Android..really?

It’s December and now I’m waiting for my allowance to be banked in. Only God knows how long it takes to release the cheque into my bank account. On a side note, after a couple of months of using an Android, I asked myself, why did I decided to jump ship to Android from Blackberry. Of course there are few reasons that I have said in my previous posts and the recent change was merely due to financial constraint. In India, it seems that Android smartphones are somewhat “affordable” compared to Blackberry. Thus, during the desperate days I need some cash, I had to trade in my Bold 9900 and settled with Motorola Milestone.

OK here’s the deal, every now and then, most tech reviewers would be ditching Blackberry for either Android or iPhone. The only features they would be stressing upon is nothing but the availability of apps. Specifications of a phone is also another points in favor for these two smartphones, however, the mass users are not well verse of the advancement in technology. All they care about is whether the phone has dual core processors, Nvidia Tegra 2 chipsets, HSDPA+ and a highest resolution camera, they felt as if they have invested into the correct phones. In reality, that doesn’t seem to work like that.  Now let’s dissect this matter further.

Android.

Everybody knows Android being an “open source” platform to date. But in reality, thanks to the various manufacturers, it doesn’t seem like that. Every new Android smartphone that hit the market, will bear the logo of its proprietor. Thus, each company is responsible for making sure that each hardware embedded into the smartphone will work well with the current Android version. In simpler words, they are the ones who decide the source codes for their phone to work. The Android version of my Milestone won’t work on your Galaxy S 2 despite both are being Android. And thus, this already deny the fact that it is an open source OS.

There are active forums for Android developer community that are working hard to porting one source code of Android of one phone to the other, but so far, I have yet to find the one that is perfect. Why? Because, not all of the components within the phone will work correctly with the new customized ROM. Thus tell me, does this justify the word “open source”? Sad to say, even though there are various release of ROMs, but one have to agree that, only the official ROMS will give the best experience on an Android smartphone. Bear in mind, an official ROM is applicable to a particular model ONLY. You won’t get the true freedom being on an open source OS.

Some people might report that this so and so custom ROM have made their phone like brand spanking new. I have no objections only to a certain extent. For your information, these so-called custom ROM only adds few extra features that were “missing” from the official build.  Performance wise, is only a matter of placebo. Some might say their phone has improved while some doesn’t (this is my case). Perhaps, it was my error for not applying the “best” ROM out there. But hey, using a Milestone is not as fun as using a Droid. I dunno, perhaps, most of the developers are from the States and most phones over there are using CDMA band (Milestone is meant for GSM users, and this is different story I have to elaborate)  and therefore their development pace seems a little bit faster.

The development for the Milestone on the other hand seems to be a tad lagging behind compared to the Droid. So how can I ensure that my custom ROM is the most updated ROMs available? By the time the “best” one came out, Google will announce a newer version of Android. Duh. Again I have to wait for the next custom ROM release while for the time being, pleasing myself with the current ROM. Now we already have Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android. Sad to say, for most phones from 2008, it is pretty unlikely for them to be supported with the new codes. This is totally a blown off for people who hails the word “open source”.

From time to time, technology is developing, and thus a newer Android versions are meant for higher end models. Don’t mention apps, of course the developers will always try to harness every single bit of the new hardware so that their apps give the best user experience. So do u expect a user to upgrade their phones frequently? This is madness! If u put it this way, it’s almost similar like upgrading your PC just to make it compatible with the latest games.

I guess, it would unjust for me to put all the blame on Google alone. As I mentioned earlier, the manufacturers are the one who is responsible for the codes. I guess, Motorola dev team have already ditch the Milestone long ago. *sigh*

So what would be the solution to this? Whatever year u are in, find the best flagship smartphone of that company for that year and settle with that. You might stand a chance to have your phone supported for the next 2 or 3 generations of Android that would come out. The classical example I would give here is Galaxy Nexus. It was 1st introduced in 2008 and guess what, in 2011, Samsung already prepared the Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for it. Isn’t that a good news? A pretty good investment I would say.

If I were to chose which smartphone to buy, I would preferably left out Android. I just hate the whole idea of “open source” when actually it isn’t. What freedom do we get, when in the end, we are still stuck with the manufacturer’s date line to release the new source code for further development? This is just a total bullshit.

