Valentine’s Day: Some belated thoughts

Dear Valentine

Apologies. I should have written this last week but as you know, I believe that love, friendship and relationship should be celebrated everyday and at every available opportunity and not just on a day marked in red colour on a calendar issued by a state bank.

I remember, our school teacher asking whether we thanked our Mom lately. The answer: None of us did. The teacher said “Go home and thank her.” I did and my Mom was puzzled and asked for what? It was time for me to get puzzled because our teacher didn’t tell for what we were thanking her. My Mom understood (like every Mom does in Yash Chopra’s movie) and she gave a hug. I realised something: I was thanking her to make her feel happy, make her feel being appreciated for taking care of me. That is magic.

Oh yeah, we are talking about Valentine’s Day, and not Mother’s day, so I just thought of thanking you. No, not for those good vibes and all positive chills but for imparting a strong belonging on me. I just feel things are indistinguishable without you. Your absence is like reading newspaper where there is no news. Weird times, I know.

A colleague was working on a gift idea article when I stumbled upon a perfect gift for you: a Bvlgari Serpenti, a watch that is symbolic for great design. But a former colleague pointed out my profession and the peanuts I earn, so I owe you that…. at a later stage.

Somethings important: There is a reason I chose you and not your cousin whose pictures you forced me to look via WhatsApp. It has got nothing to do with your fair skin, pretty face, a voluminous dimple, gentle lips hidden behind ruby woo or that precisioned nose designed just like the one on F1 car. No. No. No. I chose you for the joy that you are.

You are that human being who doesn’t have a second face. You are an unadulterated human being left to see things as it is. The one who is trying to see fair side of every coin. The one who is dreaming but not by stepping on someone else’s dream. There is a design here: I’ve often heard you speak things with a clear and distinct vision and couldn’t help but wonder from where you get those thoughts. No wonder, I find you unbearably attractive.

A lot of good things have happened to me and you are the most important of them all. I mean you made me see things in a different way. You made me understand life in a different way. You made me fall in love, in a different way. The love that sees beyond the flesh inhabited by the person, the one that directly touches the heart. The one that can see beyond boundaries and put everything aside for the joy of love. I am not Rumi to explain love in a poetic fashion but I am sure that you are love of my life. Pure, distinct and one worth living and dying for.

By the way, I really like the way Chris Stapleton describes love:

They say “Love is more precious than gold”
Can’t be bought and it can’t be sold
I got love enough to spare
That makes me a millionaire

I got a woman with eyes that shine
Down deep as a diamond mine
She’s my treasure so very rare
She’s made me a millionaire

You make me feel millionaire, for sure.

We miss you Amma

Hi Mom,

It’s me. You know, today is the second Sunday of May – the day often referred to as Mothers Day. My social feed is filled with selfies of my friends with their mom but I don’t have you to share one as well. Yeah, it’s kinda overwhelming but I must tell you: I am missing you real bad. Wish there was a way to bring you back in our life. I so wish this life was just like ‘Kyunki Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi’ and I could bring you back. This reminds me you liked my satire, which was bad at best.

Today we (me, dad, Sharinie, brother-in-law, sis and her in-laws) went to Balaji Mandir in Fanaswadi. The place rekindled all the memories of us going there for divine intervention during weekends. I think we went once every year. Even though we didn’t like getting up early at 6AM on Sunday as a kid, you always convinced us with your love and warmth. Wish you were here.

Honestly, a lot has happened since you left us for your heavenly abode. I am sure you are keeping your eyes locked on us but I wish to highlight few things. The most important thing is that we don’t like our house anymore. It’s just another piece of concrete and it lacks the soul – which was you all this time. Dad is fine but he is not the same man anymore. He does cook, watch movies, go out for shopping and morning walk but he is often disconnected from the real world. I am not sure how to convince him to lead a normal life but I am trying, trust me on this.

Do you know? We tonsured (and tortured) Sharinie today. It was an experience. There have been multiple instances when we have seen a glimpse of you in her. You will be super proud of your granddaughter.

