microblogging can boost business

Twitter is wooing businesses with a "Twitter 101" online course in how the hot microblogging service can be used to boost bottom lines.

While the company itself grapples with how to cash in on its rocketing popularity, Twitter has freshly-added to its website lessons in ways that "tweets" can help businesses improve their image and win customers.

"While this work was envisioned for businesses, it's also useful for anyone using Twitter so have a look if you like," Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said.

"We coordinated with business students and writers to surface some interesting findings, best practices, steps for getting started, and case studies."

A "Twitter 101" presentation titled "A Special Guide" can be found by following "Business" links at the bottom of Twitter Web pages.

"We're focused on enhancing value across Twitter in general; these documents are just a first step," Stone wrote.

Businesses can tune into Twitter to find out what people are saying about products or services and then instantly join real-time conversations in order to build on positive comments or address concerns of customers.

"Twitter connects you to your customers right now, in a way that was never before possible," an opening page at 'Twitter 101' maintained.

"Businesses of all kinds, including major brands, increasingly find that listening and engaging on the service lead to happier customers, passionate advocates, key product improvements and, in many cases, more sales."

The conversational nature of Twitter lets businesses build relationships with customers and get feedback for improving products or services, according to the 101 course.

Stone has said publicly that money-making strategies being considered by Twitter include charging fees to business users while remaining free for others.

Twitter, meanwhile, has been deleting accounts believed to be used to "spam" users with specious pitches or other junk text messages.

The service invites people to use computers or Internet-linked mobile telephones to fire off text messages answering the question "What are you doing now?" in 140 characters or less.

Twitter has become a sensation since launching in 2006.

Indian Farmers to use Mobile Phones to Control Irrigation

Mobile Operator Tata Teleservices is testing technology that allows farmers to use their mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on irrigation pump sets in far flung locations.

The technology, called Nano Ganesh, is being tested in two villages in the Indian state of Gujarat.

In India, where the electricity supply is erratic, farmers often walk several kilometers to where their irrigation pumps are located, only to find that there is no electricity available, Lloyd Mathias, chief marketing officer of Tata Teleservices, said.

By dialing a code number from his mobile phone to a wireless device attached to the pump, farmers can now remotely monitor the electricity supply, and also switch the pump on and off, Mathias said.

The technology for this application was developed and is manufactured by Ossian Agro Automation in Pune in western India. To use the service, the farmer pays Tata Teleservices 2,700 rupees (US$56) for the device attached to the starter on the pump and another 2,000 rupees for the mobile phone, as well as monthly service charges. The mobile phone can be used by the farmer for other communications as well.

Voice communications and SMS on mobile phones are getting commoditized, and as in urban markets, customers are looking for value-added services. By introducing technology and services appropriate to rural markets, Tata Teleservices plans to differentiate itself in these markets, and increase customer "stickiness".

The company already uses mobile phones to deliver education content, and agricultural information relevant to rural communities. It has tied up with specialist organizations to provide the content.

Thirty Meter Telescope ie World's Largest Telescope to be built in Hawaii

Hawaii has been chosen as the site for the world's biggest telescope, a device so powerful that it will allow scientists to see some 13 billion light years away and get a glimpse into the early years of the universe.

The telescope's mirror - stretching almost 100 feet in diameter will be so large that it should be able to gather light that will have spent 13 billion years traveling to earth. This means astronomers looking into the telescope will be able to see images of the first stars and galaxies forming - some 400 million years after the Big Bang.

According to Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corp. spokesman Charles Blue, "It will sort of give us the history of the universe".

The telescope, expected to be completed by 2018, will be located atop a dormant volcano that is popular with astronomers because its summit sits well above the clouds at 13,796 feet, offering a clear view of the sky above for 300 days a year.

Hawaii's isolated position in the middle of the Pacific Ocean also means the area is relatively free of air pollution. Few cities on the Big Island mean there aren't a lot of man-made lights around to disrupt observations.

The other finalist candidate site for the Thirty Meter Telescope was Chile's Cerro Armazones mountain.

Richard Ellis, astronomy professor the California Institute of Technology and a Thirty Meter Telescope board member, said that Mauna Kea is at a higher elevation, its air is drier and its average temperature fluctuates less during the course of the day - all helpful factors for those using the new telescope.

The telescope will be built by the University of California, the California Institute of Technology and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy.

The current world's largest telescopes also are located atop Mauna Kea, but the size of their diameters are about three times smaller than the Thirty Meter Telescope.

