The G1 - Google phone

Its a new day for mobile connectivity.




A new paradigm to having a phone and being connected to 'the Cloud'. Google launched the first phone, the G1 with its Android OS thru T-Mobile in the US. This adds to the rich mix of great applications and OS's that now proliferate the mobile market.






The best thing that appeals to me about this Google Phone is that now all the user is always connected to the Google apps on the mobile phone, on the desktop, the Internet tablet - in other words everywhere. So no more of the old paradigm of having to sync the phone with the desktop (sync-ing always made the mobile device as a slave to the desktop). Now all the contacts on the phone OS, all the calendar events will stay synched with google calendar and contacts over-the-air.

So in case of losing the phone or replacing it with a new model (which people do more often) you don't have to go thru the trouble of syncing or backing up and restoring your vital information. It will all be on the cloud and you just download the latest info from the internet on to your device again over-the-air. This is the way Mobile connection should be. Not the old way of syncing with desktop or the iPhone way of synch-ing via iTunes on desktop again.

The mobile device is now a complement to the desktop/laptop. In fact with more services built in like maps, GPS, Amazon MP3 service and Google apps, the Google Phone (called G1) can in fact replace the ultraportable laptop in many cases. Call it the computer in the pocket.
And this adds to the growing excitement of having mobile devices which are changing the market in its own way - the S60 phones, the Nokia N800/N810 tablets, the iPhone and now the Android based G1.

And did I say its a open platform - or as open as we get these days.

Technorati Tags: Android, Google phone,

The Companion

I started this blog off to highlight the mobile world and the options that are available.

The N810 got me really connected to the "interweb" even though I have used the Linux based 'Zaurus' handheld also a long time. But the N810 from Nokia really opened up the world wide web to me when away from the computer. The moniker "Internet Tablet" really applies very aptly to the N810.

But it has its deficiencies. Unlike the iPhone (and the umpteenth comparison), the Nokia Tablet does not have a phone - and hence no internet connectivity apart from the built-in Wifi. For photo (flickr) afficiando's like myself, the N810 camera is a total let down - it is only fit for VoIP and nothing else. The tablet built-in GPS is good, if not fast ans this is supplemented by aGPS on the phone.

So to fill these voids I went looking for a good phone and nothing fits the bill better than the Nokia N95. Now my Nokia tablet has a contant companion for
a) Instant painless BT connection with the Nokia tablet with DUN support (no MS PAN hacks needed - I got over that pain with my Blackjack)
a) Wireless internet connectivity (3G) over BT thru the N95
b) A 5MP camera to compliment the great viewing screen on the N810
c) Wireless Bluetooth music - the tablet still is not upto snuff when it comes to A2DP support.
d) Instant on GPS in a quick flash - particularly when you are in the big maze of New York city and looking for someplace. Also comes in handy with Geolocation on Flickr Uploads from the N95 (I use Shozu) also.

For more rocks-n-sucks review of the N95, go here.



I wish there was more integration between these "companion devices" and I could share information better betwen the two - apart from pushing photos taken with the N95 to my N810 to later blog it up (using Maemo WordPy) and all such.




Or to create content more symbiotically - like add photos to my Facebook or Orkut account (yes, yes - in America but still using Orkut guys - as most of my friends are on Orkut - as is a greater population of the world, than on Facebook) taken on the N95 but accesible on the N810 thru the blogging software. In fact accessible directly on the N810 thru the file manager even (and not only after pushing it to the N810 thru bluetooth). Why not ?

Follow this thread by Thoughtfix on the integration or "Ntropy", as it puts it between the 2 devices. Glad to know more people with the same thoughs.

And should I mention, that the N95 makes great calls - crisp and clear and less drop-out then any of my previous phones ?

Happy calling !

The mobile web in your pocket

The world has changed rapidly in the mobile sphere - I still remember those first cell phones that came out - bricks - that only the privileged few carried. You had to hold onto those bricks in the hand or use the bag, since it was just not pocketable, what with the large antennas sticking out and the weight of the phones. And then there was the exorbitant charges for calls - that people on receiving a call on the cell, would quickly hang up and then go searching for a pay booth / std booth to make a landline call back to the initial caller to finish the conversation.

