Desire 626 comes to @HTCSouthAfrica #HTCOneLifeSA

Hi Guys,

HTC Corporation (“HTC”), a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has announced the HTC Desire 626, the successor to the HTC Desire 620. With a variety of color combinations, endless personalisation options, and an enhanced camera that enables sharper photography, the affordable smartphone lets you express yourself your way like never before.

Unique design and advanced features enable self-expression
The HTC Desire 626 offers vivid colours in a beautifully crafted dual-tone design, and delivers a unique user experience. Easy and intuitive to use, it runs on Android™ 5.1 and features HTC Sense™, which provides an enhanced, fully customised Android functionality. With the HTC Sense interface, you can change the look of your phone’s interface as often as you change your own style; maximum customisation, minimum effort. These endless personalisation possibilities allow you to create, share and realize your full potential.

Powered by a Snapdragon™ 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor, the HTC Desire 626 delivers a smooth and reliable experience with the capability to allow you to effortlessly stream videos, run your latest app, play your favourite games or flick through your latest photos and it all comes to life on the vibrant 5 inch HD LCD screen.

Keeping an eye on breaking stories or your social feeds is made easy with HTC BlinkFeed™, which provides easy access to your own personalised stream of online content in seconds, allowing you to stay updated at a glance, directly from your homescreen.

Capture life from all angles wherever you are
Whether you have a passion for photography or capturing short impactful videos, the HTC Desire 626 can be your perfect pocket companion. With the choice of an enhanced 13MP main camera or a 5MP front camera, photos and selfies can be taken from any angle, ensuring you can fully express yourself with sharper images and selfies.

The HTC Eye™ Experience allows you to easily edit your shots for instant effects thanks to built-in enhancements. The HTC Desire 626 also features the ability to capture high-quality 1080p video using either the front or rear facing cameras, which can be turned into mini movies that can be shared with friends and family using the HTC Zoe Highlights feature.

With a range of storage options, from 16GB internal memory to a MicroSD slot that supports up to 2TB additional storage, you can save and share every photo, video and experience that defines you, as often as you wish.

The HTC Desire 626 will be available from MTN stores nationwide in November 2015. I am looking forward to review the same as soon as it's available for the same. It will be my first HTC phone in affordable range to be reviewed. 

Cheers!!!

Follow me on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway 

Email - thelifesway@gmail.com for invites to launch events / sponsored posts and product reviews!

Checkout my Instagram (araijain) page 

Checkout my photo blog - www.photoyatra.blogspot.in

Like The Life's Way Page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLifesWay

A Memoir - This Month Last Year - Nov 2014

Hi Guys,

November last year was something I was looking forward to as it was time to plan the upcoming holidays in the festive season of December. I was very happy with the success of my blog as it started picking up and I got a lot of invites to attend the launch events from many brands. 

1. @SamsungSA #GALAXYNote4 - WORLD TOUR 2014 - CAPE TOWN - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/samsungsa-galaxynote4-world-tour-2014.html & http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/samsungmobilesa-galaxy-note-4-media.html - Samsung launched their flagship phablet Note4 and everything was grand about the launch event. I stayed at The Cullinan in CapeTown for the same and really loved the weather of the city. Cape Town is one of the best beach cities around the world. I really loved Note4 a lot as I got to review the same for a week. I took my Nikon D7000 to the event and took all the photographs using the same. 

2. @SurteeGroupZA - 7 For All Mankind - @SandtonCity Store Launch - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/surteegroupza-7-for-all-mankind.html - I really loved the photographs that I took at the launch event using my Samsung NX300. These branded jeans was way beyond the reach of my purchasing ability as the range starts from around R4500. It was great to be invited to all the launch events as you get to meet new people and make friends out of them. 

