Tag: Tech Blogger

Is The Virtual Office The Future Of The Workplace?

New communication technology is constantly making the world feel smaller. At the time, the invention of the telephone revolutionized the way that people worked. Contact was no longer limited to people in the surrounding area and communicating with people that weren’t nearby meant days of traveling. These days, we have the capability to collaborate with people all over the globe at the touch of a button and it has drastically changed the way that businesses operate. The ease of sharing information and the availability of technology means that the traditional office set up is quickly becoming obsolete. You might not realize it yet because most businesses still have a physical premises, but more and more people are starting to turn to virtual offices instead. You no longer need to fill your office with employees from the local area. Now you can employ people from all over the globe and have them work remotely.

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Is A Virtual Office Better?

People have a lot of reservations about the idea of people working remotely but most of them are unfounded. The myth is that people will be less productive if they’re working from home because there are too many distractions and no authority figures to motivate you. For some people, this is probably the case, but most people tend to be more productive if anything.

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Recent studies by the Harvard business review show that people that work from home are, on average, far more productive. There are a few reasons for this, and they aren’t what you would expect. Most people expect there to be more effective communication between employees that are in an office together, but the truth is, people become more complacent. When employees are working remotely, they tend to put more effort into effective communication and work together a lot more effectively. Teams that don’t interact face to face that often also tend to make better use of their time when they do, so even though they work closely a lot less often, they are infinitely more productive when they do. Better use of technology is another benefit of working remotely. When you’re part of a virtual team, you rely far more heavily on technology than people that meet together on a daily basis. As technology becomes increasingly important, the employees that are better equipped to use are the ones that will thrive.

When it comes to distractions, people’s preconceptions are way off. When you’re working remotely from home, you aren’t distracted by any of the other people around you. In a rigid office environment, people are often looking for distractions but in a more relaxed home environment, people can concentrate a lot easier. Remote workers also, on average, work more hours than office workers because they aren’t limited to an eight hour work day.

One of the main benefits of a virtual team is that it massively reduces your overheads. Instead of needing a large office that can house all of your employees every day, you just need a much smaller space for the occasional team meeting.

It also means that you have a much wider choice when it comes to hiring employees. Instead of being limited to the best people in the local area, with a virtual office, you can choose from the best people in the entire world. You no longer have to compromise when it comes to hiring so you can create the very best team possible. By having employees around the globe, you can expand into new markets far more easily because you don’t need to set up expensive new offices every time.

What Are The Negatives?

By this point, you might think that starting a virtual office is a no brainer, but it does have its downsides. One of the biggest problems that people encounter is a lack of expertise. In a traditional office environment, if you have an IT problem, for example, you can head down the hall and find somebody to help you out. You won’t have that when you’re at home working as part of a virtual team. However, remote working is starting to correct those problems as fast as they arise. The experts that offer home IT services can repair most common issues remotely so you still get the benefit of a great IT team without having to wait for them to come out to you.

A good working relationship is important in any workplace because a team that don’t gel well together won’t work efficiently. In an office environment when you’re working together every single day, those relationships are far easier to build. When you’re part of a virtual team and you tend to communicate mainly by email or phone, you feel quite detached from each other and it can be harder to build a good working relationship. That doesn’t mean that you can never create a coherent team, you’ll just have to work at it a little more. When the team does meet in person, you need to put a bit more effort into getting to know one another.

Not being able to monitor your employees as much is another concern that people have about virtual offices. Monitoring their workload isn’t too much of an issue because they will have tangible results to show you but when it comes to their well being, it’s harder to know what’s going on. If your employees aren’t happy, then productivity will drop drastically so it’s important that they’re happy. It’s best to check in from time to time to ensure that they don’t have any major problems that are affecting their work.

So, those are the pros and cons of a virtual office. If it seems like something that might work for your business and you’re going to set one up for yourself, make sure that you remember these things.

