Author
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, big companies ruled roost over their kingdom of customers. The king companies made what they liked, sold as they pleased, and told customers what to think of the result. If they said their goods were the best, then who were you, the customer, to argue? And the little companies all followed suit. Then one day, one customer dude turned to another and said: Hey, what do you think this coffee really tastes like? And the other dude said: Why, toothpaste and mud, of course – it always has. Well hey, then why should we drink it and pay for it too, they thought. And they proceeded to empty their coffee cups right on the table and walk out. So then the two dudes, now somewhat coffeeless, decided to spend some time online. There, they told all their friends about the coffee that tasted just like toothpaste and mud. And their friends told their friends. And very soon, everyone knew what that coffee tasted like. The coffee makers scratched their heads, wondering why no dudes came in anymore. They looked at each other and said: we'd better advertise…This story could go on, but I think we get the drift. Companies, big and small, have seen full well that their customers suddenly seem to have a say in matters. But unlike some years ago, you can't just broadcast louder and overwhelm opinion. What is needed is a strong, meaningful connection with the customer; so brand managers, eat humble pie, drink your own coffee now and then, and let's look at one of the ways this connect is brought about – through storytelling. Storytelling dates back to when we landed on the planet and that's quite a while ago. It's almost instinctive to us. Nothing new about it. What's more recent is that storytelling is now a tool in the hands of brand managers, marketers, and communication professionals who need to think beyond broadcast messages because their target audience is online and socially active. Using storytelling is both easy and tough. It's easy because you get to use your gut feel, your knowledge and your creativity. It's tough because you now have countless methods of telling that story and you can get paralyzed by sheer choice. Brand storytelling also seems to be begging for some demystification because of the unhelpful jargon it's been garnished with by many new media gurus. Bob Bejan, Chief Development Officer of MSL Group and a communications architect who works with agencies and clients to help bring about creative storytelling that works, agrees. "The technological world is completely taken with the idea that everything is absolutely new and therefore needs a new name and a new way of talking about any given topic, feature or capability. This is absolutely true in the storytelling space today", he says. "It is easy to see in India -- or really anywhere in the world -- where marketers are chasing the "answer" and the "secrets" to this new medium and how to use it, when it really has never been simpler. The palette of social media and the "always on marketplace" allows for the storyteller to express in the purest way so far. What is your story? Who are you trying to tell it to? And what do you want to have happen once you've told your audience the tale? These are the questions to ask."Basically, forget that four-fold brochure and connect with your customers with engaging stories about your brand that you know they will relate to readily. As far as the stories themselves go, no one size fits all. The Kolaveri song – which has a story of sorts and is catchy and funny to begin with – may have gone wildly viral, but the same format may not necessarily do for a brand that has characteristics and customers that pull it in a different direction. Before you reach for the Ramayan or Mahabharata to pick out a good hero or head for the most popular celeb, because that's the flavour of the day, invest in a listening phase to see what your customers respond to most. If you're comfortable with a matrix and complex paradigms for storytelling, Google and ye shall find. But before you force-fit a story or method on to your brand, stop and think of some of the story's must-haves. Start by choosing a possible content area that is relevant to your customers. That may sound like a no-brainer, but with the tendency to head straight for cliché, it's more than possible you could end up with something working for other brands, but not quite fitting yours. Brand story can be about many things. It can be the brand's history, if it's remarkable enough. It could be its customers. It could focus on a value, a strong characteristic or capability. Best of all, it could be the brand's customers. Whatever you choose to base a story upon, the two critical parts are creating emotion, and making it something customers and fans can talk about, share, or respond to in some way. In other words, something that engages. People must see something of themselves in the brand -- an aspiration, a fear dealt with, a validation of a strong belief... Whatever finally emerges, it should be a consistent messages across all communication – though I'd still say there's no formula. Off the top of my head I thought of a brand that is part of my everyday life – Vodafone. Looking at their Facebook page for India, I see no brand story or even a taking up where their wonderful pug-based ads leave off. The Facebook Timeline, actually is a great canvas for a story, executed creatively and with impact. It's also easier to make it shareable because not only because your customers are likely to be there but because the practice of sharing and commentng is something they're more accustomed to. The same is true for YouTube. On some other networks, such as Twitter, for example, or Quora, consumption may happen just as frequently without sharing. PR pundits think you can readily borrow from the elements used in regular storytelling and in particular, everyone who talks about this draws parallels with Star Wars. So, there's a setting, a hero, an antagonist, a conflict, a resolution and a