Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 road test review

Audible

Royal enfield launched its first-ever all-new two cylinder motorcycle launch with the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. The prices start at Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2.65 lakh ex-showroom. Here’s my test review of Interceptor 650.

Royal Enfield Interceptor Specifications.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor is a very simple motorcycle. The engine is an all-new 649cc twin-cylinder unit with a counterbalancer for smoothness, a 270 degree firing order for a lovely twin-cylinder thrum. It has fuel injection and is oil-cooled. At 47PS and 53Nm, it isn't an outrageously powerful motor but it's a beautifully torquey motor with over 80 per cent of the torque arriving before 3,000rpm. Royal Enfield also has a new six-speed gearbox with a slip-assist clutch.

Suspension is basic too - right-side up forks and twin gas-charged rear shocks. Disc brakes at both ends handle braking and dual-channel ABS is standard. The wheels are aluminium spoked rims running tubed Pirelli Phantom SportComp tyres. Tubeless rims would have pushed the price up, says Royal Enfield, although the tyres are very much tubeless by design.

For simplicity's sake, Royal Enfield is only manufacturing one spec for all markets, the only difference being the regulatory requirements' hardware - number plates, saree guard.

Design, build and finish

The Interceptor is a simple, retro-cool roadster by intent and is a good looking motorcycle. The simple lines of the tank, the almost spartan neatness of a chrome handlebar with a twin-pod analog instrument cluster is very likeable. The simple flat seat, a decidedly old-school bulb-type tail light completes a clean, classy looking machine. People take notice when you come by.

And the best part is that while the price is low, the motorcycle feels well-made and the attention to detail is thorough. Finish is excellent too, although I think there is some room to improve the finish - the meters could have been designed to look more upmarket to be sure. Royal Enfield also uses an old-school dispersion-style headlight and I suspect that a clear, perhaps even LED headlamp might have made the Interceptor looks even smarter.

Performance and economy 

                                                                                       

The Royal Enfield's is not very quick on the numbers front. 100kmph takes 6.28 seconds, which is about half a second slower than the KTM 390 Duke. Top speed is north of 170kmph.

On the flip side, economy is in the 23kmpl region for city riding and it rises to 27kmpl at a reasonable highway clip. However, the bike is sensitive to high speeds and economy can drop to 21kmpl at sustained speeds over a 110kmph.

The engine feels composed and unstressed at all speeds and the bike runs a lovely smooth rhythm at any speed. The gearbox shifts neatly too and the experience overall is very satisfying.

Ride, handling and braking

Ever landed in a pillow? The Interceptor, for the most part, feels like that to ride. The suspension - especially considering how similar it is to the Continental GT 650 - is extremely plush. At moderate speeds - the speeds most of us do, most of the time, the Interceptor feels soft and gentle and it's rather nice on good roads. On bad roads, there's a speed range between 40 and 60kmph where almost every bump disappears completely.

However, something interesting happens when you raise the speed. Then the suspension starts to loose its grip a little. Undulations will eventually bottom the rear shocks and the bike begins to feel a bit looser. This is a little unsettlling to start with. But then you realise that the feel itself is a constant. It doesn't change and it certainly never worsens. Which is excellent because you learn to trust it and carry on with life. It is something I think Royal Enfield can improve. But on the whole, this is an extremely comfortable machine.

There is also the matter of the seat. I find the stock seat to be a little too soft for my liking but long durations in the saddle are definitely worth it because the Interceptor is beautiful.
In the corners, again, the handling is direct and simple. It isn't the most accurate motorcycle you will ride, neither is it lazy. It's alert enough, handles itself well and elevated speeds around the corners are a lot of fun once you tune in to the Interceptor's frequency.

Verdict

The Royal Enfield Interceptor, in a word, is desirable. It's simple design, classy execution, marvelous engine are all things that will easily endear it to you. Take a test ride and it's hard not to start thinking about buying one, a process made ridiculously easy thanks to the stunning, stunning price. It isn't perfect though - faster riders will want more sophisticated suspension. Some new riders will not like the hardcore old-school details - the old-looking headlight, the simple meters and all of those parts of the motorcycle.

I would say that the Royal Enfield Interceptor changes every known paradigm for Indian motorcycles on the market today. A twin at this price? This kind of smoothness at this price bracket? This kind of engineering at Royal Enfield? You name, and it changes it. I looked askance at the company when they announced that they wanted to be the world's largest maker of middleweight motorcycles. Go take a test ride, I think you'll find yourself reaching for a cheque book almost by reflex. The Royal Enfield Interceptor is just that good.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.      