No matter what kind of newer Android smartphone out there, for me they are just an eye-candy. If you really need the best communicator device, Blackberry are the best. Hands down. Yeah, I do know the lack of apps, but who want’s a gaming device when u actually buy a phone to make phone calls and sending messages (IM, emails, text). All the large sized touch screen and those mumbo-jumbo are only for kids to be pleased about. Heck, I don’t mind if my Blackberry is outdated, not having the latest apps or whatever, as long as I can get the best device for communication.

A flagship Android phone would cost u some extra ka-ching for sure, but in the end of the day, if u just use it for playing Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja, I think u might as well wanna buy a proper gaming device for that purpose alone. Ah whatever..it’s your money by the way…

p/s: I’m actually missing to use a Blackberry again…I just can’t afford one since I haven’t received my allowance yet *sigh*

Metro UI on a Droid?? A Launcher Review

This is actually a launcher I found on the market. It’s pretty sleek theme so far compared to any other launcher based themes (Go Launcher EX, Slide Pro etc.). I did write a review of a Blackberry Theme using the same Metro UI concept before. Coming from a different developer, this theme also deliver the same experience like the one on a Blackberry.  For those who prefer minimalist design, this is one of the best choice out there.

the home screen

This theme comes with a sweet spot on the far end of the screen or you can just tap on the arrow (on top right corner) to get into the main menu. Tapping on the menu button on the phone will bring up the settings for the phone, the launcher and wallpaper. You can set up unlimited tiles as you like. It’s basically creating a short cut on the home screen whenever you long press an app icon in the main menu. Generally, it can hold upto 8 tiles on the home screen. But if you feel 8 is not enough, you can always add more later on. The home screen will accommodate so that if it exceeds 8 tiles, you can scroll over on the home screen to reach the extra tiles.

However, if you are a person who likes to have widgets and multiple home screen, then this theme might not be suitable for you. You can also setup any wallpaper, but the drawback is, you wont see the animated tiles once it is tapped. Also, the wallpaper will overlap the tiles and thus, it’s useless if your app tiles are located in the middle part of the screen.

the main menu

Only two screen shots for tonight. The rest are pretty much the same as Android stock windows. There you go. Hope you enjoy this post. Credits to the developer who came up with this wonderful launcher

Bye!

Dilemma of an Ex-crackberry Addict…

Last night before I sleep..I browsed through the Crackberry Forum and landed on the section of ex blackberry users. It was funny reading through their post about what they missed the most after leaving the Blackberry world. I couldn’t agree more what they’ve said really suits my feelings as well.

Alas, as a conclusion, these are the thing I miss the most about a Blackberry Smartphone:

1) LED Notifications

2) BBM

3) Push notification for almost everything!

4) Powerful Battery Life (even though I always had to charge my phone everynight)

5)  THE KEYBOARD!!

I’ve been an extensive user of a Blackberry, despite different models, all of their phones delivers the same experience albeit some models are really slow.

These are the list of Blackberry phones I’ve used:

1) Curve 8900

2) Storm 9530

3) Blackberry 8700g

4) Storm 9550

5) Bold 9000

6) Bold 9900

So now that I’ve jumped ship to Android phones, would I ever go back to being a Blackberry user? I say YES. But right now, I’m not a busy person who always rely on emails, I guess I’m settled with my Milestone. The reason being is that, on Android, I have the freedom to customize everything and I enjoy doing that.

But if the time comes for me to be a serious smartphone user which requires a maximum connectivity purpose, then I might switchback to Blackberry. I could care less about the upcoming BBX OS phones which IMHO, are targeted towards public average phone users. You have to bear in mind that before Blackberry received all this hype, the company (RIM) started as a pager provider. Then from there onward, they advanced into the encrypted email services for business users. Therefore, that;s why I said, if I really into communication business, I will choose Blackberry without any doubt.

How about cloud computing that iOS5 offers nowadays? Well I guess, whatever label they are using, it is Apple. Thus, when it comes to Apple they only sell brands. I’m not saying that their products are unreliable, but it’s just matter of fashion rather than a must have gadget. Thanks to their extensive app support, iPhone users are much more contented with what apps they can download rather than the technologies offered by Apple. By right, Apple is a state of the art smartphone with the best full touch screen experience.

