iPhone vs. Blackberry: Smartphone Showdown

I currently have a Blackberry Curve as my personal phone, and I have written a lot of software for the iPhone in addition to using one on an almost-daily basis for debugging …and because it is awesome.

I love them both, and while I haven’t traditionally leaned towards one or the other in terms of a favorite, there are a few elements about each where one either falls short to the other or vice versa, and I aim to cover most if not all of these differences in this post.

(I don’t have enough experience to write about the Palm Pre, so don’t ask me)

Camera: Blackberry 1, iPhone 0

While the iPhone has a higher-quality camera than some Blackberrys, you just can’t top video support.

Every since I got a bigger memory card for my Blackberry, I’ve been shooting videos with it left and right (you can’t use the video functionality without a large memory card, something I previously lacked). I love it - and drive people nuts with it constantly.

The iPhone is slated to gain video support in a newer hardware/software release, but for now this is a major feature it lacks (along with MMS). My Blackberry didn’t have video support until I updated the OS software, telling me that the video functionality is merely a stream of stills formatted into an MPEG stream.

But still, you just can’t beat a video camera in your pocket.

MMS: Blackberry 2, iPhone 0

AT&T is the primary cause of this one, although ironically my Blackberry is also under AT&T.

MMS is on so many phones, including AT&T phones, that the iPhone’s lack of support for the protocol specifically for the iPhone is just incredibly pathetic. And even better, the video capability of the Blackberry integrates well with MMS - I shot a football play and the corresponding score yesterday and MMS’d it to a friend running late to the game.

If I had an iPhone as my personal phone, then no - there isn’t an app for that.

App Distribution: Blackberry 2, iPhone 1

The iTunes app store is great - there are just so many applications to choose from on it, as the commercials tout, and the majority of them are free.

The Blackberry follows the typical operating system paradigm of “find it and download it yourself”. Not cool. And as far as RIM’s own app store goes, I haven’t heard enough about it to know where to even find it - it isn’t advertised, there’s no icon for it included in updates, and the BB Browser doesn’t bookmark it.

I had quite a time finding the few apps I have on my BB, whereas the legions of them on the iPhone I use were all downloaded on a whim. Best part is that this isn’t something RIM can’t imitate - they just need to centralize their apps around their store better.

App Development: Blackberry 2, iPhone 2

This one really should be “iPhone: 1.5″ because getting an app through the mysterious App Store approval process can be a pain for many developers, especially since the average approval period is higher for updates than initial submissions.

Other than that, I enjoy writing apps for the iPhone a lot more than for the Blackberry. Java is easily my strongest programming language, yet RIM’s Java API for Blackberry development is still a nightmarish mess for me, compared to the breeze of writing an Objective-C app for the iPhone (once you learn it).

Just look at the menuing system - it requires extensive experience in programming 2D graphics in order to draw an even half-decent menu on the Blackberry, and this same “more-complicated-than-it-should-be” pattern extends to many other areas of the API, as well.

Needless to say, everytime I even attempt to further my developmental experience on the Blackberry, I just wind up burnt out and frustrated. It’s an art, and one that I don’t plan on mastering as a hobbyist.

AT&T-free: Blackberry 3, iPhone 2

AT&T is part of the reason you can’t get Slingbox to stream over 3G, the suspected reason why Google Voice is a no-go for the iPhone, and the reason the iPhone can’t update to the year 2007 with MMS support.

But, unless you want to risk jailbreaking your iPhone, you’re stuck with AT&T. The Blackberry, on the other hand, is shackle-free - you can use it on any carrier that has been blessed by RIM, and most of the major carriers have been so.

This appears to drive hardcore iPhone-addicts up the wall.

Visual Voicemail: Blackberry 3, iPhone 3

The greatest innovation I’ve seen since the dawn of voicemail, unless you count Google Voice (a Blackberry application). Seriously - a little piece of me dies everytime I have to cycle through the 20^th century voicemail menu system on my Blackberry.

For such a “smartphone”, not having visual voicemail or even a better system than the existing is just stupid.

OS features: Blackberry 4, iPhone 3

We’ve discussed the iPhone OS here many times, yet I still like the Blackberry OS much better.

The scheduling and power management is more robust, and I get much better battery life with my almost 1.5 year old Blackberry than a new iPhone does.

That, and the Blackberry crosses a line Apple didn’t even want to cross due to “possible power issues”: the ability to run apps in the background. I can hit “reload” within Opera Mini, and while the page is downloading I can go do something else, say, check on my Twitter timeline or replies.

