Anyone noticed improved IPL telecast on YouTube?

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Just noticed something while watching Delhi Dardevils Vs Kolkata Knight Riders on YouTube/IPL. YouTube seems to have made some serious changes for live telecast since April 07, 2010 or two three days before. The video quality has really improved a lot in resolutions and the improvement is no way lesser that one wont notice. Not sure about the technical details as unable to find any mention on their own site. But its really a welcome step.

Don’t know its due to the fact that I am getting past of teenage or the fact that losing game to Bangladesh in last World Cup made many of Indians not that much interested in Cricket anymore, but it’s is true that these are sure not those days, when I am very much involved in each bit of cricket as I was earlier used to be. Could say lack of cable at home now days might be added in to the same. With Live Telecast of IPL in this season, Youtube/Google really have connected many like me back to Cricket again.


Even then I can’t assure that I always surf YouTube/IPL page in time with start of the match everyday, but when yesterday I did the same then a pleasant surprise was waiting for me there. The quality was exactly something like might have been that of any TV Telecast. I was really up to asking that when does this happened. Even YouTube controls were different than usual (Will add screenshot of controls later) Check out ..

Youtube1

I am on 22” TFT+MTNL 3G+ NVidia 8600, but don’t think these things do anything much special about YouTube broadcast, but really owe you Google. 🙂

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Shoaib, Sania and Ayesha-whats real and whats not?

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Shoaib Malik Ayesha Siddhiqui Sania and Sohrab Sania MIrza

Its not been long when whole world was in rage over headline that mom tweeted when son was drowning, without knowing the actual story and timings. Not a new thing to world now, where tweets are already being taken as official statements from celebrities and get reactions in same ways. And then we see Shoaib Malik tweeting about wedding with Sania Mirza (though later we hear that Shoaib is not on twitter though the news is true. Really too much twists in the story) ….. but wait “is the story only this much?


Not sure about the course of events or if some news might have surfaced in past as well, but trying to bring the story as it came.

  1. Sania come to be most searched Indian personality on web in Pakistan.
  2. Sania get engaged with childhood friend Sohrab on July 10, 2009.
  3. Sania announces that she will not be playing Tennis any more after marriage.
  4. After a media rage, Sohrab denies the earlier stand and says she will continue to play.
  5. Speculations start about Sania not being interested in marriage with Sohrab anymore.
  6. Citing difference of opinions between two, the engagement get scrapped.
  7. Shoiab Malik’s alleged twitter account confirms news related to him and Sania on March 29, 2010.
  8. Sania Mirza’s Facebook account status confirms the same on day next, but says Shoaib not on twitter.
  9. First controversy sparks when Pakistan Tennis Federation Chairman Abbas stated that, Sania has to represent Pakistan only as she will become a citizen of Pakistan after her marriage. Though reverted back the statement later on
  10. A girl named Ayesha surfaced saying that Shoaib already has married her 6 years ago, when he was 20 years old. A series of telephonic interviews take over on all channels heating up the debate that is Shoaib any match for the fat and not that good looking girl?

Since then we seen so many telephonic interviews of Ayesha sometimes citing Nikahnama, sometimes showing Trophies won by Shoaib with her, sometimes saying that she got a miscarriage of Shoaib’s child, claims that she has proofs of their staying at Taj Hotel, statements from family that they just needs divorce nothing else, they file case in police and many including Pakistan’s officials and Sania’s family unite with Shoaib, who is in Hyderabad now till the case resolves.

Find some of the videos around the same controversy ….


There are many videos on the web, one could search for on this topic, many celebrities are catching up saying that its a personal affair of two and other should keep their nose out of it, many opinions on talk shows/ news papers and stories are piling up with each new statement of girl itself.

What’s to take, what’s to leave? Who is gaining, who is loosing? Media will cry, but soon this all will be settled down like once Azhar and Sangeeta marriage issue now forgotten. Soon people will skip fat and not so good looking Ayesha’s crying voice and will catch up with marriage preparations of the celebrity duo. Is this all right? What if Shoaib really felt cheated? or what if she said truth all the time?  Is anything matters?

The story touches me for my own personal reasons. Tried to think from both the sides, but still I didn’t find a respectable place to come out of this controversy without hurting all. What one can do in such a circumstance?


