The fourth Google I/O 2011 kicked off today in San Francisco and it will be a 2 day event. Google I/O is the annual community meeting for the developers of Google and Android from around the World. The highlights of day 1 is as mentioned below. I put down these highlight so you don’t have to go through the live blog. So far this years highlights seems pretty cool and here they are for your eyes only:
• All the numbers are on world wide basis. 100 million Android activation in 2011. 36 OEMs (original equipmets manufacturers), 215 carriers & 450K developers are now the part of the Android family. Around 400,000 devices getting activated per day. 200,000 available apps and 4.5 billion apps download.
• Devices running Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) can be used as hosts. Increased usb devices support including game controllers.
• Google TV will be getting Android 3.1 this summer and the developers will be able to create apps for it.
• Android Ice Cream sandwich is the new version of Android. This one OS will fuel – Phones, convertible Laptops and tablets. It will have enhanced UI (User interface) for better performance and will be releasing sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. The main purpose of Google is to put an end to the fragmentation of Android and hopefully this will be the first step towards it.
• Android market homepage (market.android.com) now have instant movies for streaming. More bad news for Netflix. This functionality is same as using Netflix with the starting price of $1.99 and HD for $4.99. You’ve got 24 hours to complete the movie (well that sucks).
• This is the big one – Music Beta by Google is the cloud service from Google for which many of us were waiting. This makes Google number 2 in launching the cloud music service just behind Amazon who launced the service couple of months back. Now Apple will be under pressure to release their own cloud based music service. Visit this link to explore more. Android phones will have the app for this and any device running Android 2.2+ can download this app today.
• Android Open Accessory announced which supports Android 2.4.3 & 3.1
• Launch of ADK – the reference hardware design. It can be used to control hardware using your Android device via usb and hopefully bluetooth in future.
• Android@Home is something new which Google is trying where you are in control of the appliances at home like dishwasher, lamps etc and can fiddle around with home devices via Android devices. It seems home automation gets the attention of Google and it is now upto the developers to make it a house hold name. Lighting science which is the part of Android@Home will start selling the Android controlled lights by the end of this year. So far no pricing mentioned for this.
It is one hell of a show put up by Google and its Android team and we all have to wait to see what Google has in store for day 2 of the I/O conference. Impressive so far.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Review: Wall Street (the movie - 1987)
Usually I don’t watch any movie during the weekdays or in this case weeknights, but when I was pressed hard by my office buddy with whom I share the same passion for business I could not say no to him. My friend loaned me the DVD copy of `Wall Street` and he told me it is a must watch and I had to watch it last night as that copy belongs to the library and had to be returned the following day.
So what was my initial reaction after watching this classic master piece by Oliver Stone? Well in first place I cursed myself that I am watching Wall Street after almost 24 years of its release. That is correct Wall Street was released in 1987 and till date it is a must watch for business enthusiasts. So what makes Wall Street a must watch? One for sure is the pretty tough dialogue delivery, rock solid script, fantastic direction and some extraordinary acting skills portrayed by most of the actors.
No doubt the movie belongs to Michael Douglas who played Gordon Gekko, the chain smoking, shrewd, cunning and audacious investor for whom happiness, sadness, family, relationships and life revolve around just one and only one thing and that is money. I believe this is one of the best movies of Michael Douglas and his acting in Wall Street have made him won the best Oscar for the actor in a leading role in 1988. Charlie Sheen played Bud Fox who wants to climb the success ladder and is looking for a short cut and someone like Gordon Gekko to help him achieve his dreams. Gordon keeps Bud under his wings and with that started the act of corporate espionage, deception and greed.
In the form of dialogues there are some very powerful quotes from the famous military strategy book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The Art of War is a must read for an MBA aspirant a matter of fact and I am pretty sure you won’t regret reading it. Moreover after watching Wall Street I came to know that insider trading is as old as the street. From Gordon Gekko to Raj Rajaratnam insider trading has many disciples and it lures the money hungry investors forever.
If you haven’t watch the Wall Street, watch it as it is a must watch. Viewers discretion is advised as when someone is trying to depict the inside world of the Wall Street there had to be drugs and nudity and of course greed, tons and tons of it.
Here is the small speech (promoting greed) that Gordon Gekko gives at the Teldar Paper stockholder's meeting in the movie:
The new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be survival of the unfittest. Well, in my book you either do it right or you get eliminated. In the last seven deals that I've been involved with, there were 2.5 million stockholders who have made a pretax profit of 12 billion dollars. Thank you. I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.
