Musings of an insane mind ...

Internet of Humans

2018-03-08T18:00:00.000+05:30

I have blogged a lot before, on topics ranging from personal, political and even gibberish. But never ventured into anything which our life has become today. The online world. That internet has now transformed into a 'right' for every human is almost a given. But imagining humans as mere ‘things’ is beginning to increasingly take shape.

A few years back it used to be common to see rickshaw wallahs flaunting and speaking on feature phones. Now the transformation is complete with smartphone prices plummeting. With the advent of ultra affordable data plans in India, the world as also India is truly transforming into a data munching machine. But wait ..

Something odd just struck me. There are many places in India where there is no water or electricity. But data thrives. The looming water wars don't seem to worry or bother anyone. Can internet or mobile data replace water? Several times in our apartment the water tankers wouldn't show up and the taps would be dry. But internet is still accessible.

Are we in a world where the priorities of life are misplaced? The focus is more on tapping zillions of bytes of data for our new age businesses. And no one is spared from this, not even that newborn whose photo gets uploaded within seconds of birth.

The fact is, humans are increasingly becoming bots. Our needs are being analysed and automatically fulfilled faster and faster. What would be left of our so called emotions, if the machines predict everything for us. Sometimes I dream of mobile borne humans as mere bots who can be tracked by multinationals - to predict their next buy, to predict their next destination and in future even suggest what to emote!

Media Sedation, not Kanhaiya Sedition

2016-03-04T09:57:00.001+05:30

The more the news around Kanhaiya Kumar spreads, less inclined I am towards believing in anybody, let alone his own version. Among all this drama and confusion, the one source which keeps escaping scotfree, is the media. On the one hand the media reports of instances of intolerance, on the other hand, they want the freedom to continue reporting incidents and blowing them into such major proportions, there is no one who knows what the truth is. And then what happens? The so called anti national gets the sympathy of many, courtesy the media and no one now is willing to even know what the truth is.

The reporting media has become so powerful and opportunistic today, that an entire nation is held ransom to its opinions and views. It is quite appalling for the media to report incidents of intolerance when they themselves demand so much of tolerance. If I were given an opportunity, their wings should be clipped, not to subdue their reporting, but the constant debating and putting words in the mouths of politicians or students, you name them. It is disturbing to air debates which are fruitless given the media's reach and clouded views.

Freedom of speech is something which every Indian is proud to have. But does it give anyone and everyone to air their opinions and generate anti national sentiment? No. But hey, counter question would be - is there proof to show there were anti national slogans at JNU? But do we have proof to prove otherwise? No. But when you see news channels, Kanhaiya Kumar has become the victim. Irrespective of whether he is in the wrong or not, media will report he is the victim, and track him for 6 months and more.

Kanhaiya Kumar is becoming another poltician, or maybe Congress or AAP found his speech credentials and instigated this entire episode through him. Hey, he even went to jail! Talk about credentials he can proudly call out. He went to jail to fight the freedom of speech for the country!? But once again Kanhaiya Kumar targeted the PM of the country, which only makes Modi more powerful and more relevant than the entire country itself. What the opposition or the politicians at large don't realise is that they themselves are doing the nation a disservice by continuiing to target Modi. That only makes our PM ever stronger and literally rule out any competition for him.

This so called suppressing of views and crushing dissent has been forced into the nation's mindset by the media. It is not as if JNU hasn't been anti national. It has been a breeding ground for Maoism, but how far has that been reported? Our country is all about excessive freedom, excessive tolerance. No wonder India was ruled by rulers after rulers and pummlled all along.

To be frank, the tolerance in India, has more to do with lack of identity as a nation. Do we declare Hindi as a national language? No. Are we willing to accept it as national language? No. But we are all fine with English. So we want to live in colonial era, but want to have the life of the modern world. The lack of identity means, we don't know who to support, easily swayed by sentiments and emotions. So when we get our first so called non-Gandhi 'ruler' in Modi, there is a sense of discomfort and non-belonging.

The nation hasn't had its very own strong leader. A dynasty tries to rebel against strong leadership by projecting buffoons and illiterates against the strong leader. The result is that the nation is held to ransom at the hands of inane leaders who will do anything to derail the country. This has led to the prominence of the media, who are constantly fed with information however stupid or nonsensical it maybe. Instead of debating and bringing up farmer suicide issues, drought issues or even the EPF tax issues, media is busy being the proxy power in the country.

This is precisely what happens when there is a lack of identity. In India, we just call it tolerance. When we lack identity, we are like 'ya, its ok', the famous 'chalta hai'. And that my friends is why India is so called tolerant. As a nation we have been brought up in a submissive fashion over decades. When we get a strong leader, we should be giving him an opportunity to let India create it's identity. Being tolerant is important, but being regressive and illogical and irrational is not. The media is in effect sabotaging India. Is India now being ruled by the media? I would love to see a media channel by politicians and have debates between journalists and not the other way round. That would be more fun.

Snapped-deal - naps on a dil ki deal

2016-02-08T21:18:00.001+05:30

Bought this product from snapdeal - Sony Alpha SLT A58M. Of course its currently sold out. But the order was supposed to come with a combo kit as advertised. Screenshot below:

While the camera arrived, the combo kit never did. And the I had to follow up with a ticket to make the seller send the combo kit via DTDC. The sellet though, showed no remorse in trying to bargain with me into sending whatever tripod or SDHC card or screen guard he had at his disposal which I promptly refused, Talk about customer insensitivity!

Firstly he didn't send the combo kit itself. And when asked why, he sent what he could get his hands on. The result? A screen guard which won't even fit the camera screen (4 inch wouldn't fit a 2.7'' screen I suppose!?), a tripod which is not 'Photron'. check the product combo product advertised above and the one sent by seller below. And finally, the SDHC card, which is not Lexar(advertised above), but a random Sandisk one, which I don't even know is duplicate or not.

What irked me most was the guts of the seller to have no guilt of not having sent the combo kit. It was almost as if he was doing ME a favour by sending a random combo kit. I have been following up for more than two weeks, with the proof above, but snapdeal remains unshaken. And for the price of the product and the seller experience, if I were snapdeal I would have kicked out the seller by now from the system.

2015 Ke Beach Beach Mein

2016-01-08T20:47:00.000+05:30

I had planned the trip to Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari (Dec. 27- Dec. 30), almost 4 months back. More so to get good enough discounts because New Year eve can be very expensive. Since the time I tied the knot (Some might call it 'dreaded'. My reference here is open to interpretation for all about my own personal take ...) more than 5 years back, the number of blog posts have plummeted. This will be an earnest effort from my part to change that pattern. Fingers and toes crossed.