denouement. But one has to watch not to get too formulaic or over the top. Paradoxically, the story shouldn't be too obviously a story, just as selling shouldn't be too blatantly selling – specially on social media. Whether you ultimately choose to recreate from mythology or Star Wars or wherever, stay authentic and true to what is known of the brand. It's the age of the believable and some brand building storytelling extends the story into actual experiences for customers and fans. The next thing is to take the story where the customer is (read community, tribe, flock, fans, or whatever social jargon rocks your boat). That doesn't just mean what social network they inhabit, but what media or mix will have the greatest chance of holding their increasingly fleeting attention span. One thing we do know is that visual rules. Experts say that every brand must develop a visual vocabulary, starting from the logo and moving right through images and videos that have impact and are highly contextual. So whatever channel you choose to tell your stories on, visual is critical, and not an afterthought or mere eye candy. The rich new platforms and tools with which you can tell your story, in fact, sometimes decide what brand stories you choose to create and tell. Santosh Desai, MD of Future Brands, often talks about brands and story telling. He thinks brands don't merely tell stories -- they are stories. Any brand is, at its heart, an idea that is brought alive as a story we can relate to.As everyone learns to tell stories in ways they never thought possible, we also see that those stories become part of the brand's language that is shared by everyone within the company. Just as you would want everyone to have the same one powerful understanding of the brand, so would you also want everyone working with the brand to participate in creating and sharing the stories, remembering that brand stories are not a single event at one point of time, but ongoing, sustaining and adding to the brand over the long term. There's a lovely little story from a few days ago of a marriage proposal. Filmmaker Walt Thompson asked his girlfriend Nealy to marry him. Not in the usual pop-the-question manner, but by making a lovely little stop-motion film with Lego characters, Lego-boy proposing to Lego-girl. I's sweet enough to bring a tear to the eye, but what a story – not just for the happy couple, but for Lego. Case in point.
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Ahead of the Curve?Research In Motion has chosen India for its global launch of the BlackBerry Curve 9220, a Rs 10,990 phone for the messaging masses. With it, you get Rs 2,500 worth of downloads free from the BlackBerry World app store, including apps on cricket, horoscopes and other typically Indian preoccupations. India is a critical market for RIM as it continues to lose ground in the US and Canada but has had a good run in Asia so far, mostly thanks to young users who forgive whatever else BlackBerry phones don't have because of its much loved BBM. RIM is clearly hoping the 9220 will enjoy the success of Curve 8520, but the smartphone landscape has changed significantly in recent months and there's a great deal you can get for around 10K today. If it weren't for the Messenger, it's not certain how well low-end BlackBerry phones would do. And the 9220 is truly low-end. It's light and plasticy, which is tolerable, but has only a 2 megapixel camera, no 3G connectivity, and overall basic looks — available in various colours. You could even call it a feature-smartphone. The 9220 is comfortable to hold, fitting right into the palm. It has a nice bright screen on which text is very comfortable to read. There's the usual Qwerty keyboard that Blackberry users can't do without. RIM is banking on the fact that not everyone has 3G though and there's something to be said for sheer simplicity. They also believe in the idea that social integration with apps will see it through to another Indian success. To prove that they're listening to Indian users, they've finally put in an FM radio — years after it became standard on phones that cost Rs 2,000, and a button configured to go straight to BBM. Not so low-end at all for a device that size is the battery, which is a 1450 mAh that BlackBerry claims will give 7 hours of talk time and 18 days of standby time. Also, the device works on the latest operating system, BlackBerry 7.1, with 512MB of RAM.First Phone With Intel InsideFlip over the newly launched Xolo smartphone and you'll find a logo you haven't seen on a phone before: Intel Inside. Intel should have been in on the smartphone game long ago. That is where the action is, has been no secret. Specially not over the past year, when smartphones have overtaken PCs in sales. But the industry-defining chipmaker took its time while ARM and others mopped up the market. Finally though, Intel has jumped in with a smartphone in partnership with India-based Lava International. Launched exclusively in India (for now), the Xolo X900 will sell for Rs 22,000 and will be available at Croma. The Xolo gives a great first impression. It's all clean lines and solidity and there's nothing plasticy about the feel. The more important thing, of course, is on the inside, where we got a bit of a surprise. The battery was shabbily tethered to the phone with a thin wire — on three units that we opened up. One snap, and your phone's dead. Overall, the inside didn't match the outside in quality, making us wonder if it was Intel-worthy. Xolo runs on an Intel 1.6GHz Atom processor with a 400 MHz graphics chip. The whole idea is speed and performance. It features full 1080p HD video on its 4-inch bright screen.There's an 8 megapixel camera that does burst photography. Gaming, video, photography and browsing are all supposed to get a big boost because of the processor. This may be the first of Intel's processor-based phones, but more are slated to hit the market with Lenovo, Motorola, Orange and ZTE. Let's hope they are more confidence-inspiring on the inside.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 14-05-2012)
