I had bought the Asus N-10 before buying this. The Asus was not reliable and dropped connections frequently.
Pros:
Comes bundled with splitter unlike Asus N-10
Support for N-300 speeds and not N-150 like Asus
Gigabit ethernet ports
USB connectivity for adding an external Hard drive as a network drive
Good range
Cons:
- USB connectivity is not very fast (2MB/s)
- UI is not as good as the Asus N-10
Note: If you are on Airtel, the username is too long to enter in the setup wizard, so just enter a part of the username which will save the configuration. Then change it by going into the web interface manually.
Google Maps on Nokia E71
19/06/2010
Google recently updated their Google Maps application for Symbian phones and I have to say they have done a great job on it! It works better than the Ovi Maps in my opinion. You can get it here.
Pros:
- Works with or without a GPS signal. GPS signal improves the accuracy.
- More detailed maps than Ovi.
- Sync with your favourite locations saved in your Google account.
Cons:
- Need a data plan and active Network because the maps are downloaded in real-time, unlike Ovi maps where you can download the maps on your handset beforehand.
- No Navigation but gives you Driving directions.
MS Outlook Exchange email on Nokia E71
19/06/2010
Most of the decent applications to sync your Outlook accounts with the Nokia are not free. But recently emoze made their application available for free. It’s a pretty nifty app that can sync your Outlook Email, Calendar and Contacts using OWA (Outlook Web Access). Download the mobile app here and try it out. You can even use it to sync to your Gmail, Facebook Messages and many other email accounts.
Nokia silently released a version of Ovi Maps 3.03 for the E71, which gives you free navigation. Also, you can download the maps of your choice by using the Nokia Map Loader in conjunction with Nokia PC Suite.
Enjoy!
Whatever happens, Happens for a reason
02/03/2010
I had mentioned in some of my earlier posts about my GMAT and my decision to come back to India and work in the Family business. I took these decisions to try and build a strong MBA application. Since September 2009 I have been on a roller coaster ride of applying/waiting/acceptance/rejection from MBA schools.
The roller coaster started off with Richard Ivey school of Business at London, Ontario, regarded as one of the best schools in Canada with a strong focus on case studies and small class sizes. I applied in the first round and received an invitation for an interview. I was confident with my application, essays and knowledge about my industry that I decided not to stress out too much about the interview. My interview went well and I came out thinking I had a good shot of getting in. The 2 week wait after the interview was insane and finally I was requested for another interview over the phone. Now Ivey does not have two interview rounds, so this could only mean that they weren’t sure about me. The telephone interview didn’t go well and I had a bad feeling about it and my feelings were proven correct when I got a reject email in November.
In the meantime I had started my application for Queen’s in Kingston, Ontario and ISB, Hyderabad. My weakness was my interview with Ivey and I resolved not to make the same mistakes I did with Ivey. I started researching about the interview questions asked by these schools and preparing for them. I practiced mock interviews and with each run I got more confident and came up with better answers.
Fortunately, I got accepted for interviews at both Queen’s (January 21) and ISB (Jaunary 31). The Queen’s interview went very well and I had a good feeling about it. I got an acceptance email on January 28th from Queen’s which helped me relax a bit for my ISB interview.
I was very happy at getting an interview call from ISB, rated among the top 3 schools in India and 12th in the world by FT. Admission is very competitive at ISB with an applications to admits ratio of 1:10 and I didn’t have much hope of getting in. On the day of the interview I took a flight from Kolkata to Hyderabad and arrived 5 hours before my interview. I spent those 5 hours trying NOT to think about the interview by watching Top Gear and Big Bang Theory on my laptop. This worked pretty well till about 45 minutes before my interview when I started getting nervous! I quickly changed into the formals I had brought along and went for my interview. Everyone had to write an essay and the topic was “India as a superpower”, which I had no problems writing about. I talked to a few students to take my mind off the interview and I got my interview call 30 minutes after the scheduled time. One of the panel member came out to greet me and walked me to the interview room. My interview lasted 20 minutes and I walked out with a mixed bag of feelings. I was able to answer most of the questions but the one question that made me nervous was about my lack of experience in the family business (i had been working for only 6 months). I might have worked for only 6 months but it was the quality of the experience rather than the quantity. I was able to work with the senior management and get involved in decision making at the managerial levels about finance, operations, HR etc. I expected this to be a good enough answer but just the fact that I was asked that made me nervous.
