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TechnoFusion
Technologies for Developing Countries
August 10, 2006
Curry King puts word of his recipes out by text
RECIPES by the Edinburgh-based chef known as the Curry King can now be ordered by text message in his native Bangladesh.
Leading city restaurateur Tommy Miah, owner of The Raj in Leith, is a celebrity chef with his own television show in Bangladesh.
Mr Miah's recipes for Bangladeshi, Thai, Indian and Chinese meals can now be requested via text message from any Banglalink mobile phone.
The 47-year-old curry tycoon, who arrived in Britain at the age of ten unable to speak a word of English, is launching his own brand of spices in Britain.
The range is set to go on sale to restaurants and caterers across the UK later this year.
Mr Miah also owns the Indian-themed Original Raj Hotel in Murrayfield and The Heritage Restaurant in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Amongst his achievements are the delivery of a curry lunch-box to 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister John Major's 50th birthday, and producing the world's largest curry - big enough to feed 10,000.
Mr Miah has written several charity cookbooks and started a worldwide curry contest - International Indian Chef of the Year.
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August 09, 2006
Bridging the digital divide – the World Bank donates computers to non profit organizations
The World Bank Dhaka Office handed over a hundred refurbished and well-functioning personal computers and laptops to three non-profit organizations. During the ceremony, World Bank Country Director stressed the linkages between development and technology and remarked, “Technology has an important role to play in poverty reduction. Technology keeps you informed and links you to the rest of the world.”
Although this is a small step in bridging the digital divide, the World Bank hopes that the underprivileged children will get a better opportunity in enhancing their computer skills with the help of these computers.
The World Bank donated the computers to three non-profit educational organizations:
Underprivileged Children’s Education Program (UCEP): a national program working to enhance skills of underprivileged children and youth;
Ganderia Kisholoy Kochi Kachar Mela: a local chapter of Kochi Kachar Mela which promotes cultural activities along with education to underprivileged children.
Corpus Christi High School, Madhupur, Tangail: an organization which targets and provides education to children of the Garo ethnic community.
The computers will be used for enhancing IT skills among the youth in order to make them competitive in the labour market of Bangladesh. Senior officials and students from the organizations were present at the ceremony. On being asked how the computer would change their lives, Md. Belal of UCEP commented, “I feel more confident now that I will not fall behind my other colleagues when I start working for an organization.” Ms. Chiram, Head Teacher from Corpus Christi High School said that the donated computers will improve access of Garo children to modern technology and information and enhance their networking skills.
The power of the internet was seen first hand when the children opened individual e-mail accounts with assistance from World Bank staff. The children wasted no time in exchanging e-mail among themselves and World Bank staff and created a ‘network’ of their own.
The program was unique as it brought together technical computer specialists and deprived children who have had limited access to technology.
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July 30, 2006
Stepping up communications for disaster mitigation and relief ITU and Thuraya forge partnership for portable satellite terminals
The International Telecommunication Union and Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company have concluded an agreement to provide portable satellite terminals to assist countries in disaster mitigation and relief.
Thuraya, the United Arab Emirates satellite-based company, is contributing handheld satellite terminals along with solar chargers; ITU will pay for airtime at discounted rates offered by Thuraya and cover the transportation costs of telecommunications equipment to and from disaster-hit areas. ITU will also provide its expertise in technical and operational training for government officials involved in rescue missions.
In the light of a spate of natural disasters and calamities in recent times, the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-06) meeting in Doha in March 2006 called upon ITU to develop ICT-based solutions in emergency telecommunications directed at improving early-warning communication, disaster preparedness and mitigation. This is a critical area of concern especially for countries with fragile economies and special needs, such as least developed countries and small island developing states.
"The tsunami that wreaked havoc in south East Asia, the Kashmir earthquake, the Suriname floods, and the Indonesia earthquake have demonstrated the power of emergency telecommunications in saving lives and coordinating efforts during rescue operations such as the setting up of telemedicine links," said ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi.
Access to information is of paramount importance in the immediate aftermath of a disaster for relief agencies to coordinate search-and-rescue, medical intervention and rehabilitation efforts. There is an urgent need to establish effective and comprehensive communication links between the affected area, national disaster response facilities, and with the larger international community. Ironically, terrestrial communication links are almost always disabled and disrupted during the first hours of a major disaster. The Thuraya terminals, which support voice and data applications and remote location determination services via GPS, will help provide that vital link via satellite. When regular cellular networks are available, the GSM-enabled Thuraya handsets can switch to the terrestrial network for greater affordability.
"One of the pillars leading to the success of our work in this area rests on multi-stakeholder partnerships," said Cosmas Zavazava, ITU Focal Point for Emergency Telecommunications. "It is in this respect that we welcome the contribution by Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company, a Member of ITU's Development Sector."
