It is funny! Print, which ruled, and well, still rules, is now under some threat from online. However, in India, have no fear! We are a developing nation, and a very high number people do turn to the morning newspaper for their news.
Imagine, if the same people started browsing their mobile phones for their morning news! Unthinkable, for now!
Now, translate this into a scenario within a media company. Most media are now on the Web, and daily, and even hourly updates are given for! You also have social media to cope with. Well, what do print publications do? Naturally, ply their trade online!
What, if some people in editorial teams are reluctant to move to online? Are they still living in denial? Are they scared of having to do too much work? Probably both! It is NOT easy to maintain a daily Web site. Why, even maintaining a blog is a very tough task!
It has been noticed that those reluctant to change still brandish the print vs. online story. Print is bigger, and online, hey, it's of no consequence, since we are a bigger brand, they say! It is their ignorance, inexperience or folly, or all!
Cross media is now standard! Those who don't want to embrace it will be overtaken by it! Once written online, a story is circulated all over the Web. Imagine waiting 15 days or a month for a magazine to run the same stories!
I tasted cross media way back in 1996, when I first started work at Global Sources. We had to do print + online + CD-ROMs. Teams were divided thus, as were the events. Editorial teams were developed to contribute for various verticals -- electronics, telecom, components and computers.
Later, the bureaus went even better. Teams started becoming cross functional. The chap from electronics soon became equally adept with telecom and computers. Those who triumphed over components went on to establish themselves.
All this while -- cross media has remained unchanged!
Understand the power of cross media, friends. Don't hold on to your horse -- I have a bigger brand, and so, I am bigger! If you can't update your site and wait for others to seed your stories for generating traffic, you are asking for trouble!
Circulation levels of technology magazines have gone down than what they used to be. The reason -- Internet's much more faster! Even faster than electronic media, some would contend!
I do come across folks who still think that print rules, and that their print brand is bigger than a sister or any other online brand! Sure, it does, mate! However, print is no longer like what it used to be!
Consider this: good bloggers do get invited first to industry events today! Why? Their blogs are more authoritative and influence the social media! Blogs are also used for research. There's a huge blogosphere out there. Can't get funnier than this!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
WHDI: New standard on the block!
Recently, I came across the WHDI standard on its Web site! This new standard on the block, expanded to wirless home digital interface, is the new wireless high definition (HD) video standard that will change the way people use audio/video devices in the home.
According to the Web site, WHDI's revolutionary video-modem approach enables top-quality and robust wireless uncompressed HD video delivery throughout the home, allowing consumers to connect any source in the home to any display. The WHDI Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed by Amimon, Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, LG Electronics.
This is such a new technology, and I am quite excited to learn more about it. Will surely be getting in touch with the WHDI SIG.
I am reminded of the time Bluetooth started getting discussed as a technology, and a Bluetooth SIG was formed. This PAN technology had to overcome hefty criticisms before becoming a de facto standard. In fact, I recall an article I wrote for Electronic Business Asia @ Reed, back in late 2001, and published in January 2001 -- "What ails Bluetooth?"
Unfortunately, the EB Asia site does not open, nor could I find my article, although there are some sites with links to other sites that ask me for a free trial to read my own article! :) So much for the beauty of the Internet!!
Well, one sincerely hopes that WHDI gets much better treatment than Bluetooth!
According to the Web site, WHDI's revolutionary video-modem approach enables top-quality and robust wireless uncompressed HD video delivery throughout the home, allowing consumers to connect any source in the home to any display. The WHDI Special Interest Group (SIG) was formed by Amimon, Hitachi, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, LG Electronics.
This is such a new technology, and I am quite excited to learn more about it. Will surely be getting in touch with the WHDI SIG.
I am reminded of the time Bluetooth started getting discussed as a technology, and a Bluetooth SIG was formed. This PAN technology had to overcome hefty criticisms before becoming a de facto standard. In fact, I recall an article I wrote for Electronic Business Asia @ Reed, back in late 2001, and published in January 2001 -- "What ails Bluetooth?"
Unfortunately, the EB Asia site does not open, nor could I find my article, although there are some sites with links to other sites that ask me for a free trial to read my own article! :) So much for the beauty of the Internet!!
Well, one sincerely hopes that WHDI gets much better treatment than Bluetooth!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
You can now hear all my posts
Hi friends, after dilly-dallying over this aspect for quite some time, I finally decided to add vozMe on to my blogs -- and make available all of my posts in voice!
So, if you visited either Pradeep Chakraborty's Blog or TechFools, and scrolled down to the end of each post, you can see a link that says: Hear This Post!