Gateway LT2000 Another Netbook Appears

Gateway has announced a 10.1-inch addition to its compact notebook line: the LT2000 series. With 1GB of memory, a 160GB hard drive, three USB 2.0 ports, a built-in webcam, and the ability to connect to the internet, the LT2000 sounds just like every other netbook.

It looks similar to other budget netbooks. It does seem on par spec for spec with other budget netbooks, though a 1.6-GHz N270 Atom CPU, 1GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive. Less impressive: A 3-cell battery that, if you're lucky, will last you three hours according to spokespeople. While we are talking about a $300 machine here, other netbooks that don't cost too much more can last over 3 times as long (like Toshiba's NB205-310).

On the software side, the LT2000 netbooks come equipped with Windows XP and pre-installed software. There's some free such as Microsoft Works. Then there's the trial bloatware (Office Home and Student 2007).

One semi-unique feature is the multi-gesture touchpad, which allows users to swirl and flick their way through web pages, music, and media. And even this is not completely unique, as it has been featured on many other models from various vendors, such as Acer's Aspire AS5536.

The LT2000 series netbooks are available now, in Cherry Red and NightSky Black.

Mobile Phone Users in Rural India Cross 100 Million

According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the country had 109.7 million rural mobile subscribers at the end of the first quarter, which is up by 18 percent from 93.2 million users in the fourth quarter of last year.

The country's 282 million urban wireless subscribers accounted for 72 percent of all mobile users at the end of the first quarter.

Indian mobile services companies and handset vendors have identified the rural market as a new growth opportunity, as urban markets are getting saturated.

For example, Nokia has launched its Life Tools service in June, after a pilot project in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The service offers agriculture information, education, and entertainment targeted at people in both rural areas and small towns.

The number of mobile subscribers in the country is on the upswing with demand both from rural and urban markets.

According to TRAI data, the number of subscribers for mobile services across the country has increased to 391.76 million in the quarter ended March this year, up by 50 percent from 261 million in the same quarter last year.

However competition and tariff cuts have brought down the average revenue per user. Indian mobile service providers are focusing on value added services, including applications to boost revenue.

A number of foreign mobile service providers have invested in joint ventures in India, including Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo.

Tata Teleservices, which has NTT DoCoMo as an investor, has begun rolling out services across India under the Tata DoCoMo brand. NTT DoCoMo said it plans to progressively bring to India new services such as its i-mode wireless Internet service, location-based services, and mobile payment.

Amazon launches Online Mobile Phone Store

Amazon has launched a beta Web site that offers cell phones, service plans, comparison shopping features, easy rebate redemption, and free two-day shipping on AT&T and Verizon Wireless phones. Amazon’s online store for mobile phones is http://www.amazonwireless.com/

Sprint and T-Mobile are noticeably missing from the short roster of carriers. However, Amazon said it plans to add carriers and expand its selection during the beta phase, as well as test features and gather input from customers to optimize the experience.

"We have taken our eight years' experience selling cell phones to create a new site that makes a potentially confusing transaction much easier for customers," said Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon.

Clearing Customer Confusion--
According to a recent Best Buy Mobile survey reveals a large number of American adults are planning to buy a smartphone in the next 12 months, but barriers are standing in their way. Some of the barriers identified in the survey include confusion about the technology, the shopping experience, and price.

More than half of women and 42 percent of men are confused about which smartphone to buy, and more than half of adults over 50 express this confusion. Sixty-four percent of Americans say they don't own a smartphone because the devices are too expensive.

Best Buy and AmazonWireless seem ready to go head-to-head to solve these issues. Scott Moore, vice president of marketing for Best Buy Mobile, said his company offers smartphones from nine major carriers, along with unbiased, noncommissioned pros to guide consumers to the devices, features and services that are right for them.

"We offer free upgrade checks to anyone currently using any form of mobile service so customers can see if they're eligible to get a smartphone; and, in many cases, there are special promotional deals along with our everyday instant rebates," Moore said. "We want everyone to have a smartphone."

Amazon's Advantage--
Currently, AmazonWireless only offers about 120 phones, including smartphones and the latest models for budget-conscious shoppers. Customers can shop for phones by carrier, phone feature, price, color and brand. The site's shopping cart guides customers through each stage of the purchase process, and customers will find Amazon features like bestseller lists, detailed product descriptions, and customer reviews.

