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There are 10 new posts in "WATBlog.com - Web, Advertising and Technology Blog in India" EXCLUSIVE: Indiatimes Launches QnA Platform.. A Year Later Than Everyone Else!You are reading it first here: Indiatimes has launched a QnA sites at qna.indiatimes.com. This site is still not linked from the indiatimes homepage just yet but it seems complete and should be linked soon. The Indiatimes launch comes more than a year later than competitors rediff and yahoo who had launched qna and answers products way back in 2006-2007. Even Ibibo had launched sawaal in 2007 and sawaalpro recently. NDTV also had a tie up with ammas.com to to launch NDTV Answers. We had suggested recently that better than a QnA model would be a model like Digg Dialogg which was launched recently. But one has to agree that in the last 2 days Indiatimes is on a roll with the new launches be it mobile centric or now web! Though one look at the QnA site and there is nothing new to write home about other than its a normal QnA site and there is nothing much to set it apart in terms of features besides the indiatimes brand. We had criticized Indiatimes recently on the launch of hotclix a digg clone which came too late. Given another me too product in QnA one has to question whether all indiatimes can do is make bad clones of existing successful web platforms and that too almost years later than others who seem to have copied it? Well hope someone in Indiatimes is listening because sooner or later all these products will come under scrutiny for their engagement metrics and hopefully by then they will have decent numbers borrowed from their mother site indiatimes.com to show the reason behind these multiple clones being launched.
Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Top 5 Must Have Browser Addons For Firefox 3!Well I just discovered the addons on firefox 3 as i have been busy doing a lot of other things offlate. But after discovering the addons I said to myself “Damn this makes life super easy!” atleast if you are as active a web user as I am. So here are my top 5 addons which I though were the must have.. and that you should add to your Firefox 3 browser asap: 1) Facebook Toolbar - Facebook is the world’s hottest social network right now and with most of your friends on facebook there has to be an easier way to be logged on to facebook even when you are doing other tasks like reading email or googling stuff. Well the facebook toolbar does exactly that once its downloaded as an add on for firefox 3 browser. With more than 36,497 weekly downloads its easily one of the popular add ons for firefox. It is also on the recommeded list by firefox. So what does this toolbar provide? Its provides the following: 1) Ability to check Pokes, Friend requests, Messages and Group invitations by the click of a button 2) Ability to Search facebook from the toolbar itself 3) Ability to set status message from the browser toolbar itself 4) Share any link with facebook friends with the click of a button 5) Check facebook mini feed from the browser itself 2) TwitterFox - Along with facebook if you are a social media enthusiast or in the online space or want to connect with the early adoptors in India then you would surely have to use twitter. Twitter is a tool which we have blogged about many times on WATBlog but twitterfox which is a firefox addon bring twitter updates and ability to tweet when you want right to your browser. So what does twitterfox provide? 1) Ability to follow, send, reply tweets 2) Ability to track and send messages and replies 3) Multi twitter account sign ins 3) Wizz RSS Reader - Has google reader been giving you problems of loading on a slow connection? Well it does to me! But I have had a tough time trying to find another reader solution which works as well. But about time I found this new addon for the browser known as Wizz Rss 3.0. This works beautifully with the Firefox 3 browser and sits nicely on the left panel while you browse the regular stuff. And the whenever you want to read just click on the rss feed you want to read and it still shows the updates in the sidebar till you click on the actual post/story you want to read and it opens that in the browser instantly So what does Wizz Rss 3.0 provide? 1) Ability to add/import feeds (You can import opml file from your google reader) 2) Ability to search in feeds 3) Ability to save specific feed items 4) Ability to create a watch list of feed items 4) Shareaholic - Social bookmarking via your browser is what Shareaholic is all about. So digging, delicious’ing and stumbling stuff just got easier via your browser. This tool also has sharing for facebook, myspace and twitter as well. So what does Shareaholic provide? 