EXCLUSIVE: UNBOXING PICTURES AND VIDEOS OF THE MACBOOK AIR

My First Reactions

1. I want This

My Second Reaction

2. I Want this now

My First level review

It's amazing how tiny and thin this machine is and it does not loose power, getting instant on has been a craze for me for a very long time, ever since I got my iPad earlier this year, i Wanted to work with machines that boot up the moment you press a button. The Macbook Air works like that.

I also would have loved to have an Ethernet port, especially when you are working on a Gigabit network, but then this is too little to ask for, the portability on this machine does not make you miss the Ethernet port. Here I opened and used a 13" Model, but would personally like to own an 11" model only, mine are on it's way and another few days we can do the unboxing and pictures of the 11" plus a dedicated review.

I did not like the fact that the keyboard does not have a backlight, I some how have fallen in love with the Backlight on the MacBooks and the Macbook pro's, so am a little disappointed.

The speakers work fine on this machine and we also tried playing some stuff off garageband as you will see in the Video, the machine works cool and looks cool, now in a few days, will give you comments on the Battery time and if I feel the machine is too slow or the missing hard drive is giving me trouble, for now, this is one Amazing Machine.

Steve Jobs, Shine the Light on me. Thank you @maninderpals for sharing the machine with me the moment it Landed in India.

So here is my flickr pool of unboxing

www.flickr.com gagandeepsapra's MacBook Air 2010 photoset

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What if you don’t have Ping

Apple made some great announcements on September 1, among them the iTunes 10. Though everyone was quick to download the new version, it suddenly dawned while the user interface improvements and a new tricks were there, the new social network for music, called Ping, was missing from the iTunes in India, as it needs access to the iTunes stores. Those of us who got access to iTunes stores had access to Ping, but with mixed feelings for those who didn’t.

For those of you wondering if you need to upgrade and download the latest edition, you don’t have to rush. Right now the only two features available in India are the simpler Sync, again more of a user interface improvement than anything else, and a feature called AirPlay which allows you to play any media in your library to enabled devices, which are yet to hit Indian markets.

If you want your friends to know what music you are listening to, who your favourite artiste is and what you think of their latest album, there are simpler ways of doing this, even if you do not have Ping.



To do this, you can go to www.last.fm and open a free account. The application does what it likes to call scrobbling and listen into what you are listening to and what kind of listening preferences you have. Depending on this it will do one of the following:

* Show you more information on the track that you are listening to, and the album, and let you buy the album from Amazon.com or other online portals the CDs is available on.

* Show you similar artistes.

* Show the top listeners on last.fm who have a similar taste as yours, and help you make friends.

* Let you listen in to tracks from similar artistes in your social neighbourhood.

* Mark your songs as loved or banned, so that they don’t get played again.

Sometimes artistes and companies work with last.fm to offer you free downloads of music, and if you hit their portal, you will also get an option to download a few mp3s.



I tried artistes varying from Frank Sinatra, A R Rahman, Shreya Ghoshal to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Alam Lohar and it was not only able to pull out the right information, but even suggest that since I loved Alam Lohar's music, I would like Kartar Ramla and Sukhwant Kaur, adding another dimension to my music.

So if you are worried about not getting Ping, get yourself a free account with last.fm, download the scrobbler, and enjoy music, like never before.

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The above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 12th September 2010

Why you should buy the iPad

A great browser, fantastic ebook reader and video playback. What else do you need?

Light, beautiful and super fast… yes, the iPad has everything to grab your attention. But then you hear comments like, “it is too early to say if it will really work”, “it is nothing but a glorified iPod”, “I think I will wait for the next generation”, that leave you confused whether to buy one or not. Here are my thoughts on why and who should really look at grabbing an iPad.

So, what’s it got? A great web browser with zooming and email, fantastic video playback, Google Maps complete with Streetview, calendar, notes, YouTube and the standard iPod features.

