On switching to a smartphone

Until a week ago, I was using a normal-to-me "dabba" phone - Nokia X2-01. Then on my father's insistence I got myself a "Smartphone", apparently the one which is normal for everyone else! So here it is, how a smartphone is attempting to change my life..

(I was wondering on the format on how I should have written this post, but I'll just go with this: The good versus The Bad followed by non-categorized thoughts, I am still wondering which folder to put it into.)

<!-- The Goody Folder-->

1. Music Square
   The default music player on my phone has this feature called as the Music Square. With 4 different parameters to describe your mood - exciting, passionate, joyful and calm; I can decide the kind of songs I want to listen to by a swiping a graph. Cool, isn't it?
2. Smart Alarm
   In the dabba phone, when I would set up an alarm, I would be awakened by the buzzing sound of the tone all of a sudden and ruin my sleep no matter how soothing a tone I keep. Here on the other hand, when I turn on the smart alarm feature I wake up less startled. Let's say I set the alarm tone as "Walk in the forest alarm" at 8:30 a.m. The smart alarm begins playing a "Fountain" tone 3 minutes just before 8:30 i.e. 8:27 onwards, a faint sound of fountain starts playing. Somewhere my sleep patterns get a hint of what's coming. And then at 8:30 when the alarm rings, I wake up fresh!
3. Calendar
   Of course the dabba had a caledar too! In fact it very well reminded me of my Speakers Club timings, birthdays etc. However here the to-do-list is an excellent feature. I sort my to-do priority wise and keep them updated on the home screen. I always know what to do next! The interface - much much better!
4. Email Connectivity
   Earlier, I could check my mail twice a day. Of course I am still not in the stage where I receive urgent and important emails but no sooner could that begin. Staying up-to-date with email is fetching it Brownie points. Not only can I reply spontaneously but also keep a check on latest updates.
5. Apps on the Go
   Applications like let's say for instance dictionary have made life easier. I very well missed such an application in the dabba. Games like Logo Quiz, apps like GRE study, Sorting techniques, PDF Reader where I can read an Ebook is far better than forcefully listening to the neighboring lady crib about her husband's routine in the train journey!
6. Health Care
   No, I am not talking of the "Count Calories" kind of applications, what I mean here is the health care by my phone when I increase the music volume. When I am plugged into earphones and increase the volume to 50%, a toast flashes "To lower the risk of damaging your ears, do not listen to music for a long time on higher volumes." Initially the first day when I came across this, I laughed. But only 5 minutes I realized I needed to reduce the volume. Ever since the toast makes me conscious.
7. Screen Size
   The display screen is twice the size and I love watching videos here! Awesome. Finally I admit , size does matter :P
8. Camera
   5 Megapixels, I thought I was gifted a new camera itself! Then there again, Dude anything looks better than having a VGA earlier! :D I love taking snaps from this phone.
9. Contact Integration
   Joining a contact with gmail/facebook/contact numbers is quite a requisite feature. And the best part being, it automatically puts up a profile picture for each contact through either of these means; visual appeal rocks it. Sync is all thumbs up!
10. Newspaper
    With engineering shcedule timings being too long and hectic, I would generally find no time to read an article from the newspaper that I might look forward to. Applications keeping me up to-date with news are a major reason why I liked switching to a smartphone now!

