Nokia: Looking Ahead

In what appears to be one of the most dramatic moves in its history, Nokia, the mobile phone Finnish giant, has made a deal with Microsoft regarding extensive use of Windows Phone 7 on its mobile devices. While this may come as no surprise to many, for fans of the company though this development is quite a shock.

Nokia has been a bleeding company for quite sometime now, recording diminishing marketshare especially in the high end of the smartphone spectrum. A few days back Stephen Elop in a memo to his company employees openly admitted as having no device till date which could match the iPhone experience. That very frankly set the tone for things to come. It became quite apparent that the once largest mobile company was really in decline and needed some strong partnership to help bolster sales and reputation.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SYMBIAN AND DEVELOPERS:

For one, Nokia has announced that it will concentrate on Windows Mobile as its primary mobile OS. Now that clearly spells out the doom for Symbian, the ageing OS which has been the cornerstone for Nokia's success in the pre-touchscreen age. Nokia had till recently advocated the use of Qt among its developers to bridge the platform divide that affects it. However this recent shift in strategy will surely come as a shock to the hundreds of independent developers working on that platform. And the repercussions have already started showing. Thousands of  Nokia employees staged a walkout yesterday at Helsinki. Expect more episodes like this to hog the headlines in the next few weeks.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR MICROSOFT:

First and foremost this means gaining legitimacy as a viable and robust mobile platform. Windows Mobile 7 hasn't really seen much of developer adoption and hasn't really attracted much consumer attention either. Now that the largest manufacturer of mobile phones on the planet has chosen their platform as their primary one will please everyone in the Microsoft campus. Microsoft wont feel alienated anymore when it comes to mobiles.

Secondly, Microsoft will now have access to a huge market base across the world. Nokia is massively popular in Asia and quite formidable still in Europe even though it has a non existent presence in the US. This means a lot of market share for Windows Mobile, currently one of the least used platforms.

No one can deny the fact that Nokia has forever produced brilliantly engineered hardware. Its the software part that has often bothered the company. Now with Nokia lending its support to Microsoft, it will have a better chance of attracting consumers, especially since none of the Windows Mobile Phones have exceptionally outstanding technical specs.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR NOKIA:

This without a doubt is a huge loss of face for Nokia. It has now practically admitted that its incapable of competing with the current market leaders Apple and Android and that billions of dollars it spent on creating a platform which would become a viable third alternative was a huge mistake. To be frank, it has basically admitted that its developers are incapable of producing world class softwares. Now if that isn't the biggest embarrassment for a company, I don't know what is!

Apart from this massive setback though, there are a few positives for the company. First, it now has almost stopped itself from going into oblivion. Nokia has assured itself a future in the mobile arena. It may not be as bright as its past but it surely exists.

Nokia will now have access to the US market thanks to Microsoft's presence and the relative 'popularity' of Windows Mobiles in the US compared to Symbian. Nokia could also benefit from Microsoft's other brand names like Xbox etc.

Now you might wonder why I havent talked about Windows Mobile platform as being an advantage in the first place. Well thats mainly because once you browse through the Windows Phone 7 (WP7) interface, you might actually end up regretting the loss of Symbian. Multitasking on WP7 is nearly not as elegant as in Symbian or the iPhone or Android. The menu system is immensely user-unfriendly to say the least. And the home screen in short, is disastrous (I would anyday prefer the widgetised interface of Symbian). However not everything in WP7 is a failure. The browser is beautiful. Much better than the web browser on Symbian and much more organised. The applications look and feel much better on WP7 than on Symbian (well most apps on Symbian do get the job done, but interface wise are very very basic). There are a few other advantages as well, but not really something which would make someone fall in love with WP7.

In conclusion, this has been a huge week for Nokia. It now has to rebuild its brand from scratch. All over again. Although this may seem like an uphill (read next to impossible) task, there may just be light at the end of the tunnel.