Thuraya CEO Yousuf Al Sayed agreed that the responsiveness of relief efforts can be made more effective through such partnerships. "As a leading multi-regional mobile satellite operator, Thuraya is committed to contributing towards world needs during rescue and emergency operations, and we are pleased to partner and work closely with ITU and concerned UN agencies to provide urgent communications support in disaster-hit areas," Mr Al Sayed said. "The responsiveness of relief efforts can be made much more efficient through such partnerships." ITU will provide the Thuraya satellite handheld terminals to rescue teams, government authorities and humanitarian agencies to establish vital communication links for relief and rehabilitation efforts. The communication link will also help victims locate their families and seek personal assistance.
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International steps taken to build global Information Society
Implementation of the outcomes of the recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) gathered momentum with the launch of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS). High level representatives of twenty-two UN agencies met on Friday, 14 July 2006 at ITU Headquarters in Geneva under the chairmanship of ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi to facilitate the process.
UNGIS will serve as an interagency coordinating mechanism within the UN system to implement the outcomes of WSIS. The Group will enable synergies aimed at resolving substantive and policy issues, avoiding redundancies and enhancing effectiveness of the system while raising public awareness about the goals and objectives of the global Information Society. UNGIS will also work to highlight the importance of ICTs in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
To maximize its efficiency, the Group agreed on a work plan in which it would concentrate its collective efforts each year on one or two cross-cutting themes and on a few selected countries.
In the coming period, UNGIS will focus on bringing the efforts of the UN system to bear on expanding access to communications, for instance through multimedia community centres, teleshops, etc. Drawing on the respective competencies of the different members of the Group, UNGIS will also focus on applications related to e-health and e-tourism. At the same time, the Group will examine the e-readiness strategies and policies of one or two countries, to be proposed by UNDP, to develop a comprehensive toolkit for bringing the benefits of the Information society to developing countries.During the first year, UNGIS will be chaired by ITU, with UNESCO, UNDP and WHO acting as vice-chairs.
UNGIS has been established by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, at the request of the Summit and in consultation with members of the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB).
WSIS has contributed towards a better understanding of the key issues and challenges of the Information Society. Throughout the process, critical issues such as infrastructure, capacity building, the regulatory environment and financing have been discussed and refined. Pioneering work on financing ICTs for development and on internet governance has resulted in the most comprehensive international documents ever endorsed on the topics at the international level.
The Summit set critical targets for global connectivity and ICT for development to be reached by 2015 and established 11 action lines to achieve the objectives of the Information Society. The outcome outlines a detailed blueprint involving governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations and other international organizations for implementation and follow-up at the national, regional and international levels.
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First Liberian returnees graduate from ITU/ UNHCR ICT Training Centre
The first batch of twenty-nine students graduated after two months of intensive training in computer skills at an information and communication technology (ICT) training centre in Monrovia, Liberia. The training centre was established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the lead United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, which pooled pooled resources with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Other partners in this project include two Liberian-based non-governmental organizations — the Liberia Opportunity Industrialization Centre (LOIC) and the Foundation for African Development Aid (ADA) who renovated the premises and installed a wireless internet connection and payphone along with Cellcom Telecommunications Inc., a mobile operator in Liberia.
Training in ICT helps build computer skills of young people and will especially assist young refugees returning home. "Every day was a big challenge for us. It was not easy. But now I feel very satisfied and I plan to continue my studies," Jerome Williams, a returnee from Nigeria, said. "We wish to extend our thanks to UNHCR, LOIC and ITU for giving us the opportunity to improve our skills. We hope that this programme can be extended to all Liberian returnees across the country, expanding it to other Liberian cities as well," Williams added on behalf of the class.
The Training Centre serves as a model to be replicated in other parts of the country. The centre is considered by Liberian authorities as "timely and in line with the Government’s policy to return Liberia’s young population to constructive learning". Vocational and technical training are essential to jump-start capacity building and find new means of livelihood in a population whose education was delayed due to many years of instability.
The centre, equipped by ITU to train 60 students every two months, imparts training in core computer and entrepreneurial skills as well as offers training in computer maintenance.
The ICT Training Centre offers training free of charge to returnees, but charges a nominal fee for other community members wishing to be trained. Small fees are also charged for using the Internet Café facilities provided by the Centre, which provides ICT-related services such as E-mail and internet, word processing, photocopying, desk-top publishing and document binding services. This fee is necessary to provide revenue to meet some of the running costs for the centre to guarantee its long-term sustainability.
