Xiaomi Redmi 0x04 (End of Transmission)

Well, I was searching for the significance of the number 4 and I got to the Wikipedia article on the number 4. There was a lot of information on this number's relation to various aspects, like in religion, politics, science, transport, sports, etc. But the most near significance to the topic at hand was '0x04'. As stated in the Wikipedia article, '0x04' is the ASCII code of the character End of Transmission, which is abbreviated to EOT.

Why is this relevant to the topic at hand? Well, the most recent launches in the Xiaomi Redmi branded smart phones are the number 4 iterations. And, basically these just do not justify a bump in the version number. Maybe, this signals a lack of interest of Xiaomi in the Redmi brand or may be they are looking to end the Redmi brand or at least stall it to a crawl.

There have been two version 4 in the Redmi brand: Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Xiaomi Redmi 4. The previous iteration were Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Xiaomi Redmi 3s. The Note 3 is one of the best selling smart phone in India. As per the latest news on this smart phone by Xiaomi, they have sold nearly 2.3 million (23 lac) units of Note 3 smart phone in India. This is an astounding number considering Xiaomi's online only strategy. And the Redmi 3s Prime has no other competition in its price range and for its bang for the buck. I have highlighted this fact in my previous post. Hmm, maybe Xiaomi has become complacent or maybe the lack of competition has made them lazy to roll out significant changes. Only time will tell.

The latest iterations, the number 4 of these two smart phones bring nothing significant and for one device, this iteration actually goes a step backwards.

Lets take a look at the major differences between the Note 3 and Note 4 smart phones (from gsmarena website):

	Xiaomi Redmi Note 3	Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
Weight	164 g (5.78 oz)	175 g (6.17 oz)
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8956 Snapdragon 650	Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20
CPU	Hexa-core (4x1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 & 2x1.8 GHz Cortex-A72)	Deca-core 2.1 GHz
GPU	Adreno 510	Mali-T880 MP4
Primary Camera	16 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash	13 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Secondary Camera	5 MP, f/2.0, 1080p	5 MP, f/2.0, 720p
Battery Capacity	Non-removable Li-Po 4050 mAh battery	Non-removable Li-Po 4100 mAh battery
Battery Life	93h endurance rating	83h endurance rating

From the above, the only bump up is from a Hexa-core CPU to a Deca-core CPU. But, from using various Chipsets on PCs, I can safely say that the performance improvement will definitely be debatable.
Other than that, in Note 4, we get a bulkier device with inferior Primary and Secondary Cameras and inferior Battery Life even with the bump up of battery capacity.

Next, lets look at the main features of Redmi 3s Prime and Redmi 4 Prime (again from gsmarena website):

	Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime	Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
Weight	144 g (5.08 oz)	155 g (5.50 oz)
Display Size	5.0 inches (~71.1% screen-to-body ratio)	5.0 inches (~69.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density)	1080 x 1920 pixels (~443 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 430	Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625
CPU	Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53	Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Adreno 505	Adreno 506
Internal Memory	32 GB, 3 GB RAM	32 GB, 3 GB RAM
Primary Camera	13 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, LED flash	13 MP, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Secondary Camera	5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p	5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p
Sensors	Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Battery Capacity	Non-removable Li-Ion 4100 mAh battery	Non-removable Li-Ion 4100 mAh battery

The major change is in the screen resolution and the Chipset. But, the question is would the new Chipset handle the increased load of the new resolution, since the bump up on the GPU side is just one number, from Adreno 505 to Adreno 506. Would the increased CPU speed and performance create a bottle neck on the GPU, eliminating any visible improvement.
I am also concerned about the Battery Life in the newer Redmi. With the increase in the screen resolution and the Chipset, would the Battery Life remain on par with the older Redmi, since both have the same Battery Capacity. I have my doubts.
So, like in our earlier comparison, here too we see that the new device is bulkier and could potentially have inferior Battery Life.

So, what we have is Xiaomi taking a few steps back in the number 4 iteration. Maybe Xiaomi is taking a gamble and seeing what the other competitors can come up with. I believe this is the perfect time for an Indian brand to rise up and launch a competitive device.

Indian Smart Phone Brands are Fading away

Please note that this post/text is hypothetical, please do not think otherwise

Not too long ago, Micromax, Karbonn and other Indian smart phone brands were ruling in the Indian smart phone market. I remember the launch of Micromax Canvas and most if not everybody were jumping to get one. It was the first or at least the early adopter of 5 inch display when nearly all other brands even international brands like Samsumg and iPhone were stuck in the 4 inch sizes.

