An Evening to Remember

Come Saturday the 17th and  Microsoft Devices and Indiblogger would come together yet again to organise an event 'The Nokia XL Indiblogger Meet' at The Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. In certain terms a follow up event of Your Wish is My App - S2 this event would be a golden oppurtunity for bloggers to check out and perhaps suggest various innovative, thoughtful and useful apps which we could use in our daily lives to make it even more simple and enlighten their readers about.. 'Apptasting' to be precise.

Microsoft Devices continues to charge ahead in the search for even more innovative applications for Nokia handsets which could come extremely useful for all Nokia Users (like myself). Apps like 'Building or Destination Recogniser' and 'Face Recogniser' (you hold your Nokia Lumia mobile camera to the face of the person or in front of the building you need to recognise and the app will do the rest) are a result of these brain-storming but fabulous events..

Hosts for the Day - Vikas Khanna and Rajiv Makhni

Michelin starred Chef Vikas Khanna and Gadget Guru Rajiv Makhni would be coming together to host this event and along with all the other Indibloggers would make this event a magical one (technologically speaking).

I have written many articles about Indiblogger events but have, somehow or the other, always missed out on mentioning the in-house host from Indiblogger - Vineet Rajan. Come tomorrow and he will ensure that all the geeks, book bugs, and bespectacled writers (like myself turn into some sort of military personnel) and will be swinging our fists and yelling 'Hurrh' 'Hurrh' 'Hurrh' 'Hurrh' after him !! Very Subtle, ain't it Anoop ?!

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Your Wish Is My App - S2 (A Nokia India and Indiblogger Event)

Come January 24th and Indiblogger will be hosting its first event of 2014. The event will be co-hosted with Nokia India and is called 'Your Wish Is My App - Season 2'. It would be hosted in one of the finest hotels in city, The Oberoi.

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In this event some of the best bloggers of the country would be coming together and sharing their creative ideas for various mobile apps and the best ideas would be developed by Nokia India. This is a golden oppurtunity for Nokia users to get the app of their wish on their phones.

The 'Your Wish My App' event is the second edition of the very successful Season 1. Adding spice to the event would be hosts Rajiv Makhni, Vishal Gondal and Vikas Khanna.

This is a golden oppurtunity for Indi-Bloggers and users of Nokia Lumia/Asha devices to put forward their wishes about the dream app they would want to see in their phone and one never knows, their wish might come true on the evening of January 24th.

For a traveler like me it is very important to stay in loop with development's in the world of cricket (my favourite sport) and in the world of travel, while being on the move. So I always wish to have an app, on my Nokia Lumia device, which can compile various news articles, from various channels, and present them on a single platform.

One of the other reasons why this event is going to be special is because the Einsteins in Indiblogger have come up with a marvellous idea of running Indi-Buses which would provide a neighbourhood drop facility, something which can come very handy for bloggers who don't have their own vehicles. Great Going Indiblogger !

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An Evening to Rock - Dance India Dance S-4 and Indiblogger Meet

'O Traveler, why do you walk to seek an insight into a culture's soul,
when you can simply sit and observe the way they dance'

Dance is a rythmic form of movement (to the sound of music) which can depict a past event, emotions, social interaction e.t.c. in a spiritual or performance setting. It is an intrinsic part of the culture of India. There are numerous types of Dance Forms in India with some of the most well known being Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali e.t.c. Each of these dance forms provide an insight into the culture and history of India.

But along with time dance forms have also modernized themselves to reflect the present times. Many modern dance forms have come forward like Ballet, Blues, Break Dancing e.t.c. apart from the folk and classical dance forms which continue to be appreciated worldwide.

With the onset of Television, dance (in all its forms) has also got its own share of spotlight and one of the biggest shows in India which promotes Dance like anything is DANCE INDIA DANCE (which is now in its fourth season). It comes on Zee TV, one of the most premier TV channels in India. This time Dance India Dance is coming with a new panel of judges namely Mudassar Khan, Shruti Merchant and Feroz Khan who will lend a new dimension to ‘Dance India Dance’ and drive the country towards creating a new dance movement!

Indiblogger and Dance India Dance (alongwith its three judges) are coming together to organise an evening of fun, frolic and blogging at The Oberoi, New Delhi on October the 23rd.

I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance.
Friedrich Nietzsche

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Shopping in 2030 A.D.

 ebay

Pic Source - Indiblogger

 Shopping for products has come a long way since the dawn of civilization. Earlier, a person had to go from shop to shop to buy the products of his choice. Then came the concept of departmental stores and after it the concept of malls. Each of these concepts have been popular during their own times. Then came ebay which revolutionized the way we shopped. No one 20 years back would have believed that we the customers could have bought stuff while sitting at our homes but it did happen.