Last week I was going through an archive of my DSLR pictures and eventually ended up remembering the day when I got that DSLR. I was insisting on clicking your picture first but you said God is above everyone else. I went through all your pictures snapped by me and the one where you are reading on your Kindle is a personal favourite.

I love you both my ladies!!!

There are often times when someone shows up and says “It would have been great if your mom was alive.” That moment really hurts. The last time we spoke in person was on December 12, 2015 and till my last breath, I’ll regret not being there for you when it demanded the most. Hope you will forgive me Mom.

I have a lot to say but just wish to let you know that we miss you and not a day passes when we don’t think about you. You never stopped caring for me and sis ever. Even when we screwed things up. Thank you Mom. Be happy wherever you are and keep showering your blessings.

With Love,

Karthekayan & Mahalaxmi.

Donald Trump’s Presidential Win: Six amazing reads and a video

Shit always happens and there is nothing inevitable in this world. Today was just another day where strange ruled over reality. Its not necessary to debate whether Donald Trump deserves to be the next US President because he is indeed the President. Its the moment of truth and even though he has a questionable character, he won’t be able to nuke all of us – just not yet.

While Trump becoming President is definitely not a moment of joy, its important to reflect on the fact that a highly deserving lady lost to a man – who doesn’t even deserve to be alive. Those are my words and I fear no motherfucker but it doesn’t matter. Trump will be the new US President come January 20 and his victory IMO was best summarised by Vala Afshar on Twitter with Stephen King’s words,”Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” This was just another ghost moment.

However, the life after this Trump win was best said by Sam Altman – “Tonight we cry, we despair, and we fear. Tomorrow we get back to work trying build the world we want.” So after reading those great men, why not read long form from fellow great men and women – whom we call journalists. Here are six stories that described the tone of Trump’s victory in the finest manner.

An American Tragedy: One single word to describe this moment is – Tragedy. Its a tragedy for the constitution, for democracy, for humanity and for everyone of us who thought the next President will continue to spread integrity and dignity forward. David Remnick says it is impossible to react with anything less than revulsion and anxiety. [The New Yorker]

Bonus link to Who Believed in Trump, and Who is to Blame.

Inside the Loss Clinton Saw Coming: The best part about this election is the grace with which Clinton accepted the defeat and called to congratulate Trump. She is the woman of honour and dignity and its America’s bad to not have her on board. If you are wondering why she lost, then read this piece. [Politico]

Hillary Clinton’s devastating loss spells heartbreak for women everywhere: Sexism – and not just the blatant pussy-grabbing kind, but the subtle, insidious kind – played an undeniable role in Trump’s popularity. Clinton had to be twice as goood to be taken half as seriously. A well written piece by Rebecca Ruiz. [Mashable]

Media obsession with a bullshit email scandal helped Trump to the White House: Among all journalists vocal against Trump, Ezra Klein and Matthew Yglesias lead the pack. The Voxxers had a very simple agenda – they wanted a woman with much more experience to win and not another business tycoon – who smartly evades taxes. Here Yglesias argues how campaign journalism failed to produce public understanding. [Vox]

Inside a divided GOP,’real anguish’ over the way forward: This is excellent. Just Read.[Washington Post]

Historical Perspectives: Years old writing by Eric Wind but what a refresher. A look at watches owned/worn/collected by US Presidents [Hodinkee]

Watch: Stephen Tries To Make Sense Of All This

FIRST WEEK AT DIGIT

Hey Karthek, just saw your first byline post on Digit. Congratulations on your new job. Why haven’t you updated your LinkedIn/Facebook profile?

Those were the words of a very close friend over phone on Wednesday morning. Looking back, its been a week since I left my last job at Indian Express. I even went ahead with an unplanned trip to Jaipur where I discovered the real meaning of being jobless. However, on November 1, I was back to my usual self.

I was back at desk and writing tech news. A content writing format I got accustomed to after a year with IE. And trust me, the first week (four days actually) was great – literally – I felt as if I have jumped out of that pressure cooker to eat that final fruit.

