Microsoft Planning Touch-Enabled Smartwatch?

You may already have a Windows phone or tablet, but what would you say about running your favorite applications on a highly wearable Windows device, such as a wristwatch? As the market for gadgets you can actually wear is expanding, Microsoft is reportedly looking to build a touch-enabled smartwatch.
The reports are yet unconfirmed, but it would make sense for the software giant to follow in the footsteps of its rivals which have announced similar plans. Apple, Samsung, LG and even Google are already working on developing such wearable gadgets.

Microsoft is rumored to have asked Asian suppliers to provide the necessary components for such a smartwatch earlier this year. The company is reportedly looking at using a 1.5 inch display for the device. However, it is yet unclear whether Microsoft will move ahead with the project. The company’s previous attempt to launch into the wearable gadgets market, by manufacturing a similar wristwatch device about ten years ago, resulted in failure when sales stopped in 2008.
Either way, there is a growing demand for wearable gadgets and one way or another, a smartwatch could actually be released on the market in the next couple of years, no matter who the manufacturer is. As smartphones are becoming bigger, people will be looking for smaller devices that have the same function but are more easy to carry around.
Smartwatches are however unlikely to function as independent computerized devices in the immediate future. They are more likely to be used in sync with smartphones and other devices instead of replacing them, at least at first.

 A smartwatch from Microsoft could, for instance, allow you to connect wirelessly to your Windows devices and receive alerts about incoming emails, Twitter posts or phone calls, practically complementing the gadgets you are already using every day.  Additional features could be added, such as allowing you to send text messages and take pictures. This would make the smart wristwatch a very useful gadget to have, offering wearers higher accessibility and portability than the current handheld devices.

Folding USB Solar Cells: Sun Power in Your Pocket..

Does your phone have the nagging habit of dying on you when you need it most? Would you like to make sure none of your favorite gadgets will run out of juice ever again? With the folding USB solar cells kit, you can take solar power with you wherever you go and tap into it whenever you need to.

We’re constantly told solar power, like other forms of renewable energy, is very expensive and complicated, but that needn’t be the case. The new easy to use, fold out solar USB charging system from Brown Dog Gadgets is an affordable and highly practical solution.


More power
The manufacturers have been designing and selling USB solar kits for a couple of years, but the new fold out system is more powerful, as it contains three small solar cells that output directly to an USB. The standard USB port allows the device to be used to power up all sorts of gadgets.
The solar cell kit will be available in three different models, based on the power output. The smallest will be the 5-Watt model which developers claim can power up an iPhone in about three hours. The 7-Watt model provides faster charging speeds and can power up your phone in just two hours. And the 10-Watt array produces enough power to charge your iPad.
But unlike previous USB solar kits from, these new fold out packages come with power banks in three sizes – 2600mAh, 500mAh and 10,000mAh – allowing you to power up your gadgets during the night as well. The power banks store energy either from the solar cells or any other USB source and are highly portable, functioning as batteries independently of the solar cells.
What makes the folding USB solar cell kit unique is the fact that it can be used in absolutely any setting, offering a low-cost power solution. Its simple, light design makes it possible to use at home, but also when you go camping, by hanging it on your backpack, on the tent or in a tree. The kit is also an extremely useful thing to have in case of emergency, as it can be used to power your phone or a flashlight when no other alternatives are available.

Robotic Valet: The Future of Parking

These days robots are a lot more than just interesting characters in a science fiction film. Current models able to perform numerous tasks such as serving as cooks and waiters in a restaurant, and even vacuum and  wash windows.

Automated Parking System

Boomerang’s Automated Parking System provides a way to store vehicles without needed assistance from humans, while maximizing storage space and cutting energy cost. The system is an innovative structure equipped with the company’s specially designed Rack and Rail System, which works hand in hand with the Robotic Valet to maneuvers the automobiles around the garage.