The plan was to board the Nagercoil express train from Salem (my better half's native), to Nagercoil and then visit places around including Kanyakumari (20 odd kms from Nagercoil) by bus. Two days in Nagercoil and then on to Thiruvananthapuram. I normally mix and match my trips to cover one day in a good resort and the other day or two in a normal hotel. This keeps the trip on the economical side (or so I believe :)). Getting big discounts from sites like Yatra (45%), Makemytrip (50%) or Goibibo is a big bonus too. This time it was Sahana castle in Nagercoil and Over the hill resort in Poovar.

I was asked multiple times what I would do for two days in Nagercoil. I only had a plan for one day to go to Kanyakumari. So I had to find a plan for the other day. I have always believed, a trip is about enjoyment and fun without the stress and pressure of having to cover all the historic places. My belief is, in the hurry to cover all the places, one just mounts unnecessary tension on oneself and sacrifices the whole purpose of the trip. So I am always very happy to choose off beat locations which are sparsely crowded.

Fortunately for us, once we reached Nagercoil through the gusty winds in Kaattadi malai and the numerous windmills that dotted the scenic hills, we found Muttom to be a close enough spot for us to visit from the hotel. We took rest at the hotel and left for Muttom in the town bus. We were in luck, as we could visit the Muttom light house (timings are 3PM - 5PM), which is the first ever light house in Tamil Nadu, and setup way back in 1882. And then onto the Muttom beach which was more crowded than usual because of the Christmas time and new year time of the year. All said and done, it was quite memorable and a hidden gem near Nagercoil. In fact work is going on in Muttom to promote it as a tourism spot in the very near future.

The next day we were off to Kanyakumari, which was unfortunately a bad experience. What with gusty winds leading to cancellation of boating for the entire day, and then to make it even worse, my daughter disappeared for a while in the crowd in Kanyakumari. We came back immediately, visited Suchindram and headed back to Nagercoil. We halted at my relative's place in Thiruvananthapuram overnight, and went to Over the hill resort in Poovar the next day.

We hired a backwater cruise organized by the resort which worked out much cheaper, and got to the beach. The cruise was very refreshing and reminded me of our trip to Pichavaram a year back or so. The beach itself was again not very crowded, which was much to our liking. Poovar is a fantastic place to chill out, and highly recommended. I definitely recommend a trip to Muttom and Poovar to anyone visiting Thiruvananthapuram and/or Kanyakumari.

AAP - Always Attacks PM

2015-12-31T22:41:00.000+05:30

The last post of the year, and I have been itching to write about this for the past many weeks. A CM who refuses to cow down to the centre and insists his fight is always with the PM of the country. At least that is what Kejriwal wants the nation to believe. From the time he (in)famously staged a protest on the eve of Republic Day when he himself was the Delhi CM to plummeting to shameful lows of calling the prime minister of his own nation a psychopath, I have never felt so irritated, annoyed, with any other human being, than with Kejriwal.

It is quite sad that Delhi didn't have a real choice after the Congress, and BJP didn't really make the cut for them. Delhi believed in Kejriwal's apology for having run away from Chief Ministership in his first stint, and now is badly stuck with the most irritating politician of India today IMHO. Irritating not just as a CM, but also just as a human being. He towers among the most self proclaimed self righteous humans, who believes - if anyone in the country is not on his side, they are all corrupt.

I don't even need to get into the politics of it really. No one really does. If anything goes wrong in Delhi, it is only because the state machinery is not in his control. Tomorrow if the Kejriwal's toilet clogs, he might blame that the centre wants to sabotage his drainage system. Much like how the ongoing revolt against suspension of 2 senior officers ahead of the odd-even driving rule in Delhi is being blamed as an attempt to make the odd even rule fail. This is the most hilarious and amusing statements one could ever think of.

What is most disturbing is the never-ending trend of blaming the central government and the insistence of pulling the PM into all the issues the AAP is facing. Armed with a phenomenal majority in the Delhi assembly, the AAP has completely lost it. That Kejriwal is self obsessed is probably a gross understatement. The examples are for all to see. If the CBI raids the office of Kejriwal's secretary, it is assumed it is at the behest of the PM no less. If his law minister has a fake degree, he will insist it's a fabricated case. So basically, Kejriwal, as he repeatedly has showcased, can apparently do no wrong.

Kejriwal even politicized the most sensitive news of a farmer hanging himself during AAP's own rally. Once again, he would blame the police and hence the Centre for the tragedy that unfolded even as the rally was going on. It is so embarrassing to even call him the Chief Minister, that too of the capital of India. For all the anti corruption crusade that Kejriwal stood for, those seem to have completely evaporated.

Once he got intoxicated with limitless power, and found that Delhi citizens are forgiving enough, he has avoided administering Delhi, and instead resorted to politics which are not cheap or dirty. It is not even politics. For me, it is sheer immature, childish behavior from a CM who is scared of doing his job. The perfect way to run away from accountability and doing one's own job is to keep blaming others or in this case, more conveniently take the prime minister's name for anything which goes wrong in Delhi.

Kejriwal was voted into vast majority probably more for his IIT alumni credentials than anything else. His education got him chief ministership, while Rahul Gandhi's s(h)ad(y) academic past means he is burdened with the responsibility of a flailing and failing Congress which is always protesting for survival these days. Kejriwal is undoubtedly the spoilt brat of Indian politics. The only difference between him and Rahul is education. Ironically, both of them are eventually doing the same thing these days. Blaming the PM and the BJP for everything that is wrong and goes wrong.

BTW - Please watch out for a breaking news tomorrow 'Kejriwal blames Modi for his constipation woes'.

Note - My views are not an endorsement of my political inclinations. These are purely personal views.

No Stealth For Health

2015-05-03T13:11:00.001+05:30

What an irony, that smartwatches which are built for tracking health information, are still so far away from the complicated structure that the human body is. Apple confirmed that Apple watch doesn't track heart rate if there is a tattoo on the wrist. It's actually funny and amusing that such a simple yet deceptive use case escaped Apple, the most valuable company in the world.