Click on the link and it opens a new page, which is powered by vozMe. It creates an MP3 file, which plays automatically. You can download the MP3 file as well!
The drawl is American, and I wish it could be better. Have fun, if you wish, folks!
So, if you visited either Pradeep Chakraborty's Blog or TechFools, and scrolled down to the end of each post, you can see a link that says: Hear This Post!
Click on the link and it opens a new page, which is powered by vozMe. It creates an MP3 file, which plays automatically. You can download the MP3 file as well!
The drawl is American, and I wish it could be better. Have fun, if you wish, folks!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
KartOO -- search and see your own maps on Internet!
I stumbled upon KartOO -- a visual meta search engine! Quite easy and quick to use, you must have flash player installed to be able to draw and see your search maps!
A quick check on Alexa revealed a current rank of 78,405 with the description -- "Displays results in chart or classic list form. Options include different language interfaces and basic or expert version."
For instance, if I type my name, it shows up the results -- as you can see below in the search map!
Well, I liked what I saw!
When you do a mouseover above each block of the search map, you can see a whole lot of options like Open this page, Related sites, More pages of this site, Modify/Watch, Erase, and Copy. Of course, you can zoom on the search map as well!
A list of topics on the top left half are shown quite nicely. If you do another mouseover above each topic, I believe the search map shows up all of the points where that topic is heaviest -- in terms of density.
On the top menu bar, you have features like Options -- parental filter, search the web, etc.; open, save the map, print and bookmark! The site lists eight languages for displaying search results -- German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, US and UK English, Brazilian and French!
This is a indeed a very good effort! However, I don't really know what the web site owners are doing about the promotion of this search engine. Do check it out! Even if it is for fun!
A quick check on Alexa revealed a current rank of 78,405 with the description -- "Displays results in chart or classic list form. Options include different language interfaces and basic or expert version."
For instance, if I type my name, it shows up the results -- as you can see below in the search map!
Well, I liked what I saw!When you do a mouseover above each block of the search map, you can see a whole lot of options like Open this page, Related sites, More pages of this site, Modify/Watch, Erase, and Copy. Of course, you can zoom on the search map as well!
A list of topics on the top left half are shown quite nicely. If you do another mouseover above each topic, I believe the search map shows up all of the points where that topic is heaviest -- in terms of density.
On the top menu bar, you have features like Options -- parental filter, search the web, etc.; open, save the map, print and bookmark! The site lists eight languages for displaying search results -- German, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, US and UK English, Brazilian and French!
This is a indeed a very good effort! However, I don't really know what the web site owners are doing about the promotion of this search engine. Do check it out! Even if it is for fun!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Top 20 Indian IT companies! Really? What do they manufacture??
Who are the 20 companies in the Indian IT segment? Anyone can guess these companies! They are among the who's who of India Inc.!
Who are the top 20 Indian companies in the Indian IT segment in the manufacturing space? Well, difficult to list, isn't it? Or, what are the top 10 IT products being manufactured in India, by Indian companies? Well, this one also hits a road block!
These are just two questions that have been difficult to answer.
However, we all love to see a top 20 list of IT firms in India, don't we! The road blocks appear when you start probing a little deeper into things such as what they actually manufacture, where is their factory based, and well, how many SMT lines do they have?
Why do we find it so difficult to build IT firms that manufacture in India? Why can't we have more of such home grown firms? And, I don't mean some of the companies who are trying to produce handsets! We don't even have many successful business models to fall back on! Why, we don't even have an Indian equivalent of a Huawei or a ZTE!
My wish for the new year: dear lord, please give India several top notch home grown IT firms who are into manufacturing, and who can make a difference!
Who are the top 20 Indian companies in the Indian IT segment in the manufacturing space? Well, difficult to list, isn't it? Or, what are the top 10 IT products being manufactured in India, by Indian companies? Well, this one also hits a road block!
These are just two questions that have been difficult to answer.
However, we all love to see a top 20 list of IT firms in India, don't we! The road blocks appear when you start probing a little deeper into things such as what they actually manufacture, where is their factory based, and well, how many SMT lines do they have?
Why do we find it so difficult to build IT firms that manufacture in India? Why can't we have more of such home grown firms? And, I don't mean some of the companies who are trying to produce handsets! We don't even have many successful business models to fall back on! Why, we don't even have an Indian equivalent of a Huawei or a ZTE!
My wish for the new year: dear lord, please give India several top notch home grown IT firms who are into manufacturing, and who can make a difference!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Ignoring ignorance on GPS!
I have been really amused to find that GPS or global positioning systems and navigation are finding their way among the top 10 telelcom and/or technology trends for 2009!
