by jaganath on June 25, 2007
RAM prices are falling at an astronomical rate, most likely because of the launch of Windows Vista about 6 months back. We saw the same effect during Windows XP launch. The need for higher memory to run new operating systems send the RAM prices spiralling towards the bottom. During XP days, the 256 MB module was in heavier demand. This time around, it is the 1 GB module that has become quite popular. Don't even think of building a Windows Vista based media center PC without a minimum of 2GB RAM.
I bought a 1 GB DDR2 RAM module for INR 5400 ($131) during November 2006. The same module is now available for INR 1700 ($41), a whopping 300% price drop! The price may still fall further to the INR 1000 range in the next few months. So, now is the best time to get that memory upgrade that you always wanted.
by jaganath on June 19, 2007
ETEN is lesser known in the Windows Mobile phones arena which is dominated by biggies like HTC and Motorola. Still, ETEN often impresses with some nice Windows Mobile phones. The Glofish X500+ is one such phone. The recently launched x500+ has some notable features like
- An impressive VGA display in a 2.8" screen!
- Auto-focus macro camera (2 MP)
- Biz card reader
- Built-in GPS (This has become a standard in all ETEN Phones these days!)
- Quad band phone with wireless LAN.
For such a modern phone, lack of 3G is a definite shortcoming. Also, the now standard USB-on-the-go is also missing. Even then, this phone will attract many users for its excellent pricing (just 300 UK Pounds). Available from expansys now.
by jaganath on June 15, 2007
Here is a gorgeous new mobile phone from Sony Ericsson: Walkman w960i. Successor to the w950i phone, the w960i boosts the onboard flash memory to a whopping 8 GB. If you are searching for a smartphone with good music playing capabilities, this is it. The w960i is a touchscreen phone with 3G and WLAN connectivity for faster data transfer. I like the new keypad design and the very useful Blackberry-like jog dial. The jog dial makes the navigation on this phone pretty easy.
Since it is run by Symbian UIQ, you will be able to add 3rd party applications or create your own (Unlike the 'other' smartphone). Browsing needs are taken care by the versatile Opera browser. For music afficianados, this is a very special package. TrackId will help you identify the songs that you are playing. An FM radio with RDS will help you catchup with the latest tunes. There is also this gimmicky "Shake Control" where you can randomly select a new song by just shaking the phone!
On the negative side, die hard music fans will not like the propreitary audio jack. Though it is a 3G phone, it still does not sport HSDPA. Some office applications may not be preloaded. Another negative is that, there is no additional memory expansion slot. But when you have 8GB in your pocket, do you really need more?
To me, this is the real 'media monster' phone. Motorola's Z8 is no match for the Sony Ericsson w960i. Start saving your money so that you are ready to pounce on this when it is released sometime in Q4 2007.
by jaganath on June 14, 2007
iPhone has become a dangerously closed platform. Steve Jobs keeps saying that security is the primary reason why Apple is not releasing an SDK. I call this an absolute bull shit. For years, Symbian and Windows Mobile have provided excellent and powerful SDKs for developers and there has not been a single incidence of a rogue mobile application bringing the entire network down or eating the mobile user alive. There are many developers whose only source of income is the shareware they sell for $19.99 through handngo. A open platform like Windows Mobile has created huge communities which hack these mobile devices to death, thus enhancing the end user experience in endless ways.
Apple's plans are pretty clear. By locking down the application platform, they can create their own applications and sell it through the iTunes music store, just like the way they are selling the $5 games for iPod. Allowing 3rd parties to develop software will flood the market with iPhone applications, in which case, it will become difficult for Apple to sell their own. For example, most people use Firefox on Mac, a 3rd party software than Apple's own Safari. Similar things might happen if Apple opens up the iPhone platform.
Apple CEO thinks he is the first to market a smartphone, which unfortunately is not true. There are all sorts of 3rd party software, from a placeshifter to a VoIP client that are running on Windows Mobile without any security risks that anyone knows of. By not releasing an SDK, Apple has not only disappointed the developers, but also insulted them by claiming security as the reason. To me, a monkey-dancing, tongue-wagging, foul-mouthed CEO who chants "developers, developers" hundered times a day, sounds more 'sweet'er than the one who provides Web 2.0 as a solution for developing applications on a powerful mobile device.
by jaganath on June 12, 2007
One of the highlights during WWDC 2006 was Apple's childish comparisons of Windows Vista with OS X Tiger. Steve Jobs opened his Leopard part of the keynote with a 'top secret' feature which he did not want to reveal because he felt that Microsoft would copy that and release it as part of Vista, which was at RC builds during that time.
Now that Mr. Jobs' WWDC 2007 keynote is over, I can't help wondering which one of the ten features that he highlighted could be the "top secret" one. Is that the new Dock? The new dock could not be top secret because it is a blatant copy from Sun's project, the Looking Glass. See for yourself here.
