By Roopinder Singh

Computing became more than mainstream, it became personal. Mobile internet access became an agent of change that connected people far beyond their geographic limitations

COMPUTERS are truly devices held in millions of hands worldwide. They connect the world like never before, and make it a global village. The world of technology lost its icon in 2011, but Steve Jobs left his mark for all to see. The computer came into our hands through smartphones and tablets this year. We had operating systems that competed with each other, hardware that out-specked its competition and even new applications that re-invented the old and gave it a twist. Such was the pace of new offerings that there was an embarrassment of riches that left consumers happy, though bemused.

WHEN AAKASH IS THE LIMIT: The small and inexpensive Indian tablet Aakash made news for being the only tablet that is available for Rs 2,500

With India finally being recognised as an important market, we saw product releases that were synchronised with international ones, and, at times, we got products that other markets, especially the US, did not have.

Everyone has a smart electronic gadget in their hands. Why, our honourable Members of Parliament, too, are getting assistance to get and use tablets so that Parliament can go significantly paperless. Not that much paper got used in the few sessions that the honourable MPs sat down for business, but that’s another story.

Jobs’ baby, iPhone 4S, came four months later than expected. It was not bigger than its predecessor, and was not the much-awaited iPhone 5, but it still became a bestseller, and had enough new features — the fast A5 processor, an improved camera and Siri, its voice-activated digital assistant — to make it stand out.

On the software front, the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich from Google strutted its stuff, including the capability to unlock a phone through facial recognition. Hardware from Samsung, Motorola and others improved to an extent where smart phones became faster than computers, and came with dual core processors.

As for tablets, our very own Aakash became the game-changer by breaking a price barrier and delivering functional tablets for less. For those who have more, the iPad 2 is still the market leader by a large margin. Yet, like the iPhone version only gained incrementally as it is thinner, faster and has two cameras now.

Everyone aspires to beat iPad2, and with Android tablets nipping at its heels, Apple launched a barrage of suits against its rivals, even as Amazon came out with the Kindle Fire, an e-book reader that is much more, and Nook brought out its own attractive product.

As consumption devices, tablets are now displacing laptops. Not that laptops are going extinct. Since people still have to work by typing on their keyboards, laptops are fast evolving into ultra books — the very thin versions with flash memory and the ability to start instantly. Apple’s MacBook Air is one such device already available. Others in the Windows world are just on the horizon, with Intel backing them.

In a world dominated by slick and expensive gadgets, the small and inexpensive tablet Aakash made news simply by being there, the only tablet that is available on sale online for Rs 2,500. Datawind, the company that assembles it, created quite a stir, and got more than four lakh orders from individual and corporate customers.

Many months before Aakash made waves worldwide, people were already looking at the skies, looking for the ‘super moon’ which brought the moon closest to the earth in 19 years.

Mankind’s quest for more information about planet Mars continued. NASA’s probes worked at finding traces of life on the planet as a new $2.5 billion nuclear-powered rover was sent to the Red Planet in November. On the other hand, the Russian attempt to launch a probe failed, because of a mechanical problem with the rocket.

A quest of another kind continued as the search for evidence of Higgs Boson continued. It is also called ‘The God Particle’ and is critical in our effort to understand the structure of matter. Did you know that the sub-atomic particles, Bosons are named after the physicist Satyendra Nath Bose?

Indian scientists continued to search the skies as they sent satellites skywards on Indian rockets. ISRO scored far more hits than misses in 2011 by adding might to the defence forces with successful testing of Prithvi missile, and to India’s space mission by PSLV launches. Thus, we not only reached for akash, we also held our very own Aakash in our hands.

This article by Roopinder Singh was published in a special yearend issue of The Tribune titled 2011: The Year of Uprisings

ਰੁਪਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ

ਅੱਜ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵਿਸ਼ਾਲ ਵਿਸ਼ਵਕੋਸ਼ ਵਿਕੀਪੀਡੀਆ ਹੈ, ਐਨਸਾਈਕਲੋਪੀਡੀਆ ਬਰਿਟੈਨਿਕਾ ਨਹੀਂ, ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਕਈ ਸਦੀਆਂ ਤੱਕ ਇਹ ਸਥਾਨ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਸੀ। ਵਿਕੀਪੀਡੀਆ ਕਈ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਗਰੇਜ਼ੀ ਦੇ 35 ਲੱਖ ਲੇਖ ਹਨ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੇਖਾਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਦੋ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਘੱਟ ਹੈ। ਸਿਰਫ਼ 27 ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਹੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੇਖ ਲਿਖ ਕੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਯੋਗਦਾਨ ਪਾ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਦੀ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਨਾਂ-ਮਾਤਰ ਜਾਪਦੀ ਹੈ। ਅਜੋਕਾ ਯੁੱਗ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਦਾ ਯੁੱਗ ਹੈ। ਜੇ ਕਿਸੇ ਬੋਲੀ ਦਾ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰੀਕਰਨ ਨਾ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੋਵੇ ਤਾਂ ਇਉਂ ਲੱਗਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਦੇ ਵਿਕਾਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੁਕਾਵਟ ਪੈ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ। ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਲਿਪੀ ਦਾ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰੀਕਰਨ ਬਹੁਤ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲਾਂ ਮਗਰੋਂ ਹੋਇਆ ਹੈ। ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਉੱਤੇ  ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦੀ ਟਾਈਪ ਕਰਨ ਸਮੇਂ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਕਈ ਕਿਸਮ ਦੇ keyboards ਅਤੇ ਫੌਂਟਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਜੂਝਣਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅੱਖਰ ਸਾਫਟਵੇਅਰ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਟਾਈਪ ਅਤੇ ਗ਼ਲਤੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਧਾਰਨ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ ਕਾਫ਼ੀ ਸੁਖਾਲਾ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਡਾ. ਗੁਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਲਹਿਲ ਦਾ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਇਹ ਸਾਫਟਵੇਅਰ ਕਈ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲਾਂ ਸੁਲਝਾ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਮੈਂ ਇਹ ਸਾਫਟਵੇਅਰ ਕਈ ਸਾਲਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਵਰਤ ਰਿਹਾ ਹਾਂ। ਇਸ ਵਿਚਲੇ ਸ਼ਬਦਕੋਸ਼ ਵੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਲਾਹੇਵੰਦ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਟਾਈਪ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਕੋਈ ਵੀ ਫੌਂਟ ਵਰਤਿਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿਉਂਕਿ Output ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਿਲਦੀ ਹੈ। ਅਜਿਹੀਆਂ ਗੇਲੀਆਂ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਗਰੇਜ਼ੀ ਫਾਈਲਾਂ ਵਾਂਗ ਹੀ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਕਿਸੇ ਕਿਸਮ ਦਾ ਫੌਂਟ ਨਹੀਂ ਪਾਉਣਾ ਪੈਂਦਾ। ਮਾਈਕਰੋਸਾਫਟ ਵਿੰਡੋਜ਼ ਅਤੇ ਐਪਲ ਦੇ ਆਪਰੇਟਿੰਗ ਸਿਸਟਮ ਵਾਲੇ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਫੌਂਟ ਖੁਦ-ਬ-ਖੁਦ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Punjabi Wikipedia, Illustration by Sandeep Joshi

