How to Get Items You Need from Amazon India by Ordering Online?

For some people, shopping is a time pass. They love going to malls and shops not only for buying things that they need, but also for some time pass. For example searching for good books in a bookstall like this is a hobby for many!

But for many others like me, shopping is not so thrilling and it really is a pain. Going to the shop or mall by your two wheeler or four wheeler in the crowded roads and lanes with all that traffic jams is not at all some thing enjoyable.

Finding a parking lot and walking to and from it are all pains. It definitely take time and much effort. And when your professional work is too demanding, how to get the time slot for all these routine buying?

Online ordering and getting all those things you need delivered at the comfort of your home or office is the trend now-a-days and it is getting more and more acceptable in India too. It may not be for the rural India yet, but for those areas that are well connected and urbanized, the trend is on the rise.

But even for those who are quite familiar with online market places like Amazon, there are often situations where you forget to get things you need and order it in time. You are pre-occupied with many things!

This happens with me too. I keep thinking of buying some thing and when I take my mobile phone I get pre-occupied in Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter to such an extent I forget to open and search my Amazon App!

And even when I manage to remember and open my Amazon app, I forget the key search words and my buying get delayed or postponed!

What was that you needed? Something for your kitchen? English or Indian language Books? Electronics such as laptops, mobiles? Toys or games? Shoes? Garments? Luggage? Things for baby? Watches? Furniture? Curtains? 

In reality you can get any thing! Only thing you need to know is the key word to search and find. When you remember the key word, it is quite easy and you can search the Amazon online market place and know much about the item including its price and rebates. 

Without much efforts you can keep studying about the products and order it when you are fully satisfied.

Amazon online buying is best suited for city residents because in the cities their delivery services are much more efficient. In many urban areas including urbanized Kerala, Amazon now has cash on delivery (COD) facility and you need not worry much if your ordered item with prepayment got delayed or missed in transit and the follow up you have to do to get it back.

So in case you forget something to purchase online, you can use the  Amazon India online market search facility given above. It is very easy and simple.

You can scroll the list and find trending books and order what you liked. You can type the name of the the thing you want in the search box and click 'Go' to get to know more and order. It is very easy. You keep clicking and playing with it, and you start learning more and more every day!

If your mobile phone has enough space for installing apps, you can download and install the Amazon India App for the same purpose.

How to Get the Best Cost Effective Blood Sugar Monitor Kit Online in India? How to Use it?

Me and my wife both are going to be senior citizens shortly and signalizing that forthcoming event, we both have become marginally diabetic in the recent times.

It is a warning signal for careful living during old age! We have already made certain restrictions in our food habits. Sugary foods with added sugar have become a no-no for us now. We are trying our best to manage with the least pills and also to keep insulin injections postponed to the extent feasible. But sooner or later it would become inevitable. We know it.

We are not alone. There are millions like us, in this country and around the world.

To manage the sugar and insulin balance within the body, it is essential to know the blood sugar levels on a regular basis. It is not practical to go to the doctor or to the medical lab for the blood test on a regular basis.

The modern electronic blood sugar test meter called glucose meter (or glucometer) comes handy for us in such a situation.

The electronic glucometer kit consists of the following:

The main apparatus is the testing meter with the electronic digital display panel which gives the blood sugar level. The unit of blood sugar is expressed commonly in milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL) or millimol per decilitre (mmol/dL) [1mmol/dL = 18 mg/dL] The first unit is what is in common use in India. So if any one says his or her fasting sugar level is 120, it means his or her blood at the time of test contains 120 mg of sugar in a decilitre of blood.

The meter is a life long device which only needs its batteries to be replaced after some 50-100 tests.

The test strips are the next essential item. It can be used only for one test and is a consumable item. Normally the test strips comes in packs of 10, 25, 50 or 100.

Apart from this we need proper needles or lancets to pierce our fingers to get the blood sample. These needles come pre-sterilized in packs of 10,25 or 50. They too are often used only once.

The lancets are to be fitted on to a lancet applicator which is a small mechanism to prick using the lancet mildly and surely without we feeling anything.

