Why August 25th? Well, just read up about it

1. Why did you buy an iPad?

Short answer: My name is Atul Chitnis. That should completely and comprehensively answer your question.

Long answer: I have, for several years now, been studying and talking about the concept of The Next Billion Users – people without a PC/Mac background using technology the way we use our wristwatches (we don’t think of our wristwatches as “portable time computing devices”, do we?) and who have consciously stayed away from PC/Mac-type of devices, because they are “computers”.

I have been gathering information that I can share with developers who need to target this new audience – you wont believe how hard it is for a developer with a PC background to wrap his brain around the concept of “technology for non-technology-users”.

The iPhone, the iPod Touch and now the iPad (and soon to come iTV) all address this audience, not the lemming-like PC (or even Mac) crowd.

So I got myself an iPad in early April 2010 for one primary reason: I assumed that the iPad would represent a tipping point, and I needed to be able to understand it and its use by The Next Billion Users.

Oh, and it seemed like a fun device.

Both points proved to be right.

2. What do you primarily use the iPad for?

Short answer: to feed Steve Jobs.

Long answer: I don’t use it as a notebook replacement. I don’t even use it as a computer. In fact, the second someone suggests that I “try this great ssh app for the iPad”, my hackles stand up. I do have a few “computing tools” on the iPad, but I deliberately bury them on one of the screens.

I don’t do wordprocessing, I don’t do spreadsheets, I don’t create presentations. I barely create email, though I do use it for reading mail.

And I don’t take my iPad to client meetings (it distracts too much and wastes time – for that kind of work, I prefer a notebook, or a USB stick with my stuff on it).

I know that many people actually acquire the iPad for “zap value”, but the iPad isn’t a one-to-many device, it is a personal device, and though it does have a VGA out adaptor, that is defeating the purpose of the device.

I use the iPad the way I expect The Next Billion Users will use it – as a personal content consumption device, without consciously doing so.

Since I got the iPad, I have watched children, grand-dads, housewives and other people (who wouldn’t use a PC/Mac even if someone held a gun to their heads) take to the iPad like fish to water.

Clearly, Apple is onto something that the others are missing, and I want in on that.

3. What are some of the apps you use often?

Short answer: Steve Jobs ain’t gonna starve.

Long answer: I have 200+ apps on my iPad, and at least 600 more on my mac, downloaded over time.

I have been an iOS user since 2008 (ever since the concept of iOS apps and the AppStore kicked off), and I have been downloading (and often paying for) apps for ages. Since all these apps also work on the iPad, I naturally had a good selection to start off with when I got my iPad.

Some of the more common ones I use:

• Safari, Email. iPod, Maps, Photos, Youtube and Videos: Built-in apps I can’t do without. In particular I use Videos to watch video podcasts (will make a separate post about that) and movies, especially when I am on the move.
• iBooks: I have been reading eBooks since the mid 90′s, and hence have a HUGE collection of ebooks. Using Calibre, it was a cinch to convert them to ePub format and install them in iBooks. I think that iBooks could be done a whole lot better, but it (along with the Kindle app) is a usable way to read books.
• Last.fm: LAST.FM client (only available in US, UK & DE appstores)
• Kindle: I own a couple of physical Amazon Kindles, and honestly – I prefer those for reading books. But in a crunch, the Kindle app lets me read them as well.
• Facebook: I don’t actually use the Facebook app for iOS on the iPad, because it isn’t native iPad, and in any case, the iPad is big enough to simply use the Facebook site in the browser. Not that I use Facebook that much.
• MindNode: A very nice mindmap tool that I also use on my Mac, but it makes much more sense on the iPad. I use mindmaps a lot while brainstorming, so this tools gets heavily used.
• Goodreader: The Swiss Army Knife of PDF reading and file management.
• Pulse: RSS reader par excellence.
• Mundu IM, Mundu Radio, Spokn and Mundu SMS: Instant Messaging, Internet Radio, Voice over IP and SMS apps from Geodesic.
• Air Video: Let’s me watch videos stored on a computer on the network, with on-the-fly conversion. I’d rate this one as one of the top apps I use. Also great for converting AVI/MKV/etc to iPad/iPhone/iPod compatible m4v format.
• SimpleNote: A simple note taking app that syncs to the web, and has clients for almost any device and OS. Once I make a note with it, it is available on any of my devices.
• Toodledoo: Great ToDo app, with lots of bells and whistles. Replaced Things on my iPad after the Things author tried to gouge his iPhone customers.
• Echofon: I have tried other twitter clients, but until Twitter/Tweetie for iPad comes out (its a iPhone-only app now), this is my top client that I also use on my iPhone.
• We Rule: Think Farmville for the iPad – but no Facebook required
• Angry Birds: Terribly addictive game!
• Scrabble: Fantastic version of this game, and even lets you use your iPhones & iPods as “tile racks”.
• Mahjongg 2 HD: What can I say – I am a Mahjongg addict. It calms me and provides me endless hours of gameplay.
• Myst: If I have to tell you what Myst is, then you probably are not much of a game-player Technically a PC game, but makes far more sense on a toouch device like the iPad.
• Bejeweled 2: Bejewelled has been on my mobile devices since the 90′s. Hopelessly addictive.
• Cool Hunting: Find and read about cool stuff in art, tech and other things.
• Nimbuzz: An all-in-one IM app that also does VoIP. I use it rarely (I use Mundu IM and Spokn far more) but keep it around to troubleshoot connections or the rare time that I use Yahoo Messenger.
• Billings: I am a professional consultant. Tool of my trade.
• Idea Sketch Another mindmap-kind of app. Rarely used, but useful as an outliner.
• MagCloud: A great app for discovering magazines on the net.
• ITC Mobile: Apple’s app to track AppStore sales.
• Amazon.com: I have to tell you what Amazon.com is????
• houzz: Heavily used (along with similar apps) during the design and construction phases of my house.
• WebMD: OK, so we all have our little hurts and aches. This one lets me at least figure out the possible issues.
• Firefox Home: Syncs my Firefox bookmarks and other info (including open tabs) with my other devices
• Clockradio: Nice app to show me a clock and play internet radio when I am not using the iPad.
• Dropbox: Really – I need to tell you what Dropbox is?
• Setlist: App to show me songs in a setlist while I am practicing guitar, also lyrics and other useful info.
• L&M Guitar Gibson’s guitar tuner, metronome & Chord diagrams
• Remote: Remote control for iTunes
• PressReader: My daily fix of newspapers from across the world.
• Skype: Skype is… well.. Skype. ’nuff said.
• Kayak: Flight timings, routes, tracking, etc.
• iBanner HD: Great app for running LED banners. Good for telling people on stage that they should hurry up and finish, so we can go have food.
• VNC: The only PC centric app – used to access my Macs and other VNC-capable devices.
• Google Earth: Fantastic version of Google Earth for the iPad.
• iDraft: Great sketching app. Especially nice for simulated press-sensitivity and variable thickness on the fly.
• Epicurious: A gorgeous cookery book.
• Aquarium: Does nothing but show fish in an aquarium, but the sound makes people rush to the bathroom

