Posts Tagged Technology
iPhone - Smart Enough?
Alright, I finally managed to buy myself (and my wife) the mighty phone - the iPhone. It was a long wait, but Singtel and my ABN AMRO credit card worked hard to get me the much-awaited phone.
Much has already been written about the capabilities & quirks of the phone - whether its the elegant multi-touch screen or the lag-free user interface or the average 3G performance or the restrictions imposed by the ‘closed’ operating system. I quite like the phone. But, given that I use mobile phones extensively for much more than making calls, I do feel that the iPhone needs to grow up - just a little bit:
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My basic expectation from a smartphone is ability to multi-task. For the uninitiated - simply put I must be able to listen to music, browse the web, view a spreadsheet and chat via IM at the same time. I loved my Nokia E series devices for this. Unfortunately, the iPhone just can’t do it! You can work on one application at a time.
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Secondly, to customize a phone so that one is able to ‘power-use’ it, there has to be a lot of applications available. Sure, we have the Apps Store from Apple, and some of the apps are great, but the I didn’t find the assortment complete.
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Again, a smartphone without VoIP capabilities is difficult to digest for me. Sadly, it is not possible to talk to people over Gtalk / Skype etc. at the moment. Hoping that Fring comes up with something soon.
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Finally, I still share the gripes of so many other iPhone owners about the usual things - no SMS forwarding, no Video recording (despite being Youtube capable), no Business Cards, average PIM capabilities etc.
Really hope that we get around some of these in the not-so-far future.
Update: I am quite unhappy with the battery performance even after the 2.0.2 update. I am just getting about 2 hours on 3g data connection and about 3 hours on EDGE. To put things into perspective, my nokia E51 could be on EDGE on push mail all day on a single charge!
1 comment September 1, 2008
Infosys - Reporting the Intangibles
I finished reading Infosys’ Annual Report 2008 last evening. The report was far more professional and comprehensive than anything I have seen from Indian organizations. The first thing that struck me was that the reports begins with the company’s main assets - “people” and a nice quote from Mr. Murthy - ”Every evening our core assets walk out of the gates. We need to have a way to bring them back every morning.” A good twenty pages, right upfront, is dedicated to employees and what Infosys has been doing about them. The report talks at great length about training, development, organization restructuring, learning programs, employee well-being etc. This is in stark contrast to something like Reliance Industries’ annual report, where “Employee Activities” is a mere 3 paragraph lip-service.
More interesting pages follow after the key financial data - on the intangibles. The company presents a simple, easy to understand brand valuation, a score-sheet for intangible assets and many more. The focus on the intangibles is a welcome phenomenon to corporate reporting, which relies overly on business numbers.
5 comments May 27, 2008
What I Want from Google
Google is becoming an increasingly integral part of our lives. At first, it was pure-play search and targeted ads, then came along a whole bunch of communication services like Gmail, Gtalk, Orkut, Blogger etc.. We got Youtube, Picasa, Desktop Search, Reader etc.Then, they started offering hosted services like Docs, Google Apps etc. Finally, as the mobile web took off, they got busy in bringing Google services on mobile devices. I personally spend lot of time using the Google Mobile App and the Google Mobile webpage. As Google continues to touch our lives in more and more ways, I really feel they could do a bit more for us consumers, so that we stay hooked (and click on more ads!!). Here’s a short wishlist:
- First things first - let’s talk about Gmail - the killer email service that gave Yahoo and Hotmail the jitters of their lives. Now, Google provides its Gmail users complete access through POP3 / IMAP, so that they can access their mails from a desktop client like Outlook or from mobile devices. They also have a neat application for mobile phones, that brings the real Gmail experience on the small screen. But, this application misses something which is the “in-thing” today - push email or the ability to fetch email as soon as it arrives, without having to manually check mails. I think this should be an important addition to the product.
- Gtalk was “love at first sight” for me. The neat, simple interface was a great relief from that of Yahoo Messenger. I got hooked. And then I wanted it on my mobile phone as well. Apparently, Google does offer a Gtalk client for Blackberry phones, but not for others. What sin has Symbian or Windows Mobile committed? I agree that there are tons of companies offering Gtalk clients like Talkonaut, EQO, Nimbuzz, Fring, Morange etc., but I really don’t feel very comfortable keying in my password on these applications. After all, I use my Gmail for receiving statements from my bank account.
- Google has a wonderful collection of essential softwares which it bundles and offers as Google Pack. Can we have something like that for mobile devices? A single download that offers essential communications, productivity, entertainment and security tools.
- And, how about a Google Mobile Suite - a collection of apps that provide close to full-blown (with all the limitations of mobile devices) experience of all Google services.
- Currently Google allows its mobile users to access Google Docs on their devices. But, users can just view their documents and not edit them. There are so many smartphones out there in the market which suffer from the same handicap - their devices come installed with Office-like software that enables them to view, but not edit documents. How about Google removing this handicap and getting more eyeballs on Google Docs!
- Google acquired Jaiku, a micro-blogging service, sometime back. Google - can you please give us some information on what are you doing with this? Twitter and other micro-blogging platforms are going to eat you for breakfast. It would be great to have a Google micro-blogging platform which is well integrated with Gtalk, Gmail, Orkut, Reader etc.
- Finally, I know you have a great SMS search service. India has one of the largest number of mobile users in the world and SMS as a service is quite cheap. People do not hesitate to pay premium charges for SMS to vote for their Indian Idols or participate in a game show. I am sure that Google’s SMS service can take off in a big way. Most mobile users in India still don’t use GPRS/Internet on their phones, so SMS can play a big role in bridging the information divide. But, there are two stumbling blocks - awareness and localization. How many people know of this service? A miniscule proportion. First of all, Google should popularize the SMS-based search service. In doing so, they need to push mobile operators as well, since they pocket the lion’s share of the SMS revenues. Secondly, if they succeed in providing the service in local languages, the potential simply doubles or maybe even more. Instead of going to ITC’s E-Choupal centers to get weather information or commodity prices, farmers would get the information in their fields, in their palms, whenever they want. That’s going to be huge!
Dear Google, a little more is all we want!!
3 comments May 17, 2008
Google Talk: Labs Edition
I just managed to download Google Talk Labs Edition. And it looks like I have got what I have been waiting for - for a long, long time! I had almost started feeling that all development work on Google Talk had stopped, until I heard about “Google Talk Goes Green” and then the “Labs Edition”.
The executable file is only about 300kb, but it downloads more setup files when you run the installation. The installation should be a breeze (a couple of minutes) and is a no-brainer. And you logon and see the very familiar interface of the very popular Gtalk Gadget. The overall interface is clean and clutter-free and just the way you expect Gtalk to be! And yes, the Labs Edition does come with all the much-craved features of the gadget like Group Chat, ‘cool’ emoticons and much more built into a desktop client. It gives notifications from Orkut, Gmail and Google Calendar as well. I particularly like the notification thingy from Google Calendar. I use Google Calendar extensively, but get most of the alerts by SMS..that can be a hassle at times - getting too many of those. As opposed to that, the notifications on Gtalk will be much less intrusive, I guess.
The only thing that baffles me completely is the name “Labs Edition” - what the heck!!
2 comments April 6, 2008
My Very Own, Personal Jesus Christ!
I had read this piece recently where I discovered a new term “micro-boredom”. Its is basically about extremely small slices of life where one is ‘bored’ or has nothing to do. The article also goes on to talk about how technology provides a much needed escape route from micro-boredom, by filling in those small slices. If you think of it, a mobile phone offers you the privacy equivalent of being in a locked room. There is just very little distance between you and the screen of the phone to allow for intrusion. I have always thought that Indian youth are just so hooked on to their cell phones (always checking SMS, checking for missed calls, doing ‘nothing’ with the phone in a CCD) because of the sheer absence of privacy and personal space in our ‘other’ social life. Personal space is now the screen.
