July 31, 2005
E-tickets
Airlines in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are lagging behind the rest of the world in implementing electronic ticketing (ET) that have become the standard today in US and Europe.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) which brings together approximately 265 airlines, including the world's largest has set 2007 as the deadline for the total abolition of paper tickets around the world in favour of virtual e-tickets, but local carriers have made little progress in implementing the technology.
Among regional carriers that are IATA members, only three airlines — Emirates, Royal Air Maroc and Royal Jordanian — are issuing any e-tickets today, and none of these are 100% compliant.
IATA hopes to introduce all of these into the industry over the next few years, with the aim of saving around US$6 billion per annum.
Posted by admin at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2005
WiMAX takes flight in Asia
WiMAX which stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access and also goes by the IEEE name 802.16, is gaining popularity in Asia. The technology which provides wireless broadband services upto 30 mile radious is undergoing serious testing in China, Korea and Japan with an eye towards immediate adoption.
European and Chinese providers are currently testing WiMAX in the 3.5GHz band, Resnick said, while Korean companies are working with the 2.3GHz band. Resnick, who is director of Intel’s Broadband Wireless Division, noted that US cellphone service providers Sprint and Nextel, currently in the midst of merging, have the biggest piece of U.S. 2.5GHz spectrum, which should serve both companies well when WiMAX hits the consumer market.
Wireless has the potential to do broadband services what cell phones did to telephone access and soon this technology may transcend DSL and Cable data services. Motorola has already integrated wireless into its 4G wireless telecommunication plans integrating WiMAX with cell phones soon.
Currently WiFMAX provides 30 mile range with line of sight data transmission (between two WiMAX towers for example) while non-line-of -sight transmission is restricted to 4 to 6 mile radious operation.
Posted by admin at 02:15 PM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2005
Southeast Asia gears up for chip manufacturing
Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia and Malaysia have launched marketing campaigns designed to attract investors and electronics manufacturers.
Both these countries are portraying themselves as low-cost, hassle-free alternatives to China. Greater respect for intellectual property, lower language barriers and labor costs are key selling points for Malaysia and Indonesia.
Much of Indonesia's effort is focused on the Batam Industrial Trade Authority. Its electronics manufacturing comes from companies based in Singapore seeking to avoid high labor and land costs in the city-state. But leaders of Batam's sprawling industrial parks say they want to reduce their dependence on Singapore, and are seeking investors from India and Japan. Jakarta has funneled millions into infrastructure projects designed to ensure investors that Batam's industrial parks can provide power, broadband network connections and water. But the region is plagued by a history of corruption, fear of terrorism and energy woes.
Malaysia's electronics push is spearheaded by its largest foundry, SilTerra Malaysia Sdn Bhd. SilTerra plays the IP card to the hilt, knowing Western companies are increasingly concerned about the unspoken quid pro quo that access to the Chinese electronics market requires giving away the keys to the store. "We understand the importance of customers' IP and follow the strict industry guidelines," says SilTerra's David Fung. The company claims competitive pricing and quality that match or surpass what China's foundries offer.
Some regional experts predict that Vietnam will also emerge as a player in high-tech markets. The story is told of Vietnamese workers declining overtime to attend night classes. The thinking is that study, not more hours in the sweatshop, provides a better life since it builds the skills for a better job.
Source: EE Times
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July 28, 2005
Thai firm plan to bring digital navigation to Asia
MappointAsia predicts rapid growth for digital navigation services for personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones and automobiles over the next two to three years. On board navigation has proved to be popular with high-end autos in US. MappointAsia is hoping the same with Asian markets.
M.L. Saksiri Kridakorn, chief executive officer, sees high potential in personal navigation throughout Southeast Asia, but particularly in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand where sales of both cars and digital devices have been rising rapidly.
Part of the traditional map market would be replaced by digital maps, especially for younger, IT-aware consumers.
So far only a few high-end passenger car brands in Thailand are capable of using in-car navigation: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota Camry and Honda Accord among them..
MappointAsia is partnering with Tele Atlas of Denmark to deliver products internationally. Tele Atlas already has experience with car manufacturers such as BMW, GM and Volkswagen. The firm shipped more than 2.6 million maps last year. MappointAsia is also entering with similar deals with Mitsui of Japan to penetrate Japanese automobile manufacturers.
Posted by admin at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)
China's Baidu next Google?
Next week Baidu.com, China's most popular search site will be heading for an IPO in the United States.
