Sameer Chandra

Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category

iCloud…not ready yet!

In Gadgets, Technology on October 14, 2011 at 8:01 pm

The Apple’s answer to all “cloud” based services debuted with the iOS 5 this week. Though, it is similar to MobileMe (even after dropping few of the services), after two days of use, i can say it disappoints a bit. It’s not ready yet.

Contacts: It syncs all your contacts, but all your contact have to be on iCloud for them to be synced across all platforms. If you chose to keep your Address Book contacts, then you will see multiple copies of the same entry. Which is annoying, to say the least. There is no way to sync your contact with Google, in fact none of the iCloud services are Google compatible.

Calendars: This one is weaker in functionality than the Contacts. There is no way to import calendars, or use subscribed calendars (TripIt, Weather etc.) or to link Google Calendar to iCloud. In order to successfully use Calendar on all your platforms, you will have to recreate everything in your iCloud Calendar (either through web-interface or through iCal) then only it will push everything, everywhere. Seems redundant to me…why in the hell, would anyone with busy schedule, and thousands of entries, would want to do that? There is not even a drag-&-drop in iCal between iCloud and other calendars.

Use it, because it’s free, but not because its going to set fire to world!

So Long, Steve…

In Gadgets, Life or Something Like It, Technology on October 6, 2011 at 4:23 pm

Thank You Steve.

I mean that from the bottom of my heart, and crevices of my brain. Though, we never met, you’ve touched my life more than you can imagine (and boy you did have a vivid imagination!).

I heard the news of your passing, while i was busy watching DVR recording of the second most favorite entity…Dr. House…you obviously was the first (because you were real). I felt a vacuum, if that s possible. My wife broke the news to me, and I said ‘No Way”, she showed me the Apple’s Homepage to me…I stared at it for a few minutes, into your probing eyes…and that almost smile…as if you knew how i felt.

Woz, the other Steve, said that you always surpassed every goal you ever had…and even after you’re passing…your unreleased biography, shot from 140s to the number 1 pre-ordered book spot. So much similar to everything that you’ve been associated with while you were here…iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad…as if you were trying to make the statement, iRule, and yes you did.

Hard to say, if i’ll ever see a visionary like you again in my lifetime…i hope i do, and i know you’d want us to. The legacy however, will never fade. No one will ever be able to fill the shoes you’ve left behind…not because of their talent, their vision, but more so because, they’ll be afraid of failing…something that you experienced early, and overcame it, so that you never had to come face-to-face with again in your life…, other than death, of course.

Your famous words, from your Stanford Lecture, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary!” mean a lot to me, and have shaped my thinking in more ways than i thought possible. Thank you for those words.

People have a strange connection to you, at least i do, there’s not a room in our home, that does not have Apple’s imprint…be it our AppleTV, iPod, iPhone, or iPad…so much so that, i’m writing this on my MacBook Pro. Everyday as i use these products, it’ll remind me of you…it will remind me of your words.

I’m not a religious person, but when I’ll see a rainbow, which shines brighter than the others i’ve seen before…i’ll know that you’ve suggested God to use…deeper violets than he usually does…in a way, i’m happy that you’re up there now, as you’ll give your thoughts on making everything better…and i believe that it eventually will be.

I know everyone is asking you to Rest In Peace….but knowing you, you wont. You’ll actually be busy making a dent in the universe as you ought to be.

When i see the world becoming better than it actually is, i’ll know that you had something to do with it, in time we’ll meet, hopefully.

On that note, so long Steve.