(as a side note, I just mentioned Opera Mini - good luck getting an alternative web browser on the iPhone)

This is the essence of playing with my phone while in a waiting room or on the toilet - I am a very attention-deficit person, as those of you whom follow me on Twitter can attest to, so I love the ability to multi-task - especially when AT&T’s latent network is core to the functionality of said tasks.

And one more thing about the Blackberry OS I like: the security. BB’s OS is very sandboxed, which is both essential as an open OS (not open source; open as in getting apps deployed on one without approval), and as a smartphone in general.

I can manually set the permissions for each application within the OS settings, so as to keep (say) my SSH application with a possible security bug from accessing my Address book database. This security re-assures me a far as putting sensitive information into my device - even if I lose it, there is no way to access this information without my password, thanks to encryption at a very low level.

Even better, the security of the Blackberry can be centrally configured for legions of devices, using a thing called…

Blackberry Enterprise Server: Blackberry 5, iPhone 3

BES is a product made by RIM that is essentially a Group Policy clone for the Blackberry platform. For those of you who have no idea what I’m referring to, it is basically a service that allows you to centrally control every aspect of the Blackberry’s functionality.

Deployment is Windows-only, and a challenge to install from what I hear, but for large corporations with company phones this is invaluable. Disable installing apps other than the ones you wish to be pushed to every phone, or maybe centrally sync all company contacts with every device - these are just a few things BES allows you to do.

This is one field where Apple always seems to have trouble - if Mac OS X had this functionality, then you wouldn’t see so many Windows Server and Windows workstation combinations in workplace scenarios. It is no different with the iPhone, apparently.

Final Notes

Am I biased for having a Blackberry? Nope. My contract expires in a few months and my eyes are looking around for the next phone. I just find that the Blackberry has more desirable features than the iPhone does, especially out of the box.

Granted, I play with the iPhone constantly - its apps are incredible. Other than that, the Blackberry trumps it as far as its basic architecture and core feature set goes.

I look for this to change in the (hopefully near) future: All the iPhone has to do is get Video support, MMS support, drop AT&T (or allow an option), and maybe beef up its OS integration and enterprise feature set - then its on par with the Blackberry, in my book at least.

As far as the general public goes, however, the iPhone is just what everyone needed. While it has a few flaws compared to other devices that drive some of us geeks up the wall, you simply can’t resist the usability of the device.

But for now, I’m sticking with my Blackberry, and waiting for the iPhone to catch up with some of its features before I possibly make the switch at the end of my contract. That’s my take on it all, now tell me yours.

A peep into the national mobile subsriber statistics

This is a peep into the national mobile subscriber statistics

Sl. No. Name of Company Total % Market Share
1 Bharti Airtel 10,51,77,635 32.29%
2 Vodafone Essar 7,86,80,291 24.16%
3 BSNL 5,07,00,367 15.57%
4 IDEA 4,85,16,824 14.90%
5 Aircel 2,31,01,900 7.09%
6 Reliance Telecom 1,28,40,939 3.94%
8 MTNL 43,32,631 1.33%
9 Loop Mobile 23,50,537 0.72%
All India 32,57,01,124 100.00%

Thus around 33crore subscribers , yes there would be churn and low revenue with it.

Wonder how reliance claims to be no:1, may be combining the subscriber base of cdma as well.
BSNL ruled the market when they entered but now their market shares have dropped.

download the statistics with further details as in circle and company

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Nokia to sell phones for Rs 100 weekly instalment

NEW DELHI: Nokia, the world’s largest cellphone maker, now wants to be a global leader in new technologies by offering software and solutions to
In Pics: Nokia 5800Nokia N97Nokia N96Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic handsetits 1.5 billion handset users across the world, the Finnish firm’s global CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said here on Wednesday. Software and
solutions will be the next frontier as customers now look for more than a handset, said Mr Kallasvuo who is touring India to chair the jury for The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence. “We are investing heavily in services such as navigation, music, media, messaging and internet on mobiles. None of our competitors have articulated such an entry into the solutions market,” he said. He said Nokia is “taking a keen look” at netbooks — small, light portable computers used for accessing internet that have become immensely popular — but did not confirm if the company will start making them. Mr Kallasvuo said Indians are rapidly lapping up Nokia’s new applications. India is among the top five countries in terms of downloads from Ovi Store, Nokia’s online software and content store, launched in May 2009 in response to the success of Apple Inc’s App Store.

Indian Telecom sector on steady growth

According to a research report, Indian telecom sector maintains a stable outlook with strong revenue expectations and addition of new subscribers.The report suggests that in financial year 2008-09, there has been strong monthly wireless subscriber addition of around 8-10 million and with 39% overall tele-density by the May 2009.

