Asia Business Consulting

Taking the law into your own hands - cyber violence and threats

2006-08-22T15:09:00.000+08:00

Is it because we believe that there is not enough police around to arrest a culbrit? Is it that we believe we can judge someone easily on the Internet because we can hide in the anonymity of the Internet? Is it because there is a sense of lawlessness that is haunting us?

How come that Internet users believe that they can simply threat someone who has done something wrong, according to their opinion?

A new case of cyber-hunting (word created by me) has occurred in Korea, where the number of Complaints filed with the government's Korea Internet Safety Commission more than doubled to 42,643 last year from 18,031 in 2003.

"a 30-year-old accountant named Kim Myong Jae became the No. 1 hate figure of South Korea's huge Internet community. People who belied that he had killed his girlfriend flooded his cell phone with threats and viscious messages, while a wide variety of meanspirited rumors were posted on blogs and Web portals, where they spread quickly.

"By the time I found out the source of this outrage, it was too late. My name, address, photographs, telephone numbers were all over the Internet," Kim said. "Tens of thousands of people were busy sharing my identity and discussing how to punish me. My name was the most-searched phrase at portals," Kim stated."

This is just one of the revealed cases in Korea but it surely contradicts the common statement that one is innocent until proven guilty.

(Asia Business Consulting)

Ooops - laptop battery recall by Dell

2006-08-15T17:39:00.000+08:00

It is clear that Dell revolutionised the computer industry with their Direct Model, a long time back, which still causes problems to giants in the same industry - speak HP.

However, even revolutionaries are not exempt from mistakes when they stumple after becoming REAL big.

This is what happens right now, when US computer giant "Dell Inc said that it will recall 4.1 million notebook computer batteries that could overheat and catch fire." "The move came amid growing reports of Dell laptops catching fire in the US, Japan and Singapore" and is not the first one for the company.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Overcoming the generation gap - pensioner on YouTube

2006-08-14T14:44:00.000+08:00

A 79 year old has become a celebrity on YouTube.com.

His video features the widower's "geriatric gripes and grumbles" with a blues soundtrack and his aim is to educate the younger generation - which is the most avid user of YouTube - about the challenges that an older person faces in today's world.

The posted videos have gathered cult status with his postings being at the top of the website's most-subscribed list. A sign that you just have to hit your niche to get famous or heard.

Advertisers, please head the call!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Microsoft starts to involve customers in developing products

2006-08-14T13:58:00.000+08:00

A lot of companies talk about customer satisfaction, engaging the customer, and creating customer experiences. Most companies have something in their vision statements that involves customers and states that they value the customer.

Not many really live the experience, and may be it is also becoming more difficult to satisfy a customer. There are the shareholders that command a constant shareprice increase and customers who scream at the slightest mishap happening to them, and the employees who want to stay enaged and trained up.

Not easy.

Well, some companies manage the customer experience already, such as the producers of Lord of the rings, for example, that involved online user groups.

Microsoft is now on that train as well.

"The cost of recording and producing music and video has plummeted, giving amateur auteurs a chance at stardom. But at the same time, the expense involved in making video games has gone up: the development kits needed to create games for the consoles made by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo cost thousands of dollars, and those companies usually send the kits only to established producers. the company is expected to announce the fall release of a product called XNA Game Studio Express, a basic version of the company’s game authoring tools that will let aspiring designers write games on a PC and test them on an ordinary Xbox 360."

Benefit to Microsoft? Great ones - more loyalty, better games, understanding market trends, and beating the competition.

Worthwhile, isn't it?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Matrix is coming - your brain as computer

2006-08-09T15:39:00.000+08:00

Fortune Magazine carries a fascinating story about increased computer power and the future development.

"Any kind of information is available anytime you want it," I wrote. "Simply speak a question, or even think it. You will always be connected wirelessly to the network, and an answer will return from a vast, collectively-produced data matrix. Google queries will seem quaint," says David Kirkpatrick, a senior editor.

I say that this is something I would really look forward to. Related changes are all around us - "already much of our software and data is moving to giant remote servers connected to the Internet. Our photos, music, software applications like Microsoft Word, and just about everything else we use a computer for will be accessible to us wherever we go.

The other huge, and related, move of the moment is toward ultimate mobility. Several trends are taking us there. The cellphone is becoming more like a PC while the PC is becoming more like a cellphone. In short, the next great era of computing - succeeding the PC one - will likely be about smaller, cheaper, more-powerful portable devices."

Let the super-computer come, I am ready. What will be the impact on your business?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Telekom Malaysia - how to reverse the slide in fixed line subscriptions?

2006-08-08T15:57:00.000+08:00

Somehow, Telekom Malaysia or TM is mourning the loss of subscribers of its fixed line service to the mobile industry. The fixed line business is losing money since 2004 and the penetration share of fixed line availability in Malaysia is falling steadily from around 63% a couple of years back to now 58% or so. By the way, the company is not alone. Many companies, in other countries, suffer the same fate.

But at least, it is cannibalising itself, at least partially, since it also has a mobile arm. However, this mobile arm will also be threatened if the usage of free VoIP, such as Skype is becoming more widespread in Malaysia. In addition, TM's major competitor, Maxis, is aggressively promoting services at a lower cost, something, that is bound to hurt TM.

Lucky to the company, it also pushes the usage of broadband usage via its Streamyx service. Malaysia is still well underserved in broadband, even so penetration is increasing. What is missing to convince customers of its service, so, is customer orientation. So far, many customers complain about lackaistral attitude of the Telekom Group. One analyst is quoted as saying: "“Stories of Streamyx broken down and residential areas which do not have broadband are not unheard of .” Until those complaints are past, well, until then, TM better worries about its revenues.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Controlling blogs and web in Malaysia

2006-08-01T10:50:00.000+08:00

A new chapter of Internet and blog control has been opened in Malaysia. Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said that "We need to have a similar form of control over Internet media and blogs, as the medium is used to spread unfounded allegations that pose a threat to national security and racial unity.”

There was once a discussion about the openness of Malaysian Internet highway as a tool to promote the country to foreign investors. Is this now going to slither away? Hopefully not.

But he touches on an issue that is growing throughout the world. Bringing hate to the Internet - hate against those that are different. Different religion, different races, different opinions. This is what makes the Internet vulnerable because too many times, "people" just write and blog without actually reflecting on the impact of what they are writing.

Hence, it is not the Internet that causes this, but the lack of open-minded values and an understanding that differences increases variety and learning opportunities.

But clearly, it is not that the "mainstream media had gained credibility because of the laws making them responsible for what they published". Newspaper's credibility has been criticised before, even in Malaysia but also elsewhere. nevertheless, even because the Internet is wild and unruly, it has become so popular.

Newspapers have realised the importance of the web increasingly, where traditionally framed media starts to lose out. Some start to involve bloggers in their business to stay more relevant in a changing environment that clearly disadvantages them and forces changes upon them through a new way of communicating.

Just my two cents worth - what are your thoughts?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Microsoft and its anti-iPod drive called Zune

2006-07-31T14:15:00.000+08:00

So Microsoft is really doing it - planning to launch a competitor to the iPod, scheduled to arrive in the end of the year (this year, to make that sure!!).

It is a necessary move for the company, considering that they are embattled from all sides. Google, Apple, and Linux. Moreover, they are challenged in their own dreams to be or stay important in the entertainment world, that is currently dawning.

So they must do something, as the article points out correctly.

So what is it that is going to be launched?

"it's a competitor for iPod. If, instead, we turn to Robbie Bach – the one in charge with the project – it's some kind of Xbox for digital entertainment. Shortly put, it's a portable device which will be able to play music and videos, connect through a wireless network for Internet downloads and in which Microsoft has decided to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars."

I am interested - are you?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Indian bloggers blocked by government

2006-07-20T10:24:00.000+08:00

The blogger scene is bubbling with the news that the Indian government has blocked access to a number of popular blogging websites.

"According recent coverage from BoingBoing, India’s Department of Telecommunications sent an order to the countries ISPs to block user access to blogger, Blogspot, GeoCities and more than 15 other sites.It isn’t clear what technology is being used to block the sites or if all of India’s web users are being affected and the government hasn’t disclosed exactly why it ordered the sites blocked. Both Google and Yahoo are looking in to why large networks of sites have been blocked."

"The directive from the department of telecommunications came days after the Mumbai blasts, and was aimed at shutting 17 blogs which carried material from religious and political extremists."

Will this be a sign of times that governments shut down systems in case of perceived threats? Isn't it also true that blogs alerted governments and international organisations to internal threats in a country and don't blogs become more and more involved in regular news reporting? The action by the Indian government is understandable, short term, after the recent bombings in Mumbai, even so it might be heavy-handed. However it would be a pity of the Indian government if they don't realise the negative effect this might have on their reputation if they are not opening up the space again.

As one blogger in India points out succinctively:
"People go to vote, you can select a government, you can throw out a government. But you can't decide which website you can read and which website you cannot read," says Amrit Hallan, a blogger.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Motorola's flagship store in China

2006-07-18T16:10:00.000+08:00

Motorola looks at China, big wave. And clearly, it is a worthwhile view, considering the ongoing growth of the country. To underline their ambition, they "launched its first "Global Flagship Store" in a busy shopping area in downtown Shanghai, as a initiative to open Motorola branded stores in key markets."

This means there are more to come - and yes, Motorola plans four more for mainland China, with additional key locations throughout Asia and around the world to follow.

This is great initiative to bring the number 2 in mobile phones closer to the customer. In this sense, they are following Samsung, their main competitor, and Sony and of course Apple.

Now, comparing Motorola with those companies isn't fair, is it? These are real entertainment companies which are able to showcast a full range of consumer products, besides just a mobile phone. Motorola hasn't got much to show for - there is the slowly outdating RAZR and .... that's nearly it. RAZR was an icon, and reset the industry but since then, there hasn't been much that was convincing. And even the RAZR is criticised amongst users as very faulty. May be it would have been a worthwhile initiative to develop another great and fault-free product then or improve existing? Alternatively, Motorola can spend the money on places that need connection.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Samsung - business dilution leading to losses

2006-07-17T14:19:00.000+08:00

Samsung Electronics experiences what every company experience that diludes its business model. Instead of strongly focusing on the part of the sector that they are strong in - high-class mobile phones - they started to target the medium part of the market.

This is the same strategy that still endangers the existence of General Motors and Ford or DaimlerChrystler. Now Samsung is struggling and losing market share. "The South Korean company has posted an 11 percent drop in second-quarter profit. Samsung seems to have suffered from lowering the prices of their mobile handsets to compete against rival mobile phone makers." In this sense they alienated its core customer group.

Toyota however did a masterpiece in the sense that instead of marketing the Lexus under the Toyota brand, they created a totally new marketing channel.

