Author: Ammar Akhtar

How many of us feel that we aren’t addicted to our smartphones but we just spend a reasonable amount of time with it while allotting time to our friends and family as well? How many of us know that that isn’t true and we are all in denial? Guilty as charged? Maybe this app will serve as an eye-opener. As I was aimlessly browsing through Quora (my new favourite addiction), I came across a question along the lines of how do I spend my time more productively. Seeing that I was already so productive (sarcasm) I decided to read the…

When the initial prototypes of wearable tech arrived, people focused more on the technology than the design. Let us take the example of the mobile phone. The initial mobile phones were big, bulky, and had none of the features that smartphones these days have. However, as people became used to the technology and demand increased, the focus turned to not just improving the technology but also making it fashionable for people to show off. The same thing is happening for wearable technology as well and I think it is the same in the case of any new tech. Companies are…

Welcoming a New Year with a grand display of fireworks has been a tradition for quite some time now and this year hasn’t been any different. The entire world got together to welcome 2016 with lots of hope and enthusiasm, with Australia and New Zealand welcoming the year first. New Zealand welcomes the New Year with a stunning display at the Auckland Sky Tower: Sydney put across its biggest fireworks display yet at the Harbour Bridge: Tokyo welcomed the New Year by releasing balloons near the Tokyo Tower: Singapore did not hold back when it came to welcoming 2016: Moscow…

For a first timer in Dubai, I was pretty excited to see the famed fireworks at the Burj Khalifa! I was even more excited when my boss allowed me to leave by 3 so I could get a good view. After a little bit of haggling for taxis and a lot of walking, a private taxi very kindly offered to drop me at the closest spot. For people familiar with Dubai, I left from Business Bay to reach the Burj Park right opposite the Burj Khalifa (for people who don’t know, it’s about 2 or 3 kms from my workplace).…

Looks like 2016 is going to begin with an exciting line-up of smartphones, what with rumours of the iPhone 6C and now the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge rumoured to launch in February, 2016. While we all oohed and aahed at the Galaxy Edge series, Samsung plunges further by launching the S7 Edge with a large 5.5 inch, dual-curved screen, 4GB ram and 32GB/64GB memories (now that’s powerful). An iris scanner is rumoured to be part of this, along with a pressure sensing display, similar to the 3D touch of the iPhone 6s. With two great phones ready…

As is the case with the launch of a new iPhone, the iPhone 6C is also rumoured to be faster, efficient, and super good-looking with the whole bunch of Apple ancillaries like the touch ID added to it. The iPhone 5C was pretty popular among trendy youngsters who loved the concept of bright-coloured iPhones and were ok with ignoring the plastic case (I had a blue iPhone 5C and remember flaunting the bold colour). The 6C with better specs and metal casing is clearly a winner in the making. However, there is more. The 6C is rumoured to be waterproof…

Ushering in the New Year in a grand way has become ‘tradition’ these days. When people ask you about your plans for the New Years and you just shrug and say that maybe curl up with a good movie at home, it’s as if you have gone crazy. They just can’t seem to comprehend the fact that not everyone celebrates New Years with a bang. But, for people who do, or want to try, this list is ideal for you. Don’t worry; there are plans for the calm ones too! For the loud, party people: Clubbing: I think it is…

We’ve all seen it: people moving while standing on two legs and without any support or means of changing direction. No, I’m not talking about an escalator or a walkalator, but something similar along these lines: the hoverboard. Yes it basically is a mode of transportation that allows people to balance themselves on a device that looks like a modified version of the skateboard and move to places. Much like the skateboard, using a hoverboard requires a certain amount of skill that is acquired over time. And it is not as easy as it looks (believe me, I’ve tried!). Once…

In an earlier post, I wrote about Fetchr and how it is revolutionizing the delivery services industry. Going by that vein, I thought I’ll mention a few other companies that have gone along the lines of, “Why don’t you Google it?” In this post, we focus on 4 companies like that: dubizzle, Quora, Cobone, and Zomato. dubizzle: Anyone and everyone in the UAE know about dubizzle. It is Google’s equivalent of buying and selling anything and it is the ideal site for job-hunting. When I wanted to find out about a job-portal that will get me a job in Dubai,…

I heard about TaskSpotting from my sister who told me to try out the app to get free samples of a pasta brand. The mention of free samples immediately pushed me to install the app and explore it to see what it was all about. By answering a few simple questions, I had booked myself a free pasta sample from the brand. I did not give it much importance initially because I wasn’t sure of the authenticity of the whole charade. However, I changed my mind because I did receive a free sample (and it was two boxes of pasta…