My iPhone AppRoll

With the App Store’s ever growing (65,000 apps and counting) list of apps, it is increasingly difficult to discover good apps on your own. I usually discover good apps through app reviews on blogs I follow and sometimes through friends. It is also not uncommon to see some of my friends ask me if I have downloaded any good apps recently. So, I thought why not share the list with everybody. Below is a list of apps that I use on my iPhone with some very short description.

• Toodledo – Tasks and to do list. Syncs with the web.
• Amazon.com – Name says it all.
• AP Mobile – News. Pretty slow to load. I only use it see push notifications of breaking news.
• Around Me – Find restaurants, stores, hospitals etc. around you.
• Battery Status – Percent of battery remaining an estimate of how long you can use it to do tasks like browsing, music etc.
• Card Star – Manage your rewards cards.
• Cheap Gas – Cheapest gas prices near your current location.
• Conversions – For all unit conversion needs.
• Evernote – Note taking. Syncs to web.
• Fake-A-Call – Fake a call to get out of boring meetings.
• Flight – Check the status of flights.
• Google - Name says it all.
• iPhunny – Jokes from late night shows.
• LinksInaBlink – Get your bookmarks on to your phone.
• WebEx Meet – Attend WebEx meetings.
• Mobicast – Cricket scores.
• AT&T myWireless – Check your wireless usage and bills.
• Pack Free – Helps in packing for a trip.
• Pandora Box – Find new and price-reduced apps.
• Skype - Name says it all.
• Slydial – Leave voicemail without ringing the phone.
• Speedtest – Check data speeds.
• Speller – Check spelling.
• Package Tracker Lite – Track your packages.
• Tweet Deck – Twitter

Games :

• Checkers
• GameBox Classics – Set of 5 games like snake, aqua blocks
• Copter – Drive a copter through a cave with hurdles
• Cube Runner – First app to download and still the best. Tilt your phone to skip past as many cubes as possible.
• Dots Free – Connecting the dots to built the most cubes.
• Fifteen – Classic fifteen puzzle game.
• Four In a Row Free
• Labyrinth LE
• Mouse Panic – Guide mice to their home by placing cheese in correct places before time runs out.
• Mines Free
• Super Ball 3 Lite – Classical brick blaster game.
• Sudoku
• Word Catcher – Build as many words as possible before the letters falling from the top fill the entire place.
• Word Warp

This by no means is going to be stable. I download at least 5 apps a week and almost delete as many. I have tried apps to find apartments, apps that help browsing craigslist and many remote control apps. I have liked some of them too. But deleted them as I’m not using them actively. So, I might update this list or post an entire new list later.

If you have tried an app that you think is better than something in the list, let me know and I will give it a try.

Missing iPhone features - summary screen for notifications, missed call alerts and more

The one and only feature that is available in my old phone – a Motorola Razr – and that I miss the most in my iPhone is the missed call notification. You leave your iPhone and go for a quick coffee or a bath and you miss an important call. When you are back, iPhone does nothing to let you know that there is a missed call. You will not know about the missed call until you check it yourself. My old phone used to give a voice alert every 5 or 15 minutes if there are missed calls that I haven’t checked.

iPhone does give you an alert if there are SMS messages to be read. But it alerts you only two more times. We badly need the missed call notifications and there should be a way to configure if it should alert only 2 times or until you clear them.

Another important thing that iPhone badly needs is a summary screen for notifications. Push notifications are great. But the serious limitation of push notifications is that you only see the latest push notification on home screen. If I have many apps that push notifications and I fail to check the phone for few hours, I would easily miss many push notifications. How about providing a consolidated alert such as “You have 5 push notifications” that directs you to a screen where you can see the list of all notifications that you have got ?

Badge numbers for apps is a nice feature. But is there a simple way to see all apps that have badge numbers ? Let’s say I have few appointments in Calendar app, new mails in Mail app and some things to do in my To-do list app. I have to check all my screens for apps with badges if I want to check all apps with badge notifications now. There should be an easy way to see the list of apps that have badge notifications so that I can address them now.

I’m sure there are hundred more things that are missing if you check with everyone. But I wanted to highlight few of the issues that are not discussed elsewhere. Add your missing features to the list in the comments.

Stuck with Windows XP and IE 6 at Office

It’s so lame. After using the likes of Ubuntu and Windows 7 at home, it feels like I’m in a stone age when I use my office laptop. Windows XP is what my office laptop has and to top it off, the browser of choice is IE 6.

I can’t help it. IT department has sent out a notice saying that all employees are advised not to upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 (what about IE 8 ?) as some of the internal websites are not compatible. Ohh dear. It’s been years since IE 7 is available and now IE 8 is out too. But we are still stuck with IE 6.

I don’t understand corporate IT departments sometimes !!!

dollar2rupee.net

Dollar to Rupee exchange rates website now got its own domain. From now on you can access the live dollar to rupee exchange rates from Remit2India, SBI, ICICI, HDFC and Citibank at the following link …

http://www.dollar2rupee.net

As you might already know, you can also see at the above website the historical exchange rates i.e. conversion rate provided by any of the above banks on any day in the past few months. It is easy to compare the forex rates by using the line chart or the average values chart.

You can also vote for your favorite bank to let others know about a good, hassle-free money transfer or remittance method you have used and liked.

The previous link (d2r.madhukar4e.com) will continue to work for some time. Please update your bookmarks soon.

As always, send your feedback on this website to see more features and changes.