In other words, it has been a culture shock too. For the past one year, I have lived a life around following words:

1. Push
2. Social
3. Tweet
4. Pageviews
5. Google News
6. Are we listed?
7. Is it trending?

At Digit, I didn’t hear any of these words. Rather I am surprised by the way few bunch of committed people are raking in pageviews without really pushing the threshold. The first week at Digit (again, just four days), I felt more productive and more at peace. I even felt valuing my work more than ever before. Seeing a bunch of people really committed towards their work – its inspiring.

I can surely recollect my young days when I would rush to pick up Chip magazine just for the sake of that free DVD. I just have no words to describe the joy offered by those free games.

Talking about work, I will be the one who will bring those above mentioned words to the workplace. I will be the one who will turn the chilled out place into a chaotic one — let that be just a joke.

Reminds me, I need to update my Facebook profile and yay, thanks for reading folks and I promise to keep this blog lively.

Singapore GP: Ferrari ready to neigh again under floodlights

The dominant force in this race

Round 13 – Singapore GP – Marina Bay Street – Night race – Ferrari on pole

That is an epic theme for a formula 1 race but epic will turn legend if the prancing horse wins with all the available horses.

Let’s talk math first:

• Hamilton leads Rosberg by 53 points after 12 rounds of racing in the Championship
• With 7 races to go, even if Rosberg wins every races and Hamilton finishes second every race, the Brit still wins by 4 points
• Pitch in those flaming red Ferrari and ever drunk Red Bulls (Oh no they have only 100 kilos of fuel), anything is possible.

This could be that high octane Formula 1 racing the audience finally wanted to watch for long.

Formula 1

Formula racing ain’t bad now but it isn’t exciting either. With no in-race refuelling and engine regulations have made the sport uglier. Adding to the uglier picture is the poor stealth of McLaren’s Honda powered car which still starts from seventh or eighth row.

Singapore GP 2015

Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit lit at the time of dusk

With the omission of mid-race refuelling, the qualifying has turned more significant than ever. With average pit stops lasting not more than 2.6 seconds, starting from P1 does mean gold in this 61 laps extravaganza.

With the race track being similar to Monaco this year, overtaking is going to be extremely challenging. Another caution this time around would be the ambient temperature which is expected to be very high throughout the race and could mean two stop strategy and possible switch to super soft at the penultimate stage of the race.

Redbull’s Ricciardo can exhibit top pace at the straights and possess challenge to Vettel’s progress

With two DRS zones on tap and Daniel Ricciardo trailing Sebastian Vettel by just 0.6 seconds, this could well turn out to be a race of Redbull. The most crucial part at the start of the race would be hard breaking around the changed elevation. This could lead to overheat and even diminish the efficiency.

Lack of pace

Mercedes complaining about lack of pace is something to take with a pinch of salt but evidently they are losing against Ferrari and Redbull. Qualifying also threw light on how fast Red Bull could go at the straights.

And can this happen?

Hamilton saying “We don’t really know what we have got wrong” and Rosberg adding “For sure we’re lacking grip” shows something is wrong with Silver arrows and its out of their sight. With Mercedes’ might, I do see them coming strong.

Hamilton and Rosberg starting from third row and beating four top cars to finish 1-2 would be crazily exciting nonetheless.

Day 60, Noida: Living a dream

Wednesday – July 29 – Midnight – Started writing my first byline copy – Adding to the joy – It was Windows 10 story. This is what Engineer in me always wanted to do.

Pleasure of writing about tech has just started, yet to sink in

It all started in the midst of final semester of Engineering. Rewind 2012 – Microsoft was preparing for its most crucial Windows launch under then CEO Steve Ballmer and this lucky chap got a chance to run the preview build and write about it for India Today.

Just another day at work. Yes that’s my coffee mug. Yes filter kappi is missed

Fast Forward – 2015 – I am at Indian Express as Senior Sub Editor and I am taking big leaps towards writing about technology. Yeah I still write like reports (that Engineering, Assignments, Report writing are still buried deep in me) but there is improvement happening everyday. Life can’t be exciting if you keep doing the same thing over and again. Right now I’m learning everyday. I am empowering myself everyday.

