Published in Hindustan Times on September 14th, 2007

There are winds of change sweeping the global software market— and you could see it next in the most ubiquitous activity on the Internet: e-mail.

If current indications are anything to go by, Microsoft’s popular Outlook software and IBM’s Lotus Notes could see a part of their markets chipped off by free alternatives, though one could always argue about the richness of features.

Gmail is the service from Google that literally changed the way e-mail is accessed and stored. Three years ago when Gmail was launched it gave the flexibility which no other e-mail, not even your very own POP and SMTP (that enabled downloading of your e-mails on your desktop computer) offered.

Combined with virtually unlimited storage (currently at 2.9 gigabytes (GB) and increasing by the second), flexibility using the Ajax software framework, Gmail has been a dream-come-true for users needing large amounts of space and an easy manageability which search features provide.

Gmail and e-mail have today become almost synonymous for many, with built-in features like a browser-based chat and other applications that have added to the traction.

Currently Gmail stores your e-mail online. Which means you cannot access it when you are not connected to the Net. But all that may be about to change.

According to highly placed sources, Google has developed an offline version of Gmail. Gmail Offline will allow users to browse, reply, save drafts and do everything that currently Gmail does in an offline mode even when you don’t have an Internet connection. On current indications, this would mean that you would download a software client for this. When you get online your Gmail client would automatically synchronise (sync) with the Gmail server (network computer) and send and receive e-mail. A Google spokeswoman in India officially denies such a thing but there is ample evidence to believe Gmail Offline is in fact a reality and may soon be hitting a browser close to you. This has tremendous implications for corporate e-mail, but more on that later.

The ground for Gmail Offline was set on March 31 this year when Google launched Google Gears, an open-source technology platform under which software developers could create offline Web applications. The following three features that Google Gears provides are noteworthy – and here is where the framework for Gmail Offline is based. Read more

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) hosted the regional preparatory meeting of REEEP’s (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership) South Asia Regional Secretariat to identify priority areas for the next funding round starting from 2008, deciding on priorities and plans to increase partnerships, outreach and dissemination activities in the South Asia region and to set priorities for the REEEP’s international secretariat. TERI and the Asian Energy Institute’s (AIE) engagement with REEEP stems from a deep commitment to motivate energy systems in South Asia towards sustainability and security. Read more

San Francisco, Calif. - September 12, 2007 - At the launch of the new Quad Core AMD Opteron™ processor at Lucasfilm Ltd.’s Letterman

Digital Arts Center (LDAC) today, AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Lucasfilm announced an expansion of the companies’ relationship focused on building the world’s most advanced and energy-efficient datacenters for producing digital arts and entertainment. Lucasfilm’s global operations at the LDAC and in Singapore are currently powered by AMD Opteron processors to help create and render stunning visual content for dozens of major motion pictures, including the three most recent box office champions, among many others. Lucasfilm also uses AMD technology to create digital content for television programs and next-generation interactive games. Read more

IBM announced that after two years in development and testing by more than 25,000 businesses around the world, Lotus Notes 8 and Lotus Domino 8 (www.ibm.com/lotus/nd8) will be generally available in India now. IBM Lotus Notes 8 and IBM Lotus Domino 8 represents the industry’s first enterprise collaboration solution largely designed with input from its customers. Read more

Tata Indicom has announced a “A Breakthrough Technology in Mobile Communication”. No details have been revealed so far. Noteworthy is in a country where spectrum is a problem and there is a huge crunch especially in the CDMA technology (GSM:CDMA spectrum sharing is in the ratio 2:1) what is the “breakthrough” Tata Indocom is promising.

Demonstrating its technology leadership once again, HCL Infosytems Ltd, India’s premier ICT enabler and system integration company today unveiled its new Quad-Socket HCL High-End Enterprise server IGL 4700 FC based on Intel’s latest 7300 series of Quad core Xeon MP processors. The new server packs extreme performance in a dense package, with 16 computing cores in a mere 7-inch (4U) form factor that promises significantly higher performance. Read more

“I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Darkness pervades the universe. Talking about darkness is a futile exercise and even billions of words wouldn’t really be enough for it. Better to talk about little sparks of light that are turning darkness into dawn for thousands of people across the world and the worldwide web is playing one of the greatest facilitator in human history. According to the Association of Fund Raising Professionals “The evolution of the Internet has impacted the charitable sector in many significant and positive ways. The Internet represents a potentially powerful new tool for advancing philanthropy.”

A case study - Ray of light in Bangkok

Consider the following example. Bangkok, for long considered the city of sleaze, sexual nirvana and much more.

Recently Kate McGeown from BBC News did a story on prostitution in Thailand. She said Bangkok is a notorious destination for sex tourism. The lives of many of the city’s sex workers are full of danger, disease and the urgent need to send money home. The story is especially relevant as tourists see Thailand as a land of sexual nirvana without bothering about the condition of women over there. Something as simple as “nobody sells their body for fun” doesn’t seem to be clear to many. This story should serve as an eye-opener to many on the life of an average prostitute. You can view it here. www.nightlightbangkok.com decided it was better to light the candle and bring hope to thousands of women and children in desperate need of help. Their modus operandi is simple- they offer training and employment for former sex workers, provide them employment, job training and educational alternatives. You can support them by donating the smallest donation online through Paypal, Credit cards, wires etc. Your smallest donation helps makes some woman’s or child’s life in Bangkok at least human. They also started an online jewellery store www.tradeasone.com where you can buy absolutely great jewellery made by rehabilitated women at reasonable prices and also support this noble cause.
Read more

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (IBC 2007, Hall 12, Booth M595) — Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and mobile data solutions, today announced that it has joined forces with conVISUAL, a leading provider of interactive value-added services, to demonstrate live user interactivity with televised programming on the MediaFLO™ platform. Marking an industry milestone, this demonstration showcases interactivity applications tightly integrated with televised programming over a mobile broadcast network. The MediaFLO demonstration with conVISUAL shows how consumers can seamlessly engage with TV shows broadcast to their MediaFLO-enabled mobile devices. Consumers can view their favorite programs and research reality show stars, participate in polls and quizzes and even chat live with other viewers – all without any interruption in programming. Read more

Tata Teleservices, one of India’s leading telecom service provider redefines ISD calling and offers International calls at as low as Rs. 2/ (5 cents) minute under “Talk World”, the new ILD Plan, which is cheaper than any Fixed/ Wire line service in India. Read more

Recently BBC did a story on prostitution in Thailand. They said Bangkok is a notorious destination for sex tourism. The lives of many of the city’s sex workers are full of danger, disease and the urgent need to send money home. The story can be viewed here The story is specially relevant as tourists see Thailand as a land of sexual nirvana without bothering about the condition of women over there. Something as simple as “nobody sells their body for fun” doesn’t seem to be clear to many. This story should serve as an eyeopener to many on the life of an average prostitute.

Next about NightLight. Their purpose as they put it “ I would rather light a candle than curse the darkness.”
Eleanor Roosevelt In the dark streets of Bangkok these guys are surely doing the greatest service of rehabilitating women and children and working out a better revenue model by engaging them in making jewelery and handicrafts.
TBE supports NightLight and the work they are doing to support women and children. You too can support them by donating or buying the products made by rehabilitated women on http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/ and http://tradeasone.com/