Wow,
A real iPhone 4 two months before it is supposed to be unveiled. I think Apple can still tweak the design, but I am convinced that what we see now is very close to production. It looks good - seems to get the design queues from Macbook pro.
While it is still possible that Apple built more than one prototype (all of them in super finish form - if any company can do that, then it's only Apple), if Apple knows that the leaked device has more features than they intend to include it'll hurt us.
If you think - Apple has been always late to the party when it comes to the features. They always play catch up but they implement it well. The presence of front facing camera is big thing - no other US phone has it and I doubt AT&T has the necessary bandwidth to support video calls. Why? If you ever tried qik app, you'll know. Even to upload to their servers (one way), it is few seconds/minutes behind.
Real time video conferencing can only be possible, if
1. AT&T charges separately - which will discourage many to use the feature
2. They allow only it in WiFi mode, I doubt that
3. They some how compress the video and still make it look good enough - remember iPhone 4 has 960 * 640 resolution. Even if they split it into two parts (one part to see yourself, another to see other person), it still has to transmit at 0.5 Mega pixel resolution. They can drop few frames, but Apple always tries to make a perfect solution and they won't go that route.
So, there is a good chance that video chat may not be there. So, if it's not really there in final product, Apple has to act quickly. Otherwise, every one will expect it and if it's not there when Steve Jobs announces it in WWDC, it'll be perceived as a flop/short coming.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
About hinduism
-----Found this in another forum--------------------
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question..
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am
a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?.
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still
enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made anycompulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Suk ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
anybody convert to Hinduism?
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Om Namo shiva……………
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey , CA. An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' I didn't understand the question..
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' I replied, 'I am neither Christian nor Muslim'. Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' 'I am
a Hindu', I said.
She looked at me as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what I was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today. But a Hindu, what?.
I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother.
Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' I replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,' I replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.
I tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu.. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?' What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: 'I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still
enjoy doing it sometimes..'
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made anycompulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I?. Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an single organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no single institution or authority.
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions..
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Suk ino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.'
'Hmm ..very interesting.. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
anybody convert to Hinduism?
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs, practices and a way of life and culture. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.'
For a real seeker, I told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas.- It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
I said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't conditions my mind with any faith system.
A man/ woman who change 's his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life. Hinduism was the first religion originated. Be proud of your religion and be proud of who you are.
Om Namo shiva……………
Monday, February 22, 2010
Right way to express your opinions about telangana
http://www.fullhyderabad.com/hyderabad-news/justice-srikrishna-committee-email-telephone-numbers-and-address-327
Much discussion had happened on Telangana and lot of time spent on it and
more than any other word, this is the word that happens to be invariably be
on our discussions these days. But finally we have a place where we can
express our views and I feel we should do it as well. With the Justice
Srikrishna Committee inviting opinions from the society, they have announced
the means of contacting them. Read along.
Want to contact the Justice Srikrishna Committee examining the request for
Telangana? Here's how!
The Committee is now seeking the opinions of political parties,
organizations, individuals & groups on the vexed issue, and its contact
details, including email, telephone numbers and address have been given out
as below. You can do the following to reach them:
1. Write to *vkduggal.ccsap@mha.gov.in*
2. Send snail mail to the following address:
*Member Secretary
Room No. 248
Vignan Bhavan Annexe
Maulana Azad Road
New Delhi*
3. Call at the following numbers:
*011-23022300
011-23022444*
Your communication must reach the committee *within 30 days (so make sure it
reaches them before March 20)*. *vinodkumar.duggal@yahoo.in* is an alternate
email you can try.
The public notice of the committee will appear on February 20, 2010, and V K
Duggal, a member, is expected to tour AP on 23rd and 24th on February to
seek various opinions.
Much discussion had happened on Telangana and lot of time spent on it and
more than any other word, this is the word that happens to be invariably be
on our discussions these days. But finally we have a place where we can
express our views and I feel we should do it as well. With the Justice
Srikrishna Committee inviting opinions from the society, they have announced
the means of contacting them. Read along.
Want to contact the Justice Srikrishna Committee examining the request for
Telangana? Here's how!
