Uncertain future of standalone portable devices
Convergence of cellphones, MP3 players, PDAs and GPS devices hints at uncertain future of each of these standalones
There isn’t a single day when the news regarding a new mobile device is profiled in the market with either enhanced digital cameras, or MP3 integration or as a matter of fact,support for 3G. Where is all this headed? One word that comes to mind is “Convergence”, yes that world has been around for a while, but seems like the concept is catching a lot of momentum now. Just some trends that I have noticed lately to make it more clear:
- Motorola announces ROKR with Apple ITunes
- Samsung announces cellphone with 4 GB hard drive and enhanced
- Camera Phones available with over 2 Megapixel resolution and enhanced “Flash” capabilities
- Next version of Moto RAZR to feature video conferencing capabilities
- Blackberry 8700 slated to have GPS integration
- Sprint announces WIndows Mobile 5.0 phone with support for CDMA
Try to connect the dots, all these devices seem to be merging into one, call it the “ubiquitous personal companion” and that is the theme that mobile hardware manufacturers are targeting. This is evident from not just the product showcases but the thrust of the Industry and the fact that deluge of mobile operatings system environments, or should I say evolution. Look at Windows Mobile 5, Symbian or Palm OS Cobalt, their evolution is providing a lot of glue for this convergence to happen.
Bottomline is that, the future of all these devices standalone is in uncertain, since the synergies of them together outweigh the merits of each of them standalone, and that is how the market is starting to accept it (consider how omnipresent Camera phones are today versus 2 years ago). The million dollar question is, who would want to carry couple pounds of disparate devices rather than have a single device that integrates all your needs into a half pound gizmo? Who won’t go for it? Think about it....
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The Finger and Hand Analogy
This is an interesting excerpt from Indra Nooyi's (CFO of PepsiCo) Graduation remarks at Columbia University
As I grew up and started to study geography, I remember being told that the five fingers can be thought of as the five major continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Now, let me issue a profound apology to both Australia and Antarctica. I bear neither of these continents any ill will. It's just that we humans have only five fingers on each hand, so my analogy doesn't work with seven continents.
Clearly, the point of my story is more important that geographical accuracy!
First, let's consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa. Africa is the little finger not because of Africa's size, but because of its place on the world's stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand.
Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world's economic stage.
Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.
The ring finger is South America, including Latin America. Is this appropriate, or what? The ring finger symbolizes love and commitment to another person. Both Latin and South America are hot, passionate, and filled with the sensuous beats of the mambo, samba, and tango: three dances that -- if done right -- can almost guarantee you and your partner will be buying furniture together.
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, the United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg up in global business since the end of World War I.
However, if used inappropriately -- just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I'm talking about. In fact, I suspect you're hoping that I'll demonstrate what I mean. And trust me, I'm not looking for volunteers to model.
Discretion being the better part of valor...I think I'll pass.
What is most crucial to my analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents, is that each of us in the U.S. -- the long middle finger -- must be careful that when we extend our arm in either a business or political sense, we take pains to assure we are giving a hand...not the finger. Sometimes this is very difficult. Because the U.S. -- the middle finger -- sticks out so much, we can send the wrong message unintentionally.
Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand -- giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers -- but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal.
I'd challenge each of you to think about how critically important it is for every finger on your hand to rise and bend together. You cannot simply "allow" the other four fingers to rise only when you want them to. If you've ever even tried to do that, you know how clumsy and uncoordinated it is.
My point here is that it's not enough just to understand that the other fingers coexist. We've got to consciously and actively ensure that every one of them stands tall together, or that they bend together when needed.
This is an interesting excerpt from Indra Nooyi's (CFO of PepsiCo) Graduation remarks at Columbia University
As I grew up and started to study geography, I remember being told that the five fingers can be thought of as the five major continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Now, let me issue a profound apology to both Australia and Antarctica. I bear neither of these continents any ill will. It's just that we humans have only five fingers on each hand, so my analogy doesn't work with seven continents.
Clearly, the point of my story is more important that geographical accuracy!
First, let's consider our little finger. Think of this finger as Africa. Africa is the little finger not because of Africa's size, but because of its place on the world's stage. From an economic standpoint, Africa has yet to catch up with her sister continents. And yet, when our little finger hurts, it affects the whole hand.
Our thumb is Asia: strong, powerful, and ready to assert herself as a major player on the world's economic stage.
Our index, or pointer finger, is Europe. Europe is the cradle of democracy and pointed the way for western civilization and the laws we use in conducting global business.