Honor Band 4

Xiaomi MI A2 is it an worthy upgrade?

The Xiaomi Mi A2 is an Android One device that sports stock-like Android software, far apart from Xiaomi’s usual MiUI implementation.

When Xiaomi launched the Mi A1 last year, the company’s tryst with stock Android software was an experiment, but thanks to the unprecedented success with that device, the phone is now part of Xiaomi’s yearly cycle. Hence, the Mi A2 is an update over its predecessor, and brings a healthy mix of Google and Xiaomi in one phone.

Price and availability

Mi A2 for the 4/64GB variant is priced at Rs 16999 and 6/128GB variant is expected to be launched at a later date.

What’s new

The primary changes this year include a larger 5.9-inch FHD+ display, a new dual-camera combination on the back and a higher resolution front camera. The Mi A2 omits the telephoto lens from last year, in favour of a 20MP+12MP setup. So, the camera doesn’t have fancy optical zooming capabilities, but it still shoots portrait shots. In fact, Xiaomi says its software will intelligently choose which sensor to use when you’re shooting photos in portrait mode.

There’s also a sizeable update in terms of processing power, but perhaps not enough to ditch your Mi A1 just yet. The Snapdragon 660 takes a page out of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset (the 845), replacing ARM’s Cortex A53 cores with custom Kryo 260 cores. That should give a good boost in terms of processing speeds, at least on paper. You can expect higher benchmark scores compared to the Mi A1.

Xiaomi is also quite confident about the camera this time and suggests that it will be comparable to the OnePlus 6, which is quite a claim to make. While it’s too early to take a call on this, things are looking up after the first few shots. The camera app here is the only noticeable change to Google’s stock Android software.

The Mi A2 still comes with a two-year update promise, meaning it will definitely get the Android P and Android Q updates in future. At the moment, the phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.

Design

While the Xiaomi Mi A2 retains the general look of the Mi A2, there’s a noticeable change in its identity. For one, the phone feels wider, meaning it’s not as ergonomic as its predecessor. The “hand feel” isn’t of a compact phone and lies closer to that of a phablet. It’s also slimmer and has the full metal build like last time.

The two cameras are placed vertically on the top left on the back, with a noticeable bulge. You’ll find the fingerprint sensor below it, at the centre of the rear panel.

While the design has changed a bit, this looks more old school amongst a sea of notch-riddled, full screen smartphones today. The Mi A2 is not a big screen phone with a small overall footprint. And that might actually work against Xiaomi at this point.

Verdict

The Mi A2 is an update over its predecessor, so it’s not expected to replace your Mi A1. However, it gives Xiaomi a shot at user acquisition, by getting customers who aren’t too fond of the company’s own software. In the long run Mi A2 would likely be one of Xiaomi’s many phones only, but it keeps the company relevant and grinding.

Particularly in India, the Mi A2 might be very important to Xiaomi’s cause. Since the company has hiked the pricing this time. In mid-ranged bracket, the Mi A2 will be a cheaper alternative to the Nokia 7 Plus, and on first impressions, Nokia is in for a tough battle.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.     

                                                

s
c

R

                                                                             

                                                         

Lawnchair launcher launched but is it better than oxygen launcher?

Lawnchair is a launcher which is based on Pixel Launcher with more customization options. You can change almost everything starting from icon pack to app drawer. I will give you an overview of features that Lawnchair has to offer. I’ll dive into sections of the launcher settings and talk about all the new features and options.

Lawnchair Features and Screenshots

• Google Now (a.k.a. Google Feed) integration (Requires the Lawnfeed add-on app)
• Android Oreo shortcuts and notification dots
• Icon Pack support
• Variable Icon Size
• Custom Grid Size
• Dock Customization
• Adaptive Icons (For Nougat & above)
• Optional Blurry UI for pretty much everything
• And much more!

Themes

In Themes category, you can change the shape of the home screen icons. Available options are square, rounded square, squircle, circle, and teardrop. This is the feature that a lot of the launchers added after Android 8.0 introduced Adaptive Icons. You can see square and squircle variants below. Shame on Spotify, Instagram, and Enpass for not adopting adaptive icons yet.

 

The next option is icon packs. This is a feature that pretty much all 3rd-party launchers have, but it’s not something you’ll find in the Pixel Launcher.

