Author
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
Another day, another robot. It seems like not a day passes without someone demonstrating a startling robotic technology. That, together with the increasing capability of machines and algorithms, is making it obvious that machines are threatening to take way the jobs that people have done all along. It’s been known for many decades that the future of work, with technology getting smarter, is going to mean the loss of jobs. But abruptly, this future has begun to get uncomfortably close. Mala BhargavaGoogle, Uber, Tesla and even Apple (it is rumoured) are working towards making driverless cars. That’s frightening enough in itself, for many people, but if it were to work as envisaged, just imagine the millions and millions of drivers who would lose their jobs and means of livelihood. In some countries, more jobs could be open to them, but this is certainly not true of everywhere. This week, Tesla demo’d a weird robotic snake that charges an electric car without human intervention. It has fluid movements as it emerges to sense and attach itself to a charging port. No one’s needed to man this charging station. There goes a job is what immediately came to my mind. In Japan, sushi restaurants use technology more than they do people, reducing the need for people to take your orders, serve you, etc. It’s efficient, but all the tech takes away jobs from waiters. In fact, there are now entirely waiterless restaurants. Robots can do window cleaning, take care of the elderly, read the news, clean the house, chat with the kids, taking away the occupation of many. That’s the price of progress. But the situation is much more widespread than one imagines when you look at the technology available on an everyday smartphone and the jobs that will have been impacted from that. Language translation, for instance, has improved hugely in the past few years. With the understanding of natural language having become better, you now have translation apps that do quite a passable job of being an interpreter. There’s a school of thought that holds with the idea that new jobs will evolve to make up for the ones that technology gobbled up. But whether it’ll be the same people who lost out who will fill the new jobs is very doubtful. It’s thought that entirely new skills will be called for – as we can see with many new areas today. And that’s the important thing to remember as the transition to different types of work happens – make sure you’re learning new things.
Read More
Sennheiser's Urbanite XL headphone lives up to its description in many ways. Starting outward, these large over-ear phones are most frequently described as being “built like a tank”. Despite being made of plastic, they are solid and seem very sturdy. The huge cups are endowed with the softest ear cushioning I’ve seen yet. The headband grips your head (not mine, which seems to be too small for all headphones) and has a smooth slider to adjust fit. Again, not on my head as they almost fall right off if I look down and again that’s for all biggish headphones — so women, watch out.They are very stylish looking and come in quite a set of colours of which I saw the olive green version. The headband has a matte finish texture on the outside and a supremely soft material on the inside, so it’s not going to hurt or pull a hair on your head. Obviously, a lot of care has gone into adding comfort. But like I said, it all depends on the size of your head which will also determine whether you find this set of phones heavy or not. There’s not much metal, so no cause for heaviness, but it is a hefty gadget and you definitely feel it if you listen for a long time. I suppose you can wear them on the neck and some users have said they like that but I found the weight dragging it off my ears. Foldable designI think that music listeners in hot and humid countries like ours should be careful before buying over-ear headphones and consider the circumstances in which they listen. That said, there is an on-ear variant, in case that would work better for some users.The Urbanite XL has a nice strong flat cable to connect to the iOS device you’ll be using (there’s a separate Android variant) and a control mini console to change volume, go to next song, etc. There is a microphone and you can take calls when they come in to disturb your solitary journey into music.The sound on these headphones is as solid as their looks. It’s targeted for fans of club music; electronica, beats, trance, etc. The bass is top quality, deep and solid, not senselessly pounding to the point of ill-health. It isn’t like it’s pure loud — it’s properly emphasised.The mids and highs here have at the same time not been sacrificed for that bass. The treble is good and not sharp. Details are not lost, though this is probably not the set of headphones you’d just expect to make the best of every form of music such as classical, both Indian and Western. The bass would be a distraction.Overall, it’s got a fairly balanced and rich sound. I found the sound very satisfying and addictive — every time I tried them out for the purpose of this review, I forgot the review. There’s no active noise cancellation but the big soft cups keep out a lot of distracting sound.The cups of the Urbanite XL fold inwards for better portability. You have a bit of a pouch to house them in but that’s not as solid as the headphones. It would save it from scratches perhaps because otherwise, the Urbanite XL is very tough while being flexible.It is thought that the Urbanite XL has been launched to compete with the popular Beats headphones. Sennheiser’s own Momentum over-ears give a superb but totally different sound mix. (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 24-08-2015)
Read More
