Coolpad Mega 2.5D: The best budget selfie phone

After days and days of excited waiting, I finally have the Coolpad Mega 2.5D in my hands. Watch this for my initial reactions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI_5GZ4D8P2/?taken-by=ankitashreeram

At 6,999 rupees for each device, I wasn't expecting the moon from this latest new baby from the Coolpad stable. But the phone exceeded my expectations on two crucial fronts - look and camera.

Appearance

Available in black, white and royal gold, I was hoping to get my hands on the gold device. I've only ever owned phones in black and white and gold seemed really special. I wasn't wrong. The phone looks and feels like a high-end phone with curved edges - slim, sleek and incredibly light. In fact, I wasn't sure if the battery was in the phone - that's how light it felt (143 grams). Check it out.

The screen size at 5.5" is the best that you can ask for and I was glad to see that clarity and brightness were not compromised. The touch sensitivity is not spectacular but reasonably good. The back of the phone is made of plastic and there are metal frames on the sides.

Camera

The number one USP of this budget phone is its 8MP front camera with a wide 83.6 degree field of view and f/2.2 aperture that seek to provide you with stellar selfies and grofies (group selfies). I've reviewed selfie phones before and let me tell you - this one really works wonders. Apart from the excellent results from the smart beautification mode, the editing options are completely cutting edge although they bring down the resolution of the photo drastically. You can soften your skin, slim your face, add a becoming blush and make your eyes bigger in quite a natural way. Of course, the results are unnatural if you take them to the highest level. I'd recommend using each effect to a maximum value of 15. Here are a few examples.

With no editing

With the slimming effect - there is some loss of quality

One feature which is quirky but unnecessary is the camera's ability to guess your sex and age. So I got 'nymph' (girl) and ages varying from 16 to 19. That was great for my ego but not exactly accurate. The back camera also has a resolution of 8MP which is not great but pretty decent for a phone of this price. However, when I actually tried it out, I was stunned by the clarity and detailing. The camera performed particularly well with close-up images. In wide angle images, there was focus only on the subject - everything else got a bit blurred. I am yet to test it in the outdoors but I'll do that tomorrow and you can expect a review on my travel blog soon. The only cons are the camera's tendency to shake while clicking selfies (your hands have to be really steady) and thus produce blurry images and the lack of a front flash in low-light conditions.

Indoor photograph with Coolpad Mega 2.5D

Close-up photo with the Coolpad Mega

Performance 

The phone promises to be fast, considering that it comes with a 3GB RAM (astonishing for this price category), 1GHz quad core Mediatek MT6735P processor and 16GB in-built memory (expandable up to 32GB). With a 2500 mAh battery, the phone should last for up to 9 hours and at the time of writing this post, the battery had barely dipped in 8 hours, although with minimal usage. This dual-SIM phone offers Android 6.0 Marshmallow as an OS with Cool UI 8.0 which includes several interesting features like single hand unlocking and screenshots of multiple scrolls. Coolpad Mega 2.5D comes with a hybrid SIM slot (you can use two micro SIMs or one micro SIM and a micro SD card) and 4G compatibility. Since I've only used the phone for a day, I'll be able to advise you better on these aspects in my "a day with the Coolpad Mega 2.5D" review, coming up soon on Trail-stained Fingers.