You can change the launcher’s color scheme to light or dark at any time. The “Auto” option changes the theme based on your wallpaper, but you can still select it manually. Currently, changing the color scheme only applies to launcher settings, application drawer, and Google Feed. You can see how Dark with OLED black theme looks below.

The next option, “Blur,” applies a blur to the dock, the drawer, and launcher settings. You can even adjust the percentage manually. This feature is currently buggy, but keep in mind that this is the first alpha of the version 2. Everything will be sorted out eventually and I’ve already reported this bug to the creator of Lawnchair.

Desktop

This is where the fun begins. You’ll see a lot of toggles in this category. Most of them are additional, while some of them are enabled by default. The first one you’ll see is the “At a Glance” feature, which is enabled by default. Additionally, you can add time and date to the widget by toggling the options just below. Notice the difference in the widget before and after toggling those options. Weather is not supported at this time.

 

Next option toggles the Google Feed (formerly Google Now Cards). Many users are upset that the Feed isn’t as informative as it was before. If you’re one of them, you can get Google Feed out of your sight by toggling this option off.

Next option lets you enable notification dots, first introduced in Android Oreo. You need to give the app notification access first, of course. You’ll see the full notification by holding an app’s icon.

Other features in this category contain adding icons for newly installed apps to the home screen automatically, changing grid and icon sizes, and enabling full-width widgets. All of them are self-explanatory.

Dock

You can also change the style of the dock. The available options are Rounded, Gradient, Flat, and Transparent, but Gradient doesn’t seem to work, at least on Android P. The Rounded dock adds a slight shadow effect. Also, notice the blur we added earlier.

App drawer

This category doesn’t contain anything extraordinary or super customizable. Here you can enable app suggestions and Google search, also hide apps and their labels from the app drawer. That’s it. Oh, you can also set a custom opacity for the drawer, but this feature is buggy at the moment.

Conclusion

There is also a “Backup” category that lets you backup and restore your settings, while the “About” category gives you an info about Lawnchair and its developers.

I personally think that Lawnchair is one of the best launchers available, simply because I love the stock Android experience. Rootless Pixel Launcher is also a good option, but it lacks all of the extra features and customization tools. You’ll want to install the Lawnfeed application as well if you want to benefit from the Google Now panel.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.     

 

ASUS announces ROG phone for Gamers.

Following in Razer's footsteps, ASUS has announced the ROG Phone, it's first "gaming phone". It may be a phone but it sure looks different than smartphone we've seen.

 ASUS has gone many more steps ahead of Razer to make this phone more appealing. Starting with the phone itself, it features the same aesthetic that plagues every gaming-centric computer out there. The front is all glass with cutouts at the top and bottom for a pair of stereo speakers. On the back is what appears to be cooling vents with a dual camera system and a sideways ASUS ROG logo. The logo features RGB illumination that can be programmed to display any color in different patterns and can also be used as a notification light. The back is also covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, just like the front. The phone is also water-resistant although no official rating is provided.

Apart from having a USB-C port and a headphone jack at the bottom, the phone also has an accessory port on the left in the center. The side port can be used for charging while gaming so the cable doesn't interfere with your hand. The headphone jack supports 24-bit/192Khz Hi-Res Audio playback and DTS Headphone:X.

The phone has three ultrasonic pressure sensitive zones. One is on the side like on HTC phones, which can be squeezed to activate the "X MODE", which optimizes performance by shutting down background tasks and turning the theme red. It also activates the fan on the optional AeroActive Cooler accessory, which also includes a USB-C port and a headphone jack that comes out the left side of the phone so they don't interfere with your hands on the bottom edge. The other two are on the two corners in landscape mode. These are called "AirTrigger" and work as virtual trigger buttons in games. You can map them to any function within the game as long as it is supported.

Internally, the phone packs a special, binned version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which clocks up to 2.96GHz instead of the usual 2.8GHz. It is paired with 8GB of RAM and a choice of either 128GB or 512GB of storage. A "GameCool" vapor-chamber is included to pull the heat away from the chipset and distribute it along the phone. The phone also includes 802.11ad Wi-Fi, which is still quite rare. The battery is a sizable 4000mAh with ASUS "HyperCharge" 20W fast charging.

The display is likely the star attraction. It's a 6-inch, 18:9 AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2160x1080. Most importantly, the panel refreshes at 90Hz and has a response time of 1ms. ASUS also claims HDR support and 108.6% DCI-P3 coverage.

