#TheLifesWayReviews @SamsungMobileSA #GalaxyNote8 Phablet #Smartphone #DoBiggerThings #WithGalaxy

Hi Friends, 

Samsung Note 8 is a Dream Come True for me as I bought the same after I was left with my ages old HTC M8 and it was too slow for my liking and usage. I ordered the smartphone from Amazon.in in India and soon got the same delivered from them. I received Rs 8k Amazon vouchers back and I used Rs 6k GV I received from my employer for completing 10 years in their organization. In India, you need to operate the phone for around 15-30 min on local Indian network providers before you can use it with any SIM card internationally. I asked my mom to be the first user and she totally loved the smartphone as she kept her SIM in Note 8 till she reached Johannesburg, South Africa.

Spen was what I thought I would use the most along with the best camera smartphone in 2017-2018 and I immediately fell in love with both of them. After using the smartphone for more than a year, I have observed several changes in the smartphone which I am going to list here in this blog post -

1. Con - Spen is not writing where it has to on the screen, there is always a gap between the actual and on-screen representation with time. I am not sure of why this happened but my overall consumption of Spen has been less than 24 hours since Jan 2018. This is a feel-good feature which you think you will use it more and more but sometimes you forget about it completely.

2. Con - The zoom camera lens doesn't focus and gives some kind of audio like that comes in DSLR camera when it tries to auto-focus leading the pictures to come out blurred or not at all. This is one of my biggest problems which has started recently last 5-6 months.

3. Con - The software upgrades that we receive after the launch of a new smartphone in the series degrades the quality of your device in terms of photographs etc. I am not sure if that's done with intention or old hardware is not able to take the upgrade but I have seen this will all brands in all smartphones. I sincerely believe that you shall not upgrade to the new software every month or whenever it is launched and shall keep the phone on the original software. It's a win-lose situation, you are missing on certain things and gaining some things.

4. Pros - The new Android Pie made several good changes in the smartphone with interface looking more feature rich and certain features which were in S10 coming to Note 8 too. AR emoji is now on my smartphone too and Photo Ratio 3:4/9:16/1:1/Full are now available on Note 8 camera.

5. Pros - The speed of multitasking and touchscreen response is still great in Note 8 but I have not played super games on the same and also I have kept it light since I received the same.

6. Pros - The battery life is still great and lasts me more than a day on a single charge. If I am using social media and playing video's then it will last me working hours for a single day.

7. Pros - Low light camera performance is too good in Note 8 in auto mode too. I have used several other smartphones but this one takes awesome videos in low light conditions. Check out the Cape Town Sunset video from Signal Hill on my Youtube channel has taken with Samsung Note 8.

8. Pros - The wireless charging is easy to use but the speed of charging is slow as compared to charging with wired wall supercharger provided in the package. I am using the wireless charger that used to come with Samsung S8+ during the launch of the smartphone.

9. Pros - The AKG earphones are one of the best and I loaned mines to one of my friend in Mar 2019 and he said he will only return them to me in July 2019. It's an expensive earphone with cable and works great with clear audio and the same is provided in S8/S9/Note8/Note9 and related smartphones packages.

10. Pros - The 12MP rear camera is awesome and takes awesome pictures in full light and low light conditions. I simply adore the photos taken using the Samsung camera and all are available on my Instagram.com/araijain and www.photoyatra.blogspot.in I have reduced the number of pictures from 4000 to 1300 on Instagram but all of them are available in Photoyatra blog. I still can't find watermarking my photos with my own unique #TheLifesWay out of the camera but this feature shall be made available in the new smartphones asap.

11. Pros - The 3.5mm earphone jack is still there so that you can continue to use your expensive headphones will the end of their life. I love my Bose and Sennheiser earphones and headphones.

12. Pros -  The edges panels can be controlled the way you like it to control calls, music and whatever you do most but the problem is that no tempered glass comes to protect the same. Only a sheet of plastic protects the same along with your mobile cover. Luckily I have taken a book kind of case to protect it from all sides and I have not used it without the cover since the first day. The edge lighting is too cool when you put it on.

13. Pros - Bixby works on this smartphone and if you like giving instructions to do stuff, it can be trained to follow your voice and accent. I have a strong Indian accent but it really works great on my Note 8 and you can earn different levels if you use more and more of Bixby.