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CLOSETIf you want any more proof of apps taking charge of everyday life, take a look at Closet, which helps you make quicker and better decisions on what to wear, since wear something you must. It takes some homework to set up, but then makes life easier.What you do is take photographs of your apparel and accessories to build up your catalogue. If you have too many clothes, do it in batches. In time you should have all of it done.You add items using the iPhone's camera, or the iPad's if you like, though the app is really for the iPhone. You add the items to categories like tops or footwear — and you can edit and add categories.Once you have lots of items, the rest is self- explanatory. You create full outfits and mark them into the in-built calendar and mark favourites. Put in shoes and bags and jewellery. Now, instead of rummaging around in your cupboard, look on your device — and you're done. Even better would be if your actual closet is neat so you can reach out for what you are going to wear as easily as deciding what to wear.Closet, free for now, is being redesigned. Let's hope the update is even more helpful. VOXERSitting around free in both the App Store and Google Play is an app called Voxer. Not new, not revolutionary. But at the same time, it is surprisingly feature-filled and enjoyable to use. Voxer is a Push To Talk app: it's a walker talkie, a chat client, answering machine, and reminder. Install it and let it connect with your phone book or Facebook contacts. Invite people to get the app or spot those who already have it. Once that's done, select a person and start "voxing" by tapping to initiate contact. Press and hold to leave an audio message. If your contact is around and feels up to answering, you get a reply and notification. If not now, maybe later. If you gather up several friends, you can have a group chat, sending whatever mix of text, photos and audio messages you like. You can also send yourself a message — a reminder, perhaps. If you feel up to a long talk, it's obviously easier to use the phone or any of the other VoIP apps, but Voxer is ideal for just leaving messages without being intrusive, or just making a quick remark. It's the voice equivalent of an SMS. What Voxer has going for it most of all is the speed and ease of use. One or two taps to talk. And the clarity of the audio! You can even have the messages play out aloud on their own. Also an ideal app for moms and wives to remind the men in their lives about all sorts of things. Listening to these will invite your brain to fall into sync with the sound and the frequency On the downside, there have been some hangs reported on Android phones. And the app does drain battery. You also have to make sure you're not talking at the same time as listening to incoming audio or they'll bump into each other.The Android and iOS apps are much the same and are free for now. No ads, either. But how these will make money in future, one doesn't know.BRAINWAVEApps won't leave anything alone — not even your brainwaves. They actually seek to control them. To your advantage, hopefully. In over-simple terms, your brainwaves differ when you're relaxed compared to when you're concentrating on something and alert. The patterns that would be recorded when you are dreaming will be entirely different from those when you've just finished exercising. Now, what if we had sound patterns mimicking these brain activity patterns? The theory is that listening to these will invite your brain to fall into sync with the sound and the frequency. If that happens, you will feel whatever state usually goes with the brainwave pattern — represented by the sound. The process is called brainwave entrainment.It isn't as far-fetched as it sounds. Think of how you feel sleepy when the AC is humming away, or when you're on a train. If the sound were high-pitched and made up of a different wave pattern, you wouldn't be able to sleep. A number of apps have been built on this idea, both for Android and iOS. Developers Banzai Labs have a bunch of brainwave apps for iOS that claim to induce desired mental and physical states. One of the apps, Brainwave, has 30 patterns to induce relaxation, an alert state of concentration and focus, a burst of pre-exercise energy, a state of stimulation like that you would get from drinking a shot of espresso, a state of deep dreaming sleep, and many others. All you need is your device and a good pair of earphones — plugging in one ear won't work — and perhaps a willingness to play along. Each programme has a minimum usage time, and many have different stages to take you through what it would actually be like in that state. Falling asleep and actively dreaming will, for instance have different sets of patterns.Now as to whether these apps work. Users claim they do. Whether they work by suggestibility or in fact by encouraging brain waves to fall in step with sound frequencies, is impossible to study outside of a lab. We asked two mental health specialists, one of whom laughed and said: why can't you just use music? And the other said well, yes, this was done by special machines so why not by an app?We urge you to get a little background on this app before you try it, and stay away from those that claim to help you lose weight by encouraging you to lose your appetite.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 14-05-2012)