Look all around and we all will find many who got inspired by this speech. This is how the street works and this is how it will keep working. As Gordon Gekko says and I feel it has somehow become the motto of the Wall Street `Greed is Good`. Taking present times into consideration I somehow distorted it to `Greed is God`. Now thats better and you know what, the street is nodding.
So what was my initial reaction after watching this classic master piece by Oliver Stone? Well in first place I cursed myself that I am watching Wall Street after almost 24 years of its release. That is correct Wall Street was released in 1987 and till date it is a must watch for business enthusiasts. So what makes Wall Street a must watch? One for sure is the pretty tough dialogue delivery, rock solid script, fantastic direction and some extraordinary acting skills portrayed by most of the actors.
No doubt the movie belongs to Michael Douglas who played Gordon Gekko, the chain smoking, shrewd, cunning and audacious investor for whom happiness, sadness, family, relationships and life revolve around just one and only one thing and that is money. I believe this is one of the best movies of Michael Douglas and his acting in Wall Street have made him won the best Oscar for the actor in a leading role in 1988. Charlie Sheen played Bud Fox who wants to climb the success ladder and is looking for a short cut and someone like Gordon Gekko to help him achieve his dreams. Gordon keeps Bud under his wings and with that started the act of corporate espionage, deception and greed.
In the form of dialogues there are some very powerful quotes from the famous military strategy book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The Art of War is a must read for an MBA aspirant a matter of fact and I am pretty sure you won’t regret reading it. Moreover after watching Wall Street I came to know that insider trading is as old as the street. From Gordon Gekko to Raj Rajaratnam insider trading has many disciples and it lures the money hungry investors forever.
If you haven’t watch the Wall Street, watch it as it is a must watch. Viewers discretion is advised as when someone is trying to depict the inside world of the Wall Street there had to be drugs and nudity and of course greed, tons and tons of it.
Here is the small speech (promoting greed) that Gordon Gekko gives at the Teldar Paper stockholder's meeting in the movie:
The new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be survival of the unfittest. Well, in my book you either do it right or you get eliminated. In the last seven deals that I've been involved with, there were 2.5 million stockholders who have made a pretax profit of 12 billion dollars. Thank you. I am not a destroyer of companies. I am a liberator of them! The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much.
Look all around and we all will find many who got inspired by this speech. This is how the street works and this is how it will keep working. As Gordon Gekko says and I feel it has somehow become the motto of the Wall Street `Greed is Good`. Taking present times into consideration I somehow distorted it to `Greed is God`. Now thats better and you know what, the street is nodding.
Microsoft bought Skype (It is official)
Microsoft in its biggest tech deal ever bought the internet telephony company Skype for $8.5 billion in cash. At $8.5 billion Skype seems to be overvalued by a long shot but looking into the desparation of Microsoft it seems $8.5 billion is just peanuts. Microsoft will now try to embed Skype in its gaming platform and soon there will be some functionality which will become the part of the XBOX and the Kinect gaming systems. Skype will also be integrated in the new Windows Phone 7 and hopefully Microsoft will try to make a impressive impression in that field as well.
Various versions of Skype which currently supports iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android phones will continue to support its existing customers and this has been confirmed by Steve Ballmer. Finally it is good to know that there is still some passion left in Microsoft apart from adding to its Windows platform and its iterations. All the proceedings of this merger will be completed by the end of this year. Well good luck to Microsoft with that. It seems when it comes to M&As (Merger & Accusitions) there is still a lot to happen in the tech industry.
Various versions of Skype which currently supports iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android phones will continue to support its existing customers and this has been confirmed by Steve Ballmer. Finally it is good to know that there is still some passion left in Microsoft apart from adding to its Windows platform and its iterations. All the proceedings of this merger will be completed by the end of this year. Well good luck to Microsoft with that. It seems when it comes to M&As (Merger & Accusitions) there is still a lot to happen in the tech industry.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Apple: World's most valuable brand (beats Google)
I tried not to write more about Apple but I guess we all feel helpless and just cannot overlook the achievements of this great organization. I guess every single day there is some news or the other about this giant which is proliferated beyond imagination. Recently Apple became the most valuable brand in world beating Google which was on the top spot for the last 4 years.
Here are the top 10 brands in world (courtesy BrandZ)
Apple valued at $153 billion saw a surge of 84% since last year and easily beat all its competetiors by a substantial margin. The brand evaulation is done by BrandZ and the very informative PDF can be found here. Check the PDF to see the top 100 brands in the world and how the brands are valued. I hope good news keeps on flowing for Apple.