Use Video Calling

 

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Face to face contact is important when you’re trying to build a relationship with somebody. So many virtual teams make the mistake of communicating solely by email but this is not effective. Not only can it be inefficient because you have to wait a while for a response, it also takes the human element out of those interactions. Video calling isn’t an ideal solution, but it’s much better than emailing. You can put a face to a name and get to know each other a little better. While it isn’t as good as meeting in person, it’s as close as you can get.

Establish Clear Responsibilities

In a traditional office, everybody’s roles are fairly clear cut. If you want to know who is handling a certain part of a project, you can just ask. However, when you’re part of a virtual team, you won’t have everybody on hand. You also don’t know how other employees are dividing up their own workloads. That means that sometimes people are unclear about who is doing what and that can seriously affect efficiency. That is why it’s so important to set out clear cut responsibilities at the beginning of a new project. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself dealing with disputes between employees about who was responsible for what.

Choose Employees Carefully

Although a lot of the concerns that people have about remote worker’s motivation are unfounded, that doesn’t mean that everybody thrives as part of a virtual team. Some people will have trouble motivating themselves outside of a rigid office environment. When you’re interviewing employees, you should obviously consider their qualifications first, but their personality is incredibly important. You need to be looking at the tell-tale signs that indicate whether they’re motivated or not. If you employ somebody that can’t keep themselves motivated properly, then they’ll be a weak link in the team and efficiency will be affected. This is an even bigger problem in a virtual team because you might not realize that there is a problem until further down the line.

Keep People In The Loop

One of the biggest downsides of a virtual team is that people don’t always feel like they’re really part of the company. In a normal office, everybody is aware of new hires and other company developments, but virtual employees won’t always know about these things. Putting together a monthly newsletter that keeps people up to date with all of these developments makes them feel more a part of the team which creates more loyalty to the company and in turn encourages them to be more motivated.

Make Time To Meet

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This is the most important thing for any virtual team. Although new technology means that communicating remotely is easier than ever, there are still some things that need to be discussed in person. Important decisions about the direction of the company should always be decided at meetings. Another thing to consider is the safety of information. When you’re communicating online, there is always the chance of a security breach. With this in mind, you should always keep discussions about sensitive information in person where possible so you reduce the risk of any security issues.

The virtual office is set to be the future of the workplace so start setting up yours now and stay ahead of the curve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which Smartphones Are Best Suited For Busy Women?

There are many different smartphone models available on the market today. The issue is that most of us can’t tell them apart, and so we never end up with the most suitable design. With that in mind, this post will offer some advice on the top three smartphones for busy women. Maybe a mother with lots of children just needs something to keep updated with her friends? Perhaps those who work in an office just want a product that will make their life easier? Well, at least one of the suggestions below is going to be perfect. So, read the information and make the right choice.

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iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 only reached the market recently, but it’s become an incredibly popular choice for business women and stay at home moms alike. It’s got a sleek and sophisticated design, but the product is also durable. Indeed, with a scratch-resistant screen, it’s no wonder people opt for this model. There is also advanced security that should combat incidences of hacking. The only real issue is the price. iPhone 7s cost around £540 in the UK at the moment, and that’s a bit too expensive for most people. However, there are some ways to get a better deal. With a Zaggor free gift, it’s possible to lower the price of a contract. That is because people get a PlayStation 4 or something similar, and that’s worth money.

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iPhone 6

The iPhone 6 is by far the best selling model listed on this page. It’s been available for quite a while, and most people will have used one in the past. The best thing about the iPhone 6 is that it’s built like a tank. Many people drop them on the floor all the time without any hassle. If they have the right type of case, it’s difficult to cause accidental damage to the screen. Alos, anyone can buy a brand new iPhone 6 for around £200 these days. So, it’s less than half the price of the newer model, and it performs in much the same way.

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Samsung Galaxy S8

Apple isn’t the only decent smartphone manufacturer out there today. It seems Samsung is making headway in the market at the moment with their S8 model. Some advantages of the S8 include:

 

  • Fantastic design
  • Excellent display
  • Top-notch hardware spec
  • 12 mp camera
  • Water resistant

 

However, many reviewers claim there are also some downsides to investing in the Samsung model. For instance, the battery life isn’t as impressive as it could be. That might become an issue for busy ladies who don’t have time to charge their phones three times every day. There are also some problems relating to the fingerprint reader. Still, overall, it’s an excellent piece of kit.

