Why I feel that Google Chrome OS will succeed

There is a lot of buzz and much has already been said and written in the blogosphere about the Google’s announcement that it is planning to release an Operating System based on its browser Chrome. Many people wrote why it will fail or why it might succeed. Here is my take.

I have my parents in India and we talk once or twice a week though Skype’s video chat. They have spent a lot of money in buying that desktop, taking a broadband connection, webcam and it all worked well to begin with. But then the problems started few weeks later. Their system is now infected with some nasty virus. My parents are not computer savvy. They just can’t deal with the constant onslaught of viruses, phishing attacks and the weekly security updates. Let’s admit it. Windows is too bloated, clunky and error-prone to be useful to people who are not geeks.

My parents only need to use Skype or Yahoo Messenger to do video chat, a browser to do occasional browsing and a way to transfer and view the photos from their digital camera. Do they really need a bloated OS like Windows to do just these things ? No. Macs are user friendly and also secure. But do they need to spend so much money on a Mac just to do those simple tasks ? I don’t think so.

That’s where Google Chrome OS comes in. From what I understand, it is just the type of OS my parents need. They don’t need to wait for five minutes to boot the system just to use Skype on Windows. Chrome OS is free and it promises to boot faster and get out of the way by just giving you what is needed. And if Google’s user interface in their current products is any indication, it is going to be very simple to use Chrome OS. Also, as it is based on Linux, it is secure and they don’t have to worry about viruses and those never-ending security patches.

I know that much is still in the air when it comes to Chrome OS. But if it lives up to what it promises, I will be the first one to buy a computer with Chrome OS. And I don’t think this is a very specific case. There are many people who need an OS like the one Chrome OS promises to be. I think it will succeed and I wish for that.

US Visitor Visa (B2) – Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a collection of the most frequently asked questions for US tourist / visitor / B2 visa. I haven’t tried to provide the answers as most of the answers depend on your personal details or situation.

1. Why do you want to travel to the USA?
2. Who is sponsoring you?
3. Is your income enough to support international travel? What do you plan to do if it is not enough?
4. What do you do?
5. When is your retirement ?
6. What is your annual income?
7. Have you been to US before ?
8. Do you have relatives in US?
9. Have you ever visited any other country?
10. Do you have leave granted application?
11. Do you have a credit card?
12. How many children do you have ? And where are they? What do they do?
13. Who is there in USA?
14. How long will you be staying in USA?
15. Where will you stay in US?
16. Will you work there?
17. Will you come back?
18. How can you assure me that you will come back?
19. What does your daughter/son/son-in-law/daughter-in-law do?
20. How much does your daughter/son/son-in-law/daughter-in-law earn?
21. How long has your daughter/son/son-in-law/daughter-in-law been living in USA?
22. Which visa is your daughter/son/son-in-law/daughter-in-law on?
23. Did your son/daughter study in the US?
24. What visa did your son/daughter enter the US on?
25. Is your son/daughter married?
26. Does your son/daughter have any children?
27. Is your daughter/daughter-in-law pregnant?
28. Will your wife/husband accompany you on your trip?
29. When do you plan to travel?
30. Why do you want to travel at that time?
31. Have you blocked your tickets?
32. Do you have return air tickets, medical insurance etc.?
33. How much expense do you expect from this trip?
34. What places do you want to visit?
35. Can't you finish your visit earlier? Why do you want to stay for so long?
36. When did you last see your son/daughter? When did your son/daughter last visit home country?
37. When does your son/daughter plan to visit home country next?
38. Where do you stay in home country?
39. When did your son/daughter go to US?
40. What assets/property do you have in home country?
41. Who will take care of your property in home country while you are gone?
42. What is your son/daughter's birth date?
43. When is your son/daughter's wedding anniversary?
44. Can you tell me your son/daughter's contact details?
45. What will you do at home when they go to work?

If any of you or your relatives faced the interview recently and were asked any question that is not specified here, you can add it in the comments.

Remember The Milk vs Toodledo on the web and iPhone

Remember The Milk and Toodledo are the two best online to do list and task management applications available. They both have iPhone applications with push notification feature to alert you when a task is due. Having used both of these services, I can give a fair comparison of what they can do and where they disappoint.

