Wholetime director and chief marketing officer of Berggruen Hotels, Partha Chatterjee lives on wi-fi and is waiting to buy the “time capsule”. On the down side, while the iPhone has clearly escaped his attention, Windows Vista doesn’t figure in his good books at all.
Name one buy you regret having spent so much money on.
That would be Violet Nabaztag. I bought it as a gift for a friend, but it proved to be too much money wasted on an ineffective product.
What is the first thing you look for in a gadget?
Wi-fi connectivity. I travel a lot and like to complete as much work as possible while I’m on the move, so wi-fi is a must for me.
Who’s your one-stop gizmo guru?
I read Wired magazine because it has comprehensive coverage of all the latest gadgets and is quite reliable in its ratings.
What gadget have you been waiting to buy?
The time capsule — it has a very simple software, allowing for quick back-ups on the included hard drive and, of course, it is also a wi-fi hub.
Is there a gizmo that distracts you from your work?
My BlackBerry. It is an absolute necessity for my work, but the constant access to emails and the Net is very distracting during meetings.
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Name a gizmo you think is highly overrated.
The iPhone. There was too much hype surrounding it and I don’t think it lived up to the expectations, as far as user-friendliness and applications are concerned.
Is there a gadget you still have not been able to figure out?
The Universal Remote Control — it may be more compact, but it is infinitely more confusing than separate controls for all your gadgets.
What gadget can’t you do without, apart from your cellphone?
My Sony Vaio SZ series laptop. I got it about two months ago for my personal use and I have really been enjoying the experience. It’s a great laptop to have.
How much gadget literature do you actually read?
I read as much as is necessary to understand the gadgets I have.
What gadget do you think should be banned?
Well, not a gadget but the Windows operating system Vista. It takes up too much of the hard drive and slows your computer down to the point that it becomes an impediment.