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BSNL Brings iPad to India

Its official…but not quite as expected..as usual Apple surprised us….except this is more like shock to the Apple Indians who were waiting for the official iPad launch.

I am guessing, the only reason BSNL got first preference because its the only service provider with the most 3G coverage. Hope Airtel catches upon soon.

Anyway..according to reports the price starts from 26k for 16 GB Wi-Fi only and the 64 GB 3G+Wi-Fi is priced at a outrageous 44k.

The iPad data plans from BSNL is more outrageous than its price Even though the 3G model is offered from BSNL you can still change the SIM (but the ? is which one !!)

Like i said earlier, wait for your right tablet…..

ADAM Is Here…Almost

Its been more than a year since I first blogged about Adam. Many like have been waiting for so long, that one wondered whether will it actually come to a store near us. Well good news is..Adam is not a just a concept product (or mythological!) .Its as real as any other tablet and it is here…well almost.

click for more pics in notion ink blog

Rohan of Notion Ink has posted few photos from Honk Kong where the shipping of the first batch has started.

The first batch got sold out in just about 2 weeks (only thru pre-order!!) and this happened without any official launch,a CES keynote,any sort of official advertisement..mere social buzz. Of course there were controversies and technical glitches in the payment gateway, but still this is phenomenal. The prices range start from a modest 18k for an LCD Wi-Fi to 27k for an PixelQi Wi-Fi+3G model, which means its still cheaper than Samsung Galaxy tab!

Btw iPad may be launching this week (Jan 28).No official word nor any info on the telecom partner.Some predict the Wi-Fi only model could be priced between 24-27k which I think is very low. My guess is, it will priced a little more than galaxy atleast and the iphone 3GS (no idea when India will get iPhone 4! )

If you are in plans to get a tablet..wait for 3 months..

Biggies having a Bad time

First of all a big HI to everyone. Due to obvious reasons (work stress) I haven't been able to blog much this year. Anyways as we celebrate my blog’s 3rd anniversary (Y!), I thought there can never be a better time to restart it. For more personal scoop , keep watching my personal blog [many good stuff in store ;) ]

So if you are a new visitor, you might ask Y Denovos?  Because Denovos brings a new perspective, adds a new dimension, a different view point to the issues you might already know.Alrighty then, lets get down to business.

Yes its true,2010 is even more troublesome than last year. We have been witnessing a lot of new products, developments,releases which also brings in a lot of controversies, complaints , gossips,  etc

A for Apple :

A for Apple  was slightly shaken to A for Antennagate. Seconds later Steve Jobs launched iPhone 4 ,  iPhone 3GS looked like a expensive piece of plastic. Steel frame, Hard glass build, slimmer, Retina Display, 2 cameras, Facetime, it had everything required to do things, other phones can’t even think of .

But the problem was, iPhone 4 couldn’t do what most phones can do – seamless reception of network signals. When users covered the iPhone 4 with their palms (which is a common practice of holding a phone) there was zero signal reception. The new design of the iphone 4 was blamed for this.

Finally Jobs had to have a another press conference to blame the media for “unnecessary hype” , complained al smartphones have the same problem (which was nothing but a twisted truth) and announced they would be giving free cases for iphone 4 users, which solved the issue. Now there are rumors that iPhone 5 will be coming very soon (Q4 – 2011 ) so that  Attenagate is closed and A is again for Awesome Apple.

3rd Anniversary :)

Will Microsoft bring in Slate-Z ?

NO .Its not announced yet. But as a MS fan,I do want a tablet which has a webcam and SD slots.

I do agree Apple’s iPad is truly an innovative product. I don't know if its going to change the publishing industry , but nevertheless it is a revolutionary device, because it will make computing so simple. Kids and oldies will find iPad a much more easier,enjoyable experience than any other Laptop /Smartphone.

Just picture this,

You are in bed along with your toddler and read him/her Winnie the pooh..only the yellow bear is animated and smiles in bright iPad screen.

The grandpa who is about to kick the bucket, can see his grandson’s latest bday pics lying on the hospital bed,just by touching icons.He might not have held a mouse in his entire life and probably never will.  