The accessory support is quite extensive. Apart from the aforementioned AeroActive Cooler, there is the Gamevice controller, which attaches to either side of the phone. It includes a WiGig Dock for streaming the game on to a big screen over the fast 802.11ad connection. There's also a dock for connecting the phone to accessories like a keyboard, mouse and monitor. Lastly, there is the TwinView Dock, which has a clamshell design. The phone goes into the top part and the bottom part has a second 6-inch, 1080p display. The accessory also has its own 6000mAh battery.

The price hasn't been announced yet but the device will go on sale some time in the third quarter. Now, there's no doubt the phone is impressively specced, even if you don't plan on playing any game. However, the whole gamer aesthetic and silly brandings are as kitsch as they get. Secondly, the gaming scene on Android isn't exactly exploding, with most of the games on the store being of the casual kind that won't benefit from the various controller accessories in anyway. The more challenging titles are few and far between and also don't need a powerhouse device to run. Most of the titles also don't run above 60Hz as we saw with the Razer Phone, so the 90Hz refresh rate will only really be useful while navigating the phone's menus.

Lastly, it's likely none of this is going to be cheap, so the whole value proposition is already out the window. And having a whole ecosystem of accessories around one phone has never really worked well. There is no guarantee these will be compatible with future ASUS ROG phones or if there even will be any future ROG phones. So to expect people to drop a considerable amount of money on these with no guarantee for the future seems not so price worthy.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.     

                                                

 

                                                                             

 

                                                         

Oneplus 6 launched but should you upgrade?

OnePlus 6 was launched in India yesterday, is it worth an upgrade? Here, I take a look at how the OnePlus 6 comparing it with OnPlus 5T being the last flagship in the company's stable. Of course, the latest flagship is more expensive than the last, with the company continuing its upward trend. The phones have several similarities, with both the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 5T bearing bezel-less displays, hoIver, the neIst flagship features an even taller display that's been offset with the use of an iPhone X-style notch. Both the smartphones also feature dual rear cameras, full-screen gestures, displays that support both the sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamuts, apart from having similar base model configurations - 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. Of course, this article is about what's new and different on the OnePlus 6, compared with the OnePlus 5T and is it worth an upgrade?

OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 5T: Price in India differences

The OnePlus 6 price in India is Rs. 34,999 for the base 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant and Rs. 39,999 for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage option. The standard 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage variant is not being launched in India, but those who want the top-end variant can go for the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Limited Edition model. Priced in India at Rs. 44,999, it comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, sports a custom design inspired by the hit Marvel franchise, and will be available in limited quantities only.

OnePlus 6 price starts at $529 (roughly Rs. 35,800) for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant, $579 (roughly Rs. 39,200) for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant, and $629 (roughly Rs. 42,600) for the 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage variant. 

In contrast, the OnePlus 5T price in India starts at Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, and goes up to Rs. 37,999 for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage variant. In the US, the OnePlus 5T 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at $499 (roughly Rs. 32,600), while the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant is priced at $559 (roughly Rs. 36,500).

 OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 5T: Design differences

The biggest differences betIen the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 5T can be seen in the design department. While the company boasts the OnePlus 6 fits a bigger screen in a form factor that's roughly equivalent to the OnePlus 5T, there are some differences in dimensions and Iight. The OnePlus measures 155.7x75.4x7.75mm and Iighs 177 grams, while the OnePlus 5T measures 156.1x75x7.3mm and weighs 162 grams. This means the OnePlus 6 is shorter, wider, and thicker than the OnePlus 5T, whilst also being 15 grams heavier.

While the OnePlus 6 sports an all-glass body, featuring Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides of the smartphone, the OnePlus 5T sports a metal unibody design, built with anodised aluminium - it only bears the Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front. Despite the use of glass, OnePlus claims the OnePlus 6 has been tested to be as durable in terms of falls and shocks compared to previous generations of the company's smartphones.

Of course, I'd be remiss not to mention another major design difference - the use of the iPhone X-like notch on the OnePlus 6. The company has squeezed the front camera, proximity sensor, and earpiece into the notch, whereas on the OnePlus 5T these components Ire present on an upper lip above the bezel-less display. This, as you would imagine, helps maximise visual real estate on the smartphone, with less space taken up on the front panel for things apart from the display. Both smartphones feature fingerprint sensors on the rear panel, at the centre of the smartphone. Along this line, I also have to mention that the OnePlus 6 has a vertical dual rear camera setup, once again in the centre of the rear panel, whereas the OnePlus 5T bears a horizontal dual rear camera setup, placed on the top left of the smartphone.

