Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 - The Game Changes

I have been waiting for a long time to get my hands on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 750. I have only been reading about it and looking at the numerous images on various blogs and tech sites. It looked amazing from a distance. Android has been the talk of the town since the day Google released the first ever phone, The G1, running on Android. The rest is history. Android threatens iOS (Apple), and quite understandably, Apple has been suing almost every manufacturer who comes out with a device running Android. Ah!!! Apple, I don't want to own and iPhone/iPad.

This tab has a great first impression, and is sure to lure you to see more and more of it. It's very sleek (at 8.6 cm), and light as well (565 gms). It's a powerhouse of performance, with a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM. Android Honeycomb compliments the superb hardware that it comes with, and promises to give you the best tablet experience you could wish for. Check out the technical specifications here.

Moreover, this is only the initial tablet version of Android OS. Wait a few upgrades more, and I am sure, there would be a bagful of new features coming your way, which would make your experience with this "Game Changer" tablet more fun and enjoyable with style.

The exciting things/features that really makes this tablet the best among the lot are:

1. Browser: With full flash support, and a huge 10.1" screen, browsing would never be the same again. You will never see those dreaded "?"s again in any of your webpages. Tablets have changed the way we browse the internet: with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, it's better.
2. Video Playback: Full HD video playback with support for almost all types of video formats, you will not be left with any unplayable videos from your personal collection. 1080p video playback @30fps and the surround sound speakers, the device would definitely change how you watch your movies.
3. Office Apps: The Galaxy Tab 750 isn't only a fun device. It means serious business as well. It also suits someone who is always on the move. Creating, editing or viewing your powerpoint presentations or checking your excels, or formatting your documents has just become easier. You can now leave your laptop at home and show off your tablet to everyone at office.
4. Google Mobile Apps: Need an app for anything at all? Well, fire up the Android Market and you will be able to find just any kind of app you want. The tablet comes preloaded with a host of Google apps like GMail, Gtalk (with video chat), Google Maps, Youtube etc. These apps have been optimized for your large screen to take advantage of the larger real estate. Be it reading your mails, navigating through a city or video chatting with your dear ones, you would be amazed at the ease at which the tablet handles everything. With multi-tasking and Split-View support, the Honeycomb OS delivers all that is required of a tablet.
5. Gaming: Tablets are relatively a new form-factor of portable devices. I believe that the games of today haven't really have adapted well for a tablet, except for a few(mostly racing games). I am not sure what kind of games would be a hit on such devices. Games like Angry Birds have been a tremendous hit on mobile devices. I am expecting a rush of similar games, which are engaging and more fun to play on a tablet. With all the sensors that the Galaxy Tab has: Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor and Compass, I would look forward for games which take advantage of this form-factor and the sensors, to perhaps invent a new category of games that make your experience more full-filling when it comes to raw entertainment. I am all excited about how this would change the future of entertainment.
6. Books, Movies and Songs: Well, this tablet seems to touch each and every part of your life. Read your rented/bought books, buy/rent videos and songs, and carry everything with you. The built-in 7000 mAh battery promises you a video playback upto 9 hours and Audio playback upto 72 hours. So, if you are on a long journey, your collection of books, videos and songs would always keep you busy. Say Bye Bye to those boring rides.

For a full list of features, visit the official Samsung Galaxy 750 page here.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, promises to be everything that you wished for. Never before you would have thought about having a video conference with your family members while you were on a bus. Never again you will be lost in a city. You will never miss your mails and news while you are away from your desktop/laptop. You can carry your entertainment wherever you go. This device does it all. Now you can be more productive, effective and all the more connected to your smart life with style.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 dares to enter your life and take control. Are you ready yet?

I am. It's time to TAB!

The possibilities are endless.

Random post at midnight

Image courtesy: Wikimedia

I was talking to a friend today. He said, "People update their blogs only when they are sad and gloomy. When they are happy, why the heck would they want to sit in-front of their computers typing out their thoughts? Rather they would hang out with friends, have a beer, watch a movie and enjoy their nice time."


Well, I do agree.