At a glance

OS	Android Version	Android 6.0
	OS Name	Android
	OSVendor	Google
Chipset	Type	MT6735P
	Frequency	Quad-core 1.0GHZ
Hardware	Form Factor	PDA
	Network Mode(GSM2G+GSM 3G (Video Calling)	4G+4G
	PCBA dimension(in mm)	68.7*52*7.8
	Processor	MT6735P
	Antenna Type	Bulit-in
Battery	Battery Type	Li-ion
	Battery  (in Volt)	4.35V
	Battery Capacity	2500mAh
	Talk Time	>9hrs
	Standby Time	>200hrs
Charger	Charger Input and Output voltage/Ampier	200~240V/5V/1.5A
	Charger Certification (CE or others)	BIS
	Charger PIN type (2 or 3 Pin)	2
Storage	Expandable Memory	32GB
	ROM	16GB
	RAM	3GB
	Sensors	Proximity, Light and G sensor
	Memory card HOT Swapable	Yes
Design	Form Factor	PDA
	Weight	140g
	Dimensions	76.8*153*7.85mm
	Screen type (External or Internal)	Internal
	Screen Resolution	HD, 1280X720
	Touchpad technology(Capacitive/resistive)	Capacitive
	Screen type	HD
	Colour Depth	16M
	Screen Size	5.5"
	Multitouch	Yes
	Audio Formats Supported	aac, amr, awb, mka, mid, mp3, m4a, ogg,wav, flac, imy, mp2
	VIdeo Formats Supported	webm, ts, mp4, mov, mkv, m4v, flv, f4v, avi, 3gpp, 3g2
	Video Resolution	1080P
	Video Frame Rate	30fps
	FM	Yes
	FM (MTK/others)	MTK
	FM radio (Supported freq. band)	87.5MHz-108MHz
	Frequency Band	WCDMA:900/2100MHz, GSM:900/1800/1900MHz FDD:1800/850MHz                  TDD:2300MHZ
Camera	Rear camera (Pixel Size core brand)	8.0MP
	Front camera (Pixel Size core brand)	8.0MP
	Rear camera description(auto focus/FF/auto focus with flash)	AF
	Multi Shot	Yes
	Night Mode	Yes
	Video Recording	Yes
	Video Storage Capacity	limited by user space
	Wide Screen Video	Yes

Coolpad Mega 2.5D is available exclusively on Amazon.in and comes with a pair of earphones, charger and USB cable. The first flash sale is on August 24, for which registrations began on 10th August. Don't forget to follow Trail-stained Fingers for the second detailed review.

Get, set, Datsun redi-GO!

Courtesy: https://www.datsun.co.in/redi-GO.html

"Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback." 

If there's one thing that really liberates you as an explorer, it's the ability to drive and a great set of wheels to take you wherever your heart desires to go. I'm a big fan of compact cars, given that they're easier to maneuver and perfect for solo and couple drives and the redi-GO's unique olive green colour caught my eye immediately. I've always wanted to drive along the Konkan coastline beyond Thane-Karjat on a weekend and I'd love to test the redi-GO's capabilities along this route. I'd probably make pit-stops at picturesque villages and beaches along with my better half and turn into a glorious road trip!

Courtesy: https://www.datsun.co.in/redi-GO.html

The Yukan design endow the car with a wide, robust stance that is ideal for sports lovers. The daytime running lamps not only look good, they also alert other drivers to your approach. A 799cc engine ensures an excellent fuel economy  of 25.17 km/L, which means that the redi-GO won't burn a deep hole in your pocket in the long term. The small turning radius allows you to make a full turn-around with just a 4.7-metre turning radius, which is bound to come in handy in cramped parking spots. Here are the top three reasons why I want to take a spin in this beauty, apart from its sporty and classy good looks.

1. Spacious interiors

Courtesy: https://www.datsun.co.in/redi-GO.html

Although compact, the redi-GO can comfortably seat a family of five and also leave some space for luggage. The fabric covering the seats is inspired by sports cars and there is a digital tachometer on the dashboard. You can also stay updated with the fuel economy of the car. Good music can make or break a road trip and the makers are probably aware, which is why the car comes with a state of art audio system, equipped to handle radio, CD, MP3, USB and aux-in.

2. Top-notch security features

Courtesy: https://www.datsun.co.in/redi-GO.html

On India's roads, given the unpredictable behaviour of other drivers and traffic in congested cities like Mumbai, safety is of paramount importance. I wouldn't buy a car that didn't come with the right shock absorbers and Datsun redi-GO is equipped with steering and airbags that can absorb the impact of force and reduce potential injuries to occupants. The adaptive electric power steering offers extensive manoeuverability when cruising along at a low speed and enhanced stability at higher speeds. A superior suspension system and wider view of the road and surroundings are some of the other security features in the redi-GO.

3. Easy-to-drive

Courtesy: https://www.datsun.co.in/redi-GO.html

The car comes equipped with 5-speed manual transmission which means that I'll have smoother control, more precision and gear that responds to my every impulse. The indicator in the Datsun redi-GO displays all the information that I might need to know, such as average mileage, distance to empty and fuel remaining. In this hot weather, the superior air conditioning optimised for Indian climate comes as a blessing. A large 89 CC compressor, aluminum compressor assembly and integrated center AC vent ensure that everyone in the car is sufficiently cool and comfortable throughout the journey.