The three smartphones outlined on this page are by far the most popular devices around at the moment. Busy women should probably take a look at each of those models before looking elsewhere this summer. Invest in a brand like Apple or Samsung, and there’s a good chance the phone will remain in working order for many years. Enjoy!

 

 

Things You Didn’t Know Could Be Hacked

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You might think that you’ve done well by installing anti-virus software on your computer network and securing your smartphone you’re safe. You may think that telling your employees not to open unsolicited emails and hiring a strong IT Support team is enough to keep you safe from hackers and ransomware, but it isn’t. You see, although all of the measures above are right and sensible, they don’t take into account the myriad of things that can be hacked, many of which you wouldn’t expect.

 

Just look at these things you probably didn’t know could be hacked and you’ll see how much more you need to do to stay safe when you’re connected:

Low Orbiting Satellites

Most of us rely on satellites to run our lives for us. Whether they’re allowing us to communicate across the globe, beaming entertainment into our homes or giving us accurate weather reports to plan our business with or aiding in national security, satellites are important, so it’s scary to think that Low Orbit Earth Satellites can actually be hacked by wrongdoers! Sadly, unless you’re a satellite owner, there probably isn’t much you can do about it, but being aware of the problem might make it easier for your and your team to beef up security back here on Earth.

Printer Networks

If you run a printer network as part of your business, you might want to have your IT team take a look at your network security because although a printer isn’t something we think of as having the potential for harm, it is actually very easy to hack into printers and cause all kinds of mischief.

Air Traffic Control

Flight safety is never too far from the minds of those of us who fly or have family who fly regularly, so it’s rather a scary thought that the number of air traffic control system hackers is growing significantly. After all, it only takes one fake instruction or missed command for disaster to strike!

Child Trackers

More parents are using Child Tracking Devices to help them keep track of their children and ensure that they’re safe. Sadly, these trackers are very easy to hack into and in the wrong hands could allow the wrong people to find and follow our kids!

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Power Grids

Power. We all need it, whether to run our businesses successfully; cook and keep ourselves warm; keep ourselves entertained or charge our smartphones, so we’re never out of the loop. So, it’s pretty important. It’s also pretty easy for skilled hackers to infiltrate the planet’s power grids and cause chaos. In fact, they did just that in the Ukraine in 2015 causing the kind of scenes you’d expect to see in a Hollywood disaster movie.

As you can see, there is much more to hacking than mischievous people trying to steal your bank details or infect your network with ransomware. There are many more nefarious things going on out there, many of which you would never expect, and it’s important that we don’t forget this and remain vigilant, without getting too worried, if we’re to help in the fight against cybersecurity crimes.

 

 

 

 

Lets Share Life.. World Blood Donors Day!

Donating blood is not only a noble act but also a necessary one. How many times we see various posts and requests about the need for donors of blood in times of emergencies, but blood that matches the receiver’s blood group and which is safe to be used is difficult to find easily in hours of emergency. To promote this noble cause we celebrate 14th June as World Blood Donors Day.

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On this day we express our gratitude towards the individuals who donate their blood with the hope of saving a precious life. To further support this cause a new app, named Life is also available on the Google Play Store. This app helps you locate donors and recipients in nearby places easily in hours of need. These donors are verified, and hence safe, so please download this app today and as a gratitude to all those life savers, become a life saver yourself. The link for app download is

https://goo.gl/oVMcwS
Donating blood does not only let you save a life, but also lets you share your life with someone in need. It is an act of passing on something precious to someone who needs it more. So, let us all pledge to donate towards saving precious lives, and contribute towards making the world a better place. #SharingLife

 

 

Kent launches Smart Chef Product Range with Pasta & Noodle Maker and a Turbo Grinder & Blender

In todays time, where everyone is pressed for time, cooking products that make working easy, convenient and time saving is a boon. Not just this, but products that also help keeping a check on health factor are revolutionary. Two such revolutionary products were launched by Kent RO Systems.

