Techbook

One possible way Square works

Square was launched today. I whipped out a quick diagram (in Dia) of how it might work since it’s not apparent from the website. Correct me if I’m wrong.

This design provides a simple, extensible solution. The key module here is the card reader which plugs in to any device with an audio jack. At present, of course, only the iPhone/iPod touch feature the Square Up application. I am pretty sure it will soon be available for a plethora of smartphones out there.

Square Up

Whoa, didn’t realize November went by

Much was achieved. We launched Call-n-Tweet!

Sony DCR-SR47 HDD Camcorder

I’ve been using a DVD camcorder (Canon DC40) all these years, and while I have been quite happy with it, it’s also annoying to keep track of DVDs, backing them up to a hard disk, re-ordering new ones when they get damaged, etc. I was looking for a HDD-based camcorder and stumbled upon the Sony DCR-SR47 Hard Disk Drive Handycam® Camcorder (Silver) on Amazon.

At least the reviews indicate that it’s a pretty good camcorder. Still not sure if I should go for it.

…followed by a busier September

Sigh. I’ve been tweeting away, though, so if you’re on there, follow @schandur. Thanks.

Busy August

I came back from Bangalore in the 3rd week of July, but ever since that time I have been busy busy INSANELY BUSY with work. So much so that I haven’t had time to run or go to the rock-climbing gym near my apartment. We’ve been working on some cool new projects, the details of which I cannot divulge at this time.

The India trip was very good, something I definitely needed – since I hadn’t been there for more than 2 years. Bangalore is growing and continues to amaze me as a city. That said, the bandwidth available there could definitely use an uplift. I wonder if anyone is bringing in fiber-optic networks. With all the digging going on, one might as well jump on the bandwagon now and save people the trouble later. In any case, I spent some much-needed time with relatives and friends (not as much as I wanted to with friends and more than what I wanted to with relatives, but o’ well).

I also managed to eat food at some of my favourite (and the city’s best) restaurants (or hotels as they are more commonly known as), including Vidyaarthi Bhavan, Dwaraka Bhavan and Brahmin’s Coffee Bar. Words can’t describe the dosas and idlis and vadas that you get at these places: they are simply mouthwatering.

Now I am back in New Jersey, more specifically Jersey City, with its plethora of Indian restaurants. Like I said in the beginning, it’s been a busy month. I should be back with more blogging next month.

Root CA of India

When it comes to secure transactions over the web, you probably would’ve seen that a website URL starts with “https” instead of “http”. For a website to be trusted, it needs to have a digital certificate issued by a trusted third party, called the Certificate Authority (CA). Companies like VeriSign and DigiCert are examples of CAs. It is also possible for governments to have their own Certificate Authorities.

Which is exactly what the Indian Government has. The Controller of Certifying Authorities issues the root certificate for CAs in the country. Essentially, all certificates below this root gain the trustworthiness of the root certificate.

Unfortunately this root certificate is not included by default in many browsers, so if you happen to visit sites carrying a digital certificate by any of the Indian CAs, your browser may incorrectly try to prevent you from accessing them. The fix for this is quite simple: you need to install the root certificate in your browser.

The following steps assume Firefox 3.5.

1. Download the root certificate from the Controller of Certifying Authorities
2. Open Tools > Options > Advanced > Encryption tab
3. Click on the “View Certificates” button
4. In the subsequent “Certificate Manager” window, click on “Import”
   
5. Browse to the downloaded file (it will be a .CER file) and select it
6. Firefox will prompt if you wish to trust this certificate. Since this is the root certificate, you can select all the options listed in that dialog
   
7. The root certificate should be successfully imported. You are all set to go!

In Bangalore

I landed in Bangalore last Saturday. Of course, if Air France was on time, I would’ve landed late Friday. Spanking new airport – liked it a lot. What else has changed in the city over the last 2 years since I moved? The new B-TRAC traffic management system, which apparently started last October. At the rate the number of vehicles is growing, this was badly needed – and it seems to be doing a good job. Lots of new signals, road dividers, one-ways, etc., all over the place.

If it were the old Bangalore, the traffic would’ve been chaotic without traffic management in place. Now, it’s just added delays at the signal but the traffic keeps moving, which is a good sign. There are also more Volvo buses plying across the city. Pity there’s no direct bus to my office, otherwise I would’ve loved to use public transportation in the city.

Didn’t know I missed Kaveri water so much. Hey, if I can survive tap water in Jersey City, I can drink tap water anywhere else in the world ;-)

Short survey: Voicemail or video messaging

Please help me out with this survey!

Apple iPhone for AT&T Subscribers: Still no tethering

Yes, blogs are all over AT&T for not supporting tethering on the iPhone – that is, the ability to connect to their 3G network from a laptop connected to the iPhone. Why? Because of the obvious strain on their data network. My guess is that AT&T will offer it within the next 4 months, but have a different pricing structure. Using 3G on the phone will probably still continue to be “unlimited” (otherwise it would be foolish of AT&T to go into a tiered structure), while data usage when the phone is tethered will be capped.

There are several things that annoy me about the iPhone, none of which seem to have been addressed with the release of the new iPhone 3GS. (While we are on the subject, could they not come up with a better name?) Multitasking is absolutely essential, and Apple has failed to deliver yet again. Granted, the average user on the street does not care – but if Apple keeps thumbing their nose at business and power users, it’s only going to be a matter of time before they switch to other brands.

FWIW, I have an unlocked/jailbroken/(insert favorite verb) first generation iPhone running on T-Mobile. It is slow as hell, and I can’t believe I am still using it. Oh wait, I know the reason why: I can’t afford to buy a new phone right now.

In the middle of it all, Palm decided to release the Pre – a touchscreen phone tied to Sprint (at least for the next few months). I got to play around with it for a few hours during the launch event, and I will post my thoughts later.

Sprint and the new Palm Pre

Just received a PR email from Sprint about a groom who almost abandoned the altar in order to buy a Palm Pre phone.

On Saturday at 7 a.m., Theodore was 14th in line at an Atlanta-area Sprint store, fidgeting for his new Pre. His wedding was scheduled for 8 a.m. As much as Theodore wanted Pre, he wanted his bride, Anita, to see him at the altar at the appointed time. At 7:45, he abandoned his wait and left his line-number and credit card information with a Sprint store employee, asking that he “hold the 14th phone for me.” The Sprint store employee obliged. Minutes after the recessional, the newlyweds returned to pick up their phone, spending the first minutes of married life with a Ready Now consultant who walked the happy couple through Pre’s setup and features. The new Mrs. Travis later revealed that her reaction was “You did what?” to her husband spending the hour before their wedding waiting for a phone, but later admitted, “I guess I kind of understand now.”

Wow. And they ask me why I hate marketeers.