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.

iPhone tips and tricks

I have been using the iPhone for almost 6 months now and I have learned few nice tips and tricks from various websites and also few on my own. I will summarize here the best of those tips and tricks. If you have any tips or tricks to share, add them in the comments.

• Home button : Click the home button once to return to your home screen from any screen. If you have opened an app, pressing the home button will close it and you will return to the screen from where you launched the app. Pressing the home button when you are on home screen will take you the search screen.
• Double-tap home button : You can configure the double-tap of home button to open search, phone favorites, camera or iPod. Go to Settings –> General –> Home to configure. When you are using iPod, double-tap home screen to get the controls to pause, forward or rewind. These iPod controls work even when the screen is locked.
• Scroll to the top : When you have scrolled down the pages in Safari or the list of songs in iPod or any page in any app for that matter, you can scroll to the top by just tapping on the top bar that shows time, battery and signal etc.
• Rearrange app icons : Press and hold on any app icon till all the icons start shaking. You can reorder your dock icons and also all other app icons by dragging them now. If you want to move icons from one screen to the other, drag them to the left or right edge.
• Double-tap space bar to insert a period followed by space : Whether you are tying an SMS or an email, just double click on that space bar quickly to insert a period and a space.
• Quickly type a number or symbol : When you are typing in ABC mode, if you want to insert just one number or symbol, tap and hold on the number key to get the numbers and symbols popup. Drag your finger to any number or symbol and release it to insert it and go back to the ABC mode in one shot.
• Enable caps-lock : Go to Settings –> General –> Keyboard to enable the caps-lock key. The up arrow on your keyboard now turns into a caps-lock.
• URL suffix : While typing a URL in Safari, you can press and hold on the “.com” to see more options such as “.org”, “.edu”. To enter “.org”, you have to slide to that key while holding down on the “.com”.
• Save images from Safari : Press and hold on any image in Safari to get a menu asking you to save the image.
• Double-tap in Safari to fit-to-page : Even though you can zoom in and out by pinching and dragging with two fingers, the easy way to make a specific section or picture to occupy the screen is to double-tap on it.
• Screenshot : Hold down the home button and press the sleep button once to take a screenshot that is automatically saved to your camera roll.
• Scientific calculator : Rotate your phone horizontally to turn your normal calculator into scientific calculator.
• Bigger keyboard : Rotate your phone horizontally while typing a mail or SMS to get the bigger sized keyboard.
• Customize dock icons in apps : In apps like iPod, YouTube and iTunes, there are other items under the more menu. If you want to swap icons on the dock with icons in more menu, click on edit and drag the icon to the dock to place it in the dock.
• Call from Safari or Notes : If you find a number on a website that you want to call or if you have some numbers stored in your notes, just tap the number and you will get a popup asking you if you wan to call that number. This works in most apps too.
• Turn-off spelling auto-correction : If you are tired of your iPhone converting your words to something else automatically, you can switch of the spelling auto-correction by going to Settings –> General –> Keyboard.
• Turn-on auto-fill : If you want the Safari to remember your usernames and passwords on websites and also auto-fill the forms, turn on the auto-fill feature by going to Settings –> Safari –> AutoFill.
• Check the numbers : You can check the number of songs, videos, photos and applications installed on your iPhone quickly by going to Settings –> General –> About.
• Delete custom words from dictionary : If you have mistakenly added few words to your dictionary, you can delete them by going to Reset menu at Settings –> General –> Reset –> Reset Keyboard Dictionary.

That’s a long list. Isn’t it ? But I’m sure there are more that didn’t make it to this list either because I didn’t find it yet or because I think it is easy for the people to figure out. But you can always add your favorites in comments.

Dollar to Rupee exchange rates application status

Update : App is working fine now.

If you have visited the Dollar to Rupee exchange rates application today and saw nothing but errors, it is due to the fact that Google AppEngine is currently experiencing issues.

Dollar to Rupee application was built on Google AppEngine and hence there is nothing much I can do at this point than to wait for Google to fix the issues with AppEngine.

Please have patience and the application will be back up once Google fixes the issues with AppEngine.

Call any number in US for free with Google Voice

You might have heard about Google Voice. If not, it is simply the best way to manage your calls. When you get registered, you will get a new phone number. That’s right, a new phone number for free. If you configure it correctly, you can make your mobile phone ring when your friends call that Google Voice number and make your office phone ring when your colleagues try to call it.

There are plenty of features that make you go wow. You can block people from calling you by just marking their number as spam. It’s just like clicking spam button on your mail. You can listen to your caller before taking the call and send them to voicemail if you don’t want to discuss that topic at that moment. If you thought visual voicemail on iPhone is cool, Google Voice has voicemail transcription. Just can read you voicemail like an email.

One of the features that is less noticed or not many people know is free US dialing. You can call any number in US for free with Google Voice. You can call other country numbers also. But you have to pay. If you have the contact numbers of your friends in your Gmail contacts, dialing them is easy. Google Voice shares contacts with Gmail. Just login to your Google Voice account and dial your friends.

If you have an iPhone, check these apps. They all allow you to use and manage Google Voice on your iPhone. You don’t have to login to your Google Voice on the web to dial your friends.

I use Google Voice to screen unnecessary calls. If someone asks me for my phone number and I don’t trust that person, I just give them my Google Voice number. This way they won’t know my real phone number. If I don’t see any problem, they can keep using that number to call me. But if I don’t like to talk to them anymore, I can block their number anytime.