How easy it is to "ban" something' . A book, a film, food, a drink, a dress... And how difficult it is to learn that important lesson - bans don't work. Surely everyone knows that you only have to forbid something for it to become instantly popular. You ban a book, and everyone starts to circulate copies of it and read it and discuss it and usually wonder why it was banned or find that it never contained what it was banned for. It's the same with a film. Copies of it sprout up all over online and soon everyone has an opinion on it. This happened with the ban on the BBC documentary on the Delhi gang rape. I'm afraid the authorities who banned it came out looking worse than the documentary they feared.. Worse, it became such a trending topic and for so very long, it caught the world's attention and didn't particularly make the country an object of admiration. India becoming a country of increased interest because of its market size and other reasons, news that we think is internal to us no longer remains so. The government is closely watched for its handling of problems to contribute to an assessment of how easy or difficult it would be to work with authorities in the country. But yet, with increasing regularity, something or the other is banned, even before the technical feasibility doing this is properly examined. These bans make for unsavory news In what is often referred to as the largest democracy in the world. And this is especially so when it is done before proper attempts to solve the problem and as the easy way out . Instantly acting on the December gang rape In New Delhi of a 23-year-old girl,, doing something to truly improve security, putting in place police for reforms etc instead of more all less banning protests, would have been better then cracking down hard on a documentary film. But learning nothing from past history the government's telecom ministry suddenly took it into its head to ban porn. I am left scratching my head and wondering what they expected this dictat to achieve. Large chunks of the Internet are dedicated to porn and have been from early days. You can't ban half the Internet. and people so quickly find a workaround. All that the DOT (Department of Telecom) ended up at achieving a list to make itself the butt of relentless jokes in a Twitter backlash. Along with a flood of articles and radio and TV debates. It's even been suggested that the ban was meant for members of Parliament who have been known to surf porn at work. The whole situation was made worse by the fact that it was not legal to try and enforce such a ban. The focus for everyone indignant at this announcement of a ban was the violation of the freedom of expression. But there's another aspect that that deserves more consideration. Banning porn sites is unfortunately unlikely to help reduce abuse against women and children. The forces that lead to such abuse are both personal and societal and very powerful. They may be fueled by alienationand maladjustmentthen goes much beyond the availability of Internet websites. Look for instance at super crimes like the Nithari killings. These were sexually motivated murders of children that probably had little to do with access to porn. In this case, there is possibly some extreme sociooathy at work. To be sure, a great deal of corn in Volos violence against women and their extreme objectification. This is sometimes true even of lesbian porn. It is possible that the presence of porn and its repeated consumption validates abusive acts. But it is not the direct cause of it. And so, it's removal is unlikely to remove abuse. Rape is after all, often said by experts not to be an act of sex, but an of aggression. It's a case of shooting the messenger our blaming the bottle. If the government is interested in tackling abuse against women and children and anyone who is vulnerable, the starting point is certainly not a ban on porn. Instead, better research is needed into abuse in the context of Indian society in particular and then a reshaping of attitudes true looking at the root cause. The web one must remember is not a beast of its own making. It is entirely man-made, and reflects society. switching it off won't dispels the darkness in our souls.
Read More
The original Moto G was a very popular phone, flying in the face of more expensive competition with specs that were not impressive but performance that was. Now, Motorola, under Lenovo, is back with the third generation of the Moto G, launched in India first because it’s where the Google-centricphone was most popular. Despite coming into a mobile market that’s changed a lot since 2013 when flagships were ruling the roost, the Moto G may still end up being one of the most recommended phones around because it’s proved itself. That’s perhaps why it isn’t dramatically different from before while still coming with some changes that users were clamouring for. For those looking for a good budget phone for average use, the new Moto G is a safe bet. But what about if you’ve already got an older Moto G – would you have any reasons to upgrade? Here are five of them: 1. If you’re around water a lot and clumsy about it, the Moto G 3rd Gen is a good idea as it’s properly water-resistant. While taking it for an outright swim is not recommended, you can certainly be sure of its surviving a water spill or even, grossly enough, a drop in the toilet.2. The dual-SIM Moto G is 4G compatible, in case you’re in an area where you’re getting good enough cellular coverage – a difficult thing to find in India these days. Both SIMs will handle 4G, one at a time, of course.3. The camera on the Moto G has seen a big leap in improvement. Motorola never made great cameras right from the start but today cameras have become a no-compromises feature for many users and so, it’s a step up to 13MP and 5MP with a two tone flash and a simple app.4. There’s a speed bump to the processor and 2GB of RAM if you opt for the Rs 12,999 version. That, combined with a new Android system, Lollipop 5.1.1, makes for a smoother experience.5. A better battery is a strong reason for one to upgrade from a previous version of the Moto G. It now has a 2,470mAh battery which performs pretty well, taking you through one and a half days of average use.
