Katrina Love Life takes a New Slice with #KingOfMangoes

It is Summer time and look who is having a "Slice" of a time. 

It is none other than Bollywood's reigning diva Katrina Kaif who was reported missing a few days back, only to be spotted near the coastal town of Ratnagiri yesterday. For details, do read our detail coverage here- #KatrinaMissing

Time to complete the pieces of the puzzle that left all of us wondering where is our Indian Barbie Katrina. Well if you are following me on Twitter, you would know that it is confirmed that Katrina is indeed at the sleepy, yet culturally rich, coastal town of Ratnagiri. But what was she doing there?

Time to unfold the mystery. Here we go-

#BreakingNews on ##KatrinaMissing: Katrina found #Romancing a certain #King in quiet little village of #Ratnagiri

Ummm if you wonder who the king is, well it is none other than #KingOfMangoes - Slice from Tropicana.

Yes, PepsiCo has launched a new variant of Slice- A la Alphonso, the king of Mangoes that is widely found in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.

The Katrina gal is indeed a lucky one to have the first "Slice" of "New Slice". Here's a dekko at this-

Oh, #KatrinaMissing was to find the #KingOfMangoes! That was a smart one, @TropicanaSlice ;)

Video Courtesy: Brand

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This series #KatrinaMissing is part of brand Campaign on Haute Kutir. If you wish to have your campaigns covered on www.hautekutir.com, do let us know. You can mail us at hautekutir@gmail.com

Breaking News: #KatrinaMissing

Breaking news. #KatrinaMissing Does Anyone has a clue?

Amid this entire #Cricket #Semifinal hullabaloo, did anyone realize, where is Katrina Kaif? The reigning queen of Bollywood, a diva who set millions of heart on fire, has been conspicuous by her absence. The usual cheerful, glamorous face that became synonymous with beauty, talent and glamour are being missed.

Reports suggested that she was spotted a few days back at a women's award function, wherein she made a brief appearance [aww breaking hearts of her fans who just do not get enough of her even if they see her for hours] and rushed out for a secret destination.

If reports have to be believed, she was last seen near Ratnagiri. Ratnagiri is a sleepy town on way from Mumbai to Goa. Was she going to Goa or was it actually Ratnagiri is a mystery that Katrina can only tell. If it was Ratnagiri than it is natural to think that what our pretty damsel was doing at orchard town of Ratnagiri.

Speculations rife, she may be there to shoot her upcoming movie, the much talked about film Fitoor along with an impressive cast including co-star Aditya Roy Kapoor. It may also be that she would have taken a small time off from the soaring temperatures of Mumbai and would be chilling her heels away from the pollution and noise of city at the sleepy yet calm surround of Ratnagiri, away from privy eyes and disturbing schedule.

While our local correspondent is trying to sneak in more details from the locales at Ratnagiri to know more about on Katrina's Missing and the possibility of being in Ratnagiri, for shoot or family holiday, stay tuned to this blog to know more. Only time will tell. Till then keep speculating and yes, if you get an update on the same, do care to tell us.

We are reachable at hautekutir@gmail.com. Drop us a mail with Info on #KatrinaMissing 

Healthy Breakfast Options with Kellogg's CornFlakes

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. They say a good day begins with a good breakfast. While there are many options available for breakfast, the healthy options are quite less and if I may use the word- Mediocre. 

Yes, Mediocre. So what do you do to fight mediocrity? well, I say- get creative. Get Creative and how? And would that be healthy? Well yes, Creative could be healthy too and healthy can be tasty too. And all these things can be easy too. A good, healthy and tasty breakfast needs no fancy ingredients, endless hours of cooking. All it requires is a little thought and a little imagination. Families that understand this, they get popular as well. Just like our Kelloggs wale Guptaji, a family is known to churn some delectable "Anaaj ka Nashta" with none other than, star of all breakfast show, a must breakfast item across the world and highly popular in the segment- Kelloggs Cornflakes.

I have heard that the Gupta family has over 100 mouths watering recipe for breakfast. Yummm that sounds too good to be true. Well hold your horses, it is true and their recipe is widely available as well. I am going to check them out and see if they are just a hype or really worth the effort to get invited at their home for "guptaji ke ghar ka naashta".