The LED backlit LCD is sharp and has vivid colours, which makes watching videos an amazing experience. Plus, the images and movies can be viewed from any angle. Like the iPod or the iPhone, the screen is very responsive and supports multi-touch. A display resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels means that you will see the Web the way it was meant to; remember most netbooks stick to awkward resolutions and some sites don’t appear normal.

The iPad weighs about 700 gram, which makes it one of the lightest computer devices that you can carry around. At about 1.27 cm thick, it looks more or less like an A4 pad. However, take good care of the screen while carrying it around.

The battery is real good and lasts about 10 hours. This means you can charge it through the day and use it to check your email, update your social networking sites, look at a few videos and hear music when you return from office. After all this it will still have juice for you to catch up on the news at the breakfast table in the morning before it goes back to the charge dock.

A question commonly asked is will the iBook app on the iPad kill the Kindle? Well, there are two issues here. Not every book is available on iBook and most of the books are cheaper on Amazon. And since iPad has a reflective colour screen, long length reading can actually get heavy on the eyes. The same screen also makes the pages colour and the animation much better than the e-ink readers. The Apple app also makes readers feel like they are flipping through the pages of an actual book. Then, a double tap on a word lets you look up the dictionary for the meaning of the word. You can bookmark the word on that specific line and page, or search for it across the book.

What I hated about the iPod Touch was the feature I loved the most, the Accelerometer. I loved that by turning it sideways I could go from portrait to landscape mode. But at times this feature was annoying, especially when you are lying down and trying to use the device. The iPad, however, comes with a rotation lock that lets you turn off the Accelerometer when you want.

The onscreen keyboard is pretty large, but the missing numbers on the top row can cause some confusion. You will, however, get used to it with some practice. For me, the iPad keyboard dock accessory is a better option if you intend to type a bit on the iPad.

The missing Flash plug-in on the browser can be irritating since most websites use Flash these days. On the iPad, the Flash content appears as empty boxes for now. At the same time, YouTube videos work perfectly as it uses a different method to stream videos. Companies are already adopting content for the iPad, after all, within the first week of its launch, five per cent of web traffic emanated from it.

I like what I can do with the iPad — it works as a brilliant tool in a conference room for taking notes, updating a spreadsheet or making a presentation. Using applications such as Sales Force, Roambi and Evernote make me stay on top of my work, while Tweet Deck, FaceBook and YouTube keep me occupied.

Many other tablets are on the anvil, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. But, if you ask me, if iPad can’t multi-task, it means it will not crash easily and will perform better. Then the iPad comes from Apple and it a very attractive device despite the small annoyances like the missing front camera and Apple’s insistence on deciding who will put software on its devices.

If you feel it is too early for you to buy one, or that the price is not right — the iPad will carry an import duty of about Rs 9,000 in India — wait for the market to heat up with the new Android-based tablets. But if you want to own a shiny new thing that makes you happy and does what you really want, got buy an iPad.

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The above article was printed in the Indian Express on Sunday, 25th April 2010

Open Magazine Volume 2 Issue 01

The First Anniversary issue from the Open Magazine, a Collectors Issue, do get your hands on it. This week in the Gadgets Page

* Sony Vaio Z 117 Laptop, the OOMPH Machine
* iPhone 3GS, yes it's finally here in India
* The Webcam 500 from Logitech
* Addictaball the New Addiction

To view my column this week, click for the PDF or visit The Open Magazine Website for a High Resolution version.

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The above article appeared in the Open Magazine Issue 01, Volume 02, Dated 9th April 2010

Apps for the Heart - 5 Great iPhone Apps, to Celebrate Love

Here are five great apps from the Apple iTunes app store that keep the spirit of Valentine’s Day burning bright.


Iflirt, $0.99
In case you are still single, I suggest you get an iFlirt for your iPod. It cost $ 0.99, but is worth every cent. With an entirely user driven database of pickup lines, flirting and dating tips, you can think beyond those cheesy lines that everyone has heard before. But in case you want something cocky, go ahead and try something like “I am doing a poll and all I need is your name, your number and the directions to your apartment”. The application features separate sections for men and women and even a random idea generator. So if you are still trying get yourself a valentine, give this app a try; just make sure you are not peering into your iPod when you say the lines.

