My Walkman Story

I have vivid memories of my first personal stereo device experience in the year 1984 (that’s almost 28 years ago.) Before this experience, I had never got the opportunity to experience hi-fidelity sound, which I experience on a Sony Walkman Personal Cassette Stereo. 

My First Walkman: In 1984, my father had an opportunity to visit the United Kingdom for a three month Management Development Programme sponsored by the Indian Railways. When he asked me about my wish list, The Sony Walkman was on top of the list. When my father returned from UK, he also brought me a Sony Walkman (WM-22) model.

I used this walkman really well and also most of the time I used to connect the same to my Philips- Gramophone player which also had an amplifier built-in.

I have still been able to preserve the same, but only that it is not functioning.

I used this walkman for a good 10 years, and then purchased an AIWA make Personal Stereo which also had a built in FM/AM radio. FM transmission had just begun in the beginning of the 1990’s and it was in Hi-fidelity stereo.

 I could use the AIWA Personal Stereo for about 3 years till 1994 and then it was stolen. It was a setback.

Then, I again saved some money and purchased a new similar AIWA model.  

Another Sony Walkman purchased on my visit to Dubai.

This time, I wanted to pick up a model which had servo mechanism feather touch features and a long battery life. I used this model for about three years till my ex-boss gifted me a Panasonic-Disc man.

This era saw the audio cassettes format being replaced by cd-audio and mp3. A CD could pack in numerous songs as compared to a cassette.

 I was super fun using this CD player.  I used this device for about four years till 2008 which was replaced by my first ipod.

I would cover my three ipods I won  in my next blog. 

The Home Computer is passe

Now-a-days Its always seems to be a tall order for me to simply start my desktop computer at home if I need to simply complete a task such as checking mail or composing documents.

I would rather reach out to my Blackberry phone, which gives me the power to do things as I would do on my Internet powered PC desktop, perhaps even faster without the pain.  So, thats brings us to the milion dollar question- Do I still need a PC Desktop ? or even a laptop for that matter.

Devices such as Tablets, Large screen powerful Mobile phones are now replacing desktops/laptops. 

Samsung has gone ahead and developed a path breaking product called Samsung Note which is a cross breed of a Tablet and a Touch screen mobile phone. I saw this product with one of the parents who was carrying it for my son's Annual day last week. The parent was using the same as a Digital Camera. 

     

The above video demonstrates the computing capabilities of Samsung Note. 

The following are some of the features of the Samsung Note

• Wi-Fi Direct - For seamless connectivity between wi-fi dirtect
• Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) OS
• 8 MP Primary Camera
• 2 MP Secondary Camera
• 5.29-inch HD Super AMOLED Touchscreen
• 1.4 GHz Dual Core ARM Cortex-A9 Processor
• Full HD Recording
• S Pen and S Memo

All the daily computing one needs to do

The Third Dimension

I have fond and vivid  memories of my childhood where I remember the release of Chota Chetan in 3D which I had watched in Lido Cinema, Bangalore during the time my family visited my uncle at Ulsoor. This was in the middle 80`s. Another bollywood film titled Shiva ka insaaf also released in 3D. A Mandarin film " Magnificent Bodyguards" also released during these times.

Comic books also came out with their 3D editions which also included a complementary 3D glasses made of cellophane paper and soft card board.

3D in the 1980's :

3D Colour Television of the 1980's : The Cathode ray tube colour television which was popular in the 1980's and still sells in the current market scenario, inspite of the electronics market flooded with LCD/LED televisions.

NIKY TASHA a consumer durable brand from the New Delhi region was popular for manufacturing and marketing Cooking ranges. This company attempted to explore their marketing strength in Colour television and apart from the standard Colour Television, they also launched a 3D model.    

For about a decade, no one spoke about 3D at all whether it was 3D movies or 3D televisions.  

3D in the late 1990's : The popular Bollywood film Chota Chetan again re-released in format in the year 1998. 

Again, this attempt to launch 3D proved futile and the public at large were simply not interested in the 3D format.   

3D in the 2nd decade of the millennium:   

3D LCD/LED television: 

3D smart phones: 

The Future of 3D. 

Webinars-Cost Effective Training Tool

I used to always wonder about the fact that why companies spend millions of valuable revenue earned on travel expenses for getting key people together to update them on a new product or service.


Presenting a revolutionary concept in training deliveries.


WEBINARS

Conducting training using Webinars is a new way to avoid such expenses and the setup of the same is actually very simple without IT support. If your company has an IT department it would makes things better. 