<!-- The Baddy Folder-->

1. Games Addiction
   A few games have managed to pull me towards them like a magnet, the favorite one being Ruzzle. A word game, testing my competitve spirit and my flare with words, I go zesty whenever I play the game. The constant competition of who plays better is constant in my group!
   I hate getting addicted to games. They eat up plenty of my time without even making me realize what nonsense I am up to. And today if not one, next day the other, Endless games so as to endless timepass :|
2. "Nothing is anything without me" - As quoted by Mr.Internet
   Android Market has a huge "bhandaar" of applications. With over 4 Lakh applications getting installed in mobile phones all over the world, the potential is HUGE! But-however-uh oh, we have a problem. Most of the applications work if and only if we have an internet connection. Now come on! Google goggles, searches a huge database, needs internet; zomato, restaurants price cards, from the internet; Justdial again the same. Quite a few many utility apps are over the internet. Agreed that they cannot be made online but then internet connectivity reduces the scope of its usage.
3. Fancy Apps
   Certain applications, amazingly useful in my daily routine. However some I fail to understand the use for common people, students like me. For instance let us consider a Barcode/QRcode Scanner. I was initially so fascinated by the app. Tried out with shampoo bottles, chocolate wrappers, the computer department t-shirt, my college ID card, etc. After a certain limit, I was wondering what more can be done? No answer! Uninstall. Such apps great work but sadly no use to me really. I won't call it a disadvantage but it is not an advantage either.
4. Handle with care
   treat it "like a lady" delicately! :\ Keep her dressed all the time
   Earlier my dabba was treated as a rough and tough piece, I would fling it from one corner to other corner of room without any worries. It would fall off great hieghts and sustain all injuries :P
   Ever since this delicate little model has been handed over, I have trouble treating it with care! My friends say treat her like a lady, with love and care :D
   Worst of all, unlike the dabba, this needs to be kept wrapped in a cover all the time. Seems the Lady looks better with her clothes!
5. Typos
   Typinh errprs are crszy! Half thr tine I am busy correvting spellongs from the prebious senrence or keep pressibg "backspace" to avoud embarrassment. If by flule I get a spellong rifht, I wonder how did it actyally go rifht! Tge keys are tpp amall amd the wtong keys get pressed at qrong tomes.
   Tried the swipe festure, even tgat dodnot help :(
6. Hang-err-force close-crashed
   A small poor little processor overloaded with more than what it can really handle, I pity the phone at times. Occasionally do I have to come across  an error message and wait for another 5 minutes waiting for it to settle down. Pain!
   PS: The above text may indicate I definitely go through the phone manual!
7. Beep beep - Battery Low
   One of the major issues of using a smartphone is keeping up with battery drainage. Certain times there are certain applications which eat up the entire battery I would feed from home. And worst being, the percentage battery remaining keeps reminding when it's gonna go hungry again. Earlier, I would charge the phone once in two days. And now, its twice in one day!

<!-- Yet to be decided -->

1. Social Connectivity
   Exactly! You might have been waiting for this to spring up somewhere in the advantages, but ah oh, it did not make it there! Why has she not mentioned Whatsapp, facebook, etc yet!? She was missing this on her phone previously! Then why is lying here, like an unanswered question with no tag/label to go with?
   Agreed that I am better connected socially now than I was before perhaps but there is a flaw in what seems "awesome". Why, why do I need 24x7 connectivity on facebook? Why does any notification be seen that moment itself? Its not important (Of course, its facebook, how can it be remotely significant?), it can wait. Whatsapp, gtalk, if a conversation is thaaat important, why don't you send in a text message? Or if it is thaaat urgent, why don't you call me? What I am trying to prove here is that every-second social connectivity as buzzing as it sounds, is not really important. Hence just getting whatsapp or messenger does not simply imply I am doing something great, in fact I am simply wasting a lot of time :\

Perhaps I haven't really spent enough time with the phone to let it sink in my daily life but I can definitely feel the restless movements made before the earthquake it might give birth to later in my life!

Maybe evetually as I discover more I might change many views, but one is sure for now, 

I MISS MY OLD PHONE!

Marketing - A budding future!

This goes back to those times when I used to buy a pack of Cheetos just for the "free" tazos! And I am pretty sure quite many of us did the same as kids. Or maybe buy a bubble gum for a free tattoo which despite the pathetic designs, you'd vigorously rub on the back of the palm to ensure it lasts long. Then 2-3 days later it would turn all black and shabby. Whatever it be, free gifts have been a major reason we have bought many products from the market.

Women are known as shopaholics, buying stuff they remotely wouldn't need in the future. Yet they do! Even I do. Why? Because we fall prey to the "free" or "discount" or "sale" - the words which catch a glimpse and make us go on second thoughts. "I think I should buy it. I won't get such an offer later." That greed of an excellent bargain gives a huge temporary importance to something small.

I would often assume I was not one of those dumb girls buying anything and everything! But as I came across marketing techniques, I realized, I was already behaving like a padhi-likhi gawar! And adding to my fantasy is my mum, equally pushy towards buying new items. All in all, the word "free" is like a vada pav of the roadside stall. It looks like the tastiest thing in the world despite it's flaws.