Also, the report expects that the subscriber growth will be at a CAGR of 25 to 30 percent over the next three years as against a CAGR of 44 percent during the last two years.The report also said that profitability, in the upcoming, fiscals likely to fall due to growing number of lower-end users, network expansion costs, increased competition and regulatory pressures.The firm expects that as the new players will enter in the industry, which means about 9-10 players in each circle, the market would be pushed towards consolidation. Further, the auction of 3G licences and the mobile number portability (MNP) would also increase competitive intensity.

Hedging simplified!!!

Hedging a stock price
A stock trader believes that the stock price of Company A will rise over the next month, due to the company's new and efficient method of producing widgets. He wants to buy Company A shares to profit from their expected price increase. But Company A is part of the highly volatile widget industry. If the trader simply bought the shares based on his belief that the Company A shares were underpriced, the trade would be a speculation.

Since the trader is interested in the company, rather than the industry, he wants to hedge out the industry risk by short selling an equal value (number of shares × price) of the shares of Company A's direct competitor, Company B. If the trader was able to short sell an asset whose price had a mathematically defined relation with Company A's stock price (for example a call option on Company A shares) the trade might be essentially riskless. But in this case, the risk is lessened but not removed.
The first day the trader's portfolio is:
Long 1000 shares of Company A at Rs.1 each
Short 500 shares of Company B at Rs.2 each
(Notice that the trader has sold short the same value of shares.)
On the second day, a favorable news story about the widgets industry is published and the value of all widgets stock goes up. Company A, however, because it is a stronger company, goes up by 10%, while Company B goes up by just 5%:
Long 1000 shares of Company A at Rs.1.10 each: Rs.100 gain
Short 500 shares of Company B at Rs.2.10 each: Rs.50 loss
(In a short position, the investor loses money when the price goes up.)
The trader might regret the hedge on day two, since it reduced the profits on the Company A position. But on the third day, an unfavorable news story is published about the health effects of widgets, and all widgets stocks crash: 50% is wiped off the value of the widgets industry in the course of a few hours. Nevertheless, since Company A is the better company, it suffers less than Company B:
Value of long position (Company A):
Day 1: Rs.1000
Day 2: Rs.1100
Day 3: Rs.550 => (Rs.1000 – Rs.550) = Rs.450 loss
Value of short position (Company B):
Day 1: -Rs.1000
Day 2: -Rs.1050
Day 3: -Rs.525 => (Rs.1000 – Rs.525) = Rs.475 profit
Without the hedge, the trader would have to lost Rs.450 (or Rs.900 if the trader took the Rs.1000 he has used in short selling Company B's shares to buy Company A's shares as well). But the hedge - the short sale of Company B - gives a profit of Rs.475, for a net profit of Rs.25 during a dramatic market collapse.

source wiki

Hedging can be done effectively using a single company shares and its call or put option on different rates.

Independence Day 63 years back!

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again."

- Jawaharlal Nehru(Speech on Indian Independence Day, 1947)

BUY 3 CDs of Karnatic Music for 199/-

Buy Big collections of Karnatic music
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HOW to write an RFP?

Components of a Typical RFP
Organizational Overview: XYZ Company was founded in 1889 to provide insurance and investment opportunities to rural families and businesses. Currently, XYZ has 1.4 billion dollars of policies in force, with offices located in fourteen states. At the present time, XYZ has 1,243 consulting sales agents serving approximately 180,000 clients.

***THIS SECTION WOULD CONTAIN SERVICE DETAILS***
Service Description:
Requirements:
Required Deliverables:

*********************************************************
Assumptions and Agreements
The project must be completed by ___________.
A preliminary budget for this project has been approved.
Vendor bids may not exceed INR150,000.
ALL task/job/policy data will be current and approved as such by XYZ management.
Training course materials loaned to the vendor and produced by the vendor will be in standard UK English.
ALL technical illustrations, drawings, and schematics to be included in the course will be approved and provided by XYZ.
XYZ will appoint one person, with decision making authority, to serve as a project coordinator/manager. XYZ will provide appropriate support documentation for the successful completion of the project.
There will be no significant changes to the task/job/policy data during the project. The vendor will provide technical support to the XYZ support staff once the program is distributed. The tutorial and ERL will be written as intranet applications.
The vendor shall warrant that on delivery, all media containing the instructional content of the program and ERL are free of material faults and processing errors.
At the conclusion of the project, all materials developed by the project team will become the exclusive property of XYZ. In addition, any and all work sheets and other working documentation will also become the property of XYZ.
When applicable, travel and lodging will be billed at cost. Ground travel will be billed at the standard rate used by XYZ. Air travel will be by coach with an airline. Lodging and meals will not exceed Rs.5000 per day. All postage and shipping charges will be billed at cost. All telephone and data transmission charges will be billed at cost.
Billing for services and products completed will be submitted at the end of each month.
Billing for travel, lodging, meals, postage, shipping, communications, et cetera, will be invoiced separately at the end of each month.
Required Proposal Format: The proposal must contain a (1) Technical section and (2) a Time-Cost section.
Technical Proposal: In the Technical section, the vendor should include time-lines, projected required personnel, and schedules for completing the project.
Time-Cost: In the Time-Cost section, the vendor must detail the time and costs that will be required to complete the project.
Additional Documentation (optional) :Vendors must include a short demo or direct us to an internet site which demonstrates their production capabilities.
Request for References (optional):
Submission Deadline: Month Day, Year
Submit Proposal To: Decision Maker Vice President for Training and Development
For Additional Information or Clarification, Contact: Assistant Decision Maker
Basis for Award of Contract: Lowest Bid
Award Date: Month Day, Year

