Chronicles of a PSP.. wait, its not that...

Sony provides 1 year warranty for its PSP (Play Station Portable) subject to a lot of seemingly imaginary constraints i.e. You cannot install any non-approved software i.e. CFW (Custom Firm Ware) which allows games to be uploaded on your memory card alongwith photos, music and videos. Now thats something I find sycophantic.. I dont blame sony for that clause. Every good thing has to accompany some jackass restrictions which indirectly make the manufacturer look like a DUD... If you hope to buy a sony PSP, chances are:

1. You get a CFW and throw the warranty clause to wind...
2. You get the PSP and buy their proprietary UMDs which cost a bomb in themselves and play games on it.
3. You wait for eternity for a new game to be shipped to Indian shores cause PSP has not been officially launhed in India... and you cannot make up your own game by writing it on a cd...

I was a witness to all this and a lot more at Heera Panna yesterday when I got there to buy mine.. Now since I don't own an oil filed and I live in one of the poor nations, I had to take my chances and get a cracked PSP foregoing the warranty of course.. And if you are foregoing the warranty, it makes no sense buying it from a Sony store where they pimp its price to Rs. 9100 while you can get the same PSP for Rs. 8300 (dated 23 Feb 2008 cause these prices change by the day) at Heera Panna... So, here's what I witnessed:

The shop from which I brought my PSP also had another family One Mom, One Dad, One kid (about 5 yrs old) and One girl (about 5 yrs old... twins I think..). Since girls are genetically not attached to gadgets involving adrenaline rush and all, she was not interested in the proceedings of the shop nor in the gadgets displayed there. The kid was all excited though.. so was his Dad.. The Mom was as usual cautious about what was her son getting into.
The following commotion followed:

Mom: Keep the volume of the game low... its too high. To the shop keeper: Cant you reduce the volume of this device? If you cant, we are not buying this game (At this moment, the Dad and his son got a bit perplexed and both jumped in with unison)

Dad and Son: Yes, you can reduce the volume.. see, it has got volume buttons.. (and they show them to Mom)...

Mom: Thats ok cause I do not want you to make noises around the house when I watch my favorite programs. Also, I will buy you this thing only if you promise not to watch TV for more than 1/2 hour daily.

Son: Yes yes... I promise.. I want this PSP mama.. I promise.. please..

Dad: Yes honey, even I will ensure he will not interfere with your saas-bahu soaps..

Mom: Then I agree..

Dad: So beta, tell uncle what all games you want in your PSP...

Son: (to the shopkeeper) I want a boxing game, a cricket game, a football game, a racing game.. no, I want two racing games, I want WWF game, a basket ball game, a skating game and a disney game..

Dad to the shopkeeper: Dedo... jo bhi isse chahiye, isse dedo...

Shopkeeper (obviously happy that he got a willing bakra): Sab hai mere paas...

Girl: Mummy, don't they have a Barbie game?

Mom: No beta, they only come up with good for nothing games these days..

I am sure the Mom wanted a saas-bahu game for her own too but, I cannot read minds so, lets leave it for the time-being...

The points I pondered on at this time are:

1. Kids now a days expect way too-much from whichever devices they can put their hands on. I wont be surprised if they want Ferraris to pop out of a device like a PSP in the near future.
2. Dads are and will have the enthusiasm of kids.. that is a good thing if everyone (including their wives) understood this fact and let them be...
3. Dads are spoiling their kids by bowing to their every demand... Why did I not take birth in such a family? I would have been the envy of my school-mates.
4. Girls will be the same.. I still cant understand their obsession with Barbie dolls and Ladies obsession with soaps..
5. Every gadget we drool to.. if available in the international market will eventually be available in India within a period of 15 days...

At this moment, I walk out on completion of my transaction and I spot a hot Firangi so, I follow her forgetting for the moment that I am a proud owner of a pirated PSP... Hey, its not my fault, following a hottie is natural...