My Favorite App….

Fifteen years ago, if someone would have said that we would have something like social networking, which would allow people to get in touch with everyone and anyone on earth who is online, we would have laughed at the people, and suggested something more intellectual such as “yeah….. May be”. Yes, things have changed fifteen years hence and we do have facebook, orkut, myspace, xing, mixi and God knows many more. The transformation of technology from web 1.0 t web 2.0 was so quick that we even did not realize the intensity of advancements. Years later, we see a whole new revolution from web to mobile in the form of applications. You guessed it right, every application today which is available free/paid on web has to have presence on a normal GPRS enabled handset, else the application itself gets outmoded.

As the market for Smartphone gets heated up around the world, research says that India will have maximum number of Smartphone users in the world by 2015. Each of the Smartphone’s is powered by Applications which render fun and utility to the phones. At present with more than 300,000 applications Apple leads the apps. Market as compared to Google’s android at slightly over 100,000 apps. This however, could well be reversed in days to come. I love the applications that add life to my blackberry and really the importance of these applications can only be felt when you need them the most like I could revert to each and every compliment from the friends on my birthday using the facebook application for blackberry.

On the applications side there is more to come, as more and more business houses develop new apps for business utility. There are apps.  which suggests to you the route to the nearest cinema, there are apps which suggest you on dine out preferences and much more. The only question that is evident now is “Which one do you choose buddy?”

 

On a path to progress…….

I am quite averse to politics and have no inspiration to show any penchant to the same, but recent poll results in the state of Bihar, made me doubly evaluate my likings. As the results provide more than 2/3^rd of electoral verdict to Mr. Nitish Kumar, I could only jump out of my seat watching the new configuration of seating arrangements in the 243 members Assembly. A whooping 207 seats, what a victory! of development above castes and religion politics.  NDTV discusses in length on “The Big Fight” on economic engineering (development, infrastructure etc.) coupledwith social engineering executed in a subtle manner by the Chief Minister for victory. I could only believe that people of Bihar have started to realize their own good and have voted for someone who could uphold their faith.

The story of Bihar has been “from laggard to progress”. Bihar is one of the historical states which have been the highest seat of education (Nalanda) during Mauryan & Gupta period. Since Independence the state did suffer due to the politics and vote bank policies of the selfish politicians who did everything to reduce any scope of development in the state. Five years ago, Mr. Nitish Kumar came to power and the state has seen the light of the day. As Pranoy Roy spoke to Mr. Kumar on NDTV, the humble chief minister acknowledges Pranoy’s visit to state as auspicious and helped him win the second term too. Very firm and resolute answers for every question rose, but development of Bihar resonates in every speech of Mr. Kumar.

In Mumbai, as I speak to people from Gujarat and they are all gaga over Mr. Modi, a similar reaction I could see now from people of Bihar who are so passionate about Mr. Kumar’s work. With all the positive vibes and heartiest wishes to the newly elected Chief Minister of Bihar, I believe golden period in the history of Bihar has once more ushered in and we could see the difference in the newly transformed and progressive state of Bihar in days to come.

Jai Hind.

 

Lifeline of Mumbai: An Autobiography

I am a local train in the tinsel town of Mumbai, a medium used as a rapid transit system in the city and I take the opportunity to present my autobiography to you. I have been blessed to touch the lives of every individual who resides in Mumbai and off late some clever fanatic rechristened me as “Lifeline of Mumbai”. Being a “Lifeline” always has been a role full of responsibility complimented with so much pressure that I have to doubly rethink on my role.

I came into existence in the 19^th century, when the need to introduce first railway system in India was felt by the then intellectuals. Early years were a honeymoon period, tantamount to any new employee’s daily life in a corporate setup. Initially, I used to have ample time to rest and serve the citizens of Mumbai far and wide. Life was cosy, though it started everyday early in the morning and I had to toil till midnight,which I still do. I was happier as I had time to maintain myself and take good care of my rakes. My caretaker used to care for me a lot and with precision I was cleaned everyday thereby rejuvenating me to serve the citizens of Mumbai everyday. I recall, life in those days was much simpler and commuters were far more sensible.

