Starting this week, We would be providing our blog readers a list of the best coupons available among the eCommerce stores in India. The last week of January saw some great deals and coupons being promoted by eCommerce stores to all those who have missed out on the end of year sales in December – January period. With the onset of Valentines around the corner, it is no surprise that most of the popular coupons listed below are for Fashion and Gift items. Here are few great deals that should make your Valentine happy should you wish to make an early purchase.
Ebay : 6% discount on Storage Devices
For the geeks in you, Ebay is offering as much as 6% off on USB Storage devices.
Users can use a Coupon code: EBAYREPME1 to avail the discount.
IndiaTimes Shopping- 25% discount on Gaming Consoles
Here’s one for the guys. If you are a girl who really wants to make her boy friend extra happy on the Valentines Day, this deal must rank high.
Get up to 25% discount on all gaming consoles from India times.
The offer is valid only for one day: 30th January till mid night.
Make the moments with your Valentines everlasting with this Valentines special Flip Book. Store photographs in truly attractive photo books that really show the love you have for one another. Avail the offer on our Zoomin Coupons page.
For Valentines this year, there are some incredible offers on place. As January closes and February makes its entry we can expect even more offers making their way to enthrall lovers around the country.
Apple have traditionally been famous for bringing out revolutionary products including the latest iPhone 5 and have always been known to make just the perfect entry into the market . Sadly though, its latest upgrade of iOS6 was marred by the absence of the faithful Google Maps, worse still Apple launched its own iOS Maps which suffice to say is next to useless. Critics, Fans and just about everyone were up in arms in no time and it resulted in a barrage of jibes and jabs at Apple. Within a matter of few hours thousands of articles, comics and tweets have been spawned and they are definitely getting all the attention they deserve. Here is a small round up of some of the most hilarious Comics and tweets picking on the Apple Maps. Enjoy and do share
Why iOS Maps Shipped Buggy
Why iOS Maps Shipped Buggy
All Things Digital has always been on the cusp of Technology and was one of the first to put up this comic made by joyoftech.com. The comic is the brain child of Nitrozac and Snaggy. It portrays a review meeting for the iOS Maps before deployment and the folks supposed to attend the meeting are absent as they are lost.
Christopher Columbus uses IOS Maps
Christopher Columbus uses IOS Maps
Internet image and humor portal 9GAG .com had its own take on the new IOS maps attributing the discovery of America to the IOS Maps
Cast Away Meme
Apple Maps Cast Away Meme
Memes have become this generations method of expression, so it wasn’t surprising to get a ”… they said” meme dedicated to the Apple Maps. People familiar with the Oscar nominated Cast Away will know just how hilarious is the attribution of iOS maps to the misfortune of Chuck Noland ( Tom Hanks).
Star Wars Meme
Star Wars meme
Luke and party find themselves heading straight for a space station instead of the Moon all thanks to the new Apple Maps. This Meme is a little bit “out there” but it is definitely one for Star Wars Buffs to be happy with.
Futurama Meme
Futurama meme
Following the Meme tradition even Philip J Fry of Futurama gets in on the iOS 6 Map beating with this meme. Found first on YFrog. com
“LOST” MEME
Lost Meme
Found on twitter, this Lost Meme equates the Apple Maps Development Team to the cast of famous Television series Lost. Literally Lost is the Keyword for most iOS Map users.
Motorola’s “#iLost campaign”
Motorola Campaign
Following Nokia and Samsung, even Motorola has decided to take the new iPhone 5 Headon with this teaser on the Maps. Motorola even wants people to take part in the twitter #iLost stream and tweet on their little iOS Map adventure. Samsung Tweet zinger
Not one to be left behind on an opportunity to rip on its arch rival. Samsung did this tweet for its Galaxy phone users. Clever isn’t it?
Hitler Reacts to iOS maps
Seldom has any technological product or popular trend escaped the Wrath of Hitler ( from the movie Der Untergang). Apple’s new Maps too seem to have irked Hitler.
