Kaushik Biswas: Internet ~ a personal blog with personal views and opinions

Internet in India: Mobile broadband Vs. Fixed Line broadband

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Mobile internet usage in India has grown hugely, especially after aggressive entry of Reliance Jio. But, what is the state of mobile internet speeds in India? The <a href="https://www.speedtest.net/global-index" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Speedtest Global Index</a> shows that India ranks at position 120 out of 137 nations indexed, with an average of 10.13Mbps average speed. But this is a misleading figure, aggressively pursued by the telcos, in the race of "who's the fastest network".<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YNZzDHhARQ/XItTBdwmA3I/AAAAAAAAKK0/a3TlR5aGE3c1hZSW7KJ87wrarypQPEYTACLcBGAs/s1600/Kaushik-Biswas-Mobile-Internet-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="young mobile user class in india" border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1024" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9YNZzDHhARQ/XItTBdwmA3I/AAAAAAAAKK0/a3TlR5aGE3c1hZSW7KJ87wrarypQPEYTACLcBGAs/s320/Kaushik-Biswas-Mobile-Internet-2.jpeg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
If one follows general subscribers' reports of suffering with internet connectivity and network speeds, it'll be soon very clear that the indexed figure belongs from a few very lucky users who get top speeds, and telco-appointed guys who roam near the towers (apart from telcos offices which get highest speeds) who submit speed reports continuously.<br />
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Due to personal reasons, I spend most of my time indoors and due to a temporary home shift, I had to rely upon mobile internet, quitting fixed line broadband. Before my home shifting, <a href="https://www.jio.com/en-in/4g-plans" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reliance Jio</a> started it's journey with the <i>free preview</i> period and the commercial launch happened months before my home shifting.<br />
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At my permanent residence, I used to get around 4 to 8Mbps during the day time, and around 16 to 24Mbps at night. Now I live just 30 meters away, in my temporary residence, I have two <span id="goog_1886315312"></span><span id="goog_1886315313"></span>Jio connections, one being in the <a href="https://www.jio.com/shop/en-in/c/jiofi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">JioFi</a>. Internet speeds are miserable now. Information says there's a tower three streets away from my location, but still, misery continues, they need more towers.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wayDCwZHWZE/XItYQH5l7zI/AAAAAAAAKLA/fKMd4NwWlXYwZWuVXcLKHsl9QHPHUldtwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Kaushik-Biswas-Mobile-Internet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="future estimate of mobile internet users" border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="600" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wayDCwZHWZE/XItYQH5l7zI/AAAAAAAAKLA/fKMd4NwWlXYwZWuVXcLKHsl9QHPHUldtwCEwYBhgL/s320/Kaushik-Biswas-Mobile-Internet.jpg" title="future estimate of mobile internet users" width="320" /></a></div>
On the other hand, the market is overflowing with marketing gimmicks, lucrative package plans, but subscribers are banging their head on the walls, no matter which network they're using! Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Jio - subscribers are helpless.<br />
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In a situation like this, I can say that fixed line home broadband connections offer better speeds and reliability. Though, this also has it's own problems during lightnings. Right now, the best way, probably, is to make fixed line home broadband your <b>primary</b> connection, and mobile internet as <b>secondary</b> or <b>backup</b> connection. Thus, you may not feel the misery.<br />
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My Jio SIM gives me acceptable quality voice calls, so I'm going to continue that; but I'm unsure about the SIM connection in JioFi, that pack expires on April 6th. I'll have to decide before that, whether to let Jio keep fooling me and make Ambanis richer, or I shift to fixed line broadband.<br />
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State-owned BSNL has been successfully ruined by the conspiring private telcos.</div>

Internet in India: Mobile broadband Vs. Fixed Line broadband

Mobile internet usage in India has grown hugely, especially after aggressive entry of Reliance Jio. But, what is the state of mobile intern...