Over the years, I have matured on all fronts but have been subjected to the good and the bad of Mumbai, as I chug past stations after stations. I have seen Bombay changing to Mumbai; I have heard the tinsel town gossips through the words of my commuters. I have seen politicians being hung ho about my presence and do nothing to add fresh lease of life to my existence. Over the years, life has revolved around each and every commuter who boards my rakes to reach his/her desired destination. Life has been mixture of atrocities and happiness that I am being subjected too everyday. I run overcapacity during peak hours; I am always being equally mishandled as any other public property in India, but each day is a great learning experience for me in Mumbai. Everyday, I confront commuters with varied profile. A majority of them are regular travelers whom I can recognize with ease but a few new faces always add texture to my life. I feel quiet ecstatic to commute both white and blue collared passengers everyday. I have been segregated into separate classes to cater to the white collared passengers.

I run on tracks traversing more than 400 KM’s each day and cater to the needs of around 7 million commuters in Mumbai everyday. My life is a wonderful experience of a dutiful employee who is always at work, on bosses command. I run on the best technologies which help me avoid accidents and deliver the best service to my commuters. I am a proud servant to the people devoid of all corruption and favoritism that I have seen rife in India. Every year, new rakes are added to my fleet and I feel better to offload the onus on new rakes. With the advent of new age marketing, I have been entrusted with new responsibility to drape banner and posters all over my body and generate revenue for my department. I really feel good in my new role that has added a new dimensions to my personality but the new role is quiet oblivious and I am yet to understand the nuances of it. Overall, I have a well defined KRA/KPI’s and I need to abide by it without fail.

It’s more than an hour past midnight and time for me to retire for the day, but I get into a contemplative mood and begin to emancipate about my future a few years from now. I overheard a commuter that my life is going to change soon. I would have friends who would complement my noble cause. My new friends would be called Metro rail and Monorail. I guess, in my friend’s presence I would again get a chance to feel rejuvenated and would be subjected to lesser atrocities and mishandlings that I endure at present. I would not feel so tired during peak hours and I would report to the destinations on time. I would once again get a fresh lease of life which would rechristen me as the best transit system in India. As I count on the happier days and hope to see a better future for myself, I prepare my mind to tolerate the worst that can happen to me, but hope for the best as every individual does to happily serve Mumbai in days to come.

 

 

3G Life: King size Life

 

http://www.abc.com/movie [downloading 20 MB, time remaining 5 seconds…..]

For a non-technical person like me, 3G would simply mean the above; my downloading speed has reduced to half. I can watch my favorite Nelly Furtado on youtube without streaming, that too on my handset. I can download anything at lightning speed, I save lot of time on download and I am all set to go.

Frankly speaking, I was unaware about the term 3G till I became the part of Telecom and IT space, 2 years ago. I Google the term and equipped myself with technical definitions. For a layman to understand, 3G is a much talked about term these days. Although developed countries have moved well ahead of us in the launch of 3G and are eyeing for 4G spectrum, we are content with the incoming 3G. Let me define 3G to make it better to understand. “G” here is not synonymous to G-spot (on a lighter note); it stands for “Generation”. It is the next generation in mobile communication systems. This service enhances the speed with which we surf internet, watch video and many more data and voice services we use on our handheld using GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) at present. 3G would allow us to avail the following benefits such as

• Watch video without/negligible streaming
• Watch Live TV
• High speed internet
• Send and receive Emails
• Download Music, Video, news and many more
• Make Video calls
• Watch CCTV footage by connecting to the server
• Play and create videogames

 

One requires having a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identification Module) from BSNL/MTNL in order to access 3G in India. BNSL/MTNL was the first to launch 3G services for its mobile subscribers in India. BSNL launched 3G in 2008 in Patna (Bihar). Two years hence private player like TATADOCOMO is all set to launch 3G services this Diwali in November. Vodafone and Airtel are expected to join the 3G wagon in January 2011. With loads of money being spend by telecom operators to purchase 3G bandwidth in various regions in India. Airtel is the leader with maximum telecom circles under its belt.

