What IT slowdown?

The apprehension, underlying some recent forecasts, of the Indian information technology (IT) sector losing zip appears to be grossly exaggerated. Markets abroad are likely to show far greater vigour than these forecasts anticipate. And the domestic market for IT products and services would appear to be on the verge of a quantum leap to a new order of magnitude.

Indian software companies weathered the financial crisis that froze IT budgets in their traditional markets. It reflects the resilience of the sector that garners over half of its revenues from North America. The demand for global IT services will rebound with economic revival. In fact, tepid growth in Europe and North America need not mean tepid growth in these markets' demand for IT services.

On the contrary, the assurance that things are on the upswing, offered by the tepidest of growth, combined with the need to cut costs further in an environment of slow top-line growth makes slow recovery a surer booster of demand for India's IT services than an environment of rapid revenue growth around the world. US-based companies will outsource more work to Indian firms to cut costs and improve margins as their incomes struggle to rise.

Indian companies should therefore adopt new business models to offer business transformation opportunities through integrated consulting, business intelligence and knowledge services. Innovation should be their watchword.
Domestic demand for IT services will also look up, with large e-governance initiatives by the Centre and state governments: the unique identity card program, computerisation of tax departments and the central record keeping infrastructure for the new pension scheme.

A second round of upgradation in banking IT infrastructure and IT solutions for the organised retail chain will also have positive spin-offs for the sector. The gradual tapering off of growth in call revenues for the telecom sector generates demand for a variety of value added services. Broadband wireless access is about to undergo a sea change, creating the infrastructure for delivery of new, data-intensive services. The prospects for India's IT industry never looked better.

Dell smart phone for AT&T to be called 'Aero'

NEW YORK (AP) -- AT&T says Dell's first smart phone for the U.S. market will be called the "Aero."

The carrier said Monday it will sell the phone soon. The phone is based on Dell Inc.'s Mini 3 phone, which is already sold in China and Brazil, but has a custom-made user interface designed by AT&T Inc. and Dell.

The phone will run Google Inc.'s Android software. The price and the specific launch date were not announced. AT&T has previously said it would carry Dell's phone.

Compaq, now part of Hewlett-Packard Co., produced a line of handheld PCs named "Aero" a decade ago, when they competed with the Dell "Axim" line.

World's First 3G/4G Android Phone Coming this Summer from Sprint

Las Vegas -- Sprint and HTC Corporation today announced summer availability of the world’s first 3G/4G Android handset, HTC EVO 4G exclusively from Sprint. HTC EVO 4G delivers a multimedia experience at 4G speeds that is second to none, making it possible to download music, pictures, files, or videos in seconds – not minutes – and watch streaming video on the go with one of the largest pinch-to-zoom displays, at 4.3 inches, in the wireless industry.

Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier, and Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 27 markets. Sprint 4G delivers download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1, giving HTC EVO 4G the fastest data speeds of any U.S. wireless device available today.

“Sprint continues to lead the 4G revolution as we introduce HTC EVO 4G to give our customers an experience that is unlike anything available in wireless to date,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “Not only is this feature-rich device incredible on our Sprint 3G network, but Sprint 4G speeds will take mobile multimedia, including live video streaming, gaming and picture downloads, to a whole new level.”

Customers will be able to purchase HTC EVO 4G through all Sprint channels and through national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart, this summer. Pricing will be announced at a later date. Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/evo.

A device beyond compare

HTC EVO 4G delivers a robust list of features, including a 1GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor ensuring a smooth and quick user experience. With dual cameras – an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera – HTC EVO 4G unleashes the ability to create, stream and watch video that far surpasses expectations of what is possible on a phone today.

With built-in mobile hotspot functionality, HTC EVO 4G allows up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices to share the 4G experience. Users can easily share an Internet connection on the go with a laptop, camera, music player, game unit, video player, or any other Wi-Fi enabled device.

With integrated HD video capture and 4G speeds, HTC EVO 4G makes slow uploads and grainy video a thing of the past. Now, it is possible to post high-quality video to YouTube™ or Facebook, or share moments in real time over the Internet live, via Qik. After these videos have been captured, it is easy to share them on an HDTV via an HDMI cable (sold separately).

The custom Web browser is optimized for HTC EVO 4G’s large display and Sprint 4G speeds to deliver a full, no-compromise Internet experience. Adobe Flash technology ensures that rich Internet content, such as embedded video and animation, are displayed the way they are meant to be seen. Pinch-to-zoom and automatic text reflowing provide easy Web page views.

HTC EVO 4G features the newest version of the highly acclaimed HTC Sense user experience. Along with all of the HTC Sense features first introduced on HTC Hero, HTC EVO 4G adds a number of new features, including Friend Stream, which aggregates multiple social communication channels including Facebook and Twitter™ into one organized flow of updates; a “Leap” thumbnail view to easily switch between home screen “panels”; the ability to download new, interactive widgets; and a “polite” ringer, which quiets the ringing phone once lifted up.