The last major design difference I'd like to talk about is the colour variants available. The OnePlus 5T was launched in Midnight Black, but made available in special edition variants such as the Lava Red and Star Wars (White). The OnePlus 6 on the other hand, has been launched in Midnight Black and Mirror Black colour variants, with a Silk White special edition variant announced for release next month.

OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 5T: Hardware differences
Let's start with the cameras. As I mentioned, both the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 5T feature dual rear camera setups, and while there are some similarities, there are some major differences. First off, OnePlus has used a vertical dual camera setup on the OnePlus 6, compared to horizontal dual camera setup on the OnePlus 5T. The OnePlus 6 has a primary 16-megapixel Sony IMX519 sensor with a 1.22-micron pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, OIS, and EIS. The secondary 20-megapixel Sony IM376K sensor has a 1-micron pixel size and an f/1.7 aperture. The rear cameras are supported by a dual-LED flash module, and the company is touting Slow Motion video recording up to 480 frames per second.

On the other hand, the OnePlus 5T has a 16-megapixel Sony IMX398 primary sensor with 1.12-micron pixels, and an aperture of f/1.7. The secondary camera has a 20-megapixel Sony IMX376K sensor and a telephoto lens, with a 1-micron pixel size and f/1.7 aperture. Its rear camera setup also has a dual-LED flash.

The OnePlus 6 sports a 16-megapixel front camera with a Sony IMX371 sensor, 1-micron pixels, f/2.0 aperture, and EIS. It also supports Portrait Mode on the front camera, with an AI algorithm offering depth-of-field effects. The front camera on the OnePlus 5T on the other hand has a 16-megapixel Sony IMX371 sensor with 1-micron pixels and an aperture of f/2.0 - it doesn't have a Portrait Mode feature.

Another major difference betIen the two smartphones are the displays. While the OnePlus 6 bears a 6.28-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) Full Optic AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and an 84 percent screen-to-body ratio, protected by Gorilla Glass 5, the OnePlus 5T bears a 6.01-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) Full Optic AMOLED with an 18:9 aspect ratio, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Screen-to-body ratio for the OnePlus 5T has not been provided.

The OnePlus 6 also sports the latest, greatest silicon from Qualcomm, and is poIred by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, apart from the Adreno 630 GPU. The OnePlus 5T on the other hand sports a Snapdragon 835 SoC, with either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, coupled with the Adreno 540 GPU. While both processors are 10nm based, OnePlus claims the newer processor provides an improvement in performance of up to 30 percent, and 10 percent greater efficiency. As for the GPU, OnePlus claims a 30 percent improvement in performance compared to the last generation.

The last major hardware difference between the smartphones is the inclusion of a 256GB inbuilt storage model on the OnePlus 6. The OnePlus 5T on the other hand offers a maximum of 128GB of inbuilt storage. Neither smartphone supports storage expandability via microSD card.

OnePlus 6 vs OnePlus 5T: Software differences
Both the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 5T run OxygenOS, the smartphone maker's custom Android ROM, with several customisation (Reading Mode, Gaming Mode) and personalisation (Themes, Accents) options over and above stock Android. While the OnePlus 5T was launched with OxygenOS 4.7, it has since been upgraded to OxygenOS 5.1 - something the OnePlus 6 will launch with out-of-the-box. Both are based on Android 8.1 Oreo.

On the OnePlus 6, the company says it has further optimised the smartphone for speed, making improvements for app launch times, the caching for frequently used apps, as Ill as overdraw reduction. Separately, it has further improved Gaming Mode on the OnePlus 6. While OxygenOS 5.1 brought Gaming Mode improvements to the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, the Gaming Mode on the OnePlus 6 will have extra features like limiting processes in the background when in the mode, giving network prioritisation to gaming apps, and giving the option to enable a 'gaming battery saver' while gaming. Lastly, the OnePlus 6 will also have a Smart Folder feature - when you drag and drop apps to create folders, OxygenOS will name the folder based on the apps it contains.

Conclusion : If you are coming from a oneplus 3 or 3T oneplus 6 would be a pleasant change i.e if you are fine with a case thanks to the glass back which makes it a love it or hate it choice. If you are coming from last year’s phone it is just an incremental upgrade which is not a compelling choice.
 

