Exectations from the new Moto X(2014)

Its been around 6 months that the Moto X was released and a lot has happened in between. Some may say it is outdated, but some are still fans of its features. Whatever it may be, the excitement over Moto X's successor this summer is surely on the rise and expectations are running high.
For me, I have some things that I would love to see in the new Moto X:

1. Water proof, dust proof design
2. Expandable memory
3. Front facing stereo speakers(Need not look like HTC One, but hidden like the Xperia Z2).
4. Camera with OIS and take better low light pix.
5. FM Radio
6. Denim back covers.
7. E-reader mode that converts the display to e-ink display(if possible, just a wish).

With love.. Anil

A blueprint for future development of Samaikhyandhra: Part 2

This is a continuation of my series of articles that I believe can make capital cities to be the centres of development of Samaikhyandhra and not create another situation like hyderabad/telangana. Let me be clear that there should be multiple capital cities which are so well connected that they effectively function as a single mega city.
Lets assume that the administrative capital has been decided and they are planning to build the secretariat. What should be the main requirements of the same?
1. Uncongested large land ready to be developed to build the state secretariat/office complex, which should be like a township.
2. Transport facilities: Continuous and robust connectivity by all modes: Road, rail and air, in such a way that all areas of the state can be reached within a short span of time(and thus saving money too). A helipad on top of the secretariat and a runway nearest to the office area should be built.
An unused runway in a large open field should be a good option as that can be extended in the future.
3. Good water resources as well as 24-hour electricity with emphasis on using renewable energy.
4. Avoid concentration of financial activity and let that be spread across other cities like Vizag, Vijayawada,
5. Ability to plan from scratch with a blueprint similar to Chandigarh of Punjab/Haryana or Gandhinagar of Gujrat.
Tirupathi, Kurnool, and develop them with expansion of their respective satellite cities.
One of the areas that satisfy all the above criteria is the area near Nagarjuna sagar:
Easy accessibility to Kurnool, Hyderabad, Guntur, Vijayawada and Ongole(All reachable within 4 hours by road).

The new capital city needs to set an example of how a city should be planned that is both environment-friendly as well as good for the people with good modern facilities like fiber network, secure wifi, well maintained footpaths, wide roads, option for cycling lanes, greenery, biodiversity, etc, so that it can help in a healthy lifestyle and environmental balance.
Since Nagarjuna sagar is a prestigious area with lots of scope for improvement, it can be a good candidate for taking up the important job of having the secretariat without getting bogged down by the congestion of Vijayawada or Vizag which are already saturated.

The main reason I opt for the above model of development is due to the fact that the telangana issue has been a big lesson which needs to be learnt by not just the remaining state but by all Indians. When a part of a state feels neglected, it can create problems in the future and this needs to be avoided.

With love.. Anil

James Cameron's Titanic Experience. Relived!

Last weekend, I experienced titanic again on romedy now. A perfect mix of narration,performance, screenplay. A rare movie that never bores even after 4 hrs! Is it a perfect depiction of realistic drama or a dramatic reality? I wonder! The background score never deviates from the theme that James Cameron chose. Every character had a beautiful role to play, even the supporting cast! No film beat it's numerous uno position even now after 18 years of watching it in the erstwhile sapna theatre in Bangalore! The sets and the SFX blend so seamlessly into the movie that they collectively become a character in themselves!

The same big screen amazement nearly 2 decades old remains when watched on a small screen today! James's obsession with the details is unbelievable.
It is strange to write a review or analysis of a movie that was released nearly 17 years ago but here it is:
The below scenes stand out, just picking a few from many!:
1. The entire sequence where Jack runs to board the Titanic in the last minute was beautifully shot, by capturing the excitement on everyone's faces. The footage looks so authentic that it transports you to the times of 1912!
2. Titanic racing with the dolphins is a scene I cannot forget.
3. Rose jumping off the life boat and onto a deck to meet Jack.
4. Rose singing lonely, surrounded by deathly silence all over and eventually her reaction to Jack's death and blowing the whistle for eternity.
5. The final scene where she throws away the Heart of the Ocean and meeting everyone related to Titanic and getting united to Jack in her dreams.

