By Shirish Ranjita

Cell Phone often called mobile phone is becoming digital equipment that has become an inseparable piece of a personal decoration. One could say that cell phone is like an ornament to a person. As there are many different types of ornament to meet every individual’s taste, there are many different types of cell phone too to suit everybody’s taste. 

In USA, the most popular phones are flip phones with the key pad covered by the upper screen. In Europe and East Asia, the popular phone seems to be a small phone without a flip cover. There are many varieties of cell phones to suit everybody’s need.

In the beginning, cell phones used to be only for telecommunication. However, current-makes and models of cell phones can do many things besides talking to your best friend. Most of the cell phones have camera and video systems. In addition, cell phones have a text-messaging system, music player, wireless internet, and now even your personal digital assistant (PDA). So, many small-personal devices are merging to become an everything-in-one-device cell phone. 

In our experience, the audio-video system has been a great feature that tends to be not-used as often as it should have been. This has been one of the under-used features due to the fact that the phone companies in USA have prevented cell-phone owners to download data from their phone without paying charges to the telephone company. There are few devices that allow owners to download data directly to their computer; but these devices are between far and few.

In USA, the most popular phone has been Motorola Razor Thin. It is slim phone with elegance. Its features are camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth wireless, and a voice-activated system. This phone lacks PDA. The Bluetooth feature allows connecting the wireless phone to other devices such as an earphone or a computer. 

Palm makes Trio model cell phones that include PDA features with a large screen. It is not a flip phone but has a camera and memory expansion slot for music and data. Trio is mostly commonly used by business folks who require their emails and calendars handy.

Cell phone as an ornament has various optional features besides talking-features. Many different models are available for the reason that different people have different tastes for their ornament.

Also published in www.kathmandumetro.com

Mac vs. PC: Things you need to know

By Shirish Ranjit

PC the short form for Personal Computer is widely known for a computer with Microsoft Operating System Software. Mac is the short form for Macintosh Personal Computers from Apple, and has an Apple-operating system that works on UNIX Operating System Software.

Apple computer first came with desktop display on its early version of personal computers. Apple has focused on desktop publishing and high-end desktop users that require faster and robust desktop computers. This led to Apple’s product line of high-end desktop, which is useful to desktop publishers, graphic designers, and movie animators. Apple has focused on producing high quality software for those users. However, Apple did not focus on producing office-productivity software such as MSWord, Excel and so on. Microsoft provided the office-productivity software for Mac.

Microsoft has primarily focused on providing software for personal computers. They developed a command–line-based-operating system called DOS and licensed it to PC makers. Eventually, Microsoft dominated the operating system for PCs. Microsoft’s Windows are very similar to Mac desktop. The Microsoft’s operating-system products are Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000, XP and the latest version- Vista.

Microsoft was able to use the knowledge of its operating system to produce better office software such as MSWord, and Excel. Since Microsoft based PCs are so prevalent, there are many different software for various needs. However, Mac has software for only certain specialized users.

So, a user needs to know a particular type of system that meets the need out of different types of computer systems available in the market based on the cost and benefit.

Most of the computer users at home have their needs fulfilled by PC with Microsoft operating systems. However, since the explosion of Internet, there have been many viruses to break into the system or crash PCs. These viruses have been particularly affecting Microsoft operating systems and causing many failures. This is probably the most negative aspect of using Microsoft Windows on Internet. Besides virus, Windows has been an unstable system. However, they have been improving their product quality.

Mac has a robust-operating system with robust hardware that makes using Mac much more enjoyable. Mac system has been hardly affected by viruses. The only drawback is its high price and fewer software products available. However, Mac also has been improving their software products.

Lately, many software providers have been providing their software for both Mac and PC.

So, you need to determine whether you want to buy Mac or Microsoft-based PC. Though Mac is pricy compare to PC, they have better hardware, performance, and security while lower price PCs are vulnerable to viruses. Mac is easy to connect and use Internet. It is also easy to connect with other computers. Though the software in PCs has been improving their software reliability and security, it is still open to viruses and unwanted crashes.

Also Published in www.kathmandumetro.com

iPod vs Zune – Battle for your ears:

Zune is the Microsoft’s attempt to get into the music-player market. Though Zune is hyped as a more than iPod, it falls short of iPod in many respects. First of all, Zune lacks the image “Coolness” of owning one. In the case of iPod, you do not have to show you have an iPod, your ear plug shows it. On the features side, Zune cannot do video playbacks and lacks the support for host of audio/videos notably podcast and audio books. In comparing display, Zune has larger pixels that cover its large screen making the display less of quality compare to the iPod’s half inch smaller display.

Zune trumpeted the wifi and radio tuner features but when exchanging songs, it can only exchange songs with other Zunes only. The wifi feature it has cannot connect Internet or the wifi network for exchanging data. Songs received from another Zune can be played only three times or remain in Zune for three days. After the expiration, you have to buy songs from the Microsoft’s music store.

You can use iPod as your data store as well as your PDA. However, Zune is just a MP3 player for which you have to buy songs from Microsoft’s music store with credit points that are harder to figure out how much it cost. For example, 79 points buy a song which costs 99 cents for buying a song for iTune. The Zune music stores also provide subscriptions. However, when subscription expires, the songs you bought with it also expire. Whereas, the iTune music stores provide you with a song for 99 cents and let you have it forever.

The wheel on an iPod is the coolest feature but Zune has only the feature that looks like it but actually is four navigational keys.

So far, a coolest music player has been iPod; Zune does need to make any dent on the coolness of the iPod yet.

This page about the technology.