Gmail and its contents

By: BOB & JOY SCHWABACH
Published: 18/03/2009 at 12:00 AM

A reader wrote to say he was fed up with his email program and was waving the white flag. We advised him to try Google's Gmail. We made this switch four years ago and have been happy with it ever since.
The one great fear that people have about switching email hosts is that they will lose the old mail and lose touch with everyone who wrote them at that old address. This doesn't happen. You can keep the old email addresses, just as we did, and check off the box to have that mail automatically forwarded to the new Gmail account. This fear of being cut off is so strong, by the way, that we have a friend of many years who refuses to make the shift despite our assurances. Believe us, there's no danger.
Bob has over 5,000 emails in his Gmail inbox. Rather than delete old ones, he uses the search function to find messages. Joy, who is much more organised than Bob, likes to use the "archive" button to get the mail neatly put away each day. The emails are all still there and can be searched, they just aren't in her inbox.
Joy uses labels to categorise her emails. For example, one group is labelled "Mary Schmitendorf" If a new note from Mary comes in, it is automatically labelled and archived, so she can reply at the weekend when she has more time. If you want to just label an email, without archiving it, you can tap the "v" key on your keyboard or click "move", to move an email to one of your folders. To reply to a message, you can just tap "r", and to reply to everyone involved, you tap "a". You can even have more than one email account visible on the same screen. There are dozens of shortcuts. You can find them by - what else? - Googling "gmail shortcuts."
There are many advantages to using Gmail, including an excellent spam filter and the ability to check your mail from any computer that can connect to the Internet.
Up close with your iPhone
We get pitched on more accessories for iPods and iPhones than any other product we have ever seen, and we ignore almost all of them. But one that caught our eye, so to speak, is a case with a sliding lens that lets you take close-up photos with your iPhone.
Normally, an iPhone shot has to be 45cm or further from a subject in order to get a clear focus. The Clarifi case from GriffinTechnology.com has a sliding lens that can be moved over the iPhone's own lens to reduce the focal length to as close as 10cm. When you want to take a close-up of a flower or an insect - or a business card, slide the lens into place; to return to normal focus, slide it out of the way.
Users say they not only get sharp close-up shots with this Griffin case but the colour seems better as well. The Griffin Clarifi costs $35 from their web site, but we found it for about half that price at Amazon and other Internet discounters.
The Godzilla of PDF editors
Anyone who has the free Adobe Reader can open a PDF, which is the most widely used method of saving documents in their original format. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and it means whatever you save that way will look exactly the same on someone else's computer.
You can look at a PDF document but you can't touch - meaning you can read it but you can't change anything, at least not without some additional software. Adobe invented the PDF, so understandably the granddaddy of PDF editors is Adobe Acrobat. But at $300, it does a whole lot more than most people need or want. In the past, we have used and recommended PDF Converter from Nuance (formerly called Scansoft), which sells for around $50. But recently we found something cheaper. It's PDFZilla, the Godzilla of PDF converters. We got it for $30 from pdfzilla.com
Comparing PDFZilla to the Nuance product, we found they did equally well on our test documents. We liked the fact that PDFZilla could convert a document to Word or HTML or even Adobe Flash (for animations). More importantly, you can try it out for free. You can only try out the Nuance product for free if you sign up for Netflix or one of a few dozen other offers. However, Nuance does some conversions that PDFZilla doesn't: It can convert PDFs to Excel or PowerPoint or WordPerfect, for example.
PDFZilla works with Microsoft Word as well as the OpenOffice word processor, which anyone can get for free from OpenOffice.org. This is good, because Joy's copy of MS Word hasn't worked since early in the Bush administration and we were getting desperate.
Gaming the mouse
Most advances in desktop computers have come from games. This is hard to believe but true. The popularity of the original Apple, called the Apple II (there was no Apple I), was because it contained a game called Little Brick Out. Steve Wozniak liked it so much that he programmed it into the onboard software. In Little Brick Out you use a paddle to try and keep a ball bouncing against some coloured bricks to knock them out. That meant the Apple II had to have colour. You don't need colour to do word processing or use a spreadsheet, but you need it to play Little Brick Out. Because the Apple II had colour, it forced IBM to put colour in their first computers as well.
Increased speed, more memory and bigger hard drives were also in large part driven by the need for more processing power and disk storage to play games, which kept getting bigger and more complex. Office programs don't need much processing power. Only programs using graphics and motion need speed and memory. All of which brings us to the subject of this little digression, the new Ikari mouse from SteelSeries.com, designed for gamers.
The Ikari mouse has its own LCD display and transmits clicks and movements five times faster than conventional mice. This response time can be tuned by the user to match their reflexes and reaction patterns.
That means, of course, that getting that creature with a single shot when he sticks just a bit of his head around the corner might require a very precise movement with the mouse, and you can do it.
Does this have any reference at all beyond shooting the bad guys in creature features? Well yes, actually. People who use CAD programs, like AutoCAD (computer-aided design), and art and illustration, need precise control over lines and dimensions. In the early days, precision mice and joysticks were big ticket items. (Bob had a joystick that cost $1,500.)
We found the new Ikari mouse for $70 at Amazon.com. Users have raved about it.
Readers can search several years of On Computers columns at our web site: OnComp.com. We can be contacted by email at JoyDee@OnComp.com and BobSchwab@gmail.com. You can hear us on Internet radio at BlogTalkRadio.com/oncomp.