One of my close friend even traded his Samsung Galaxy for the Micromax Canvas. Now, I know that the build quality, the camera performance, etc was not up to the mark, but the bigger screen size was the craze then.

And, not only Micromax, even Karbonn and other Indian brands had a decent portfolio of smart phones.

But now these brands are not even talked about at least in the major cities in India. They may still have some followers and buyers in smaller cities, but these brands have been wiped clean from the major cities. Why has this happened and that too in such a few year's time.

For one, I think (I may be wrong) these brands did not manufacture/assemble the devices in India, but just re tagged some Chinese smart phone brands. In particular, I think the designs of Micromax smart phones and a particular Chinese brand which is now available directly in India, were too similar.

Other reasons would be the very low innovation and very low to nil manufacturing ability of these Indian brands. And, the most important reason is the introduction of Chinese brands directly in India.

Now, we get Xiaomi, Vivo, LeEco, Huawei, Coolpad, Oppo, and more Chinese brand smart phones directly without the middle men that used to peddle these as Indian branded smart phones (Again, this may be wrong.)

For example, take the latest basic smart phone of the Xiaomi Redmi brand, the Redmi 3s Prime. It is priced at INR 8,999 and has a 5 inch screen, a Fingerprint scanner, 13 MP back camera, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB Internal Memory, 4100 mAh battery, 5 MP front camera, 1280 x 720 pixels screen, FM radio, Infrared port, sensors: accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass. So basically you get all the most important features that is required in a smart phone.

Now lets see what competition this smart phone has got from the Indian brands. From the gsmarena website, I have selected the Indian brands: Celkon, Intex, Karbonn, Lava, Micromax, XOLO and YU. Lets see what we get for the 2016 smart phone models with similar specifications of Redmi 3s Prime.

The criteria that I selected: Year 2016, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB Internal Memory, 5 inch Size, 8 MP Primary camera, 2 MP secondary camera, Fingerprint scanner, Battery Capacity of at least 3100 mAh.

The results are:

• YU Yureka Note
• YU Yunicorn
• Micromax Canvas Unite 4 Pro

Only three and that too of just the Micromax and its subsidiary YU brand. And if we raise the RAM requirement to 3 GB and Internal Memory to 32 GB we get just one result, the YU Yunicorn.

But what about the price. Well from the Amazon India website, the price for YU Yunicorn is INR 12,600 and as stated above the Redmi 3s costs INR 8,999.

How is this possible, that an Indian brand cannot compete with a Chinese brand which I think would also have to pay some Excise duty and may be other Indian Government taxes and still give more bang for the buck. Something just does not fit. Something is really broken in the Indian brands which needs fixing and fixing up fast. Otherwise, there would not be even a single competing device left from the Indian brands.

How many Android Mobile Games have you Completed

Most, if not all, of us have played mobile games to pass time or as a stress buster or for just sheer enjoyment. There are a lot of games available to cater to the tastes of all players. Some like to play a casual game with "zen" mode that just allows you to play at your own pace without the distraction of accomplishing a task within a time frame. Some like story based games that have a definite series of events. Some like endless games that adds levels as you gain experience.

Well, my question is have you completed a game from start to finish. I know there are many games that do not have a set goal, like the endless runner games, or like some match three games, but most games do have a set accomplishments or if the game is story mode, an ending. Even if you could not gather all the accomplishments but have completed the story I consider it as complete.

My personal gamer level is level 15. I would have installed at least >50 game titles on my phone and tablet. But, the said tablet is no more functional, so those details have blurred a little for me.

On my phone, I have completed the story mode games of:

• Spellfall (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.backflipstudios.android.wizardduel)
• Major Mayhem (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.turner.asmajormayhem)
• Toy Defense: Relaxed Mode
• Flick Kick Football Legends (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pikpok.fkf2.play)

I have gathered all achievements (or nearly all) in the following:

• Robot Unicorn Attack 2 (8/8) (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pikpok.rua2)
• Crossy Road (6/6) (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yodo1.crossyroad)
• Buttons and Scissors (8/9) (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kyworks.buttonsandscissors.inapp)
• Toy Defense: Relaxed Mode (10/16)

The top three achievements (in terms of count) are:

• Toy Defense 4: Sci-Fi Free (15/41)
• PBA Bowling Challenge (11/156)
• Toy Defense: Relaxed Mode (10/16)

Three of the Best Learning Resources on LibreOffice

Sharing some resources (well, just three at the moment) on learning LibreOffice:

First is the amazing magazine 'Full Circle'. This is a monthly magazine on Ubuntu but covers a lot of technologies/applications like Python, LibreOffice, Gimp, Inkscape and more.