With love.. Anil

A blueprint for future development of Samaikhyandhra

Never make the mistake that was done with Hyderabad. To keep the new state united and prosperous, decentralisation is a must. Telangana was a failed experiment which showed how not to develop a state. 

Kurnool-tirupathi-vijayawada-kakinada-vizag should be joint capital cities. One of them should be the financial capital, one could be the administrative capital, one could be  agricultural, health/educational capital and another could be pharma cum IT capital. Kurnool: administrative capital, tirupathi: health/educational capital, Vijayawada: financial capital, kakinada: agricultural capital, vizag: pharma cum IT capital.

Let there be a quad-core capital with each of the core functioning in sync with others. All the cities should be first connected seamlessly by all means: rail, road and air so that all these 4 capital cities work as one ultra city. They should also have a strong industrial corridor running through 8 core cities with attractive incentives(kurnool, tirupathi, nellore, ongole,Vijayawada, eluru, rajahmundry,kakinada,vizag) which will bring development to all the cities nearby these 4 capital cities. It should be planned in such a way that if any of these cities fails, or goes down, the others can take up the load and compensate.

In a way, there should be a similar strategy to what a "quad-core phone" has: 4 Top Cities together should work as one so that even if one has any problem, others can carry the load(similar to the 4 metros we have for India). And all the main cities in each region like Kurnool, Kadapa, Tirupathi, Nellore, Vijayawada, Eluru, Kakinada, Vizag should be linked with the best future-proof infrastructure by road, rail and air. We know yearly cyclones cause a lot of damage to the coastal regions so we need to upgrade all the connectivity with smart-weather-proof and robust technology, similar to how Japan has adapted to earthquakes that are so common there.
We also need to prove that development doesnt just mean huge skyscrapers or glass facades. Even an agriculture-dependant economy can be developed. All that is needed is proper planning with good financial incentives to both farmers as well as industries.It is going to be tough to keep a balance between agriculture and industry, but it can be done with meticulous planning. And to plan meticulously, projects like ground-water harvesting and managing water resources would be taken up on a war footing, because water is the life line of not just agriculture but also industries. Since Seemandhra is virtually starting now with lots of unused land, this is the time to plan all the major things and the minute details.
We need to identify, improve and integrate: Identify the strengths of each area of the diverse Seemandhra, improve their individual strengths, and integrate them to form a strong state capable of becoming the best in India. Of course there are severely backward areas like Rayalaseema and North Coastal Andhra, and this is how we can bring them on par with other parts of the new state: Identify their strengths and improve them. Their strength may not be in agriculture due to lack of water, but they will have something special in them to capitalize on. We need to find out their hidden skills and promote them.
If the central govt fails to stand up on their promises, there should have been a provision to hit the ctrl+z combination and undo the complete division process.
There has been news that a state cannot be given special status without approval from planning commission. If this is true and if the commission blocks any of the promises, then the central leaders who were behind this division shouldnt be left out free and they should pay the price to the society, from their own pockets. Because they divided the state for their personal gains, so if the division becomes an act of failure, then they need to part with their gains and give away their assets to the people of the newly created state.

Like a chocolate being dangled before a kid, the centre created a hype and then have telangana. The leaders and their supporters may be happy now but they need to realise that congress is a snake under whose hood the state got bifurcated. A goat should never trust the butcher. What happened to the United Andhra Pradesh will happen to Telangana too if the public still keep praising them and get carried away by their speeches. Its not the love for Telangana that Congress created it. It is for their own requirements and their desperation to first defeat and finally gobble up YSJ like how they swallowed PRP. any competitor in their eyes need to be defeated by hook or crook. As long as YSR was there they were safe because he was obedient to the high command and never uttered a word against them. But once he died and his son started making claims to the CM post, it was evident that they cannot win. They dont have anyone as strong as YSJ. YSJ has used the sympathy wave to great effect by using his Odarpu Yatra(Condolence Trip) and is most probably going to win in many more places in Seemandhra this time. Congress on the other hand has no one to counter him. So what they rightfully did was to concentrate on the other region: Telangana, so that they can guarantee themselves some seats by acquiring the other strong party in Telangana: TRS.