ITU Regional Representative for Africa Brahima Sanou expressed confidence that the Training Centre would contribute towards building capacity and help in the rehabilitation and re-integration of returnees from post-conflict situations. He pointed out that the World Summit on the Information Society called for special attention to be given to countries recovering from conflict and to vulnerable groups of people. "Fostering the development of information and knowledge will facilitate the country to be integrated into the global economy and bring back hope to young people whose future has been clouded by the scourge of war," said Sanou.
UNHCR Country Representative Mengesha Kebede commended the collaboration with ITU and reiterated that the ICT Training Centre would contribute towards enhancing employment opportunities for urban returnees. He called on other agencies to assist in this endeavour and noted that over 20 per cent of Liberian refugees will be returning to urban centres, especially to the capital city of Monrovia, and called for collaborative response and effective, targeted programmes aimed at enhancing their livelihood.
This collaboration between ITU and UNHCR is the first effort towards extending access to ICT services and training to returnees in Liberia. Funding permitting, similar centres will be established in other parts of the country as well as in other African states emerging from post-conflict situations, including Burundi, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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Talpa radio in Europe selects PROFLINE B.V. ― international datacasting’s European division - for network expansions
International Datacasting Corporation [TSX: IDC] today announced that PROFline B.V., their wholly owned subsidiary and base of operations in Europe, was selected by Talpa Radio, a leading Dutch broadcaster, to supply equipment to expand and upgrade the network infrastructure for two of their European radio stations — Radio 538 in the Netherlands and Radio 4FM in Belgium. Under this contract, PROFline will provide professional grade DVB satellite receivers which feature the latest in High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (MPEG 4 HE AAC) technology.
“We are very pleased that Talpa Radio has selected us to provide their next-generation network infrastructure,” said Ron Clifton, President and CEO of IDC. ”They are known in the industry for their quality broadcast coverage. This is an important reference for us as we roll-out our new MPEG 4 HE AAC product line and it helps us with our objective of becoming the leading provider of professional radio broadcasting systems throughout Europe”
Alexander Josiassen, Technical Director of Talpa Radio said, “We selected PROFline as our partner for the implementation of our first MPEG 4 HE AAC radio networks in the Netherlands and Belgium due to their reputation for quality and performance. We have 3 years of experience with the PROFline MPEG2 predecessor product in our Danish radio station, Radio100FM, and have been very pleased with their workmanship and support.”
“MPEG 4 HE AAC is quickly becoming the industry standard for professional radio content distribution due to its high quality of audio delivery at reduced bandwidth” said Berry Eskes, PROFLine’s Director of Marketing and Sales. “We are pleased to have our new products available at the right time and be at the forefront of the conversion to AAC that is now starting to happen in the radio broadcast market”
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Globecomm Systems Awarded Multi-Year Agreement with a Major Media Production
Globecomm Systems Inc.(NASDAQ: GCOM-News), a global provider of end-to-end satellite-based communications solutions, today announced that the Company has been awarded a five-year agreement with a major media production and distribution company in the United States (the media company) valued at $22 million. The agreement includes options, which if exercised brings the total contract value to $32 million.
Pursuant to the agreement, Globecomm will provide origination, monitoring and uplinking services for the media company's channel portfolio. Globecomm will also design and construct a state-of-the-art network operations center and dedicated uplink facility (the facility) at its world headquarters in Hauppauge, NY, which will be utilized to broadcast the media company's content to authorized sites throughout the United States. The Company anticipates completion of the facility in its fiscal third quarter ending
March 31, 2007 and anticipates recognizing revenues under the agreement soon thereafter.
Throughout the past five years, Globecomm has invested a significant amount of capital expanding its service line offerings beyond Internet Protocol based voice and data services, to include broadcast video and positioning the Company for the IPTV revolution. Globecomm's video capabilities have expanded to include the turnaround and monitoring of 24 video channels on a
global basis and the design and installation of one of the industry's first satellite-based IPTV facilities.
David Hershberg, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Globecomm Systems Inc., said: "Globecomm's vision, investment and commitment to the multi-faceted video broadcast and IPTV space has resulted in this very prestigious multi-year contract award and we are thrilled to have been selected. Globecomm's world headquarters has rapidly evolved into a major point-of-presence for next generation voice, data, video and multi-media network services. The Company possesses some of the world's most experienced IPTV broadcast engineers who have designed and installed major uplink facilities around the globe, with the most recent major accomplishment being the design and integration of the new SES Americom IP Prime Broadcast
Center. These factors played a significant role in the decision to award the Company this contract."