To follow this tribe of enthusiastic analysts, I also mentioned GPS and navigation among the top trends to watch out for in 2009! However, it is really hilarious and amusing to find GPS being suddenly talked about so much!
Unfortunately, the terrorist attacks of Mumbai on 26/11/08 have probably turned the spotlight on GPS.
No matter, GPS is a technology around for close to a decade now. I remember seeing the first devices used in cars in Korea, back in 1998-99. Then, in 2000, I, along with a colleague, Pamela Yu (at Global Sources), were invited by Nokia and Citybus in Hong Kong, to showcase GPS solutions on Citybus. At that point of time, HS-CSD (high-speed circuit-switched data), had just taken its bow! In fact, Nokia was also showing off its HSCSD solutions. Come to think of it, no one even talks of HS-CSD now!
Back to GPS! Citybus and Nokia showed me a wonderful GPS network, which tracked all Citybus vehicles. And well, Nokia even demonstrated how a HSCSD phone could be used with GPS inside vehicles in Hong Kong!
In 2000-01, Japan produced first devices with GPS built in! At 2000 ITU Telecom Asia, I remember discussing with NTT DoCoMo regarding the accuracy of these devices in times of distress or emergencies.
Cut back to 2003, Geneva, ITU Telecom World, and prior to that, CommunicAsia. GPS has been present all the times! Why, if someone even cared to check Global Sources, or even Alibaba, they'd be spoilt for choice.
During several trips to Shenzhen, and also during the various China Sourcing Fairs, I came across GPS, embedded into various devices -- PMPs, MP3/MP4 players, etc. Since it has been in the mobile phone for some time, there's always no doubt of it not making an appearance elsewhere.
In India, I believe, the problem lies more with not having ready, detailed maps of places. However, this is a problem that is being addressed.
Recently, a colleague, a youngster, who's just started his career, quizzed me about GPS, where a client had told him that GPS can't be used in mobile phones! The moment I heard this, it immediately stuck me that this so-called client, who mentioned such a thing about GPS, isn't even aware of the industry, or rather, does not have a telecom background!
This is the Internet world. All the information I've given above, has been available on the Internet for a long time. No excuses, if people can't look it up!
God bless us all from ignorance! ;) Ignoring ignorance? At your own peril!
Wishing everyone a very happy 2009!
To follow this tribe of enthusiastic analysts, I also mentioned GPS and navigation among the top trends to watch out for in 2009! However, it is really hilarious and amusing to find GPS being suddenly talked about so much!
Unfortunately, the terrorist attacks of Mumbai on 26/11/08 have probably turned the spotlight on GPS.
No matter, GPS is a technology around for close to a decade now. I remember seeing the first devices used in cars in Korea, back in 1998-99. Then, in 2000, I, along with a colleague, Pamela Yu (at Global Sources), were invited by Nokia and Citybus in Hong Kong, to showcase GPS solutions on Citybus. At that point of time, HS-CSD (high-speed circuit-switched data), had just taken its bow! In fact, Nokia was also showing off its HSCSD solutions. Come to think of it, no one even talks of HS-CSD now!
Back to GPS! Citybus and Nokia showed me a wonderful GPS network, which tracked all Citybus vehicles. And well, Nokia even demonstrated how a HSCSD phone could be used with GPS inside vehicles in Hong Kong!
In 2000-01, Japan produced first devices with GPS built in! At 2000 ITU Telecom Asia, I remember discussing with NTT DoCoMo regarding the accuracy of these devices in times of distress or emergencies.
Cut back to 2003, Geneva, ITU Telecom World, and prior to that, CommunicAsia. GPS has been present all the times! Why, if someone even cared to check Global Sources, or even Alibaba, they'd be spoilt for choice.
During several trips to Shenzhen, and also during the various China Sourcing Fairs, I came across GPS, embedded into various devices -- PMPs, MP3/MP4 players, etc. Since it has been in the mobile phone for some time, there's always no doubt of it not making an appearance elsewhere.
In India, I believe, the problem lies more with not having ready, detailed maps of places. However, this is a problem that is being addressed.
Recently, a colleague, a youngster, who's just started his career, quizzed me about GPS, where a client had told him that GPS can't be used in mobile phones! The moment I heard this, it immediately stuck me that this so-called client, who mentioned such a thing about GPS, isn't even aware of the industry, or rather, does not have a telecom background!
This is the Internet world. All the information I've given above, has been available on the Internet for a long time. No excuses, if people can't look it up!
God bless us all from ignorance! ;) Ignoring ignorance? At your own peril!