For more glimpses of the Datsun redi-GO and to book it for yourself, check out this video:

Wrong Destination: Part III of III

I had never even heard of Rajgir. A look at Google Maps told me that I was in the Nalanda district of Bihar. I didn’t have the best impression of Bihar but what the hell. I was here. I spotted a chai walah near the bus depot and asked him about the town, while I sipped on a half-full glass of sweet, strong chai. “This is a very famous city madam,” he assured me while stirring a pot of bubbling hot tea that smelt deliciously of cardamom. “You should visit the Vishwa Shanti Stupa – it’s a beautiful Buddhist pagoda.” He also told me that Rajgir was surrounded by beautiful green hills and had several spots of interest, associated with the Buddhist and Jain religions. Why had I never heard of this place before? There was so much I didn’t know about India.  

I ended up spending the largest chunk of my crazy road trip in this blessed town with its monasteries, stunning peaks, silent caves and historical ruins. What I will remember most is the sight of the Buddhist monks meditating serenely at Vulture’s Peak. With the vast valley beneath me and an ancient stillness in the air, I realised that Dorian’s angst had been misplaced. Life does not always take us where we want to go but it ensures that we’ll have an exciting journey, nevertheless. Sometimes, it’s better to reroute like your GPS does, rather than insisting on the path you chose.   

At the end of May, I found myself in Amritsar, after having boarded a bus to Delhi from Lucknow. Lucknow had been a glorious melange of electrifying qawalli performances, beautiful bazaars and flowing anarkalis, sprawling gardens and an interesting evening where a poorly dressed man at Hazratganj market began spouting unearthly shayaris, inspiring many including myself, to make generous donations. After having my fill of north-Indian art and culture, I tried once again to make a visit to India’s capital city. It was not to be.  

I’m not a religious person but there are some places of worship that are undeniably holy in the calmness and deep silence that they emanate, comparable to a natural cavern. The Golden Temple was definitely one of them.

The water sparkled delicately under the reflection of the glistening edifice of Harmandir Sahib, the most sacred gurudwara of the Sikhs. Someone sang a song of heavenly adoration nearby, and my heart was still for the first time since I had set out. My supply of adrenaline had finally run out. I knew without a doubt that my journey had come to an end. It was time to go home.

I followed Dorian’s advice and took a train back to Mumbai. I spent most of the long ride scribbling in my notepad. I always write about my trips; recording them in minute detail as an insurance against the vagaries of memory. Publishing this post was going to be a problem though. Who would believe my story of wrong destinations? The hardest thing to do in this world is to get a stamp of credibility for something out of the ordinary.

On June 3^rd, I was relieved to see the familiar sights and sounds of India’s most chaotic city greeting my eye. My tryst with the unknown radio knob twiddler was over.

I always feel like I’m entering a stranger’s home when I return from a long trip. There’s something familiar about the place but it’s almost inconceivable that I’ve spent a lifetime here. Fortunately, the feeling only lasts until the next meal. And then I’m back to being Sarika Vasu.

Seated at my desk with its admirable supply of sunshine filtering in through the window, I looked at the list of places I’d been to:

• Gokarna
• Hyderabad
• Kolkata
• Rajgir
• Lucknow
• Amritsar

I seemed to have covered parts of South, middle, east and north India. I opened the drawer to find a map of India and began plotting my mysterious wrong destinations on it. From Gokarna to Kolkata it was a straight line heading towards the north-east and then my route swerved to the north-west. When I was done, the map looked something like this:

That looked incredibly symmetrical! Perhaps my radio knob twiddler enjoyed geometry. But this wasn’t forming any closed figure; rather it resembled an L or a V. L and V. Lalita Vasu. My dead biological mother; a victim of a persistent cancer. 