The ring finger is South America, including Latin America. Is this appropriate, or what? The ring finger symbolizes love and commitment to another person. Both Latin and South America are hot, passionate, and filled with the sensuous beats of the mambo, samba, and tango: three dances that -- if done right -- can almost guarantee you and your partner will be buying furniture together.
This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, the United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg up in global business since the end of World War I.
However, if used inappropriately -- just like the U.S. itself -- the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I'm talking about. In fact, I suspect you're hoping that I'll demonstrate what I mean. And trust me, I'm not looking for volunteers to model.
Discretion being the better part of valor...I think I'll pass.
What is most crucial to my analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents, is that each of us in the U.S. -- the long middle finger -- must be careful that when we extend our arm in either a business or political sense, we take pains to assure we are giving a hand...not the finger. Sometimes this is very difficult. Because the U.S. -- the middle finger -- sticks out so much, we can send the wrong message unintentionally.
Unfortunately, I think this is how the rest of the world looks at the U.S. right now. Not as part of the hand -- giving strength and purpose to the rest of the fingers -- but, instead, scratching our nose and sending a far different signal.
I'd challenge each of you to think about how critically important it is for every finger on your hand to rise and bend together. You cannot simply "allow" the other four fingers to rise only when you want them to. If you've ever even tried to do that, you know how clumsy and uncoordinated it is.
My point here is that it's not enough just to understand that the other fingers coexist. We've got to consciously and actively ensure that every one of them stands tall together, or that they bend together when needed.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
The Art of Napkin Marketing
Sitting in that American Airlines flight from Dallas to Detroit and 35000 ft. up in the air, I could definitely see the future of advertising and marketing. I guess a picture is a thousand words, so here is what I mean
Imagine the influence, the cost ,the simplicity and the power of the medium. We’ve come so far from the days of Billboards and newspaper ads to the generation of Internet advertising and omnipresent marketing. What has been the evolution, customization for one, but also novelty and new areas of gathering a larger attention span of a prospective customer?
Another thing that has always fascinated me in the “Sports Page” on top of the Urinal in a lot of public places. Come on guys, lets be honest, I’ve never focused my attention on an ad so much ever in the past than I did when I first saw this concept, in my initial few days in this country.
Bottom-line is, how far are corporations willing to go, to attract this attention span. I am sure we would be constantly amused by this in the future :)
Sunday, August 21, 2005
The deluge of Location Based Services (LBS)
Just the other day, I was talking to a friend/co-worker who follows Google pretty seriously. He told me about Google's recent investments into Wifi service providers, that triggered a pretty extensive conversation.
Yahoo and Google are really looking beyond portal provider type mindsets. Consider music unlimited or as a matter of fact things like "Picasa 2", and one of more recent of Google's successes which is Google Maps, which was followed by likes of MSN and AOL. The concept of not just doing maps, but adding the blend of local search on top of it, really takes the value of the concept to the next level, and that's what we thought was Google's thought process behind these acquisitions.
The primary idea here is that since, through wifi hotspots, the providers have an indication of your physical location, a slew of advertising and campaigns can be targeted to your location. Not just this, the concept can be of proactive selling. Hypothetically, if GPS devices became mainstream tomorrow, this concept can be a great fit for the GPS paradigm without really needing hookups to wifi hotspots. I think its just a starting point.
But again, come to think of the following scenarios :
- You are sipping "cappucino" at starbucks in Irving and there is a Borders stores in the same complex that is offering a steal deal on the next Harry Potter book that is coming out, and Google pushes that deal to you
- Friday evening, you are thinking of where to hang out. Google pushes to you a list of local events in your area including live Jazz bands within a 2 mile radius of your current location
- Lowest Gas Prices in the vicinity of your location
- Live Traffic Reports (something that the Acura RL offers even today)
The key here is "PUSH" vs "PULL", even today all these services are available through a zip code input. How much it would sell would obviously depend on the feasibility of such scenarios. The better fit here would be GPS type devices, where mobility and unfamiliarity of your current location are a huge constraint and can enhance the needs of such services. I am sure it would take a deep dive into the psychology of the consumer for LBS type services, but this is where the biggies are going and is something to watch out for.
Just the other day, I was talking to a friend/co-worker who follows Google pretty seriously. He told me about Google's recent investments into Wifi service providers, that triggered a pretty extensive conversation.
Yahoo and Google are really looking beyond portal provider type mindsets. Consider music unlimited or as a matter of fact things like "Picasa 2", and one of more recent of Google's successes which is Google Maps, which was followed by likes of MSN and AOL. The concept of not just doing maps, but adding the blend of local search on top of it, really takes the value of the concept to the next level, and that's what we thought was Google's thought process behind these acquisitions.