The only drawbacks that the Blackberry has is when the server outage occurs. Well, you have to expect that no matter what. In order to maintain a server which provides always on connectivity, the server outages is a norm. You gotta deal with that. There is no perfect smartphone as of now. Each one has its own weaknesses and as a user who are not equipped with these technical knowledge, it is wrong to blame RIM for all this mess.

Well I guess, that;s all for now. Catch up with you guys later

Bye!

Another Update!

I know that none of you guys care what kind of home screen do I have..which ROM I’m running on or even which script I applied. Screw you guys! I’m gonna share it anyway because I love how can I customize so much on this old phone..wakaka!

Now here’s the real deal:

current homescreen with Go Launcher EX theme.

the engine!

As you can see, I’m currently running HO!NO!’s custom ROM based on Kabaldan CM7 built. One thing I like about CM7 is the ability to take screen shots without using additional application for that. Perhaps some of you might not find screen shot applications necessary, but for a narcissist like me, it is A MUST!

Apart from that, any users who currently installed CM based custom ROM will obvious give it a thumbs up. Furthermore, I did some “tweaking” on this phone by running a script I found on XDA forums. U can check out here ( http://bit.ly/nA0kJ7 ). Well somehow it “suppose” to make your device runs faster..but I don’t see any difference though. Well, you guys can try your luck!

One thing I do really like about Go! Launcher EX theme is that, the ability to group your applications into folders. In addition to that, you can also rename those folders to your own liking. In the application menus, there are 3 tabs which governs the whole process ie; All, Recent and Running. Without having to go all the way to the Settings, you can manage your applications then and there. How sweet is that?

neat and tidy :p

Alright, that’s all for now..gotta hit the heck. It’s quite cold in Bangalore at the moment by the way..see ya guys in the next post!

Bye!

Another Android in da House!!

This it it’s from Motorola. After several years of  ”waiting”, I finally managed to put my hand on the Milestone. I bought it second hand from a local dealer soon after I sold my Blackberry 9900. Whatt??? I had Bold 4?? Hell yeah..but due to some financial constraint, I had to let go my Bold. Nevertheless, my replacement phone will always be a smartphone as well :p

Anyhoo..let’s have a peek of my new baby.

front facing view

here’s another one…

with the slide out keyboard

 

and this is the current custom ROM I’m using from FroyoMOD

 

meh..look at that faggots!!

Okay..that’s all for now. I’ll write again soon aka a review of this phone.

Bye!

Samsung Galaxy Tab: Does it Worth the Hype?

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Hello again, and welcome to my gadget review. Today I’m gonna introduce you guys to my new gadget; Samsung Galaxy Tab (P-1000). Yeah I might be a little bit late for the update since the Galaxy Tab (or Tab like some people would refer) was announced last year on September. To some, it feels like I already wasted my money buying a last year gadget when new ones are coming out later this year.

So what is it actually a Galaxy Tab?

In short, SG Tab is a tablet with a phone feature. Having said that, since it was announced last year, the stock OS in this tablet is Android 2.2 (that’s the reason why it has telephony feature). To be honest, it’s rather hard to decide in which category it’ll fall into. People keep comparing the Tab with the 1st iPad when it was 1st announced. Thanks to its Android OS and Flash capabilities, it’ll definitely be the best iPad contender. But with a 7″ screen and a phone capabilities, is it gonna be the “real” iPad contender? Let’s find out.

The Tab is equipped with a 1 Ghz processor (Cortex A8 to be precised) and PowerVR SGX540 graphics on board. One can either choose to buy a 16Gb or 32 Gb models. My Tab is 16 Gb. It supports full connectivity of 3G, EDGE and of course WiFi as well as Bluetooth. The rest of the specs are pretty much up to the standard of modern days smartphones.

If you follow my previous posts, you know that I was once a Blackberry user and jumping ship to Android seems like a “sin” for a Blackberry user. Having said that, being a hardcore Blackberry user, I’m looking for speed (multitasking), push emails and of course responsiveness of the OS. Based on my previous readings on Android, I hope that the experience using an Android based smartphones won’t make me regret leaving the Blackberry world. Am I gonna be satisfied using the Tab still remains unclear because I only spent about 4 days with the device. Despite the short duration, I have extensively delve into the technical aspect of the Tab to unleash its full capabilities running an open OS software.

The Retail Package.