1) Ability to bookmark on digg, delicious, stumbleupon, mixx and other bookmarking sites 2) Ability to share on facebook, twitter and myspace 3) Ability to email any page to a friend 5) Read it later - Have you ever come across an excellent article at a time when you are suppose to make that all important presentation? Well we usually skip the article and then forget its url! if we have a little more time then we may be lucky enough to bookmark it. But what if there is very little time and you could not only bookmark the article but create a reading list? Well thats what the read it later addon does for you it helps to by just a tick beside the url add the url to your read it later list which can be access anytime from your browser. And it doesn’t end there you can save it online as well on readitlaterlist.com and access it from any other browser as well later. So what does Readitlater provide? 1) Ability to tag posts by just ticking them as read it later 2) Ability to save the same posts online 3) All time access to your reading list Hope you enjoyed this post and if you haven’t already then you would surely try Firefox 3 and these addons after reading this post. Do give us your feedback as well if there are any other addons that you feel are cool as well. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Shyam Tele Goes Pan India: Gets Spectrum for All India Roll OutIn a major step up Shyam Telecom is said to have got Pan India spectrum to launch mobile services. This is a huge feather in the cap the Sistema controlled for Shyam Tele which now becomes only the third player in market to have a Pan India spectrum. They have been allotted spectrum in the CDMA platform. Among the new crop of mobile telecom players, Shyam is perhaps the first and only player to have a nationwide reach with this announcement. They already had spectrum for 12 circles : Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (East) Uttar Pradesh (West), Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, North-East, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir, before they added Maharahtra and Kerala a while back to the list. With this annoucnement, Shyam Tele has bagged licences for 21 circles. They were already operating in Rajasthan under the brand Rainbow before this spectrum allocation, and has a good 200,000 subscribers there. The move is a major landmark for Russian owned Sistema. They are also reportedly looking at increasing their stake in Shyam to 74% and plans to finance its investments by utilising money under the Rupee-Rouble debt agreement between India and Russia. With the recent interest global telcos are showing inthe growing Indian market, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Now perhaps, the point to ponder would be if Reliance entering the GSM market while still holding the CDMA lines that it almost monopolized with some interesting strategies, have any bearing on Shyam Tele’s plans. Will the shift in focus be beneficial for Shyam or make matters tougher since it only has CDMA license. While that is a regular competitive and business strategy question, which they will have to deal with in any case, I think Shyam Tele has the capacity to create a major impact in the mobile service industry. They have been recording strong performances and garnering a good name with their Telecom services and equipment business since quite a while now and if this news is anything to go by, they certainly have the wherewithals to get things done as well. Perhaps a good point for investors to note. Speaking of the mobile industry, tomorrow is IAMAI’s mobile VAS conference. Given the buzz surrounding the space lately it sure has to be a cracker of an event. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Digital TV Watchers Spend More Time In Front of TVA report by the television rating agency TAM says that the viewers of digital TV spend more time watching Television than those having analogue TV. Digital TV includes DTH and the Conditional Access System (CAS). TAM data shows that digital TV watchers also watch more number of channels compared to the analogue TV audience. 186 minutes, compared to 150 minutes. Covering approximately 70,000 homes, the study was carried out during April 2006-end-2007. The study was done in two phases. Very interestingly, the number of digital TVs is more in rural India than in urban India. As much as 3 times higher. The results of the study clearly demonstrate the rising inclination of the Indians towards digital TV. Superior picture quality, clear sound and easier payment structure have been a few factors which have supported the adoption of the digital Television. The market is yet in its nascent stage. Recently, Reliance launched its DTH service, BIG TV, and now, Bharti is planning to enter the market soon. This makes it a total of six DTH players in the Indian market. Along with this, there are also plans of launching IPTV. Reliance might launch IPTV by the year-end. MTNL is already giving IPTV service in Mumbai and Delhi. Seems like the Indian TV audience has come of age. With better delivery technology, I hope something this revolutionary can be done on the content side, too. Or is it too much to ask for? Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult In-Game Advertising, The Next Biggest Gold Mine in Town!
