Tech Trends

Apple: Never Say Never

The folks at Cupertino believed that the average customer does not know what he wants. You create something new, establish a standard, create marketing hype and rake in the moolah. This worked well for several years - the iPod, iPhone, iPad all successfully created generations of iFans. Steve Jobs even said that there would never be a smaller iPad - thats what the iPhone was for. Want a tablet with a stylus? What the hell is a stylus? And the iPhone would never have a screen larger than 3.5" - it was impossible to use a device with a larger screen single handedly. They took it to the extent of openly criticizing the larger size of the Samsung Galaxy S(II) when it launched. Today the world has changed and the customer has spoken - Samsung has sold millions of units of the stylus sporting, 5.3" sized Galaxy Note. Google's Nexus 7 tablet is sold out for months! Now the iDesigners are slowly chalking out plans for a smaller iPad and the iPhone 5 is rumoured to have atleast a 4" screen. Steve Jobs might be turning in his grave. Only time will tell if the new iDevices will be a success story for Apple or dilute their product positioning. But it is clear that there are no hard and fast rules or stances taken in business.

Samsung lawyers don the design mantle

Anybody who isn't living under a rock would know that Apple and Samsung are embroiled in a catfight over copyright infringement. Apple alleges that Samsung copied their iPhone and iPad design and should be penalized. While the verdict still hangs and the Judges yawn, Samsung doesn't want to take any chances with the newer devices they design. The result is that you have phones and tablets that look like they were designed by a lawyer - anything that remotely resembles an iDevice is thrown out of the window. What we end up with is the array of new flagship devices - The Galaxy S(III), Galaxy Note(II) and Galaxy Note 10.1 that are built out of putty like plastic, rounded out and made to be buck ugly! (Ok, the S3 is not really that ugly, but the other two sure look that way from the leaks that are doing the rounds!) What is the world coming to? Build your own original looking device that is functional and beautiful Samsung. Else, I'll have to look elsewhere for my next device phone or tablet.

What is interesting to note in this Apple-Samsung controvery is that the latter is a key component supplier to the former. The relationship seems to be taking a hit now as LG is rumoured to be making the displays for the iPhone 5.

Random thoughts revisited

     I wrote this sometime in 2008. Now as I look back being older and (hopefully) wiser, the words still ring true to me. So thought I'd share it on my blog

    These are my personal thoughts and I dont wish to impose on or warp your own belief or ideas in anyway. Please do feel free to write back to me with your thoughts, criticisms. Here we go..

    In my years of living, I have made the unassuming observation that our race, (homo sapiens, human beings, mankind, call it whatever you will), is one of what i would like to call "legacy creatures".


    Whilst pondering on that, I choose to substantiate the meaning of this terminology. We believe in the creation of objects and systems that are larger than life. That will go on and endure as our legacy far longer than the length of our own mortal lifetimes. Illustrations to this account can be drawn from the very beginning of our civilization: the pyramids that our pharoahs constructed, the Taj mahal, the eiffel tower, the birth of communism (russia, cuba, et al.) and capitalism (the mighty US of A), the Quit India Movement, the concept of "ahimsa", the wars fought over racial supremacy (the failed attempt of the nazis to establist the aryan race). We are all part of legacy systems in some way or the other. They might be positive or negative, but we are part of it nevertheless. At a more biological level this can be seen from the very fact that we procreate. We believe in a lineage that we call our own and wish to preserve. For this reason society looks down upon inter-caste, inter-religion marriages. As also we look down upon the "forced" conversion of faith that is such a topic of political debate these days. We do all this and more for legacy. In a way, we look at life's purpose as the creation of legacy! (to take the liberty of extending an extreme metaphor)


     But what is the purpose of life in reality? We all seem to be part of a bigger plan where we would like to believe that we play a crucial role. But are we aware of the purpose that this plan stands for? Is it the creation of wealth? Is it the furtherance of our civilization's technological conquests? Is it simply to spread love and humanity or is it, to preserve nature?
No,  I believe, that in the end, Life is about the pursuit of happiness. A lot of people would agree. This answers a lot of questions. It explains why people do what they do, its because they think that it will make them happy, right? But then, why isnt everybody happy?
Well, there is another crucial link to this purpose. Life is about the pursuit of personal happiness, without infringing upon other people's right to happiness.
This might seem awfully simple, but it fits the bill and explains every situation that we apply it to.


     If for a second, we all would forget about creating legacies that would out last our lifetimes and instead focus on achieving happiness for ourself within our lifetimes without hurting others in the bargain, then I believe that would the single most significant event in the history of our planet.


Hence I present my thought for today: Grow bigger than being part of the plan, Be the plan!

Bigger Stores, Finer Navigation

Brick and mortar stores have seen consolidation and growth in leaps and bounds over the years. Today it is quite easy for a shopper to step into a store or a mall and feel lost. Luckily technology is not far behind and is finding innovative ways to lend a helping hand.

Google Maps walking directions
The latest version of Google Maps (v 6.7) for Android adds indoor navigation and integrates Google Offers to show you nearby deals. Indoor maps and walking directions of select businesses and venues are available now in the US and Japan. You can also get 360-degree panoramic photos of the insides of some of the businesses as well. This should be useful when you plan to go out and want to find some deals that you can use right away.


MST Smartsense by Fraunhofer
The new system allows for in-store (or in-mall) navigation using simple sensors to assess where you are at any given point in time. Rather than relying on GPS, the MTS Smartsense system, which has its own build in processor, uses a combination of a Pedometer (tells how fast you are walking) and a Compass (gives direction) to provide easy and accurate navigation. This should work easily with a wide range of mobile devices like phones and tablets. While the system is still proof-of-concept, the application cases are many and future phones could even see this technology being built in!


Here are a few use cases for in-store navigation systems that benefit shoppers and retailers:

• You walk into a mall and look for a layout map at the entrance. Find the store you want to go to and scan its QR Code using your phone. The navigation system can then guide you right to it! For retailers this provides valuable information on what the shopper is likely looking for and allows them to tailor offers and suggest alternatives.
• Taking things one step further, retailers can "push" their store layout onto your device when you walk in. Then, you could just talk to your phone and say "where is the milk?" and let the navigation system take you straight to it!
• An app that manages your shopping list and works with the navigation time can save you time and money. You simply feed in items from your grocery list before you go shopping and once you are at the store the app can use the navigation system to take you aisle by aisle to pick the stuff you need. All you need to do is add items to your basket and check them off your list!

Sources: TechCrunch, Lifehacker

Random thoughts

"Living in the shallow bubble
Thy name is narcissism
Fooled by the haters of vain
Tension that lurks beneath the surface
Hides neither misery nor pain"