Minimalist Retail Package

All in all, the Tab comes with a minimalist-esque retail package which contains a wired handsfree, a CD, documentations, wall charger and of course USB cable. The retail package itself is very pleasing to the eye.

The Tab in “Person”

The Folio Case with Stand

On the 1st day itself, I also bought a folio/organizer casing for my Tab. In India there is not much choice for the accessories but luckily, the shop where I purchased my tab also sells this casing. Well at least I can get my Tab dressed up before any scratches appear on the body.

Making Calls.

Being a 7″ device, it is kinda funny to have a slab put right on your face while making calls. But to those who doesn’t know how telephony works on this tablet, the Tab doesn’t make calls like we usually do. Without a handsfree headset, the call will always go into loud speaker mode and for me this is a bummer.

There is no ear piece on the tab and thus, whatever the person said on the other end will be audible through the main speaker (located at the bottom of the device). The mic which is situated on the left hand side is also not intelligently designed because the way we hold it in hand will cause it to be covered by our fingers. Thus, it would be a wise choice to use the hands free while making calls.

Typing.

A Rough Idea How it Looks Like in My Hand

This is my 1st time typing on a large screen. I’m used to a physical and SurePress keyboard on a Blackberry smartphone before. But the stock physical keyboard that comes along with the Tab doesn’t hamper me from speed typing. It might take some time getting used to to some. But don’t worry, the screen is large enough for you to type on (on portrait mode) and nothing can go wrong when typing. But, when you switch to landscape mode, the keyboard fills the entire screen and for those who have tiny hands they might be having problem typing in that settings.

This “problem” can be tackled by downloading an app called thumb keyboard from Android Market. There are few other options for you to choose from, but IMHO, Thumb Keyboard suits me best.

Applications.

 

The Main Home Screeen

“Droid (or Android as a matter of fact) Does” is the best tag line to describe that there are many apps (more than the one you can find on Blackberry AppWorld) for you to download.

When I 1st booted up my Tab, I went straight to the Market to see what apps are there it can offer. Oh boy, I had to spend hours browsing through the apps catalogs finding which apps to be installed 1st.

 

The Second Home Screen

Of course some people might think that having a a 7″ screen tablet would give the best experience running apps (especially games) on this device. But unfortunately, being the 1st Android tablet, not every app will work perfectly. This is because, some apps are developed for smaller screen smartphone and when you run the app on the Tab, the app wont fill up the entire screen.

There is a way to overcome this by using an app called Spare Parts (also available free on the Market), but for an end user who “lacks” the skill of tweaking the device will find this depressing. God’s willing, I will put up another post regarding tweaking on the Tab in my next post.

 

The Third Home Screen

However the above scenario only happens to certain games that I’ve tried but for most of the apps, it’ll run perfectly. Oh by the way, Angry Birds looks gorgeous on this 7″ screen.

Customization

The Home Screen of My Tab Using BOYPPC Custom ROM

On my Tab, I have loaded a custom ROM I found on XDA and I’m quite satisfied. The boot screen also differs from Samsung’s stock boot screen and thus it satisfies my viewing pleasure. Nevertheless, we have to remember that the Tab is the 1st Android tablet, and for those who wish to load custom ROMS, there are not many ROMs being developed yet.

Unless when the next Honeycomb based tablets (or Android 3.0) comes out later on this year, we might get a chance to see new ROMs being developed for the tab.

 

The About Screen of My Tab. Note The Kernel and ROM

The developers are still working on 2.3 and 3.0 to be ported onto the Tab. So stay tuned.

Performance.

Multitasking works perfect on the Tab. I have no lagging issues while doing my stuffs so far. However, perhaps I have yet to discover the “real” technical part of the Tab because, with 197 apps installed, my Tab seems to be a lil bit sluggish.

It is not really a big deal at all because compared to my old phone, the Tab scores far better than Blackberry.

If you are a Blackberry user, you will know the meaning of battery pull to free up some memory. The same situation is also encountered when I’m using the Tab. But in this case, no battery pull is needed because the battery for the tab is not user replaceable . Instead, I have to reboot the tablet whenever the performance seems to slow down. There are times when I was playing a graphically intense game (Dungeon Defender), the phone will reboot itself.

