keralamonitor.com November 13, 2002 Kerala Govt stops promotions to HS teachers -Congress I Group MLAs to meet Chief Minister
Bill Gate Crashing Indian IT Market
Under Shiksha’. 80,000 teachers and three and a half million students would be trained between a period of 3-5 years. The collaboration would be done in partnership with the Department of Information Technology.Report on Microsoft Chief's e-learning initiatives
Microsoft and Samsung announce low-cost pocket PC concept design
Kuwait Raid IT Vendors to prevent Software Piracy Intensified -Al Yousuf launches new venture dedicated to PeopleSoft -Microsoft and Samsung announce low-cost pocket PC concept design -Media Oasis Blosters Mid East Publishing Growth to Continue, says DMC CEO -Emirates Computers to launch the Arabic version of Kofax document and data capture software -G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting -National Public Service Broadcasting Day Celebrated -Indica Sales up by 35 per cent -Microsoft and Samsung announce low-cost pocket PC concept design -IBM launches world's most powerful eight-way UNIX server and new POWER4+ processor -China Natcom Awards contract to Alcatel - Canon Concludes 2002 with Online Executive Promotion
Universities to broadcast community radio programmes Sushama Swaraj to take education to new high tech areas. The Government proposes to soon introduce Community Radio Broadcasting in Universities, IITs and Residential Schools. This would be extended to other educational institutions and organizations later.
Delivering the Presidential Address at a Conference organized by the Broadcast Engineering Society (India) to mark the 3rd National Public Service Broadcasting Day, here today, the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj said that the Narrowcasting introduced during the last fortnight from 12 Doordarshan stations for broadcasting in rural areas in the local language has been welcomed as a revolutionary system. India is the first country to introduce Narrowcasting in television, she said. The Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Ramesh Bais also addressed the gathering.
Delivering the Keynote Address, the Executive Managing Editor of Times of India, Dilip Padgaonkar said that public sector broadcasting has great opportunities as well as challenges thrown up by the multiplication of broadcasting channels in the last few years. The Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharati Corporation, K.S. Sarma said that Doordarshan and All India Radio have adopted the latest technologies and a great emphasis is being given to invest in quality programmes. He said, the media revolution both in technology and the globalisation has brought great responsibilities on Prasar Bharati as a Public Sector Broadcaster and it will not fail in discharging its responsibilities.
The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has said that people’s participation is essential for the successful implementation of the Power Reforms process. He said the reforms process needs to be speeded up. Vajpayee was speaking at a function to inaugurate the Sasaram HVDC Back to Back project here today. The project was inaugurated from Delhi by the pressing of a computer button. The Prime Minister congratulated the Power Grid Corporation Limited in completing the project on time and also effecting a cost saving at the same time. The successful completion of the first phase on the National Grid was a step towards carrying power from surplus States to needy States, he added.
The Power Minister, Anant Geete said that with the completion of the first phase of the National Grid inter-regional power transmission has reached 5000 MW. He said under the APDRP scheme Rs.6000 crore has been provided.Smt. Jayawanti Mehta, Minister of State for Power and R.V.Shahi, Secretary, Ministry of Power were present at the function.
This high technology project will feed 500 MW of power to the deficit Northern Region on a continuous basis, as Eastern Region is likely to remain power surplus for a long time. This project consists of a single block of 500 MW HVDC, located near Sasaram in Bihar, and associated 800 circuit kms. of 400 KV A/C transmission lines connecting Bihar and Uttar Pradesh along with extension of bays at Bihar Shariff and Allahabad Sub-stations.
Commissioning of this project marks completion of first phase of National Power Grid and with this the countrywide inter-region exchange capacity has risen to 5000 MW. This project has been completed by Powergrid within the contractual schedule and at a cost of Rs.596 crore, which is Rs.76 crore less than the approved cost of Rs.672 crore.
The HVDC component of the project is designed for exchange of 500 MW power between Eastern Region and Northern Region. In addition to this, about 200 MW of power can be transferred in the redial mode enabling upto 700 MW inter-regional transfer from Eastern Region to Northern Region. The link not only facilitates exchange of surplus power from Eastern to Northern Region (Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan) but, if required, can be instrumental in transferring the same to Western Region and/or Southern Region.