But now its  a Apple Device, that means its a luxury product which comes with a premium(and in  iPad’s case without a webcam). So obviously users like me look for a device,which offers value for money . As usual we look up to Microsoft.

thank u Tatuaj :)

I ran a  test search for my blog in Baidu  and got  this page with my blog link.  if u have a blog run random test searches like this ...u never know wat u may find

Bing Bang Theory

Last week , Motorola announced it will be shipping its Android handsets for China  preloaded with Bing and not Google. This may not come as a surprise as Google is in a ‘Game Over’ status in China.

Bing has been growing slowly & steadily since its launch almost a year ago.  It has not shaken Google’s dominance in search engine, but it has definitely has definitely pricked.   

Jeff Bertolucci of  PC World  gives the most likely scenario as “The most likely scenario: Bing is gaining, Yahoo draining, and Google maintaining”.

Bing’s market share has been gaining for the 9th straight month  and hovers around a decent 10% (US only). The deal with Yahoo has certainly proved useful for Microsoft as Bing has been stealing Y!’s share and not Google’s. But if Google is exiting China and Bing is entering through Android, it will be a huge opportunity to strengthen its share. But of course, Bing has through battle with Chinese Big brother Baidu but still this is big news for Bing.

IPL – Innovative Performers League

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,

One of the factors to achieve greatness , is to stand the test of time , and that’s why Shakespeare is considered the greatest playwright ever.

Even today the above mentioned quote from “As You Like It” is put to good use to generate billions of revenue , providing employment to thousands of people and most of all entertaining billions of people just using a bat & a ball.

Ruchi, asked me a few days before “what do you think of IPL?”.I had no answer then.I haven't had thought about it much .But the more I thought about it, I saw more drama than the sport itself. After watching Harsha Bhogle’s TED talk on IPL , my bro and I couldn’t decide whether he was favoring IPL or mocking it. But it did strengthened my opinion that IPL is more about business than cricket

IPL1 was good , IPL 2 was better, and I am sure IPL 3 would be even better ,not because of cricket but because of the controversies .

"Have breakfast ...or.... be breakfast"!

UPDATE: article by Dr. Y. L. R. Moorthi via Sivaram

[Management Views from IIMB is an exclusive column written every two weeks for India.wsj.com by faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.]
Who sells the largest number of cameras in India?
Your guess is likely to be Sony, Canon or Nikon. Answer is none of the above. The winner is Nokia whose main line of business in India is not cameras but cell phones. Reason being cameras bundled with cellphones are outselling stand alone cameras. Now, what prevents the cellphone from replacing the camera outright? Nothing at all. One can only hope the Sony's and Canons are taking note.

Nokia says DtS @ CES 2010

Successful organizations are often seen as mere  Money Making Entities and are often criticized for not doing the “right things” ,without taking it to account their ability to do things right.

The general public often fail to see or rather acknowledge that Corporations are the movers of this world ,moving us to expand ,grow, develop and Progress.

There are around 40+ companies who manufacture mobile phones.Nokia stands as the leader with 52.21% market share (dec 2009) followed by Sony Ericsson @ 15,64%.Rest of the companies have market share of single digit or less than that.

Now what made Nokia to garner this market share??

ADAM without Apple

C’mon seriously…if I had told you that this is the Apple IPAD  which is going to be launched soon,you would have believed,wouldn’t you?

But fortunately or unfortunately, this ADAM is not from Apple ,but Notion Ink (I seriously suspect they named it Adam thinking over Apple :P) Anyways ADAM is the touch tablet or smart pad (as they call it) created by Notion ink – an Indian (jai ho!!) startup  based out of Hyderabad. (checkout their blog)

ADAM has  a writable 10.1-inch TFT  touch screen  weighs around 770grams. Packed with technologies like Blue tooth, a 3MP camera, video recording, USB charging,  32GB data storage, Wi Fi, Lithium Ion batteries ( 48 hours!! backup).

Before you brush Adam aside as a wannabe please note that it has got an nVidia Tegra chip ,Pixel Qi panel that has a low-power transflective display, which allows ambient light to illuminate the screen, and an epaper mode.Get this….this dude runs on An..wait for it.. droid ..  Android.(Sweeeet!! )

Whats more?? no actually less ..yes it costs less than Rs.18000…yep …buying a netbook might not make any sense  anymore….

