mohit.santram

Tuesday, September 28th, 2004 : Assignment #5b

Tuesday, September 28th, 2004 : Assignment #5

Assignment: Code something WAPish and propose midterm project by writing/sketching a one page user scenario.

I have been thinking of a variety of ideas, some of which I would like to spend time investigating further. So I have written several ideas, of which I will choose one to create a midterm application.

My first proposal would be to create an application that locates the nearest subway stop from your present location.

The purpose of the application will be to allow people to quickly locate subway stations. Many times people visit a new city or forget where a convenient subway station is located. A user will simply enter in their cross street location with street and avenue and the application will send back to the user a listing of the nearest subway stations. A user will be able to also view a map of the city and all of the subway lines and determine which subway line to take.

My second proposal would be to further investigate ideas that my group created in Design Expo from last year. The application would allow users to take pictures, audio, text, video, or any combination of those and leave them in a physical location. The user would be able to leave the information for their friends, who would be able to retrieve the message at another time.

Monday, September 27th, 2004 : Assignment #3

User1: (r)

1. watching
-user was very comfortable with holding the remote could easily use all of the functions with his one hand. He used hi thumb to navigate.
-he does not have digital cable at home but uses it frequently at friends houses

2. tasks
1-find what’s on TBS at 8
- he hit info, and then scrolled down till he found TBS and the used the left and right arrow keys to get to the correct hour.
– someone else in the room said why don’t you use channel guide wich user did not know about but was hooked when he saw it.
-channel guide- select, scroll through using the arrow buttons then when you find what you want to watch hit select again

how would you check if there is a movie you want to watch on right now and ?#3 about on-demand had the same answer
-hit guide, scroll to HBO on demand, select, scroll through movies and series and then hit select again when you find the one you want.
–messed up once he tried to see what in HBO on demand and didn’t know how to get out so he started hitting a lot of buttons till he was successful in getting out of that mode, and then went back and tried it again

2. information display
-hit info name of show pop up and when it is on, hit info again to get description

4. other menu options
-discovered channel guide loves it makes everything so much easer

problems/ complaints
-on demand could be laid out clearer to navigate through
when scrolling up and down through the shows on the bottom there is a left and right arrow which also changes i think it says what series the particular show is in but for a new user it can be very confusing about where you need to go.

User2: (a)
K is a woman, busy mother of two young kids ( 7 & 4 years). Not much of a TV
viewer, generally uses it to set up channels for the kids.

1. Current Experience:
The family has a handful of channels they watch
regularly, & they know from habit which numbers to go to.K was adept at
switching channels, but that is as far as she goes with using the TV.

So the general task flows for this user are:

Switch on TV—> Use the remote to jump straight to channels reqd

2. Program Guide:

She had to think awhile, fumbled with a few channels till she came to the
program guide for the day. Thereafter she moved easily through the guide
using the arrow keys.

3. On-demand:
Has never used this feature, & was unwilling to try it now.

4. Other features:
Was totally unfamiliar with anything else the system
offered, said her husband ( who was away then) was the more frequent &
adept user.

Introduction
>>1st user: male, 33 yrs old, Professional game player. He�s had cable service for over 10 years, and used to play various game devices.
>>2nd user: female, 31 yrs old, Artist.
She often watches TV cable and has already many favorite channels.

Current Experience

>>1st user was accustomed to navigate channel w/ remote controller. He only used the functions what he used to.
>>He navigated the channels starting from his favorite channels which he has memorized. He started from the channel 22 and kept going up the channel till 28. He stopped and hit the channel 105 and started going up the channel in hitting channel + button, again. In case of commercial playing, he�s never watched and skipped all the commercials. He liked watching �fine living�, �food� or �living home� channels. He rarely look down the remote control and he looked getting used to it.

>>2nd user already memorized most program channels which she used to watch. She held up the remote control on her eye level and hit the buttons looking carefully which one she was hitting.