Mr. Hershberg continued, "Over the past twelve months, Globecomm has
announced a broad range of prestigious long-term satellite-based contracts ranging from the Company's involvement in the Federal Aviation Administration's Telecommunications Infrastructure program through our subcontract from Harris Corporation, to our selection by Raytheon supporting the National Weather Service's Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System, the recently announced NATO Force Tracking System and now this majoraward. The progress the Company has made on these fronts, including this new broad-based agreement, has positioned Globecomm as a premium provider of voice, data and video services globally. These awards demonstrate the diversity of skill sets of our engineering staff and should provide a backdrop of stabilized growth for the foreseeable future."
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February 16, 2006
More Asians flocking to social networking sites
Young (and old) Asians are flocking to social networking sites such as myspace.com and friendster to network with people with common interests and in many cases meet the ideal mate.
While in terms of web hits MySpace has taken the lead with 2.5 time traffic of Google according to a report by Associated Press on Feb 13th, Friendster is emerging as the dating site of choice for many Asians who are first or second generation abroad.
When it comes to using such sites for finding dates or life partners, many Asians believe these sites offer an alternative to an announcement of desperation when listing themselves on matrimonial sites such as sadi.com.
It's not always smooth sailing with these networking sites. Friendter which has approximately 21 million members, scared away many when it introduced a featuer called "Who's Viewed Me." This feature allowed people to see who checked them out recently. Friendster allows users to opt out of "Who's Viewed Me" after much dismay by its members.
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February 14, 2006
New mobile users to grow 6-8 million per month in India
Reuters
New Delhi, February 14: India, the world's fastest growing mobile market, could add between 6-8 million new mobile users each month once networks reach all rural customers, Telecommunications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said on Tuesday.
Asia's third-largest economy added a record 4.7 million new GSM and CDMA mobile users in January, taking its wireless user base close to 83 million customers.
But more than a decade after launch, wireless networks cover only about one-third of the country and vast swathes of rural areas -- where two-thirds of the billion-plus population live -- remain unconnected.
"I believe that if we are able to reach mobile services to rural consumers, we have the potential to grow at 6, 7 or even 8 million subscribers a month," Maran told the 3GSM wireless trade show in Barcelona, Spain.
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February 07, 2006
China's computer product exports crosses $100 billion
BEIJING, Feb. 7 -- Exports of China's computer products was $104.84 billion in 2005, over $100 billion for the first time, accounting for 13.7% of total exports while 7.9% in 2001. Exports of notebook computer, LCD, integrated circuits and hard disk were $29.9 billion, $14.54 billion, $14.01 billion and $4.11 billion, up by 43.9%, 22.6%, 30.9% and 51.6% separately.
Exports of telecommunication and electronic products amounted to $72.28 billion and $24.48 billion, up by 37.8% and 32.7% separately, listed in the second and third of the exports of high-tech products.
Size of China's high technology amounted to 3.3 trillion Yuan in 2005, value added reached 780 billion Yuan, accounting for 5.2% of the GDP. There were 300 enterprises with exports of high-tech products over $100 million and 50 ones with exports over $1 billion.
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February 02, 2006
BBC World Service TV on mobile phones Australia and Norway
BBC World Service, the commercial arm of British Broadcasting Corporation has signed agreements with Telenor Nordic Mobile and Hutchinson/3 Australia to delivery live video news service over mobile phones.
Mobile subscribers with 3G handsets will be able to watch live running 24-house news, streamed to their handsets.
In the 3/Hutchinson Australia deal, the subscribers are being asked to pay Au$4/month for unlimited access, Au$2/day or Au$0.50/two minutes.
The management and delivery of the service for Telenor is being handled by Rubberduck Media Lab, a subsidiary of the Mobile Media Company.
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January 31, 2006
Databases for free
IBM joins other big database developers to offer free version of its entrise database server DB2. Big Blue follows the lead of competitor Oracle, which introduced a free version of its 10g database during October, and of Microsoft, which announced the free version of its SQL Server database during November.
Amid mounting pressure from open source community, which offers such popular database products as MySQL, Postgres, and the Ingres.
Unlike its licensed version the free DB2 offers no customer support from IBM directly. Instead users have to rely on web-based support communities to get help.
Customers in developing countries who cannot afford skyrocketting license fees can now opt of free DB products from all major vendors.
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January 29, 2006
Dell expands customer support in Asia
Ultra cheap personal computer manufacturer Dell is expanding its customer support work force in Asia by launching a new enterprise command center in Malaysia.
The center offers support to its Asia-Pacific enterprise customers which have bought Dell's server and storage products. Dell estimates that these customers, located in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, own about 250,000 systems in all.
The Malaysian support center's services include monitoring of news and weather events, and providing crisis management support.
The newly-launched center is Dell's fifth such facility globally, and the third in the Asia-Pacific region, after China and Japan. Dell currently employs 19,000 people in the region.