Curious me, visited Anaaj ka Nashta page on facebook, and what I found there was nothing sort of a booty. Being a working woman and a wife, I am daunted every morning with one serious question- What is in breakfast? Husband dear doesn't like the plain cornflakes all the time, hence I have to scourge through the Internet in hunt of a new recipe. Knowing that Guptaji's family has bountiful of such, I could not resist. Here's what I found-

1) First Crush wala Naashta
The first one that took my fancy was this delectable feast made with Chocolate, walnut, and cornflakes. Now, who does not love chocolate? And nuts are such a must for a daily intake that I could not resist sharing this one-


It is not just a simple recipe but quick to make too. I can use the same to please my own Mr. Gupta and melt his heart on this chocolate friendly, healthy breakfast variant.

2) Passing The Parcel wala Naashta
Well like mother, like son. My husband is quite fond of sitaphal [custard apple] and what I have heard from him that my mom in law loves the fruit too. Besides, there is very few breakfast recipe that makes use of custard pulp. My in-laws are coming to Mumbai for a few days and this recipe looks like manna from heaven to cook and serve. I can imagine a wide smile on my charming mom-in-laws' face. For she is such a great cook that matching her is not possible. Let's rather delight her with something unique. So when I came across this delicious looking, healthy savory made with custard apple, like the neighbors in the video, I too could not stop but ask- Guptaji naashte pe kab bula rahe ho? [guptaji, when are you calling for breakfast]

Well this recipe, read reasons were good enough for me to cool my heels and ask Gupta, family, to invite me for lunch. The page had more recipe, which I will be exploring further this week. May be I will soon share the pictures here too. That is later but right now, seeing all these delectable, healthy and yet simple to cook breakfast option, had really kindled my appetite and I could not wait to go to their home for Naashta.

Now you know why I want to go to their home for breakfast? Wanna join?

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Blog #Giveaway & #Review of Deco Windows Garden Torch

''Make your urban abode into a tropical paradise,enjoy outdoor in your balcony, Patio, Deck, Lawn or Garden in a traditional,fun and natural way.One decorative way to light your outdoors.''

I loved spending time in my garden. From morning Cardamom- Ginger Tea to evening English breakfast tea session, if it is not my balcony, the garden is one of my favorite places. My parents love gardening and the way they had worked their way in beautifying our garden, is commendable. With rich green, dense carpet grass and a lovely array of plants and flowers, our garden look picturesque and beautiful so much that a lot of our guest insists sitting in our garden and have us host our housewarming parties over there.

Hosting Garden party is not an easy feat, especially in the evening when the natural lighting is not there and every glitter makes the garden look alive and festive. I have been using electric lighting but they have become so regular that you look for something different, more innovative and convenient as well.

Deco Windows Garden Torch

Deco window is an online furnishing retailer with products across ranges for your windows and door furnishing. I recently discovered this interesting product from their line up- Garden Torch.

Garden Torch is a set of 4 torches, oil ribbed. It is made of Iron and can be used as 44" and 60" inches. It works on fuel and uses Deco home torch Citronella oil, Paraffin wax to burn and produce "Mashaal" like lights. 

The cost of this 4 set oil ribbed torches is mere Rs 2000. Shipping is Free.

Garden Torch comes with 15 days no question asked, refund policy as claimed by the brand.

Color: Black

Finish: Matte

Haute Kutir Review: The torch is quite a good concept and with little precaution makes a good accessory for your garden. You can easily plot it on the soil and make it stand still. Like I mentioned, the torch comes pre-equipped with thick wick and fuel can be ordered separately from the website.

When the torches landed at my doorstep, I was excited to open up. What I saw was what I got. I loved the look, and assorted tools and could not wait to decorate my garden or the large bathroom in my house with it to create the desired effect. These tools make a good accessory for poolside party as well.

About Deco Window

Deco window  (www.decowindow.in ) is from the house of one of the largest exporters in India – Jayanita Exports and this is the reason why all the offerings are great in quality with some good value for money. You can choose from a great range of curtain rods online, buy curtains online and even buy cushions online from their site. They even have a made-to-order solution for the curtains to suit the ranging sizes of your windows and doors.