3. Automobilia Artworks & Memorabilia - Launch Johannesburg - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/automobilia-artworks-memorabilia-launch.html - If you a fan of F1 and everything related to fast cars and bikes then this will be a heaven for you in Johannesburg for all the collectibles that you can buy here at this shop. The launch was really an eye opener for me to go through all the types of collectibles that can be bought if you are a real fan. I used Samsung NX300 for covering this event. 

4. @FrysFamily Vegetarian Event @ Capsicum Culinary Studio, Johannesburg - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/frysfamily-vegetarian-event-capsicum.html - It was my first class of cooking in a professional environment from everything that is vegetarian. I never thought that I can make some great dishes just following instructions of the experienced chef's from Capsicum Culinary School. The difficult part was the collaboration that I had to do with my partner in the class as we disagreed on presentation of our cooked food. Anyways, we won a dinner party for 10 fully sponsored by the Fry family of meat free vegetarian products made of Soya. I used Samsung NX300 for covering this event. 

5. Product Review - Mitchum Deodorants with Oxygen Odor Control

- http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/11/product-review-mitchum-deodorants-with.html - I really loved using the Mitchum Deodrants as they keep you sweat free for long hours. Deodorants is a necessity in summers and some people who don't use it really kills other people if they are travelling in bus, metro or any means of public transports. Revlon is the parent company behind the Mitchum range of deodorants. 

Overall, November was the month of packing as I was shifting my house as my family was joining me in Johannesburg. I really missed my time in my previous house as I watched and saw a lot of TV series online. From 24 to House of Cards to Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones I loved watching all the serials. 

Cheers!!!

Follow me on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway 

Email - thelifesway@gmail.com for invites to launch events / sponsored posts and product reviews!

Checkout my Instagram (araijain) page 

Checkout my photo blog - www.photoyatra.blogspot.in

Like The Life's Way Page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLifesWay

#BeBrilliant With The Latest @HTC One A9 #HTCOneLifeSA

Hi Guys,

HTC unveiled the latest addition to the award-winning HTC One family, the HTC One A9. Melding the best of HTC’s acclaimed design and innovation with the latest from Google’s Android, this is a stunning, no-compromise smartphone that stands out from the crowd. Built for people who want a better choice, the HTC One A9 is a smartphone that combines striking design on the outside with the newest features of Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC Sense on the inside to create an unrivaled smartphone experience.

“HTC is a smartphone pioneer, having delivered the first Android smartphone, the first Windows smartphone, the first 4G smartphone, and the first all-metal smartphone,” said Cher Wang, chairwoman and CEO, HTC. “Today we’re taking that heritage of innovation to the next level, unveiling a phone that stands apart in a market increasingly dominated by a company which controls every aspect of your phone. The HTC One A9 breaks from this trend by offering an incredible design, fantastic performance, cutting-edge software features and the freedom to take full control of your smartphone experience.”

Metalmorphics: A new standard of all-metal design excellence 

An evolution of the iconic HTC One family design, the HTC One A9 draws on the natural beauty around us, by using rich, striking colors and unique finishes – an approach called “metalmorphics.” New curves, refined edges, and precision-cut ridges on the power button flawlessly combine with the super-thin metal frame giving the phone a natural and lightweight feel. The elegant dual finish, available in a Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Topaz Gold and Deep Garnet, is painstakingly brushed with hairline detail and bead-blasted before the sides are polished, giving additional depth and richness that is unique to the smartphone market. Finally, in a stunning fusion of metal and glass, a 5-inch, edge-to-edge, 2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4, Full HD AMOLED screen cascades into the metal frame, giving you brighter and more vivid colors for brilliant graphics and gaming, even in direct sunlight. 

Unleash your inner photographer 

Your best camera is the one you use whenever the moment strikes, so it should be able to capture stunning shots in any situation. The HTC One A9’s front and rear cameras, coupled with powerful yet simple editing tools, mean epic photos and videos are only a tap away. Its main 13MP rear camera features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which automatically minimises hand shake and corrects vibrations to give you a crystal-clear picture every time. Meanwhile, the front UltraPixel camera delivers the best self-portraits in any lighting condition, using HTC’s UltraPixel sensor to capture 300% more light than conventional smartphone cameras.