Baidu which will trade on NASDAQ made a profit of $1.5 US in the three months ended June according to a report by Wall Street Journal.
Google's IPO price was $85 on August 19, 2004 today it hit 317.80 on June 21, 2005. Some stock analysts are betting Baidu will perform similarly. Let us see....
Posted by admin at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
VoIP telephony takes global footprint
Leading global VoIP telephone service providers Vonage and Skype have been beefing up their services in Asia and other developing regions.
Vonage which provides VoIP service using regular phones over broadband connection had around 11 million subscribers as of March 2005. Of these 2.1 million subscribers are based in Japan.
Skype a PC based VoIP provider that offers PC-to-PC calls free of charge but charges when users make phone calls from PC to regular phones is also expanding internationally. The Skype PC software has been downloaded 100 million times as of mid-April 2005. Skype has been especially popular with offshore outsourcing firms because of availablity of high-speed Internet access at most software development centers in developing countries.
Skype has teamed up with Korea’s Daum Communications to offer a co-branded Korean version of the pseudo-VOIP free telephony service. Korea has the highest penetration of broadband in the world promises huge opportunity for VoIP telecommunication providers.
Posted by admin at 03:42 AM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2005
China becoming major LCD TV market
Market data compiled by DisplaySearch, a flat panel display (FPD) market research and consulting firm, showed that LCD TV sales in China shot up 400 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, the highest sales growth for any country.
Around 200,000 LCD TVs were sold in China in the first quarter this year, accounting for 6.4 percent of the global market. China would boast the largest sales potential, as it is currently the world's largest cathode-ray tube (CRT) TV market.
Sharp Electronics of Japan, maker of high-end Aquos LCD televisions, estimates global demand for LCD TVs will surge 80% to 15 million units in fiscal 2005 from a year earlier.
Posted by admin at 05:26 AM | Comments (0)
India interconnects home grown supercomputer
In September of this year, India's parallel supercomputer which can carry out a trillion operations per second, Param Padma would be connected to 16 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Thiruvananthapuram.
Bio-informatics, climatic calculations and sesmic data processing and analysis are set to get a boost from research conducted by India's various science institutes which can now access the processing power of India's most powerful supercomputer.
Built during 2003, Param Padma is a cluster of 62 4-way, IBM pSeries P630 nodes, interconnected through a high performance System Area Network called the PARAMNet-II. Designed and developed by Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC). The cluster has 496 GB of aggregate Memory and 5 TB of internal storage.
India began developing a supercomputer after being denied a Cray supercomputer by the United States in 1987.
Posted by admin at 04:11 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
Malaysia attempts to make solar energy viable for masses
Partially funded the World Bank, Malaysia next year plans to launch program Suria 1000 which allows the public to generate part of their own energy needs.
Under the Suria initiative building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems will be deployed at various homes and offices at subsidized prices to generate a kilowatt of power. A typical home consumes one to three kilowatt in Malaysia.
About 1000 BIPV systems will be distributed under a bidding system due to limited availability of such systems under the Suria 1000 program. The primary objective of this program being reducing cost of BIPV systems in Malaysia.
Posted by admin at 05:47 AM | Comments (0)
Africa embraces mobile phones
According to recent studies, statistics have showed that nearly 97% of all Tanzanians say they can access a mobile phone. Overall, number of cell phones in Africa is growing at an astonishing pace.
Many African fishermen carry mobile phones while they are at sea allowing them call for assistance in case of any trouble. They also use their mobiles to check market prices.
One can easily find signals in the remotest places like the slopes of Kilimanjaro and the smallest of villages. Call centres have sprung up all over Tanzania that are connected via GSM rather than landlines.
Posted by admin at 04:40 AM | Comments (0)
UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Chooses 3M to Deliver Biometric Passports
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2005--The UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) announced today it has appointed 3M to develop, test and implement the UK's first biometric passport issuance system. The new system will use biometric technology to prevent multiple passports from being issued to the same person under different identities.
3M will equip 104 British Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions around the world with new passport issuance systems that can identify biometric information. One in 10 British passports are issued outside of the UK and the new web-based 3M Identity Document Issuance System will ensure that these passports are as secure as those issued in the UK by the UK Passport Office.
The development of the new secure passports follows standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which recommends facial recognition as the primary biometric for travel documents.
