Category: Technology

FM Channels, Social Messages

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“ Busy work life, then at home number of TV Channels and computers. Radio might be left in lives of students or old age people only.”

Few years back one might have thought so, but a number of FM Channels seems to have changed the scenario completely. The first ever private FM Channel was Radio City 91.3, which was launched pretty long back on July 3rd 2001 in Bangalore and now there are a total of 278 official private FM Channels and 171 FM transmitters of AIR Stations. A more good list could be seen at wiki here. Rise of BPOs and Cabs really have given a big push for Radio industry in a way that it came out of circle of students only things.

But I am not here for discussing about all the FM Channels, there are many. I remember the time, when I was hearing many of them including Radio City, Fever 104, Radio Mirchi and last introduction to me was Meow FM 104.8, once I started going to office by bike, the link was broken between me and Radio from long. Recently, I caught with the same chain and this time the channel in attention was Red FM. More than the punch line (that really works) “Ye Aaj Ke Jamane Ka Radio Station Hai Apke Baap Ke Jamane Ka Nahi”, fresh songs, naughty RJ’s pranks and ideas, the thing, which took my interest in it was many campaigns running over it in simple yet effective manners.

Although later I learnt that these campaigns are not of their own, but from respective agencies. A little search over by various terms and I reached to few interesting ones,

Save Fuel Yani Save Money from PCRA (follow the link, interesting radio ads to listen),
Planet Ke Rakhwale from Nokia (I seen paper ads as well in Nokia Care),
Save Paper from Idea (Its really impressive one and we have seen many such from Idea only. Good Work!!!),
Save Tigers from Aircel (Don’t know its only Aircel’s innovation or some more organizations are involved, but the campaign is really spreading well),
Fundamental Rights,
Raqtdan from NACO (The most effective promotion for Blood Donation till date),
DLF IPL – Bhai Ki Shadi (Funny and Interesting. Last two seasons didn’t seen such innovations),
Think positive from Social Awareness (Really social organizations are pressing hard and effectively to make HIV positive people acceptable within society),
Sikandar from National AIDS Control Organization (Such bold campaigns can exist in now days youth india only)
Way to India Gate, Papa, Chalan Kat Jayega from Delhi Traffic Police
Voice Karo Choice Karo from Radio City
Wrong Rights – Aditi, Wrong Rights – Pappu from Radio Mirchi
Bachcha Bachcha from KC Mahindra Education Trust (Making a point to think)
Pappu Vote Daal Le, Chalane De from Radio Mirchi
Murgi for bringing awareness about quality news
Kamla Ka Hamla – Rakhi, Kamla Ka Hamla – Amir, Kamla Ka Hamla – RGV over public figures
Prayaas – ICC, Prayaas – BRT, Prayaas – Hindi Dubbing, Prayaas – Poem in Movies, Prayaas – News in Newspaper, Prayaas – Historical Monuments from Red FM

Funny ones like Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Saif Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Bappi Lahri

While, I find of these extremely funny, I found them worthy and effective attempts of brining awareness to post RDB youth. Really youth doesn’t think the way, our elders might be thinking we are, we want to do many things, we have many nice ideas to bring the changes for betterment of the country, just we need the directions and support.

It will be a shame if we don’t respond and praise these kind of campaigns with full throat. Join me, raise your voice, send me some more such innovative Radio Campaigns you liked.

Why I came to write about FM and Social awareness?

When was coming back to home, then I seen some newly creating buildings, which were created by Mayawati Sarkaar for ‘Kusthrogis’, which were living there in ‘Jhopris’. I was really excited and surprised to see such a good thing from her side and sure was with praises even if I kind of hated her politics and her kind wastage of money over useless monuments , but anyone if does a single big of good thing, should be praised to encourage do more next time. I remembered that how last time in flood those ‘Jhopris’ were flowing in water and our so called educated people were taking visits to see how conditions are there (in place of offering any piece of help).

The above reminded me of those campaigns, I heard over Fm and thought that something good happening for sure around us.

While thinking all these, I also think about FM Transmitting capabilities of Nokia N900 and other such phones with FM Transmitter. Think you can spread your messages over FM Radios, FM Tuned Cellphones and also could make your buddies sitting in nearby cubicle tuned in with songs, you might have played on your cell (quite handy if your area not getting FM reception from outside).

World is changing and we could make it changed for better.

Nitish Kumar

Nokia N900 -Things I don’t like

Visitng home is fun all the times. Azamgarh is not so small city for Uttar Pradesh (been declared as ‘Mandal’), but still it’s disappointing to have such an absurd schedule of power cut. First one is 11.30 AM-4.30 PM and second one after 11.00 PM for whole night. really… No space for me to do anything. Adding the misery, Inverter of home also seems to asking for complete replacement of batteries. Hard time for me like Computer Maniac for sure!!!! Thanks to N900, sure helping me out a lot in this boredum.

