LG India launches Smartphone Idea Camp Contest

LG Electronics, a global giant in modern technology and mobile communications, has launched an innovative campaign by the name ‘Smartphone Idea Camp’. This campaign is a ‘consumers connect’ initiative which would be conducted online. During the campaign, LG would invite consumers to submit unique app, feature, concept, service, design, UI ideas that they desire in their phones. The best ideas would get incorporated in LG’s future smartphone line-up and also win prize value of Rs. 15, 00,000.

The 2 month long campaign, which kick-starts today encourages tech enthusiasts to share their innovative app feature concept, service, design, UI ideas on the Smartphone Idea Camp page.The contest would be open to all Indian residents, and the entries would be evaluated on the basis of imagination, creativity and utility.

 “We at LG firmly believe in constant innovation and this contest allows our consumers to showcase their creativity and talent. The Smartphone Idea Camp is an excellent way to gain inspiration from the imagination of the mobile phone users and tech enthusiasts. It helps us gain a better understanding of the demands and desires of our consumers and gives us a first-hand insight into their minds. For dynamic products like mobile phones, it is extremely important for us to be in direct contact with our consumers in order to understand what exactly they are looking for and, therefore, add value to their lives”, says Sanjay Maheshwary, Business Head, Mobile Communications, LG India.

Today, smartphones have come a long way from where they started out. The hi-tech smartphones allow consumers to multi-task with unbelievable ease. Quad core processors, cloud gaming and GPS enabled search engines are the latest rages in the mobile world. Near Field Communications is another technology that is all set to take the mobile market by storm by this year. The umpteen features and innumerable apps that come pre-loaded with the smartphones also help make consumers’ lives easier.

The consumers too have changed rapidly, with more people now opting for a smartphone than a basic feature phone. The smartphone market is growing at an incredible pace, and a large chunk of the consumers now use their smartphones to surf the net, book air tickets, play games and watch 3D videos. The changing perceptions and the rising consumer demands is a constant motivation for smartphone makers to innovate.

The advent of social media has completely shifted marketing trends and it is getting increasingly important for companies to have better connect with consumers through such platforms rather than simply spending millions on mass media. Consumer connect initiatives help companies reach out to a wider set of audience in an intimate way and keep pace with the fast changing demands and needs of the consumers.

Today, a brand is judged not only by the services offered by them but also by the initiatives taken by them to bond with their consumers. LG understands that as a company it cannot confine itself to its corporate space but must reach out to their consumers. Smartphone Idea Camp is one such initiative by LG to fashion a bond with their consumers, and take their help in developing something unique.

Tips for Trouble-free Printing with EPSON Color Printers and All-in-Ones

EPSON TX101 All-in-One Image Credit: Epson

HP Inkjet Printers use Print Heads which are built inside the Color and Black Cartridges of the Printer. Upon replacement of an Ink Cartridge, its Print Head changes automatically. However, the replacement of ink cartridges in an HP Printer is generally an expensive affair. The cost of replacement of Original HP cartridges can exceed the cost of a new Inkjet Printer itself.

In contrast, Epson and Canon Inkjet Printers use Print Heads which are fixed inside the Printers. The Ink Cartridge of an Epson/ Canon Inkjet Printer does not have a Print Head inside it. Since the Print Head is fixed inside the Printer itself, its removal and cleaning is not possible by end-users.

For trouble-free printing from Epson Color Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, I suggest the following:

  • To prevent clogging/ blockage of Print Head Nozzles on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, always confirm that when the Printer/All-in-One is not-in-use or is powered ‘Off’ its Print  Head Unit (the black box which holds the Color & Black Cartridges) is in its ‘Home Position’ on the extreme right side of the unit. In the Home Position the Nozzles are capped and prevent drying of Ink in and around the Nozzles. This is similar to a Fountain Pen’s Nib being covered with the Pen’s Cap.
  • To prevent clogging/ blockage of the Print Head on EPSON Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones, take Prints regularly; at least twice a Week. Printing regularly helps in the free flow of Ink and does not let the Inks dry/ thicken within the Print Head and on the Nozzles. This is specially important for Users of Compatible Ink Cartridges.
  • Users of Epson Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones can SAVE on day-to-day TEXT Printing Costs by using Compatible Ink Cartridges, instead of Originals/Refills. Compatible Ink Cartridges are easily available for most models of Epson Inkjet Printers and All-in-Ones. Available at ~15% of the cost of Original Ink Cartridges, the Compatible Ink Cartridges offer TEXT Prints in equivalent Quality & Quantity. The Compatible Ink Cartridges are not recommended for printing High Quality Photographs, as the Print Quality will be Inferior, Photos will Fade Sooner & shall have a lesser Storage Life.
  • If you need to take prints at brief intervals in a day, Do Not Power On/Off the Printer repeatedly. Each time the Power is turned “On”, the Printer performs a mini Head Cleaning cycle, thereby consuming a droplet of Ink of every Color. If you Power “On” your Printer many times a day, you are unnecessarily wasting Ink. Epson Printers consume a very small amount of Power in Standby Mode. To conserve Ink it is advisable to leave the Printer in standby use, if you plan to print at brief intervals in a day.
  • For trouble-free replacement of Ink Cartridges, always replace Ink Cartridges one-by-one and not together. For even distribution of Ink inside the Cartridge, shake the Cartridge being replaced in its shrink wrapped packaging (before opening the packaging). Remove the “Plastic Tab” on the back of Ink Cartridge. Check the Color of Ink being replaced i.e. Black, Magenta, Cyan or Blue. Tear only the removable part of the Sticker on the Top of the Ink Cartridge. Do Not Remove the Top Sticker completely as it will damage the Ink Cartridge. Th Sticker on the Top of the Ink Cartridge covers the air-flow channels of the Ink Cartridge and helps in even flow of air inside the cartridge. However, if you will not tear the removable part of the Top Sticker of the Ink Cartridge, the Ink Cartridge will not print properly. Do Not Remove the Sticker on the bottom of the Ink Cartridge, otherwise Ink will spill. The sticker on the bottom of the Ink Cartridge will get punctured by the Nozzle upon insertion of the Ink Cartridge.
  • For a Printer not connected to the Printer, always replace Ink Cartridges using the Instructions in the Set-Up Guide of the Printer. For a Printer connected to your Computer, follow the step-by-step animated Ink Cartridge Replacement Procedure in the Maintenance Tab of the Printer’s Properties. Ignore the Cartridge Compatibility Warning, when using Compatible Ink Cartridges. The Ink Cartridge  ‘Charges’ the Ink into the Printer before it is ready-to-use. Charging of Ink involves filling of Ink inside the small Ink Tank of the Printer and a brief Head Cleaning Cycle.

