Tablets, et al.

I’m in the market for a tablet. To be totally honest, I’ve been in the market since the iPad launched a few years ago. There’s no dearth of choice. The iPad is as good a tab as money can buy. But it’s too much money to buy one. The Samsung Tab is great, but it’s still too much money. The Samsung Note is another super option. Again, too much money. So I took myself out of the market. Until recently, I came across the low-end options from Micromax and Karbonn.

I’ll be honest (again) and accept that I’ve often looked down upon brands like Mircomax and Karbonn. To me, they seemed to be in the market to make a quick buck with cheap products. Their mobile phone offerings are basic and appeal to the basic user. Much like Nokia’s portfolio over the past few years. Which was why I gave up Nokia. But the Micromax Funbook changed all that. Just an hour with it recently and I couldn’t believe I was actually considering one. At Rs 6.500 or so, it’s a steal. Then I discovered the Karbonn SmartTab 1. An even better option (on paper so far since I haven’t actually tried one) for the same money.

Soon enough, I started considering brands like Wespro and a bunch of others I’d written off previously. The beauty of all these tabs is that the hardware is mostly Chinese or Taiwanese with Android (Ice-cream Sandwich in most) and access to Google Play (Marketplace). Most cannot run a 3G SIM card but can handle a dongle solving that problem. They have 1GB to 8GB of internal memory, but can manage a 32GB memory card. Their screens are not great, but above average for sure and get the job done.

So who are these for? Someone who wants a light, unfancy, practical device that lets them browse, read, listen to music and carry some entertainment when on-the-go. The logic I apply is at Rs 6,500, these are great devices if they do their job for even a year. Heck, we’ll spend more than that on a few dinners through the year!

Karbonn or Micromax or Kindle Fire? That’s the only question left.

How to save the economy?

Which is the best way to ensure prosperity? Work from the ground up or push money down from the top?

This mindblowing video shares some insights into two thought processes by economists and their ideologies.

A must-watch.

Via India Uncut.

Twitter Updates for 2009-09-24

• RT @f1_fans: Rosberg "I won the race coz the team who finshd 1st cheated. If we had protested I couldve won the race last year. Too late nw" #
• @sahilk Good stuff man. Congrats! in reply to sahilk #
• @aparanjape Today's report said metros and A cities… surely Pune is at least an A-city! in reply to aparanjape #
• And she's two today. #
• Interesting. That's one angry/mischevious looking car! http://bit.ly/1kUCPJ #ford #figo #
• @chetan_bhagat Yes, I'm convinced the purpose of diet food is to bore you of eating. That's one way of giving it up! in reply to chetan_bhagat #

Blogspot Blackout (say that quick!)

On the backdrop of the Mumbai blasts a week ago, the Indian Govt. has decided to blackout blogspot hosted blogs. Good thing I moved to WP! But more seriously, this is insane. If they could not track it before and block the abuse, how will having some IPs (which would mostly be dynamic) tracked and all help?

Well, that’s the way Indian bureaucracy and politicia (like militia!) works. Reactive rather than proactive.

More details about the blackout at The Great Indian Mutiny.

Technorati : ban, blackout, censorship, india, terrorism

Bloggers at it again

Paeans to the blogger again. Very nice! Unfortunately the reason for the panes (the blasts, that is) was nothing to be proud of. I don’t even want to start with this…

Technorati : blogging, india, kudos, mumbai, mumbai blasts, paens

100% smarter, you know

Niranjan Shah has announced a ground-breaking agreement with Canali for travelling clothes for India’s players. This would make them look 100% smarter when they travel, he says. And the cost? A measly Rs 70,000+ per suit.

‘Yes, Canali has offered to provide regular travelling clothes for the players,’ Shah told IANS.
‘They make world class clothing, and their suits cost anything up to
Rs. 70,000. Our cricketers would look 100 percent more smart in Canali
suits,’ he said.

Wonder if the grade of contract matters when the suits are ordered!

Full Story.

Technorati Tags: india, cricket, canali, suits, smart

News Whores

Why do these News Channels have to go into buses etc and ask commuters (who are already harrowed enough, mind you) whether they are scared (NDTV is doing that), how they are feeling (CNN-IBN) and if “you think the spirit of Mumbai will prevail”? (All the damn channels). Why not just let them get on or at least ask something substantial?

The worst of the lot was (I think) NDTV who even managed to put up a “presented by” image on the coverage. Is that sick or what? That’s what you call whoring the situation.

How much for the spot on the dead body, please?

Bastards.

———————————-

I would also like to ask (again) how much Mumbai is going to tolerate… netas and babus will come, promise, tsk tsk and all will be back to normal. And some time later, all shall be forgotten. Unfortunately, some time later, all shall be repeated again too. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year, maybe 10 years from now… but unless Mumbai stands up and demands its rights, things will not change. Isn’t it time we also, like the US, attacked our attackers? Why are our people’s rights and country’s dignity any less that theirs? So who is the suspect?

Technorati : bad reporting, blasts, channels, india, mumbai, news, terror, tv

Updates: Mumbai Blasts (12:46 am)

At the moment (12:49 am): Traffic at St Michaels Church junction (Mahim) cleared. It has been diverted away from the Mahim area… more as available

Photo: Hindustan Times

• Citizen Journalism (Yahoo! & CNN-IBN)
• Mumbai blasts since December 2002 (Times of India.com)
• 258 extra buses to help Mumbaikars (Rediff.com)
• Pakistan condemns ‘despicable act’ (Yahoo! News)
• Bombings a coordinated attack (Yahoo! News)
• Terror on the track (Developing Story) (CNN.com)
• Serial Blasts: 146 killed (NDTV.com)
• New York beefs up security (Yahoo! News)
• River of blood at Mahim (Rediff.com)

Blogs to follow: India Uncut | Vantage Point | Mumbai Help |
Sites to follow: Yahoo! | Yahoo! India | The Times of India | NDTV | Rediff | Hindustan Times | CNN-IBN |

Technorati : blasts, bombs, india, mumbai, terror

Blasts in Mumbai

Seven (although some claim nine) bombs have exploded across the city of Mumbai bringing the lifeline of city-the trains- to a standstill.

Coverage across the net:
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! India News: Slideshow
India Uncut: Bomb blasts in Mumbai’s railway stations
Desicritics: The inside story
Rediff

And all news channels!

Saas-bahu aur Tupperware

Weekends are fun. Weekends are time to be spent with family. If you are married, there are also the in-laws. So what better way than to include the entire family and have a nice weekend, eh? Right. But what if it involves a roomful of screaming, clapping and generally delirious-seeming women of all ages?

Continue reading »