14. Pros - AOD (Always On Display) can be customized to match your screensaver or wallpaper and there are thousands of them available in the Samsung Android Store.

15. Pros - Samsung Members network is awesome and you can learn a lot about Samsung applications, contests, members and connect with the whole world.

16. Pros - Samsung Pay works like charm in Note 8 and with just a tap you will be able to make payment and your Iris can be scanned to validate the payment first. I am able to pay now using the FNB debit/cheque/credit card too.

17. Pros - Samsung Gear connects nicely with Samsung Note 8 and whosoever in your network is using any of the Gear/Icon products, his health can be tracked and you can challenge them for fun activities.

18. Pros - Floating Camera button is just like the Apple iPhone or iPad control center button but with this one you can click photos. You can drag it anywhere on the top of any of your apps and it comes very handy during taking selfies when your hands are too far and in different angles.

19. Pros - AR emoji is now part of Samsung Note 8 and good for kids to play with and create some family moments.

20. Pros - The display on Note 8 is super AMOLED screen - text and photos look awesome on this smartphone. Youtube videos in full resolution (720p - 1080p upwards) brings an immersive effect on the smartphone for those who love watching videos on the go. The audio is a little bit less when you are traveling or outside in a noisy environment so you need to use headphones or earphones to listen properly.

Overall, Samsung Note 8 is still a capable phablet smartphone and takes care of all my needs. I am totally in love with my Spen other than the one problem I am facing and still take 100s of photos every week with Note 8 camera and share them on my IG story and posts. I love the speed with which you can launch any app and now I have started watching Netflix on this device which I was not doing earlier and the battery will be tested now. All these photographs are taken by me during various months and events.

The cameras are too good on the new devices S10 Plus but I am hoping when Note 10 comes and if I can trade-in I will definitely upgrade myself to the same. I might lose some money on the deal but it will be worth the upgrade but I have never seen any trade-in option on any of the smartphones in South Africa but recently there are some in the market. Let's see what happens in my life in 2019-2020!

Cheers!!!
Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

#TheLifesWayReviews - Selection Day - Season 1 @NetflixSA TV Series #Cricket #Drama

Hi  Friends, 

Selection Day - Season 1 is a Netflix TV series which is based on Cricket Drama and features the fictional story of two brothers playing cricket and trying to make a career out of the same. The season 1 was launched in December 2018 and is based on the book of the same name by Aravind Adiga. The TV series is directed by Udayan Prasad and Rajesh Tailang plays a dictator, disciplined and sacrificing father who wants to brings the best in his children. Anil Kapoor, famous Bollywood Hero is the producer of this Netflix TV series.

The kids are played by Mohammad Samad and Yash Dholye along with Mahesh Manjrekar as their cricket coach and Ratna Pathak Shah as School principal. With a great star cast, this Netflix series is very promising and I watched all the 6 episodes in Season 1 in a single sitting. I never wanted the serial to get over but the good news is that Season 2 is releasing on 19th Apr 2019. 

Manju and Radha Kumar come from a village and after winning championships get decided by their father to be moved to Mumbai where they can fight in domestic league matches. Mohan Kumar played by Rajesh Tailang is the obsessive and intelligent father who has spent his entire life on raising great athletes planning everything even before his marriage till they are today. He spends his entire time on planning what's best for his kids and stays focussed on making it big for them. He doesn't have any money and takes some strange jobs to survive in Mumbai.  

As the episodes progress the kids are selected by a school coach played by Mahesh Manjrekar who has some mystery attached to him which is not revealed in the first season. Ratna Pathak Shah takes care of the school while trying to save the school land from the builders and businessman played by Akshay Oberoi looking at a property of value unlimited in the centre of the Mumbai city. Karanvir Malhotra plays the competition in terms of batting in their school team. He really tests the mental and emotional strength of the brothers as he continues to bully them in the school.

The kids face their own troubles with father and internal struggle when they want to make choices and are not allowed to. The little one doesn't want to even play cricket and wants to study science and is in talks with Lord Almighty played by Shiv Pandit. These talks with God are the most interesting portions of the show and those scenes are not to be missed. There is a certain mystery about their mom which is to be revealed at the end of season 1 but the episode ends there keeping us waiting till season 2 starts. 