“HTC and Sprint have a strong history of working together to bring consumers technologies and advancements that make their lives easier,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. “We believe that the HTC EVO 4G represents the best of Sprint and the best of HTC working together to bring an unmatched device to the U.S. This combination of HTC and Sprint innovation will allow people to do even more while on the go, faster than ever on the Sprint 4G network.”

Experience Android at 4G

HTC EVO 4G, the world’s first 3G/4G Android handset, features the latest iteration of the increasingly popular Android platform. Leveraging the Android 2.1 platform, HTC EVO 4G can deliver a wide array of useful new features:

* Android 2.1 enables a new way to search with pictures instead of words. Google Goggles™ works with everything from books, DVDs and barcodes to landmarks, logos, artwork and even wine labels. A picture taken of the Golden Gate Bridge returns all of the information anyone would need to know about the structure. By just taking a picture of several restaurant options, HTC EVO 4G will provide restaurant reviews to ensure the best choice.

* Text messaging and email composition feature built-in voice-to-text technology. By simply pressing a microphone button on the screen, messages can be composed by just speaking, making keeping in touch faster and easier than ever.

* Through Android Market™, HTC EVO 4G users have access to thousands of useful applications, widgets and games to download and install on their phone, with many more to come.

In addition to today’s Android apps, the performance of which will be enhanced by 4G speed, application developers will be introducing new apps that take advantage of 4G power in new ways – games and communications tools and other apps that bring together video, presence and location simultaneously, and capabilities that haven’t yet been imagined. For example, an application developer might create an app that allows a customer to simultaneously watch a streaming sporting event while pulling down stats and conducting a video chat with a friend.

A Sprint 4G developer guide is available today from the Sprint ADP Web site http://developer.sprint.com. The Sprint 4G developer guide explains how to develop on an Android 2.1 handset and how to take advantage of 4G and unique hardware/software capabilities, including how to use a forward-facing camera in an app; how to use HDMI output; and how to build in network detection (3G, 4G or Wi-Fi) to optimize quality of data in an app. The Sprint 4G developer also will include sample apps and source code that highlight these features. It will supplement the Android 2.1 SDK. As a charter member of the Open Handset Alliance™, Sprint is actively engaged with the Android community. Sprint has employed an open Internet approach, and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.

“Sprint and HTC have come together to propel the Android platform into the 4G world with the introduction of HTC EVO 4G,” said Andy Rubin, vice president, mobile platforms at Google. “The Android platform was developed to give people unmatched mobile connectivity to the Internet. By combining this vision with the promise of Sprint’s first-to-market 4G technology, HTC EVO 4G makes accessing thousands of applications from Android Market, using Google™ services like Google Goggles, Google Earth™ and the all-new Gesture Search, or simply browsing the Web faster, easier and more enjoyable than ever before.”

Blazing trails with Sprint 4G

As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008. Today, Sprint 4G covers more than 30 million people and expects to have up to 120 million people covered by the end of 2010.

Sprint currently offers 4G service in 27 markets, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Antonio and Seattle. Following is a comprehensive list of markets by state where Sprint 4G is currently offered: Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro, (along with High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (along with Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Philadelphia; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Washington – Bellingham, Seattle. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

In 2010, Sprint expects to launch service in multiple markets, including but not limited to, Boston, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Minneapolis, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Sprint is harnessing the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. Sprint is the only national wireless carrier to offer 4G services on the Clearwire WiMAX network.

Microsoft Launches Exciting Promo Offer For Windows 7

Microsoft India has launched an attractive Windows 7 promotion for channel partners and consumers across India. The promotion, valid from March 22, 2010 to May 22, 2010, provides opportunities to win prizes every day including a trip to Thailand, plasma TVs and Chevrolet Beat Car with purchase of every original Windows 7 PC.

The contest is available on the sale and purchase of every original Windows 7 PC across the country. All partners need to do is sell original Windows 7 based PCs from their store and ensure customers participate in the promo before leaving the store.

The customer has to SMS the COA (Certificate of Authenticity) number on his PC to 58888. He will then receive an instant response on his registration and will need to enter a slogan within 10 words starting with “I get lifetime security with original Windows 7 because…” to 58888, to be a part of the winner pool.

Microsoft’s panel of experts will evaluate entries daily and choose the winners. If a channel partner’s customer wins, he will be entitled to a prize as well.

Rajiv Popli, Director, Windows Client, Consumer and Online Business, Microsoft India, said, “We are seeing unprecedented sales for Windows 7 in India. It is our most successful OS ever. The promotion should help build on this momentum by driving excitement in the partners and have them promote original Windows 7. Microsoft makes a very compelling case for adoption of genuine Windows by one and all and promotion should spur positive action.