Specific Tasks

Task 1: Program Guide

Find what is showing on TBS at 8 pm tonight.
Probe:
>>1st User hit the guide button and flipped the program list screen with hitting page +/- buttons. He flipped the screen very fast while he was searching TBS channel.
>>During his searching the channel, he kept watching the small thumbnail screen on the right upper side. It played the show where he exited for guide.
>>When he found the TBS channel on the list, he used arrow key to highlight TBS. He answered the movie, �what women want�, is showing at 8PM on TBS.

>>2nd user took longer to find out TBS channel. She hit guide button and scrolled up and down with arrow key. Different from him, she didn�t care what was playing on the right upper thumbnail screen.

Find what is showing on TBS at 8 pm tomorrow night.
>>He simply hit �Day +� button to move to tomorrow schedule staying on the same channel.
>>She used the right arrow key to move to tomorrow schedule. She traveled 24 hours of timeline to reach to the same time as tonight.

How would you check to see if there is a movie that you would like to watch on on right now?
Probe:
>>He hit 201, HBO and changed the channel up/down with pressing channel +/- key.
>>She hit 201, HBO channel which she�s already remembered. Starting from channel 201, channel was going up 208. She hit 81, TMC channel, and hit 81, AMC channel. She seemed to have certain searching root to look up a movie.

Task 2: Information Display

Once they have found a movie ask them to tell you more about it — what time it started, when it was made…
>>He hit info button to look at the specification of the movie displayed starting/ending time and the title of movie. He hit info button once again to see more details about the movie.
>>She hit info button as well to get info and she was embarrassed not to get the more details. She hit info again by mistake and could get description.

Task 3: On Demand Menu

>>On demand seemed to be strange for them. They�ve never navigated on demand menu.

Task 4: Other Menu Options

>>Even though they have their favorite channels in their mind, they were unwilling to set up favorite channels. Hitting specific channel number all the time was more comfortable than setting up the favorite channel for them.
>>He never used �A�, �B�, �C� buttons before, but he knew what those buttons for.
He searched programs with guide button and spent time for a while to look up programs. The time consuming in guide screen got him to be interested in watching little window on right upper side. He expected to see the preview of programs whatever he highlighted during navigating instead of showing the same channel when he exited for the guide screen.
>>She switched channels with hitting last button. While she was watching TV, she stick to a certain channel and kept going back with the last button.

1. watching
-user was very comfortable with holding the remote could easily use all of the functions with his one hand. He used hi thumb to navigate.
-he does not have digital cable at home but uses it frequently at friends houses

2. tasks
1-find what’s on TBS at 8
- he hit info, and then scrolled down till he found TBS and the used the left and right arrow keys to get to the correct hour.
– someone else in the room said why don’t you use channel guide wich user did not know about but was hooked when he saw it.
-channel guide- select, scroll through using the arrow buttons then when you find what you want to watch hit select again

how would you check if there is a movie you want to watch on right now and ?#3 about on-demand had the same answer
-hit guide, scroll to HBO on demand, select, scroll through movies and series and then hit select again when you find the one you want.
–messed up once he tried to see what in HBO on demand and didn’t know how to get out so he started hitting a lot of buttons till he was successful in getting out of that mode, and then went back and tried it again

2. information display
-hit info name of show pop up and when it is on, hit info again to get description

4. other menu options
-discovered channel guide loves it makes everything so much easer

problems/ complaints
-on demand could be laid out clearer to navigate through
when scrolling up and down through the shows on the bottom there is a left and right arrow which also changes i think it says what series the particular show is in but for a new user it can be very confusing about where you need to go.

I. Background
I sat down with a friend in his apartment to observe how he uses his TimeWarner Digital Cable package, which includes a DVR unit. He has been to my apartment and used my TiVo, and endured the constant sales pitch that I’ve repeatedly given him. So he’s familiar with both systems and the basic company information below.

1) Digital Video Recorder
DVR, Digital Video Recorder, records video pictures digitally on a hard disk drive (HDD). This HDD, usually built-in, has capacity of 20 Gb, 30 Gb or 60Gb to store the records. You can program the picture resolution and recording time according to the application; real-time or time lapse recording also available. Overwriting the oldest pictures is programmable.