The Giveaway /Contest
Readers and followers of Haute Kutir, there is a good news. One of the lucky you can win this whole set of the torch. To win this torch, all you have to do is-

Rules
1) Follow Haute Kutir on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
2) Share the contest and details on your above mentioned Social handle
3) Once you are done with the above two, Leave a comment in this blog stating "why do you like to have this garden torch"

Kindly note that-
1) Following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter is mandatory
2) Do leave your name and handles at the comment section post your comment
3) Share this contest on Facebook with "public" setting. Tweet spread the word around. The more the merrier.
4) The winner will be selected purely basis their adherence to the rules
5) Multiple tweets, the share will get brownie points

So what are you waiting for? Join #HauteKutir on this #Giveaway and stand a chance to win, not just one but a set of 4 garden torch for self/family or friend.

Hurry the last date for this Contest is 20th April 2015

Come,  Share your love.

Ciao,
Team Haute Kutir

The New Motorola E Handset

Life is full of firsts. From First perambulator to first bicycle to first bike, first laptop, first car and so on. Every first is as special that none can be. Like First love, it always lingers in our life. Life first kiss, it is always special and like first paycheck, it is always redeeming the hardwork you have done. There is no "second opinion" about the "first" in life. Often we look to bring back that charm in our lives but unfortunately we barely every get a second chance to re-live our first, special emotions. 

So if you are the one who was fascinated with his/her first or do realize the importance of "firsts" in life and want to have another chance, you must know that there is a certain first that you can bring back in your life. I am talking about a brand, a product brand with a brilliant technology breakthrough that penetrated in our lives in late 90s, making them Products you cannot live without- Mobile Phone

I am talking about MOTO

I remember the time when mobile phones were introduced in India. Cell phone was such a rage.That inspite of sparse availability and high priced, it was one of the main option in everyone's wishlist. And there was a that personified this rage, this brilliant innovation. It is that one brand- Motorola

I still remember the "Hello Mots" campaign that took everyone with storm and being the "first" ever handset manufacturer available in India, Motorola was a name to reckon with. It was indeed the "first phone" that everyone held with pride, elan and a sense of achievement.

First Love, last Forever

Time moved on. As market developed multiple brands and technologies emerged. from plain vanila- Push to Talk phones to designer crystal studded handsets to whole new generation of smartphones, a lot have changed. Today is the era of multi utility #Smartphones. So when we started our "first ever mobile experience" with the breakthrough called Motorola, a Six Sigma driven company that focus on nothing but best, then why not rekindle that first love back, at this time of "smartphone"?

Let's #ChooseToStart our "first smartphone journey" with another breakthrough product from able [six sigma] stable of Motorola- Moto E.

Starting with Moto E

Remember the first time you fell in love? It was uncomfortable, nervous and "if I can do it" feeling. A lot of us, being the hopeless romantic, we craved to fall in love and when love beckoned us, some of us developed cold feet and ran away. A similar psyche works with smartphone. Last year when I asked my parents to change their basic handset to smartphone, they became apprehensive. "It is complex" they said. Apparently they were scared to start using a smartphone, given the complexity that they stick to their old, outdated phones in name of convenience. Ummm that convenience needs to be redefined. 

So when I was reviewing a new Motorola handset sometime back, I was so smitten with the handset [Moto X] and the way the brand has translated "usability" in to "user interface" that I decided that this is the brand that I will give to my parents and all those who #ChooseToStart with a smartphone. 

#ChooseToStart for Your new Selfie

Every body loves clicking pictures and with 5 Megapixel rear camera and a secondary camera, New Moto E is one perfect smartphone for all your amateur photography needs. It is on the go product that you can carry anywhere and shoot anywhere. 

With "Quick Capture" it is just two twists in wrist, you can start the camera anytime, quickly to capture a picture without even touching the screen. Isn't that wonderful?

#ChooseToStart Internet browsing at 4G speed

The new Moto E is a LTE enabled handset, which means it will support the fastest Internet network in India. So now start browsing the web [on the move], stream videos, stream and share pictures, search for places, all on the go and the comfort of your hand. 

#ChooseToStart with long battery life

Usually you will hear people complaining about the battery strength or the lack of it for their smartphones. With new Moto E and 2390 mAh battery, it is designed to last for the whole day. So keep going without worrying to recharge your phone and keep making the most of your #Smartphone

#ChooseToStart with a Quad Core Processor

The new Moto E has a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor with a 1.2GHz quad core CPU and advanced graphic. You can switch back and forth between multiple apps without having worried about any device hung ups. Need I say more?