HVDC technology facilitates interconnection of two regions having incompatible electrical parameters. This technology also facilitates inter-regional exchange of energy while taking advantage of diversity of load – generation conditions in the two regions. In contrast to the conventional alternating current transmission systems, power flow can be regulated in a precise manner through HVDC projects. -keralamonitor.com
Kuwait Raid to prevent Software Piracy Intensified
Kuwait City, Kuwait, 12 November, 2002
The Ministry Of Information today announced that it has recorded yet another success in its fight against software copyright infringement, where a computer shop in Hawally has been raided and found to be readying a computer for sale, loaded with illegal software. Sheikha Rasha Al Sabah, director of the Intellectual Property department at the Ministry Of Information considered this operation as one of the most significant that the ministry has conducted recently to uphold copyrights in Kuwait, where investigations had revealed that this reseller was systematically loading unlicensed software on new computers. The shop has been charged of infringement for using and trading in copyrighted material, and breaking law number 64 for the year 1999.
“We invite all those working in companies and shops that are not abiding by intellectual property laws to respect the country’s legislation, in order to make ethical profits that will serve Kuwait’s economy” said Sheykha Rasha
Thorough efforts were provided to prepare for this raid, which was preceded by intensive investigations of the shop by authorities. “The ministry’s investigators are constantly working to expose those who break the law. We have been working for years to raise public awareness on the importance of respecting the law and implementing all regulations pertaining to intellectual property. Thus, the only option left to us now is to conduct raids so that everyone respects the Kuwaiti copyright laws. -keralamonitor.comAl Yousuf launches new venture dedicated to PeopleSoft
'Zulfa' hosts seminar to launch PeopleSoft services in the Gulf
Dubai, November 2002 - Al Yousuf Computers has announced the launch of 'Zulfa' a new business venture that will specialise exclusively in implementing PeopleSoft, the world's leading solutions provider of human resources, customer relationship, financial, and supply chain management systems. The launch of Zulfa solidifies Al Yousuf's market leadership position, and further extends the company's capability to provide comprehensive e-business solutions for the fast-growing GCC market.
Announcing the launch of Zulfa at a customer seminar, Al Yousuf's IT Director, Suhail Zeil-El-Dein, stated that PeopleSoft had a very high market potential in the Middle East. "An increasing number of companies realise that in order to compete in the marketplace, they must automate and streamline operations and connect their employees, customers, and vendors directly to business processes using the Internet. PeopleSoft is the only applications vendor to deliver a 100 percent Internet solution, and no other ERP application delivers better HRMS or CRM systems," he stated.
Sami Elhelou, Operations Manager, Zulfa said, "We are pleased to be associating with PeopleSoft on the occasion of their entry into the Middle East marketplace. Our partnership with this global leader allows us to be constantly ahead in providing comprehensive solutions for the e-business model across the Middle East. We are also very proud of our competent highly skilled team that makes us among the leading providers of comprehensive solutions for business-savvy companies," he stated.
The Zulfa seminar was addressed by PeopleSoft's visiting Director of Channels for the EMEA region - Graeme Slocombe and Channels Sales Manager - Pierre Jouve; Zulfa's Services Manager - Faisal Qureshi and Operations Manager - Sami Elhelou; and Steve Dando, regional sales agent for PeopleSoft. Several customers who attended the seminar have already expressed a keen interest in PeopleSoft technology.
Elhelou also explained the need for CRM to be totally integrated with back-end ERP systems, and elaborated on Zulfa's unique position in understanding and providing both solutions. "Just as CRM is a vital business strategy focussed on the customer, ERP is essential for the financial, distribution and manufacturing operations. Together, they provide a single and complete view of the customer across the enterprise making it the essential backbone for e-business." PeopleSoft products can be fully integrated with any CRM or ERP software to offer clients a single and all-encompassing view of their business.
Zulfa's offices are located at the Al Yousuf Headquarters on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, and their technology-savvy management team have worked on PeopleSoft implementations in various parts of the world. "This team will be significantly strengthened once we commence operations in full swing," Elhelou added.
The Al Yousuf Group has partnerships with several leading global IT players including IBM, NEC, HP, Avaya Communications, BEA systems, Altitude software, Ultimus, Microsoft, Oracle, Captaris and Seagate. -keralamonitor.com
Media Oasis Blosters Mid East Publishing Growth to Continue, says DMC CEO
Dubai November 12th, 2002
The publishing sector within Dubai Media City (DMC) has rapidly developed since the media free zone's inception 18 months ago says its CEO, Abdulhamid Juma. In just over 1 ½ years DMC has attracted over 100 publishing companies, a key factor in the rapid development of the regional industry said Juma. "Publishing represents the largest segment for DMC and it continues to grow," he said. "There can be no doubt the regional publishing industry growth has been accelerated by DMC's ability to provide an effective launch platform for fledging media companies.
