Migrated to a Self hosted site

The only thing that remains constant is the change itself. Times have changed. I have now migrated to a self hosted WP site. Please continue to follow me on http://vineetkumar.me

Looking forward to meet you there ...

The Must Have Android Apps

It's been exact two months since I made a decision to buy LG Optimus One as my first smartphone. And I fulfilled the promise. I bought O1 from Letsbuy.com, and which was also one of the first online shopping experience for me.

My heart beats were racing on high rates while I was unboxing the package. Along came out the shiniest piece of gadget my eyes has ever experienced live.

And the rest is history...

While I would save the story for my feelings for the gadget for some other time this article is an attempt to list all the android apps that I have discovered over the 54 days of my use of the phone.

The list is not in any particular order, and the apps listed with the word [root] requires root privilege to work.
(Star means newly added, after writing the original article.)

Productivity
AndChat (Free) [The best IRC client]
ASTRO File Manager [The best file manager]
Camera360 Ultimate
Endomondo Sports Tracker [To track the distance or route you travel]
Dropbox [The best cross platform file sharing app]
FxCamera
Google Goggles [Best app to read those QR codes and search with images]
Hindu Calendar
iMobile [App from ICICI customers, very useful to me, I do prepaid recharge from this]
Indian Railway App - Disha [PNR check, availability checker, train schedule and more]
Opera Mobile web browser
SMS Backup + [Best app to take Backup of your SMS's on your Google Account]
WhatsApp Messenger [Universal Bluetooth, as I like to call it Send sms, share pics etc...]
Remember The Milk [Cloud Mobile Task Management]
Pulse News* [Best news aggregator app]

Social networking
Facebook for Android
Facebook Messenger*
Google+ [Also helps to sync photos with your google account]
Yahoo! Mail
XDA-Developers
Tapatalk (paid app, to browse TDF)

Games (these are all I have tried and I loved it)
SpeedX 3D [One of the most awesome game!]
aTilt 3D Labyrinth Free [Nice demonstration of the accelerometer in your phone]
Chess Free
Friction Mobile
Light Racer 3D Basic [Best 3D TRON game]
Shoot Bubble Deluxe [Quite Addictive]
SpeedCar [Nice time pass for a while]

Tools
Android Assistant [provides many tools to manage your Android]
Auto Rotate Widget [Nifty app to toggle auto-rotate setting]
Battery Solo Widget [Nifty app to demonstrate battery remaining in number on home screen]
Brightness Control
ConnectBot [Terminal for your Linux (Andriod)]
Fast Reboot [Just tap and it terminates every app]
ROM Manager [root]
Titanium Backup [root]
Apps 2 SD (Move app 2 SD)
CacheCleaner NG [root]

Benchmark and Test apps
Neocore
Quadrant Standard Edition
SD Tools [To bench mark your SD Card]
Multitouch Visible Test [To demonstrate Axis Inversion bug, if your phone have it]
Root Checker Basic

Others
Metal Detector [Sometimes works, sometimes don't. You tell me.]
Guitar : Solo Lite [lol]
Perfect Piano [double lol]
Talking Cat 2 [Must have to awe people] 

This is of course not an exhaustive list in any way. I will add more apps in the list as and when I would discover it!


-------
This blog is now transferred to a new domain: http://thestellarmind.blogspot.in/2012/01/must-have-android-apps.html. Please comment there.

My First Android

A few days back I came across a commercial from Red Hat Linux and it put forth some true facts. “Facts”, unless proven otherwise!

"The telephone has too many shortcomings, to be seriously considered as a means of communication", "A rocket will never leave the Earth's atmosphere", and the most absurd one, "640k ought to be enough for anybody" as populated to be said by Bill Gates, were some of the predictions done in the last century. The beliefs that shattered to the ground in later years, spectacularly.

The appetite for power never stops. People want to be more efficient everyday. The processing power is increasing, whereas the size of silicon chips is reducing. Thanks to Moore's law, gadgets are all set to become smaller but smarter.

A smartphone is a perfect example of something which could never have been conceived of, say, 20 years ago. Yet the future looks promising for this category of phones. It would not be long before we see phones surpassing speeds more than 2.4 GHz, due to the developments in processors like the next gen Qualcomm. But as they say, technology won't stop growing and so people have to start somewhere.

It was many years ago, that I had tried a phone that was smart. I had a Sony Walkman, aka, w550i which was basically a feature phone, with multimedia features, to be precise. It used to take good pics with its 1.3 megapixel camera, and could also sync contacts with a PC. But, today, I need something better than a feature phone. Precisely, an Entry Level Android.

Android today has become synonymous to be “the best mobile OS” today. With the biggest Internet company Google, backing up the OS, it has grown to be the second most used mobile OS today, and that too in a very short period of time. The main reason for the popularity of Android is the fact that it’s based on Linux Kernel with libraries and API’s written in one of the most popular languages, C, C++ and Java, and because most of the codes of the OS is Free and Open Source.