The primary idea here is that since, through wifi hotspots, the providers have an indication of your physical location, a slew of advertising and campaigns can be targeted to your location. Not just this, the concept can be of proactive selling. Hypothetically, if GPS devices became mainstream tomorrow, this concept can be a great fit for the GPS paradigm without really needing hookups to wifi hotspots. I think its just a starting point.
But again, come to think of the following scenarios :
- You are sipping "cappucino" at starbucks in Irving and there is a Borders stores in the same complex that is offering a steal deal on the next Harry Potter book that is coming out, and Google pushes that deal to you
- Friday evening, you are thinking of where to hang out. Google pushes to you a list of local events in your area including live Jazz bands within a 2 mile radius of your current location
- Lowest Gas Prices in the vicinity of your location
- Live Traffic Reports (something that the Acura RL offers even today)
The key here is "PUSH" vs "PULL", even today all these services are available through a zip code input. How much it would sell would obviously depend on the feasibility of such scenarios. The better fit here would be GPS type devices, where mobility and unfamiliarity of your current location are a huge constraint and can enhance the needs of such services. I am sure it would take a deep dive into the psychology of the consumer for LBS type services, but this is where the biggies are going and is something to watch out for.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
My struggle between Spice and Salad
If any of you share the same city of origin that i do (delhi), you would understand how pampered we are with paranthas and slurpy ghee on top as breakfast. The concept of spending time cooking and eating and then "b-rping" explicitly, Eating seemed like a stand alone activity and the concept of to-go seemed preposterous. I remember bickering about the "taste" in food and how critical it was to get food down my throat into my stomach.
Took me a while to start adapting (still adapting !) to the different concept of food here in the US where taste is secondary and occasional.
What matters is healthy and quick. The concept of *to-go* .box lunches and people sipping on soda during conference calls is so entirely different. Yes it does sound convenient in the land of opportunity, where people are driven by fast paced lives, but a "Salad" for lunch, seems like I am eating for name sake. It seems like my brain sent me a signal "Dude, its time for lunch, go Grab something", and then I realize, shucks I'd have to eat again, let me do a Salad.
I do understand that some food choices should be health driven, but food is like Gas in your car, if you put premium, the car will do better. And the fact that my concept of good gas is tasty food makes it so hard to afford good gas in terms of convenience (money is not the concern).
That's what ticks my thought every time I step out for lunch. Really, its the "Quest" for taste in the land of opportunity.
If any of you share the same city of origin that i do (delhi), you would understand how pampered we are with paranthas and slurpy ghee on top as breakfast. The concept of spending time cooking and eating and then "b-rping" explicitly, Eating seemed like a stand alone activity and the concept of to-go seemed preposterous. I remember bickering about the "taste" in food and how critical it was to get food down my throat into my stomach.
Took me a while to start adapting (still adapting !) to the different concept of food here in the US where taste is secondary and occasional.
What matters is healthy and quick. The concept of *to-go* .box lunches and people sipping on soda during conference calls is so entirely different. Yes it does sound convenient in the land of opportunity, where people are driven by fast paced lives, but a "Salad" for lunch, seems like I am eating for name sake. It seems like my brain sent me a signal "Dude, its time for lunch, go Grab something", and then I realize, shucks I'd have to eat again, let me do a Salad.
I do understand that some food choices should be health driven, but food is like Gas in your car, if you put premium, the car will do better. And the fact that my concept of good gas is tasty food makes it so hard to afford good gas in terms of convenience (money is not the concern).
That's what ticks my thought every time I step out for lunch. Really, its the "Quest" for taste in the land of opportunity.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
30 Minutes of zero judgement
Have you ever noticed that every time your senses are invoked, you see something, hear something, you indulge in judgement, as to whether the sight is good or bad, or hyperlinked to another sight you had the other day.
Subconciously and constantly we subject ourself to judging everything that comes across us. Also, consider that in this vicious cycle of judgement we are giving zero idle time to our brains and souls. In this cycle of judging everything that comes by , arent' we missing judging ourselves.
Think about how much this unnecessarily contributes to the stress in our lives, besides genuine issues we need to deal with as humans in a society
How much comfort you would gain if you could spend just 30 minutes of non judgement every day, just drawing a blank, giving our mind and soul a break. I can gaurentee you, that its life altering, and the true way of stress management.
The solutions for a lot of stress that we endure, is with ourselves, and the sooner we realize it the better.
Have you ever noticed that every time your senses are invoked, you see something, hear something, you indulge in judgement, as to whether the sight is good or bad, or hyperlinked to another sight you had the other day.