The anger over the division should be stored inside and used for constructive purposes. There should be a point-to-point rebuttal of all the statements made by the divisors, and people will never go back with the same feel-good-factor to Hyderabad or Telangana region. You cannot live in a land of the same leaders who called you robbers, looters and demons of the whole region. Now after everything is over, how can the leaders put up a new face and act as if they are gandhians after all the hate-speech that they have made? How can they act as if they can take care of all the immigrants from the land of looters as they have themselves said? The hurt, anger and frustration should be used to build a stronger region which will rival any other region in the country. Let there be a healthy competition between the general public of these two regions and let it finally result in a better India.

I titled this post "Samaikhyandhra" because Telangana and the new state are still a union of 2 Telugu states and none of them can be ignored by calling them only Telangana or only Seemandhra. The blueprint of development of Telangana is already clear, well-defined (with Hyderabad at the perfectly-central point of Telangana) so there is no point in rewinding/revisiting the plans.

With love.. Anil

2 weeks without Google!

The past 2 weeks have been hectic with lots of travel. One of my experiences of the past 2 weeks is regarding life without mobile network, without wifi/data connection, and of course ultimately life without Google!
Early in the morning, when I want to check out the Google Reader style Feedly(Reader was dead last year) for latest news in movies, google-related and technology, there is nothing! Its almost as if I were sent to some detention center with basic facilities but isolated from the outside world!
Later after breakfast, when I want to check my Google+ posts, there is no data connectivity, forget about wifi!
During lunch time, I feel like checking my gmail, but get disappointed to see that there is no way to even get sms in the area I lived in!
In the evening, near the banks of river Krishna, I feel like taking a snap of the beautiful scene and save to my Google+ photos, but alas, no network!
In the night, I feel like using hangouts to chat with friends and wish them good night, but the terrible network makes it nearly impossible!
I only got back online while on my way to Bangalore onboard a train from Vijayawada Railway station, which is one of the largest railway stations in Asia and the third busiest Indian Railway Station!
Below is the map of where I have been to:



With love.. Anil

Birth of a new Telugu State

Yesterday was an important day in the history of India and Telugu people. Not just because of the approval of Loks Sabha for the new state of Telangana, which is obvious, but also the manner in which it was achieved.
Some of the tweets went as below:
1. When the land is same, air is same and people are same, why the hell people are fighting over a line in the map. Live peacefully #Telangana
2. Somebody said..... Why black out Parliament? They are creating a new state... Not creating a baby!! #Telangana
3. #congbjpbros made love behind the closed doors of parliament and produced an illegitimate baby called #Telangana 

My reactions to all the above: Enough of the emotions because emotions are only temporary, whether it is the joy of getting Telangana or the despair of our beloved state getting split. Once the emotions settle down, the real issues of people come out and it affects both the regions, and indirectly affect the nation.
In my view, this is more like Seemandhra being carved out of AP, because Hyderabad remains in Telangana. When AP was carved out of TN, TN was not created out of the erstwhile Madras state. AP was created because Chennai remained with TN.
More than the division, it is the enmity that was created between the people by the politicians all these days that saddens one and all. Why are people so stupid to fall in the traps set by the netas?
The problem is not about the division alone. Its about the emotions that arise when brothers are divided. The combination of "Telangana, Rayalaseema and Costal Andhra" is actually a Super State of Telugus and I give this combination the name of "United States of Andhra". And when I mean Andhra, I mean Telugu.
The urgency of congress party and the timing of this bill is clearly evident of what they are upto and we just need to wait and watch till the elections when the people give their mandate.

India>>United States of Andhra>>Telangana, Rayalaseema, Andhra. This should be the way.
A look at the Telugu movie Leader is enough to show what happens within closed doors of political meetings.