Ayesha Siddhiqui’s version, she meets a young cricket star from other country and felt excited as he likes to talk to her. We will never be sure that did she sent the real pics. Shoaib mentioned but never shown the other pics saying that he don’t want to tarnish the image of the other girl by releasing the pics in public. Also that why Shoaib fallen for her? But in above video (last one), we sure find him blushing, singing and accepting wedding with Ayesha. Ayesha says that he always assured her that “she is not ugly in his eyes, but beautiful in own ways” and Ayesha also says that she gone under plastic surgery to look good for him. She even talks about miscarriage of her child with Shoaib.

She further says that Sania been a family friend of her and Shoaib met Sania through herself only. She and her family adds perhaps once he became famous as cricketer and that too specially hot among girls, then he lost interest with girl, whom he once fallen for by only talking over phone and even then stayed for a while for sake of their relations. Today when he announces marriage with Shoaib, then it becomes a shock for the family, but not that big surprise as already they felt the distances from quite a while and knowing the fact that now nothing will come back, they just wish to get divorce.

Ayesha-with-Shoib1 


Shoaib Malik’s version, Shoaib Malik allegedly married Ayesha Siddiqui through a telephone ‘nikah’ on June 3, 2002. But, in a statement in Karachi on January 21, 2008, Shoaib claimed that no nikah had taken place. The cricketer said his marriage plans with the Hyderabadi girl ended because both families could not reach an understanding on certain issues.

"Yes, I had a long relationship with her and we planned to get married. But no nikah ever took place. In the end, our families could not reach an understanding over various things," Malik had said.

Ayesha’s father, M A Siddiqui, had then said that the family would move court if his daughter did not get a divorce. Pakistani players were even feted to a grand reception by the Siddiqui family in Hyderabad when the team toured India in 2005.

What Shoaib presents is this… he in been a long and good relationship with a girl named Ayesha, whom he never met in person, but call it madness of teenage or whatever, he agreed for a telephonic nikah with her without seeing. He tried meeting her many times, but every times, her maha apa met saying that she has put some weight upon her and wants to take that away first or things like that. Later on realizing that he has been cheated, he made himself away from the family. Though I haven’t verified the same, Shoaib’s Interview with TOI says he already had filed case against Siddhiqui’s family for fraud in 2008 and was under impressions that the matter was settled down right then. A must read as we already hearing and buying much from Ayesha’s side.

Now, he is ready to face all allegations in court to prove him innocent and clear his image.


Question is that what court gonna decide?

Technically speaking, the court case is filed with accusing him for defaming the image of the girl. While Ayesha’s side may piles up many evidences for marriage, Shoaib still has the case as its not he who started this (defaming) at first place and secondly, if they insist that marriage was done, then why didn’t they filed a case, when Shoaib and his family denied two years back about the marriage.

Even if marriage is an issue, then Indian Muslim personal law and Pakistani laws allow Shoaib to marry with more than one wife. So, I wont be surprised about any decision and know that what fate this story will take. There is nothing that court would be deciding and no reasons that either of the parties gonna get any verdict against them.

Though if Shoaib came under IPC 420 as Ayesha’s family trying to do, then sure his side needs to worry, but they will not win the game on moral ground as it will remain the same for them; a lost battle … years back. They know that it cant be a genuine match.


Question is both practical and emotional ….

Changing statements from Shoaib side and in spite of filmy looking story, Ayesha’s side neat statements supported by evidences says a lot. It really hurts being at a girl’s place, who gets rejected only due to the fact that she is not that good looking. It was fine if was at first place, but being in love and relationship for a while and then finding that it was a mistake hurts for sure.

Practical side says that what’s point in being with someone whom you cant relate yourself nor find yourself being with from inside of heart. In place of cheating a spouse its better to be other relationship. And above all, its personal choice of two being married.


What I think?

I really don’t know that I would be able to find myself at one side in this case.

For me, its wrong to get into court or media first. Not only you defame the other one, but defame yourself as well that too for getting nothing … as the other already had moved on or somewhere inside you already know that did right at his/ her place. Yes!! they wanted nothing but a divorce only. But the time was right, if they asked for the same back in 2008 or even if now, then in private not through media. Was that some revenge kind of? What you think will come back, if you defame someone so aggressively? You will gain nothing, neither will let them…

Shoaib is wrong, if he come up with stories like never met, never seen, wrong girl shown etc. It sours the thing and sure doesn’t look acceptable in any practical sense. It make sense if he changed his mind after meeting the girl or after knowing that her appearance not gonna change and he wont be comfortable to be seen with her later on. But it doesn’t make sense firing guns against someone you been in love once.