#ChooseToStart with Moto Migrate
Migrate your old phone data with Moto's excellent feature- Moto Migrate. A pre loaded software that enable you to transfer your crucial data including your address book [it's a great pain point that prevent people from switching from their old handsets [read 2G handsets] to new, fearing the long process of using software data cable, pC suite etc. Now just sync the phone and get it done!

#ChooseToStart with a 4 and 1/2 inch Display
The experience gets bigger, wider and richer!

To add to that, I have a conservative view when it comes to spending on mobile devices. While feature is the demand aggregator, I believe it is the price that does a lot of math. If splurging too much on smartphone when a new code is burst everyday is not sensible, then compromising for low features is neither acceptable. At such dichotomy, the new Moto E comes like a Manna from heaven, in a price and feature that is truly Value for for money. So #ChooseToStart with a product that is totally #VFM

So, what are you waiting for. Like your first love, the first ever brand to launch in India- Motorola is beckoning you again. Get up and grab a Moto E today. It comes straight from the company that pioneers in quality standards including being a fore runner of Six sigma in the world, wherein there is no room for error but a big arena for a spectacular smartphone experience. Besides, it looks svelte and cool too. Choose your color and #ChooseToStart with Moto E.

Technology is changing

Phones are getting #Smart

I must embark on the new tech journey

With Moto E, I #ChooseToStart.

Its works like a wonder

switches between apps as smooth as cream

Simple and colorful User interface

that loads quicker and fast.

With Moto E, I #ChooseToStart.

I am done with Voice and simple telephony

and those boring looking phone's cacophony

Time to "Quick capture", snap and make photo art

With Moto E, I #ChooseToStart.

I need no TV nor radio

For I can easily access all the content on the go

On high resolution, 14.5 inch screen

My phone is full of utility, I scream

I will never let it part

With Moto E, I #ChooseToStart.

Hello Mots!

Beauty Review- Oriflame The One Matte Lipsticks

Happiness is.....

...Getting a new shade of lipstick!

And my happiness was 5 times multiplied seeing the 5 new exciting shades of Oriflame's The One Matte Lipsticks in my mailbox. I wanted to break my routine of usual shades [read nude and pinks] and venture in to some dark deep desires in the world of Lipsticks..and here I am, with not just one but 5 exciting shades of lip love and magic.

You may wonder what made me post the review so late. Well my dear, I could not resist the shades as they came. I was so busy trying them that I could not click pictures, and being Haute Kutir, we do not believe in talking about the product without pictures. So Here we go-

Oriflame The One Matte Lipstick

I have recently tried Oriflame The One Range's One Color Impact Eyeshadow and loved them. I liked the color play that Oriflame does in its products, making their range irresistible and a #MustHave in your vanity. I have been using their lipsticks since 1999 and always loved the shades and lux impact.

What the Brand Claims

Intense Color, Long wear Matte | Hydrating lipstick that gives beautiful Non-Gloss Matte finish | Blend of Avocado and Jojoba Oil, plus Vitamin E to provide hydration and protection to lips

Shades Available

                                   

Shades Reviewed
Dessert Sand- Finally a brown shade in my #NewBride Box. I liked the texture and Single Coat [if I may use it here] works well.

Marry Maroon- Good Maroon spell on your lips.  My mum absolutely loved this shade. #BeautyTip: Use upon a base for bringing the best in color

Molten Mauve- Decent one. Makes a good choice for regular wear. It can be more creamier.

Wild Rose- This is my most favorite shade. Loved the mellifluous texture, subtle yet impactful color

Cherry Brown- Ok -Dokey. It is more of Confused Maroon than the brown. It makes a good wear for party and other such occasion. Mom liked the darker shade and that gave me a good idea of TG :)

Swatches

HauteKutir Verdict

I tried the shades and loved the pure color they spells. The Bullets are effective and color enriched. The plastic gun metal color lipstick tubes may look little tacky but they are light weight and would have looked very classy in the metallic tube. But the packaging is irrelevant as long as the product delivers what it promise. The color is intense and gives a beautiful finish on your lips. The color does stay on your lips for long but is easily transferred and needs touch ups. The colors gives a full mouth effect to your lips and gives a good picture pout effect when applied. The product live sto your expectation. However, the shades as appear on the image would be totally different than the color that actually appear on your lips unless you use a nude base. The color range could have been wider and more browns and reds could be incorporated.