With the HTC One A9, no detail is too small. Offering an optional Pro mode to capture the perfect photo without being a photography expert, you can also save photos using RAW capture – a tool used by professional photographers – for an unmatched level of detail and post-shot editing flexibility. Or you can keep things simple with Photo Editor’s one-button enhancement feature, which automatically brightens colors and sharpens edges for unbelievably clear and crisp photos.

Sometimes a still photo just isn’t enough. With the HTC One A9’s Hyperlapse editing tool you can speed up your videos to 12 times as fast for a dramatic time-lapse effect, creating an immersive video that perfectly captures the moments that matter. Speed through your video or use capture mode to edit in slow motion, highlighting those unforgettable memories. Or use HTC Zoe to easily and automatically mix your best shots and videos into one professional-looking highlight reel that can be shared with friends and family to tell the story of any moment from every angle.

Awesome audio: music the way it’s supposed to sound 

Game changing audio has always been core to the HTC One family - the HTC One A9 delivers amazing sound quality, with HTC BoomSound™ integrated into the headset combined with Dolby Audio™ surround technology, delivering immersive, vibrant sound that matches a live experience in your headphones by taking high-resolution audio to the next level. With a built-in DAC that delivers audio at 24-bit, 192KHz quality – better than CD quality – it provides a richness and depth like you’ve never before heard from your music collection. A powerful high-output headphone amplifier, with double the output of other handsets, provides more power and dynamic range so you can hear every nuance of your favorite music, videos and games. Optional high-resolution audio certified HTC Pro Studio Earphones deliver both noise isolation and truly immersive sound.

Cutting-edge software: Android 6.0 Marshmallow

The first non-Nexus smartphone powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the HTC One A9 brings Google’s latest innovations and the simplicity of HTC Sense right out of the box. Combined with a multi-directional fingerprint scanner, Android Pay makes purchasing items as secure and as easy as “tap, pay, done.” Google’s Now on Tap feature also intuitively provides contextual information about whatever is on your screen – look up reviews for a movie from a text, hear a song mentioned in a blog post, or book seats at a restaurant from an email, all at the press of the home button.

With so many new features, the HTC One A9 has also been designed with all new power-saving capabilities to maximize battery life. Doze automatically turns off power hungry applications when your phone is left idle, such as when charging overnight, while App Standby knows when an app open in the background isn’t being used and shuts it down until you need it again. In addition, the phone’s new processor, AMOLED screen and support for the optional HTC Rapid Charger 2.0, for up to 75% faster charging are all optimized to maximize battery life throughout the day7. In real terms this means, for example, that you can play 12 hours of HD video on one charge.

Performance designed for the way YOU use your phone

Featuring the newest Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 617 processor with integrated X8 LTE and 64-bit octa-core CPUs, the HTC One A9 is designed to deliver a perfect balance of powerful performance, fast connectivity and better battery life. With support for epic LTE wireless speeds through next-generation carrier aggregation technology, it delivers more high-definition streaming videos, more pulse-pounding high-resolution audio and more storage in the cloud to hold everything your heart desires. The phone is available in both 16 and 32GB configurations and features expandable memory, supporting up to 2TB in SD card storage, perfect for storing all your apps, games, photos, music and videos. 

To protect your smartphone, pair it with the HTC Dot View™ II case, available in Obsidian, Deep Garnet, Sea Coral and Turquoise Blue. Its retro-inspired dot matrix cover reveals instant notifications, weather updates, caller ID and more, even while closed, and simple gesture controls bring music, flashlight, radio and voice recording tools closer than ever. I am looking forward to see this phone in South Africa asap!

Cheers!!!

Follow me on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway 

Email - thelifesway@gmail.com for invites to launch events / sponsored posts and product reviews!

