All-in-One's - Really!

I was contemplating on phasing out my old desktop and was searching for good replacements. That's when I stuck upon the new fad in desktop computing - all in one's. The official definition for an all-in-one desktop from the wiki says that its a combination of a monitor and CPU. Just googling for all-in-ones gave me tons of pages and products from well known PC manufacturers like Sony, Lenovo, HP, Gateway, Acer, Apple (iMac), Asus, etc.

The Youtube videos link gives you an insight into what kind of features each one has and a comparison is also given. Now, I came to know that the PC also works as a TV (no TV tuner card required?). Also acts like a home theater, including some stunning graphics, audio and so on.

Also, the Lenovo ideacentre A600 features a 4-in-1 remote which can act as a VoIP phone handset, motion drive game controller or as an air mouse.

Next thing we have is the all-in-one printers. These have been around for some time now and the functionalities of these include printing, scanning, copying and faxing as well.

What next can we expect, hmm let me think, how about all-in-one PC including all-in-one printer in one box. Did anyone think about that already. Not sure!

The remote could not only double up as a VoIP phone but could also include functionalities like - working as a watch, calculator, your mobile phone, your key to the house, your gadget to control home devices (this idea is not mine but from a friend of mine) like Refrigerator, Microwave. Also, Kitchen utilities like Mixer, Grinder, Gas Stoves probably using protocols and/or technologies like UPnP, WiFi, Bluetooth and using 3GPP standards like FemtoCells, or Piconets.

The functionalities can be extended to include opening your gate to your home (in case of gated communities), opening your car garage, working as a key for your car, bike, etc.

There is no limit to our imagination. One thing the real all-in-ones could bring about is decreasing our carbon footprint and also make things hassle-free? (Rather contentious issue may be, also do we need more than one of these for all the family members - hmm, in that case, we may also need to add priority to the all-in-ones. The head of the family having the highest priority and so on and so forth).

If you have more ideas or comments to add to the list, kindly post them on the comments page. I would definitely want to hear some comments from everyday users instead of the geeks :-)

Cheers to the all-in-ones!!!

Poverty Alleviation - Adopting VoIP, Video

As a follow up to the previous article, I saw an article in Deccan Chronicle today. It was an article written by Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times. The article is named "The 2010 Guide for Poverty Fighters".

One important point to note from his article was that a drab article like the previous one by me may not sell as well as a video would.

Marketing anti-poverty should adapt newer technologies like Video, VOIP, etc to make an effect on the tech-savvy Gennext.

An instance of it is a video by Nike to spread awareness about educating girls. There is a whole channel on YouTube for this - http://www.youtube.com/user/girleffect.



Maybe, its time to change strategies - think VoIP, think Video. With mobiles becoming more and more complex, thanks to GPRS and 3GPP become the norm rather than an exception, modern technology adoption is the way to go - whether you are beseeching or doing business.

Akshaya Patra Foundation - Hyderabad

A couple of days, I got a call out of the blue from a person from Akshaya Patra Foundation. That's when a casual chat became an engaging discussion and I came to learn a lot about this foundation.

The birth of the organization was started as listed here. Akshaya Patra happens to be a subsidiary if I may call it of ISKCON Bangalore as I know it. The organization is very active in several places and is supported by a plethora of luminaries and patrons.

There are a number of links available that appreciate the work being done by this organization.

Mid-day meal program is one of the aims of this foundation. They are supporting a number of schools in and around Hyderabad.


The office location in Hyderabad is:

No. E-11, IDA,
Road No. 5,
Patancheruvu,
Hyderabad - 502319.

You can contact them at 040-39190400 to know more details about how to donate, etc.

According to a recent piece of news, half of the hungry people in the world are in India. That is amazingly high - which clearly shows that the difference between the haves and the have-nots is becoming unfathomably high.

What you can do is donate online, or through a cheque, etc. The donation is exempted from being taxed. For more details, you can contact them at akshayapatrahyderabad at gmail dot com.