Valentine Radio, Free
If you do manage to pick up a date, then make sure you have the right music to play on special occasions. Love songs can bring out the mushy side of anyone, but sadly radio stations in India think there is no world beyond the latest Bollywood tracks. The free Valentine Radio app brings your favourite love songs from around the world under one button. The application features a line-up of 40 romantic channels and a stylish design that works with all versions of the Apple iPod software. All you need is a good wireless connection to stream the radio and enjoy your evening with your special one.

Absolut Drinkspiration, Free
So, we have a valentine and some great music, now for some drinks. Since none of us are masters behind the bar, just download Drinkspiration and let it come up with suggestions. The app can even tell you what is hot across the globe and suggest a drink by taste. You can also search for drinks that use the ingredients you have at home or something without any alcohol. So toast to a great night.

SpongeBob Jelly Fish Jam, Free
A few drinks down, you can check your agility by catching a few falling hearts. Play this Nickelodeon game right and you can have Sponge Bob dance for you. The sequence starts out easy, but this sure is no child’s play. There are even variants like the Bikini Bottom World to test your music skills. Give it a shot, and see which one of you can get Mr Square Pants to shake a leg.

The Story of Valentine’s Day, Free
Well, we all buy roses on February 14, but how many of us know about St Valentine. This app tells you his story in the most interactive way, backed by great visuals and easy-to-read text. The app tells how the third century saint got couples married off and how his death anniversary started being celebrated as the Day of the St Valentines.

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The above review appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 14 Feb, 2010, Yes the Valentines Day

Unleashing the Snow Leopard

How do you make something that is good better? Well, you can ask Apple, for they have made this a habit. So it was no surprise when Steve Jobs and his bunch of innovators once again changed the landscape of Operating Systems with their latest Snow Leopard Apple OS X 10.6. Though a minor version upgrade that costs a lot—Rs 1,800 for the single-user pack and Rs 2,900 for the five-PC family pack—compared to Windows it is a small price to pay for great features.

To start with, Apple has managed to shrink the total installed size of the operating system by 6GB, which makes it not only smaller but also more efficient. Not a big deal for regular users, but this has made other software manufacturers think in terms of reducing their footprint.

However, the single biggest add-on is the 64bit compatibility. The earlier version of OSX was not compatible and thus unable to optimally use modern hardware. Native 64 bit compatibility assures that all processor cores can be used simultaneously ensuring better performance. It also allows for bigger RAM, 32GB instead of 4—you will still need to see if your hardware can support it though.

Apple applications like Safari, iChat, iCal and Mail are now 64bit, making everything from shutdown to backups faster. The new Apple Mail client, Calendar and Address Book can now work directly with Microsoft Exchange without installing Outlook. The 64bit has also made the new Safari 4 on Snow Leopard the fastest browser out there.

Apple has also added GCD (Grand Central Dispatch) for better multi-core computing along with new graphic engines and OpenCL technology to accelerate graphic cards faster. These tweaks are making all the difference and letting users like me use Mac in a better way. And, there is more:

QuickTime X: Remember the not-so-fancy QuickTime player? Well, the QuickTime X has more features and an uncluttered look that makes for a great movie-viewing experience. Quick Trimming lets you cut video, frame by frame, in a snap. You can shoot your videocasts and upload directly to YouTube. This is a great step forward, allowing all Mac users to start making online videos with the built-in webcam.

Preview: Selecting text from a PDF document with more than one column was always a challenge. However, the new Preview manages this with ease using artificial intelligence, and letting you select just the column or the page as you want it. The contact sheet mode lets users see all pages laid out as thumbnails, like the slide review mode in presentation software. Moreover, Preview can now directly import from your scanner without launching separate software.

