Shashi Velur's Blog

Moved..!

2008-07-27T21:29:00.001-07:00

I have a new Home for my Blog..! It took me just about 4 years to make a commitment to blog regularly :)

Check it out: http://www.shashivelur.com/blog

Finally, a mobile phone with a 1.5GB hard-disk..!

2004-09-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Samsung does it first - Finally, a mobile phone with a 1.5GB hard disk...!

We all knew this had to happen some day. I had posted a blog about my wait for a phone with a microdrive on Sep 1st. Just a few days later, on Sep 6th , Samsung announced SPH-V5400 - a clamshell phone with a 0.8 inch 1.5 GB hard drive. It also features the following:

FM Radio
64-voice polyphonic ringtone support
Dual screens (128x128 OLED screen on the outside and the 320x240 pixel LCD on the inside)
TV output
Mega-pixel camera with integrated flash and camcorder function
MP3 player
Electronic book
Korean-English/English-Korean dictionaries
Dual speakers that provide a 3D sound effect

Now, I just cannot wait to get the specs for this phone. I think this phone's file upload mechanisms (USB?) & speeds, battery life and ruggedness would be the key factors for it's success. Okay, asking for USB may be a bit too much..

If Samsung gets it right, why would we carry those cute iPods now?
I hope Nokia and Sony-Ericsson are listening :)

All new BMW 3-series and Audi A4

2004-09-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

The new BMW 3-series & the next generation Audi A4 spy photos are already floating out in the net.
The newer BMW 3-series skin looks a little more tighter and the rear looks a bit ugly. It also features a toned-down version of the controversial i-Drive. Somehow, I liked the looks of the previous generation BMW 3-series a little better. For example, the 40-year old Porsche 911 ages so well. So, I wonder what was wrong with the existing model..!

The next generation A4 does not surprise me much. The front grille & the smooth lines look very familiar. The rear looks a bit like the new and a bit more like the graceful A8 rear-end.

Sophisticated Diesel engines to US customers

2004-09-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Sweet timing..!
VW of America is bringing some more really sophisticated turbodiesel engines to customers in USA, when the gasoline prices never seem to stop rising. When I test drove the Touareg gasoline V8 a couple of months ago, I liked it a lot but was not impressed by it's weight. It came loaded with the Brembo brakes, but still it felt a bit too heavy during the stops at every traffic light. But, imagine the Touareg with a 5L V10 TDI engine with 310 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque..! To put that into perspective, the Hummer 6L gasoline V-8 delivers 325 hp and just 365 lb-ft of torque. But, again, the Touareg TDI weighs about 5,825 lbs. This VW engine is considered as one of the most sophisticated light-vehicle diesel engine on the planet.

On the other end (and my favorite) is the new Passat TDI with a 2L 4-cylinder turbodiesel produces 134 hp and whopping 247 lb-ft of torque. I own a 2000 Passat 4-cylinder 1.8T and love that small engine, especially while driving in mountains in Colorado. Now, imagine 247 lb-ft of torque with 27 to 38 mpg for a car costing less than $24K...!
So, for all of you living in those states that accept compliance with federal Tier 1 emissions standards, you can get a chance to drive these automobiles with these great engines.

IMHO, this is definitely a great move by VW of America.

1 to 5 GB Microdrives for Phones?..

2004-09-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

I was reading Russell Beattie's blog about his new 512MB RS-MMC and realized that I have been longing for a phone that would support the 1-inch Microdrives. How I wish I had a smart phone that would give me the flexibility of 1 to 5 GB of data..! Yes, Seagate announced a 5 GB Compact Flash Hard drive and might cost less than USD 150..!

When I bought my Canon Powershot G2 about 2.5 years ago, I was tempted to buy the IBM 1 GB Microdrive, but then I backed off and bought a 256MB CF card. This was because I learnt that these drives would drain the battery and also wanted to wait for the prices to come down.

This is a pretty good comparison of the various digital media. It is interesting to note that the 1 GB IBM Microdrive gives more bang for the buck than most of the other digital media.

Oh well, I am still waiting for Nokia/Sony Ericsson to support these Microdrives in their phones, so that I can buy a replacement for my aging 3650 :)

some interesting Cruise Control info.

2004-08-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is a very cool way to automate the monitoring of the Cruise Control builds.
I found it amazing that they have actually implemented it..!

This is a neat comparison of Anthill and CruiseControl
http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?AntHillvsCruiseControl

Anthill seems to be more popular than CruiseControl, as per this website (although the number of opinions posted there are too few to represent a good survey):
http://www.manageability.org/polls/what-is-your-favorite-java-build-tool

start Blogging..!

2004-08-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have been reading so many Blogs and finally made up my mind to start a Blog of my own.

At this point, I am just thinking of sharing my knowledge and have others give me feedback on the information that I post, so that I can utlimately find some direction for my Blogs...!

My interests are J2ME, J2EE & Automobiles. I have been doing some experiments with J2ME, so shall try to share some of those here.