ਵਿਕੀਪੀਡੀਆ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਰੇ ਲੇਖ ਵਾਲੰਟੀਅਰਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਲਿਖੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ। ਹੋਰ ਵਾਲੰਟੀਅਰ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਮੁੱਲਾਂਕਣ ਅਤੇ ਸੋਧਾਂ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਦੇ ਲੇਖ ਸੰਨ 2003 ਤੋਂ ਪਾਉਣੇ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਪਰ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਗਿਣਤੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਵਧੀ। ਦੂਜੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਹਿੰਦੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਤਕਰੀਬਨ 70,000 ਲੇਖ ਹਨ। ਇੱਥੋਂ ਤੱਕ ਕਿ ਸੰਸਕ੍ਰਿਤ ਜਿਹੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੀ 1500 ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਲੇਖ ਹਨ।

ਜਦੋਂ ਵੀ ਮੈਂ ਕਿਸੇ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਜਾਂ ਕਾਲਜ ਵਿੱਚ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹਾਂ ਤਾਂ ਵਿਦਿਆਰਥੀ ਕੌਮਾਂਤਰੀ ਪੱਧਰ ਉਤੇ ਵਿਚਰਨ ਅਤੇ ਨਾਂ ਕਮਾਉਣ ਦਾ ਤਰੀਕਾ ਪੁੱਛਦੇ ਹਨ। ਮੈਂ ਇਸ ਦਾ ਇੱਕੋ ਜਵਾਬ ਦਿੰਦਾ ਹਾਂ,”ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਰਾਹੀਂ।” ਆਪਣੀ ਮਾਂ ਬੋਲੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਬਾਰੇ ਕੁਝ ਦੱਸਣ, ਵਿਚਾਰ ਸਾਂਝੇ ਕਰਨ ਅਤੇ ਹੋਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੀ ਵਿਚਾਰਧਾਰਾ ਨਾਲ ਜੋੜਨ ਲਈ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਦੀ ਵੱਧ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਧ ਵਰਤੋਂ ਕਰਨੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ।
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਖੁਸ਼ਕਿਸਮਤ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਹੈ ਜਿਸ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਲਈ ਇੱਕ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਦੀ ਸਥਾਪਨਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਗਈ। ਅੱਜ ਸਾਡੇ ਕੋਲ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਪਟਿਆਲਾ ਦੇ ਨਾਲ-ਨਾਲ ਭਾਈ ਕਾਨ੍ਹ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਨਾਭਾ ਦਾ ਗੁਰਸ਼ਬਦ ਰਤਨਾਗਰ ਮਹਾਨਕੋਸ਼ ਵੀ ਹੈ। ਭਾਈ ਕਾਨ੍ਹ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ ਨੇ ਸੰਨ 1930 ਵਿੱਚ ਇਹ ਮਹਾਨਕੋਸ਼ ਛਾਪ ਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਅਨਮੋਲ ਤੋਹਫ਼ਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ। ਕਿਸੇ ਹੋਰ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਹਾਨਕੋਸ਼ ਦੇ ਮੁਕਾਬਲੇ ਦੀ ਸ਼ਾਇਦ ਹੀ ਕੋਈ ਹੋਰ ਪੁਸਤਕ ਹੋਵੇ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਜੀਵਨ, ਸੱਭਿਆਚਾਰ, ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ, ਇਤਿਹਾਸ ਅਤੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਜਗਤ ਨਾਲ ਸਬੰਧਤ ਹੋਰ ਚੀਜ਼ਾਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ ਲਈ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਠੋਸ ਹਵਾਲਾ ਪੁਸਤਕ ਮੰਨਿਆ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਪਟਿਆਲਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਈ ਵਿਦਵਾਨ ਹਨ ਜੋ ਛੋਟੇ-ਛੋਟੇ ਲੇਖ ਦੇ ਕੇ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਾਡੀ ਬੋਲੀ, ਸੱਭਿਅਤਾ ਅਤੇ ਧਰਮ ਬਾਰੇ ਜਾਗਰੂਕ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਨ। ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਵਿਦਵਾਨਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਲੇਖ ਲਿਖਾ ਕੇ ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦੁਨੀਆਂ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਉਚਿਤ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਇਹ ਸਬੱਬ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਜਿਹੜੀ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਐਸੇ ਵਿਦਵਾਨ ਹਨ, ਉਸੇ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਦੇ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਦੇ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰੀਕਰਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਬਹੁਤ ਅਹਿਮ ਭੂਮਿਕਾ ਨਿਭਾਈ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਯੂਨੀਵਰਸਿਟੀ ਪਟਿਆਲਾ ਦੇ ਇਸ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਦੀ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਪੜ੍ਹਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਕਈ ਨਵੀਂ ਕਿਸਮ ਦੇ ਉਪਰਾਲੇ ਕੀਤੇ ਗਏ ਹਨ। ਹੁਣ ਇਸ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਕੀਪੀਡੀਆ ਦੇ ਲੇਖਾਂ ਲਈ ਵੀ ਜ਼ੋਰ ਲਗਾਉਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਪਟਿਆਲੇ ਅਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦਾ ਗੂੜ੍ਹਾ ਸਬੰਧਤ ਹੈ। ਪਟਿਆਲਾ ਪਹਿਲੀ ਅਜਿਹੀ ਰਿਆਸਤ ਸੀ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਸਾਰਾ ਦਫ਼ਤਰੀ ਕੰਮ-ਕਾਜ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਸੀ। ਪ੍ਰਿੰਸੀਪਲ ਤੇਜਾ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਸ਼ਬਦਕੋਸ਼ ਇੱਥੇ ਹੀ ਤਿਆਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੀ। ਐਮ.ਏ. ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਵੀ ਇੱਥੋਂ ਹੀ ਸ਼ੁਰੂ ਹੋਈ। ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ ਭੁਪਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਦੇ ਹੁਕਮ ਉਤੇ ਰਮਿੰਗਟਨ ਟਾਈਪਰਾਈਟਰ ਕੰਪਨੀ ਨੇ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਦਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਟਾਈਪਰਾਈਟਰ ਬਣਾਇਆ। ਇਸ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਪਟਿਆਲੇ ਤੋਂ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਟੈਨੋਗਰਾਫ਼ੀ ਦਾ ਆਗਾਜ਼ ਹੋਇਆ। ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਦਾ ਪਹਿਲਾ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਵੀ ਇੱਥੇ ਹੀ ਬਣਿਆ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਵਿਭਾਗ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਦੇ ਨੁਕਤਾ ਨਿਗਾਹ ਤੋਂ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਟਾਈਪ ਕਰਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਵੱਡੀ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲ ਇਹ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਕਿਸਮ ਦਾ ਮਿਆਰੀਕਰਨ ਨਹੀਂ ਸੀ। ਇਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਕਈ ਵਾਰ ਇੰਜ ਲੱਗਦਾ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਨਵਾਂ ਫੌਂਟ ਬਣਾਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਵਿਅਕਤੀ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਕਿਸਮ ਦਾ Keyboard ਵੀ ਬਣਾ ਲਿਆ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ। ਇਹ ਸਾਰੇ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਫੌਂਟਾਂ ਦੇ Keyboard ਇੱਕ-ਦੂਜੇ ਨਾਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਚੱਲ ਸਕਦੇ ਸੀ। ਇਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਦੇ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰੀਕਰਨ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਈ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲਾਂ ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਸਨ।
ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਅਪਣਾਉਣ ਮਗਰੋਂ ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ ਦੀ ਟਾਈਪਿੰਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਕਸਾਰਤਾ ਆ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਪਰ ਅਫ਼ਸੋਸ ਇਹ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਹਾਲੇ ਤੱਕ ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਪੂਰੀ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਅਪਣਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ। ਇਸ ਕਰਕੇ ਸਮੇਂ-ਸਮੇਂ ‘ਤੇ ਮੁਸ਼ਕਿਲਾਂ ਆਉਂਦੀਆਂ ਹਨ। ਉਹ ਦਿਨ ਦੂਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਦੋਂ ਸਾਰੇ ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਨੂੰ ਅਪਣਾ ਲੈਣਗੇ। ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੋਹਣੇ ਫੌਂਟ ਵੀ ਆ ਜਾਣਗੇ।