The way we shopped has change a lot over the last 15 years thanks to ebay and i am sure that in the coming 15 years or so it is going to see a world of change as compared to now as well. Shopping is no longer a hectic chore it used to be some years ago. Who can forget the days when we went to the nearest mall on a Sunday with a shopping list in our hand, carrying all the packages around the mall and then head back home ? I can't ! Thanks to ebay i can easily sit on the internet and shop or auction for anything I want to, pay online and have all the packages delivered at home.

ebay.in CHECK

Pic Source - Indiblogger

The basics of shopping have always been the same. They were the same 15 years ago, they are the same today and will remain the same in the future as well ! The basics, as per me, being - Getting the best deal in the market, buying products which are relevant to us, buying products which catch the attention of our social circle and buying products which are the latest in technology.


I feel that shopping in the year 2030 would cover the basic expectations of shoppers (which I mentioned above) in a much better manner, be more personalized and up to the point. For the ones who would be looking at it - it would be a more satisfying social experience than before. 

This is how shopping would be in they year 2030 (as per me) -

1. People would use their thumb impression or retina display to log in - It would do away with the irritating problem of having to remember our passwords to log in to the site

2. Surfing for products would be done by Voice - Commands - By 2030, with the help of technological advances and a much advanced application, on smartphone or a laptop, shopping on the internet would be more voice-based and hence take us closer to over-the-counter experience than ever before !!

3. People could feed, into the ebay database, their weekly/monthly requirements for groceries/provisions and ebay would remind them of it every month - Putting it in simpler terms , in the future, the system would give reminder to customers that their product (they had ordered) has arrived or the time for them to buy their monthly provisions has come thus acting like their personal shopping assistant.

4. No payment would be done in cash. Electronic mediums like Paypal, Credit cards would be used, whose details would be kept in cloud storage - The time of paying through cash would be over in most parts of the world (which are connected with internet). Wallets would be phased out and shoppers would prefer to pay through the electronic medium.

5. For shopping of clothes there would be a measurement taker with which customers would feed into the computer what their current measurements are, what brands they like and what colours they prefer and shop for those clothes - Shoppers would keep with themselves measurement takers/ scanners which would take their measures from all angles (such an equipment does exist!). They would simply upload the measurements on ebay and the website would offer them garments which would fit them. ebay would also provide expert's opinions (to the shoppers) over which clothes to buy based on their measurements, skin colour, preferences e.t.c. All this from the comfort of their own homes !

6. People would talk to their friends online and talk to them about the clothes or products they are going to buy online - Girls prefer to shop with their friends. This kind of shopping experience would be replicated online with girls/guys discussing, on chat forums of ebay, the product they are going to buy and what options they have at hand.

7. There would be a 360 degree view and larger than life pictures of products (so great looking that you would want to lick them) and a simulated sample (of a mobile for example) which the shopper could try out before buying it - With time their would be cameras which would be able to provide better and clearer images, along with a 360 degree view, and create the interest in a prospective shopper's mind to buy the product. There would also be a simulated model which a shopper would use to get a feel of the product. This would eliminate the need for the shopper to go to a showroom to check out the product themselves

8. The shopping experience would be more personalized, would suggest new products to the people in an intuitive way - In the future the experience of shopping would become more easier than now. The product suggestions would be more personalized (and in sync with the shoppers personal likes/dislikes and requirements) and more intuitive in nature.

9. Shopping would be possible in all the major languages of the world

10. People would actually be able to try out outfits by ordering them at their place (if they end up buying something there would be no extra trial charge)

10. There will be a far better and prompt Grievance Redressal System

11. Everyone looks for discounts, they will continue to do so in the future as well. so regular customers would be given preferable discounts or credit points which they can accumulate for the future

13. There would be product hubs which would ensure speedy delivery and replacement of goods

14. People would be able to book for their products (for example a new smartphone, movie tickets) months in advance.

By the year 2030 people would be shopping from their offices and saving all the time of going to malls to scour for their required product. The scenario of shopping in 2030 would be completely different from what it is now, just like the current scenario of shopping is completely different from what it was 15 years ago !