And last but not  least ADAM will show up in CES 2010..watch out this cool dude with all the hot stuff.

Google 's Christmas Gift

I am sure many of you must have got this mail,but If you havent checked out the hyperlink in the mailer, you would have missed Google's Christmas gift.
FYKI, Google has committed $20 million dollars to various charity organizations around the world. These organizations which thrive on donations faced huge problems due to recession. When companies like Yahoo! are closing their offices for a cost cutting christmas, none can expect them to donate to social welfare organizations. Still one must appreciate Google's efforts to spread some holiday cheer.

Go Google
&
Merry Christmas to you too :)

Heathrow throws the driver out

Heathrow Airport in London is one of the busiest airports in the world with over 67 million passengers stopping by annually. The Terminal 5 complex in Heathrow which was opened in 2008 by Her Royal Highness is the largest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom which took 19 years to complete @ the cost of £4 billion.It can handle 35 million passengers annually and it is used exclusively by British Airways.

However, the most unique attraction of Terminal 5 or Heathrow for that matter, is going to be the Personal Rapid Transit or PRT’s.

PRT’s are driverless cabs which look like space pods , will be used for carrying passengers within the Airport

Hi ,Waves Google

After many attempts, I got my Google wave invite from Satish (thanks Doc :P). About 5 months before I had blogged about G Wave (??) and its features.Now a preview is out(invitation only) and it shows what would be the interface where the convergence of various communication & media sharing options will take place(that was the original idea).

The interface reminds me of a email client and the waves remind me of threads in online forums.If u are familiar with threads in online forums(my first forum exp was pagalguy.com) and how discussions take place, then G Wave is almost similar to that . But here you can keep the thread private,choose participants by your choice and has multiple media sharing options like videos and pictures etc,send invites and RSVP’s for events ,parties etc.

Google's video on When to Wave??

Some Q’s came to my mind while waving, why don't they add certain features to Gmail than introducing a whole new product?? Does it mean Gwave will exist along with Gmail? The answer is Gwave is based on a different protocol called XMPP,different from Gmail.Moreover XMPP is a open source protocol which will allow developers to build custom wave engines, add-ons,gadgets etc. To Know more on this read wiki of Google wave Federation Protocol

But still, Isn’t it going to make communication lil more complex? I mean now i have one more inbox to check in and some more messages to reply …but to the same contacts??

Zune HD - Up Close & Personal

Don’t ask me Why did I choose Zune instead of an IPod..because the choice wasn’t mine.So i am not going to stack up why Zune is better than IPod touch(there are renowned blogs who have skinned them both and reviewed extensively.) Instead I will tell you what’s good & bad in Zune HD.

In terms of design Zune HD comes closer to the IPod touch than all other existing PMP’s (portable media players).

The brilliant OLED screen with HD resolution is the best of all PMP displays in the market.(like Matrix I cannot explain how good it is..one has to see it)

I have used the Iphone and the touch interface in Zune is almost of the same quality (sometimes its too touchy.. especially while scrolling)

The metallic back finish gives a nice feel while holding it and it not too big it fits in your palm quite nicely. however if ur not using a Smartphone the Zune will be bigger than your mobile.Zune Originals lets users to personalize their Zune not just by engraving their name but also with cool tattoo like designs & patterns.

I wont get into detailed specs, but the following are the things which has changed my attitude towards Zune..(and i didn't get these from any of the tech reviews i read)

Zune Software – This is really cool….iTunes does not even come close…the look, feel, navigation is mind blowing with its awesomeness..Quick play history, Smart DJ mix, exploring music using Music Mix view (i listened to album previews from the net with just a click), fresh hits list ,automatic syncing etc etc

Best of all is the is the Zune pass content, where the software pulls info from the web about the song , singer ,photos and displays in the backdrop as a cool slideshow.This is also transferred to the Zune so it works offline too

notice the text just above the taskbar

I strongly recommend to music explorers like me to give it a try (Zune player is not necessary for using Zune software)

Audio Surf Tilt : Even though Zune has very little apps for it, this game is a killer app which has made even apple fan boys to drool. Basically its a game where a space jet moves along the track and one has to hit the colored beads and stay clear from the speed bumps…but what really cooks the noodle is that , the track is designed based on the song you choose, the bumps,pace of the game etc are based on the song pattern.