Smart watches seem to be just a fad, just like how tablets flooded the market and are being overtaken by phablets. The only thing smatwatches may do is drive humans become paranoid about their health and woes, or in other cases gloat about their health quotient. Of course the argument could be the fact that it can track potential risks or sudden episodes of an attack or so on. But such is the complexity of the human body, that there is only so much that a smart watch can do.

Add to it the fact that even a tattoo can resist a smart watch being fully functional, questions the device of its authenticity of the readings. What if a developer witfully manipulates heart rate readings or such using an app he hosts on a smartwatch. It is enough to drive the user nuts and have nightmares. That alone might actually cause issues to the end user, forget the watch itself.

Now we have a smartwatch to track heart rate, calories, pressure etc. In time, we will have 'waist' band to track strains and muscle pulls, And maybe even a nose ring band, to track if there is running nose, with predictions like - "Today there are 80% chances of precipitation inside. Keep a kerchief handy". Or a Fart watch, which helps the user with predictions of farting time and the toxicity of it. Imagine of you are in a lift, with the Fart watch, the user can trigger an alarm for the others in the lift saying "Nose Alert, nose alert". Or if it detects just decibels, it could alert saying - "Boom boom alert".

Come to think of it, just like how our online data is not private anymore (what with facebook, whatsapp and loads of other snooping apps), even our fart times and running nose updates will be available for data brokers. Soon there will be a fart timeline, and a running nose timeline. With live updates going to all friends, it will help friends and relatives avoid visiting the unfortunate user. Soon enough, every fart watch user or nose ring user, will have to send out invites with their latest health updates and medication undertaken before confidently inviting for a party.

Oh for the digitally connected world. Information explosion is soon becoming a playground for all and sundry who can claim to be a competent app developer or company. Nor is location private, nor our phone numbers, and soon neither our own health. A fart in faraway Papua new guinea can be diagnosed in Antartica and any other place you name it. Talk about how powerful technology is. Technology delivers sound waves and the smell of it far into hinterlands, where even the winds of nature can't do.

Long Pending, now (I)mpending

2014-09-09T15:06:00.000+05:30

Though I have always disliked Apple because of the suffocating ecosystem, there is no doubt that Jobs and Apple revolutionized the mobile phone market. Jobs took it to the next level by convinvcing the world of another must have device in the form of the iPad. By calling it magical and with his marketing abilities it became a runaway hit and was garnering over 80% market share in the year after its launch. Fast forward 3 years after Jobs' passing away, and Apple has not introduced anything revolutionary. Unless a fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5S qualifies as revolutionary.

Honestly, there hasn't been much innovation even from Samsung which pioneered the Android ecosystem to the beast it is today. Android commands over 80% of the smartphone market, and most of the credit is due to Samsung leading the efforts and giving customers a cost effective alternative to the oh so expensive iPhone. Even Samsung's Android tweaks have been more gimmicky than revolutionary. Of course some of the features like split screen and the stylus are certainly worthy of mention. While Samsung pulled away from iPhone in terms of smartphone shipments, Apple probably resisted being pulled into the rat race of competing low cost phones.

Samsung introduced the phablet concept via the Note, and the past year phablets have picked up massive adoption at the cost of tablets. So tablet shipments and sales are now on the vane. Apple could not have ignored customer needs when large sized phones in the range of 4.7 - 6 inch began flooding the market. Maybe Apple did not want to be an also ran company when it came to smartphone competition. Probably devoid of ideas, Apple finally seems to have succumbed to the pressure from its hundreds of Android rivals.

If rumors and reliable sources are indeed true, Apple will be unveiling large(r) sized iPhone(s). The talks are of a 4.7'' iPhone and a 5.5'' iPhone. These seem to have been long pending form a consumer electronic giant the size of Apple which seemed to have run out of ideas, especially after the time of Steve Jobs. In this context it is crucial for Apple that its tablet sales have dramatically declined. It is probably a necessity for Apple to slot into the Phablet market with the 5.5'' device. And this makes a lot of sense for those who don't like the idea of carrying around an iPad mini or iPad Air.

Apple's announces today, with invites titled 'wish we could say more', is probably the best time it could have chosen. Samsung's own sales are getting hurt badly from a swathe of low cost smartphones from the likes of Xiaomi, Huawei,Micromax and Lenovo, not to mention Motorola's own Moto G offering. These companies are targeting the budget conscious customers who want latest software with more than respectable hardware specs. And they have toppled Samsung from India and China the most recent surveys from the smartphone shares. That should give a shot in the arm for Apple to market its own offerings to boost its sales and marketshare.

Apple will not have it easy though. The only other product Apple might launch is touted as the iWatch. Wearables as a market has failed to take off inspite of offerings from Samung and Sony, and the recent Moto 360. Part of the reason they haven't taken off could be because the same things that one does on a phone, why do it on a smart-watch. Not to mention questionable battery life. It certainly has not been appealing as a mass consumer device. And the uses of it definitely do not warrant a market on its own. Of course even the iPad was trashed as a large sized iPhone but became a huge hit. Apple could still prove everyone wrong. But times since the iPad have changed. The major market players have pre-empted the wearables market and launched armbands and smartwatches for over a year. Unlike the times of the iPad when awareness of what a tablet could do or offer were far fewer, the awareness in the wearables industry has grown over the past year. So unless Apple provides a breathtaking alternative, it may just be another niche market. Only this time it won't help Apple in its sales or profit margins.

Ditto with the iPhone. With due credit to Apple, no one knew a smartphone could be as elegant and simple and touch friendly until the iPhone launched in 2007. For the lack of alternatives and the sheer wow of a touchscreen phone customers lapped up the iPhone inspite of steep prices. It took 2 years for a dominant alternative like Google Android to emerge in 2009. Ever since then, Apple has always struggled to maintain its ascendancy. This time with a smartwatch, there are already options in the market which have been less than appealing. So customer expectations are sky high and anything less from Apple could severely hurt.

The entire wold looks upto Apple today for the next market segment to open up. Will it be the wearable market, or even an Apple TV? The expectation is certainly for larger sized iPhones and that seems to be a given. But these are long pending iPhone enhancements which are necessary for iPhone to compete. Whatever it be, general customer knowledge of the technology marker and phones and gadgets has never been so high. Apple needs to be at its best ever to regain the growth it once did during Jobs' times.

Android One - A late Google Bugle?