You can view/download this magazine directly from their homepage: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/

They also offer special editions that has a compilation of the articles on a specific topic that are published in the monthly magazines. The most comprehensive special edition is the LibreOffice Golden Jubilee Edition. This edition has 50 articles on LibreOffice and these articles cover most of the daily use cases of LibreOffice as well as more detailed information for the advanced users.

You can download this LibreOffice Golden Jubilee Edition at: http://fullcirclemagazine.org/2015/08/08/libreoffice-golden-anniversary-special-edition/

Second is the open content book: Designing With LibreOffice by Bruce Byfield. This book has its own website: http://designingwithlibreoffice.com

You can freely download this book in PDF form as well as individual ODT chapters. To show your support for this amazing work, please also buy the printed copy or give a Thank You Tip to the author - http://designingwithlibreoffice.com/download-buy/

Third is the amazing video tutorials on TheFrugalComputerGuy.com website - http://thefrugalcomputerguy.com

You can also donate to the author of TheFrugalComputerGuy.com

So, these are the three best resource for learning LibreOffice that I could find. If you have more such resources, please do share.

Won a £10 Amazon Gift Voucher from EveryDayLinuxUser website

Well, I got a pleasant surprise in my mailbox, a £10 Amazon Gift Card from Gary Newell, the author of the EveryDayLinuxUser website.

The Gift Card was given for submitting my top 5 Linux Distributions to the website. I have written on this in my previous post.

The winners announcement is at: http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2016/09/winners-of-10-amazon-gift-vouchers.html

Thank you Gary for this pleasant surprise.

My Guest Post on the "Every Day Linux User" website

A few weeks back the "Every Day Linux User" website had asked its users to send their top five Linux Distros via email. And, the author of the website, Gary Newell, had said that he will post all the emails on the website.

I am not a frequent reader of that website, but as luck would have it, I had visited this website just i time for the submission. My latest adventures and mis adventures with Linux Distros are available to read on my blog: http://aajkyakaroon.blogspot.com/

Quckly I drafted an email and sent it to the author. And, true to his word he has posted my email on his website. You can read the post at: http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2016/09/finding-five-good-linux-distributions.html and a follow up post at: http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com/2016/09/i-asked-what-are-best-linux.html

What is Literature?

I am a casual reader. I have read a few series of books and some one off novels as well. What I have came across is that most of these novels have similar English with many words that I do not grasp quickly. I require additional help to know the exact meaning of these words. Why is this the norm? Is there any novels from major authors that are written in simple English? Well, the answer lies in Literature.

From Wikipedia, Literature is "... an art form, or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage" (I have highlighted the text in bold). So, in Literature, it is mandatory to use language differently? May be so. And, I have read somewhere that novels have their own grammar.

If this is so, then were the writings of past greats actually Literature. Were they not written in language that was popular in their time or were they still written differently than what was prevalent then.

I think the most common candidate for Literature would be the Holy Texts from the Religions. Since these texts were written long ago and these really do require extreme understanding to grasp the almost hidden meaning in the texts. Most of the text are context specific and you are required to know the conditions that were prevalent or a event that had occurred which led to the specific text being written.

Does Literature include self help books, cookbooks, biographies, DIY books, magazines, newspapers. I do not know, but most of these are the ones that we regularly read. What if we take the basic meaning of Literature as a form of written or spoken words that helps us in achieving something tangible. What is this tangible something? Well, this differs from person to person. A person who has no background in English would find even the nursery rhymes to be Literature. Or, a person who with the help of a DIY book, creates a masterpiece that the person had always wanted to create, would find that DIY book as a heaven sent. In addition, many successful people have followed other marked personalities to get their inspiration. This would make biographies as Literature.

So, what should be considered as Literature. I believe Literature should not be just confined to the select few but should be broadened to include the works that have an impact on an individual.