Beyond net neutrality

As the debate for net neutrality rages on, Timothy B. Lee writes this detailed but easy-to-understand article on what it is and runs through the evolution of this debate.

https://www.vox.com/2014/5/2/5665890/beyond-net-neutrality-the-new-battle-for-the-future-of-the-internet

English words with interesting meanings

There are many intriguing words in English that carry interesting meanings. This post will list some of those words.

Frugal - (adjective) using only as much money or food as is necessary. Example: We cannot live with frugal engineering alone.

Serendipity - (noun) finding something valuable or delightful by chance.

Petrichor - (noun) The pleasant, earthy smell that follows a fresh rain.

Defenestration - (noun) The act of throwing someone out of a window.

Sonder - (noun) The realization that each passerby has a life as vivid and complex as your own.

Huawei Wingle E8231/E8231s-1 Data Card: Easy Wi-Fi Hotspot for up to 10 devices

The Wingle E8231/E8231s-1 data card is a USB dongle manufactured by Huawei Technologies that lets you create a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 devices by using a 2G/3G SIM card for your data communication needs. It is powered by plugging in to the USB port on a laptop or directly on power adapter with a USB output socket.

Huawei Wingle E8231

I ordered the E8231 in May 2014 when it was retailing in Flipkart for Rs. 1,999 inclusive of all taxes. The delivery was quick, and I had the device in my hands just the next day. The box includes the data card and a quick start guide.

Setup

Setting up the device is simple and easy. Remove the back cover and insert a SIM card into the card slot, plug it in to a USB port on a laptop on a power adapter with a USB output socket. The device will connect to the network-enabled SIM and create a Wi-Fi hotspot to which up to 10 devices can connect.

Performance

Running on a Balong 330 Chipset the device handles up to 10 connections seamlessly while providing a download throughput of 21.6 Mbps and upload throughput of 5.76 Mbps. The device functions as expected and doesn't face any connection drops.

Display

There is no display on this device. There are two LED lights, one to indicate the power status and the other to indicate the Wi-Fi connectivity status.

Internal Storage

There is no option for storing any data in its internal storage.

Expandable Storage

There is no option for additional storage.

Battery

The device does not have a built-in battery but is powered by a standard USB port.

Connectivity

The device supports a single 2G/3G SIM card on the HSPA+, HSDPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSUPA networks. On the WLAN front it supports Wi-Fi 802.11. It allows multiple devices to connect to the internet using its Wi-Fi hotspot with a total throughput of 21.6 Mbps.

SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)

The maximum SAR value for this device is 1.131 W/kg.

FCC ID

The FCC ID for the device is QISE8231S-81 and the reports are available here.

Warranty

The product comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty on the device.

Conclusion

My experience with the data card has been good. I haven't faced any connection drops, and the speed throughput is good of the mobile network connection is good. For anyone looking for a solution like this, I would highly recommend it.

The user manual is available here at ManualsLib and here at the FCC ID database.

Sony Xperia Z Model C6602: Excellent camera with water-resistance

The Sony Xperia Z is a 5-inch Android-based smartphone made by Sony Mobile Communications. The phone was first announced at CES in January 2013 and was first released on 9 February 2013 in Japan.

Xperia Z Model C6602

This phone boasts a design that's as tough as it is elegant, encased in resplendent glass. It's not just a pretty face; it's certified IP55 and IP57 for water resistance up to one meter, keeping its cool for up to 30 seconds underwater. Both the front and back panels sport tempered glass with an anti-shatter film coating. It is available in various models based on locales and wireless carriers:

1. C6602 (worldwide with UMTS only)
2. C6603 (worldwide with UMTS and LTE)
3. C6606 (T-Mobile U.S. with UMTS and LTE)
4. C6616 (Bell Canada with UMTS and LTE)
5. SO-02E (NTT Docomo Japan with UMTS and LTE)

I ordered the C6602 in pitch black on March 13, 2013 when it was available for pre-order in Flipkart India for Rs. 39,190 inclusive of all taxes. The shipping was free, and I had the device in my hands on March 20.

The box included the handset with the battery built in, a travel charger, a USB cable, Sony earplugs with extra ear buds and the user manual. Flipkart also shipped a pair of Sony MDR-ZX300 over-the-head stereo headphones in the package.

Setup

Setting up the device is simple. Just pop open the flap on the right to insert your SIM or USIM card, slide a microSD card into the slot on the left (if you wish), charge the battery if needed and you are good to start Sony's latest flagship smartphone.

Calling

Making, receiving or rejecting voice and video calls on this phone is a breeze with the intuitive user interface. It also allows putting a call on hold, dialing a 2nd number and setting up a multiparty conference call, call forwarding, call waiting, and muting. It also stores the phone numbers of recent received, dialed and missed calls.