Many days had been passed with Trial Device Nokia N900 and I am really feeling something inside, when it will leave me. It’s been a real perfect cellfone for me till now, but still there are quite a many things that still holding me from buying it. Trying to pen down a few, hoping that Maemo could improve in near future:

1. No support for Google Apps: It’s no hidden fact that I like Google’s innovative and strongly integrated apps a lot. Following the recent incidents, I really don’t want to compromise without Google Maps and Gmail’s native apps in any case.

I hear Nokia’s claims that they are already maintening two-three platforms: series 40, symbian and Maemo nad it would be hard to them to look into one more that is java.

I understand that Google already providing apps for all other platforms and it would be one thing more for them, which is complicated due to no support of Java in Maemo. May be Google holding their hands due to direct threat from Maemo, but still it’s not acceptable situation for me. I want Maemo to grow, I want Google too.

This is sure big holding for me till now about Nokia N900 and Maemo.

2. Some more improvements as a phone itself: There are still many annoying things as a phone itself, though many settled till now, but still … A way to go for sure.

Like USSD number issue!!! I really feel surprised that why Maemo developers take this issue lightly like just a bug only and that too seems to be mentioned as closed. Yes!! A USSD-widget is there for download (which is a pure debian package only) but those who might have started using the same sure think its annoying to keep a widget just for that, which is expected to be native features for a phone.

Same with MMS, we have an apps FMMS for that, but like ussd-widget, it’s also not part of official default repositories. I could understand that for a tablet kind of device that’s expected to be live most of the time should sure feel MMS something kind of outdated technology, but still what’s so hard in keeping the support on?

One more thing, which I specially liked about Nokia N900 is coversations style uniting all IM communications and SMS united at the same place…. Truely qualifying it as an advanced communication device. But somewhere I think that there should have been some optional setting or package to provide traditional ways to look over SMS only. Sometimes its hard to change the habits.

3. Improve Ovi Maps: Yes … I do like Google Maps, but still Ovi Maps were having a few advantages as I mentioned before. But now with current app with Nokia N900, honestly speaking I am not happy. Not many days left, when Google will start offering voice guided navigation and offline maps, till then you really need to improve otherwise forget it ….

Still I’ve to say that it’s a great phone in deed and the above criticism is meant to improvise the naive platform only. There are really a lot of things with it that you wont find in any other phone even in the leading ones and this really makes your life cool than just showing off. Nokia really moved a lot to lead the world again.

4. No Ovi Suit Support: Its really disappoints you about vision of Nokia, when they are ready to launch a device as capable like Nokia N900, which really could make iPhone and others run for their money, but still not accomplished the other marks, which seems obvious now. Ovi Suit and its sync getting well in mass and you launch your best set without any suit at all (Yes! it works with PC Suit, but its just compatibility, not made for it.)? I don’t find it strategically a good step. Are you really serious about Nokia N900? Are you still in hang over of your beloved Symbian? I tell you.. you are making big mistake, if not backing up this device whole heartedly. Its quite a shock!!!

My message: I really wanna to buy this phone, but please improve about these as it’s not that hard practically.

I also found a similar article from Nokia Guide few mins back, which voices the similar concern in a little better words than me, get a read here.

Sorry for not that neat article, just wrote as was getting bored in power cut.

Nitish Kumar

http:///nitishkumarsays.blogspot.com

Nokia N900 – here comes my first sketch ever from cell

Don’t laugh over the ill looking sketch, after all its my just first attempt to draw some sketch from Nokia N900’s paintbrush, otherwise I make quite good ones as per my view at least.

On womworld, I had seen someone posted many of sketches and I thought to give it a try from my side as well. currently I am in a long 1000 km journey by train, about to reach in half an hour I guess. It’s really great being with a Nokia N900, isn’t it?

Nitish Kumar

http:///scifireviews.wordpress.com

Lost my Nokia 5800 by today morning

Update: The all info has been updated and I was wrong at some points, read the updates in below part of the post.

Again felt that how helpless you might be … The same story happened as once with my Laptop. Lost my beloved Nokia 5800.

Really feeling helpless that technologies don’t work in the way you wish they should. Fault is ours that we should have been much more aware and careful. I always left Google Lattitude on over my cell sharing my location all the time, but look like that’s not sufficient as its showing only my location from some 30 days back, might be the day, when I might have pushed my location button in Google Maps on my cell. wasn’t that supposed to keep on updating my location all the time? If not so, then why does it ask every time I close Google Map that you wish to keep on sharing or not? Same with ovi maps. Useless!!!