While all has been great at work same ain’t true about my own personal self. I have turned more sober than ever before. I socialize much lesser than ever before. Now I don’t often post about pit stops, Mercedes AMG Petronas’ victory at the Grand Prix. Truth is I am not really watching TV much but yay, I am reading. Reading quality content everyday. Exploring personalities of people through their words.

Another notable mention goes to the city I’m leaving living in. I don’t like this city for sure. I don’t like the arrogance of people who live here. In Mumbai, I can easily pay an autowala penny less than meter and yet see him smile. “Jaane do yaar, do rupaiye se kya honewala hai” – these words don’t exist here. Top it with the fact that meters are only for show and not meant to work.

I won’t hate this city. I never will after all it hosts one of the finest office called ‘The Indian Express’ but I am sure will never be liking it either.

National Flag at Central Park, Connaught Place, New Delhi

In the past two months, I have been to Connaught place several times and gazed at the beauty of Indian National Flag. It looks majestic every time. Then there is Select Citywalk in Saket where I was again spell bounded by the beauty of our National Flag. Big perks of being a tech journalist. Have experienced wide array of gadgets and have understood how difficult it is for fellow techies to put them through its paces. Kudos to people who write and thanks to readers who appreciate the work.

Select Citywalk in Saket is a place that exuberates a class of its own

Also went inside the lushness of Hotel Lalit (yeah the same Lalit which was featured in PK) and also the gigantic The Leela Palace. How can I forget mentioning – Delhi NCR ki lifeline – Delhi Metro. If good management can lead to some viable service – Delhi Metro is an epitome of that.

While I continue penning down tech stories – will also be seeing better place to live – something I can call home.

Definitely I’m home sick but this is what I always wanted to do and its all happening. Much to my delight.

You can follow my work here

Watch my first video review (Disclaimer: This is nervous me trying to speak)

RIP Jules

Jules Bianchi (Source: The Independent)

2014: Monaco GP – A young F1 driver in a not so powerful Marussia car finishes in the top 10. Not only does he win some points but went on to win points for his team which till date serves as the only point that team ever managed. That guy is – Jules Bianchi. For me this will be the memory of Jules Bianchi. For me this will be the race I won’t forget. For me this is one loss hard to accept.

Every time a Formula 1 driver hits the pit wall, I pray. Every time a Formula 1 driver car gets into engine trouble I pray. For me Ayrton Senna’s tragic death is still in memories and now we have lost another gem of sport. Had Senna been alive I don’t know what all magic he would have done on the circuit. I will say without any doubt, had Jules Bianchi survived – someday he would have been in a far more powerful racing car and could have even won the Chequered Flag. As a F1 enthusiast, Jules’ wonderful driving amidst that five-second stop/go penalty will be the race I will always cherish.

PS: Jules Bianchi crashed in Suzuka last year in a rain hit race and collided with a crane that removing a stranded Sauber car.

RIP Jules.

The sport is so lost without you!!!

Sony Xperia Z2 Review

Sony was a rather late entrant to the Android show and their first batch of Xperias sucked… Those were the days of Samsung’s Galaxy till Sony revealed it’s zeal with the Zee(Xperia Z) and now we are looking at the third of the flagship in that series, aka Xperia Z2. Let’s declare it right away, Xperia Z1 didn’t do well and that’s why Sony followed up with a successor in less than five months. A display better and bigger than before, a super fast processor and a working design. Has Sony found the lost charm with Xperia Z2, read on as we find out.

HARDWARE

Sony has played it real safe here by sticking to the design from its predecessors. It’s still the same monolithic design with glass and metal decorating the device. It looks and feels an attractive piece of block & impressively weighs little less than Z1. At 8.2mm it’s reasonably thin too. But not everything is good about this design. It never felt good for single handed use. Moreover Z2 is taller than LG’s G3 which packs an even bigger display. After using the device for sometime, I really started looking out for those subtle curves and tapered edges on my Moto X. Moto X feels more of a naturally crafted device, subtle to behold.

