Biz Tech

Govt identifies BPO as critical driver for economic growth

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

The government has identified Information Technology, business process outsourcing (BPO) and related knowledge services as a critical driver for its future economic growth. Sri Lanka has the potential to become a competitive location for offshore services with a well educated workforce, strong business infrastructure and proximity to the largest outsourcing markets, Information Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) CEO, Reshan Dewapura said.

From left: A.T. Kearney Global Business Policy Council Fellow Simon Nihal Bell, ICTA Chairman Prof, P.W. Epasinghe, ICTA CEO Reshan Dewapura and A.T. Kearney Global Business Policy Council Manager John Gott.

Presenting the findings of A.T. Kearney's Country Competitiveness Study for the IT/BPO and Knowledge Services Industry in Sri Lanka, Dewapura said that well-known multinationals and innovative local entrepreneurs are already benefited by an impressive range of services. The customers include many of the world's leading companies in financial services, telecom, travel and tourism and other sectors.

The Sri Lankan IT/BPO Industry has grown tremendously in the last 5 years.

In terms of export revenue, it has moved from a mere USD 60m to a staggering USD 400m industry, and is now the 5th largest foreign exchange earner in the country.

Highlighting the core vision of ICTA, Dewapura said, "Our vision is to take the benefits of ICT to everyone, and use ICT as a tool to drive development.

We aim to drive ICT to every growth sector in this country, and truly enable them, to maximize their opportunities, with the use of these new technologies. "As a country, in this era where Sri Lanka is moving steadily towards economic development, the government is looking to transform the country into a dynamic global hub in multiple sectors.

One of the key areas is the creation of a knowledge hub. It is no secret, that the growth of the knowledge services sector will be a huge contributing factor to this effort".

Referring to A. T. Kearney who undertook the Country Competitiveness Study for the IT/BPO and Knowledge Services Industry in Sri Lanka, he said, "As the publisher of the Global Services Location Index which ranks the top 50 countries worldwide as locations for providing outsourcing activities, A.T. Kearney is considered an authority on choosing global locations for outsourcing services.

"The study benchmarks Sri Lanka against other popular outsourcing locations, identifies Sri Lanka's strengths, which need to be communicated to investors, and also identifies areas which are in need of development, which need to be addressed through policy initiatives and other interventions", Dewapura said.

ICTA Chairman Prof, P.W. Epasinghe, A.T. Kearney Global Business Policy Council Fellow Simon Nihal Bell and ICTA Private Sector Development Programme Head Fayaz Hudah also addressed the conference.

EFutures holds Microsoft Share Point 2010 Workshop

EFutures, a leading provider of IT consultancy and software solutions, had its first workshop on "Microsoft SharePoint 2010" recently.

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 workshop, held at the Renuka City Hotel, focused on the advantages of implementing and using SharePoint 2010 platform as a key tool for business productivity and growth. SharePoint workflows, Internet Features in SharePoint 2010, Search Features, Document Management, Dashboards, Productivity Tools and how to achieve maximum value and output in the organization were topics discussed at this workshop. Attendees ranged from Financial, government and educational institutions.

Throughout the workshop, the attendees had a very interactive session. Many of them discussed their key areas of interest regarding Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Feedback received after the event was very positive with several customers indicating their desire to participate in other Microsoft related workshops which will be organized by EFutures in the near future.

'Shrinkable car' makes parking a breeze at high-tech fair

Scientists at the world's biggest IT fair unveiled on Tuesday what they hope is the car of the future that can shrink to fit tight parking spaces and pick you up at the touch of a button.

At just 2.10 metres (seven feet) long, the futuristic cobalt-blue two-seater "pod" is not exactly roomy but was pulling in the crowds nevertheless with its extraordinary features. If a parking space looks too small, drivers can reduce the car's length by 50 centimetres. For further ease, the wheels can turn in a full circle, allowing a driver to pull up to a space and then move sideways into it. With built-in sensors to avoid collisions, the car can also drive itself and can be summoned by smartphone, explained Timo Birnschein, the project leader, from the German Centre for Artificial Intelligence. "If you are in the office, you can press a button on your smartphone and it will come and pick you up. We already have the technology to do this. It will be happening in five to six years," he said. His team of 10 has been working on the car for 15 months and hope to make it roadworthy in the very near future.

It has a top speed of 55 kilometres (35 miles) per hour and a range of 100 kilometres when its two batteries are fully charged. It creates additional energy from the turning of its wheels.

But the real innovation, explained Birnschein, is its ability to "dock" with other similar cars to create what he called "road trains" of up to 20 cars, driven by just the person at the front.

AFP

Microsoft connects communities through innovation

Country Manager Sriyan de Silva Wijeyaratne

Microsoft Sri Lanka held their second 'Connecting Communities' workshop recently at the Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, attended by delegates from the service community, ICTA and the IT industry.

The workshop organized by the software giant is in line with their global social responsibility mission to help social service organisations to connect with grassroots communities more effectively through the use of the latest in IT development. The one-day event was designed to share the most current information about Microsoft technology and the way in which it can help organisations achieve their targeted goals.

The main focus in this year's workshop was on the use of technology to increase productivity. Lync, the highly successful connectivity tool in the business world today was introduced to the participants by the Microsoft Technology Specialists, whilst Publications Project Manager, Microsoft Asia Laura Bales addressed the gathering of service organization leaders on Microsoft's regional perspective on community affairs and communications. Chief guest, ICTA's Program Director - Re-engineering Government, Wasantha Deshapriya, delivered the keynote address.

Captured below are some of the highlights of the event.

Hayleys Consumer introduces Fujifilm's premium X-SERIES digital cameras

The new Fujifilm X Series digital cameras targeting the professionals and serious amateurs were launched recently at Waters Edge.