Overall, the brand delivers the expectations and at price of just Rs 449 per tube is worth trying. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and deliver yourself some "Lippy Happiness"!

HauteKutir

Do Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

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I am using Oriflame's The One Range of products and loving it. How about you?
Try today and share your views with www.hautekutir.com

5 Tips to #De-stress and #SlowDownZindagi

I was invited to attend a special preview at Lifestyle Brand that I love but I could not make it. Reason being, I am suffering from work stress, anxiety leading to temporary insomnia. Now, this may sound quite a lifestyle disorder from a beauty and lifestyle blogger but trust me, they should not be part of your lifestyle. However, given the hectic and demanding lifestyle that we lead, a lot of time it becomes difficult to stay away from stress but at the same time, it is imperative to de-stress oneself at regular intervals to keep the body in balance and body cycle sync with mental fitness.

And this post is dedicated to tips on how to De-stress and in better words #SlowDownZindagi. 

So when life becomes too much to handle for me [ and that happens too often with me especially these days], I take a small pause and find options to de-stress [however temporarily they may be but they are important], in small ways as possible. Here's my Top 5 Tips basis my personal experience, for de-stressing -

1) Pamper Thyself- Being an orthopedic challenged, I often end up in incurring higher body pain due to stress and exertion. To relax, I book myself a good Spa or a salon session to lose those aching muscles and indulge in some deep tissue massage and body spa. Ummm Hair spa, followed with good head massage works wonder for me and often helps me de-stress by letting go that skewed up feeling and inducing good sleep. 

If nothing else, take a bottle of good hair oil and do an elaborate "champi". To know more, see my post on Parachute for some reference.

2) Retail therapy- A little retail therapy hurts no one. I love to shop and being an impatient and impulsive buyer, I end up buying a lot of stuff that I do not need but what the heck, I can gift. So stepping out to that lovely store for a little while, even if it spells window shopping, does quite good to your mental stress and if not a purse. Ahoy! we are talking about de-stressing here. So do not splurge so much that it adds to further stress but spend wisely.

3) Shampoo and Shower- Often when I find a thought hovering over my head for long, I step inside my shower and take a good, indulging head to toe scrub bath. Ah! it relaxes so well. Wrap it up with a good dose of soothing moisturizer dabbed all over your body and slip into your favorite night suit. Bliss! 

4) Wake up and smell some coffee beans- Or Ahem dark Chocolates. They say Chocolates esp Dark ones are great stress busters. Well being a girl, I am not fond of chocolates much but I normally do not resist dark chocolates. Even better if you get and churn yourself a quick chocolate mousse. Well, our tongues have a good attachment to the happy hormones. Some people feel good post talking about their issues with someone and some people loves to devour tastes across culinary and chocolate cuisines.

I loved visiting BRU outlet esp the one in Juhu to catch sip of some yum #malabar Coffee or their special cold coffee made with condensed milk. Proof of coffee is in sipping :)

5) Spend a time with a child, bringing smiles that go till miles- This is my most favorite thing to do. There is no joy like making a child smile, teaching a child something new and doing nothing but just watching a child play. Their innocence and cut- ness makes you go aww on your knees and the joy is priceless that no jewels can fill.

So these are top 5 things that I do to de-stress my self and take that much-needed break from busy schedules. How about you? Do share.

Contest: Share your comments on how do you relieve your stress and stand to win attractive vouchers! What are you waiting for? Write in today! and spread the word!!

All you have to do is-

1) Comment below your own de-stressing tips below.
2) Do Follow HauteKutir on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for that extra edge

More #giveaways upcoming on this blog. So follow step no 2 and stay tuned!

 

‘I am going to try a new quick way to De-stress & #SlowDownZindagi using Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil in association with BlogAdda‘

Gastronomy and Home Delivery Restaurants in Mumbai

They say food business is perpetual, ever growing and quite a recession proof business. The segment offers a huge business potential irrespective of the city/ mode it is in. After all, we can live without cinema but not without food. Given the way, International cuisines have forayed in our kitchen and our plates, making us spoil for choices, we are on continuous drive to find something new and enticing for our palate.

I am an explorer of adventure, thrill and new things in life. I am an explorer of food as well. Given my love for food and a self proclaimed "foodie" tag, I am known to explore different cuisines and different eating outlets at different cities, Hence securing my self a place at different food clubs across the cities including being member of SMBLC [Kolkata Chapter], GoodFoodVeg and many others. 