So, a normal glucometer kit should contain the meter with batteries, the strips bottle, the lancet pack, the lancet applicator and the instruction book and preferably a proper carry case for all these items of the kit.

There are now various manufacturers who supply these glucometer kits in India. Some of these names are 'One Touch', Johnson, DrMorepan, etc.

I was using one model by One Touch earlier. But for this, it was extremely difficult to replace its button cell battery. After I got its battery replaced, the meter started giving error readings. I had to throw it out.

I tried various medical shops in the city. They all had these meters and the strips. But the costs were very high. The meter was costing anything between Rs.1200- Rs.1800 with 10 test strips and ten lancets as initial supplies. Additional strips costed any thing between Rs.600-850 for a pack of 25.

Then I tried Amazon India and searched for the options. After some online research, I decided to give a try for this, TysonBio make JCB AC200 model of glucometer. It was the cheapest and the best buy option which costed only about Rs.1200 for the entire kit with 50 strips and lancets. 

 TysonBio AC200 Glucometer Kit Pack with the Test Strip Pack

The User's Manuals and  Log Book as provided

The carry case, the meter, the lancets, strips, lancet applicator

The Kit arranged in the carry bag

So, I ordered it online making payment through net banking. Though they indicated about a week's time for the delivery, it was delivered in three days.

I was delighted by the quality of the product. It was absolutely good and easy to use. The pack contained the meter with replaceable batteries (a pair of alkaline cells), 2 numbers each of 25 strip packs and lancets, a good quality lance applicator, the instruction book let, a booklet for recording the readings, a carry-case, all in a good pack.

I am sharing this for the benefit of those health conscious diabetic patients in India who are thinking of buying this meter. 

Now, a few tips for using the TysonBio AC200 Glucometer as shown in the pictures above. Its use is very simple and all instructions are provided in the user's manuals. In the original pack, the alkaline batteries are given separately. Take the meter, open the battery cover at its backside (slip the cover out) and insert the two cells with the correct polarity. (if you place the cells incorrectly, the meter will not work!) 

After inserting the cells, close the battery cover and then reset the meter by pushing a small pointed object (a ball point pen refill would do) inside the reset button hole at the back side. Then press the M-key at the front to put the meter on. When you first make it on, the first task you have to do is to set the date and time, sequentially. You can do it using the up/down arrow keys. There are more functions. It is better you read the user manuals and try it yourself for testing your blood sample.

If you find any problems in using the meter you may ask through the comments column.

You may also share your experiences with such glucose meters for the benefit of others.

Note dtd 08/02/2016: I found my instrument TysonBio AC200 got damaged due to leaking batteries. It was my mistake as I forgot to remove the batteries from the meter (a facility this brand has) when not in use for a long time.

I had a stock of the test strips and I wanted my instrument back. I found that this meter is no longer available with Amazon India. But fortunately, I found it on Snapdeal that too at a very low price as compared to any other model or offer anywhere. Today  I ordered it: the meter + 50 strips + 50 lancets just for Rs.990/- from Snapdeal.

Online Shopping in India- Things to Know for those Who Haven't Done it Yet!

Online shopping in an activity that is on the rise in India now. More and more people are finding it convenient to buy those items such as books, DVDs, laptops, tablets, e-readers,  mobile phones, cameras, electronic gadgets, shoes, clothing, furnishings, utensils and kitchenware, perfumes and toiletries, medicines and health products, car care items, etc., etc which otherwise would have taken a lot of their time actually locate and buy. The online retailers provide the fastest solution to locate the item with all those details one would perhaps like to know such as the costs, specifications, appearance, etc.

For many items of regular use and consumption, it might be better to go to the retail shop physically and enjoy your shopping as a leisure time activity.  But for some people, shopping is indeed a troublesome activity. They have to first locate the store which sells the item and go to the store physically which might involve driving through the hopelessly crowded and congested roads either by public transport or by your own vehicle. In the latter case, one has to find the parking space for your vehicle. In both cases, one may have to walk quite some distance to actually reach the shop concerned. If the item is not available, you have to walk around for locating other shops.