My budget for the phone was Rs. 10,000. With this budget I didn't have a lot of options including non-Android ones. Some of them were,

1. Motorola EX109
2. Motorola EX115
3. Nokia C2-03
4. Nokia C2-06
5. Samsung Chat 350
6. LG X 330
7. Samsung Star II S5263
8. Micromax Q6
9. Sony Ericsson txt pro
10. LG Vortex

I consider myself a geek, and I do my research extensively, even if it means putting up few people off. Since I believe it is better to be safe than sorrow. So after spending considerable amount of time and effort asking fellow geeks from tech forum and reading reviews from shopping sites, I came to a conclusion that I will have to add a smartphone to the list, which is better than any other in this price range. The phone is, LG Optimus One P500. I like to call it O1, since it is short, sweet, and more geeky! O1 has an impressive list of features. The prominent one are listed below:

• Android v2.2 (Froyo), Upgradeable to v2.3 Gingerbread
• Capacitive screen
• 600 MHz ARM 11 processor
• Adreno 200 graphics
• 3 mega-pixel camera with the ability to shoot videos at 640 x 480 @ 18 fps
• Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor and so on....

In a very short amount of time that I gave to the research of O1. I fell in love with it. It's amazing at the budget I have, and a cool smartphone to title as "My First Android". The sheer beauty of O1 from any angle has captured my imagination. It's 3.2" capacitive touch screen coupled with state of the art design makes it look classy. Processing speed of 600 Mhz, and graphics capability provided by Adreno GPU, makes sure games can be played at decent frame rates.

Overall LG have developed a gem of a product. A product so great that various communities have sprung up just to discuss the intricacies behind this phone. Geeks today want to know, how they can make O1 unleash its true power even if it means rooting the phone.

So my eventual next smartphone is decided. It would be the LG O1, even if it means cutting down every other expenses. If it can't be an O1, it just won't be any other.

-------
This blog is now transferred to a new domain: http://thestellarmind.blogspot.in/2011/11/my-first-android.html. Please comment  there.

Are you a computer geek quiz

Today I took a quiz at this address..
http://www.gotoquiz.com/results/are_you_a_computer_geek_1

And the result was...

You are 100% computer geek!

Those who code salute you. You are a true computer geek and have a professional level knowledge of computing terminology.

Are you a computer geek?
Take More Quizzes

Buying Dilemma of a New Phone (to Talk)

So, its one of those time of the year, when you feel your (old) phone is getting too old to handle, and there could be many reasons for feeling so, depending on the type of consumer you are.

For me, I am now looking for a new phone, since its giving me a few troubles (which translates to MANY, in my case!).

Personally I don't want to leave my Sony Ericsson W550i (Walkman), which was a present to me 2 yrs ago from my dad on my birthday and since then, I have built a relationship with this phone. This phone is amazing. Without getting too emotional, I just want to tell that its dedicated keys for Multimedia, Camera, Lock and Video Player is awesome, but also it has so much of features, that just makes it too cool to handle.

But the features didn't began to give me troubles, if that's what you have started to speculate. In reality, the phone was getting old. Due to my bad handling (I can be pretty rough at times), a few buttons started deminish and finally stopped working. Call started to get dropped, and people wasn't able to hear me, even if I screamed!

So as I said earlier, I am looking for a new phone. And this time, I just have One prority: Talk!

Its amazing to think that an idea of a mobile phone, began with just a basic principle, which was to "talk", but soon extended to Instant Messaging and then to MMS, then multimedia, browsing... and the rest is history.
For my current need I just want a phone with the most basic necessity in mind, that is be able to talk without interruption, and with long talk time. BUT my winding mind, could not have been so perplexed if that was the only case. The other requirement which is now also important to me is radio. After all, a radio is the only piece of technology that even father of my grandpa also used to operate!

After a long research over the price and design, I have selected these mobiles, for they each have two things in common, they can be used to talk, and listen radio.

Nokia 5030  (Link2)
Micromax X100
Nokia 1616
Nokia 1661
Nokia 1280

Nokia 2630

List of Phones with Prices (may be Outdated, but gives an upper bound)

The only thing which I need now is a premonition, about which to really use to make those calls.
Any help?

-------
This blog is now transferred to a new domain: http://thestellarmind.blogspot.in/2010/08/buying-dilemma-of-new-phone-to-talk.html. Please comment  there.

One Afternoon at a Pizza Hut

One thing in my life, which I hated when I ate it the first time, is the most popular food in the western countries - Pizza! I guess much time had passed between its cooking and the time I began to put that in my mouth!

The next time was all the way in my birthday, when I enjoyed it in a shop, along with a friend of mine, and you guessed right, it was for my birthday treat. The shop was Unique Cafe, situated in a famous location of East Delhi - Madhu Vihar Market. And this happened nearly four months ago.

Today, on the 16th day of 2010, I experienced, may be for a little while, what might eating in an expensive food joint feels. And believe me it feels good and may be a little awkward.

My friend Ankur and me, never know of where we would head, when we decide to go somewhere. What we know, is one thing for sure, that the journey would definetely include some kind of new food to eat. Whether its Gol-Gappe of Madhu Vihar, or burgur of Caunaught Place, whether its McPuff of Mac Donalds, or kulfi-faluda of Laxmi Nagar market, we always have to try new things. Cause we both are a big foody, and just when we think we have eaten much, more room gets vacant inside our cryptic stomachs!