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Now a super flop: MTS Mblaze Ultra 3G+ WiFi idea

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The entire hype created by the company about it's Mblaze Ultra 3G+ Wi-Fi has gone down the drains. Rotten right now. Today, after ages, I logged on to the site <a href="http://www.mtsindia.in/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mtsindia.in</a> and what am I seeing in their '<a href="http://www.shop.mtsindia.in/mts-mblaze/mblaze-ultra-wi-fi-with-adapter/p-7436430-53162310354-cat.html#variant_id=7436430-61947155528" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">shop</a>' page there? A dead link. Page and the idea not found. The device shopping link I had followed from their <a href="http://www.mtsindia.in/OpenWeb/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">main page</a>. Right now there are no television ads, the internet baby is gone. Probably grown up and understood.</div>
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MTS couldn't survive. It had no future. Basically, a miscalculated venture by the company. Users in India mostly use two types of Internet connectivity. The most popular is wireline internet provided by local entrepreneurs which come at a very cheap price and they're constantly improving their services. Secondly, users have smartphones and on the move they need mobile Internet packs. Right now, I am using a <a href="http://www.wishnet.in/priceing.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WishNet broadband unlimited plan</a>, where I spend Rs. 650 per month and I get 4Mbps (12am-12noon) and 2Mbps (12noon-12am). Pretty good, no?</div>
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And what's MTS Mblaze Ultra 3G+ Wi-Fi offering? 5GB at Rs. 499 and the saddest offer is, 10GB day and 10GB night data at Rs. 999. Horribly costly. And, from my own experience, the speeds are 2Mbps maximum - that too, with a antenna they fitted on my roof top and practically made a wireless device a wired device. Insane!</div>
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My WishCharm data plan is deployed via Wi-Fi router, so it's pretty much wireless. All my devices are connected. I use 3G/4G mobile data only when I'm outside home. Rs. 251 gives me 1GB 4G data on the Vodafone SuperNet. Many a times, Vodafone offers 1GB at a mere Rs. 147 (double data offer).<br />
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So, how's MTS scoring? NIL. Failed terribly. All the investment wasted. The employees have an uncertain future. Company might have to exit from business or totally change their ideas and offers.</div>

Now a super flop: MTS Mblaze Ultra 3G+ WiFi idea

The entire hype created by the company about it's Mblaze Ultra 3G+ Wi-Fi has gone down the drains. Rotten right now. Today, after ages,...

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What happens to Your Facebook Account if you die?

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Life can't be predicted, or sometimes it can be. For people with known diseases which will kill, they know they're going to die. But for the rest, we don't know, but it will happen some day. Whatever be the case, if you happen to have a Facebook account, what is to happen to it after you and I die and nobody else knows our password? Facebook has given us the option to choose what we want to happen to our Facebook accounts after our demise.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1669844653302903" imageanchor="1" rel="follow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Legacy contact for Facebook" border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K--ecRpO97E/VsWgnzavdfI/AAAAAAAAEzs/CacgDrdUTH8/s1600/legacy_contact.JPG" title="Legacy contact explained" /></a></div>
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Facebook has introduced a "<a alt="Legacy contact for Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/help/1568013990080948" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Legacy contact explained">Legacy Contact</a>" for us, who can manage a "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/828408313868251" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">memorialized profile</a>". In your own account, you can visit the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security&hc_location=ufi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Settings > Security</a> page and scroll down to find the Legacy Contact and choose a family member or close friend to care for your account if something happens to you.</div>
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What is the importance of this setting / feature? Why has Facebook given us this feature? It's because, accounts not used over a long period of time, may face some difficulties and it can be undesired especially for a demised person's dignity. So, here's another link to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/408583372511972" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tell Facebook about someone you know has passed away</a>.</div>
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So, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and finalize your settings today!</div>

What happens to Your Facebook Account if you die?

Life can't be predicted, or sometimes it can be. For people with known diseases which will kill, they know they're going to die. Bu...

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MTS broadband dongle problem is endless, I finally quit