Subconciously and constantly we subject ourself to judging everything that comes across us. Also, consider that in this vicious cycle of judgement we are giving zero idle time to our brains and souls. In this cycle of judging everything that comes by , arent' we missing judging ourselves.
Think about how much this unnecessarily contributes to the stress in our lives, besides genuine issues we need to deal with as humans in a society
How much comfort you would gain if you could spend just 30 minutes of non judgement every day, just drawing a blank, giving our mind and soul a break. I can gaurentee you, that its life altering, and the true way of stress management.
The solutions for a lot of stress that we endure, is with ourselves, and the sooner we realize it the better.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Silly use of English
Coming from a country like India, where the British influence is so immense and English is taught right from the text book, I always get amused at some of the use of english that I get to hear in the US, see below:
Do you *see* what I am *saying* ? :
Dude how can i see what you are saying, I'd rather see what is visible and *hear* what you are saying :)
How do I kill time ? :
You murderer : You'll end up *DOING* time after killing it
I want to do you ? :
CENSORED !
I guess there is much more. But i gotta go now
Coming from a country like India, where the British influence is so immense and English is taught right from the text book, I always get amused at some of the use of english that I get to hear in the US, see below:
Do you *see* what I am *saying* ? :
Dude how can i see what you are saying, I'd rather see what is visible and *hear* what you are saying :)
How do I kill time ? :
You murderer : You'll end up *DOING* time after killing it
I want to do you ? :
CENSORED !
I guess there is much more. But i gotta go now
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Is the term "ABCD" for real !
I am only couple months away from my fifth year anniversary in the United States. Obviously, its time for retrospection and analysis of how much have I changed and how much have things changed for me.
A term that is notorious for describing the desi generation that was born and brought up in the US, it the term "ABCD" (American Born Confused Desi). The assumption here is that people who have spent most of their lives, especially their childhood in the US, are not sufficiently touched by Indian cultures except for the microcosm of their families and some friends.
On the other side, there are people like myself, who have been exposed to Indian culture for sufficiently long (20 + years) , to consider it a "Way of Life" and then suddenly found ourself in the land of opportunities due to our career priorities.
I remember the time I first landed in the US (Atlanta Hartsfield Airport) where the learning curve started. I very well recall the struggle with the water fountain in the airport, took me couple minutes to figure out how to press the right buttons. The water was too cold and ended up giving me a shower rather than quenching my thirst. I distinctly remember the shock of seeing the skimpiest skirt of my life, and thinking how could this be !
It was surprises all the way, and still is. Like when Dominos advertised their call in number to be 352-FRE-BEER and I insisted on getting Free Beer since they had advertised the same.
The point I am getting at, is that when I see myself next to my fellow countrymen whose birth place has been in the US, I see myself more awe struck by situations that them *always*, because those dudes has seen it from day one. Now would you call such a guy "Confused", HECK NO!
Consider the perspective, Yes , I am more accustomed to Indian Society and Cultures than they are, and know that Bollywood is bigger than "Shah Rukh Khan", but what really matters is the circumstances. I am here in the US and plan to spend the rest of my life here as well. The chances of me *ever* coming up to speed with every thing that happens here are pretty odd, and again both myself and my fellow countrymen(referenced earlier) have to survive in this society.
I am not trying to demean myself by proclaiming confusion here, but it is a fact and it is the truth. I do think that we have risen to the challenge of change and adaptation, which I am not sure a lot of people can endure, however this disconnect of cultures is something we would have to endure as long as we have given our careers a higher priority.
Think about it !
I am only couple months away from my fifth year anniversary in the United States. Obviously, its time for retrospection and analysis of how much have I changed and how much have things changed for me.
A term that is notorious for describing the desi generation that was born and brought up in the US, it the term "ABCD" (American Born Confused Desi). The assumption here is that people who have spent most of their lives, especially their childhood in the US, are not sufficiently touched by Indian cultures except for the microcosm of their families and some friends.
On the other side, there are people like myself, who have been exposed to Indian culture for sufficiently long (20 + years) , to consider it a "Way of Life" and then suddenly found ourself in the land of opportunities due to our career priorities.
I remember the time I first landed in the US (Atlanta Hartsfield Airport) where the learning curve started. I very well recall the struggle with the water fountain in the airport, took me couple minutes to figure out how to press the right buttons. The water was too cold and ended up giving me a shower rather than quenching my thirst. I distinctly remember the shock of seeing the skimpiest skirt of my life, and thinking how could this be !