Dock Expose: Multi-tasking and multi-window capabilities have resulted in a lot of clutter on the virtual desktop. There was always ALT+TAB, but it was still difficult to switch windows between applications. Expose, incorporated in the Dock, let you see all open windows and choose the one you want to go to with a single keystroke. It also displays open windows in a grid, letting you arrange them alphabetically or by application. For instance, if you are working on your mail application with the Inbox, a compose window and a couple of web pages and documents open, Expose lets you drag and drop and open the window you want to go to.

Universal Access: Since 2005, Mac has included the Voice Over software that reads out whatever is on the screen. Though a lot of Mac users were not very happy with the Universal Access (access for differently-abled people), the Snow Leopard has added Braille support, voice read out and voice-based web browsing.
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The above article was printed in the Indian Express, Issue dated Sunday, October 18th, 2009

In tune with the times - Review of the iTunes 09

Back in 1970, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak put together a company that was simply called Apple. The two dedicated their efforts in developing products and software which ensured the best technology experience for their customers. Last week, Jobs unveiled iTunes version 9, putting the competition many steps behind and showing them how music is meant to be enjoyed, stored and shared.

I remember the time Winamp was the only decent MP3 player around. But those were the early days. Soon, Widows Media Player started playing MP3 and other music formats; and Apple jumped in with iTunes. However, with the release of the iPod, iTunes not only expanded its reach, but also came to be accepted as the ultimate in music management. The version 9 is set to change this, again.
The new iTunes has a brilliant new feature called iTunes LP, but I will skip this as it is not available in India. Along with the better speed, improved software and syncing capabilities, it has two great new features-Home Sharing and Genius Mixes.

HOME SHARING

With our wired/networked homes housing more than one PC, gone are the days when we had to share files using pen drives or shared folders. There is nothing wrong in sticking to this option, but when you have to entire music libraries from one PC to another, Home Sharing breaks all barriers. iTunes 8 allowed you to play music from a remote PC which has shared its library with you. But with Home Sharing you can setup up to five iTunes libraries on your home network can see only the portion of these libraries that you don't have-common files are not displayed. You can also import content to your library and automatically add content into their library-however, the automatic feature is available only for iTunes store purchases, which, sadly, is not possible in India. The good part is that it also shares videos, audiobooks and even iPhone Apps.

GENIUS
With iTunes 8, Apple introduced Genius. But a lot of people did not understand the feature while the others simply could not use it. Genius creates playlists of your favourite music like a DJ after you select a single file that you like. It does this by using over 27 million music libraries that contain over 54 billion songs analysed by it. The new Genius Mix automatically generates up to 12 endless mixes of songs that go great together. A click on a popular song like Hotel California, and the Genius Mix made a library of 25 songs ranging from Mercedes Benz by Janis Joplin to You Are My Best Friend by Queen, thus saving you the irritation of having skip tracks to reach a song you want to hear.

Those of you who have an iPhone or an iPod Touch and have upgraded to OS3.1 can now organise Apps from iTunes to appear in the layout that you like. Photos are now synced by events and faces, and music is synced by artist and genre thus making it more flexible. But I have a feeling iTunes 9 syncs slower than iTunes 8, maybe because it is doing a lot more now.

Overall, I feel good using the new iTunes9. It will take time before you get used to it, but press the Genius button and you will see the power. Apple has not yet confirmed if they will launch music sales in India, till then we will just have to enjoy the brilliant music manager and music sharing software.

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The above review was printed in the Indian Express on Sunday 20th September 2009

iPod Rerun - The Nano 09 Now Shoots Video

The iPod Nano can do things that no other portable media player (unless you think your cellphone is one) can. It’s time to bite the Apple.

The new iPod Nano brings video to your music with its built-in video camera. Moreover, for that extra kick it comes with a larger screen and polished aluminium finish in nine brilliant colours. If you were looking for a slim video camera that could shoot good quality video, and you thought your slimmest digital camera was still a tad big, then this Nano is a perfect fit. Small enough to fit into your shirt pocket, this Nano shoots video at an instant (though there is no short cut key, and you have to go through the menu). It can record video both in portrait mode and in landscape mode. The video shots are optimised for Facebook, YouTube and Mobile Me (Apple’s platform).