Apple Explains iOS Maps (Parody)
Critics and Technology buffs alike were not impressed with Apple’s statement on the iOS Maps, some calling it arrogant. Apple in its own tradtion have seldom come forward and accepted any flaws in their “near perfect” devices. So it was anticipated that they would probably deny if not stave off any criticism. Made by Tom Scott this video makes a hilarious explanation “on behalf”of Apple Inc on why IOS maps are actually not flawed at all.
Amazing IOS Maps website
Barely hours after the OTA of iOS6 began, people had started spotting errors on the map. It wasn’t long before a tumblr page would be spawned to catalogue just about every perceivable error that users could find on the map. Check out http://theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/ for the full list of errors. Some are truly hilarious submissions.
London Tube submission
London Underground takes on Apple Maps
Even the offline world has taken to hitting on ioS6 maps. Seen first on the AmazingIos6Maps. This picture was submitted from the London underground taking on the IOS 6. Truly hilarious
Before we conclude here is a collection of Articles posted on various technology blogs around the world on their take on the Map Mishap.
Within hours of the upgrade twitter was abuzz with tweets from users complaining about being Lost or finding the maps utterly useless. Gizmodo makes a collection of these tweets in this article titled 17 People Apple Maps has already horribly misled
That’s all Folks. Do share your own discoveries in the comment sections and share the humor with Friends and Folks.
MySmartPrice asked folks what #IfKrishnawerealive on twitter. Winners get an author signed copy of Ashwin Sanghi’s new book The Krishna Key. Here is a list of winners per hour from 10 AM to 6PM. Also given are some really interesting tweets worth sharing.
Winner for the first Hour 10Am-11AM Sandeep Varma
Seems The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi is an interesting book. waiting for the release #IfKrishnawerealive
We at MySmartPrice.com have done a study of the e-tailing stores in India and have analyzed what they sell. We’ve classified these stores into different types and categories based on what they sell. A lot of interesting numbers and facts have emerged out, some of which are hard to believe. So here’s what we have found out.
Brands are moving online with their own stores: Examples: NokiaShop, Puma, Reebook, Samsung, Fastrack, VIP etc
Fashion is No 1: Top 3 Categories all belong to Fashion, with more than 130 stores (big and small) selling some or the other fashion products. Apart from this 91 stores deal exclusively in Fashion.
Rise of Online Exclusive labels: Example: Zovi, Shersingh etc.
Lingerie is Big: Over 39 stores sell Lingerie and Innerwear and some prominent names even using Lingerie as hooks on FB ads!
Online stores of major offline players: Example: Futurebazaar, Cromaretail, The Mobile Store, Univercell etc
Media Publishing Houses foray in ecommerce: Example: Homeshop18, BagitToday, Indiatimes Shopping, StarCJ etc
Ecommerce Platforms gaining traction. Example: BuildaBazaar and Martjack.
Popular (deal) sites pivoting to e-tailing: Example: Snapdeal, Koovs, SeventyMM, KyaZoonga etc
SOME INTERESTING STORES
Differentiation is the new motto in Indian ecommerce. The way some are doing it is simply picking a Niche. In our research, we ran into about 90 niche stores that sold nothing but one thing. Some deserve a special mention.
BulbTiger.com: Indoor lighting fittings and chandeliers.
We hope the study was useful to you and you’ve come across some truly interesting new facts and figures. The world of ecommerce is ever changing with a constant churn in the number of stores. Feel free to subscribe to our updates on e-commerce and share, tweet or +1 this post.
This is the review of Life Of a Software EngineeR by Dipen Ambalia. Life Of a Software Engineer is the first book we at MySmartPrice have personally found an interest in and are promoting through this blog. The book caught our attention thanks to its unique and indeed catchy title. The book has a special connection to us as most of us at MySmartPrice are/ have been software engineers at some point of time or the other.This Book is definitely a unique comical take on the Indian Software Industry
Loser
Details about Life Of a Software EngineeR by Dipen Ambalia
Name of the Book: Life Of a Software EngineeR Author: Dipen Ambalia Price:Rs 90( as on March 08) For updated price checkPrice of Life Of a Software EngineeR MRP:Rs 150
Review of Life Of a Software EngineeR
Dipen Ambalia is a software engineer by profession. Having literally passed through the whole Software Development Life Cycle with a career in every sector of Information technology in India from Development and Production Support to Pre-sales and Business Analyst, he has been there and done it all. Here’s a more detailed interview of the author. Dipen has explored his 8.5 years of Software career to come up with this little rib tickling read for all Software engineers and IT enthusiasts.