When I shifted to Mumbai, my exploration took a little pause as I searched for like minded bloggers or Social media enthusiasts or even friends in city sharing the same option. However, there was a new mode that I discovered here and that is- Home Delivery!

My pizza deck on my junk food days

Mumbai is a big hub for Home Delivery system. From grocery to vegetables to Processed Food, everything is available at your doorstep. Almost every second restaurant [except fine dining] has provision for home delivery system. From Pizza to Burgers to Sandwiches and even ice-cream, you can get different food/ cuisines delivered at your doorstep. If you follow my blog, you can check about the new Biryani take away joint that I reviewed recently. 

Why Home Delivery

Well I would say, there is nothing better than going out and eating the instantly laid food at the restaurant but given the time constraint, and unplanned schedules, a lot of us prefer home delivery these days. here's telling you why-

1) It is faster, easier and quicker

2) Requires no Travelling time

3) You can order at the comfort of your living room

4) Not much difference quality wise

5) A boon for Bachelors, spinsters and people whose spouses are out of station and they are not too cooking types

6) When the cook does not turn and given your mood to not cook, home delivery is a good option and just a call away.

7) Escape Service Tax: Some dine-in outlets like Pizza hut etc charges you additional 10% in name of Service charges if you dine at their outlets. However this surcharge is not applicable on takeaway or home delivery. 

8) Great Discounts on Home delivery- Some of the restaurants, to promote their services, also offers good discounts from time to time.

9) Working Late hours at Office- Time for team bonding and mate, team bonds quite well over food whether it is mere packed boxes at the workplace. 

10) Weekend Brunch- Tired from cooking daily? Want to hang with friends but find dining out either too expensive or non personalized? Well time to call over your extended family, BFFs at home and throw in a surprise weekend brunch to bring in that lovely change of schedule in your regular city slicker life. Trust me it works.

Source

World Cup and Home Delivery

It is time for much awaited world cup, when everyone is glued to their TV set, why should you spare your time in the kitchen? Call it a "Cricket day" and order a variety of food, right at your door step so that you can enjoy your matches, uninterruptedly. I remember how when I was staying in Gurgaon and sharing our 4 BHK flat  with another girl from same org, we would have friends over home for catching up on matches where food and drinks would pour in from our favorite joints including the new ones that newspaper just dropped info on. It was so much of fun and good time hanging with friends especially after work.

Home Delivery Restaurants in Mumbai

In every nook and corner, you would find the usual brands or local restaurants or global franchisee delivering food at your home. I would often go to some select sites like Zomato and all. Or would collect some interesting collateral from newspaper and check their food out. Home delivery of food in Mumbai has become quite easy and accessible process these days wherein you can not just call the restaurants directly but also can order food online or via some thrid party. 

Do share your home delivery experience with us including some good joints that you have come across. We can have them share on this blog.

Till then, 

Happy Blogging and Happy feasting

Haute kutir

Handset Review- Moto X2 from Motorola

Hello Motorola!

You do not cease to surprise me, from CDMA handsets to GSM Smartphones, you truly are one hell lot of good technology and awesome user experience.

@numerounity aka @ektakhetan

----------

I am an educated smartphone user and an early adopter. At least that is what I would like to believe specially after working in telecom domain from last 10-11 years and testing/ launching multiple hI am brand agnostic and technology jargon spells nothing to me unless they are backed by good performance. Also, I am entitled to change my opinion and that is purely driven by performance, Value of Money, Overall experience and post sales services.

If you read my previous reviews, I do not mix my word and call a HTC, HTC and a Lenovo, a Lenovo. I am a disappointed Samsung user and never given much #purchase consideration to Motorola in past except the time when I launched #MotoRazr for a leading telecom co. However, Motorola recently surprised me with it's new handset- Moto X Gen 2

Having heard some opinion about the brand form users, I was curious to give it a try. When the PR team of Motorola requested me for review, gladly I did not say no. Needless to say, I loved Moto X Gen 2 handset. 

The Phone's Specification

Works on NANO SIM

Well, the technical bit stops here and while I understand that we have lot many websites on the web that copy, paste the technical profile [wherein some actually translates something meaningful for it's readers], Here's my detailed [Non technically expressed] experience and feedback on the handset.

