Opening thoughts. Eternal Limited’s Zomato and Amazon Pay have announced something interesting, especially for deal hunters who love to double dip or spend rewards on credit cards.
Zomato says that any food delivery orders placed on Zomato and paid for using linked Amazon Pay balance will earn some cashback – in this case, called Zomato Money. Orders placed on weekdays will get 3% Zomato Money return, while weekend food orders will get 5% cashback.
The idea here is clear: build a loyal demographic of users – not just for Amazon, but for Zomato too – because if someone’s cashback is sitting in a digital wallet, you’re not going to let them go.
As of now there seems to be no limit per order or per month on these returns, but if this is abused for bulk orders, hopefully the platform will eventually take action. If you are able to double the Amazon Pay returns by using the credit card, for example, using the American Express Rewards multiplier or purchasing vouchers from the ICICI iShop platform, then it is really good value.
Editor’s Corner: Nuuk Hot Blocks
You might be wondering why we are talking about a room heater i.e. an oil filled radiator. But it deserves it. And it’s the middle of winter, for those who feel cold.
Nuuk’s entry into the consumer electronics space, in a category that is very relevant this season for a large part of the country, sees the Big Hot Blocks smart oil-filled radiator heater with a small PTC-or positive temperature coefficient ceramic rod-based heater, called the Hot Bar.
11-fin Nuuk Hot Blocks, with a price of 13,999, puts it in the typical oil filled radiator price range – some examples are Philips’ new CX3011 (it’s approx) 14,720; 11 Finns too) and Havell’s Hestio ( 12,999 for the 13-fin model).
One of the things the Nuuk does well is smartphone app connectivity. The Nuuk app is very easy to set up and navigate, with a full range of controls that replicate the tactile keys on the heater, as well as a very uniquely designed red remote with a soft-touch finish.
One of the advantages of HOT BLOX is its energy efficiency, at least in the context of how Nuuk has designed it. Maximum consumption is rated at 2,200 watts, while dynamic management as part of Eco mode reduces this to around 500 watts for most intents and purposes.
By default, Nuuk has three presets you can work with—H1, H2, and H3. For each of these, the app also displays the current power consumption – a nice feature to have amid the growing awareness on ways to reduce wastage of electricity and, hence, money. If you want manual temperature control – between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius – you’ll have to switch to Eco mode.
The effectiveness in the living room hall is pristine, even in Eco mode set to 23 degrees Celsius, something we had a chance to test on one of New Delhi’s coldest evenings. The Hot Blox managed to heat the living room in about 15 minutes.
Depending on the size and mode of the room, you will be able to find the right option with some experimentation. However, it should be noted that HOT BLOX does not remember the last used settings if you turn it off completely after use. This will resume operation in the highest power H3 mode – something to be careful about if you intend to use Eco mode more often.
The display also turns off after a while, and while this is ideal for the bedroom at night, you might not want this in the living room—at the moment, there’s no option to change this behavior or reduce the display illumination levels.
Hot Blox is well made, and the attention to detail is very evident. The use of diathermic oil – a high quality mineral oil that is more resistant to chemical oxidation and has higher thermal conductivity – should provide guaranteed longevity.
The Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic polymer used in the chassis is strong, looks good and is durable enough to be used in car parts as well as Lego bricks. And it does exactly what it says it does – beat the cold, so a cold sufferer like you can actually live in a little more comfort.
Analysis: Top Technologies of 2025
As far as actual gadget development is concerned, it’s been a good year in every way. Smartphones, generation after generation, were a huge leap forward in everything. So there were pills. And across the board, we saw evolution that adds a new set of value and capabilities to the user experience.
apple iphone 17 pro max
This year’s iPhone 17 Pro series caught the world’s attention with the Cosmic Orange color (expect many Android phones to also discover the visual allure of orange next year), but was a significant step forward in terms of performance, camera as well as battery endurance. The combination of the A19 Pro chip and the new vapor cooling system has worked its magic. As I noted ReviewThe new image processing pipeline means “results are markedly better in more complex scenarios”.