PGR-Ferrari Edition : Nothing unique abt the game per se, but the Tegra chip in the Zune brings out the finest details & textures of this Zune version of Project Gotham Racing which is very close to the PSP (in display i mean) which shows the potential of Zune as a great gaming device ( heard rumors abt a spl Zune version of Gears of War..yay!! :D)

Okay, now the bummers ..

• The headphones are good ..that's it… not great
• Zune marketplace does not work in India.. although you can see the content you cannot buy it ..my free Zune pass(14 day trial) has gone to waste
• Charger not inclusive , have to buy it separately (of course.. you can charge using the USB PC cable)
• The web browser isn't as great as i thought it wud be..but yeah it has wi-fi and wireless sync support.
• India has no HD radio so no point in flaunting that Zune supports it (The Radio feature works like breeze though :) no complains there)

ZUNE HD from Microsoft Click 4 CNET review

Funny thing is I had always studied that Apple is for niche and Microsoft aims at mass..in this case its a role reversal…I am sure Zune is a rare thing in Bangalore with a mystic aura while iphones and iPod touch have lost their niche factor…

for that reason alone i am happy it is a Zune HD and not an IPod :)

Happy Journeys from KPN- a true story

Well even though i have my personal blog for my stories, this story (well since its true u can term it as a incidence) deserves a place here since the moral of the story stems from marketing :P

It all started 3 months ago, when I came to know to the train to Madurai has been fully booked for Diwali and has a waiting list longer than Apple fans queue waiting for the iphone.

So these were the last 2 options which can result in a peaceful journey, if not a happy journey.

1. I can wait till the last two days and try to book the tickets in Tatkal scheme within the 12-15 mins i will get when the booking opens. – [booking starts at 8 am (online ) and usually its fully booked within 15 mins-bcoz Madurai has only one train to Bangalore :( ]
2. Or I can wait 2 more months and book the tickets in KPN travels before 30 days when the booking opens @ 12am online.

Since I have not gone home for 6 months and because it was DIWALI..I went for the 2nd option.

So I kept a reminder and dutifully booked the ticket-Volvo Ac onward to Madurai.Mission –1 accomplished.

I have to wait to more days to book my return journey.And my reminder was working fine and i proceeded to book the tickets then I found the price was higher – Rs .650… Rs.200 etc (diff becoz it night trip,but no Volvo no AC)

My super intelligent brain thought about “value for money” and i didn't book it.thought I will check with my brother before booking.

After me and my brother agreed to go ahead with KPN itself, i was shocked to find that no more tickets left and it was just 6 am

All I could think was……….u too KPN?

Anyways we couldn’t get anything else and I told my dad to book whatever he can get. And he booked it in Balaji travels Rs 550 for airbus ..Rs 100 more..but its k at least we have got a reservation.

we didn’t know that's the only thing we were gonna get…

The onward journey was great..we were picked up by minivan to the main boarding point. and since it was VOLVO A/C, no heat,no bumps.it was a breeze and reached Madurai @ promised timing.

On the day of departure we call those guys and they give us a shock by saying bus has broke down and we are refunding..after we blasted him for not informing before ..he offered a deal..u come in 30 mins i will get you 2 tickets to Bangalore in some other travels

and so we ran to bus station and he acted as if he was generous to arrange two tickets.then he took us to another travels office and gave us 2 tickets for special bus to Bangalore and said good bye to us.

we waited n waited and finally the bus came…to shock us even more.This special Bus was as ordinary as a bus can be.it was not even a semi sleeper and posed as a tourist bus. To spike our misery they started playing loud music with Dolby DTS effects.As silent as I am.. even i couldn't take it and screamed to reduce it.Then they showed some mercy by keeping it at ‘normal’ volume. We thought of switching, but we were too tired to fight with those guys and since we didn't now if we would get a better bus.After another 3o mins bus finally started and came out of the bus station.Since we were both tired we slept off and hope to see Bangalore on the morning.