Perhaps, a 1Ghz processor and dedicated graphic card are still not a really good combo for gaming on the Tab. Maybe the next generation tablets such as the one that sports Nvidia Tegra chip will solve this problem. So basically you can play games on the Tab but still the RAM is not enough for you to play for longer period.

 

6 pages of the Full Menu. See how many Apps I Got There

*I’m not sure whether this is only specific to my case since I have so many apps installed. I will investigate more about this later*

The battery life of the Tab is documented to be around 10 hours and yeah, I’m pretty much satisfied with it. It’ll get me through the whole day and I only have it charge during bedtime. As of now, I spend most of the time at home and I keep my WiFI turned  all the time.

Laptop Replacement?

To a certain extent, yes the Tab is capable to fully replace your laptop. The web browsing experience for example, will give u a desktop like appearance if you download a 3rd party app called Dolphin Browser HD. This browser supports Flash plug ins and this means you can play FarmVille on the Tab.

Productivity wise, the Tab comes with ThinkFree Office, an app to view and edit all your documents. Again, it would be tiresome if you wanna type a whole length of document using the on screen keyboard. But for simple editing and viewing your documents, the Tab should be fine.

 

The Rear Camera Serves Its Purpose in Style

Photo editing enthusiast wont be missed out as well. Thanks to the vast apps on the Market, you can also download various photo editing software that works with the camera. Speaking of photos, the Tab takes a pretty decent photos and are suitable for those who don’t have a primary camera (but I seriously doubt that ). The tab comes with a 3.2 mp rear camera and a 1.3 mp front camera (which means, you can cam whore easily).

Accessories

Okay, the tab would be meaningless without additional accessories. There are few stuffs I would like to suggest after getting the Tab.

1) Bluetooth Headset

As of now, the best review of BT headset is from Sony Ericsson http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/mw600?cc=gb&lc=en

2) Bluetooth Keyboard with Folio case

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/01/26/samsung-galaxy-tab-case-with-bluetooth-keyboard/

3) Pouch or Sling Bag

Thanks to its enormous  size, the Tab is not pocket friendly and thus having a pouch or sling bag (for guys) would be awesome to bring you Tab wherever you go.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, the Tab is a great device but there are still improvements needed.

If you really want a smart phone, don’t buy the Tab. Choose other smartphones available in the market.

If you need a tablet but you hate Apple, you are most welcome to use the Tab. BUT I would like to stress again that the Tab is the 1st Android tablet and thus, there are so many rooms for improvements to be made. Perhaps in another few more months when the new Android tablets hit the market, the Tab will have a much more wider and extensive supports for its development.

SPECIAL THANKS TO KA (https://www.facebook.com/qyairilanwar?ref=ts) FOR TAKING THOSE SUPERB SHOTS WITH HIS CAMERA ^_^

 

The Noob Guide On Wiping a Blackberry and Software Reloading.

Hello all, it’s been a while since my last post here. I hope u guys are doing fine and enjoying your life to the fullest. So okay, as the title suggest, today i’m gonna lay down a step-by-step guide on how to restore the factory settings on a Blackberry.

It may sound simple to some, but for those who are new to Blackberry, this can be troublesome.

This guide will include all the softwares needed for you to load on the Blackberry once the factory restore is done.

However, I don’t think the factory restore is the suitable term to be used here, since the method I’m gonna introduced is basically a “wiping” method which can make your Blackberry useless.

So let’s get to work.

Prerequisites:

1) A Blackberry

2) Blackberry OS software in which u can find at this link : http://forums.crackberry.com/f145/latest-official-os-9520-5-0-0-973-nodrm-taiwan-mobile-542353/

(I only provide the link to Storm OS. If you have another Blackberry, kindly navigate your way through the forums, or ask me for the specific link)

3) BBSAK which stands for Blackberry Swiss Army Knife (download link http://bbsak.org/)

4) a PC

REMEMBER! This method is applicable to those people who wants a complete wipe and doesn’t care about the current data (contacts, emails etc) on the Blackberry. If you wish to keep the current data, please do a Backup using the Blackberry Desktop Manager

Step 1:

Connect your BB to the PC.

Step 2:

Run BBSAK software and make sure it recognize your BB. You will know that your BB is recognized when you can see the BB PIN appeared in the Pin Box.

When the 1st time you open the apps, a pop up box will appear asking for device password. Ignore that. Click cancel and proceed with the application.