India promoting piracy

*WARNING! I am in a foul mood. Dont read this post if you are looking for elegant words to add to your vocabulary. You might end up adding the wrong sort.*

Yeah, you didnt misread the title. An influential moronic imbecile organisation which calls itself "International Intellectual Property Alliance" aka "We are the biggest morons on the planet" which is an umbrella group of RIAA and MPAA has requested with the US Trade Representative to consider countries like Indonesia, Brazil and India for its "Special 301 watchlist" because they use open source software.

And what exactly is the "Special 301 watchlist"? It's a report that examines the "adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights" around the planet - effectively the list of countries that the US government considers enemies of capitalism. It often gets wheeled out as a form of trading pressure - often around pharmaceuticals and counterfeited goods - to try and force governments to change their behaviours. In other words, this International Intellectual Property Alliance wants to force users in India, Brazil and Indonesia to shell out thousands of rupees (dollars etc.) to buy the insanely priced OSes. In other words, this organisation wants computer users in these countries to stay ignorant of anything 'computer' if they cannot afford to shell out loads of money to get a paid OS, when you can get perfectly awesome legally free OSes like Ubuntu. And gimme a break "enemies of capitalism"? WTF! I honestly didnt know educated people in the 21st century were this stupid.

Now if you arent familiar with open source OSes, let me give you an intro. Open source OSes are mostly free OSes which allow you to access to the source codes of programs which allows you to change its settings/features without having to ask for permission. Most probably you are already using open source softwares like Firefox, Thunderbird, VLC Media Player. Ubuntu is the most popular and most user friendly free open source OS. And most importantly you can use these OSes legally for free. Tagging open source users as pirates is the most outrageous statement of the century, as open source softwares and OSes comply with every regulation and patent laws that have been put in place.

Anyway, I think the Indian government should come out more openly and strongly in support of open source OSes and encourage its use. Open source OSes give users the right to access a computer and the internet even if they dont have the capability or more importantly the want to purchase a paid OS like Microsoft Windows and Mac OSX. In countries like Brazil, Indonesia and India where there's a large number of people living in poverty stricken conditions, open source OSes are the only way to make people familiar with computers. And some people with their vile motives like this organisation, see this as a threat to the business of their home grown OS giants like Windows.

I have no words to describe this shocking development. I hope better sense prevails.

(If you arent using an open source OS, I strongly suggest you do so now, as a protest against these stupid organisations. The best open source OS in my opinion is Ubuntu. You can download it (for free, legally of course) from here)

The italicised portions have been quoted from the Guardian UK Technology Blog

Apple...to bite or not to

Image via WikipediaThis is a post which comes from the bottom of my heart. I havent planned it, and I'm kind of typing it out as the thoughts start coming in. But this is something which I feel should be discussed and people should take a stance either for or against it.

What I'm talking about is Apple. Not the delicious fruit which keeps the doctor away, but the equally 'delicious' multinational corporation leading the pack in creating some of the most stunning (and yes, I mean that word) products the world has ever seen. The iPod, Mac, iPhone and now the talk of the town the iPad, all created by this magic company headed by the charismatic Steve Jobs. These folks have handed us some of the coolest of products imaginable, almost as if fulfilling our childhood fantasies of playing around with some of the coolest gadgets. That is possible primarily because of the fact that they dont have to depend on other corporations/companies for their stuff. They are in control of every stage of the process of creating that stunning device, starting with the hardware, the design to the software and its nitty-gritties. These guys have the power over it all, and they do an awesome job, totally utilising this 'control' to their advantage. They also have this super tight lipped culture where nothing about anything really, gets leaked to the outside world, which of course, adds to the hype. As a result what we as consumers get are totally out of the box products never even imagined by other companies, and so revolutionary that it changes the landscape of technology overnight! As a direct consequence of that, Apple today is one of the biggest mobile companies in the world, with revenue rivalling that of giants like Nokia. And I'm quite sure that in no time, the Mac will compete with Windows for the more popular OS tag (the more stylish OS award has already been won by the Mac). Awesome corporation Apple, isnt it? Of course it is.