“Kent Smart chef appliances” has introduced the all new and innovative KENT Noodles & Pasta Maker and KENT Turbo Grinder and Blender to cook healthy and cook fast.

Present on the occasion was Dr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman, KENT RO Systems Ltd., Masterchef Pankaj Bhadouria & Nutritionist Kavita Devgan. The launch was followed by Live Demonstration session by the renowned Chef Pankaj. Here is a glimpse of what she had to say

Commenting on the new appliance Mr. Mahesh Gupta, Chairman Kent RO Systems Ltd said “We, at KENT have always believed that a clean and healthy life is right for every individual. This ethos has made us embark on a journey to develop innovative solutions for purifying water we drink, vegetables and fruits we eat, homes we live in and the air that we breathe.”

“Any food appliance that can get people back to cooking in their kitchens by making cooking seem easy and accessible has my thumbs up. Because the fact is that people have been moving away from cooking and that has had disastrous results – it has lead to an epidemic of lifestyle diseases in the country. Fresh, preservative free, nutrient rich food is the need of the day, and that is possible with this noodle and pasta maker” shared Kavita Devgan , celebrity nutritionist and author at the launch.

 

KENT Turbo Grinder and Blender is no exception as it is in sync the brand philosophy. It is a new age high speed blender for home which helps in quick and hygienic processing to make a variety of food and beverages easily at home. It can easily make dosa batter, besan batter, fruit smoothie, cold coffee, soup, soya milk, milk shake, juice and crushed ice in just a few minutes!” The Kent Turbo Grinder and Blender features heating function. With the help of this unique feature you can make hot beverages like tea, soup and soya milk in the same jar. With its quick grinding and blending quality you can make dosa batter and grind dal in less than 3 minutes. It comes with a multipurpose jar which means that you can use the same jar for wet and dry grinding for hygienic, convenient and hassle-free experience.

Also it is high speed and high power as it made of high- grade Japanese stainless steel blades, 30,000 rpm speed and 3KW motor for effortless grinding as it makes the process quick and efficient.

Furthermore it offers preset menu options with automatic operation for extra convenience.  The 12 preset menus utilise a fully automatic process to make a variety of dishes like juices, soya milk, smoothies, milk shakes, ice-cream, herb tea, dosa mix, porridge, soup, powder, mince and steam cooking. The smart LCD display which is a digital panel with LCD screen facilitates you to use different functions for different operations. It is extremely pocket friendly priced at Rs. 14,950/-.

Making of a healthy vegetable soup, soya milk from soya beans, dosa batter and an iced cold coffee was done right in front of our eyes and that too within minutes. I mean for example, it was so simple to make a soup, one just added vegetables and water and seasonings in the jar, and the process started, at first, the temperature started rising to the boiling point, and vegetables were boiled within the jar for sometime, then without doing anything, it started blending the vegetables at regular intervals and in just a few minutes, a smooth buried soup was ready.

Wherein, Kent noodle and pasta maker features automatic mixing, kneading and extruding functions in one go. So all you have to do is choose a program and relax.It is easy to dismantle and assemble. Its user-friendly shape makes it extremely easy to use and operate.  Kent Noodle and Pasta Maker come with 7 different shaping fitments. These fitments can be used for making personalized noodles, pasta, momos and gujia of different sizes and shapes. There are 3 shaping attachments each for preparing noodles and pasta with which one can make 3 different shapes of noodles, 3 different shapes of pasta and a single shaping die for momo/gujia. These accessories help one to relish different types of pastas, noodles and momos of their choice.

Depending on personalized taste and preferences, one can enhance the taste by adding the ingredients such as eggs, herb spinach or carrot juice to make pasta, noodles, momos and gujias of their choice. One can also mix different flavour and colour to the flour/wheat in order to enrich the taste of the final product.

Kent Noodle and Pasta Maker come with a smart drawer design, where you can easily store all the accessories including the shaping dies and the cleaning tools. This ensures that the shaping dies or any other accessories are not misplaced. It is spacious enough to hold all the dies and cutters in an excellent manner thereby making it easy to locate and use. Price: 12000/-

Master Chef Pankaj Bhadouria, showed us extruding of different types of Pastas and Noodles and then also went on to create beautiful dishes with them. It truly was a wonderful experience. The ease of doing such things, makes you really wonder that would technology will give us next.

