Honcho’s Gizmos

With the market full of gadgets and still growing at it, there are any number of phone and other gizmos that entice users. So much so, your kind of gadget is presumed to convey a lot about you. Which gadgets do the captains of the Indian realty industry use? Realty & More spoke to several leaders and came out a lot wiser.

Most of us start our day with the snooze alarm-that God for saken ring that goes off every five minutes so we can reach work on time. Next, it’s the Facebook feed, all the ‘notifications’ to be replied to, e-mails to be deleted and WhatsApp groups to be put in silent mode. Then, comes the onslaught of calls throughout the day. And before you leave your workstation for the day to celebrate a Friday, a selfie here and a click there, and you are done!

In the 24 hours that spans the duration of the day, there’s one companion which has become an inseparable aspect of our daily existence, a seamless part of our lives-the humble smart phone. Gone are the days of vintage clocks, landlines, hefty reel-driven cameras and camcorders-it’s the age of being armed with phones that provide a one-stop solution to almost everything. We at Realty & More asked some of the prominent players in the real estate industry about their choice of Android poison. Their answers made interesting, as also, informative reading. We will be too glad to share these with you.

Rajesh Goyal, MD of RG Group, has a passion for gadgets as he says: “They make your life a lot easier and thus happier as you are connected to your business contacts, your family and friends sitting anywhere in the world”. Goyal loves exclusive products so he researched on the net and discovered Vertu, which is the handset is uses.

Vertu Constellation is an exclusive handmade mobile from England. Each Constellation is handmade to uncompromising high standards by an individual craftsman in the village of Church Crookham, England. What interests him most about his phone is its slimmer, cleaner aesthetics, fresh, modern colour palette and finish in refined calf leather. “It is the embodiment of understated elegance,” says Goyal.

The RG Group’s MD is also impressed with the fact that the luxurious calf leather that completes the phone is carefully chosen for its superior quality and natural grain and texture. “The sapphire crystal screen is not only virtually impossible to scratch, it is strong enough to resist the impact of a 200-gram steel ball being dropped on it from a height of one metre,” he says. The after-sales services provided by the company are also excellent but Goyal says there is no need of such a service as the phone works perfectly.

Goyal is fully satisfied with Vertu as “it is sleek, beautiful and elegant with all required modern features.” The strong body of Vertu Constellation “keeps my data secure and safe all the time,” Goyal concludes by adding he will definitely recommend this phone to others.

Rupesh Gupta, Director, JM Housing, is quite tech savvy and updated as far his communication needs are concerned. Currently, he is using i-Phone 5s as his handset, Apple i-Pad 4 and Sony Vaio while in office. He finds these products of superior quality which provide him good facilities. Gupta told Realty & More: “My handset, Apple 5s, is sleek and looks elegant which is most important is today’s modern business culture. My 1-Pad allows me to work on the go as it has a bigger screen than a handset and is more portable than a laptop. While in office, I prefer to use my laptop, as Sony provides a great blend of software and hardware through which I am able to do multitasking.”

Gupta gives credit to media for informing him of these gadgets and influencing his purchase decision as well. “The power of media is such that every product today is understood even before taking a demo or buying through a reference. I learnt about all of my daily gadgets through advertisements or online blogs, social media etc., “he said.

As far as his satisfaction with these products is concerned, Gupta is candid: “To be fully satisfied with any gadget is difficult”. He elaborates: “The technology today is upgrading at the speed of knots. If you are buying a high branded gadget, the cost is more and features are good enough. New entrants in these markets are coming out with superior software and inferior hardware.”

Since these gadgets are able to fulfill his daily personal and work requirements, the JM Housing Director has no hesitation in recommending these to others

Ashok Gupta, CMD of Ajnara India Ltd, is a “big fan” of Apple products by his own admission. He uses 1-Phone 55 and his desktop is a Mac. “I personally feel that Apple provides the best quality gadgets amongst all,” he told Realty & More. The best feature about Apple products, he says: “I have hardly seen any gadget of Apple freezing or getting hanged during rigorous use. The screen and resolution quality is good too and makes the colours look alive.”

