UbiSlate7 - Cheapest Tablet

From what I know, the specs I have seen in different sites have been inconsistent, I am a bit skeptical abt the Datawind, (because of the ordinary site they have), but from what I have checked from different sites, however inconsistent they maybe, I am going to point out the highlight differences between the Aakash 1 and Aakash 2 (ie. UbiSlate 7), the Aakash 1 was available for book last week, and it is already 'sold out' as per their official site, while UbiSlate 7 is in pre-booking stage. They have promised to deliver the product by 1 week as far as Aakash 1 is concerned, and UbiSlate7 only tentative date - end of January is given.

The booking process is pretty straight-forward, they have a form for each Aakash n UbiSlate7, fill the details, you get a Code for further reference, and you get a confirmation mail of the same Code too. Since Aakash is sold-out, you will find only the UbiSlate7 pre-booking form.

May I list out the differences as far as I know:

1. Price: First and basic difference, UbiSlate7 is priced at Rs. 2,999/- while the Aakash 1 is Rs. 2,500/-.

2. OS: Aakash will run on Froyo (Android 2.2), and UbiSlate7 will be Gingerbread (Android 2.3). Won't make much of a difference for a layman apart from that the User Interface will look and feel slightly different.

3. Processor: The major difference which I am was impressed was that of the Processor, Aakash is a modest 366MHz speed ARM 11 chip, and UbiSlate7 is a decent Cortex A8 700MHz processor. To be simply put, better performance.

4. Battery: The battery powering the Aakash is 2100 mAh, and UbiSlate7 is 3200 mAh, again without getting technical, it would directly translate to Aakash ~3hrs backup, and UbiSlate7 ~5hrs backup.

5. Network: Both have a Wi-Fi connectivity, Aakash doesn't support GPRS, while the upgrade UbiSlate7 does. Some sites suggest it might support 3G dongles - but no concrete info about that.

• Phone Calls: You've guessed it right, since UbiSlate7 supports GPRS, it obviously has the sim card and hence supports both Calls and Messaging Service, the unknown is whether or not 3G sim can be used.

6. Production: This is non-technical and unrelevant, but still its a difference, Aakash 1 is a Made-in-India Product, while the UbiSlate7 is produced from China.

There are a few more differences/enhancements believed on the UbiSlate7, but the data is not so consistent as the ones specified before this,

Inconsistent:

RAM: It's believed to be upgraded to 1GB in the UbiSlate7, but I am not convinced if it is upgraded from 256MB to 1GB.

Camera: The Upgraded is supposed to have a front-facing camera, but again it is not confirmed.

That is all as far as differences major n minor or concerned, let's look at the overall specs and features both the product offers:

1. Display: 7" Display with a 800x640 Resolution. Follows the same road as most other market Tablets with a screen-size of 7 inches(diagonal)
   
2. Input: Resistive Touch-screen, Resistive supports stylus/objects(can be still be used by fingers also) but is the primitive form as far as Touch-Screens are concerned, Capacitive touch-screens are superior featuring in latest Smartphone/Tablets like iPad etc.
3. Memory: 256MB RAM, this is not ideal for these devices, still it is proven to work just fine.
   
4. Storage: 2GB Internal flash memory, 2GB-32GB External Storage - microSD slot provided
5. Ports: Two USB2.0 ports are provided, USB devices like PenDrives, USB keyboard can be used
6. Weight/Dimensions: The weight is about 350g. Dimensions are Height-7.5"; Width-4.67"; Depth-0.62"(~16mm)

Looks, if you have seen the prototype of the tablet when the idea was proposed, you will be surprised how much the product has evolved from its prototype, it follows the iPad style with a single home button and not the typical 4/5 buttons a typical Android device will feature. Sleek design and the back has a rubber feel to it.

Apps: May not have the Android Market, it's not end of road, but may support the GetJar as far as Apps are concerned.