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MTS broadband service in their class of dongles, is so pathetic, that, I couldn't carry on for at least a year! However, it's not so bad for everyone, but I am not one of those lucky guys. Roughly seven months, I had to quit to stop the loss I was incurring by keeping the service.<br />
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My MTS wireless dongle was turned into a wireline device by the company's staff after I had complained about speed problem. They installed a Yagi antenna and from that came a wire which held the dongle with a special kind of holder. Huh!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mdTwDi65GGo/VNXHA8mbtlI/AAAAAAAAEIY/fI72AyNBtSM/s1600/mts%2Bblaze%2Bultra%2Bwi-fi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mdTwDi65GGo/VNXHA8mbtlI/AAAAAAAAEIY/fI72AyNBtSM/s1600/mts%2Bblaze%2Bultra%2Bwi-fi.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I was a heavy user, I used to recharge with Rs. 999/- for the 10 GB pack, which was 20 GB for a few months (10 GB day & 10 GB night). But I was never able to use beyond 11 to 13 GB due to slow speed. I was getting roughly 512 Kbps in day time and 800 Kbps ~ 1 Mbps at very late hours in the night. Lastly I had to stop the loss I was making. Because, at much lesser amount, wireline internet through LAN was giving better speeds during day and higher during nights.<br />
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January 27, 2015, after my pack validity ended, I didn't recharge anymore. Five days before that, I had asked the local service provider to re-install my connection (which I had left due to some other reason). MTS broadband's "upto" 9.8 Mbps trick, worthless. It's a total flop for many. Search for it in the Internet, you'll see what I mean!<br />
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Someone from the company's survey department called me recently, to get feedback on this issue. I had poured out my heart decently and told him all the issues. He was helpless, as the company's policies are wrong.</div>

MTS broadband dongle problem is endless, I finally quit

MTS broadband service in their class of dongles, is so pathetic, that, I couldn't carry on for at least a year! However, it's not s...

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India is not fully e-commerce ready yet

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It has been quite some time, the so-called reputed online stores have made their presence felt on the Internet. There are sites with bad reputation as well. But then, a time came when reputed sites also started to give jerks to buyers and unhappy customer experiences kept piling up.<br />
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In a nation of 125 crore people, there will always be some happy and some unhappy customers. Sadly, we do not know the exact ratio of happy to unhappy ones. On-site reviews of products have become unreliable, as companies as well as sites are known to appoint paid-people to write reviews. Everyone labels their review as unbiased. The problem is transparency. The buyer/customer doesn't have acccess to any truth or facts or figures.</div>
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Online sales started to go up as the urban people with desktops, laptops, mobiles and tablets & credit cards and netbanking facilities saw alluring discounts on the products of their choice and began ordering from online sites. <br />
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We are a nation which looks for "% discounts" and "buy-one-get-one-free" concept. We are greedy and we expect others to be honest towards us. But in our news we know about several scams, cheating & chit funds. A part of it is happening online as well, unscrupulous sellers are exploiting people's greed for getting good discounts and 'free' items. We seldom think, if it is really possible, why aren't the retailers not offering the same? <br />
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The online shopping spree became so serious that the offline seller outlets began offering competitive rates with online stores. One day, the "big billion day sale" had to occur and it had to flop. Why not! Nobody can offer any product at 90% dicsount. Because the operating procedure was going all the wrong way with customers wanting and believing every & any trash offer.<br />
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And then, the courier companies, small & big, saw huge rise in shipment quantities as the online sales rose higher with so many sites operating. Covering every corner of India with fast 2-3 days shipment isn't easy. India isn't covered so efficiently yet. Please remember, shipment is an important part in online sales because unless the product reaches the buyer, everything fails. E-commerce is not limited to seeing products online, choosing them, paying by credit card or netbanking. Customer has to get the item which he payed for, and he cannot wait for 10-15 days to get his product. Or else, he can go buy at a physical store.</div>
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India has close to 10 million online shoppers and its growing at an estimated rate of 30%. This, from the corporate viewpoint. How the satisfaction rate or percentage? No statistics agency in India will give that figure. Because, as little as the consumer knows, the better for the corporates! And it is because the corporates know the volume of complaints the consumers have about their business.<br />
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One major point isn't clear to anybody on the customer side: buyer protection issue. So far, the websites offer cancelation, refund, exchange etc. But there are huge complaints on those fronts as well. Its quite risky sometimes, with high to very high value items on sale online. The manufacturers are only concerned about their sales figures, rarely alert about customer care!<br />
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In short, there are whole lot of issues to be sorted out and managed very well for e-commerce to run well in a nation of a billion plus.</div>

India is not fully e-commerce ready yet

It has been quite some time, the so-called reputed online stores have made their presence felt on the Internet. There are sites with bad re...