The technology is simple and connects our handheld directly to the internet cloud to access internet at fast speed. This allows us to store content over the internet cloud and get paid too; any data can be stored over the cloud over a secure network.  3G also allows creating website and gives the freedom to access internet at blazing speed. All technical specifications apart, for a layman like me, 3G would always be fast access to internet/data and voice services.

3 cheers to 3^rd generation Data and voice services 🙂

 

 

Me, my phone and musings…….

I never thought “Bricks” could be so smart, but they proved me wrong. Do you want to know the answer how a brick turns Smart, ask your phone? Seven years ago, when I first bought a Nokia handset(without antenna), I was so intrigued by its features, that I researched on the history of mobile phones, only to learn that earlier mobile phones were addressed as “bricks” due to their unique brick like dimensions. I remember, college life rotated around cell phones in demand and they attracted student like magnets. Ah, that feeling of owning a phone from Nokia (Apple and Blackberry were not known then in India). As my phone lacked the vibration feature, I remember rushing to the Nokia priority center to enquire if I can get that feature installed on my phone, as it was easy to get call alerts when attending classes on campus. The most happening and smartest of the phone in my college at that time was NOKIA 3100, sturdy by looks, draped in blue it was a killer instrument to own in my college. As time rolled, I graduated and went on to do an MBA.

Technology had advanced more by that time and I was the happiest to purchase my first color phone from Motorola. I used to associate myself with all Motorola users who made the company ranked no. 2 in the world. I could listen to FM radio; activate GSM service at some cost, and above all download polyphonic ringtones.  I owned that Motorola model for almost 3 years, before I put my hands on the smart technology enabled phones. It really hurts when someone loses your dearest phone, and that is exactly what happened to my Motorola. I gave my dearest phone, my first color phone to a needy person to use for a time-being, only to learn after a week that the person has lost it. It was painful depart for me, as we as humans tend to develop penchant towards everything, whether it is other human beings or a technology or a machine.

One day, intrigued to own a trendy handset, during lunch time of office hour, I rushed to the nearest E zone only own an HTC Smart phone. What features! Full touch screen phone which I still own, apart from a Blackberry. I am not a gadget freak but applications on my phone have always been happening. I keep doing research on new apps which make life simple for me and have laid my hands on some really nice applications on Smart phones. HTC empowered me to carry chat application wherever I travel, and it was the best for me to stay connected with my friends while on travel. I activated the best GSM plan to browse internet and download apps on the phone. I used my phone to pay bills, to book tickets, all this through an application. Isn’t that SMART? For me, it is.

Are the Smart phones really Smart? Well, not all phones are Smart enough but a few of them are and applications serve as life for these Smart phones. The evolution of phones in my life has changed with my preferences for them and I have evaluated new brands every time, I purchase a new phone.  I read recently that in India almost everyone would own a Smart phone by 2015. Imagine the market for applications. Off late, as Apple and Blackberry has entered Indian market and uprooted conventional brands like NOKIA, I am hooked on to my Blackberry now. My HTC phone has become a thing of the past, as amazing application on Blackberry allow me to own awesome features on my handheld. The most striking feature which I enjoy on Blackberry is the ease to type, I can use my both hands to type letters and it makes work fast and looks trendy too. Sometimes, I go contemplative and question myself “How these gadgets become a part of our life?” and we value them as a priced possession. I happen to see one advertisement from Telenor which was made for its Japanese market and I was moved. The entire plot of the advertisement revolved around handsets and their features, people being glued to them forgetting friend’s, near one’s and then there is a realization of this and we gain consciousness to return to our world of feelings, likeness, friendship and love.