The summer sunshine made way for a little breeze and the pages on my desk fluttered softly. My stepmother would be enjoying her customary afternoon siesta. It being a Saturday, dad would be in his study; working or looking up the stock market. I’d never understood much of the financial world. I was more of a nature person. Like my mother, dad would often say. My stepmother never minded the references to her predecessor. Archana Vasu was a sweet woman and I loved her dearly. Unlike in the movies, I never cry over my ‘real’ mother. I do think of her on special occasions and I try to dredge up a significant memory to confirm that she was once a part of my life. But alas, there is little that I recall of the first seven years of my life. And all I really remember of my mother are her lovely, long fingers with their perfectly manicured nails. I’d spent hours gazing at them while I sat in her lap. I wish my hands looked as elegant as that. But no such luck. 

I went to find my dad in his study and found him poring over some balance sheets. He was a chartered accountant and my mother had been an archaeologist, always being called to new places to inspect findings and conduct excavations. “Dad,” I said quietly. He looked up, his kind eyes crinkling as he smiled. “Was May important for mom in any way?” He knew right away that I wasn’t referring to my stepmother. “Yes, actually.” He looked like he wanted me to provide a context to my question but I stayed silent. “It was the month in which we travelled one last time together. She had this crazy idea of just driving wherever the road took us, without an itinerary.” “Where did you go?” I managed to ask, without allowing more than a tremble to fall through the cracks in my voice. “I don’t really recall every place but we went down south – and then to Kolkata, Lucknow and finally, Amritsar. She loved the beauty and serenity of the Golden Temple.” Dad paused, lost in memory. “But by then, your mom’s health had begun to give way. And so we returned home. Why do you ask?” I said nothing. It didn’t seem like the right time to confess my crazy story. “I’ll tell you another time, dad.”

I’ve always had a hard time beginning my travelogues. Once I’m in the thick of it, my words will flow like nobody’s business but ask me to come up with a memorable first line and I’ll be stumped. Not today, though. Today, I was crystal clear about how I was going to begin my story:

Dedicated to Lalita Vasu, my mother and the mysterious radio knob twiddler

The story has been concluded.
Read Part I here
Read Part II here 

Wrong Destination: Part II of III

All I had done was ride in a bus all day. Yet when the bus began moving, I felt sleep weigh down on me and my fuzzy head and bleary eyes were all too willing to give in. For an hour or so, I drifted in and out of a fitful sleep; catching glimpses of strange faces, shanties and trees – all of them prospective casting for the film soon to unveil in my sleep. And sleep I did, for a good six hours.

I awoke at 6 AM and the world was still cloaked in the darkness of the night. After an hour, the bus came to a stop. The last time I’d been to Bangalore was by flight. The scene before me looked quite different. I got off the bus, gulping water from my bottle. When I saw what was written on the sign next to the stop, my heart stopped beating. It literally did. The sign said – Gachibowli. I was in Hyderabad. 

I felt a daze wash over me as I realised I was once again in a different place from where I had been headed. I might have swooned if I hadn’t begun moving. For a long time, I walked in no particular direction, barely feeling the weight of my rucksack. Eventually, I found a bench by the roadside and sat down. Hyderabad was 11 or 12 hours away from Gokarna. I had only been travelling for eight. There was no way I had boarded the wrong bus this time. Nothing made sense. As if in response, my stomach rumbled. Oh yes, hunger always makes sense; as primitive as the origin of the planet. I watched some buses pass by but I was too frightened to get into one again. Who knew where I might end up? I hailed an auto instead and asked him to take me to a central area, where I was likely to find cheap food. “Would the Charminar-Falaknuma Palace area do?” the driver asked. He must know it was his lucky day – landing an ignorant passenger like me. I nodded. Whatever. 

The lane leading up to Charminar was so thickly lined with hawkers and honking vehicles that it became a real trial to make my way around. I ducked into a by-lane and walked into the first Udupi restaurant I saw. It seemed to be popular with its patrons. Within minutes, the place was full to the point of tables being shared by strangers. My solo streak of luck had run out. A man of undetermined age plonked himself across me. He wore a short kurta and khaki pants and his frame was wiry; his face tanned but not dark and his features lean like his body. He could have been 20, 25 or 30. I supposed he’d looked this way for the last five years and would continue to do so for the next five as well. A modern-day Dorian Gray. 

“The medu vada here is really good,” he said in his Hyderabadi Hindi, making the pronouns sound a little funny. So, it was obvious that I was an outsider. For some reason, that depressed me. “Thanks but I already ordered.” “Studying here?” Dorian asked. I’ve never liked overly friendly or inquisitive people. I shook my head and looked away pointedly. Thereafter, silence reigned supreme.

