Number Eighteen

Why is that number 18 has so much significance?

• The right to vote comes at this age.
• You are called an Adult once you attain this age.
• You are an minor if you are less than 18. No not even 1 month to 18, you are still a minor.
• Adult rated movies are for 18+ audience only. This and point 2 are mutually inclusive :).
• You feel adrenaline pumping and your hormones raging seeing the opposite sex when you reach eighteen.
• In Mathematics, Eighteen is a composite number (its proper divisors are 1,2,3,6,9).
• Adding to the above point, Eighteen is a semi perfect number (three of its divisors 3,6,and 9 add upto 18).
• In Chinese tradition number 18 signifies that one is going to prosper. Thus building floors numbered 18 are expensive in China.
• In Northern China however, number 18 is to be avoided since it represents the 18th level of hell.
• The Hindu epic Mahabharata has eighteen sections, involves eighteen armies and is about a war fought over eighteen days.

Microkia is the word

So it is clear from the recent updates that Nokia is sliding along towards Microsoft to get themselves aligned to the Smart phone concept of Microkia (Nokia plus Windows 7).
From what I understand, surely Nokia will have customizations over Windows seven to get a look and feel of Nokia's propreitary Menu style. This is sure one thing to happen. Apart from that other features of the great Windows seven OS will be there in this mobile version. It is a big bet that Nokia is taking and I am sure that a sturdy design of nokia and cool UI of Windows seven will rock the Smart phone sales and make a split in the profit for Android and iPhone. But how much remains to be seen. But I am sure, it will be a significant one.

Although these are interesting developments, I am let down by the fact that they are dumping the much anticipated MeeGo platform (Linux-based Mobile OS) in partnership with Intel. I thought that was a good move by Nokia, but the fact is they are too late already on the Smart phone segment given the criticisms about Symbian OS. This fact made them to go further and invest in something which is already available in the market. But still, I feel a partnership with MeeGo platform should continue and Nokia should look to invest in this space, because Linux as an OS that too on a mobile sounds brilliant.

I am sorry for all Symbian users, who will see the demise of Symbian OS by 2012 and their support probably will end by 2014 going by the current plans. I personally felt Symbian failed as an Smart Phone given the number of Viruses released to attack the same. I am also sorry for all the engineers who are working at Nokia developing new updates and fixes on Symbian. So sorry for symbian developers too, there are thousands of them who will be threatened with their job by this move.

If I was a CEO at Nokia, I would have went ahead with Symbian, MeeGo and Windows seven, all parallely and would have delivered each one of them to different geographies based on the end users taste and interest. But Elop has other plans. I understand that he is bigger than me :-).