It should look like this:

 

the main window of BBSAK

 

Step 3:

Click the Wipe Device option on the main window. Make sure your device is still connected and don’t disconnect through the whole process. Don’t worry it wont take long.

Once this is done, your Blackberry will restar. Please wait your Blackberry to go through the loading screen until your screen appears like this :

 

this screen tells you that your BB is OS-less

Step 4:

Now install the Blackberry OS you have downloaded earlier onto your PC. Please follow the instructions on the installation window.

Step 5:

Now here comes the tricky part. Follow this directory step by step:

My Computer>C>Program Files>Common Files>Research In Motion> App Loader.

In this folder, scroll to the bottom of the window and look for the file name Vendor.XML.

Please delete that file.

Step 6:

In the same folder, double click the file Loader (the one with a Phone icon). And the installation of the new software will start. Again, during this process, do not disconnect your Blackberry.

Step 7:

After you double click the icon, a window showing your connected BB pin will appear on the 1st window. Kindly follow the steps appeared on the same window. Basically, it involves Next and Accept.

The procedure will take at least 10-15 minutes to complete.

Step 8:

Once the installation is done, your Blackberry will reboot and you will have a fresh stock setting of  Blackberry OS installed on your phone.

CONGRATULATIONS  YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY WIPED AND RESTORED YOUR OS.

REMEMBER, THIS PROCESS WILL WIPE ALL THE DATA ON YOUR BLACKBERRY. UNLESS YOU STILL WANNA KEEP THE DATA, KINDLY DO A DESKTOP MANAGER BACKUP BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH THE STEPS MENTIONED ABOVE.

 

 

Like Peanuts Forgot The Skin

 

itulah kamu. buruk diluar dan didalam. tapi sedap dimakan

 

 

Situasi 1

Dulu kita main kutuk-kutuk orang. Kata dia tak bagus dan sebagainya.

Sekarang bila dah “lonely” baru buat muka tak malu berkawan dengan orang yang kita kutuk itu. Tunjuk mesra lah kononnye kan. Tak ada pendirian langsung lah kamu ini.

Nasib baiklah orang yg dikutuk itu jenis baik hati. Layan semua orang.

Situasi 2

Bila susah baru cari orang lain.

Bila senang buat tak tahu langsung. Tanya khabar pun tidak.

Amboi..macamla kita nak sangat dengan barang yang kamu ada tu. Saje je nak tengok bahasa.

Tapi tak apelah, kita dah faham dah pun. Memang betol pun.

Situasi 3

Terasa ke dengan situasi di atas?

Memang patut pun kamu terasa. Sebab manusia macam kamu tak layak dianggap kawan.

Padan muka.

Next time if you have problem..work it out yourself ok? Kawan-kawan kamu kan ramai.

 

RP Conclusion

 

power rangers sesat

 

 

So for the past 1 week, I was busy renewing my RP. There are so many troubles I encounter during the process. From Police Report, to Marks Card, all have to be done and discovered when I’m doing my RP. Overall you can say that my experience was the worse ever. But should you encounter differently when your time comes, don’t come to me and say I’m over exaggerating on simple stuffs.

I have lot’s of problems because, the college didn’t intervene with the local officers. That’s why some of you wonder why do we have to make Police Report? Well, there are certain things which we can’t handle on our own. But as for future guidance, if you happen to be in the same state like me, please follow this guide. I’m not saying this is the best, but hopefully what I’ve written will be the most noob-proof guide ever.

Seriously the last one week was really depressing but alas, as long as I get my RP, I’m more than satisfied. Thanks for Aniyung for helping me a lot. She was my GPS and also banker for the fuel and foods.

Take care and have fun…xoxo

Husni MD’s Guide to Residential Permit – Part 2

UPDATE

As of 13/01/11 I already received my Police Report from Jalalahalli Police Station. Like I mentioned in my tweets/previous post, the Police Report is nothing but a renewed Registration Certificate. Just for some quick recap, if you are not sure what is Registration Certificate, have a look at the image below:

the Registration Certificate

So once you have the Police Report with you, you are ready to have your RP renewed. Let’s buckle up.

WHERE IS THE NEW FRRO?