As technology would advance new models of phone would definitely hit market and I would as well try to explore new models like Blackberry Torch and Apple’s 4G iPhone, as I am confused to choose between them but the most important thing which would remain around these gadgets is our feeling for them. There are a few people who change their phones every month and a phone is just another gadget for them but for a user like me, who uses a phone for at least 2 years, we develop a connection around them and our phones are very dear to us, that is why we still keep our old handsets safely in a cupboard. It is worth mentioning about one of my friends who purchased her NOKIA handset doing some promotional marketing jobs. The phone is very dear to her, as the money that went to buy a gadget involved loads of hard work and sweat, therefore an intense feeling for the gadget is true and appreciated. I may, long for new models of phone everyday but that feeling which I have for my first phone still reminds of life, college and friends.

 

 

India Shining

The happiness complimented with surprise on my face to see the medals tally of Commonwealth Games 2010 makes me feel that we as a country have proved our mettle to the world. It’s a moment of pride and happiness for all Indians and also an opportunity to think and capitalize on our strengths. After all the hullabaloo of arrangements in the initial stages, India shines again. The media showcases India as a champion and yes we have topped the tally just second to Australia. And Yes, India has doubled the number of medals than the previous Commonwealth Games at Australia.

As the number one test cricket team India trashes Australia in Cricket, it’s a moment of double happiness for Indians and we are indeed shining more than ever. One question that comes to my mind and media raises is “Are we capable to host Olympics in the country?” The answer to this is still to be brainstormed but our hospitality proves our mettle to host big events. Our success in Commonwealth Games gives us important clues to further hone skills of all our talented sportsperson so that we as a country bring more medals in Olympics.

I believe India should work towards capitalizing on its current performance and establish a stringent training system which would help our athletes to set a winning series at Olympics.

Commonwealth Games or Common Wealth Gains

Commonwealth Games proudly known as CWG all around the world very recently has seen so many new acronyms being assigned to it. Blame it on Indian politicos who proved that their interest in Sport is only to the level of constructing stadiums and they least care for their maintenance and quality. Last two months can be counted as months of defame for Indian Sports as politicians play their own blame game.  The entire environment seems to be engulfed in media glare from India and around the world. Top honchos in Indian politics never seemed to be bothered to take care of drifting situation which has brought us in such a deplorable state where India’s ability to hold an International Sporting Event is questioned.

I would say we should blame the media for creating too much ruckus but other moment I am reminded that if media would not have brought the anomalies in preparation work, imagine what would have happened to this gaming event.  Our slogan “Athithi Devo Bhava” seems to have taken a back seat now with our guests being subjected to untimely arrangements at Airport and Games village. Our hopes as Indians are dashed when I see the arrangement as mentioned in media. We hope high of hosting Olympics but have not been able to prove our mettle in hosting a gaming event which is not as big as Olympics.

Despite all odds against us, I believe now is the time to prove ourselves, and show the world that India is united and committed to the success of CWG. Let us get together to save the interest of the game and India.

Happy Teacher’s Day

Today is 5^th September, just another day in everybody’s life including me but as I awoke this morning I was reminded by one of my close friends, today is Teacher’s day. I slipped into the nostalgia traversing through the corridors of my alma mater, my 2^nd home, my adobe to learning. What best I could do on a teacher’s day when I have grown intellectually and personally to a level when I could just post an update on Facebook wishing all my mentors “Happy Teacher’s day”. Really I feel, as we grow old the importance of days such as “Teachers day” & “Children’s day” becomes a thing of the past. We are so engrossed into our own world that we tend to forget our mentors who shaped our futures. Luckily, my presence on twitter reminded me through one of the tweets that today is Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s birthday too and this day is celebrated in India as a mark of respect to the great academician and 2^nd President of India. Thanks to the byproducts of technological advancements, like Twitter and Facebook, I don’t have to depend on news channels and print media to remember such important events around us.