Some statistics for the schools supported in and around Hyderabad by the foundation:

• Kondapoor region - 37 Schools - 2724 children
• Patancheru region - 49 Schools - 5028 children
• Jinnaram region - 47 Schools - 4223 children
• R.C.Puram region - 16 Schools - 1511 children

• Total Schools Supported - 149 (Primary Schools)
• Total School Children - 13486 (Primary School Children)

Citation from Limca Book Of Records

So, whenever you think of making a donation next time, think about all the hungry ones around the world, not just Hyderabad, not just India.

Addendum:
Akshaya Patra foundation also caters to High Schools in and around Hyderabad. The statistics are as below.

• Sadasivpet region - 14 High Schools - 4419 children
• Kondapoor region - 11 High Schools - 2671 children
• Munipalli region - 12 High Schools - 2494 children
• R.C.Puram region - 6 High Schools - 2135 children
• Patancheru region - 14 High Schools - 3479 children
• Jinnaram region - 15 High Schools - 3933 children
• Sangareddy region - 17 High Schools - 5094 children

• High Schools Total - 89 Schools - 24225 High School Children
• Primary Schools Total - 149 Schools - 13486 Primary School Children

• Total Schools Supported - 238
• Total Children Supported - 37711 (Primary + High School)

By the way, Akshaya Patra means "a never ending source of food" - better explained in the wiki page from ancient Hindu mythology - "The Mahabharata".

Tablets, Tablets and more Tablets

I was amused by the number of Tablet PCs or Tablet Computers coming out in the market and thought that it required a mention in my blog.

According to the wikipedia definition, "A tablet PC is a laptop PC equipped with a stylus or a touch screen. This form factor (a form factor specifies the physical dimensions of a major system components) is intended to offer a more mobile PC. Tablet PCs may be used where notebooks are impractical or unwieldy, or do not provide needed functionality."

The term tablet PC was made popular by Mircrosoft, where it was defined as a pen-enabled computer conforming to hardware specifications devised by Microsoft.
"A tablet computer or simply a tablet is defined as a complete computer contained entirely in a flat touch screen that uses a stylus, a digital pen, or finger tip as the primary input device instead of a key board or a mouse which may or may not be included".

The Tablet PCs are the hottest commodity in town and are grabbing headlines everywhere. There are a number of established players like Microsoft and Apple that have launched Tablet PCs and there are lesser known ones, even from Hyderabad hitting the markets soon. A quick look at some of them:

Microsoft Tablet PC:





Runs operating system based on Windows XP professional, offers advanced handwriting and speech recognition features that let you create, store and transmit handwritten notes and voice input.

Apple iPad Tablet PC:

Apple's iPad, the best way to see the web, email and photos. With its multi-touch screen and its ability to run thousands of apps, iPad can do thousands of things a tablet PC or e-reader can't.

For a full list of features, go here.

HP Tablet PC:


Asustek Eee Pad:

Acer Tablet PC:

Dell Tablet PC:


Lenovo Tablet PC:


Sony Tablet PC:





Neofonie's We Pad:
Neofonie's We Pad aimed at the European markets


Cynovo's C7 Tablet:
Targeting the China market


Adam Tablet PC:
Our own Hyderabad based Notion Ink's Adam Tablet PC which is winning rave reviews including comments like "better than iPad". Notion Ink is headed by young IIT grad Rohan Shravan. Pricing could be in the range of US$399 to US$498.

Check out the wiki page and the official blog of Adam Tablet PC. Bravo, all Hyderabadi's would be proud of the achievement.

Last, but not the least:

Sakshat Tablet PC:

Sakshat (meaning Embodiment) is a tablet computing device to attempt to bridge the digital divide.

India's Education Minister, Mr. Kapil Sibal releasing the $35 tablet PC in India.

One Laptop Per Child

Headed by Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC is a non-profit organization set up to oversee the creation of an affordable educational device for the developing world.


OLPC Xo-1 is mainly targeted for children in the developing countries.

After looking at all the tablets available in the market, one really has to wonder - what do they really cure apart from your curiosity!!!

Let's wait and watch.

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