 

I didn’t wanted to write over this as already much being said about it on web, but still had my reasons to speak. Hope you all will add your comments to push the conversation further.

Update April 08, 2010

Everyone is coming out with own part of story like this pakpals site presented its kind of truth and even Nikahnama is now public (picture below)

NIKAH7 This site and some other Pakistani sites came up with the story that Shoaib met Ayesha in a restaurant of Dubai in 2001, where he fallen for her pretty friend Maha and later on Ayesha was the one, who kept talking with him posing she is Maha. Reasons to believe on this story is also that what the reason might be that someone would sign an important paper like marriage document with some other name than the official one, which is already on other papers?

Currently, after involvement of many family friends and even a politician, both the parties agreed to a settlement that Shoaib will divorce Ayesha for sake of clearing the way to marry Sania though Ayesha’s father asked to divorce in public. Shoaib agreed to that as well and matter seemed to settled down finally. More of it, though it was being speculated that the settlement may involve a large sum of money, but it was revealed that only part of money was involved Rs. 15, 000/- that was under Sharia.

 

This makes Sania the second wife of Shoaib, not the first one and still leaves many questions behind that was Shoaib spoke lies all the time or he did divorce just for sake of clearing the name from controversy, which happened coz he believed something else in his innocence?

 

Still as the video footage shown above says that till the last moments both the parties were not agreed to take any step back by an inch, it opens the speculations that if Shoaib-Sania agreed only for sake of clearing their marriage on April 15, 2010. Perhaps there was no options left for the couple in such a situation, but may be truth will revealed after few months, if the proofs from both the side ever came out to public….

 

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Whats wrong with Social Services of Google?

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It disappoints you when you get to see nice innovations not catching up that faster than they should have. I was under huge disappointment, when come to see Google wave not taking off the hood that well and even when its for sure that Google Buzz is here to stay, it annoy you a little that why its not catching up that faster.

What wrong with technically the best services of Google in social department?

A question that’s been repeatedly asked and attempted to be answered so many times in so many ways still work-in-progress remained confusing. A company, who seems to have best moral grounds and respect among users all around the globe, a way of thinking that always seems to be working for betterment of technology and pushing the standards up, a technical leadership, which always believed in simplicity yet the best practices and at the end, owner of something called close to God Google’s Search, which tends to knowing people’s habits more than anything else in the world. Still the company not rising that big on social fronts? Why?


Just trying to think.. recollecting facts … not suggesting … not answering

  1. Blogger has much support and options than WordPress, still WordPress rules big time.
  2. Orkut been more simpler, cleaner and centered around people more than the business/ advertising, but still it not catching up big time against Facebook or MySpace.
  3. Social Connect and FriendFeed been around with nice features, but no one seems to know much about them not even names.
  4. Google Wave was a path breaking and real huge thing happened to this century, but still …
  5. Google Buzz was way better than Twitter or Facebook status updates, if we count on specifications sheet, but still it seems to loosing battle against Twitter.

Then why so many ‘failures’ whenever Google attempts some social thing?

  • Is the answer lies in their most successful service Google Search itself?
  • What if its Google’s obsession with cloud computing and unification of services, which holds them back from thinking outside the box?
  • Is the reason, is compatibility issues that take time with their 64 acquisitions till now?

All of the above may seem to be random and somehow irrelevant with the current discussion na… let me explain each.

google_god Why I am pointing over the most sane thing ever happened?

Issue is that their programmers and other people involved are kind of devotee for Google like anyone on this planet and sometimes it hinders with ability to think outside or against the main philosophy that may be laid by top management that “Let the consumer use the thing in simplest way, all complications we will handle free of  cost” Philosophy is great, Simplicity is great, but the problem is – Everything is not a Google Search.

You may not decide what would be the best for users. You have hands on almost each service in the world,  but you cant keep on suggesting people to use them at the first place before you mature each of them to stand on their own. I know many would say that Google does allow other services more than any other company in the world, but still I am making my point here ..