With personal computer business becoming a commodity, manufacturers such as Dell which does almost no research and development have been loosing margins rapidly in recent years. Accelerating move of manufacturing and support in developing countries is the only way such PC manufacturers can survive.
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January 27, 2006
Hi speed WiFi on the way
WiFi networks that provide wireless network connectivity to within homes, offices, stores and cafes (typically in the 100s of feet) is about to get a massive boost in speed to deliver ultra broadband connectivity.
On Jan. 19, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) working group approved a proposal for the upcoming 802.11n wireless standard. The draft specifications will come out in March, after which engineers will work toward releasing a final standard in 2007.
The new "n" protocol was developed by IEEE's Enhanced Wireless Consortium, a group that includes Intel, Apple Computer, Microsoft, Sony and several other major players. The new protocol aims to increase maximum Wi-Fi speeds roughly tenfold to throughputs of up to 600 Mbps.
The tentative standard is also expected to enable more data-rate consistency across the Wi-Fi cloud. Unlike current Wi-Fi connections with performance that fluctuates depending on how far the user is from the router and other factors, the "n" standard would help equalize speeds and make reliable multimedia streams possible opening doors to delivery HD television on data networks.
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January 26, 2006
UN Body to Support $100 Computer
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The United Nations has thrown its weight behind a project to place a $100, hand-cranked laptop computer in the hands of millions of schoolchildren around the globe.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will sign a partnership agreement with the head of the project, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Nicholas Negroponte, in the Alpine ski resort of Davos on Saturday, officials said.
Davos is hosting the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, a gathering of top politicians, economists and business executives.
The aim is to provide the lime-green machines free of charge to children in poor countries who cannot afford computers of their own.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060126/tc_nm/davos_laptop_dc
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January 20, 2006
Malaysia's DiGi.com, Nokia team up to offer PC-mobile online game
KUALA LUMPUR (AFX) - DiGi.Com Bhd, in a tieup with Nokia Corp, plans to introduce the world's first mobile phone-to-personal computer (PC) online game in Malaysia, the New Straits Times reported, quoting DiGi chief marketing officer Chee Pok Jin.
The paper said that DiGi and Nokia have teamed up to deliver a cross-platform, cross-boundary game that allows DiGi customers to use their mobile phones to play with others who are on their PCs or mobile phones.
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2006/01/19/afx2462955.html
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January 19, 2006
Latin America sees surge in open source revenues
Latin America is a big growth market for open-source software particularly as a number of governments are putting policies in place to encourage the adoption of such models.
Last year, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the country's public administration will switch to open-source software over the next two years. The Brazilian federal government is also hoping to mandate the use of open-source software through a decree that would force government agencies to migrate.
This week a group of 15 Chilean systems integrators that joined forces last year expects to report joint overseas revenues of US$200mn for 2005, according to Heriberto Covarrubias the group's director, and general manager at local firm Switch.
Today HP joined the bandwagon of selling open-source in Latin America. Mandriva, the company formed when the French Linux vendor Mandrakesoft merged with its Brazilian counterpart Conectiva last year, said it will work with HP on sales, support and marketing in "all Latin American territories" including Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
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January 18, 2006
China Internet users hit 111 million in 2005
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The number of Web users in China, the world's second largest Internet market, grew by 18 percent in 2005 to 111 million, the Economic Daily reported on Wednesday.
Some 8.5 percent of the country's 1.3 billion people now had access to the Internet, the newspaper reported, citing a survey released by the China Internet Network Information Center.
State media previously predicted 120 Chinese million would be surfing the Web by the end of 2005 as computers find their way into more homes and domestic telecoms networks grow.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060118/wr_nm/china_internet_dc
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January 17, 2006
India to introduce electronic stamps
Amid shortage of stamp paper, Indian government is planning a nation-wide intorduction of e-stamp facilities in the country. The Indian postal service will allow certain financial institutions including banks to produce electronic stamps.
A concept paper on e-stamping has been prepared by the Stock Holding Corporation of India. Payments —in the case of e-stamping — can be done through banks or credit cards. The proof of payment can be attached to the document. Details are still being worked out, even as many states have indicated their willingness to adopt e-stamping.
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January 12, 2006
Chinese company takes lead in introducing TV/Computer using Intel's Viiv
TCL Corp., the world's largest manufacturer of television sets, is producing a personal computer & tv combo developed with Intel Corp.'s latest Viiv technology.
TCL's PC resembles a 17-inch flat-panel TV with a carrying handle on top. A metal base folds down from behind the screen, allowing it to stand upright. Inside the base, a wireless keyboard can be slid out to run the device as a computer. It also comes with a remote control and a built-in camera and weighs about nine pounds.