No Bid Offer letter

What is a No-Bid Letter?

No-Bid Letter definition
A no-bid letter is a letter to the organization that invited you to bid or submit a proposal, notifying them that you will not do so. To remain potentially involved in future opportunities, the provider should state in the no-bid notice the reasons for declining such an invitation.
Before even writing a no-bid letter, you have to decide not to bid. This decision is the result of an analytical process, the bid/no-bid analysis, also called the bid/no-bid decision process.

Bid/No-Bid Analysis

The no-bid letter is sent after having performed a bid/no-bid analysis. The bid/no-bid analysis assesses (quantitatively, qualitatively, or both) all risks inherent in submitting or not submitting an offer. The analysis process relies on building a list of relevant questions, called the bid/no-bid checklist. On the basis of this checklist, a bid/no-bid analysis matrix will be created, which will determine the worth of sending a bid. If the decision is to bid, a letter of intent will be sent to the purchasing officer. If the decision is not to bid, then a no-bid letter, explaining the reasons, will be sent.

How to stay in the Bidders List

The no-bid letter is the critical factor in remaining on the bidders list, and thus ensures future business opportunities. For the contracting officer who sent you the invitation to bid, the no-bid letter demonstrates that, while you are not interested in bidding for a particular project for specific and valid reasons, you are still interested in competing for future opportunities, and want to stay on the prospective bidder list. This is why it's important to take the time to write a professional no-bid letter.

How to write a No-Bid Letter

It is highly recommended that you read the recommendations below in order use the no-bid letter template properly and successfully. Use a formal letterhead. Do not handwrite your no-bid letter. First, your no-bid letter should thank the person who sent you the invitation, for showing interest in the solution your organization is marketing. Next, state the reasons why you are not proposing an offer or bidding. Be specific regarding these reasons. The best way to discover valid, thus acceptable reasons not to bid is to perform a bid/no-bid analysis. This step is the critical factor in remaining on the list of prospective providers. Reiterate that you are still interested in being kept informed about new business opportunities, for which your solution may be well suited, or best suited. Finally, end the letter formally (with sincerely, for example, or a similar polite expression). Sign your name and indicate your title. Be sure to provide correct and complete contact and reference information for future correspondence. Before sending it, make sure your no-bid letter is tactful, respectful, and goes straight to the point. Send the no-bid letter via registered mail. It has to be received before the bid/proposal opening date.
Since things sometimes are a little more complicated, remember to consult a lawyer for information before doing anything.

Product Management

Product management is an organizational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle.
Product management (inbound focused) and product marketing (outbound focused) are different yet complementary efforts with the objective of maximizing sales revenues, market share, and profit margins. The role of product management spans many activities from strategic to tactical and varies based on the organizational structure of the company. Product management can be a function separate on its own or a member of marketing or engineering.

While involved with the entire product lifecycle, product management's main focus is on driving new product development. According to the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), superior and differentiated new products - ones that deliver unique benefits and superior value to the customer - is the number one driver of success and product profitability.
Contents
1 Aspects of product management
1.1 Product planning
1.2 Product marketing

Aspects of product management
Depending on the company size and history, product management has a variety of functions and roles. Sometimes there is a product manager, and sometimes the role of product manager is held by others. Frequently there is Profit and Loss (P&L) responsibility as a key metric for evaluating product manager performance. In some companies, the product management function is the hub of many other activities around the product. In others, it is one of many things that need to happen to bring a product to market.

Product planning
Defining new products
Gathering market requirements
Building product roadmaps, particularly Technology roadmaps
Product Life Cycle considerations
Product differentiation
more detail on Product planning

Product marketing
Product positioning and outbound messaging
Promoting the product externally with press, customers, and partners
Bringing new products to market
Monitoring the competition