Add-ons:

• USB Keyboard case is provided by the company itself for a supposed price of Rs. 300/-
• Car Charger
• External Charger

Federer - what holds for him the next season

It was unbelievable to see the Federer of the past last week when he mauled everyone to his title defense at O2 claiming his 6th Tour Finals

Personally being a huge fan I could be completely biased about this, but can't stop me from being excited about what is at stack for Roger next season and also the Gotham City with the Nolan's Dark knight Rises release next summer, hehe.. m getting carried away there.



Ofcourse the priority would be the Grandslams.. Would be interesting to see if he can translate his year end form into the next season. It was interesting to notice even through a what might be considered a poor year for him by his standards, have to be fair to him that he lost few close battles and definitely his French open show was the best as far as Grand slams were concerned this season.. Just not meant to was the USOpen match against Djokovic..

But the bigger picture is he would be excited about 2 stuff next year.. Yes I am gonna say it Olympics and the Davis Cup. As we know it won't all a cakewalk for the Swiss team in the Davis Cup.. Realistically he has better chance at winning the olympics gold than making his country lift the Davis cup.

Again once the season is underway there will be lot of guys pushing themselves for the elite once-in-four-year event, but Federer having won almost everything is chasing that one thing that has eluded him, the Olympics singles Gold.. He knows the value of it and I know he is going to push it hard at that event irrespective of the results in the Grand slams.

Still federer is one short of Sampras' record 7 Wimbledon, not sure if Roger can go on to beat that record especially after seeing him to fail racking semis last couple of years. But for sure he will be looking to equal his Idol pistol Pete's 7 at SW19..

As a fan, I wish he wins every tournament he turns up next season, but that would be greedy from my part and to deprive the sport itself the excitement

First Up it's going to be interesting how the beginning of the season is going to be.. All I can say is 'All the best to Roger' and all his dear-most fans ahead of a great new season.

Christmas Greetings!!

Federer claimed his 1st Paris title

Federer claimed his 1st Paris title with a 6-1,7-6(3) victory over Tsonga. 18 Masters 1000 crowns and 69 Career titles.

King of GrandSlams, from twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/GoRogerFederer



For all Federer fans, this is must check out blog, nice
http://rogerfedererthechamp.blogspot.com/2011/11/federer-clinches-first-paris-title.html

The Bloom Box: An Energy Breakthrough?

By CBSNews

In the world of energy, the Holy Grail is a power source that's inexpensive and clean, with no emissions. Well over 100 start-ups in Silicon Valley are working on it, and one of them, Bloom Energy, is about to make public its invention: a little power plant-in-a-box they want to put literally in your backyard.

You'll generate your own electricity with the box and it'll be wireless. The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.

It has a lot of smart people believing and buzzing, even though the company has been unusually secretive - until now.

K.R. Sridhar invited "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl for a first look at the innards of the Bloom box that he has been toiling on for nearly a decade.

Looking at one of the boxes, Sridhar told Stahl it could power an average U.S. home.

"The way we make it is in two blocks. This is a European home. The two put together is a U.S. home," he explained.

"'Cause we use twice as much energy, is that what you're saying?" Stahl asked.

"Yeah, and this'll power four Asian homes," he replied.

"So four homes in India, your native country?" Stahl asked.

"Four to six homes in our country," Sridhar replied.

"It sounds awfully dazzling," Stahl remarked.

"It is real. It works," he replied.

...

For further more, read the actual article:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/18/60minutes/main6221135.shtml

RIP Jobs. didn't expect it will all happen so fast!

From: jason donald
Date: Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Subject: RIP Jobs. didn't expect it will all happen so fast!
To: rememberingsteve@apple.com

Checked the news headlines, what happens to apple after jobs. I thought why are they still crying over his leaving apple (especially after the 4S release). Didn't expect it meant otherwise. Disbelief! for even someone who doesn't call himself big fan of Apple products.

Not to forget he was the founder of Pixar and first studio to make 3d animation feature films, till date the best animation co. and they are the benchmark for every other, and i don't have to say about Apple Co. But beyond loss for Apple the Co. this is a loss for his fans, for so many you are the role model. One of the most influential people in the last decade. Wherever you went, you didn't leave without your footmark.