2014-09-04T19:05:00.001+05:30

Is Google late into the party? At a time when local players like Micromax, Lava and Karbonn are redefining budget smartphones in India, Google wants to enter the rat race with Android One. Announced in June, Android One is Google's initiative to give a pure Google experience to millions of customers wanting to switch to a smartphone from a feature phone. While the whole intent is to give the pure android and google experience, the end objective is to bring as many users into the Google's internet web. A perfect strategy, but one which could fall flat if local market sentiments are not given due respect.

India is too cost conscious for Google to bring out smartphones priced at over $100. Though on average disposable income is on the rise, the average Indian customer is still very picky when it comes to pricing. Firefox has already made an aggressive entry with phones priced at $30-$40 which is probably more than enough for first timers or those who are from the lower income strata. And then there is the middle class which is equally cost conscious and since the days of Moto G, the choices in the $100 market are abundant. Options range from Windows phones running on the latest 8.1 to the explosive new entrant, Xiaomi. Xiaomi's Redmi 1S phone with its hardware specs and pricing easily beats all local players to dust. Of course, its unique and times frustrating strategy could also backfire.

Xiaomi's Redmi phone is priced less than 100$, Micromax offers kitkat phones at the same price range. So do Asus Zenfone 4 series and Xolo to name a few. Even if Google promises latest software updates to Android One handsets, the pricing of $100 or more could defeat the whole purpose. Instead of being a phone with mass appeal and availability it will end up being a very niche market. Reason being, that a new customer wouldn't care if Google releases a new version or not. All they want is a touchscreen interface, with games, reasonable speed, a quality camera and internet to browse. If a Jelly Bean phone or a Windows 8.1 or Firefox phone can give that same experience it may not really matter.

So it is important more for Google, than Micromax or Spice - to enable aggressive pricing for the Android One smartphones. Those who follow the latest in mobile technology would be excited and willing to invest in the Android One experience - because of Google's support and version updates. But if pricing is not reasonable the whole plan to have a mass android adoption will fall flat. Micromax or Spice may not care much. They have other aggressively priced handsets to keep competing and gaining market share from Samsung and others.

Indiantity Crisis

2014-09-04T18:33:00.003+05:30

Looks like the new BJP government has made all other political parties introspect their true identity. Though polarisation is often associated with BJP and the RSS, it looks more a case of refusal to come out of the English colonial role. As much as I am proud of my religious beliefs and traditions, it is inappropriate to force these upon anyone. And though there have been instances quoted and reported in the media, India as a nation has a unique national fabric of whole hearted acceptance. And that makes me feel immensely proud.

What BJP has done, increasingly so with a majority mandate now, is forcing everyone to introspect. Honestly, it does make me feel upset and sad that the political parties still fight over minorities who are well under 20% of India's population. It almost seems as if the remaining 80% have been sidelined and taken for granted all these years. If we are being told that we are a Hindu nation, going by majority it is probably a true statement. Being tolerant doesn't mean that India should continue doling out freebies and overtures to the minorities till eternity.

In this context I find it amusing to note that state governments in the country do not like celebrating Guru Utsav. But are fine to celebrate 'Teacher's day' ? It almost sounds a refusal to accept one's true identity, and insistence on clinging to the age old colonial past. Either as Indians we accept a national language and follow Guru Utsav, or the very least call it by the regional language. Not harp on terming Guru Utsav as BJP's attempt at forcing their agenda across states. If anything, governments like Tamil Nadu should rename it according to Tamil language.

Such instances are a true reflection of identity crisis brought upon by 6 decades of total neglect of the majority and insistence on vote bank politics There is nothing wrong in embracing one's religion and culture. But to hide it behind the garb of secularism is to disown one's own roots. I just wish we as a nation grow up and accept that there is a true majority population and truly respect that. Right now it seems that if we refuse owning up to being a majority hindu nation we automatically qualify as secular.

Uniquely Universal

2014-08-24T20:23:00.000+05:30

Univercell launched a unique mobile store experience last year. It meant to go out of the way to woo customers to the store via dedicated consumer focussed services, and not just mobile and accessory sales. Today I had the opportunity to visit the Univercell Sync at Indiranagar as part of the Indiblogger contest. The marketing manager for Univercell passionately walked us bloggers through the store explaining the uniqueness of the whole experience.

With the sync experience, it is a simplification of the multitude of choices in the mobile world. Many bloggers and tech enthusiasts probably know the different Mobile OS systems and the ecosystems surrounding them. So explaining choices and helping with buying decisions for a mobile is much easier to such an audience. That is not the case for those who are not tech savvy or who are mostly in the late 40s and the elderly.

Just like how internet has been a revolution, the mobile revolution has already taken the world by storm. And so much of technology at one's fingertips can be overwhelming for those without the knowledge. Univercell Sync offers the perfect platform to make the transition from a feature phone to a mobile phone easier, comfortable and secure for those seeking for a switch. This audience will not know whether brand is more important, or the processor speed. Or is it the mobile ecosystem? Or do they prefer a longer battery life? Or a budget friendly device? The choices are so vast, it is a niche mobile market Univercell is aiming to tap into.

No doubt the idea is unique in Indian market and Univercell have made the perfect pitch. Mind you, the audience is primarily the less tech savvy audience. The services Univercell Sync offers include Total care and Sync Squad. While Total care takes care of any component replacement or repairs for an upfront payment (depending on the cost of the handset, the service fee varies) for free, Sync Squad helps multiple devices in a home environment sync between each other seamlessly. All this via personally assisted technicians who help with the whole process. Overall, it helps build Univercell's brand and also promotes it as a consumer service focused mobile dealer.

There are different zones in the shop, like the Music zone, which exclusively showcases mobiles which are the best for music, along with necessary audio accessories which amplify the listening experience. Again, a brilliant thought to simplify the choice of a mobile purchase. There are other zones like tablet zones which exclusively are for those looking for a tablet purchase. Amidst all the amazing gadgets the store has, there are some very useful tidbits at every such zone like apps, mobile OS, battery tips and so on. And there are so many technical staff present in the store, so one will never be short of tech help.

It is also a great place to experience the greatest and best gadgetry, with the latest mobiles on display. Be it the HTC One M8 or Galaxy 5 or the latest Samsung tablets. It was delightful to see the customer friendly staff as well. Some nice additions which would enhance the experience would be a gaming zone and another exclusively for phablets. From what I saw today at the store it holds tremendous potential and first class customer service.

My Mi

2014-08-20T23:16:00.002+05:30

I can't be far away from the next gadget, can I ? For all the waves that Xiaomi has been creating across the globe one can't resist the temptation of wanting to own a gadget from Mi. When Xiaomi was still unknown to India in May, I set about researching for my next new gadget to tamper with. My Sony Xperia live with walkman was getting outdated software and hardware wise. But tweaking and rooting it had made it exceptionally functional and snappy.