So Skip fast food and start making your own snacks. Add KENT smart chef appliance to your kitchen and stay healthy. 

Top Apps that help you plan a perfect Diwali this year

The biggest festival Diwali is here, and the festival is another big reason for Indians to celebrate. We have listed out eight interesting Diwali apps for your smartphone that would help you celebrate the festival in a smarter way.


iFaith App


Whether you prefer to enjoy your favourite lilting bhajan, to watch devotional movies or listening to a Laxmi Ji ki Arti on this Diwali, you can now fulfil all your spiritual needs at the touch of a button on this Diwali. iFaith is a spiritual offering from the family of nexGTv. Watch devotional Live TV and video on your mobile.  Through this iFaith app, nexGTv makes you to re-instil your faith and grow devotionally and spiritually with videos/ Live channels specially selected for you.

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Urbanclap


Cleaning your House – Hire professionals who will do the job while you relax and sip your favourite cup of coffee. This way you can also bid goodbye to the endless arguments you have with your roomie or partner over cleaning. You can hire professionals from UrbanClap exclusively for Diwali cleaning and painting.


Saloon at door step – UrbanClap, India’s largest mobile services marketplace, curated beauty service providers for various services such as facial, cleaning, pedicure & manicure etc at your doorstep just a click away. UrbanClap beauty at home are much in demand this festive season.

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Paytm


Diwali seems like one of the biggest shopping festivals in India since it is auspicious for buying new things. Paytm helps you to buy all things under one platform. On the first day of Dhanteras it is considered good to buy gold and silver coins as well as jewellery. Kitchenware like utensils too are considered a good buy on this occasion. Electronics, gadgets, furniture, clothes, etc. people buy for themselves and also for gifting purposes.

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Junglee Teen Patti


Teen Patti online – Flash Card Game by Junglee Games is India’s twist on 3 card poker. Teen Patti, also known as Indian Poker, Flush, Flash or 3 card Brag to be enjoyed in India around the festival of Diwali for good luck and fun. People play Teen Patti for generations now, and it is quite customary to socialize and play the game around Diwali.

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Udio


Don’t be short of cash: Transfer Money Socially while playing cards this Diwali! Are you still planning to bet with cash this Diwali? We all fall short of cash in card parties during Diwali. And it’s always a task to borrow from your fellow players at the table. Probably it’s time for you to move to the next level and go cashless! There are multiple apps nowadays which are offering you options to just send money on social media or just transfer from digital wallet! Download Udio mobile wallet for liquid cash available at just a touch. With transformation of mobile wallets, one can also opt for social gifting which will be much appreciated in the card parties.

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Big Basket


Diwali is known as the festival of lights but the four days of celebrations have become just as popular as the time for giving. Big Basket can help you navigate the interesting options for gifting hampers.

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Fashin


If you’ve ever dreamt of dressing like a Bollywood star, this Diwali is your time to shine. Users can take hold of the fashion trends in Bollywood music, take Katrina’s lehenga or John Abraham’s cool T-shirt for instance. The app will provide users with different options where the exact same or similar outfit is available, compare the prices and make the entire buying process completely effortless for its users.

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Bobble


Shower Greetings with a selfie based sticker app. You can click a selfie, and get unlimited stickers with your face. It’s an Android and iOS app to make mobile conversations more expressive and personal. It’s a Diwali sticker pack to make it more quirky yet trendy.

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Happy Appying 🙂

Technology Takes Another Leap.. Way Forward..An Emotional Wellness App To Fight Stress Makes Its Way In Our Lives

A really welcome launch of an emotional wellness app which I feel is the need of the hour.
The really hectic way of lifestyle and the ever increasing competition at work place is taking its toll on most of us. In India and I believe in certain other parts of the world too emotional distress is immediately linked to mental illness and hence a very big stigma is attached to it. Most people go in a denial mode that all is fine till a stage reaches where things worsen and then they reluctantly go for consultation.