In another issue, KTR says to avoid provocations by media the live telecast was blocked. So by blocking people from getting info, he thinks a bill can be passed? Today something may be born and tomorrow it may die but truth lives on. The truth of what happened in the Lok sabha during the debate on t-bill. What are the secret deals and acts made during those blackout hours due to which a state is about to be born? This strongly hints at an illicit act during those moments resulting in the birth of a whole new state!

The people of Telangana deserve a better treatment than a bill that was reportedly passed off in stark darkness of the house. What happened in that darkness? Did everyone do a lungi dance? A sunny Leone act perhaps? Did the members show their Vishwaroopam that was too ugly and vulgar to be shown on tv? Or a secret deal by the heads that matter?

During the Newshour on Time now, a TMC leader has disclosed few images that show a procession and the anarchy that happened during the blackout hours. And respected KTR says he should be punished for taking photos inside the house! This clearly shows the one-way method that congress took to save its numbers in Telangana.

When something is done in the dark on a public forum like the parliament, such questions will be asked. Is the stage set for similar demands like kodagu, gorkhaland,vidarbha,etc?

With love.. Anil

Quality of Mobile services in India

Recently there has been a talk about mobile operators planning to hike the rates and the reason seems to be the hefty prices they seem to have coughed out for the bandwidth auction.
There is only one question I would like to ask: What are the benefits of buying more spectrum when the quality of calls cannot be improved.
I dont mind paying a little more for a better quality of calls and overall network, but increasing the prices doesnt make sense when they cannot live up to the expectations.
My recent trip to Vijayawada was one such experience which showed the weakness of mobile networks.
My phone remained isolated for a complete 1 week with no mobile network, no data connectivity and no reception of SMS either. When I try to send out an SMS, it remains in my outbox forever, despite momentary appearance of network signals.
1. Let there be a larger coverage area so that no one can complain about lack of network, especially in rural areas.
2. Let there be a consistent call quality, especially in the remote areas.
3. The ability of the network to get the call get connected is the first big hurdle which needs to be passed. Many times when I try to call someone, it never gets connected, despite the other person's phone being under coverage area.
If due to the present spectrum allocation if the call quality gets improved, it would be of immense pleasure to the millions of subscribers of the nation.

With love.. Anil

Mobile market in India

There has been a tremendous growth of the market in India for portable devices like mobiles and tablets but the major manufacturers doesnt seem to care much about the same. Of course the nexus 5 came pretty early to India, the real game changer Nexus 4 never made it to India in the same price range as in the US. It still costs around 24K which is not cheap compared to others with similar specs in the market.
The most recent entrant in the segment was Moto G, but even that took some time to come from Motorola.

Moto G was expected to be the low price alternative to Moto X, but even then the launch was delayed. Why? Because India is still seen as something secondary in the eyes of smartphone biggies. Anyway its good to see that with Nexus5, Google has made a serious attempt at bringing their flagships to India soon.
As far as Sony is concerned, it looks like it is firing too many bullets at too many targets with the result that it gets very few points. Take for example the Xperia Z. It is still one of the best Sony smartphones, but it was followed by bigger flagships like Z1 within a few months. If sony can concentrate all its energy on 1 device per year, then I seriously feel that it will  become a major player in the smartphone race. One admirable maker is HTC which has shown that despite being in losses, one can be focused on few products and deliver on them perfectly. India is no different.

As far as design goes, LG seems to be aping samsung and both their phones look similar in terms of external design and with common features.Sony still has one of the best designs in the industry alongwith the HTC One. Even though most post-xperia z devices look similar, the new Xperia E1 looks fantastic, especially the white version.