This article was printed in the Punjabi Tribune on April 3, 2011.

India became the latest battleground in the war for supremacy between the top international computer companies, heralding a win-win situation for the consumer. Sallying forth into a battle is the biggest international player, Apple, a company that has set the bar for portable personal computers that use a touch-screen as a primary input device.

Tablet wars

The iPad, Apple Computer’s touch tablet-type personal computer, officially came to India today, a year and a day after it was introduced in the US. iPad is priced at Rs 27,900 for the basic model (Wi-Fi, 16GB).

Tablet PCs are invariable smaller and thus more portable than laptop computers, and instead of an actual keyboard, you have a virtual keyboard, i.e. you tap in the text directly onto the screen. They also have a wireless adapter for the Internet and local network connection.

Six versions of the iPad would be available in India, with 16GB, 32GB and 64GB memory in Wi-fi and Wi-Fi plus 3G versions. The hi-end Wi-Fi+3G, 64GB model costs Rs 44,900, according to information available on Apple’s website.

Internationally, the iPad has been a runaway success, and its impact on the Indian market will be significant. Samsung, which has a tablet PC called Galaxy Tab, has been available to Indian consumers since November last year, and according to industry estimates, is expected to sell 7,50,000 to 10 lakh units in a year.

Ruchika Batra, General Manager Corporate Communication, Samsung, South West Asia reacting to the official launch of iPad said it would further fuel the consumer interest in tablets. “2011 would the year of the tablets,” she said. Samsung is looking at garnering a 50 per cent market share in the tablet segment.

Significantly, Samsung slashed the price of its base model from Rs 38,000 to Rs 29,299 a day before the official launch of iPad in India. OlivePad, from Olive Telecom, retails at Rs 23,000 and then there is also Dell Streak, which is yet to make a significant impact.

While the iPad uses Apple’s propriety operating system famed for ease of use and great user experience, both Tab and OlivePad use Google’s freely available Android software that has gained much popularity among tablet PC and smartphone makers.

The iPad will also face competition from Dell, RIM and other players who are also looking at the world’s second biggest mobile market after China with 730 million customers. However, the price conscious consumers will demand good products at low prices.

Telecom operator BSNL announced dedicated 3G plans for the iPad at Rs 999 (unlimited monthly usage), Rs 599 (6GB free per month, 1p/10 kb after free usage) and Rs 99 (unlimited daily usage). Other telcos are also expected to launch tariff plans specifically for iPad.

Apple is expected to launch the next version of the iPad, known as iPad 2 soon, perhaps in weeks.

The article was published in The Tribune on January 29, 2011.

Freedom comes in many hues, and for many of us, the word immediately makes us hum the George Michael 1984 song Freedom, which became the #1 hit by the British group Wham! It had lyrics that ran:

“I won’t let you down

I will not give you up

Gotta have some faith in the sound

It’s the one good thing that I’ve got

I won’t let you down

So please don’t give me up

Because I would really, really love to stick around.”

Remember the 1980s? It was still the time of landlines and in most Indian cities, the phone numbers were three to four digits, and if you thought of the big black phones and uncertain communications, the lyrics of the song seem to fit in rather well.