ICT market still buoyant

ICT market still buoyant
Some sectors will still see double-digit growth rates this year,

By: Sasiwimon Boonruang
Published: 11/03/2009 at 12:00 AM

Thailand's ICT market is forecast to grow by 5.2% this year, the lowest growth rate for 10 years, according to the market research by both the public and private sectors in a report entitled Thailand ICT Market 2008 and Outlook 2009.

Industry experts suggested that businesses should increase their use of Web technology and that small companies enter into partnerships with larger companies in order to survive the present situation.
The declining growth of the IT industry has led the private sector to overhaul its operations and business model. Manoo Ordeedolchest, chairman of the ICT policy committee at Sripatum University and former Sipa director, suggested the business pay more attention to open source and Web 2.0 technology, and forming alliances.
"They should apply Web technology as an efficient tool to keep costs down," he said, noting that small companies should partner with big companies and specialise in niche areas.
While manufacturing and retail were challenging sectors during an economic crisis, Oracle Asean regional managing director Natasak Rodjanapiches pointed out that the government, education, healthcare and utility markets were strong in this region.
Transport was still good, while telecoms was a mix, with some countries still growing such as Indonesia and the Philippines, he said.
Natasak stated that logistics and HR would be boom areas and there would be a trend to shared services, business process outsourcing and e-learning, all of which could cut costs. Consumer behaviour has changed, and people are using the Web more, and e-commerce would grow sharply, he said.
Wealth Management System CEO Somkiat Chinthammit, who provides financial and consulting services, locally and internationally, suggested that companies should select the right business model that fits their culture. They should also be sure of their "identity" and "positioning", because the global market is entering an era of "specialisation" and they needed to make themselves recognised.
Collaboration and specialisation were most important for small- and medium-sized companies, so that they can work with others and find new customers.
According to the ICT market survey, the overall ICT market in 2008 was around 54.2 billion baht, increasing by 8.3% over 2007 and expected to grow at a rate of 5.2% this year, with a total value of 57 billion baht. ICT spending was mainly in communications, around 70% of total ICT market, followed by computer hardware and software, with market shares of 14% and 12% respectively. The value of the whole IT market (hardware, software, computer services and data communication equipment) last year was around 22.3 billion baht, growing by 11.6% over the previous year and it is predicted to rise by 6% this year.
ICT market survey project adviser Jumrud Sawangsamud noted that computer services tended to enjoy more market share, with an increase from 10.7% in 2007 to 11.2% in 2008 and 12% in 2009, while hardware and software were gradually shrinking. "Such a phenomenon reconciles with the global trend for services to take a more important role in the economy," he said.
In 2008, the domestic and small office/home office sectors accounted for around 52.5% of ICT spending, around 284 billion baht, of which some 81% was in communications, while the government and enterprise sectors together accounted for around 47.5% of the market, or 257 billion baht, of which the spending was mainly was in communications (56%) and software (21%).
Computer hardware sales increased 11% in 2008, to a total value of 75.7 billion baht, of which 66% was from PCs (desktops, notebooks and mini-notebooks). However, the hardware market is forecast to grow by only 0.4% this year.
Jumrud noted that 2008 was the first year that the number of notebooks sold was equivalent to desktop sales, and this year notebook would surpass desktops. Last year, mini-notebooks were very popular, increasing from 10,000 units in 2007 to 80,000 units last year.