"Previously, a number of regional restrictions barred new ventures from establishing in the region. DMC's regulations have allowed companies to cut through unnecessary bureaucracy to be able to operate with ease." According to Juma, while the Middle East's publishing sector is still really only servicing a regional audience, the advent of ventures such as DMC will create greater opportunities internationally. "With the city emerging as a global hub, it will facilitate stronger international ties, which will lead to greater opportunities."
Juma said the publishing sector is opening up. "Historically, the publishing industry has been exploited by a few key players, however DMC has lead to the creation of opportunities for new entrants. The launch of new publications will promote competition, hence standards and quality will increase."
He went on to say that the increased competition will drive players within the industry to seek an edge and will heighten the importance of trade shows such as PrinTech/PubliTech International, the Middle East's premier event for the international printing and publishing industry taking place next January. "As the industry continues to evolve trade showcases such as PrinTech/PubliTech International will play an important role, ensuring the sector has access to the latest technology and industry best practises. They provide a focal point for international suppliers and regional buyers," added Juma.
A biennial event, PrinTech/PubliTech International, organised by Fairs and Exhibitions (F&E), the name behind the Dubai air show, takes place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC) from January 12-15 next year and has the official backing of the UAE's Printers Association.
"Like DMC, PrinTech/PubliTech International has a role to play in the ongoing development of the industry," said Dominic McGill, Project Manager, F&E. "As organisers we aim to provide a business forum bringing together the regional sector and industry leading suppliers to one place. We provide suppliers a doorway to an exciting and lucrative Middle East market and buyers with access to technology which may just give them an edge."
Exhibitors from the Arabian Gulf, Iran, Egyptand North Africa, are contracted for PrinTech/PubliTech International 2003.A sister exhibition, PackTech International, the Middle East's only B2B trade show for the packaging industry, will be held alongside PrinTech/PubliTech International. -keralamonitor.com
Emirates Computers to launch the Arabic version of Kofax document and data capture software
Emirates Computers wins award for being the first and only company to successfully implement data capture solution in the Middle East
November 12, 2002
Kofax, the leading international developer of application software and image processing products for the Electronic Data and Document Capture (EDC) market has recently presented Emirates Computers with an award for the arabisation of Kofax Ascent Capture 5.0 and 5.5 at a ceremony held in Brussels recently. As the first and only company in the Middle East to have been successful in the implementation of this project, the award, which has been entitled "Kofax proudly recognizes Emirates Computers Special Achievement Southern Europe/Middle East", is a tribute to the dedicated efforts of Emirates Computers.
"Due to the overwhelming number of enquires regarding an Arabised version of the Ascent Capture, we felt that it was an opportunity for us to introduce the Arabic version of the Kofax interface," said Angelo La Duca, Regional Sales Manager Southern Europe and Middle East, Kofax. "The Middle East is indeed a crucial region for us and plays a vital role in our worldwide operations. Hence, it was becoming increasingly apparent that we needed to find an appropriate company to undertake the Arabisation solutions. Emirates Computers fitted the bill perfectly and as the only company in the region to be successful in the implementation process, we are extremely pleased with the solutions provided by them."
"As a customer centric organization, the success of this unique project is indeed representative of our commitment to providing value-added services and ensuring maximum customer satisfaction," said Hani Harik, President of Emirates Computers. "The implementation of the solution called for the arabisation of over 80 resource files including menues, submenues and messages. This procedure has been significantly responsible for the creation of an Arabic version of the Kofax Ascent Capture 5.0 and 5.5."
Emirates Computers has carried out all the necessary mandatory testing between the Arabised Kofax and Livelink 9.0 and Livelink 9.1, which involved releasing it into the Livelink file system as well as ensuing that the arabised version is fully functional with the document management system solutions. The arabisation of the solutions were implemented with the assistance of the localization kit provided by Kofax, in order to help aid the entire process.
Due to its immensely unique nature, Emirates Computers had to conceptualize and determine the best possible route to complete the implementation of the solution in the most appropriate manner. While the localization, kit provided by Kofax included some basic Arabisation, Emirates Computers arabised the entire software to ensure maximum customer satisfaction. Another major challenge faced by Emirates Computers was that the arabisation process was extremely sensitive, thus resulting in error messages if the characters did not match.