The Committee is now seeking the opinions of political parties,
organizations, individuals & groups on the vexed issue, and its contact
details, including email, telephone numbers and address have been given out
as below. You can do the following to reach them:
1. Write to *vkduggal.ccsap@mha.gov.in*
2. Send snail mail to the following address:
*Member Secretary
Room No. 248
Vignan Bhavan Annexe
Maulana Azad Road
New Delhi*
3. Call at the following numbers:
*011-23022300
011-23022444*
Your communication must reach the committee *within 30 days (so make sure it
reaches them before March 20)*. *vinodkumar.duggal@yahoo.in* is an alternate
email you can try.
The public notice of the committee will appear on February 20, 2010, and V K
Duggal, a member, is expected to tour AP on 23rd and 24th on February to
seek various opinions.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
My prediction on iPad
Though the initial response is underwhelming, eventually it'll capture huge market share (well it'll create it's own market share) and starts to threaten e-readers and casual users. They can simply buy iPad instead of regular laptop/desktop and get around just fine. I think that's the reason apple included keyboard and camera accessories. I think webcam will come (it may come in this release as a surprise) eventually and I think there are at least 30% of the users (think old people/teenagers) whose basic needs will be satisfied by iPad alone.
Monday, January 18, 2010
My Google Nexus One - Some thoughts
Quick post about my newest toy - Google nexus one. I got it on the first day (well the day after :-).
Having used iPhone for the last two years, it took some adjusting. But I can summarize my experience briefly as follows -
1. iPhone UI is very intuitive - period. Android with soft touch buttons and no streamlined UI guide lines doesn't help to create 'experience' that iPhone can provide.
2. Nexus One issues - Touch screen, horrible speaker phone and T-mobile 3G issues (doesn't apply to me as I am using on AT&T) are some thing Google should have avoided. They have proved that they are nothing but a small hardware player.
3. iPhone eco-systme is simply overwhelming. It is like windows vs Mac. Even if you want to buy Android phone, you'll be discouraged by the sheer number of quality apps / quality and cheap accessories. The mere fact that iPhone will be the first to get app/accessory is enough for majority of the public. No matter what Google tries, they may end up like how Apple ended up at Mac end - Not being able to cross the threshold in terms of install base.
Now the goodies -
Android, like Palm WebOS clearly shows how a OS created specifically for Mobile phones is far superior to iPhone OS (A UI shell on top of Mac OS).
Multi tasking, developer freedom to provide notifications/ widgets/ deep integration with the rest of the OS is some thing iPhone users will not get (not even iPhone 4 or 5 - I can bet).
Ability to listen to pandora and periodically check e-mails/ browse simultaneously is what I am doing now. Can iPhone do it? No, it can't and it won't in future. Some apps have 'widgets' which you can place on home screen, which is very useful (These widgets are just like vista/win 7 widgets. Also Google and Yahoo have similar widgets). Mac OS X also has widgets :-) just not on iPhone
OK, enough for now - back to work
Having used iPhone for the last two years, it took some adjusting. But I can summarize my experience briefly as follows -
1. iPhone UI is very intuitive - period. Android with soft touch buttons and no streamlined UI guide lines doesn't help to create 'experience' that iPhone can provide.
2. Nexus One issues - Touch screen, horrible speaker phone and T-mobile 3G issues (doesn't apply to me as I am using on AT&T) are some thing Google should have avoided. They have proved that they are nothing but a small hardware player.
3. iPhone eco-systme is simply overwhelming. It is like windows vs Mac. Even if you want to buy Android phone, you'll be discouraged by the sheer number of quality apps / quality and cheap accessories. The mere fact that iPhone will be the first to get app/accessory is enough for majority of the public. No matter what Google tries, they may end up like how Apple ended up at Mac end - Not being able to cross the threshold in terms of install base.
Now the goodies -
Android, like Palm WebOS clearly shows how a OS created specifically for Mobile phones is far superior to iPhone OS (A UI shell on top of Mac OS).
Multi tasking, developer freedom to provide notifications/ widgets/ deep integration with the rest of the OS is some thing iPhone users will not get (not even iPhone 4 or 5 - I can bet).
Ability to listen to pandora and periodically check e-mails/ browse simultaneously is what I am doing now. Can iPhone do it? No, it can't and it won't in future. Some apps have 'widgets' which you can place on home screen, which is very useful (These widgets are just like vista/win 7 widgets. Also Google and Yahoo have similar widgets). Mac OS X also has widgets :-) just not on iPhone
OK, enough for now - back to work