‘India’

In an effort to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, access to information and complete exclusion from resources, India has unveiled the new cheap tablet that is similar to an iPad touch screen mobile tablet. The government hopes to completely roll out the new tablet at around $35 in 2012.

Sceptics say that the Indian government has already attempted the launch of a similar cheap tablet for education not too long ago, but because of the price tag and subsequent quality, failed. According to them one can expect low quality screen resolution, minimal functionality and of course also exceptional slow speed when going with such cheap tablets.

One, however, must still acknowledge the effort by the Indian government to make information and Internet more accessible for the purpose of education. Such steps have already been taken in the USA with huge success and it is hoped that the South African government will also take initiative to ensure that school kids and students get their own iPad like tablets.

What Do the Indian Tablets Offer?

The developers have mentioned a range of functionalities such as complete web browsing support, word processing capabilities as well as video conference apps. The only drawback will be the speed of such tablets and it is hoped that the earlier failure two years ago will not be repeated. The best IT colleges have been involved in the development of the tablet to be released by the Indian government. At present the government is still looking for a reliable manufacturer to produce the mobile computer, although positive reaction from the private sector has shown tremendous promise.

Drawbacks of the Tablet

One of the main drawbacks of the tablet is the fact that it doesn’t have a hard drive.  Storage space and thus the loading of programmes can be a problem. With the large storage capacity of memory sticks it shouldn’t be a problem, provided the students don’t lose their flash disks, which is often a problem at educational facilities. Memory cards have replaced hard disks and with that then the problem of accidental loss of memory sticks has been solved, not that it would be any different for memory cards.

The upside of such is that you can easily upgrade storage space by just getting a larger capacity memory card for the device. You can also buy more cards and thus ensure that you can make backups of vital information.

Apple iPads Too Expensive

Apple’s iPad costs around $500, which makes it a bit too expensive for large scale roll-out and if the cheaper tablet reaches the market and fulfils in the basic computing needs, one can expect more governments to follow India’s example. This of course, can also mean that Google Android based tablets which are relatively cheap can be used in classrooms all over the world. If Apple wants to keep the lead, they will have to come up with a cheap tablet as well or drop their price, which will be highly unlikely.

Linux Operating System Used

Mr Sibal the Minister of Human Resource Development in India has explained that the operating system will be Linux, which will ensure that the price of the tablets can stay low. They still want to get the price lower. Although entering the market at around $35, the idea is to eventually drop the price to $20 and then to $10. This is where the plan may go wrong as certain things can simply not be so cheap and still compete with more functional products on the market according to sceptics. The India government has, however, already shown that they are wrong:

Positive Features of the Cheap Tablets

• Wi-Fi enabled
• Touch screen
• The screens are 7 inch in size
• Battery back-up
• Handheld devices and fully portable
• SD card
• Google Android 2.2. operating system based
• Storage space for up to 2 GB
• Upgradable storage space with memory cards
• 12 Month warranty

The Indian government is positive that this new roll-out will not be a repeat of the previous attempt to introduce a cheap laptop to the educational institutions of the country. Their key players are the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science.

Launch of Tablet in School Shows Probable Success

The fact that 500 school kids have already received the cheap tablet computers shows that the Indian government is serious. The success will thus depend on the functionality of the tablets. Manufacturers have responded positively on the Indian government search for manufacturing companies to help realize their dream. Datawind has already offered to produce tablets at $35 for the government subject to the placement of an order for one million tablets. The Indian government will then subsidize the laptops to ensure a lower cost to students.

The private sector has also indicated that they will get involved in subsidizing the units to ensure the realisation of the target price of $10 per tablet. At present the iPad from Apple holds the leading position in the market. Second to Apple is the Galaxy Tab from Samsung. The units can thus become something to stir lower prices overall.

Apart from the Datawind tablets improved web access, Internet access plans are also on the table.  The Indian government also plans the roll-out of Wi-Fi across board to ensure full Internet access throughout the country. This will be important for the schools and tertiary institutions located in the rural areas.

India Leads the Way

Although rather idealistic, it is a step in the right direction and one closely watched by other governments around the world.

India is indeed doing groundbreaking work in the field of information access and education for the masses through the tablet supply plan. One can just hope that the South African government will do the same for all the schools in the country and not only the Model D schools. This may definitely be the way forward, saving on paper, space and ensuring better access to information and computer applications for all. Such a bold step, if well executed, could ensure better education for all in Third World countries.

If you’re the proud owner of a BlackBerry, you would know that over the last couple of days major upset was caused around the world amongst the BlackBerry community with their smartphones being somewhat dysfunctional. Emails lost. No BlackBerry Messenger messages going through. Basically giving some of us a taste of what it would be like if we had a communication shut down…even if this was just a minor glitch in our social lives (both on- and offline).

The interruption in service was felt around the world, including in the Middle East, India, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Europe and of course South Africa, amongst others. Research in Motion (RIM), the company who manufactures BlackBerry, didn’t give any details as to what caused the problem in service in the first place – although the speculation is that one of their servers crashed – or how long users could expect to wait for a fully functional smartphone.