One example is WordPress Vs Blogger; Acquisition from Pyra Labs, Blogger seems to be most flexible blogging platform on the planet for people, who are happy with writing and don’t even want to own a domain. you can make use of all kind of scripts, insert any kind of custom code, add other Google services and even write and use your own theme yourself. Then why wordpress still known as the best platform for blogging?

Blogger-Wordpress-Conversion Sometimes initiatives and one product centered approach wins over projects with bigger potential and bigger resources. WordPress has established the whole system with involvement of other companies as well, while Google thinks that we have options in our own domain itself then why go outside? What’s point of not providing support to import whole blog to port on WordPress or others? What’s point in letting users resister their domain names with Google only? What’s point in keeping just a few very basic themes on showcase thinking that users will do everything? Why no inbuilt tool for stats? Why can’t one webmaster change the content of comments to strip out abusive content?

Once you start using Blogger, you really find that its best thing to go with, but not in first glance itself. Sometimes, I feels that flexibility should be matched well by offering excellent example/ templates and it should not only be on users and third party developers to evolve over the platform, but one should keep himself running in the race. There are some excellent themes and options with Blogger, but none of them are on showcase, like Google don’t wanna save itself from responsibility after putting other’s work on showcase. This doesn’t suit a beginner.

twitter-orkut-facebook

Same with Facebook Vs Orkut; Google’s initial hesitations from advertising inside Orkut due to inputs from overly cluttered interface of Facebook and MySpace cost its being first choice for third party developer doing their work for money. That kept the concept of Social Networking sane, when Zyanga with its games like Farmvilla and Mafia Wars etc attracts 80% of Facebook, then one really come to rethink that if the strategy to keep the place personal only was helping at first place?

I still love Orkut and still know, the traffic to Orkut is true traffic rather than that of game freaks (the case with Facebook), who will sooner or later get bored with games and then will be frustrated that there is nothing like friend updates in Facebook, but just Farmvilla updates…. but still I wish to ask question that why Google failed to bring more developers in orkut? Simplicity may not be the best policy always.


Cloud Computing: Somewhere we don’t see what Google might be seeing for future. Google’s each move heads towards cloud computing. Similar things were started from Microsoft, who wanted to place best solutions for everything that a user might ask for, but now Google seems to be more aggressive on the same front.

Google is heading to the topology of “One Account for all” and their recent XOAuth step seems to be right step in right direction. They already have placed all common services on cloud, be it search, mails, blogging, news, feeds, photos, maps, friends, entertainment or anything one do with computers. Chrome OS meant to be the gate of cloud computing, where one login will make you working from anywhere and from any device.

Yes! they had removed the necessity of having a Google Account for their Chrome OS, but still that clears the intentions. What do you think the Google’s obsession for speed, Launch of Google Docs, which enables you to read all common kind of documents online without any installation, advancement of YouTube and its agreement with Media giants to provide full movies or cricket shows like IPL, Google Books, Google translations and flooding like a rage plugins for Google Chrome; is all random?

Google seems to have learned that sometimes things that come in packages and work decently win over specialized products, examples been Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. The rise of NetBooks and popularity of Google Docs really have made it possible for Business persons doing their work with minimal and cost effective setup. Being comfortable with such a system is the first step towards Cloud Computing and though Microsoft started this, but Google making it a reality for sure.

GoogleAppsEd2-717009

If we see from Google’s point of view, then it makes sense that you login though one account on Chrome OS and you will get all your work ready for you in the same state, you left it. Either it be your docs, your movies, your social networking with Orkut, your blogging with Blogger, your feeds via Google reader, your status updates via Google Buzz and so on.. moreover, once XOAuth starts working in that direction then it would also be easy to announce that all these services wont be sharing data (that could be a security concerns). Definitely Google understands that most of the users might prefer working with what comes out of box like they did with Internet Explorer or Outlook Express.

But question is, even if you seems to be winning in long run, why not to treat each service separate to make them best on their own? Didn’t Internet Explorer Team working in the same way now? Haven’t people started leaving Internet Explorer at last?