As of 29th November 2010, the FRRO was relocated to a new address in Indira Nagar. The full address is shown below:

the complete address of the new FRRO

Okay, so if you wanna go by auto, you can always tell the driver to head for Double Road, Indira Nagar. Or if he still clueless where in the world is Double Road, you can tell him to go to ESI Hospital.

Please refer to the map below on how to get there. Again, I will provide the Google Map link for a turn-by-turn direction should you “lost” along the way.

http://bit.ly/fjy6iJ

the map to the new FRRO

If you are lucky to find a driver who is “intelligent”, he will head to Indira Nagar using the same road to Element Restaurant or Fun World. Based on my experience, the return fare via that route is Rs 260. But I suggest, it is better if you can use your own transport (bikes, cars).

Now, let’s assume you are at Spot B (refer to the map), you must look out for a yellow building. That is where the new office is located. Have a look at the image below for a clue:

the "yellow building"

Still not convince? Here, let’s zoom in at the sign post stating that is the new FRRO

tadaaa..welcome to the new FRRO

Notice that white paper dangling on the front gate? Well, that was yesterday (Friday, 14/01/11) stating that the office was on holiday. Pffttt..still no luck with my RP. So I had to go home instead.

WHAT TO DO ONCE I’M THERE?

the map of the FRRO office interior

Now that you are already at the new FRRO. Please follow the steps below:

1) Make your way to the Registration Counter. The officer will ask you the same question like I mentioned in my previous post:

• where are your documents *
• which police station

* as per my experience, the officer will also ask for Marks Card which is basically your exam results. I gave my 1st year result since that’s the only copy I have in my possession. Well, I dunno how things work, but as far as I understand from what Dr. Sudah told me yesterday, the marks card are not needed. Mr. Chandru is suppose to “intervene” with the new procedures but I guess, I’m the unlucky ones to go through all this mess. Nevertheless, just be prepared with the exam results to avoid any delay.

2) If you already have those documents, proceed to the Submission Counter. The officer will then give you a token.

It’s up to you though whether you wanna stay there the whole day waiting for the RP or you can come back later at 4 p.m to the office. If you don’t wanna queue too long at the office, here is the trick:

• The office will start it’s business hour from 9 a.m – 5 p.m. Go as early as possible, even at 10.30 a.m there are not many foreigners waiting in line. In my case, I choose to go from Baptist Hospital after class, because it’s nearer to that place and you wont skip class
• It’s India, we know that if you “pay” something, the process gonna speed up. But in my experience I’ve never tried that. Good luck with that one if you wanna try your luck.

WHERE TO COLLECT MY RP?

frro upstairs

At the Submission Counter, the officer will give you a token for your reference. Then you have to wait for at least an hour (depending on your number) before you will be summoned upstairs. When it comes to your turn, proceed to the Submission Counter again, and the officer in charge will do some checking of your documents. He’ll also key-in your name, nationality and passport number into the computer database. Finally, he’ll attach one form to your documents (DO NOT FILL IN THIS FORM). Once that is done, proceed upstairs.

So here is the most tiring part. After you go upstairs, again you will have to wait until your token number is called. Needless to say, even the other foreigners at the FRRO have lost their faith with the new system. Some of them had to return to the office thrice just to get their RP renewed.

Okay let’s say, it’s your turn now. Make your way to the Scrutiny Counter. The officer will check all your documents and he will ask you to proceed to the next Scrutiny Counter. Again, the same re-checking process happens. The difference between the Scrutiny Counter 1 and 2 is that, the 1st counter will give provide with the specific Collection Counter number in WRITTEN FORM. While the 2nd counter will KEY-IN the number into the computer. Basically, it’s the same procedure done twice. Pffffttttttt!!!

Now let’s proceed to the Collection Counter. Show the attendant your documents and the filled-in form. She/He will ask you to sit down and again the attendant will snap your photo via a WebCam. Depending on your luck, you will have to wait for an hour OR she/he will ask you to come again at 5.30pm.

……………………..

Congratulations, now that you already have your renewed RP, you are allowed to stay in India for the next one year. Despite all the hassles of waiting at the FRRO, you will be rewarded with a newly designed RP. Basically, it is still the same like previous year, BUT this time your photo is printed in COLOR (yeay!!!). I suggest that you spread this information to the rest of the students regarding the new office and procedures of RP renewal.

That’s all for now. Take care and have fun…xoxo