The RIM spokesperson did however say that they are working to restore normal service as quickly as possible, and that they apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Some of the South African service providers, such as Vodacom, did send messages to their BlackBerry users stating that “RIM (BlackBerry) has informed us that a ‘core switch failure’ has been fixed and they are working to restore normal service. Service delays are still likely.” Of course Vodacom hasn’t been the only mobile telecommunications company that has been affected in South Africa; MTN, Cell C, Heita and Virgin Mobile users have been struggling with this matter.

While many BlackBerry users have been using social sites such as Facebook and Twitter to vent their frustration, there have been at least some users who has taken it all in their stride and even opted for humour as a way to express themselves via tweets.

“It’s thoughtful of BlackBerry to honour Steve Jobs by having two days of silence,” said one tweet.

“Flight attendant just said to switch all our phones off, this includes all Blackberries… everyone chimes ‘don’t worry they keep themselves off’,” said another.”

Needless to say that RIM has been feeling the heat and has already lost some market share. iPhone and iPhone users especially has been turning up the heat, leading to remarks such as this from a disgruntled BlackBerry user:

“Ok, this BlackBerry thing is ridiculous now. And if I see one more tweet from a smug iPhone user…”

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Following the recent complete shutdown of the Internet in Egypt to curb political unrest, comes another ban on the use of Twitter. This time around the ban on Twitter seems a bit more legit. The ICC announced earlier this week that players will be prohibited from using Twitter during matches at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The Cricket World Cup will be co-hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri-Lanka and will run from February 19 to the 2^nd of April 2011.

The ICC has decided to ban Tweeting by players and officials while playing matches to curb down on corruption involved. The risk of match fixing, which is associated with the large illegal betting network in India, is hoped to be minimized. Although one may not gamble in India, reports of wide spread betting on matches between Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, and South Africa have made the rounds. To keep the game clean and minimize the possibility of a match official or player being lured into fixing a game while their team is playing, a total ban on the use of Twitter seems in order. The ICC has said that the ban is not on Twitter as such, but rather on the use of Twitter during games.

The call is not unfound since the Australian team manager; Steve Bernard is a regular tweeter during matches. The officials don’t even want a hint of match fixing or involvement in any bets by staff or players during the Cricket World Cup. Many players are known as regular tweeters and as such the concern by the ICC is not unjustified. Tweeting will still be allowed by players when their teams are not playing.

How Powerful Is Twitter?

The social media networks have been in the news on numerous occasions during the past two or three years and it is reported that Facebook has officially gained more visitors on one day earlier in this week than Google. Although not all Internet users have the same search skills and many don’t even use online banking and ecommerce facilities, they do use Facebook and Twitter extensively. It has become the gossip vine, just faster and perhaps also a bit more truthful.

The people of Egypt used Twitter to communicate with their friends and the world about events in Egypt and to air their dismay with the government. Twitter as a communication medium has proven to be rather effective in getting the attention of the Egypt government and the world. It has also been used in alleged match fixing and sport corruption. The immediate communication to large groups of people does seem to have an extreme amount of power. The ICC officials have thus made their choice based on past events involving Twitter and as such their decision is certainly justified.

Twitter Links South Africa To The World Cup Cricket Games

With not that many South Africans able to attend the World Cup Cricket games, Twitter will be a useful link to the events as they happen. The South Africans that will attend, will also be able to keep South African fans at home updated not only in terms of the matches, but also any interesting events during their stay in any of the host countries.

Twitter will thus be our link to the outside world. Just as powerful as Facebook can be, so is the immediate communication through Twitter. South Africans will be able to follow their team and ensure that they don’t miss anything of importance by following the Tweeters.

Is The Hype About Twitter Worth It?

With Twitter becoming the next hot trend in social connectivity, just about everyone and every event can now be followed. Just a quick search on the Internet regarding Twitter for Sport is needed to realise exactly how big the application has become. Twitter ensures full engagement of the crowds, to engagement of fans at home, joining of fans into a community, and it widens the sport audience. It is an inexpensive method of communication, which also spans all geographical boundaries.

ICC Website

South Africans that want updates and more information about various aspects of the World Cup 2011, will be glad to know that the ICC has a rather user-friendly website, packed with up to date information. The site which can be visited at http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net loads fast and features an easy to navigate menu linking to pages on the latest cricket news, match zone area which includes important ICC events, and a specific section on events where users can locate information on the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup.

The ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup page is the page to visit if you want schedules of players and games, updates on scores, want to buy tickets, go mobile for cricket allowing you to get scores during the match, videos, games, and an online shop. With the website the ICC makes it possible for fans worldwide to stay up to date with the events at the World Cup in real-time. If you want to learn more about the teams, simply navigate to the Team section for a complete breakdown of all the teams, details about the players, rankings and top scorers. South Africans can also find information on upcoming matches and matches already played.

Gone are the days of having to wait for TV reporting and news articles to know what will happen at major events. The Internet has truly brought sport into the homes of fans world-wide. Fans can even get all the information on the go by connecting mobile. Even though the games will be played thousands of kilometres from home, the interactivity and communication brought about through the ICC website, in conjunction with usage of Twitter and Facebook enables fans to be participants in the events.

What Will The Implication Be Of A Twitter Ban During Games?

Fortunately players and staff who are not immediately involved in a game will still be able to tweet ensuring that the latest application in social networking can still be used to communicate with fans and the sport community. As such other than preventing game corruption and game fixing to suit bests, fans will still be able to use Twitter to the fullest.