So I went about another budget friendly gadget, for my wife. My Huawei Ideos is still going strong on the Dronix ROM. But we need to move forward with latest in technology - is the reason I gave for getting permission for my new gadget. Armed with a new 3G data plan which made sense with a CUG connection, it was but a formality that I would purchase a new gadget. I stumbled upon Xiaomi through cnet.com and the review it carried for Redmi was impressive. Although Redmi is the original Mediatek version with 4GB ROM.

The updated hardware at the same price is the Redmi 1S. Powered by a quad core snapdragon processor and 8GB ROM it was a good step up from the original Redmi. Since it wasn't yet available in India, I started hunting for Chinese sites from where I could reliably order. spemall.com turned out to be the perfect one for me, though price wise it is a little expensive. I bought it for around 170$ from spemall, almost 3 months back, which is now being launched in India for just 7000! So I paid a premium for the gadget. But I don't regret it much.

I have been using the Redmi 1S for the past 2-3 months and am delighted at the customization options it provides. I love the fact that the online forum is vibrant and full of passionate MIUI followers. Some are very critical because they expect the best from Xiaomi. Which is actually a good thing. Not all Mi (Xiaomi rechristened as Mi) devices get a weekly software update and the Redmi series will only receive every 2 months. Except for developer ROMs. There is also an unofficial multilang ROM option if one chooses to flash it. And rooting a Mi device has been made a cakewalk via the forum sections.

Specifications for the Redmi 1s include 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, 4.3 Android OS, 1.6ghz Quad core snapdragon processor. You also get Corning Glass 2 protection coupled with a screen 4.7'' with 312 ppi. For the price, I still feel its a great bargain. While you would expect the device to be exceptional, in my time with it I have had issues. Especially excessive heating up when playing games or browsing 3G data. Though there have been more frequent updates last few weeks owing to the global expansion efforts, issues such as battery drain and 3g signal drop during calls remains. Not to mention no news on Kitkat availability.

Some of the features that MIUI offers are really neat and compact. The app permissions that it provides are stellar with options to enable or disable auto startup apps, option to enable/disable apps which access mobile or wifi data and so on. Not to mention thousands of themes that are available. Rooting the device is also a piece of cake. I then installed one power guard to optimize battery usage which is now satisfactory.

All in all, it has been a satisfactory purchase. Xiaomi is the fastest growing mobile company in the world at the moment and recently pipped Samsung from the top rung in China. It has been expanding internationally at rapid pace, with flash sales of the Mi 3 getting loads of media attention. With 4G versions of the Redmi 1S as well as the Redmi Note announced already, Xiaomi is definitely pricing its gadgets aggressively and giving the top Android players a run for their money.

Coastal Course near Chidambaram

2014-08-18T20:02:00.003+05:30

A tonsuring tour for my 30 month old daughter. Initially we had planned to do it in Tirupathi, but logistics and the fact that our daughter is growing up hastened the next possible place. Vacation plans always hinged around Hampi for the August 15th weekend. However, the tonsuring plan coupled with unfamiliar territory around Hampi meant we were looking for alternatives. Vaitheeswaran Koil was the immediate choice for the tonsuring. But what would a trip be without an element of fun mixed with a pilgrimage in camouflage.

Vaitheeswaran koil was ideal in many respects. Close enough to Chidambaram to explore the seashore beside it. Also providing visit to the famous Chidambaram temple, Sirgazhi temple among others. The distance from Bangalore is around 400 kms which can be done in one go. But with a toddler beside, things can get tricky, especially when driving during daytime. Fortunately we had strategic halting places in Salem and Mecheri. While my maternal aunt stays at Salem, my in laws are in Mecheri, which is also part of Salem.

The plan was to visit Chidambaram on day 1, Pichavaram and Tharangambadi on day 2 and Vaitheeswaran Koil on day 3. We stayed on 12th night at Salem, packed food for onward journey to Chidambaram and checked into Nataraja Residency. The visit to the Natarja temple in Chidambaram on the same evening was peaceful. The next day we were off to Pichavaram, which was always the highlight in my mind to be covered during the trip.

Pichavaram on the next day was hot, humid but worth the visit. The Tamil Nadu tourism operates boating through the vast 3000 acres of Mangrove forests which famously held out the Tsunami which struck few years back. Famous movies have also been shot along the Mangroves.

The boating charge for 2 hours is 320 for row boat. But for a small change of 500 to the boatman, he will take around deeper into the Mangroves. And we were more than happy and satisfied to take this route. The strength of the vegetation is something one should try out to believe. They resemble twigs or slim branches but can withstand 4-5 grown up adults easily. Pichavaram is just 15 kms from Chidambaram and must not be missed. We checked out of the hotel in Chidambaram and went to Vaitheeswaran Koil in the afternoon.

We checked into Ramathirivathi in Vaitheeswaran Koil which is just 2 minutes walk from the temple. Vaitheeswaran Koil itself is just 25 kms from Chidambaram. After a quick nap we set off to Tharangambadi beach which is 30kms off Vaitheeswaran Koil. Our daughter was super excited at getting to soak her feet in the beach just as she did along Pichavaram while I held her in the boat there. The Danish fort was closed by the time we reached and it was overcast and cloudy when we reached. It is a calm beach with the beautiful fort set beside it. On our way back from the beach we halted at Thirukadayur temple before heading back to Vaitheeswaran Koil for the night.

The next day was what we had planned all along for. Our daughter surprising cooperated beyond imagination while the barber tonsured her peacefully. After taking bath we went to the temple to offer our prayers. We started back to Mecheri around 11 AM and found time to visit the Sirgazhi temple on the way back. Sirgazhi temple is around 10kms from Vaitheeswaran Koil on the way back. Till the time we visited Sirgazhi we hadn't experienced how hot the temples can get. It is an oven one has to walk on during most times of the year. We did not encounter it because we either went in the evening or the morning for the temple visits. Sirgazhi was simmering hot, and we were hopping and running inside the temple. Afterward we setoff for our long journey back toward Salem and reached around 7PM in Mecheri. All in all a very satisfying trip.

