Alternatives to nokia backup

After my recent fiasco with Nokia’s backup service, i went in search for alternatives to backup my phone contacts. I found some great free services that do just as good(if not better) a job.

Mobical
This is probably the best backup solution for out there. The beautiful Ajax interface puts Nokia’s backup solution to shame. Whats more? It even allows you to export all your contacts with a single click. The only reason why i choose not to use this service is because i might need to access my backup at some cybercafe, and they do not really have the latest of browsers or hardware.

O-Sync
This website claims to work with all phones that have support for SyncML. On first run, it comes across as a simple and effective and no-frills solution. The layout is designed to give as much information as possible in a single look. Another thing noteworthy is that it uses an https protocol. It simply works and its free!

Another handy feature provided by these guys is “Update Me”, where in you can choose to send a message to your contact, who can then visit a web page to update his or her details. This way, you dont have to go filling up all the details for all your contacts. Whats more, you can maintain serveral seperate devices each with their own contact lists and calendar entries.

Additional paid features include, but not limited to, client software, which you can purchase and download at a small fee, for use with non-SyncML aware sources such as Outlook / Express, BlackBerry, PDA, Smartphone, etc to sync with O-Sync.

ZYB
Zyb packs in quite a punch with features such as profile pictures, auto updating of contact details, location tagger etc. However, for some weird reason, i was not able to sync my phone with ZYB.

SyncML Server
This is not really a free service. The demo mode possesses all functions of the system with some limitations as to the quantity of data – you can control only 20 contacts, tasks, notes and events. The period of its validity is not limited in time.

Geocaching @ Mahim Nature Park

Geocache @ Mahim Nature Park

Related Links
More about geocaching
More about Mahim nature park
Mahim nature park geocache details

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and me and Nikhil were on our way to Mahim nature park, hoping to discover a geocache, placed by Rottenwood. This was our first geocaching experience. Being local boys, we were overconfident of finding this geocache without even needing a GPSr. We can handle a few square meters here or there, we thought. Big mistake…

Trek to Irshal

Irshal

Irshal
Irshal is often mistakenly called Irshalgad(Irshal fort). However, Irshal was, once upon a time, a watch tower over the ghat route to pune.

Related Links
Irshal @ Wikimapia

My treklog
Saturday 09:15 hrs – Rendevous with Nikhil
Irshal was a long awaited trek for me and Nikhil. As decided, Nikhil picked me up from Dombivilli railway station. After buying required rations from shops around the railway station, we headed off towards the Mumbai-Pune highway…

My Nokia Backup is down!

When i bought my Nokia E51, i was faced with a choice over how i would backup my contacts and calendar entries. At that that time, Nokia’s backup solution (My Nokia Backup), seemed like the obvious winner. The (OTA)backup to Nokia Backup was a breeze and everything seemed perfect. I was happy with my decision to use “My Nokia Backup”.

Fast forward a couple of months and today, i regret that decision…
Recently, i updated my phone’s firmware. Quite confident of “My Nokia Backup”, i went ahead with the firmware update without backing up the phone memory when prompted.

When the update was complete, i headed over to “My Nokia’s (India)” website to restore my contacts and calendar entries. The “My Backup” link was dead.

Temporary technical issues, i thought as I tried again the next day… and the next day… and the next day…
Nothing! The web page was gone! Vanished! poof!

Left with nothing else to try, i wrote to Nokia clarifying my problem. Yesterday, i received a reply, asking me to stay put while they fixed the site.

As of now, i am left with no contacts… and no appointments… no birthdays… no to-do’s… and no choice but to wait while Nokia attempts to fix the problem…

And so, i wait…
Nokia backup is back online! However, i have decided to stick with mobical for now…

Resource management

Resource management

This picture was shot by my friend,  Nikhil in thane, outside a local vada-pav stall.

Translation from Hindi: Please give 1 and 2 re change, amounting to 200rs, in exchange for a free vada-pav

Now that’s is what i call resource management!

 
 

Trip to Shirdi

Sai baba samadhi mandir

Related links:
More Information about Shirdi
Official Shri SaiBaba Sansthan Website
More Information about Shani Shingnapur
Pictures of the trip

This was more of a leisure trip for me. We had hired an A/C mini bus(Tempo Traveller) for our excursion to take us to Shirdi, and from there to Shingnapur and back to Bombay. It was a 12-seater with the boot modified into a bed to accommodate more people.

Return to Zenith waterfalls

Zenith Waterfalls

Related Links:
Photos of the trip
Pictures taken by me in 2003

5 years later, i returned to the zenith waterfalls, to find that it still looks just as beautiful as it did the last time i saw it.

This time, however, i choose to travel by road. Zenith waterfalls is about 97 kms from Mumbai(Dadar). I took the old Mumbai-Pune highway, which was recently renovated and converted into a 4 lane highway. The ride is scenic and comfortable.

DIY Speaker Stands

This is a basic DIY speaker stand that I made for my rear satellite speakers.

Materials required:

• Plywood
• 2 steel rods of 3 feet each
• wall-wall straight sockets
• Paint
• Sun Mica

Altec Lansing VS-3251

Last weekend, I went to get myself a 2.1 speaker system. While checking out the various speakers on display, I stumbled upon this wonderfully priced 5.1 system from Altec Lansing.

After a bit of bargaining with the shopkeepers, I bagged this beauty at a price of INR3800 (approx. 95USD).

A fishing trip to Ulhas river

Ulhas River

Ulhas River
Ulhas River is a river of western India. It originates near Karjat in the Western Ghats Range, and flows westward through Raigad and Thane districts of Maharashtra between Kulgaon-Badlapur, north to Ulhasnagar (to which it gives its name) and on to Kalyan, where it turns west to Thane.