British passports issued outside the UK beginning January 2006 will include facial recognition and individual demographic data in a microchip. Structural dimensions of facial features will be taken from passport photographs and converted into unique digital data on the chip. The chip also will include the individual's demographic data including name, age and birthplace.
"The FCO's pioneering work to ensure that multiple travel documents are not issued to the same person will be supported by 3M delivering a tailored technology solution. This is just the beginning. To complete the journey, all UK issued passports must become biometric," said David Cook, general manager, 3M Safety and Security Division.
"Secure identity documentation is increasingly important given today's focus on improving border controls," said Paul Siezland, director of Consular Services, FCO. "3M has a detailed understanding of biometric technology and a track record in secure document issuance spanning 15 years, including an earlier project for the FCO to issue machine readable passports throughout British Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions."
Posted by admin at 04:23 AM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2005
By 2009 one-third of mobile phone sales in Asia
A recent Gartner study predicts there will be 2.6 billion cell phone sets by year 2009. In that year one billion phones will be sold. Asia will account for one-third of sales by 2009.
Sales of smartphones represent the fastest growing area in the mobile market and some 280 million will be sold in 2009, according to Gartner.
However, cell phone makers across the globe are facing stiff competition and recently Nokia, the world's largest handset maker's stock has been downgraded due to pricing pressure.
In the latest quarter Nokia saw decline in average selling prices of cell phones. Handset average selling prices were $125, down from $146 in March, an all-time low.
Increasing exposure to expanding developing countries where average cell phone prices are low is a key factor behind bleak profitability outlook for cell phone companies moving forward.
Posted by admin at 06:48 AM | Comments (1)
End of Indian Broadcast Television Monopoly
Indian public broadcasting (pubcasting) monopoly Doordashan is set to lose its hold on broadcast television. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) plans to allow commercial broadcast on its airwaves. The move is in hopes that allowing private corporations broadcasting rights will spur development and infuse the industry with private capital. But the high startup costs are a barrier to entry for many would-be broadcasters. Currently, India’s satellite television industry has several different competitors with hundreds of channels offered to viewers, but broadcast television is monopolized by Doordashan. With the new regulation, it is expected that India’s television market will diversify as private corporations such as Star, Sony, and Zee enter the commercial broadcast market.
Posted by admin at 06:43 AM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2005
India's WIPRO sees increased profits
BANGALORE, India -- India's third-largest software exporter Wipro Ltd. said Friday its net profit jumped 31% in the April-June quarter mainly because of outsourcing by Western corporations.
Net profit rose to $98.1 million from $74.8 million a year earlier.
Revenues grew 29% to $525.5 million, of which outsourcing from the West accounted for $397.3 million, company results under the U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles showed. Revenue totaled $406.7 million a year earlier.
"(The) information technology services component of our business witnessed strong volume growth and improved price realizations during the quarter," Chairman Azim Premji said in a statement from Wipro headquarters in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.
He said Western outsourcing was expected to contribute $422 million in revenues in the July-September quarter.
Wipro hired 2,097 software professionals during the latest quarter, taking the staff strength to 41,911. It also received 29 new clients.
Posted by admin at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
Decentralized energy sources can boost efficiency
According to a recent report by London based Greenpeace, as much as two-thirds of UK's energy is wasted due to large-scale centralized generation systems and ultra-long and complex power distribution networks.
Fifteen percent of electricity generated by centralized plants are wasted during transmission.
The decentralized power distribution model, which utilizes micro-power generation systems such as micro-turbines, windmills, mini-hydro power units, solar panels etc. can cut upto 40% of energy costs according to Thomas R Casten and Brennan Downes of the Skeptical Enquirer.
An article in The Asahi Shimbun stated recently that flexible, cheap and easy on the environment, mini-hydropower generators are creating a buzz in Japan. One doesn't have to change the course of rivers and move mountains to generate electricity.
The hydroelectric power plant perched over an irrigation canal near a roadside rice paddy in Kuroiso, Tochigi Prefecture, is the size of a garden shed.
Making use of a 2-meter drop in the water level, it can churn out 30 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power 50 households.
In the Philippines wind is being tapped at Southeast Asia’s largest wind farm at a sparsely populated stretch of coastline near the northern town of Bangui on the South China Sea coast of the main island of Luzon. However, the privately run 24.75mw project comprising 15 towers can only serve half the needs of Ilocos Norte, one of the country’s 75 provinces.