The TV series brings about the memories of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar movie where the fight was between school students from public and private schools. Here in this Netflix TV series, the fight is between the rich and the poor and the facilities available to progress in any of the fields be it studies or games. It's similar to the protagonists of the tv series will have to face their internal and external struggles to reach the Selection Day committee and the show shows the number of days left for the same in each episode.

Overall it's a worth watch and I am eagerly waiting for the next season and it's hardly a week left for the same. If you want to enjoy, you can wait till that time or can watch the 6 episodes this weekend and rest next week if released together by Netflix.

If you don't have Netflix membership, enroll for a month free trial and then you can take on any of the three packages as per your requirements. I am also on a trial package for 1 month and trying to watch as much as I can. Netflix gives you the option to download too on Wifi connection which you can watch on the go later or while traveling making it a great option. 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

#TheLifesWayReviews - Beyond All Boundaries @NetflixSA TV Series @TheCricketFilm #CricketWorldCup2011

Hi Friends, 

Beyond All Boundaries is a 2013 documentary film on Netflix Channel which is 97 minutes long and directed by Sushrut Jain. The film revolves around 3 people from different parts of life and how they are affected by the 2011 World Cup Victory of Indian Cricket Team in India. Kunal Nayyar narrated the whole documentary who got his fame from The Big Bang Theory tv series.

The film starts before the 2011 World Cup in the life of Sudhir Gautam who is considered to be the biggest fan of God of Cricket - Sachin Tendulkar. He tells about his story of how he met Sachin and how he provides him with the passes for all the matches in and around India. It's his journey from his remote village in Bihar to the location of WC Matches on a bicycle with no money in his pockets. He sacrificed his life to watch cricket and how the world around him loves or hates him for what he has achieved in his life. It's definitely a struggle which you will see as he fights between his principles and career aspirations from family. Will he be there holding the World Cup Trophy 2011 as it was Sachin's only dream while he played?

The second story is about an 8-year-old boy Prithvi Shaw who is considered to be the child prodigy in Cricket and much talented to the likes of Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin himself gifted him a bat as he continues to break records with his dedication and commitment towards the game. He comes under a lot of pressure from his Father who is a single parent is fully committed to Prithvi success in Cricket. He sometimes becomes very much demanding and doesn't consider the child as a child. The film shows how Prithvi goes around playing and winning the hearts of a local politician too who sponsors him a flat and other amenities to focus on his game. Will Prithvi Shaw continue to build on his strengths while remain focussed on the task ahead? 

The third story is about the 17-year-old girl named Akshaya Surve who is an aspiring Under-18 bowler to play before the selection committee. The girl comes from a poor family with only surviving mother and family is caught between the tensions of the uncles and grand-mother to leave the house. They can't leave the house and emotions are getting under the skin of the young Akshaya. She finds her only vent at the Sivaji cricket ground for 3 hours daily where she is enrolled to play under a lady coach for which she sacrifices her class 12 exams as initially, they are unable to pay electricity bills so she can't study in the night and then for the U-18 cricket selections. The struggles she faces in her day to day while keeping her smiles and childlike hopefulness in herself is awesome to watch. Will she survive the ankle injury she had 6 months ago and it comes to surface just days before the selection day? 

Beyond All Boundaries - The Netflix documentary is awesome to watch if you love cricket and how it drives the Indian population? People follow it like a religion and can do or die for the game. It's a movie made with a lot of passion and should be watched with a lot of enthusiasm too. I totally loved the documentary as it reminded me of dancing on the streets of Wembley High Road, London United Kingdom with thousands of countrymen and NRIs celebrating the success of Indian Cricket Team. The overall 2011 world cup has brought so many memories match per match as I got nostalgic while we wait and watch the results. 

If you don't have Netflix membership, enroll for a month free trial just like myself and then you can take on any of the three packages as per your requirements. Netflix gives you the option to download too on Wifi connection which you can watch on the go later or while traveling making it a great option. 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

#TheLifesWayReviews - Delhi Crime @NetflixSA TV Series #Crime #Drama

Hi Friends, 

Delhi Crime is a Netflix TV series launched in March 2019 consisting of 7 super charged episodes based on the Nirbhaya Delhi Gang Rape Case of 2012. The TV series stars Shefali Shah in her one of the best performance as a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vartika Chaturvedi.