The thing is, however, inspite of all this glamour and glitz and hype about everything Apple, there is something the company is creating. Its making the technological world more 'closed'. There's a certain way Apple OSes/softwares are designed and the consumers are meant to use it as Apple deems fit. In other words, Apple controls the way we experience its products. I'll just give you an example. Say there's a minor glitch/absence of a particular feature in an Apple software, now what do you do then? At the most, you send a feedback to Apple and expect them to take care of it (erm...leaving the problem totally at their disposal which most of the time ends up in the company releasing a new improved version of the product leaving you with no other option but to spend your moolah all over again in getting that improved product), since no one else can because Apple doesnt wish to release the source code (in lay man's terms that means instructions about how a program performs/functions). But what if there's a really good software developer willing to do that rectification/debugging of that software and add some more features to it for free! If you could, would you hand it over to that guy? I dont know about your answer but I would. But Apple wouldnt want us to hand it over to that guy simply because it means that the company loses control over the product.

This is exactly how closed source and open source softwares (and corporations as well) function. The situation described above is not something which might bother you now, but trust me, this will become a bigger issue every time pro-closed source corporations (eg. Microsoft, Apple, etc.) keep coming up with these awesome products. These products are seriously cool devices in the guise of something else...something different, something meant to steer the technological world in a particular direction favourable for the particular company.

Dont get me wrong, I'm not anti-Apple. I honestly believe the world would be a duller place to live in without the blessings of Apple and its products (and I am a fan of the iPhone and Mac). But I certainly dont like the way Apple resists from releasing a single letter of the source code of its OSes. I wont talk about Microsoft Windows, because already there is a significant number of people who are 'tired of' that OS and want to/have already shifted to Mac and Linux. And that number certainly isnt decreasing. However Apple already has an awesome user-friendly OS which is both secure, stable and easy to use (the former two cannot be applied to Windows). In other words, Mac is a better all round OS than Windows (and is destined for greater success, perhaps of titanic proportions if they let developers across the world help them in their endeavour). Who knows, had Apple gone open-source, the Mac would have been the OS on 97% of computers across the planet today and not the other way round.

The Piratebay Showdown

Image via WikipediaThis is undoubtedly the hottest topic amongst many users of torrent sites across the world. Piratebay.org, one of most prolific and popular torrent portals on the internet is being sued into legal waters by many gaming companies, movie studios, etc. for promoting and helping piracy. The three musketeers of Piratebay are as always undeterred even though the preliminary court ruling has gone against them.

The Piratebay trial is not just a trial anymore, its a revolutionary episode which is going to redefine we view the term "copyright". I was watching a business programme on CNN and Richard Quest put up some convincing pro-copyright arguments. It is true that the software engineers who dedicate their heart and soul to make a software or an OS deserve to get paid handsomely. However, it is also true that unless a released product becomes widespread, there's no way its going to be a success. Microsoft Windows is such a popular OS only because, like it or not its the most available one! And perhaps the most easy to access, every other person has the CD and its very tempting for many to simply make multiple copies of that for personal usage.

Now, we talk about bridging the Digital Divide in many countries and then we release some of the really expensive softwares and OS, expecting people from even the poorest families to buy them. Needless to say, an absurd expectation and a very flawed concept altogether. Softwares should have revised rates for every single country they want them to get released after taking into account the present per capita income and buying power of the people. Some may argue, that is too complicated a process to be followed. Hell yes! No one claimed that releasing a software was a matter of joke and its time companies started realising that. There's no point charging one universal rate for a software throughout the world, irrespective of the financial abilities of poeple. Unless such steps are taken, "patching" of softwares or applying doctored serial keys will continue to be the most popular way of using softwares for millions around the planet.

