Stop counting Gs!
It was 3G which broke many hearts... but will 4G prove different?

(column by Aveena Lopez)

‘The science of today is the technology of tomorrow’, a cliché apt for the tech-savy world we live in. To add to it all, the merging of wireless world and telecommunication has taken ‘communication technology’ to higher highs at dizzying speeds. And just when we were getting accustomed to the term, loud announcements of the entry of 4G was made.

It’s no-brainer that planning for the next generation must be done while the previous phase is being implemented. And the generations differ from each other on various aspects – right from their primary focus and speed of data transfer, to the degree of mobility. The initial stages, particularly 2G became an instant hit because it revolutionised the way we communicated, making it ‘wirefree’, while focussing on the quality of voice transmission. Then an advanced generation (3G) caught on us, coupled with telecom operators heralding its entry with impressive promises of delivering various web-enabled services and multimedia features. But reality struck, hard... proving their ‘promises’ mere lies. Although the concept of 3G, which not only supported data and voice applications along with a GPRS (General Packet Radio System) platform was satisfying, it failed in terms of cost-eff ectiveness.

So did the failure of 3G implementation pave the way for the next generation’s (4G) fame? Perhaps yes. This marvel ‘promises’ (are we new to it?) to provide a broadband wireless platform and transmission of data at over 100 Mbps while keeping in check the cost per bit. It also has rivals like WiMAX, UMTS-LTE and 1xEV-DO scrambling to beat the 4G ‘tag’. The idea of combining the benefits of a tech-wonder like WiMAX in a packet-switched network and 3G in your cellular devices coupled with reasonable rental charges, also caught the attention of mobile handset makers like Samsung, Alcatel, Nokia, Motorola & cliques like Qualcomm, HP and DoCoMo.

Amidst all the excitement however, 4G still has to battle the traces of wariness that lingers mainly because of technological, operational and legal roadblocks and Alok Shende, VP, Frost & Sullivan, expressed his doubt about 4G while speaking to B&E as, “Irrespective of the technology. It is the laying down of a good eco-system that makes it succeed whether it is high speed, good price points or acceptability in the world market – all of which give 3G and WiMAX an upperhand over 4G. While 3G is accredited based on set standards, 4G lacks such backing. Technologies are based on standards which evolve. While 2G, 2.5G, 3G are all based on accreditations from standards, 4G is more of a hype or misconception!” This was further confirmed by Neha Gupta, Sr. Research Analyst, Gartner India who said, “4G is still in the embryonic stage.” While 4G may allow intensive multimedia usance, its supporting back-up technologies fail to meet the massive capacity needed.

Back home, we are yet to taste fruits of 3G, which awaits legal approval. “The Scope of 4G in India is low. India represents a very different market with low spending propensity. While the demand for content and information is growing, it’s not high. Also, not much has been done on the supply side to match or create demand,” commented Neha Gupta.

Surely, 4G has a lot to prove to its skeptics & only time will show whether ‘4G’ becomes a raving success or just proves to be another hype. Waiting with baited breath, aren’t we?

(End of Aveena Lopez column)

1, 2, 3... the battle continues for PS!
If history is to be believed, PS3 has great chances against all odds...

(column by Shweta Kapoor)

How about a free high-definition television and a Hummer ride back home as freebies on a PlayStation3 (PS3) purchase? Awesome it is, but that’s what customers of PS3 got in the UK! But was it an obligation for lack of substantial upgradation on the part of PS3?

Looking at price, PS3 is tagged between $500-$600. Expensive? Yes, when compared to Microsoft ’s Xbox 360 (priced between $300-$400) & Nintendo Wii ($250). But if you weren’t someone who’d ignore quality for price, then here’s more. On the technological front, PS3, with Blu-Ray, Wi-Fi & 60GB HDD, is far ahead of its competitors Xbox 360 (with just 20 GB capacity) and Wii (a mere 512 MB). And now you’d ask – why Blu-Ray? Surely, where we have a gadget that can download videos, we’d desire greater storage – precisely why Blu-Ray is desired, which uses a shorter wavelength laser beam; therefore enabling storage of more data within a given space as compared to the normal ‘red’ laser with longer wavelength used by Xbox 360.

So considering the superior nature of the product, tech pundits are upbeat about the future of the PS3, just as Paul O’ Donovan, Principal Analyst, Gartner, exclusively stated to B&E, “PS3 is expected to gain the dominant position in the market in the next 12-18 months, depending on the number of PS3 titles being available, Sony Computer Entertainment’s (SCE) ability to reduce the retail price of the console, and SCE’s ability to bring out new game packages to compete with the Xbox 360 & Wii...” Even in terms of sales record of their previous versions, SCE scores over Microsoft , as PS2 sold 111 million units between 2000-2006 as compared to Xbox 360’s 24 million units and Nintendo’s game Cube’s 21 million.

Surely with its delayed launch on March 23, 2007, in Europe, the PS3 has already broken all records by selling 165,000 consoles in UK in a matter of just two days. And with a product superior, SCE looks all set to give a ‘KO!’ to all competing gaming consoles.

(End of Shweta Kapoor column)

Hinglish for Hindia
G’localisation of software is in...