Using the product name Versone, TCL plans to release the PC in China by the middle of January and in Europe at the end of February. In the U.S., TCL says it will manufacture the product for other PC companies as well. Initially the product will be priced at about $2,000.
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January 10, 2006
Oracle plans to expand operations in India
(Edited News, Soure AP): U.S. business software maker Oracle Corp. plans to expand its sales, consulting and support operations in India, focusing on small and midsized companies in the country's towns and rural areas, a company executive said Tuesday.
Oracle already operates in six Indian cities, and it plans to set up shop in nine more in the next eight months and add 1,400 employees to its existing Indian work force of 8,600.
Over the past five years, Oracle has invested more than $2 billion in India, including setting up research and development centers in Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Oracle, based Redwood Shores, California, currently has more than 6,400 customers in India, where some 80% of Indian banks and 90% of Indian telecommunications companies use Oracle software, some of which supports 13 Indian languages.
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January 07, 2006
Reverse Migration
According to a recent story in BusinessWeek magazine, westerners are moving to India seeking jobs at various call centers. India even with its vast population is finding it hard to keep up with call center reps with western language skills.
The demand for workers is also being fueled by the change in mix of customers of the call centers. In 2004, 64% of all outsourcing contracts came from the U.S. and Britain while 29% came from the rest of Europe, but that number could jump to 40% within five years, according to Nasscom.
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January 06, 2006
India claims 38.5 million Internet users
The number of Internet users in India has increases 54 percent over the past year to 38.5 million, and will jump to 100 million in two years according to an industry carried out by Internet and Mobile Association of India.
Indians known for their extreme frugal living has been using the web to get bargain prices from high value items such as airline tickets to locally produced books.
While details of the study were sketchy the industry group also claimed the business segment now contributes 42 per cent of the total active internet entities and households account for the remaining 58 per cent.
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December 29, 2005
Turkcell, Nokia, HP To Offer 'Visual Radio' In Turkey
EFY News Network: Turkey-based GSM operator Turkcell has signed an agreement with Nokia and HP to bring 'Visual Radio' to Turkey. Developed by Nokia and offered by HP, Visual Radio adds a new dimension to FM radio with interactive content and services for mobile listeners. Visual Radio allows listeners to tune in to local FM radio via their mobile phones while simultaneously receiving interactive information and graphics that are synchronised with the broadcast.
Turkcell will be the first mobile phone operator in Turkey to give its customers the chance to download content related to the FM radio broadcast, get detailed information regarding the songs and even participate in radio quizzes. Visual Radio will also allow Turkcell users to create a personalised archive on their mobile phones.
Turkcell demonstrated the Visual Radio service in CeBIT Bilisim Eurasia in Istanbul last fall. The service will be available in 2006
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December 25, 2005
Japan to adopt high-tech passports
In a bid to counter passport forgery, Japan will start issuing on March 20 a new type of passport, which uses an integrated circuit chip containing the holder's facial data.
The introduction will be in line with a revision of the passport law that goes into effect on the day.
For those who apply for passports after that date, IC passports will be issued. Those who already have passports can still use them until the passports' expiration dates, although they may switch to IC passports if they wish, the ministry said.
An IC chip containing the holder's personal data, such as name, birth date, nationality and passport number, will be implanted in a plastic page of the passport that reading devices can touch to confirm the installed data.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=78902
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December 20, 2005
Microsoft expanding reach of its mobile e-mail and IM services in India
Reuters & ZDNET: Microsoft's MSN division and India's messaging company Mobile 365 announced Tuesday that they've reached deals with five Indian mobile service providers.
Under the deals, subscribers will be able to use text messaging on their cell phones to receive and reply to e-mail sent to their Hotmail accounts. They will also be able to use the MSN Messenger service from their phones.
The partnership covers five mobile and fixed wireless operators--Reliance Infocomm, Tata Teleservices, Reliance GSM, Spice Punjab and Spice Karnataka--with a combined subscriber base of 23.5 million users. Microsoft and Mobile 365 are already working with three other mobile networks in India: Airtel, BPL and Hutch.
The MSN Messenger/Hotmail service via SMS is available to 70 percent of Indian mobile subscribers, and Microsoft and Mobile 365 expect to expand the service to cover 100 percent of the Indian mobile market very soon, according to MSN South Asia.
India is among the fastest-growing wireless markets, with about 53 million GSM-standard and 14 million CDMA-standard phone users. Citing figures from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, MSN and Mobile 365 said the market is expected to grow to 200 million subscribers by 2008.
Like many U.S. and European tech companies, Microsoft has been expanding its presence in India. Earlier this month, the Redmond, Wash.-based company said it would invest US$1.7 billion there over the next four years and hire 3,000 more workers to boost its software operations as well as research and development activities.
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December 15, 2005
Taiwan's PC giant joins $100 pc for the poor movement
Taiwan's PC giant with sales exceeding $10 (US) billion this year will be joining with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative which aims to produce cheap Linux-based laptops for children of developing nations.
The OLPC is backed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)in the US. Major IT vendors are part of the OLPC inititative and these include AMD, Google, News Corporation, Nortel Networks and Red Hat.
Chip giant Intel remains skeptical of the OLPC movement stating even the poor want full blown PCs.
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December 14, 2005
India takes on PC gaming with branded product
Indiagames, a Mumbai-based company, is scheduled to enter the global market with its first self-branded product, the PC and mobile device game Emeror Ashoka.
The game which recreates battles from the life of a legendary Indian king who lived in the third century B.C. is India's first attempt to sell its own branded game in the global markets.
Indiagames has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Electronic Arts, a leading interactive entertainment company, that will bring EA's roster of mobile games to consumers across multiple mobile carriers in India.
Founded in 1999 Indiagames is owned by China's wireless internet company Tom Online which owns 62 per cent of the company. Its key investors also include Macromedia Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc.
According to India's National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM), a PC game costing between $6 to $7 million to develop in the U.S. could be produced for only $500,000 to $3 million in India, thanks to cheap Indian labor.
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December 13, 2005
China tech exports overtake US: Report
Associated Press Report: China has overtaken the United States as the world's largest exporter of a broad category of electronic goods including computers, mobile phones and digital cameras, the OECD said last Monday.
The report by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development marks a milestone in China's diversification.
Chinese exports of information and communications technology goods rose by 46 percent year-on-year to $180 billion in 2004, outstripping U.S. exports of $149 billion, 12 percent higher than the previous year.
China's positive trade balance in tech products almost tripled to $31 billion last year from $12 billion in 2003. The country first became a net exporter of such goods just a year before that, recording a 2002 surplus of $3 billion.
China's booming trade surplus in PCs and laptops stood at $45.4 billion last year, the new data showed, and its overall trade in ICT goods has grown an average 38 percent per year since 1996. China also overtook Japan as the main exporter of such goods to the United States last year.
European and U.S. mobile phone and PC producers have been investing heavily in China, and Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd. acquired the PC operations of International Business Machines Corp. for $1.75 billion in May.
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December 11, 2005
Electronic Arts Expanding to Asia
Electronic Arts Inc., a major player in the PC, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft XBox gaming software market, plans to open a development studio in Singapore that will customize existing company videogames for the Asian market.
Electronic Arts, Redwood City, Calif., said customization will include the redesign of games into at least five different languages for distribution throughout Asia. The software company also may use the studio as an online-game development facility. Irene Chua will manage the studio, which will have 20 workers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and the Netherlands. Ms. Chua is the company's vice president of operations for Asia.
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December 09, 2005
Low Cost IT Service Provider Infosys and Microsoft Unveil Catalytic IT Centre in Bangalore
Low cost IT service and skilled human resource exporter, India's Infosys Technologies Limited and US Microsoft Corp. unveiled the Catalytic IT concept centre at the Infosys campus in Bangalore.
Catalytic IT combines Infosys' software development, low cost work force and cost saving project management methods with the latest Microsoft application platform, which includes Window Server System, the Microsoft Office system and Visual Studio development tools. With the Catalytic initiative Infosys promises to lower IT costs of companies utilizing cheap labor based in India.
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December 07, 2005
Bill Gates keen to expand investment in Bangladesh
New Nation, Bangladesh: President of Microsoft Corporation Bill Gates on Monday expressed eagerness to expand his company’s activities in Bangladesh availing the advantage of existing congenial environment in Bangladesh.
“You have done a tremendous work. A suitable investment climate has been created here,” he told Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia when he called on her at the Prime Minister’s Office during his day-long visit to Bangladesh.
Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, who arrived here this morning on a day-long visit, said Bangladesh has many positive aspects which do not get publicity.
Accompanied by his wife Melinda Gates, the Microsoft President appreciated the hospitality he received here and hoped to visit the country again to exploit its potentials.
He appreciated the policy framework and action plans of Bangladesh for the promotion of information and communication technology (ICT) and education.
Bill Gates deeply appreciated the ICT policy and cyber laws and showed interest to expand his company’s programmes here, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Siddiqui told reporters after the meeting.
The Prime Minister said her government wants to develop highly skilled ICT manpower in the country. She mentioned various steps taken by her government in this regard.
Bill Gates said he is going to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for ICT training for school teachers in Bangladesh.
Begum Zia highlighted the successes of her government in health sector, including the fall in child and maternal mortality rate and expansion of the facilities of safe drinking water.
