Your data can move online and be accessible through any computer or smartphone with big Internet companies now offering unlimited storage using cloud computing

Roopinder Singh

Anywhere, anytime, on any machine. The world’s top technology companies promise you the moon, and all that they expect you to do is to rise up to the clouds to get it. They are giving you services that will keep your data safe and make it accessible, provided you have internet or data connectivity, of course.

Google launched the much-anticipated Google Drive or GDrive as it is popularly known, recently and users can now access it for storing their files. Basically, it is an online locker where you can store files so that you can access them later or share them with others.
All that you have to do is install a small application, and once you have it, you can synchronise the cloud storage with the hard drive on your personal computer, or on another device.

Cloud computing

We know that many computer users have computers at home as well as their offices. They may even have smartphones, which are, in effect, small computers. Often, the files that they sa

ve on one computer are not accessible on another, unless they physically transfer these files, normally using flash or pen drives.

This is where cloud computing comes in. It is basically a service that delivers computing requirements to end-recipients through the internet. These services could be storage or even using software that is not on your computer, but one that you have access to through the Net. We will focus on the storage aspect in this article.

Other alternatives

Long before GDrive came on the scene, the cloud was a crowded place. Box (founded 2005), Dropbox (founded 2007) and Microsoft’s Live Drive, which has now become SkyDrive, all had made a place for themselves, as did many other cloud-storage services.

Dropbox  dominates the cloud-storage market right now. It offers 2GB of online storage for free, as compared with 5 GB for Google Drive and 7 GB for SkyDrive. Dropbox is compatible with practically all popular mobile and desktop platforms, which is a huge advantage, right now. SkyDrive is Microsoft’s answer to GDrive. It preceded GDrive by many years and its recent re-launch has brought the traditional rivalry to the fore.

Online office

Both Google and Microsoft have online office suits that they seek to promote through their cloud storage offerings. SkyDrive favours Microsoft Office file formats and, thus, editing a Word document on the go, is a snap. On the other hand, GDrive is deeply integrated with Google’s own office suit, Google Docs, to an extent that it seems like an extension of Google Docs. The downside to this is that your files have to be converted to the Docs format if you want to edit them. However, you can export these files in a variety of formats, and 450 new fonts and 60 templates have just been added.

Google is already the most-preferred search engine. It has a popular e-mail service, and a dominant smartphone operating system. It is perfectly poised to take advantage of the fact that many Google users simply do not want to leave the Google universe, and appreciate the tight integration that comes by being on one platform.

Dropbox advantage

As we have noted, the big giant on the cloud is an old-timer, Dropbox. It scores with its simple, uncluttered style, and has added new features with which you can upload and share photographs online, even as you take them with your smartphone.

As cloud storage becomes more popular, we will have more features from a variety of companies. We have just discussed the top three, there are many. The online world is getting better, and you have nothing to lose but the shackles of your personal computer that you trade in for the cloud that will put you data at your fingertips, no matter where you are.

TOP THREE

Google Drive

Free storage: 5 GB

Paid storage: Extra storage available in tiers from 25 GB ($30/year) and 100 GB ($60/year) all the way up to 16 TB ($9,600 per year)

Online document editing: Yes, with Google Docs

Operating System: Windows, Mac, Android

Dropbox

Free storage: 2 GB

Paid storage: Free; Pro packages available in tiers of 50/100 GB for $99/$199 per year

Online document editing: No

Operating System: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, BlackBerry

SkyDrive

Free storage: 7 GB

Paid storage: Extra storage available in 20/50/100 GB increments, at $10/$25/$50 per year, respectively

Online document editing: Yes, with Office Web Apps

Operating System: Windows, iOS, Windows Phone, Mac; Android apps via third parties

 This article was published in the Trends pullout of The Tribune on June 12, 2012.

Apple brings about major changes in the best-selling tablet in the world that will enhance user experience
Roopinder Singh

IT looks no different than its predecessor, but it has already set aficionados’ hearts aflutter, and with a fine sense of sophisticated marketing, Apple is calling its latest offering Resolutionary. 

iPad—just that, no prefixes, no suffixes. Apple’s latest product dispensed with the naming conventions with the same elegance that the company has dismissed computing conventions, to give a product that is easy-to-use, one that people find useful and a great addition to their lives. It weighs a little more than its predecessor

On the day Apple released iPad in California, I met Stella, in Chandigarh. The four-year-old uses her parents’ iPad with practised ease to draw and express herself. For this little chatterbox, the iPad is just another device; she is not intimidated by it in any way.