Getting back to "free". Let's take the simple example of the Cheetos pack. On the detailed level, manufacturing that one tazo would have perhaps costed Fritolay less than 10 paise. But we as kids bought them for 10 bucks, 100 times the cost of the original. Let's say I ask my mum to buy me a pack of tazos, 10 tazos for 5 rupees, it'd still be cheaper! But no! We want the "joy" of adding each to the collection. Phew! Stupidity, stupidity, stupidity.

Effectively, the free item gets overvalued! And its essential purpose gets lost midway.

How brilliant a marketing technique for the PR persons. Considering recent publicity stints, even newspapers have not been spared of the advertising concept. Generally a paper can at max have a featured advertisement of a particular product. A shampoo sachet stuck along with the front page of the newspaper -  I never thought of advertising it that way! Innovation - when Volkswagen had a sensor attached to the paper, when you open the paper, you'd hear a car zoom in full speed and the newspaper would vibrate. Realistic feeling everywhere.

Taglines. Another strategy to keep the word of mouth alive. Let me share this experience with you. As a standard 10th student, a guest lecturer from the advertising field was invited to share her experience of the vastness and the scope of a career in advertising. She mentions the word "Thanda". We, the zesty crowd reply, "matlab Coca-cola". Her next question, ever wondered why did it become so famous? Amused, we couldn't answer. She mentions, in village areas of India, a soft drink is referred to as thanda. Agreed, we all knew this. But when in a village you demand a thanda, what the shop keeper gives you is a local branded soft drink. The tagline "thanda matlab Coca-cola" ensured that when thanda was demanded, Coca-cola was handed. Smartness, sheer smartness I'd say!

Perhaps that's what publicizing and advertising is all about. You need to know how to sell. Not only sell products but sell yourself. Don't take it in a literal way ;) but unless you cleverly highlight your resume, you can never be sure of being a hit with the interviewing panel.

Then there are always those fake "meet this celebrity" contests which want you to keep messaging them all day. Not to mention the heavy phone bill you pay later. No gain, only pain! But these techniques are getting older and new ones are replacing them soon. Say for instance, visit-our-website has become like-our-facebook-page or download-our-android-app.

And then once we are completely surrounded by these nagging advertisements, we have the "Try us! No advertisements" set of services. Whatsapp for example, a hit completely because it has no ads guaranteed whatsoever. Ad-blocks for Google Chrome, DoNotDisturb services for mobile operators, etc etc.

The potential of one word Marketing has become so huge that it is a full time business grossing high profits in any case. Whether there is a Global Crisis or an inflation, new products will keep coming and companies will keep paying a part of their profits to marketing organizations.

Google Goggles and Glasses are different!

Very recently Google announced two interesting products, both of which caught my eye and are real interesting things they could’ve come up with. One being Google Goggles and the other is Project Glass, the two are often confused with each other. Hence the blog post to those who get confused very easily, please don't mess with this!

Google Glasses or Project Glass, is a research and Development undergoing to develop a Head mounted Display which works like a smart phone. Yes you heard it right, the movie head gears got real and useful! They would look like normal spectacles available with a hands-free which will connect via the internet and recognize languages. It’s like you will be wearing your phones soon, connected to the world at all times. The concept is yet to be implemented and put into action. And if what has been promised is given, it’ll be a giant step in the tech world.

Google Goggles is a kind of a recognition app which enables you to “search” by image. Google had this facility for computer browsers earlier and was a total hit. You simply could drag you image in the search box and similar images would be available at the go. Correspondingly, the search result could be found. An excellent way to search. For the mobile version of the same, Google Goggles was introduced. It is an app that is available for free on android as well as iOS running devices. Using this app, you can scan text and get it translated in your own language, a boon I must say to people who travel a lot. It also recognizes landmarks, from which you can always know where a picture was taken. I tried my photograph from Matheran and it worked.  We can also scan for books and contact numbers, Google Goggles will give you the complete info about the book and the person/place. They have also included artwork recognition. Patented artworks when scanned, you get to know the artist and the story behind the painting. Next time you go to Le Louvre, you wouldn’t need a guide for sure! And last but not the last, is its ability to recognize labels and logos. From wines to cosmetics, you can always know what is the quality of the brand you’re about to buy. So what are you waiting for? Download the app and go finish your Logo Quiz! :P