Kofax has 17 years experience in the industry and has been pioneering the way documents and data are scanned and captured. It develops and markets products designed to manage the conversion of electronic and paper documents into electronic information. Its business is focused on the process of scanning large volumes of documents, extracting both image and textual information from them, and then introducing the electronic information into workflow systems, content and document management systems, as well as storage and retrieval systems. -keralamonitor.comCanon Concludes 2002 with Online Executive Promotion
Canon Middle East, in association with its Middle East distributors and AMEInfo.com, the Middle East's premier on-line business resource, has given away a host of fantastic prizes in a region-wide online competition, cementing its new focus on Internet-enabled technologies.The winner of the final prize (Canon Digital IXUS V2), Christine Corpuz of Dubai, is pictured with Salah Khoury, the GM of National Store, Canon's photo-video distributor in the UAE. Other winners included Rana Houjeiri in Lebanon (Canon Fax B155), Fida'a Orikat in Kuwait (CanoScan flatbed scanner N1240U) and Nayef Anazi in Saudi Arabia (Canon Bubble Jet printer S750).
"Canon's new products allow people to use the Internet in more ways: sharing images, sharing information, and bringing the online and print worlds together," said Michel Sabbagh, Marketing Manager of Canon Middle East. "We're promoting our products online, catering to the growing number of Internet-savvy consumers." -keralamonitor.com
G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting
The Meeting of G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors will be held on November 22 - 23, 2002 in New Delhi. The meeting will be chaired by the Union Minister of Finance & Company Affairs , Jaswant Singh. India will be hosting the G-20 Meet for the first time.
Media coverage of the meeting would be permitted to all correspondents and camerapersons who are accredited specifically for the Meeting. Accreditation is open to all bonafide news organisations. Freelance media representatives must be sponsored by a recognized news organization and present a letter of assignment. Accreditation would be done on 18th, 20th and 21st November, 2002 at Press Information Bureau (PIB), Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi and on 22nd & 23rd November, 2002 at the Media Centre in Hotel Taj Palace, venue of the Conference. Registration forms for accreditation are available with PIB and also online at www.g20.nic.in. A separate form should be used for accreditation for each media representative requesting accreditation.
The Group-20, formed in 1999, is a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors representing 19 countries, the European Union, IMF and the World Bank. The Group comprises the G-7 countries (United States, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan), Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Australia, Indonesia, China, South Africa, India, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Republic of Korea. The Group provides a forum of dialogue among countries representing both developed and emerging economies from every region of the globe and addresses key policy challenges facing the international economy. It brings together important economic policy makers from countries representing over 85% of the world GDP and over 60% of the world's population, as well as the heads of the IMF and the World Bank.
The Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Smt. Sushma Swaraj said that in the era of commercialisation, All India Radio and Doordarshan have not lost the sight of their goal of Public Service Broadcasting. Praising All India Radio for upkeeping its commitment and dedication as a public service broadcaster in the interest of common masses, Smt. Swaraj said that AIR, in its service to the nation, always stood firm in the wake of any eventuality or challenges. She said that the Government had decided to celebrate this day as National Service Broadcasting Day to commemorate the only visit of Mahatma Gandhi to All India Radio on 12th November, 1947.
This day, Mahatma Gandhi, who could not make his visit to the camps of refugees from Pakistan in Kurukshera, addressed them from AIR. Mahatma Gandhi appreciated the significance of AIR and its service to the people who live in far-flung areas. By celebrating this day in a very traditional manner, All India Radio re-dedicates itself for public service broadcasting, she said.
Also present on the occasion were, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Ramesh Bais, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pawan Chopra and CEO, Prasar Bharati K.S.Sarma.-keralamonitor.com
National Public Service Broadcasting Day Celebrated
The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Smt. Sushma Swaraj speaking at the inauguration of the ' National Public Service Broadcasting Day' celebration function organised by the Broadcasting Engineering Society (India), in New Delhi on November 12, 2002 (Tuesday)..
Union Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Ananth Kumar has appealed to the Prime Minister to convene an all party meeting to impress upon the political parties on the need to empower urban local bodies as per the recommendations of 74th amendment of the Constitution. He was addressing Mayors from various parts of the country, here today. Kumar also emphasised on the need for the National Development Council to deliberate on the issue and arrive at a consensus on empowering urban local bodies with adequate administrative and financial powers and sought the help of Minister of State in PMO, Vijay Goel to convene these meetings during this winter session.