The launch event was attended by senior members from Fujifilm Japan and Canada who introduced and demonstrated the X Series digital cameras to the photography public present at the venue.

The X Series digital cameras are modelled on ground-breaking technology and encased in a beautiful chassis of ergonomic perfection, to deliver outstanding image quality. Fujifilm X Series digital cameras are specially fitted with the world renowned Fujinon lenses, APS CMOS sensors with the latest EXR image processing technology to deliver the ultimate in image quality.

Thus, the models unveiled have the ability to capture infinite compositions with great precision and clarity that will supersede the expectations of the most discerning professional photographers. This was endorsed by a selected panel of professional Sri Lankan photographers who worked with the new X Series models and produced photographs that amply demonstrated the summit of captured image quality through these lenses. Diverse situations such as still life, portraiture, scenery, and wildlife, cityscapes, and fashion photography at its best captured through the lens of Fujifilm X 10, X 100, X-S1 and X-Pro1 was displayed at the venue. The new Fujifilm X Series cameras are made available only at the new Hayleys photo imaging outlet Cafe Pixel at Colombo 3.

Flying robots swoop and swarm as a team

Tech-savvy TED-goers watched in wonder as flying robots darted through tossed hoops, worked together in swarms and even formed a band to play trademark "James Bond" film theme music.

A video of University of Pennsylvania professor Vijay Kumar showing off palm-sized "agile aerial robots" from the college lab logged more than 200,000 views online at ted.com by the time the prestigious gathering ended on Friday.

"Robots like this have many applications," Kumar said.

"They can be sent in buildings as first responders to look for intruders or check for biochemical leaks..into collapsed buildings after disasters or into reactor buildings to check radiation levels," he continued.

AFP

Weird and wonderful gadgets wow world's top IT fair

Water-powered clocks, eye-controlled arcade games and pole-dancing robots: this year's CeBIT tech fair, the world's biggest, showcased gadgets ranging from the useful to the downright nerdy.

Can't be without your tablet computer or smartphone even when nature calls? Dutch company "phoneclip" has pioneered a small but strong device that can attach your beloved iPad to any vertical surface -- including the toilet wall.

Yours for around 20 euros ($25), the clip can also be used to stick your smartphone to your bike handlebars, car dashboard or steering wheel, supermarket shopping trolley or even sportswear, explained entrepreneur Hugo Passchier.

Back after a year's absence, German firm getDigital showcased their latest range of -- in their words -- "nerd toys" that no self-respecting geek should be without.

For fans of sci-fi classics, getDigital offers the must-have pizza cutter or bottle opener in the shape of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek or the machine that makes ice cubes in the form of R2D2, the stubby robot from Star Wars.

And for heavy-sleeping nerds, the laser target alarm clock is a must-have toy.

Emitting a high-pitched scream at the appointed time, it can only be turned off by hitting a bullseye on the clock with a laser beam, by which time the owner is most definitely awake.

Another firm, Satzuma, proudly displayed its own selection of pointless but fun toys, including a clock powered just by the energy produced by running water and a teddy bear that holds your iPod or MP3 player in its paws and plays music through the soles of its feet.

The CeBIT is always a magnet for the latest in robotic technology and this year was no exception, with intelligent humanoids showing off their ability to vacuum clean your bedroom, empty your dishwasher or sketch your portrait.

But stopping the show was a pair of sleek-white, life-sized pole-dancing robots gyrating in time to the music "played" by a ultra-cool megaphone-headed DJ robot.

Available for your next party for a cool 30,000 euros, these very exotic dancers are made from scrap and driven by old car motors.

Also drawing crowds was a prototype "car of the future" that made parking easy by shrinking itself by up to 50 centimetres to squeeze into those tight spaces.

The futuristic cobalt-blue two-seat pod, as yet only a prototype designed by the German Centre for Artificial Intelligence, will also pick you up at the touch of a button, avoiding other traffic by means of motion sensors.

Hailed as a world first, South Korean firm Neo Reflection unveiled its "finger mouse", a tiny device worn on the user's finger which can control a computer or a presentation just by pointing from up to 10 metres away.

Large crowds also formed around Tobii's eye-tracker arcade game, in which gamers pilot a spaceship through an asteroid field using just the motion of their eyes.

But not all the gadgets on display were just for fun. Some were much more down-to-earth -- literally in the case of the sensor for hopeless gardeners designed by Zurich-based firm Koubachi.

Simply by sticking the sensor in the ground next to your beloved flower and programming it according to species, the machine effectively "looks after" the plant, judging the appropriate moisture levels, temperature and sun exposure. The sensor then sends the gardener an email or a read-out to a smartphone explaining what needs to be done: more water, lower temperature, more fertiliser, more shade.

AFP

Twitter adds Arabic and Hebrew home pages

Twitter on Tuesday launched Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi and Urdu versions of its website, further localizing of the popular one-to-many text messaging service.

Twitter users have long been able to fire off messages, referred to as "tweets," in those languages but will now be able to visit Twitter.com home pages with local-language notices and instructions, a spokeswoman told AFP.

"Twitter is now available in right-to-left languages," Twitter said in a blog post, crediting the accomplishment to the work of thousands of volunteer translators who began working on the project in January.

"Some of these volunteers live in regions where Twitter is officially blocked," the San Francisco-based firm said.

"Their efforts speak volumes about the lengths people will go to make Twitter accessible and understandable for their communities." The roster of those who donated time to localize Twitter.com included a Saudi blogger, Egyptian college students, technology professionals in Iran and Pakistan, and co-founders of a grassroots #LetsTweetArabic campaign.

With the additions, Twitter.com has user home pages available in 28 languages.

Twitter has enjoyed explosive growth since it was founded in 2006.

AFP