Winter 2022 : Meaty Affairs in Zakaria, Zam Zam and Wah Janaab!

So pandemic is under control, and I can't wait for food trips in Kolkata in the winter. Why food trips and not foodwalks - because we planned for a specific zone or a restaurant this time. 

First trip - Evening Dripped in Kebabs  

This was our first trip to Zakaria in 2021-22 winter (Nov 17)

ঝট করে প্ল্যান নামালাম, দেবঋষিও রেডি - way to Zakaria. শুরুতে প্ল্যান ছিল দিলশাদ আর অ্যাডামসের কাবার মেরে পেট খালি থাকলে (থাকার যদিও কথা না) বোম্বে হোটেলে বিফ বা টেরিটি বাজারের চাইনিজ রেস্তোরাগুলোতে পর্ক ডেলিকেসি দিয়ে পেটের কানায় কানায় ভর্তি করে বাড়ি ফিরব। কিন্তু বাধ সাধল কলকাতার নভেম্বরের গরম - বিফ খেয়ে শরীর এত গরম লাগল যে আমরা হাল ছেড়ে দিলাম। 

2022 Laptop Buying Guide

Last year I did some research & analysis for finding out a personal laptop which suits my lifestyle. Eventually I did not buy anything new and continue to use the old one. It's 2022 now, and already January is over. Again I am in search of my dream laptop. 

Before I jump to note down the laptops for my wishlist, I like to tell you something - knowing the CPU is very important, i.e. Intel Core i5 tag is not everything, look for which product line it is. 

For eg: if the laptop's processor is Intel Core i5 11370H you must learn what is the meaning of this kind of nomenclature. 

FDA Approves Two Oral Antivirals against COVID-19 - India Got One of Them

COVID-19 Pandemic which started in 2019 is probably getting into its last phases as third wave hits India in December 2020-January 2021. Thankfully now we have got two oral drugs against SARS-CoV2 virus which is responible for COVID-19 diseases. So far as per our experience the latest variant of SARS-CoV2, aka Omnicron is the causative agent in the third wave.

America's drug controller FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved these two anti-COVID oral antivirals as Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) - Molnupiravir and Paxlovid. 

RDB's Blog Special: 4G/LTE vs 5G-NR

While we are waiting for 5G, and hopefully there will not much delay compared to global roll out, let's discuss the differences between present 4G-LTE technology and upcoming 5G-New Radio (NR) technology. 

At present all three private mobile carrier - Jio, Airtel and Vi are offering 4G-LTE with a mix of LTE-TDD and LTE-FDD. State owned BSNL is yet to launch 4G. 

We can expect 5G spectrum auction during mid-2022 and launch may come faster - as early as in another 3-4 months. 

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPY) Offerings in India

Though 'buy now, pay later' schemes are available in the market in the form of credit cards in India for many years, new concept of BN-PY was around for 5-7 years. First I heard of LazyPay and Simpl from my brother who was using them in Chennai for heavily discounted foods and etc. Then I got to know about Ola Postpaid which offers cashless rides and generate a monthly or 15-day bill to pay the ride charges at one go. The best part of this BN-PY schemes are while you pay later there is no interest charge (similar to credit cards with 30 day bill) but often these are easy to grab (not subject to approval from banks for a credit cards) - so for students or youngsters LazyPay, Simpl, Ola Postpaid were a hit. 

How to Check Your Smartphone is NavIC-supported?

I have a brand new Mi 11x Pro and yes it supports dual band GPS - that means it comes with NavIC or Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) support. 

For the uninitiated, GPS - the American satnav (satellite navigation) system was de facto in many devices, and initially it connects over L1 band (single band SatNav) - as a result most Satnav support L1 Band only. Later L2 band was also introduced. L1 band means signals are transmitted over 1575.42 MHz band, while L2 band uses 1227.60 MHz. L2 band was exclusively for the Army. 

Later L5 band (1176.45 MHz) came into consideration to use it as a Satnav carrier. The L5 band has a high bandwidth and transmission capability, which results in greatly improved anti-interference capabilities and noise management. GPS can take you within 20 meters of your target, while NaVIC is more precise — it will take you within five meters of the target.

Indian Telecom - End of 2021 Update

T​​hough Indian telecom sector is having a lackluster show for last few years, but some zeal hopefully returning to the tel-tech sector in next 12-18 months. More excitement comes with government's new plans with telecom including 100% FDI in telecom and relief packages for telecom service providers. 

Broadband Scene to be Changed: Wired vs Wireless (4G/5G) vs Satellite Internet, Airtel's OneWeb vs Jio 5G, OneWeb vs Starlink

Though India's broadband scenario is not comparable with global counterpart, the scene can see lots of improvement. Wired vs Wireless debate is going to over soon, as satnet is coming to India at affordable (not cheap) price.