MIT has an excellent collection of videos on various discussions and lectures that take place on campus. The site can be used as a good reference by all those who dreamt of MIT but could not make it there. MIT also has an exhaustive collection of its lecture notes and study material posted online at its OpenCourseWare site. These are some very niche and socially exciting initiatives by one of the top institutions in the world.
Monthly Archive for February, 2006
Just got a beta invite from Mabber for their new mobile chat application, which is built on the jabber framework. A very neat application which works both on the web as well as on a mobile phone.
Here is a screenshot of the application in the beta stage:
On accessing the website and logging in, the site launches an Instant Messenger window that provides access to the following gateways - Yahoo, Hotmail, ICQ and AIM. The interface is good with the ability to categorize users and IM functionality is also fast. You would see another excellent use of AJAX in this application. I think AJAX is to Web 2.0 what Javascript/Flash was to Web 1.0.
The new technology is going to reduce the sms messaging charges for sure, but at the same time the rising GPRS access charges from mobile companies would be a bother for this new application. The USP of this service is to provide a means to chat with others through this app with the assumption that data transfer (read GPRS on a GSM network) will always be priced lower than the price of a single sms. So one can chat for long without spending too much money. However, for a place like Mumbai where Hutch charges 10p per 10kb download, long chats could be an issue.
Another thing to be noted is that the application does not work if you have a basic GPRS subscription. You would need the advanced GPRS connection (priced at INR 499 by Hutch Mumbai) to use this app. Further, the popularity of GPRS and Internet access through mobile phones is a trend still in its infancy in India. So these kind of applications might take some time to pick steam in India. However, on a positive note, technologies like these are redefining the mobile communications space and as the innovation persists, this would also put a lot of pressure on the mobile service providers to think of new ways to gain revenue. And as for those who have web access through their mobile devices, this should prove to be a better means to communicate compared to sending sms.
There is not much visibility on the business model but the company might go for subscription-based models in future. The token that I received for mobile access is valid till 1 March 2006. Operating in an emerging space, here is wishing Mabber the very best.
Thanks to TechCrunch for providing the invite. You can check out the review of Mabber there.
Blogs are catching up fast with the Indian populace. Not only is the blogging culture breaking the ice with the young and old alike, but a lot of corporates have already started looking at blogs as a strategic investment (which is always low cost compared to other PR and marketing initiatives). The recent Business Line article throws more light on how Indian companies are also embracing the blogging revolution, and closely monitoring blogs to keep a tab on what is said about the company and its products. Netscribes, being an early entrant into this space, also finds a noteworthy mention in the article. An interesting article with an eclectic mix of thoughts and comments from the leading media, communications and consultancy firms that are studying, or have a presence, in this space.
Google Page Creator is a web based application that uses a basic what-you-see is what-you-get (WYSIWYG) style of interface, very nicely crafted to allow anyone to create and publish web pages, regardless of skill or knowledge level. To use it, you must have a Google account and a Gmail address. The pages are are stored on Google servers using a URL convention of gmailname.googlepages.com. Here is a screenshot of the editor.
This is a neat new introduction by Google, though I do not understand the popularity of this particular tool amidst a plethora of similar applications available online. However, if the pages created by Google Page Creator start showing higher in Google searches, then this trend is going to spread like wild fire. Everyone loves to see their homepage being ranked on the top in web searches - and if this new application can help do that, then the paradigm shift is imminent.
It would be interesting to see what other tools Google adds to this beta launch, so that the app becomes a handy tool for the serious amateurs/professional web designers. The new tool also seems to be another initiative by Google to keep building online social networks, even though the success of past initiatives like Orkut and Google Groups is still being measured. With a dominance in search engine rankings, Google is in a strong position to define and place its products aggressively in the virtual world.
Changing dynamics in the international business arena are forcing all organizations to take a relook at their business models and redefine their strategy. With the competition becoming global in nature, a lead in local markets does not essentially mean a niche in the ‘changed’ rules of business operations. A careful evaluation of future strategy, operational competencies and target markets has now become the key to survival. And finally the full emphasis is also on people - people productivity, training, lowering attrition - in short, keeping employees happy in every manner. A successful company would have outlined its future plans based on realistic goals, placed the right people in the right processes, and laid out a time frame for the things to move and results to start showing up.
Wipro is one such company that is making heads turn. After the exit of Vivek Paul, there were many people who thought that the exit meant a doom for the company. But a recent Businessweek interview with Azim Premji shows that things are actually brighter than before. Its revenues jumped by 9% with profits growing by 11% over the previous quarter. Here are some snippets from the interview:
“We’re investing more for the future, in people, in innovation, marketing, in the brand.”
“The most important thing is innovation — productivity innovation, innovation in training, in business models, in intellectual-property investment, in non-linear delivery models like managed services, in compensation programs. We’re also looking to innovate in our strategic acquisitions.”
“We’re pulling up people from within the organization and retraining them.”
It is nice to see the C.E.O. making the right kind of noise, and for once the focus on innovation seems to be the right path ahead. Existing software, competencies et al would soon be passe. The whole game is changing with newer innovations happening all across the world - WIMAX, Web 2.0, Microsoft Live .. to name a few. The need of any organization is not to develop its services around these innovations, but for survival, an active participation in the innovation process has become paramount.
Just check out the CNN IBN website. Most of the popular faces on this channel are blogging, including the likes of Rajdeep Sardesai, the famous cricketer/commentator K. Srikkant, and Sagarika Ghose. A nice commentary on the issues being talked about in the media; and personal thoughts and discussions on various topics that make news. Go check it out.
Madhukar Shukla has a very interesting post on his blog. He writes that a significant section of Indian populace works without a secure contract, with no or minimal employee benefits, and no legal or economic security. This should have been obvious, but what makes the post so shocking is that we see these people all around us. Contract labourers, roadside vendors, cart pullers, roadside mechanics - the list could be endless. These people have become invisible in our daily lives, even though there presence is obvious and taken for granted. Imagine Mumbai streets without roadside vendors. I know it is hard to even think of it, since we are so used to seeing all these people around us. And never once did this thought cross my mind that these “invisible” form a significant part of the social strata - the “working poor”.
Their presence seems to be a disturbing factor for many, especially when they line up outside railways stations blocking your way during peak hours. But what Madhukar points out is something very interesting:
They perform one other very “useful” function in the society, which is least acknowledged: They subsidise life-styles of their “more organised” fellow citizens!!!
Good fodder for thought !!!
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