Skyward Fire

I’m going to keep it simple this time. Those unlucky readers amongst you who might have had the pain of dealing with State Bank of India probably know what I am talking about. There are a lot of reasons why SBI sucks. Here’s a few as to why is it to.

• A year ago back in August 2009, I used my SBI ATM card to withdraw Rs. 2000 from a Corporation Bank ATM. No money came out of the machine, I got a ‘Transaction Failed’ message, no receipt came out, but my account got debited Rs. 2000. I contacted my SBI branch and they asked me to draft an application mentioning my grievance. I did so, but I never got to see 2000 INR again and I never heard from the bank regarding the same again. I live in a different country, so I came back after a year right now. I asked them about it again, and I was made to run from one Babu’s table to another.
• Since 25th of June, 2010 I have been trying to change the phone number registered with the Bank for all Internet Banking transactions. I first wrote an application, and then I was asked to print and fill up an approval form to be given to the bank. I did both, and then I was told the number registered with them for the change is different than the one I mentioned on the approval form. I asked them if I could change that on the website itself. There is no such option on the website, but the lady at the branch kept insisting that option was there. So I took a screenshot of the page and showed it to her. Finally, she agreed with me. So I filled up another approval form and submitted it. The change is still pending.
• I wrote an email to the customer care of the bank regarding the same but the only reply I ever got from them was an automatic mailer mentioning the complaint ticket number.
• My ATM card isn’t working, probably because I haven’t used in more than 10 months for withdrawing any money. When I try to use it at an ATM outlet, it says the PIN I entered is invalid. I have been using the same PIN for a while now and I got no such message. So I wrote another application asking them to change the PIN, and they say the new will arrive in at least 15 days, and I will have to come pick it up personally. What the fuck? What’s so lengthy and sophisticated about this that it is going to take 15 fucking days? And how hard is it for them to mail me the new PIN by post if they’re going to be charging me a 100 bucks for issuing me a new PIN?
• They claim to have a dense network of ATMs all across the country. Out of the 10000 ATMs they might have in the country, 8000 never work and the shutter is always down. 1500 are crowded with long fucked up line, and the remaining 500 are in such remote places that no one ever visits.

So in the end no matter how user friendly, paperless and customer caring State Bank of India claims to be, there is absolutely no truth to all that bullshit. I am going to personally do my best to avoid dealing with them in the future and would recommend the same for everyone.

The new Apple iPad is the newest addition amongst Apple’s window of products. At 0.5” thick with a 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed chip, this certainly stands out as one of the signature Apple products. But ever since the launch, it has been a victim of Apple-bashing from people who like to judge things even before trying it out, and jumping to conclusions about certain things and features. And one of the many things that got bashed up include even the nomenclature of the product. No one bitches about a letter pad sounding anything like a tampon, so what’s so intriguing about making fun of this product anyway?

The specifications of the Apple iPad are nothing exciting, true that. But it’s too early to speak considering how, like the iPhone, even this might eventually evolve into a really handy gadget. One can’t live up to everyone’s expectations these days. It has no USB port, no flash support, it can’t multi-task (expecting much from a 1GHz ARM core is a joke), it can’t make phone calls (unless you’re using VOIP over 3G), and it has no card reader. These drawbacks and upset a lot of people. But I’m sure Apple will eventually resolve at least some of these issues with firmware updates (flash support) and other hardware upgrades, like it did with the iPhone.

In a profit-driven market, it’s easy to guess what restrictions AT&T might have implemented on the deal they have with Apple for the iPad so as to make sure that people use the data bandwidth, and Apple’s App Store as much as possible. So, the iPad has been dubbed as an iPhone on steroids. It has no front camera, which I was personally expecting to see. But the fact that it weighs a little over 700 grams and marks about 10 hours battery life (actual usage statistics may come down to 6-7 hours) still makes it worth a consideration. It’s a shame it’s being compared to the iPhone, and some are comparing it to netbooks. It must be understood that this is a new product category. It’s too early to say if the iPad pleases or disappoints. Justin Williams has a nice article on why he does not want an iPad.