Speaking on the occasion MOS (PMO), Vijay Goel expressed concern over the plight of urban local bodies and advised all political parties in city corporation to arrive at a consensus on the need to empower these bodies as per the provision of 74th amendment of the Constitution and pass a unanimous resolution to that effect. He requested Urban Development Minister to take the initiative and send the proposal to the Prime Minister immediately so that a decision can be taken at the earliest. Goel indicated his support for creating Mayors-in-Council system in the capital and also said that the term of office of Mayors is too short for them to function effectively.
Ananthkumar announced that his ministry would co-sponsor the forthcoming SAARC Mayors Conference at Indore.-keralamonitor.com
Mahajan to provide Value Added Connectivity to tackle digital Divide
Bill Gates -Microsoft Contributes $1 Million to Media Lab
The Chairman of Microsoft Mr. Bill Gates meets the Uinon Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Communications and Information Technology Shri Pramod Mahajan in New Delhi on November 12, 2002 (Tuesday).
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Communications and Information Technology, Pramod Mahajan today met Mr. Bill Gates, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft. During the discussions, Mahajan outlined India’s Telecom&IT initiatives that had been undertaken in the last two years. He specifically highlighted the achievements that had taken place in the Basic, International Long Distance, National Long Distance and Internet sectors. The focus was also on the Government’s commitment to provide level playing field in the sector with the customer being regarded as the ‘King’. The Minister also apprised Mr. Gates of the efforts undertaken to tackle the Digital Divide. Both agreed that there was a similarity of purpose between the Department of IT and Microsoft in taking IT to the Masses.
During the discussions, Mahajan specifically touched upon the key programmes of the Government in the IT&Telecom sector. He specifically gave an indepth overview of the functioning of Media Lab Asia in India in the last one year. The Minister touched upon the key components of the initiative and said that it had evoked a popular response amongst IT corporates. As a result of the discussions on the issue, Mr. Gates agreed to contribute $1 million for Media Lab Asia. Appreciating this gesture, Mahajan said this initiative from Microsoft would attract other international IT corporates to participate in the Media Lab Asia programme.
The deliberations also focussed on the e-learning initiative in the country. As a result of the detailed discussions, Microsoft has also agreed to give $20 million for training the trainers in the e-learning programme, also known as ‘Shiksha’. Under this, 80,000 teachers and three and a half million students would be trained between a period of 3-5 years. The collaboration would be done in partnership with the Department of Information Technology.
Mahajan also explained in detail two specific Government initiatives namely, the Village Public Telephony (VPT) and the Community Information Centre (CIC) programme in the North-East. The Minister informed Mr. Gates that when he had come to India two years ago, the CIC programme had just begun as a Pilot Project and today, it was present in 487 blocks in the remote corners of the North-Eastern Region of the country. In this regard, he mentioned that it was through this programme that the Government had initiated the policy of providing value added connectivity to the people and hence tackle the problem of Digital Divide. The Minister gave an indepth view of how this facility had benefitted the people of North East India in being digitally connected with the rest of the country. He also gave an overview of the Village Public Telephone programme and explained how through appropriate measures, by the end of this year, there would be a telephone in every village of the country. In this context, he also touched upon the Village Mobile Telephone Programme.
The meeting also saw discussions on the role and relevance of language software in empowering the people. Mr. Gates acknowledged that during his last visit to India, he had taken the advice of the Minister to embark upon the local language software development programme. He specifically mentioned that they had been quite successful in this regard. The Minister also explained the initiatives of the Government in the e-Governance sector and specifically mentioned the ‘Bhoomi e-governance Project’ undertaken across the country.-keralamonitor.com
Keraka Govt stops promotions to HS teachers
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 12 - The State government had stopped the promotion procedure to the high school teachers working in plus two schools. The Plus two directorate who denied the promotions to the teachers explaining that they are yet to receive direction from the committee chaired by Principal Secretary of Administrative Reforms department on sanctioning new appointments.But the teachers said there is no need for the approval from the said committee on the promotion procedure. But teachers said there is no need of getting approval from the respective committee for promotions.
The High Court in an earlier decision asked the government that the appointment to the plus two should be done from the promotion list of the high school teachers. And government made about 60 appointments according to this order.
The teachers alleged that the officials made these appointments to escape from the contempt of court proceedings. The plus two directorate is now took a stand that promotions in future would be given only after getting approval from the government committee.