I recently started a chain mail and added everyone on my contact list (at-least those I remembered). This time around, the response was pathetic. The last time we did a similar thing, Google had blocked my gmail account for a day stating that the limit of the number of mails that could be sent in a day was crossed. They said that I had sent more than 500 emails for that particular day.  

Dumb!!!!! 

This time, the chain hasn't even been able to collate even 15 links. That's understandable I guess. People have settled now. Some married, some too busy with work and some have perhaps forgotten their old friends. I am not complaining though. That day, I was a little low on work, so didn't know what to do. I was bored of Facebook and Twitter and then I remembered all my friends. :D

Go! get a 3G life!!

The very first mobile phone that I held in my hands was when my father got a Nokia handset way back in 1999. It was as heavy as a brick. And incoming calls were charged at Rs. 5/minute. But, the best thing I liked then on the mobile was the "Snake game". When my father slept off, keeping his phone aside, I used to put the phone in silent mode and tried hard to better my highest record. Back then, it had cost us around Rs 18,000.

Things have changed, and have changed fast. During those days, even Internet(64K dial-up) was a rich man's card. Well, soon enough, broadband internet connections became ubiquitous, along with GPRS services on mobile phones.

As for me, I am always connected. Be it at home, office or even while I am out, my phone beeps virtually every minute. Before, it used to be SMS or WAP messages, but these days, my phone notifies me whenever someone comments on a photo on Facebook, or mentions me on Twitter, not to mention the tens of emails that I receive (I have configured my phone with 4 email accounts, I am not joking).

One of the things that I miss by not having a 3G connection is voice/video chat. I would love to use Skype to call up family and friends, see them live. While on a trip, I could easily watch videos on Youtube. GPRS/Edge aren't fast enough for this. Since I knew the 3G services would be coming soon to India, when I got a chance to replace my phone(lost) with a new one, I bought a 3G phone, even before there was any official announcements about the services. It was stolen within a month. My next buy was also a 3G phone, but I don't have a 3G SIM yet.

Having a 3G would be nice, especially, when my broadband would stop working without any warning, and I have an important mail to send. I can plug-in my phone to my laptop and enjoy uninterrupted access. I can use my laptop while I am traveling. I can update photos as and when I click them without waiting to get back to my wired broadband connection.

While on the move, my phone is my navigator. I don't have to stop and ask for directions now. In the era of smart-phones, we also need a smart network, which is reliable, easily accessible and affordable as well. With BSNL opening up the service first in India, other operators are also gearing up to provide the next generation mobile network, making our lives much more fun and enjoyable.

Movie tickets, Flight tickets, a gift for your girl friend and updating your facebook status will be a breeze. Morning news and your important emails will always reach you on time. You can finally forget your laptop at home while you are out on a date.

3G = I am enjoying it already. Always connected, till my battery lasts :) I am all excited to get a 3G SIM from Tata Docomo for myself.

This post has been submitted for the Indiblogger 3G Life blogger contest. Go get a 3G life.

Technology Overdose - Overdoes

It's just 21st century and we are being surrounded by more and more gadgets. Makes life easy for sure. But, seems that, we have lost the knack of talking to real people and somehow have started believing on these gadgets/technologies more than on People.

1. Lost in the streets? Open the Google Navigation and ask for directions.
2. No more Newspaper bills. I read it online.
3. Send/Receive mails from the postman? Nah, Email is fast and FREE!!!
4. Cricket match anyone? Big LCD screens at home with 3D analysis of each ball bowled and hit.
5. Meetups/Get-togethers? Video and voice conferences are cheaper than traveling even a mile.
6. Read books? Of course, I buy e-books and read them on my laptop to save paper.
7. Get tickets for a move? Do it online or by phone.
8. Cassettes/CD-Players still alive? Everyone has a portable music player these days.
9. 3+4 = ?? Google tells you now. I don't need a calculator.
10. Buying a car? Dig the forums for reviews/comments.

Orkut, Facebook, Twitter etc are the fastest ways to communicate with people. No doubt about that. But, this really suits our generation where our friends from school stay far away from us now. And it seems that all these things are actually making our lives easier. True to a certain extent. But, for I guess, the story and the experience will not be the same for the next generation.