Or there was the show-off friend who would hold the phone to the ear with a pretentious call, but could never afford to make a call in fear of the bills that would come. Such were the initial days of mobile phone tech.

Now a few years later, the antenna of the cell phones are history (except still for those Siemens phones, if anybody buys them), and each new model vies for the sleekest and slimmest style not compromising on features in any way. And add tonthat the 3 to 5 megapixel cameras with auto focus and xenon flashes.

Really a wonderous journey.
Such has been my amazement now as I use my new Nokia N95 phone. A small nifty device, albeit not the sleekest in any way - with the best-of-breed 5MP camera that puts my old 3 MP point-and-shoot-er to shame.

And what is striking is not the phone itself, but the underlying software of the S60 platform which allows you to stay connected and be instantly online with the photos you shoot (via Shozu), the thoughts you pen down (rather thumb down) on your blogs, the connections you make, the appts you share with you co-workers (with Google calendar integration) etc.
And all this always-on connectivity and calling at a expense that doesn't strike you down with the monthly bills of yore (still think American data charges are high though).

And this is where mobile tech converges to the pocketable world for me - my N95 along with the equally pocketable N810 playing a one-two in terms of mobile connectivity as I blog away on this very thought without being anywhere near a traditional computer or wired connection.

My N810 is my computer allowing me to compose and create content along wit the N95 and the phone is my connection to the outside world.

Exciting times indeed.

Nokia N810 thrill

So I have been using this "connected" device for a few months - and I must say I am still as thrilled as when I bought it.

I will not go into a review - as there are quite a few reviews of the Nokia N810 galore- but in short - it lets me stay connected at home and at work and on the road all the time.

Of course at home I use Wifi which is built in. I must say I am excited by the Wifi signals - as good as my laptop in fact. And best is it now gives me the freedom to surf the net (and I can't survive without my daily fix) while relaxing in the patio or listening to streaming music. Its the tool for this - as the N810 comes with a very nice set of inbuilt speakers. Who would imagine such a small device can belt out decent stereo audio over the speakers. In fact nowadays this servers as my main music player.

At work - where I can't access any personal sites (due to the corporate phobia of employees), I easily connect over bluetooth to my Nokia phone (more of that later) using a pretty decent 3G connection - and this is where the Nokia's fine browser (MicroB) comes is so useful. Its very nice browsing capability gives me access to all my webmails and google reader and news sites and all the other tidbits.

Plus as a portable device the new iPhone optimised websites work equally well on this and gives a much better browsing experience (facebook, stock apps, weather apps, iPhickr and mauku comes to mind).

And of course I can chat and video talk with my wife while at office (who doesn't need a break from the drag at work) using the inbuilt google talk client (inconspicously called 'internet call') while also Skype-ing with my family back abroad. And 'Fring' for the Nokia tablets brings in all the other IM clients and Skype and SIP clients together in one nice interface and one application to talk/chat to all.


So much in so small a package ! Thats what keeps impressing me even after these few months.
And what impresses me in all this is not the technology itself, but the fact that it so easily lets me connect to all around me and to get information so easily without being overrun my technical details.

And to top it off, Canola is one of my favorite apps when it saves the day with some beautifully executed music/video player with "the best" interface I have come across any portable device as well as let me listen to my daily dose of podcasts (can't live without NPR's RadioLab to energize my mind and thoughts).

And this does not even go into all the other aspects of the device .. but lets just savor a little at a time here :-)

Start moving

Being my first blog here - this is what I wanted to talk about - lets start moving around in this big world. Myself having uprooted from my home, very late, I realized what a big world it is and how much there is to learn and see. But the conundrum lies in how to stay connected to people you love and cherish without breaking the links and forgetting all the little strands of life.

This is where being mobile and being connected comes together. And technology today lets us stay connected in more meaningful ways than just a letter back home or a phone call to a loved one.

This is where sharing the little details of life, the little video of the little one taking the first swim in the pool, the little patch of garden you create in the back, the last trip and such little beautiful things can be shared and makes staying connected that more more of a canvas.

So here it goes to my connected world and my first really connected device