Zoho CRM User Experience & Interaction Design Blog

The New Yahoo Mail - Beta

The Approach

It looks like yahoo took a new approach, to present the online email experience in a traditional form. Yes, the new Yahoo Mail Beta does look like your conventional email clients like Thunderbird, Outlook, Eudora etc.

The User-Interface

The new User-Interface puts the folders to the left, message header list to the right and body of highlighted message below. At the first looks, it may not look different or one cannot understand “whats the big deal in this?”. For many users, who use a email client at work or home, it is difficult to use a conventional web email service. Because, everything takes time in the web. The usual problems like delays, white screens, slow server responses etc. Some of these issues were addressed by using frames/iframes etc. But there were no proven remedy.

It was until, the AJAX arrived. AJAX was widely accepted and web developers started adopting it for web applications. Yahoo’s new email uses AJAX and it competes with Google’s GMAIL. No screen refreshes, no slow responses. Click the folder on the left, and instantly the list refreshes on the right. Absolutely cool and excellent work. All work seamlessly. The most i like is.. the UI is almost similar to the conventional email client. It spares me from learning another web application. Makes my life easy !

The new Yahoo Mail is still in its Beta. So unable to write a detailed review. Will post a compilation of my observations later.

Conclusion

The New Yahoo mail looks promising.. fast.. and breathes fresh ! Good work guys!

Paprika & Rhapsody @ Marriott

When some big names enter into the city, good number of expectations rises out of curiosity. “How good it is? Is that different from others? Does it look cool” sort of questions will come up in your mind. Sometimes your questions are answered, sometimes not.

This time, it was Marriott, one of the gloabl luxury hotel chains. Courtyard Marriott is their chennai arm housed comfortably in the good old Sri Lekha hotel building. Appearance wise, the building received a decent makeover. Interiors changed a lot with modern setup and better ambience.

Paprika Cafe

Enter the Main door, walk a few steps and turn left. Welcome to Paprika Cafe.

Dont mistake it for a coffee shop, from their name. Its an eat out. Opened for lunch and dinner. The buffet is available daily, along with a-la-carte service.

Paprika is a continental food court, with select menu, which means you dont get a heavy weight menu book. Rather, a simple menu pad. Its big enough.. heavy enough and colorful enough. One side lists the continental menu and other side lists the tandoori menu. Both veg and non-veg available.

The ambience is good and the interiors are very decent. No eye-irritating colors. Large sized mirrors and a projector TV on the top with light music from the corner speakers, a smoking zone and a non-smoking zone service.

Buffet is the best bet to savour your taste buds. Paprika’a buffet offers veg and non veg menu with extensive assortment of desserts. To start you have a Sweet Potato soup and Thai chickent soup. Believe me, the soup was great ! Most of the soups use excess of corn flour and other agents, that results in some artificial taste. But this thai soup, wow ! amazingly its chicken. The meat is fine. Not fibery! The veg soup report was in favor of “excellent taste”.

Next there goes salads and light weight starters. Pick up ur choice of fresh salads, corn and mushroom, boiled vegetables, mayonese cheese and more .. cauliflower leaves, beetroot slices, white onions, and more ! Oh, the taste? well they are damn good. The same goes to non-veg. I found corn-and-chicken, tuna mix salad etc. Excellent.

In between you will offered a slice of veg pizza, pasta occasionally. The veg pizza is.. just a plain pizza. Dont be disappointed with the taste coz it doesnot carry any chilli flakes or other tasting agents. But its not bad either.

The main course options include Jera rice , plain rice and naans. For the side-dish, gravy .. there was 3 veg items and 3 non-veg items. I dont want to give a detailed description about them. But they are excellent in taste. Varieties included were lamb, chicken pepper masala, some fish gravy (forgot the name).

After a good main course. I rested on the extensive array of desserts. I would say, Paprika offered one of the biggest array of desserts. Ice creams are not just some ice creams. They offer unlimited Baskin Robbins. Choose two scoops from any four available flavour. Then play with the 8 type of toppings from honey, dates, chocolate flakes, almond flakes etc.

On the other side, Take a cup, fill it with hot chocolate from the chocolate fountain, can pick a fresh cake slice, dip it in and savour it ! whew! Damn good. 4 cake varieties available.

Moving to the other side, you can pickup 6 puddings, and a few more in the cups.

Enough? No? no problem start again and enjoy yourself. Paprika serves buffet at the cost of Rs.425 per head, including tax. Bit on the higher side, but never mind, thats one good cafe ! Oh by the way, some people may feel, a good food becomes complete, along with a wine. Yep, Paprika offers seperate alcohol menu along with their huge collection of international vodka and wine bottles. Need beer? KF is available. International brands like 100 pipers, Black dog and a few more are available too.

So what other things deserve credits here? Truly, the prompt table service, and good interiors. Overall Paprika is a very good experience.

Rating : 4/5 stars

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Rhapsody

Enter the main door, walk straight to the other end. Welcome to Rhapsody!

Wanna spend a weekend at a good lounge? meeting a friend after a long time? wanna take a permitted break (allowed by your sweet heart) occasionally? Rhapsody’s lounge is the place.

Paid a short visit to Rhapsody, which is a true lounge and restaurant. Dark themed with relaxed seating and pumping DJ music, the lounge is one good place for folks who enjoy drinking responsibly. The menu is precise and selective. Domestic and International alocohols, fruit juices, Redbull and Mineral water.

Service is good! No vision blocking smokes like other pubs. Perfect;y clear atmosphere.