Motorola X Gen 2

First things first, Form factor!

I loved the wide screen, wooden design back design. It makes the phone look stand out from the clutter of smartphones and is quite convenient to carry and makes up for a great beauty & vanity.

Touchscreen

This one is absolute delight. It is smooth to navigate, to use, very receptive and responsive, and above all does not cause RSI while using the keypad or any other application. It has high clarity view and is pleasant for long time viewing as well.

The length and width is an added advantage. Highly video friendly. Personally I find the screen quality "best in  business" [so far what I tried]

Transition and Navigation

Totally seamless, smooth, real time, instant @ speed of Thought. Amazing Android experience.

User Interface

Another positive and a big positive. When I received the handset, I found the UI very regular but after the single update it asked for, the entire interface turned delightful and highly user friendly. Right from home page to Main Menu page, from Contacts to "Call Logs" to dialers to SMS. This one takes the cake. I am not exaggerating but the icons were real, easy to identify and highly standardized. The beautiful color combination on my frequently used feature aka "Call logs" provided an edge and made the navigation easy and not at all boring. 

Customization

Essentially you can run through 4 smart, easy to implement and sustained customization for your phone. 

Assist

Actions

Voice

Display

My favorite among them was "Actions" as it reacted to simple motions. For example, I can unlock my camera instantly by shaking the phone twice, at twist of a hand. It worked every time I initiated and executed flawlessly

The handset through its different setting, does help you to do basic customization without much hassle

Robust Internal Memory

I downloaded multiple applications using numerous pictures [taken from camera] and from the drive. No where did I faced issues with- Applications not integrating unless corrupted, ease of navigation, time to connect and close, opening multiple application or browsing through multiple apps at same time. For me it was a high point wherein even data download was high speed.

Quite a Sturdy device

Unlike iPhone, if you drop your Moto X by  mistake, it would not cause you any grief. From the screen to panel, everything looked clean and sturdy

Quicker Sync In

The phone sync with different accounts including the drive easily and did not take huge time to load any content irrespective of Internet speed

Internet/ Network Latching capability

The phone latches to Internet Servers quickly and does not take time buffering. Now this something I believe is highly dependent on the network you are using. however, this is a partial truth as handset plays a good role on network compatibility as well. 

Battery Life

If used moderately, the phone provided decent battery life even with 3G on unlike my current handset Lenovo Vibe X2 [review coming soon]. The phone came with battery saving options as well.

Oh yes, the phone does not get heated even when it is being charged or kept in pocket except for some exceptional times. Yes, I was able to stack the phone in my women's trousers pocket as well

Bright/ Colorful Display

The HDMI did worked.

Sim Slot

I know you must be wondering- what the heck is she laying an emphasis on SIM slot. Well, if you are using a Smart SIM [like what Airtel is offering to all it's Mumbai customers, a smart 4G SIM for all 4G enabled handsets], you will know what I am talking about. I am using a 4G enabled smart SIM by Airtel. In simple words, it is a unified SIM that can be adjusted to a normal SIM, Micro SIM and even a NANO SIM without going through the hassled SIM swap process. The SIM slot was simple with contoured setting to enable a user to fit the SIM inside without jamming the slot, causing a network failure. The pin given was more handy than usual ones and less likely to be lost as easily as normal slim pin comes. You may understand this feature better when I post my Lenovo Vibe X2 review

Motrola Migrate

The feature is interesting and is pre loaded on the phone. However the only restriction is that it works well with Moto handsets and compatibility with other handsets to download and transfer is restricted. this did not work for me and I blame my lack of enough efforts made for the same. 

I have to let go of all my sms and other important files that I could not transfer to my other phone immediately.

Well, this review is not about my fondness only  but also needs to highlight certain things that I found amiss in this lovely handset. For me they are-

1) Notification bar- This comes with pre-loaded design and you cannot alter the items featured there, nor can add anything that you want to add unlike other phones including Lenovo.

2) Not a Selfie Friendly camera- The camera quality is good but for selfie lovers, the camera was bare minimum and did not offer any great 'enhancing" tool as is present in VibeX2.