It was surprises all the way, and still is. Like when Dominos advertised their call in number to be 352-FRE-BEER and I insisted on getting Free Beer since they had advertised the same.
The point I am getting at, is that when I see myself next to my fellow countrymen whose birth place has been in the US, I see myself more awe struck by situations that them *always*, because those dudes has seen it from day one. Now would you call such a guy "Confused", HECK NO!
Consider the perspective, Yes , I am more accustomed to Indian Society and Cultures than they are, and know that Bollywood is bigger than "Shah Rukh Khan", but what really matters is the circumstances. I am here in the US and plan to spend the rest of my life here as well. The chances of me *ever* coming up to speed with every thing that happens here are pretty odd, and again both myself and my fellow countrymen(referenced earlier) have to survive in this society.
I am not trying to demean myself by proclaiming confusion here, but it is a fact and it is the truth. I do think that we have risen to the challenge of change and adaptation, which I am not sure a lot of people can endure, however this disconnect of cultures is something we would have to endure as long as we have given our careers a higher priority.
Think about it !
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Mix a Lil' Spice in your Life
Life and work are all about acronyms and adages, one that I have really held on to, is "BAU" -Business as Usual. Meaning the clock is ticking, the world is spinning and your life is *just* going on and " that his how things happen around here".
Thinking deep into it, there is this concept of equilibrium between you and your circumstances (family,friends, work etc), that you get so used to and overwhelmed by, that though you are comfortable with things around you, the elements of novelty and excitement are missing. "The Spice is missing" is how I would put it.
Equilibriums do not last very long, and we all know that "Change is inevitable". Change can trigger a loss of equilibrium for good or for bad, and bring in emotions of excitement or resentment, however do we wait for an external force to bring the spice in our life.
The way I see is that, the onus is on myself to bring the spice in my life, and I have to work towards it. Small things, greeting people, wishing them on their Birthdays, learning/trying something new, or just not thinking about *BAU* are certain things we can very easily do, and should focus on doing.
The same concepts apply to your job, your relationships, your health and your lifestyle
Bottomline, BAU is crap. Really life is supposed to be better than that, and we need to wake up to this fact.
Life and work are all about acronyms and adages, one that I have really held on to, is "BAU" -Business as Usual. Meaning the clock is ticking, the world is spinning and your life is *just* going on and " that his how things happen around here".
Thinking deep into it, there is this concept of equilibrium between you and your circumstances (family,friends, work etc), that you get so used to and overwhelmed by, that though you are comfortable with things around you, the elements of novelty and excitement are missing. "The Spice is missing" is how I would put it.
Equilibriums do not last very long, and we all know that "Change is inevitable". Change can trigger a loss of equilibrium for good or for bad, and bring in emotions of excitement or resentment, however do we wait for an external force to bring the spice in our life.
The way I see is that, the onus is on myself to bring the spice in my life, and I have to work towards it. Small things, greeting people, wishing them on their Birthdays, learning/trying something new, or just not thinking about *BAU* are certain things we can very easily do, and should focus on doing.
The same concepts apply to your job, your relationships, your health and your lifestyle
Bottomline, BAU is crap. Really life is supposed to be better than that, and we need to wake up to this fact.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
WTF is happening to headlines at indiatimes.com !!!!!!!!!!!
Folks, this is absolutely disgusting. I just checked indiatimes.com and the "TOP HEADLINES" say :
The female orgasm: fun, not necessity
Hello! How much more are they going to disgust themselves. I seemed to have lost faith in these very few sources that I really have to catch up with news in India. Who is their audience ! The Times Group is the largest media house in the country and I sometimes wonder what is making them stoop to such levels.
This is nothing new. I have noticed the same crap show up over and over again with only four themes :
- Bollywood
- Politics
- Cricket
- Sex Starvation
I hope the media has some feedback on what they are perceived outside. I'd rather have them convert to a porn site than just "beat around the bush".
Folks at "Times of India", don't you have anything else to PUBLISH!!!
Folks, this is absolutely disgusting. I just checked indiatimes.com and the "TOP HEADLINES" say :
The female orgasm: fun, not necessity
Hello! How much more are they going to disgust themselves. I seemed to have lost faith in these very few sources that I really have to catch up with news in India. Who is their audience ! The Times Group is the largest media house in the country and I sometimes wonder what is making them stoop to such levels.
This is nothing new. I have noticed the same crap show up over and over again with only four themes :
- Bollywood
- Politics
- Cricket
- Sex Starvation
I hope the media has some feedback on what they are perceived outside. I'd rather have them convert to a porn site than just "beat around the bush".
Folks at "Times of India", don't you have anything else to PUBLISH!!!
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