Let me take you through the concept of a Webinar

1. What is a Webinar -Short for Web-based seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web.

2. Key features of a Webinar - A key feature of a Webinar is its interactive elements -- the ability to give, receive and discuss information.

I tried to explore a few website which can facilitate a webinar.

I came across websites such as www.clickmeeting.com and www.gotowebinar.com


On the latter website, I had to furnish my credit card details, which I was not comfortable with and then I chose to use www.clickmeeting.com for experimenting on the Webinar concept. 


The following are the screen shots of my webinar experience.

You have options of starting a webinar immediately if you have a ready audience and also if your presentation tools are ready.


Alternatively, you may also prepare for a webinar in advance and schedule a webinar at a later date.

As shown in the screen shot below, the following tools are available for the presenter.


a. Presentation- a Power point presentation can be uploaded and the slides can be shown.


b. Whiteboard - This allows the presenter and the participants to share their thoughts/illustrations on the canvas.(Truly interactive) 


c.  Desktop display - This feature allows the presenter to show a demonstration of a software live to its participants.


d. YouTube Videos - Relevent Youtube videos can be shown to the participants to keep the participants interested. 


e. Polls - Polls can also be conducted to find out the preferences.


f. Browser - Live Internet website can be shown to the audience. 


g. Webinar recording feature- The entire webinar can be recorded which can be later accessed by those people who were unable to participate in the live webinar.


h. Camera and Voice - An option of showing live video and audio of all the participants is possible.    
   

Power Point Presentation broadcast in progress

White Board  broadcast in progress

Cost of setting up a webinar


The cost ranges from $10 to 30$ per month depending on the number of participants. Visit http://www.clickmeeting.com/pricing.html for further details.


Webinars are here to stay. With the Internet experience becoming better by the day with the cost of Internet bandwidth, the Webinar experience is only going to get better.  

  

MAGIC OF THREE FOR A FASTER COMPUTER AND A HAPPY USER

THE MAGIC OF THREE


SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS AND THREE ESSENTIAL SOFTWARE


I have been always observing the struggle the computer users go through everyday, if their work or home computer does not function smoothly and speedily. Hence, this blog "The Magic of Three" which I believe will make a difference to the way we all use computers for everyday computing. 


Here it goes .......


Most of us use computers (Desk tops or laptops or netbooks) everyday for getting our work done. 


But, unfortunately over a period of time with continuous use, our so called superfast  computer becomes slow and does not respond to our commands instantly as we expect it to. 


After, having experienced the above issues for a long time and followed by some trial and error troubleshooting methods, I have complied a list of three essential maintenance tasks/steps  which could be carried out by anyone who would know how to use computers at an elementary level. The best part is it should not take more than 30 minutes to complete  the following list of tasks.


1st STEP:


Download the following software from www.filehippo.com


1. CCleaner(3.42MB) - http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/ 


2. Defraggler(3.36MB) - http://www.filehippo.com/download_defraggler/ 


3. Speccy(4.22MB) - http://www.filehippo.com/download_speccy/ 


2nd STEP


After having downloaded and installed the above three free software(Freeware), install all the three software one after the other.


3RD STEP: Run the above software


1. CCleaner - CCleaner or Crap Cleaner does the following:

a. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. 

b. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. 

c. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. 

d. Cleans the following:

• Popular Internet Browsers 
• Recent Documents,  Recycle Bin , Temporary files and Log files.
• Cleans and Rectifies the Registry 
• Unnecessary Third party software already installed on your PC

TIP - RUN THE ABOVE SOFTWARE ONCE A WEEK.

2. Defraggler - Amazing Disk fragmentation tool which really speeds up your computer remarkably.

Just use this tool and see your computer work effortlessly.

3. Speccy - This software seems like it is meant to be used by administrators. 

But, even novice can benefit from the use of this software. This software gives the computer user essential performance data of the working of your machine. With this data, one can easily know whether the computer performance is upto the mark or not.  

Whats more, it also tell the user if it is possible to install more memory for enhanced performance.

Signing off now ... Do let me know about the difference you all experienced after having used the above software. My email id is sbokde@gmail.com  

My 3G Experience on my Blackberry Phone

My 3G Experience and the future of 3G

I have been waiting for 3G Services  since a very long time and it was about 2 years ago, MTNL(Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) announced the commencement.


The handset I had owned during that period thankfully was a 3G ready one and fortunately enough I also happen to have a MTNL GSM SIM card. 