The shrinking volume of CRT monitor sales continued, and it is expected that CRT would disappear from the market by mid-2009 as manufacturers focus on LCD technology.
A total of 1,355,000 printers shipped in 2008, and showed a slight reduction over the 1,359,000 units shipped in 2007. However, multi-function devices, both of inkjet and laser, received a warm welcome as the market grew by 15% last year, and it is predicted that they will keep a 15% growth rate in 2009.
The study showed that the external data storage market in 2008 was valued at 3.36 billion baht, a 3% increase over 2007, and more than 55% of the market was from enterprise storage.
The positive factors for the growth of the hardware market in 2008 were: IT became a critical factor for consumers and businesses; a low PC penetration rate; a pricing war; technology vendors launched new products for more specialised markets; the strong value of the baht; cheaper Internet access; more widespread Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, political uncertainty, the economic downturn and inflation were negative factors.
Jumrud noted that the new government, mega-projects, growing IT awareness of the private sector, new technologies such as 3G and WiMAX, increased adoption of netbooks and PDA phones, as well as lower oil prices would all be positive factors for the hardware market this year. However, he said the financial crisis and economic downturn would have more impact from now on.
Jumrud noted that the "sun rise" technologies in 2009 would be green IT, virtualisation, cloud computing, Software as a Service (SaaS), data deduplication, 3G and WiMAX, OLED monitor, 32 nanometre chips, convergence technology and wireless POS.
Based on the market survey, computer software would grow by 5% this year, the lowest growth rate in a decade. Enterprise software, mainly packaged software, has over 70% of the enterprise market. The growth of mobile application would be primarily from entertainment applications, around 66% of the total mobile application business. 3G and new applications development will have an impact on the market value of mobile applications.
In addition, embedded software such as RFID and sensor technology would enjoy a high growth in this year, around 15%, because their possible application in a wide range of electronic devices.
The sectors that will spend highly on software included banking, finance and telecoms, whereas the manufacturing, industry, property, tourism, retail and wholesale sectors would delay spending. Open source software and SaaS would take on important roles due to the economic slump, and could help many organisations realise cost savings.
In computer services, outsourcing enjoyed the highest growth, 24% in 2008, with a value of 4.08 billion baht and was an alternative for organisation as they want to control their IT investment in the current uncertain conditions.
The value of the comms market in 2008 was around 379.2 billion baht, and comprised of services (266 billion baht) and equipment (134 billion baht). This is estimated to grow to around 400 billion baht this year.
The IT and ICT Market Outlook 2009 report was a collaboration between the Software Industry Promotion Agency, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, the Association of Thai ICT Industry, the Association of Thai Software Industry, Software Park, the Thai Software Export Promotion Association, the Thai Embedded System Association and the Association of Thai Computer Manufacturers.

Thai software companies head for EU

Thai software companies head for EU
Software Park's European initiative





By: SASIWIMON BOONRUANG
Published: 11/03/2009 at 12:00 AM





Eight local firms that represent the best of Thai software brands are heading for the European market with the support of a partnership between Software Park Thailand and the Dutch Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).

The first eight Thai software houses to provide their products in the European market.

