Digit 20091201 Scan06 Online Campaigns

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If we offer some product and service, we want to get the word out. Mostly we want that only those who might be genuinely interested should get to know. We are also interested in controlling the rate of interest generation to match the rate of production. If more people get interested than we can handle, the demand with suffer. Similarly if not enough people get interested, the supply would suffer.

The advantage of online campaigns is that these are more targetable and more measurable than advertising campaigns in traditional mediums. Because they are more fine tunable, they are usually more cost effective too. While most online campaigns used to focus on placements in various high traffic websites (clicks or impressions) and in search engines (organic or inorganic), there is a growing realization that one way communication might not be cutting it anymore.

First with blogs and then with presence in social networking sites, businesses are appreciating the value of direct interaction with their customers.

Digit 20091201 Scan05 Zero1 Awards Laptops LCD

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Awards are a double edged sword. They can guide us to the right products but only if our requirements are more or less like those of the target consumers. The problem is we don't know for what sort of a consumer did a product win the award. To complicate matters further, the selection process may not have been altogether very scientific.

Best would be to first survey the options, then create a short list, then see if some of the options have been endorsed by those in the know. Also keep a tab on after sales service because even though electronics have become so reliable, a bit of mishandling or some spike in voltage can cause a lot of trouble. In general, we should stick with established brands for better third party support and resale value.

In notebooks, HP-Compaq, Dell, Lenovo, Sony and Apple are the premium brands with Acer, Toshiba, HCL, Zenith handling the volume end. Asus, Benq, Samsung and LG are the newcomers.

Among LCD monitors, a new trend is the Monitor-TV combo. Benq MK2432 (24", Rs 17,000) and LG M237WA (23", Rs 16,000) are notable combos with FullHD resolution. The Samsung P2370HD is not available in India yet.

Digit 20091201 Scan04 Online TV and Movies

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Cable had all but killed the movie rentals business. The spread of DTH however may revive it because DTH platforms cannot be used to show pirated movies and their pay per view channels do not exactly carry the latest flicks. But then the latest movies aren't released on DVDs either.

Another factor that is helping movie rentals is the proliferation of the Internet. Depending on bandwidth, a website can offer just catalogs or catalogs plus downloads or even catalogs plus downloads plus streaming. With websites however, the problem is how to ensure legality. Sites such as BigFlix, MovieMart and SeventyMM are completely legal. Others may not be so. Another aspect is brick and mortar presence. For instance, in high demand areas, it becomes feasible to set up franchisees as with the BigFlix chain of stores, which makes the transactions a bit less cumbersome.

Digit 20091201 Scan03 Blu-ray in India

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The red laser used to read DVDs has a wavelength of 650nm. The costlier blue laser used to read Blu-ray discs has a wavelength of 405nm but thanks to better tracking, the track pitch on a Blu-ray disc is only 320nm compared to 740nm on a DVD. For this reason, a Blu-ray disc can hold about 5 times more data (25GB) than a DVD. A dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold 50GB of data (over 9 hours of HD video). The format has support for even more layers so for instance, Pioneer's 16 layer Blu-ray disc holds upto 400GB of data.

There are basically three ways to do Blu-ray. A dedicated player, a Sony PS3 console, or a computer with Blu-ray drive. If we reach price parity with the West in an year's time then the dedicated player (Sony BDP S350) we pay 20,000 Rupees for today might be available for more like 10,000 Rupees next year. The Sony PS3 console would retain most of its value because it is first and foremost a game console (and a mighty fine one at that). Similarly a PC or laptop would also retain its value because it is a primarily a computer. That said, a Blu-ray writer (Sony BWU-300S) actually costs more than a dedicated player. A Blu-Ray reader (Sony BC-5100S or Asus BC-1205PT) however, is priced around Rs 12,000. Here again, price parity with the West would cause these drives to cost half as much as they do now.

Digit 20091201 Scan02 Mobile Entertainment

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With the explosion in mobile subscriptions, we are seeing a commensurate increase in revenues of value added service providers. In my opinion, the value in value added services depends on how closed the system really is. If I am free to select my voice or data plan (as with an unlocked phone) and if my phone is smart enough to run browsers and visit various websites, most mobile VAS companies would find it difficult to earn anything out of me. It is because most phones have limited capabilities do we have to pay through our nose for so many "value added services" that are otherwise so plentiful and free on the Net. Which is not to say that all value added services are based on exploiting such limitations, some are both genuine and worthwhile.

Digit 20091201 Scan01 DVD Contents

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Digit December 2009 was a Collector's Edition with 3 Dual Layer DVDs. There were tons of customization options and software for mobile phones. What is ironic perhaps is that the Mindware DVD carried a warning: replacing the shell might throw up false positives. Magazine DVDs are so well checked for malware that most people don't even bother to scan them. Sadly on this particular DVD, one of the Foobar skins (Old n Style, I think) was indeed infected.

Marie Claire 20091201 Scan06 Aamby Valley City

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I love the expanse of that wooden deck and the intricate placement of those huts. Aamby Valley City is spread over ten thousand acres in the Sahayadri mountain range. It is a planned self-contained city with 5 star amenities and ambiance. It is situated about 120 km from Mumbai and is a great weekend getaway.

Marie Claire 20091201 Scan05 LG Vacuum Cleaner

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An allergic reaction is an overactive or misdirected immune response to a foreign substance. Dust mites are the bane of urban existence causing all sorts of allergies. We shed about 1.5 grams of skin flakes everyday, enough to feed almost a million mites. They thrive in mattresses, quilts and pillows due to the moisture generated by human breathing and perspiration. Sunning and beating the bedding would help but it is neither very effective nor very convenient. LG's Sani Punch vacuum cleaner punches the surface 50 times a second to suck out even the minutest of allergens and dust particles.

Marie Claire 20091201 Scan04 Asin Thottumkal

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Asin has nearly flawless facial features. The eyes, nose and especially the mouth have come out lovely. My only gripe (apart from the slight over-exposure) is with the hairline being too monotonous. Some sort of parting would have helped. Another way to break the monotony could have been some kind of subtle streaking or even just some hair pin or head band.

Marie Claire 20091201 Scan03 Kareena Kapoor

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I love snaps where the subject is looking away. Specifically, I love candid snaps of people in deep thought with a serious expression oblivious of what is happening around them. Here Kareena is somewhat is that sort of a state. Though the hair is a bit unmanaged and the legs are a bit awkward, the dress is nice with fabric contrast in the top (satin). The broad V neck also lends character.