Event alarm recording which records only when a movement is captured within the image frame is easier to program and more reliable than the Time Lapse VCR’s alarm recording function. You just assign dots over the screen where you want to detect the movement. As DVR records digitally, the image quality remains the same regardless of how many times the images are stored or rerecorded. And, you can select images quickly by using time/date or alarm search, or just browsing through.

http://www.cctvconsult.com/pages/dvr.htm

2) TiVo
Independent DVR manufacturer
http://www.TiVo.com/

“TiVo Inc. is a provider of technology and services for digital video recorders (DVRs). The Company’s subscription-based TiVo service is designed to improve home entertainment by providing consumers with an easy way to record, watch and control television. The TiVo service also offers the television industry a platform for advertising, content delivery and audience research. The TiVo service requires a TiVo-enabled DVR. As of January 31, 2004, there were over 1.3 million subscriptions to the TiVo service.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=TiVo

3) Time Warner
http://www.timewarnercable.com/

“Time Warner Inc., formerly known as AOL Time Warner Inc., is a media and entertainment company. It classifies its business interests into five fundamental areas: America Online, Inc., consisting principally of interactive services; Cable, consisting principally of interests in cable systems providing video and high-speed data services; Filmed Entertainment, consisting principally of feature film, television and home video production and distribution; Networks, consisting principally of cable television and broadcast networks, and Publishing, consisting principally of magazine and book publishing.”

“The Cable business consists principally of interests in cable systems that provide video programming and high-speed data services to customers under the name Time Warner Cable. As of December 31, 2003, cable systems owned or managed by Time Warner Cable passed approximately 18.8 million homes, provided basic video service to 10.9 million subscribers, over 4. 3 million of whom also subscribe to Time Warner Cable’s digital video service, and provided high-speed data services to nearly 3.4 million residential subscribers and commercial accounts. Time Warner Cable plans to introduce its new Internet protocol-based voice service, known as Digital Phone, in most, if not all, of its operating systems in 2004. Time Warner Cable also operates, alone or in partnerships, 24-hour local news channels in New York, North Carolina and Texas. Time Warner Cable’s video services face competition from satellite services, such as DirecTV and the Dish Network.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=TWX
http://yahoo.investor.reuters.com/FullDesc.aspx?target=/stocks/quickinfo/companyprofile/fulldescription&ticker=TWX

II. Test Case

1) Sample User
Tony, 30-something male living in New York City. He owns an extensive CD, movie, and DVD collection. He’s subscribes to TimeWarner Digital Cable and uses their Digital Video Recorder (DVR). He’s used the TimeWarner DVR for the past eight months. He has never used TiVo, ReplayTV, or any other DVR product.

2) Charges
Currently he pays approximately $70 a month for Digital Cable, DVR, and selected premium channels. The bill breaks down to about $54.95 for Digital Cable and premium channels, 8.95/month for the DVR, and the rest in taxes and surcharges. The user has a friend who cannot record shows, and is pretty sure she spends about $55 a month.

3) Operation
Navigating the Digital Cable Menu was a snap for Tony. He was quickly able to browse through the guide to see the upcoming shows. He is able to change channels easily by entering channel number or pushing the channel up or down arrows. States that the remote has a good weight, easy to navigate, and hold in his hand. He has recorded about 20 shows, but he is not sure if there is a recoding limit. He was not sure if the hard drive is located within the unit, it is. It’s so quick to watch shows, but yet it takes a long time to change the channel. This is because the DVR switches what it is recording to the newly selected channel guide, hit the channel number, or up down. He has used the On-Demand programming feature, but not recently. It comes with digital cable, but you have to pay for movies served by TimeWarner. Although if you have HBO, then you can view any program On-Demand and not pay an extra charge.

4) Likes:
1) Being able to record a show and view another show at the same time
2) TV on his own time.
3) The Digital quality is superior than analog cable or standard TV.
4) He likes recording entire season, first runs and repeats. also likes recording shows via the schedule
5) The DVR is able to record a week(s) in advance.
6) He has found outputting recorded shows to his VCR and DVD recorder to be quite useful.
7) He really likes the DVR rewind and pausing features.
He can see information for each live and recorded show.
9) Navigating through the DVR menu is simple and easy.
10) The DVR organizes all his shows by date.
11) He has no problems with the User Interface of the Digital Cable Guide or remote.
12) He loves the remote. “It’s so easy to navigate. It’s got a great weight.” He also loves the remote because you can control your cable box plus four other devices: DVD player, VCR, CD player, whatever. After a brief test, he was able to use his universal Time Warner remote to control his DVD player.
13) He loves that the DVR has got picture-in-picture. He is able to record one show and watch another in picture in picture. He is also able to switch between the two, even while recording.