What kind of life does a Software engineer have? What are some of the common terms used in Software industry? What is the difference between onsite and offsite? Is it just a myth that Software engineers are the most eligible bachelors in town? What exactly happens in a typical “IT meeting”? Ever wonder what the origin of Outsourcing and Power Point Presentations were? Dipen Ambalia busts a few myths, a few egos and takes no prisoners in this rib tickling satire on the Indian IT sector. If you are a software engineer, you will find yourself looking back and laughing nostalgically, if you happen to be a Project Manager or higher in an IT sector, you would probably launch a Fatwa against this blasphemous writing. If you are a father of an engineering student on the brink of an IT career, you may shake your head in regret. There is definitely something for everyone in this book.
Life of a Software Engineer is a narrative of sorts by the author from his own experiences. Most of the chapters whiz by fast like a typical Sitcom or stand up routine, leaving you laughing, smiling and nodding appreciatively of the small nuances of a software engineer’s life. A few notable chapters in the book include, “The Origin of the Software World” in which the author compares the birth of Outsourcing to the Discovery of America by Columbus or “The Deewar- Those Who have been Onsite and Offsite” that takes a comical look at the differences between people who have been onsite and offsite or the unspoken truth that “Google is God!” in the world of software.
Dipen Ambalia has made some of the most matter of fact events and daily routines look extremely comical. There is ample use of exaggeration in the writing and this has definitely added to the allure of the book. The book doesn’t get preachy or biased in any way, neither does it pretend to be the ultimate bible for all software engineers. In this lies the true charm of the book. The book is a easy and light read with very common language and liberal use of popular references. Such as the reference to popular Hindi news channels sensationalizing nonsensical news such as Aliens liking Himesh Reshammiya or the reference to Rakhi Sawant etc.
The book definitely looks at times like the collection of random musings of a frustrated software engineer and in it lies the true power of the book. There is no character for you to love, it could just about be anyone who has a career in India’s top IT companies. Living their 9-5 (+ overtime) life in cubicles and attending Con calls and sweating through Appraisals or praying for Onsite. The only draw back the book may face is its too blunt at times or pushes to the point of trying to be funny at times. There are chapters that just draw at max a smile. Like a good jovial person who has a few bad jokes, we may of course overlook the few “jokes” that just don’t hit the spot after all “Bhaavnaon ko Samjho”. Thankfully though, these troughs are less and far between for an otherwise enjoyable book.
To conlude this review of Life Of a Software Engineer I would say, this is a definite must read for all those who are related to the Indian Software Industry. Fortunately for the author, that’s pretty much the entire nation. If you have a job in IT, if your husband has it ( which maybe unlikely if you go by what the author writes) or if your child is entering the hallowed grounds of India’s many engineering colleges, Uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors everyone can relate to the candid posts of this frustrated software engineer. Dare I say there may appear a few Stand up routines and Sitcoms that are spun of from one of the 22 chapters in this book .
MySmartPrice recently caught up with emerging writer Dipen Ambalia. Dipen Ambalia has recently launched a new book with a truly catchy title “Life of a Software Engineer aka LOSER”. Dipen was kind enough to give us this interview.
Hi Dipen, Great pleasure to have you on MySmartPrice for this short interview.
DA: Thanks so much. It’s my pleasure to be giving this interview.
Qn: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did the writing bug bite you?
DA: I am an electrical engineer from VJTI, Mumbai. I have been working in the IT industry since July 2004. I have worked with Polaris Software Labs Ltd., Mphasis (an HP Company), Citius IT solutions Ltd and am currently working with Hexaware Technologies, Mumbai.I have been through the SDLC (software development life cycle)i.e. I have done Development, Production Support, Testing, Business Analysis and am now in Presales.I am an author of two books – 1)In Their Shoes
Qs: This book is about life as a Software Engineer. Are you still a Software Engineer or have you moved on and are now a full time writer?
DA: Yes, I am still a software engineer. Now I am in Presales. I wish to become fulltime writer, depending on the response from my dear readers.
Qn: How did you come up with L.O.S.ER? What inspired you to write this book ‘LOSER’?
DA: I am a big fan of Scott Adams.His2 books – 1) The Dilbert Principle 2) Joy at Work- are excellent work of satire on the marketing and management world in general. One day I thought that since I have been in the IT industry for so long – more than 7 years and have been though the whole SDLC, I am in a good position to make a satire on the IT world and then I wrote LOSER by mixing fiction, experience and exaggerating it to make the whole concoction humorous. So, in short LOSER is a satire on the IT world.
Qs: What can readers expect from your book. It it about a particular person or is it about life of a software engineer in general?
DA: Readers can expect real life situations exaggerated to the core! I have used everyday examples or analogies to explain the IT world. For eg: I have compared Arranged Marriages with the Software Development Life Cycle in the world. This comparison has been appreciated by a lot many readers. Similarly I have compared fictitious reports of the very (in)famous contemporary hindi news channels to the situations in the IT world. These things will surely make readers laugh their backside off! (atleast I hope so ). This book is not about any person in particular. It’s like the common man in the IT industry made to go through the various phases in the IT industry. LOSER is a narrative; i.e. it doesn’t have characters or a story as such. While reading the book, you will (or should ) feel as if I am sitting in front of you and talking to you about the software world (and we both laugh together!)
Qs: Will this book appeal to people who are not software engineers ?
DA: Yes, sure. Every and I mean every person in this country has at least one friend, sister, cousin, uncle or any other relative in the IT world. I as a kid used to wonder how one bhaiyya from my building used to enjoy his life in US and used to bring me chocolates when he used to come to India. I always used to be inquisitive about the life of a software engineer. I think that there would be many such people in this country who would like to know what the software engineers do so as to deserve high salaries. And since this book is a satire on the IT world and hence doesn’t glorify the IT world, it is going to be more fun for the non-IT people to read what the IT people actually do in the IT world!
Qn: Tell us a few factoids of your own life as a software engineer.
DA: I have always maintained a rating of 3 or 4 out of 5. I have never tried to excel at work because to get a rating of 5 out of 5 one has to work very hard/ be the project manager’s pet/ pass off colleagues work as yours, etc. My funda is to enjoy work and personal life and shift jobs in 2-3 years to get the necessary hike!
Qn: What is the best part about L.O.S.E.R?
D.A: The best part of LOSER is the humour generated out of unthinkable exaggerated analogies of real life situations with the IT world. In every chapter, the IT reader would feel “abe, haan yaar, mai to exactly aise hi manager ko ulloo banata hun… “ or “this is how the girl coming from onsite behaves re..” and the non-IT reader would laugh his heart out realizing what his IT friends do every day in office!
Qs: Will Software companies find it difficult to recruit once your book is released.
DA: Hahahaha… not sure. If this book is taken seriously then kuch problem ho sakta hai. But, if LOSER is read in the right spirit, then there won’t be any issues!
Qn: L.O.S.E.R is your second book after “In their shoes” . Could you tell us your experience about writing two books.
D.A: Writing books makes me happy. It gives me a creative relief. My first book “In Their Shoes…” was a serious book trying to highlight how ordinary people try to find out happiness in tough times. “In Their Shoes…” is a book about how the world looks like by being in the shoes of different people. I have taken 17 characters and tried to visualize the world from their angle. There are characters such as – a 24-year-old mentally challenged girl, a broke 77-year-old man thrown out of his own house, a 7-year-old girl – Bindiya- a Drummer’s daughter, an uneducated corrupt politician, etc… In short, this book is: By the ordinary, Of the ordinary & For the ordinary…! I got good reviews from people like Dr.Kiran Bedi and newspapers like Maharashtra Times, Loksatta, Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, etc…
LOSER belongs to the humour genre. So, writing this book was itself a fun-loving experience. There were a few chapters where I used to laugh after reading the just-written chapters.
Qn: Who among the present Indian Authors inspires you most.
D.A: As far as serious writing genre is concerned, I like Rohinton Mistry and Sudha Murthy. And on the humour front, I like Scott Adams (creator or Dilbert) and Cyrus Broacha (Karl, aaj aur Kal)
Qs. If you have to give one mantra for all software engineers, what will be it?
