Sunday, August 27, 2006

N70 - a review

Was going through rajan's views on the Nokia N series platform. Thought I'd post my review of the N70:

The +ves: Impressive camera - in dark lighting, the 2mpx cam of the N70 beats my 4mpx olympus hands down. Nice features - the mp3 player, calender functionality, opera, big screen, symbian OS with its themes. Great looks.

The -ves: Nokia's PCSuite is a pain - has more problems than I've encountered in any software recently and screws up the phone if it hangs. The phone's much more bulkier than my earlier 6610, the software too is much slower.

In sum: Think of it as carrying a small multimedia PC, not a phone (true, considering its processing power, memory and features would have been the envy of a PC 5 years back).

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all.

MS Subbulakshmi singing the Ganesh Pancharatnam : What a voice!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Mahabalipuram


I never knew Mahabalipuram was this close. Most of us Chennaiites remember it a place lying somewhere post Muttukadu and before Pondicherry where kids go on picnic. (Chennai's rapid expansion has put it within 15 mins from city limits). Last time I visited the place, I was in the 6th/7th standard at school - it was barren & hot - and I didn't have too many good memories of the place. But this time it was different - and its not just my viewpoint that has changed.

The ASI seems to be doing a good job of renovating and maintaining these monuments - the sculptures I remembered as strewn all over are neatly arranged, gardens surround most areas and the omnipresent security guards prevent all the littering they can. Plus, the 10 buck entry ticket has certainly worked wonders in preventing an unruly crowd from overrunning the monuments.

Mahabalipuram is certainly worth a visit - the craftmanship is absolutely impressive. Plus the drive along ECR and the beach add to the pleasure.