Decentralised energy is crucial for densely populated developing nations and emerging economic giants like China and India. The power needs of developing countries may overwhelm global ecological balance with economic prosperity. But developing a decentralised energy system in response to growth in demand for power in such regions would enable countries to reduce associated carbon emissions by as much as 56% as compared to the centralised scenario - and costs would be reduced by 40% as well according to the Greenpeace report.
Posted by admin at 07:03 AM | Comments (0)
Salary rise in India the highest in Asia
CHENNAI (Silicon India): India had the maximum average salary increase of around 10 percent in Asia-Pacific in 2005, according to a study done by Watson Wyatt Asia Pacific, which provides services in the areas of human capital.
The Indian business process industry had the maximum average salary increase of around 15 percent, followed by high-tech, engineering and logistics and shipping, Greg Sargeaunt, Managing Consultant, Data Management Center, Hong Kong, Watson Wyatt, said.
Drawing a parallel between India and China, two of the fastest growing markets in Asia-Pacific, Sargeaunt said compensation levels in China were lower than India. The Chinese had an average increase of 6-8 percent.
Soon the operational cost in Beijing and Shanghai in China will be as much as in Hong Kong. Every week around 1,000 new companies come up in Shanghai and an equal number of them close down in a week. This is because of labor movement, he said.
According to Sargeaunt, in India, the compensation level has been cited as the number one reason for employees leaving their jobs. Globally, companies are putting a strong emphasis on profitability and demand on employees to perform at higher levels would continue to grow, he said.
Posted by admin at 04:27 AM | Comments (0)
US company keen to construct sky rail in Bangladesh
A US private transport company has Expressed its keen interest to set up sky rail lines from Narayanganj to Joydevpur and Sadarghat to Savar to facilitate transportation system of Bangladesh.
American Transport System Corporation (ATSC) has already talked to the authorities of Equalizer, a local private company, to implement the project in a partnership basis, said Chairman of Equalizer Md. Younusuzzaman here on Thursday.
Talking to a group of newsmen at the Jatiya Press Club, he said that they would make a proposal to the government in this regard soon. “We have held primary discussion with the ATSC to this end and the authorities of the US private company has expressed interest to invest 800 million US dollars to implement the project,” he said.
He said nearly 100-kilometre rail lines would be set up under the project that includes 40-KM line from Narayanganj- Joydevpur, nearly 40-km from Sadarghat-Savar and 20-km circular railway line.
Under the project, he said, a 50-megawat power plant would be set up for meeting electricity requirements to run trains between the routes, he said adding that passengers from each stations would be able to avail train in every two minutes.
Younusuzzaman, however, said “Initially we have assessed that one million people to be transited every day after introduction of the Light Rail Way Transport (LRT)” system. Besides, 3,000 new jobs would be created in the project.
He said the project, if government approved, would be implemented under the guidelines of BOT (built, operate and transfer) system. It is expected to take 36-40 months to complete the project.
Giving details, Md. Anwarul Quaium, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Equalizer said the rail line would be constructed on the existing road divider and the height of the rail line would be 33 feet.
“We have floated the idea as introduction of much-talked about metro tube is not feasible for the country due to its soil condition,” he said.
Besides, Quaium said most of the buildings in the city are not earthquake proof. Therefore, those buildings will be damaged if underground metro tubes are operated.
He said after full implementation of the project, the traffic congestion in the city would be eased as well as pressure on the capital city would be reduced.
He said the American private company (ATSC) has constructed light rail transport line in India, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines and Malaysia. In New York, over five million people are being transited through sky rail line every day.
Posted by admin at 04:24 AM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
Indian cricket team to use software to improve performance
The Indian cricket team scheduled to tour Sri Lanka will be using software that will help the players better analyse their performances.
The solution which is based on Windows XP Media Center Edition is the result of a three-way alliance between Microsoft's software, and India's HCL hardware and solutions.
The system consists of a computer that is wired to video cameras placed at strategic positions all over the ground and the live feed from the cameras can be seen by user.
Posted by admin at 03:28 AM | Comments (0)
Microsoft sues in an attempt to keep scientist away from joining Google
Google which is planning to open a massive research and development center in China, announced on Tuesday that former corporate VP of Microsoft's Interactive Services Division, Kai-Fu Lee will become the president of its Chinese R&D operations.
Microsoft is suing both Dr. Lee and Google for violating a noncompetition agreement dictating that Lee not work at a Microsoft competitor for a year after leaving the software company.