India has a history of the kind of mentality that suggests “playing games” as a realm of “kids only”. I still remember the times when I used to review games for one of the leading technology magazines in the country. My folks used to wonder what kind of company would care to pay me for playing games. Even today, when I spend hours playing DotA online, I get frowned upon. I am sure, such a story ain’t too uncommon in most of the households. However, how do you make people believe that the average age of today’s Indian gamer is 28 years and 61% of all console players are above 18 years of age? (Stats Source : Express Computer Online) This is hardly the age that one might call adolescence. Rather, this is the age that actually influences a family’s purchases and is also a young, bachelor bread winner who does not mind splurging a few extra bucks on branded consumer goods. So, it comes as no rocket science that today’s brands and advertising agencies are eyeing the video gaming industry is the latest prospective arena for advertising and increasing brand awareness. The usage of computer and video games as a medium to deliver advertising isn’t too new a concept, though. One of the first such advertisements was implemented in a 1978 computer game called AdventureLand. A game called Zool had also designed a whole new set of levels in a “Sweet World”, showcasing various candies by Chupa Chups, a Spanish lollipop company. In 2005, 56 million US Dollars got invested on in-game advertising, a figure that is expected to rise up to 1.8 billion US Dollars by 2010. With purchase prices of popular computer games like World of WarCraft (Rs 2,749) and Crysis (Rs 2,349) threatening to hit the roof, increased sponsorship for such games just might translate into a little landslide in those prices. Well, for the hardcore enthusiasts, such prices just might sound pretty cheap but have you ever stopped and wondered how many games you must have actually played, till date? Now try translating the cost prices of all of them and then one might start wondering how much those games would have cost us if we bought each and every one of them. (Yes, I admit even I have played pirated versions of quite a few of them.) Moreover, how many parents would ever buy a “video game” for their kids that cost 2 grand upwards, each? What adds to the woe is the fact that fast, reliable and cheap internet connectivity, with unlimited data plans (phew!) is still a luxury in most Indian homes. With so many conditions to fulfill, true MMO gaming is still a boon for the blessed.
Reaction to in-game advertising from the industry has generally been positive. With more people chucking the idiot box in favor for the intelligent one (read: internet-enabled devices), it makes more sense to gradually make a foray into new media. Moreover, integrating dynamic advertising into video game environments gives brands a measured lift in consumer awareness and opinion of the products players see during game play.
The gaming industry sees in-game advertising as a very promising revenue stream. Some developers believe that the extra revenue will reduce the risk involved in a game development project, allowing them to experiment with more innovative game-play and new ideas. Publishers see this revenue stream as a way to offset growing game development costs, which are estimated to rise up to $20 million per title for a 7th generation console. Today, a lot of gaming titles get released in many parts of the world, with a few localized releases too. The flexibility of dynamic advertising only increases the scope to fit for any demographic.
Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Events Update: Google Developer Day, IndiaGoogle has announced the Google Developer Day in to be held in Bangalore on 18-October-2008. The event is free to attend by anyone and is intended for software developers and students. The event will focus on Google API in specific and web applications in general. Prasad Ram, head of engineering and R&D at Google India said, “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be a web developer, with so many powerful APIs, open distribution platforms, and development tools becoming available for easy and often free consumption. As a community, developers are shaping the future of the web, putting foundations in place now that future generations of users won’t be able to imagine living without. Google’s developer events are a place for developers to celebrate this moment, collaborate with each other, and learn about faster and better paths to successful web applications and a better web.” Google engineers will give live demonstration of many technologies developed at Google. The session will include hands on practical as well as theoretical sessions in web applications by Google engineers. Involving budding enthusiasts and engineering students with a company’s development platform is a good thing. The strategy has been successfully been used by Microsoft in the past, who has been constantly organizing events like this to lend support to the developer community focused on its platform. The web though is much more open. And we do have a large influx of enthusiasts / students who want to do some interesting web application programming, rather than the plain C/C++ code-writing, most of the engineering colleges force them to do. I strongly suggest any developer in Bangalore to attend the meet. We would me more than happy if you would like to share your experience with us. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Global Telcos Come Calling as Indian Mobile Market Grows
It shouldn’t come to you as a surprise that the Indian Mobile Market is growing at an alarming rate, with the total mobile subscriber base almost touching the 300 million mark. We’ve been covering the industry’s every move here on WATBlog as it happens and as your may know, everyone is eagerly anticipating the launch of 3G services in the country. With the opening of received bids set to take place on September 22nd, 2008, all eyes are set to any word coming from the Department of Telecom (DoT). Not just the Indians, but even Global Telecom Companies are eyeing the Indian Mobile Market. Wanting to cash in on the 3G wave that is set to wash away the country in the coming months, Qualcomm, one of the leading mobile chipset makers has said that it is in talks with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and other mobile vendors to launch 3G enabled smartphones in the Indian market. Although there are various companies offering an array of options to the consumers already, Qualcomm is eyeing the entry-level smartphone market by introducing affordable phones with a price-tag of Rs. 10,000 or less. VP and Country Manager of Qualcomm, speaking to PTI, said that the company would work with OEM partners to make smartphones a mass-use product. Presently, the company has tie-ups with various OEMs including ZTE, Huawei, LG, Samsung, HTC. ZTE is also eyeing the