The right of the device sports the Power Button, volume rocker, camera shutter and a huge flap that covers the Micro SD card slot. Similar flap covers the SIM slot and Micro USB for charging on the left of the device, this is how Sony makes its smartphones really waterproof. A hinge for kickback stand completes the visual tour of the device. The top sports 3.5mm audio jack which does active noise canceling when paired with a suitable Sony headphone(Wish Sony added one to the traditional package). Sony has also added Stereo speakers which don’t sound as loud as HTC’s boomsound but they are good enough to sit back and enjoy a movie during your next flight.

	SONY XPERIA Z2
Dimensions	146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm
Weight	163g
Screen size	5.2 inches
Screen resolution	1,920 x 1,080
Screen type	Triluminos LCD with 16.7 million colors
Battery	3,200mAh Li-ion (non-removable)
Ruggedness	IP55 and IP58 waterproof and dustproof
Internal storage	16GB (12GB free)
External storage	MicroSDXC
Rear camera	20.7MP (1/2.3-inch sensor, f/2.0 lens with 27mm equiv. focal length)
Front-facing cam	2MP stills, 1080p video
Video capture	1080p, 4K
NFC	Yes
Radios	HSPA+ (850/900/1700/1900/2100); GSM GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20)
Bluetooth	v4.0, aptX, A2DP
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB)
CPU	2.3GHz quad-core Krait 400
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	3GB
Entertainment	MHL, USB OTG, WiFi Direct, DLNA, Miracast, FM radio
WiFi	Dual-band, 802.11a/ac/b/g/n
Wireless Charging	No
Operating system	Android 4.4.2 (Sony-specific UI)

Courtesy: GSMA

DISPLAY

This is where Sony has struck Gold. The enlarged 1080p screen has better brightness, contrast and viewing angles. Load a 1080p movie on this screen and be prepared for some real visual treat. Here the display seems to produce richer blacks and its unlike Z1. This display is more akin to Samsung’s GS5.

Also Sony let’s you tweak the display by disabling the X-Reality for mobile engine. Also on tap is the ability to adjust white balance and a touch of blue. I watched more movies on this phone than any before. Sony Xperia Z2’s Triluminos display is extremely beautiful and worth all the praise.

SOFTWARE

Sony’ skin ain’t anywhere close to its Korean/Taiwanese rivals(yep, I’m looking at you Samsung/HTC). It’s a minimal skin that’s more about Sony’s offerings in the Music and Gaming domain and they are all apps that can get jarring at times. Start a Moto X for the first time and you’ll see Migrate which lets you transfer contacts, messages from your old Android Phone to Moto series of devices. A big thumbs up there but Sony greets you with an array of Sony’s social and music widgets which you might end up uninstalling for a smooth ride ahead.

The most disappointing thing about Sony’s UI is the lack of visual appeal, which is nowhere close to Apple’s iOS7 or Google’s Material Design which is yet to materialize.  There is an handful of customization on stock Android 4.4.2. The home screen shows WHAT’S NEW which is a shortcut to contents from Sony. It includes mostly paid music, video and gaming contents. Swiping up from the home button shows WHAT’S NEW and Google NOW. Its kind of service meant for people who have Sony’s Music/Video subscription and would like to PlayStation Certified games on their phone.

Sony Xperia Z2 Screenshots | + 35 Photos

On Sony’s UI, most of the mundane things take more key presses than what it would be on Stock Android/Samsung/HTC devices. Sony really needs to better its software yet its a great package when compared to its Timescape UI. For most users, the UI will stay neutral or say to the point.

CAMERA

This is one area where Sony has catapulted from its rivals. The Z2’s 20-megapixel camera, carried over from Z1 is the best you can find on an Android smartphone. The pictures are decent enough that you can leave your point and shoot camera back home. The real good about Xperia Z2 is that it doesn’t add any extra heft like Samsung’s Galaxy Zoom phone. The additional camera shutter button makes it easy and fast to click pictures. There is a 2.1MP camera at front capable of clicking your next selfie.

