Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Open Innovation

Dear Readers,

New entrants in specific technology segments are shaking up various product and service markets, prompting technology firms to step up their R&D efforts and to involve entities outside their companies in the R&D process.

Economist intelligence unit says that over the past five years, 64% of telecom and technology companies have had a new rival enter their market with innovative products and services. A case in point is Apple’s entry into the handset sector via the iPhone.

According to data, these disruptive innovators will prompt shorter product lifecycles, with technology firms now planning to churn out more products but tiwh shorter life spans. Half of the technology firms surveyed say product lifecycles will continue to shortened, with 20 % saying product life will go down by at least 30 % .

Technology companies, in their quest for more new ideas, are now increasingly adopting the principles of “Open Innovation”, which seeks to involve suppliers, corporate partners, the academe and customers in the R&D Process.

Customers , in particular, will increasingly play a key role in R&D, with 78% of those polled agreeing that their customers have a much greater impact on their innovation process now than in the past.

But this “open innovation" approach will not be that easy for companies to adopt, as embracing a more open approach brings major organizational challenges.

Bottom line is, this means good for the consumer.

Thank you, Readers
JS
source for statistics:www.telcomasia.net

Friday, September 26, 2008

My 100th Blog..

Dear Readers,

This is my 100th blog. I would like to sincerly thank you all my readers, those who left comments, those who share their article to publish on this blog.

well, this is milestone for me. When i started i did not think that i can hold up for 2 months, but it has been since July 2008 and almost 3 month is over and i writing my 100th blog today on 26th Sep 2008.

Initially, i started with no where to go, just wrote articles from various friends and few of them from emails. Ofcourse, all the articles are liked by me and enjoy sharing it with others.
I wrote lot of blogs on Hindu-ism (since it is my religion) and lot on the technology (since it is my profession).

Some are good and some are bad (to be honest). But i am determined to write as many i can and i think there are people out there get some benefits from this.
While writing blog i learned about a lot and got some networks too.

Once again, Thank you readers.
- JS

Payment Gateway applications for Google, Nokia phones

Visa Inc plans to offer services to phones powered by Google Inc's Android including alerts when your credit card has been used.

The credit card network also said in October, No. 1 mobile phone maker Nokia would start selling the 6212 phone, which users could wave at an electronic reader to make payments and use for remote payments and money transfers.

Visa said it was still developing its application to allow in-store "contactless" payments by cell phone for Android. But it said these services --- already common in countries such as Japan -- may not take off for years here as U.S. stores would need to install new card readers and cell phones with the corresponding technology would need to be in wider use.

In the meantime, Visa said on Thursday that it would offer transaction alerts and discount offers from merchants to Android users. The application will also work with Google maps and location technology to help users find nearby cash machines and stores where special offers are available.
Visa said that for the first few months, the application will be available just to Android phone users who also have Visa cards issued by JPMorgan Chase banks. It plans to open the application to other banks in 2009

Earlier this week, Google unveiled the first Android-powered phone, which HTC Corp is making and Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit is selling. But the initial Android device does not include hardware to support contactless credit card payments.

Tim Attinger, Visa's global head of product development, said that while mobile payment services have been slow to take off, the company sees mobile phones as key to adding new customers. Only 1.6 billion Visa cards are in use today, compared with more than 3 billion people with cell phones.
source : Yahoo News

Thanks
JS

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Acer Aspire One & HP Mini Note - Review

Dear Readers,

I was asked to buy a small notebook for our one of your employer who is on travel all the time and the main purpose of the notebook to check the email and do some word processing.

I come across this Acer Aspire one and HP mini note, the first uses Intel Atom processor where as the later uses Via C7 processor.

Well, there are many reviews and comments about the processor, so i do not want to repeat them again. The rest all the specifications are the same such as hard disk size, usb port etc.

Acer is cheaper by hundred USD in asia market. But when it comes to the look of the products, HP wins the battle.


It has very nice looking metal finishing and very nice keyboard. I found the HP keyboard is bigger than its counter part. Acer's black colored keyboard does not blend well with the casing color of blue.
Side view of Acer and HP

HP in the front.

HP on top of Acer.

Close up shot of acer.

Acer, blue color casing..

Acer Key board hmmm not blends well with color of the casing...

Acer..


HP..

Does the 100 USD for the look is worth or not? Only the user can say that. Isn't it

Well, the user opt for the HP for its sleek and good look. So, HP wins.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Safe Guard your wifi / Wireless Access Point.