  • Orkut is still the best about functionality, just what needed is more attention and more people to it. At least few of giant applications, games etc.
  • Google Buzz requires celebrities as Twitter is riding on flow of early initiative? It needs to work on integration with services like Twitter is going along with Facebook, WordPress and all. Definitely its more powerful and APIs are available to do so, but still if developers are not catching, then Google should take it in own hands to make them catch up. How can you think that costly Android devices are enough for spreading Buzz? No apps for Symbian, no integration with Gravity etc and you think that you can make it popular? Think again…
  • Blogger needs to learn basics from WordPress. Something like WordPress.org needed to hand over the whole code to users. More of it, needs to integrate things in a way that one could get things working out of the box, be it states, widgets or professional looking themes? I find lack of flexible themes from Google itself as a major fault, at least should showcase 50-100 themes in dashboard like WordPress does.


Acquisitions; are they pose some issues as well?

When you acquire some new company then you mingle with entirely new set of rules that company might be following, a different environment, a different system that might have been crucial for working of the same. Sure,  the pieces don’t fit together that easily, but still users expect a lot. Orkut users expect that why not Picasa albums and Orkut Albums could be combined or have some link between them. Picasa users expect that why they are under 1 GB limit, when Orkut Albums could enjoys around 10, 000 pics means many GBs. I  understand the technical/ administration aspects, know that both of them are different services and acquitted at different times and its never been in Google that you change entire way of working once you take over some company.

mergers_acquisitionsBut users expect as other services from your side already keeping the bar higher. Obviously integrating things asks for compromises as you cant go with downtimes and can’t predict what will be the response, if you come to change something entirely. Obviously acquisitions pose some issues that take a little time to go off and that time might be crucial for an early initiative.


Even after writing this much long, I might not be sure that what other reasons might be, same with Google, I guess. My verdict is Social Services are different in the manner that early initiatives, spreading, integration with other services and reach to mass in simplest manner is what keep them going .. sometimes being technically better might not be sufficient.

Third party developers

developersBigPicGoogle needs third party developers a lot. To work over Symbian Apps for their Social Services, to work over engaging applications/ games for Orkut etc. Google Maps is brilliant, Gmail App is cool, but Orkut App is crap in looks as Jad apps might be limited in their functionalities. Needs to come out from the same. Twitter/ Facebook/ LinkedIn all getting apps for Symbian and others to get people catching up with them. You can’t rule out already popular things, if wanna growth of own things. Have to support Symbian Apps. Aren’t Gmail/ Google Maps App been a tremendous success? Being open has made Google a success and that’s what needs to go on.

Requesting others to take part in discussion via comments.

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TweetMeMe Live Writer plugin for WordPress.com

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Sometimes, we come across really great people just like what happened to me today. Just got a new TweetMeMe Live Writer Plugin for wordpress.com instantly made by Scott Lovegrove on my request today. I would also like to thank twitter and the great lady Mirella McCracken (for providing me early tips on TweetMeMe), which later on connected me to the great Scott. 🙂


My days with Live Writer and its Plugins

Livewriter Since I started posting my blog posts through Windows Live Writer, I was searching for more and more plugins to make the life easier for me. Plugins really do much great work for people like me, who don’t want to mess with HTML formatting etc and just want to concentrate over content only. There are a quite a many Live Writer plugins on official site and it was easy to spot them on the first day once I started using Live Writer. Even mentioned a few, I liked and recommended that time.

Even then it’s been a limited experience about customizations and continued to be so as I am not a professional blogger and was using WordPress.com, which specifically don’t allow JavaScript etc neither its possible to install plugins directly on the site (Though plenty of Themes and settings that makes the WordPress still the best platform to blog with).

Windows Live Writer was a fresh air for me as it allowed me to do many new things, which were not possible earlier through web way or through Microsoft Word 2007 (which I was using earlier). It was not only generating simple yet efficient HTML codes, but also was free. Options to add as many plugins made it a killer for anything else.

Twitter and Me

Sometimes, if we don’t use, then we don’t come to know about strength of things. Many people were thinking Orkut and Facebook as waste of time and started loving once used. Same with Twitter. It has became the biggest phenomenon of century, but still I was away from the same as I didn’t thought about whole concept and took it as kind of status update service only. Yes!! it is, but its openness, reach and popularity makes it one of most effective tool on internet.

I started recently with twitter, buzz, facebook and all… sure Twitter still rules..

What is TweetMeMe and how the button look like on your blog?twitter-bird-6-300x300

TweetMeme is a service which aggregates all the popular links on Twitter to determine which links are popular. TweetMeme categorises these links into Categories, Subcategories and Channels, making it easy to filter out the noise to find what you’re interested in.