Read More
For years, users of the internet have been plagued by something they detest – online ads. Intrusive in a way that print advertising never can be, they flash and pop and even burst out in song as users try to focus on whatever they’re doing. First, on the desktop, browsers began to include options to avoid having to see ads. There were also third-party add-ons that kept them out of sight. But then, as users shifting to the mobile, ads again became pervasive, intensifying on websites and lodging themselves in apps. Recently there’s been some research and discussion into how ads in apps continue to work on the mobile, sucking bandwidth, battery and processing resources, obviously resulting in greater data consumption and charges than a user opted for or is even aware of. Mala BhargavaAd tech is at the same time evolving and becoming more innovative. Ads pin themselves to web pages so that a user has to work to move them aside to eventually see the content he intended to. There are also just plain compulsory ads such as you’ll see attached to YouTube content – sometimes you can dismiss them, but for advertisers who have paid a premium, you cannot. The ads have annoyed users so much that there’s now a push to develop many kinds of ad blockers and now what’s coming up is a method to block ads on the iPhone. When Apple does something, it readily becomes a trend, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a spate of ad blocking measures across the board on mobile. Hurrah for users. Disaster for content developers and publishers. Each time you dismiss an ad on YouTube before it runs its course, the person who put up the video fails to get any revenue. Ever since I realized that, I’ve been waiting it out patiently until an ad plays out. Multiply that by the millions for all the content you see in apps and on websites. A very small percentage of the content you see online is paid for. For the most part, it’s courtesy advertisers which bringsin barely enough to keep the content coming in. Block the ads and there’ll be less and less incentive for developers to create and put up content at expense to themselves. It becomes no longer a business model. For now, this is leading to dangerous workarounds such as native advertising, content put up barely distinguishable from editorial so that readers get hooked into viewing. And apparently it works. One would think the difference would be obvious, but the lines are actually getting very blurred. Bloggers and social media influencers are paid well to churn out content for native advertising which can appear in timelines or tucked into editorial content. Some content developers do both advertising related content and expert content, creating a bit of confusion on what is credible and what is up there because of a vested interest. As with many things such as privacy, which transformed so much online as to be unrecognizable or nonexistent, the lines between editorial and advertorial content too will vanish and the next generation or wave of users won’t care. That bears thinking about before ads are summarily blocked.
Read More
There’s so much at stake for Microsoft as it launches Windows 10 as a rebirth of the company in the mobile age, writes Mala Bhargava Today is a big day for Microsoft. Every three years, the company launches a new version of its operating system, Windows. Right on cue, today sees the worldwide unveiling of Windows 10. But what a different event the launch is from the previous generations of Windows launches. What would normally have been a tremendous unforgettable stage ceremony is a worldwide rollout in which Microsoft tries to connect with fans, influencers and the tech media on an up-close level. This is something Microsoft really needs to do as, from being a company that was once synonymous with monopoly, the tech giant was ever so slowly brought to its knees by the mobile revolution. Look at Microsoft’s most recent troubles: It reported fourth-quarter earnings earlier this month that included a $7.5 billion writedown related to its failed acquisition of Nokia's phone and services business. It’s also cut 7,800 jobs this month. At the same time, despite its troubles, Microsoft is still among the top handful of tech companies in the world and it’s one that is still very innovative. Under Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft for over a year now, Microsoft has taken aggressive and bold steps to change its thinking and strategy and stay relevant in a mobile-first and cloud-first age before it’s too late. Increasingly, Microsoft insiders and Microsoft watchers are convinced that if anyone can execute a 180 degree change in strategy at Microsoft, it’s Satya Nadella who today has headed to Kenya for the launch of Windows 10 and millions in donations to HIV charities rather than a stage event in New York. There’s so much at stake for Microsoft as it launches Windows 10 as a rebirth of the company in the mobile age. Satya Nadella recently said that Microsoft had made a big mistake by assuming that the world revolved around a PC. A changed world crept up on Microsoft and it finally tried hard to align itself with mobility with the acquisition of Nokia and Windows 8, a product so different it was a culture shock to users, most of whom refused to upgrade, clinging tenaciously to Windows XP and then Windows 7, leaving Windows 8 to see little adoption specially from corporate. With Windows 10, Microsoft is making an ambitious and admirable move to go beyond PCs without leaving the PC