As such, its hope to become a world champion even in the mobile business is a bit out of reach in the moment.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Newspapers in the blogging world

2006-07-17T12:16:00.000+08:00

The New Straits Times of Malaysia moves into blogging and invited so-called blogging celebrities into their world. It is always good to see when newspapers finally get it (while others don't and have to readjust their business) and attempt to change especially since many users nowadays prefer online news over offline news.

Citizen newspapers work, most of the time and they work well (does Agoravox do, still?). It seems to work for the New Straits Times, so far, since the website visitor stats are up and probably growing. The questions of course are as follows. What will happen when the writers start to write about things that is not necessarily according to the official line of the New Straits Times - will they be able to cope with that? Next - if you read the writers "original blog" and compare it with what has been published in the Monster Blog - where is the difference or differentiation besides greater exposure of the writers?

It is a new experiment, and it is good to experiment and risk something.

Microsoft plans to launch iPod killer

2006-07-12T15:30:00.000+08:00

Microsoft, ever willing to go for growth markets, is apparently planning to launch a product so similar to Apple's iPod that the business environment already talks of legal repercussions.

Whatever it is, Engadget has a picture of the product - and it looks similar. Should Apple be relive the Sony experience and be frightened?

Not really - considering the speed in which Microsoft launches its products and the constant enhancements that Steve Jobs includes to the iPod.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Microsoft becoming more punctual?

2006-07-12T15:15:00.000+08:00

Ballmer says that from now on, Microsoft will release "next version Windows'" faster, while Bill hints at another delay of Vista to January next year. Delay number... I forgot to count.

Do I believe the news of earlier releases? While Microsoft is a company that has got better at many things over time, they still don't get the timings right. So I have to be re-educated before I believe it. I see it and then only will believe it. May be they are only fast when it comes to launching products that upset consumers?

What's your belief about Microsoft?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Instant gratification for the iPod - it's all in your genes

2006-07-12T11:35:00.000+08:00

Now that is a new finding and a perfect explanation for the rising debt you carry on your credit card. Just say that you cannot help it - it is all in your genes.

"Scientists have found a genetic basis for the affliction. They say people with a specific form of a cellular enzyme, known as monoamine oxidase A, are more in need of stimulation from new things." (...) "Essentially, that means people with the genetic predisposition to replace an existing gadget with the updated version simply cannot help themselves."

So go ahead and go shopping. I wonder if the shock to see the credit card statement is also hardwired in the genes. I rather believe that shopping is a habit that increases with time. Shopping for clothes or shopping for gadgets. What do you think?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Mr Brown or: The empire strikes back

2006-07-10T17:37:00.000+08:00

Is it tough to be an open-minded blogger in Asia, when , what you write, is not always understood across the world or in your own country?

Asians are "used" to get into trouble with the writing in their blogs - and this time, it has hit one of the most popular blogs in Singapore. Astonishingly, not in China, for once.

Mr. Brown, a regular writer in a Singaporean newspaper called TODAY wrote a satire about rising costs of living in Singapore - a piece of work that upset the government and let to a suspension of his column. Those who are interested can read the piece of satire in his blog on July 3: "S'poreans are fed, up with progress".

It clearly is meant as satire: "Things are certainly looking up for Singapore again. Up, up, and away. Household incomes are up, I read. Sure, the bottom third of our country is actually seeing their incomes (or as one newspaper called it, "wages") shrink, but the rest of us purportedly are making more money."

It is a tough stand to take and some supporters take the stand already in favour of Mr. Brown. Overall, it is clear that the Singaporean government is and was always weary of criticism that is coming on too strong. Instead of entering a discussion with Mr. Brown, it is easy to shut down the column.

That is the way it goes in Asia, and it has now happened again, in Singapore. It won't go away that quickly, and might hit all of those who publish material - for whatever reasons. Does this mean bloggers should be quiet? Sure not, because often enough, they revealed the truth that others tried to hid. But clearly, it is a risk that everybody who has a blog needs to assess personally and without influence from others.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Talking iPod a competitive weapon?

2006-07-10T13:14:00.000+08:00

There is movement in the highly competitive MP3 market space. Apparently, Apple, ever inventive, is planning to top the game by developing a talking iPod.

Thinking of situation where a user cannot access the iPod to actually see what is playing or coming next, "the new iPod will tell you what it is about to play, removing the need for users to look at the screen while selecting music, and making the device safer and easier to use while driving, cycling or in badly-lit locations."

I can imagine current situations where iPods are distracting drivers so much that they take their eyes off the road to study the display but hey - the question is: are they doing it with the earphone in their ears? Isn't this just as unsafe?

Is a talking iPod really the crux of competitive development for Apple, whose iPod has taken some beating "amid claims of poor working conditions at a Chinese factory where the devices are made."

Anyway - I hope that the talking iPod has at least the option to listen to some sexy voice, right, since usually, computer animated voice sounds hallow and robot-like. And may be the option to have actors announce the next song, how would that be? May be a selection of female and male ones, to balance the gender. If this is competitive, however, I don't know.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Microsoft and the WGA

2006-07-06T16:07:00.000+08:00

Microsoft is being under massive flag following its launch (can I say launch?) of its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA).

There are now at least two lawsuits against the company that claim that WGA is spyware. This is of course based on the definition of spyware. Spyware is a product which usuall installs itself onto one's computer "secretly" when a user installs another program. Microsoft claims that users would have had the chance to deny the installation of the product when being asked first. However, and that is a big however, many clicked Yes, naturally, because they trusted the company that entered the security market and that there is no big bad Booh subsequently coming from a Microsoft.

It is clear that the company is trying to protect its software considering the importance of the software for its revenue flow - but as usual, users complain that the product is also pretty faulty and claims original software as pirated.

Nevertheless, users are upset - saying that they didn't know what would be installed and how it would function. True - many users are confused in the usage of product installation and probably click on functions or installation demands without actually being clear of what is going to happen afterwards.

So now Microsoft is on the defensive again, patching up the product and praying that the storm will soon settle down.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Get paid to blog about products

2006-07-05T14:12:00.000+08:00

Is this the way the blogger scene goes? So far, there is AdSense from Google that some bloggers use to "pollute" their blogs with lots and lots of advertisements in the hope to get some dollars paid. Well, some get a lot and others get a few peanuts.

Now, there is a new service called PayPerPost.com. Its main intention is to have bloggers post about corporates or their products and get paid for each of the posting. "Advertisers pay to post details about their "opportunity," specifying, among other things, how they want bloggers to write about, say, a new shoe, if they want photos to be included, and whether they'll pay only for positive mentions. Bloggers who abide by the rules get paid; heavily trafficked blogs may command premium rates."

Naturally it is better for a company if a blogger posts a comment about a product. Word Of Mouth is still a better way to advertise and recommendation from someone you trust is worth tons (this despite Buzz marketing, which is based on a somewhat similar commercial basis). But here it is where the clinch comes in. Trust. Next time I post something about a product - do you still trust my honest judgement or do you have a lingering doubt that I am paid to write this about a company?

And that is where it breaks. Soon we will have buttons in our blogs stating that we are independent writers and then there are others that are being paid. The sad part is that companies and advertisers, in their vain attempt to influence the masses do anything possible to get reach. Instead of understanding what consumers really want and then attune products to the consumers' needs.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Filesharing: Alive and kicking

2006-07-04T10:19:00.000+08:00

Entrenched habits don't die hard. Especially when it is not easy to get rid of them.

Filesharing is such thing. Grokster seemed pretty much on the way out after losing a major lawsuit last year that caused joy in the music industry.

"Yet a year later, peer-to-peer, or P2P, sharing continues to thrive, with firms behind favorite applications such as eDonkey, LimeWire, Morpheus and Kazaa, among others, still in business."

Why? Simply think - the business model of selling records when users want one song is not working. Is iTunes of help? Somehow, may be, but even iTunes seems to be too protective on the way how they operate their business.

Thus, there is still a future in the file-sharing industry, waiting to be grabbed by a company that really understands how things change in Web 2.0.

In the meantime, file sharers in Sweden can apply for an insurance policy to protected from the record industry.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Soccer and growth in texting

2006-06-30T11:39:00.000+08:00

It all looks beautiful for those in the SMS or texting business during this worldcup. Numbers from the UK indicate that growth in texting is tremendously related to football events.

"Mobile phone users in the UK sent a record 3.3 billion text messages in May. The Big Brother TV show, the FA Cup and Champions League finals all helped boost numbers."

I am really looking forward to the numbers as far as they concern the worldcup. Global data must be up, up, up and may be the dream of 3G getting a boost from the worldcup comes true as well.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Bill Gates and the smart card for prostitutes

2006-06-27T15:22:00.000+08:00

A worthwhile initiative, and an out-of-the-box thinking that is not seen that frequently in Microsoft.

"A project backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given chip-embedded smart cards to 500 prostitutes in Mysore, India.

The card allows them to get discounts in shops and hotels and earns them loyalty points that can be redeemed for discounts on later purchases.

But the cards also have the medical record of the prostitute who has to compulsorily get his or her health check up at a clinic once in three months. The card becomes inactive if the holder fails to do this. "

What do you think? I think it is a promising early start into his new career.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Usage of mobile phones during thunderstorms

2006-06-26T15:10:00.000+08:00

Rain, rain go away. This old children song might become mobile phone users' new favourite if it is really true that the usage of mobile phones during thunderstorms is dangerous.

In the UK three doctors describe one girl who was witnessed being struck by lightening in a London park while talking on her mobile phone. Apparently, there were three other cases - worldwide.

Okay - a couple of issues. Is this really something worthwhile talking about? Three cases, worldwide seems like a lot.

Next - in my time (oops), we were taught to stay away from fields and parks during thunderstorms because if you are the highest point around, you attract lightning. This girl now walks in a park - sure a danger, according to my education.

But this has nothing to do with mobile phones or only in so far that she was using her phone when she was hit. So as sad as it is, it is an educational issue, once more!

May be the phone attracted the lightning, may be not. But I wonder how many other people were using their mobile phones in London the same time around?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Insurgents threaten families of soldiers via mobile phones

2006-06-26T12:33:00.000+08:00

Okay - there is a war in Irq and the US is not seen as the positive force that they would like to see themselves.

But is is really necessary to involve the families of those soldiers in the war and expose them to cruelty?

Apparently, "wives and family members of soldiers fighting in Iraq have received telephone calls, believed to include death threats, from insurgents." They obtained the numbers through using electronic interception devices that allows to hack into the mobile system.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Is Internet control via software really better?

2006-06-21T19:47:00.000+08:00

A mother, after realising that her 12 year old daughter, posted as an 18 year old in social networking site MySpace, imposed stricter Internet controls by putting kinds of protection on her family's three computers to monitor her three children.

This comes in the path of an estimated 750,000 identified sexual predators on the web. Okay - it is clear that it is easier to be contacted from someone anytime, anywhere, from anywhere. Web-enabled PDAs, increasing usage of mobile phones as webtool, social networking sites - all make it easier to communicate, but also, to be victimised on the web.

Controls however can only go so far - and there is always a way to get around it. Old fashioned education - face-to-face, leading into the web, what is there and what is not out there is important. Isn't it time that parents, schools and even kindergarden start including the web in their curriculum together with some "social educational rules"?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Cheating with creativity

2006-06-21T18:11:00.000+08:00

China's students "weren't allowed to cheat" much in one of their national examination tests proving their English language abilities - who isn't.

But the importance of the test is so great that students became very creative in beating controls. More than 100 cheating devices were found on or in students. In students? Well, here we go:

"A student in Wuhan used a "microearphone" which is 3 mm in diameter to cheat. The earphone is so tiny that it slipped into the student's auditory canal, causing a perforation of the tympanic membrane. Another student got a set of microearphones stuck in his ears and needed an operation to remove them. An interphone hidden in a student's abdomen caused bleeding when it exploded."

Well, I believe that if you are that creative to cheat, you are creative enough to learn a a language and find a job in a very creative way as well. No worries then, actually.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Consolidating telecommunications industry

2006-06-20T18:23:00.000+08:00

The telecommunications equipment industry is consolidating with Siemens and Nokia pushing ahead strongly.

Both company announced plans to combine their mobile-network operations to create a joint venture with annual revenue of about US$20 billion. This will put pressure on market leader Ericsson AB.

After their merger, other equipment providers scrample to find suitable partners and Nortel is one player that is hit already.

"In an industry that is consolidating, with customers that are consolidating, you have to find scale," said Inder Singh, an analyst with Prudential Equity in New York.

True - but the question is - what comes after the consolidation phase? Something is always coming behind it, as otherwise, we would have a very consolidated world.

Clearly, this has an impact on Asia - especially on the large scale markets China and India.

China is expected to put up for bid contracts for third-generation wireless networks worth $10 billion to $12 billion until 2009/10. India is another big-item market with deals worth US$5 billion in the pipeline over the next few years as well.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Girl killed by train while talking on the mobile phone

2006-06-20T13:18:00.000+08:00

There really is a need to ban public usage of mobile phones, because too many things go wrong.

Now, a girl in India was killed by a train because the conversation on the mobile phone distracted her so much that she didn't see the train coming. She was killed instantly.

Okay, it is clear that it is not good to talk on the phone when you do things that are important. You cannot focus enough when you are distracted. Clearly, it was the girl's fault, but even so, what about a better protection at the crossing or more serious attempts on preventing people crossing rails at places where they shouldn't cross in the first place?

Again, while people are distracted when using their mobile phone - too diverted from paying attention to things around them - there is no reason to ban phones (the article doesn't say so, but the call can be made easily). It would be just the same as banning the train, right?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Gates to give up daily role at Microsoft

2006-06-16T15:25:00.000+08:00

Just when it gets interesting, Bill announced that plans to withdraw from day-to-day duties at Microsoft Corp., so he can focus on his charitable foundation while others run the company he co-founded and guided to industry dominance and vast personal wealth.

Good for him - I wish him all the best.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

KDDI loses data to third party

2006-06-15T10:20:00.000+08:00

It is quite amazing how organisations in a country such as Japan - well known for its advanced Internet technology - are still allowing information "to get lost" or leaked accidentally in the Internet. Mostly, it is human error that is causing this, showing the challenges that newer technology can cause to some.

Now it is KDDI, the Japanese telecommunications company's turn. "KDDI Corp. said that personal information on nearly 4 million Internet service subscribers, including their names and addresses, was leaked to a third party." Interestingly, there is a criminal plot behind all this as "Tokyo police announced the arrest of two men on suspicion of attempting to extort 5 million yen to 10 million yen from the telecommunications firm, saying they had personal data on more than 4 million customers."

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Employers checking social websites

2006-06-13T16:13:00.000+08:00

Employers check their potential candidate's credentials online. Serious!! Be careful with what you post.

"When a small consulting company in Chicago was looking to hire a summer intern this month, the company's president went online to check on a promising candidate who had just graduated from the University of Illinois.

At Facebook, a popular social networking site, the executive found the candidate's Web page with this description of his interests: "smokin' blunts" (cigars hollowed out and stuffed with marijuana), shooting people and obsessive sex, all described in vivid slang.

It did not matter that the student was clearly posturing. He was done. "A lot of it makes me think, what kind of judgment does this person have?" said the company's president, Brad Karsh. "Why are you allowing this to be viewed publicly, effectively, or semipublicly."

Warning enough? It is clear that it is easy to post pictures, and if you are blant, you attract visitors. May be the wrong ones. So don't wonder if you don't get that job that you eyed. When was the last time you checked out what kind of information pops up when you type your name in the search bars?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Texting as revision tool in UK schools

2006-06-13T15:47:00.000+08:00

It has been called a destroyer of family life, too cost intensive for the youth, more damaging than cannabis, and in generally bad for kids and addictive - mobile phones and texting. Now who is counting the articles in the world that point to the positive values and usage of mobile phones?

Well, here is one article outlining a school in the UK that puts texting to new heights. "Year 11 pupils have been able to message teachers from home with revision queries and get a text answer.
The school said "text mentoring" had also seen teachers messaging pupils with revision prompts and exam tips." And it's been used. So imagine some youth huddled together in the Starbucks next door - they are not lazying around and skipping school. They are learning and revising. How is that?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Good bye to the web as you know it

2006-06-12T15:47:00.000+08:00

Something is brewing in the US and it will shake the foundation of the web in a way not known so far. In fact, the whole premises of freedom of speech, on which the web is build, might be shaken up.

What am I talking about?

"US politicians have rejected attempts to enshrine the principle of net neutrality in legislation.
Some fear the decision will mean net providers start deciding on behalf of customers which websites and services they can visit and use."

"telecommunications and cable companies will be able to create toll lanes on the information superhighway" says House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and adds that "this strikes at the heart of the free and equal nature of the internet."

Clearly, governments are worried about mobbing on the web, cyber-terrorism or file-downloads. Still, the vibrancy of the web was created on the foundation of a free-wheeling culture of those participating in the web development. If this is gone, the web will just be another tool in a regulated world.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Growth of online advertisements

2006-06-12T15:18:00.000+08:00

Online advertisement is set to grow further: "First-quarter online ad expenditures of US$3.9 billion, a 38 percent increase from the same period in 2005 and a 6 percent rise from the previous quarter."

Those who read this blog regularly know that this makes me shiver, especially considering the quality of most online ads that still believe that overlaps and pop-ups are the way to go. I am no longer saying that all online ads are bad, but still, most of them are not relevant to me - even Google's sidebar ads - , I click them off and mostly, they leave a bad taste behind. What are your feelings about them?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

The always-on connectivity

2006-06-09T18:58:00.000+08:00

Blackberry's make their way into our life. The dark side of it is that employers expect employees to be available anytime, anywhere, even during their holidays.

"Steve Ritchie, CIO at Investcorp, said: "It's too easy to stay connected and get work done when on the road. There is no longer any excuse not to be working. With BlackBerrys, PDAs, laptops, wi-fi hotspots and high-speed internet from hotel rooms there really is no way to honestly say you cannot stay connected."

That means that it is hard for employees to get mentally disconnected from work- and it won't get easier, considering that mobile phones get more and more functional.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Increasing the functionality in mobile phones

2006-06-09T12:19:00.000+08:00

As mentioned a while back, digital cameras are a sunset industry with camera phones becoming the mode of choice.

It is happening. According to a global Nokia Research, 44% of people already use their handset as their main camera.

Even the days of the MP3 player looks numbered - 67% of those questioned said they expected their phone to replace their portable music player.

Well, "the Nokia research aimed to find out just how much use people make of the ever-growing list of functions crammed into modern mobile phones. It revealed some cultural differences among those who responded, with 68% of those questioned in India being the most likely to use their phone as their main camera.

Handsets look set to displace digital camerasBy contrast, 89% of Americans said they would stick with two separate devices. The global average of those expecting to use just one device was 42%."

What about clocks, games, even TV, or the Playstation and Gameboy?

"The research found that, on average, a third of people regularly browse the net on their phone.
At the same time it revealed that for many, mobiles are taking over from more mundane devices.

For instance, 72% of those questioned in the survey use their phone as their alarm clock, and 73% use it instead of a wristwatch."

Interestingly, the importance of people's mobile phones was shown by the fact that 33% would rather lose their wallet or purse than misplace their mobile. And a fifth of respondents would rather lose their wedding ring than their handset.

Wow, a wedding ring versus a mobile phone and the mobile phone wins.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

India's crossing 100 million mobile phone subscribers

2006-06-09T11:58:00.000+08:00

India has reached a new benchmark - its number of mobile phone subscribers crossed the 100 million. This makes the country the 5th largest in the world in number of subscribers.

Clearly, they still have a long way to go - vast rural areas are still underdeveloped and, once more accessible, will further boost mobile phone growth. Developing a phone specifically made for the Indian market is a right way to further the growth, while the topline will be taken care of through increasing salaries.

All in all, we will hear more of India in the future.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Mopping on the Internet - now it is China's turn

2006-06-02T12:31:00.000+08:00

The accessibility of the web to millions and millions of people can quickly create smart mops or tides of people turning onto each other.

I once mentioned the Korean doggie woman chased by the crowd after she didn't clean up the subway after her dog, well, pooed on the floor.

Now there is the case in China where morality takes a beating.

"It began with an impassioned, 5,000-word letter on one of China's most popular Internet bulletin boards, from a husband denouncing a student he suspected of carrying on an affair with his wife.Immediately, hundreds joined in the attack. "Let's use our keyboard and mouse in our hands as weapons," as one person wrote, "to chop out the heads of these adulterers, to pay for the sacrifice of the husband." Within days, the hundreds had grown to thousands, and then tens of thousands, with total strangers forming teams to hunt down the student's identity and address, hounding him out of his university and causing his family to barricade themselves inside their home."

(...)

The case exploded on April 20, when a bulletin board manifesto against Bronze Mustache was published by someone under the name Spring Azalea. "We call on every company, every establishment, every office, school, hospital, shopping mall and public street to reject him," it said. "Don't accept him, don't admit him, don't identify with him until he makes a satisfying and convincing repentance. Impassioned people teamed up to uncover the student's address and telephone number, both of which were then posted online. Soon, people eager to denounce him showed up at his university and at his parents' house, forcing him to drop out of school and barricade himself with his family in their home.

Others denounced the university for not expelling him, with one poster saying it should be "bombed by Iranian missiles." Many others, meanwhile, said the student should be beaten or beheaded, or that he and the married woman should be put in a "pig cage" and drowned."

Thinking of those "proposed actions", I wonder about the maturity of Internet users. It is easy to blame, and easy to write "poisoneous stuff" on the Internet. It is easy to blame in the disguise of anonymity - not that I am for a real name system.

But then, how different is this from the "I hate ..." websites that are all around us as well. Freedom of expression is a great, but how can it be that under the banner of freedom, people get hurt?

Let me just wonder and ponder a bit more.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Microsoft to enter security market

2006-06-01T15:03:00.000+08:00

It seems like a contradiction. Microsoft announced that they enter the security market in a big wave. This is the company whose Internet Explorer and Windows Program is plaqued by holes that are constantly exploited by hackers.

Still, McAfee and Symantec better watch out. As mentioned in an earlier posting, Microsoft is used to battle giants and frequently wins in the end. Why do they win? Because they never give up, and get better with each release.

It was clear that the company would go into security after their recent purchases of related companies (i.e. Giant), and it is also clear that they want to win, considering that their stock is going nowhere and that the Windows Software market is softening.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Another future of the mobile phones

2006-05-26T18:40:00.000+08:00

Every now and then, I get these articles that describe the future of the mobile phone and related futures and I have to admit, it always is an interesting reading. Especially for someone so engage in the tech development as I am, it is crucial to know about future tech developments and its impact on Asia and the business environment, or the way it changes people's lifestyle.

Anyway, with the ongoing global growth in the mobile phone business and its convergence with more and more sectors, it is now interesting to see how someone tries to foresee the Australian future in the mobile sector.

So here it goes:

"Voice will remain the "killer application" on the phone but, increasingly, the handset will provide a multitude of internet-based services, most of which have not yet come on to the market.

The mobile phone will become your ticket on the train and tram, it will pay for your breakfast muffin and coffee and, according to Visa and MasterCard, it could even take over the functions of your credit card.

You can already buy tickets over the phone, but we will see the phone becoming a payment method itself, according to Vodafone's Victorian general manager Edward Goff. The phone will hold the credit so the Visas and the MasterCards will be doing deals to make the payment method fully integrated with the phone.

Anything available on the internet will be available on phones, plus pure content - downloadable music, videos and so on. Whatever you can imagine having access to will come to the phone."

Will Australians than become digital zombies?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Koreans fight Internet real name system

2006-05-26T14:02:00.000+08:00

I wrote about it a while ago, the requirement of Internet users in Korea to provide their real name if they want to participate in online discussions or comment at news pages.

Well, the requirement does not go down well, of course, considering that the Internet is still seen as a big playground where total anonymity prevails.

"A decision to require Web readers to use their real names when posting articles on the message boards of Internet news sites is touching off heated debates over privacy and freedom of expression.

The arguments erupted earlier this month when the National Election Commission (NEC) ordered about 800 online news sites to require their users to reveal their real names when writing responses to politically related news articles during the May 19-30 campaign period."

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Korea's digitial lifestyle

2006-05-26T09:03:00.000+08:00

The Internet provides a great place for socialising, if you are sick of those "realtime" people, or simply have no time to socialise due to realtime life. Traffic jams, long working hours and work pressure force some people to find alternative outlets to meet similar minds. In addition, wireless connection enable yourself to still enjoy outdoor lifes by nevertheless connecting with others.

Something like this is happening in Korea, always on the technology forefront. Here, "a new lifestyle trend is springing up in South Korea, one of the world's most advanced digital hotbeds - more and more folks are retreating to their homes instead of socializing with others." There are even digital zombies, who do not leave their homes at all.

They can make money through work-at-home options and buy products by ordering them with electronic shopping.

What a life - get a life?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Apple and Nike - are they talking?

2006-05-24T20:57:00.000+08:00

Well, unusual alliances are bound to rattle business models. Yesterday, I wrote about an company that initially also looked like two unlikely partners before their merger - Sony and Ericsson, something that is now taken for granted.

Just now, I posted about eBay and Yahoo as potential marriage - something that looks more viable and easier imaginable.

But what about Apple and Nike? Well, these two also talk, okay, only about a partnership to develop products, and why not?.

"Imagine that your sneakers could tell you how far you've run and how many calories you've burned - and then choose a tune to inspire you. Nike Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. announced yesterday they are developing a wireless system to do just that. The Nike+iPod Sport Kit will be available in two months at $29, with shoes and iPod sold separately. The kit includes a sensor that will fit inside compatible Nike footwear and a wireless receiver that attaches to an iPod."

(By Asia Business Consulting)

eBay rumours

2006-05-24T20:35:00.000+08:00

Rumours are rife on Wallstreet.

"Speculation is rife on Wall Street that a big internet deal or alliance is in the works, with Google, Yahoo, eBay or Microsoft as possible partners - and a Yahoo-eBay partnership seen as most likely."

An alliance or partnership between Yahoo and eBay would create an Internet powerhouse rivalling Google.

Google, which nearly doubled its revenues last year, is expected to grow 62 per cent this year. EBay is seen growing 30 per cent, down from 50 per cent two years ago, and Yahoo's growth is slowing at a similar pace.

The strengths of Yahoo and eBay are seen as complementary, with Yahoo in media and eBay in e-commerce. Yahoo's foreign strength is in Asia and eBay's is in Europe.

The most compelling scenario is an alliance where eBay uses Yahoo search to drive consumers to eBay auctions.

In return, Yahoo could take advantage of assets such as eBay's PayPal online payments franchise and the vast Skype web telephone audience that eBay has acquired.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Sony Ericsson's walkman phone in Japan

2006-05-23T17:44:00.000+08:00

It is the silver bullet for Sony Ericsson and it is now available in Japan as well - its walkman phone. Think about that - two losing propositions make a comeback. Ericsson didn't do well, lost tremendous market share and that caused them to link up with Sony. Sony's walkman is also outpaced by digital music, and especially the iPod.

Now, combine the two and suddenly, you get a winner. Sony's strength is in the smallness and the music play - Ericsson's of course in the mobile phone business. Hardly any synergies became synergetic.

Risk is of course, to make it a repeated success, and not a one time bullet. Think, what will happen if they get into the movie business via their mobile phones. Why not?

For now, they launched in Japan, and let's see, how they will be doing there. "Japan is the ideal market for a phone like this due to the immense popularity of cutting edge cell phones and gadgets in the nation. Reports have shown that almost 90 percent of all downloaded music files in Japan go to cell phones rather than PCs.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Australia's online lovers

2006-05-22T15:45:00.000+08:00

Even so Australia is not the most advance country in terms of broadband penetration, it seems that Internet connectivity doesn't hold back those who want to get connected online.

And the reason they get connected via online dating services is the convenience. So the number is still small, 13% of the 1,000 people aged 18 to 80 interviewed stated that they had formed a romantic or a social friendship online.

It is a new communcation channel, this Internet, and middle-aged adults comprised 50% of those using the internet, while 45% were young adults and 5% were over 75 of age.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Chinese website development

2006-05-19T09:29:00.000+08:00

I already wrote here that China's presenting a high share in global Internet usage, and the report quoted confirms ongoing growth, this time not in the usage, but in the development of websites.

In 2005, the number of webpages in the country jumped 269 per cent to a total of 2.4 billion, while the number of domain names rose 40 per cent to 2.5 million.

The country has 694,000 websites, 60 per cent of which are company sites, with a little over 20 per cent belonging to individuals. Education and research sites account for only 5 per cent of the total. The highest number of websites, 18.6 per cent of the total, are located in Beijing, followed by 16.6 per cent in Guangdong and 9.7 per cent in Zhejiang. According to the report, however, not all sites are doing as well as expected. 39.6 per cent of the websites get less than 50 page views a day, and only 17.62 per cent of the total are updated at least once a week. 18.58 per cent are updated only once in six months."

China keeps roaring, for sure.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Filming an act with the handphone

2006-05-17T18:27:00.000+08:00

Why do people do this? Filming videos on their mobile phones is fine, as long as you film your experience at the hawker stall, or in the shopping mall.

What I don't quite understand is how some can tape themselves in a sexual act, and then leave the clip on their mobile phone even when they bring the phone to repair?

First of all, the quality of the clips is mostly in bad quality but why do they leave it on the phone? Are they ever going to watch the movie clip in public?

Here is now a woman in Malaysia, who took such video on their mobile phone. She brought it to the repair shop when it broke down, and it was downloaded, and burnt on a VCD there. Selling like hot cakes, as the article outlines.

Stupidity never dies, right?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

India's next steps

2006-05-17T18:09:00.000+08:00

India is huge in all aspects. Many expect it to be the global powerhouse, before or just behind China.

But challenges are manifold as well. Many countries fight to get the rural landscape into the "modern age", but India more so. Rural is still very much synonym with poverty, agriculture, cast system and dowry. So how to move such a colloss?

"Taking India to the next level is going to be a major part of the discourse during the World BPO Forum to be held in New Delhi."

Some numbers:

"Today there are close to 3 million wireless Internet connections in a country with a population of about 1 billion people. The number of wireless connections is likely to rise to meet the demand of 199 million over the course of the next few years.The capital alone has 200,000 Internet connections at present, with a demand for about 500,000."

"There are plans to wire 150,000 higher secondary schools in the country."

"Additionally, 600,000 villages are waiting to be networked with a broadband connection. Kiosk centers are a popular plan of action," and plenty are waiting to be installed.

When all this is ready, you will hear a new big roar from India, as it diversifies away from outsourcing to higher and higher value add services.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Positive: Mobile phone companies to help Africa

2006-05-16T22:17:00.000+08:00

"Motorola will make a red version of its Slvr cellphone and donate part of the proceeds from sales to Bono's Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria", writes the New York Times.

Good initiative.

Another company that joined is American Express. "American Express has created a special co-branded Red card for British consumers; it contributes 1 percent of the transaction value from the card."

Apparently, "the fund was set up in 2002, has received nearly US$9 billion in overall financing commitments through 2008 and has approved the spending of US$5.2 billion on disease-fighting projects in more than 130 countries. But it says it is still short of its goals" - may be one reason is that the market leaders are not involved in (I guess, please inform me if you know better!). Amex and Motorola are not the market leaders in their respective markets, so naturally, the power of the market is against the total success of the fund.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Interrupted wedding night in Malaysia

2006-05-16T22:02:00.000+08:00

The perils of text messages. Once again, another misfit happened, this time in Malaysia.

"A Malaysian man slapped his wife on their wedding night and stormed out of their home after she received a text message from an unknown admirer who professed his undying love for her.
"Though you are married, I still love you," was the message that flashed on the screen of the 19-year-old woman's mobile phone just as the couple were about to enter their room at 2 a.m."

Well, the guy walked out after the violent behaviour and the police investigates. I, personally, am not sure if the marriage would have worked out anyway. Slapping? No way. So better get rid of the guy during the wedding night is actually good news for the woman. Isn't it?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Apple launches iPod mobile phone

2006-05-15T16:21:00.000+08:00

It was so clear that this was coming, and now it is here: Apple's IPhone has been launched. And if it is as simple to handle as its IPod, or its Mac Computers, expect it to make waves.

"Apple Computer is getting ready to enter the cell phone market with a handset built with iPod music player functionality."

This one is launched following Apple's and Motorola's iTunes-compatible cell phone known as the ROKR E1, where sales were pretty disappointing due to an imposed 100 song limit.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Chinese shop online in teams

2006-05-15T12:14:00.000+08:00

Those readers in Asia will know what I am talking about - discounts. Wherever one goes in Asia to shop, bargaining over prices with salespeople or huntining for the lowest prices in a mall is a given.

Retailers offering their goods over the Internet got away from bargaining shoppers - however, now the Chinese "team shopper" pops up.

This is how it goes:

"Last month, Fiona Li did what millions of Chinese shoppers do to find a bargain: she went online.
A few clicks later, she had a lead on where to buy the consumer goodies her brother wanted for his new apartment. Instead of reaching for her credit card, though, she jotted down a time and a place: 8 p.m. at a downtown electronics store. That evening, Ms. Li and her brother joined 15 strangers at the store to demand a group discount on a new television, refrigerator, and washing machine. Salespeople grumbled at the tactic, but the group refused to buckle. After two hours of haggling, and several walkouts by group members, the store manager agreed to a 10 percent markdown on the three items."

"By combining the power of the Internet to compare prices with the stealth tactics of the flash mob, team buyers are driving hard bargains in the world's hottest economy. Dozens of team-buying websites have sprung up to catch the trend, which first began in online forums and chat rooms."

What a fantastic idea!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

The language of blogs

2006-05-10T11:19:00.000+08:00

What is the main language in which blogs are written? Did you guess English? Well, sorry, wrong!

"Technorati's David Sifry has produced some interesting data on the language of the blogosphere, indicating that Japanese, not English, is actually the most popular language for blogs. 37 per cent of blogs are in Japanese, followed by English (31 per cent) and Chinese (15 per cent)."

The Telegraph's Shane Richmond adds:
"But it isn’t just the blogosphere we should worry about – the internet at large is being divided along language lines. The latest figures show that there are around 300 million English-speaking internet users compared with just over 100 million who speak Chinese. However, internet usage in China is growing at a terrific rate and it won’t be long before the Chinese internet is bigger than its English-language counterpart."

So well, here we have another disparity - not only geographic but also by language.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Global Internet Usage

2006-05-10T10:05:00.000+08:00

An impressively high number of youth aged 15 and above around the globe accessed the Internet in March 2006 = 694 million.

This is slightly above 10% of total global population - still a long way to go, but hey, public access to the Internet is not that long available. So let's celebrate those numbers as advancement and progress.

But naturally, there are huge disparities in the usage:

"China, Japan, India and Korea - which represent nearly 25 per cent of the total worldwide online population (168.1 million users). These four countries combined represent a larger user base than the US, which had over 152 million users in March."

Just imagine what benefits will happen if the usage spreads?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Asian mobile phone growth

2006-05-08T17:29:00.000+08:00

It is always interesting to see how companies forecast mobile saturation in growing markets, such as Asia.

Saturation was forecasted plenty of times, to no avail, so here is another forecast, this time for 2010, by Business Monitor International.

"BMI forecasts the total number of mobile subscribers in the region to reach 1.75 billion by 2010, amounting to a penetration rate of just over 50%. Mobile growth will surge fastest over the next five years in the developing markets of India (annual average growth of 80%), Vietnam (62%), Pakistan (38.5%), China (22%) and Indonesia (19.5%).

3G growth will be relatively slow in India, Vietnam and Pakistan, however, with operators unlikely to launch commercially before 2007/08. In Asia's more advanced markets of Japan, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, mobile growth is much slower, at no more than 2%, and operators are keen to invest in 3G networks in an effort to increase falling ARPU rates."

According to BMI, mobile subscribers in 2005 in Asia Pacific totalled 820 million of which an estimated 59 million were 3G mobile subscribers.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Sony to battle Microsoft

2006-05-08T14:39:00.000+08:00

A battle of the giants. The software powerhouse against the electronics powerhouse. Both belonging to the best in the world.

It was clear that the convergence of industry sectors would throw them into the same ring, sooner or later. It happened with the XBox and Playstation.

Sony has hopefully learnt from the way how earlier companies went down to Microsoft with Netscape being the best example. Everybody laughed at Microsoft and its Internet Explorer initially, but they got better and better over time. Now, who still remembers Netscape? Basically the same happened when Microsoft first tried its hands on Windows CE. Everybody knew that their first version was pathetic - it took too long to load. Everybody had a Palm. Now look at the market today. Where is Palm today? Both companies are still fighting each other, but they are now more on even terms. Once again Microsoft had shifted the ground.

Sony, you better learn from their mistakes. And be better in your execution - better than ever before.

There are millions of users of your Playstation. In fact, Sony, has sold more than 103 million PlayStation 2s since their March 2000 debut.

"The company had 64 percent of the market for that generation of consoles. Microsoft garnered 16 percent and Nintendo Co. had 13 percent."

But this means that Microsoft is coming. "Microsoft in March more than doubled Xbox 360 shipments to retailers to help satisfy demand. The announcement came a week after Sony delayed the release of PlayStation 3. The increased production may have helped Microsoft win customers who decided not to wait for Sony's device. "

Sony, you better watch out!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Children becoming increasingly tech savvy

2006-05-05T16:59:00.000+08:00

Okay, it is about another study conducted in the UK, but I am currently very interested in the cultural changes that are brought about by technological advancements, such as Wi-fi, so let's reiterate the findings of this study here.

Ofcom, UK'scommunications regulator, has published the results of a survey of the technology used by 5,000 parents and children.

Apparently, parents are the ones challenged by the tech savvyness of children, and the amount of opportunities that children have to get engaged online.

"One in five children aged between 12 and 15 has a weblog and a website. One in four uses the internet to buy and sell goods through auction sites such as eBay and QXL.
One in eight children aged 8-11 and one in five aged 12-15 owns an MP3 player. Nearly half of all children see nothing wrong with the illegal downloading of music and films. A small number of children aged 8-11 (4 per cent) use Palm Pilots or personal digital assistants to manage their time, according to the survey.

Even relationships are being affected. Only 41 per cent of children would end a friendship or relationship face to face. One in five would use a text message or, for the briefest of dismissals, an instant messaging service.

More boys use the game consoles that are found in half of households with children, while girls spend more money on mobile phone services. More than 40 per cent of children aged 12-15 pay their own mobile telephone bill, at an average cost of £10.50 a month.

Television is still more popular than the internet, with the average child watching 14 hours a week. But classes in how to watch television may benefit a generation brought up on Big Brother. One third of those aged 12-15 believed that “reality TV” programmes presented the truth all or most of the time. Half of all children questioned had responded to an interactive television programme either by “red-button” voting, e-mail or sending a text message. Girls aged 12-15 were more likely to respond (69 per cent) than boys (44 per cent).

Monitoring usage of digital devices was a challenge for the parents interviewed, who agreed that their child knew more about the internet than they did. About half of households with internet access have no software to limit children’s access to certain websites. More than 70 per cent of children aged 12-15 use the internet at home unsupervised.

Seven out of ten parents with cable or satellite television have set no controls to restrict their children’s access.

The survey suggested a regional digital divide. Children in Wales and Northern Ireland were less likely to own an MP3 player, create their own websites or use instant messaging than English children.

Most children said that they trusted the information provided on websites, although children from ethnic minority groups who took part in the survey were more sceptical."

It is clear that the world is changing (language and culture) and that those who are able to navigate and understand the flood of information and sources of available information are those that stay competitive in the years to come.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Wi-fi to rule the world

2006-05-04T13:23:00.000+08:00

Ambiteous title, I know, but this is how it is shaping oput to be.

Imagine a world of constant inter-connection. Anywhere, anytime. When mobile phones burst onto the scene, no one believed this little "anywhere, anytime" would actually become reality, and now it is. Why not then with Wi-fi as well?

So far, it was restrictive to your own little home, but sooner or later, hot spots will be pop up all over the place.

In the UK, the world is changing already: "In some British cities, plans are advancing to set up so many hotspots that entire neighbourhoods become wi-fi enabled. One of the biggest will be in London's Square Mile; it will give more than 350,000 workers always-on access to the net."

What will be the impact? You will be able to have everything from the web with you. Online games, reality games, constant working and receiving, writing and sending of e-mails.

"The divide that separates people from their online lives will utterly disappear."

Nice for those, who look forward to it. Bad for those, who feel threatened by it.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Australia still lagging behind

2006-05-04T11:06:00.000+08:00

Last year, Australia's speed of internet connection was comparable to Kazakhstan and already then did I doubt the future of the continent if nothing dramatic would happen. Nothing happens as a recent report by the Worldbank indicates.

"The figure was significantly down compared with Britain (13 mbps), France (8.4 mbps), Germany (6.85 mbps) Canada (6.8 mbps) and the United States (3.3 mbps), but was similar to Japan." Interesting, to see a similar speed in Japan.

In addition, its number of broadband connections are also low. "Although the government is claiming close to three million broadband subscriptions, the report said Australia had only 77 broadband connections for every 1,000 people.

This was lower than Canada (165), Japan (146), United States (129), France (109) and Britain (103), but close to Germany's 84 connections per 1000 people."

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Podcasters in China - next target for security

2006-05-04T11:03:00.000+08:00

It was clear that after all the trouble that bloggers, the Internet and even TV created for China, Podcasters would be a target for China's security. This does not only involve nude podcasters, but also those that broadcast a different type of message, ranging from music to satire.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

CIA on the Internet

2006-03-14T08:44:00.000+08:00

Being connected to the Internet as an institution has always been risky in the sense that human errors cause leakages - thus reveal information to the public that should have been confidential. Sometimes this chance is exploited as potential cyber-terrorism to increase security spending.

It is also clear that private data is on the web, and this not only happens when big banks lose data. It happens when you blog, when you log in to Friendster or post your resume online.

Anyway - how would a CIA agent feel if their personal data are found online?

It is amazing but the Chicago Tribune actually discovered the identity of over 2,653 CIA employees online. Not all are working under cover. "More than 160 are intelligence analysts, an occupation that is not considered a covert position, and senior CIA executives are also included on the list."

Still, this leaves a huge number and probably a huge liability.

So it is not only you who is revealing information about yourself online, but also your employer. Because, think about that: If it is the CIA how save is your employer? So, forget about anonymity when the Internet rules.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Public voting in Malaysia

2006-03-13T11:56:00.000+08:00

Want to tell your policiticians how you feel about certain issues?

In Malaysia you now can. The government launched its public opinion poll system last Saturday, making Malaysia one of the few countries in the world where opinion polls are conducted by the public sector. The public can vote via online webpages or SMS to state their opinion regarding certain issues.

This is really one of the first countries to embark on such a journey and is proof of the openness and transparency that the government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants to embark upon.

The question, however, is the workability of this initiative. Will the webpages be updated? Will they work constantly, even when many hits hit them throughout the day?

And, most important. What happens to the result? Such polls or initiatives create expectations. Will the public be informed about the results, the outcome and conclusions?

Overall, it is an interesting experiment. Clinton "ruled the US" successfully by getting in touch with the voters using Focus Groups. I wonder if the Malaysian government will succeed in this initiative.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Copyright, the Internet and schools

2006-03-01T19:55:00.000+08:00

Is it possible to say that Internet provision in schools is crucial to education? Even so it depends on what you are doing with the Internet is school, I would believe it is an important tool to prepare children and youth for a challenging work environment in which learning and constant education is crucial.

Schools always faced the conflict with teachers that simply copied pages from books to distribute those to their students. This was so in my time and will be so in the future.

How would it be if these schools are now challenged by copyright issues of material that they use for their lessons?

I believe it is great for someone whose material is used in the classroom. Doesn't it show certain qualification of the material that is posted on the web, or of your reputation?

In Australia, schools "have warned they will have to turn off the internet if a move by the nation's copyright collection society forces them to pay a fee every time a teacher instructs students to browse a website.

Isn't this plain .... stupid?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Punishment in China for sending porn messages

2006-03-01T12:16:00.000+08:00

China put a stop to a variety of societal nuisances (pun intended).

Now one can end up to nine days' detention for "repeatedly send text messages containing pornographic, threatening or fraudulent information." Is this depending on the definition of porn provided by the government or ... - just kidding.

Pet owners who "have purposely intimidated or even harmed others using their animals can be detained for up to nine days and fined up to 500 yuan." It happens!

The same punishment applies to a "person who violates the privacy of others by peeping at, secretly taking pictures of, or eavesdropping on those engaged in private, but legal, activities." Does this involve peeping as a job of security officers or peeping into other people's email?

People who sing or play loud music, thereby disturbing others, may be fined up to 500 yuan. Sadly for those who can sing well but whose nice organ doesn't receive the respect they deserve.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Are blogs dying?

2006-02-27T16:30:00.000+08:00

Gallup published a study that says that the number of blogs don't grow anymore.

Apparently, "only 9 percent of Internet users saying they frequently read blogs, with 11 percent reading them occasionally. Thirteen percent of Internet users rarely bother, and 66 percent never read blogs. Those numbers, essentially unchanged from a year earlier, put blog-reading dead last among Gallup's measures of 13 common Internet activities. E-mailing ranks first (with 87 percent of users doing so frequently or occasionally), followed by checking news and weather (72), shopping (52) and making travel plans (also 52). "

Rubbish!

More people than ever before are online, a fact that negates the numbers mentioned by Gallup. However, if the number of blogs only rose according to average growth of the number of Internet users, than one can still argue that the phenomenal growth of the haydays has lessened. Can be, but that doesn't mean that the significance of blogs has been reduced.

Moreover, how many can actually distinguish between a blog and a normal website nowadays? Sometimes, the borders are vanguishing and a blog is only apparent when, for example, the appreviation .blogspot.com is in the webaddress. Next, blogs are fast becoming just another online channel, just like another newsletter or publication vehicle. Partially commercialised, partially still free-wheeling, but nevertheless, still significant.

I believe it is still too early to say good-bye to the blog. In fact, the party has just begun.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Online music and emerging business models

2006-02-27T10:20:00.000+08:00

Would you believe that there are associations that are more progressive than others? Sure - but what about the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association and its chairman Gino Yu?

He clearly sees the emergence of digital technology as an opportunity and calls on the music industry to take advantage of the blurring of industry borders, something that we always pointed out. This is especially so because you cannot download or recreate the creative process that goes into such production.

He points out the computer game industry as an example and notes "how game developers can make more money through using the same plot and characters for movie production, cartoon books, toys, music and the contents of the third-generation mobile (3G) service, besides the income through game software sales."

Interesting thinking, so to speak - but sadly, reality looks different.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Google illegal in China, after all what it has done?

2006-02-22T14:41:00.000+08:00

Google is quite submissive to the rules of the Chinese government. Now they are also in the hot soup with the government as it has been accused to operating without the proper license.

Does this mean that all that they put in place was useless? Did they conform to governmental pressure with a non-conforming license? Just playing the words but it seems that obedience doesn't always play out to safe you from other challenges.

Google of course says that they are operating within the legal framework. Of course! Or have you ever seen a spokesperson honestly saying, sorry, we operated outside the legal framework?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Anonymity on the web

2006-02-21T12:26:00.000+08:00

Clearly, there is an ongoing development and discussion about anonymity online. Too many cases of misuse happened and as a consequence, countries asked online registration. Is this good? It can be good, in case of cyber-bullying, of course, even so it doesn't guarantee a solution to many problems.

Once some registration system is developed, a database is created. And, as everybody knows, databases have this certain appeal to hackers.

In Korea, it involves the popular game Lineage. In order to play the game, subscribers need to register.

Now apparently, "complaints piled up last week after hackers were found to have stolen private data, including resident registration numbers, of people subscribing online to the Lineage game." 200,000 identities were stolen.

Quite a lot. Is online registration important? In certain situations, certainly.

In others, no. What needs to be beafed uo - security. And the potential for human errors.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Internet computers - so yuggy. But so are other "public things"

2006-02-17T09:13:00.000+08:00

It is clear that many public places are dirty but just how dirty are they?

The study quoted is derived from Korea, and it states that computer mouses found in Internet cafes are the second most bacteria-infested items in a list of commonly touched objects.

Shopping cart handles are the worst of the worst (so go shopping online in the space of your living room).

The Korea Consumer Protection Board, which conducted the study, found that shopping cart handles, Internet café computer mouse, bus hand straps, Public toilet handles and door knobs , lift buttons and train hand straps are the worst bacteria carriers.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Misvalued house causes budget woes, unemployment and other headache

2006-02-15T17:18:00.000+08:00

Check your numbers. This is the advise that I would give everybody in the business of .... well, dealing with numbers.

A house was originally valued at US$121,000 but a computer glitch (always a favourite argument) increased the value to US$400 million.

This accident caused property tax to increase from a mere US$1,500 to US$8 million. The local council happily used the increased budget for their own planning purposes.

"Most local officials did not learn about the mistake until Tuesday, when 18 government taxing units were asked to return a total of US$3.1 million of tax money. The city of Valparaiso and the Valparaiso Community School Corp. were asked to return US$2.7 million. As a result, the school system has a US$200,000 budget shortfall, and the city loses US$900,000."

Quite heavy in a small city and interesting, that the discovery and correction of the mistake took that long.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

The bad news can be good news

2006-02-15T14:30:00.000+08:00

As stated yesterday, mobile Internet might become more interesting with the entry of more companies into the market, and with the future development of technology also leading to more convergence.

"Research group Gartner and others estimate that about 20 different cell phone models will be available in 2006 that can connect to Wi-Fi, with about 20 million units expected to be sold this year alone."

"rollout of mid-priced cell phones that can make calls both over conventional mobile networks and over the Internet, using Wi-Fi wireless connections, will be good news for callers who want lower mobile phone bills.
It could be bad news, however, for mobile phone companies, which will lose revenue if people do more of their calling over inexpensive Internet broadband networks -- which they can do at home or at the office with Wi-Fi."

This is not much, of course, but it is a development. Will we wait for this development as long as we waited for 3G or will the development take off earlier? That's the mystical question, of course, but clearly, things are moving in the market. The next question relates to the reaction of the traditional mobile phone operators. Will they wait? Will they see the threat as opportunity and move in the space available? You answer that question!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Nokia's handset for VoIP - are they changing the rules of the mobile game?

2006-02-14T15:08:00.000+08:00

Just last week, I wrote about the growth potential of VoIP and that the numbers are developing rapidly.

Nokia heard the call (no, didn't they?) - and now comes up with a handset that enable users to make calls over the internet. So they are not the first one - a British company called DSG International started selling internet phone call starter kits at its Dixons, Currys, The Link and PC World stores, but it is a significant move.

Nokia has apparently realised the potential that an ongoing move towards one mobile set doing everything for the user presents. Yahoo is in the market, Google makes its first moves, Microsoft tries hard and then, don't forget the main player, such as Skype.

Combine this with the company's position in huge mobile markets, such as China and increasingly India, and the continuous trend in the growth of the Internet and you see, how important this can be. They found out earlier that users migrate from fixed lines to mobile phones and might have made the interpretation that the move will continue and involve the Internet as well.

What is the threat to other companies? Surely, I am awaiting the reaction of Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. However, it also presents a threat to other companies mentioned, such as Yahoo, Google and Microsoft, which want to make a mark in the Internet and the mobile business, but also to local operators. Is it possible that Nokia is soon being identified as local ISP by the subscriber? Will this threaten their relation to local telecommunication companies?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Growth doesn't give time for dating

2006-02-13T16:26:00.000+08:00

Does economic growth conflict with the ability of youngsters (and those not that young) to date? In China, it appears to be that way.

"The gateway to marital bliss has a frosted glass door emblazoned with two candy-apple red hearts and lots of computers. Introducing the Beijing Military and Civilian Matchmaking Service, one of a growing number of Chinese companies that are marrying high technology and low-tech tradition to spawn romantic unions.

Romance and marriage have changed drastically in China after 25 years of breakneck economic growth and looser social controls."

Interesting here that it is the Military and Civilian Matchmaking Service, that initiated the service. May be it follows the motto "Make Love, not war"?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Being faster than the cyber-agents in China

2006-02-13T13:33:00.000+08:00

I had a couple of those stories already - once you publish on the web in China and the Chinese cyberpolice doesn't like your postings too much or not at all, you are on the run.

This is what the newest BusinessWeek talks all about. It tells the story of a man called Bill Xia, who plays cat and mouth with the secret agents, from morning to the evening. He is "exploiting openings in Beijing's formidable Internet firewall and trying to keep ahead of the cybercops who patrol the Web 24-7 and have an uncanny ability to plug holes as quickly as Xia finds them."

His task? "Helping Web surfers back home get the information their government would rather they not see. Chinese citizens hoping to read about the latest crackdown on, say, Falun Gong or the most recent peasant rebellion in the provinces can use technology provided by Xia's Dynamic Internet Technology Inc. to mask their travels to forbidden Web sites."

It is a tough job, so to say, especially since international companies such as Google or Yahoo increasingly help the Chinese government to in turn get the door open for their own business. With their help, the Chinese government intends to get enough control to plug all the loopholes.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Stupid burglar

2006-02-10T18:28:00.000+08:00

It is tough to handle technology. Seriously. Now, how stupid can you be when you are firstly smart enough (pun intended) to break into a house to do all kind of things, but then check your own e-mail and forget to log off again. Which, as it turns out, is the reason that the burglar was caught.

At least, the burglar had a good time. He brewed himself a coffee, ate something, picked out a change of clothes, watched television and took a shower. May be he was lonely doing all of this alone and wanted to check his mail?

Question of course is: How come the mail access stayed open?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Yahoo charging for e-mail?

2006-02-09T16:19:00.000+08:00

"A plan from Yahoo and America Online to adopt an e-mail certification system that charges mass mailers a per-message fee is stirring concern in the market."

And of cause it is. To a generation of users who grew up in a market where e-mail and many other things on the web was free, for sure, this is causing a stir.

Even arguments for a fee, such as the increasing number of spam and phishing, doesn't hold, because this is something that they already promise to beat - why else would they use filters? A filter for those who don't pay and thus deserve to be spammed and a better filter for those paying customers that need to be protected? And the argument that only those mass mailers are affected doesn't work as well - what about small businesses that send mails to their customers? Or real, existing online newspapers?

It wouldn't work for me but then, there is always a GMail. And this is surely not something that Yahoo wants to have - seeing users disappear to the market leader. How desparate Yahoo must be?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Global VoIP subscription - for those who like the numbers

2006-02-09T15:23:00.000+08:00

Is it rapid growth, some growth or is there still the talk about huge growth potential?

Anyway, the drums are beating: "global market for consumer VoIP services has arrived, with total VoIP subscribers worldwide reaching 16 million in 2005 and projected to grow to over 55 million by 2009.

Despite an impressive 62 per cent year-on-year subscriber growth rate in 2005, though, relatively few consumers have ever heard of the term 'VoIP'.

Providers, then, must continue to educate the public for VoIP to reach its full market potential. Some 73 per cent of all VoIP subscribers worldwide have migrated to VoIP without making a conscious buying decision to adopt the new technology. In North America and Canada, cable operators are aggressively expanding their VoIP footprint, but are marketing VoIP as a traditional telephone service. In Asia, South Korea has the highest VoIP growth rate, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore."

I agree - let's give it a better name. While a great name is in no way related to branding, it surely makes things easier.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

You cannot download the creative process

2006-02-09T15:11:00.000+08:00

I love this quote, but before I get to it, let me tell you the story.

ArtistShare is a new venture in New York City with the objective of enlisting fans to fund an album in exchange for an insider's look at the creative process.

Its founder, Brian Camelio, says that "the business model focuses on creating new music, rather than the sale of music already made." If you listen to what is available in the market and even have only a vague understanding of how the music industry operates, you will realise that this is a great idea.

In fact, it is the new business model, that I promoted so frequently when criticising the music industry in their attempt to kill off internet downloads from companies such as Kazaa.

The new business model is build up on the premises that "fans who support ArtistShare musicians receive perks such as early samples of songs, signed CDs, online composition lessons, and even free concert tickets. Musicians get something too. ArtistShare helps them build their websites and develop their fan base online. When an artist wants to record an album and needs money to rent studio time or hire backup musicians, the ArtistShare team develops a menu of options for fans to support the project. For instance, US$20 or US$30 might get you an advance version of a new recording, US$400 could include an autographed copy of the score, and for US$3,000, an artist will compose a song for you."

One of the most successful ventures so far is Grammy-winning jazz composer Maria Schneider - as if this isn't evidence that the model works. Really, you can download anything, copy anything but in the end, it is just that - a copy. The creation of it is different and valued more than a loaf of bread - or, as the founder said: "You can't download the creative process."

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Google down? No way

2006-02-02T16:55:00.000+08:00

Google missed its earnings forecast, but does it mean they are out? Going the way of other companies that suddenly lose track and never come back again, or only after long struggles?

No way.

Sure, they missed, but growth was nevertheless impressive.

Moreover, Google can shrug it off, because, remember, they said from the onset of their IPO, that they are not in the game of giving detailed forecasts or projections. This was, well, seen as too evil at that time.

So Google is not out - but remember, one day, they might be. Growth is not endless, only if you can constantly reinvent your business model - something Google is pretty good at.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Blogging at corporations

2006-02-02T16:47:00.000+08:00

The article comes from the Poughkeepsiejournal, wherever that is - but it is a great, so unpronoucable and surely forgettable name.

However, they have a story about a guy working at IBM who started to blog 3 years back and soon realised that his boss started to read his blog - it surely happens, even at a Blue Chiup such as IBM.

The article points out, correctly, that big corporations, such as HP, IBM and Microsoft observe blogs wearily and carefully - partially joining the bandwagon as well. A web-consultant is quoted as saying that corporations "will be knocked over unprepared if the blogosphere starts talking about their brand, product or service and they're not listening to what's being said about them."

More corporations do so in the meantime but still not enough, at least not in Asia. A survey - methodology unknown, is quoted stating that the ranks of corporate bloggers are growing. A year ago, there were about 7,400, a number that doubled to 15,000 in June 2005.

What is important in a corporate blog is that it stays personal, gives it a personal touch and away from corporate press releases. It is also important that the corporate blogger has the freedom to react.

It must be emphasised that if the bloggersphere starts to talk about a company, the corporate blogger must be enabled, empowered, to respond directly. If he or she has to wait for the press department and the board of directors to get their act together, it is too late. If this is the case, if the blogger is so disempowered, it is most advisable for corporation to avoid blogging.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Pixar and Disney - married happily again

2006-02-01T12:18:00.000+08:00

Walt Disney Studio has bought Steve Jobs Pixar. Disney, struggling over the last couple of years to produce really good movies, while Pixar was constantly on the roll.

They separated just a couple of months ago. Now, Disney makes the move for a good US$7.4 billion and the all-stock deal puts Steve Jobs into a powerful position as he becomes Disney’s largest shareholder.

This makes Steve the heir to Disney's new CEO Bob Iger and probably king soon - it gives him access to movies that, imagine that, might soon become available on the IPod, on the Macs, and, wait till the end of the year, on an Apple Phone, besides probably on an ITunes for movies. Steve Jobs, in his endless drive, is becoming the king of entertainment.

Just wait and see.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs

2006-02-01T11:48:00.000+08:00

Once again, publishers are angry with Google's success in driving traffic - to their side.

"Paris-based World Association of Newspapers, whose members include dozens of national newspaper trade bodies, said it is exploring ways to "challenge the exploitation of content by search engines without fair compensation to copyright owners.""

It is a similar case compared to last year, when AFP sued Google. AFP alleged that Google News carries its photos, news headlines and stories without permission. The case is still pending.

Isn't it true that it is much easier for users to go to a news aggregator, such as Google, check all the news at once and go to the one that seems the most reliable, the most extensive, having the best coverage to meet my needs? Doesn't this then challenge traditional newspapers to go beyond their current style of operating and become better? And if a newspaper really manages to meet the need of the visitors, they will keep this in mind and will come back. As simple as that - it is about serving the needs of your clientel. But I guess it is easier to sue - something that companies are used to, instead of changing business models and taking care of your customers. So yeah, it is easier to chase the golden goose instead of cooperating with them to get into a better business mode.

You tell me, but I prefer news aggregators.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Destroy the computer

2006-01-17T18:04:00.000+08:00

I don't know what it is but nowadays, a lot of "funny" news is coming across my desk.

"UK charity Developing Patient Partnerships showed more than a third of men and a quarter of women have a drink to cope with stress."

The study intends to conclude that "modern annoyances of automated call centres, mobile phones and crashing computers" drives people to alcohol and cigarettes.

Okay - when my hard drive would crash, I wouldn't necessarily grap a bottle of whiskey and a cigarette to get over with it, hoping that all will be well, when I am sober again. Neither would I start smoking.

Stress might cause - and I say might! - health problems, but the reasons are not related to crashing computers, or constantly ringing phones. Health effects caused by stress has more to do with lack of control over what you do and lack of experience with the type of work - thus also lack of empowerment. If you know what you do, have the appropriate resources to manage the work or the task at hand, stress effects are greatly reduced. As simple as that. Thus, instead of drinking the whiskey or smoking the stick, just take your mobile phone and call the computer shop!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

The dead zone is the last resort

2006-01-17T14:43:00.000+08:00

Another article on gadgets and the overwhelmed individual and their coping strategies. I said it before, it is a tough life if you are not able to create the space that you need to rejuvenate your private life, generate new energy to get going the next day. To be bad at time management in 24/7 can be a killer, if only it can destroy your family life.

Now, there is the iPod that is also involved in the discussion but I am not going into this direction.

But true enough, how often do you use excuses to avoid the call of the phone and let it ring? Well, with GPS, this is all over soon, because technology allows the caller to see were you are. Until then, you can say that you had been in the dead zone - no signal available. Or, as the interviewed person says: "Before the cell phone, we can always say, 'Oh, I was in the yard when you phoned. Now the last remaining excuse you have is, 'Oops, I'm in a dead zone.' This is the curse of digital slavery." Or, if all fails, eat your phone!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Batteries powered by urine

2006-01-16T13:56:00.000+08:00

Sure, we need longer battery life for our mobile phones - but is it really an idea to power mobile phones with urine?

Not yet there, but may be in the making.

"Physicists in Singapore have developed a battery that can be powered by human urine. The battery is aimed at disposable health-care kits for use in rural areas."

What other applications come to mind? What will Duracell say to this?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Digital music enjoys a dream week

2006-01-10T12:47:00.000+08:00

A report states that legal downloads exceeded targets in the end of last year and now everybody is happy.

"Before the week ending January 1, 2006, the record for the most downloads sold in seven days was 9.5 million tracks -- set just one week earlier.

- Sales of 20 million songs were almost three times the amount of digital tracks sold in the same seven-day span a year ago.

- Fifteen songs on the current Hot Digital Songs chart surpassed the one-week record for sales of a single track.

- Rap group D4L's "Laffy Taffy" took the top spot with 175,000 tracks sold, more than doubling the mark of 80,500 downloads Kanye West's "Gold Digger" set the week of September 17.

- Each of the top 11 titles on the Hot Digital Songs chart sold more than 100,000 downloads.

For the year, the digital track sales tally reached 352 million -- a 147% increase over 2004's total of 142.6 million."

Wonderful - but hey - there were plenty of MP3 players sold in those weeks before Christmas, nicely packed as presents and give by Santa Claus. Now, what do you think those people do? They go onto the web and start downloading from websites offering legal downloads.