Route: Kadugodi --> Hosur --> Salem --> Attur --> Virudachalam --> Chidambaram --> Vaitheeswaran Koil

Tip - For those in and around Whitefield and Kadugodi, I found the following route to be the most hassle free and exceptionally smooth. It is devoid of all city traffic and directly reaches the Hosur NH road. I always take this route to head toward Salem. Stress free all the way, especially since it is a National Highway route: Kadugodi/Hope Farm --> Channasandra --> Chikkatirupathi --> Bagalur --> Hosur

Bharat Ratna - A wasted Ratna?

2014-08-11T15:07:00.002+05:30

The highest civilian award in India has become a free for all - almost. And looking at the current candidate list for the award, it looks like an exercise of politics in retrospect than in genuine deservedness. No sooner had BJP started suggesting names of Subhas Chandra Bose and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the almost non-existent Congress party at the Centre demanded the award for Kanshi Ram.

With all due respect and admiration to all the potential candidates, it is truly embarrassing that there is a political slugfest to give th ris distinguished honour. Admittedly Bose was an exception leader whose contributions to Indian independence were probably never given its due. But to give an award inetrospect after more than 60 years, is a little puzzling.

As for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it almost seems BJP wants its due from awarding it for a BJP leader. He may truly deserve it (and I am just expressing personal opinions here), but the BJP and Congress should introspect and think if they are being fair to the award itself. Maybe there is true merit in Vajpayee or even Kanshi Ram for the award. But it is the process and the credentials that need to be awarded. Not the political backing.

Unfortunately, the award itself probably has lost its credibility. It was awarded to Sachin Tendulkar for his cricketing exploits. I have always been a Sachin critic but there is no denying the bevy of records he has left behind him. But as a Bharat Ratna awardee I would expect basic responsibility from someone of the stature of Sachin. As a sitting Rajya Sabha MP Sachin hasn't even appeared in the parliament this year. Maybe Sachin's life was only cricket. But if he has retired, and he has been entrusted with an MP post in parliament, least he can do is be present in the sessions. He could even doze off like Rahul Gandhi, and no one might even question. Sachin apparently claimed medical emergency but was very much present in Wimbledon this year and also played an MCC match recently. So it is hard to digest his claims.

Bottomline is, that as a living example of the Bharat Ratna award, Sachin has diluted the worth of the award. And with such public debates and political back and forth about the next awardee, the Bharat Ratna seems to have lost the lustre it should have so deserved.

Live to Post AND Post to Live?

2014-07-06T14:25:00.001+05:30

Today we live in a world where privacy is all about status updates. The private life one lives is available not only for your friends or relatives, but for the general public. Be it delivery of a child, or a muffin you eat - half way in your mouth; they deserve to be posted on social platforms. It is not just a private moment. It is a social tool for others to see who you are. Your true self. Yet, when it comes to privacy protection, everyone is up in arms. Facebook should not mess with emotions, apps should not access your contacts or call logs. But is there anything left called as privacy anymore? I guess not.

The internet and now mobile explosion has blurred the line between private and public life. As much as I want to follow technology, a complete invasion of private space is a total no-no. Yes, the argument goes that you can stay in touch with friends of yore, relatives unknown and colleagues who matter. But surely, you don't want to know how your friend eats, or how a new born looks. Why not send a mail to those who really matter, or call up. But no, if you don't have facebook or whatsapp you don't deserve to be in the know-how. Oh, did I just reveal my discomfort at this Facebook life we live in? Probably yes, but it also matters what we share. Or do we intend to share because we want to force others to feel us as important?

As a marketing tool, yes it is terrific. But if we share everything in public, what is left in private life? Or is there even time left for a private life? It is almost as if we go to a resort, or a hotel because we want to post it on the social network. Not because we want to spend quality time with family or friends. For me it is almost spamming to see so many posts that have no significance whatsoever to me or my life. Yet, there is no escape from this vicious circle of internet life.

Our lives are so intertwined with the internet world, that just having an email address and making some Google searches is enough to leave a footprint of the person that you are. Google and now facebook have zillions of data to reel through. And big data is just beginning to sift through these and make predictions about user behavior, shopping patterns, travel options and of course targeted ads. Think data brokers, whose job is to interpret our online data usage and sell it to firms for targeted ads and marketing. Forget Facebook, our personal identity is only as private as an organization NSA wishes it to be so. And the smartphone usage explosion has ensured that our lives are anything but private.

Imagine the number of apps and data being churned out of our personal mobile numbers via whatsapp or Facebook or any other app for that matter.They stealthily make you accept permissions when installing them and quietly read your contacts, even call logs. And most of these so called must have apps (including Gmail or Yahoo mail) don't leave users much of a choice. And just add location access to the mix, and bingo - you have internet stalking you (literally), knows who you talk to, can still potentially read your mails (though they are supposedly encrypted after NSA antics).

To sum it up, we live a life where our private life is utterly compromised. And most active social web users are willing to do so, and many more act as if ignorance is bliss. We risk ourselves to snooping agents innocently. And when we hear of appeals like the right to forget ruling by the EU on Google, it is very contradicting indeed. And when smartphones become ubiquitous, especially to those who are unaware of the way the internet works, the data churn at Google or Facebook just grows manifold.

As much as these technological tools are vital for users to stay in touch, it also begs the question - Do we live for ourselves or for the internet? It is all well to say there should be stricter user privacy protection, but if we as users allow to be public about our private life (mostly knowing the mobile apps can and will read data from our phones or mails) of what use are these regulations? Of course we hear of Facebook fatigue etc. but by now the data stored with these corporations is so humongous, there is no escaping from future targeting. Our internet avtar is already out there with data brokers(even if we choose not to have one). Unlike the phrase which says 'one should eat to live and not live to eat', are we leaning toward : Living to Post AND Posting to Live?

Swiss Bliss

2014-05-01T15:34:00.001+05:30

Isle Mainau on Lake Constance

2014-05-01T15:29:00.000+05:30

Eltz Burg

2014-05-01T14:20:00.001+05:30

With Nexus in U.S.

2013-08-23T05:52:00.002+05:30

I did not know what marriage life would look like. I definitely did not know how it would be after a child is born. On the one side its fun and reassuring to have family and kid, while your interests and hobbies take a backseat. Is that a good ROI? I want to believe so. But being away from family gives one the private space needed, but one tends to miss them too in the long run. Pretty much what I am going through while I am in the U.S of A. So what do I bargain with my wife to rid me of my loneliness? A new gadget! And I have gotten away with this the 3rd time.