I am reminded of “Teachers day” celebrations in our school, when we used to gift flowers to our mentors who with a graceful smile accepted it. Those childhood memories sway past my thoughts as I write this and help to understand the importance of “Guru” in our lives. I sometimes feel lucky to get in touch with my mentors who helped me understand simple arithmetic and complex algebras in lucid ways. From nursery school to post graduation there have been so many mentors who touched my life, but the most important thing which they implanted in me was an idea to progress in life and build my destiny. I may not contribute much on this respectful day, but I do believe I would really tribute my passion to write and this article to all my mentors who shaped my past, present and the future.

Happy Teachers’ Day!!!!!!

When the world would seem easy……..

I am a non-tech person who may sometimes take longer time to understand a simple technology but it is not that I am averse to it. Every normal day, I try to be observant about things and learn from surroundings and technological advancements have formed a greater part of my learning. Talking about technology and not to mention Apple or Sony would kill the entire purpose of the discussion.  The two companies used technology to create products which we never thought could exist in the world.

Well, I have been longing for a byproduct of technological advancement which makes me virtually transit into utopian world. I would simplify it as a product which allows me to travel or transit into pictures, images, billboards and allowed me to interact with cartoons, caricatures and non-descript images of interest. The technologically advanced gadget would be the size of a watch fitted to a flat panel and with the press of a button it would create virtual images and transit user into the utopian world. When connected to the computer, the gadget would create virtual images in front of my eyes and allow me interact with each and every part of the image. In case, the person wants’ to interact with images, it is just required to put the picture on flat panel and gadget would allow talk sessions with virtual images on computers.

I would love to interact with every picture of my near and dear one’s, virtually visit new places and know about them more and more every day. The features of the technologically advanced product would not only be restricted to the common man’s life but would be used to solve various criminal cases, where police department would use portraits of criminals to interact and solve cases. Another advantage of the product would be to reduce the distance among nations. The mantra of the product would be “Forget Instant messengers, video conferencing, come closer to the world in a new frame”. Government’s could collaborate and talk face to face using virtual transition technology through images. Travelers interested in virtual visits would gain more knowledge through interaction with the pictures. I wonder, I would get a chance to interact with beautiful ladies that adorn the billboards across Mumbai. I could savor my favorite foods and enjoy the laid out platter. I could save images, take print and put on panel to interact at my ease. The technology would not only allow virtual transitions but would allow to gain more and more knowledge from our biosphere. I beckon Google, Apple, Sony any takers…………….. ??

Novice to Expert

Being novice is a state of mind and heart, where the mind is inquisitive and heart longs for excitement. I happen to meet one such novice who is an expert by practice in the cyber crime department of Mumbai Police. It was an accidental meeting, set without purpose, just for introduction but learning’s are pure and real. After one of the business meetings got over, my boss’s friend asked us to meet this guy, head of cyber crime department in Mumbai police. As I entered the typical Mumbai Police Headquarters several reveries of a uniform clad police officer brushed through my mind. My curiosity finally subsided when I met the guy in civilian dress with not so scholarly looks.

As our introduction end and we discussed the growing impact of cyber crime in India, the scholar in him emanated and the person was all over the room. I thought, God I should definitely write about this man, master and philosopher on cyber crime. The discussion helped me to understand that the person started his career in this new department four years ago and wanted to resign after being pushed into this non-descriptive department of Mumbai police at that time. Slowly, the department nurtured as intellectual capacity of cyber criminals in India multiplied. The department today solves more than 200 cases a day and no query has remained unresolved. The person in discussion, upon being applauded “You are doing a great job; you are an expert” replies in a typical policeman accent “Kahe ka expert, karna padhta hai “and shrugs off all glory with ease. The next moment he claims four years ago “I was computer illiterate and today I give lectures at International Conferences on Cyber Crime in various parts of India and the world. “

The paperless department with less than 16 officers believes in 80:20 principles, and wonders why corporate have so many people on board when only a few are effective. The other moment, he exclaims so many people serve as adjuncts in organizations to facilitate work processes; and subtly comments “we have less strength of high quality people who solve cases in minutes”. The simplicity of the person bowled me out and I gained on knowledge from the intellectual discourse.

Jai Hind!!!!