In government plus two schools about 1500 teachers post are vacant now. As these posts are not filled, the teaching in these courses is also in a mess. According to the norms 25% of the vacancies should be filled by giving promotion to high school teachers. The High Court banned any other ways to fill these vacancies including appointing guest lectures.-keralamonitor.com
Congress I Group MLAs to meet Chief Minister
Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 12 - The State Congress I group headed by veteran leader K Karunakaran is going ahead with its decision to meet Chief Minister A K Antony to complain against the police policy implemented in the state. K Karunakaran, MP, before leaving to New Delhi to attend a Lok Sabha committee meeting, said to his group leaders that the meeting date with CM would be fixed after his return. Karunakaran would return on Wednesday. Chief Minister has a public function at Kollam on Thursday and as President is coming to state on Sunday, CM would be busy with the making arrangements on Friday and Saturday. Due to these reasons the Congress I group MLAs could meet Chief Minister next week only.
It is learned that the I group leaders would call a meeting before the KPCC executive meeting on November 15. KPCC had called for the State leadership camp on November 27 and 28. the I group meeting that might conduct before November 15 would discuss to form a decision about the police policy. The leadership camp would be held at Kochi, and Congress national leaders Manmohan Singh, Ambika Soni, and Pranab Mukharji would attend the meeting. Chief Minister A K Antony would also participate in the meeting in which KPCC members, executive committee members, MLAs, MPs, DCC office bearers, and AICC members from the state would be the delegates.-keralamonitor.com
Indica Sales up by 35 per cent
Total sales up 34.6% Commercial Vehicle sales up 41.8% Indica sales up 35%
Tata Engineering reported a sale of 18837 vehicles in the domestic market in October 2002, an increase of 34.6% over 13996 vehicles sold in October 2001.November 11, 2002: The seven month period ending October 2002 saw a significant rise in sales volume to 111044 nos. as against 87598 nos. in the same period last year, an increase of 26.8%.
The Company sold 9914 commercial vehicles in October 2002, representing an increase of 41.8% over October 2001 sales and 10.9% over September ’02 sales. Total CV sales in the first seven months of the fiscal were 55512 nos., an increase of 33.4% over 41601 nos. sold in the same period last year.
M&HCV sales for the period April-October ’02 were 37958 nos., indicating a growth of 32.7% over the corresponding period last year. LCV sales for the same period stood at 17554 nos., an increase of 35.2% over the same period last year.
The Company registered a growth of 28% in October 2002 with a sale of 8923 vehicles in the domestic market. Cumulative sales for the first seven months of the year stood at 55532 nos. – a growth of 21% over the same period last fiscal. Indica grew by 35% in October ’02 with a sale of 7192 nos. in the domestic market, and at 42270 nos. for the fiscal is on a 29% growth rate. Utility vehicle sales grew by 5% at 1731 nos. in October ’02, and at 13262 nos. for the fiscal are growing at a marginal rate of 1%. keralamonitor.com
Microsoft and Samsung announce low-cost pocket PC concept design
Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Semiconductor Inc., a leader in system-on-a-chip technology, today announced the availability of a new Windows® Powered Pocket PC concept design that dramatically lowers costs and reduces product development time for mobile device OEMs and original device manufacturers (ODMs).
November 11, 2002, Redmond, Wash: The new design incorporates a Samsung ARM9-based S3C2410 application processor and Microsoft's powerful Pocket PC software and a 3.5-inch QVGA grayscale or color display. The Samsung application processor utilizes NAND Flash memory and includes a host of peripherals. To enhance multimedia functionality, multimedia card, SD and SDIO expansion card capabilities are incorporated into the concept design. The design sets a new standard for ultrasmall handheld devices with its 4.1-by-2.8-inch size and only 2.9-ounce weight (grayscale version)."The power of the Microsoft® Pocket PC software coupled with the performance and reliability of Samsung's application processor represents a paradigm shift in mobile device concept designs," said Dr. Yun Tae Lee, vice president of Samsung Electronics' Mobile Solution Project. "This ultralow-cost, maximized design gives consumer electronics OEMs and ODMs the ability to rapidly bring to market high-value, low-cost mobile computing solutions."
"Mobile device manufacturers can take advantage of fully optimized low-cost concept designs to bring their products to market quickly and at competitive price points," said Juha Christensen, corporate vice president for the Mobile Devices Division at Microsoft. "By collaborating with Samsung, we ensure a more rapid development process so that hardware manufacturers can include industry-leading multimedia and broader wireless functionality in computing devices such as Pocket PCs and smart phones."