Notable Mentions: apple iphone air
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Until any other foldable phone maker gets a chance to respond to this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7It was already too late – at least in terms of a 2025 launch. This is the most sophisticated foldable yet, a lesson from how thin Samsung managed to make it. The rest of the specifications, and hence the performance, left no cards on the table – a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite chip optimized specifically for Samsung, a 200-megapixel primary camera, and a new, wider display format that makes the cover screen significantly more usable.
Notable Mentions: google pixel 10 pro fold
Xiaomi 15 Ultra
If you ask for my personal recommendation on top Android camera phones (quad camera setup-50 MP wide camera, 50 MP telephoto, 200 MP periscope, and 50 MP ultrawide), it would be-Xiaomi 15 Ultra,
Although it is set to hit the ground running in the coming months, it is still setting the benchmark for smartphone photography with its Leica Foundation. The overall tone of the photos is closest to my preferences, and the results have a charming warmth. I’m also a fan of the design, with faux black leather complimenting the silver metal.
oppo find x9 pro
What a huge step forward for Oppo’s flagship phone, especially with the teleconverter kit I came away with extremely impressed byWithin the family, it now holds the Hasselblad Customization exclusivity, and the results show, As far as this is concerned, I had noted in my ReviewThe Oppo Find X9 Pro is an “elite photography-focused Android flagship with cold-hearted swagger”.
Notable Mentions: oneplus 15
hp omnibook 7 aero
It’s never a bad thing to be reminded of HP’s really compact, ultra-slim and impressive Dragonfly laptop from a few years ago! Himachal Pradesh well done This OmniBook series follows in Dragonfly’s footsteps by reimagining it in more ways than one, making it consumer-focused and conforming to the AI demands Microsoft is demanding on PC makers (whether consumers agree or not). This is thanks to the AMD Ryzen AI neural processing unit that is capable of performing 50 TOPS or trillion operations per second. Everything came together well, including the slim design, consistent performance, and impressive battery life.
BenQ Screenbar Pro
This is a personal favorite for more reasons than one. Easy to install, incredibly useful, and good for eye health (we didn’t realize it already). I noted in Review Peak illumination is rated at just over 1,000 lux, and it evenly (with flicker-free illumination, mind you) illuminates the work desk and a large area around it. You’ll be able to adjust the color temperature in an eight-step setting between warm yellow and cool white (2,700K to 6,500K; I like it two or three steps from the warm side) and also have a 16-step setting for illumination level. Truly the smartest desk accessory in a long time.
sonos arc ultra
There are plain soundbars, and then there are those that reinvent physics.
Most traditional speakers use a single cone or dome-shaped diaphragm to displace air and produce sound. The diaphragm is typically attached to a voice coil that moves within a magnetic field created by a magnet – the coil and magnet assembly (i.e., motor) is located in the center of the diaphragm, driving its movement.
Sonos’ idea is called Sound Motion. Here, two opposite diaphragms driven by four compact motors (each with dual voice coils) move in opposite directions, canceling out mechanical vibrations that might distort the sound or rattle the enclosure. “Ancient Display”, As I noted,
xiaomi pad 7
Before, the idea of reflection eliminating Nano Texture displays on tablets meant you spent a lot Rs 1,69,900 on Apple iPad Pro. Xiaomi will introduce it with Pad 7, which is priced at Rs 32,999 at launch, tells me two obvious things-Xiaomi has the technical ability to manage costs as well as they did, and the company’s philosophy is ‘premium’ as far as its product experience is concerned (and not just the price tag). Especially great for reading.
oneplus 15r
Listen to me. OnePlus’ latest “R” phone It has several strong points working in its favorThe first phone powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, before others arriving in early 2026, Also, at 7,400mAh, that’s the largest battery capacity we’ve ever seen in a OnePlus phone, And with IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings, OnePlus phones have the highest dust and water resistance capabilities, Overall, as an experience, it just works,
Noise Master Buds Max
First of all, when Noise x Bose happened, it was a collaboration that was largely unexpected until it happened. Still, not at all surprising, given how I’ve regularly pointed out Noise’s trajectory towards premium portfolios. Secondly, the results being so impressive the first time around is admirable. Noise Master Buds Max launched ₹9,999 has it all in terms of not just pristine sound tuning, but looks, codec capabilities and noise cancellation effectiveness. On the question of whether this partnership had worked, I said “emphatically” in my talk. Analysis,