3) Camera Zoom in-Zoom out- It gave me quite a bad shots while trying to zoom. Some phones enable this feature on the volume button but on Moto X, I needed to "try and error" using my fingers in a zoom motion on the screen. Zoom was greatly missed while shooting a video

4) Lack of Camera Filter- While talking about the Camera, it does not have "built in" tools for creative clicking nor "filters" while shooting an picture or video. While I agree that often we are too busy to use it and different photo editing apps comes handy but having on camera is an added feature that a lot of handsets incorporate these days.

5) Missing important features- there are lot of features that we use on regular basis and consider them as boon, However some of them were totally absent from this phone. they include-

• Screen Shot- A big thumbs down as this feature is highly handy while sharing some phone related information including network speed, call logs, SMS etc
• Call Recording- These days a lot of handsets allow you to recall an ongoing call. While this may look highly unethical especially when people use it without informing the other party, I find this feature quite handy esp when I am talking to someone who is either giving me multiple instructions or using an accent. Off course after asking them. Moto X did not have any such feature
• No FM Radio- Do I have to stay something about this? Its a big miss
• Anti Tapping

6) Singular UI- though I loved the UI, the phone does not allow you to customize your UI to different modes. May be I am spoilt for choice by Lenovo Vive Z for the same. However, this feature is not "vital" but "desirable".

7) No external Memory available either

8) Consumed huge data while upgrading- I do not understand as in why the handset manufacturers do not do a system upgrade before selling the product in market but rather push for frequent upgrade requirements to consumers just a day after sending the product. For instance, there was a week plus gap between receiving this handset and started using this handset. The moment I converted my existing micro SIM to Nano SIM and inserted inside the phone, within a day I was prompted to upgrade the hardware. The up-gradation consumed a huge Internet units for me, leaving me to add a smart byte pack within a week, 10 days of plan renewal. I don't appreciate wasting so much of data over frequent

Well that was my overall feedback basis the experience.

Haute Kutir Verdicts: In Spite of many "missing features", I loved this phone. The overall premise is promising and enticing enough to buy. Overall, the phone is indeed a #Must #Try while you are planning to switch to a new phone or getting a hassled free handset. The user interface, screen, form factor and transition is so efficient and effective that after using it, you would not like to use any other handset unless they are targeted at similar value offering. 

The pricing may be little high but given the other handsets in this range, it is advisable to do a thorough research before purchase. A price point of Rs 25,000 is expected to seap in. However, given the proposition and unless you really care about the missing features, like I do, go for it.

Does Haute Kutir Recommends: Yes

Would I buy this handset- Yes if the missing features are incorporated.

Overall rating: Good!

Fashion and Derby at the Poonawalla Breeders Multi Million Races

It was a Sundowner weekend at Poonawalla Breeders at Mahalakshmi wherein who's who of the city, along with Fashionista and racing enthusiast all stepped in, in honor of the 26th Annual Poonawalla Breeder's Multi-Million Races.

When the renowned Poonawalla Stud Farms hosts the races, it is not just about horses and betting and galloping of Horses. It is also about the great mix of style and Fashion, the lovely sundowner- post race event, fun, food and frolic that adds to the overall charm that entices the ardent race enthusiast.

For me, it was an afternoon well spent. Here are few glimpses of the event-

In attendance, were The Poonawalla Family- Behroze and Zavaray Poonawalla, Cyrus Poonawalla, Michelle and Yohan, Natasha and Adar, and, Simone and Delna Poonawalla amid the glitterati who graciously hosted socialites and TV starlets. A lot of the ladies adorn themselves with hats and fascinators by the designer Delna Poonawalla whose designs were also flashed by Urvashi Rautela and Daisy Shah. 

If you want to have more insight on Delna Pooonawalla's collection and peep into a conversation with her, do drop us your questions and queries. We shall incorporate them for an upcoming feature and Tete a tete with Delna Poonawalla at Hautekutir.com

The race was wrapped by 6:00 pm in the evening and was followed by drinks and snacks along with some high pulsating music. The Racecourse looked a pretty star-studded picture post twilight with the beautiful lights that were used for the decor. I was out since morning, attending two back to back events and had to rush home, Hence, I let go of the temptation to stop by at the "Galloping club" that was lit with beautiful yellow lights and have a supper. Next time may, I told myself as I moved on.

PS: I got delayed at the #MagnumMasterclass with #JaniceWong and #FridgeStorm for the derby. Hence the limited picture but do not loose heart, and follow Haute Kutir Blog for more upcoming updates and exciting stuff.

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