Fifteen fun effects allow you to record your video as if you were a Hollywood director. From Motion Blur, Sepia Tone, Mirror Image, Cyborg to Thermal, they are all there. The polished anodised aluminium finish in nine electrifying colours and a large 2.2” display score high in the envy quotient.

This iPod also supports FM playback, so you can tune into your favourite station. If you need a quick break, you can live pause the FM radio and resume from where you were after the break. The live pause is not the only great thing, this Nano allows you to rewind 15 minutes of listening time, so that you can listen to that song again. You can also tag songs that you are listening on the radio, and back home when you hook it up to your computer, it will bring up all the tagged songs so that you can buy them from the iTunes store (the feature works only in the US for now). The new iPod Nano has a voice recorder too.

To cap it, this iPod is also your personal trainer. Connect it to any Nike + iPod compatible cardio equipment, and it records your workout and charges your iPod while your music and video keep you pumping.

Apple iPod Nano is expected in the Indian market soon.
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The above review was printed in the Open Magazine Issue Dated 19th to 25th September 2009

New MacBook Pro

You can now finally buy a MacBook with an SD card or PC Express slot. For the first time, Apple notebooks can have a maximum of 8GB RAM
Core 2 Duo | 2.54 GHz | 4 GB RAM, 500 GB | HDD | Rs 68,110+
Most of us want a lighter machine. At least the sub-notebooks available in 10-, 15- and 17-inch models at times don’t make a lot of sense to me. I really like the 13-inch size and being an Apple fan, my biggest complaint with Apple was that their Professional series products were not available in 13-inch. Well, that was until June 2009, when they announced it globally and now it’s also available in India. The new series of MacBook Pro now come in 13-, 15- and 17-inch sizes. The new editions feature Unibody line, with a new battery that gives 40 per cent more running time. Also, the display is now LED backlit. The backlit keyboard let’s you work easily in the dark and is a standard feature. Also, you can finally buy a MacBook with an SD card or PC Express slot.
I loved the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which I evaluated and loved, and want to now get rid of my new aluminium MacBook to get Pro, but sadly, the missus will kill me if I do this. Coming back to the product, the 13-inch model comes with either a 2.26 or 2.54 GHz Core 2 Duo, the 15-inch features a 2.66 and a 2.8 GHz, and the 17-inch—which includes an 8-hour battery, 4GB RAM, Express Card slot and a 500 GB hard disk—with a 2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo.

For the first time, Apple notebooks can now have a maximum of 8GB RAM, and will soon be coming out with the 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Also as on 28 August, Apple Snow Leopard has become available, which will come to you free of cost. You may have to pay shipping and handling.

For More information, click here

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The above review appeared in the Open Magazine, Issue dated 11th September 2009
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Other Gadgets Covered in the Same Issue, Vu 8" Digital Picture Frame with Printer, and the Nokia 5530 Xpress Phone

As Simple as saving on a Time Capsule - Review Apple Time Capsule

Backup is a word we don’t like, mainly because of the fears and pains attached to it. However, the fact is that there are thousands of options available, from hard disks that can plug into your USB port, to those with e-Sata or firewire port, and even some that come attached to your home network. Still, many of us have asked whether this option could be automated, without the clutter of cables and additional power adapters.

Well, Apple, with its keep-it-simple policy and aptitude for innovative design, has found a solution, and it is called the Time Capsule. It is painfully expensive like other Apple products, but is the only good looking, wireless and backup device in the market.

The design is so simple that all you see is a plain white box with the Apple logo—the three Ethernet ports and USB Port are tucked away at the back—never guessing that it is actually a backup device with wireless capabilities. It is a bit too big for a wireless router, but small, sleek and smart for a network-enabled hard disk. There are no buttons, antennae, or switches, just a small LED lamp that stays green if all is good and starts flashing amber if something goes wrong.