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A flick, a wave, a nod, a tap. No gesture is out of bounds as tablets and phones take over the world, and new ways of interacting with them are explored. Some mean that you don't touch the surface, a technology that Microsoft has taken to another level with the Kinect. Sony has come up with a pre-touch sort of interaction where you hover just over the device. Computers are not immune to gestures either, as entire operating systems begin to incorporate movements on screen or touch pad. We will soon take gesture-based interfaces for granted as they become natural and ubiquitous. For now, here are a handful of apps that are quite touchy. ANYDOIntuitive Android app takes the thinking out of doingAnyDo is a squeaky clean, get-things-done app that is superlatively intuitive, adding a layer of touch gestures to make it even more usable. Sometimes that take so much managing they become tasks in themselves. But if you don't need something very complex and multi-layered, try the free AnyDo with its surprising number of features. It automatically becomes a widget on your homescreen. When you tap it, a clean screen invites you to enter things to do for Today, Tomorrow, This Week, or Later. You can voice-enter these and tap to confirm. You can set a reminder. To move tasks around, just press, hold and move. When you're done, a quick flick of the finger across the task will cross it out. When you've finished several tasks, give your phone a good shake to get rid of the lot. You can also sync with Google Tasks. Overall, AnyDo takes all the thinking out of task management. CLEARSwipe away your list of things to do with this iOS appClear got itself a lot of attention because everyone believed it demonstrated the future of gesture-based apps. It's even simpler than AnyDo, but that means it sacrifices on some functionality. Not a free app, it's just $0.99 and sits best on the iPhone though it works perfectly well on the iPad as well. Simpler to-do apps are best when on a handy device like a phone (or a piece of paper, for that matter) while complex collaborative apps will be easier to work with on a tablet or computer. Once you tap into Clear, you just tap to create a list and within that, a task. When you're done with it, just brush it away with a careless flick of the finger. Or keep it satisfyingly crossed out. Everything is done with swipes and pinches — there isn't a button in sight. You pinch open to expand lists and pinch inwards to collapse them. The gestures are actually more intuitive than with AnyDo, but then you don't have the added yet out-of-the-way functionality or the ability to voice-enter tasks. The lists are in nice bright colours, which of course adds to the pleasure of using an app. If you're looking for the simplest of to-do apps, you couldn't do better than Clear. DAEDALUS TOUCHWrite your stuff at a pinch and edit with two tapsThis text editor iPad app with an unpronounceable name can actually be disorienting at first because the "old way" of tapping on buttons and menus doesn't apply. Documents are not even called documents and pages aren't pages. Instead, you swipe through stacks of paper and pinch open to get a sheet to write on. A stack has as many sheets as you like. You double tap to get into edit mode. Unlike other apps, there's no handwriting, sketching, photo import, or other functions. It's just you and what you need to write. It's particularly interesting if you have separate chunks to write but all related to one subject or task. Daedalus has a customisable extension to the keyboard called Button Row where you can add things you do often. For example, you can set a set of quotation marks for quick access. When you then select a phrase, you can quickly click on the keyboard shortcut to enclose it in quotes. For $4.99 you get an app that uses gestures to manage files and quicker typing. RECHNERDo the math with a gesture or twoAnything can be more enjoyable if it's nicely designed — even the humble calculator. Rechner has been designed specifically for touch — specifically for the iPhone, in fact. Also works on the iPod Touch and iPad for $0.99. Rechner has a minimalist unthreatening design, attractive in its very simplicity, but best of all is how you swipe right to add and left to subtract. Other functions sit in a drawer and are not as slick. It's said to speed up calculations by up to 200 per cent but whoever calculated that must be in an exceptional hurry. TWEETBOT Twitter with a garnishing of gesturesFrom among the army of Twitter clients came Tweetbot, jostling out all the others as it optimised for the iPad recently. Tweetbot has many conveniences that others miss, but it also uses gestures to enhance its intuitive usability. You light-tap a tweet to open it up for options. You barely touch a link to find it opening up to a web view or letting you get straight to media like photos and videos. It was already clear and crisp and is now updated to take on the Retina Display of the new iPad. It's a smooth, flowing app which refreshes when you pull down the timeline with a finger. Where the swipes come into their own is when you swoosh left to see the conversation (all parties) for a tweet and right to see replies. Tweetbot has a lot of other exclusives — or near exclusives. You can mute people without unfollowing them. You can use multiple Twitter accounts. Most brilliant of all, you can read a linked article in web view or Readability mode, setting fonts and dark-light to suit your needs as you read longform. mala(at)pobox(dot)com, @malabhargava on Twitter (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 16-04-2012)
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If you're wondering whether to buy a smartphone, tablet or laptop, you may soon get the chance to buy the lot in one package. AsusTek, which is letting its imagination run wild these days, has officially lifted the lid off its innovative Padfone at the Mobile World Congress, the biggest show in mobiles, at Barcelona, Spain. And yes, the Padfone is in four parts. Here's how:For Part I, you have a smartphone. It's an Android 4.0 phone with a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display – nice bright display, in fact – and it's as thin as they could make it. It isn't short on power with its 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual Core processor and 1GB of RAM. Nor does it skimp on the camera, which is at the rear is 8 megapixels and front, a VGA.. So far, a regular lightweight biggish Android phone. But wait for Part II. The Padfone fits into a