Nokia IndiBlogger Meet: Your Wish Is My App

To describe myself as brand loyal would be an overstatement, as I will switch loyalties the second a brand disappoints me. When it comes to Nokia, I have never been disappointed. Over the years I have owned three mobile phones- Nokia 6275 CDMA, Nokia E63 and currently using Nokia Lumia 720. So, it was a nice to hear that Nokia collaborated with IndiBlogger again for the second season for Your Wish Is My App program- an initiative to find the most creative and the best ideas from none other than but the people who use these phones. This program is in sync with Nokia’s very own ideology of “Connecting People” and I find it refreshing that a brand cares so much. The most successful businesses in the world have always been about people.

IndiBlogger had organised the meet at the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi. It’s a really nice place, and the venue couldn’t have been better. The food, the drinks, and the ambience were no less than awesome. The evening was hosted by Rajiv Makhni, Vikas Khanna and Vishal Gondol.

 

The evening started with Kartik introducing a masked man posing as everybody including Ms. Poonam, who later on addressed us and introduced us to the YWMA program. Mr. P Balaji, MD@ Nokia then gave us real insights into the philosophy behind the program, and how user perception of mobile has transformed over the decade.

 

There were a lot of engaging activities which had everyone picking their brains for ideas. The friendly banter between the hosts Rajiv Makhni and Vikas Khanna over food related applications were no less entertaining. They had everyone in splits.

My app idea: Augmented Reality- Connecting People

Nokia recently introduced a concept of Augmented Reality. The technology is really simple, you simply open an app such as Nokia City Lens and look around through that app as if you were taking a photograph, but what you really see is hotspots around you- places of interest for dining, exploring, cafes, maybe some museum, an art exhibition etc.

I was thinking, why not use the same technology for doing what Nokia does best? Connecting People!

This augmented reality lens can be used to find and chat with other people, people can make their profiles and share some information such as their interests, a status update on this public profile they wish to share with other people, and this way they could communicate and meet new people, make new friends! People can now never complain about not knowing other people when you go to someplace different.

This app can also be used in more than one way, for instance, people all over the world often share cabs at airports. One could simply integrate it as a feature into the app, all you would have to do is look through the app and find the person who wants to go to the same destination as yours. And voila!

This idea is really unique and good as it underlines the core philosophy of Nokia- the people. It connects them, and there’s some real synergy between what’s being said and done at Nokia.

This is my entry for IndiBlogger and Nokia Your Wish Is My App program, and I really do hope that this idea is converted into an app.

So, till the next IndiBlogger meet when we all come together, I part with HURR HURR!

How does Modern Healthcare touch lives?

Healthcare in today’s time has become a fundamental right in most countries. Most governments are increasing their allocation of the budget in providing it to the society. Coming from a family where being a doctor is a tradition, I am the black sheep who is “the engineer”! My father often tells me about the times when there weren’t so many diagnostics lab available as there are today, and testing for symptoms and diagnosing them was a challenge. All this has changed now.

I remember the time I first heard about Apollo Hospitals. It was almost 15 years back. My late grandfather had then suffered a coronary stroke. It was a difficult day for all of us. I for one only knew that Baba was ill and it was something to do with his heart. My father, who’s a doctor, had a decision to make, as to where Baba was to be hospitalised. A decision that he didn’t take long to make- Apollo Hospital was (and still is) the best when it comes to private medical healthcare. They were one of the first hospitals in India to offer coronary bypass surgery.

And there we went. I was obviously left at home. But when I asked, my Dad tried his best to explain the situation as to what Baba had and how the surgery would be done. It was complicated. I can still only imagine the complexity and the risks associated with such a procedure.

A cardiac arrest is caused by cholesterol deposition on the walls of the arteries. Due to this deposition there’s congestion and reduced blood flow, which causes the heart to go into overdrive to maintain proper circulation. The bypass surgery consists of grafting of veins or arteries from other parts of the body, usually the legs and bypassing the congestion, thus improving circulation.

I still remember seeing Baba’s stiches when he came home, they were scary.

Today, yet again Apollo is a pioneer with the introduction of Minimally Invasive Coronary Artery Surgery. A fast and elegant approach, where only a 4 cm incision is made. There is no cutting of bones and only some muscle damage is done. Recuperation time is not only faster, but with better results than the traditional surgery. You can read more about it here.

I remember watching those old movies, how every time, whenever something serious happened to the actor or someone usually the mother/father of the actor, how they would show that they went to US for surgery because help wasn’t available locally. No more. And I believe it’s no longer shown because as it’s no longer relevant to the Indian sub-context. India now boasts of one of the best medical healthcare facilities and practices. All this is possible with continued efforts of Apollo Hospitals. They were here first, the rest simply followed.

Coming back to the title, “How does Modern Healthcare touch lives?” – Because it matters. It certainly made a difference to mine, after all it brought my Baba back home healthy.

I normally refrain from writing blog entries for contests and promotions, but this time it was personal. This entry is a part of IndiBlogger- Apollo Hospital initiative.

You can read more about Apollo Hospitals here: http://www.apollohospitals.com/cutting-edge.php