Performance

Running Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) out of the box and later transitioning to KitKat and Lollipop on a quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU over a Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with 2 GB RAM, the phone handles all tasks smoothly. It also ships with a Qualcomm Adreno 320 GPU to handle all the graphics. The transitions are smooth and effortless, and apps run flawlessly with no visible lag or crashes.

Display

The device has one of the greatest displays available in the market. The capacitive touch screen display consists of a 5-inch TFT Full HD screen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi density). Powered by a Qualcomm Adreno 320 GPU, the 16M color screen displays pretty crisp and vivid colors and is responsive to all touch and gestures.

Audio Quality

In-call audio quality is nothing short of excellent, and music playback offers impressive clarity, although the loudspeaker could use a tad more volume.

Camera

Armed with a 13MP auto-focus primary camera and LED flash, the Xperia Z can shoot 13-megapixel photos and full HD videos at resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 fps. The image quality is excellent. The camera features Sony's Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, face detection, image stabilizer, red-eye reduction, sweep panorama and geo-tagging. There is also a 2MP front (or selfie) camera.

Internal Storage

With a generous 16 GB internal memory, there's room for a multitude of apps. Need more space? A microSD or microSDXC memory card can expand storage up to 32 GB, and it handles the load with ease.

Expandable Storage

The phone accepts a microSD or microSDXC memory card to extend the storage up to 32 GB for storing multimedia files. Loading a 64 GB microSD with audio, video, and document files of various formats showed no noticeable lag and the device has been able to handle the file-load smoothly.

Sensors

The Xperia Z isn't just a pretty face; it's got brains too. Embedded sensors include a magnetometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope sensor, accelerometer, and proximity sensor.

Battery

As one of the major factors in a mobile computing device, the Xperia Z is fueled by a non-removable 3.7V Sony LIS1502ERPC 2,330 mAh Li-ion battery built into the casing. The battery packs enough juice to last a long time even with heavy use. A full charge from zero takes about 5 hours, ensuring you're always ready to go.

Connectivity

The Model C6602 supports a single micro-SIM card on GSM 2G and / or HSDPA 3G networks. If you have the other models (C6603, C6606, C6616 or SO-02E) you would also have support for 4G. On the WLAN front it supports Wi-Fi 802.11 on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. It also has Bluetooth v4.0, NFC for contactless payments and DLNA to wirelessly play media on a DLNA-compliant TV. For wired PC connectivity using USB 2.0, it accepts a MicroUSB data cable which is provided in the box.

FM Radio

If you're a radio enthusiast, the Xperia Z has you covered. Its stereo FM radio data system receiver lets you groove to your favorite stations. Just keep the headset connected for optimal signal reception.

Security

The phone allows various ways to unlock, including the following:

1. Pattern unlock
2. PIN unlock
3. Password unlock

SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)

SAR value for the C6602 phone when tested for use at the ear is 0.48 W/kg.

FCC ID

The FCC ID for the C6602 is PY7PM-0280 and the reports are available here.

Warranty

The product comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty on the device and 6 months of warranty on the accessories.

Reviews

Critics and users alike have heaped praise on the Xperia Z. TechRadar awarded it a stellar 4.5 out of 5, while Engadget gave it an impressive 8.3 out of 10. Google users rated it 4.4 out of 5 based on their experiences. Best Buy customers gave it a 4.2 rating, with an 81% recommendation rate based on 196 customer reviews. And over on Amazon, it boasts a 4.2 rating based on feedback from 4,400 customers.

The Xperia Z on SonyMobile.com India

Conclusion

The Xperia Z is one of the finest smartphones in the market. The build-quality is good, and the performanceis stellar. There is some bloatware that ships with the device which I got rid of immediately to free up resources and everything has been fine. Though the price is on the high end, it is totally worth it.

August 30, 2017 Update: Through an extensive usage over the last ~4 years in various geographies, I finally replaced the Xperia Z for a Google Pixel device. The device is still working though it has gotten terribly slow, and the battery dries up pretty quickly. It has never visited a service center, so you see that the hardware has been very reliable.

The user manual is available here at ManualsLib, and here at the FCC ID database.

Twitter's Music app retired

Twitter permanently pulled down its Music app from the app stores. This was posted on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/Music/status/447136704462209025

Boeing Statement on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370

The Boeing home page has a notice expressing concern about people affected due to the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 which is said to be unreachable by all communication means 2 hours after it took off flight from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am local time on Saturday, 8th March 2014 (6.41 pm GMT on Friday). The plane was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members. Below is a screenshot of the notice on the Boeing website.

Music I'm listening to in 2013

Here is a quick log of the music albums that I have been listening to this year.