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.     

                                            
                                                                      

 

                                                         

Its scary when you realize How much google knows about you!!!

Google is the company that provides a ton of free services which help us in our day-to-day life. And in return, Google asks for basic information about us so that it can use it for advertising. But do you have any idea of how much Google really knows about you. When you realize it, it may scare you.

                                                  
First and foremost, the amount of information Google keeps about your location is shocking. “Google stores your location (if you have it turned on) every time you turn on your phone, and you can see a timeline from the first day you started using Google on your phone.”.

Google also stores your search history across all your devices on a separate database. Even if a user deletes their search history and phone history, Google will still store everything until a user goes and deletes everything, and this has to be done on all devices.

 In terms of advertisements, Google creates a profile based on a user’s information, including their location, gender, age, hobbies, career, interests, relationship status, possible weight and income as well.

For every Google app or extension you see, the company stores information on how often you use them, where you use them, and who you use them to interact with. It also keeps a track with who you talk to on Facebook, what countries are you speaking with and what time you go to sleep at. One of Google’s most popular app YouTube, stores every possible search history of a user. Google can tell you “whether you're going to be a parent soon, if you're a conservative, if you're a progressive, if you're Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, if you're feeling depressed or suicidal, if you're anorexic.”

With the Calendar app, Google stores a user’s hangout sessions, location history, the music you listen to, the Google books you've purchased, the Google groups you're in, the websites you've created, the phones you've owned, the pages you've shared and how many steps you walk in a day.

With Google offers you an option to download all of the data it stores about you. Curran requested to download it too. He says, “The file is 5.5GB big, which is roughly 3 million word documents.” This will include bookmarks, emails, contacts, Google Drive files, all of the above information, your YouTube videos, the photos you've taken on your phone, the businesses you've bought from and the products you've bought through Google as well.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.     

                                                

 

                                                                             

 

                                                         

Everything you need to know about car's headlamp.

Audible 
https://amzn.to/2YzVNqM

Lights have come a long way since the original tungsten filament light was introduced and subsequently replaced by the Halogen lightbulb in the early 60’s. It remained the standard with little in the way of innovation until the early 90s when the HID headlamp was unveiled by BMW and then 13 years later the LED Headlight by Audi.

These days the most common head lamp to be found on cars is still the halogen headlight, but this is eventually going to become antiquated in favour of newer technologies such as HID, LED and as futuristic as it sounds LASER.

Before we get into the details of each of the above there are a few things to become acquainted with if you intend on buying a replacement or upgrading your existing headlights.

Alignment: A lot of people may be unaware of this but your headlights are actually aimed specifically to suit countries that drive on the right side or the left side. Headlights for use in left lane traffic countries have low-beam headlamps that dip to the left, the light is distributed with a downward/lefthand bias to show the driver the road and signs ahead without blinding oncoming traffic and vice versa for countries that drive on the right side with most of their light directed downward/righthand. So you could not buy a Headlight in Ireland if you intend to drive in France unless you plan on having the car lights properly calibrated for the change in the road. However, some cars have headlights that can adjust themselves with the flick of a button that will set it to either RHD or LHD.

Auto Levelling/Load adjustment: Used very effectively in trucks load adjustment means that the headlights will adjust themselves and dip the beam downwards to not blind other road users if the car becomes higher or lower depending on the weight fluctuation or when the car accelerates or decelerates.

Lumens: This is the standard measurement of light output.

Reflector and Projector Headlights:

A reflector headlamp is just what it sounds like, the actual light comes from a bulb in the center of the headlamp housing and reflects off of the sides of the housing. This allows the light being emitted from the small bulb to be spread out on the road in front of the vehicle.

Projector headlights also do exactly what they sound like-they project the light rather than reflecting it. This type of housing calls for a different type of light bulb to accommodate the housing. Projector headlights allow for more control of the light beams as they are emitted from the housing. One should not confuse projector headlights with HID headlights. While all HID’s come in a type of projector housing, not all projector headlight housings use HID bulbs which is why you will see projector headlights come with H1/7/15 bulbs etc.

