Though I love coding, I am not a professional app developer. As an entrepreneur, I write code as means to an end. It saves cost which is essential for our bootstrapped startup.
After delaying for quite some time, I finally rewrote the entire Sahityapedia app in Flutter (the latest app framework by Google).
I wrote the earliest version of this app in Java (on Android Studio). Then Google moved from Java to Kotlin and I migrated the newer versions of this app to Kotlin. And then Google came up with a remarkable technology, Flutter.
Flutter made things easier, faster and most importantly, I could develop the app using the code editor of my choice, VS Code. Build times are shorter, hot reload is such a cool feature and development workflow feels much more logical.
So, with great excitement, presenting the latest version of Sahityapedia app. Download now
When I look back at year 2005, I remember Nokia N-Series 3G capable phones publicized all across the nation using all kind of media channels, be it hoardings, television, radio, newspapers, magazines etc. That was the telecom revolution which has come a long way in these ten years.
I remember people buying 3G phones in a hope that telecom companies will provide 3G services some day. And the day came when even 3G services are about to get obsolete. The new kid is in town- 4G. And it claims to be way faster than 3G something which I am looking forward to experience myself.
I remember my first broadband connection with 2 Mbps speed and it seemed like I was in a future world. But it had its limits and movies still took hours to get downloaded. Moreover, it was not mobile and I was stuck to my wifi range circle of my house to get the speed advantage. But 3G changed this by giving me mobility along with speed.
However, my expectations had increased by now. I wanted more speed on the go; streaming low resolution videos on my mobile while moving seemed so antique. It still feels the same as 3G is still what I have.
Airtel 4G makes huge claims about its speed, no doubt it is India’s first 4G network launched across the country. I am quite curious to use that. Moreover, my desire to move forward to the next technology is pulling me more towards it.
If Airtel 4G works as expected, consumption of multimedia on smartphones will get a whole new definition. The high definition display of smartphones will actually feel utilized. The countless hours wasted while looking at the status bar representing the loading of a web page would be saved.
Not just time, downloading a movie in minutes means no extra electricity consumption to keep the devices running during over-night movie downloads. The carbon footprint should actually reduce.
And at psychological level, frustration and irritation due to slow internet or bad connectivity can be avoided thus making life happier and cheerful. I can imagine smiling people looking at their phones while using 4G in crowded Delhi Metro. Atleast one reason of stress will be gone.
If it all works well, it can change the world around us as we see it today. May be internet of things will get the required boost and the imagined science-fiction future will be true, where every living and non-living thing will have an IP address. 4G may not be a reason for this, but it can atleast act as a catalyst.
May be I am too much optimistic about it. But who knows. Even if it turns out to be 50% of what I am imagining it can do, we are looking forward to a better connected world, with lesser internet carbon footprint, less frustration, more happiness and higher technological growth.
Airtel is India’s first network with such a huge 4G launch across the country. You can find more about it here: www.airtel.in/4g/.
Just to add a little humor, here is the latest Airtel 4G ad campaign:
I was going through my old blog posts when I found a novice, but interesting piece of write-up. Few years ago, one of my friends was playing a rap game of rhyming poems with me, which could be just about anything. Here is what I wrote:
(Say it like a Rapper!!!)
“life seems to be a brigade of exam papers,
loaded with stuff made by dictators,
these dictators are none other than money,
we run behind it always honey,
with the market crashed & profits so low,
even friends are turning into foe,
they fight , they win, they lose,
be it for job or a little shrunk goose,
the goose they say is the ray of hope,
but dont u think its like the daily soap,
where ‘EKTA KAPOOR’ defines life in new way,
now about this there is no need to say,
the only thing i would like to say that,
there should be a new soap with a hero in grey hat,
the name of the show must be ‘Kkkabhi to Job Dilao’,
kahin job na mile to, isi show mein lag jao…”
Mobile phones are inseparable part of our lives now. People not just want a basic mobile phone, rather everyone needs or wants a smartphone these days. And why not, smartphone are now in reach of everyone due to a lot of smartphone making companies competing with each other to capture highest market share, thus making them available in lowest price range.
Recently, Android emerged as one of the most preferred OS for smartphones & gained huge market share within a very short span. No doubt it is an awesome product giving new standards to mobile computing. So, its not an odd thing if you envy the latest Android phone out in the market.
If you are unsure what Android is all about, it is a Linux based operating system developed by Google for mobile devices & was first product of Open Handset Alliance, a business alliance formed by some big companies to develop open standards for mobile devices. Android is free & open source, & is being adopted by a lot of mobile phone manufacturers for their smartphones. Being developed by Google, it obviously supports all the Google services & offers great integration with Google products.
