with 3 whole years. He was able to find out his girl friend and soon when he decided to shut down the website, the CEO of Google put in a proposal of buying this website. Soon it came out to the world with the popular name ORKUT. It did not take much time for this website to become a familiar name in every household. Buyukkoten will be getting a share of the revenue whenever a user registers to the website, adds a friend, or even log out of Orkut.

The reason why Orkut became popular then, was because it was extremely user-friendly and above all fun to use. Sharing snaps and ideas became easier with Orkut. It was thought to be a very colorful site that had the magic to draw millions of users towards it. The first year of Orkut’s launch saw the largest number of users from the United States joining the website. But soon Brazil became the country which had the largest number of users in the website.

This colorful social networking site was so powerful and innovative that a large number of users lined up to join it. The concept of sharing became a common word with the coming of Orkut. But now when it is time for this social networking to shut down forever, this September 30, I do feel a bit nostalgic and fear losing my first platform where I was reunited with my classmates and friends. Its absence will always create a great loss in the minds of Orkut Users forever. Though FaceBook has tried its level best to beat this social media networking site, the credit for bringing everyone closer together will always to my dear old friend- Orkut. I definitely will miss you a lot!

Drones- Technology that can make things easier

A male bee is termed in the English language as a “Drone”. But now if I ask anyone out there what a Drone meant, then I will be provided with a line of wonderful techy descriptions on this very word. Yes, I am talking about Drones, the Octocopters that came in news right from the year 2013. The then information about Drones was that Amazon, the leading online shopper, was about to make use of Drones or Octocopters as delivery machines. Amazon was planning to deliver the goods that were ordered by customers through these Drones.

A Drone is a small model of a helicopter, which can weigh up to 2.3 kg. Amazon was planning to deliver goods within 30 minutes after the placement of order with the help of these Drones. Within a period of five years, you will be able to find Amazon Drones buzzing here and there to deliver goods right to your door steps. It is said that U.S Federal Aviation Administration needs to give approval for the drones for the use of common man. The approval can bring about a lot of changes to the online giant Amazon and its methodologies.

While Amazon is running tests for its drones in Canada, we find Google making the next moves with drones in Australia and DHL; the German logistics company will be flying the drones right along the 7.5 mile passenger port of Norddeich.  The mission will be to deliver goods to the recipients. From this place, the local courier service will be delivering the goods to the recipient.

But the latest news related to drones says that the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA has given permission this Thursday for the commercial drones in the United States. The FAA has allowed six movie companies to fly the drones. The permission has been granted for movies as well as for Television shows.

The FAA has already given approval for commercial drones in Arctic areas, for the purpose of checking the ocean wildlife and oil pipelines. Drones can be of great help to movie makers, as it can fly at low altitudes and will be able to replace the choppers that are too risky during filming. These drones meant for filming, will be flying in closed sets. Moreover, they will be moving around right in front of the person operating it. This will be making a great change in the film industry. Hollywood would soon be seen shooting movies with the help of drones.

As per FAA administrator Michael Huerta, these drones will not be allowed to fly more than 400 feet. So I must say that the dangers of drones reaching out to the aircrafts or birds are pretty lesser. Hollywood is now waiting for the drones to enter the movie sets and give the industry a whole lot of benefits. The prime benefit of drones is to replace the helicopters from the shooting spots, as they tend to cause a whole lot of danger to the people around. It is expected that the restrictions put on drones will be soon relaxed and that more number of companies would be coming up with drones for making their work easier.

Why do you need to upgrade to iPhone 6

iPhone 6 has been released a few days back, and tech savvies are really charged up to catch custody of this beauty whose predecessors were as exciting to be kept. If you have already been a lover of iPhone 5, then it is quite genuine to get excited by the release of its better version. The 4 inched iPhone 5S is quite a beauty that is easy to hold and pleasure to use, not to forget the extraordinary features that are found in no other Smartphone during its release.

The latest version of iPhone, named iPhone 6, is a curved beauty made of aluminum. You get shades like gold, light or dark silver that gives you the perfect cool look while catching hold of it. The highlight is definitely the 6.8mm thickness that stands apart from its predecessor, which is 7.6mm thick. To compete with its Android competitors, the new iPhone 6 is equipped with a larger screen size. But you will find similar TouchID Sensor for both 5S and 6 versions. The new feature that you will find in the iPhone 6 version would be NFC. With this feature, you will be able to make payments on a wireless basis using Apple Pay.

Apple has made quite a different turn this time, by releasing two variations of 6, one with a 4.7 inch display and the other with a 5.5 inch display. The increase in screen resolution can be found in the iPhone6 versions, with 1334 x750 pixels, while the 5S catches hold of a 1136 x 640 pixels. It sure is a great difference that can give you the perfect visual pleasure.

These are the days of selfies. So majority of the masses would prefer to grab a Smartphone that gives you simply the perfect image. An 8MP camera with 1/3.06-inch sensor fits right into the iPhone 6 version. True-tone flash, f/2.2 aperture dual LED flash and phase detection are the other features that you will find in Apple’s new Smartphone. The new feature found is the phase detection autofocus, which we find in S5 version of Galaxy as well as in other high end cameras. This feature gives you a quick focus when you need it on a quicker basis.