Indian market with plans to launch self-branded handsets of their own. But is high cost of handsets really the major issue here? I think not. Nokia, inarguably, is the dominant handset manufacturer in India. Along with Sony Ericsson, it holds majority of the phones available in the Indian market today. Unlike Apple, which has severely crippled the iPhone, Most of the newer phones from these companies are highly feature-rich, a majority of which come 3G enabled. Any average user, who is looking forward to prepare himself for the 3G era, will go in for a manufacturer that has been trusted over the years, than someone like this. Moreover, it still isn’t certain what the rentals and data plan charges would be like when 3G finally arrives. For the average Indian mobile subscriber, the data plan charges currently charged by their providers are already high. Every telecom company is set to put in high amounts of investment in order to win the 3G license for the Indian telecom circles. I’m finding it hard to predict the rentals that would be charged by the telecom companies for 3G services. What the Indian telecom market really needs, in that case, in competition. The government recently issued licenses to several new mobile service providers to provide their services in the country including Reliance, Datacom Solutions, S-Tel etc. Apparently, realizing the potential growth possibilities in the country, Telenor, the 7th largest telecom company in the world is planning a foray into the Indian telecom industry. Business Standard reports that a high-level team from Norway was in the country recently to talk to the present GSM-license holders for possible majority stakes. Telenor already has its presence in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand among the Asian countries with a total subscriber base of over 143 million. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Intel Plans Atom-Based Rs.5000 Desktop. Good For India
Atom was an important announcement from Intel, back in March. The possibility of a chip, based on the same architecture as the desktop computers could have meant a new era in cross platform applications altogether. When announced, Atom was thought of powering the mobile internet devices (MID). The chips can however also be used in low-cost computing devices. And that’s exactly what Intel has done now. According to reports, Intel will be selling desktops, based on Atom, for Rs.5000. Rs.5000 is the perfect price point for what can be termed as low-cost computers. Back in 2002, I used to read, with interest efforts for designing a low-cost computer for the Indian rural market. The cheapest one, then made the magazine Chip, was priced at Rs.12,000. I always felt, anything more than Rs.6,000 will be too expensive to be put in the low-cost computer category. Rs.5000 seems like a good entry point for rural population who are aware of the benefits of the digital technology and are ready to accept the digital age. Rural Indians sure have a fancy for the machines. That much can be seen from the crowds gathered around the computer stalls in various malls. Also, many of the youngsters have been dabbling in few softwares from some time now. Computer Training Centres are a common sight in Indian villages. All these machines are assembled. At times, even second hand. The softwares, needless to say, are all pirated. If the price can be brought down to Rs.5000, I visualize two things happening rapidly. a.) Mass adoption of computers in India. And I mean, on an extremely large scale. And b.) Coming up of new services and a new economy altogether, that revolves around digital products, but has this huge-scale, low-price rural population as the target point. I hope the machines get delivered soon. I am waiting to review one of these machines. And also to witness how a major part of our population manages it. What do you think of the Intel announcement? Further, any thoughts about low cost computing in India, in general? It’s a big business in India. Okay, possibly a big business. There are many initiatives going around this already. Would love to see comments from our readers. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult A Busy Weekend at Indiatimes: Launches Local Search, ARBT and Group SMS Services for Mobile UsersIndiatimes had a busy couple of days if their latest announcements are anything to go by. Singing the same tune as we did here at WATBlog on Friday, when the air was filled with more mobile industry stories than any other, Indiatimes has launched three mobile enabled services catering to different needs and projecting different business streams that mobiles are capable of. I guess this only adds to our assertion that mobile is moving ahead and moving ahead big. So what are the big news?To go with their earlier launch MocoLife, a group SMS service that also offers content based on subscription, Indiatimes has launched local search on WAP and SMS. To add to these user services they have also added Ad RBT service (Advertising Ring back Tone) through Adringles for their advertisers to make the most of. Local Search on WAP and SMSFirst up the local search service on WAP and SMS. The service can be accessed via Indiatimes' wap site or by sending "ASK Ad Ringback Tone58888 might just be the smartest thing Indiatimes ever did compared to all other digital media initiatives from their stable. Indiatimes will use its 58888 base to promote their latest service Ad Ringback Tones. The idea is obvious form the name, much like caller tunes, you will now have ads (or branded messages) ringing in your ears. They have created Adringles.com where advertisers can register and upload their advertisements once the site becomes fully functional. Mobile operators can then use the uploaded ad-tones and pass it on to the subscribers. Advertisers can use this for lead generation and perhaps brand awareness. The system works in a way that, if the listener is interested in the service they can push a button (zero in this case) and continue with the call. The response if any would be recorded and the advertiser can get back to the user after the call is ended through an sms or related service. Advertisers will be charged for this service, and revenue will be shared between Indiatimes and Mobile Operators. The data excuse for the potential of this service comes from the number that suggests 30% of the 300 million odd subscribers in India use caller tune services. What I don’t personally understand is how they have equated songs with advertising? As of now I don’t understand the benefit the subscriber would get out of opting for this service. It is a genuine query that I have been having since long. If somebody is receiving exposure because my friend called me, he listens to it and is now an informed individual, the mobile operator gets paid and the advertiser gets a lead and all this is happening on my cell phone. Why am I not getting a part of the money floating around through my phone?
This is not to judge the service in anyway, but I doubt if anyone would want to opt for a advertising in place of a ring tone. Obviously even if it is bundled with caller tune facility, hearing ad jingles or sales pitches is an irritating topic for many. And we don’t even get paid for any of this. And this isn’t anything new I am suggesting, advertising has proliferated on the web this way since quite some time now. Something for Mobile VAS players to consider I guess. GroupSMS servicesThe third in line for attention is Mocolife. Mocolife is a website which allows its members to send free or paid group SMSes, and a lot of VAS like ringtone downloads, mobile updates, SMS reminder services, etc. They plan to offer their free services through advertising at the footer of the message sent. Obviously, there is a lot more value add going on with Mocolife compared to someone like an SMSGupshup which is still just a group SMS platform. And add to this the power Times guys have in terms of media and reach and Mocolife is already a huge player to contend with in the market. In addition to the mobile trilogy above in terms of Mobile VAS, Indiatimes have also launched m.timesofindia.com and m.economictimes.com to complete the family photograph. Hail mobile all, its time is now. Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult Google India Targets Engineering and MBA Colleges, Launches Got the “App”titude ChallengeThe Google Apps suite, which has been around for a couple of years now, is by far the most popular free application suite used by individuals and bloggers alike, globally. From the house of Google, Google Apps Suite is a collection of free to use tools that let you use and offer Google’s services, although using your own domain name. The services that are available as a part of the Google Apps suite include E-mail, Chat, Docs, Webpage creator, Calendar etc. It is very easy to set up, and lets you offer these services under your own brand name (For eg: username@yourdomainaname.com) It seems that Google India has cranked up the gears and are trying to bring as many users as possible under company’s umbrella. After the recent tie-up with Sify, that will enable Sify to offer Email and Chat by using the Google Apps Suite, Google India is now targeting the Engineering and MBA colleges in the country by announcing the launch of the ‘Got the “App”titude Challenge‘. As a part of the challenge, Google is encouraging the students, faculty members or alumni leaders from any of the engineering or MBA colleges in the country to implement Google Apps within their colleges and encourage its usage. Interested? You can go ahead and sign up for the challenge before September 15th, 2008. You will then need to get an approval from your college’s administration on or before October 15th, 2008 and successfully implement it by December 15th, 2008. Google has laid down 3 simple objectives for the challenge 1. Convince the decision makers in your college to use Google Apps. 2. Implement Google Apps in your college. 3. Ensure that everyone in your college is using Google Apps Of course, as it’s with most competitions, this one has prizes too. All participating teams that successfully implement the Apps suite in their college receive
Also, the team that achieves the highest level of Google Apps usage at their college will receive:
There’s also a bonus prize in store for a few lucky ones. It is interesting to see Google encourage the use of Web-apps among technical institutions. I have seen a few students make use of Google Docs to collaborate on group assignments and projects. Use of Google Apps will only facilitate collaboration on a much wider scale. Obviously, the administrator has every power to control what services are offered. What is sad, is the fact that the challenge is open only for the Engineering and MBA colleges. Why can’t other colleges implement Google Apps? Related PostsAlso check out Our Jobsite: WATJob Our Video Show: WATShow Our Gaming Blog: WATGame Our Consulting: WATConsult More Recent Articles
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IndianTelevision
Have you ever read about new destinations and new cuisines in novels and then actually trying them out in real life while making a comparison of the actual feeling with the image that you had in mind? Video games also opens up huge doors to travels and tourism wherein states and countries and ask the developers to create scenarios based in certain locations. This, not only, helps in improving the game play by making it more realistic, it also creates interest in the gamer’s psyche and might, in turn, help in boosting sales too. I am sure no one has ever thought about boosting up travels and tourism revenue with the help of in-game advertising, what say?
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