Phone, Tablet and Gizmo Thread #0x02

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 25 Mar 2013 20:41

Raja Bose wrote:That coverage map is scary for the everything-on-the-cloud bandwagon. Even chi-chi bay area doesn't qualify.

Right now I can upgrade to a $50/month unlimited data plan on vzw thru KB discounts - probably will when lumia928 is publicly available. Unlimited call/text is not that important for me since my calls usually go thru VoIP.

In your area it appears VZW has good voice, but data coverage may not be as good as ATT. The TMO and ATT agreement for sharing 1700/1900 MHz data band should go into effect sometime this year. That will make them quite good for data, but voice will still be an issue in your area.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 25 Mar 2013 21:08

huh! RB seeking KB muffat services, and he had earlier said I was cheap stake when I opted for kith & kin plan.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 25 Mar 2013 22:05

TMO has been historically bad in this part of the bay area. Plenty of dead spots in several local public areas. It was like that back in 2007-08 and from the accounts of those who run their phones with them, it's not much better. AT&T is not a whole lot better - VZW seems to get points for the most consistent service coverage in these parts, though I will stick to AT&T GSM for the ability to use my phone in desh and elsewhere.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2013 06:37

what do people in regular jobs need 2 GB of mobile data for? I assume home and office you do not need internet over 3g/lte. hotels would have their own wifi.

do you guys spent that much time in weekends or on the road with a need for continuous uptime ?

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 26 Mar 2013 07:44

Singha wrote:what do people in regular jobs need 2 GB of mobile data for? I assume home and office you do not need internet over 3g/lte. hotels would have their own wifi.

do you guys spent that much time in weekends or on the road with a need for continuous uptime ?

Many offices monitor web usage and sometimes you just can't use it to browse BRF or personal stuff, therefore having 3G/LTE data is useful.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 26 Mar 2013 08:57

is that 3g as in gigabytes or generation?

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 26 Mar 2013 09:49

3G as in 3rd generation of mobile telecommunications technology that supports a minimum of 200 Kbits/sec data rates as specified by the ITU.

See: http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/imt-2000/technology.html

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 26 Mar 2013 19:51

This is about the right time for FruitCo to send out invites if they are working on a watch or a TV. Nothing yet?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 26 Mar 2013 23:51

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/03/appl ... -2015.html
Apple Plans to Triple Exclusive Stores to 200 in India by 2015

Last month, we reported that Apple saw a four-fold jump in iPhone sales in the last quarter.
The Economic Times now reports that buoyed by this success, Apple is gearing up to scale up its presence in India, by tripling the number of exclusive stores over the next two years.Apple currently has 65 exclusive stores currently that are run by its franchisees. Apple plans to triple its exclusive stores to 200 by 2015.These franchisees, who did not wish to be named, told ET that they have been asked to scale up operations in the country as the Cupertino-based company plans to grow aggressively in the country. In addition to increasing the number of Apple exclusive stores, called Apple Premium Resellers, that are owned and managed by 17 franchisees, the company also plans to expand its presence in multi-brand stores, they said.Some of these plans are said to have been discussed during last month’s Mumbai visit of Hugeues Asseman, Apple’s vicepresident (sales) for Europe, Middle-East, India, and Africa. Asseman met key trade partners and franchisee owners to take stock of the company’s India business and to outline the company’s expansion plans. Apple’s London-based spokesman, Alan Hely, declined comment on the company’s expansion plans.Apple and its retail partners have managed to ignite iPhone sales in a cost sensitive Indian market by offering them on equated monthly instalment (EMI) scheme. The report notes that it has also extended the EMI scheme for iPads. The report notes that Apple’s share of the smartphones shipped to India, measured in value terms, has jumped from 3.9% in July-September quarter to 15.6% in October-December.Unfortunately, if you’re in India and hoping that Apple will open its iconic company-owned stores, then don’t expect it anytime soon. Even though the Indian government has started allowing single-brand companies like Apple to operate fully-owned stores, it has made it mandatory for such companies to source 30% of the goods they sell from local vendors, which won’t be possible for Apple to achieve in the near future.But Apple has asked its franchisses to upgrade their stores to global standards, so one should expect a much better shopping experience in these exclusive Apple stores in the future. The franchises have enough incentive to do this as they have seen iPhone sales to jump from Rs 30-40 lakhs (approx. $64,000 to $74,000) to Rs. 2 crores (approx. $368,000) a month.If you’re puzzled why Apple has ignored India, the world’s second largest mobile phone market until now, it’s because the company didn’t have to depend on it for its growth. But with slowing growth in U.S. and Europe, it now really needs China and then India to drive growth year-on-year.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 27 Mar 2013 06:56

does google glass embed a direct LTE radio unit and CPU or it communicates using bluetooth to a cellphone type unit that must be carried in the pocket?
if its a two piece deal, kind of makes it easy to wear the glass but forget the base unit when leaving home.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 27 Mar 2013 07:54