The first eight Thai software houses to provide their products in the European market.
According to Software Park Thailand director Suwipa Wanasathop, Software Park has a strategy to enter the European market this year in partnership with the CBI, an independent organisation under the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands that contributes to the equitable economic development of selected developing countries by providing export marketing and management support to their SME exporters with the purpose of increasing exports to Europe.
Based on their partnership, the supporting programme, called the CBI IT Outsourcing Export Coaching Programme, will run for four years, from 2008 to 2012. CBI will help software companies in Thailand prepare for marketing their products in Europe by providing knowledge transfer in terms of marketing techniques and laws and marketing activities so that they can formulate strategies and be competitive with the software produced and sold in European countries.
Suwipa noted that "Go to Market" was a part of Software Park's strategy of strengthening local software firms in terms of their marketing strategies.
Citing Gartner, she noted that Thailand was ranked in the Top 30 newcomers for outsourcing due to its quality and government support. Today there were 24 CMMI-certified companies in Thailand, an increase from six last year.
"By the end this year, there will be around 40 companies, and this will lead Thailand becoming No. 2 in Southeast Asia," she said.
The director noted that there were around 50,000 Thai software developers, but the export value of software was very limited, just 4.5 billion baht, even though there was a huge opportunity in the global software market.
The value of the outsourcing market in Europe in 2007 was around 207 million, and it was expected to grow to 231.2 million in 2009, the director said, adding that the high growth sectors included outsourcing, logistics, the supply chain and CRM, which were the areas that Thai companies were good at.
"We invited around 40 companies to join the programme, then there were 14 firms that the CBI has visited and run workshops with, and finally they selected eight companies," she said. The eight software firms that have passed the "audition" are Mfec, SSC Solution, AISoft, Teamwork,Promptnow, ThaiQuest, Suvitech and Ice Solution.
All eight companies recently have undergone training - called the CBI ITO Outsourcing 2008-2012 programme - in the Netherlands, together with software companies from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Columbia, Armenia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Bangladesh.
Mfec vice-president of strategic business Shimmy Thomas noted that information intelligence for telecom, financial and banking were the specialised areas that Mfec would pursue in the European market. Most of the European companies had focused on the top-end of the pyramid market, while such areas as data cleansing, data consolidation, reporting and monitoring were a big opportunity for Mfec and other outsourcing companies.
"The European market is a new territory, though we have never experienced this market, Mfec has 650 employees, which is quite sizeable for the export market," he said.
Mfec is targeting Germany and UK, Thomas said, noting that this is because of their market sizes for IT outsourcing and that both spoke English, while other European countries did not.
He noted that commitment and promptness of delivery were the key factors in dealing with businesses in the EU market. "This's the culture that we have to learn," the vice-president said.
Mfec is the only Thai company that is USFCPA (United States Foreign Corrupt Practice Act)-certified, he said, noting that ethics matter and this was a point that the company has acknowledged about the EU market.
Thomas expected that the company would be involved in two projects by 2010.
"Every 1 per cent of investment should generate a return of 10," he said.
Suvitech COO Ravi Bhatia, a provider of business solutions, systems integration and consulting services in the telecom and finance sectors, noted that Europe was a huge market. Thailand could not compete with India or China in terms of size of software development teams for outsourcing. "We thus have to select one product or one service that we are good at and have the capability to do and then study which customers to target in Europe."
With some 100 employees, Ravi noted that the company has invested some six to 10 million baht improving its structure and increasing its sales team to cover the EU. The Netherlands and Germany are its two main target markets.
"We should turn the present financial crisis into an opportunity because companies in the EU aim to keep reducing costs, however they are still working, so we can serve them with outsourcing, or software as a service," the COO said.
Suvitech aimed to have revenues around 1 million within three or four years. The company has also exported to Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia.
According to Ice Solution CEO Danupol Siamwalla, the company has restructured its marketing team to make it specific to the EU market. "We are at the stage of planning and preparation, and will enter the market at the beginning of next year," he said, noting that the solutions that Ice Solution would offer in the EU market include sales force automation, web application development and modern trade management.
The modern trade management application, is a solution for the modern trading company, which Ice Solution is targeting at cosmetics companies.
"The programme covers product structure, product category, distribution channel, distribution methods, planning and other details," Danupol said, disclosing that the company viewed France as a target because it was a major base of cosmetics firms and lots of marketing activities had been done in France.
He added that the company has customers in this sector in Thailand and thus it would leverage its experience to other countries, together with the application of open source technology which was the core area that Ice Solution has specialised since it was set up six years ago.
"The EU is a model that strongly uses and promotes open source technology," the CEO said, noting that to enter the EU market, Thai companies had to work to EU standards.
AISoft managing director Kittikorn Kunnalekha, who specialised in online travel, noted that the company has exported products to Asia Pacific and expanding into Europe had always been in AISoft plans.
Having some 20 employees today, AISoft has overhauled its structure. "We changed our sales and marketing departments in order to be able to adopt to European culture," the managing director said.
He noted that so far the company had made its internal preparation, and the company would go to Europe by the fourth quarter of this year.
"We expect to have some three projects, each worth around 20,000 to 30,000," Kittikorn said.
SSC Solutions specialises in "green software", especially for water leakage management.
The company's Knowledge Management Unit manager Tuang-Art Chaikijkosi noted that SSC would provide knowledge and management consulting services for water leakage management in the EU market.