Six Must-Have Products for a Smooth WFH This Monsoon Season

This year’s monsoon season comes with an added concern as the COVID-19 pandemic is also gaining pace at an alarming rate! As some cities have once again begun announcing lockdowns for their citizens, it seems remote working is here to stay for quite a while. However, with the monsoon almost at its peak, there can be certain challenges to implementing a smooth work from home as electricity outages and weak internet connectivity become more frequent. For this reason and to help you tide over these challenges seamlessly, we have handpicked some top products you should have as a backup while working from home

1.       Syska P0511J Power Bank

In India, power outages are frequent during heavy rains. And considering we are completely reliant on electronic appliances this power bank is a must-have. Fuel your smartphones, tabs, mini speakers, MP3 Players, and other digital devices using the Syska P0511J Power Bank that comes with a steady capacity of 5000mAh and high energy density polymer cell. This gadget qualifies its “Overcharge and Discharge Protection” function in case the power is not switched off after completion of charge. Syska power bank is multifunctional, pocket-fit, sleek product and is available at leading retail outlets for Rs. 1,199/-. You can also get it at a discounted price on Amazon. The power bank comes in red, blue, and silver colours.

2.       Wipro Emerald Rechargeable Emergency Light

Good illumination is necessary while you are working at home. In the case of a power blackout, an Emergency Light comes handy. Wipro Emerald Rechargeable Emergency Light is a powerful 5 watt LED & high-quality rechargeable lithium battery operated emergency light that comes with in-built 2 levels of brightness and 50,000 hours of life. It is provided with a powerful 5 watts LED which gives you more radiant light. Wipro Emerald Rechargeable Emergency Light is available at leading retail outlets for Rs. 1290/- and you can get it at a discounted price on Amazon.

3.       Goldmedal i-Dock Player

We all would agree that music and pleasant weather go hand in hand. Sitting by the window, watching it drizzle, feeling the monsoon winds while sipping your hot cup of chai provides for the perfect indoor vibe. Goldmedal’s i-Dock player serves as a perfect partner for you to kick-start your weekend, listening to some of your favorite music while it pours outside. This sleek music player can be installed directly into a flush box with Goldemdal’s Curve modular cover plates, allowing you to play your favourite tracks stored on your Apple devices as well as other MP3 players. Equipped with an in-built stereo amplifier, the player enables direct speaker connection and also comes with a charging function for iPod and iPhone. An additional line output enables you to connect your music to any Hi-Fi or multi-room system to make you groove to your favourite songs. Goldmedal’s i-Dock Player is priced at Rs. 10,900/- and can be purchased from retail stores as well as leading ecommerce platforms.

4.       INALSA Steam Iron Geyser Titanium

Monsoons make clothes damp, wrinkly, and odourful. INALSA Steam Iron Geyser Titanium is compact and will assist you to steam-iron your fabrics hassle-free. With 2000W of power, Geyser Titanium iron eliminates stubborn wrinkles efficiently and effortlessly slides across various fabrics. Rapid Even-Heat technology delivers more high-grade execution and flawless. As they say first impressions are the last impressions, this product will help you to look your best for that all important Zoom meeting with your client. INALSA Steam Iron Geyser Titanium is available at leading retail outlets for Rs. 3,195/- and you can get it at a discounted price on Amazon.

5.       Syska- Mosguard Anti-Mosquito 15W LED Bulb

Monsoon is the breeding season for mosquitoes and the uncertainty of mosquito-transmitted infections, such as malaria and dengue fever is high. The Syska Mosguard 2 in 1 mosquito killer bulb is a safe chemical-free easy to clean product which will protect your home by keeping it insect free and provide energy-efficient adaptable lighting. It is available at leading retail outlets for Rs. 699/-.

6.       Easy Steel Floor Cloth Dryer Stand 18

Attempting to dry your clothes during monsoon is a challenging task. Garments are usually either soaking wet or damp. With Easy Steel Floor Cloth Dryer Stand 18 you can prevent this problem. Produced for better ventilation by extending the distance of each fabric, all length-types of clothes can be dried using it. The product includes three shelves and folds in half for space-saving. Easy Steel Floor Cloth Dryer Stand 18 is available at leading retail outlets for Rs. 3,999/- and you can get it at a discounted price on Flipkart.

7.       Goldmedal I-Strip 205101 LED Spike Guard

While working from home, you will need a product that can take care of your device charging requirements while increasing your comfort and convenience. Equipped with 6 international sockets with surge protection, overload protection and a power cord of 2 metres length, Goldmedal’s I-Strip 205101 LED Spike Guard can charge multiple devices such as your laptop, smartphone and power bank, at one go. The device can even be wall mounted making it easy to plug-in and plug-out at ease.  Goldmedal’s I-Strip 205101 LED Spike Guard is priced at Rs. 799/- only and is available in all electrical retail stores and also on Amazon for a discounted price.