A child can use it! That’s what Apple would be proud of. 

iPad is heralded as the icon of the post-PC world. The device was introduced only in April 2010, and it took just four months to sell over a billion of these devices, and by the time iPad2 was announced on March 2, 2011, almost 15 million iPads were in the hands of people who had downloaded millions of applications for their use.

Retina display

iPad, the latest one, offers some great goodies, and has significant improvements over its predecessors. The most visible change is, of course, the Retina Display with 2048-by-1536 resolution for the 9.7″ screen. This is an eye-popping resolution that is familiar to the users of the iPhone 4 family. 

The first two models of the iPad had a resolution of 1,024-by-768 pixels, and the new one is four times of that. This high resolution, according to Steve Jobs, when he introduced it for the first time for the iPhone, is enough “that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when (the phone or the tablet is) held at a normal distance.”

Nitpicking purists do point out there is a difference in the pixels-per-inch on the iPhone 4S’ (326 ppi) and the iPad (264 ppi). Thus the iPad has 20 per cent less pixel density, but then you hold the iPad at a different distance from the eye than the iPhone, and thus the debate goes on…

New processor

It is really difficult to pack in so many pixels and thus the need for a powerful processor, the dual-core A5X chip. Apple has, however, boosted the graphics component to four cores. In the tablet’s technical specifications, it calls it “quad-core graphics.” This allows the iPad to handle the increased pixels of the higher-resolution screen with ease and fluidity that you expect an Apple tablet to have.

Can take dictation

The 5-megapixel iSight camera is a bit of a disappointment, since it is akin to its counterpart in iPhone 4, rather than the one on iPhone 4S, which has an 8 megapixel camera. The iPad offers HD video capture at 1080 p, which is similar to what iPhone 4S has. Video capture and a FaceTime camera for video chat are the standard offerings with the high-speed LTE wireless broadband as optional. 

The iPad also features speech-to-text dictation, which can be a boon for those who find it difficult to type on a virtual keyboard. You touch a microphone icon next to the space bar on the on-screen keyboard, and viola! You can dictate and see the words you speak typed—that too in English, French, German and even in Japanese! The full-featured voice assistant Siri, is, however, not yet available. 

Now, we all know that the hardware improvements mean more to nerds than to ordinary users. Others can give similar or even better hardware, and notably Samsung and Sony have done so. 

Apple’s strength has also been been its application (app) store through which customers can download apps that they want for the activities that they would like to do. 

Apple provides more apps than anyone else, and more people make apps for Apple than they do for any competitor. Thus you have apps for every kind of thing—the most popular categories include games, books, entertainment, education and lifestyle. 

App my world

How popular are these apps? Shortly before the latest iPad was unveiled, a customer in China download the 25 billionth app from the App Store, which offers 5,85,000 apps!

Its closest competitor, the recently re-named Google Play, can’t match it in numbers, although it has been seen that most of the popular apps are available on practically all platforms, including Android, Windows Phone 7, RIM BlackBerry, and even Symbian, Nokia’s practically defunct smart phone operating system, which recently made waves for being the OS platform on which Nokia demonstrated its latest 41 mega pixel camera phone.

Apps contribute in great measure to the experience of using the iPad. No wonder Apple used its strength in music and showed off its GarageBand, app, which has many features to make music, and allows as many as four musically inclined individuals to collaborate, over wi-fi and make a recording that can be edited and posted online. Then there is the Apple iPhoto, with rather advanced features that make optimal use of the touch screen as well as the new display. 

Faster connectivity

As the world moves on to 4G, so has Apple. The new iPad supports 4G or Long-Term Evolution network (LTE), as it is known in the US. It holds the promise of blazingly fast 72Mbps (megabits-per-second) connectivity. It also downshifts its performance to support 3G standards. 

Of course, we know that in India 4G support is still awaited, and even 3G is patchy, at best. So, Indians will probably get the best connectivity when they take their iPads along with them on holidays abroad, but still, the promise is great and in metros at least, there is hope that this feature will be useful for us. 

Availability

Right now, iPad is available in Apple’s retail stores in the US, and also through the online Apple store. The best part is that it costs the same, as its predecessor did. (see box). Apple has also retained the 16 GB version of its earlier iPad2, and has announced that it is dropping its price by Rs 5,000 in India. 

The new iPad will be available in India by the end of the month, but then there is often a lag as supply tries to fulfil demand. Soon many people will purchase the latest tablet, even as others wait eagerly to get one for themselves.

The post-PC world is here. We will either have it in our hands, or look over the shoulders of others to see its rich display and the fantastic graphics.

 

 

This article was published in the Trends supplement of The Tribune on March 17, 2012.

The all new iPad

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