This is as simple as things can be.

To setup the device, you need to run an Airport Utility (available both on Windows and the Mac OSX); the wizard mode takes you through most of the settings. But it seems Apple has done something wrong, for every change needs a reboot of the device. So if you were sharing your Internet connection through it, all your PCs get disconnected during the reboot.

The Time Capsule has a 802.11n wireless that offers higher speed and range compared to the 802.11b/g commonly used in homes.

Though your computer should have an 802.11 n card to utilise this feature, the device is backward complaint and can offer a slower speed if you don’t have the latest.

The good part with the time capsule is, that if you are an Apple user, the data backup to the device is automatic using the built-in Time Machine utility. Plus, Mobile Me subscribers can access the files through a password-protected page on the Internet, as long as the Time Capsule router at home is switched on.

Windows has no equivalent for the brilliant Time Machine software, and users will have to use free tools like Cobian Backup, which are just no match. Moreover, on Windows, I ran into trouble setting up a USB printer I had attached to the Time Capsule. So, I suggest this only for Mac users.

This is an ideal product for Mac users, that is, if you are willing to pay the price. It is smart, quiet and you really don’t feel there is a hard disk in your room. It does heat up a bit, as Apple does not believe in putting fans in their devices.

The Time Capsule costs Rs 17,700 for 500 GB and Rs 28,200 for 1TB.

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The above article / review appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 5th July 2009

iPhone 3G[s] - It's finally Here

Well rumour mill or not, the iPhone 3G[s] is finally here, it is faster, more powerful and starts at US$ 99. A Wall Street Journal report, mentions that apple has lowered the price so as to increase sales.

Though now the iPhone 3G (which was earlier available as 16 and 32 GB) is 8GB to start off at US$ 99, the iPhone 3G[s] starts at US$ 199. Details of India Launch, and India Pricing is still not available with me, but I will be in touch with Apple India to get you more Juicy details.

Just a few features, that were supposedly Rumors, which are now incorporated in the new iPhone 3G[s]:

*2x Improved Performance
*Built in Video Camera with Editing
*Compass
*Voice Control

What is interesting is that the Voice Control not only let's you make / answer phone calls, but also let's you play music. The Voice control works in several languages, click here for details, though I would have loved, if I could make a Calendar Entry using Voice, then I would really have a handsfree driving experience.

I think this version will finally make iPhone my chosen Gadget, can't wait to get one from Apple to test... Anyone at Apple reading this :)

To see the Trailers of Ad's from Apple iPhone 3G[s] release click here.

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An iPod that Talks - Review iPod Shuffle

How can you make something that is simple, simpler? This is a question I ask everyone in my office every day, and it also seems to be the driving force of a company I love called Apple. When I saw the new iPod Shuffle video some months ago, I knew why Apple had become a cult brand.

I have been using a Creative Zen MP3 player with a large 3” screen, but have for some time wanted to shift to a iPod Shuffle or any other MP3 player with a simple interface, at least 4 GB storage capacity, playlist management features and song info, just in case a song led to an argument. Sound quality is very important to me and so the Chinese imports don’t really make sense, though I saw Shuffle lookalikes for as low as Rs 350.



Finally, I settled for the new iPod Shuffle. And I had my reasons—it looked great, was the smallest in size, had no buttons, and could actually talk to you.
So how do you manage an MP3 player with no buttons? Well, Apple has made this so simple that you know the song/artist and can go forward/back on your playlist even with your eyes shut, thanks to the controls inside the right earphone cable. The tiny control panel on the cable has small buttons to increase/decrease volume plus a central button to play/pause and forward/reverse. Press the button longer and it will tell you who the artist is, the name of the album and song. It also lets you browse through playlists using voice prompts in 14 languages, including English.




It has a single 3.5mm jack which is used as the port for plugging in the earphone as well as for data transfer and charging, using the small USB cable.

