Essential Mobile services - online call diversion can be one!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The future is mobile. The future is flexibility. Companies want employees on the move and stay ever closer to the customer. Consumers want services that are useful and innovative. Companies are realizing this trend and trying to do their best
in providing what the customer wants and let them have a say. There is a huge scramble for innovative mobile services and giving their customers the power to develop their own. Web 2.0, OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) and the new OHA(Open Handset Alliance)promoted by Google are all steps in this direction. The only company that is still bucking this trend and yet being successful,at least for the time being, is the cupertino based i-novative and secretive 'Apple'.

Despite the huge surge in mobile services in the developed and developing world, operator revenues are sliding down. Though people realize the need for being mobile and the utility of the services that are on offer, the most critical factor "cost" of these services is detrimental. Mobile operators and service providers are doing their best with a double edged sword. On one side the share-holders demanding ever increasing profits and on the other hand, consumers demanding ever decreasing prices. Services cost to be developed and costs time to be deployed and expecting comparable revenues sounds logical. In addition, services are increasingly technically complex, which in turn increases the cost of development and deployment. So, does this mean to indicate that the less complex but high utility services are being already exhausted. Not necessarily!

There are still services that are missing in day to day life that often could be very useful and yet missing. One such service that is missing is "on-line call diversion". Mobile phones are the main conduits to keep people connected. With Nokia we have a
great deal of mobility that many people can solely be contacted with Mobiles. But, every now and then I read or send emails within the company telling others that I cannot be reached today because I forgot to bring along the instrument with me. This causes substantial inconvenience and most times many important calls being missed. But, there is most times a possibility that you have access to some other phone where you can be reached, at least temporarily, and the real problem being just communicating the contact number to the right person who wishes to contact you. Here call diversion helps. But, call diversion has traditionally been done by having access to the instrument. It leaves a person in limbo when he or she does not have access to the instrument. Can a way out of it exist? Yes, it can. A possibility to do the call diversion, guess what, Online!!!!

Internet is pervasive, at least with the techies. Google helps to write most of the world's software code and emails are a substantial traffic in the world's data network. So, any person can have access to the Internet, at least for a short time. So, there is a clear need for a service like an "online call diversion" that offers a possibility to get online and do a simple login, like we do with the public emails, and make a diversion to a temporary number.This service should be relatively easy to develop and deploy and can make a life whole lot easier for forgetful professionals. This can be just as basic as having the diversion possibility on the equipment, especially in this Inter-net connected world. As I know, there are no operators who offer this service at the moment. If they already do, as a consumer and techie, I'm not aware of it. So, they better check out with their marketing department!

Am sure there are more such underdog services that are still missing! Don't look deep, but just look shallow. Most times they are right in front of you and you yourself could be just feeling the need for it. The real skill lies in identifying them.

Posted byPraveen J at 9:58 AM 0 comments  

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India needs a correction
Sunday, November 04, 2007

It's a known story that India is growing at a faster rate and very well on the track to create billion dollar individuals. But, is this growth sustainable on a long run. As the PM warned, what happens when the success is not shared with the fellow citizens of India. I'm no economics expert, but I strongly believe India needs a correction and that too an immediate one. Resources are stretched and country seems to be running on steroids without the fundamental things being met. Infrastructure is worn out, yet cars in thousands on the road everyday. Infrastructure building needs labor, but it is in a huge shortage in India. Perhaps we need to consider importing them from Dubai and the rest of Gulf to whom we previously exported. Real estate prices are ridiculous and we are building islands inside India with the poor living just by the side. This trend clearly needs a correction, if the country is hoping to to jump to the next level of development without any social upheaval. A strong correction now in the economy is the only way out. Perhaps, the rising tensions in our immediate neighborhood and the slow down in the US economy can just be start of it.

Posted byPraveen J at 3:50 PM 0 comments  

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