Still just one hour back, when I lost it. Going to office. Will try more things from there, but I already try a few things in hurry at my room. No luck, so not much hope as my connection is prepaid and India is pathetic about such matters. There should be some way out for such cases….

Now, while I am extremely careful about the trial device Nokia N900, I found the flaw horrible, about which I wrote article just by last night. Google doesn’t provide Google map application for maemo and maemo haven’t made a workaround, thanks to no support for traditional Java. price is this, it wasn’t easy to find Lattitude over this cell, neither in hurry I found a way to see Lattitude on web. Will try, but not much hope left, getting late for office. In evening, was to go home to meet parents on occassion of Holi, wished to show them the new set. But …..

Update: I might had been kind of panic when posted the post above. After calming down, I tried to re-look my options again and sure Lattitude was working and sharing my location till last two hours (after that the person who has got the same has switched off the cell). I am placing the location live on the board, so that if he will put his phone on then could be tracked. As of now, I could summarize that the same person must have picked Metro from either Yamuna Bank, Metro Station or Laxmi Nagar, Metro station and switched off the cell at Mayur Vihar, Phase I, Extension Metro Station. The next metro station is New Ashok Nagar, Metro Station as you can see from the Google Map. The Map is available with my Blogger’s Blog (WordPress is blocking the script as usual due to presence of frames I guess)

Note that the above mentioned map is live and showing the actual location of the person through Lattitude, if cellfone is switched on.

The following steps taken by me till now:

I am not deactivating my number as of now though its a security risk, but security risk is already there due to my contacts on phone, which are in sync with Google Account. Although sync will stop once I change the passwords, but with that change also the tracking will be off.
I have enabled history and other settings from Google Latitude settings here. Enabled SMS and Email alerts.

Nitish Kumar

Google maps Vs Nokia Ovi Maps

This is the second post, I am typing from MaStory of Nokia N900. Sure, typing from Windows Live Writer is a much better and comfortable thing to do, but I really want to explore this beast Nokia N900 and really enjoying typing from its qwerty keypad.

Something I am kind of hating about Maemo is unavailability of Java Support with it as of now, although their wiki page for java suggest a lot of things, but still I find it frustating for a majority of users. Gmail and Google Maps client is something that people really gonna miss here and unavailability of these gonna be deal breaker even when OS has much potential, but ……

Nokia already provide their implementation of Maps and its free as well, then why one look for Google Maps?

There are many features that Google Maps offer you better than Nokia Maps. listing some of them below:

1. Quicker Locking of location: There might be arguments over this, but by personal experiences still find Google Maps quicker about this. Call it quicker and robust servers of Google of something else, but it is. May be the reason is that Google Maps get assisted by a service My Location from Google, which helps you out in finding your location even if your cellfone might not be having a GPS chip at all using your cellular network id. Sure, not exact though (diameter of 300-500 meters depending on nearest tower location). Although there is a my location icon in Nokia Maps, but I dont think it works that way. Working without GPS is sure something great (though not accurate)

2. Imagery of Google Maps is so much richer than Nokia Maps:
Although Nokia still provides you satelite view, but I still dont see actual imaginary with it like the way Google Maps does. Moreover, recent additions of Street view makes it invincible in a kind. You get a real look over thing in place of looking over just pre-designed maps. Things like street view could make you go crazy about the way Google Map put it.

3. Integration with other Google services like Lattitude and Buzz now:
Although it depends on you that what you use, but sure Buzz is here to stay and so Google Maps get one more reason. Lattitude gives you the way to share your location, so that your friends and your circle may find that where are you. Sure, Ovi maps have started the same, if I am right, but still …. Call it my own preference or I lived a lot with Google Maps.

I am not sure that there is any, but should be applications that which might be utilizing your location on more than one account like on Lattitude and Ovi, so that one would be able to see that where their friends are whether they are using Lattitude or Ovi Maps. This is highly crucial as one could find it by my instance.

4. Synchronization with desktop version of Google Maps:
If I am right then recently Nokia had tried to cover this issue by providing syncing the starred locations via their ovi accounts implementations, but still it can,t be compared with the level Google has brought it by My Maps. Here in India, we already started getting marriage invitations with routes defined in Google Map. Much convenient is to have the same into your cell.

So, this all was about Google Maps, but Ovi Maps have some dominating advantages and some solid reasons to be with it, specially after covering many flaws with ovi maps now. Let’s see how ….

1. Accurate locking:
Yes!! I said that Google Map seems to locking position quickly that too sometimes without availabilty of GPS signal, but how this actually work? It gets your nearest cellular tower and reports your destination with a good precision. While for actual locking through Satelites requires at least signal from two-three satelites. Nokia Maps might seem late in locking, but they lock you accurately in the same time or better than Google does.