1. Ekla Tor... Sarata Din / Anwesha Datta Gupta
2. Mahamantras / Pandit Jasraj, Shankar Mahadewan, Rattan Mohan Sharma, Ram Shankar & Uday Bhavalkar
3. Musical Journey with Uttam Kumar / Various Artists
4. 12 Arnold Grove / George Harrison
5. Mati'Swar / Dohar
6. Evergreen / Jagjit Singh
7. Bhumika / Silajit Majumder
8. Ami Ek Jajabar / Bhupen Hazarika
9. The Essential Jim Reeves / Jim Reeves
10. X=Prem / Silajit Majumder
11. Lal Matir Sorane / Silajit Majumder
12. Vivaldi: Four Seasons And More / Moscow Symphony Orchestra
13. This Is Me... Then / Jennifer Lopez
14. 2001 / Dr. Dre
15. Soz (Pathos) / Jagjit Singh & Javed Akhtar
16. Gopano Kathati / Subhamita Banerjee
17. Chants Of India / Ravi Shankar
18. Hey Bandhu, Hey Priyo / Srikanto Acharya
19. Khamoshi / Jagjit Singh
20. Making Music / Zakir Hussain
21. Farida / Abhijeet Sawant
22. Les Plus Belles Chansons D'Amour De Joe Dassin / Joe Dassin
23. East West Metro / Apaar Bangla
24. Ami Je Jalsaghare / Manna Dey
25. Abhang / Bhimsen Joshi
26. A Journey / Ravi Shankar
27. Parwaaz: Live in Singapore / Jagjit Singh
28. The Elements: Water / Shiv Kumar Sharma
29. Tere Bina / Abhijeet Bhattacharya
30. Aaeena / Jagjit Singh
31. The Soul Cages / Sting
32. Inteha / Jagjit Singh
33. Bhalobashi Tomay / Anjan Dutta
34. Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science / Beastie Boys
35. The Sweet Escape / Gwen Stefani
36. Paal Chhutechhe / Bhoomi
37. P.L.A.Y: Party Loud All Year / Hard Kaur
38. Rabbi III / Rabbi Shergill
39. Meghbalika / Snita Pramanik
40. The Memory of Trees / Enya
41. Khumaar / Jagjit Singh
42. ...and Justice for All / Metallica
43. Bhalobasha Kare Koy / Srabani Sen
44. Marasim / Jagjit Singh
45. Songs to Remember / Manna Dey
46. Item / Euphoria
47. Sara Jibaner Gaan / Manna Dey
48. Rock And Dhol / Bombay Rockers
49. Daaknaam / Chandrabindoo
50. Hawa Bodol / Nachiketa
51. Live Era '87-'93 / Guns N' Roses
52. Purono Guitar/ Anjan Dutta
53. Chalo Bodlai / Anjan Dutta
54. Bollywood Flashback / Bally Sagoo
55. Eagles Live / Eagles
56. A Day Without Rain / Enya
57. The Wall / Pink Floyd
58. Metal Works '73-'93 / Judas Priest
59. Sabai To Sukhi Hote Chay / Manna Dey
60. Daradeem / Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta
61. Basanta Utsav / Debojyoti Mishra
62. Always on My Mind / Elvis Presley
63. Jhora Somoyer Gaan / Moheener Ghoraguli
64. Desh Jurrey / Bhoomi
65. Khwahishein / Jagjit Singh
66. FutureSex/LoveSounds / Justin Timberlake
67. Teenage Dream / Katy Perry
68. On Air / Alan Parsons
69. The Slim Shady LP / Eminem
70. Watermark / Enya
71. Use Your Illusion I / Guns N' Roses
72. La Banda Bonnot / Joe Dassin
73. Amarantine / Enya
74. Schizophonic / Geri Halliwell
75. Appetite for Destruction / Guns N' Roses
76. Close To My Heart / Jagjit Singh
77. Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona / Neel Dutt
78. Music Of The Honey Gatherers / Paban Das Baul
79. Counting Down the Days / Natalie Imbruglia
80. Jatra Shuru / Bhoomi
81. Sahasra Dotara / Dohar
82. Fossils 3 / Fossils
83. Iron Maiden / Iron Maiden
84. Indian Summer / Joe Dassin
85. Le Dernier Slow / Joe Dassin
86. Something Something / Mika Singh
87. Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 / Ravi Shankar
88. Achtung Baby / U2
89. Baithaki Rabi / Ustad Rashid Khan
90. Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya / Enya
91. Converting Vegetarians / Infected Mushroom
92. A Toi Les Plus Belles Chansons D'Amour / Joe Dassin
93. Relapse / Eminem
94. Nimrod / Green Day
95. The Guitar Don't Lie / Joe Dassin
96. Born This Way / Lady Gaga
97. Tunes of War / Grave Digger
98. Aabaar Bochhor Kuri Pore / Moheener Ghoraguli
99. Prem Esechilo / Srikanto Acharya
100. The Eminem Show / Eminem