So what is next in line for Apple? I guess iCloud which will be the cloud music service offered by Apple. Though not officially released but hopefully this will be the next big announcement we all are waiting for. As per the market predictions, Apple will launch the service soon and something should happen in the coming few weeks. What a way to start the summer…bring it on.
Here are the top 10 brands in world (courtesy BrandZ)
Apple valued at $153 billion saw a surge of 84% since last year and easily beat all its competetiors by a substantial margin. The brand evaulation is done by BrandZ and the very informative PDF can be found here. Check the PDF to see the top 100 brands in the world and how the brands are valued. I hope good news keeps on flowing for Apple.
So what is next in line for Apple? I guess iCloud which will be the cloud music service offered by Apple. Though not officially released but hopefully this will be the next big announcement we all are waiting for. As per the market predictions, Apple will launch the service soon and something should happen in the coming few weeks. What a way to start the summer…bring it on.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
GMAT Update: G-Mode
I will not blame anyone except myself for the ordeal I am facing with the GMAT. Somehow for the past 1 year I am not coming in the G-Mode (GMAT mode) to prepare myself and sit for the exam. 1 year is a long period of time and somehow I need to beat this 500 pound gorilla (which we all call GMAT) in order to start my MBA journey. As of now all I can say is I am not prepared for the GMAT which I have scheduled for the 21st of May. I will reschedule the GMAT and plan to give it sometime in the next 3 months. It is now or never for me as time pressure is building. The days are flying making it an uphill task to complete my dream of getting an MBA. Hopefully this is will be the last time I need to reschedule the GMAT as I have decided no more rescheduling. I have also decided that I will give the GMAT in another 3 months no matter what and if the scores are not in the desired range then I will retake it. Sounds like a plan.
If you are in the same boat make sure you prepare for the GMAT and give it ASAP. Delaying things will make matter worse and this holds good for anything. Good Luck to me and to all preparing for the GMAT. It is time for me to clean the dust from my books and tune myself to the G-Mode.
If you are in the same boat make sure you prepare for the GMAT and give it ASAP. Delaying things will make matter worse and this holds good for anything. Good Luck to me and to all preparing for the GMAT. It is time for me to clean the dust from my books and tune myself to the G-Mode.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Heal the World
Justice has been served after almost 10 years (since Sep 11, 2001) and things are looking pretty good on the proceedings on the war on terror. One of the most wanted man on the Earth (OBL) has been killed by the US special forces. This has been one of the most important US military raids of all times and it surely will bring in peace and joy to the people of the world and to all the humanity. All praise goes out to the President Obama who kept his promise to bring down the terror network and sure he delivered what he promised. Tons of explanation lies ahead for the people of Pakistan as according to CNN this operation happened like 1,000 yards from the Pakistan military compound – WTH. I guess US should learn from the incidents like this as US has spend billions in Pakistan to help capture OBL but in the end US armed forces has completed this arduous mission all by themselves.
On this day my heart goes out to all the people who are the victims of terror and has lost their lives and their loved ones at the atrocities of terror. This will be the dawn of the new era and hopefully things will become better from now on.
On this day my heart goes out to all the people who are the victims of terror and has lost their lives and their loved ones at the atrocities of terror. This will be the dawn of the new era and hopefully things will become better from now on.
Illinois Marathon 2011
More than 18,000 runners and 3,000 voluteers makes the `Illinois Marathon 2011` one hell of a event. This is one of the biggest Marathons of the mid west and fun to be the part of. Me and wife ran the 5K on 29th April (our first official run as far as marathons are concerned) and I must admit it is totally worth it. The Illinois Marathon brings in around $10 million to the Champaign county which itself explains the substantial size of this event. If you are a runner and intrested then the next Illinois Marathon will be happening in 2012 in the last week of April (26 - 28th). The registration will be opening from July 2011 and the details for the same can be found out here.
Out of the two things I planned out for this year, one thing is surely happening and that is my running and the efforts towards it. The next big thing will be preparation towards my GMAT and I will try to accomplish that as well.
Summer is almost here so put on your running shoes and start running………
Out of the two things I planned out for this year, one thing is surely happening and that is my running and the efforts towards it. The next big thing will be preparation towards my GMAT and I will try to accomplish that as well.
Summer is almost here so put on your running shoes and start running………
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