By working with Microsoft on the concept design, Samsung has dramatically reduced the complexity of the solution and lowered costs to levels that will enable OEMs and ODMs to deliver substantially improved product offerings to the high-value, low-price segment of the PDA market. Microsoft's powerful Pocket PC software and Samsung's application processor give the reference design NAND Flash capability, highly efficient multimedia and gaming functionality, new peripherals, and broader wireless support.
Samsung Semiconductor Inc. is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Samsung Electronics is a mainstay of the global electronics industry. It is the world leader in DRAM memory, SRAM memory and TFT-LCD display products for industrial, mobile and desktop computing applications. Samsung Electronics is one of the world's largest semiconductor companies overall, with a full line of semiconductor products including Flash memory, microprocessor and custom ASIC components. Samsung Semiconductor Inc. is located in San Jose, Calif. More information can be found at www.usa.samsungsemi.com.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication and digital convergence technology. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 64,000 people in 89 offices in 47 countries. Samsung Electronics is the world's largest producer of memory chips, Smart Card Chips, Display Driver ICs, TFT-LCDs, CDMA mobile phones, monitors and VCRs. Samsung Electronics consists of four main business units: Digital Media Network, Device Solution Network, Telecommunication Network and Digital Appliance Network Businesses. For more information, please visit the Web site, samsungelectronics.com.
Microsoft Windows Powered Pocket PCs, the next-generation PDAs from Microsoft and industry partners, offer customers the best way to connect to their most essential information while away from their desk, yet are versatile enough to satisfy the personal needs of today's busy mobile consumer. Pocket PCs already include a broad range of native business, personal productivity and entertainment applications, yet can easily be expanded to adapt to each customer's changing needs through a continually growing number of industry-standard hardware and software options. More information about the new lineup of Pocket PC 2002-based devices is available at www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/pocketpc2002/default.asp -keralamonitor.com
IBM launches world's most powerful eight-way UNIX server and new POWER4+ processor
New IBM eServer Costs 65 Percent Less Than Comparable Sun Server.
November 11, 2002, Armonk, N.Y: IBM today introduced the world's most powerful eight-way UNIX® server, an affordable system that marks the debut of IBM's next-generation POWER4(tm) technology. Priced 65 percent less than a comparably-configured Sun 3800, the IBM eServer(tm) p650 brings the blazing performance and autonomic computing capabilities of the groundbreaking IBM eServer p690 to the midrange. The eServer p650 has already beat previous records for eight-way Web serving and Java(tm) application performance and beats a comparable Sun server on SAP performance in an Enterprise Resource Planning environment by nearly 50 percent.
The p650 is the first server to include IBM's newest 64-bit microprocessor, POWER4+(tm), which takes advantage of the most advanced 0.13 micron fabrication process and contains over 180 million transistors. This innovative technology yields a new generation of POWER4 chips that consumes a third less power per processor than the latest version of the Sun UltraSPARC III chip at identical frequencies. The POWER4+ chip is available in the p650 with 1.2 and 1.45 gigahertz."The p650 will revolutionize midrange servers the same way the p690 revolutionized the high end," said Adalio Sanchez, general manager, IBM eServer pSeries. "Providing customers with a competitive edge through computing performance and the newest POWER4+ microprocessor, the p650 offers uncompromising reliability, high-availability and scalability features leveraged from our award-winning, top-of-the-line IBM eServer p690. In addition, the new POWER4+ microprocessor is very attractively priced, making the p650 extremely affordable."
Goody's Family Clothing, Inc., a Knoxville, Tennessee-based retailer with 328 stores in eighteen states, will deploy two p650s to run inventory and sales data for merchandise management.
"Goody's processes a great deal of information on our servers - everything from prices to inventory - on a continuing basis. We need the best server available from a price-point perspective," said Ken Boyd, director of MIS Technical Services for Goody's Family Clothing. "IBM's p650 is exactly what we are looking for. It is part of scalable and reliable family of servers, and we believe it is going to save our company and employees a tremendous amount of time."
Economical Enterprise Computing
The p650 is a powerful and affordable midrange system ideal for running applications such as enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management and business intelligence at a wide range of organizations -- from small and medium size businesses to divisions of large enterprises, branch offices and e-businesses.In addition, the p650 offers unprecedented flexibility, with up to eight dynamic partitions. The p650 is designed to run the AIX 5L(tm) operating system, including Version 5.2, and, when available, Linux(R) simultaneously in separate partitions.