A decade later, more and more children will be either on Orkut or Facebook. By children, I mean, 6 year olds and up. Most of their time will be spent on updating their status messages or profile, or uploading photos, sharing videos, making new friends, etc. People will have more virtual friends or contacts than the real ones. All this, no doubt, in a way makes you more social, or do they really? Instead of discussing problems/issues with parents/friends, people now-a-days tend to be more open and comfortable in discussing their problems amongst their virtual counterparts. A sense of anonymity gives you the power as well as the freedom of expressing your views, which is good, but it becomes dangerous when people take advantage of this freedom. For example, a Google account of a user, in essence, is his biography. Everything he has done in the past is begin recorded. All his mails, contacts, appointments, location information, searches, videos he has watched is recorded. If it falls into the wrong hands, doomed is perhaps the only word I can think of. I mean, grown-ups would probably learn and manage all this, but isn't it a overdose for the children?

A few days back, I met someone, who I know, is a child, and I was shocked to see his fake Facebook account with hundreds of friends. This guy used a fake name and photo for this account. He has, in short, created a fake person who is completely different from himself. He has a different age, has a job and has also listed his likes and dislikes which is again so different from him. Is this Anonymity? And he is just 13 years old. I tried convincing him to create a real profile, but he didn't budge and said, nobody would want to become a friend that way!!!

Anonymity == FAKE ??

From Wikipedia:  A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes," which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

A social network is made up of "nodes" and not "people".

NICE DEFINITION

Google should buy Facebook

Last year, there was a rumor that Google has eventually bought Facebook. This was definitely a big news for the Silicon valley. I don’t know if this deal made people happy or sad, but at first, I was very reluctant to accept the truthfulness of this piece of news. Later, it turned out that it was just an April fool’s joke. :)

But I think Google should now buy out Facebook. Though Google already owns Orkut, the popularity of Facebook is way higher that Orkut’s. Orkut was a different company, which Google had bought some years back. I used to love Orkut and hated people who used facebook. Orkut had it’s own fan following, and almost 90% of them were not very keen to switch to Facebook. But, this was 2 years ago. Now, I don’t use Orkut. I AM ON FACEBOOK, and I open it 3-4 time a day. A lot of people who I know, were not ready to shift to Facebook, now are avid lovers of the social networking site.

Let’s discuss about the factors that made people shift from Orkut to Facebook. By the way, as far as I can see, Orkut will be going down the memory lane in less than 3 years. That’s my estimation. :)

1. The first thing I can think of is “Facebook’s UI”. It’s the basic thing which really affects how the website is being used. Facebook gives a better user-experience. Facebook is completely Ajax-ified. Orkut uses Ajax in bit’s and pieces.

2. The colors and layout of Orkut hurts the eyes. Whereas, Facebook’ backgroun (white) is very easy on the eyes.

3. The games on Facebook like “Mafia wars”, “Farmville” and “Knighthood” were instant success. Orkut missed out on these features.

4. Orkut introduced games and contests, very late. And they were not as good as Facebook’s.

5. Communities or groups on Orkut, well, it wasn’t properly used by the people, whereas on Facebook, these actually help out a lot of people.

6. Orkut has Ads everywhere, which makes some pages look odd. Ads on Facebook were small and were placed at the right places. They actually look good sometimes and some of them are indeed clickable. :) I never click on something that has “Google Adsense” written on it.

These are some of the things that I think might be reasons for the downfall of Orkut. Orkut was of-course quite popular. But now, It’s Facebook who is taking away users from Google. Google should buy Facebook now to stay in the Social Networking business. I don’t want Microsoft to buy Facebook. But I don’t think Facebook will ever agree to Google’s offer just in case there’s one. It’s doing good.

iMac, iPhone, iPod, iPad and now the brand new iSleep

Apple, well, everyone is going ga-ga about Apple products. In my office, I have an iMac. It's huge and it's nice and sexy. A friend got an iPhone the other day, and we almost ended up fighting on over it's competitor, Android. I don't know iPhone, and I have never used one. iPad is a Kindle killer. Never used a Kindle. :)

iPhone does everything. iPhone supports orientation change. iPhone does this, does that. It's cool to have an iPhone. You should have an iPhone. And then it's big brother promises even more. And of course, there's iPod, which is a must have for all music lovers.