We have seen enough of Cover Flow, Core Animation, Time Machine etc., in the past. They are no secret. Then what was that top secret feature? Could it be the iChat Theatre? Oh, wait, Microsoft Windows, which Mr. Jobs uses for playing Minesweeper and Solitaire, has had something very similar called Netmeeting for more than a decade now. Then is it the Spaces, Quicklook, 64bit or the Boot Camp? Hmmm.. I don't know. May be the top secret feature is hidden in the rest of the 290 features that are new to Leopard. Only His Highness knows. Can someone help me 'unearth' this top secret feature?
by jaganath on June 12, 2007
Here is another one of those HTC innovations. So far, we have seen only phones which slide flat to reveal a QWERTY keyboard. How about a phone which slides and then flips up to reveal a laptop like form-factor? Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting the HTC Kaiser. Sporting a Qualcomm MSM7200 chipset, which comes with a 400 MHz ARM11 processor, the HTC Kaiser is a HSDPA enabled UMTS Phone with EDGE support too. Other features include Windows Mobile 6 operating system and a QVGA screen, standard fare for any modern Win Mobile phone.
The HTC Wizard changed the way we looked at Windows Mobile PDAs. The HTC Kaiser goes one step further into making them a true multimedia device. The flip open position is ideal for movie viewing and playing audio. The integrated GPS and the 3 MP camera make it a state of the art device. It will be an added bonus if this device comes with the HTC's Touch interface.
by jaganath on June 11, 2007
With just 4 open windows!
Ok, I agree it is beta, but then, not a very good start!
(BTW, posted from Safari!)
by jaganath on June 7, 2007
When I relaunched my blog on its own domain (moving from Wordpress.com), I added Google Analytics to the website to collect some statistical data on how well my new blog is doing. After about a week, I noticed that the overall bounce rate for this website was a whopping 85%, which means hardly anyone stayed to read more than a post! Why did this happen?
The reasons are manifold. In an effort to keep the site as simple as possible, I had used only two blocks on the blog. One for navigation, which listed all the categories of posts and the other for the recent comments. Once someone reaches the blog through a search engine, they read the post, left a comment if they wanted, and moved on, since nothing else seems to be there in the website.
After reworking my blog a little, the bounce rate has now reduced dramatically to 50% within a weeks time! How did I do it? It was simple and did not take more than a couple of hours to optimize the site. Here is what I did:
- Created more visibility to the blog. I created a Popular posts page and added this as a tab to the menu bar. I picked the top posts indicated by Google Analytics and listed them on this page. Anyone landing on this blog will definitely notice the "Popular Posts" page and is likely to read this section. This means more page visits to your popular articles. Most blogging software allow you to create a popular posts page or navigation block automatically.
- Added a Recent Posts section. Another eye-catching block. This will show your last few blog entries. Giving an attractive title to a blog post can automatically increase page visits. If you are writing a series of articles, mention the "part number" in the title of the post. This will make the reader aware that he is reading just the part of a longer series and is likely to read the rest of the articles from the series. He/She may even add your feed to their RSS readers.
- Created plenty of cross links. It is very unlikely that your readers will read all your past articles by visiting the archives section. This is where cross linking comes in. You can link to your previous posts in a new article, if they are relevant. Please be judicious here. If you are over enthusiastic, you may loose some readers.
- Added "Related Posts" to all posts which had related content. I introduced a new series called "Smartphone Watch" recently. At the end of every article, I added a 'Related' link to link back to the other articles in this series. Now I notice that almost everyone reads the entire series instead of just one post. Wordpress and Drupal have related posts plugins which can automatically pickup and display this at the end of every post. Look here for a detailed discussion on such Wordpress plugins. Drupal module is here.
Thats all I did! My bounce rate is continously reducing after I introduced these changes. Try these with your blog too. You will definitely notice an improvement in your page views.
by jaganath on June 6, 2007
In Vista, Activesync is replaced by Windows Mobile Device Center. Often called WMDC, the Mobile Device Center brings better usability and easier management of Windows Mobile devices with Windows Vista. Media and photo synchronization has been improved and there is a link to browse the device easily through explorer. Unfortunately, your pristine Windows Vista installation does not have WMDC pre-installed. You have to download it separately from a Microsoft website. Previously in beta, the recently launched WMDC final version is now much more stable and ready to be installed in everyone’s PC.
Here are the download links:
32bit version
64 bit version
Related: Know your Vista: Readyboost and how to hack it
Related: Know your Vista: Sideshow
by jaganath on June 5, 2007
Hmmm. Its hard for technology companies to live up to the hype they generate. The HTC special announcement turns out to be a dud. 
What HTC HTC special announcement turns out to be a dud. What HTC has announced is a mobile shell on top of Windows Mobile 6. This shell provides a sweep interface, which sets the screen into animation mode and basically launches another application, which turns out to be a plain old Windows Mobile app like the Internet Explorer or the Contacts. Nothing revolutionary - but slight enhancement to the look and feel of the (now boring) Windows Mobile UI. It doesn't seem to improve productivity in anyway. Just gives an added convenience of not needing the stylus all the time. The HTC Touch has the intelligence to differentiate between a stylus touch and a finger touch, which again is not new - the Nokia 770/N800 have had it for years now.
For Windows Mobile to look attractive, Microsoft has to invest in the UI redesign, which has not changed in 7 years (Apart from the minor touches done here and there with every new OS release). Multi-touch interface and better fluid graphics are an essential requirement for a modern phone. When compared to the iPhone (OK, I couldn't resist that), the WinMo UI now looks like the one from stone age. And the HTC Touch is not helping that in any way.
By the way, the Touch is launched on the HTC Elf phone, though theoritically it should run on any Windows Mobile Professional phone.