I have my own bouts of micro-boredom and when I think of it, I love the way various companies are tapping into my ‘nothing-to-do’ space. And, it’s far from being intrusive, but is actually quite helpful at times.
I use a Nokia E62 with Symbian O/S. It helps me check my company’s emails (MS-Exchange) with Mail for Exchange and sync my phone calendar/tasks/contacts to my Outlook. Google went on to create a suite of service for the hand phone. So, I can check my Gmail, add reminders to the calendar, watch Youtube videos suited for mobile phones, catch up on Google News, check out my Google Docs and catch up with my favourite feeds using Google Reader. They even created a handy application for Google Maps, which you can download to your cell phone. It is really useful - so when I have to find out where my hotel is located in Mumbai, I know where to look for it! Then, somebody realized that there has to be a better way to browse the net on a small screen and we got Opera Mini. Ideal for browsing, Opera Mini optimizes the internet for your cell phone. I use it to update my Twitter status; send private messages over Jaiku and connect with people on LinkedIn. It also has a feed aggregator and easy management of favourites. Yahoo Go puts in a host of Yahoo services in your palms - push email, weather updates, news, calendar and of course, Flickr. I browse through my albums, catch up on old times and share a laugh with myself at times. Then there is WidSets. It allows me to add tons of widgets to my application window - Twitter, Gmail, Jaiku, Feed Reader, Weather, Sudoku and tons of other time-killing games. I also micro-blog at Tumblr. So, you have this cool application called Tumbla, which lets you post text, quotes and pictures to Tumblr. In the evening, when I get a message that I need to be in Delhi for an urgent client meeting, I use applications from Jet Airways and Yatra.com to book my flight tickets on the go. Did I mention that I like to track the stock markets? I use Markets on Mobile from Moneycontrol to get updtes on my portfolio and the markets in general. Sometimes, when I get up in the night, I even use it to see how the US markets are doing! Whenever I feel the urge to chat up with a friend, I log onto my Gtalk / Yahoo Messenger. There are tons of options for this like Talkonaut, Morange among others. Though multiplex movie tickets are pretty steep these days, whenever I feel like I use the application from Book My Show to book movie tickets. What’s more, it even allows me to choose the seats of my preference. Oh yes! I swear I use my phone to talk as well.
So the other day, someone asked me “Don’t you get bored staying by yourself?” Nah! No way! Micro-boredom has evaporated into thin air! My phone is my saviour - my very own, personal Jesus Christ.
Salvation lies in your hands!
Add comment March 22, 2008
Coming up: Videos on Flickr
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/16/video-coming-to-flickr-soon-really/
This is really exciting. I have been hoping for Video integration on Flickr for such a long time now. I always felt that Flickr could race further ahead of Picasa by integrating Videos and use its existing (or improved) social features for it. Now, the only thing that is pending from Flickr is a slick desktop client which tops Picasa desktop.
The only worry: Hope they do not increase prices for their “Pro” accounts!
Add comment March 17, 2008
The Next Wave of Managing Customer Relationships
When I look at the companies across the service sector, I realize that most of these companies in businesses like telecom, banking, insurance, retail etc. have made considerable investments in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software and continue to do so as I write. When I think of it, I realize that most CRM applications capture and report what a company knows about its customers. It monitors transaction data, market research data, website click-throughs etc. to give inputs on cross-selling and bundling of products with those with lower demand. It tells you to place diapers next to the beer rack in a retail store. It tells you that a particular mobile phone subscriber is not sending enough SMS messages and rolls out an offer to him to incentivize or create triggers for using this service more frequently. It tells a bank that a ULIP-based insurance buyer might also be interested in mutual funds. So much for number crunching and data-mining. But, I still feel that this is a reactive approach and is a lagging indicator of future business performance.
