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Last week I had met with a minor accident. A two wheeler had crossed the road where it shouldn't and I was going faster than I should have. Luckily with only minor injuries, we both parted ways

In India, the statistics shows 11 Lakh people have been killed and 48 Lakh people have been injured between 2002 to 2011 in road accidents. The graph shows the rising year on year trend of the reported accidents



We need to understand why road accidents occur in order to prevent it. Broadly, it could be due to lack of training, lack of skills, negligence, road engineering issues, etc

So far, we have tried to prevent it through deterrents such laws, policing, increasing fines, etc. As the above data shows, we cannot solely depend on just deterrents

In all these accidents, there is a human error which caused the accident irrespective of the cause - the cause could be bad roads, road engineering issues, misjudgement; however ultimately a human judged incorrectly and lost control

If we can remove the human factor in driving, then we would have a more predictable and safe journey. Imagine the day when your car will be connected to a central GPS traffic navigator which controls and routes not only your vehicle but also other vehicles including the traffic signals

All you need to do is enter the destination, preferred route, preferred time of arrival and sit back & relax. Your car will navigate and take you safely to your destination. In fact this way, you are more likely to be able to predict and maintain your travel time

Though not exactly on the same lines, Google has been experimenting with driverless car in US

I am therefore expecting a day when driving is going to be illegal; if you are a driving enthusiast, you would have special driving tracks to enjoy your hobby!

Few years back when I bought my iPhone 4, I loved it for its ease of use, intuitive gestures and loads of Apps. It almost replaced my need to log-on to a computer. You could e-mail, send attachment, tweet, Facebook, all this with a very touch responsive screen

Earlier to this, I was using an HTC Windows 6.0 mobile OS. The difference between Windows & iOS was phenomenal. No other manufacturer or OS came close to the experience iPhone gave its users. I loved the experience so much that I couldn't imagine using any other 'clunky' phone. The attention to detail and the thoughtfulness embedded into iOS was awesome. I became an evangelist for Apple. I explained what people missed and some followed suite in buying an iPhone

With time, Google's focus on mobile increased; more and more of Google Apps were developed. It dawned on me that while I loved my iPhone, I strangely wasn't using any of Apple's Apps! My frequently used apps were Facebook, Twitter, Smartrun, Google, Google Plus, Google Maps (Extensively), Google Drive, Google Docs, Blogger!

As a user I was happy since iPhone & iOS integration was great and Google was filling my needs. I was a happy man

In the latter half of 2011, Apple launched iPhone 4S. They had improved the processor and added Siri. I was happy, I wasn't losing anything much - Nothing to motivate me to upgrade

In the latter half of 2012, Apple launched iPhone 5, well yes, a slightly longer display (one more row addition, huh!) & a better processor but my phone too was running the exact same software (iOS 6). I get almost everything what an iPhone 5 user was getting. Am I crazy to spend half a lakh on a new iPhone - Duh... NO, especially since we do not have contracts, unlike the US

Then came iOS 7, the much awaited new look, along with iPhone 5S. Should the upgrade be done now? I didn't think so, coz I still get to download iOS 7 and the cost is now three forth of a lakh! So I update to iOS 7, happy to see the new features, not so happy with the new look, but still satisfied because hey its an iPhone!

After iOS7, I start feeling the pinch, my iPhone has become less responsive & slow. Most of the recommended tweaks on the internet would make my "Smartphone" into a "Dumbphone"!

Now I start thinking, should I upgrade? Is there anything to motivate me to do so... buying a 5s is going to make me feel the same as my iPhone 4 - I've known the OS in & out - there is no newness or refreshing factor, the only difference that I would feel would be in my pocket

So I started looking around and stumbled on Nexus 5. The reason iPhone is great is due to the hardware and software integration and here was a phone from Google, made solely for Google Android by LG. No thick layers of customization from Samsung or HTC or LG, further my predominant usage is Google Apps suite and to top it the price is one-third of iPhone 5S!

I am not the only one switching from iOS to Android, many others are too. If Apple needs to keep their existing "older Customers", they would need to innovate rather than just do spec upgrades or lower their prices. The decision to move out of the ecosystem is easier now because unlike a few years back, there are other players who are equally good, if not better than Apple