Oscar-savvy iPhone users let their lights shine

Slumdog Millionaire, please collect your Best Picture Oscar.

Oh, sure, the 81st Annual Academy Awards won’t be handed out until Sunday night. But if the users of the Sonic Lighter app for the iPhone and iPod touch are any indicator, then the makers of rags-to-riches story of a Mumbai teen might as well start memorizing their acceptance speech.

Sonic Lighter is a $1 novelty app that turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a mobile lighter. There’s a social network aspect to the app, too, as its developer, Smule, can track wherever someone “ignites” Sonic Lighter anywhere in the world.

To that end, Smule puts out Sonic Lighter updates that let users weigh in on issues of vital import—in this case the winner of the Best Picture award. As of this writing, Smule’s Sonic Lighter map shows Slumdog Millionaire leading the way with 37 percent of the vote. The lamentable Curious Case of Benjamin Button is in second right now with 27 percent, while Milk is in third with 16 percent.

Skeptical about the wisdom of iPhone-toting crowds? Smule notes that past Sonic Lighter surveys have correctly predicted the U.S. presidential election and the outcome of Super Bowl XLIII. (Though to be fair, barring a surprise surge by Ralph Nader either at the polls or on the gridiron, Sonic Lighter really had a 50-50 shot at calling either event correctly, didn’t it?)

Other Oscar-themed iPhone apps available for download in advance of Sunday’s festivities include:

In pics: Nokia's new phones

In pics: Nokia's new phones

As the annual GSMA Mobile World Congress began in Barcelona, the slowdown pangs were palpable. The event known for its eye-catching launches looks muted this time, with a thin array of product rollouts. Among these are some additions to Nokia’s line-up. The world's no. 1 cellphone manufacturer took stage on day 1 of the show to announce two new business handsets, the super-thin E55 and the sliding E75. The company also launched two phones in its Navigator series, 6710 and 6720. And far from Mobile World Congress, the company made another big launch: Nokia N86, company's entry into the `fat' megapixel cellphone club. Here's further looking into the Nokia's new line-up.

E55

Nokia showed its thinnest smartphone ever, E55, at the mobile show event What makes E55 Nokia's thinnest ever smartphones are its keys. Nokia claims it is the company's first compact QWERTY device, and has half as many keys as the company's previous thinnest smartphone, E71. The phone is also Nokia's first smartphone with the longest battery life of up to a month on standby time. E55 runs on Nokia's S60 software and has an AGPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) receiver, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 2.4-inch, 320x240 pixel screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera. It also packs a 3.5mm headphone socket for listening to the digital music player or the built-in FM radio and support for Nokia's Ngage gaming platform. According to Nokia's executive vice president Kai Oistamo, "The Eseries phones have traditionally been seen as enterprise devices, but the E now stands for efficiency." The phone will ship in the second quarter for around (US$340).

E75

Nokia also unveiled the successor to the 9000 series Communicators, E75. The phone sports a QWERTY keyboard that slides out from behind the 2.4-inch, 320x240 pixel display, and a regular dialling keypad just below the display. The phone packs a 3.2 megapixel camera, AGPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM radio and music player. Nokia's executive vice president said, "E75 simplifies connection to Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange, POP3 and IMAP e-mail services, or Web mail services such as Gmail or Yahoo Mail." E75 will ship in March for €375 before subsidies and taxes. Nokia claimed that E75 will be the first device to provide access to corporate email through the Nokia Messaging service at no extra cost. Nokia plans to make it available across all Eseries models and 40 other devices, extending push e-mail to over 100 million Nokia users.

6710 Navigator

Nokia also pulled curtains off its new entrant in the Navigator range, 6710 Navigator, its follow-up to 6210 Navigator. The phone's 2.6-inch 240 x 320 pixel display has been optimised for outdoors use with a light sensor that adjusts the brightness of the display according to the environment. 6710 Navigator packs AGPS receiver and Nokia Maps software featuring navigation tools for pedestrians. The device has a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, Bluetooth, WiFi and support for push email. Nokia's mapping and navigation solution has been upgraded, and comes with a dedicated key on 6710 Navigator. Navigation has also been integrated with Ovi, allowing easy synchronisation between a PC and the phone. The phone also comes with full voice guidance. The phone is a quad-band GSM with support for tri-band UMTS (depending on region). Both HSDPA and HSUPA high-speed data is supported. 6710 comes with an FM radio and 3.5mm audio socket. It will ship in the third quarter for around €300 before tax and subsidies.