Checkout my Instagram (araijain) page 

Checkout my photo blog - www.photoyatra.blogspot.in

Like The Life's Way Page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLifesWay

A Memoir - This Month Last Year - Oct 2014

Hi Guys,

October last year was the time when some of the friends left for India and this year also this happened. It gives a lot of pain when someone close to you leaves the town and you suddenly starts feeling alone in the city. Last year, October brought me a lot of event invites as well as goodies coming my way for the first time. My first CapeTown trip happened for Samsung Galaxy Note 4 launch and I made some new friends also.

1. #PIHT - POLO Pink Pony Brunch - Kyalami Johannesburg 3 Oct 2014 - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/10/piht-polo-pink-pony-brunch-kyalami.html - This one was a high profile event and I really loved visiting the same. I got some nice Polo branded goodies at the end of the event as well as took some awesome photographs learning from the professional photographers at the fashion show. Check out some of the photographs on my instagram handle - @araijain

2. Product Review - COCOON Boutique Spa @ Radisson Blu Hotel, Johannesburg - http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/10/product-review-cocoon-boutique-spa.html - This was my first ever trip to the spa and I really felt relaxed after the full body massage treatment. I took some photographs and became good friends with the fellow blogger who runs this spa. Do check out the deals on GroupON in case you want to visit the spa or call them directly.

3. Product Launch - Microsoft Lumia 730 #LoveThySelfie -

http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/10/product-launch-microsoft-lumia-730.html - This was my first product launch event with Microsoft here in Johannesburg and I really loved winning the Selfie competition. This was the last time till this year, I have won something in twitter competitions. They also gifted each one of us with the caricature photographs of us drawn live by two artists and framed it for us too.

4. @Zomato - The delicious evening @WalnutGroveSA @SandtonCity Johannesburg -

http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/10/zomato-delicious-evening-walnutgrovesa.html - This is the one and only meet I attended for Zomato SA. I really took some great food photographs and really enjoyed the vegetarian options at Walnut Grove. I loved their rainbow cake and it is simply delicious. Zomato is a nice app to check about the new places where you have not tried eating before with customer's reviews as well as photographs posted of the food, drinks and ambience.

5. #TheEmptyShop - Charity begins @SandtonCity Johannesburg -

http://www.thelifesway.com/2014/10/theemptyshop-charity-begins-sandtoncity.html - The Empty Shop was a nice concept to donate your clothes to the needy. It was a great event which generated a lot of support from all the who's who of Johannesburg. I really enjoyed the event and met a lot of new people. 

Sometimes in life you get so adamant or confident that you know everything and that's the path of failure. I am also going through that phase of life so I have thought to re-learn everything from the scratch in terms of what I understand of blogging and social media. I will be reviewing all my social media channels and will create proposals/campaigns to be sent to brands for sponsorship in this festive season. I will get what I rightfully deserve for every blog post, every photograph and every tweet I post on the social media for the brands.

Cheers!!!

Follow me on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway 

Email - thelifesway@gmail.com for invites to launch events / sponsored posts and product reviews!

Checkout my Instagram (araijain) page 

Checkout my photo blog - www.photoyatra.blogspot.in

Like The Life's Way Page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLifesWay

Journalist of the Year Awards @Vodacom #VJOY2015 #Gauteng

Hi Guys,

This year, the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards celebrate the theme Write Here. Right Now. Looking back on a year that has seen huge news stories and seismic changes in the media landscape the entries were once again of a high standard. We saw journalists pushing the boundaries to get their stories and tell them to the country and the world.

Convenor of the judging panel, Mary Papayya said: “This is the 14^th year of the Vodacoms, every year the judges find themselves having to make incredibly hard decisions about winners and this year was no different. We were presented with excellent entries across the board and we’d like to congratulate all the winners.”

This year, 832 entries were received in the 12 categories: CSI/Sustainability, Editor’s Choice, Financial/Economic, Online, Photography, Print Feature, Print News, Radio Feature, Radio News, Sport, Television Feature and Television News. There were 296 entries from the Gauteng Province, making it the province with the most entries. 