How it works

Drivers will pull their car into a parking bay that will place their vehicle into a large steel tray. Then the Robotic Valet, a large flat vehicular device, takes over from there. The robot, that is capable of lifting up to 7000 lbs., slides under the car and lifts it 2 inches the garage floor, and moves it to an available parking space by following a buried wire in the floor. Instead of needing to build ramps, the system moves the cars to upper levels by a lift. Also, there is no need for ventilation or light within the parking area, since all of the driving and parking is automated. When drivers are ready to retrieve their car, they can use their smartphone to alert the system.

Space Saver

The garages use AGV (automated guided vehicle) technology, and a full range of motion rack and rail system. This allows for higher density parking within the facility and the ability to park vehicles with the accuracy of quarter-inch. This system could bring value to real estate development projects and a more efficient parking solution in urban areas, considering that the system is only consuming approximately half the space of conventional parking garages.

Woudl you let a robot park your car?

Apple is Still the Most Admired Company

It’s probably no surprise that Apple has once again snagged the top position in Fortune’s recently released list of the Top 50 World’s Most Admired Companies.  This is the sixth year in a row that Apple has managed to grab the top honor.  They managed to top both Google and Amazon, which came in second and third, respectively. The decision is voted on by a group of  3,800 executives and directors.

Apple was the clear choice for the number one position, despite experiencing its share of problems this year, including the failure of its Maps feature and problems with its stock price. Apple’s successes far outweighed any problems they may have weathered. Fortune called the company a “financial juggernaut” and reported that they posted $13 billion in net income last quarter, which made it the most profitable company in the world during that period. They also stated that, “The company has its fanatical customer base, and it still refuses to compete on price, making the iconic iPhone and iPad products that are still widely seen as prestige devices.”
Although the list is an international list of companies, American companies hold the top 13 positions.  Other companies in the top five include both Coca Cola and Starbucks. Some have questioned the list, due to the scarcity of non-American companies in the top positions. Google was rated the second best company due to its being rated the most attractive place to work. Fortune also stated that Google grabbed the second place due to the expectations for Android OS to overtake Apple’s iOS as the number one mobile operating system in both the United States and Canada.  Moreover, they stated that Google Play is also expected to move ahead of the App Store with the total amount of apps for both mobile and tablet.

‘Narayana Murthy and Infosys'

The case study ‘Narayana Murthy and Infosys' describes how Narayana Murthy, set up India's leading software company - Infosys. Narayana Murthy turned a small software development venture that he had set up with his friends in 1981, into one of the leading companies of the country. Infosys grew rapidly throughout the 1990s Narayana Murthy distributed the company's profits among the employees through a stock-option program, and adopted the best corporate governance practices. All this earned him praise and respect. In 1999, the company became the first Indian firm to be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. In 2000, Infosys was poised to become a true global company.By 2000, Infosys' market capitalization reached Rs.11 billion and by 2001, Infosys was one of the biggest exporters of software from India. Narayana Murthy had built an organization that was respected across the country, with very strong systems, high ethical values and a nurturing working atmosphere.In February 2001, Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys) was voted as the Best Managed Company in Asia in the Information Technology sector, in leading financial magazine Euromoney's Fifth Annual Survey of Best Managed Companies in Asia.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
With his sound management skills, Narayana Murthy seemed to have taken Infosys to the pinnacle of success with the following key success factors :
 1. Leadership team : The leadership team needs to balance vision with practical experience. In most cases, a technology start-up will have a visionary and/or a technical genius (most often, these are the founders) in place from day one. However, all to often, the leadership team is not rounded out by people who actually know how to run a business and how to drive sales. Building a strong balanced team can be one of the trickier aspects of creating a successful start-up because it necessarily requires the visionary and the technical genius (founders) to admit their practical shortcomings and give up some of the control of the business. The idea behind a start-up is often somebody's "baby" and, quite naturally, they want to control every aspect of its development. Once you move these people away from micromanaging the business, the start-up begins to have a chance.

