A Memoir - This Month Last Year - Oct 2020 www.thelifesway.com #TheLifesWay

Hi Friends, 

October 2020 saw 20 posts going live on my blog as I got some time from my project work for an Australian client. I was hopeful to see myself going there and settling there but it didn't happen as I kept waiting for the opportunity but the VISA restrictions didn't allow me to even start the process. I thought it's better you start working where you have the VISA if you don't want to work and go back to India. Though overall in all this project closure to finding a new project in South Africa took me more than 10 months and due to which all benefits like home rent, insurance and many other things were taken away and I had to survive on my savings. Coming out of this, I found that it's always great to be self-dependent on your skills rather than the company you are working for. You should quickly change when there is an opportunity to add some layers to your salary. 

1. #HuaweiWatchGT2e @HuaweiZA Watch - Is it really Smart? #ProductReview - I received this Huawei Watch for review and used the same for some days. I didn't love the watch that much as compared to the features of the Huawei Watch GT2 but I received a brand new one at the end of the year 2020 and it's been showcased on my wrist since Jan-21 this year. 

2. Unboxing @CanonRSA #CANONeosM50 Mirrorless #vLogging Camera #LiveForTheStory - I started my youtube channel and started shooting a lot of videos to be shared on my channel. I also thought that to increase the SEO of the channel, I should share them on my blog posts too. This post is part of that exercise and I am still using the Canon South Africa EOS M50 Mirrorless Camera with kit lens 15-45mm. I got this camera last year in May 2020, just before I shifted houses. I only opened the same in my rented flat thereafter. 

3. Gadgets I Own @SonyElectronics #SRSBTV5 Bluetooth Speaker #SonyAudio #ProductReview - Sony Audio products are awesome and during the launch of the James Bond movie SKYFALL in 2012, I was participating in a lot of Twitter contests in India. This awesome Bluetooth speaker came as a prize and is still better than most of the speakers in terms of audio quality. The size and design of this speaker are amazingly unique and great. 

4. @FujiFilm_SA X-T30 #NewLittleGiant #XT30 Mirrorless Camera #ProductReview - Fujifilm sent their X-T30 mirrorless camera for review and I did some photoshoots with the same. I really love Fujifilm products and their unique retro design. The price of these mirrorless products is equivalent to or more than the mid-level DSLR cameras but they offer portability and are lightweight with full features to take your photography to the next level.

5. @ORICO_Official #2588US3 2.5" HDD Enclosure #ProductReview 

@AstrumAfrica #AstrumEN250 2.5" SATA HDD Enclosure #ProductReview - I also did review some of the HDD enclosures I bought for some of the small hard drives coming out of my laptops. I posted the product review directly on my Youtube channel which you can watch them too. 

6. Life Lessons Becoming Skills with #MegaBloksSA #BlokfestSA @FisherPrice #FisherPriceSA
Introducing #LinkimalsSA Llama - Lights and Colours #FisherPriceSA @FisherPrice - My kids got some assignments with Mattel and Fisher-Price products to check out their products and I was blogging about them. Some of the money I made last year was through some of these assignments. Thanks to Mattel South Africa for the same.

October 2021 - I am waiting for some gadget which I am waiting for since August-21 and can't wait to receive the same. I am not so sure when I will get it but I am looking forward to the same. I also got my South African Driving License card and had a wonderful trip to the Northern Cape which was my first one to the area. Totally loved that part of South Africa and there are some great unexplored national parks that need an SUV to travel for sure. 

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

@AstrumAfrica #AstrumEN250 2.5" SATA HDD Enclosure #ProductReview

 Hi Friends, 

I had an extra 1TB HDD which I took out from the Asus VivoBook S15 as it was heating up the laptop from the left palm rest under the keyboard a lot, and got it replaced for a 1TB SSD by paying around R3300 and for which I was in the market for an HDD enclosure. I thought of buying one from the house of Astrum Peripherals as I reviewed one long ago with Powerbank and converting your normal HDD into Wi-Fi enabled device so I thought of buying the same one from Tech House in Fordsburg. Soon I got it home after paying the cash price for the enclosure with so many features but as soon as tries installing the Wi-Fi app - it was no longer available in the Google Playstore and neither there were any benefits of the power bank and my whole one case fits all kind of technology decisions failed quickly. I went back and returned the same and got this USB 2.0 enclosure as I thought I am not going to use the hard disk in day to day use much so it won't depend as there was a huge price difference between the 2.0 and 3.0 versions of the enclosures as you know it's difficult for the shopkeeper to return the money in cash so he increased the prices from the previous visit to the store. 

Finally, the review is online on my YouTube channel and you can watch the video - 

Thanks a lot for watching and if you like the video, please do share and subscribe to my Youtube Channel. 

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

Product Review - @AstrumSA ET300 True Wireless Freedom Headset #Bluetooth #Earphones

Hi Friends, 

I simply love earphones and since the launch of Bluetooth versions in all kinds of earphones and headphones, it has became more and more useful to a lot of people around the world. No more tangling and snipping of wires as you run to catch your morning bus or trains. I have been using my Bose in-ear earphones wired ones since many years now and the cable now has starting showing the wires inside and on the verge of breaking down so I was looking at all those new product launches by several brands like Samsung, Bose, Apple, Sony and many others. The price range is too high and there are not many features in any one of the model as compared with Bragi Dash. 

I was invited to rAge Expo 2017 and as a part of media kit, I got the choice to choose between Astrum slim speaker and other Astrum True Wireless Headset ET300 in white color. I immediately chose ET300 model so that I can try out their products at my leisure and enjoy the music wirelessly. 