D.A: Don’t work so hard that you have waste your life in office to get a rating of 4 or 5 out of 5. Maintain a good balance between personal and professional life, be happy with a rating of 3 out of 5 and switch companies once in 2-3 years to get the necessary raise in salary! Life is not a race. Decide whether you were born to do only coding or something else in life. It’s always good to have a backup plan in life in case you get bored of the IT world one day!
Thank you very much for taking your time out for this interview. We wish that L.O.S.E.R emerges a winner among your readers.
DA: Thanks so much!
Grab your copy of LOSER at the Best Price from MySmartPrice.com. Click this link
This is the review of The Mine by Arnab Ray. The Mine is perhaps our first encounter with a horror book written by an Indian Author. The book is the first psychological horror novel we have come across and we must say this blew our minds. The book definitely deserves a read through by all the horror lovers among our wonderful users of MySmartPrice.
Details about The Mine by Arnab Ray
Name of the Book: The Mine Author :Arnab Ray Price:Rs 127( as on March 01) For updated price check Price of The Mine MRP:Rs 195
Review of The Mine by Arnab Ray
Arnab Ray or The Great bong as he is known in the blogging community has been popular for his work as a humorous writer and blogger through his famous blog greatbong.net. His first book May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss was a riproaring comedy, while The Mine takes you along a more darker journey. Expect ghastly images, ghostly memories and the resounding truth that your past shall always catch up with you.
When a secret government project/mining expedition somewhere in the heartland of Rajasthan runs into operational difficulties, 5 experts are called into make enquiries. Each told one part of the puzzle and each asked to enquire one aspect. But when the discoveries they make come together, they find themselves in the middle of a truly diabolical plot. Are they pawns in a military experiment, are they at the judging table of the Devil or are they simply dreaming up the punishments of their sins?
The Mine takes you through the arduous journey of 6 people who are fighting from the inevitable end to their lives of crime. Six individuals of high personal stature with a successful professional life and a deep, dark secret that they would rather not tell anyone else. They have lead their lives in glory and high prestige in the eyes of the world denying the sins they have committed but now their pasts have finally caught up with them. The Mine will test the virtue of Samar Bose, Dr Akshay More, Dr Preeti Singh, Dr Anjali Menon along with her little daughter Anya and Dr Karan Rathore and make them pay for their sins.
Arnab Ray takes you through a roller coaster ride with several plot twists and truly bone chilling visuals. The stories and the sins of each character may seem repulsive for the weak hearted but at no point do they seem unnatural or impossible. The book engages the reader right from its prologue to its rather shocking epilogue. The book makes for an exciting trip for the fresh readers into the world of Horror Stories.Our only difficulty with this book is the truly explicit use of gory images and use of strong language almost at intermittent intervals. While this book is definitely aimed at a mature reader , the use could definitely prevent some of the novice readers from being exposed to a wonderful concept. The characters in the book are well framed and one does empathize with a few for a while. In particular, a reader cannot help but root for the main protagonist Samar Bose. The book does take a fairly expansive look at the backgrounds of the individual characters without getting into boring lengths and the best part is the sheer possibilities hidden within each plot twist and scene. Reader can easily visualize the dark dingy corridors of The Mine. If you are one of the gamers, you may find this book to take you back to some popular games like Bioshock and Doom3. There is certainly something for everyone in this book.
To conlude this review of The Mine I would say, this is a definite must read for those brought up on a steady diet of Alfred Hitchcock and some of the modern Horror movies. I could see the potential of a great horror movie in the making with some very popular stars in the lead roles. The story of the 5 experts may reflect sins that even common men may commit in their lives, while there are no lessons to be learnt from this book as such, one does get the feeling the book leaves a lasting impression in our minds. The most important lesson being “The greatest evil lies deep inside.”
February 16th, 2012 | Posted by Ashwin in Books - (0 Comments)
This is the review of The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi. We have found ourselves picking up truly wonderful books by Indian Authors in recent times.After falling in love with Chanakya’s chantwe have managed to be blown away by The Secret of the Nagas. The book is so good that I wanted to share my views with all wonderful users of MySmartPrice.