Halogen Headlights

 Halogen: Halogen lights contain a gas, usually a combination of nitrogen and argon, and a tungsten filament, that are encased in a glass tube. The glass is made to resist extremely high temperatures. When the light bulb receives the electrical current from the car, this heats the tungsten filament creating light. The most common headlight bulb you will find in the automotive world, it is estimated to be installed in as much as 80% of all cars. Since the 60’s it has become the standard due to the cheapness and the ease of replacement mixed with a relative good lifecycle. They also turn on extremely quick in comparison to a Xenon bulb

However, there are reasons why newer technologies are being developed to replace this type of Light.

• It is inefficient and dim in comparisons to other available light options. A standard Halogen bulb will produce 1300 Lumen. While this is good there are far better options if the better light is what you seek.
• Another downside is that they are extremely sensitive to substances, using your bare hands will leave an oily residue on the glass which will alter the heat distribution and lower the lifespan emphatically.
• Energy wise it is inefficient as it creates a lot of heat which is then wasted.
• There is also the problem with light not being focused so any illumination of the road isn’t what it could be.

HID (High intensity Discharge):

 HID: Sometimes referred to as Xenon made their debut in the early 90s by BMW for the BMW 7 series and since then it has gradually been adopted by increasing numbers of manufacturers for various Premium and non-premium level cars.

High intensity discharge headlights contain a mixture of gases and rare metals that are heated to generate a bright white (or blue) glow which legislators have stipulated all new cars must illuminate. Not only do they produce white light this white light has a blue hue to it which adds to the aesthetic beauty of your car.

HID’s are roughly two to three times brighter than the standard halogen bulbs about 3000 Lumen compared to 1400 produced from Halogen bulbs and as a result, has led to complaints about the level of glare these lamps produce.

This increases vision which increases reaction time to unforeseen obstacles making driving safer at night.

HID lamps actually require more power to start up but once they are on they operate at a much lower power usage than Halogen. Drawing only about 35 watts of power, they generally are good for about 2000 hours of life. This makes HID lights more efficient than halogen.

This also means there will be less taxing demands on the alternator which won’t require more engine torque to sustain the electricity demand. However, any fuel efficiency gains will be minimum at best but if your environmentally aware it does mean slightly fewer emissions.

Like most things it is not all plain sailing for Xenon lights or everybody would install them.

• Firstly, the cost alone is most of the reason these haven’t completely taken over as the industry standard. They are not cheap to replace due to the rare metals they use.
• They are also notorious for being a failing component of car inspection tests(NCT) if someone manages to jerry rig these bulbs into a halogen bulb housing.
• The uncontrolled brightness will cause huge amounts of glare compromising road safety. These Xenon bulbs require a projector style headlamp to house them.
• They require a short period of time to attain full brightness.
• Some countries require a Xenon equipped headlight to have an automatic washer installed.

Bi-Xenon: On most car models, HID lighting is only used for the low beams while the high beam light is provided by an entirely separate set of halogen lights primarily because high beams need to be turned on and off instantly which HID is not great at. For vehicles with bi-xenon headlights, the HIDs provide both the low and the high beam from the same enclosure of xenon lights via a shutter that moves up and down when prompted meaning since the bulb is already operating there is no delay when turning it on.

Also, a Bi-Xenon lamp uses two bulbs whilst normal Xenon lamp uses 4 which means more cost attached for replacements in the long run.

However, whilst not overly common the shutter is susceptible to wear and tear and could malfunction given time. However, this is not a problem for standard Xenon lights which don’t use shutters.

LED

LED (short for light emitting diodes) car lights have surprisingly been around since 2004 but have only begun to gain popularity recently with more and more people looking for better alternatives to the standard Halogen bulbs.

One of the biggest draws for the LED bulb is that it is by far the most energy efficient option on the market. LED Bulbs draw 15 to 18 watts of power whereas Halogen bulbs draw 55 to 65 watts and HID draws around 42.

They also have an incredibly long lifespan 30000-40000 hours which could potentially see out the entire lifetime of the car which is pretty unprecedented in itself.

LEDs do not contain mercury and a push is being made to replace lead-containing solders with material devoid of any lead, keeping them in line with European directives further decreasing their environmental footprint.

Their small size also enables them to be arranged into virtually any design which makes them ideal for customization fanatics. In terms of illumination, they fall in-between HID and Halogen for brightness.

However, LED’s like most things have their own drawbacks.

Although LEDs do not produce heat like halogen headlights would they do however create a small amount of heat at the emitter when electricity passes through since this location is close to a number of sensitive cables and other electrical components this creates the possibility that other parts (assemblies and connectivity cables) become damaged.