The MTNL 3G services initially only covered certain selected areas of Mumbai. Covering Navi Mumbai was a far cry. So, I had to wait for the D-Day. Meanwhile, whenever I had opportunity to travel to Mumbai for a day, I quickly grabbed the opportunity to make the most of 3G coverage and browse the mobile internet at blistering speeds.     

A year later, even Navi Mumbai also was privileged to have MTNL 3G coverage and again in selected areas. 


It is now that even Navi Mumbai has complete 3G coverage. 


Meanwhile, Big GSM private players such as Vodafone, Airtel also commenced with their 3G operations covering entire Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. 

1. 
   
   1.       Activation & Deactivation of 3G Services - Depending on the operator, and the class of service(Postpaid or Prepaid) one could activate 3G on their 3G enabled handset and you are ready to go.
   
   For your convenience, these are the links to the popular GSM networks 3G services page.
   
   a. MTNL- 3G Jadoo -http://www.mtnlmumbai.in/index.php/mobile/3g-services
   b. Vodafone, Mumbai - http://www.vodafone.in/3gworld/pages/3g_serivces.aspx?slide=1&cid=mum
   c. Airtel, Mumbai -http://www.airtel.in/wps/wcm/connect/airtel3g/Airtel3G/3G-Services/
   
   2.       Mobile Applications which run on a 3G backend
   3.       Blackberry Services on 3G - Your Blackberry mails download much faster and also the heavy attachments open much faster to give you a comfortable experience. No more struggling opening a heavy attachment which your friend had sent you.  
   4.       Types of 3G - Little did I realise that 3G speeds are same across various handsets, but after a little for research I realised that depending on the model of your handset, your 3G experience would vary. The HSPA(Fast 3G) handsets come with a variety of speed options from 3.6 Mbps to 21 Mbps. The more popular ones are those handsets with 7.2 Mbps.  
   5.       Cost of 3G Service - As always, any new technology or service when it is new comes with an expensive price tag and in this case it is the same. But, the GSM operators have been kind enough to let experience the discerning customers for as low as Rs.10/- for a 10MB pack. The cost varies depending on the volume of the 3G data pack and validity.
   
   
   6.       3G coverage– A Reality Check
   
   
   a.       Inhouse mobile signal boosters are not 3G enabled. - GSM Operators have been also installing mobile signal boosters to enhance coverage in the entire building. The 2G coverage is great but they somehow forget to enable these boosters with 3G bandwidth. In this case a 3G consumer would not be able to avail of 3G services and be deprived of 3G experience.
      
   b.      Certain areas yet to be 3G enabled : Many areas still as on date are not covered with 3G signals or not stabilized 3G signals. The 3G network keeps appearing and disappearing.
   
   
   7.       TV on Mobile –  One of the best features of having 3G services is Live TV. Now, with a 3G handset and Live TV connection, its possible to view a variety of channels at a click of few buttons, where ever their is 3G connectivity. This service only costs Rs.7/- a day for over 50 channels. A small Live TV application needs to be downloaded and you are already on your way to experience Live TV.  
         On Vodafone TV - To activate just sms "TV" to 111. Download the Live tv app by clicking the download app link received via sms.
   

   
   

   
   

   

   
   
        
   
   
   8.   Tethering on 3G – Its now possible to enjoy high speed browsing on your laptop/desktop by simply connecting your handset to your PC via usb data cable/bluetooth. Whats more if your smart phone allows hot spot creation its possible for your friends also to enjoy 3G high speed browsing on their respective connected PC/laptops.
   

   

   
   
   
   9.   USB 3G Dongles - The 3G USB dongle just costs under Rs.1000/- and its now possible to enjoy 3G broadband speeds upto 21 Mbps(Depends on the hardware) on the go.
   

   

   
   
   10.   GSM(3G) Vs CDMA Broadband -  CDMA Broadband is only limited to a maximum speed of 3.1 Mbps where as HSPA 3G starts with a speed of 3.6 Mbps and has downloading capabilities upto 21 Mbps. The GSM 3G is a clear winner in terms of speed.
   
   
   11.   The Future of 3G ( What I Foresee) - Current, 3G data packs are expensive and because of the broad bandwidth the data gets exhausted in no time. Very soon  data packs would be made available at the same price point and also I see unlimited packs featuring soon the the 3G services menu. Other Internet connectivity options will see a lot of competition in this front and the consumer is going to be immensely benefited.
   