Rhapsody also offers a restaurant area which serves north-eastern food. Forgot to find out what they offer as north-eastern food. Some bengali menu ? or some russian / chinese / japanese menu? I donno. Anyway, as the time was less, just spent some 40 mins there and moved out.

Rhapsody’s lounge is not an expensive affair. Not too expensive or not too cheap. Cocktails are Rs.295, where as straights are below Rs.200. Including tax.

Rating : 4/5 stars.

Overall, Marriott is damn good!

If I work as an automobile design engineer, I would have designed the front facia of Suzuki Swift like this..

The left side one is the default suzuki swift.. and the right side one is my design!

There is one place… where you can meet or see a lot of interesting people. I mean the train. Indian Railway’s passenger trains are one such exciting place to meet different type of people.

On a night train…

Take for example, the frequent traveller. You can spot the frequent travellers easily. They board the train casually, they know where their compartment is, and even the direction of seat’s location (near the passage or in the middle etc). They don’t panic if the train moves before they board. They just hop into the nearby passing carriage and walk through the connecting paths and reach their compartment. Where as, occasional travellers try to beat Ben Johnson by running on the platform, match the speed of the train and successfully hop into the right carriage.

Next, the frequent traveller comforts himself by arranging his train-travel-sized luggages neatly under the seat, prepares his berth and wait on the platform near the window untill the green light goes on. Occasional traveller keeps himself engaged with his attempts to squeeze his oversized luggages under his seat.. then, under opposite seat and so on…

Ironically, middle berth passengers are the travellers with bad luck. Frequent travellers who happens to get middle berth, usually pickup the chain hangars first and then lift the berth. Then, holding the berth in one hand, they hook the hangars quickly with the other hand. On the other side, you can notice the occasional traveller, lifting the berth first, and then tries to reach the chain hangars. Realising that it should be done the other way, they will drop the berth, then pull the chain hangars and then, lift the berth once again to hook them. Finally with the help of fellow passengers he will fix the berth.

Frequent travellers are gifted coz, once they get on their berth, they will start sleeping. Occasional travellers, usually frown once in every 30 minutes, roll left-right, then right-left, try all sort of funny poses and finally settle with half-sleep.

It is around the morning, that some occasional travellers become a real nuisance to frequent travellers. Suffered from insomnia, and unable to continue sleeping further, occasionals get up soon, switch on the light waking up everyone, and prepare themselves, their luggages etc. Life becomes miserable, when two occasionals who are friends travel in the same coupe. They wake up early, switch on the lights.. and start talking bla bla blaa. It is then, the frequents start to curse their lucky angels.

Life is little interesting in the air-cooled carriages. Generally people who travelled in air-cooled compartments have a habit of using mobile phones frequently. Once they settle quickly they will start talking using their mobile phones until the signal weakens. Next, in the early mornings, your sleeping cells will be awakened by the multitude of melody ring-tones and alarms from the mobile phones.

Good morning. You have reached the destination.

- Saint

Recently few people asked me to suggest good briyani outlets… and I was little helpful to them. I knew only a few outlets here (in velachery), and they were Thalapakattu, Deli Express, Briyani Bistro.

Quality wise Deli Express’s Mutton Briyani is better offer in their menu. Thalapakattu used to be good in those days. Now, I dont know whether the same quality is offered or not. Briyani Bistro.. I wonder, do they exist??

I request all Briyani lovers to post details about good briyani outlets in their areas. Not necessary that it should be in chennai .. any city will do !

I have new information about two outlets :

1. Minar Briyani, Velachery

(Note : Info provided by Jeykar.)

Better known for family Packages and taste & quality. They have their outlet at Royal Shoppe. Looks like door delivery is free. They deliver in the areas of Choolaimedi, Velachery and Kottivakam.

Head Office (Choolaimedu): 9444034446

Royal shoppe, Velachery (224344
Kottivakkam (24510572)

1 paddi (will serve 10 adults) - Rs. 800

1/2 paddi (will serve 5 adults) - Rs.400

Charminar Briyani, Royapettah

Very popular in Royapettah. Not spicey.. nor oily. But good in taste. Their flagship dish is the Mutton Briyani.

From mount road, take right at 1000 lights mosque signal and enter Peters Road.. cross the two fly-overs and you will enter Dr.Besant road , Royapettah. There will be a small temple on the road itself. Charminar Briyani is located few feets next to the temple. They offer take-away and cater for bulk booking.

Mutton Briyani is Rs.40 and the taste is great ! They also offer tandoori’s upon prior orders. The outlet is always crowded !

Their phone number is : 98410-47037

Hyderabadi Briyani @ Greams Road

I have posted a blog about this outlet.. and if anyone visits egmore via greams road, try this too.

Now.. post ur area’s famous Briyani outlets !

It was then I realised… that Windows XP boot CD is not enough to troubleshoot, when Bharath’s system failed to boot. It showed peculiar symptoms of failure. Sometimes it booted successfully but hanged after some time. Sometimes it will never boot.

First we suspected a virus attack.. then RAM problem.. then motherboard failure.. finally hard disk failure. We even suspected XP corruption. Finally we were unable to conclude where the problem is.

Instead of calling a system technician and spending some extra bucks, we decided to try our hands on. So to diagnose the system, we were searching for diagnostic utilities which will boot from a CD and run. Unfortunately i couldnt find any freeware that boots itself and diagnose the system.

Googling around, I found a freeware pack called “Ultimate Boot CD”, which is a CD ISO image, which can be burned into a CD. This will boot up the system, loads FreeDOS (still the DOS lives!) and a bunch of board, disk, memory utilties.

Looks like a promising tool.. I prepared the CD already. The testing is to be done tonight !