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'Don't Stop the Music' - HP Connected Music and IndiBlogger Meet

(Humming their favorite songs
have given many a weary travelers, renewed strength 

to cross the highest of mountain passes to reach his destination; 

Singing out loud, songs of inspiration

have given many a nervous travelers the courage 

to face the gravest of dangers)

Source - IndiBlogger

On the 'Afternoon' of 'Saturday' the 20th, IndiBlogger and HP Connected Music organised a bloggers meet in the Hilton Garden Inn in Gurgaon Sec - 50. It was a great event where hundreds of bloggers, who were 'Addicted' to music, turned up. The IndiBlogger team organised plenty of activities most of which were music centric. Mr Anup Johnson and Mr Prateek Shah, who are genuinely funny people, conducted interviews, made us dance in 'Gangnam Style' and distributed gifts like HP Headphones. There were folks from HP Connected Music too, who had come to the Bloggers Meet to help us understand and give us a hands on 'Experience' over the HP Connected Music Application.

The Blogger Meet in Full Swing 

Pic Source - IndiBlogger

This is what I understood about the application at the meet - HP Connected Music in collaboration with Universal (the biggest music label in the world), Hungama e.t.c. has created a music application to provide great entertainment for the users on their personal devices. HP has also tied up with Dr Dre's Beats to provide 'So Great' audio playback experience.. The HP Connected Music app features millions of songs spanning across many genres. Because the application has been made in association with Universal it basically means that the app has many of the biggest names in the music 'Industry'. The application also features a great collection of 'Bollywood', Classical and Regional tracks which cater to the musical needs of the Indian 'Listen'er.

The main features of the HP Connected Music Application are -  
Online streaming with Zero Buffering.. Something which would work really well in India given the slow internet connections in many parts of the country..  
We all like to 'Pump it (the music) Harder', So HP in Collaboration with Dr Dre's Beats ensures that the quality of the audio playback is superb..
You can download music and play music offline as well which is a huge plus..
You could download songs free till one year after activation of service..
The app also provides high bit-rate quality stereo surround music..  Which ensures that you could 'Move Like Jagger' if you wished to..
You can see live concerts on you device with the help of this app and even get an 'Opportunity' to go their personally (if you participate in contests)

So, for all those folks who 'Just Cant Get Enough' of music this application has given them a new reason to rejoice..

My job being that of traveling and living out of suitcases ensures that i have only a limited number of my 'Favorite Song's with me all the time, so I had to end up listening to the same track again and again. That 'Monkey Business' had been taken care of by this application. So if i go on a tour, or go to office.. my collection of music of my favourite artists like the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Rihanna, Maroon 5 and others would always be with me (Now that's a comforting feeling). With this musical app HP has certainly made its Windows 8 devices (PC's, Ultrabooks, Tablets) 'Different' from the others.

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All these superb tracks are amongst the millions which can be found on HP Connected Music Application :- Afternoon - The Modern Lovers, Saturday - Carpenters, Addicted - Enrique Iglesias, Gangnam Style - Psy, Experience - Daniel Hope/I Virtuoso Italiani/Ludovico Einaudi, So Great - Tim Hughes/Various Artists, Industry - The Modern, Bollywood - Anamanaguchi,  Listener - DJ Shadow/Terry Reid, Pump it Harder, Monkey Business and Just Can't get Enough - Black Eyed Peas, Favorite Song - Colbie Caillat, Different - Robbie Williams, Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna, Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5, Opportunity - Elvis Costello and The Attractions

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Traveling with HP Connected Music

If some folks, in a sense of wonder or doubt, ask a traveler how is 'Traveling related to Music ?' he should not mind the smile which might come across the traveler's face. The reason behind the smile is that Music is a very important component of Travel. One only needs to ask a long distance traveler like me and he would tell you how long time in transit, can become if there is no music to accompany him on his journeys.

While listening to your favourite genre of music (my favourite genre is Ambient) can help you pass your time or help you unwind and get you in the mood for writing, listening to regional music can give you a sense of the country or place you are visiting.. For a traveler having access to an efficient music app, on his HP Notebook, in which he can stream the music of his/her choice, across the world, without any hitches is a must..

Pic Source - IndiBlogger

This is where HP Connected Music Service comes in.. HP in partnership with Universal Music and Hungama brings this wonderful application to HP's Windows 8 line-up.. On one touch HP Connected Music provides us free access  to exclusive content and access to over one million songs from more than 20,000 artists, from different genres across the board, which effectively makes it the largest online music catalogue in the world..

The ‘Money Can’t Buy Experiences’ offered by the HP Connected Music Service gives access to unique content such as previews, behind the scenes content, VIP events and many more exciting activities. So, it doesn't matter whether you are on the move, or not, you can always connect with their favorite artists.. For more informtion visit - HP Connected Music India

HP and IndiBlogger would be hosting a great blogger's meet on Saturday the 20th of April in New Delhi for an afternoon of music and fraternizing amongst bloggers.. So if you are a blogger and haven't signed up yet.. Well.. you are really missing something..

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