Phone, Tablet and Gizmo Thread #0x02

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 15 Nov 2013 08:19

^^^The key point is that unlock eligibility notification requirement...not in itself but what it can open up in the future. No wonder the carriers are fighting that point. Its not what one desires but its a step in the right direction...baby steps are better than no steps which has been the case till date. So much for free capitalist economy in massa.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Nov 2013 09:22

yeah the stock dropped 10% like a stone. I am sure more layoffs are coming.
the claim is 4 bad quarters on the trot from now on...which is ominous because higher ups never speak of such extended bad spells...recovery is always one qtr away in execspeak.

I think only those who do the worst possible work in the trenches who nobody wants to touch...like laying telephone cables in stalingrad with vasily zaitcev around might be valued. one has to do work for multiple managers to build a grid.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 15 Nov 2013 09:25

CSCO is getting squeezed by the Chini players, it seems. Their numbers affected the tech sector at large today - I checked the numbers in the morning and went WTF when I saw some cos of interest lagging today, until I came across CSCO data.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Nov 2013 09:25

Raja Bose wrote:^^^The key point is that unlock eligibility notification requirement...not in itself but what it can open up in the future. No wonder the carriers are fighting that point. Its not what one desires but its a step in the right direction...baby steps are better than no steps which has been the case till date. So much for free capitalist economy in massa.

This is correct. If you are with ATT or VZW and have paid full price for the device, be it in 24 months or 2.4 days, then you should be eligible for unlock. TMO does it, so why not the others? Now with VZW, devices with GSM capability are unlocked to begin with, and CDMA unlocking won't gain anything in the US, but may if you travel to other parts of the world that have CDMA.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 15 Nov 2013 10:10

I have a pretty basic question. For a household with 2 smartphones and laptops, what use is a tablet?

vina · Post by **vina** » 15 Nov 2013 10:49

pandyan wrote:To find the answer, Ju need 2 no.s of kids onlee.

Indeed. I have simply not been able to watch TV in a long while. I switch it on and the little guy (3 years old) comes running, grabs the remote and changes it to 615 (Pogo).

Same with my iPad. Barely get to check my mail and stuff in it. If my daughter is not using it (8 year), my son is and they take turns grabbing it from each other.

The only thing that is sacred and verboten is my Desktop. I keep them away saying it is "Aapish" machine.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Nov 2013 11:38

my daughter picks up her cues from chota bheem - which comes 24x7 almost on pogo.

one day she opens the window, leans out of car towards the next car (a spectacled studious guy in a i10) and shouts "maaro maaro, chorna nahi, woh bhagne na paye!" .. quite a common incident in dholakpur.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 15 Nov 2013 12:53

$499 + ~10% tax at the Fruit stand.

Hemanth · Post by **Hemanth** » 15 Nov 2013 16:02

I agree with the general sentiment that tablets are pretty much useless! I bought a Nexus 7 last year (after a quite long research) to use as an ereader and a tablet. I used it for the first couple of months but slowly it was abandoned. Now a days I barely use it.

The fact it, you have the Office PC/Smartphone at day time and the TV/Laptop at night. Why do you need a tablet? They might be useful for a frequent traveller. Or if you are taking a train to work everyday.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Nov 2013 17:37

Raja Bose wrote:$499 + ~10% tax at the Fruit stand.

Yes, if you get the 16GB version. But the way Fruit Co. does things in their ecosystem of iTunes movies, music and maasthi, you need at least 32GB. That sets you back $599 + ~10% tax. Add $130 if you want an LTE radio in it.
Would you not agree with me that Fruit Co. got it right on this one in terms of industrial design and performance? Although, I am no fan of iOS, I grudgingly accept the iPad Air for being successful.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 15 Nov 2013 17:39

pandyan wrote:They r blaming no such agencee & snowman

Take a look at the FCC, you will see even an Indian origin commissioner who is also on the payroll of big US telecos. The whole system is corrupt.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 15 Nov 2013 20:59

Yes FruitCo hit the nail on the head with iPad Air.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 16 Nov 2013 00:39

anybody uses dd wrt here on their router?

anyone has windows home server and nas and sycs their laptops to backup with them inthe night?