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This App allows you to seek help at a click.There are some basic self help measures by which you can monitor your stress levels.

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Emotional distress covers a wide range like anxiety, work stress, work-life balance, conflicts or fights at work.
Then there is performance anxiety, public speaking, exam and interview anxiety.
Also very prevalent these days are marriage related problems, divorce and break up, family problems and issues related to children.

Very much on the rise are cases of depression and sadness, dealing with grief and loss, financial worries and sleep issues and many many more.
The app helps you deal with all of these with some simple do it yourself measures and also gives you the luxury to connect with eminent experts with whom you can connect 24×7 without having to actually go to them. They monitor your progress all along as they guide you with their expert advice. So the app helps you overcome your problems in complete secrecy.
The founder of WayForward is Dr Navya Singh, award winning clinical psychologist and researcher at Columbia University, New York.The other eminent experts on the panel are Prof.Lata McGinnis, Global CBT expert, past president of International association of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Chair Indian CBT Association, Dr A K Singh, Director,Reknowned Neurosurgeon, Max Health Care, Angeleena Kaur,Psychologist, Dr Lisa Napolitano,Clinical Psychologist, International mind fullness and CBT expert and Ms Devika Venkatachalam, Psychologist, speciality Children and Adolescents. They are ably assisted by a team of other experts who are with you 24×7.
I think it is a wonderful concept to be able to overcome your emotional problems without getting a stigma attached to it in the privacy of your own.

You can visit their website and download the app and I am sure you and your near ones will benefit from the same.

 

Mi India kickstarts its biggest festive season sale with exciting offers…!!

Mi India is announcing its biggest festive sale across partner platforms for 2016. Several exciting offers will be available across Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm and Tata Cliq from 1 October. This will be the first Mi sale with attractive discounts on all Mi smartphones and accessories that will be held simultaneously across all partner platforms.

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Raghu Reddy, Head of online sales, Xiaomi India said, “Each year we are celebrating the festive season with Mi fans in a bigger and better way. We have exciting plans for 2016 and I am thrilled to announce our festive offers for Mi fans on our partner platforms as we come together to celebrate. We are making all the offers across platforms the same and we are looking forward to an amazing month of celebrations.”


Amazon’s Great Indian Shopping Festival will be between 1 to 5 October and will offer deals on Redmi Note 3, Mi Max, Mi 10000mAh Power Bank and Mi 20000mAh Power Bank. Mi Band 2 will be also be available on 01 October[1].

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Flipkart’s Big Billion Day Sale will be between 2 to 6 October, with Mi Air Purifier 2 going on sale for the first time on Flipkart starting 2 October at midnight. The offers will be available on Mi 4, Redmi Note 3, Mi 5, Mi Max, Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime, starting 3 October.

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Snapdeal’s Unbox Diwali Sale will be between 1 to 6 October and will feature offers on Redmi Note 3 and Mi Max.

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Paytm and Tata Cliq will have its festive sale during the month of October, and offers on Redmi Note 3 and Mi Max will be available on these platforms.

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All these offers are available only during the sale period.


The details of offers on Mi Smartphones and accessories are:

  • Mi 5 will get a price drop of INR 3,000 and will be available for INR 19,999
  • Mi Max will get a price drop of INR 1,000 and will be available for INR 13,999
  • Redmi 3S and Redmi 3S Prime will get a price drop of INR 500 and will be available for INR 6,499 and INR 8,499 respectively.
  • Redmi Note 3 (2GB + 16GB) will get a price drop of INR 500 and will be available for INR 9,499
  • Redmi Note 3 (3GB + 32GB) will get a price drop of INR 1,000 and will be available for INR 10,999
  • Mi 4 16 GB will get a price drop of INR 1,000 and will be available for INR 9,999
  • 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank will get a price drop of INR 400 and will be available for INR 899
  • 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank will get a price drop of INR 300 and will be available for INR 1,899

[1] There are no offers on Mi Band 2 and it will be sold on original price at INR 1,999

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