This time we were at East Delhi Mall at Anand Vihar, which is the most happening mall according to me, at this side of Delhi. Today we decided to give the Pizza Hut a try for a food I still fantasize much about, and to know whats the big deal in eating in a joint like this.

Imparting ourselves with great grits, we headed inside the hut. The view looked liked a room coming straight from a diner of an american show. With waiters roaming around in comprehensive uniforms, tables decorated in a groovy manner and the feel with an aura of richness, maybe of all those money people were flaunting, was very new for me.

I asked the lady on the reception about our choice of food, but she instead told us to take a seat and not to worry about the order. I was skeptical at first, but later tried to grab one sofa, just to be stopped by a waiter, informing us about that being booked. So we headed in other direction, saw one bench and asked to confirm if that isn't already reserved!

A waiter came and gave us the menu, and recited, "Welcome to Pizza hut, here's the menus, what would you like to order?". It was hard for my friend to digest that the waiter's english was better than himself! And I on the other hand was trying hard, not to show my smile.
Not sure about the size of pizzas being offered we relied on a safe bet and ordered a medium Kadai Paneer Pizza, for the last thing I would want was a pizza of a size of a donut or pizza so large, we couldn't have dinner at the night! That went along with a drink, only to be advised about another one, which was a lime, for which we agreed on. Then he went telling us that the lime would come in few minutes and pizza would take atleast 15 minutes. Whoa, that felt long to listen, but who was complaining? I could wait, so long, as not to eat those cool ones, I hated the first time!

Later, I noticed a set of fork and a knife placed courteously along the right side of plates, which marked Pizza hut's logo on every opposite sides of it. After the limes came, I was surprized to the fact that it tasted exactly like the lime I used to make in summers. Well, I expected something different! The moment, we were resolving the issue, of which hand to hold the fork and the knife, waiter brought the pizza in a cooking pan. Now, that was something different!

With a high appetite we broked to grab a piece of pie, in which the cheeze was melting like butter. It tasted so delicious, that I was getting a fair idea of why is it like a staple food in America. We were eating the pizza with those forks and knife and the noise when those was making in contact with the ceramic plates was I think must have been audible to the ones outside the hut! To top on that, the knife was slipping from our hands too often, that we thought, it would be best if we eat Desi Style, from our own hands!

So we picked the piece and dipped it in the tomato sauce, and ate it just like I had seen in those TV commercials. In order to gain taste, we were sipping the lime in between. One time, I closed my eyes and it was easy to imagine, like I was some sort of king, cause the richness of cheese dipped in that sauce was making the experience, to say the least, unforgettable.

After finishing half of the pizza, I suddenly realized that we hadn't used any seasoning on top of them, and so hurridly turned the seasoning sprinkler, only to find out that the holes were too big. With one sprinkle so much seasoning came out on one piece of pizza, that was enough to be applied on the whole of that. Our laughs were hard to control, and we managed to stop only for the sake of place we were eating.

After we finished the pizza a final surprize was yet to come, the bill shock. The cost which we had calculated for the pizza and the drinks, were excluded of the various taxes. So after the waiter tax, the frying pan tax, and god knows what tax, the bill was enough to put off any future plans to visit the hut again. But thanks to the corporate discount I availed due to working in a multinational company, I was given 25% off! Now, thats what I call an happy ending.

Thats how we spend one afternoon at Pizza hut, in a mall, thinking that we could have end up whole dinner for four, in that amount we had spend for a pizza for two. But the experience was incredible. Its not always everywhere, the waiters take your orders in English, and you pay the bills keeping money inside a file and never see how the food is cooking. And in the end are greeted by one of the staff, to come again, and decrease the amount of our wallet by fractions!


We couldn't have asked for more, now, could we?

My Dream Friend

The poem, which I had written when I was in 11th Standard, for "Just Teens", a section of the Hindustan Times newspaper. This poem got published, in the Write-In section!

When I would get my dream friend

Will it be tomorrow or sometime else?

I don’t know what a best friend means

Because till date I have never seen him

Is it my ego or do I peevish

Whatever it is I can never forgive

In this world of conceitation

Coping with others become a tension

I don’t believe in to be ostentatious

‘Cause I know it cant serve any purpose

I want to be natural I want to be Instinct

As in my opinion

True satisfaction lies only in it

Sometimes I think, may be that’s the reason

For why I do not have pals even one

In the journey to find a friend

I have got many intermediate one

But whenever I tried to question the truth

I am only dragged to the dark ends

To my almighty I can only say

Give me the power, give me the sense

For I could know other’s indigence

And fulfill their demands

If it is necessary to make a best friend

After all it is not worth

To make hundreds friends a year

But to make a friend for hundred years

Vineet kumar

Class XI

November 2nd, 2003

Bal Bhavan Public School (M.V)

Glossary (can be useful):

Peevish: Easily irritated or annoyed

Conceitation: Characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Ostentatious: Intended to attract notice and impress others

Instinct: Inborn pattern of behaviour often responsive to specific stimuli
Indigence: Need