A lot has been made up for Google Chrome OS and it’s notebook. It transpires that Samsung and Acer would manufacture laptops for chrome OS.

Is cloud computing inherently better than the “offline model” we have come to rely on? If the recent Amazon outage is any indication, I would prefer not to stick with it. In the same vein, I prefer my data to stay with me.

However, there is a huge business opportunity lurking behind such an initiative. Manufacturers in India (for netbooks/laptops/tablets) are dependent on Microsoft for a tapered down version of it’s utterly useless operating system. They could have easily sponsored a home grown “Indian initiative” for Linux and installed it on a bare bones hardware with Wifi and 3G connectivity. I reckon that using ARM processors, a basic display unit with a keyboard would suffice the price limit of around $200-250. It can be done.

One doesn’t need dual cores to run the fancy software; in any case, I hardly use the computing power at my disposal. But there was no choice in the market. Antix (a derivative of SimplyMepis) or even Arch Linux are good enough alternatives (not to forget Fluxbox and XFCE or E17) as the alternative desktop platforms to power the applications.

The telecom companies could have easily subsidized the model, charging it in their monthly bills. A win win situation. An operating system free of any hassles and companies get to spread the hardware with bundled data plans. I had earlier explored the same option but I guess the fancy CEO’s (who are glorified assholes anyway), are not interested in the blurb.

So you’d find the Vodafone Zoozoo enticing people to try out 3G in a market where computing is still a luxury and smartphones market sorely limited.

Thats stupidity compounded by assholism (of the extreme); because crores are being spent on advertising to milk the few customers who venture to buy out the expensive data plans.

Blah blah blah.

Related articles

• Google announces Chromebooks: Chrome OS powered notebooks (venturebeat.com)
• Google floats monthly subscriptions to Chrome OS notebooks (go.theregister.com)
• Google Chrome OS Notebooks Available June 15 (fakeiitian.com)
• SlashGear 101: Google Chromebook (slashgear.com)
• First Google Chrome OS Notebooks Available June 15 (mashable.com)
• Google Chrome OS “Student package” notebook for $20 tipped imminent (slashgear.com)
• Don’t Expect Google Chrome OS on Tablets Anytime Soon (mashable.com)
• Google Announces Expensive Web-Only ‘Chromebooks’ (techland.time.com)
• More Chromebooks from Google; Chrome OS, Web Store updates too (arstechnica.com)
• Samsung, Acer to Debut Chrome OS Notebooks In June (louisgray.com)

Tags: 3G, Advertising, Amazon, Arch Linux, Assholes, Broadband, Browsers, CEO, Computing, Desktop Browsers, Digital Divide, FOSS, Google, Google Chrome, India, Internet Access Devices, laptop, Linux, Microsoft, Netbooks, Open Source and Access, Opera, operating system, Proprietary Software, Smartphones, smartphones, Tablets, tag, Value Added Services (VAS), Vodafone, Vodafone, web store, Wifi

As per the blurb on Forbes,RIM Looks To Revive Smartphone Push With BlackBerry 7 – Great Speculations – Buys, holds, and hopes,

…..the introduction of the latest version of its smartphone operating system BlackBerry 7, and unveiled two new BlackBerry Bold smartphones based on this OS.  The new OS has a few improvements over preceding versions like faster performance for touch-screen navigation, web browsing, video and gaming and support for Near Field Communication technology.

The problem with Blackberry is that for a long time, it has been a “de-facto standard” for the enterprises. Over a period of time, it was forced to look at the growing market share of the other companies; most notably Apple. Of course, I was smitten by it, at some point in time, but after my Android experience, I doubt whether it is really required. Of course, it comes with it’s warts and all, but indeed, it was for the first time that I actually owned a touch phone that worked.

Hence, it is not surprising that with about an average hardware component, Blackberry should flounder. Reports of it’s “imminent demise” are probably over-rated by it’s detractors but it still capable of fighting in with the punch. This is not an endorsement (like what a twerps do on their twitter accounts); however, the major sore issue (with ANY smart phone company) is the lack of a decent after sales service.

Of course, RIM India was under a lot of cloud in recent times (it’s still not clear whether it has been sorted out or not), still is a matter of concern. Hence, even though Blackberry Messenger is a great option (surpassed by an interesting “WhatsApp” on Android), it makes reaching out to your contacts a breeze (in these so called flotsam called as “Social”).

Related articles

• Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones v2.0 (Beta Refresh): Support for OS 5.0 is here! (blogs.blackberry.com)
• RIM Updates Facebook for BlackBerries Beta (phonescoop.com)
• RIM Reveals New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones (geniusgeeks.com)
• RIM Updates Twitter for BlackBerry Beta (phonescoop.com)
• Twitter For BlackBerry Version 2 Beta Available On Beta Zone (pocketnow.com)
• RIM Gets More Social (morbium.wordpress.com)
• RIM shows off updated BlackBerry Bold (theglobeandmail.com)
• What’s the No. 1 factor keeping you loyal to BlackBerry? [poll] (zdnet.com)

Tags: android, BlackBerry, DTH, Google, India, Near Field Communication technology, Opera, operating system, Smartphones, smartphones, Twitter, Web Sites

For long, I have felt the need to do a “consumer survey” which is motivated by real customers than the paid for shit stuff that most telecom operators crow about. It is impossible to capture data from the cross section of the user population and the retards who crowd on the forums would not be able to grasp the import of this exercise.

I realize the difficulties inherent in this exercise immediately. First and the foremost is lack of actual “complaint data”; TRAI does put up the figures online but there is a mechanism where these operators have to report back the action taken on the complaints. This is a good mechanism but I don’t see it enforced or whatever TRAI does, they are clueless idiots to make this data work for a better policy formulation.

Ditto for the existing delivery of the complaint mechanism. An aggrieved customer calls the operator in call center, is given a complaint number (not always) and no time frame for the resolution. I am presuming that their workflow is designed for the said purpose. Like any corporate organization working on “cost savings”, this is possibly “outsourced”. A smart team utilizes “dumb terminals” clogging up the bandwidth for most of “executives”. All the while, these brainless sods make the customers wait even more utilizing the spectrum.

This is a “presumption” but this workflow is bound to keep the customers “unhappy”. Billing and metering issues are definitely top of the list; unfortunately, even these thorny issues are not resolved in their entirety.

What needs to be done? Actually, this could easily be a dissertation exercise, capture and visualize the data and present a solid case report to the telecom companies. However, the implementation needs money and I am unlikely to see any movement on that count.

I could help with some possible criteria; reach me on the email (under “contact”).

One more thing. Reliance, Aircel and Airtel easily top the shit list.

Related articles

• TRAI: Maximum Subscriber Complaints Over Last 3 Years Against Airtel Followed By Reliance and Vodafone (telecomjunction.wordpress.com)
• India sends notices to Aircel over network roll out – official (reuters.com)
• India’s Telecom Regulator Proposes Quota for Local Equipment (pcworld.com)
• DND registry (manavaidurai.wordpress.com)

Tags: Aircel, Airtel, DTH, Idiots, India, Media, Opera, Reliance, Spectrum, Telecommunications India, TRAI, Vodafone