The Advantage of Linux on POWER
The IBM eServer p650 will offer native Linux support. Linux on IBM pSeries servers leverages many of the competitive advantages of eServer pSeries hardware while allowing organizations to utilize open, standards-based applications in a cost-effective Linux environment.IBM also plans to offer e-business infrastructure software that can run on the new Linux eServer pSeries systems, including WebSphere(R) Application Server, DB2 Universal Database(tm) and Tivoli(R) management software. Application development tools are planned to support the new platform, including a Web Services Development Kit which contains IBM's Java Virtual Machine (JVM) technology and 64-bit POWER enabled C/C++ and Fortran compilers.
Through its Linux Technology Center, IBM contributes key operating system features to the Linux open source community that can help improve flexibility, performance, scalability, reliability and bring Linux further into the enterprise. These open source features for use in Linux exploit pSeries systems management, clustering, Internet services and security.
Performance Champion
In key measures, the eServer p650 with AIX 5L is capable of processing over 80 percent more floating point calculations than Sun's V880 based on the Specfp2000 benchmark. And on a key SAP application, the eServer p650 performs nearly 50 percent better than the V880. Other highlights include:Number one eight-way Web server, beating HP in the SPECweb99 benchmark
Number one eight-way Java transaction performer in the SPECjbb2000 benchmark
Fastest 64-bit processor for integer calculations, according to the SPECint2000 benchmark
Number one eight-way in SPECfp_rate2000
Number one in eight-way SAP SD 2-tier performance
The IBM eServer p650 is competitively priced, starting at $29,995 for a 2-way configuration. Planned availability for the pSeries 650 is December 6, 2002.
-keralamonitor.com
Deal is first major contract awarded by China Netcom after China's telecom market restructuringParis, November 12, 2002 - Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA), the
world's largest telecom infrastructure provider, announced today that it
has been awarded a contract by China Netcom, one of China's two major fixed
line operators, to supply a new switching network that will enable the
operator to achieve nationwide coverage. The US$36 million contract was
won through Alcatel Shanghai Bell, Alcatel's flagship Chinese company.After execution of this contract, China Netcom will extend its coverage to
the whole of China for the first time since the restructuring of the
country's telecom sector earlier this year, and be in a position to enlarge
its business. This contract is also the first significant contract awarded
by China Netcom since the restructuring.Under the contract, Alcatel will provide its widely-deployed Alcatel 1000
Signaling Transfer Point and the latest version of its Alcatel 1000
Multimedia switching system, enabling very high configuration thanks to its
ATM-based switch fabric and direct interconnection to SDH transport
networks. China Netcom will build its new switching backbone network
covering 21 provinces in southern China. When operational by January 2003,
this network will allow full interoperability between China Netcom and
other service providers, a key to the realization of nationwide coverage.Dirk Bailliere, Asia Pacific Vice President of Alcatel's voice networking
activities, said, "We are proud to be chosen as China Netcom's partner to
help bring its high-quality telecom services nationwide. Alcatel is
committed to fostering the development of China's telecom market with our
professional expertise, global experience and leading-edge solutions. We
look forward to continued cooperation with advanced carriers such as China
Netcom, to support the sustained growth of the industry in one of the
biggest telecom markets in the world."Alcatel has been pioneering the development of China's switching market
since the early 1980s. With its market-leading switching solutions,
Alcatel now enjoys one-third share of China's switching market. In 2001,
Alcatel manufactured a total of 16 million switching lines in China.China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII) restructured China Telecom
in early 2002 to create China Telecom and China Netcom to compete with each
other. China Netcom absorbed the telecom assets in northern China, while
China Telecom retained those in the south. This contract enables China
Netcom to interconnect with other service providers in southern China to
provide competitive services, as well as continue servicing its current
customers there.The Alcatel 1000 S12 Signaling Transfer Point (STP) is used to construct a
reliable and powerful No. 7 Signaling Network that is a key component in
modern switching networks. The primary function of Alcatel 1000 S12 STP is
to route the No. 7 signaling messages throughout the full network. S12 STP
belongs to Alcatel 1000 S12 family of switching equipment, a fully
distributed architecture platform. Its overload control and advanced
system design makes the No.7 Signaling Network more reliable. With its
scalable configuration and convenient networking, the Alcatel 1000 S12 STP
can be a stand-alone STP or integrated, with the traditional applications
supporting voice services. -keralamonitor.com