As the Prime Minister raised the issue of child nutrition, Bill Gates, also the Chairperson of Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation, expressed eagerness to cooperate with the government in reducing neonatal threats.
He appreciated the leadership of Begum Zia and her personal commitment to development of female education, health and ICT.
Bill Gates said with Begum Zia’s support it was possible to establish his foundation-sponsored Asian Women University in Chittagong. The university will collaborate with other universities in ICT education, he added.
Science and ICT Minister A Moyeen Khan, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Siddiqui were present.
Tarique Rahman visited the office of Microsoft in Seattle in April this year at the invitation of Bill and Belinda Foundation. He was received there by Bill Gates. During his visit Tarique Rahman invited the Microsoft high-ups to visit Bangladesh to see the steps taken for the development of ICT.
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December 04, 2005
Intel to announce $US 500 million investment in India
Chip maker Intel Corporation, is likely to announce an investment of $500 million in its Indian operations. The announement is speculated to be made by Craig Barrett, chairman at California-based Intel, during his visit to Asia's third largest economy next week, the Business Standard said.
"About half of this investment is expected to flow into Intel's research lab and marketing division, the other half will be used for (jointly) developing a personal computer," the report said.
Intel has a development centre in Bangalore, India's silicon hub, which designs and develops software to power chips that drive computers and high-end networks for Internet-based applications.
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Virgin to create integrated multimedia content delivery company
SIR Richard Branson the UK tycoon and founder of the Virgin brand is to combine Virgin’s mobile phone business with NTL, the cable television company, in a bid to create a media powerhouse in Britain.
The move will create an entertainment and communications giant worth £4.5 billion and with more than 9 million customers. The combined media and telecoms business that would offer customers four services — television, fixed-line telephony, mobile phone and broadband internet connections.
NTL will be rebranded Virgin following the deal. The emerging Virgin media and entertainment group will have 2.5 million broadband internet customers, 4.3 million fixed-line telephony accounts, more than 5 million mobile phone customers and revenue in excess of £4 billion.
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November 29, 2005
Bangladesh Hopes Technology Exports Will Result in More Economic Growth
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh opened an information-technology exposition this week in an attempt to encourage the government and local businesses to switch into IT-enabled systems for faster economic growth.
Technology companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp. are co-sponsoring the event, while the country's leading mobile-telephone company, Grameen Phone Ltd., is the main sponsor, organizers said. They hoped local companies would get orders from international buyers and find joint-venture partners at the exposition, helping increase the country's export earnings from information technology.
Bangladeshi exports of software and other services -- mainly to the U.S., Canada, Japan and some European countries -- are expected to double by the end of fiscal 2005 from last year's $7 million.
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November 27, 2005
Internet TV Market Expands Rapidly
Hong Kong's Internet-delivered TV service, Now Broadband TV reached 500,000 subscribers this week according to a report by Wall Street Journal. Now Broadband is currently one of the world's largest TV system delivered over the Internet.
Now Broadband which competes iCable which broadcasts CNN live online and has about 620,000 subscribers, is also adding two HBO movie channels from Time Warner and video-on-demand Chinese movies from News Corp.'s Star TV.
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November 25, 2005
Intel ‘unwires’ more than 300 universities in Asia Pacific
As part of its Mobile Initiative for Learning in Education Intel has unwired more than 300 universities across Asia Pacific region, benefiting more than 400,000 students.
The program was launched in 2004 and aims to accelerate the rollout of wireless networks and mobility based learning solutions to effectively integrate information and communication technology in Asia’s education systems.
A recent survey supported by Intel with 360 Asia Pacific universities also identified the motivators and barriers to implement wireless LAN and e-learning solutions.
Back in April of this year Intel Corporation China launched a wiress network enabled notebook codenamed Tanggula specifically designed for Chinese university students. The new notebook platform is a stylish and light-weight, and will come in a range of affordable performance and entry-level designs for students and parents.
The convenience and continuous Internet access any time and at any location was one of the most significant motivators to implement wireless LAN solutions at Asian universities. Respondents felt empowered. They also felt more hassle-free not having to deal with messy cables and plugs.
Every year, Intel invests more than $US100 million across 50 countries worldwide to implement programs that foster innovative teaching practices, extend learning beyond the classroom, reward student achievement and inspire future technologists.
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November 24, 2005
Developing countries to launch news website to contain "western media propaganda"
Governments of developing countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America plan to launch an Internet-based news service to counter biased reporting by Western media.
Plans to create the Nonaligned Movement News Network were endorsed by information ministers of more than 80 mainly developing nations, including Cuba, Iran, Syria, Myanmar, North K
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