Let's checkout some of the product features which I found to be useful and loved the most. The first being the Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity but the product can only work within the boundaries of a room of 10m as beyond that the connection loses with your smartphone or tablet. And the best part is that each earplug can work independently in case you don't want to use both of them together. You just have to switch ON one of them by pressing on the middle portion of the unit and by long pressing it starts blinking blue and red meaning that bluetooth pairing is ON. As you put them into your ears, it tells you by voice command which side is which. If you just want to use both of them, then simply switch them ON and they get automatically connected to one another and then you can long press one of them to get connected the unit to your bluetooth enabled devices. 

Both the earplugs gets settled in your ears easily and comes with various silicon earbuds in small, medium and large sizes and one pair of ear hooks to keep them on your ears in case you take them to running or gym etc. The sound quality on Astrum ET300 is awesome in the price range at which it's available in the market which is around ZAR 600. I simply adored the audio quality and was amazed at how good it is considering Astrum was not a well known brand to me.

The device comes with a case which doesn't have any internal battery but can be used to charge the earplugs and to take them with you while not in use. The only con here is the plastic cover of the charger which comes out of the socket easily as it doesn't have any locking mechanism and can be lost in your bag while you travel. The ear units are magnetically attached to charging pins inside the charging unit. I was expecting the case to have some battery backup but at this price range it's difficult to ask. 

The total product weight is around 50 grams and each unit has around battery capacity of 40mAh which easily gives music time of two and half hours max and can be charged to full capacity in around 60 minutes. These can be charged using the case with a micro-USB cable provided inside the package or from your android smartphone charging cable. The cons here is that ear units can't be charged if they have ear-hooks on them which is a pain to take out all the time after every 2-3 hours because you first have to take out ear buds and then ear-hooks. When the battery is low, voice prompts warns you to charge the device before finally switching off the device automatically as the battery voltage lowers 3.0V value.

The Astrum headsets ET300 can also be used to take hands-free calls and when the call is over, you will go back to the music if that's being played earlier. You can use the earphone to accept the call using the central button to answer the call by shortly pressing the same. If you press the button for 2 seconds, it can also reject the call and will voice prompt the same too. You can mute the microphone during the call by double clicking on the central button and same to undo the same. 

Overall, in the end I must say that I love the Astrum ET300 headsets and is using them daily for atleast one charge though I would have loved it more, if it would have come with a charging case with some battery backup. Go checkout the device at many of the online retailers or at Tech House in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. 

As I was checking online, I just saw that a new version of the device ET300 has been launched with all the cons taken care of which I have written for the review of the White ET300 True Wireless Freedom Headsets I received in my media pack but looking forward to review them too. 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to blog, share and influence about your products and services on all my Social Media channels #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra !

@AstrumWorld - A Top Global Brand is Ready for #rAgeExpo2017 @rAgeExpo

Hi Friends,

rAge is all about discovering what’s new in the world of technology and having fun while doing it. With hundreds of cool products on display, it’s a veritable hotbed of the best products and tech companies in SA. Ready to make its mark at this year’s event is Astrum - a global leader in providing people with access to an impressive range of new technologies. The company prides itself on breaking the trade-off between innovation, quality and cost, and as such, can provide consumers with robust, reliable – yet affordable – high tech devices.

Express Dock HD DA710

Established in Hong Kong in 2008, the organisation has since branched across the globe, launching in South Africa in 2010. Astrum aims to break down the barriers between people and technology and will be featuring a wide range of products at the event. Everything from headsets, to power banks, speakers and cameras to keyboards and more.

Sound Box ST 150

“Humans have a natural appetency for exploration. The pursuit of technology and innovation is what drives us and how we improve our daily lives. We’d like to create a progressive realization of this by serving as the bridge that connects people with a range of products that not only meets needs and expectations, but awakens a heartfelt sense of wonder in all of us” says Amit Pansari, Director at Astrum Peripherals Pty Ltd.

The team is not only looking forward to awakening a sense of wonder for rAge visitors but also as it further expands its presence throughout South Africa.

Eye Protecting LED Lamp NL 050

In line with this, the company has announced the opening of a branch in the Mother City. Under the management of Sias Strydom, the Cape Town team - based in Milnerton - will follow the global Astrum undertaking of providing exceptional quality at a competitive price, with excellent service to their customers.

Besides creative features and new designs, Astrum enforces strict business principals, regarding quality, innovative, practical and fair business practices. Astrum has dedicated itself in every aspect towards moving forward and constantly keeping abreast of technological advancements, product development and design, ensuring the organisation provides their clients with the best solutions possible.

Wireless headet HT600

Most of all Astrum believes that South Africans should have access to innovative products that simplify and enhance their lives. The world-class products are available through a number of retailers including: Takealot, Loot, Computer Mania, Fastrak, Mitabyte, Osmans, Matrix Warehouse, The Gadget Shop and Mobimend. 

 

Astrum will be selling their products at the rAge Expo 2017 from 6-8 Oct 2017. I am specially looking forward to get Eye Protecting LED Lamp as I need the same to work on my laptop (without backlit keyboard) late in the night while everyone else is sleeping and to write my diary each night before sleeping. I have contacted the brand on facebook some 2-3 months back and asked about the price earlier but never received the answer so I am going to checkout the same again now at the rAge expo.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to blog, share and influence about your products and services on all my Social Media channels #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra !