Session 8: A peep into digital broadcasting hitting US markets and a look at how to analyse cases.

           With bird flue on a rise, the chickens in the South Asia Food Safety Initiative case are again under scrutiny. Now they are going to teach us how to analyze a case as the major part of the exam will be case analysis. First of all we presented our case models that were delayed to this week due to the quiz. We basically applied all the concepts that we had learned so for to evaluate cases from our projects as well as from other current examples. As the examples were very recent ones, the discussions that led were interesting. Cases from books are stories from yester years that are generally settled at the bottom in the memory but current topics made the study very sublime. We got insights as to how we can prepare ourselves for the unforeseen by doing the basics right. The application of business concepts helped me to understand them better.

          

Digital Broadcasting gives the world a mobile TV through Nokia.

           By combining DVB-H with datacasting, mobile TV takes broadcasting to a new level. The beauty of digital broadcasting is that it makes effective use of high bandwidth channels with fast transmission speeds. This means that mobile phone users can receive a wide selection of top quality TV services.

           What’s more, once content is broadcasted, there is no technical limit to how many people can receive it within the area covered. Consequently, digital broadcasting becomes a very cost-effective way of delivering media content to a large audience. Click here to read more.

Podcasting: An overview of its strides in Japan.

           Most of the readers might have heard of the word podcast by now. But for those who haven’t, Podcasting is simply the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. "Podcasting" is a portmanteau word coined in 2004 that combined two words: "iPod" and "broadcasting."

           A podcast is a web feed of audio or video files placed on the Internet for anyone to download or subscribe to, and also the content of that feed. The subscription feed of automatically delivered new content is what distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming. Usually, the podcast features one type of "show" with new episodes either sporadically or at planned interval. For the history of podcast click here.

           Podcasting, via Apple Computer'ss iPod music player, might prove a boon for businesses, which are increasingly catching on to its novel commercial potential. Programming on offer includes news, music, language lessons, interviews, book readings and comic performances. People are now able to register their favorite weekly radio programs in advance on their computers so that the computers automatically record the programs each week. People then transfer the recorded files onto their iPods and can listen to them wherever they like. After making its debut in Japan around late 2004, podcasting has been popularized at an impressive speed. Click here to read more.

Session 7: The Quiz and the venture into Podcasting.

           We were welcomed back after the recess by the Prof as we entered the class. The welcome note on the screen was not that friendly though. We had an assessment in the next hour. With hardly any practice in case studies we were confronted with two cases. Solving the paper told me that I should change my approach in reading the book. It was a good practice for the exams though the paper there would be even tougher.

           Giving consumers the tools for aerial scanning and three-dimensional mapping of the world -- allowing them to fly by their neighborhoods or make a detailed inspection of far away places -- is radical. That's what Google Local and similar services -- which I'm referring to collectively as "Air Google" -- do through satellite image maps that provide a bird's-eye view of just about anyplace.

           After the assessment we had a discussion on the paper where I figured out that I need to use more business model terms in my answers. Then we looked at the hot news of the day where black berry, a leading American mobile provider with a variety of unique features, was sewed by a law firm for copying some designs. We looked at some of the implications and contemplated on the alternatives. Towards the end of the class we had Podcasting on the agenda. We looked at a few podcasts as well. If you are lost as to what podcast is, refer to the article on podcast that I m posting for this week. Hope to see you again in the next week with some more new stuff including skype conferencing.

Mobile Phone: Your Future Torchbearer.

           Increasingly, users are working with cell phones and PDAs to access data. Because finding desired information can be a challenge, companies such as America Online, Google and Yahoo developed search services specifically geared to mobile users. With the search engines engaged in fierce competition, mobile search is a lucrative revenue source simply because of a 3 times bigger market pie than the computer market. The task is not easy though due to the tiny screen and the slow data transfer rate.