Google referred to Microsoft's claim as baseless. A Google spokesman said. "We will defend vigorously against these meritless claims and will fully support Dr. Lee."
Dr. Lee who left Microsoft this Monday, holds a doctorate of computer science from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh. He spent six years at Apple and worked at Silicon Graphics Inc. before joining Microsoft. His most recent position at Microsoft was vice president of a division overseeing technologies for speech recognition, search and language processing.
Posted by admin at 02:55 AM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2005
Asia slow to embrace hybrid cars
While sales of hybrid cars are picking up in US and Europe, in Asia its quite a different story. Hybrid cars, that combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor provide significant fuel efficiency reaching over 60 miles per gallon even on busy city streets.
High intial purchase price combined with no or little support from Asian governments are primary reasons for lack of interest of hybrid cars in the region today according to a Toyota spokesman in Jakarta.
World's number one maker of hybrid vehicles is targeting 180,000 vehicle sales of its popular Prius model in 2005. The Prius which has a 1.5 litre engine gives 66 miles to the gallon according to WhatCar website.
The former Malaysian prime minister Mahatir Mohammad announced recently that Proton will be introducing a hybrid vehicle in five years. Similar statements have been aired by Tata Motor of India as well.
Posted by admin at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)
India's outsourcers faces slower growth
After posting 39% average revenue growth last year, India's top three outsourcers are facing slowdown. Infosys's last quarter revenue growth has fallen to 3%. While revenues related software develoopment are flattening out or in some cases sliding, business process outsourcing is taking of at an accelerated pace.
Increased employee compensation, competition from other countries, and US giants opening offshore facilities in developing countries are major factors that are contributing to sluggish performance of India's outsourcers.
Posted by admin at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2005
Sprint launches US nationwide wireless broadband network
As it rolls out its high speed EV-DO wireless broadband service nationwide, Sprint announced Monday that enhancements to its PCS Data Link service will enable customers to replace or back up their existing landline data services with new wireless offerings.
Customers using CDMA modems can access the new solutions, Sprint said. "It also enables fast deployment to support temporary or new retail facilities," the firm stated. "Even if a line is cut, customer access will remain intact, so critical business applications can remain available."
From TechWeb
Posted by admin at 03:38 PM | Comments (0)
Philips to develop $20 Cell Phones
Low cost mobile phones--costing $20 or less--are the goal of a new hardware and software platform currently under development by Philips.
The move is part of an initiative announced this week by the Dutch electronics manufacturer to make mobile phones more widely available, especially in developing countries.
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,121685,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp
Posted by admin at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)
New plastic solar cells show promise for developing world
Danish scientists have built a new type of plastic solar cell that lasts significantly longer than previous versions and could pave the wave for cheaper solar power.
Plastic cells cost only a fraction as much as the more common silicon cells used in solar-powered products, such as calculators. But plastic cells typically are fragile and only last for a few days.
http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/RBYg7AMcBy874V/Danish-Scientists-Solar-Cell-Could-Lead-to-Cheaper-Power.xhtml
Posted by admin at 06:06 AM | Comments (0)
US to help India develop peaceful nuclear program
During Indian prime minister's visit to US, President Bush and Manmohan Singh announced a series of initiatives Monday to strengthen bi-lateral ties, including increased U.S. assistance for India's civilian nuclear program. US officials stated that they have agreed to delivering new aid after India pledged to accept international oversight of its nuclear program and continue its moratorium on nuclear weapons testing.
Posted by admin at 05:55 AM | Comments (0)
Apple pushes IPod as children's education tool
Building on current market momentum as the most popular portabe music player, Apple is expanding its reach to children's education. At http://www.apple.com/education/ipod/lessons Apple demonstrates how IPods can be used for providing audio tours of a Zoo, learn foreign languages and creating field trip reports.
Building on current market momentum as the most popular portabe music player, Apple is expanding its reach to children's education. At http://www.apple.com/education/ipod/lessons Apple demonstrates how IPods can be used for providing audio tours of a Zoo, learn foreign languages and creating field trip reports.
Posted by admin at 05:45 AM | Comments (0)
Intel-India forms partnership for Rural WiMAX
Intel has announced a partnership with India’s Ministry of Communications and IT to create solutions for making technology more accessible in rural areas. Intel will work with companies, including manufacturers, content creators and delivery channels to help make PCs more affordable to the masses
Posted by admin at 05:36 AM | Comments (0)