Twitter been a major source for spreading stories and so a very useful way for blogger for bringing traffic to their blogs. Not only bloggers but readers also get profited by simplicity of the process to spread the good words. The green button would look like something as given on the top of my post.


What’s the problem with Live Writer+Wordpress.com+TweetMeMe?
What is the first hand workaround?
Scott’s solution

There are quite a many plugins to share your post with public directories and social services and even many are available with your favourite browsers, but that’s about reader. Bloggers love the option to provide their readers simplest way (like a single click) to share the content. TweetMeMe Button seems to be very popular around the bloggers as we see many of the icons on all the blogs. The problem is with WordPress.com and its famous code of not allowing JavaScript etc for security reasons. Most of the TweetMeMe buttons available were with JavaScript or iFrame involvement, all stripped by WordPress.com even Scott’s earlier plugin (official one till now) too didn’t worked.

First hand workaround, I found from Mirella McCracken’s Blog. The solution was to add one line in the source of every post before posting and the magic line was

tweetmeme source=”yourtwittername” only_single=false

Ofcourse, need to change the yourtwittername with yours and also opening and ending brackets [].

I started using the same and at the same time tweetted that if someone has a working plugin? For my surprise, very soon, I got the reply from the man himself, the writer of the original TweetMeMe plugin from Windows Live Gallery; Scott Lovegrove. In few tweet conversations, he offered me that he could work out a plugin to support wordpress.com as well. I was overwhelmed for sure and was happy to hear if he can. Few mins more and he was right there with a new plugin (not available in Gallery yet) to function in exactly the same manner. Scott is great, Twitter is great, Live Writer is Great!!!!


How is work?

Its as simple as other plugins,

1. Install the MSI

Installed

2. Configure the options in Live Writer

config

3. It will ask permission once

start

4. While typing the post, if you try to see preview, then you will get this as this works at publish time

preview

5. After publishing, you gonna get a button like this at location you preferred. 🙂

button


I know many wanted this to work out of the box and here you go. Not sharing the MSI right now, as waiting for Scott himself to publish the same. Though anyone could contact him directly otherwise, he himself has promised to come up with a blog post and also to push this new one on Live gallery. Worth waiting.

Thanks Scott.. hope I will bug you again 😉

Update:

Scott has published the plugin on Live Gallery. Added one more. Find the two links given below

Link 1 

Link 2 (This one will not work with WordPress.com and is for follow me)

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Nokia N82-Still clicks like my heartbeats

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Sometimes, you cherish your decisions, you once made in blink of eye against the verdict of others. Buying Nokia N82 after loosing my Nokia N70 in a theft, was really that sort of decision, I never regretted later on.

 


Note: Please do not consider this as a review for Nokia N82 as I just thought to share what I think about my this lovely companion. After all, when I already had written about others like Nokia 5800, Nokia N900 and Nokia N97 mini, then why should I leave the one, I always loved most? A tribute to my journey with N82.


Bought two and half years back, somewhere in October 2007, Nokia N82 was not my instant choice, given lots of thoughts to it, due to its price tag and my lack of interest in Smart phone features then. I was already having a decent 4MP digital camera and used Nokia N70 before. Could say, even Nokia N70 was a new world to me and my fun with it was limited to FM and decent 2 MP camera only. Should say with N82, it was for the first time, when I went for buying some smart phone with a keen eye over features.

nokia-n82-04 


What was special with Nokia N82 and what was competition?

The other one in my mind was Nokia N73, in price range 13.5k I guess, providing decent photographs, 2GB memory and nice voice quality without headphone. Probably, these were the things an average consumer look for.

N82 and N73

I was looking for something else. Something, which may sustain the requirements for longer run. Something which must be awesome on camera either it be video or stills , must be high on connection side 3G, Wifi, GPS etc., with longer battery life, music side must be core and still with an elegant business look.

face-off-1

Nokia N95 and Nokia N82 were close options to me, but the details favored the later released one more. Nokia N82 was more worth to price. Let’s see why?