This is why LED headlights require cooling in the form of fans and heat sinks to keep from melting. However, LED cooling systems are generally positioned in the engine bay. This limits manufacturers ability to make lights for certain makes and models, this also explains why they are more expensive than other types of headlights.

Something to be very wary of when buying LED kits and if the price is a consideration…A lot of the cheap LED kits use poor quality aluminium heat sinks, and these sometimes significantly shorten lifespans.

Luckily LED daytime running lights and tail lights don’t use heat-sinks because DRL’s and rear lights/indicators aren’t used to see at night so less power is diverted to the running of these lights/ less power = less heat when it comes to LED’s. The current running through the chips is not enough to create any sort of problem.

They also have the shortest rise time (the time it takes to turn on) at 1 millisecond, this makes it over 250 times faster than Halogen making it extremely useful as a brake or indicator light.

Unfortunately, at the moment LED large scale manufacturing isn’t cost effective as there are so many components human hands have to do the majority of the assembly. This leads to high production costs that are pushed onto the end user, so far now LED lights are going to be pricey.

LED Matrix:

It’s a sign of Audi’s confidence in LED lights that despite their poor adoption rates by large scale manufacturers so far, they have kept on innovating and recently they unveiled the Matrix LED headlights sort of the headlights version of the smartphone, they allow drivers to leave the high beams left permanently on as they have the capability to detect other vehicles and pedestrians and divert light away so that they don’t blind other drivers while at the same time continue to cast their full light in the areas where there isn’t another vehicle(probably why they are sometimes referred to as smart lights). This is made possible because the light path is created using numerous LEDs roughly 25 per headlight unit spread over a grid (or matrix), and these are controlled by a central control unit that is being fed information on road conditions through a camera mounted on the front of the vehicle.

It is interesting that this technology is currently banned in the US due to an outdated law made back in the late 60s requiring vehicles to have a driver controlled High and Low beam, it also took nearly a decade for the US to approve of Halogen lights so it might be a while before the US sees smart headlights!

LASER:

The word laser probably conjures up images of Star Wars and other Sci fi type scenarios where lasers are used as deadly weapons. But in the real world, it is not quite as dangerous, or at least the laser headlights produced by BMW and Audi. Laser headlights are touted as being the next big thing in headlights technologies being brighter and more energy efficient than existing lights.

How new are they you ask? Very new is the answer. So new in-fact that only a couple of cars currently have them (and not the cheap types of cars either) BMW’s i8 which costs upwards of 100k and BMW’s 7 series range also currently supports laser light.

Laser headlights also boast at being much brighter than LED or HID lights, so bright in-fact that LASER headlights only kick in when you drive in speeds excess of 60km, anything below then the LED lights take over so it will be tricky showing these lights off in any urban setting.

And if you were worried that an abundance of these lights on roads posed the risk of blinding you then don’t worry as the dangerous part of the lasers are buried deep in the assembly and have reflectors and all sorts of safety systems built in to prevent any danger to the public.

Earlier we discussed the LED Matrix smart-light system, BMW have also come up with their own laser version called the ‘M4 Concept Iconic Lights’. Not only do these lights prevent other drivers being blinded but they also project messages onto the road warning of a dangerous over take etc.

Lasers have many advantages over the conventional LED lights:
Pros:

• They use energy more efficiently, even though the actual lasers are 1,000 times brighter than LEDs, the system uses only about half the power.
• Because laser-powered headlights can put out more brightness for their size, the headlamp units themselves can be much smaller. As a result, designers can have a lot more flexibility to make more aerodynamic designs.
• The laser lights can be much smaller than conventional lighting systems, they can use less energy to operate and well, they look pretty darn cool.
• Lasers lights as we know are much more focused so do not get scattered easily thus they illuminate longer distances than conventional lights.

Cons:

• At the moment they are only available for an extremely small range of cars.
• They are going to be insanely expensive for the foreseeable future since last Gen innovations such as LED and HID are still on the pricey side of things.

Which should I buy?

It goes without saying that unless you’re driving a BMW i8 or M7 then you should forget about laser headlights for the time being until they become more widely available. If the price isn’t too big of an obstacle, then HID for better illumination but if you’re looking for something almost as good but way better for efficiency and the environment then LED is the way to go.

If you liked this post follow my blog for more technology reviews and share it on your favorite social media.

If you have any inputs/queries post it in the comments, thank you.