On the Web :

Remember The Milk is completely free to use on the web while Toodledo offers one free and two paid versions. If all you need is a simple to-do list application with basic functionality, both Remember The Milk and Toodledo’s free service are more than sufficient for you. Toodledo’s ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro Plus’ offer extra features such as subtasks, collaboration and file uploads. While Remember The Milk offers collaboration features for free, it lacks subtasks and file uploads. Toodledo website has a nice tabular comparison page that compares almost all of the to-do list applications available.

The only thing I ever missed in Toodledo free when compared to Remember The Milk is the ability to use more than one reminder service (you need to upgrade to Pro to use up to 5 reminder services).

Toodledo offers two types of professional accounts. Pro account costs $14.95 per year and Pro Plus costs $29.95 per year. The only additional feature at this point for Pro Plus is the ability to upload files (in addition to the subtasks, collaboration etc that a Pro account can do).

On the iPhone :

The iPhone offering is where Remember The Milk is often criticized for. Though you can download the iPhone app for free, it is tied with Pro account. iPhone app works with the Pro account only (there is a 14 day trial) and a Pro account costs $25 per year. One problem here is that iPhone users expect to pay for an app once and use it forever. So, this tying with the Pro account makes them pay every year.

The other problem here is that there is only one price point and it is too big for a basic user who just wants the ability to view the tasks on iPhone. Though there is an iPhone-optimized web edition, it also is tied to the Pro account. Remember The Milk should have offered the iPhone-optimized web edition for free (or a small one-time fee) while the app version is reserved for Pro users. There is nothing called one size fits all. You need to offer different versions for different people.

Toodledo does a much better job on the iPhone front. It has an iPhone app that costs $2.99 (at the time of writing this post). And you don’t have to have a Pro account to use it. So, you just pay a one time fee and can use it with the free web version. If you are a Pro user, your additional features such as subtasks sync with the iPhone too. Simple, elegant and no twists.

Conclusion :

If you don’t own an iPhone or don’t care about the app, you can use either Remember The Milk or Toodledo for free. If you need advanced features such as subtasks or file uploads, you need to go for a Pro account with Toodledo.

On the iPhone, I definitely think that Toodledo delivers the best value for money.

Checklist of required documents for US tourist (B2) visa

My parents recently attended an interview for the US tourist / visitor / B2 visa and I have prepared a list of the required documents by checking various available sources. Below is the checklist …

For Sponsor :

• Proof of status. This is a copy of your I-797 or green card.
• Proof of employment. This should specify how long you have been working for the employer and also your current annual salary.
• Paystubs. Copy of four latest paystubs.
• Tax returns. Copy of federal tax returns for all at least three previous years (state returns are not needed).
• W2. Copy of your W2 for at least three previous years.
• Copy of passport.
• Birth certificate.
• Affidavit of support (I-134). Download this form from the USCIS website and fill it. You need to submit one copy for each applicant.
• Letter to consulate. You need to write a letter addressing the consular officer explaining why you are sponsoring the visa.
• Invitation letter. This letter should explain why you want them here and it should also have translated version attached if the interview is not in English.
• Letter from bank about your financial status. If you have a savings account, ask your bank to give a letter that contains the age of the account, present balance and the average balance over a month or quarter. You can request this online for some banks (Bank of America) and they will mail it to your address. For some other banks (Chase), you need to visit a branch to request it and then visit the same branch again in one or two days to collect it.
• Bank statements. You can print them directly from your online account.

For Person Attending Interview :

• Appointment letter
• Visa fee receipt
• DS-156 and DS-157
• Following documents are required if you are working
• Employment letter
• NOC (No Objection Certificate)
• Leave letter
• Passport-size photos. They need to be in 2in X 2in size and one needs to be affixed to DS-156. Carry 2 more copies with you.
• Family photos. If you have dependents / son / daughter, include photos you have with them and the sponsor.
• Property documents. If the consular officer asks you whether you will come back, you can show that you have property in your home country and will come back from USA.

If I have missed something, add it in the comments.