Delhi Crime starts on a unfortunate winter night of 16th December 2012 and the series of events that happens before and after Police comes to know about the victims and culprits. The seven episodes spans over the next 5 days where Police chases the clues to find the culprits while fighting the timelines. The Delhi Police is under extreme pressure from all sides of the government and beureaucracy and how DCP Vartika takes it in her hands to nab the culprits from different parts of the country while maintaining the legal guidelines. 

Delhi Crime is not an easy watch as you will feel so angry and depressed about the state of affairs in India and what happened to the girl that night. The thrill of finding even the small clues leading to the arrest of all the cultprits is what this TV series is all about. The series is written and directed by Richie Mehta and what a wonderful direction to span the story on the case files from the incident. 

The emotional rich performances by Rajesh Tailang, Jaya Bhattacharya, Adil Hussain and Rasika Dugal really brings you as if you are there with the police trying to find the culprits and feeling the pressure from the society and the goverment. This is one TV series that can make you think about what you are teaching your kids. 

Shefali Shah gives her best and really fights between her human side and the Police duty side of things which you will feel too. Delhi Crime is a must watch if you want to know more about the Nirbhaya Gang Rape case and how police within the next few days tries to find the 6 culprits from the initial reports given by the boy victim. Delhi Crime is going to return with a new run and chase Crime story in the next season while the police team remains the same.

If you don't have Netflix membership, enroll for a month free trial and then you can take on any of the three packages as per your requirements. I am also on a trial package for 1 month and trying to watch as much as I can. Netflix gives you option to download too on Wifi connection which you can watch on the go later or while travelling making it a great option. 

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!

#TheLifesWayReviews - Cricket Fever:Mumbai Indians @mipaltan @NetflixSA TV Series

Hi Friends, 

Cricket Fever: Mumbai Indians is a Netflix TV series was launched in Mar 2019 and Season 1 consists of 8 episodes. Cricket Fever will bring you all the Indian Premier League action behind the different teams as they start preparing for the IPL seasons every year. I hope there will be 8 seasons to showcase all the IPL teams in the near future.

Cricket Fever takes you on the 2018 IPL journey in India and team which it focusses on is Mumbai Indians. Right from choosing the players and setting the budgets to the actual coming up of the team together to win matches is what this serial is all about. It also gives you a view from the Owners point of view as Akash Ambani takes the top post of Team Manager under the leadership of his mom Nita Ambani (Reliance Industries) for this season.

The episodes also take you on the journey of several Mumbai Indians players and how they reached MI teams in 2018 IPL team. There are a lot of factors which makes and breaks the teams and the biggest among them is the Communication between the team. Head Coach of Mumbai Indians Team - Mahela Jayawardene is caught between meeting the expectations set by Team Owners - Akash and Neeta Ambani and 25 Selected Players to win the season's biggest prize or rather say retaining the IPL Trophy they won last year in 2017 IPL season.

Sachin Tendulkar is the God of Cricket and he supports his local team i.e. Mumbai Indians and Wankhede Stadium which is the home ground of Mumbai Indians Team. The journey to reach Wankhede is not an easy one and it takes a lot of hard work and good luck to get selected amongst the local and international's best to be among the playing 11 in any of the matches of IPL.

The playing team without any injuries and with proper rest is a chess game which selectors and owners and coaches and captain and senior players need to decide on. The coming together as a team rather than focussing on getting red and purple caps is a topmost priority too. Individualism is to be overcome by the Team unison.

I really loved watching 8 episodes as the MI team journey progress through the IPL season 2018 till they get eliminated to reach in Top 4. I could not stop watching back to back and finished the same in just a span of 2 days. It's really a good production with real cricket stars and owners and no actors. Go check it out if you love the most valuable IPL franchise worth more than USD 100 Million.

If you don't have Netflix connection, then you can try it for a first month worth R169 for free and later can take any package from the 3 available in South Africa. 

Cheers!!!
Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com or editor@thelifesway.com to collaborate on your products, events, and services. #TheLifesWay #PhotoYatra!