So, is it all good? There are two glitches that I noticed. One, Apple headphones with the remote are still not available separately in India—if you were to damage yours, you are in for trouble. Two, there are no two-way connectors available if you like to connect your MP3 player to your car stereo.

Anyway, if you like new technology, you are going to fall in love with this one and wonder why they did not think of this the first time.

Specs: 4GB storage
Colors: White & Black
Capacity: Upto 1,000 songs
Battery Charge Details: 10 Hour Backup / Fully Charges in 3 Hours
Price: Rs. 4200 + Taxes
More Details: http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/
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The above review was printed in The Indian Express, on Sunday May 10, 2009

iWork Better This way - Review Apple iWork 09

A MONTH after reviewing the latest Apple iLife, I thought it is time I also wrote about its Office Application Suite suite called iWork. To start with, iWork comes with three different applications—Pages (the word processor and document editor); Numbers (the spreadsheet and number crunching application), and Keynote (the presentation application). All three write and read Microsoft as well as open formats, but for its native features to be retained it is better to save the files in raw format. However, if you want to forward a file to a colleague who uses either Windows or a Linux PC, you have the option of sending it in the commonly known Microsoft extensions or in PDF Format.



PAGES 09: Microsoft Word is brilliant with some features which others still have to catch up with. But Pages 09 goes a step further and lets you personalise documents by merging it with spreadsheets, allows you to work in fullscreen mode and gives options of templates. It also has two other unique features—it lets you make a dynamic outline of your document to review and work on ideas and also gives you the option to add equations or bibliographies to your document. It even comes with nearly 180 templates, ranging from brochures to invitations.



NUMBERS 09: I love spreadsheets, whether it is the Microsoft Excel or Open Office Calc, as they allow me to present my numbers, ideas, images and graphs together. Numbers 09 overcomes most limitations of Excel and Calc and makes interaction similar to that of a document. You can easily identify critical components of your calculation, change or edit layouts and insert multiple tables on a sheet. The idea of a workbook, with just one sheet in each page is passé as this allows you multiple tables on a sheet. The 30 templates make life easier, whether you are working on a travel planner, team organiser or home improvement project. Moreover, the table categories allow you to organise data in a way you could only do with stickies. Drag and drop formulae, advanced level charts and easy integration make this my favourite Mac feature.



KEYNOTE 09: Just the thought of making a Power Point presentation puts me off. That was until Keynote 09 came along. It lets me create a 10-slide presentation and make it look as if it was done by a pro. If we had transitions on Power Point, Keynote brings in Magic Move that lets you add Amazing Animations. Your charts can be now in 3D and with texture. Keynote gives more options in transitions plus a huge library of templates. It also gets rid of the hassle of having to stand near the PC to change slides or use a wireless presenter, by letting you iPhone or iPod touch access the presentation through Wi-Fi.

There is a downside though, you will still need a Mac to use iWork. Price Rs 4,320.

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The above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday 19th April, 2009

How The **** Does Apple Do It - The New iPod Shuffle

It's the worlds first talking MP3 Player



Just got a press release from Apple about the release of the new iPod Shuffle. Though I am yet to get a confirmation if this is available in India immediately or not, but will fill you up on that soon.

The iPod Shuffle was something that I always liked for it's simplicity, but the missing screen was hmmm a bit of a downer for me, I was not sure how I would find the right music, how I would manage a play list, I was just not sure. Then the iPod Shuffle got copied, people across China started making copies of it, and it hit a low price of Rs. 450 (No Memory) + 2 GB Memory Card (Rs. 600) ~ Rs. 1050 in the market. The sound Quality on the copies was bad, now Apple's upped the Ante

To know more about the Apple Shuffle iPod, newly released, check out Apple's Website

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Pricing & Availability
The third generation 4GB iPod shuffle will be available within 4 weeks and comes in silver or black for a maximum retail price of Rs. 4,900 through Apple Authorised Resellers. iPod shuffle comes with the Apple Earphones with Remote and the iPod shuffle USB cable. iPod shuffle requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes 8.1 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.1.
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