With love.. Anil

Humanity is dead, Constitution is alive

Imagine a time when there is no humanity is left and all that is left is a big fat book of constitution in all its glory. I really don't understand why so many people keep talking about constitution while the main issue of drug trafficking and prostitution is swept away. They talk about anarchy when the people have some genuine issues and someone is taking an initiative despite police remaining a mute spectator in the fateful midnight.
Several comments against the AAP, made in the newshour show on Timesnow channel seemed to be overly hyped.
Are the leaders interested in making the constitution a success rather than taking society's security and safety seriously? Why are we obsessed with following the rules? What happened to the same law and order and governance when the 2012 delhi gang rape was taken to great heights by the media?
"Anarchy" has been mentioned so many times that the debate itself looked like a competition of english words, with the participants, including the host Arnab Goswami reading out the definition of the term "Anarchy"! All the participants talking against the AAP's representative Ashutosh are doing so out of false concern for the constitution and the legal structure of the government. Since when did a peacefull protest become anarchy, illegal, lawlessness, etc?
There have been a sudden surge in the national pride just because the dharna will disrupt the preparations for the republic day parade. A nation's pride doesnt lie in display of exhibits during the republic day or independence day, but in showing the self respect towards our self. We need to show to the world that we are not a banana republic which is run only by the laws. Of course laws are important for a nation's stability, but out of the box thinking and bold steps are necessary and in fact mandatory during the present times of globalization.

Yesterday was the first time that the debate turned out to be a kind of one-sided affair where the host was hell bent on picking up the minute details of AAP and showing that through a damaged magnifying glass.
Hope today's debate is a well-balanced one!

With love.. Anil

My Review of 1 Nenokkadine:

My review of 1:
It is well known that no psychological-suspense-thriller has succeeded in Telugu, especially any film with a star hero. So below is my analysis of the movie without any spoilers:

1. The hero's introduction as the rock star with the song "who are you" was awesome and makes the crowd wanting for more. The starting credits are also novel and goes with the mysterious theme of the movie.
2. The scene in which Mahesh finds out the phone number based on photos is just too good and the audience has applauded for it.
3. The interval scene creates a new feeling and is certainly a huge asset to the film.
4. When Nazar says: Here comes my golden rice, the shot was amazing, but the next scenes couldn't keep up the tempo as much as it could have been.
5. The climax felt a little stretched because of the boring sequences and not because of the length. When we think over it after the movie gets over, the lengthy climax indeed seems to be required to bring to the point what the hero is exploring for and to show his emotions in the end.
6. The background score is a plus point that goes with the mood of the film. DSP has shown that he can adapt to the requirements of a unique film like this which needs a different treatment.

As seen above, some sequences and elements were completely novel, fresh and deserved a huge applaud for the way they have been planned and set up. But all of those scenes couldn't create the cumulative effect that films like Pokiri and Athadu have created. Both those movies had suspense and twists and had some great scenes which connected well with the remaining part of the film and aided in their huge successes.

The movie is certainly an experiment that might go haywire because of the genre and the lack of punch expected from Mahesh's movies.
Technicalities:
One thing that anyone who feels that Tollywood needs to go on par with Hollywood: Its not just the technical department that needs to excel, but more importantly the way a movie is told and the storytelling ability of the directors that needs to improve. Technical stuff and the graphics will come later and they just compliment the content of a film. For example, Krrish3 has done a marvelous business not because of the graphics, but the content that it had for the audience. Same is the case with Dhoom3 which had a good content in the form of the brother sentiment portrayed by Aamir so well, and some actions scenes
which were well planned. The graphics just added the icing on top the cake in both the movies.1 nenokkadine is much more than just stunts and graphics, so when someone watches 1 nenokkadine, it needs to be watched with an open mind and not just whether it has spectacular graphics like Hollywood.
Need honest promotion:
When a film is promoted, it needs to keep in mind what will be the effect on the people's expectations. If it is promoted heavily by focusing only on action, and if the movie turns out to be a psychological thriller, the public wont be able to digest it. Same has happened to 1. It has been promoted as a complete entertainer during the festive season, which it is not.

Final words: 1 may not be the regular masala film and it does not have the commercial elements to make it a success, but it is a path breaker movie that will be remembered in the future. I had the same feeling after watching Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises as well as Inception.

