iPhone 3G - What's hot and what's not !

It's been over two months that I have been using Apple's iPhone and wanted to share my experiences and my version of the phone's pros and cons.

Apple's strength has always been aesthetics and quality and the iPhone is a testimony to this. These two features together with Apple's brand make this a coveted product. What really prompted me to purchase the iPhone apart from the abovementioned qualities are it's functionalities as (in my order of preference)

- Efficient personal organizer
- Internet communicator
- iTunes & App Store friendly device
- iPod player
- Cool phone

I don't intend to describe these functionalities or features (Apple has a comprehensive support site for that), but it is to mention some tangible features that are otherwise unavailable. I use iPhone mostly as a personal organizer. I rate it very highly as a personal organizer. I have my Calendar synced up with my Outlook. I made it a point not to have office mail on my phone but am always logged in my GMail. The Clock and 'Notes' features are very handy. The Notes feature is similar to Google's notebook that allows me to save random thoughts and reminders. Stocks and Weather apps on the home screen are very useful. I track my portfolio constantly using the Stocks App and have nearly a dozen cities tagged to the Weather Apps. I have a habbit of adding all cities that I visited or plan to visit to this Weather App. It is weird but nostalgic too.

iPhone as an Internet communicator is a decent pass. Safari is adequate in the sense it opens most of the commonly used sites with minimal fuss. I haven't tried any highly secure logins, but browsing, booking flights, catching cricket or tennis updates can be done in a trice. One needs to get used to the 'proxy' keypad. Youtube is a very abridged of its original self. Videos or not sortable, which sucks, but it is again a decent feature.

A third important asset that lets Apple dominate its competitors is iTunes. While iTunes has a proven track record, App Store which is bundled in iTunes barges Apple's success. The fact that App Store enables developers sell their apps to iPhone users is a win-win situation for developers and users. And in the heap, Apple takes 30% of the revenue generated by App sales. 70% proceeds to the developer. This turns out to be a great strategy by Apple which Microsoft and even Google to some extent are trying to mimic. Also, because the App Store fosters apps from independent developers and organizations alike, the ensuing competition to develop user-friendly and productive apps gets intense much to the liking of consumers like me. I have around 20 apps in my iPhone ranging from Google Earth to AroundMe, TWC, Jott, Who and a whole lot of games like iGolf, Chess, Sudoku, iBowl etc.

That iPhone has an embedded iPod is a huge gain in itself. And an iPod that can connect to the internet directly to download podcasts and songs is all the more beneficial. I am always hooked on various podcasts, Knowledge@Wharton is my personal favorite. Audio & video quality and transmission are extraordinary. I don't listen to songs much but that doesn't hamper me from having close to 100 songs on my device. Who cares when you have 8GB of space?

iPhone as a phone - I would rate it as standard. Nothing revolutionary but has everything that is necessary. I like the details included in Contacts information and the ability to have personalized ringtones and photographs to be displayed for callers but that is not exactly new. Call reception and other technical stuff are good.

As with any revoultionary device, iPhone also has its share of cons. Some are really striking. Some are subtle, but very frustrating. 'Copy and paste' is a hackneyed shortcoming of the phone but it stands out because of its impact. While iPhone offers email friendly apps where one can send docs or notes instantly through email, it is frustrating not to have copy and paste options. Another commonly stated drawback is the camera and its inability to record videos. For a device which outstandingly organizes audio and video files and has an amazing iPod embedded, the lack of ability to record videos or frame high resolution pics is dissapointing to many. I don't expect my iPhone to be a substitute to a camera or worse still, a camcorder. So, I have no qualms regarding this or rather lack of this feature.

Sometimes you feel it would be great if you have the ability to personalize ringtones and obviously without any fee. I am impressed with Apple's cognizance regarding web security et al. But, I don't think it needs to delve too deep and prohibit users from using ringtones outside of App Store. There were ways to trick iTunes and get other ringtones to iPhone, but the latest release of iTunes prevents this. It is just not enough to change file extensions to .m4r and drop it into iTunes library. Sooner or later, someone will find a way to trick the present version too but it would be great on Apple's part to leave the choice to users to personalize their ringtones. A prudent way would be have a pre-fixed number of personalized ringtones - atleast 3 or 4. Anyway, this isn't major either and I wouldn't worry about it much. There are some trivial drawbacks like lack of bluetooth stereo, lack of mms capability, no removable battery etc which, to me, aren't the break-the-deal type.