   Enjoy the 3G Experience. Please feel free to call me on +91-9004222919 or mail me on sbokde@gmail.com for any further queries. 
   
   

Cloud Computing-The Buzz word

The Background


When I had invited the late Mr. Meherman Kelkar to as a guest speaker for our students during which he had mentioned this concept of “CLOUD COMPUTING” to me. This was in the year 2008. He also made a statement about the fact that “CLOUD COMPUTING” is the future. I was quite excited about this new concept and decided to find out more information about this unique concept. Imagining a life without the stress of maintaining servers and have somebody else to maintain it on your behalf sounded too good.


The AIH Mailing solution: When, I was told to explore a mailing solution for the newly setup AIH in April 2007, as I was browsing through the various possibilities and cost implications, I came across Google apps for education website which spoke about an email solution.





After some research, I decided to register the AIH domain for Google apps mailing solution and now it’s been close to 5 years, the Google apps mailing solution has been working without any glitches.


As, we are an education institute and have an edu.in domain extension, we had the entire mailing solution coming to us Free of cost. On this mailing system, we maintain about close to 300 email id’s and each one enjoying a inbox space of about 25 GB each.


This was my first experience with the Cloud Computing concept. Lets now get down to the basics of Cloud Computing to understand it better.




The Concept: Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility(like the electricity grid) over a network (typically the Internet).





The Types of Cloud Computing:
Cloud Computing can be classified into 4 types on the basis of location where the cloud is hosted:


 Public Cloud: Computing infrastructure is hosted at the vendor’s premises. The customer has no visibility over the location of the cloud computing infrastructure. The computing infrastructure is shared between organizations.


 Private Cloud: Computing architecture is dedicated to the customer and is not shared with other organisations. They are expensive and are considered more secure than Public Clouds. Private clouds may be externally hosted ones as well as in premise hosted clouds.
 Hybrid Cloud: Organisations host some critical, secure applications in private clouds. The not so critical applications are hosted in the public cloud. The combination is known as Hybrid Cloud. Cloud bursting is the term used to define a system where the organisation uses its own infrastructure for normal usage, but cloud is used for peak loads.


 Community Cloud: The cloud infrastructure is shared between the organizations of the same community. For example, all the government agencies in a city can share the same cloud but not the non government agencies.


 Infrastructure as a Service(IAAS): Hardware related services are provided using the principles of Cloud Computing. These include disk storage and virtual servers. Amazon EC2, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloud Servers are some of the leading vendors.


Platform as a service(PAAS): Development platforms are provided on the cloud. The platforms may not be compatible with each other. Wikipedia puts it appropriately as ‘Platform as a service’ (PaaS) the delivery of a computing platform and solution stack as a service.PaaS offerings facilitate deployment of applications without the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software and provisioning hosting capabilities, providing all of the facilities required to support the complete life cycle of building and delivering web applications and services entirely available from the Internet. PaaS offerings may include facilities for application design, application development, testing, deployment and hosting as well as application services such as team collaboration, web service integration and marshalling, database integration, security, scalability, storage, persistence, state management, application versioning, application instrumentation and developer community facilitation. These services may be provisioned as an integrated solution over the web.


Google App Engine, Microsoft Azure and Saleforce’s force.com are the leaders in this category.


 Software as a service (SAAS): This is the most common form of cloud computing which we see in action. It is a complete software offering on the cloud. They are accessed by the customers on pay per use basis. Saleforce.com’s CRM, Google apps etc are the prime example of such a service. Salesforce.com’s CRM, Gmail and Hotmail are prime examples of SAAS.


The Applications:
Leveraging on the Growth of Internet Bandwidth: Internationally, over the years, the Internet bandwidth prices has been dropping resulting the low cost of Internet bandwidth been made available to the consumers/institutions. The concept of Cloud computing will only work well if the end user enjoys a uninterrupted Broadband Internet connectivity.


The Reduced Cost Implication and improved Bottom lines: In case of change of a corporate email system, the cost savings would be in a tune of millions of rupees.


For Eg: On a conventional email system would cost Rs.6000/- per email id per year.For 300 email id's it would be Rs.18,00,000/- per year.


A shift to a Google app cloud would cost less than Rs.2000/- per mail id per year. For 300 email id's the cost would be less than Rs.6,00,000/- per year. Thats a huge saving. Isn't it?


My Next Blog would be an extension to Cloud computing concept on " Anywhere Front Desk". Do keep reading !