Postscript:
Disco lights: For the first time in my life, I experienced special disco lights in a theater! Yes while the song "who are you" started in the movie, the theater turned on the disco lights in the ceiling to add to the excitement. Of course this may not be in all theaters but a good value addition nevertheless!

With love.. Anil

Who are you?

The experience of the song from Mahesh Babu starrer-Telugu film "1-Nenokkadine":
The track "Who are you" from the philips bass audio system pumped up my evening yesterday. By the way,
who am I? Will it not be more apt to ask myself who I am not?
I am not cash
I am not tears
I am not anger
I am not body
I am not thought
I am not fame
I am not work
Once I gave some thought to the question, it suddenly seemed to be philosophical. Who am I? No definite answers but there is a kind of realization that the
exploration for an answer to the question is called life. Ever since our birth, we keep exploring and thats when we really live. Continuous exploration of
ourselves is an inseperable part of life's nature which never ends. And when it ends, I feel humanity and life itself ends, because exploration is a part and
parcel of the nature itself. Change is inevitable and change is nothing but exploration of more options to expand life and become a part and finally keep
running a race to dominate the universe. Change is the only thing that is permanent in the universe. The earth keeps rotating as well as revolving across the
sun.
You may think that the sun is stable but even that keeps moving across the galaxy. And the galaxy itself is moving across the universe. And finally the
universe in itself is ever expanding.
If you argue with the earth or sun or galaxy and decide that you want to be at an absolutely fixed point in space. You may even get successful in your effort
and stay at one point but then you will be shattered to pieces due to the relative velocity and the energy that it generates.
So change and exploration is life and stagnation is death.

With love.. Anil

22 Yards, 24 Years

The mist of doubt couldn't block it.
The clouds of adversity didn't slow it.
The hills of injuries couldn't stop it.
The burning sun couldn't crack it.
The thundering lightnings couldn't burn it.
The winds of change couldn't erode it.
The pacy cricket balls couldn't soften it.

Its the determination to excel.
Its the inspiration to drive ahead.
Its the oxygen to live immortal cricket.
Its the endless desire to play.
Its the endless sky of love of the game.
Its the large emerald that never loses its sheen.
Its the living room of cricket's Kohinoor diamond.

Its the 22 yards, 24 years!

Dedicating the above poem to the maestro who ruled cricket for 24 years and his equally best partners in batting: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.

Many say there is no one better than sachin. True, but lets not ignore the contribution of Rahul, Ganguly and Laxman in Sachin's long journey. I am sure that all of them played like a team and supported each other in times of adversity. In short, I believe Sachin would not have achieved so much and created so many records without the help of his team-mates.

With love.. Anil

The Path Together

The sky opens up to both sun and moon.it witnesses both day and light.so the same way life is also like a sky that shows both sides of the coin.and in that life, when two souls walk together, even though the tastes vary, they both have a similar sense of determination to go ahead by facing the challenges posed by life, circumstances,and society. No matter what happens, we shall overcome the tough times and withhold the respect of everyone. just like we two. Despite the usual differences, there is a deep sense of determination to not get bogged down. the below poem is dedicated to my soul mate on the occasion of our second wedding anniversary. I don't believe in God making match in heaven but there is something greater than it that keeps us bonded in a most unique manner and you have been and will be a crucial part in the life ahead without which there is absolutely nothing. As said by big b in bagban the movie, "tum ho toh hum hain.tum nahi toh kuch nahi.kuch bhi nahin"

There was a rose thats exotic
and a leaf under it thats least exotic.
The thorns between them seem to widen the gulf,
but the flower never leaves the glimpse of her leaf.
One day a priest arrived to pluck the rose,
and the leaf's worry arose.
As each rose branch gets pulled,
the priest's basket of flowers gets filled.
sharp remains the thorn between rose and leaf,
however far they may be.
As the rose gets pulled apart,
the leaf watches his flower depart.
The leaf sheds a tear of dew,
which can be seen only by a few.
"I'll join you" says leaf,
as he sheds it's greenery.
As the rose reaches the foot of the lord's light,
leaf falls to the earth and takes flight.
Wind takes the leaf into temple,
rose's hopes takes one more tremble.
The wind pushed them both like an airline fleet
and all join the service of lord's feet.