Overall, iPhone is a slick and trendy communication device with excellent iPod and is also a very efficient PDA. I have no issues with it and would highly recommend it. It has style and substance in equal proportions.

Aamchi Mumbai or Anarchy Mumbai?

I am and have been a huge fan of Mumbai. As a child, I cherished the word 'Bombay' and always wanted it to top lists in my geography and social classes i.e., for biggest city, highest population, highest exports etc. I used to go ga-ga over 'Bombay' pages in Manorama quiz book. I liked the terms related to Mumbain in the quiz book - Mazagon docks, Nariman Point, Santa Cruz etc. I visited Mumbai for the first time in 2004 when I was short-listed at SP Jain. I was in love with the city instantly. I liked the vibes around me. I liked the liveliness of the city. I liked the local-train rides. I liked the crowd. More than all, I liked the freedom. Aazadi, you know.

My friends pointed out that just because I had a fascination for this city, everything there appeals to me. Could be. I did not care then. But now, when I read some news articles about Mumbai, Marathi manoos, MNS etc., I feel a prick in my heart. There were many instances of violence in Mumbai. Right from colonization to the Black Friday and quite a few that followed. But I don't think Mumbai felt this vulnerable. And the reason is quite obvious. Mumbai was united throughout its struggles. But this time, it is struggling to be united.

Would Mumbai have survived if this regional divide existed in those crises? Definitely not.

So what has changed? Did we move over religious divisions and re-invent regional divisions? Are we sending out a message to terrorists across our borders that we don't need them to hurt our nation and that we are capable enough to do so ourselves? Why are we as a nation getting so indulged in emotional dilemmas and in essence preventing the coutnry from going forward?

Politicians are clever. As I mentioned in my earlier post, they want to divide people for their personal gain. 'Divide and Rule' is not something new. They know what strings to pluck that can stir regional, religious or caste sentiments. They know people, no matter if they are educated or not, are susceptible to these sentiments. And when these sentiments are aroused, reason gives way to hysteria. This is what is happening right now in Mumbai. In what is a clear power struggle between Shiv Sena and MNS, the latter has managed to unleash the regional sentiment and make the Marathis feel represented. Anyone would agree with reservations for locals. But are harassing, abusing and even killing the so-called 'outsiders' acceptable?

I came across an article in 'Times of India' where the author mentioned couple of things.

"At Mankhurd station, a north Indian boy standing at the door was deliberately hit on the head by someone in the surging crowd. The man then quickly disappeared inside the compartment but continued to pass snide remarks to provoke a fight."

"On Thursday night I found an autorickshaw driver weeping at Gokuldham in Goregaon. I asked him what was wrong and he said that his previous passenger, a Marathi man, had refused to pay and slapped him when he asked for the fare."

Quite appalling. Isn't it?

There are two ways people can deal with retrenchment or displacement. The smart way is to upgrade your skill set, retrain and relocate. It may take time but is the ethical way to handle recession. The other way is retarded. It is to campaign against 'outsiders', malign them, burn busses and what not. Not that doing this can earn them their jobs again. But this is the only way they can vent out their helplessness.

An important aspect that is totally left out in this second approach is that we are in a global recession. Recession may not be as rampant in India as it is in the US but certainly there are ripple effects and those are being felt. And due to this, jobs are retrenched here and there is no policy in place to retain 'outsiders' and lay off locals. It is happening everywhere and not just in Mumbai. But given the fact that Mumbai is the heart of India's economy, more pain is felt here. But what have the common men who have migrated from UP/Delhi/Bihar, or for that matter, anywhere from India got to do with it?

It is flurrying to notice people put aside reason and go with their instincts. It is not humane to act by instincts. Reason that is attainted by involving heart and mind is what makes one a human. Now, freedom in Mumbai is at stake. Only when we put aside these regional feelings by realizing that it is fodder for fools and make ourselves immune to political gimmicks we can claim to be independent. I hope Mumbaikers realize this sooner than later and get back Azaadi to Mumbai and not lead it to Anarchy.