tablet, the Padfone Station. The back of this 10.1 inch tab (which has a USB port and card reader slot) has a little compartment that opens up to fit the Padfone. Click it into place and the tablet, which also runs Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android, wakes up and speaks both phone and tablet. With the Padfone fitted in, you can still make and receive calls and apparently it even gets charged. More amazingly, if you were working on some notes on the phone, you will see them pop up on the tablet – and vice cersa. There are some specific apps that make use of the tablet and phone combo. And when you've decided you've had enough playing around with a tablet, call in Part III, which is like half a notebook – the keyboard end. I have to admit my eyes popped out of their sockets somewhat when I saw that, even though Asus has already been playing around with docking devices as you'll see with the Transformer Prime, being launched in India now. With the keyboard part attached, you have yourself a notebook. Running Android, of course, not the Windows to. which you may be more accustomed The keyboard is optional. For the final Part IV, there's a stylus headset. You can use it to write on the tablet and you can stick it next to your ear to use the microphone on a call. The Padfone has actually been around since May 2011 but will actually be available for sale from this coming April. What is to be available starting today in India though, is the Eee Pad Transformer Prime, a tablet and keyboard docking station combo. It's also power packed and runs Android 4.0 – besides being all metallic and gleaming. With just these two pieces, the tablet and the keyboard dock, the Transformer, which has pretty good reviews, should appeal to those who would want to consume content and be entertained with a tablet but also need the option to create content for their work. The Padfone is a most ingenuous concept. Good thing someone's actually thinking different and doing something about it, to boot. How easy it will be to handle all the components of this package however, we'll only know when it comes out of the showcase and into the market.
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It was sometime in mid 2009 that Google first came out with its Chrome strategy. Cloud computing wasn't the household name it is today and the idea of everything being on the web wasn't immediately understood. I may be in the minority here, but I think much more should have happened with Chrome than it has by now. Google could have owned the web in a far larger way today. One of the problems has been that the strategy has involved too many pieces with no integrated feel to them. Somehow, the glue that holds everything Google Chrome together, hasn't been sticky enough.At the same time, there are some who believe that the Chrome strategy was before its time – and perhaps still is. For Chrome notebooks to succeed, they need to drop below a certain price point and internet connectivity has to be an affordable given – like the air you breathe. For the browser to move beyond being a secure and clean alternative to other browsers, there need to be many more applications.But perhaps Google is finally moving forward with its strategy because it has just released the beta of its Chrome browser for Android. But don't jump to download it because it's only available to the privileged few happen to be cruising along on Ice Cream Sandwich or Android's latest 4.0 version. None ICS phones or tablets are in India yet, officially, so unless you want to take the unrecommended step of tampering with your Android phone and compromising its performance – wait.For those willing to take the risk however, Chrome for Android has come as a bit of a treat because it has some much wanted features. For one, with a Chrome to Mobile, you can send URLs to the ICS-running mobile device. So if you were looking through something and had to move away but you hadn't quite finished, you can zap the site to your phone. Many more extensions will come up with additional features, over time.Tabbed browsing, something peope who are regularly on the web cannot do without, is now slick in Chrome for Android. Tabs (unlimited) now look very neat because they auto fit and you can swipe through tabs on the screen. You can also flip thumbnails of tabs like you would do with cards. There's a lot of use of intuitive gestures and tilt the phone to move through tabs as well. Your desktop bookmarks are also accessible on the mobile device – and the other way around. The idea is of course to no longer have to think about whether you're on the desktop or mobile – the experience should seamlessly include all your devices.The browser pre-fetches data when you're browsing on Wifi, ensuring that you don't get into sites that could be malicious. The pre-fetching is based on your browser history. There's also a link preview that you can see through a little zoom which shows you enlarged small text so you don't click on the wrong link.Chrome for Android will eventually be the de-facto browser on Android devices, replacing the characterless featureless browser we currently have to work with. It's meant to be speedy, simple and visually delightful. That means you need a powerhouse of a phone or tablet. Anything less would have been full of stutter. Flash won't work in this browser – the focus is on HTML5.A browser is a critical part of a mobile device, but in many cases it hasn't been as nice as the device it works on. Users have added Opera Mini, Dolphin, and other browsers to get some of the features they don't get, including tabs and gesture browsing. It's unfortunate that Google's own browser has lagged behind its large Android footprint. Even with Chrome for Android, there are many kinks to be ironed out and there's no indication of when the browser will come out of beta. Whether it will become available to pre-4.0 Android devices is very unlikely. But this much is for certain: it's the way ahead for Google powered devices in the future.