  1. More RAM: Though lesser internal memory than Nokia N95, 100 MB in comparison to 160 MB of Nokia N95, but Nokia N82 was with just double amount of RAM, 128 MB, which actually matter, when it comes to performance.
  2. More comfortable: Display size was little less 2.4” in comparison to 2.6”, but still it was with a good build. Less on weight and no sliding (I wasn’t in favor in those days as susceptible to failure in long run). Keypad was something unique about it, which actually raised my typing on cell. Though criticized by people in first look, but once used to, keypad was really sweet heart!!!
  3. Better connectivity: Though it missed Infrared (Outdated), but GPRS was still faster and same with GPS performance. Micro USB was sure better option than Mini USB, though I wished in those days that what if charging through Micro USB was also included.
  4. Better memory support: Nokia N82 was not only providing you 2GB card included in package in similar price, but the support was also up to 16GB in comparison of 8GB limit of Nokia N95. I really didn’t thought till recently (when I got to be with Nokia 5800 and Nokia N900) that one would be wishing for more than it.
  5. Best Camera ever: Though today, I yet to give Nokia N86 a try, but not only specification sheets and reviews, Nokia N82 always got more praises than any other in the league. Xenon flash was way better than LED one with Nokia N95.. perhaps the deal breaking for me. I have tried almost every camera phone from Nokia till now, but even after two and half years none of them came to actually beat Nokia N82. I always wondered that why Nokia didn’t continued with Xenon Flash?
  6. Better battery: I was envy of business phones in those days for their longer running batteries, though they were nowhere near in Multimedia department. Was finding the best within Multimedia phones and a 1050 mAh was sure better than a 950 mAh of Nokia N95.

So, that was easy to make the decision, even if price was high (even then were less than that of Nokia N95), but I was betting for future and it didn’t let me down till now.


How it still holds its relevance?

After two year later, now I understand that the decision for buying Nokia N82 was like hitting the jackpot unknowingly as it holds its relevance even now, even when we are talking about iOS, Android and Symbian^3, ^4. Going behind 3G and Xenon was a such great decision, which kept we N82 users proud till even now.

Though Nokia and most of the Smartphone users seems to be loving touch phones more and more, but for me, touch was meant to drain more battery for sure and for many a times, not that accurate as some keys might be. I was always a keyboard person rather than mouse one :P. So, in this way Nokia N82 was kind of flagship in non-touch phones from Nokia with legendary camera skills. You wont believe it but I have snapped more than 5000 pics through the same and even videos been of DVD quality. I always found myself in love with its camera, which still stands like God.

I have experienced 600 MHz processor with Nokia N900 and went through Nokia 5800, Nokia N97 Mini etc and really know how wonderful it would be being with some snapdragon 1 GHz processor, Still a Dual ARM 11 332 MHz processor with 3D Graphics HW Accelerator was ahead of league that time as rest came later on and even now, it fairs very well. Either it be GPS or be it support with apps like Fring, Nokia Image Exchange, Nokia Messaging and youtube, you never find yourself stuck with something, which is holding you back in advancing technology. It was a privilege to have a Nokia N82.

People may be lured by a similar looking recently released Nokia N79, which is available in 13k now days and offers same 5MP camera with slight better processor and 4GB card included in package. Lighter in weight and price, but people miss the fact that its a compromise version without Xenon Flash, without 3D accelerator Hardware and lesser memory support. The same reasons Nokia N82 faired much better than Nokia N95 in past.

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I am adding a few screenshots to show how it holds after latest firmware’s

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Whom I find beating Nokia N82?

For people preferring non-touch phones, I think Nokia N82 been a winner from a longer while and will be loveable till Nokia doesn’t come up with another 5MP Camera with Xenon again. Though I should say E72 seems to have shaken my thoughts. Internal memory, Processor, Connectivity, GPS and Battery life.. it seems to be winning in all departments except the led flash, which sure not Xenon, but fair better than others.

e72_black_01_lowres1Though Nokia N900, Nokia N97 Mini and Nokia 5800 have made me addicted to big screens but still who could manage without touch screen or that bigger screen, Nokia E72 does the job much better than anything else around. I really wanna check out one. Probably the only one, I find could replace my Nokia N82 otherwise, even with Nokia N900, I would like to keep my Nokia N82 as backup phone for sure.

Even if I leave excellent connectivity options and power within this legend a side, its camera alone worth of keeping it with you forever.

Update: Something I recently discovered. Good News Farmville fans out there, you can play Farmville on Nokia N82 with Skyfire Browser now (Available in Ovi Store).

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