I have a quorry or three for the gadget gurus re. Nexus 10

- Can I attach more storage (u-SD card to a USB to go or something like that) to the microUSB port?
- How hard is to attach the microHDMI to a TV that has HDMI input?
- Looks like it has a GPS. What is the point of a GPS on a device that is wifi (no [34]g) only?

TIA

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 27 Mar 2013 08:17

matrimc wrote:I have a quorry or three for the gadget gurus re. Nexus 10

- Can I attach more storage (u-SD card to a USB to go or something like that) to the microUSB port?
- How hard is to attach the microHDMI to a TV that has HDMI input?
- Looks like it has a GPS. What is the point of a GPS on a device that is wifi (no [34]g) only?

TIA

1. I haven't tried it, but you need a USB OTG cable and a file viewer app. The USB connectors are for KB, mouse and connecting to a computer.
2. I don't know and I haven't tried it, but it should be straight forward.
3. If you have a Nexus 4 or rooted phone, you can easily tether the Nexus 10 via WiFi.

Finally, the Nexus 10 is a great tablet, and I would probably get the 32 GB version, but not for $500. The 16:9 aspect ratio doesn't lend itself to be comfortable in the hands. It is not ergonomic and feels unwieldy like the MSFT Surface.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 27 Mar 2013 08:21

Jhujar wrote:http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/03/appl ... -2015.html
Apple Plans to Triple Exclusive Stores to 200 in India by 2015

I would like to see the massive glass architecture stores like the one in Beijing in NCR or Mumbai.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 27 Mar 2013 08:42

Mort Walker wrote:Finally, the Nexus 10 is a great tablet, and I would probably get the 32 GB version, but not for $500.

but how? $499 (close enough to $500

) seems to be the price one has to pay at goog play. or you suggest refurb at ebay or other places? used?

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 27 Mar 2013 09:03

^^^I meant it is overpriced. I would pay $300-$400 max. Let's see what Google I/O holds for us in May.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Mar 2013 09:23

mort, why only NCR or mumbai?:(

btw the fire hd and nook hd have gone 1080p on their gizmos. how good are their OS for regular tab use?

email
browse net
perhaps edit office documents
and show presentations if possible.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 27 Mar 2013 10:36

Mort Walker wrote:
Raja Bose wrote:That coverage map is scary for the everything-on-the-cloud bandwagon. Even chi-chi bay area doesn't qualify.

Right now I can upgrade to a $50/month unlimited data plan on vzw thru KB discounts - probably will when lumia928 is publicly available. Unlimited call/text is not that important for me since my calls usually go thru VoIP.
In your area it appears VZW has good voice, but data coverage may not be as good as ATT. The TMO and ATT agreement for sharing 1700/1900 MHz data band should go into effect sometime this year. That will make them quite good for data, but voice will still be an issue in your area.

I am typing this on a KB owned sammy gsIII with ATT plan and both voice and data suck. And I am not even in the bay area right now - I am in LA. Like I said before, till I see improvement in the ground I wont trust any services-will-improve-in-the-future-onlee hogwash from ATT. As for my trip evaluation of the sammy gsIII (something i do for all mobile devices i use), that will be told next week.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 27 Mar 2013 10:41

Raja Bose wrote:And I am not even in the bay area right now - I am in LA.

Saar, if you're in LA, I'd like to buy you a beer or two. Let me know... bliss to email brfcompendium at chacha perhaps

pradeepe · Post by **pradeepe** » 27 Mar 2013 11:23

Singha wrote:does google glass embed a direct LTE radio unit and CPU or it communicates using bluetooth to a cellphone type unit that must be carried in the pocket?
if its a two piece deal, kind of makes it easy to wear the glass but forget the base unit when leaving home.

It uses a Bluetooth interface to your phone. Having its own radio would be tough - size and battery requirements to support it.