Phones then.... and now. Cartoon by Sandeep Joshi

In the telecommunication sector, there have been many significant landmarks even as consumers were liberated from the stranglehold of an octopus-like telecommunications department. Often, a look at history gives a better perspective to divining future.

Many readers will remember the days of the telephone, that black box which was literally the lifeline for the whole neighbourhood. The first flush of independence that many homes had was just getting a landline in the house, after an inordinately wait or through the good offices of a friendly politician like an MP or a Minister. No longer would you have to go to the neighbour’s house to attend to your phone call, you could say what you wanted in the privacy of your own home, without that annoying and pesky Auntiji listening to the conversation.

You had to be an Indian to understand why someone would get excited because he got an STD. Instead of a trip to the doctors, as was the case the world over, in India you celebrated when you got the Subscriber Trunk Dialling  facility. Of course, it was not simple, you went to the telephone exchange, filled in many forms, took in much official nakhra, and then had your form accepted.

When you got STD, you were liberated from booking trunk calls. Invariably, you booked an ‘urgent’ call and still waited the whole day for it to mature, unless it was an emergency and you made a ‘lightning’ call, at many times the cost of an ‘ordinary” call.

The ubiquitous ‘lineman’ kept you connected to the world beyond, and for this he demanded his pound of flesh, much as any Shylock would. You had to keep him happy, and pray that he did not do some jiggery-pokery that resulted in your paying the bills of someone else’s call. Of course, this was seen as an opportunity for some who got access to many ‘free’ calls at others’ expense.

For those unable to get the landlines, there came the STD Booths. No, they did not have any penicillin handy, they allowed ordinary millions to make phone calls, and so pleased were the voters that they even rewarded the Minister concerned by re-electing him, even after the CBI found that he found comfort in beds lined with currency notes.

So continued the merry dance, till came a new kid on the block. It was the cell phone, introduced in India in August 1995. This was an electronic gadget that you could use conveniently to drive a nail with, and one in which you paid as much as Rs 8 a minute to listen to a call. God help you some voluble called! People took to it like a duck to water, and so much so that the world was amazed at and the telecommunication pool became bigger and still bigger as more and more ducks started swimming in it.

What the cell phone meant at that time was freedom from the tyranny of the tangle of landlines. A flawed, sometimes dysfunctional, and often cacophonic freedom is infinitely better than being tied down, as we Indians especially know.

In time cell phones got better, they could actually be carried in your pocket instead of belt holsters originally associated with that wonderful weapon that tamed the Wild West: Colt 45.

The telecom players became better, and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India showed such teeth that even the Time magazine commented on its functioning. Of course, this was too good to last, but even as various shenanigans kept the telecom players, ministers and officials busy, the Indian consumer continued to enjoy among the lowest rates in the world.

Cell phones proliferated to such an extent and became so common that much to the photographers’ despair, pictures of rickshaw walas, sabzi walas, labourers, sadhus and what have you using cell phones ceased to be exotic.

Our self-worth was determined by the model of the cell phone we used. Services were added at a bewildering rate. Our musical choices were pandered to and we could load ring tones by the thousands, with nary a thought to those who would have to inadvertently listen to them.

The technical side of this revolution was that we became among the world leaders and Indian companies started looking for opportunities abroad. Many practises adopted by Indian companies are looked upon as best practises.

One thing that was certainly not looked at was the way the spectrum was auctioned, so much so that now forever the words ‘3G’ and ’scam’ come together. The Minister who is no longer there and his cohorts did not follow norms and have already been convicted in the court of public opinion, even as the Supreme Court and other bodies debate on legal issues.

3G will bring in much greater connectivity and will allow the phone to become a smart device, a computer, actually. In fact, the tech world has already started classifying smart phones as computers. Given the configuration of these phones, they are computers!

Now that number portability is a reality, we will be able to enjoy the benefits of better services, and at more competitive rates. Not everyone will change their numbers, but people can, if they want to do so. It’s all about making a choice. We like to choose because doing so affirms our fundamental belief that we are independent entities, that we have the ability to make choices.

Remember, to retain the land line under DOT rules, you had to pay a ‘deposit’ of Rs 10,000 so that your phone could be ’suspended’ till you needed the number again. Now you have to pay Rs 19 to keep your phone number even as you change your service provider.

The empowerment of number portability, of choosing your phone service provider without giving up your phone number, is all about giving choice to the consumers. Whether they exercise it or not is their prerogative.

A shorter version of this article was published in The Tribune on January 24, 2011.

ਰੁਪਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ

ਟੈਕਨਾਲੌਜੀ ਨੇ ਸਾਡੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦਾ ਮੁਹਾਂਦਰਾ ਹੀ ਬਦਲ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ 2011 ਵੱਲ ਝਾਤ ਮਾਰਦਿਆਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਵੇਖਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਤਕਨੀਕ (ਈ- ਕ੍ਰਾਂਤੀ) ਸਾਡੇ ਰੋਜ਼ਮਰ੍ਹਾ ਦੇ ਰਹਿਣ-ਸਹਿਣ ਦਾ ਇਕ ਅਟੁੱਟ ਅੰਗ ਬਣ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਇਕ ਅੰਦਾਜ਼ੇ ਮੁਤਾਬਕ ਜ਼ਿਆਦਾਤਰ ਭਾਰਤੀਆਂ ਤਕਰੀਬਨ 70 ਫੀਸਦੀ ਕੋਲ ਮੋਬਾਈਲ ਫੋਨ ਹਨ। ਹੋਰਨਾ ਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੁਕਾਬਲੇ ਭਾਰਤ ‘ਚ ਮੋਬਾਈਲ ਫੋਨ ਦੀ ਕਾਲ ਦਰ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਘੱਟ ਹੈ,ਜਿਸ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਅਸੀਂ ਵਡਮੁੱਲੀਆਂ ਸੇਵਾਵਾਂ ਦੀ ਵਧੇਰੇ ਆਸ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ਅੱਜ ਦੇ ਸਮੇਂ ‘ਚ ਉਸੇ ਚੀਜ਼ ਦੀ ਹੋਂਦ ਕਾਇਮ ਰਹੇਗੀ ਜਿਹੜੀ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਲਈ ਲਾਹੇਵੰਦ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ। ਸਥਾਨਕ ਮਾਰਕੀਟ ਵਿਚ ਡਿਜੀਟਲ ਤਕਨੀਕ ਦੇ ਦਾਖਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਵਧਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਲੋੜੀਂਦਾ ਹੁੰਗਾਰਾ ਮੋਬਾਈਲ ਫੋਨਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਪਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। ਖਪਤਕਾਰਾਂ ਤਕ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਆਪਣੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਜ਼ਰੀਏ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਕਰ ਕੇ ਇਸ ਵਿਚ ਵਾਧਾ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ।
ਈ-ਪੁਸਤਕਾਂ ਚੰਗੀ ਤਰੱਕੀ ਕਰਨਗੀਆਂ। ਇਸ ਖੇਤਰ ‘ਚ ਹੋਰ ਬਹੁਤ ਕੁਝ ਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲੇਗਾ। ਭਾਰਤ ਦੇ ਬਣੇ ‘ਵਿੰਕ’ ਦਾ ਮੁਕਾਬਲਾ ਐਪਲ ਆਈਪੈਡ,ਕਿੰਡਲ,ਨੂਕ ਤੇ ਸੋਨੀ ਈ- ਰੀਡਰ ਜਿਹੇ ਵਿਦੇਸ਼ੀ ਬ੍ਰਾਂਡਜ਼ ਨਾਲ ਹੈ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਇਥੇ ਸੌਖਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਹਨ। ਵਿੰਕ ਦੀ ਇਹ ਵਿਸ਼ੇਸ਼ਤਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਇਸ ਦਾ ਵਿਸ਼ਾ-ਵਸਤੂ14 ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਹੈ।
ਯੂਨੀਕੋਡ ਦੇ ਮਾਪਦੰਡ ਅਪਣਾਉਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਮਿਲਦੇ    ਵਿਸ਼ਾ-ਵਸਤੂ ਨੂੰ ਅਸਾਨੀ ਨਾਲ ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰਾਂ ਤੇ ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਉਪਕਰਣਾਂ ‘ਤੇ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਕਰਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ।  ਕੰਪਿਊਟਰ ਤੇ ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਯੰਤਰਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਭਾਰਤੀ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਦਾ ਦਾਖਲਾ ਬਹੁਤ ਸੀਮਤ ਜਿਹਾ ਰਿਹਾ ਹੈ। ਹੁਣ ਤਕ ਹਿੰਦੀ ਦੇ 57,823, ਤੇਲਗੂ ਦੇ 45,963, ਮਰਾਠੀ ਦੇ 31,400, ਤਾਮਿਲ ਦੇ 25,263, ਗੁਜਰਾਤੀ ਦੇ 17,142 ਤੇ ਮਲਿਆਲਮ ਦੇ 14,830 ਲੇਖ ਆਨਲਾਈਨ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਹਨ।  ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਭਾਸ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਮੋਹਰੀ ਰਹੀ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਬਹੁਤ ਘੱਟ ਲੇਖ ਆਨਲਾਈਨ ਵੇਖਣ ਨੂੰ ਮਿਲਦੇ ਹਨ।
ਵਿਕੀਲੀਕਸ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਨੇ ਡਿਜੀਟਲ ਟੈਕਨਾਲੌਜੀ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਅਮਰੀਕੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਖਿਲਾਫ ਜਿਹੜਾ ਮੋਰਚਾ ਖੋਲ੍ਹਿਆ ਉਸ ਨਾਲ ਨਾ ਕੇਵਲ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਬਲਕਿ ਹੋਰਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਸ਼ਰਮਿੰਦਗੀ ਦਾ ਸਾਹਮਣਾ ਕਰਨਾ ਪਿਆ। ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਕੋੋਲ ਅਜਿਹੇ ਕਈ ਦਸਤਾਵੇਜ਼ਾਂ ਦਾ ਭੰਡਾਰ ਹੈ ਜਿਹੜੇ ਆਉਂਦੇ ਕੁਝ ਦਿਨਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਜਨਤਕ ਕੀਤੇ ਜਾਣਗੇ। ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਦੇ ਖੁਲਾਸਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਦੀ ਕੂਟਨੀਤੀ ਦਾ ਤਰੀਕਾ ਬਦਲ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਜੇਕਰ ਇਸ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ‘ਤੇ ਪਾਬੰਦੀ ਜਾਂ ਰੋਕ ਲਗਦੀ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਵੀ ਇਸ ਡਿਜੀਟਲ ਤਕਨੀਕ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ ਨਾਲ ਇਸ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਨੇ ਹੋਰ ਕਈ ਰਾਹ ਖੋਲ੍ਹ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਹਨ।
ਤਕਨਾਲੋਜੀ ਦੇ ਵੱਧਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਭਾਵ ਕਾਰਨ ਆਨਲਾਈਨ ਸ਼ਾਪਿੰਗ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਹੁਲਾਰਾ ਮਿਲਿਆ ਹੈ। ਪਿਛਲੇ ਸਾਲ ਅਪਰੈਲ ਤਕ 77 ਲੱਖ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੇ ‘ਇੰਡੀਅਨ ਰੇਲਵੇਜ਼’ ਦੀ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ‘ਤੇ ਟਿਕਟਾਂ ਦੀ ਆਨਲਾਈਨ ਬੁਕਿੰਗ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਦਸਤਕ ਦਿੱਤੀ। ਅਸੀਂ ਘਰ ਬੈਠੇ ਹੀ ਸਿਨਮੇ ਦੀਆਂ ਟਿਕਟਾਂ ਬੁਕ ਕਰ ਸਕਦੇ ਹਾਂ। ਬੈਂਕਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜਿਆ ਸਾਡਾ ਸਾਰਾ ਕਾਰੋਬਾਰ ਆਨਲਾਈਨ ਹੋ ਚੱਲਿਆ ਹੈ। ਜਿਵੇਂ ਜਿਵੇਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਨੂੰ ਇਸ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਢਾਲ ਲਵਾਂਗੇ ਇਸ ਰੁਝਾਨ ਵਿਚ ਹੋਰ ਵਾਧਾ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ।
ਅਸੀਂ ਇਹ ਮੰਨਦੇ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਇਕ ਉਹ ਸਮਾਂ ਸੀ ਜਦੋਂ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਵਾਈ-ਫਾਈ ‘ਚੋਂ ਬਾਹਰ ਆਉਣਾ ਪਿਆ ਪਰ ਵੱਧਦੀਆਂ ਕੀਮਤਾਂ (ਖਾਸਕਰ ਪੈਟਰੋਲ ਦੀਆਂ) ਨੇ ਮੱਧ ਵਰਗ ਨੂੰ ਤਕੜਾ ਝਟਕਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਅਸਮਾਨ ਛੂੰਹਦੀਆਂ ਤੇਲ ਕੀਮਤਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੱਦੇਨਜ਼ਰ ਲੋਕ ਬਿਜਲਈ ਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਰਜੀਹ ਦੇਣਗੇ। ਬੈਟਰੀ ਨਾਲ ਚੱਲਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਰੇਵਾ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਚੰਗਾ ਵਿਕਲਪ ਹੈ ਪਰ ਬੈਠਣ ਦੀ ਸਮਰੱਥਾ ਘਟ ਹੋਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਸਫਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋ ਸਕੀ। ਮਹਿੰਦਰਾ ਦੇ ਇਸ ਖੇਤਰ ‘ਚ ਆਉਣ ਨਾਲ ਰੇਵਾ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਝ ਹੁਲਾਰਾ ਮਿਲਣ ਦੀ ਸੰਭਾਵਨਾ ਹੈ। ਹਿਉਂਦਈ,ਜਨਰਲ ਮੋਟਰਜ਼ ਤੇ ਟਾਟਾ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਵੀ ਨੇੜ ਭਵਿੱਖ ਵਿਚ ਬਿਜਲਈ ਕਾਰਾਂ ਬਾਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਿਚ ਲਿਆਉਣ ਦੀ ਯੋਜਨਾ ਹੈ।
ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਸਾਡੀ ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦਾ ਅਟੁੱਟ ਅੰਗ ਬਣ ਚੁੱਕਾ ਹੈ। ਉਹ ਲੋਕ ਜਿਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀ ਅਜੇ ਤਕ ਇੰਟਰਨੈੱਟ ਤਕ ਰਸਾਈ ਸੰਭਵ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੋਈ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਕੋਈ ਨਾ ਕੋਈ ਜ਼ਰੀਆ ਲੱਭ ਕੇ ਇਸ ਨਾਲ ਜੁੜਨ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ।

-ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਰੂਪ: ਅਮਰਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ

This article was printed in the Punjabi Tribune on January 24, 2011.

This article is a translation of an article in English on Technology which was printed in the New Year Supplement of  The Tribune titled 2011 The Year of Reckoning. If you haven’t read it, please click here to read this really great edition.

Speed, content, Internet penetration, more languages, better platforms, hi-res screens — Indians want it all

Roopinder Singh

TECHNOLOGY transforms lives and as we look at the year ahead, we see many ways in which it will make inroads into the way we live our day-to-day life. Most Indians own a mobile phone, 70 per cent according to one estimate. Indian mobile phone rates are among the lowest in the world, and thus we expect even more value-added services. Only what people will find useful will survive, not bloatware. On the other hand, mobile phones will provide the needed fillip to increase the digital penetration of the vernacular market. Growth will be increased by reaching out to the users in their languages.

e-books will make a huge progress. More and more dedicated devices are making inroads. The Indian offering Wink competes with a plethora of imported devices, including the Apple iPad, Kindle, Nook and Sony e-reader, all of which are available here. Wink had the added advantage of offering content in 14 Indian languages! As cell phones become smarter, they are going to be used also as e-book readers, further adding to the appeal of these e-books.

Indian language content will also become less of babble because of increasing adoption of Unicode standards which will make the electronic content generated in these languages accessible to various computers and other devices. Till now, the penetration of Indian languages has been low. So far Hindi has 57,823 articles, Telugu 45,963, Marathi 31,400, Tamil 25,263, Gujarati 17,142 and Malayalam 14,830. Punjabi was an early mover, but not much content has been posted online.

An insurgency of the digital kind was unleashed by the WikiLeaks website. Its exposes embarrassed the US government, and many who dealt with them. The website has a huge trove of documents which it is threatening to release in the coming months. Wikileaks has changed the way diplomacy will be conducted, and even if it is shut down, expect something like it to come up in its place.

Net shopping is on the rise as Indians seek convenience and bargains online. The Indian Railways’ website for online booking of tickets was the top travel website in India, with 77 lakh visitors last April. We book our cinema tickets online, have started doing our banking online, with increasing adaption and greater discounts, this trend will rise.

We admit that there are times when we have to move out of WiFi range, but rising prices, especially of petrol, have hit middle class homes hard. Many people want to go for the electric car option, and in the coming year, there will be many offerings. R

eva had an early advantage, but could not muster the numbers. With Mahindra coming in, Reva will get a fillip and provide a green and cheap mode of transport for Indian commuters. Expect new models from them and other electric car versions from established internal combustion engine players like Hyundai, GM and Tata.

We already have the building blocks of our cyber future; we will get better computers, more engaging games and more informative software in the coming year. The Internet, already a part of our lives, will become indispensable; even those people who do not have access to it will use it, through others.

This article on Technology was printed in the New Year Supplement of  The Tribune titled 2011 The Year of Reckoning. If you haven’t read it, please click here to read this really great edition.

What dominated the gadget scene in 2010 are those devices that begin with a lower case ‘i’

iPad: Most coveted tablet device

USERS define themselves by the gadgets they possess, and those they covet. What dominated the scene in 2010 are those devices that begin with a lower case ‘i’. At the top of the heap was the iPad, Apple’s Tablet PC which has crossed the 75 lakh mark in sales, and emerged on must-have lists the world over. Only a trickle of the product has, however, streamed into India.

iPhone: Greatness enhanced

Gadget-lovers have a way of getting what they want from wherever it is available. The top gizmos of the year are truly international, designed in some country, built somewhere else, and used by aficionados in India too.

Apple talks about its products as if they are people. Steve Jobs, the CEO, always says iPad can do this, iPhone can do that, without using the article ‘the’ as if they were real people. Now, who doesn’t want people at their beck and call? Intelligent ones at that, with a friendly interface. No wonder, the iPhone too is on every top-10 list, in spite of controversies about the smartphone’s antenna. So is the iPod and Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air.

Smartphones are among the most desirable items for gadget freaks, and in this category, Samsung Galaxy S is also much celebrated, as is the Nexus One. We expect a lot of movement on this front in the coming months.