           A bit of technical snag in the online quiz postings due to the lab pc configurations delayed proceedings and the normal seminar session resumed when the snag was fixed. The excitement of the upcoming assessment hardly allowed me to focus on the proceedings. From the little I could remember we discussed on standardizing all the devices like mp3 players, pdas, mobile phones so that all of them can be integrated together easily. We also looked into a the new technologies that can make it possible. Though sticking to java for the software requirements seemed to solve the task in the programming area.

           In most cases, mobile users search for spur-of-the-moment data, like a local restaurant or directions. Local search capabilities need to be rased for this. Today users can search for weather reports, stock quotes, business addresses, WiFi hotspots, daily horoscopes, dictionary definitions and the locations of various merchants. 4Info, which offers various mobile services, has a deal with Fandango that allows people who call up for movie times to hit "Reply 1" to immediately buy tickets from the online service. So days aren’t far when your mobile will be your torchbearer. Click here for the article in its original form.

Session 6: Brings with it some good news and lays down blue prints for case studies.

           We entered the class with the ghost of assessment haunting us. But good news arrived that the assessment was postponed to give us more time to prepare the text. Instead we learned how to solve cases. A less than half a page case had so many ingredients in it that I started wondering about the work they do at Harvard by analyzing a 20 page cases. We also got a hint on how the exam papers would be like.

           I found out that analyzing the ingredients affecting the business model and the environment (Value Chain Analysis, Value Systems Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Analysis, Policy Analysis, Financial Analysis & Organizational Analysis) are the main areas of interest in analyzing a case. The slides were helpful to understand the concept of case analysis as they were very concise and were designed very effectively.

           We got a chance of hands on when we analyzed the case on Wireless Infrastructure for a Regional Food Safety initiative in South East Asia. Analyzing the case was fun. To get a feeling of the text we also looked at some text book chapters and their theories. We also looked at 4 G technology and the strides that man can take by getting the broadband into rural areas. We also looked at the standards in wireless communications like 801.11b/g, 802.15 and 802.16. we also did a little Google search for 802.20, the future. Now with the recess week approaching and with so many assessments in the coming days and the week after recess I find myself busier than ever. Hope to catch you all after recess now.

Wanna be religious? Use your Mobile.

           India, the land of rich cultural diversity has a deep inclining towards religion. People fall back to their religious faiths to find peace in the fast moving world. But with the hustle and bustle of today’s life, people find it hard to carry on the regular rituals that are so close to there heart. So the mobile industry has tapped this market opportunity. Devotional music suited to the occasions, wallpapers, ring tones, astrological predictions, spiritual content, yoga are becoming the hot spots for mobile industry. Click here to read more.

Session 5: Showcases “The Film Fare”

           Here we are congregated together for the very first time for the elevator speech of our proposal in a 1 min flash commercial. There seems to be some technical problem in using flash files in the lab computers. As the technicians fix it I retrospect.

           With hardly two weeks of flash experience the project was a very daunting task considering that one of the team mates was down with chicken pox fever n other with a bandaged leg. Finally it turned out to be an apprentice challenge for us. Our team worked for 27 hours straight without food and sleep to come up with something presentable. Mind you it wasn’t a last minute rush. We added the adventure part to have a bit of fun. It was great working with the available team mates. We got to know each other better. Apart from flash we also learned about movie direction, screening, production, acting and a bit of music direction as well just in one night. Truly, the project brought out the true me. Though it was a bit hectic but the fun factor kept our spirits at a high.

           So now we are ready to judge the commercials. Each one has the chance to grade every project. The ideas are really innovative and the end product after just two weeks of flash knowledge was bewildering. The ideas spanned across all spheres of life be it a medicine or a car security system or a online cupboard or a car park management system or a mobile with character recognition technology or a digital photography album etc, etc. Today I realized how important a dream is. What all we saw were dreams that can be very easily turned into reality. Everything was going fine till the end where the bomb fell on us that we had an assessment next week. I need to buy the book now after this class so you can see the deep waters that I am in right now.