Nokia 6720 Classic

Nokia also unveiled an entry in the classic range, Nokia 6720 Classic. The phone packs plenty of GPS features, including Nokia Maps 3.0 with integrated A-GPS, City compass, map rotation and pre-installed maps in microSD. 6720 Classic sports a 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus and full panorama support. The phone runs on Symbian S60 with GPS and offers 3.5G support. The phone is capable to geo-tag locations and can be shared over high-speed HSDPA technology. It also support's the company's NGage gaming platform. Nokia said that the handset will come with `active noise cancellation' for clearer voice calls. It will offer around 8.5 hours of talk time, over 20 days of standby time, around 9 hours of video playback and 27 hours for music. It will also deliver almost 14 hours of GPS pedestrian navigation and over 7 hours of in-car navigation. Nokia 6720 classic is expected to ship in the second quarter with an estimated retail price of $313.

Nokia N86

Away from all action at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia launched its 8 megapixel phone, N86, in Singapore. The phone boasts of 8 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens camera with auto-focus running on Symbian OS. The phone has dual flash LED, 8GB of internal memory. The slider phone has a 2.6-inch non-touchscreen OLED display and packs aGPS, microSD slot (up to 16GB) and 11.5 hours of standby battery time with 3G enabled. Incidentally, Sony Ericsson too showed of its 8 and 12 megapixel camera phones in Barcelona on the same day.

What all Google killed?

Google has often been extolled for its product innovations. However, it seems slowdown has cast its shadow on the company's `innovation spirit' too. The search giant, who is taking a harder line on managing expenses as the recession curbs spending on online ads, has been almost on a shutting spree. The past six months witnessed the company pull the plug on as many as nine of its new products. Several of these causalities include products launched with lot of fanfare like Google Lively, which was widely believed to be the company's answer to Second Life. Here's looking into the products/services Google has dumped in the last few months. Broadcast radio ad business Google Inc has abandoned its efforts to sell advertising for broadcast radio stations, acknowledging that the three-year project has failed. The leading Web search company said that it plans to sell its Radio Automation business, which created software to automate broadcast radio programming, and phase out its Audio Ads service. The move will likely result in up to 40 people being laid off, Google said. Google has been re-appraising initiatives intended to expand its income beyond Internet advertising, which accounts for more than 90 per cent of total revenue. Advertisers will continue to be able to use Audio Ads until May 31, the company said. Google -- which had 20,222 full-time employees as of December 31 -- would instead focus its efforts on placing ads on streaming audio over the Internet, according to company's vice president of product management, Susan Wojcicki. Google plans to continue investing in its television ad business. It also is seeking ways to sell more advertising on online audio services, which younger audiences are using. Google Lively In July 2008 Google launched Google Lively, a 3D virtual reality service, with much fanfare. Four months, and Internet giant's take on Second Life ran out of fuel. Google announced that it is discontinuing Lively by the end of the year. The shut down reflected Lively's inability to stand out from the rest of the virtual reality crowd. Lively was Web-based and allowed anyone to set up virtual spaces, such as rooms, that could be embedded onto blogs or Facebook pages. Google management concluded that it needed to sharpen its focus on its primary business of Internet search and advertising as the company's revenue growth showed signs of a deteriorating economy. "We've also always accepted that when you take these kinds of risks not every bet is going to pay off. It has been a tough decision, but we want to ensure that we prioritise our resources and focus more on our core search, ads and apps business," Google wrote in a blog post. According to the blog, the employees working on Lively were reassigned other jobs after the service shut down. The pack of virtual worlds is led by Second Life, where people deploy animated alter egos known as avatars to pursue digital fantasies.

Dodgeball

Dodgeball was a company that Google acquired in May 2005. The location-based meeting service allowed users to share their current locations using SMS messages. Come January 2009, the company announces that Dodgeball will be shut down "in the next couple of months." Here goes the closure announcemet: "Google has decided to shut down dodgeball. I know this is kind of a bummer, but the site has been in maintenance mode for a while now, and it's just time to shut it down for good." "We're planning on doing this in two stages. Everything will continue to function as-is until the end of February (can anyone say shutdown party?). At that point, we'll turn off the SMS service and the site will enter read-only mode. We'll leave it like that for about a month giving you time to save or export any of your data that you might want to keep. Sometime around the beginning of April we'll shut the site down for good, delete all the user accounts, and the associated data." Incidentally, Dodgeball founders quit Google in April 2007. Both were reportedly unhappy with the way Google was handling the service and blamed Google of apathy.

Mashup Editor

The online mashup creation service by Google has too become a history now. The company plans to phase out the service in next six months. The service, which was in private beta, is being replaced by App Engine. It was direct competition for Yahoo Pipes and Microsoft Popfly. Google in a blog post wrote, "we will be shutting down the Mashup Editor in six months. While it is always hard to say goodbye to a product, when we launched the Mashup Editor as a private beta last year, we did so to better understand the needs of you, our developers. And you spoke, and much of what we learned together is now a big part of App Engine, the new infrastructure for hosted developer applications. We look forward to working with you in the migration to App Engine, and can’t wait to see what you build."