Review - Acer Aspire E5-553-T4PT Notebook (NX.GESSI.003)( APU Quad Core A10/4 GB RAM/1 TB HDD/Windows 10)

I had taken a long pause from blogging and i have been feeling guilty all this while. So here I am back without much ado.

Today I am going to review the following laptop:

Acer Aspire E5-553-T4PT Notebook (NX.GESSI.003) (APU Quad Core A10/4 GB RAM/1 TB HDD/Windows 10)

I bought this from Amazon India at the following url: http://amzn.to/2i7ZSjc. It is also  available on Flipkart at this url: Acer E5-553-T4PT

By the way, I am not associated with either AMD or Acer India. This is my independent, unbiased review.

Why I started with a review of this laptop and the initial few things that prompted me to write this review are:
1) Incorrect Specifications on the product page at Amazon India
2) Lack of the details of this model on Acer website
3) Incredible performance of this laptop (especially at this pricepoint)

The sales package contains the following:
1) Aspire E5-553-T4PT Notebook with Lithium Ion Battery
2) AC Adapter
3) No OS CD (Why Acer could you not have provided a restore OS CD)
4) No Laptop Bag (I dont crave for it as it is anyways at a very economical pricepoint)

This laptop carries the model no - E5-553-T4PT & Part Number: NX.GESSI.003.

So let me address the first things first. I will start with the specifications and for reference the correct Data sheet for this laptop is http://www.acer.com/datasheets/2016/4876/E5-553/NX.GESSI.003.html.

Processor - AMD APU Quad Core A10 9600P (this is a 7th Gen AMD processor, just launched in mid 2016)
RAM - 4 GB DDR4 RAM (yes yes its a DDR4 RAM! Yaay)
OS - 64 bit Windows 10 Operating System (yes legit OS)
HDD - 1 TB HDD (its a 5400 rpm laptop drive)
Optical Drive - Optical drive 8x DVD R/W (provides extra bay to replace the same with an additional HDD)
Graphics - AMD integrated graphics - Radeon R5 Graphics
Display - 15.6 inch Display 1366x768 WXGA resolution (Yes it is nothing to write home about, but still looks good)
USB Type C port -  Yes it is there (i have not seen any laptop at this price point provide this port)
Price - Approximately INR 25000/- (cant think of all the features provided by any brand at this price in India)
Warranty - On registering on Acer India website got an offer to upgrade the existing carry in warranty to the following:
1) New warranty upgrade to Accidental Damage Protection (ADP)
2) Free upgrade to 2nd and 3rd year warranty
All the above at INR 900/- inclusive of all taxes, extra payment by me (this is mind blowing. Anything like this for HP/Dell/Lenovo would have easily costed me INR 5000/- to 10,000/-.

WD Elements 2TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Disk (Black) Review

The WD Elements Portable drive offers a large amount of storage space for a low cost. You have to pay extra to use its included backup software after the 30-day trial. The drive has no security features at all and carries a warranty of just one year. Also, on the inside, it houses a low-power standard laptop hard drive that spins at just 5,400rpm. 

Conclusion: This is a fast, easy-to-use and versatile portable drive that can effortlessly add a lot more storage, not just to computers but also game consoles and other types of USB-enabled hosts. If you don't plan on using it to store sensitive data, this is an excellent drive to choose. On the other hand, if keeping your data safe from prying eyes in case of loss or theft is a big concern, then this is not the drive for you.

If you are confused between the various models offered i.e. WD Elements Portable (this model) or the WD My Passport Ultra, then few basic differences are following:

This is a great piece of hardware!


1) My Passport Ultra incorporates a hardware encryption, and WD Elements does not
2) Ultra is thinner and comes with a longer warranty (3 years) vs compared to Elements which as 1 year warranty
3) Elements is entry level hard disk of western digital. My passport ultra is the advance and compact type of hard disk.
Elements  My passport Ultra
Hardware Encryption: No  Hardware Encryption: Yes
Cloud/Dropbox: No  Cloud/Dropbox: Yes
Software Back Up: No  Software Back Up: Yes
Auto Data Synchronization: No  Auto Data Synchronization: Yes

You may buy the WD Elements in India from the following websites:
Amazon-http://amzn.to/2hjZXyY
Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/wd-elements-2-5-inch-2-tb-external-hard-drive/p/itmdp6ppvaxaqhch
Snapdeal: https://www.snapdeal.com/product/wd-2tb-elements-usb-30/1457692
Paytm: https://paytm.com/shop/p/wd-elements-2-5-inch-2-tb-external-hard-disk-black-wd_elements_2tb_black_169

Samsung S5 Exynos Version Lollipop update now rolling out in India

I am writing to confirm the roll out of Lollipop update for Samsung S5 model in India which has Exynos processor. I got the update on 20th March 2015 at 9:00pm IST.

The update size is 874.21 MB and as expected is an OTA update. The entire process was very quick and the update after downloading took 20-25 minutes to get the phone running on Lollipop.