behind. The new operating system instantly scales to fit any device, desktop, laptop, hybrid, tablet, or phone and other products in the making. If you were to be working on a notebook but lift away the screen to change to tablet mode, the system would adjust and optimise immediately. With this, Microsoft will try to do better what it didn’t manage with Windows 8 – be device agnostic. The idea is to let users move naturally from one device to the other and take up where they left off without having to think of the operating system or the change. To help with this is Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant who learns the way you work and what you need and responds to natural language requests for assistance like, “Cortana, show me the presentation I was working on yesterday.” The other remarkable thing is that Windows 10 is free to upgrade to. “Upgrade Your World” is the tagline for Microsoft’s call to join in with moving ahead. The fact that the once expensive and much-pirated Windows is being offered free is a reflection of how much the company has accepted reality. Microsoft is hoping that users will eventually opt to buy some of its services. Windows 10 actually looks immediately familiar yet refreshed. The Start button that caused so much outrage with its disappearance is back while the tiles that were the signature look of Windows 8 are not abandoned and can be pinned to the desktop with apps that are most-used. Windows was once a given – there were no other options unless you changed guard to Linux or Apple’s OS. Today, Microsoft has to work hard to make Windows relevant and friendly to users. Chances are users will upgrade – but the next few days will tell what success Microsoft’s new direction is likely to achieve.
Read More
Though the Xolo Black has its attractions, it is born into a world of intense competition, writes Mala Bhargava The fact that the mobile market is become saturated isn’t stopping companies from launching them. A single week can see several launch events, with each aiming desperately for some distinction from the intense competition around it. Xolo has more than its work cut out of it, but since about 45 per cent of the market is taken up by non-Apple and non-Samsung phones, they’re not about to miss out on the action. Recently, Xolo of Lava Moblies launched a phone it simply calls "Black." That helps it stick to one colour and also makes it sound premium, like Uber’s Black, the top-end cars you can call for. Black is a sub-brand of sorts, so one can expect more models with the Black tag. The look of the phone is premiumish, but take off the logo and it looks like a Sony Xperia something. A big 5.5-inch glass slab. The plastic sides contrast with the glassy front and back and definitely take away from the overall look a little. That said, the Xolo Black, the Sony glass slab costs upwards of Rs 40,000 while the new Black costs a mere Rs 12,999. Expensive flagship phones are really being given a run for their money – or rather, our money – by those who rip off what they’re offering and give it to consumers at a rock bottom price. There’s something a little less than comfortable about the Black. Perhaps it should have been narrower for the prominence of its edges or perhaps it just doesn’t have enough curves and tapers. The back is non openable and that means you can’t get at its 3,200 mAh battery. But then honestly I think it’s time users let go of the fixation over removable batteries because few people really do this on a regular basis. With so many solid portable power banks around, swapping batteries is hardly a way of keeping a phone charged up. Besides, how do you put in one battery and charge the other in the meanwhile? The Black has one peculiar quirk. The nonfiction light is actually the power button. That takes a little getting used to. This is a dual-SIM device, but the options are micro and nano SIMs with the SIM2 slot doubling up as a micro-SD card slot. It’s 4G compatible. The Xolo Black has a Full-HD screen which is pleasant enough and has great colours and viewing angles, but isn’t exceptionally crisp and finessed. It is Corning Gorilla Glass 3, but if you’re an inveterate phone-dropper, be careful. The Black is not short on hardware specs. It works on a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB with microSD card. And what the device does with these specs is to deliver very smooth performance. There wasn’t any lag and it multi-tasked just fine and didn’t eat up the battery in the process. But it does have an annoying tendency to be slow to unlock. To give the Black its due, it has a set of 13MP and 2MP rear cameras that can work together to sense depth if you use the dedicated app. In fact, the phone has two camera apps, which can be a bit confusing. Artificially created blur looks artificial though, and phone companies are probably making much more of a fuss over this feature than is warranted by user demand. It doesn’t satisfy true photography buffs and for casual shooters, it isn’t an essential feature at all. The front camera, which has a flash, is 5MP which also is value for the price. Though the Black has its attractions, it’s born into a world of intense competition, including from the slighter cheaper and well recognised Moto G, launched just days later. Despite offering strong specs, the Black is up against a very popular brand like Motorola, not to mention Micromax’s Yu Yureka phone, several Xiaomi phones and the Zenfones from Asus that also include well-built feature-rich phones.