Kindle: Book-reading redefined

In 2010, e-books have truly begun revolutionising reading and are fast overtaking printed books in certain forms. Will the trend catch up in India? We will have to just wait and see if it does, but we must acknowledge that e-book readers are here to stay. The iPad is also an e-book reader and so is Nook Color, offered by the largest book retailer in the United States, Barnes and Noble.

Nook: B&Ns comeback kid

Amazon’s Kindle led the pack and still has a tremendous following. The product from Sony too, is widely used. When we have so many choices, it comes down to which features appeal to users. This is also dependent on which e-book services are available to users in India, something that we must keep in mind when we pick up the device which is changing the way gadget lovers are reading their books and magazines. Into this crowded field has jumped in Google Books, without any device, but with more books than others.

Youngsters and the young at heart love gaming, indeed much of their lives revolve around the gaming devices. Here too, it’s a matter of where your loyalties lie.

X Box 360 Arcade: Raw power and more

While practically every gadget offers some gaming facilities, gaming gizmos have a special allure.  Microsoft’s X Box 360 Arcade Kinect,  with its 250GB HD, built-in wi-fi, smaller size, five USB ports, and 45-nanometer chip stole the show.  Nintendo Wii also won much acclaim. Armchair sportsmen had much activity to do in their living rooms!

3D Camcorders? Panasonic has a great offering for normal consumers. A mini-fridge for your desk that uses a USB connection to chill a standard can of Coke, for those who don’t walk down to their refrigerator! What will they think of next?

The New Year will bring up new gizmos. On the horizon are smarter phones, better e-book readers that double up as multi-propose devices, many, many more things to make our life easier and more fun, or at least, that’s what we gizmo-freaks believe.

This article by Roopinder Singh on Technology was published in a special year-end supplement of The Tribune on December 26, 2010

Roopinder Singh

BLACKBERRY blinked first, and the government gave it a 60-day reprieve to find a way to meet India’s internal security concerns. It also lifted the impending ban on some BlackBerry services in India. Soon thereafter, the government announced that it would also ask other service providers to ensure that they comply with laws that require them to provide access to security agencies in India.

Blackberry phone

The genesis of the present showdown goes back to the horrific Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 26, 2008, in which cell phones, satellite phones and other electronic devices were used by the terrorists and their handlers. The government then decided to act in a decisive manner such that it would have access to all forms of electronic data that goes out of India.

Unlike other service providers like Google Inc, Nokia and Microsoft Corp, BlackBerry uses its own servers and security software, as well as centralised data centres for its customers. It thus became the primary target of security forces, even though none of the terrorists had actually used a BlackBerry device. Other service providers use encryption software made by specialised companies like Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc, more familiar to Indian users as the main providers of anti-virus software.

BlackBerry also provides its corporate customers a server called the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) which encrypts mail according to special software “key” that is set up by the customers. It is because of this feature that BlackBerry says that it can’t provide any “open-all” access key, because there is simply no such key.

On the other hand, the government maintains that it must have the ability to monitor the data sent across the servers because of national security concerns and to prevent criminals from using BlackBerry phones to transact business. One way out is that BlackBerry could install an “eavesdropping box” on each BSE, and give the agencies access to that box.

By far, India is not the only country that has issues regarding BlackBerry. France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait are among the nations that had had security concerns regarding BlackBerry services.

The government has also asked other service providers to install servers in India. Nokia has announced that it will do so soon, and now the Gmail and Skype are also being specifically targeted. Once the servers are in India, their operators have to comply with Indian laws, and thus cooperation will become more proactive.

While the security concerns have been addressed, the larger question of providing privacy to the users remains. Indian citizens are well within their right to demand that a proper, transparent and effective system be set up to ensure that the security agencies do not misuse the access granted to them.

The Intelligence Bureau and the National Technical Research Organisation are the two organisations that will primarily deal with electronic surveillance. They will thus be empowered tremendously. With power comes responsibility. The government should have transparent and universal norms, proper procedures and oversight to prevent abuse of power that such access would give.

A system of adequate judicial supervision should be chalked out to ensure that only those specific phones or e-mail IDs are tapped which are justified and necessary. Sometime ago, illegal tapping of mobile phones was exposed by the media. It raised a storm, even in Parliament, but there is no information on what is being done to prevent such incidents in future. The government must ensure accountability among the security agencies.

Individual privacy should be inviolable, unless it is breached for specific legal reasons. Data integrity is crucial to all kinds of transactions, including business transactions which have made BlackBerry phones a preferred choice of the corporate world. The independent BEE servers provided a lifeline to the survivors of the 9/11 New York tragedy, and it became the only network that continued to work even in that trying time.

But then, as BlackBerry, Google and Skype must also realise, while at one level, the world is increasingly borderless, at another, it is not so -all have to conform to the law of the nations they operate in. They must demonstrate their commitment to the security concerns of these nations and work out ways in which they can continue to provide the best service possible to law-abiding users there.

This article was published on a special Oped page of The Tribune devoted to Cyber security on September 6,2010

The recent case of improper disposal of radioactive waste in New Delhi has highlighted the need to be careful in handling such materials, says Roopinder Singh

We are all afraid of radioactivity, yet it plays a vital role in our lives. It is terrible when things go wrong, like they did on April 27, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The plant was located in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the former Soviet Union. Reactor number four at the Chernobyl plant, had a meltdown, which resulted in a fire that caused radioactive fallout into the atmosphere.

Not only was the nearest town, Pripyat, effected, so were large parts of the western Soviet Union, eastern Europe, western Europe, and northern Europe. There have been other disasters, yet nuclear energy is sought as a major resource for the energy-deficient world.

How does a nuclear reactor work? Nuclear power stations use uranium in fission reactions as a fuel to produce energy. They use the heat released during the fission process to generate steam, which turns a turbine to produce electric energy. Of course, the whole process is complex, and operators have to be constantly on the guard to ensure that safety standards are strictly adhered to.

Even though it should always be treated with respect, there are many practical applications of radioactivity or radiation. Radioactive materials are involved in the study living organisms, diagnosing and treating diseases, in testing all kinds of industrial objects, including aircraft and ships, and in sterilising medical instruments and food, etc.