With love.. Anil

The Amazing Lunchbox!

Just watched The Lunchbox which was a unique experience. The first thing that strikes us while watching this movie is its simplicity. The script is so well written that we get lost in the worlds of the main characters so easily that we start believing we were also present next to them!
The next thing that strikes us is the natural performance of the actors in the movie! Never do we see the actors in the movie. We only see characters! Before watching the movie, I didn't know any of the actors' names except for Irfan Khan!
I even have a personal liking and admiration for Mumbai city in general, thanks to the 2 years of association I had with it, but this movie took me into the lonely lives of the main characters in this highly urban city.
Its true: In this age of google, fb and twitter, when two unknown people become close friends due to a simple misplacement of a lunchbox(thanks to the dabbawala!), the way they deal with the loneliness in their respective lives echoes the lives of so many people not just in Mumbai, but everywhere in the urban settlements across the nation.
I was expecting a small twist in the end and may be a better climax, but the movie was intended to be open-ended! No doubt it won several prizes in film festivals!.

With love.. Anil

Bollywood movie promotions.

There is a stark difference in the way movies are promoted in the Tollywood and bollywood.
Audio releases are one of the biggest means of promoting a movie.
I dont know why there isnt a single open air function for an audio release function in Bollywood with huge crowds, covered live by top hindi channels like star plus/star gold/sony/max/zee.

If one looks at the movie functions, there are so many of them in South India, especially in Telugu movie industry: Audio Launch, platinum disk, 50-days function, 100-days function, etc. And the range of movies that have such audio functions/promotional events is wide. It spans low-budget movies, medium and high budget movies.
If there is one such event that was telecast live in Bollywood, you are welcome to share it!

With love.. Anil

Chromecast: The beginning of an entertainment revolution?

Bringing TV closer to digital devices and interconnecting them is not an easy task.
Google seems to have solved this puzzle in a way that caught the attention of the gadget world!
No doubt there are many similar devices that do what Chromecast does, but the sheer price of this small device makes it worth.
There are so many ways that it can be used:
1. Watch online videos on Youtube, Netflix, etc. More apps coming soon to the party.
2. Share anything through phones/tablets/laptops/desktops. Through Chrome web app, we can display any Chrome tab on our TV.
3. Not just any tab, an experimental feature makes it possible to display the whole desktop on TV.
4. Play phone's local files on TV.

With love.. Anil

Compassion..

These days the relationships have gone virtual online and people believe that money is everything.
But there is a side to any relation, be it friends or family that cannot be complete without interacting with others in-person. Compassion cannot be gained by just donating money. Donating money to the poor and needy or orphans may only help bring some satisfaction to ourselves, but a true compassion will be experienced only when we contact the downtrodden in person and spread love and positive energy in them.

One such idea is celebrating special events with an orphanage. I came across an orphanage in Bangalore while browsing online and that is called Abhaya Ashram.
One can spend a lot by donating them online but as important to it is to build such a relationship with them where they dont feel alone and participate in such activities which can put a smile on children's faces.

It could be a simple sweets-distribution or books or essentials like blankets, dresses, etc and make a long-lasting friendship with them. Taking the young ones along-with you can be doubly good as your kids will ingle with all the children and get a compassionate approach towards children irrespective of religion, status, language, etc. Many times we hear small children quarreling based on their status in the society or people making fun of orphans. For this to stop, children should be sensitized right from the beginning by taking them to the downtrodden and making them mingle with other children.

With love.. Anil

Make Android even more amazing!(part-2)

Continuing the post about Android, and smart phones in general, I would like to see the following features in a smart phone and in a free open source OS like android. I am concentrating mostly on the hardware side:

1. Smart phones should actually work smart by having more sensors:
For eg., they can have temperature sensor and water/moisture sensor so that the phone can adjust itself and let the user know that it is warm/chilly/humid outside. As we know, humidity is when water content is high in the atmosphere and the smartphone should be able to detect this as tell us if it is going to rain soon or not. It can even tell us if we are sweating based on the humidity/water content around it! The latest Samsung S4 already has a temperature and pressure sensor, so it is very much possible to bring it in all phones, build a whole new level of API(software) around it and integrate it within android's next major version!