For the Tech-savvys, this is the bookmark, the Before-Jobs/After-Jobs in their timeline!

You have made us hear music anywhere we want,
you have made us watch everything we would like on the go,
you have made us play with the angry birds,
you have not only made us hear, see, speak but touch everything,
to touch what we hear, to touch what we see, to touch what we speak,
reminds me of good old sci-fi, its like you're the sci-fi on demand,
you make it real what Steven Spielberg or Kubrick show us on screen.
you make it real what we dream of, and give us a reason to dream.

It's just crazy that you have spoiled us for good!

Whatever you have done, you have touched a millions of people, who inturn got to touch their iPods, iPhones, and iPads. A true Visionary, a legend and the trendsetter, you have changed things the way it's done, you have brought every other big corps on their knees, You did fall, you did rise, and you did conquer! Inspiring as your story is, it does baffle us, and there's a big void still, and I hope its not filled, for it is meant to be only missed.

You Came, You Conquered and You Left!

The burning Q will be 'Now What!'

Condolences to friends and family,
All the best to Apple!

Johnny English

Now that Johnny English Reborn has hit the theatres for sometime now and many don't know it's actually a sequel of Johnny English 2003. The review I had written few years ago and the trailer for the sequel

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Plot:

Johnny English is an MI7 agent who seriously lacks the skill and distinction of a secret agent, England leaves the security arrangements of their best secret to this guy, what do you expect., he makes a mess of the security and all the agents are killed. The Agency is left with only one secret agent , ie. Johnny English. Rest is the chronicles of this agent and his subordinate who are supposed to retrieve the royal jewelry of the Queen. In the due time, Queen is compelled to abduction, while Frenchman Pascal Sauvage is the Mastermind of all the mystery surrounding Queen's abduction.

Meanwhile a mysterious woman distracts Johnny English everytime in his mission. He follows her to find out that she is a specialised agent. Johnny suspects Pascal Sauvage to be the culprit, while his boss doesn't think so. Johnny's boss wants him to stay away from Pascal Sauvage since he is a friend of Queen. But Johnny sets up a secret mission and breaks into Pascal Sauvage's office. While Johnny messes up everytime, his subordinate sets it right, but still Johnny's boss is informed about the small stint in Sauvage's office. Johnny is fired and the Woman secret agent is set to investigate instead of Johnny, She wants to pair up with Johnny to find the mystery behind Sauvage. They head to a place where Sauvage has setup a meeting with the world's greatest criminals and find that Sauvage wants to become the King of United Kingdom and make Britain the largest Prison in the whole world.

Rest is how they retrieve the kingdom back to the Queen and imprison Pascal Sauvage.

Review:
3/4

It is a spoof genre secret agent movie, I had watched it as many times as I could and I love it everytime I watch it. I like Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, but that doesn't mean he isn't great as Johnny English . He has done it very well and one cannot say the other way.

The story is very simple and said stylishly of a spy agent movie. It is crazy, it is brainless and it is funny, that was the ultimate aim of the film. I think it has justified itself very well, it didn't lack in humor, nor style or the story.

Johnny is splendid as a hopeless, stupid character that suitably is designed to be in contrast with the secret agents we have always known, that is a success of the movie. He is too smart as far as he is concerned, only the one's around him knows the truth, the character Baugh is designed to perfection to help out Johnny's mess every now and then. Lorna Campbell was a justifiable character, more or less the only intelligent person on the screen. Johnny's ignorance to the love of Lorna Campbell is not at the very best.

Johnny English fails everytime and the movie too fails sometimes, but overall it was a decent effort, not much to blame about, as far as this genre is concerned, just forget what it's about, have nice entertainment, I guess it has justified in that aspect very much and atleast they have come up with something as they intended..

Derek Redmond - Won't Give Up!

When you don't give up..You cannot fail



When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.