Personally Tech With Ringo Founder-CEO Bhavin Turakhia

What are the different tech gadgets and apps that leaders from different walks of life are using? We try and find out in our weekly column Personally Tech, where we talk to the people behind our favourite services and products.

Some of these include authors like Shweta Taneja, and restaurant bosses such as Sbarro head Akhil Puri. We've also talked to the heads of phone makers like Motorola India's Amit Boni.

This week, we speak to Bhavin Turakhia, the founder/ CEO of Ringo, a low-cost international calling app, and Flock, a team-chat app. Turakhia is a big believer in ergonomics and keeps two different mouse input devices to reduce wrist strain. He's also a bit of a gadget nut who has his own classic arcade machine at home, among other things. Read on to know more about Turakhia's tech setup.

Describe your technology setup - what computer/ phone/ tablet/ camera/ gaming console/ other gadgets do you use?
Bhavin Turakhia: I keep a tab on work with a robust and fully-equipped work station. Currently, I use a Lenovo x220 notebook connected to four 21-inch monitors with a docking station. Since a typical day sees me coordinating intensively with multiple teams/ business units within the organisation, staying active throughout the day is a top priority for me. I use an ergonomic keyboard from Microsoft, combined with a roller mouse from Contour Design and a vertical mouse from Evoluent to improve my posture, reduce wrist strain and work productively throughout the day.

I own mobile devices working on all major operating systems, including an iPhone 6, a Google Nexus 5 and I've used a few Lumia phones for Windows OS. While I prefer the Nexus 5 for most of my usage, having multiple devices lets me stress-test the functionality and the appearance of the various apps built by our team across all platforms. This is vital as I like to make sure that our products provide the best possible experience to our users, before an updated release goes live for any of our products.

Gaming is my favourite way to unwind and rejuvenate. After a hard day at work, there's nothing I like better than retiring to my very own Dream Arcade machine. I also own an Xbox One and a PS3 to indulge myself from time to time, playing newly released games.

What are three apps (mobile/ tablet or PC/ Mac) you couldn't live without?
Bhavin Turakhia: On mobile, the three apps that are most critical for me would be Ringo, Flock and Whatsapp, as they allow me to work and connect with friends, family or business contacts, even when I'm on the move.

On desktop, I work with Google apps as they are hugely collaborative and help reduce the average turnaround time for a project when multiple members are working on it. At the risk of sounding biased, Flock would be the next app on my list. I end up using it extensively, no matter what platform I'm on at that moment. I also use Editplus for the host of productivity enhancing features that it offers and for the ability to edit HTML, PHP, Java and HEX codes, thereby helping me meet all my editing and coding requirements within a single app.

What is one gadget (other than your phone) you never travel without?
Bhavin Turakhia: Ah, that would be my Kindle. I've been a voracious reader since my school days, when I used to devour countless biographies of successful tech entrepreneurs with delight. Reading helps me keep up with new and interesting trends, perspectives and ideas across all genres, and it's the most engaging and constructive way to utilise travel time. Kindle is the sleekest and the most convenient way to access volumes of books on-the-move and therefore, definitely an indispensable travel companion for me.

What is your dream gadget/ technology setup?
Bhavin Turakhia: I'm constantly ideating on what shall I create next, and the next on the list of my dream devices is a 'mind-to-machine' interface, which would potentially allow us to work at the speed of thought. Imagine what all we could do with it!

How has technology changed the way in which you work?
Bhavin Turakhia: I sleep, eat and breathe technology, and believe that it can be leveraged to improve every aspect of our life. I'm constantly experimenting with different devices, software and peripherals such as keyboards, mice and desks to enhance my productivity at work. Technology is a critical part of my work life and it enables me to get otherwise impossible amount of work done in limited timeframes, and with increased efficiency.

To see more stories about the apps and gadgets different people use, check out our Personally Tech columns.