Jo hota hain ache ke liye

This goes back to the times when Mughals ruled the holy land of India. Akbar was withering in pain when Birbal arrived at the scene. "What happened, Your Majesty?" he asked. Akbar informed him that an unfortunate accident diced his finger off. The other Ministers, unlike Birbal were still praising the king for his greatness and buttering him while Birbal said "Jo hota hai ache ke liye hota hai" (whatever happens, happens for the good.) Offended by these nowhere consoling words of Birbal, Akbar fired him in no time. This time Birbal thought "Jo hota hai ache ke liye hota hai. I can take a break from work for a few days and take my lovely wife on a vacation" and he set-off.
In the meanwhile Akbar appointed another Minister to take Birbal's place. As usual, Akbar went deer-hunting with his clad one fine morning. Akbar and his new found minister chased a beautiful black buck and before they could hunt him down, the deer sped away. Looking back, they realized they were separated from their army of soldiers and the two were now on themselves to find a way back home. They were trying to figure out the correct path when they were caught by a local tribe. On seeing the King, they got happy. They could sacrifice the King's body and please their deity God. Just when they were about to shred the King into pieces, they noticed his cut finger. Now a tampered body cannot be put for sacrifice. So they promptly released the king and caught the Minister instead. The Minister was killed as the sacrifice King hurried back to the palace.
On arriving his palace safely, he realized that Birbal was right in every sense. He summoned him and appointed him back.

What does this little story say? Be it the little issues here and there or a huge cluster of problems hovering around your head, always remember "Jo hota hain ache liye hota hai". You may not realize it then but later when things settle down, you'll know why it was good for you. And then you might perhaps feel thankful to God that because the problem arose, you learnt to fight it, endure it and emerge out as a winner. If that situation has not arrived yet, wait, it's not the end then. :)

By the way, if you thought the above Birbal story was over, one question still remained unanswered, "How was the dismissal beneficial to Birbal in any way?" To which Birbal promptly replied with a smile, "If I were not fired, I would have been in the Minister's place and got killed today." Impressed, Akbar rewarded him handsomely.

Take a moment to remember your toughest time and another moment to figure out why it was good. I'm absolutely sure, you'll realize "Jo hota hai, ache ke liye hota hai."

Mythologies, why not?

Mythology. Like seriously? How can I even try to discuss such a debatable topic in one blog! But I'll stick to what I aim to convey, why I believe we should believe in mythologies that have retold since ages!

I strongly believe there is a real life scenario behind the mythological stories that have evolved. It is just that our natural human tendencies have exaggerated them to another level.
Or it might have been that they were little pieces of experiences which were later compiled into one in the form of a narrative story.
It was us, who painted a picture of how they might have looked, we perhaps got so inspired that we started praying them. Meanwhile did not realise that they were men of ordinary powers but wise thoughts followed by the correct deeds and we literally idolized them to statues!?

For all my "scientifically advanced" readers, we laugh at Ravan capturing Sita in a Pushapaka Vimaan. But in reality we did manage to materialize the concept of aeroplanes. So what is different? Why look at it as if it is so Barbarian? Similarly the Brahmastra, it sounds like an impossible weapon to the modern thinkers. But what is nuclear weapon then? Both are described as weapons of infinite power, that can destroy every evidence that world ever existed in a matter of seconds.

Wars happen in real life too, then the Mahabharata was no exception. In fact it might have so happened that the war literally destroyed the human race then and later the civilization started from scratch again. Now you'd say I'm spinning a yarn. But then in my defense, it's like the Ice Age story. You never know if it's true! *smacking lips

Let's look at them this way: Why don't we treat our epics as an excellent portrayal of the daily life problems we might face and a guidance, a path to follow when life may not be sweet. They are the solutions of the greatest hurdles that hinder one's way to success and differentiate between the right and the wrong.

Our mythologies have also been an incredible source of inspiration to one and all. "Jeet hamesha sach ki", the truth always triumphs is the core message underlying, and keep the little flame of hope alive even in the darkest storms.

I love reading the Panchatantra and take lessons from the little stories they say. Similarly, the mythologies may be treated as a story giving morals to the world. So that history does not repeat itself.