Gallery | +14 Photos

You will be able to capture decent snaps with this camera using Sony’ iAuto mode. The sensor size of 1/2.3 inches allows more light and produces rich picture most of the time. The hardware prowess of the camera lacks software backing. The camera doesn’t support RAW format, which is a big letdown for a mobile camera of this capability. Also the camera software is more gimmicky including the manual mode. It doesn’t let you control anything beyond exposure or white balance. The camera really struggles at Background Defocus which Google Camera’s Lens Blur pulls out effortlessly.

Sony’s 21MP shooter also supports 4K video recording. Is it a norm to add 4K Shooting on a flagship? Let me throw this one to you, do you own a 4K Display to watch the 4K video? Looming questions. Though you aren’t going to use this feature most but its still a nice add-on for the geek in you. Also on tap is a host of other features like Timeshift Video which is nothing but slow motion recording and it works as advertised. If you buy Z2, sure you’d love clicking with this camera. Its powerful, fast and does click decent snaps even at low lights.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

Its a no-brainer that Sony Xperia Z2 is fast and bolts at most of the times. The speed here is courtesy Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and most of the benchmarks do confirm that Xperia Z2 hugely benefits from this processor. While it tops 32927 on Antutu; its Quadrant 2.0 numbers aren’t satisfactory. It scores a modest 17460 while HTC One(M8) tops at 25546. Even it was too slow in Sunspider(chrome) test. Considering the fact that HTC/Samsung do tweak their devices to perform better at benchmark, these scores are more or less acceptable.

The phones radios work really well. I got downspeeds of 6Mbps with Vodafone’s HSPA+ network in suburban Mumbai most of the time. Remember Xperia Z2 supports LTE and you will be able to use it in India when LTE comes for the masses. The call quality was clear, audible with background-noise suppression turning extremely useful.

Xperia Z2’s 3200mAh battery can definitely last over a day of continuous use. It does get warm at times and can last even longer with Stamina Mode. Playing graphics intensive does make the device hot and this is where battery starts to deplete faster. So it all waters down to what you do on the device. For casual users, the device can go well over two days and Sony’s Xperia Z2 is the best performer among flagships when it comes to lonegvity.

WRAP UP

Xperia Z2 is Sony’s best to date. It looks and feels premium, though the design lacks those curves we are accustomed to. It has a great display and long battery life to back it up. With an UI that is pretty much to the point, you get a zero hindrance device. The downer is the size. Its not good for one-handed use and lacks apps to back up that magnificent camera. At a selling price of 43,000 on Saholic with the Smartband, this device really stands tall.

Sony Xperia Z2 is a jewelry among Android flagships and deems to be the perfect gift for your girlfriend/wife.

Facebook gets its own Save Feature

Ask anyone what’s Facebook? The answer would be a stream of cluttered newsfeed. Sounds weird but it is true and to save you from the clutter, Facebook has introduced a new feature called Save. It is exactly like Read It Later or Pocket as we know it now. The catch here is that it’s only for Facebook and doesn’t support offline access. Yet it is a very good way to save your newsfeed for reading later.

While it’s not exactly Pocket or Instapaper but the idea is a definite steal from there. The new feature accessible from more options neatly collects all your saved items under categories namely links, movies, places, music etcetera. You can even share your saved items with friends later. A simple and welcome change.

A month with Nokia X: Good, Ugly, Mystical yet Functional

 

When Nokia announced its X range of devices, I called it as “A Gateway to Microsoft Services”. Nokia had lots riding considering the launch time matched up with its devices division being taken over by Microsoft. Now that Nokia has sold millions of X and Microsoft in no mood to chop the range, here’s my impressions about the device which stayed in my hands for a month.

Spoiler: I stopped using it exactly on the 31^st day

GOOD

• Android with Windows UI: Yes, they all said and even I admit this is definitely the USP of Nokia X. It’s a welcome change to Android as a platform that lacked design appeal. This reworked Android OS aint any design marvel but shines when packed among the crowd. The ability to have tiles in two sizes of your choice is good and they should introduce the legacy to add third size too.

