New high score for touchmenot
Varun created a new high score on touchmenot – 4000
Who are you touching? Get on with the game and let us know your score.
Should Palm and the others come out with an iPod Touch Rival?
Palm, RIM, Nokia and some others have come out with mobile operating systems of their own. They are all focussing on phones. And no points for guessing who their chief rival is – yeah, Apple.
Apple came out with some numbers at their recent Rock and Roll event. They have sold 30 million iPhones. But guess what. They have also sold 20 million iPod Touches. That gives them 50 million devices to sell those apps and services to. Each time Apple comes out with a software update, they charge the touch users to upgrade their OS. Out of the 1.3 billion downloads that have happened on the app store, we can easily assume 40% from the iPod Touch.
We all know now that the game’s focus has shifted to apps and services (music, video, etc). So what should these other mobile companies do to capitalize on the investment made on their OS? Churn out new phones? No. Well, that and think about this other market that Apple has so nicely tapped – mobile devices like the touch.
I am not sure what the folks at Palm and RIM are thinking (why did Palm have to release the pixie?), but it seems that time is ripe to take a look at this market as well. I mean, what does it take to create a music player out of the current phone? Just strip out the phone! Everything else should be (more or less) in place.
The incremental cost of adding this new product in the market should be much lower. The product is already there. The distribution channel is already out there. Just a marketing push should be enough to get their consumers’ attention…what do you say Palm?
Vinod Khosla interview on his clean tech initiatives
Read about Vinod Khosla and his investments in clean tech.
Interesting thoughts on the clean tech VC space.
TouchMeNot getting very positive response
TouchMeNot – the very simple and addictive game released by InfoBeans yesterday is getting a great response. Having been downloaded more than 200 times in a single day, it is surely going to hit the top of the charts soon. Download it here
http://bit.ly/2ZVptY
InfoBeans releases new game for the iPhone – TouchMeNot
Check out this cool, simple and addictive new game from InfoBeans – http://bit.ly/2ZVptY
Special mention for Shikhar Dadhich for coming up with the game idea and developing the game in record time. Great job!
We love the game and we hope you do as well. Please do send in your comments and improvement suggestions for this one. The second version for the game is already in the works.
TheFunded reproduces an ideal first round term sheet
If you have ever wondered what a first round term sheet looks like, here is something that can satisfy your imagination, a little bit. TheFunded.com has published this term sheet, linked below.
Crystal IT Park, notified SEZ in Indore becomes attractive!
I was wondering while writing my last blog on ‘Indore could not become IT destination’ that how much of this blame lies on us – the local IT players in Indore.
I think partially we are responsible, first we ourselves could have grown to a level where we could demonstrate enough capabilities to rest of the IT world in India and generate an interest in them to look at Indore and its companies.
Second we could have formed a consortium and pitched with the government to help them market Indore as a preferred IT destination, – but this gives rise to another question, why would we bring in a bigger player/better brand and risk losing our resources.
I think that is the thing of the past, however tables have turned upside down and now local IT companies in Indore would want this Crystal IT Park to get operational as soon as possible. Even at the risk of bringing in a national player to local turf.
Primary reason being – highly probable sunset clause in STPI which will mean that after 31st March 2011, income tax benefits to IT/ITES exporters will end. It was supposed to end on 31st March 2009 and has already been extended twice for 1 year each in respective budgets.
Most of the IT/ITES exporters rely on business from overseas markets like US/Europe/Australia/UAE most of which are undergoing major upheaval in this recessionary time. This has put excessive pressure on IT players especially SME segment which are significantly dependent on lesser number of key clients.
Revenues are falling, margins are shrinking as rate are getting lower and lower, new sales cycle is getting longer and longer, growth has taken back seat and business sustenance is creeping up as the key objective for SME players.
At this time, SME sector cannot bear the double whammy in form of paying taxes as otherwise they will be left with lesser resources to fight the recession and grow in a recessionary market or choose a new sales geography.
What to do?
I feel local players at Indore should come on a common platform and make concerted efforts to pump life back in SEZ that is Crystal IT Park, Indore.
I have attached a presentation here. Your inputs are more than welcome in order to revive it.
Indore could not become an IT destination :-(
There was one attempt in the past to build a platform for Indore to jump on national IT scene, it was widely believed that an IT park is needed to attract one of the top 5 national players in Indore. And once likes of TCS/Infosys/Wipro comes to Indore, it will automatically attract other players and will put Indore into limelight as new preferred IT destination.
I agree with the thought, but it did not get implemented to its fullest on ground.
Crystal IT Park at Indore became an half-hearted attempt from the MP government to bring Indore and MP on the IT map of India. It was well conceived by the then MPAKVN head Mr Vivek Agrawal, he made all his sincere efforts to get to a final state, he made several sales presentations to bigger IT players at national level.
Unfortunately for Indore and MP, he was transferred to other city and the entire momentum, needed to finish off the incomplete building and bring in a prospective buyer, died down.
Since then this is waiting for its destined place in commercial capital of Indore. I strongly disagree a common place thinking that bigger IT or ITES players are not interested in Indore or MP per say. I believe that Indore has rightfully earned its distinctions like mini-mumbai, commercial capital of MP, education hub in central India etc. There is no other city in the country which can boast of IIT and IIM together.
Indore has it all
1) Very good weather – similar to Pune and Bangalore
2) Large pool of IT graduates coming out of college every year
3) A large pool of IT professionals are already working in various IT companies across India and overseas too, who long to come back to Indore
4) Low cost of living
5) Lesser distance to commute to work
6) Reliable telecom infrastructure to support high end data communication needs
So why does Indore does not have a single IT park (except for a mini electronic complex)?
To me this is mainly because
1) Poor political will and leadership at city and state level to promote Indore as IT destination
2) Poor air/train connectivity of Indore from rest of the IT destinations like Bangalore/Pune/Hyderabad
3) Poor brand image of MP
4) Barring Webdunia and Impetus, state could not generate national level players and hence we could not get deserved attention from IT stalwarts
We can only wish that things are going to improve from here, MPAKVN is putting up the park for another round of bidding.
Let us see if the successful bidder gets successful in bringing a national IT player to Indore.
The near future?
Check out this video. Interesting. Wish I had one of these in my home.
