Monthly Archives: March 2014

All New Kindle Paperwhite

Posted in Books by

KS-slate-04-lgFor Kindle Paperwhite review refer to my previous review here.

Amazon is continuously upgrading the user experience in reading books. The latest in Kindle Paperwhite is an example of their innovation. In addition to the latest 2nd generation whiter screen, darker text, faster page turns the 1st generation also gets the following features with the firmware upgrade.

Page Flip

Flip through the pages of the book without leaving the current page.

Lookup

Enhanced Lookup feature now shows the entries from New Oxford American Dictionary, X-Ray and Wikipedia. This is a fantastic feature which gives more information without leaving the page that we are reading.

Vocabulary Builder

The new words that we Lookup in dictionary are automatically added to Vocabulary Builder. You can view them as flashcards in context and mark them as mastered.

Goodreads

Integration of Goodreads into Kindle device opens up more dimensions to the way we socialize with our friends based on what we read & our books.

Kindle Free Time

Create a profile for our little ones and cultivate a habit of reading from early stages of their life.

Cloud Collection

Use cloud collection to arrange our books in customer categories to view on other kindle apps/devices.

Now the question is do we really need to upgrade if we are 1st generation Paperwhite owners. My honest opinion after updating to the latest firmware is NO.

I would prefer to wait for the 3rd generation Kindle Paperwhite which is rumored to have the features like: higher resolution, automatic brightness adjustment, flush to edge glass, squeezable buttons for page turns & improved angular back casing.

Some of the things I miss from Kindle Keyboard 3G are page turn buttons, listening to books while Kindle reads for you and the browser that works with 3G data connection (with Paperwhite it requires Wi-Fi)

Please leave your comments on what do you think about this amazing Amazon product.

Mahindra XUV 500 W8 AWD

Posted in Motor Vehicle by

XUV500At last my dream of owning an SUV is realized by Mahindra XUV 500. My opinion of SUV is always a 4 wheel drive. Had a test drive and found that from Oct 2013 they have made changes to clutch, suspension, brakes and few little things. I think this is the best value for money SUV available after comparing with TATA Storme, TATA Aria in similar price range. It has all bells and whistles without automatic transmission.

Things we liked:
1. Ample space
2. No center floor hump for the middle seats.
3. Great leg room for all seats except the last row (fine for kids).
4. Good pick up with 140 bhp power and 330 Nm torque
5. Great visibility
6. Micro Hybrid (start stop of engine), cruise control, Auto head lamp and Auto wipers
7. 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, ESP, Hill hold, Hill Descent, disc brakes on all wheels, Static bending headlamps
8. Intelligent All Wheel Drive Technology by Borg Warner
9. Monocoque construction
10. Automatic Dual HVAC
11. Cool box, Lounge lighting (my kid loves), conversation mirror (my kid hates)
12. Good ground clearance with 17″ wheels
13. Multi information touch screen entertainment system with Blue Sense.
14. 70 litres of Diesel (approximately 945 Km)

Things we want to improve:
1. Rattling sounds here and there have to be sorted out (dashboard, middle seats and doors mostly from plastics)
2. Simplified center console
3. More precise brakes
4. Ability to change personal info on the central infotainment system
5. MapmyIndia Navigation is way behind Google maps
6. Service personnel need to be more interactive and precise on their solutions (no repetition of same issues)
7. The concept of Purple club is great but not much of buzz on the same.
8. Overall service satisfaction need to be addressed immediately

We had many trips. The longest till now is 1400 Km. Tested the maximum speed to be around 195 KM/Hr. The mileage is around 13.5 KM/Lt. The best mileage I had is 14.6 KM/Lt and worst is 10.2 KM/Lt.

My wife likes the Auto Lamp function. With our earlier car she faced the battery drain issues twice as she forgot to switch them off. With XUV she puts it in Auto Lamp mode and when she gets into the basement of the parking lot they switch on automatically and switch off when the engine is off. I also like the feature that does not allow the video to play unless the vehicle is halted with gear in neutral and hand brake engaged.

Overall I am satisfied with the vehicle except the small niggles here and there. Hopefully the service guys will solve them soon.

Planning to get the 3M paint protection sealant done.

Please share your views on XUV 500 W8 AWD.

ARCHIBUS Nexus

ARCHIBUS Nexus

ARCHIBUS Nexus reinvents our annual Users’ Conference with a focus on three core initiatives: shared experience, continuing education, and international community.
Thus, ARCHIBUS Nexus is organized into 3 unique events: Conference, University, and Connect.

Hope to see you all there.