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 27 Mar 2013 12:33

Does anyone own a Canon inkjet printer in India? I'm trying to figure out if there are major page yield difference between HP and Canon. I'm looking at this:

http://www.canon.co.in/personal/product ... xma-mg3170

It's cheaper than it's HP equivalent but HP catridges seem to be cheaper and more freely available than Canon catridges. So wondering if there are major page yield differences. Any gyaan in this direction is welcome. Dhanyavaad.

manish · Post by **manish** » 27 Mar 2013 14:47

Nexus 7 has finally come to India via the Google Play store - Rs. 15,999/-.
Now lets wait for Nexus 4, 10 and whatever else comes next. Hopefully sooner.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 27 Mar 2013 18:41

Sriman wrote:Does anyone own a Canon inkjet printer in India? I'm trying to figure out if there are major page yield difference between HP and Canon. I'm looking at this:

http://www.canon.co.in/personal/product ... xma-mg3170

It's cheaper than it's HP equivalent but HP catridges seem to be cheaper and more freely available than Canon catridges. So wondering if there are major page yield differences. Any gyaan in this direction is welcome. Dhanyavaad.

I've owned Canon inkjets (two or three) and a HP inkjet printer. Things might have changed now (for the last 8 years or so, I have been using a HP color laser printer), but the reason I switched from using Canons to HP inkjet had a lot to do with their respective designs. The problem with Canon inkjets is that the print head is a separate unit from the cartridges. So if you don't use your printer for a while, the nozzles can get jammed with dried up ink and after a while, even running a clean head procedure or hot water treatment won't work. The only solution is to buy a new printer in this case. With a HP inkjet printer, the print head is integrated into the cartridge, so if you don't use your printer in a while and the ink dries up to the point that a clean head procedure doesn't work, you can simply get a new cartridge and you are back in business. Of course, if you use your printer a lot, then the ink drying problem does not apply to you.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 27 Mar 2013 21:32

is there a way to forward voicemail from iphone?

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 27 Mar 2013 22:26

Raja Bose wrote:
I am typing this on a KB owned sammy gsIII with ATT plan and both voice and data suck. And I am not even in the bay area right now - I am in LA. Like I said before, till I see improvement in the ground I wont trust any services-will-improve-in-the-future-onlee hogwash from ATT. As for my trip evaluation of the sammy gsIII (something i do for all mobile devices i use), that will be told next week.

Well, it may suck in both of the places you frequent. Check the Root Metrics site again for the exact location at and see what service is available. It has nothing to do with what ATT says, but what actual deployment is, and in your experience on the California coast it isn't good, but that doesn't mean it's bad in all places in the US.

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 27 Mar 2013 23:40

Jhujar wrote:Apple and its retail partners have managed to ignite iPhone sales in a cost sensitive Indian market by offering them on equated monthly instalment (EMI) scheme. The report notes that it has also extended the EMI scheme for iPads.

Ha. Not to say I told you so, but I wrote about this a couple of pages back. EMIs == "ignited" sales.

This is the exact reason I think the US "pay for it over 2 years" smartphone financing model is far superior to India's everything upfront model. Having EMI-based schemes for all smartphones would increase smartphone penetration manifold.

Having a cheap, powerful computer in every Indian's pocket -- when most Indians have never had access to a computing device before -- is so obviously beneficial that I'm surprised more people aren't pushing for it. It seems a better use of government resources than reinventing the wheel with things like the Aakash.

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 27 Mar 2013 23:53

^^In the US the scheme is provided by the carriers. In India they will have to be provided by the smartphone manufacturers or retailers, since carriers don't sell the phones directly. What can the government do?

nachiket · Post by **nachiket** » 28 Mar 2013 00:22

^^Marten saar, 822 is the Verizon variant right? Isn't it CDMA? Will it work in India? I don't know much about the 1000000 different Lumia variants that GB seems to have.

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 28 Mar 2013 00:33

nachiket wrote:^^In the US the scheme is provided by the carriers. In India they will have to be provided by the smartphone manufacturers or retailers, since carriers don't sell the phones directly. What can the government do?

Lots of things. Just off the top of my head:

- Tax rebates for samsung, LG etc for every EMI-based smartphone they sell in their stores
- Tax incentives for setting up financing companies that offer financing for smartphones or other similar tech
- Tax incentives for Airtel, Vodafone etc to sell an EMI-based smartphone with every prepaid or postpaid plan they sell

I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of.

Tax incentives are one of the ways in which governments can make things happen for the larger good even in a market based economy.

I'm deliberately leaving out things like cash vouchers for smartphones, or "free smartphones for the masses" like the free TV scheme, because they will be hopelessly corrupt in India.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Mar 2013 07:59

Govt can subsidize the data plans for school and univ students and give them each a smartphone by buying in bulk.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 28 Mar 2013 10:33

Mort Walker wrote:
Raja Bose wrote:
I am typing this on a KB owned sammy gsIII with ATT plan and both voice and data suck. And I am not even in the bay area right now - I am in LA. Like I said before, till I see improvement in the ground I wont trust any services-will-improve-in-the-future-onlee hogwash from ATT. As for my trip evaluation of the sammy gsIII (something i do for all mobile devices i use), that will be told next week.