Wasn't that enough? Now, the iPad is the talk of the tech world.Type iPad on Google and you will see never ending updates from people who are tweeting about iPad round the clock. It just goes on and on.

I am tired now of all the 'i's. I need some sleep now. Google, please wake up. Else, one fine day in future, the iNews device from Apple will have the headline.

"Apple launches iWorld and iEarth."

By the way, Google has iGoogle. Was it developed by Apple? Hey, Apple, one more chance to sue Google. Go ahead. Good night. iSleep.

Blogger vs Wordpress

Ok, Surprised? Yes, I have changed the theme. Did you notice? I was quite happy with the old one, and I am expecting a lot of people to come and say, "the previous one was better". But, somebody who I asked to read my blog said, "The black background puts too much strain on my eyes, I am not gonna read this!!!"

Wow, I was trying to save energy by keeping the black background, and reduce my carbon footprint. But then, I myself had a look at it sometime later, I felt the same. And recently, Blogger just added this new "Theming Feature". I wanted to try it out. Well, as of now, there aren't many themes to choose from. It took me almost 2 hours to decide on one. :(

Google doesn't want to be the No. 2 in anything. It is fighting everywhere, and seems to be winning as well, except for China, where the Government, in a way is trying to throw them out. This would be a huge gain for the local search engine Baidu. Oh, I am deviating. Ok. So, Wordpress is threatening to take over Blogger's title as the best blogging service. Wordpress is great. It has a lot more features. It has hundreds and thousands of themes. So, I guess, Google has taken the first steps to improve Blogger now. I haven't used Wordpress ever, but I have heard that it is just great. But, with the user base that Google has, Wordpress doesn't seem to come anywhere close to Blogger.

I love Blogger and I would not shift to Wordpress for the simple reason that I am not willing to migrate all my blogs to Wordpress even though there are tools which take care of this. I am being faithful to Google, and not lazy as a lot of people might think.

Google - Conquer the World????

I shiver at the very thought. When I imagine this, although, it might not happen in the foreseeable future, still, it seems that it's not that far, and I can see it happening very soon. Soon enough, that frightens me.

We all know Google, since it's beginning, has been growing by leaps and bounds, (we should find a new word that describes such a kind of growth). Google is slowly penetrating every part of our lives. It's everywhere. And I guess, almost 80% of what we do on the Internet, is being recorded by the Google Servers. It's scary. It's like a big big directory of information on each and every person on the planet, dead or alive, why only people, they have records of each and every kind of organism that ever existed. Well, in a nutshell, all our data is distributed, and exists in the cloud.

All our mails, contacts, and more recently, Google has started saving our documents and pictures (with Docs, and Picassa), then they have our calendar, our notes, then our music playlists, our credit card numbers(Google Checkout), our addresses (needed when you sign in for Google Adsense or Checkout), all of our blogs, and what not. Now they have the Android phones with their OS running on it. So, all our phone calls and messages, can, practically be recorded by Google.

Google's motivation and ambition is to provide free and opens source technology to everyone. Well, for all these service Google earns a whooping sum, which I can't even imagine, through Ads. Well, if you think all this as a favorable ecosystem in which, with Google's technologies, our lives are getting better and better, it's a fairy tale, and we will only hope for the future to pass by us and present us the new world with Google's services.

I am sure, Google, has so much power now with it, that it could change the whole world. In George Orwell's, 1984, we see a world where the Big Brother has the only authority, and he changes the history, the past, the present and the future at will. Just because, he has all the resources of the planet, that he can manipulate. Imagine, if some day, Google really has this kind of power, I am sure, Google will really take over "Planet Earth". Afterall, power is what everyone wants.

I don't say that Google is aiming for it, but somewhere right in the Google's campus, there might be a psychopath, who dreams of conquering the whole world.