"The step-by-step purchase process on AmazonWireless makes it easy for customers who already have a plan to upgrade their phones," Ryder said. "If you want to establish new cell-phone service, we've made it simple to find the right phone, service plan, and options for your needs. We've also eliminated the technical jargon and frustrating rebate paperwork that customers often face when buying a phone."

Best Buy doesn't offer the same online wireless store that Amazon is rolling out, but Amazon isn't the first retailer to offer phones and plans online. Amazon will, however, be the largest.

Google to launch Chrome Operating System

Google is working on a new operating system, called Chrome OS, for inexpensive computers in a daring attempt to wrest away Microsoft’s long running control over computing experience.

The new operating system will be based on its Chrome browser and would be an open source operating system initially targeted at netbooks. Google intends to rely on help from the community of open-source programmers to develop the Chrome operating system, which is expected to begin running computers in the second half of 2010.

Google is designing the operating system primarily for "netbooks," a lower-cost, less powerful breed of laptop computers that is becoming increasingly popular among budget-conscious consumers primarily interested in surfing the Web.

The operating system represents Google's boldest challenge yet to its biggest nemesis - Microsoft.

A high-stakes duel between the two technology powerhouses has been steadily escalating in recent years as Google's dominance of the Internet's lucrative search market has given it the means to threaten Microsoft in ways that few other companies can.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has been trying to thwart Google by investing billions of dollars to improve its own Internet search and advertising systems.

In the past month or so, though, Microsoft has been winning positive reviews and picking up more users with the latest upgrade to its search engine, now called "Bing." Microsoft is hailing the makeover with a $100 million marketing campaign.

Now Google is aiming for Microsoft's financial jugular with Chrome its operating system.

Despite its own power and prominence, Google won't have an easy time changing the status quo that has governed the personal computing industry for so long.

The Chrome operating system will run in a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel - computer coding that has been the foundation for the open-source software movement.

Google has already introduced an operating system called Android, but that is only used for mobile phones at the moment.

The Android system worked well enough to entice some computer makers to begin developing netbooks that will eventually run on it.

Google, though, apparently believes a Chrome-based system will be better suited for running applications in netbooks.

"Computers need to get better. People want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them and they want to access the Internet instantly,” Google said.

"Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems," said the company.

"Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds," the company said.

Sony to enter Netbook PC market with new Vaio laptop

Sony Corp has plans to launch a new Vaio laptop that will sell for around 60,000 yen ($629) in Japan in August, making its entry into the fast-growing netbook market.

Netbook PCs are smaller and cheaper than traditional notebook computers and optimized for simpler computing tasks such as Web browsing and email.

Pioneered by Taiwan's Asustek in 2007, other global brands such as Acer Inc, Hewlett-Packard Co and Dell Inc have pushed out their own lines since then.

The new Sony machine is equipped with Microsoft Corp's Windows XP operating system and Intel Corp's Atom processor.

Rachael - Sony Ericsson's Google Android Phone Leaked

For quite some time, it is known that Sony Ericsson is working on a Google Android-based mobile phone, but the company has been keeping mum on details. However, pictures leaked by a Danish site appear to reveal Sony Ericsson's upcoming Android phone.
According to the Danish Mobil magazine, Sony Ericsson's Android phone will be code-named Rachael and will bw announced later this year. The phone will be part of SE's XPERIA series, which so far includes the Windows Mobile-based X1 model.

Mobil says that the Android-loving Sony Ericsson Rachel is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform (QSD8250), which would give the phone processor speeds of up to 1GHz and 7.2Mbit per second HSPA downlink speeds.

The leaked pictures also show the Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Android Phone featuring an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. At the top of the phone a 3.5mm headphone jack and a miniUSB port are also present. No specific details on the phone's display size or resolution were released, but the Dutch magazine says it has a pressure-sensitive touchscreen.

Some of the specifications of Sony Ericsson's Android phone are looking very good in comparison to other smartphones present in the market today. An 8.1-megapixel camera would be most powerful on an Android handset yet, and remarkably better than the 3-megapixel camera on the latest iPhone 3GS. On the Android realm, the HTC Hero and the Samsung Galaxy have only a 5-megapixel camera.

It's highly expected that Sony Ericsson Rachel will run on the upcoming 2.0 version of Google Android operating system, which is also expected to be released toward the end of this year. As for Adobe Flash, it is yet unclear whether this phone will feature this capability.