I took the flight back to Kolkata the same day and returned home to Rourkela on the next day. All I could think about throughout this journey was ISB and my interview, which could have been better. After a couple of days ISB was out of my mind and I was focused on going to Queen’s, when suddenly on February 12th I got an acceptance email from ISB!! 3 days before their official decision date. I couldn’t believe my eyes and I was ecstatic! My search for an MBA school was over after 5 months 
. I got into a school that I didn’t expect to and didn’t believe I could actually get in. ISB will help me network with professionals from India and help me do business in India.
I got rejected from Ivey but it helped me prepare for ISB and Queen’s. Also, if I had gotten into Ivey, I would’ve never applied to ISB. Whatever happens, happens for a reason .
*Rant* – Car Listings
10/02/2010
When looking at cars online most users tend to sort the results by price, with the lowest first. The dealers annoyingly put up their cars with a price of “$CALL” which puts them right at the top of the list. You then have to browse through these cars to actually get to the car with a price tag on it. That is very annoying and irritating!
Tips for setting up Nokia Messaging
25/12/2009
- You need to create an account at http://email.nokia.com and install the application by sending yourself a SMS from your account.
- Make sure there is a packet data connection on your cellphone, it doesn’t have to be active. Nokia Messaging just needs a packet data connection to continue the setup.
More info http://betalabs.nokia.com/betas/view/nokia-messaging-for-s60-5th-edition and http://thenokiaguide.com/2009/08/12/problem-solved-nokia-messaging-requires-packet-data-connection-for-setup/
Setting up GPRS on Reliance GSM on E71
25/12/2009
For real internet access without a proxy you need to setup Reliance Smartnet (smartnet) on your cellphone. This is different than RelianceWAP (rwap) which works via a proxy and won’t allow your applications to access the Internet. The official way of messaging “ALL” to 55100 did not work for me as my phone was not found in their database. I had to contact the Reliance customer service (*333) a couple of times for them to send me the settings or enter them manually. Once I had smartnet settings on my cellphone I recharged my number with Rs.303 which gives me unlimited data for 30 days. After the recharge I was able to access the Internet and run applications (eBuddy, Nokia Email, Opera, Skype, Facebook etc.).
Roundabouts vs. Traffic Lights
11/11/2009
After living in Gurgaon/Delhi for a month now I realize the pros and cons of roundabouts. They seem like a good idea because traffic doesn’t have to stop unless someone else has the right of way. During light traffic cars from multiple directions can go around the roundabout simultaneously without having to stop, unlike a traffic signal where they’d have to wait for a green. However, during heavy traffic when people are in a rush, drivers loose any self-control and attack the roundabout like chicken with their heads cut off. This results in total chaos and deadlocks. In such circumstances traffic lights would work better.
Therefore in conclusion, roundabouts in light traffic areas and traffic lights in heavy traffic areas.
I see a lot users having trouble with getting in to the modem/gateway configuration page a.k.a http://192.168.1.1.
Follow the steps below to get to the configuration page.
1. Disconnect the phone line from the modem.
2. Configure your TCP/IP settings in Windows by going into Network Connections and right-click on LAN:
3. Now click on TCP/IPv4 and then Properties:
4. Enter the values as shown and click OK:
You should now be able to access your BSNL modem/gateway. Remember to change these settings back to “Obtain IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically” once you have configured your gateway’s DHCP server. Read this post on how to do configure your DHCP server.