Winners of the 2015 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards for the Gauteng Province with Vodacom executives, Suraya Hamdulay and Tshepo Ramodibe and Convenor of the judging panel, Mary Papayya and Megan Rusi.

 Back Row winners: Marida Fitzpatrick. Beeld,Sebabatso Mosamo. Mail & Guardian Multimedia

Front Row winners: Yusuf Omar of eNCA, Joel Matlala.  eNews Channel Africa, Beauregard Tromp. Sunday Times and Malungelo Booi eNCA. 

Maya Makanjee, Chief Officer for Corporate Affairs at Vodacom Group said: “I would like to pay tribute to the judges, who year after year provide their expertise and knowledge to the judging of these prestigious awards. This year’s judging panel comprised experts in their fields, and I would like to thank Mary Papayya, Elna Rossouw, Collin Nxumalo, Arthur Goldstuck, Albe Grobbelaar, Ryland Fisher, Patricia McCracken, and Megan Rusi, who made their time and expertise available to us.”

Regional winners for the Gauteng Province were announced on 14 Oct 2015 at a function at the Protea Fire & Ice Hotel, Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. Each of the regional winners took home R5000 and will travel to Johannesburg for the national finals in November.

The winners of the 2015 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards for the Gauteng Province are:

2015 CSI/Sustainability winners

Phillip de Wet, Sipho Kings, Sarah Wild, Rapula Moatshe. Mail & Guardian, SA’s Great Thirst Has Begun

2015 Financial/Economic winners

Lionel Faull, Vinayak Bhardwaj, Matuma Letsoalo, Sam Sole, and Stefaans Brummer. Mail & Guardian, Transnet Tender Boss’ R50-bn

2015 Online winners

Laura Lopez Gonzalez. Health-e News, Thousands Face Disability

And

Sebabatso Mosamo. Mail & Guardian Multimedia, Still No Furniture at Eastern Cape Schools

2015 Photography winner

James Oatway. Sunday Times, The Killing of Emmanuel Sithole

2015 Print Feature winner

Marida Fitzpatrick. Beeld. Series of Interviews, particularly with Jani Allan and Willem Boshoff (Body of Work)

The Judges commended Mia Malan of Mail & Guardian for her Body of Work, especially for her reporting on medical matters (Body of Work)

2015 Print News winner

Beauregard Tromp. Sunday Times, The Killing of Emmanuel Sithole

The Judges commended Marida Fitzpatrick of Beeld for her body of work, especially her reporting on the Oscar Pistorius verdict

2015 Radio Feature winner

Noma Bolani. AM Live, SABC Radio News. The Murder of Toddler Taegrin Morris

2015 Radio News winner

Vumani Mkhize. EWN, Bafana Bafana Captain Murdered

2015 Sport winner

Sameer Naik. Saturday Star, The Highs and Lows of SA Sport (Body of Work)

2015 Television Feature winner

Joy Summers. Carte Blanche, Bobroff’s Fall From Grace

The Judges commended Sophia Phirippides of Modern Times for her body of work, especially her reporting on Finding Leigh

2015 Television News winners

Malungelo Booi, Jacques Broodryk, Linge Ndabambi, and Joel Matlala.  eNews Channel Africa. The Killing of Josias Sithole

2015 Editor’s Choice winner

Yusuf Omar of eNCA

“We’d like to congratulate all the winners in the Central region for thought-provoking and excellent journalism. We look forward to meeting you at the national finals, where we will be celebrating excellence in journalism in South Africa,” said Makanjee. 

Cheers!!!

Follow me on twitter @araijain or @thelifesway 
Email - thelifesway@gmail.com for invites to launch events / sponsored posts and product reviews!
Checkout my Instagram (araijain) page 
Checkout my photo blog - www.photoyatra.blogspot.in
Like The Life's Way Page on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheLifesWay