The mobile devices grapevine has been abuzz with rumors about the Google phone for more than a few months now. And Google’s has shown serious interests in the mobile space over the last one year. So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium that includes Google and Motorola, announced the Linux based Android platform for mobile devices a few weeks back. (Motorola is a pioneer in mobile Linux platforms and many of Motorola’s high end phones have Linux under the hood.)
Some critics have dismissed it as just another mobile Linux platform, which is technically true. The difference though is that it is backed by some of the biggest mobile manufactures, telecom operators and content providers. Which is more than one can say about any other mobile platform out there today. If Android does manage to establish itself, and I see no reason why it shouldn’t, we could expect to see some standardization in the mobile platforms space.
The catch though is that the penguin isn’t coming out of the coffee bar any time soon. Like Motorola’s Linux phones, the Android platform is also Linux-Java, which means that third party developers can only develop J2ME applications for Android. That’s right, no native Linux applications if you are a third party developer. It is ‘Open’ only to manufacturers and ODMs. That isn’t as bad as it sounds though. I expect Android to make up for it with a really cool JVM that can give third party apps the same performance, power and usability as any native app. When the first Android phone rolls out next year, the litmus test for the platform is going to be this – Will the lay user be able to distinguish between native Linux applications and third party Java apps designed for Android?
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Idea Salesman
A recent issue of Knowledge@Wharton had a review of The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas by Wharton professors Richard Shell and Mario Moussa. The authors describe a simple 4-step approach to selling your ideas – 1.Survey the situation, 2.Confront Barriers, 3.Make your Pitch, 4.Follow-up on Commitments.
What attracted my attention and helped me relate to what the authors had to say was that these four steps are not very different from another (almost) 4-step process that I use everyday, the Software Development Lifecycle – Analyze, Design, Implement, and Maintain. The similarity seems to point to the possibility that, like building complex software, idea-selling or influence is an art that can be mastered by following a simple process.
The study, think, act, follow-up process is one of those abstract universal patterns. You can use this process to achieve just about any goal, provided you know the specifics of the particular goal that you wish to achieve. ‘The Art of Woo’ seems to get right to the specifics – the 6 channels, 5 barriers, 4 styles, 3 mistakes.
The first chapter of the book is available online. I'll have to wait till the next purchase cycle at the library to get a hardcopy though. Meanwhile, I came across this BW article - The Art of the Ask - that deals with the closely related topic of how to get people to put their money into your idea.
PS,Further reading:
Seven Hints for Selling Ideas
What attracted my attention and helped me relate to what the authors had to say was that these four steps are not very different from another (almost) 4-step process that I use everyday, the Software Development Lifecycle – Analyze, Design, Implement, and Maintain. The similarity seems to point to the possibility that, like building complex software, idea-selling or influence is an art that can be mastered by following a simple process.
The study, think, act, follow-up process is one of those abstract universal patterns. You can use this process to achieve just about any goal, provided you know the specifics of the particular goal that you wish to achieve. ‘The Art of Woo’ seems to get right to the specifics – the 6 channels, 5 barriers, 4 styles, 3 mistakes.
The first chapter of the book is available online. I'll have to wait till the next purchase cycle at the library to get a hardcopy though. Meanwhile, I came across this BW article - The Art of the Ask - that deals with the closely related topic of how to get people to put their money into your idea.
PS,Further reading:
Seven Hints for Selling Ideas
Friday, November 23, 2007
He he he, Namskara!
I am in a meeting. Phone rings. Unknown number. I had just taken a new connection a couple of days back and the only my immediate family and friends knew the number. So I assume it must be important, excuse myself from the meeting room and answer the call. The voice on the line goes, "He he he, Namskara ..." Sounds like someone called the wrong number so I politely try to explain. But the voice on the line does not seem to care. That is when it occurred to me that it must be a recorded voice ad from my mobile operator.
After the meeting, I try to call up the customer care centre but all their executives are busy. So I try again and then again. But even after an almost a hundred attempts, all the customer care executives are still busy and I'm the only one having nothing better to do. That’s when I heard about the national do-not-call registry. After some searching, I finally find my mobile operator's do-not-call web page, filled it and click the submit button. That was two months ago.
I still get an average of three calls per day. If I don't answer it, they immediately follow up with an SMS. Very prompt. But then again, all is not as hopeless as it seems. I heard from a friend that he gets similar calls on his landline from a competing operator. Imagine dropping whatever you are doing and running to answer the phone only to discover that your mobile operator has a new ringtone for download. If that isn't bad enough, there is this other guy I talked to, and he actually got a call from one of those busy customer care executives offering to block unsolicited calls for only 99 rupees per month. Now that is the definition of the word - hopeless.
However, this experience has served to broaden my perspective. I now understand that people don't always think alike. My friends and I may not like receiving those calls. We may find it annoying. We may even consider it downright harassment. But there must also be more than one marketing executive and his manager who think that this is a great idea. Come to think of it, if it serves to broaden people’s perspectives, then certainly it must be a good thing. In fact, it is entirely possible that these telephone operators are trying hard to broaden people’s perspectives out of as sense of corporate social responsibility. And customers like me who have had their perspectives broadened should be thankful for that.
PS: Figured out a way to reach one of those busy customer care executives. Called the customer care number from my office phone. Talk about differentiated service!
After the meeting, I try to call up the customer care centre but all their executives are busy. So I try again and then again. But even after an almost a hundred attempts, all the customer care executives are still busy and I'm the only one having nothing better to do. That’s when I heard about the national do-not-call registry. After some searching, I finally find my mobile operator's do-not-call web page, filled it and click the submit button. That was two months ago.
I still get an average of three calls per day. If I don't answer it, they immediately follow up with an SMS. Very prompt. But then again, all is not as hopeless as it seems. I heard from a friend that he gets similar calls on his landline from a competing operator. Imagine dropping whatever you are doing and running to answer the phone only to discover that your mobile operator has a new ringtone for download. If that isn't bad enough, there is this other guy I talked to, and he actually got a call from one of those busy customer care executives offering to block unsolicited calls for only 99 rupees per month. Now that is the definition of the word - hopeless.
However, this experience has served to broaden my perspective. I now understand that people don't always think alike. My friends and I may not like receiving those calls. We may find it annoying. We may even consider it downright harassment. But there must also be more than one marketing executive and his manager who think that this is a great idea. Come to think of it, if it serves to broaden people’s perspectives, then certainly it must be a good thing. In fact, it is entirely possible that these telephone operators are trying hard to broaden people’s perspectives out of as sense of corporate social responsibility. And customers like me who have had their perspectives broadened should be thankful for that.
PS: Figured out a way to reach one of those busy customer care executives. Called the customer care number from my office phone. Talk about differentiated service!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Purpose
It has been almost a month and a half since my last posting. It wasn't because I didn’t have anything to write. For a change, it was because I was actually busy with something else. Busy, jumping through hoops and totally stressed out. (But that is a different story and I hope to write about it some other time.)
So in the midst of all this, I asked myself the big question. Why? Why am I doing all this? Does it really matter in the end? What really is the purpose of this life? I was at my wits end and nearing burnout, so I was in an unusually religious frame of mind.
The answer was obvious - the purpose of this life is to do God's will. But then, what is God's will? I am yet to see any burning bushes. So how do I know what is God's will? What does God require of me? As it turns out, I was not the first person to ask this question. And so I did not have to search far and wide for the answer.
Someone had once asked Jesus a similar question, "What is the greatest commandment?" It was meant to be a trick question. But then again, being God, Jesus was pretty clear about what he wanted from people. Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
It is as simple as that. Love God, love yourself and love the people in your life. That is all that God requires. He doesn’t expect me to change the world, get a promotion every year, make a lot of money, achieve the impossible or any of those things. In the end, it only matters how well you scored on this love thing.
And somehow, knowing that made all the difference.
So in the midst of all this, I asked myself the big question. Why? Why am I doing all this? Does it really matter in the end? What really is the purpose of this life? I was at my wits end and nearing burnout, so I was in an unusually religious frame of mind.
The answer was obvious - the purpose of this life is to do God's will. But then, what is God's will? I am yet to see any burning bushes. So how do I know what is God's will? What does God require of me? As it turns out, I was not the first person to ask this question. And so I did not have to search far and wide for the answer.
Someone had once asked Jesus a similar question, "What is the greatest commandment?" It was meant to be a trick question. But then again, being God, Jesus was pretty clear about what he wanted from people. Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
It is as simple as that. Love God, love yourself and love the people in your life. That is all that God requires. He doesn’t expect me to change the world, get a promotion every year, make a lot of money, achieve the impossible or any of those things. In the end, it only matters how well you scored on this love thing.
And somehow, knowing that made all the difference.
Friday, September 28, 2007
WiMax goes mobile!
We were sitting on the terrace of our house in Bangalore engaged in some hostel room style debate on the city's infrastructure woes. It was three years ago, on a clear moonlight night with lots of mosquitoes. We were on the terrace because a of power outage in our part of the city. Hence the talk about infrastructure.
And then I suggested that instead of just building more roads and offices, the government should build Wireless Broadband networks so that people can work during the commute or from their home in some obscure village. This would significantly reduce the strain on urban infrastructure. I wasn't talking about private companies providing wireless broadband to the rich. This was about the government providing it as part of public infrastructure; like roads, bridges, buses, water and electricity. After all, India is supposed to be a socialist country. Naturally, my friends thought I was just trying to be funny or something.
Today, governments around the world are turning to WiMax to connect the unconnected. And Motorola has taken it to the next level with its live Mobile WiMax demo in Chicago as part of the WiMAX World show. Can't wait to get my own WiMax mobile, hopefully before the end of next year.
And then I suggested that instead of just building more roads and offices, the government should build Wireless Broadband networks so that people can work during the commute or from their home in some obscure village. This would significantly reduce the strain on urban infrastructure. I wasn't talking about private companies providing wireless broadband to the rich. This was about the government providing it as part of public infrastructure; like roads, bridges, buses, water and electricity. After all, India is supposed to be a socialist country. Naturally, my friends thought I was just trying to be funny or something.
Today, governments around the world are turning to WiMax to connect the unconnected. And Motorola has taken it to the next level with its live Mobile WiMax demo in Chicago as part of the WiMAX World show. Can't wait to get my own WiMax mobile, hopefully before the end of next year.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Book Summary: Michael Dertouzos – The Unfinished Revolution
Some time back, I went to the office library looking for a good book on HCI (Human Computer Interaction). I found just two books on the subject. (Guess that sort of explains a lot of things). One was a dated guide to desktop GUI design. The other was 'The Unfinished Revolution : How to Make Technology Work for Us--Instead of the Other Way Around' by Michael Dertouzos. Considering the author’s background and the big names on the jacket, I figured it would be worth a read.
Dertouzos starts by identifying the problem with today’s computers, the fact that they don’t often help ordinary people achieve more by doing less. He then presents a 5-point solution – Natural Interaction, Automation, Individualized Information Access, Collaboration and Customization – to realize the dream of human Centered Computing; while dismissing two of most popular themes of computer fiction - AI and Bionics - as being unlikely in the foreseeable future.
The author presents a compelling vision of how these five technologies can realistically change the way we use computers. The last chapter gets philosophical, considers the implications of Human Centered Computing and how it could change society.
Dertouzos starts by identifying the problem with today’s computers, the fact that they don’t often help ordinary people achieve more by doing less. He then presents a 5-point solution – Natural Interaction, Automation, Individualized Information Access, Collaboration and Customization – to realize the dream of human Centered Computing; while dismissing two of most popular themes of computer fiction - AI and Bionics - as being unlikely in the foreseeable future.
The author presents a compelling vision of how these five technologies can realistically change the way we use computers. The last chapter gets philosophical, considers the implications of Human Centered Computing and how it could change society.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Asparagus Pepper Fry
The other day I found some Asparagus at the local Safal outlet for a reasonable 19 rupees a kilo. Not something you usually find in this part of the world. So it had to be Asparagus Pepper Fry for dinner. Here is how it goes.
Wash 500g Asparagus. Chop into one inch pieces leaving the bulbs intact. Heat two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, wok, cheenachatti, whatever. Add chopped Asparagus. Stir. Add a tablespoon of black pepper and salt to taste. Stir. Add half a glass of water. Stir and then cook covered for 5-7 minutes or till fragrant. If there is any water left, keep stirring till it evaporates. Serve immediately.
Now that’s what I call minimalist cooking.
Wash 500g Asparagus. Chop into one inch pieces leaving the bulbs intact. Heat two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan, wok, cheenachatti, whatever. Add chopped Asparagus. Stir. Add a tablespoon of black pepper and salt to taste. Stir. Add half a glass of water. Stir and then cook covered for 5-7 minutes or till fragrant. If there is any water left, keep stirring till it evaporates. Serve immediately.
Now that’s what I call minimalist cooking.
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