2. What’s you care? Fancy imaginary or efficient navigation:
You might be confused that I am taking whose side? But I am talking about some facts here. Have you noticed the data usages by both the applications? Nokia does it offline and Google rely on live dynamic imaginary, sure fancy and detailed but ten times more costly than Nokia’s kind of offline ways. Checking your location that how it look like from satelite to show off is another thing and daily cost efficient navigation is something else.

3. Voice guided turn by turn navigation:
This is real deal breaker with Nokia Maps. Google’s voice guided navigation still not available for devices other than Android, while Nokia made it free for many of its devices which are sure in pocket of common man. More of that its so accurate and rich that you can imagine only on using the same. A perfect replacement for old GPS base navigation devices. Just put your phone on deck of your car and keep on driving or keep your headphones on and take a walk enjoying turn by turn witty navigation. While Google could provide you data-consuming text kind of navigation only not real time yet (even though directions and alternative routes might be innovative and dynamic, but all comes for a price in terms of data usages that too without any voice). Do one expect to look into cell all the time while driving?

4. Social side:
As I said, I dont see it a distant reality when sharing location could be unified means it’ll of no matter that you are using ovi or lattitude to share your location. If Google shares location live with lattitude then so does ovi with its own implementation and even with recent changes it provides option to share your location with Facebook. So, as Om Malik mentioned, “co-ordinates itself are of no means, but what matters with them is their social context.”

5. Synchronization:
After overhauling of their Nokia map, Nokia really faired enough about covering up many things. One was sync of things like Map locations. So, Nokia too have a solution with an ovi account of yours. Sure, till now No Buzz for ovi map, but who knows there might be apps out there to share your tweets with ovi maps someday.

6. More features are being added:
Though not of that mention, but Ovi stated adding other features like weather reports as per your location, finding nearest happening places etc. I am really looking for a twitter layer for Ovi Maps, it will put some spice in the game.

Conclusion:
So, I think I discuss enough basic points here. What I think Google Map has enough features for people having Unlimited data plans, but if you are asking about accurate and cost effective solution for navigation use then Nokia Map sure a choice. Note that google is not providing you offline maps means if you are low on balance for GPRS use, then forget navigation.

I wish to have more points, if you could offer about this comparison and would love to hear about moments you might have spent with both of these great apps.

Nitish Kumar

Nokia N900 – So, here arrived test unit for me

Still I am in office, still I am not gonna get much time with this new girlfriend, but its hard to hold the temptation to show off the world about it. :p Wanna write some fast facts.

It was very surprising to get it delivered from womworld, London to New Delhi in less than 72 hours , I guess. Then I was surprised that how DHL guy delivered it to my Office Security without acknowledging me or without my signature. I just got informed after 45 mins I guess that too, when I checked the DHL Tracking Status. In a dimmed hope, I went to Security and it was waiting there for me. Anyway ….

Some early observations …

Look like now days, Nokia has started making devices, which are a little harder to open. Took a lot of care and fear to just open it for putting battery in it. I still love those old device, which were taking half a minute to me for changing the SIM or battery.
I was stupidly thinking that why display is so dark. It was a cover on the screen to protect it.
~~Have not yet enabled touch screen keyboard~~. Physical Keyboard itself is fantastic and will never leave you thinking any absence of Touch Keyboard, but even if needed, touch screen keyboard could be enabled from settings and also other apps are available to customize the keyboard layout as well. ~~Moreover, still not checked that the Auto Rotate feature is with it or not~~. There is no auto-rotate as of now except the calling screen.
Yup, its a little bit heavy, 181 g, where iPhone is 135 g.
Third ~~disappointment~~ new fact to me was USB Charger, although later I checked that there is a converter to connect it from both of the Nokia chargers; old thick one and now days Universal charger.
I checked for the Camera performance and found it pretty good just like my Nokia N82. Good news.
Browser was perfect and what made me smile was the presence of Google Buzz in Gmail. Don’t know why its missing from my Nokia 5800, even when I might be opening in Full View mode (not mobile mode).
I was excited when got to see that its loading farmvilla, ~~but for my disappointment, its hanging the browser and asking me if I wanna close. Not sure what’s wrong, it should work. I checked shockwave plugin is ON. Will check it out in evening.~~ It works like a charm, but as the nature of game is, as much bigger screen you get, as convenient the game will be.
The biggest heart attack to me.. Google Apps not supported over Maemo platform as of now. What?????? No Google Maps, No Gmail Client? I am gonna cry as I am huge fan of Satelite view that Google Maps offer. How this can be? Google … DO SOMETHING.
Its a Linux based OS, could provide you root access and there is a console with it for usual linux tasks. Amazing. This really gonna change something. It was now high required to come out from the shell of Symbian.

Rest I will update later on… only this much could have written after looking over it for 30-40 mins.

Nitish Kumar