Nokia was developing its own Linux based OS called Maemo & launched a phone N900 powered by Maemo. Intel also started developing a Linux based mobile OS called Moblin. But with the advent of 2010, Nokia & Intel joined their hands & merged their respective Maemo & Moblin to create a new OS named MeeGo. It is also open source. Nokia has revealed that MeeGo will be the preferred OS for its future smartphones with MeeGo powered handsets expected to be launched in first half of 2011.
Both Android & MeeGo are highly competitive products based on Linux platform & targeting the same kind of gadgets. The deciding factor will be the extras you get with them. However there are a plenty of reasons why MeeGo along with Nokia can provide a high performance, feature rich, value for money device which you can use without feeling outdated for a decent period of time.
Following are the 10 reasons why MeeGo powered Nokia phone can outrun any Android powered phone:
Ovi Services: Nokia started Ovi services in 2007 which have now become most used services due to the largest share of Nokia in the smartphone market. The beauty of Ovi services is that some of the most useful Ovi services are free. For example, Nokia provides navigation services for free in the name of Ovi Maps which are, though not very detailed but much more accurate than Google Maps. MeeGo will offer all the Ovi services when powering a Nokia device thus giving you best services for free. With Android, you cannot get Ovi servies as Nokia has clearly mentioned that there will be no Android powered Nokia phone.
Ovi Suit: Another innovation by Nokia is Ovi Suite which is actually a single software aimed to provide a common PC software for all the Nokia mobiles. You just need to install Ovi Suit on your PC & you can sync & control any Nokia device connected to your PC. MeeGo on Nokia will too support Ovi Suit. Every household these days tend to have atleast one Nokia smartphone & thus it will save you from the hassles of installing different PC suits for different phones.
Because its Nokia: It is no doubt that Nokia is the most reliable & largest mobile manufacturer in the world with the largest share in smartphones market. A Nokia lover who want a Linux powered Nokia smartphone but has to buy alternatives due to its unavailability, will soon find many Linux (MeeGo) powered Nokia smartphones in market. This will surely give Nokia big advantage over Android powered phones.
Your phone will never get old: Anyone who owns a Nokia smartphone knows how easy is to get latest features including services on your phone by just running a simple software update yourself. Its true that it is the case with every mobile company but due the largest user base, the updates are much more frequent & effective than the other mobile phones. Also, Ovi suit makes the upgrade process so easy.
Better feature compatibility: Being a Nokia product, MeeGo is bound to give the best performance with Nokia hardware just as the Mac OSX works best on a Mac or Blackberry OS works best on RIM’s Blackberry smartphones.
Because its Intel: MeeGo may prove more efficient than Android for Intel processors as it is being developed by Intel to specifically overcome the Windows Mobile disability to support Atom processor. Intel is pioneer of so many technologies & we can expect a revolutionizing OS from them in the name of MeeGo.
Hardware Acceleration to a new level: With Spice launching the world’s first 3D phone, we can expect new graphics accelerated phones from other manufacturers which can take mobile graphics to new levels with Intel providing best graphics integrated processors. These combined with Nokia devices can do big wonders.
Because it has two App Stores: Being a combined product of Nokia & Intel , both the giants have setup separate App Stores for MeeGo. Intel has launched its own Intel App Store for Intel based MeeGo products & Nokia already has Ovi store which will feature Apps for MeeGo powered Nokia devices. This gives users double chance of getting their favourite app. What if Nokia launches a MeeGo powered phone with Intel processor? Obviously, a win-win scenario for developers & users.
Because it is Qt application & UI framework compatible: Qt is a cross-platform GUI based application framework which is used by many big products including VLC Media player, Google Earth, Adobe Photoshop etc. This compatibility means even larger availability of apps for MeeGo. Developers have to write an application only once & they can port it to a variety of Qt compatible platforms including Symbion OS. The reverse can also be true resulting in more & more apps.
Finally, its good to be late: Its not always the case that pioneer of a technology wins. If implemented properly & efficiently, an already existing idea can be made highly successful. Similarly in this case, Android’s appearance as first Linux based mobile OS has shown the various opportunities for such platforms. The biggest advantage Nokia has is its already largest share in smartphone market which makes it obvious choice for those who rely on Nokia & want an Android like platform. Nokia has the chance to develop a better interface than Android & optimizing MeeGo for better support with its phones than the other smartphone manufacturers using Android.
Conclusion: Though without having a MeeGo powered phone in hands, its not easy to compare it with Android. But its easy to speculate the possibilities of MeeGo being developed by smartphone & chip giants. Android being a very good OS may find difficult to capture Nokia’s already occupied smartphone market after MeeGo enters the market. The users may have faith in Android as a good software platform, but when it comes to hardware, Nokia still wins the race.
Update: If you want to buy an Android phone now & cant wait for MeeGo, there is a very good Android Phone Buying Guide by Kunal Dharamsi.