Read More
It came out of nowhere, a powerful all-Android smartphone with the minimalistic name of OnePlus One – and it stayed. Lovers of technology were delighted that it would have a version of Android, CyanogenMod 11s, which would allow for more user-custmisation than regular Android phones and certainly more than some of the flagships that heavily “skin” their interfaces with stylization and tricks to differentiate from others. The OnePlus seemed like a secret project from a Chinese company, Oppo, less known for its own branded but very well-built and innovative phones. When it finally launched, after some delays that only fed the curiosity further, it was with a complex invite system so you definitely couldn’t just walk into a store and get it or buy it online straight. Frustrating as this was, it created a huge buzz and everyone wanted one – at least the young and tech savvy did. Many were disappointed at not being able to get their hands on one, but the company just didn’t have the means to fulfil the orders. OnePlus One is only one invite-less for Rs 21,998 for the 64GB version on Amazon.in and even less in a few other places. The lure of the OnePlus wasn’t just its software but the tough but slim and solid build. It looked crafted, tapering elegantly off to the sides. A large 5.5-inch beast, the OnePlus was choc full of high-end specifications. There was certainly a smattering of problems with the device here and there but nothing more than the usual and it maintained the anti-flagship cult following it was born with. And now, the OnePlus 2 is about to arrive. Everywhere, details have been leaking on what the successor to the phone that gave a lot for relatively little would hve this time. This time anyone can participate in the launch, using their app – a cool new way to do things. What’s more, if one were to acquire a Cardboard (also available online) they could watch the event in VR, scanning around the area for some promised surprises. This time, the much-awaited phone will be smaller but more premium, in metal. It may continue the design language of the OnePlus One, but may have a new home button to house a fast fingerprint scanner. People are betting the OnePlus 2 will have a Quad-HD and the rumour is that it will be water-resistant. For power, the OnePlus 2 will have the Snapdragon 810 processor, equivalent of the top flagships. Also Adrena 430 graphics processor with a whole 4GB of RAM. It will run on Oxygen OS on Android 5.0.2. The battery (non-removeable) will step up to 3,300mAh. The main camera will be 13MP and will have improved optics to almost match Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and the LG G4’s cameras. The front camera is 8MP and both will apparently shoot 4k video. The phone will also have the USB Type-C port which is easier to plug into. Nothing on the Indian price yet, but there’s not long to go to find out.
