Nokia fired another salvo in its patent-infringement battle with Apple. Early Jan2010, it filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission alleging that Apple's products infringed multiple Nokia patents. The infringements relate to user-interface, camera, antenna and power management technologies that Apple uses in its products. Apple declined to comment on Nokia's filing with the ITC.
Nokia first sued Apple in October claiming that the iPhone infringed 10 Nokia patents like GSM and Wi-Fi. Apple countersued claiming that Nokia was infringing on 13 patents pertaining to the iPhone.
The legal wrangles point to the keen competition in the smartphone segment where every handset maker is trying to make devices as cool and sexy as the iPhone. How long will the faze of iPhone going to last with the technology consumers after having flooded the market for almost two years and with more Telcos bringing it into the region, seems like it is going to continue selling for a while until some maker like Sony, Google, HTC fight hard to bring in one good "iPhone equal".
Analysts fault Nokia for being slow to unveil slim touchscreen phones in the last two years when all its competitors were doing so.
However, do not discount Nokia. Of the four billion mobile phones in circulation today, one billion of them are from Nokia.
It has the widest range of cellphones, from the simple candy bar entry level phone to the sophisticated N900 running Linux. It is also active in areas where its competitors are almost absent.
In India and in developing countries in Africa, Nokia's handsets there help farmers and villagers get weather updates, the price of rice and learn English through the use of SMS.
It has rolled out Nokia Money for people in these countries to help them transfer funds or pay bills and suppliers using SMS. These efforts are not cool or sexy but they are much needed by people in developing countries who cannot afford smartphones or newfangled apps.
Nokia is still a force to be reckoned with but its window of opportunity is small and it must move fast.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Is it the right IPhone rival ?
I thought it was time out for Apple's Iphone "monopoly" in the cellphone market capitalisation and was quite happy to hear that Google's is out to challenge the almighty Iphone. Sad to read today's paper that Google's first attempt at retail has encountered a speed bump.
Scores of buyers of its first 'own brand' smartphone, the Nexus One, seem to have experienced 3G connection problems.
The much-hyped phone is sold directly through its website at google.com/phone. Google started selling it just four days ago to consumers in the United States, Britain, Singapore and Hong Kong. Already, some eager users gotten their hands on it have been posting their problems on the Google Mobile Help Forum.
Their complaints centre on the phone constantly switching between 3G and the slower EDGE (Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution) networks, resulting in tardy responses when they surf the Internet. Voice and SMS functions are unaffected.
At press time, Google had yet to reply to these complaints.
Google's touchscreen phone, touted as a rival to Apple's iPhone, is made by Google's manufacturing partner, Taiwan's HTC. It seems that HTC is clueless about the cause of the 3G connection issues. Technology publication nexus404.com reported that one user had contacted HTC about the problem but was referred to US mobile network operator T-Mobile instead. Although the phone is sold by Google on its Web store, HTC provides customer support in Singapore from its care centre.
The phone - which costs US$577.31 (S$807) and comes with a 12-month warranty - was not sent to local telcos for testing, but Google had given an assurance that the handsets would work here in Singapore.
I think the way Google launches it product fail in its marketing effort in making the "right note" to buyers and either they are rushing in time to soft launch or not looking more seriously in the advertisement and proper retailer backup support with proper media promotion on it's handset, already showed sign of poor product marketing tactic and this may lead to users losing confidence when snag appears, although such could be easily rectified with less uproar if handle in proper professional manner.
Wake up Google ! Get the right partner and not HTC ( Hard to Connect ) perhaps.... :)
Will money bring Happiness ?
Extract from ST paper By Irene Tham
Are Singaporeans happier when they have lots more money?
A study shows that people who have a university or postgraduate qualification and earn $5,000 or more a month are the happiest. Is this really the case ?
However, they are also dissatisfied with their achievements and enjoy life the least, compared with those who are less well-off.
Indeed, it is the Singaporeans earning less than $2,000 a month who enjoy life the most, concluded the three academics behind the study.
Senior lecturer Tambyah Siok Kuan, associate professor Tan Soo Jiuan and professorial fellow Kau Ah Keng - all from the National University of Singapore Business School - presented their findings in a book, The Wellbeing Of Singaporeans, which came out recently.
The survey in 2006 polled more than 1,000 people, aged 20 to 69.
They were posed questions such as whether they enjoy life, how happy they are, and how much they feel they are accomplishing what they want in life.
It could hold quite some weight that some may live in a million-dollar homes but if they owe the bank a lot of money, you are not going to enjoy life very much. Conversely, some who lives in an HDB flat may be able to enjoy life more as they are less committed financially and able to spend within their means and what they earned.
According to Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah in the report, the ability to enjoy life and the feeling of achievement ultimately bring about happiness.
'It all boils down to expectations. Happy people can field the pressure and strike a balance between competitiveness and complacency,' she added.
The fear of not being able to sustain the high life 'can be a source of strain or unhappiness', she noted.
Psychotherapist Stephen Lew, 30, from the Positive Psychology Centre, said happiness is a state of mind.
'Happy people know and use their strengths. Naturally, they are better able to enjoy life, which leads to happiness,' he said.
Sonja Lyubomirsky in her 2007 book, The How Of Happiness says 40 per cent of a person's happiness is within his control, said psychologist and University of California professor of psychology. The rest is genetically determined, she claimed.
Maybe we should start an internal survey in your workplace and find out what leads to joy in the hectic workplace and is challenges and achieving goals providing you the fighting spirit to hang on to tough work place, eg. in Shipyard as compare to downtown office life in Orchard road
Are Singaporeans happier when they have lots more money?
A study shows that people who have a university or postgraduate qualification and earn $5,000 or more a month are the happiest. Is this really the case ?
However, they are also dissatisfied with their achievements and enjoy life the least, compared with those who are less well-off.
Indeed, it is the Singaporeans earning less than $2,000 a month who enjoy life the most, concluded the three academics behind the study.
Senior lecturer Tambyah Siok Kuan, associate professor Tan Soo Jiuan and professorial fellow Kau Ah Keng - all from the National University of Singapore Business School - presented their findings in a book, The Wellbeing Of Singaporeans, which came out recently.
The survey in 2006 polled more than 1,000 people, aged 20 to 69.
They were posed questions such as whether they enjoy life, how happy they are, and how much they feel they are accomplishing what they want in life.
It could hold quite some weight that some may live in a million-dollar homes but if they owe the bank a lot of money, you are not going to enjoy life very much. Conversely, some who lives in an HDB flat may be able to enjoy life more as they are less committed financially and able to spend within their means and what they earned.
According to Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Indranee Rajah in the report, the ability to enjoy life and the feeling of achievement ultimately bring about happiness.
'It all boils down to expectations. Happy people can field the pressure and strike a balance between competitiveness and complacency,' she added.
The fear of not being able to sustain the high life 'can be a source of strain or unhappiness', she noted.
Psychotherapist Stephen Lew, 30, from the Positive Psychology Centre, said happiness is a state of mind.
'Happy people know and use their strengths. Naturally, they are better able to enjoy life, which leads to happiness,' he said.
Sonja Lyubomirsky in her 2007 book, The How Of Happiness says 40 per cent of a person's happiness is within his control, said psychologist and University of California professor of psychology. The rest is genetically determined, she claimed.
Maybe we should start an internal survey in your workplace and find out what leads to joy in the hectic workplace and is challenges and achieving goals providing you the fighting spirit to hang on to tough work place, eg. in Shipyard as compare to downtown office life in Orchard road
Saturday, January 9, 2010
E- Readers _ Next wave of high tech "electronic toys"
E-readers: Target and appeal
Que by Plastic Logic
Features: The device weighs 500g and is 7.6mm thick.
Target: Those who read digital newspapers and business documents.
Price: US$649-US$799 (S$908-S$1,117)
eDGe by enTourage
Features: The 1.3kg device has two 25.4cm screens, a Web camera and microphones.
Target: Those who want to record lectures, read and browse the Web.
Price: US$500
Cool-er by Interead
Features: The 178g device is 10mm thick. It comes in a range of colours but does not have a touchscreen.
Target: People above 45 years of age.
Price: US$299
Skiff by Skiff
Features: Weighing less than 500g and 6.8mm thick, it is shatter-proof and crack-proof, and its battery can last a week.
Target: Newspaper and magazine readers.
Price: Not yet fixed.
Dell, Samsung and other tech heavyweights launched their e-readers at the four-day Las Vegas consumer electronics show(CES), which started on Jan 7. Pitched against them are upstarts like Plastic Logic, Interead, enTourage, Demy and Notion Ink, all of which also unveiled devices at CES.
Watching closely from outside CES are competitors from the traditional book world, such as online store Amazon and chain Barnes & Noble. It was Amazon's Kindle, unveiled in 2007, that popularised the e-reader, reportedly the hottest gift last Christmas.
According to CES, 2.2 million e-readers were shipped to stores last year, nearly four times as many as the year before. With the popularity of e-books growing rapidly, the group expects 5 million e-readers to be shipped this year.
Over the next few months, a cascade of new e-readers will hit the market, taking the devices beyond black-and-white screens to colour and other features like touch navigation and video chatting.
Singapore is yet to be a target country for e-readers due to a number of reasons, of which book licensing rights is one. But the good news is that upstarts like enTourage are interested in expanding their markets to Asia, including Singapore, this year. I think anyone who is able to get their imports of such gadgets, will likely to make a quick buck, but has to be fast and first in making the deal, else, everybody will start follow suit and margins will erode as war pricing will kill every importers of different models, types,etc.
But all the buzz could fizzle out later this month when Apple launches the iTablet. Envisioned as a slate-like device larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop, it is expected to be a computer- cum-e-reader with music and video capabilities.
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its Hewlett-Packard tablet. Watch out for these devices soon to be found in local shops........
Que by Plastic Logic
Features: The device weighs 500g and is 7.6mm thick.
Target: Those who read digital newspapers and business documents.
Price: US$649-US$799 (S$908-S$1,117)
eDGe by enTourage
Features: The 1.3kg device has two 25.4cm screens, a Web camera and microphones.
Target: Those who want to record lectures, read and browse the Web.
Price: US$500
Cool-er by Interead
Features: The 178g device is 10mm thick. It comes in a range of colours but does not have a touchscreen.
Target: People above 45 years of age.
Price: US$299
Skiff by Skiff
Features: Weighing less than 500g and 6.8mm thick, it is shatter-proof and crack-proof, and its battery can last a week.
Target: Newspaper and magazine readers.
Price: Not yet fixed.
Dell, Samsung and other tech heavyweights launched their e-readers at the four-day Las Vegas consumer electronics show(CES), which started on Jan 7. Pitched against them are upstarts like Plastic Logic, Interead, enTourage, Demy and Notion Ink, all of which also unveiled devices at CES.
Watching closely from outside CES are competitors from the traditional book world, such as online store Amazon and chain Barnes & Noble. It was Amazon's Kindle, unveiled in 2007, that popularised the e-reader, reportedly the hottest gift last Christmas.
According to CES, 2.2 million e-readers were shipped to stores last year, nearly four times as many as the year before. With the popularity of e-books growing rapidly, the group expects 5 million e-readers to be shipped this year.
Over the next few months, a cascade of new e-readers will hit the market, taking the devices beyond black-and-white screens to colour and other features like touch navigation and video chatting.
Singapore is yet to be a target country for e-readers due to a number of reasons, of which book licensing rights is one. But the good news is that upstarts like enTourage are interested in expanding their markets to Asia, including Singapore, this year. I think anyone who is able to get their imports of such gadgets, will likely to make a quick buck, but has to be fast and first in making the deal, else, everybody will start follow suit and margins will erode as war pricing will kill every importers of different models, types,etc.
But all the buzz could fizzle out later this month when Apple launches the iTablet. Envisioned as a slate-like device larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop, it is expected to be a computer- cum-e-reader with music and video capabilities.
Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled its Hewlett-Packard tablet. Watch out for these devices soon to be found in local shops........
Financial crisis not related to bad loans ?
Following Straits Times extracts on interview with Mr Dhanabalan
He mentioned the global financial tsunami came about because of a bubble formed from bets on how events in the economy would pan out, not because bankers made inappropriate loans.
Mr Dhanabalan praised the book's author, Dr Y. V. Reddy, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, for laying a foundation that helped India emerge more resilient in the wake of the crisis.
He said of Dr Reddy: 'He refused to be seduced by the much-celebrated financial innovation culture of the central banks and their regulators in the West.'
Dr Reddy has earned widespread kudos for effectively managing India's calibrated financial integration with the global economy during his time as governor of India's central bank from 2003 to 2008.
Added Mr Dhanabalan, 'While banks in the United States over-indulged in financial instruments and wholesale banking, Indian banks were encouraged to concentrate on more fundamental banking functions such as mobilising deposits and disbursing credit.' [ I think similarly as in Muslim Banking, they seem also not greatly impacted by the crisis. I will try to find more reasons why Muslim Banks are not affected ]
India's banks avoid extensive exposure to toxic assets, and protected the country's banking system from a crisis of liquidity, he added.
Titled India And The Global Financial Crisis: Managing Money And Finance, the book is a collection of essays offering insights into the formation of the country's public policy from 2003 to 2008 - a period of rapid growth for the Indian economy and extraordinary challenges for the conduct of monetary policy.
There has been keen interest in the way that India managed its financial sector during this period, which allowed it to facilitate growth while maintaining stability after the onset of the financial crisis.
The book discusses these issues, giving a comprehensive account of the events that led to the crisis, the policy responses and directions for reform. It also examines the Indian approach to overcoming contagion effects from the recent turmoil. To follow up on this topic with more info search....... stay on.
He mentioned the global financial tsunami came about because of a bubble formed from bets on how events in the economy would pan out, not because bankers made inappropriate loans.
Mr Dhanabalan praised the book's author, Dr Y. V. Reddy, a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, for laying a foundation that helped India emerge more resilient in the wake of the crisis.
He said of Dr Reddy: 'He refused to be seduced by the much-celebrated financial innovation culture of the central banks and their regulators in the West.'
Dr Reddy has earned widespread kudos for effectively managing India's calibrated financial integration with the global economy during his time as governor of India's central bank from 2003 to 2008.
Added Mr Dhanabalan, 'While banks in the United States over-indulged in financial instruments and wholesale banking, Indian banks were encouraged to concentrate on more fundamental banking functions such as mobilising deposits and disbursing credit.' [ I think similarly as in Muslim Banking, they seem also not greatly impacted by the crisis. I will try to find more reasons why Muslim Banks are not affected ]
India's banks avoid extensive exposure to toxic assets, and protected the country's banking system from a crisis of liquidity, he added.
Titled India And The Global Financial Crisis: Managing Money And Finance, the book is a collection of essays offering insights into the formation of the country's public policy from 2003 to 2008 - a period of rapid growth for the Indian economy and extraordinary challenges for the conduct of monetary policy.
There has been keen interest in the way that India managed its financial sector during this period, which allowed it to facilitate growth while maintaining stability after the onset of the financial crisis.
The book discusses these issues, giving a comprehensive account of the events that led to the crisis, the policy responses and directions for reform. It also examines the Indian approach to overcoming contagion effects from the recent turmoil. To follow up on this topic with more info search....... stay on.
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