I had got my Archos 70 for company when I was in U.S in the new year of 2011. I had my Cowon Z2 for company when I was in U.S last year during May. Over the past year or so, I have realised that owning a high end, top notch hardware/software combination is necessary to feel the pace of technology advances. But I was never one to pay a high premium for it. That gives me the liberty to root my devices with my Ideos U8150, Archos 70, Cowon Z2, Sony Live With Walkman WT19i - all of which are Android and I rightly did root'em all. All of these were indeed modest amongst their own Android peers. But that can't be the case with the new Nexus 7, 2013 edition (Nexus 7 FHD?) HD model. This thing is top notch, and at an astoundingly reasonable price starting at $229. So, my friends, I welcomed this to my android family (wife and child excluded).

I had a hunch about my travel, and had my friend book the Nexus 7 over Amazon. It is a different matter that OfficeMax was running a flat 20% off discount on all tablets just a week before I was packing up. I realised asking my friend to pick up the shiny new tablet with a printed coupon from an OfficeMax outlet wasn't fair on my part. I wish my timing was better, but I still got away on Amazon without sales tax in Minnesota. I can't fault my timing entirely, because I got it on the very same day I landed.

I was overwhelmed at how technology can get obsolete (Blackberry, Symbian ?), as well as hardware become ridiculously affordable. And the new Nexus 7 shines in all departments. And when I look back at December 2010, when I purchased my Archos 70 for $275, I had the data to prove that too. The new Nexus 7 is sleek, smooth, thin, and the display has got raving reviews everywhere.

The HD display on this thing is something to be seen to be believed. Android has definitely come a long way over the past 4 years or so, and has become as simple as iOS if that's how comparisons go. There were lots of issues reported around touchscreen response, as well as GPS. This was just a week into the launch. The tablet by default downloads the build version JWR66N. That would be even before you realise it happened if you are on a fast wifi network. Next is the build version JSS15J, which has caused multiple issues for many new Nexus 7 owners. I was fortunate to have read through forums where users had these issues, and the prompt on the screen said system update downloaded. But it was upto me to choose to install it. Which I did not, suspecting it could create these issues. And I am glad I did not install it, lest it took away my pleasure of using the tablet.

What has been great to see, is that the success of the Nexus devices (Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 10) has raised expectations from the Android team at Google to fix issues at the earliest. This also speaks to the expectation from Google to deliver quality Software, and also is a praise for Google that it is being looked up to for delivering on the perfect sized tablet. And now in 3 weeks' time Google has already started rolling out updates for the fixes for the issues today. Apparently build version JSS15Q OTA update would resolve both the GPS as well as Touchscreen issues for the flagship Google tablet.

What is great about the tablet that I am going on and on? First up the screen is spectacular with the highest pixel density (an eye popping 323 ppi) and a screen resolution of 1920X1200. The best in any 7'' tablet to date. Add to it, 2GB RAM, and a 1.5Ghz Quad core processor for $229? Who wouldn't buy it? With these specs it is not hard to fathom why the PCs and Laptop market is fast fading away. And it is $30 more than last year's Nexus 7, but still worth the price anyday.

My experience with the tablet has not been without issues though. The irksome Hangouts app which replaced Google talk gave me a 'camera error' occasionally when I was video chatting with my wife. And the area near the rear camera heats up quite a bit while doing video chatting. Once the 'camera error' came up, it wouldn't go away, and even the camera did not work. I had to restart the tablet to get it working again. Atleast I was glad it worked again, but Google engineers if you are listening, you need to fix this bug if you haven't already seen it.

Aside of that, gaming, videos, news, mails - the total experience has been nothing less than pleasing. I had been wanting a new gadget for the past many months but never had the home minister approve the budget for it. I had to be away and abroad thousands of miles to make a case for a new gadget. And it sure has been well worth the wait and the distance!

Birds' Word

2013-04-19T17:48:00.001+05:30

If he were born to a traditional Indian Tam family, Dickie Bird would be busy for his Sathabhishekam. In English you are entering the Octogenarian phase. At this age, it is difficult to raise eyebrows, let alone other details of anatomical significance. But the famed cricket umpire has supposedly dared to declare his all time cricketing XI without modern greats including Sachin Tendulkar.

One knows the heights of joblessness when either media thinks these are newsworthy items to even be discussed, OR I have enough time on hand to even blog about this. Either ways it is one's own discretion to choose their own cricketing XI. Dickie chose his own, but why it warrants media debate is beyond me.

As for omitting Tendulkar, which is what India's national debate will be, the way Sachin is prolonging his career, it is no surprise he got omitted by Dickie. In fact, with the Indian selectors' mindset, Sachin himself maybe having his Sathabhishekam on a cricket field, battling the quicks in Proteas' land. And India will still cheer him on for another run to help him reach his 101st international century.

Cauvery Delights

2013-01-01T18:36:00.000+05:30

Victimised or Martyred?

2012-12-29T23:41:00.001+05:30

It pains to see a rape victim being given honours like a martyr killed in a war. Yes, personally it is no less than that for the close family of the gang raped girl who died today. But that does not call for undue attention. Yes, regrettably the cause for the death is ghastly to say the least. But there are many more out there in much smaller towns and villages in India which don't even get reported. The only reason it got reported was it being the national capital.

What has been alarming is the twist the entire episode took. Although the intent of the agitation and the protests was right, it became an entire farce through the two weeks. It was more a case of a nation supporting "a" rape victim, rather than collectively seeking an effective counter measure mechanism against such heinous crimes.

I am not sure how many families would like to know the traumatic narrative of the crime being repeated over zillions of channels. In fact, I personally feel this entire episode has put further fear into women's minds than emboldening them with reassurances. The repetitive nature of broadcasting the tragedy day in and day out serves to only add mental strain for women who would have otherwise been bold to step out late in the night.

Add to it the constable being killed in the protests against inaction on the accused, it became fodder for channels to ride on the incident and claim TPR points. It also gives people like me on social space to spend time bashing up the incompetent authorities or the over the top media channels. Most of the two weeks of sympathy, anger, protests was firstly - due to the incident ; and then the fact that the gang rape victim was struggling to live on. I seriously wonder if she had survived easily enough, if the nation would have seen so many protests.

The only good thing to have happened is, the extent of reach this incident has had. Will this result in any long term safety measures for women in India as a whole? Well, time will only tell. With the passing away of the victim today it may come as no surprise if the entire incident fades away in the New Year celebrations and India gets back to its notorious Chalta Hai attitude.