5) Dislikes:
1) The complete package is little pricey. He would love too see more competition and lower prices.
2) The customer service is fine, yet not very helpful or really knowledgeable with most DVR issues.
3) When watching live TV, changing channels isn’t instantaneous.
4) He liked the concept of the Wish List, the 30-second jump ahead, and eight second rewind. “I don’t have TiVo, but isn’t this the same thing? F TiVo.”
5) His DVR unit doesn’t have a digital out port, so he can’t make a digital clone or copy of a recorded show. Currently he has to go through the the VCR via an analog connection to record the show to VCR tape or DVD disc. He would like an optical jack to output the recorded shows digitally.
6) To reset the DVR, you have to remove the plug for about 10 seconds to reset the unit. This is not a good feature. He has had the unit for 8 months and has reset it about 8 times, an average of once a month. If he zips through the channels too quickly, the DVR unit gets “messed up”. TimeWarner’s customer service department stated that “it is a computer and if you zip through, it will get messed up.”
7) The only way to navigate through a live or recorded show is with the fast forward feature, but there is no 30 second Jump ahead feature like on TiVo.
He would love to categorize recorded shows by more than just the date. He suggested sorting by type, genre, or a field set by the user.
9) The DVR is only able to rewind when the unit is on.

6) Q&A
Q: Would he buy a TiVo?
A: “No. I would have bought a Tivo if TimeWarner had not offered their DVR.”

7) Conclusion
Tony thoroughly enjoys his TimeWarner DVR, though he wishes he had more control over the categorization of the recorded show, the ability to backup the shows digitally, and a lower overall price. He would love to see the TimeWarner DVR have the same functionality, User Interface, and advanced features that TiVo’s have, but he would not be willing to pay a premium for their unit and service. “Why buy a TiVo when one could rent the unit and a lower monthly fee for a unit which allows you to watch and record two different shows at the same time?”

Monday, September 27th, 2004

Initial Thoughts
Over the last two weeks, I’ve attended the first two sessions of Social Software. Clay Shirky is our instructor, and has led some thought provoking discussions about the topic at hand. What is social software?

Class Links
Social Software Syllabus: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/social_software/

Social Software Wiki: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?HomePage

September 27th, 2004
Today we’re going to be picking our groups for the rest of the semester. I’m hopeful that my group will gel together quickly. Last year I was fortunate to work with some great people, especially within Socialight. It would be great to have another great group experience.

Mo’s Links
Social Software Journal: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~ms1065/journal

Social Software Wiki: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~ms1065/wiki/wiki.cgi

Monday, September 27th, 2004 : Assignment #2

September 20th, 2004
Week 2: Definitions and Boundaries
Further examples of social software, with an emphasis on understanding different genres, and on finding new needs to address or new technical capabilities to exploit.
- Reading: Matt Webb on Glancing / Joi Ito’s Happenings (Repeat)
- Reading: Conceptual Blockbusting, Chapter 6 (Alternate Thinking Languages) [Handout]

- Assignment: A) Work in groups to propose at least three changes to one (and only one) of the sites or tools listed at http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?SecondAssignment, in order to improve the collaborative effectiveness of the tool.
- Assignment: B) Fill out your profile in the ITP Skillz database, http://social.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/skills/index.php
- Due: 09.27.04

The second session we continued our discussion about social software. Our group (Sarit, Derek, Steve) chose to review del.icio.us. I’ve posted my thoughts within the class wiki which can be found here:

Assignment 2:
GroupNine: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?GroupNine
del.icio.us: del.icio.us

Wednesday, September 22th, 2004 : Assignment #2

My Carabiner Watch II
09.22.04

Core User Tasks
The core user tasks of the stopwatch are:
* viewing and setting the time
* viewing and setting the alarm
* viewing and using the stopwatch
* viewing and using the compass
* viewing and using the stopwatch

These tasks can be viewed and set using three of the four buttons on the stopwatch. The Mode, Start/Stop, and Reset buttons all allow the user to toggle between the various states and values of each component of the time, date, and stopwatch.