EPSON_TX121_Maintenance_Tab

Maintenance Tab of Printing Preferences

  • The Ink Charging Process takes 2-3 minutes for every cartridge replaced. The Printer first moves the Ink Cartridge to its Home Position and then charges the Ink from the new Cartridge. When the charging of Ink is happening you will hear a whirring sound. The Indicator flashes on the Printer. When charging is complete, the Indicator stops flashing.

Happy Printing!

Pepsi T20 Football Grand Finale

Pepsi T20 Football Grand Finale

A day that most football fanatics were desperately waiting for, the Pepsi T20 Football grand finale was finally here. 17th June 2012 was one day that created history both for Delhi and football. A game that was different within its format, the fun involved came out to be the biggest event that India had witnessed as of yet. World’s finest football player Drogba showed his presence by being a part of the grand event.

The day was fun filled with loads of energy and charisma spreading out through out the venue. From the long queues to celebrity buzz to cricket fever and non-stop entertainment are just a few words that I can express. The show kicked off with loads exciting stuff and was hosted by the magnificent and super talented VJ Nikhil Chinapa. The format of the game consisted of eight participating teams throughout the country, battling to win the title in the first of its kind cage football championship.

The venue was one of the key motivator for people to be a part of the event, an indoor stadium that gave people comfort while watching. The crowd enjoyed things that were more than the game with interactive characters Mr. Bhukkad, Bak Baki Betty, Delhi Boy and Daring Diana. Bhukkad was big foodie we kept on blabbering about food, he even tried to take away my sandwich but I luckily escaped his trap. Celebrities both from Bollywood and the Indian Cricket Team that included Ranbir Kapoor, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Baichung Bhutia and Harbhajan Singh. All these sparkling entities made the people on the stands go crazy and wild.

Music was felt at its best with Sivamani and his crew giving a mind-wobbling act that kept the pace high. Fresh ‘Desi’ tunes kept the crowd dancing on their feet.

Drogba was the key highlight, his speech literally made the crowd shout and cheer for him like anything. I saw people waving off their tees and jerseys to express their love for the guy who is simply best at the sport of football. Also, Drogba captured moments from the entire stadium as a token love that he could carry on his way from India.

The online fun was in place with people tweeting second-by-second happenings on Twitter. It was twist when we got to hear stuff from Pepsi India’s Twitter handle on when Drogba landed with fun contests and whacky tag lines for Drogba and Dhoni as team. I also loved their hashtag (#pepsifootyfinale), the name itself invoked me to continue tweeting as much as I could.

The game ended with two finalists out of the total teams and our very own SGC Delhi winning the match. Delhi crowd was simply uncontrollable to express the joy, the entire buzz poured in with blast at one go. To roll it all up an all celebrity match kept the momentum high before everything came to an end.

Delhi witnessed a big day full of chirpiness, excitement and thrill that had finally come to end. Pepsi has yet again changed the game in style.

IndiaTimes and HomeShop18 heading to be leaders in Online Book Retail

IndiaTimes and HomeShop18 heading to be leaders in Online Book Retail

To match HomeShop18’s lowest Book Prices, IndiaTimes Shopping, the online retail portal of the Times of India Group, is now offering Books at an Additional Discount of 30%.

With HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes offering Books at real low prices, the best time to buy Books seems to be now.

Buyers of Books from expensive online book retailers like Flipkart will regret their purchases and shall be happy to move on to HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes Shopping.

Both HomeShop18 and IndiaTimes Shopping are offering Books across all categories at much lower prices, with excellent packaging and prompt delivery as compared to the online retailer Flipkart. Read more about Flipkart’s higher prices of books in my post: Homeshop18 beating Flipkart at its own game

The Discount Offer from IndiaTimes is aptly titled “Sabse Sasta Book Challenge”.  The details of the Discount Offer can be obtained from this link.

On check-out, use Coupon Code BOOKS to avail the Additional Discount on Books. The Discount is valid on purchases above Rs.237/-. The offer is valid from 30 May 2012 to 1 June 2012.

The Link for the Books Section on the IndiaTimes portal is: http://shopping.indiatimes.com/control/keywordsearch?SEARCH_STRING=books

HomeShop18 is also offering an Additional Discount of 20% on their already lowest prices for Books in the market. On check-out, use Gift Voucher Code GC84KPBU413E to avail the Additional Discount on Books. The Discount is valid on purchases of Rs.500/- or higher. For further details about the Discount Offer from HomeShop18, please read my post: Save up to 20 percent extra on your purchases from Homeshop18

Please note that HomeShop18’s prices for Books, even without any Discount Coupons are already the lowest on the market.

To get the Best Value for your Money, before making your purchase, compare the prices of Books on the websites Homeshop18, IndiaTimes Shopping, Flipkart and on the price comparison website, Junglee.