One may spent the whole holiday in this process and it is indeed not a very pleasurable activity, especially for the menfolks!

Online shopping becomes a boon for such people. In the comfort of your office or home, the items you need could be easily located, compared, evaluated and finally decided for purchase. And the purchasing activity is completed within few minutes with the some clicks on your PC, laptop or tablet.  

The world's largest online retail company, the US based Amazon.com has entered the Indian scene nearly an year ago. To visit the Amazon India website, click on the amazon logo on the top right and the bottom left of this page. Alternatively, you can find the availability of any item in Amazon. For this you may click the drop down arrow of the search box below to select, say computers and then type the item that you are interested, say tablet or laptop in the next box and click 'GO'. The whole of available products in this category would be displayed for you to view, select and order online. It is that simple.

But before you purchase any item, it is essential that you may register your name with the online retailer. 

For registration, one should click the 'sign in' tab on the top right which is for customers who have already registered their names. But while clicking this one can see, the button or drop down indicator which shows the tab for the new user. When you click it, you are presented with the new registration page. Here one has to enter the name, e-mail address and a password (not the password of your email, but a password that you would like to use whenever you visit this online retailer (say, Amazon). To avoid possible errors in typing, your email and password may be required to be typed twice. Once you have done this, you may have to go to your email inbox to see the mail from the online retailer which gives you some directions including the activity that you should do for email verification.  

India has many other online retail companies such as the eBay, Flipkart, Snapdeal, HomeShop18, IndiatimesShopping, RediffShopping, FutureBazaar, myntra, tradus, etc. Most of these companies have established their reputation in India in one way or the other and are mostly reliable. All of them have almost similar registration formalities. The registration involves in giving your e-mail id, your name or user name, setting up a password for you to open the shopping site, verifying your email id by clicking the verification link that the online shop has sent to you and completing your other details such as address etc by updating your profile.  

Many of these online shopping websites also provide handsome rebates on many of their merchandise. Online shoppers could avail such rebates by entering the rebate coupon codes while they finally place their orders online. However, it may not be so easy to find out the details of all rebates that the various internet shops are offering. I have recently found another new Indian online venture called 27 Coupons which lists almost all online shopping firms active in India now and giving all details of rebate coupons as offered by each of them. 

It is a better idea to note down your registration details lest you forget it. After you are registered, use the sign in facility to log in to the online shopping site. You can search and select the items conveniently by moving around the site and with some practice one would become so conversant about the many features that are available on the online shopping site.

If you are located in some select cities, many shopping sites offer the Cash on Delivery (COD) facility. To check whether COD facility is available for your city or town, you may have to give your postal index number (PIN) and check whether it is applicable for your place. COD is a very safe method to order things as you don't have to pay any thing while ordering. The money is payable to the courier who delivers the item at your office or home. Remember, to fill up your delivery address properly with your contact telephone or mobile numbers before you place your final order.

But it is also convenient to pay in advance using either your debit card, credit card or internet banking facility. Use these only if you are familiar with online banking transactions. There is nothing to fear when you deal with reputed companies such as Amazon. But at the same time, one should be careful to read all the online instructions carefully and act on the basis of those instructions. It is not wise to act in haste and commit errors.

The online shopping companies provide much guidance through email and SMS regarding the order position and status. There are also provisions for making complaints. Your order positions are also reflected in your account which is available once you log in to the shopping site.

It is a good idea to shop for small value items first and develop your confidence first. High value items may be tried after you develop your confidence with the online retailer.

It should be remembered that the items you have ordered on the online retailing companies are delivered through various couriers. Reputed companies dispatch the items through reputed couriers and the reputation of the courier company is a very important factor in the success of the online shopping business. Substandard couriers may employ lowly paid delivery boys and staff who might do some mischief at times. The online retailers realize this mostly and they try to do their best to select dependable courier companies often.Yet there could be human errors and mistakes happening at times. One should be prepared to pursue the online retailer in such cases and the reputed companies normally take up the customer complaints seriously.