Radioactive Iodine-131 is used to study the function of the thyroid gland by doctors. It is a tracer, i.e. a radioactive element whose pathway through which a chemical reaction can be followed. Similarly, there are other applications for medical usage.

Some universities are also allowed to use radioactive materials, and it was one of these that was the cause of all the trouble in Delhi. A gamma irradiation machine was imported from Canada in the 1970s for use in experiments by chemistry students. It was built by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. in 1968, had been in disuse since 1985. The machine was auctioned away to scrap dealers on February 26 this year.

The scrap went to the Mayapuri, where workers, unaware of its lethal contents, set about dismantling it by removing the protective lead cover, and thus exposing themselves to the radioactive Cobalt-60 isotopes inside it. Although decaying, the radioactive substance was of high intensity and thus the people directly involved in handling the pieces were exposed to high doses of radiation. Severe radiation poisoning was seen in seven persons, one of whom died recently. The other six are also in various hospitals.

Initial media speculation centred around a foreign source of the material, a highly likely scenario since 4,000 tonnes of junk metal is imported as scrap in India every day. Later, the police found that the machine had come from the chemistry department of Delhi University.

The company that supplied the machine apparently responded to the query with great efficiency and supplied the details of the transaction within a few hours. Officials of the AERB and the National Disaster Management Authority surveyed the largest junk market in India and located the radioactive sources and secured them. Thus ended the latest crisis, which had resulted the in the first the first radiation death in the country.

We need to learn our lessons. There is no doubt that a casual attitude towards the disposal of radioactive waste from sources other than nuclear plants has seriously exposed Indians to hazards.

The fact is that thousands of tonnes of scrap metals and waste materials are imported into Indian every day and there is a possibility of radioactive material slipping through the ports. Scanners and other safeguards are absolutely necessary to ensure that such hazardous materials are not allowed to slip into our shores.

Caution has to be the byword while dealing with materials that can be of immense use on the one hand, and harbingers of death, in case, they are misused.

This article was published in the Science and Technology section of The Tribune.

Not revolutionary, but definitely a game changer

by Roopinder Singh

SO much more intimate than a laptop, and so much more capable than a smart phone – Steve Jobs’ description of the latest offering by Apple defines it quite well. Now that the hype over the much-anticipated iPad has decreased, we can have a look at the device and what it will mean to computer users.

The physical description of iPad is simple enough: It measures 9.56 inches, is 7.47 inches wide and just half an inch in height. At 680 grams for the Wi-Fi model (seven grams more for 3G), it is light and sleek. A 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip makes it powerful, and the 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen multi-touch display provides a rich visual experience. I have not used one, but the description as a “bigger iPhone” is enough. The iPhone has really changed the way smart phones are perceived, used and sold. The elegance of Apple’s operating system is beguiling – there is nothing like it in any other computing universe.

It is interesting that the iPad’s screen is slightly larger than that of the Macintosh, the first Apple that I owned in 1985. It was the first commercially successful personal computer (PC) to use images, rather than text, to interface with the user, and was way more elegant and user-friendly than comparable PCs, like the IBM PC AT that operated on the Microsoft’s archaic MS-DOS 3.0.

It was simply a walkover. The Mac was fun, and the MS-DOS didn’t even know the word! The screen was black and white, you could not customise anything, but everything you needed, the hardware as well as the software was available out of the box.

Computers and the mouse had existed before Apple took Xerox’s GUI, tweaked it and made computing far more approachable to the normal user. It was not innovation, but implementation that set Apple apart. In fact, Apple normally uses various things that are already available, and puts them together in such a way that not only do they work well together – they also provide an experience that makes users pay a premium.

iPad is getting rave reviews already from the few who have used it. It is a tablet computer, which simply means that it is a slate shaped computer device that has a touch screen and is mobile. The multi-touch screen, which we have seen on iPhone and iPod Touch too, responds not only to touch, but also to gestures. It has access to literally over lakh applications, some free.

All this sets it apart from an ordinary tablet PC or e-reader. The iPad will let you use content – see it, hear it and read it – and also input content through the virtual keyboard on the screen will allow you to do so, say in case you want to answer your e-mails or write something. For many, the announcement that iPad has a keyboard dock is significant, as virtual typing has its limitations, especially when one is typing long documents.

Your digital photos will be displayed and organised in various ways, and you can see movies, or play games. The organiser has a great look and feel, and there are also good word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programmes.

The New York Times was the first paper to come on board the iPad. With a motion sensor, you get the landscape mode, and thus you can read your paper, magazines, etc., on the go. They will come with advertisements, a point which scores over Kindle and enhances the Apple appeal for publishers. Macmillan, HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Hachette have already come aboard the iPad — you can buy their latest books online.

As of now, Apple store sells books at a higher price than Amazon’s Kindle. There is much speculation that iPad’s media-rich platform will soon have books that just won’t just be words…they will have sound and video, too. Apple has also inked a deal with ScrollMotion, a content technology company based in New York, to handle textbooks for iPad. Will this be the end of the heavy school bag? Not yet, and certainly not here, since iBooks is initially only for the US, but a beginning is being made.

Incidentally, both Kindle and its competitor Nook, brought out by the Barnes and Noble bookstore, use a technology called iInk, which is better for reading long texts, since the screen is not back-lit and thus does not cause eyes to strain.

Browsing on the Web, indeed downloading newspapers and magazines will be significantly impaired by the fact that like there is no support for Adobe Flash, which has become a standard in displaying interactive graphics, animations, etc., while browsing.

The lack of multitasking support is as inexplicable as that of a camera, or for that matter a USB port to enable easier exchange of data. Some of these are things that will probably get sorted out soon, some may never be, and if so, will impact the user experience. Gaming on iPad will probably find many users, but the real aficionados will want (even) more power, and many games run on Flash and Java, both of which are not supported by iPad.

The iTunes store has sold millions of songs and redefined the way people access music online. Over a lakh of applications have been developed for the iPhone, and can be used on the iPad, many are being optimised for this task right now..

iPhone may not be an e-book reader to beat Kindle or Nook, both of which are easier on the eyes in the long run and have a longer battery life; it may not be like the regular Net-books, which have real keyboards and can fold into the pocket; it may not even be a communication device that can replace your smart phone. The iPad is a product of its own kind and how it evolves will depend on what use its owners put it for. Apple has a history of making devices that sell well and shape the future, because they already have a foot in it.

This article was published on the OpEd page of The Tribune on February 6, 2010