Read More
Trouble seems to tail Uber all over the world, but it drives on regardless. And never mind the potholesBy Mala BhargavaTimes were when you used to call your local taxi stand and keep your fingers crossed hoping the cab, rickety as it was, would turn up in time to take you to the airport. That tradition has been all but turned on its head by Uber Technologies, now a legitimate verb, icon of the on-demand economy and disrupter of transport in over 57 countries. It’s in a rich variety of trouble in most of those countries, but Uber is driving on regardless, never mind the potholes. With its new app-based model of ride-hailing, Uber is a fascinating study for anyone who wants to be part of the wave of startups today.The $46-billion San Francisco-based Uber Technologies launched in 2009, and took the Indian roads starting with Bangalore in 2013. There have been radio taxi services in many parts of India for a while now, but Uber’s is a separate kettle of fish, one that has civic authorities and administrators nonplussed. It’s barged in with a fleet of cars, big and small, and a user just has to tap into an app to get a ride. “It’s liberating,” says an Uber customer, “I feel free to go anywhere, anytime and don’t really need a car of my own. Even if I use a cab everyday, it’s cheaper than the car, its EMIs, fuel, maintenance and a driver.”Legit Or Not?You may be able to get a ride in mere minutes, but amazingly, Uber doesn’t claim to be a taxi company. “We are a technology player,” says Neeraj Singhal, Uber’s head of expansion in India. “We don’t physically own cars, we don’t employ drivers, we aren’t a radio taxi company, we don’t have meters in Uber vehicles. There are many distinctions that make it important for us to be governed differently from others.” Uber believes it merely connects commuters with the means to get where they want with the use of technology. To get a taste of Uber, download the app and register. Pinpointing your location, the app will show you an offering of cars (even an auto rickshaw) for you to select. Set your destination, request a fare, and confirm the ride — sit back and wait for the driver’s call.Uber was, for a start, tolerated by the transport authorities. But unfortunately for the company and commuters who were enjoying the convenience of cabs on demand, an Uber driver raped a passenger in Delhi in December 2014 — and the house of cards quickly collapsed. The question of who was responsible for the behaviour of drivers, who after all, Uber is supposed to train and check, exploded to the surface. It turned out the driver hadn’t even been verified and was a repeat offender who had even been in jail previously. The Delhi government promptly banned Uber in Delhi, and eventually in other cities, taking rival Ola Cabs and TaxiForSure with it. In fact, any app-based taxi service.The legal issues have not been sorted out yet, but the companies have been permitted back on the roads, not that they had stopped being available for any length of time. Uber has, in fact, had many similar problems elsewhere in the world. In San Francisco, an UberX car ran over and killed a six-year-old girl and Uber disclaimed responsibility as there wasn’t a passenger in the car at the time. That’s not the way insurance company saw it. Uber’s UberPop service is banned in many countries and recently there were outright riots in France involving regular taxi drivers whom Uber is all but replacing. But brazening it out seems to be in the company’s culture. And it has paid off. “It is always good to be in a situation where you have innovated upon a historically archaic model, for lack of a better phrase,” says Singhal, “The model and the regulations, even in India, haven’t been improved upon in a long time. The Motor Vehicles Act was written in the 80s.”Indeed, the technology used by Uber today was not in existence then and it could not be taken into account in the laws being used today. Clearly, the laws need to be upgraded to take in today’s reality. Uber says it is in close talks and is having “healthy discussions” with the government and it is time for regulatory changes that are good for everybody. The companies are now supposed to apply once again for licences to operate. So if one were to ask whether Uber and its rival Ola and other app-based car services are in fact legal — there’s no easy answer.How Safe Is Safe?Uber is not having an easy time shaking off the rape case of last year as it barely recedes into memory when some new incident erupts into the open. “Never before has there been such transparency,” explains Singhal. “Before, if you were to take a taxi somewhere, that’s that, it ends with no one knowing anything more. But now you have the ability to track a ride, use an SOS button, rate the driver, whose credentials we check, etc.” Transparency is bound to show up what may otherwise have remained unknown. Safety is possibly an issue that many e-commerce and on-demand services will have to address as deliverymen make their rounds of homes, a point sadly brought into focus by the assault on a little girl recently by a pizza delivery man. Deval Delivala, security lead at Uber, says that Uber is in multiple partnerships and projects to do everything possible to ensure the safety of commuters in Uber cars.Like, Uber has a tie-up with First Advantage, a screening agency that authenticates drivers for the company. There is also a partnership with security app SafetyPin which crowdsources safety ratings across the city. But India, as a market, presents its own unique challenges. “In certain markets there are already existing extensive databases of information on citizens. To do background checks for drivers is then much easier,” she said.