Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Converged ICE is hot, everything else is not

Convergence of Information Communication and Entertainment is real and is already there in India. Today I use my Nokia phone to not only to make normal phone calls but make Skype calls , browse internet, listen to internet radio, apart from ofcourse recording videos, listening to songs on the 512 MB card.

True there are limitations, phone becomes unreachable while using inetrnet radio, a problem which 3G will solve.

I am sure the speed at which technology is advancing and becoming affordable, we will see a lot of new features getting integrated.

There will be a lot of oppertunities to make more money, create innovative ways to make money around this.

However are we as a nation enamoured with technology, for the sake of technology?
Has this ICE revolution done anything to better our life, add to productivity?

Certainly yes, suddenly the location has become less important, number of hours have reduced to minutes (Queue at IRCTC vs online booking is prime example). Productivity has improved ("radio" cabs on road reach to nearest customer), and much more.

Today a phone is much more than a communication device - a handheld computer that provides them access to Information Communication and Entertainment - on the move.
For people who were waiting for a commuincation deivce- a land line phone for years, this might be a bit too much and too sudden. But no one is complaining.This revolution is here to stay and pace of change will increase.