mAadhaar & Unlocking your Aadhaar Biometrics

We all now have to accept the fact that Aadhaar has become the defacto method used for e-KYC for Mobile subscriptions and many other e-commerce matters. The introduction of the mAadhaar App has also ensured that we can display our Aadhaar Card through our Smart Phones without carrying a physical copy of the Card. Very recently it is also being accepted as an ID proof for entry to Indian Airports.

The mAadhaar App provides a unique feature / option to keep your Biometrics locked and only unlock it when you want to get yourself authorized for any kind of Aadhaar linked transactions. So if you have suddenly realized that your Aadhaar authentication was declined recently, its not due to your fingerprints (lol), but because your Biometrics are locked out.

The screenshot on the right (see bottom left hand corner) shows you how your mAadhaar App will display when your Biometrics are locked. On clicking "CLICK TO UNLOCK", your Biometrics will get unlocked for 10 mins, during which you can perform any number of Aadhaar related authorizations.

I learnt it the hard way when I had to spend 15 mins at Vodafone store without realizing why my Biometric authentication was getting declined.

While I have now got accustomed getting my Biometrics unlocked before I visit any store, the latest trouble is with heavy load on Aadhaar Servers. I faced a tremendous issue last Sunday while collecting my Jio Phone from Reliance Digital Express, since my Biometrics were not getting unlocked as the mAadhaar App kept flashing "Server Not Responding" or "Check your Internet connectivity".

Finally after applying some logic and looking across on Internet, I found that you can Unlock / Disable your Biometric lock directly from the UIDAI Biometric Link - https://resident.uidai.gov.in/biometric-lock .  

So in future if you see that you are unable to unlock your Aadhaar Biometrics using the mAadhaar App, don't panic, just visit the Portal above. Login using your Aadhaar number and OTP, and post login you will find 2 options - either to temporarily UNLOCK your Biometric Lock (for 10 mins) or permanently DISABLE the Biometric Lock.

Tech Review: Logitech K480 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard

My Notebook started to behave erratically from past few months and I was urgently looking out for some device which could help me in leveraging the existing Tab's which I had at home and give me a Notebook experience.

What better to use than Logitech's K480 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard . I had been keenly tracking this product on e-commerce portal's from past few months and went I found a lightning deal (effective price of INR 1,600) on PayTM Mall, went for it.

While the device might look small on pics, it comes in the size of an A4 size paper. Mind you, though it might not be that sleek, but definitely after using this product for few days, you will fall in love with it. By using this Bluetooth Keyboard with an iPad you can surely get most of your Desktop Publishing jobs done.

Features & Pros -

1. Solid build quality and Sturdy.

2. Cradle with Silicone coating which can hold - 1 x iPad Mini + 1 x 5' Phone or 1 x iPad 9.7' or 1 x iPad 12'. While I speak about iPad, you can use any Tab of similar size.

3. Good Tactile Keys and sufficient space between keys reduces chances of mis-typing. 

4. Can pair with devices of all known Platforms - Apple - iOS/MacOS, Android, ChromeOS and Windows.

5. Works with a pair of AAA batteries with advertised Battery life of 2 years.

6. Shortcut keys for Search, Home Screen, Frequent Apps, Media Control for all Platforms.

7. Dial Switch to connected with 1 of the 3 paired devices.

8. Dedicated keys to pair with with Androis/Windows/ChromeOS and iOS/MacOS.

9. A solid replacement for the soft touch On-Screen Keyboard to convert your Tab into a full-fledged PC.

10. Due to Dial Switch you can keep both a small Tab and your Phone on the cradle and switch typing from one device to another just by turning the dial.

Cons -

1. Power Switch at bottom.

2. Slightly heavy than expected.

3. Since this is a Bluetooth keyboard it will deplete the paired devices' Battery faster.

You may also visit the link which I have shared above and understand all features in detail from Logitech's Portal. It comes in 2 x colors - Black and White. I bought both and gifted one to a friend. If you have a Silver iPad, I would suggest going for the White Keyboard and if you have the Space Grey iPad, I would suggest going for the Black Keyboard.

If you were always planning to go for a Bluetooth Keyboard, look no further. Get yourself a Logitech K480 this Diwali and share your feedback with me.