Does this make the pee-to-peer group websites go away? Not likely and while those legal numbers grow, it will take a long, long time to overtake the number of downloads from the so-called illegal ones - currently estimated at 250 million per week.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

China's third wave of growth

2006-01-10T10:08:00.000+08:00

China is already large, but when the government intents to entice consumers to losen their strings on their purses, expect further growth to come.

"Economists say China’s economy, which has grown at above 7% since 2000, is overly dependent on exports and foreign investments. Private consumption accounts for only 53% of China’s gross domestic product compared with the world average of 70%. In part because nearly 900 million poor, rural Chinese add little to total retail spending."

Now it is this gap that the government plans to tap into, even so retail sales already grow an astonishing 13% per year.

Who shall carry the growth wave? The youth of course. "BNP Paribas estimates this group numbers about 90 million now. And as those born in the ‘80s and ‘90s mature, the figure could well reach 320 million." A dream for any company that is able to position itself correctly and is able to connect with the potential customer.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Fighting snatch thieves

2006-01-09T18:37:00.000+08:00

A bit out of the usual but still newsworthy.

In China a citizen group called Forest has been formed to fight rising snatch thieve incidences. The members of the group met online first, in a chatroom and started to make an impact in cities. Following their success, other groups in other cities have been formed.

The persons involved are only part-timers in fighting crime. So what do they do?

Basically, they are checking out shopping malls and other public areas and either prevent snatch thieves from becomine active (they stare at them), or pouncing on snatch thieves when the robber wants to run away. The group operates in a way that two of them attempt to prevent the theft while others stand aside in case trouble looms.

It is not always easy.

In one case "they pounce on a thief trying to flee the mall after stealing a mobile phone from a woman's backpack, only to be threatened by three of the thief's knife-wielding partners in crime. The six safeguard members attack the assailants and wrestle the knives from their hands. "Please call [the police emergency number] 110 and fan out," Forest shouts to bystanders. Police arrive a few minutes later and Forest and his group wrap up the night at around 10.40pm after offering witness statements to the officers. "We fear being injured every time," says one member.

Something to learn about cooperation and teamwork?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Comparison shopping with the mobile phone

2006-01-09T14:17:00.000+08:00

Japan is ahead in mobile communications, so it is actually nothing new that they introduce the ability to do comparison shopping on the phone.

This is introduced despite their ability of mobile phones to function as cameras, game ports, phone books, calculators, radio/recorders, dictionaries, alarm clocks, schedulers, TV remote controllers, e-mail and voice mail terminals and e-money.

"The new service will cover products that consumers are particularly concerned about, including consumer electronics products, food, books, CDs, DVDs and cosmetics. Bar codes on about 400,000 products can be scanned."

Mobile phone companies and handset makers are desparate to move mobile phone users to higher end data services and they will look full of envy to Japan. Does the future of mobile phones start in Japan, still, or do Japanese also need to be educated on the use of mobile phones?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Our CDs change, once again

2006-01-05T18:44:00.000+08:00

Ah - how many of us still remember the good old vinyl records, those old black disks that scratched so easily.

Then came the CDs, and we all were sold on the idea that nothing can destroy them. Well, how foolish were we, when we tossed them here and there. How often did they hang in the recorders, because they got scratched.

Now, change is on its way: "Todd Kuchman, founder and chief executive of Scratch-Less Disc Industries, came up with a low-tech fix. He added a series of bumps around the edge of the disc, keeping the surface slightly raised."

But the question is - how important is that? Aren't discs on their way out, basically, replaced by memory sticks, online storage and well, pirated CDs as well, anyway?

I am not sure if this a great invention, but well, there is always space for innovation or incremental change in the industry. But this invention is not as revolutionary as it might look at first glance.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Salaries rising in India

2006-01-05T15:38:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I wrote about talent crunch and the talent market in India. Already then did I warn about growing salaries that might help other countries to compete with India. It is happening, as this is a natural cycle.

And costs for labour has gone up dramatically: "labour cost has gone up substantially in service sector industries where new employment has been generated (and where the employment market has been heated).

For example, the labour cost in the booming information technology sector moved up from 29.38 per cent of total cost in 2000-01 to 45.29 per cent in 2004-05.

In the banking and finance sector, which has seen a drive for greater productivity and improved bottom lines, the share of labour cost declined from 41.79 per cent in 2000-01 to 34.81 per cent in 2004-05." See the earlier article about Microsoft!

So while India's rise is clearly signalling competition for many companies, it also allows other countries to rise in the overall wave upwards. And that, once again, is the fun part of competition and globalisation.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Web designs, oh web designs

2006-01-04T16:44:00.000+08:00

It is happening all around us. More and more ads infiltrate formerly great web- and news pages and it also happens with blogs - here, we find the infiltration of Adsense by Google, sprinkled all across the pages, not just at the side.

The worse, and this is not just my opinion, are those webpages that are split. So in order to read on, you have to click the famous "continue" button only .... to find more ads. Where is the quality text? After all, did we "fight" so hard against pop-ups just to be swamped by more ads? Haven't advertisers learnt anything from the decline of advertisement on television or radio? Where is the content-specific ad? Where is the responsible blogger who puts ads where they belong? Out of the sight from the reader!

Or, as the Inquirer writes:

"The whole practice of two lines a page has to stop now. I know, you need your greedy ad dollars, but rather than put out good content, you make out lives hard. There are two major sites that just got taken off my reading list, not because of content, that has been pretty poor for a long time on both. In this case, it is 80 ads on a page with less content than a decent headline."

I fully agree!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Are people able to handle mobile phones?

2006-01-04T14:23:00.000+08:00

What a stupid question, right? Of course they are able to handle mobile phones, just not everybody.

Last week, I wrote about the woman who ate a mobile phone when she had an argument with her boyfriend.

Earlier, I described those who tried to threaten authorities via SMS or sell false domain names.

History will judge the thief who stole a mobile phone and then, when police called him, didn't hang up, when he called for a taxi. He cursed and sweared, when the taxi didn't arrive. Who arrived finally was the police and the destination, after the thief finally found a taxi. Makes you wonder. The only good news is that this is news that it is fun and easy to write about.

Happy New Year, even so it is belated.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

'Made in India' Phone Unveiled

2005-12-28T14:31:00.000+08:00

Motorola has just developed a mobile phone for the "common man, which is an auto rickshaw driver, a paan shop owner, a wrestler, nurse and a primary school teacher." (not my words).

It is interesting, what all goes as 'Made in ...", in this case made in India. Isn't it that Motorola is a US firm? So what we see here is actually a result of globalisation.

Nevertheless, a positive development due to the fact that in India much as 98 percent of the demand in the country is voice, and only 2 percent is data and value-added services. He pointed out that tele-density has grown 25 percent, to reach the 125-million subscriber mark by December 2005.

As such, it is appropriate for a company like Motorola to cater to the vast number of people in order to grow business. Because high valued products such as the RAZR or ROKR won't go very far in countries where the majority of the population cannot afford such kind of proudcts. It is not that I want to keep high-priced products from them, but it is more realistic to go in with products that make sense to those countries.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

No more nude chats in China

2005-12-28T12:03:00.000+08:00

A nationwide campaign by the government of China succeeded in the shut down of 5,098 websites that provided pornographic video chat services.

Apparently, the 50,000 agents are pretty actively snooping out the web to identify what is not suitable to the development of the motherland. This is ongoing since March this year as the Ministry of Information Industry (MII) "ordered local telecom authorities to compile databases of personal information for all individuals and companies that had registered internet domain names in China. The information will be used by public security departments to increase control over China's internet environment."

I wonder if they found the famous Chinese sex blogger as well, or if she is able to evade the net to further her activities.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Koreans indicted via mobile phones

2005-12-27T11:49:00.000+08:00

So far, Koreans were happy with their mobile phones. They could request civil documents via their phones, surf the web and even have free mobile broadcasting.

But from next year onwards, the table has turned and they might hear the sound of incoming messages with more trepidation. Prosecutors in Korea will pstart telling people they have been indicted via text messages. However, so far it is a service to which users need to sign up. And who actually would sign up to such service?

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Eat your phone

2005-12-26T16:41:00.000+08:00

Now it really gets heavy. Christmas periods are often the reason for trouble, fights, disturbances, because people just cannot stand each other for longer periods. Okay, I generalise, but the stats are with me in this. And mobile phones are now being blamed to be the reason for fights.

Anyway, how angry can you be when you are eating someones mobile phone?

A Blue Springs, Missouri woman was the latest victim of cell phone rage. She swallowed her boyfriend's mobile in mid-argument because "she didn't want the boyfriend to have it.

I guess that they didn't fight very much longer, since she was admitted to the hospital with the phone still stuck in her throat. May be we can soon hear calls for bigger phones because nowadays, with all those small phones around, you never know.

Merry Christmas!

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Mobile phones and the destruction of family life

2005-12-26T10:53:00.000+08:00

Don't we all know this scene? A couple sitting in a restaurant or somewhere, but instead of talking to each other, they text friends? Or one of them is calling another friend, while the other looks bored out of the window? Are they addicted to mobile phones? Or just bored with each other?

We also have stories about the challenge that employees face with their e-mails. That there is no clear distinction between private and personal life anymore (also I believe that people are able to manage their time quite well, nevertheless).

Now, what is the connection between the two lines of descriptors up there? Of course - mobile phones invade the privacy of the homes and one of the partners at home gets mad with the interference. The story is that mobile phone don't necessarily heat up your brain cells but the temperature at home.

A research, according to a report in HealthDay.com, showed that increased use in mobile phones brings job worries home, increasing stress in family life.

And at a later part of the article? "found that between the interview periods, the use of cell phones and pagers decreased family satisfaction and increased distress and negative work-to-family and family-to-work spillover." Okay - I understand. There are those with their phones constantly on, and constantly talking. But hey - there is the off button as well. There is also time management and the possibility to say no to demands from work at home.

We are living in different, faster times, but we still think with a traditional mindset of clear divisions between work and life. But these times are over, only that we haven't been able to adjust to it smoothly enough.

(By Asia Business Consulting)

Blogger admits that he caused accident - in blog

2005-12-22T17:00:00.000+08:00

Take care what you write in your blog.

In the US, a blogger admitted to causing his friends death in his blog - he admitted to pulling the steering wheel of the car they were driving in, causing the car to spin and end up in a drain.

He wrote in his blog: "It was me who caused it. I turned the wheel. I turned the wheel that sent us off the road, into the concrete drain ... How can I be fine when everyone else is so messed up?"

He later retracked and deleted the entry, but it was enough to investigate. Nevertheless "the confession forced him to lead guilty to manslaughter charges. He could have gotten 15 years in prison, but defense lawyer John Spivey and Assistant State Attorney Julie Greenberg recommended five years in prison, 10 years of probation and a permanent license suspension."

His blog will be used as evidence.

So, whatever you write, can be read. By anyone who has got access to it. That easy.

(By Asia Business Consulting)