“In the US, there are also lists like a sexual offenders list publically available. In India, it is said that 30 per cent of the drivers’ licences are fake. So new processes are needed to run multiple checks. These are not issues that are just pertinent to Uber and there is no one easy thing you can fix to ensure safety. It will have to be done through partnerships with many industries,” added Delivala.Uber allows drivers, who have commercial licences issued by the government, to be accessible via its app, and so it can be argued that the responsibility for safe drivers is not Uber’s alone. Uber is taking no chances and exploring all avenues to safety. In Kolkata, it is trying out a solution with the police to set up screens in key control rooms that have an Uber dashboard of car movement. Any problem will trigger off an alert for the officers on duty to investigate. In New Delhi, none of that makes women comfortable riding in an Uber or other cab during the night.Ubering It Across IndiaIt is in Uber’s interest to tackle the safety issue and any others that arise because after the US, India is its secondlargest market geographically, and in terms of number of potential users. To open its largest facility outside the US, Uber has invested $50 million in Hyderabad and signed an MoU with the Telangana government. This facility will work on technology solutions and will identify and train 2,000 drivers — some of them women — by the end-2016 as it spreads beyond the 18 Indian cities it is already operating in. The company wants to cater to tier-II and tier-III towns in the shortest time possible.In other markets, Uber allows personal cars to become part of the network, giving drivers the flexibility to work as many hours as they choose. An Uber driver could be a college student, who drives a few hours to earn a bit of money, or a full-time driver, whose only job is to operate a taxi service. In India, an Uber driver must have a commercial driving licence. The company does not object to a driver working across different platforms like Ola. Uber takes a percentage of the driver’s earnings but also comes up with incentive schemes that it keeps changing on a frequent basis. There are also attention-grabbing promotional offers for riders, including price cuts, offers to ride free in “supercars” and even order in a bunch of puppies to play with. Recently, it opened up direct credit card payment, if booking from an Android phone.Uber has sunk its teeth into the Indian market, but globally as well as in India, its disruptive model means it is in for a bumpy ride. Although customers find it can often be cheaper than travelling in an autorickshaw, issues of safety create their own legal roadblocks every so often. “What Uber faced can be simply categorised as teething problems that any new entrant would face. Over time the Indian government and Uber will have to meet midway to work on legal and regulation issues. However, with recent announcements by Uber, it only goes to show that it’s here to stay,” says Sanchit Vir Gogia, chief analyst & group CEO, Greyhound Research. With the company’s investments in India however, Uber has clearly dug its wheels in and decided there’s no turning back. mala.bhargava@gmail.com, @malabhargava(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 10-08-2015)
Read More
While it looks like it's been plucked right out of a science fiction movie, the Turing Phone is actually very much here and now. Developed by San Francisco-based Turing Robotics Industries and in one fell swoop, it addresses many of the cribs users have about Android phones today and shows how desperately the smartphone needs to be reimagined. Here we are, handling no end of plastic on our devices, feeling delighted at the little bit of metal we get, and generally feeling that most phones look identical to each other. One look at the Turing Phone and you'd be taken aback at the difference. First, it's not made of the usual old mix of things but of liquid metal or liquid morphium which is real tough stuff, droppable and unbreakable. The use of this material that extensively in a phone is a world first. Some people are calling it the Terminator of phones, others the Superman of phones but for sure it's been built to be stronger than steel and titanium. Design-wise too, the Turing phone looks refreshingly different, with interesting colour combinations and arrangements on it which make you wonder why no one else has experimented with the way phones look, beyond a point. Probably the cost of making them. The phone is also waterproof. It can be dropped in water and has a coating on the inside to protect components. Apparently, one would just need to wipe the phone and get on with it. The Turing Phone is a 5.5 inch device, runs on a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM to play with, and comes in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB variants. It's on Android 5.0 Lollipop and has a 3,000mAh battery. The cameras are 13MP and 8MP. That's a decent set of specs. There's a fingerprint sensor on this phone, but it's intriguingly placed on the side of the device. And that's not the only standard thing that's different about it. There's no micro-USB port for charging. It has a special magnetic charger. It also doesn't have a jack for headphones because you're supposed to use Bluetooth to connect. The software on the inside is also as radical as the design on the outside. The basics are Android, but there's a lot of customisation over that, all with the aim of making the device super secure. There's strong encryption used to keep all the data safe so that you don't have to keep worrying about what your apps are trying to get at. They claim it is unhackable - along with being unbreakable physically and waterproof, three key features that are distinctive apart from the snazzy space-age designs. The Turing Phone isn't just a lab project but ready to pre-order from the 31st of July and rumoured to be headed to India in September. It'll cost $610 for 16GB, $740 for 64GB and $870 for 128GB. How many of these phones the company will be able to release into the market and how many consumers, whose curiosity is certainly piqued, will want them, we'll have to see. Also how will the rest of the industry react to this unusual device will be interesting but even if it helps spur a little bit of creativity in the ocean of black rectangles flooding the world today, it'll be welcome.
Read More