BhairavP · Post by **BhairavP** » 16 Nov 2013 07:55

mahadevbhu wrote:anybody uses dd wrt here on their router?

anyone has windows home server and nas and sycs their laptops to backup with them inthe night?

I use dd-wrt on my RT-N13U. More stable than the stock Asus FW.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Nov 2013 10:03

what is big data?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 3576_o.jpg

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 16 Nov 2013 10:23

Singha wrote:what is big data?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 3576_o.jpg

Very appropriate!

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 16 Nov 2013 11:37

Samsung Galaxy NX camera Review

It takes 28 seconds to boot up

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Nov 2013 11:54

to me it falls between the two stools - it is not compact enough for the P&S mobility use and for a regular SLR user it doesnt have the dedicated tactile feel of the buttons that make shooting adjustments fast. SLR buttons are very durable..what happens if something happens to the screen here. will my nose activate the screen as I peer through the viewfinder.

samsung to me should build less products but think carefully about them and seek feedback on those...probably like canikon and apple does. "throw everything at the wall and hope something sticks" is not a great strategy its very wasteful of engg resources.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 16 Nov 2013 12:01

^^^This device from Samsung is like dhobi ka kutta - na ghar ka na ghat ka

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 16 Nov 2013 12:04

maybe they work like the PSU....employment generation for Soko engineers being also a prime goal...so have 300 products where 10 would do.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 17 Nov 2013 03:06

BhairavP wrote:
mahadevbhu wrote:anybody uses dd wrt here on their router?

anyone has windows home server and nas and sycs their laptops to backup with them inthe night?
I use dd-wrt on my RT-N13U. More stable than the stock Asus FW.

i bought a netgear 3700 wndr which has dual band from flipkart. and flashed dd wrt.

shite router..bad range dropped signals.

sent it back.

now i am going to buy asus rt n 16 which apparently is v good with dd wrt.

marten ji.....can you tell me how you managed to make box.net work out for you? i never manage to do Multi folder auto sync...only individual files work , and that too manually.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 17 Nov 2013 03:27

Thought as much. Thanks for the replies. I suppose it might be useful later on to keep kids occupied but having seen many kids become total drones with a tablet in Iand I'm wary and likely to get books instead. For now It looks like something nice but unlike khan who can use the f18 in the navy to avoid wasting a good design, will have to be sdre about it.

Btw rbmullah, nikon said recently that their numbers are falling due to smartphone sales

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 17 Nov 2013 03:33

Singha wrote:what is big data?
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 3576_o.jpg

I do small data and medium data. After I grow up, I plan to do big data.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Nov 2013 04:05

Its oops! even now for many , after so many years of normalization and modeling. still people can't think, model and deliver to model. what a shame! it is all because there is big data disconnect between engineers and management, disconnected by believes to cost analysis.

my data can only as big as my business, and my business can't be bigger than my data. zimble onlee.. still waiting for arment to arrange a BRF seminar on hadoop and big-data.

and anujan, the next buzz(or bus to catch) is grand-data.

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 17 Nov 2013 04:47

SaiK, all of us would be grand-dads by then

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 17 Nov 2013 07:08

Prasad wrote: Btw rbmullah, nikon said recently that their numbers are falling due to smartphone sales

Just remember you read about that trend here first.

Data is what drives these conclusions, not non-quantifiable fluff and pixie dust. Anybody who has seen the data would come to the same conclusion.
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In other news, how many wanna bet if/when DropBox does its IPO, the chances are high that it will flop unless it pulls some major new rabbit out of its hat? Stock market doesn't care 2 hoots about magical silly-con valley pixie dust. SnapChat should have sold to Chacha for $4B....apparently Groupon's lessons went unlearned.

archan · Post by **archan** » 18 Nov 2013 08:06

Got to play with the iPad Air todin. Nice! Very light. Graphics great. Google Earth pics for US are muchmore detailed now. The data for dDesi address looked same old dull.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 18 Nov 2013 11:40

buying one?

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 18 Nov 2013 11:51

I used the iPad Mini retina. FruitCo's products are beautifully crafted. I have a new Retina Macbook pro. No other laptop comes even close vis-a-vis the construction. I think FruitCo's volumes and Supply chain enables them to make such high precision construction for cheap.