What companies need to work on is Customer Experience Management or CEM, which I believe is a more cost-effective and transformational approach. Put simply, Customer Experience is the response customers have to any direct/indirect contact with a company i.e. customer touch-points like stores, branches, website etc. Interactions with the touchpoints shape the perceptions about what a customer thinks about the company. CEM borrows from ‘voice of customer’ research to come up with insights about how the company performs on each customer touch-point. Since CEM focuses on how customers feel about the company and captures ‘emotions’ rather than ‘rationality’, it is a potential leading indicator of business performance. After all, the ‘economic man’ or the ‘rational consumer’ is resting in a grave. Purchaing decisions are increasingly governed by emotions. For instance, how many customers can discern the difference between Nike and Adidas shoes or why does a customer pay a premium to shop at a particular departmental store. CEM can throw up interesting insights about how is the company performing on each touch-point and what fine-tuning is required. And if you are able to slice the data by channels/locations/branches/stores, you have all the information about how the touch-points need to be refined at a local level apart from the enterprise level process changes. This surely is the next phase of managing customer relationships and creating advocates for the brand.
Of course, companies will take time migrating to this new approach because of the huge investments that they have already made in expensive CRM stuff and they need to show the return on it. But, the smarter ones will transition and start using CEM in combination to deliver value and create positive relationships with customers.
2 comments June 15, 2007
Windows Live Mail Beta- The Email War between Microsoft, Yahoo, Google et al
The moment you log into the Windows Live Mail Beta, you are greeted by a clean, clutter-free interface. The drag and drop feature and the right-click feature enhance user experience. Though its not fully optimized for Firefox, it works great on Internet Explorer with a reasonably fast connection. The reading pane gives it a complete Outlook-like appearance and is even resizable. The overall interface and the similarity to Outlook is a treat for people who prefer using email clients to web-based email. Microsoft has also added some good anti-phishing measures and the Trend Micro Virus scan is reasonably good.
Microsoft is inviting feedback from the beta-testers on Live mail, but I do not know if this feedback is being acted upon and at what pace. I have myself written to them, but haven’t heard from them yet. The need for pace cannot be over-emphasized in a situation of intense ‘Jockeying for Position’ by other free web-based email service providers like Yahoo, Google, AOL etc. (Apparently, Yahoo is also beta-testing an Outlook-type email service, though I have not been invited yet.)
As this war gets hotter, MSFT needs to act with speed on consumer feedback and fine-tune the offering.
I have also used Gmail for a long time, and I find it very fancy. Its different in a cool way. Plus, it gives you unmatched flexibility, tons of options and customization options. In order to take on this guerilla, Microsoft needs to put in lots of thought on Live Mail. Some of my suggestions for Windows Live Mail are:
• Address book Import/Export option (Crucial to get new users to use this…who wants to build an address book from scratch!)
• Automatic addition of contacts to whom mails are composed.
• Free POP3 access/forwarding to another email address/ importing from other email address (this is one of the driving features of Gmail)
• Saving attachments in ‘Sent’ messages (No one wants to worry about space, for God’s sake. When you send messages with attachments using Live mail, the mail gets saved in the ‘Sent Items’, but the attachment is not saved.
• Ability to create signatures (this is such a basic feature, DAMN!)
• Vacation mail (another silly one!)
• Ability to create filters for mailbox management.
• Support for file types (attachments) is poor. Many of the ‘forwarded’ messages I receive cannot be viewed/read. I usually have to forward them to my Gmail account to read them.
The list will perhaps go on…but Microsoft has a long way to go…It started out fast with its purchase of Hotmail, but couldn’t do any innovations in the market to avoid customer churn. It really needs to take a stock of the current market situation and the competitive scenario and strategize accordingly. The market has a lot of steam and there is money to be made here.
3 comments December 30, 2005