(column by Aveena Lopez)

You don’t need to be a champion of English language... not at least when it comes to being computer savvy. Yes, no more; considering the desi trend that’s caught the attention of soft ware giants.

With the Indian rural market projected to touch a titanic $500-600 billion by 2020 (McKinsey’s rural India survey 2006), it’s but obvious that ignoring this market would only be suicidal. Also, taking note of the fact that internet usage in India stands at a paltry 3.5% today, regionalisation of languages will prove ‘the’ strategy to tap market potential better. When IndLinux.org launched a Hindi version of Gnome, the graphical user interface of GNU/Linux called IndLinux Milan v0.3 in 2003, it opened up a world of opportunities for those well-versed in Hindi explaining whose success exclusively to B&E, Prakash Advani, Head, Linux Practice India exclaimed, “IndLinux has been extremely successful & several more applications have been localised after it...”

Google also launched a Hindi news site – Google Samachar during March 2007, concerning which, Prasad Ram, Head R&D, Google India spoke exclusively to B&E, “Through the launch of Hindi news, we believe we will enable Hindi speaking users to access information quickly and easily in a language they are comfortable in...” Their next focus is to introduce cellular users to its popular Google Talk & raving networking site Orkut due to low internet penetration in the country.

Software giant Microsoft , not to be outdone introduced Microsoft Office 2007, especially packaged for the local Indian. With their Language Interface Packs (LIPs) the soft ware will be available in thirteen Indian languages. The diverse dialects and scripts, however, will pose a major challenge for replacing words & characters and also make it incompatible with Microsoft Office search options.

Surely, the manufacturers are going all out to master some of the most localized languages in the world!

(End of Aveena Lopez column)

Here's one to solve some environ'mental' issue!
Electric cars failed in the past. Hybrids? Well, not a big hit. Is the future different?

123 Systems – a new company in Massachusetts – says it has created a powerful, safe, long-lived battery. If the cells fulfill the ambitions of its maker, their softer sound will be the grand nonpolluting future of automobiles.

To date, all-electric vehicles have failed because their batteries were inadequate. GM's futuristic EV1 car of the late 1990s was doted upon by environmentally conscious drivers who admired its innovative engineering, but because the car used large, primitive nickel metal hydride batteries, its range was limited, its acceleration degraded as the batteries weakened with age, and its two-seat layout was not very comfortable for big people.

"The problem came down to usability," said Nick Zelenski, GM's chief vehicle engineer. "You had to plan your life around when you were going to charge the EV1." GM built only 1,117 of the experimental cars because it believed that American drivers would not buy such an affront. Now, GM is planning two plugin hybrid vehicles. Like the Toyota Prius and other available hybrids, the GM models will supplement their electric motors with internal combustion engines. What's diff erent is that most of the power for commuting daily will come from battery packs that can be recharged from ordinary household sockets. The new models are expected to have a range of at least 65 km without using their gas engines. While that is less than the range of the all-electric EV1, the hybrid nature of the new models will give them far greater total range.

GM hopes to begin selling the first car, a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue sport utility, as soon as 2009. The second, the Chevrolet Volt, which exists only as a concept-model prototype, is a startling departure from traditional automotive design. The Volt's internal combustion engine is not attached to the drive train as current hybrids are. In case of the Volt, it is used only to recharge the vehicle's batteries. In short, the Volt would function as a true electric car, with the insurance of an internal combustion engine, for five, and a drive over hundreds of kilometers.

"The real breakthrough is with the new batteries, which offered us energy density – which in turn provided us with a reliable, high-powered package in a relatively small space," Zelenski said.

GM selected A123Systems (along with its partner Cobasys) to develop batteries that might be used for the Saturn Vue and it is considering awarding 123Systems a similar contract for the Volt concept car, to take advantage of the company's remarkable new rechargeable lithium batteries.

Rechargeable lithium batteries have been used in laptop computers and mobile phones since the early 1990s. But despite their lightness, they – which often use a compound of highly reactive cobalt oxide – have hitherto been thought impractical for transportation because they are insufficiently powerful and dangerous. Yet-Ming Chiang, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and a co-founder of A123Systems, described their advantages: "Used in a hybrid vehicle, our batteries deliver faster acceleration than any other batteries of the same size," Chiang said. "And the chemical stability of the cathode material greatly improves safety as well as extending battery life."

Shifting to the new technology seems to have been a wise, if hard, decision. Today, A123Systems, a privately held venture, has raised more than $102 million in funding from a variety of investors including Sequoia Capital, Motorola and General Electric. It has 250 employees in China, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States. Apart from its developmental work with GM, it manufactures the batteries that drive Black & Decker and DeWalt professional power tools.

According to David Vieau, CEO, A123Systems, the company enjoys "hundreds of millions of dollars" in contracts. While A123Systems still hopes to return to self-assembling batteries one day, it remains focused for now on the future of transportation. These plug-in hybrids "will cut gasoline demand over 70% for most drivers, and carbon emissions by 50%, which will have a significant effect on the environment," Vieau said. Driving a plug-in hybrid powered by batteries from A123, most drivers would seldom use their gasoline engines. How about this for a solution to all leave petroleum go-green attitude of environmentalists? Surely, A123Systems' ambition is to apply a new technology, born from original science, to solve a difficult problem, a very difficult one indeed!