emergencies

Bill Gates is all for the poor: Now he tells us

I have to admit that I found the irony stifling in this CNET article on Bill Gates and his efforts to bring compassion for the poor to capitalism. Gates, who for years resisted pricing Microsoft's software lower for developing markets has suddenly become a big believer in helping the poor.

In every industry, Gates said, businesses need to start thinking about how they can use some of their energy and resources, say 6 percent, to expand their reach to poorer segments either in their own country, or globally. Food companies need to focus on micronutrients, while drug companies should devote some energy to diseases that affect largely the poor, such as malaria and tuberculosis.

But not in software, apparently. It wasn't until 2004 that Microsoft - more in response to the need to fight Linux and piracy than any increase in the size of its heart - started to lower its pricing for markets like Indonesia. Until that point Microsoft continued to price its software above the annual wages of people in these developing markets.… Read more

Dell adds another retail partner, this time in India

Dell notebooks will be available in retail stores in India for the first time, the company said Tuesday.

The company hinted that it would make this move last week, saying it planned to increase its presence in China and India, two of the world's biggest emerging markets for computers. Dell already has a relationship with one of China's largest retail chains, Gome.

In the announcement, Dell said it plans to offer Inspiron desktops and notebooks, and XPS notebooks through Indian electronics outlet Croma. Dell has a presence in India, but prior to this announcement, only via direct sales … Read more

eComm conference: The conversation is entering the mobile realm

I caught a few of the later sessions today at the Emerging Communications (eComm) conference in Mountain View, and the program was pretty good. The rigorously enforced commitment to micro-formats--a mix of five-minute lightning talks, 15-minute sessions, and 20-minute keynotes--worked out well: The presenters were forced to condense their thoughts to the core, and a wide range of viewpoints could be heard during the course of the day. Even the five-minute shorts were informative and sparked follow-up conversations.

For Luca Filigheddu from abbeynet, the five-minute limit was a natural fit for his topic, "Micro Video-Blogging and the Future of … Read more

Microsoft's Vista price cut: Much about about...emerging markets

Microsoft is cutting the price on its Vista between 20% and 40% from its price as of the beginning of this year. While most copies of Windows aren't sold via the retail channel, Microsoft is apparently hoping to reduce the disparity between hardware costs and its software. When you can buy a new PC for $400, it hardly makes sense to drop another $400 for an increasingly irrelevant operating system. (All operating systems, not just Windows, in terms of perceived customer value.)

But the bigger reason appears to be an effort to make Windows more appealing to emerging markets, … Read more

SAP claims 100 of Oracle's customers have defected

It's a bit pathetic to watch proprietary behemoths slug it out over saturated markets. SAP just went on the offensive in one such skirmish, announcing that 100 of Oracle's Hyperion customers are buying SAP for performance management with the intention to replace Oracle. (As Josh Greenbaum notes, the real story here may not be the customer defections, but rather the fact that conservative SAP is taking the gloves off at all to smack Oracle around.)

This is fine, but I'd prefer to see press releases that announce that 100 net new customers were created through a differentiated … Read more

Suitcase operations center puts you in control

You're block captain of the neighborhood watch, a hurricane is barreling through your ward, and FEMA is still looking for its waders. But this time you're prepared.

That's because you're packing the Base X Suitcase Operations Center, a set-up for a 4- to 10-person emergency response team that puts you immediately in charge. The SOC is a self-contained wireless visual information powerhouse, according to Base X.

The system can be completely contained in three rugged cases and deployed anywhere, holding everything you need to access the Internet via Ku satellite or a commercial wireless card. Keep … Read more

Sony Ericsson phones tune into radio

As Sony continues to search for the right formula to reclaim its crown in music-playing electronics, one of its newest products may be taking a cue from its roots: the portable radio.

Sony Ericsson is coming out with an attractive new line of phones later this year that include built-in stereo speakers and radios, as well as some unremarkable camera and Bluetooth features. Unfortunately, the radio doesn't seem to receive digital broadcasts--it's just a standard AM/FM, as this is a low-end handset destined for India and other emerging markets.

That's really too bad, because portable digital … Read more

"Kinder capitalism"? It's called open source, Mr. Gates. You should try it

Bill Gates welcomed the world to a new breed of "kinder capitalism" at Davos this week. Conveniently forgetting his past, Mr. Gates declared:

We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well.

We have. It's called open source. Open source is "kinder" by design, no matter how capitalistically/self-interestedly it is used. Here's why:… Read more

Nokia's success tied to emerging markets

What separates the mobile handset winners from the losers? The answer seems to be success in developing markets like China, India, the Middle East, and Africa.

On Thursday Nokia announced that it had sold a record 133.5 million mobile phones during the fourth quarter of 2007. This figure was up by more than a quarter from the same period a year earlier, boosting its overall market share to 40 percent.

Meanwhile, Nokia rival Motorola reported Wednesday that shipments of its handsets had fallen 38 percent during the quarter, pushing its market share down yet again to 12 percent, the … Read more

Microsoft wants more bang for its education buck

At its Government Leaders Forum in Berlin on Wednesday, Microsoft plans to announce that it is reinvesting in its Partners In Learning program, a global effort to provide software and training to teachers, students, and schools. The company is committing to another five years of the program.

In its first five years, Microsoft said the program reached 90 million people in 100 countries. The company plans to spend $235.5 million over the next five years, bringing its total investment to $500 million, but reach twice as many people in the next five years as it did during the first … Read more