Well, it may suck in both of the places you frequent. Check the Root Metrics site again for the exact location at and see what service is available. It has nothing to do with what ATT says, but what actual deployment is, and in your experience on the California coast it isn't good, but that doesn't mean it's bad in all places in the US.

Its not about whether its bad in all areas, its about consistency of qos - its highly unlikely that all areas and states I frequent have the worst ATT service whereas its good everywhere else.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 28 Mar 2013 10:37

ArmenT wrote:
Raja Bose wrote:And I am not even in the bay area right now - I am in LA.
Saar, if you're in LA, I'd like to buy you a beer or two. Let me know... bliss to email brfcompendium at chacha perhaps

Armen mullah, thank you for the nice offer. This time visiting with nieces, sis and paltan + leaving tomorrow so next time

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 28 Mar 2013 11:00

Raja Bose wrote:[
Armen mullah, thank you for the nice offer. This time visiting with nieces, sis and paltan + leaving tomorrow so next time

Sounds like a plan sir. Next time you happen to be in the area, please drop me an e-mail.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Mar 2013 18:17

all is last, the last bastion has fallen!
lenovo have caved in and gone with chicklet keyboard and removed the 5 buttons around the touchpad.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/17/the- ... -redesign/

it looks no different than a average dell or hp now.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Mar 2013 18:35

yes the T4x series was legendary. the T60 wasnt bad either.

the new W4xx and W5xx sometimes have keys falling off and two team mates of mine had their new W510s develop casing cracks where the right hand is placed near the touchpad..with no fall or anything to blame.

in my office people who are eligible for pc refresh are abandoning the thinkpad enmasse in favour of air/macbook pro . and so will I if I last here until 2015.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 28 Mar 2013 21:21

Raja Bose wrote: Its not about whether its bad in all areas, its about consistency of qos - its highly unlikely that all areas and states I frequent have the worst ATT service whereas its good everywhere else.

I didn't say ATT is good everywhere else. I said, "but that doesn't mean it's bad in all places in the US." If consistency of QOS is what you're looking for, then be happy with VZW. I use VZW as a mobile hotspot and TMO on another line. There are times when I travel that I find TMO's service for data better than VZW. VZW's pricing structure is abhorrent and I use them because of my employer, further CDMA 2000 compatible phones are all unappealing and most will not work internationally.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 28 Mar 2013 21:49

Singha wrote:yes the T4x series was legendary. the T60 wasnt bad either.

the new W4xx and W5xx sometimes have keys falling off and two team mates of mine had their new W510s develop casing cracks where the right hand is placed near the touchpad..with no fall or anything to blame.

in my office people who are eligible for pc refresh are abandoning the thinkpad enmasse in favour of air/macbook pro . and so will I if I last here until 2015.

I have a Z61T bought in 2007. Sexy beast. Titanium lid.

Still looks good after all these years.

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 28 Mar 2013 21:50

Read an article today about how Sammy is overly hierarchical and centralized. They called it "militaristic". This article really surprised me. It is akin to the pot calling the kettle black. I mean, it must suck working as a designer or engineer in a company where all orders are "upar se". No doubt about it. But why is Sammy made to look odd?

If you read the kitab about Mahdi, apparently he saw and rejected many many floorings for the first apple store and finally would only accept the texture of granite mined by some family in Italy! And there was an incident where Mahdi wanted the leather picture in notes app to match exactly the leather color, texture and stitching in his plane!! When such stories go around, people are all like "wah wah!! What personal attention to detail!! What taste!!" Nobody reads the postscript of the story where the architect making the store insisted (based on his experience) that retail floors should be made of easy to clean and durable materials else they would go down the Pakistan quickly. Which is what happened in fruit co store.

Somehow fruitco and database co run as top down hierarchical style where you cannot even go to Pakistan without asking for permission first is "personal taste and attention to detail" but Sammy doing that is "militaristic and hierarchical ". Why? Because they are based out of massa?

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 28 Mar 2013 22:37

Mozilla ported unreal engine to asm.js. the performance looks slick.
http://www.youtube.com/#/watch?feature= ... syogXtyU9o

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 28 Mar 2013 23:05

GoI Punches Nokia in the Face with Tax Liability

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 29 Mar 2013 07:32

OUYA game console will be available for mango abduls on June 4 for $99