90 mins later i wake up and get the worst shock of the whole trip..the damn driver has just took a U turn and come around the other side of bus station. that was the time i realized what is a brand name & just a name.

KPN stands for great service..correct timing,stops only @ quality restaurants, comfortable seats, less sound..(read WHY KPN ?)

Balaji travels stood for one thing ..Govinda.. Govinda….

PS: well by Balaji’s grace or whatever they did drop us in Bangalore safely

PS2: If u wonder what is this post really about ..read this

Social Media in your Hands

“Facebook zooms up mobile sales”

Don’t Believe Me?

Take a look at the ads of the all  the recent mobile ads. You will notice social media integration  especially Facebook ,(Twitter next) being highlighted as a prime feature.

Its true that consumers are particular whether their new mobiles have seamless social media integration. Gone are the days only Iphone used to have such things ,  even a budget phone costing around Rs.5ooo comes with Opera Mini browser and Java support and provision for Facebook application.

With better phones & faster GPRS, also  with 3G coming up, there will be a significant increase in Mobile browsing especially in terms of social networking.

  I think a lot of WEB oriented applications will have a critical role to play , than the megapixels & memory cards in the upcoming models.

What’s with the Brand thing?

Jeans – Rs. 499

Levis Denim wear – Rs. 2499

That’s a hell lot of difference in the price and very nominal difference in the product. So are consumers stupid to pay that premium price? Of course not they pay because they get a guarantee for its quality.

But we all know this.. don’t we? So why I am digging basics here?

Because when you say brand many consumers (at least in India) think of only Coke,Pepsi, Maggi, Levis, Nike, Reebok etc. But what about Local Brands who  are not really hip n happening  but still have a brand equity?

For example KPN travels is a well known transport service provider in south. I forgot brand KPN stands for their service  quality and did a terrible mistake of booking  in some other travels to save 5oo bucks,and what I got was the most pathetic travel experience.

If  I had been willing to the extra premium for the Brand KPN  I would have  had a return journey.I can say this for sure because  my onward journey was through KPN.From now I am not going to book in any other travels other than KPN. 

This experience made me observe many local brands I come across in my daily live, which I should be specific with, like for example I always prefer Adigas over Shanti Sagar (chain of restaurants) – Adigas is a lil costly but worth it & most of the Shanti Sagars suck big time.

The point is Big or Small, Local or Global, Branding is essential ,  important & worth having. Many of my batch mates are now managing  their family business and I strongly suggest them to develop a distinct brand,logo, etc (anyways, what’s the point of an ‘MBA’ running the business if its not branded?)

BTW Any idea how do Big brands protect their brands logo etc from being misused?

Because I saw , SONY brand crackers, Disney & Harry Potter  Fireworks and a Tamil magazine with a tweaked Google Chrome on it

Will/Can/Should Google sue these guys??

Chrome Brow (ser) needs to Grow

Yeah its light ,yeah it loads fast,yeah its smooth,but wats the use ??? Its not working good.

I am yet to Chrome experience that Google says.Every time I log onto to orkut or youtube , it says try Google Chrome.But when I try Chrome ,except for the awesome message (“you are using Google Chrome awesome!!)  nothing else is awesome its all just ..awhh(yawn)

See the pic closely  “Please try using Google Mail with a Supported Browser”  and the browsers was Chrome!!…what can I say?

If this wat Chrome is all about they better chuck their OS plans.If they are serious about it they better make Chrome more robust and btw when the plug-ins are gonna come??

Worst part is Chrome crashes than IE 8..now that's pathetic when something crashes more than a MS product then it has got serious problems

Firefox is the best browser till date,yeah it hogs on memory at least it works.It hardly crashes,even if it does it bounces back in a zing.IE8 is lil faster,but when you consider user friendliness, compatibility,java script performance,add-ons etc Firefox is still hot !!

Of all the products from Google from Google Earth to Picasa,I think Chrome is the exception as it is very much worse and I sincerely hope they fix up the flaws before they roll out the Chrome OS