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If we are to believe the Mayan and Hopi Indians, the world as we know it is due to end in 2012. Just when so much hi tech is coming our way. Here's what we might miss — or not. iPad 3: The King Of TabletsThe world has long been indulging in its favourite Apple activity — rumour mongering on the next iPad. Not just the iPad 3 but the iPad Mini. Since Apple doesn't have a tradition of even hinting at what one of its new products will be like, everyone theorises and looks for the smallest shred of evidence. This time the evidence is as small as an internal cable shown on a Chinese site which may or may not be intended for the iPad 3. And all it shows is that it will be housed in a different design, possibly thicker than the iPad 2. A stronger rumour is that the next iPad, probably launching in March on Steve Jobs' birthday, will have a high-resolution display. Whatever shape it takes, predictions are that the iPad 3 will continue Apple's tablet dominance. But for all those waiting for a 7.85-inch iPad Mini, chances are as mini, say Apple watchers.Windows 8: Operating SmartwareThe stunning user interface of Microsoft Windows 8, says Win rumours and many others, is due to grace computer and laptop screens in February or even earlier. Just maybe, there'll be a tablet in the works as well later — that too from Nokia. But, the Windows 8 tab may not be sold to consumers over 2012. But this much is for sure: more Windows phones are coming from Nokia to follow up the Lumia 800 including a possible Lumia 900 at the CES in January. Windows 7.5 smartphones are easy to use and have an interface that many say should have come from Apple, but their market share is still under 3 per cent. BlackBerry 10: See You Soon?Things don't seem to be getting better for BlackBerry makers Research in Motion. With global market share and financials plummeting, they really need to hurry up with that one panacea for all their troubles — the BlackBerry 10 operating system and the related Playbook OS. Promised for February, the OS will mean we may finally see brand new BlackBerry smartphones and Playbook 2 able to offer competition to the iPhone and Android phones. At least that's the plan. Ultrabooks: The Next Little ThingMore fact than rumour is the flood of Ultrabooks we will see soon. These thin, svelte imitations of Apple's MacBook Air are sub $1,000 and give you power which is not compromised by size. They run an Intel Sandy Bridge processor and have varying but adequate RAM and storage to work fast. There's no optical drive. The battery life is at least five hours and hooting up and resuming is quick. Ultrabooks are already around from Asus, Acer and Samsung, but more are coming and Intel says by 2013 they will have replaced laptops.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 09-01-2012)
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It's typical of iPad buyers to get a bit of a surprise when they find they also need to buy accessories and apps. Without the apps, the tablet is a pretty slate. And without some accessories, life can get uncomfortable. One essential accessory is an iPad case. And sadly but truly, the famous Smart Cover doesn't come with the iPad and costs between Rs 2,000 and just over Rs 3,000. It protects the tablet's screen, turns it off and on, and apparently even cleans the screen. The back, however, tends to get dirty, so you may want to go for a colour that won't look dirty too easily. Some apps are coming up with snappy tricks, making the iPad do something when you lift the cover. But what's almost impossible to do without is a carry case. The back of the device needs protecting, and if you plan to carry it around, you'll need to put it into a tight carry case, not leave it swinging loosely in your briefcase or handbag. Expectedly, there's a whole industry of cases, though most of them aren't available in India. Drop into the nearest Croma or Apple Store, or try some of the well-known gadget shops. But you should also look online to see what you can order. It's important that the case fits in well with your lifestyle. It's also important that you keep a large number of variables in mind when you start selecting. To begin with, there's the style or type of case. There are cases that house the tablet on one side and a keyboard on the other. It's tempting to go for one of these because the tablet turns into a little laptop the moment it sits in such a case. Incidentally, it also takes away the ‘tabletness' of the device. The iPad usually fits tightly into the case, else it could drop out, and that means the user won't take it out too often. But keyboard cases only house small keyboards — not regular ones. Typing on them is more painful than typing on a virtual keyboard. The keys — and especially the space bar — are jammed into the material and your fingers will struggle to get any work done. If you plan to take the iPad along on trips, explore external keyboards, including wireless ones from Apple. Then there are mini briefcase-like cases. I own one of these and find it very useful because it takes the iPad along with the Smart Cover and has a handle for me to carry it around. There's also a pocket to put the charger, earphones, etc. But the quality of my