Replying to a query on how he learnt about these products, Gupta said the popularity of Apple products is such that people start speaking about their products well before they are even launched. “I got to know about Apple gadgets through people around me who used it and spoke a lot about its quality and features.”

As of now, Gupta is “fully satisfied” with his gadgets. “With time, new technology will be available and better gadgets will come out, so I would like to be curious and wait for the newer features to be added by the company.” So, it no surprise really when the avid Apple fan says: “Whenever I get the chance to recommend Apple products, I do so.”

Gone are the days of vintage clocks, landlines, hefty reel driven cameras and camcorders – it’s the age of being armed with phones that provide a one-stop solution to almost everything

They make your life a lot easier and thus happier as you are connected to your business contacts, your family and friends sitting anywhere in the world
RAJESH GOYAL MD, RG Group

My handset, Apple 5S, is sleek and looks elegant which is most important is today’s modern business culture. My i-Pad allows me to work on the go as it has a bigger screen than a handset and is more portable than a laptop. While in office, I prefer to use my laptop, as Sony provides a great blend of software and hardware through which I am able to do multitasking.
RUPESH GUPTA Director, JM Housing

I personally feel that Apple provides the best quality gadgets amongst all. I have hardly seen any gadget of Apple freezing or getting hanged during rigorous use. The screen and resolution quality is good too and makes the colours look alive.
ASHOK GUPTA, CMD of Ajnara India Ltd

It (I Phone SS) functions fast and there is a never a problem of hanging
MOHD HASAN Director, Praxis Group

Mohd Hasan, Director at Praxis Group, is another Apple-user Realty & More got an opportunity to speak to. The mobile handset he uses is i-Phone 5S and he rates its performance as “not bad”. He says so because he knows the technology is ever-evolving and new products keep coming into the market at a rapid pace “Therefore, I would be hesitant to call my 1-Phone the best in the world”.

However, Hasan is pretty satisfied with the performance of his hand set as he says ” it functions fast and there is a never a problem of hanging “. Besides the basic purpose of staying connected, he uses his phone for checking mails etc. Of course, being sufficiently tech-savvy, Hasan has ASUS laptop as his office companion while at work.
As far recommending the gadgets he uses to others, the Praxis Director says rather matter-of-factly “it depends on one’s budget”.

Another discerning user, M K Gupta, Chairman, KPDK Buildtech, seems well-informed about the gadgets he has chosen and why.” Blackberry provides the easiest way to receive and send e-mails and messages which I prefer for handsets. Samsung has the best user interface in terms of tablets and for my laptop I prefer sturdy and good configuration so, I chose Lenovo, “he told Realty & More.

Blackberry provides the easiest way to receive and send e-mails and messages which I prefer for handsets. Samsung has the best user interface in terms of tablets and for my laptop I prefer sturdy and good configuration so, I chose Lenovo
M K GUPTA, Chairman, KPDK Buildtech

Apple MacBook Pro laptop is sleek, light-weight and beautiful…The best thing about it is that it matches my speed
GAURAV GUPTA, Director, SG Estates

He went for these gadgets after following regular advertisements of these companies and observing rating and feedback of other customers.

To a query about satisfaction with product use, Gupta said: “Nowadays, every technology becomes outdated within six to 12 months. Therefore, satisfaction is till the time when you do not face any troubles with a product.” However, he says: “After using these gadgets for quite some time, the overall experience has been good.”

Gupta gave a rather qualified recommendation for his gadgets: “I recommend these gadgets to someone whose usage and work profile is somewhere as similar as mine”.

Gaurav Gupta, Director of SG Estates, uses Apple MacBook Pro laptop as he finds it “sleek, light weight and beautiful.” The best thing about it, he told Realty & More, is that it “matches my speed.” His mobile handset is again predictably an Apple 1- Phone. The features that interest him most about these gadgets are their design and speed. To a query, he told us that he learnt about these products through word of mouth.

When Gupta was asked if he was fully satisfied with these gadgets, he replied that the company “keeps bringing new features year after year and most of the requirements are met.” And like most of Apple die hard fans, the SG Estates Director had no inhibition in saying that he would recommend these products “to anyone and everybody” as he considers the IT giant an unquestionable leader in its category. ‘Apple is a cult”, he says ecstatically.