Of Anna and Arrington: Two Famous Persons Who Have Launched New Blogsthe Last Week |

While one has been a messiah of many Indians for the last two months or so, the other has been a messiah for bloggers and startup enthusiasts across the world.

Here are two people who have launched new blogs, and have given their identity a new presence online:

Anna Hazare:

The India Against Corruption movement has seen for the first time online media, and especially social media sites being used to inspire the people to join it. While the buzz was started on Twitter, it later caught Facebook too and we all knew of the happenings whenever Anna took a decision regarding fasting or going to jail. There were so many unofficial Facebook pages of Anna Hazare coming up now and then. Here‘s what Facebook shows when I search for ‘Anna Hazare’.

Anna and his team have now realised that it’s time for the real Anna to have official Facebook and Twitter presence – not to forget Google+. Also, to stay connected with his supporters Anna Hazare and team launched a new blog in English and Marathi where he has also thanked Aung San Su Ki, the iconic Myanmar’s people leader for her support to India’s fight against corruption.

Here’s the screenshot of Anna Hazare’s post on his blog telling people to join him on Google+ (as Anna Hazare Says), Facebook, and Twitter.

Flaw with Anna’s Facebook Page

The Facebook page listed on the blog surely needs a bit of correction. The link given there is not of a page but of a Facebook profile by the name of ‘Anna Hazare Says’.

Anyway, it seems that the team behind Anna’s online presence still needs to understand the nuances of Facebook. I also feel that this should have been done long before – when the movement was strong, and doing it now won’t be of much help.

Michael Arrington:

If you don’t know Michael Arrington, you don’t know the man behind TechCrunch. If you have ever seen that site, perhaps the first blog to cover news on technology and startups in the world, then you’d know that a certain stocky guy was behind it. Now, Michael who left TechCrunch after some issues with its owners AOL, to whom he had sold the blog, has started a new blog by the name of Uncrunched.

Ouch! What a name to choose! Uncrunched is currently home to Michael’s ramblings and according to this post, he’ll be doing what he does best – write about startups and news on Uncrunched. Also, he’d be managing his ventrue firm CrunchFund and investing in startups.

Uncrunched was launched on 23rd September and in a week’s time has spiralled on the Alexa ranks onto 57030 at the time of writing this post. I do not know whether Mike plans to compete with TechCrunch with it or not, but as an Arrington fan am loving it at the moment.

Mobile Marketing (Games and Apps), Advertising and India's Role in theMobile Industry [Analysis] |

Mobile Gaming in India is on a high like never before. A recent report said, In the Top 10 countries accounting for 83 per cent of the total downloads, India contributed 52 per cent.  The count is expected to rise further. Gaming is no more just aimed as a source of fun and leisure for the user – marketing through mobile gaming is the latest trend that has picked up steadily in the recent past.

A number of underlying factors contribute to this growth –

• The evolving mobile technology environment: Better and faster wireless networks: We had 2G and now we have 3G. Even 4G is coming in India by the next year.
• More advanced and easy-to-use handsets are enhancing the user experience.
• Features such as touchscreens, 3D capabilities and online interactivity allow content developers to improve games

The year 2008 kick-started the advent of advertisers in the mobile gaming world and the trend has been on the rise ever since. According to a recent report by Gartner, mobile ad revenue in the world is forecasted to reach $3.3 billion in 2011, more than doubling the $1.6 billion generated in 2010.

The reason for this is obvious; the penetration of cell phones has taken all of us by storm. In India it is higher when compared to personal computers; hence more people are likely to get their first gaming experience on a cell phone. Moreover, a large proportion of youth is keen to try out new games.

• Cellular service providers such as Vodafone and Reliance had capitalized on the popularity of mobile gaming in order to attract more subscribers by offering games for download through their websites.
• Companies like Reebok exploited the mobile gaming advertising arena with its game Zigtech, developed to promote the company’s ZigTech brand of trainers. The game was localised to suit the Indian market with features like a TV commercial showing the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) and wallpapers with Reebok brand ambassadors from India.
• On similar lines, MRM Worldwide, the global digital advertising company has recently launched a first of its kind, interactive mobile technology based game for their client Lufthansa German Airlines. The game uses the player’s phone and giant LED screens to create a real life experience of taxiing the world’s largest commercial aircraft into its hangar. Players simply have to dial in from their mobile phones to turn their keypad into a control panel that then manoeuvres the Lufthansa A380.

The above games, all launched by global organisations are aimed at marketing their brands to the consumer. They help support the company’s overall marketing campaign is a clever way, and are especially a hit if the game turns out to be simple and fun to play.

India with its strong IT sector should also have a strong role to play in the mobile apps and games industry. It has great potential to become an attractive destination for outsourcing of game development activities. It can capitalize on its strong reputation for outsourcing of IT/ITES services in this regard. But India will have to compete with South Korea and Taiwan whose talent pool is greater than that of India with regard to game development. Privacy, copyright issues and lack of skilled developers would be major roadblocks.

P.S. – Can we not do better than just outsourcing? I think we can. We can be world leaders in mobile development. On seeing the quality and usefulness of Indian apps like Taazza, SMSGyan, and SMS Blocker, I feel we are headed in the right way.

Cisco Cius : Android Tablet for enterprises Launched in India |

Catching up on the tablet craze, Cisco has launched the Cius, an Android 2.2 (Froyo) powered 7-in tablet primarily meant for enterprise use. Cius, a first-of-its-kind mobile collaboration business tablet delivers virtual desktop integration, with anywhere anytime access to the full range of Cisco collaboration and communication applications, including HD video.

The product features include :

1. Weighing just 1.15lbs (0.52kg) it includes Wi-Fi , 4G data, and Bluetooth to help employees stay connected while mobile.
2. Intel Atom Processor and Android-based mobile collaboration platform.
3. Front-mounted 720p HD camera refreshing at up to 30 frames per second; a seven inch, high-resolution widescreen super VGA touch-target display, 5-megapixel rear facing camera.
4. Virtual Experience Infrastructure (VXI) thin-client integration enables highly secure access to cloud-based business applications.
5. Cisco AppHQ delivers access to secure transformative business-process applications.
6. Collaboration applications include Cisco Quad, Cisco Jabber, and Cisco Unified Presence as well as integrated, one-click access to Cisco WebEx Meeting Center.
7. Detachable and serviceable eight-hour battery for a full day of work.
8. Highly secure remote connections with Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client.

Talking about the tablet, Tony Bates, senior vice president and general manager, enterprise, commercial and small business, Cisco, said:

“Cisco Cius epitomizes how the network is changing the way we live, work, learn and play. This platform can transform how healthcare professionals advance patient care; how retailers deliver service experiences to consumers, or how universities deliver world-class education to their students. Best of all, Cisco Cius offers IT functions a way to dramatically lower the cost-per-user of provisioning those new experiences.”

Cisco has revealed pricing for the Cius to be around $750, although an introductory promotion could drop it down to $700.

Our Take

Cisco’s primary competition being the Apple iPad, the company intelligently made Cius specifically for the enterprise crowd and is not promoting it as a tablet for any and every purpose. It’s targeted at professional markets and enhanced for their use. Another interesting point was Cisco’s very own AppHQ app store and Manager.

Unlike an app store like those for Apple’s iTunes, these services will provide developers an opportunity to publish apps designed specifically for enterprises and the Manager will allow IT managers of an enterprise to setup a custom ‘store’ with apps that are custom made for the enterprise and easy for employs to download and use.