particular case isn't the best and I think it will begin to show some wear and tear soon. I'm also unsure about the quality of the soft material on the inside. Nonetheless, it's not a bad form factor, though I can't put my separate keyboard in it.Some iPad cases open up like books or folders — much like the Kindle's. Not a great many of these are available in Delhi, but stray ones are probably around. They make reading more fun and also protect the back of the iPad. But if you own a Smart Cover, you'll have to get it out of the folder-style case to use it. A more functional style is the folder type, which gives good protection and has pockets to put stuff into. It's a good option if you travel a lot. Some cases only cover the back of the tablet. Obviously, these are neither here nor there. Sleeve cases are nice and professional-looking, but have no handles so you have to be careful while carrying one. Some have protective straps to make sure the iPad doesn't fall out when you're taking it out. Cases are not cheap, and you won't want to buy them time and again. So, don't just get the first one that catches your eye. I certainly wish my case had more protective cushioning and a longish strap. I also wish it were made of a better material. Indeed, the material is another variable. Is it synthetic or suede? Is it durable and easily cleanable? Is there a screen protector included (though I'm a little sceptical about these in case they make touch a little sluggish)? Are there wipe cloths? Is there an extra strap or something to prevent the device from jerking out? What about cushioning? YouTube has demos of drop-resistant cases, which you may like to check out. Also, check if the package is overly heavy.But how snugly does the tablet fit into the case? If it's too tight, taking it out could be a pain and somewhat dangerous. Again, some cases have stands. One particular case I saw had stands that could be adjusted for nine different positions for answering emails, browsing, watching movies, etc. Finally, check what buttons the case may be interfering with, if it's a "play-through" type. The Apple iPad 1 case was a bit tricky with the charging port, for example. Some cases end up hiding the camera. Explore the iLounge and ipadcasesblog.com to see what's happening on the case front. The trouble will almost certainly be worth it. The author is a personal technology writer and media professional (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 15-08-2011)
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Lenovo ThinkPad YogaRs 112,418 & Rs 96,765lenovo jumped right into the ultrabook and hybrid segment with its Yoga notebooks and later, tablets. But not many would have expected to see the iconic ThinkPad get the Yoga treatment. Well, it has. Its 12.5-inch screen bends backwards all the way till it meets the back of the keyboard —and yet it's every bit the ThinkPad, built very tough and even a bit heavy. All that is signature about the ThinkPad is still there including the little red track point which ThinkPad users love. It's targeted at the enterprise and not for someone looking for a light, snazzy notebook.The magnesium alloy casing looks no-nonsense and the hinges that allow the screen to move all the way back 360 degrees seem really sturdy. The screen is a 400nit IPS panel with FHD resolution. It's a touch screen and is responsive enough though I did encounter the occasional lag. The keyboard on ThinkPads has been as iconic as the device itself, and it's pretty good on this laptop too. The battery lasts about six hours, but I didn't think this notebook is so ultra portable as to be the type you'd use without power nearby. There are two configurations, both nice and pricey. A Rs 112,418 and Rs 96,765. Both are running Windows 8.Sony Xperia C3 Rs 23,990how do you put together a smartphone for today's self-obsessed generation? You do it by outfitting the device with a 5MP front camera. Or that's what Sony believes as it rides the selfie bandwagon to add the Xperia C3 to its line. I'm not sure whether one would buy a Rs 23,990 phone to shoot selfies, but one never knows. I certainly do see Facebook flooded ad nauseam with selfies from both young and old. To be selfie capable, the C3 front camera has a 25mm wide-angle lens. That means you can take that cliche group shot with everyone fitting in, complete with their poses. You also have a soft LED flash so that you can take photos indoors without the unpleasant blue-white glare of a flash. Of course, it's not always easy to escape. There's a red eye reduction mode which didn't do too much. Nonetheless, it's a good front camera and helped by the timer plus dedicated camera button on the side, both which can get you that arm's length shot.The rest of the phone, including the 8MP rear camera, is average. Th specs are now offered by devices half the cost and the phone is a large 5.5 inch gadget that may be a bit awkward to hold just for selfies. But then, it's got something else going for it: good looks, if you manage to get the mint one, and great battery life that could cross over to the next day. The C3 is light and super thin, doesn't have a bad screen, and has a steely metallic strip accounting accenting it's good looks. It's just that it's fairly expensive for what it offers. (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 20-10-2014)