So, happy online shopping. Explore the huge stores to find those things that you may find useful or interesting. Get those interesting books that you like to read either as paper backs or as digital. Amazon is perhaps the largest online bookstore in the world. Happy reading!

What is Amazon Kindle and How to Get it in India?

To be very honest with you, I have never heard of anything called Kindle until very recently. I noticed about it only recently. This could be true with many of my Indian counterparts!

And that is exactly the reason why I am writing this blog. It is a good thing to share some thing I learnt with at least a few others like me.

Now, Kindle is nothing but an electronic book reading device. Now-a-days, inexpensive tablet computers have flooded the Indian market which are available in price ranges of Rs. 3000 to 30,000. A Kindle is some thing similar to a tablet PC. Perhaps something superior with regard to its features as far as book reading is concerned.

I have been using desk tops, laptops and mobile phones for reading printable digital files (pdf) , MS word files and other digital texts for quite some time. No doubt they are good but I have always felt that they could have been something better.

For example, to use my PC or laptop for a convenient book reading, it is just not possible. I have to be in one predetermined position and place where these devices are placed and connected. Even the lap top is a heavy thing which blows hot air always and not fit to place on the lap as people think.

So reading a book with hundreds of pages at leisure and convenience of the bed or the sofa is out of question. Besides, these devices would never ever give the feel of the book and its white pages. The glare and the font sizes are all at odds and you have to try many things before you can make it in some comfortable mode.

I had always dreamed of a small hand held device which is light weight and could work for hours without those charging botheration and could also store all my digital books. My android touchscreen mobile phone does this for me but its small 5 inch screen is not sufficient for me to view and read a full page in one go. When I try to enlarge the page, the page goes out of my reading range and I need to pull it right-left and up-down for quite a number of times. This really kills my reading pleasure.

The tablet PCs could be better, but I have not tried it so far. People who have used those cheaper versions do not give a good report. Perhaps the expensive models could be better, but they are indeed too expensive.

Now this Kindle is a proprietary e-book reader specially designed and marketed by the international leader in book publishing, Amazon . Amazon is perhaps the largest book publishers and book sellers in the world who are also one of the largest electronic commerce company in the world. It is an american company with its head quarters in the US. Amazon has become international with its presence in many countries in the recent years. And now Amazon is in India too. You can see their logo on this page itself and click it to visit Amazon India website.

Kindle is designed and developed specially by a subsidiary unit of Amazon with special attention to the needs of book lovers. So all the problems that I have mentioned should have been addressed properly by them.

There are many models of Kindle e-book reading devices and all are reportedly sold as hot cakes whenever they had launched them earlier in the USA where many people love reading books. 

I have not yet purchased a Kindle. I think I would go for it shortly. I would be in a position to share a much more detailed feed back with user experience then. I would request people who are already using Kindle devices to share their experiences using the comments facility at the bottom of this page.

Since Amazon is now in India, it is quite easy to get this device from their on-line shopping facility. It is acknowledged as one of the pioneers and one of the best in the world. 

Amazon named their e-book reader as Kindle because kindle means lighting the fire. It is indeed for lighting the mind fire of people by encouraging new generation to read more and more to ignite their intelligence to burning heights!

But let this be specially noted. Kindle is not a tablet phone. It is not used for internet browsing or telephony or messaging services. It is also not a general purpose multimedia player, though it can play some limited music, video and picture formats. Its main purpose is for storing and reading books with a reading experience matching with that of reading a paper book. The multimedia is for adding some additional electronic life to the electronic texts. It is another electronic gadget addition to the many other electronic devices one may have already.

Those who are interested in knowing the technical specifications of the various Kindle models may use this link.

Kindle is for those who love reading books. It is for those who might think it right to curtail cutting trees for making paper books to some extent. There are now millions of books in digital formats compatible with Kindle, all supplied by Amazon.

It would not be surprising to see many Indians with Kindle in their hands in the coming days!

Hopefully, I too would be among them!

Let this electronic book kindle the fire of knowledge thirst among the masses of India too!

Get Computers from Amazon!