New Design
My first task would be to add a tactile surface to each of the four buttons to improve the user experience while using the Carabiner Watch. Adding an indentation or a raised surface would help the user recognize each button differently.

The backlight feature would also be extended to the compass. The length of the backlight would be increased to three seconds from two. The locking mechanism would also be improved with a screw lock to allow the user to screw the lock down to make the mechanism more secure when attached to another item.

Kinetic Variables
Pressure. Each mode is changed by pressing each of the buttons. While the amount of pressure isn’t taken into account, the state changes based on the number of times each button is pressed.

Input Mechanism
After last week’s class exercise, I’ve decided that I would add a Red LED to my carabiner clock to enhance feedback. The LED would be incorporated into the unit directly above the display. The LED would function as an alternative to the compulsory beep that the stopwatch emits at the start of every hour. The visual response will give the same feedback to the user, without being an auditory reminder of time change and alarm.

I would also propose adding another state to the watch that would allow the user to toggle between the visual LED and the auditory beeper. The user could then decide if they wanted a visual alarm or and auditory one.

Refresher - Part I - Features
There are four main buttons on my carabiner alarm clock, a compass, and a semi-sturdy plastic locking mechanism.

1) Light - pressing this button turns the backlight on for two seconds. Timing the backlight was quite easy.

2) Mode - this button changes the state of the watch from time (base mode) to the stopwatch, to the editing state.

3) Start/Stop - Mapped to do different things in each state, this button can display the date, start and stop the stopwatch, and be used to change the value of each time and date component in the editing mode.

4) Reset - this button also is mapped to do multiple things. It can display the alarm time, toggle the components being edited, and reset the stopwatch.

5) Compass - this functions like any other, rotate the clock, and the compass will change accordingly and always point north.

6) Locking Mechanism - while this appears to be visibly sturdy, it may not satisfy a devoted climber. The clock is meant to be an add on to a backpack, and not meant for climbing use, though that phrase is not emblazoned on the backside of the unit.

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004 : Assignment #4

* Assignment: Design an application for your Mom, and prepare as power point demo with printouts for class.

The Mom App

I wrote this application with my Mom in mind. Basically it would allow her to quickly share information, i.e. pictures, quickly with a predetermined set of friends and family. Just a One-Click button and that’s it. She’s not too technically saavy, so the easier the better.

Download file

Monday, September 20th, 2004 : Assignment #1

September 13th, 2004
Week 1: Introduction to Social Software
Examples of social software, drawn from both general use and ITP projects of previous years. A definition will be derived from the examples.
- Reading: Joi Ito’s Happenings / Discussion of the ITP list
- Reading: Conceptual Blockbusting, Chapter 5 (Intellectual and Expressive Blocks) [Handout]

- Assignment: A) Work in your groups to uncover something interesting about one (and only one) of the sites or tools listed at http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?FirstAssignment
- Assignment: B) Fill out your profile in the ITP Skillz database, http://social.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/skills/index.php
- Due: 09.20.04

During the first session, we discussed the concepts of sharing, communication, and media. Our group’s (Mattia and Tali) assignment was to review SourceForge. I’ve posted my thoughts within the class wiki which can be found here:

Assignment 1:
GroupFour Review: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?GroupFour
sourceforge: http://www.sourceforge.net

Useful Links

Class Links
Social Software Syllabus: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/social_software/

Social Software Wiki: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?HomePage

Mo’s Links
Social Software Journal: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~ms1065/journal

Social Software Wiki: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~ms1065/wiki/wiki.cgi

Assignments
Assignment 1: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?GroupFour
Due: 09.20.04

Assignment 2: http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~cs97/wiki/wiki.cgi?GroupNine
Due: 09.27.04

Wednesday, September 15th, 2004 : Assignment #1

My Carabiner Clock
09.15.04

Part I - Features
There are four main buttons on my carabiner alarm clock, a compass, and a semi-sturdy plastic locking mechanism.