2. Proactive activities like warming up when it is chilly outside!
Imagine this: Your smartphone warms itself to keep you warm! This can be done by having a small heater inside. Even better, it would be fantastic if there is an air-blower that tries to either blow cool air or hot air depending on the surroundings and your preferences! So you have your personal weather control device in your hands! If it is too hot outside, it tries to keep you cool by becoming a portable air conditioner. If it is too chilly outside, it tries to warm you up by blowing warm air!

3. Make smartphones check your health!
A sensor that they can integrate is a health sensor that can accurately check your heartbeat and blood quality, which are two of the most important parameters for a person's health. We already have devices checking diabetes and it shouldn't be difficult to advance it to include many other parameters to do a complete blood test inside the device, and integrate it within a smartphone! If this happens, the retired Google Health service may come back!

4. UV scanner and 3D radar
Imagine there is complete darkness around you and your smartphone automatically sensing a soft, warm, organic object moving towards you! This can be done by having your phone see in the darkness using UV and 3D radar similar to those found in some jets for night vision. The technology is very much there, and it just needs to be put into a smaller form and fit inside a slim Nexus phone! the applications for this feature can be unlimited!

With love.. Anil

A touching poem...

Just read a tribute of love in today's Deccan Herald(15 Mar 2013). Just felt like sharing with everyone.

Those we love dont go away
they walk beside us every day
Unseen, unheard, but always near
Still loved, still missed and very dear

Always a smile
Thoughtful beyond measure
He left us a memory
We are so proud to treasure

He has gone across the river
To the shore of evergreen
And we long to see his dear face
But the river flows between
Someday, sometime we shall see
The face we loved so well
Someday we ll clasp his hand
And never say farewell


With love.. Anil

Make Android even more amazing!

First things first.. This isnt an article to praise android nor am I a hardcore fan of android, but a happy android user and a technically curious one at that! So I like android not just because of Google, or the universality of the OS, but because of the trust, reliability, simplicity and the customizability that it gives me.
So this article is about what I dream about in android, which may become a reality in near future!.
This is with an intention to make android even better!

1. So, first thing is a concept called "Customization Center" where you can completely customize your phone from the default version that you get. This has been rumored to be coming in 4.2, but alas, it didnt.
It should have one option to set the software of the phone to stock android version(Google Nexus) and another to set to the OEM's version(Sony's Timescape ui, Samsung's Touchwiz, HTC's Sense, etc) your own launcher.
Basically this is perfect if you want a stock android experience on your phone, that is fast and simple. A nexus like experience which gets the latest updates directly from Google! Of course this isnt just about the UI, its also about software the way Nexus devices handle. We know every manufacturer has their own drivers, so those drivers need to be optimized to be used with Nexus software.

2. Option to backup and sync complete settings and data of apps: This is perhaps a very interesting and usefull feature. Imagine that you are on android 4.0, playing the angry birds 15th level, and somehow you get an update to 4.1 or 4.2 and update to it. You will get back the game app due to the sync and thats fine. But will you play all the 14 levels to get back to where you were? The real complete restore will be to upgrade to 4.2 nd start Angry Birds on the level you were previously in! You can even play 14 levels on your Xperia J and play the 15th level on your Nexus 7 immediately! Thats the perfect sync and storing all the app data in the cloud!

3. New android update to older phones with lite versions of latest features.
Imagine a phone running Android Eclair(2.1) having the Google Now feature in a lite version thats light on phone resources! Why dont Google give a surprise to owners of older phones by giving such small goodies like Google Now Lite, Chrome Mini and bug fixes or security updates? I know it is wishfull thinking, but it makes older phone owners feel good and improve the brand image, showing that Google doesnt forget older phones.


With love.. Anil