Continue »

Ordering costly items from Flipkart.com has become too risky

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Is the online mega store Flipkart.com slowly on the way of loosing it's credibility? Many people have complained that they have received a fake item or to be precise, a completely different item than that they ordered! Like, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152248467379862" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mahesh Joshi has shared in Facebook</a> that he ordered a Moto G mobile phone but he has received a Wheel Active bar soap instead. In the comments, one <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152871925528362" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sana Khan also reported</a> of a similar experience and she received a Parle G pack of biscuits!</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5005346310475760145#" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Flipkart Moto G delivers bar soap" border="0" height="274" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t1.0-9/q72/s720x720/10411434_10152248467379862_1762483148549054812_n.jpg" title="Flipkart Moto G delivers bar soap" width="320" /></a></div>
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Not only this is surprising, but sad and shocking too! Ordering costly items online, especially electronics, has become risky.<br />
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I can share my own experience. I wanted to order a Canon 55-250mm zoom lens from Flipkart; since its a fragile item, I called them up to enquire if they'll allow me to open the packet in front of their courier person and see whether the product has reached in good condition or not. To this, Flipkart flatly declined and suggested that if there's any problem in the product I can opt for a hassle free return of the same.<br />
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But what in this sort of a situation where the entire product is missing and a completely different item is in the consignment? Will Flipkart ever believe that a customer didn't receive a mobile phone and instead received a bar soap or a pack of biscuits?<br />
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The doubt can go either way! The courier guys may have stolen it, or, a customer may also be lying! This might also be the case that another rival company is bribing the courier guys to damage Flipkart's business reputation. Who knows!<br />
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So, for an easy solution to such kind of situations, Flipkart, to save their reputation, must start allowing their customers to open delivery packets as and when its being delivered. If the consignment is opened in presence of both parties, then there may be a good way to solve these issues.<br />
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Better if Flipkart.com wakes up early, or loose some business carelessly. Personally, after hearing Flipkart's reply to my query, I have decided not to order any costly item online. If I can't trust Flipkart / WS Retail, then I can trust any other online store.<br />
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Is Flipkart.com listening? Are they really serious about their business and their reputation? the future will tell us! But for now, those people who have been cheated, are feeling helpless and complaning here and there with no significant help in sight.</div>

Ordering costly items from Flipkart.com has become too risky

Is the online mega store Flipkart.com slowly on the way of loosing it's credibility? Many people have complained that they have receive...

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Majority of cybersquatters are horrible idiots

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Many a times it happens that you plan to register a suitable domain name and you see it's not available. Well, it's due to cybersquatting. Some people keeps buying domain names with a hope to sell them later on a higher price. Once upon a time this was a good business, it used to bring in a lot of money, but not anymore. In fact, 99% of domain names other than .com extension doesn't have any possibility of being sold.</div>
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Even if it's a .com, majority of domain names never get sold due to the foolishness of the buyer who later sells it. Yes, majority of cybersquatters are horrible idiots. All they have is </div>
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some money to waste, they don't have brains. Let me give you an example: someone has registered 'kaushikbiswas.com' and now wants to sell it for US $1,495.<br />
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That's nearly Rs. 90 thousand in the local currency. Nobody will ever buy it unless there's a good possibility to earn handsome returns from this <i>personal</i> domain name. Last year, a Chinese guy possessed it, he had no idea that this is a personal name, and this name is not Bill Gates kind of a name, it won't sell easily. The current owner doesn't know this domain name won't sell for that much high figure.</div>
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Idiots. What else!</div>
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Cybersquatters, most of them, are like this. They have registered hundreds and thousands of such domain names which will never be sold, ever. Even reputed domain registrars are, sometimes, cybersquatters too! This domain name, kaushikbiswas.net, was kept in ownership by cybersquatters, for years. Lastly I managed to get it, and at a normal legitimate price. That too, because this is a .net extension.</div>
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I owned 'kaushikbiswas.org', from March 2009 till March 2014. After I decided to release it, one Ukrainian has taken it. Possibly a cybersquatter. Possibly, can't say for sure. Because, a Ukrainian has nothing to do with an Indian personal domain name.</div>
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Well, it's sad, many people don't get their desired domain names because of cybersquatters.</div>
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After a long period of tiresome waiting, I  have 'kaushikbiswas.net' and I'd keep it. I am not a cybersquatter, I am Kaushik Biswas, happy and legitimate owner this domain name.</div>

Majority of cybersquatters are horrible idiots

Many a times it happens that you plan to register a suitable domain name and you see it's not available. Well, it's due to cybersqu...