2. Well-conceived business plan :  This is an area where the practical experience of a well-rounded leadership team gives the start-up a leg up. The business plan needs to be practical and detailed. The business plan provides the blueprint for the growth of the company. Perhaps more importantly, the business plan is how you demonstrate the viability of the business to third party investors.

3. A strong product : It is a given that the product needs to be special – something that will differentiate itself from the universe of competing products - but there are other important factors. Ideally, the product will be one that can be protected by patent. If the products cannot be protected by a patent, then the start-up has to be positioned to capitalize on being the first to market. Absent patent protection, being the first to market and capturing as much market share as you can before the copy-cats arrive is the next best thing. The product needs to have a ready market meaning that there is a market for it and that either there is no real competition or that the product allows the company to differentiate itself from the competition.

4. Scalability : The scalability of the business may not be critical to the success of every business, but it is critical to drive a start-up to a large scale business. In other words, if the goal is to become a large, valuable company, scalability is key. However, if the goal is a little less lofty, then scalability is a little less important.

5. Adequate capital :. Without adequate capital, the business will struggle. Perhaps the business will have phenomenal sales, but be unable to deliver the product. Or, the business may build the product, but lack the cash to adequately market it. Or the business will be unable to attract the leadership team it needs and the team it has is diluted to ineffectiveness. Or, the business is unable to capitalize on its "first-to-market" status. While it is true that the management team for a start-up has to be versatile and willing to wear different hats, a capital-starved start-up can force the dilution of the management team to the point of everything being done poorly. Quite obviously, in many cases, the luxury of having adequate capital does not exist from day one. Finding the capital in a timely way can be very difficult. The more that can be done to address the other four points, the easier it will be to find capital.

Launch of Infosys
Narayana Murthy obtained his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Mysore in 1967 and his Master's degree in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1969. He started his career as head of the computer centre at IIM, Ahmedabad.In 1972, he went to Paris where he was part of the team that designed a 400-terminal, real-time operating system for handling air cargo for Charles De Gaulle airport. Narayana Murthy was a left-wing activist and mingled with French communists during his stay in Paris but his outlook changed while traveling around Europe. He believed that the only way to pull India out of poverty was to create more jobs, by setting up new companies.In 1975, he returned to India and joined Systems Research Institute, Pune,(Maharashtra). He then headed Patni Computer Systems Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, (Maharashtra) before founding Infosys in 1981, along with six other professionals.


The Strategist

From the beginning, Narayana Murthy focused on the world's most challenging market - the US. He had two reasons for this. First, there was no market for software in India at the time. He believed that Indian software companies should export products in which they had a competitive advantage.In 1987, Infosys entered into a joint venture with Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), a leading global management consultancy firm. KSA-Infosys was the first Indo-American joint venture in the US.


People Management

Analysts felt that one factor which helped Infosys to grow at a faster pace than others was the low employee turnover.The turnover rate at Infosys was around 11% as opposed to industry average for software companies' of over 25% during the 1990s.Infosys' retention capability was a function both of its rigorous selection procedures as well as proactive HRD practices. About 80% of the middle and senior level executives were promoted from within the organization...
    
Corporate Governance and Infosys

Analysts felt that Infosys became one of the most respected companies in India, through its corporate governance practices, which were better than those of many other companies in India. Narayana Murthy's move to adhere to the best global practices was driven by his vision to become a global player. Infosys adopted the stringent US Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) many years before other companies in India did...


Leaders in the Making
 Narayana Murthy set up a Leadership Institute in Mysore, India, to manage the future growth of Infosys. The institute aimed at preparing Infosys employees to face the complexities of a rapidly changing marketplace and to bring about a change in work culture by instilling leadership qualities.
I would like to end with a comment from Sri Narayana Murthy: He said, “It is our vision at Infosys, to create world-class leaders who will be at the forefront of business and technology in today's competitive marketplace...
This has been at the forefront of their corporate culture !!!