Win $10 million prize for building a best power saving bulb

The US Energy Department has declared a contest in which the company that makes the best power saving bulb will get a prize of $10 million. The contest winner will also receive consideration for federal purchasing agreements and will have a head start at cracking a vast consumer marketplace. The Energy Department will also award $5 million to the creator of an LED reflector lamp.

The L Prize has attracted significant attention in the lighting industry. Currently, 60 watt incandescent lamps represent 50 percent of all the lighting in the United States, with 425 million sold each year. The Energy Department says that if all those lamps were LED equivalents, enough power would be saved to light 17.4 million American households and cut carbon emissions by 5.6 million metric tons annually.

So far, Philips is the only company which has submitted its entry. The company has developed a led based bulb which uses one-sixth energy of a 60 watt incandescent bulb. "Philips is confident that the product submitted meets or exceeds all of the criteria for the L Prize," Rudy Provoost, Chief of Philips Lighting, said in a statement to New York Times. Philips has delivered 2,000 prototypes of its bulb to the Energy Department for testing.

Apart from few changes, the incandescent bulb continues to be similar to the Thomas Edison creation. But now the incandescent bulbs will be outlawed by new energy standards that go into effect in 2012. LED bulbs are now available but they have limited output and high prices.

The energy department has made certain criteria for the competition. All bulbs must be able to provide as much light as 60 watt incandescent bulb in 10 watt. The bulb must also last for more than 25,000 hours - about 25 times longer than a standard light bulb. Also, at least 75 percent of the bulb must be made or assembled in the United States. Philip's prototypes currently meet up in all criteria.

Speaking about the contest, James R. Brodrick, Manager of the Solid State Lighting Program of the Energy Department says that these will be the most publicly tested bulb ever. "We've probably eliminated almost 25 products that were horrible," said James R. Brodrick, manager of the Solid State Lighting Program of the Energy Department. "We test LED bulbs today that claim on the package that they're equivalent to 40 watts, but are really like 20-watt bulbs."

Kevin Dowling, Vice President for innovation at Philips Solid State Lighting Solutions, is confident that the LED light bulb can become an affordable option. "Over the long term, we can absolutely get the cost down to the $20 to $25 range," he said.

Agencies

Are Google SMS Search, your best friends?

Now you can get answers to all of this and more through a simple SMS at the price of your regular SMS* across India.

Cricket scores and Astro updates on SMS brought a smile to a lot of us, only until we saw the bill at the end of the month. And this was after we were also trying to remember multiple input methods. After speaking to many users about their 'sms' information woes ,we at Google ,have come up with a newer version of Google SMS Search.

The product has been reincarnated, with a new number and tons of new features. Now you can SMS your query to 9773300000 at the cost of a regular SMS and get instant answers. Launched nationally, this service is available across all operators on both GSM and CDMA mobile phones.

The list of features available on Google SMS search is given below. What we do want to add is that searching on SMS will be MUCH easier NOW. No longer do you need to remember complicated strings to put before your query, you can search as if you are searching on Google web search – we will do all the hard work to understand your query and give you the best results on SMS. Hope you will enjoy the change!

SMS Search features-
1.Cricket Scores:Simply SMS "cri" or "cricket" or "cricket India" to receive latest cricket scores.
2.Indian Railways:Send your PNR number to get latest status of your PNR (confirmed/RAC/current waitlist status). Or send "trains between mumbai to delhi" to know trains and get further details of train schedule.
3.Stock Quotes:SMS "Company name quote" to receive stock quotes from BSE. e.g. "reliance stock".
4.Horoscope:Simply send your sunsign (e.g. Virgo) to receive your day's horoscope
5.Local Business Search:Do local search on SMS (e.g. categories such as "restaurants indira nagar bangalore" or businesses such as "pizza hut koramangala"). This is available across 34 cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkatta, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Noida,Gurgaon, Faridabad, Vadodara, Surat, Kanpur, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Rajkot, Ernakulam, Cochin, Gaziabad, Bhuwneshwar, Aurangabad, Lucknow, Nashik, Indore, Panaji, Bhopal, Agra, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Coimbatore.
6.News:Send "news" or "business news" to receive latest news.
7.Movie Showtimes:Send "movies delhi" or "golmaal returns delhi" and get movie rating and movie showtimes.
8. Flight status: Flight status for Jet, Kingfisher, Indigo & Spicejet. Simply send "9w502", "It 302".
9.Definitions:Send "define " e.g. "define zenith", "define inflation".
10.Weather:e.g. "weather Delhi".
11.Calculator:"1 kilo in pound".
12.Currency Conversion: "5000 inr in usd".
13.Facts:e.g. "GDP of india" or "population of bangalore".

*Normal SMS rates apply and are determined by the service package provided by the mobile operator.

Source: Agencies