1) Light - pressing this button turns the backlight on for two seconds. Timing the backlight was quite easy.

2) Mode - this button changes the state of the watch from time (base mode) to the stopwatch, to the editing state.

3) Start/Stop - Mapped to do different things in each state, this button can display the date, start and stop the stopwatch, and be used to change the value of each time and date component in the editing mode.

4) Reset - this button also is mapped to do multiple things. It can display the alarm time, toggle the components being edited, and reset the stopwatch.

5) Compass - this functions like any other, rotate the clock, and the compass will change accordingly and always point north.

6) Locking Mechanism - while this appears to be visibly sturdy, it may not satisfy a devoted climber. The clock is meant to be an add on to a backpack, and not meant for climbing use, though that phrase is not emblazoned on the backside of the unit.

Part II - Using The Watch
Pushing the Mode button toggles the unit from the standard view, which displays the time, day of the week, AM/PM in Military time, seconds, alarm state, and volume. In the base mode, pressing the Start/Stop button will toggle the screen from Time (standard format) to the date format, which is displayed in Month and Day. Pressing the Reset button in base mode, will simple toggle the screen from standard view to the alarm time. The day of the week does not change, and neither does the time, or the alarm setting. Every hour on the hour, the watch will beep to signify the start of the new hour. This feature cannot be turned off or muted.

Part III - Using The Stopwatch
Pressing the mode button once in base mode will result in the stop watch being queued up. A user can now press the backlighting, which reacts the same way. Pressing the Reset button will reset the stop watch and cause the unit to beep. Pressing the Start/Stop Button once will trigger the stop watch and pressing it again will stop it. Pressing the Reset button will reset the Stopwatch back to zero.

Part IV - Setting The Alarm
In base mode, pressing the mode button twice will allow the user to change the alarm time. By default, the hour will blink on the unit. The user can press the backlight, will still functions the same. The Start/Stop button will increase the hour, which is shown in military time. Pressing the Reset button will toggle between the hour and the minutes, which can be changed using the Start/Stop button.

If the alarm time is being reset, and the user has toggled between the hour and the minutes, pressing the Mode button will bring the watch back to the default mode. If the user has not changed the alarm hour or minutes or toggled between the hours and minutes, pressing the Mode button again will bring the watch into the time edit mode. This state also can be displayed by pressing the Mode button three times from the base mode.

Part V - Setting The Time
Once the watch is in the third mode, changing the time can be done the same way that the alarm was changed. However, when the watch’s time is being reset, the user can set the seconds, miniutes, and hours, day, month, and day of the week. The Light button will still function as normal and display the backlight for two seconds. Pressing the Reset button will allow the user to first change the seconds, then the minutes, hours, day, month, and finally the day of the week.

If the mode button is pressed seven times, the state will be brought back to editing the seconds. If the Start/Stop button is pressed, the seconds will be reset to zero. The user can press the Reset button to toggle through the rest of the time and ate components, and change them by pressing the Start/Stop button to increase the value. Since each component is in a loop, pressing the Start/Stop button will always cycle the state of the component being edited. Pressing the Mode button at any point while editing the time will lock in the changes, if any, and return the watch to base mode.

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 : Assignment #3

* Assignment: Sign up with Dodgeball at http://www.dodgeball.com/, post a photo of yourself, add class mates and me as your friends and make journal entry of this experience.

I’ve been a dodgeball member for some time, in fact I first heard of it when I met Dennis in the Fall of 2002. He came by ym.com to talk to my boss, and ITP alum and myself about Dodgeball. It was an interesting meeting to learn more about SMS messaging and how it could be used in the teen market. Since then Dodgeball went through drastic changes to what it is now. It’s great as you can easily add people to your list, block some through the ex-girlfriend bug feature, and communicate to your friends actively via SMS.

I would love to see Dennis and Alex incorporate more features and shortcuts when creating a text messages. I’m not sure where they are headed in the future, but I look forward to more advances.