Dear Readers,

I was busy with my new projects (IT Infrastructure) and had little time to write on blogs. Hopefully, i can contribute now like before.

Here are some of the TIPS to safe guard your wireless access point at home or business. (which i practice and implement in all my projects)

1.Disabling the SSID broadcast.
To some extent this makes it difficult for the hacker to detect the presence of a WiFi access point.

2.Enable MAC address filter.
Each network interface has a unique MAC address, by filtering it, one can to an extent control which machines can use the access point. Of course, it makes difficult for the IT Support guys to add the mac address to the "white list" everytime into the WAP. But it is a easy task to do.

3.Turn on WPA/WEP encryption.
Make the password / Network key stronger (say minimum 8 letters, do not use company name or easy to guess names).

4.Change default admin passwords for access points.
All the wireless access points comes with(atleast for the same brand) default password such as 1234 or admin or admin1234 etc. Your first step in wireless installation should be changing the default admin password. Please store / save it somewhere, you might need it to re-configure or change settings.

5.Ensure access points are placed securely. In the centre of a room/office etc to minimise its signal strength outside the office.

6. Turn OFF the wireless devices when not used.
Do not leave your WAP devices ON when there is no activities.

Thank you, Readers.
JS

Monday, September 1, 2008

World without Engineers - Funny

World without Computer Engineers


World without Civil Engineers


World without Electronics Engineers


World without Mechanical Engineers


World without Communications Engineers


Enjoy
JS

Prevent Computer from virus

Dear Readers,

It can happens to everyone. Considering the vast number of viruses and Trojan horses traversing the Internet at any given moment, it’s amazing it doesn’t happen to everyone. Hindsight may dictate that you could have done a better job of protecting yourself, but that does little to help you out of your current predicament. Once you know that your machine is infected with a Trojan Horse or virus, what can you do?
If you know what specific malicious program has infected your computer, you can visit one of several anti-virus web sites and download a removal tool. Chances are, however, that you will not be able to identify the specific program. Unfortunately your other choices are limited, but the following steps may help save your computer and your files.

1. Call IT support
If you have an IT support department at your disposal, notify them immediately and follow their instructions.

2. Disconnect your computer from the Internet
Depending on what type of Trojan horse or virus you have, intruders may have access to your personal information and may even be using your computer to attack other computers. You can stop this activity by turning off your Internet connection. The best way to accomplish this is to physically disconnect your cable or phone line, but you can also simply “disable” your network connection.

3. Back up your important files
At this point it is a good idea to take the time to back up your files. If possible, compile all of your photos, documents, Internet favorites, etc., and burn them onto a CD or save them to some other external storage device. It is vital to note that these files cannot be trusted since they are still potentially infected.

4. Install an anti-virus program and scan your machine
Since your computer is infected with an unknown malicious program, it is safest to install an anti-virus program from an uncontaminated source such as a CD-ROM. You will have to visit your local computer or electronics store to a purchase the software. There are many to choose from, but all of them should provide the tools you need.
After you install the software, complete a scan of your machine. The initial scan will hopefully identify the malicious program(s). Ideally, the anti-virus program will even offer to remove the malicious files from your computer; follow the advice or instructions you are given.
If the anti-virus software successfully locates and removes the malicious files, be sure to follow the precautionary steps in Step 7 to prevent another infection. In the unfortunate event that the anti-virus software cannot locate or remove the malicious program, you will have to follow the next steps.

5. Reinstall your operating system
If the previous step failed to clean your computer, the only available option is to reinstall the operating system. Although this corrective action will also result in the loss of all your programs and files, it is the only way to ensure your computer is free from backdoors and intruder modifications. Before conducting the reinstall, make a note of all your programs and settings so that you can return your computer to its original condition.
It is vital that you also reinstall your anti-virus software and apply any patches that may be available. Consult “Before You Connect a New Computer to the Internet” for further assistance.

6. Restore your files
If you made a back up CD in Step 3, you can now restore your files. Before placing the files back in directories on your computer, you should scan them with your anti-virus software to ensure they are not infected.

7. Protect your computer

Prevention is always important.
To prevent future infections, you should take the following precautions:
• Do not open unsolicited attachments in email messages.
• Do not follow unsolicited links.
• Maintain updated anti-virus software.
• Use an Internet firewall.
• Keep your system patched.
To ensure that you are doing everything possible to protect your computer and your important information, you may also want to read some of the articles in the resources section below.

If you have any issues related to any of the above, mail me

Thank you, Readers
JS