Thank you Samsung for such a delayed roll out! (Saturday is sarcasm day).

The phone feels faster even with the same amount of RAM utlization.

Google Play Store India - Free Movie - The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

I just noticed a free offer from Google Play Store in India. The offer is of the movie " The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring". The movie is available for download as a HD or a SD format download. Here is a screenshot of the same. You may google the same.

The link for the same is here:

https://play.google.com/store/movies/collection/promotion_4000cb1_holiday_movies?hl=en

Google Chromecast India Launch on 10th Dec 2014?

Image courtesy http://www.google.co.in/chrome/devices/chromecast/

As per some tech sites that are popular in India, Google Chromecast will be launched in India on 10th December 2014. This is also going to be the launch of GOSF 2014 in India.

Google Chromecast which was launched in US in 2013 is basically a digital media player developed by Google. Chromecast was announced on July 24, 2013, and made available for purchase on the same day in the United States.

Some popular Indian tech sites such as iGyaan, Androids, Intellect Digest are all saying they have exclusive information that the chromecast will be launched for Indian audience and officially by google and will be available for sale through Snapdeal. Intellect Digest goes on to say that the device sold by snapdeal will be the official device and will carry warranty in India. This is good news to lot of Indians who have been shipping products from US to India with no local support.

Let us see if the claims are indeed correct.

Review - LG 47LA6200 119 cm (47) LED TV (Full HD, 3D, Smart)

I bought this model from a store in Vashi (Navi Mumbai) in July 2014. After a good 4 months of usage, I decided to pen down the salient features and quick review of this model for the benefit of the larger audience.

For starters this is a 2013 model (LG LA 6200) and the 2014 model is called LB6200 which has a slightly higher refresh rate and costs about 10,000 INR more. I demoed both the LA6200 (2013 model) and LB6200 (2014 model). To my surprise i could not find any difference in quality. I tested both the non 3d and 3d features. The link to the official website is LG India.

Some of the salient feature of this model are following:

• 119 cm (47) LED Display
• Full HD, 1920 x 1080
• IPS Panel
• 3D TV
• Smart TV
• Smart Share (NFC Tag ON, Miracast™ , MHL, 2^nd Display)
• 3 x HDMI, 
• 3 x USB
• Built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet
• Refresh Rate - 60 Hz Motion Rate
• Magic Remote with Voice Recognition
• Comfortable, flicker free, battery free 3D glasses - 4 pieces
• Time Machine with recording feature
• Premium Content

The sales package contains "TV Unit, 4 Basic 3D Glasses, Magic Remote (MR13), Conventional Remote".

Acer Iconia W4-820 Tablet (64 GB, Wi-Fi) Review (updated with pics)

I bought this tablet in the month of May from Flipkart. At that time i got a great price offer and also got the cover free with it.

Now that I have used this tablet for over 6 months, i thought of writing a quick review.


The model that this review is talking about is Acer Iconia W4-820 Tablet (64 GB, Wi-Fi). Its official page at Acer India website is Acer Iconia India . Quick specifications for the same are following:

• Windows 8.1
• 4th Gen Intel Atom Z3740 Quad-core 1.33 GHz Processor
• 20.3 cm (8") WXGA (1280 x 800) LCD display
• Wi-Fi
• 2 GB RAM
• 64 GB Flash Memory (internal Solid state drive)
• 2 Megapixel Front Camera
• 5 Megapixel Back Camera
• microSD card slot - support upto 128GB
• Includes Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013
• One micro USB port
• One HDMI port
• Sensors: eCompass, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer

Review - God is a Gamer by Ravi Subramanian

Author: Ravi Subramanian

Language: English

Length: 324 pages

Publisher: Penguin Books India 

Price: INR 299

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Literature & Fiction
Teaser on Youtube:



Ravi Subramanian is considered to be one of new, young India's finest thriller writers. He has written six bestselling books till date and this book (God is a Gamer) is his seventh book. What a conincidence since Chetan Bhagat's latest book takes him to seven books in total and likewise for Ravi.

Anyways  to give a brief, he is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore) and is currently the head of a leading financial institution.  A career banker and financial services professional, Ravi has worked with several multinational banks. As a result of his extensive background in banks, writing about banking comes quite naturally to Ravi. Each one of his books thus far have been set in the backdrop of a foreign bank and this book is again all about banking and money.


I say what better way to make money than to write fiction about others making money. :-)

Review Half GirlFriend - Chetan Bhagat

Author: Chetan Bhagat V
Language: English
Length: 268 pages
Publisher: Rupa Publication India
Link From Authors website: http://www.chetanbhagat.com/books/half-girlfriend/
Price: INR 176
Teaser Campaign on Youtube:


As far as my knowledge goes, this is the seventh book by Chetan Bhagat. A brief background about him as written on his website.

"Chetan Bhagat is the author of six blockbuster books. These include five novels—Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States (2009), Revolution 2020 (2011)—and the non-fiction title What Young India Wants (2012).
Half-Girlfriend, his seventh book and sixth novel, releases in October 2014.