Like it or not, in the 21st century file sharing has become one of the most favourite pastimes of netizens. And the thought that the entire thing is "supposed to be" illegal doesnt cross the mind of most people, simply because there are so many out there doing it! Now, many people even have problems with the term "copyright". They argue, if anyone's releasing anything on the internet, he/she has a responsibility of making it available to each and every person who wants to use it. After all, the internet is virtually a free platform. Convincing argument? Hmm....maybe not. But food for thought, definitely.

It is however true, that using the internet's enormous ability to reach out to millions is forcing politicians (remember Obama's campaign? Using free alternatives such as Twitter etc. was a revolutionary idea itself!), musicians and of course some authors as well to release their views, albums and ebooks on the net itself. Let us consider a scenario where albums are released by a musician for free over the internet for the fans. The obvious question is how is the musician supposed to get the revenue for it? The obvious answer is advertising of course! How to do, when to do that, etc. are questions whose answers can be figured out in due course. If a company like Google can support itself mostly on adverts, why cant the others?

Finally, does it all boil down to something sinister? Are the companies tring to bring in the extra bucks just by suing a torrent portal? Are they trying to send out a message to those millions who are still using torrents across the world, irrespective of caste, creed, race, and sometimes across all financial and social segments? Is it after all, all about the moolah? Is the distribution and popularity of a software the last thing on the minds of many, compared to the money earned from it ? Tough questions...but one cant argue with one point, till date a whole range of movies, softwares, albums, etc. are only popular because of the existance of the file sharing network. Whether its illegal, whether its ethical and whether its causing substantial damages to a company are questions whose answers will be debated everywhere.

Image source : www.thepiratebay.org

Isn't It Time For Microsoft To Make Windows Free?

Image via CrunchBase

Let's face it, Microsoft Windows was, still is and maybe will be for the next decade or so, the most popular operating system. However, the steep prices of most of the softwares published by Microsoft, often makes it impossible for people in various spheres of life to go and buy those original packaged stuff. As a result, many people prefer to take the easier way out, i.e. resort to piracy. Personally, I don't blame people who are forced into the realms of piracy by the sometimes so obnoxious attitude of the company. What if someone wants to do something useful to the society and needs a PC with a decent operating system on it?

I know what the stereotyped arguments against what I just said would be. What about the respect a programmer deserves? What about the royalty a company and the programmer deserves? What about the copyright?

Yes, you're absolutely right in asking these questions. The programmers lend every bit of their brilliant minds into making some of the best softwares and operating systems for us and we deserve to pay them their dues. Also, the company which has worked so hard to put together these wonderful minds deserve their share of profits too to survive in this competitive economy.

But are all profit making "free-software" companies bankrupt? Are the employees working in those companies broke? I don't think so.

Let me place an example. Many of you might have guessed which company I'm thinking of. Yes, one of the biggest producers of free softwares and icon when it comes to marketing and making softwares available to the common man...Google.

Can any of us deny the fact that inspite of being a company making some of the intriguing but free softwares, Google has transformed the field of free stuff? I don't think anyone can.

And to be frank, I don't agree with people who say Google makes programs which are not essential for us.Some of the best softwares on offer these days are from Google, and its latest venture, Google Chrome, has already captured the imagination of users with its amazingly futuristic sleek design. Of course, Google is not the only company dealing with free softwares. Mozilla producing arguably the best browser available today, Firefox, offers all its softwares for free. And I'm sure its doing quite well...

So, how does then one pay the programmers if everything is up for free downloads? Well, its simple. Squeeze in some adverts and relevent additional info and if the program become popular, it'll be enough to cater to most of the expenses of the company. It may also provide some premium services as well, to garner some extra bucks.

Coming back to Microsoft, it could sell its older OS for a cheap amount, or if I may dare say so, even for free...

Maybe it could make two versions of its newer operating systems, one with ads priced lower than another version without ads. That way, the company would be able to earn a decent profit and also be of substantial help to the society and it could drastically reduce piracy as well.

The choice lies with us. We only have to recognise it...

(Image source : http://download.cnet.com/i/bto/20070529/linux_windows.jpg)