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Google TV: when the web & the TV meets each other

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The competitor for Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku is coming as Google has announced to launch Android powered TV with it's own set top box, the Chromecast device, which will cost around 35 dollars. It will plug in to any HDTV and enable us to view online videos. Android TV will also include Google apps like YouTube and Hangouts. The question is, how many of us really want to watch online videos in very large screen as televisions? </div>
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In a nation of one billion plus, the internet speed and the price users pay for each gigabyte of data is quite high still now. And, not every video is uploaded in high quality of 720p or 1080p resolution in the online video websites. Viewing the medium or low resolution videos in large screen may not be a good experience altogether.</div>
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Personally, I'd never want to watch online videos in large screen. I'd prefer DVDs or Blu Ray discs for that purpose. However, here's a screenshot of Google TV -</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrTQfrSB9Ss/U0JPqKN2mAI/AAAAAAAAD2s/5ZTtr-RgRa4/s1600/google-tv-screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="google tv screenshot" border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TrTQfrSB9Ss/U0JPqKN2mAI/AAAAAAAAD2s/5ZTtr-RgRa4/s1600/google-tv-screenshot.jpg" title="Google TV" /></a></div>
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Google TV: when the web & the TV meets each other

The competitor for Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku is coming as Google has announced to launch Android powered TV with it's own set top box,...

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MakeMyTrip, some memories of my first ever online hotel booking

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In my first ever online hotel booking, I was going through available website reviews and I was confused which site to choose. I rang up the hotel of my choice, to my surprise the hotel manager advised me to book through makemytrip.com; okay, so I did! But I had queries, like anyone else would have. Trying to contact on makemytrip.com's toll-free number put me through 5 minutes of waiting and lastly no one answers, all were busy. Next day I tried to locate if they have any online chat agent available, I found it at help.makemytrip.com and my booking went through. Still, not smoothly.</div>
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Here's what happened: the agent Sumit booked my hotel in Darjeeling, Pine Ridge Hotel, but he did so in my name, whereas it was to be done in my father's name. He noted down all details over a phone call but when he raised the hotel booking confirmation voucher, I saw it was in my name.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wPyLFZ04c-0/U0DZ7JRPFII/AAAAAAAAD1g/1LJtP61Xctk/s1600/cleartrip-yatra-travelguru-makemytrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cleartrip-yatra-travelguru-makemytrip" border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wPyLFZ04c-0/U0DZ7JRPFII/AAAAAAAAD1g/1LJtP61Xctk/s1600/cleartrip-yatra-travelguru-makemytrip.jpg" title="online hotel booking in india" width="197" /></a></div>
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Next, I was surprised to see that the hotel booking wasn't showing up in my online account on makemytrip.com; when I asked the agent, he said it's a separate booking and not connected with my online account. So? There's no record on the site that I have purchased a service from makemytrip.com! But I have a userid on their site!</div>
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The name change request wasn't finally resolved. My request was only met with an attempt to modify the hotel booking voucher, but that one, surprisingly, printed my name though it's showing my father's name on the screen. Maybe some kind of super-intelligence applied by the booking agent which didn't work. I had to call and tell the hotel manager, who assured me that the name won't be any problem.</div>
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On the site, I raised a service request and mentioned about disappearance of my hotel booking transaction. Because, I had lost some reward points, and I also couldn't avail a discount coupon. For 7 days, my issue was never looked at. It's still pending. <a href="https://twitter.com/kaushikbiswas/statuses/452534664519905281" target="_blank">I posted my experience in Twitter</a>, and then they replied. However, I didn't feel contacting back.</div>
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I am not of the opinion that makemytrip.com is bad, but everyone has his/her own story of experiences. I just stated mine. If they read this, they'll say sorry, but there are some things which they must take care of! This, in order to give an user nice experience of their services.</div>

MakeMyTrip, some memories of my first ever online hotel booking

In my first ever online hotel booking, I was going through available website reviews and I was confused which site to choose. I rang up the...

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