The new generation processor named Apple A8 can be found in iPhone 6. This Smartphone makes use of tiny transistors for the purpose of making the CPU work more smoothly. So you will find a 20 percent quicker and smooth working CPU and a 50 percent quicker GPU in the latest iPhone. Browsing and video viewing can be extended up to 11 hours each, while 5S provides you 10 hours respectively.

Storage space in the new iPhone 6 is not limited to 16GB, 32 GB or 64 GB, but you will be able to pick a 128 GB if you prefer high storage facility. And one must not forget the fact that there is no 32 GB for the current version of iPhone.

iPhone 6 can thus be termed as an eye candy that has been equipped with quite a lot of features such as large screen size, perfect display quality, improved hardware, perfect design and lots more. So what do you think? Are you planning for a shift from iPhone 5 to iPhone 6, or a leap from an Android Smartphone to the latest iPhone 6?

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge- The reason why many took up this challenge

We have been witnessing with a whole lot of anxiety a few weeks back, as to why many are dumping a bucket full of ice on their heads. The popularity of this challenge increased when many celebrities started taking up this challenge. I did mean to talk about the #ALSIceBucketChallenge that has gained popularity recently. I think this is not longer a trendy topic to discuss at all, but I feel this is the time to remind us of this challenge that was taken up by a large number of people all round the globe.

 The day Mark Zukernberg and Bill Gates took up this challenge, many of us started noticing the ice bucket challenge and the reason why many are taking up the challenge with smiles on their faces actually puzzled us. The real reason for many to take up this challenge is to spread awareness of the ALS disease or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This is also popular as the “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” It is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that tends to affect the motor neurons in the brain as well as in the spinal cord.

Major symptoms of this disease include weakening of muscles. The affected ones find it difficult to move their legs or hands. The worst part is that ALS affected ones lose the ability to speak, swallow or move around. So I think this disease is a kind of scary even to imagine for a while.

As a person living in the southern tip of the Indian sub continent, I was not at all aware of this disease. The day when I saw one of my friend’s (Gayathri Rema) Daughter (Lulu) taking up the ice bucket challenge, I started noticing this challenge for the first time. I was actually shocked to see the small girl pouring a bucket full of ice cold water on top of her. This is when I started reading more about the ALS ice bucket challenge and started gathering information regarding the same.

The challenge that really shook me the most, was the ice bucket challenge taken by David Kurt McClain, who was a victim of the ALS for past 12 years. The smiling face of this guy actually gave me a positive vibe, and made me think of how people can smile even after facing great difficulties in life. The ice challenge that he took up was actually heart breaking. But I do appreciate his courage a lot. This was the time when I understood why people are taking up this challenge with all their hearts.

There have been a lot of ice bucket challenges taken up by many round the globe. But it is good at times to think of the gifts we are enjoying right now. Live and let live, but do have some amount of compassion for fellow beings. Life is not all about living luxuriously or differently, it is all about loving and caring for those around. Taking up the ice bucket challenge will not help in any way for those affected. But it does look as a gesture that shows that people still care for others. Let us all hope that medical science would provide some kind of miracle to root out this disease from the face of the earth.

Why should a woman peep from the four walls?

The World has changed a lot. Technology has made world closer and people far away have actually come closer, communicating with each other without fear of barriers or restrictions of any kind. If such is the growth of the world today, why is it so that majority of women still feel insecure and lonely within the four walls? This is a question which is looked upon with surprise by most of the people of metropolitan cities or even western countries. But as a matter of fact, there are people round the globe, especially women, who are not allowed to even think out of the four walls.

It is a Man’s world, as many say, but what is a woman for? Is she still looked down upon as a shadow of man, whose life has begun from the rib of man? I still feel that the world has a long way to go, and make women in this world rise up to the new world that is free of barriers and restrictions, a world full of freedom and happiness that a man enjoys today. Personally speaking, I do not have any grudges against the male community. But yes I often feel jealous of them, when they get to enjoy most of the good things in life, which we women are deprived of.

This blog is a small effort from my part, to convey what I have understood from the world outside my four walls. There can be things that took me by surprise, things that impressed me a lot and whatever I feel I need to share with others. I would love to share my experience through this blog, and make my world open up before you.

Being a woman brought up in a country like India, I know very well what it feels when you are now allowed to enjoy the joys, risks or even sorrows a man has undergone in this world.  A woman’s world does not limit within the four walls. She has to rise up and soar up in the sky for “She Has the Right to Go Hand In Hand with Her Male Counterpart”.

I believe, that when a door closes, you are offered a window that will lend you a hand in allowing you to reach out to yet another opportunity. I henceforth do believe that women without freedom too can rise up, “IF” they prefer to.

Dream high, Dream Big, Dream as if no one else had ever dreamt of. When you dream big, try to put in good amount of effort to put that dream come to pass. And I believe that nothing will be impossible, even the chains that have held you tight for years, for holding back from reaching your goals in life. Dreams should be your eternal food for happiness, and they should be the reason for your constant effort to reach out to a new world that is totally your’s alone.