Entry February 21, 2007

Tools: Web Calendars

Here is a nice review of good Web calendars from Wired News. I was testing Google Calendar and using Remember the Milk to manage my tasks. It was OK, but the fact that I have to go to another place to maintain the tasks in 50% of the cases was too bad. Also, the offline functionality made me to go back to the ancient Lotus Organizer.

And you, how you keep track of your appointments/events and tasks? Give me some feedback, will you?

Thought: Wireless Technology – Will China Set the World’s 3G Standard… Or Not

Two years ago in a discussion with Connek members, I mentioned that with a huge number of subscribers, China would probably decide the 3G (third generation) mobile standard. Looking at a wave of the big mobile companies fluxed into India recently and the surge in the number of subscribers in the last 1 year, I might have to rethink my statement.

First, according to this article from Red Herring, with the current growth rate, very soon India will challenge China as the world’s biggest mobile market. This also specially true as the Indian population is expected to surpass China in the next 10 years.

Second, the mobile market in India is not closely regulated by a government body and dominated by government-owned operators like in China. This give a healthier environment for equipment vendors to compete. I believe this will create a much better selection mechanism to create a superior standard in India than in China.

Finally, slow decision making and standard roll-out might as well cost China the 3G opportunity. New wireless data standards (coined as 4G), in which Chinese low-cost vendors have not a lot of advantage, may bypass 3G before China can make its move.

Maybe, a better statement now should be: “IC (India and China), which country is more open, will shape the next mobile standard”.

Uploaded in Heidelberg.