Give me more of Mullayanagiri

2012-12-19T00:18:00.002+05:30

S(h)itting on Facebook

2012-10-06T08:54:00.001+05:30

I sit on a chair, I squat on a chair. You know what? I feel a commode is like a chair too, since they all satisfy my s(h)itting needs. Oh well, did I just get robbed of my precious seating place by something which is intangible? Come on, what can Facebook replace? My chair? your chair?

One of the most absurd adjectives to project a brand, I am not sure what Facebook was thinking when creating its first ad. To treat Facebook as a chair, is akin to saying, I sit on Facebook the entire day. I even carry it to the restroom, for I sit on a commode. So why can Facebook not be a commode? I sit on the floor, so is Facebook a floor ?

What sense does Facebook's ad mean? Intentions are good, to convey like how we use chairs everyday, sit, relax, so do supposedly people use Facebook. But to me, it is impossible to digest how this even got envisaged. Honestly, this ad shows Facbook is out of ideas to grow its brand. 1 billion users is a landmark achievement, which has been so embarrassingly celebrated with a nonsensical ad.

Amazon's 'Open' Challenge to Android

2012-09-10T21:31:00.001+05:30

Amazon's kindles announced last week, have bumped up the Wall Street's sentiments about the giant online retailer. Not only have the new Kindles been accepted wholeheartedly, it may also pose a challenge for tablet makers as a whole. Ironically, what Google built seems to be used against it. At a time when Google has acquired Motorola, and is looking to expand its own Android device business, Amazon has used Android, and put in so much of its own flavor, that the Android ecosystem is no longer a necessity for Amazon's tablets to survive.

Amazon's tablets have their own Silk browser, its own Android app store. That means, most of the web experience in Amazon products are not even a shadow of what Android is. Amazon is doing another Apple, just that it is using Android to do so. What works for Amazon is its media streaming options with Hulu and Netflix, as well as its book stores which are a hit anyway. Having used Android to build its tablet/mobile ecosystem, Amazon has posed a major threat to Google's own existence for mobile computing OS. Though Android continues to evolve through Sandwiches and Jelly Beans, it may have to compete with Amazon in more ways than one.

This is where an open source like Android can be a bane for companies like Google. The new Kindles for example, are using Bing as default search engine. In fact, even Google Maps has been disregarded by Amazon for its new Kindles, instead opting for Nokia Maps which would be an automatic choice for most companies. But Amazon is clearly differentiating itself from the other manufacturers. So it is a deliberate effort by Amazon to distance itself from being just another Google Android experience, and wants to not give Android an advantage through its many users. If Amazon's users consume an Android experience outright through its tablets, Google would become an even bigger presence.

Imagine what Google could do to Amazon. Google has launched Nexus 7 tablet, acquired Motorola, and has Android going great for it. Coupled with Google books and its Apps, it can potentially eat into Amazon's revenues eventually. So a real competitor threat for Amazon. Amazon has been very smart in using Android against Google, and could well be a master stroke. Time for Google to think how to put some clamps on Android being used. Well, that can't be the case when you support open source. Android is open, and it certainly has opened a world of opportunities for Amazon. And Amazon is making full use of it.

iPhone 5 - An Apple Gamble?

2012-09-06T12:58:00.001+05:30

So Apple finally muscled its way and put Samsung into submission. The court verdict was for Samsung to cough up $1bn in damages for having copied Apple's iconic iPhone. A big blow for Samsung for sure, since it could lead to injunction of its other famed Galaxy line of phones. The latest and very impressive Galaxy S3 has been added to the list of Samsung phones Apple wants to be banned from sales across U.S. No doubt, there is no better form of flattery than to be copied, but Samsung's sales of its smartphones have leapt to such big highs, Apple could not ignore the potential dominance of the South Korean giant. The other way to look at it, if you are a Samsung supporter is - that Apple, the most valuable technology company in the world could not ignore Samsung's rapid rise to the top. If Apple had not intervened the copying innovation Samsung has been leading, Apple could be realistically threatened of its Smartphone crown.

The timing of the court order is very peculiar indeed. It happened just days before Samsung's event at IFA Berlin. It has also happened few weeks before a blockbuster launch of the next 'iconic' iPhone. And in this duration, Nokia announced its new Lumia series of Windows phones, and Amazon will be announcing new Kindles and a potential phone offering too. So what does all this mean to the launch of the iPhone 5 on September 12? Apple's gamble seems to be all on one device, the iPhone. While it has been an incredible device like all Apple products, and arguably copied a lot by Samsung (though it takes one thing to copy and another to do it right and better it!), this is the time of beckoning for Apple the company. Snapping at its heels are competitors who are aggressive, and innovative in their own unique ways.

Amazon has snatched a chunk of the tablet shares with their Kindle Fire last year, and with their online Kindle books offering, coupled with Amazon prime and video services like Hulu and Netflix. All the competition in the world for the iPhone is via Android, so any victory over the Samsung Galaxy line is also a victory against Android. But Apple will be under extreme pressure this time, to deliver much more with the iPhone 5. Not only has the public been patient enough to wait for the iPhone 5, and holding back buying the iPhone 4S, the expectations after all the events preceding its launch will be huge. Anything less than spectacular from Apple could severely impact the company. For multiple reasons.

One is, the court verdict which Apple can pompously state means it is the technology king, and others are copy cats. That means Apple has to continue to lead the way and better its own products. So- pricing of its new iPhone should be better and not stick to niche market segment. For, Apple relies entirely on margins of its iPhone, and not necessarily on volumes. Apple just has the one iPhone flavour. Samsung has different offerings, different hardware catering to different consumer segments. iPhone currently is only for the ones who can afford or are passionate about an Apple product. So even if Samsung lost the court verdict, I strongly feel Apple is the one under more pressure.

Samsung has a variety of successful business ventures, including semiconductors, televisions, fridges, you name it. You can have an entire home setup (apart from furnishing) with all Samsung products. So, a Samsung monopoly on all things digital is what Apple should be most worried about. And that is exactly the reason why the court verdict was vital for Apple's sustained dominance. That said, the iPhone 5 has to be better than the Samsung S3 to begin another mobile war for technology geeks to lap up. All good things come to an end. I have a feeling (being anti-Apple anyday), the iPhone 5 would be the beginning of Apple's decline. Samsung can still survive because of its global presence, and variety of product offerings. No company can survive just on one or two products when competition is so intense and aggressive.