Last spring i toook Design Expo and helped create socialight, which is a mobile social networking application. Currently we are still developing the application, but it uses GPS data to locate friends and allows you to communicate with them in a innovative ways. I am taking this class to help me learn phone, J2ME, symbian, and other phone development tools. Our site is at http://www.socialight.net

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 : Assignment #2

* Assignment: Sign up with UPOC at http://www.upoc.com/ and join “cellphonia” and make journal entry of this experience.

Signing up for an UPOC account was quite simple. The set up was easy, and after a few minutes I got a confirmation text message on my phone. I started receiving messages from Steve, most of which were polls. I found it interestng to recieve polls. After managing ym.com for the last 3.5 years, I know the value of polls, especially to marketers. I fear the day when SPAM reaches the cell phone, but in the ever present need to sell and get eyeball impressions, this frontier won’t stand free for long.

Tuesday, September 14th, 2004 : Assignment #1

Assignment:
Sign up with your developer that corresponds with your cell phone (Nokia, Sony-Ericcson, etc.) to discover the capabilities of your phone and post your phone stats to your journal page.

I signed up with SonyEricsson and downloaded the development tools for my t610. My phone stats are as follows:

1. Your name: Mohit SantRam
2. User name or nick name: Mo
3. Cell phone number: 917.701.6051
4. Cell phone carrier: T-Mobile
[cell phone number + cell phone carrier = SMS delivery]
5. Make and model # of your cell phone with a link or written description or your cell phone specifications: Sony Ericsson t610

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=us&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pp1_1_1&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10055

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=us&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pp1_loader&php=php1_10055&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10055

Features:
* The T610 features a high-resolution screen with 65,536 colors
* Comes with MMS, which allows you to compose your messages using images, sounds and text
* Supports the Java and Mophun platforms, making the widest range of mobile games and applications available for you to download
* Supporting Bluetooth, infrared and cable, the T610 is fully compatible with any computer. Your phone books and calendars will stay synchronized and updated
* With a built-in camera and QuickShare software, you take pictures and store them on your computer or send them to friends all in a few simple steps
* Unit Weight: 3.35 oz.
* Size (in inches): 1.73 x 4.02 x 0.75

Technical Data
User Interface: Backlit, Clock, Text Message Indicator, Voice Mail Button, Voice Mail Indicator, Volume Select/Display, Signal Strength Indicator
Size & Weight: 4.02 x 1.73 x 0.75 inches, 3.35 oz.
Call Management: Call Timers, Redial, Missed Call Indicator, Call Log, Voice Activated Dialing, Any-Key Answer, Auto-Answer, Speed Dial, Mute Control, Vibrating Ring, Differential Ring
Phone Book Capacity: 512 entries
Advanced Messaging: SMS Messaging Two Way, Text Messaging
Web & Data Features: Modem, Call Restrictions, Lock Alarm
Power: Battery Strength Indicator
Minimum Rated Standby Time: 315 hours
Minimum Rated Talk Time: 840 minutes
Battery Cell Composition: Polymer
Charging Time: 1.5 hours
Extras: Headphone Jack, Alarm, Voice Memo
Network Compatibility: GSM
Components: Includes Charger, Battery, and Sync Software

6. The services ordinary and enhanced of your carrier subscription plan.

http://www.t-mobile.com/plans/NationalRatePlanDetails.asp?PlanID=4092

Get More 1000 plan
Price: $39.99
Whenever minutes (per month): 1000 minutes
Weekend minutes (per month): N/A
Weeknight minutes (per month): N/A
Mobile-to-mobile minutes (per month): N/A
Additional minutes: 40�: N/A

This plan includes the following services: Built-in Paging, Call Waiting and Call Hold, Caller ID, Conference Calling, Detailed Billing, Enhanced VoiceMail, Web Browser
300 Text Messages - Allows you to send, receive, and reply to text messages (up to 140 characters) using your phone. Messages may be sent to and from any T-Mobile phone or e-mail address. $0.05 per additional text message.

7. As well as the assignments in Week One at http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/~smb5/cellphonia.php

Interactive Telecommunications Program
2nd Year Student
New York University : Tisch School of the Arts
(e) ms1065@nyu.edu
(e) mohit@santram.net
(c) 917.701.6051
(i) msantram