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It's pretty safe to say that the one thing people have loved best about HTC’s flagship phones have been their design. A refusal to compromise on material and build quality have been the hallmark of more than one of HTC’s top-end offerings. But, of course, that means a great deal of expense, both for the maker and the buyer. So here’s an attempt to bring the cost down a bit and yet not cheapen the look and feel of the device. Say hello to the HTC One E8, affordable brother of the all-metal One M8. From the front, the E8 is signature HTC. It’s a look that’s still classy and pleasing even though we’ve seen it on several devices now. Same chamfered edges, slim bezels and fantastic sounding speakers on the top and bottom. Also, the same silly placement for the power button —up on top in the centre. I always forget and go looking for it. But for whiners like me, the screen wakes up and sleeps off with two quick taps. It’s on the back that the E8 looks different. It has a soft polycarbonate panel that makes it lighter, cheaper, and a little fond of oily fingers, even if I say so myself. But all that is a small sacrifice for many when it translates to a saving of about Rs 10,000. The M8 is Rs 43,299 as of this writing, and the E8 Rs 33,850. The E8 is a good-to-hold smartphone, on the biggish side but narrow and comfortable. The soft back gives it some grip, instead of being dangerously slippery like the M8 which has a satiny feel. When you turn it on, you’ll find a nice crisp screen. I didn’t like its auto brightness, but otherwise it’s a comfortable display in terms of colours and viewing angles. Text is crisp and clear. HTC’s Blink Feed, the magazine app that lets you see local content and your social networks, pulls out with a swipe from the left of the screen and can be swiped back when you’re done with it. HTC’s interface, Sense 6, is simple and well optimised with Android on the device. It’s easy to get used to and has its share of smart features such as a number of gesture customisations, without seeming overly gimmicky. It’s a clean and light experience. The E8 is also quite the performer. Not only does it score high on synthetic benchmarks, it works free of lag and stutter and does a good job of graphics. Lovers of gaming should have a good time. There’s only the faintest heating up. With the sound being as good as it is, consuming media is a good experience too. The keyboard on the E8 is pretty nice and supports trace input. If there’s one thing I’m disappointed with, it’s the camera. Although I’ve never been convinced by the 4 ultra pixel format, I think they may as well have stuck with that one. Although the photos wouldn’t zoom in and enlarge much, there’s something not quite right with the E8’s main camera. Acceptable in good light, it doesn’t quite stand up to the competition. It’s in low light though that things turn sour. Pictures in darker places are outright murky and just don’t look good even when you use the night mode or make adjustments. There are panorama and HDR modes but still, there’s the dark pictures in lower light to deal with. The E8 is a dual-SIM and uses nano cards. Call quality is good and so is signal reception. The battery is adequate for most of the day. Sony DSC RX100 MARK IIIFriends who know of my fondness for the Sony RX100 camera have their eye on my unit because they’re fairly certain I will buy the third generation of this popular product. I’m afraid they have a long wait because I’m not letting go of the original RX100. That doesn’t mean the Mark III isn’t a good camera — just that it’s expensive and not readily worth the “upgrade” if that means buying the camera all over again. The nicest thing about the RX100 is that it’s small enough to fit into a purse. And yet, its capabilities are surprising for its size. Those capabilities have obviously only improved with each new version, but not dramatically. With the Mark III and the RX100 original side by side, I find they’re almost the same size except that the Mark III is a millimeter or so thicker because it has a retractable electronic viewfinder. It doesn’t articulate in all directions, but it does pull out and also flips over so you can take a selfie, complete with a timer which gets activated in that position. Interestingly, it’s very different from its immediate sibling, the Mark II which was heavier and sported a horseshoe to fit accessories including a viewfinder. The new version has an F1.8-2.8 ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T1 (24-70mm) lens and a 20.1MP (effective) Exmor R CMOS sensor for better low-light shots.Its interface is familiar to Sony camera users and the rings around the lens can still be used for customised adjustments. Zoom is 2.9x and there are no interchangeable lenses. But there’s NFC and Wi-Fi.I wouldn’t recommend buying a fresh RX100 if you already have one of the previous models, but if you’re keen on a powerful camera that can fit into your pocket, think of spending Rs 54,990. At that price, you’ll get some DSLRs, but do you want one? (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 06-10-2014)
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