400% sure they will introduce a TV with friction stir welded aluminium next.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 18 Nov 2013 16:05

^^^ Yaar, I like my Thinkpad a lot. IMO it is more professional and office friendly, with the mini-light, etc and many enterprise features.

Far better keyboard. Tough as a rock.

TP>Apple

run....

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 18 Nov 2013 21:00

^^^I have both, and build quality of Lenovo TP Ultra is 2nd compared to MBA/MBP. That too, one of the keys are popping out.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 18 Nov 2013 21:35

looking for a quad core haswell laptop, 16gb 1866 or higher transfer rate, min SSD 128gb++, and a good rpm hdd, should have gigabit nic, longer lasting batteries, spill resistant keys, 1080p min resolution and decent gpu.

dell came quite close at $1400, but still searching, that can also finance me. around $1k +/- 20% price variance is fine.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Nov 2013 01:56

Nothing beats MBP's build quality. When you had The Mahdi willing to shed something like $15 million to redesign the cooling fans to nix the slightly annoying whine when the fans spooled up, you can expect nothing but the best.

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XBOX One vs PS4

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 19 Nov 2013 02:10

Mort Walker wrote:^^^I have both, and build quality of Lenovo TP Ultra is 2nd compared to MBA/MBP. That too, one of the keys are popping out.

Same here. Kampani bahadur handed TeePees for aaphice use. A few of us asked if we could just take the money and buy a MBP/MBA instead. No dice. So I use the TeePee as a desktop replacement and carry my MBP when I need it. TeePees are definitely solid machines made for corporate environment, but I dislike using them hands on - neither the keyboard nor screen appeals to me. My 3.5year old 15" Westmere MBP on the other hand has been solid all this while. With an SSD, it runs as fast as it did on day 1 - none of the progressive Windows slowdown. I'm still on Snow Leopard, but may move to Mavericks once it is KB qualified.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Nov 2013 03:38

Any of you into 3D printing and willing to lead a thread in GDF and later Tech forum if worth the info?

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Nov 2013 04:18

^^^I don't see enough info or interest in it to warrant a thread.

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Good article on the history of Google's Self Driving car

The Beemer self driving car they are talking about, we actually had it as a loaner for a week, back in '09 - surreal and a bit creepy/scary.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Nov 2013 08:26

^^^That's the reason you won't find self-driving cars on our local streets any time soon. It just takes 1 crash, 1 casualty and it will be the end of it - after all whom will you sue? The auto manufacturer, the driver, the car? Most likely it will be the auto manufacturer which is why they are leery about introducing functionality which explicitly removes primary control from the user.

The above article also answers a question I had asked one of the original engineers behind Chacha's self driving car project....how does it work in rainy conditions? As it stands, not very well.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 19 Nov 2013 11:25

Mort Walker wrote:^^^I have both, and build quality of Lenovo TP Ultra is 2nd compared to MBA/MBP. That too, one of the keys are popping out.

I have a T series. A T530. I like it.

You may have a Thinkpad X1 ?

thats not that good in terms of build quality.

Try the T430 S and T430U for a lighter machine.

vina · Post by **vina** » 19 Nov 2013 12:28

Anujan wrote: I have a new Retina Macbook pro. No other laptop comes even close vis-a-vis the construction. .

I am planning to get a 15" Retina MBP. How portable is it , in case you want to take it out for YumBeeYea /Client meetings occasionally ? For me , it is a debate between the 13" and the 15" MBP. I definitely will have good use of the i7 quadcore. The 13" can be upgraded to a i7 dualcore, but the difference between the top end 13" and lower end 15" makes me want to go for the 15" , if the weight penalty for occasional YumBeeYea giri is not too much. I am looking at it as a desktop / linux dabba replacement (I run an old dual core i3 1st gen, getting very long in the tooth (more than 6 yrs old)).

How good is the Airport Time Capsule. Any experience with that ? Thinking of getting that and the 15" to take care of my back up and disaster recovery, as well.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 19 Nov 2013 14:01

^^^ good line of thought. 15inch is definitely the way to go. 13 inch does not work for me .

But why MBP ? how can one run a wintel machine such that one gets a good mbp-like experience?