Review of The Secret of the Nagas by Amish Tripathi
This is a time for sequels for everything. Most authors strive to back a best seller with sequels, often beating the original concept to dust . But, The Secret of the Nagas totally took me by surprise. Though being a sequel it’s as refreshing as the first one. The book starts exactly where its predecessor left off making The Immortals of Meluha a prerequisite for this book. Amish Tripathi has to be credited for coming out with a novel idea through these books.
Unlike a hazy chap from the first book, Shiva is a now a confident man, happily married to Sati, living in a land where weed flourishes. The magnanimous characters feel familiar, like the ones we had heard in the bed time grandma’s stories. The Shiva in this book has shifted his focus on the Naga clan, responsible for the death of his friend Brahaspati. The Nagas are all humans with the physical deformities who have been abandoned by their family because the law demands Nagas be exiled. The mystery behind the Nagas takes him to the land of brangas and further deep in the Dandak forest. The race between good and evil is still on, the boundaries between them, however, have become very smudgy.
Filled with super secrets, justifying the title of the book, it’s a total page turner from the start to end. After reading the first book, you might feel that you can predict the next one, but trust me, you can’t. With every page there is a surprise waiting for you, so much so that the climax just might take your breath away! The book also sees the birth of Karthik, Shiva’s son, as well as other popular Hindu mythology characters – Ganesh, Kali, Parashuram etc.
Tripathi again deserves a pat on his back. He has amalgamated his knowledge of geography and history and has immensely improved upon his first book. He knows how to keep you interested. What I like the most about the book that you don’t feel like you are reading a mythological series with Gods and Semi Gods in focus. Shiva, the destructor, is the new dude. The book totally changes you perspective of Gods.
However, the book has its loopholes too. The language is a bit of a turn off. The usage of modern day phrases at times seems inappropriate. It kind of modernizes the book in a way that it does not fit in the era. The mere mentioning of the word “radio waves” is a little hard to digest..
To conlcude this review of The Secret of the Nagas I would say, It really doesn’t matter if you are interested in mythology or not, if you are a bibliophile (or even if you’re not one!) this book is meant for you. It’s an innovative way to introduce youth all over the country to the Gods we hear about all the time. Just like the previous one, I highly recommend this book. If you haven’t read it yet, go and grab it ASAP. Read it to know the ‘Secret’ of the Nagas. This is really looking like a great trilogy.
As if all the help Cupid gives these lazy lucky guys this Valentine isn’t enough, Ecommerce stores have joined the brigade with some awesome deals for the last minute hunter. Unfortunately although i’ve found these amazing deals.. . I haven’t found that Valentine to give it to.
While I listen to Jagjit Singh songs, here is a list of awesome valentine’s day deals for the lucky few.
Yebhi
Yebhi has made a sweet deal for both the gents and ladies with a specialized section on Gifts for Him and Her. No need to sift through unnecessary deals to find your pick. Buy Shirts, watches or perfumes for your Man at discounts ranging from 3%- 50%. Sweep your dame off her feet with jewellery, Bags.
Koovs
Koovs is specializing in Valentine Hampers for this Valentine. Expect gorgeous jewellery , accessories and wonderful skin care products to be available at 20-40% discount.
Infibeam
Infibeam is offering massive discounts on cakes, chocolates and everything nice for NRIs. Now send gifts to your Valentine in India. Expect massive discounts on romantic music, videos too.
LetsBuy
Letsbuy is offering massive discounts for all your gadgets and toys this valentine.
Buy a stuffed Teddy bear for 34% off or watches at 15% off, if you love that special someone a little more you may want to avail the massive discounts of 20-40% on Smartphones, Cameras and DVD players
Flipkart
Flipkart is offering its customers a selection of combo packs of Romantic Books this Valentines. Expect massive discounts on all your romantic books from P.S I love you, A walk to remember to classics like Gone with the Wind. Not just that, Flipkart has gone one step further and made some really good romantic music collections available at discount too.
Now that I’ve found a great Deal, All I need is a good Valentine…
In the mean time I’m reading the Top Romantic Books to woo that special Valentine.
