Ravi S. Iyer: Worldly

A popular wireless router is Netgear's WGR614 http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/WirelessGRouters/WGR614.aspx . The current model-version seems to be WGR614v9. [Quite unusual seeing a version no. (v9) in the hardware product (WGR614). I get the impression the product name has been the same for a few years.] Its key specs are: Supports 802.11g (54 Mbps), 1 WAN port (10/100 Mbps), 4 LAN ports (10/100 Mbps). It also is pretty compact. While there are better models (802.11n support - 150/300 Mbps), this model is economical. I paid around Rs. 1600 (in Nov. 2009). I had thought that using this wireless router along with my (non wireless) BSNL supplied DSL modem would be the right way to go for wired (PC) and wireless (ipod Touch, Laptop) internet access over wired BSNL broadband connection. While it does work, today I feel I should have gone for a wireless router from BSNL instead. The disadvantages of Netgear wireless router + BSNL DSL modem are: In the area where I live...

This article describes the procedure I used to set up my ipod Touch 8 GB (Fall 2009) to be a Sanskrit/Hindi/English pocket ebook reader. Most of what has been written here should also apply to an iPhone. However I do not have an iPhone and so cannot be sure. Great Deal for ipod Touch!! I got a great deal for ipod Touch 8 GB, 3rd Gen (Fall 2009) model. I paid Rs 9,600 for it on ebay in Mid-November 2009. I am very satisfied with the ebay seller's packaging, delivery and interaction on phone. Here's the link to the shop: http://stores.ebay.in/customershoponline . Downloading ipod Touch apps from iTunes AppStore To be able to buy Apps from iTunes AppStore you need a credit card which can be used to pay in Dollars. If you only have Rupee debit cards, here is some info about one possible solution: http://www.shanavas.com/entropay-card-free-virtual-credit-card/ Note that to even download free apps you need to specify a credit card number in iTunes. In my case I was able to use one of...

A search for an affordable pocket ebook reader for Sanskrit/Hindi/English (and perhaps other Indian languages like Telugu) In the past few weeks (more like couple of months), I have been exploring some devices which could act as pocket ebook readers that can handle Indian languages as well as English. I finally bought an ipod Touch and am quite happy with it. Thought others may be interested in my explorations and so am sharing the same. This is a long post and will perhaps be boringly detailed to most readers. But I thought it is better to record most of my observations as that may be of help to some wanna-be user of Sanskrit/Hindi/other-Indian-language pocket ebook reader devices. Broadly the options were a regular ebook reader or a smart phone. BTW I prefer pocket size so that I can read as I walk and also carry it in my pocket. So around 4" diagonal seems to be ideal. Larger than that could be somewhat unwieldy to walk-and-read for a long time, and certainly to carry in a ...

Ipod Touch/iPhone OS does not seem to have the ability to render ‘complex script’ languages like Sanskrit/Hindi. So the default applications like Safari or applications that rely on iPhone OS font rendering ability do not show Sanskrit/Hindi documents/web pages properly. http://ifiddling.blogspot.com/2009/01/hindi-is-broken-on-iphone-as-of-22.html gives a pretty detailed account of the problem but does not mention the phrase 'complex script'. It has links to images showing iphone browser not rendering Hindi and Telugu web pages properly!!! For convenience I am giving those links here as well: Hindi on iPhone problem , Telugu on iPhone problem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Enabling_complex_text_support_for_Indic_scripts#Mac_OS_X is a great page explaining 'complex script' Indic language issue. Sanskrit PDF Rendered Properly Fortunately Sanskrit/Hindi PDF files are rendered properly by Safari as well as PDF reader apps (I checked out FileApp & GoodR...

Bought Logitech PureFi Express Plus iPod Speaker a few days ago. Based my decision on reviews available on the Net. Could not find many reviews from India. If anybody would like me to write a user review of it, please post your request to this blog entry and I will spend the time to write the review. Overall I am quite happy with the product.

Came across a post on mp4Nation where a guy's JXD 951 player seems to have got nearly bricked and he was asking for some help ( http://www.mp4nation.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8353 ). Thought I could see if I could dig up the info as I may land in a similar predicament later! As of now my JXD 951 1 GB model is working fine. I also have a copy of the files on the disc that came with the player. It has a folder called driver_5000 which has a single file 5000Driver_v2.0.exe. On reading the web pages listed below and also installing the 5000Driver_v2.0.exe, it seems that this contains the drivers that come into play when you have to install/upgrade the firmware from PC to the JXD 951 player. [The driver does not seem to be required for just copying media files between PC and player. BTW the driver installation 'silently' installs files to C:\Windows\SPCA5000]. But the 5000Driver_v2.0.exe does not have the firmware itself. That has to be procured separately. I browsed th...