Windows Phone-esque Android

• Nokia Mix Radio: This is Nokia’s personalised, commercial free radio station. If you are addicted to Music Apps like SoundCloud or Grooveshark(Don’t wonder Spotify, Pandora, Rdio aren’t available in India as yet), Mix Radio is for you. Mix Radio currently plays host to 13M songs and God they are all DRM Free.  Mix Radio even allows you to download your mixes for offline play, that’s huge saving on Data costs. It supports over 21 Genres and here you are seeing Tamil Mix being played for yours truly’ pleasure.

Nokia Mix Radio

• Open Microsoft: This device opens Microsoft to new mass of people and a new horizon gets explored. Starting an Android device with a Microsoft Account would surprise many and that’s what this device is meant to do. Bring more and more people to Microsoft Ecosystem. Let more people use Hotmail (now Outlook), Skype and OneDrive. If a million Nokia X gets million Outlook accounts, Microsoft wins it big!!!

Leading a new, open and competitive Microsoft

• Ease and class of Nokia: This is Nokia… That brutally well made Nokia we know for years. Drop it – Tap it, the device feels extremely well made. It’s easy to hold and exudes lot of confidence. Readers prefer not to drop it. Its comfortable to use and you won’t feel bad placing it next to an iPhone. Yes it comes in different colors to suit your style. For record, I stuck with the black one.

Pic Courtesy: Digitalspy

• In the Fastlane: Fastlane takes a boot into Nokia X from Asha series of devices. It lets you swipe to see your stuff, upload things at ease. In fact, it’s a timeline of all the activities on your phone. Smart, you can even choose activities from which apps to be displayed.

Fastlane on Nokia X

UGLY

• The UI again: While the UI is ripped from Microsoft’s Windows Phone, it lacks the talking point – Live Tiles. Yeah, only Gallery supports Live Tiles while rest all are just ordinary Tiles. Hope Nokia Engineers bring Live Tiles sooner than later.
• Buggy Software: So Nokia X is an Android phone, didn’t you know that? Basically Nokia tweaked AOSP and made this OS. The OS looks good but gets buggy at times. It stutters and makes you wait for Homescreen longer than usual. That “Please wait” is extremely annoying.
• Nokia Store: This is nothing but a disaster. There are pretty low selection of apps(I mean top apps) in the Nokia Store and lack of native Google Apps support means you are stuck. Though there is a workaround like Amazon Store or Yandex, but you’d prefer to sideload Android apps using SDK. The moment you’ll feel like a whizkid.

Default apps updating from Nokia Store

• WhatsApp: If you are wondering what is ugly about WhatsApp here; then let me urge you to see the screenshot below. The app always said “Sorry, your device is not supported” but I had tons of messages from friend’s everyday and they opened very well from the notification window. Maybe another Software Bug.

WhatsApp Woes

MYSTICAL

• Other-Worldly: Nokia X definitely seems to be from another world. It’s mystical in every aspect. It brings remains of smartphone class into feature-esque styled phone. You will either like it or like it even more.

From Another World

• Camera: Wondering why am I calling that 3.0MP fixed focus shooter mystical; well it did return pretty decent pictures during my test. Well asking for a point and shoot capability on a budget smartphone leaves no mercy either. See the sample shots and decide for yourself.

Nokia X Camera Samples

• Software: Now that Nokia has adopted Android Open Source Project and produced a stunning piece of design overlay, question is what’s next? While they’ve followed up with a sequel called X2; I doubt if there will ever be any software upgrades except for some bug fixes.

Nokia X Software Platform

FUNCTIONAL

• This is how I would sum up my Nokia X experience – Good, Ugly, Mystical yet very much functional. It isn’t premium and it is not meant to be one; it’s just a smartphone for the beginners. I’ll put it like this, Nokia X is for all those people who buy Android and download some crap WP launcher from the Play Store. Nokia X offers superior comfort, durability and will take your connected life to higher levels. The lack of a better camera, faster processor, more RAM may haunt you in the long run but not every car is Mercedes Benz. Overall, Nokia has made a good phone with Nokia X and will definitely be a good smartphone to start with – its indeed for those first time smartphone buyers.