I may not really be a firm believer in God, and nowhere be close to worshiping idols, but deep down, I know I believe mythologies are true accounts and they were recorded for our benefit. Lets make the most out of their values instead of just fighting over religious issues or claiming God!

Dreaming about dreams

We often talk about the existence of a parallel universe in the fourth dimension where we occupy the same time but two different spaces. Dreams, however teleport us to a different world altogether literally without getting bothered about space and time.

This world where we are the Masters of our own destiny in the rightest sense because things shape up the way we want them to. We meet people who left us and build imaginary conversations which might be difficult to materialize in the real world. We face our fears and we either come up with possible reactions to particular situations or get scared and try our level best to avoid such encounters. Sad dreams tend to make us proactive while the inspirational ones buckle up our enthusiasm for the day that follows. Some dreams are just so random - a small incident we did not pay attention to during the day sets our brains racing.

Dreams have fascinated me since I was a kid. I am an avid dreamer. But there are several things about dreams that intrigue me..

------Surprise-----

Here I am in my imaginary world where the stage is set, the story has built up, graphics are mind blowing and the movie begins. I am in my room with my siblings in the middle of a dispute and I am red with anger. Suddenly the phone rings. I decide to spit my anger away and reach towards the phone to see who it is. But just before I read the flash, my sister is calling out my name and continuously poking me in an irritating fashion. Turns out that I slightly open one eye and barely see her anxiously handing over my phone to me as it rang. Surprising!
The story in the dream and all okay but why, why did my sister, the same ringtone of my phone, it ringing at the same time occur in real?

-----Surprise Surprise-----

In fact many times as I ponder over something when in solitude, I realize I have been in a similar situation with the same people before. That's when it dawns upon me, I had dreamt of this same exact thing the other night!
Can I predict my future in my dream? Do they indicate me what's coming?

-----Surprise Surprise Surprise----

And there these instances when after a sound sleep I wake up to tell mother how hilarious a dream I saw was - what I was wearing, what was I doing and so on. But then there are an equal number of times I wake up with a start, think of the dream for a fraction of the second in my conscious mind. Th every next moment, someone just hit the Shift + Delete button. Oh my God! I can't remember a thing about what it was!
Do you remember your dreams?

See? Dreams have left me unanswered to so many questions. They are mesmerizing things that occur to us and I love living them. Although not much is clear about it now, someday I'd actually like to know the science behind this unique phenomenon.

Being non-photogenic

What makes me evny, err no it’s the wrong question. What makes me jealous? Bwahaha, got it right now!

Yeah, so what is it? Photogenic people! I often wonder when God made faces, he made some cute pretty one’s, some cranky one’s, some that you can’t help staring at and some that you feel punching right through across. Yet. Why at the first place despite so many variations, did he have to create another set – the photogenic and the non-photogenic?

Honestly, I wouldn't even think of it as a discrimination against the ones who aren't if I were not to be one!

So while the rest of the world is busy going click click, I wait back to check if the nose does not look very puffy, if the eyes don’t scare the shit out of a baby, the smile isn’t too broad or the forehead doesn’t look wide. Eh, enough! I don’t wanna take a picture of myself, I better stay away from the shutter bugs!

Phew as a result, my album scopes are limited; if I visit new places I scan my pictures throughout and then selectively upload one or two maybe. When people ask for a spontaneous snap, I’ll try to refrain by making an excuse or just say, “Ah my photos aren’t that good.” If I manage to skip away with that well I am lucky apparently else I am in a Sympathy dilemma. By which I mean, the person will be like, “Oh cumm’on, you are not that bad. Blah blah blah..” after which a snap is guaranteed.

(If you’re still reading this, you are not so photogenic just like me or you are of those who like mocking me)

The end result needless to say feeling bad about not being able to give a good picture, something which is absolutely not in my hand!

So what do we do? We settle down with some very few memorable photos in which we look good and preserve them forever. Our Profile Pictures change seldom and all our tagged photos are creepy. Perhaps looking at the brighter side, we are the ones who show off less, and eventually get least bothered by how we look not only in the photographs but in real life! Less to worry about and more time and energy on having a gala time rather.  :D

Cheers!

Meanwhile, you might want to take a look at this hilarious video describing our situation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VmC8amHU9Xo