Considering the fact that 3G data charges in India, and here in UAE, and in a lot of countries around the world is still pretty high, the iPad will take time to pan out. Those who have been thinking of the iPad as a potential gaming machine might reconsider, since the lack of hardware keys and only multi-touch makes it kind of difficult to imagine how one would play anything on something so big while chilling out. And $500 isn’t cheap for what Apple has to offer even for a starting range. What you’re getting for that is a closed system that can’t run any standard apps or games, can’t run any standard operating systems, can’t do most of the stuff you’d want it to do, you’re forced upon some of that Apple DRM love, and if you want more, you have to pay more. Classic Apple!

Chrome OS based future products based on Dual core Atom/Dual Core Cortex A9 Nvidia Tegra2 will blow this thing away if Apple doesn’t satisfy it’s users soon, since that would be a cheaper and a more productive alternative. The Apple iPad has a very simplistic approach, and is not for a heavy user. You use a toaster to toast and you use a juicer to juice. Apple’s R&D is innovative, and thinks out of the box. But when it comes to implementing their finds on to their products, they are never in a rush to do so. They took 2 years to bring copy-paste to the iPhone, and that says a lot about how Apple thinks. No matter what, their products sell. And no matter what, people wait. So we’ll have to give it time and see how the Apple iPad actually unfurls. If not, we’ll always have HP Slate!

An extraordinary city got an extraordinary lifestyle hotspot in August 2005, when Buddha Bar set foot in the crown-jewel of the Middle Eastern world. Buddha Bar is one of the most elite bar & restaurants chains, and the touch of the French origin of the place just adds to the beauty of it all. Easily one of the most stunning places to be at when you’re in Dubai, Buddha Bar is set in the Grosvenor House Hotel compound in Dubai Marina, sea-facing the Arabian Gulf.

Contrary to the ‘too big, too dark, too expensive and too dated’ belief, the place has a classy beauty of its own. You have an option to choose from a lounge, a bar, and a restaurant. Everyone who has heard of Buddha Bar knows that the place is known for its exoticism & uniqueness when it comes to the ambiance. Simply put, there is no other. This is one place to celebrate life the way it’s meant to be celebrated. For a more hands-on approach, you have to see it to believe it.

The airy neo-Asian interior designing will soothe you out of the most treacherous & stressful situations. To some eyes, the place would look heavy, but to some, including, it feels more comfortable, spacious, unoccupied, and easy on the eyes, something of the sort you would love to be at with your friends or your date. Buddha Bar, Dubai is not a screamer, and it certainly stands out amongst the rest.

One thing that must be kept in mind is the fact that nothing in here is cheap, and this is not one of those locations where you’d be spending every Friday evening of yours. The waiting service is top-notch, but if it is food you’re looking for, Buddha Bar might not be the best of the lost to choose from. The menu does not have an extensive variety, and is pricey relative to the quantity and to some level, even quality. But when it comes to drinks, there are hardly a few other bars in Dubai who’d come to the level of Buddha Bar. Most of drinks, chartered and brought in especially from Paris, France, are the prime reason why you will love the place. Even though the drinks are pretty pricey, it does indeed make up for a perfect evening.

For New Year’s Eve, the guys at Buddha Bar have come up with a pricey, but entertaining event nonetheless. Buddha Bar is known across the world for getting produced the most amazing house tracks, and on the last night of the year, you get to taste the same for a price of 1400 AED. For that price, you get unlimited drinks, and tartinas on the house. Plus, you’ll be treated with Buddha Bar’s resident Italian DJ Nicholas Sechaund, who’s a prime name in house music. Deal or no deal, that is up to you to decide. But if you’re in town, this is one place that you must check out.

Editorial: Article also posted with due permission at EMR8