“Something strange is happening to me,” I burst out suddenly. I don’t know why I’d chosen to say it when the poor fellow was about to leave. His brows crinkled. It was almost as if the words inside were starting to give me a stomach ache. I had to get them out before I fell sick. “I didn’t intend to come here,” I continued. “I boarded a bus to Bangalore from Gokarna last night. But I ended up here this morning. It’s just insane.” I desperately hoped that he wouldn’t ask me the obvious question. He didn’t. “I see,” was all Dorian said. I felt encouraged to say more. “This isn’t the first time. On May 9, I boarded a bus for Nagpur from Mumbai and I ended up in Gokarna. I swear I didn’t take the wrong bus.” Only now did I notice the hints of grey at his temples. But a lot of people had premature greying. 

“So you took two different buses for destinations different from where they actually took you.”

“That’s about it.”

“Hmmm.”

I didn’t know what I’d expected him to say. But the ache in my stomach had subsided. The dosa might have helped as well. I decided to voice the fear that had been clawing at me, “What if I never reach home? What if I keep ending up at the wrong destination?” “The wrong destination,” he murmured softly. To my surprise and indignation, he burst out laughing. “I’m sorry but what you’ve just described is what life keeps doing to us, over and over. We keep boarding buses for our intended destinations and the route keeps changing mid-way. Look at me. I wanted to be a cultural revolutionary – working for the preservation of our native arts and languages. Now I’m just a history professor at a college full of students who have no desire to learn. I’ve ended up at the wrong destination too and you know what, I can’t even take a bus back home. That route is closed to me forever. I can only move ahead.” I was too shocked to respond. He said just one more thing before he left, “Try taking a train.”

I wandered aimlessly through the streets of Hyderabad for a while, salivating at the aroma of hot haleem and mutton biryani even though I was pretty full with my meagre lunch. Humans are just so greedy about everything – food, money, possessions. Nothing is ever enough. And if like everything else, this too can be traced to some prehistoric habits, I wonder when we will leave this legacy of ‘want’ behind. But at that moment, what I really wanted was a good spot to relax my tired feet. I hailed another auto and asked him to take me to Golconda Fort.

However, the sight of all those ruins; so beautiful and resonant of greatness even after all these years, made me forget about my tired toes. I climbed numerous ramparts and stairs to feast my eyes on the panorama of alternating greens, browns and whites, each standing for trees, streets and houses respectively. One doesn’t realise how much greenery there is in a place until one has a bird’s eye view of it. I sat down on the railing at one such spot and breathed in the warm mountain air. Maybe, landing up at Hyderabad wasn’t such a bad thing after all. There wasn’t much to see in Bangalore, by way of historical tourism. That set me thinking about my strange bus rides again. Was there a pattern to the places I was ending up at? Gokarna, Hyderabad. I thought of the verbal ciphers I solved in the newspaper back at home and spent some time trying to work out a solution that connected Gokarna and Nagpur, as well as Bangalore and Hyderabad. But no, that didn’t seem right.

A few tourists invaded my brainstorming session and I watched them gawk at the view and whisper excitedly to each other. That was when it struck me – I was simply wasting my time. The key to this mystery wasn’t revealing itself to me any time soon. So, I might as well sit back and enjoy the ride. I mean, wasn’t this actually fun? Like someone else turning the knob on the radio for me. There was no saying what music I might hear next! Suddenly, adrenaline coursed through me at the prospect of a trip with surprise destinations.

Thereafter, I kept boarding random buses and ending up at wrong destinations. After spending a night at a budget hotel in Hyderabad (I was starting to stink and needed a shower), I boarded a bus for Pondicherry. I ended up at Kolkata and had a wonderful time exploring its frozen-in-time streets and quaint little cafes and bookstores. I even stumbled on to a literary festival and heard my favourite travel writer William Dalrymple speak about his fascination with Delhi’s history. That made me want to visit Delhi. But of course, the bus took me to Rajgir.

(To be continued. Come back later or follow this blog to read the concluding part)

Missed Part I of this three-part mystery? Read it here