Many of these apps also exist on the iPhone and I use them there as well.

Note that I also bought and have installed Pages, Numbers and Keynote for the iPad, but I don’t use them for anything but demonstrating them to people who want to know about them

This is far from a comprehensive list, and keeps changing as I discover new apps. Unfortunately, no one has written an AppList kind of application that looks at all installed apps, looks them up on the appstore and creates an exportable document that lists the apps, descriptions and frequency of use. (Hint, that’s an app idea you could exploit!)

Sadly, no video of the show exists, but Raghu recently performed in London, as part of a wildly successful UK tour, and the BBC filmed it and put it up! And here it is, straight from the BBC site:

Dr.TR Rajesh Kumar

I just received a message from Mrinal‘s dad, Babu Kalakrishnan, that Dr.TR Rajesh Kumar, who was known as TRRK on the CiX BBS, passed away last week.

TRRK was effectively the Godfather of the CiX BBS, and in the nicest possible way. Many members of the BBS owed their online existence to him – which was amazing for someone who lived in far away Alleppey.

He would religiously dial into the BBS, participate in all discussions, help resolve differences, and generally maintain peace and order in what was then India’s only online service.

Over the years, he became an active participant in many online forums, and made it a point to stay in touch with as many people as possible.

Ongoing condolences can be found here.

Rest In Peace, TRRK. You will be missed.

I left  my 4 year old position as Chief Products Officer and Senior VP at Geodesic Limited several months ago – April 30th 2010 was my last working day at Geodesic.

I chose not to make that public till now because I wanted to have a few months free of distractions while I went through the massive exercise of completing the construction of my house, and moving there. This is now complete, and I am writing this from my office in my new home. (More on home related matters in a separate post).

To quickly answer the obvious questions:

I left Geodesic because I felt that there was nothing left to accomplish in the capacity that I was working there, as the direction of the company was changing away from what I had joined it for, back in 2006.

I learnt a lot at Geodesic, streamlined operations (product development, information systems, etc.), worked with some really great people, and guided the development and launch of some great products (including the Mundu and Spokn range of products), on new platforms (including the Apple’s iPhone OS and HP/Palm’s webOS).

But I was getting edgy after working at Geodesic for four years. Being in a corporate environment after more than 20 years of being my own master (I was told by some people that I wouldn’t last 3 months – I lasted 4 years ) has its advantages and challenges, but it was time to move on. Also, I really wanted to focus on things that interested me.

So what’s next for me?

Obviously, with my kind of background, I have an embarrassment of options, but I will talk about these in detail in later posts.

But you can be sure that they all involve products – I am brimming with product ideas, and  I love working with small, tight, passionate and committed teams, directly involved in the the actual development of products that addressed my focus for the future – The Next Billion Users – which I have been speaking about publicly for many years.

I will be writing again as well – something that had almost completely died in the past few years. And I will be on the road again soon, speaking to people about things I am passionate about (including mobile products, Free & Open Source Software, technology directions, etc.).

And I look forward to getting involved with the music and entertainment side of my life again. Some of my projects have kind of stalled, and need rebooting, others haven’t been getting the attention they deserve. All need addressing.

Anyway, beginning next week, I will be responding to a number of organisations who have been in touch. I will also start consulting on a variety of subjects.

If you want to talk to me, read up on my Linkedin Profile, and get in touch!

No matter what I choose to do – I look forward to the opportunities and fun waiting for me (and people working with me).

Wish me luck!

(Yes, I know that this post leaves a lot of questions unanswered – including questions about FOSS.IN and related activities. Patience – all will become clear in upcoming posts. Keep watching this blog, and my posts on Twitter)

“Find a job you love, and you will never have to work again in your life — Confucius”
Image Credit: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net