Takeaways from PediaSure's Rise in the Indian Market

Important Note: This is my takeaway from the ET Magazine article, "Powder Power"

Who pulled the wool over the eyes of Horlicks, Complan, Boost, Bournvita, and Milo?

It takes a certain kind of incompetence for the respective company's strategy and marketing departments to overlook or underserve an entire segment. And it takes a certain kind of negligence to NOT address a problem statement that's right under your nose.

What is that problem statement?

What are new moms to give their two year-olds, weaned off of mother's milk, as the little ones get exposed to the world outside their homes?

Being first to market, i.e., mothers and their influencers, the 27,500 registered paediatricians in the country, counts a whole lot - a 100% of the 2-6 year old food health drinks market. 

It's not just the "army of paediatricians" who are influencers, it's the 1,000 sponsored blogger-moms out there with their thousands of followers, urging other moms to buy a product that is priced double to thrice that of competitors - A fanbase that is an effective wall against dissenting professional advice.

And it works.

Inducing fear, the fear of undernourishing your little loved ones at their crucial stage of growth. Why not go for the product that your friends, fellow moms, your child's doctor, and even your child's teachers endorse?

That begs the question: Who are the real customers?

 The 100 million households having children aged between 2 and 7?

Or 

The 27,500 paediatricians? 

That could be read as: 1 paediatrician could fetch you 4000 Indian mothers.
You decide.

SoundMagic E10BT Bluetooth Earphones Hands-on Review

With every manufacturer jumping into the fray, there's a smorgasbord of Bluetooth earphones and headphones to be had. What's odd is that even now there is no objective assessment of what makes earphones good. Popular reviewers can offer their opinion, and this can be at variance with customer reviews. I am one of those customers. It's natural to refer to sources before making any purchase, and this is true in the case of earphones.

The SoundMagic E10BT is what the name says, an E10 with Bluetooth connectivity. As with Pacific Rim manufacturers, the grammar in and accuracy of the information are questionable. The Bluetooth version is 4.0 or 4.1, depending on whether you look at the box or the instruction manual. Some stores and review sites claim that E10BT supports v. 4.2. What is also unclear are the Bluetooth profiles that the E10BT supports. Testing the earphones on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, the delay in syncing video with audio suggests that absence of Qualcomm's AptX low latency audio transmission algorithm. Therefore, the version probably isn't 4.1. Sometimes the audio cuts off when seeking within a video or when changing videos. This occurred when using a 2017 Apple iPad as well as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Android). A battery indicator icon did appear on my Android phone's screen, so this suggests Bluetooth version 4.0 or higher. The voice prompts are the same as the ones employed by cheap Bluetooth speakers and earphones. Remember, you can pair only one device at a time.

The sound produced by the SoundMagic E10BT is not markedly different from the E10C. Of course, this also depends on which ear tips you use and how well they fit in your ear canal. The E10BT sounds just as flat as the E10C or the E10. It's hard to tell if this an upgrade. Other reviewers have praised the wired E10 and E10C for their "warm" sound and "smooth" treble. Indeed, they certainly don't sound harsh, but they do lack punch.

The E10BT is made only in one colour, a matte black. It's hard to tell, but their construction appears to be plasticky. The inline remote is unnecessarily large and looks very different from the polished images and videos published by SoundMagic on YouTube and their website. The micro USB charging port cover is flimsy and care should be taken not to rip it off. Like with the E10C packaging, the E10BT's packaging also displays an invalid webpage to verify the authenticity of your product. When turned on, the remote LED continuously emits an obtrusive blue light - so much so that I may colour the LED window black.

Call quality is especially good for the listener. In fact, listeners reported better call quality than using the microphone on my phone. However, the listener's voice sounded tinny through the earphones like a radio with poor reception. That said, it is possible to have hassle-free conversations on the phone with the E10BT.

Battery life drained from 90% to 30% in about 6 hours.