Wishing everyone a very happy 2009!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Top 10 trends in telecom for 2009!
What will be the top 10 trends in telecom for 2009? My estimate is, it will be boring, but business as usual! Boring is steady, they say! So, let's see!!
Don't look around for too much of innovations though!
Here are what I feel will be the leading trends in 2009.
1. WiMAX vs. LTE -- the debate should carry on in 2009 as well.
2. Growth of 3G services in places where it hasn't taken off or started!
3. IPTV -- this really needs to catch up and grow substantially.
4. More of GPS enabled devices as mobile navigation attempts to grow stronger.
5. Near field communications or NFC. A report on the Web talks about NFC phones starting to roll out in Taiwan.
6. Further adoption of femtocells... have the standards been finalized? Are we there yet? Perhaps, 2009 will have all the answers.
7. Embedded Internet devices. Yes, Intel loves these!
8. Carrier Ethernet should gain steam.
9. More of mobile VAS and mobile Web
10. More of mobile OS wars.
I also wonder, whatever happened to the following technologies/standards, or what's the status! These were supposed to be hot not so long back! Oh well, TD-SCDMA, for instance, never has had the glamor as a 3G technology!
1. OFDM
2. VCSELs
3. TD-SCDMA
4. MIMO
If you beg to differ, I'd be glad to know :) Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009 dear friends!
Don't look around for too much of innovations though!
Here are what I feel will be the leading trends in 2009.
1. WiMAX vs. LTE -- the debate should carry on in 2009 as well.
2. Growth of 3G services in places where it hasn't taken off or started!
3. IPTV -- this really needs to catch up and grow substantially.
4. More of GPS enabled devices as mobile navigation attempts to grow stronger.
5. Near field communications or NFC. A report on the Web talks about NFC phones starting to roll out in Taiwan.
6. Further adoption of femtocells... have the standards been finalized? Are we there yet? Perhaps, 2009 will have all the answers.
7. Embedded Internet devices. Yes, Intel loves these!
8. Carrier Ethernet should gain steam.
9. More of mobile VAS and mobile Web
10. More of mobile OS wars.
I also wonder, whatever happened to the following technologies/standards, or what's the status! These were supposed to be hot not so long back! Oh well, TD-SCDMA, for instance, never has had the glamor as a 3G technology!
1. OFDM
2. VCSELs
3. TD-SCDMA
4. MIMO
If you beg to differ, I'd be glad to know :) Best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2009 dear friends!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Welcome to Techfools! To entertain and to fool around with tech
We all love technologies, don't we! And, most of us, love being fooled by the many 'romantic ways' that various technologies can be used!
How many gadgets do you own? A telephone, a camera, an MP3/MP4 player, a tape recorder, a DVD/movie player, an emailing device, a surfing device? Wow! That's quite a lot!
But hey, they squeezed all of these devices into that tiny thing we use to make calls -- the ubiquitous mobile phone! Oh, they call it a smartphone these days, coz it does all of these things!
Umm, hey, the smartphone offers all of the devices mentioned above, doesn't it? Did that fool you? Or, maybe, you knew all of this!
Well, you may be smart tech geek, but there are several others not so smart as you are! For instance, I know so many folks who can't be bothered about emails. Isn't it a wonderful feeling NOT to be glued to your emails!
Come on, get social! Get away from emails, they say! However, most of us, and surely I am, spend most of the day either receiving or sending emails...
Well, these are just two examples how technologies influence our lives.
Via this blog, I hope to entertain, and have fun (or poke fun) at technologies, about technologies, about what technology companies do (and what they should not do!), and so on and so forth!
How many gadgets do you own? A telephone, a camera, an MP3/MP4 player, a tape recorder, a DVD/movie player, an emailing device, a surfing device? Wow! That's quite a lot!
But hey, they squeezed all of these devices into that tiny thing we use to make calls -- the ubiquitous mobile phone! Oh, they call it a smartphone these days, coz it does all of these things!
Umm, hey, the smartphone offers all of the devices mentioned above, doesn't it? Did that fool you? Or, maybe, you knew all of this!
Well, you may be smart tech geek, but there are several others not so smart as you are! For instance, I know so many folks who can't be bothered about emails. Isn't it a wonderful feeling NOT to be glued to your emails!
Come on, get social! Get away from emails, they say! However, most of us, and surely I am, spend most of the day either receiving or sending emails...
Well, these are just two examples how technologies influence our lives.
Via this blog, I hope to entertain, and have fun (or poke fun) at technologies, about technologies, about what technology companies do (and what they should not do!), and so on and so forth!
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