My fortnightly column A Dose of IT that discusses on the Risks in bio pharma innovation and partnership models Kapil Khandelwal EquNev Capital www.equnev.com

1. cmyk cmyk
PAGE 11
NEW DELHI
MONDAY 17 | OCTOBER 2011
Browser wars
Japan’s Olympus Corp has fired
its CEO and president Michael
Woodford.
The word “tweet” is to become a
registered trademark of the micro-
blogging website Twitter. TECHNOMICS
FIREFOX TO DITCH
XUL FOR ANDROID
Mozilla Director of Firefox
Engineering Johnathan
Facebook may soon herald Kapil Khandelwal
deeper changes in Bhutan A dose of IT
Nightingale
announced on
a mailing list
that Firefox
will move to
Android’s
native user
interface, ditching the
XUL technology that’s been
ALISTAIR SCRUTTON
THIMPHU, OCT. 16 A partnership that
in use by Mozilla since before
there even was a Firefox.
For a sign of things to come with
isolated Bhutan’s young democ-
racy, look no further than a dra-
can prove risky
I, Robot conian smoking law, some bar
talk, and a Facebook page. is the role of partnering
T
here was an interest-
Earlier this year Kinley ing discussion that I played by the incubators to
DON’T FALL IN LOVE Tshering, then a media consul-
tant in the capital, Thimphu, dis-
participated
‘Simulating Partnership
on foster innovation. Over 40
percent of incubations in
WITH A DREAMER cussed with friends over drinks
the jailing of a Buddhist monk
Models for Innovation in
BioPharma’ at the Drug
India and abroad are over
their time lines to stand
The latest ‘droid’ comes for three years for possessing $3 Information Agency (DIA) alone outside of their shel-
from Meka Robotics. It’s worth of tobacco, one of the first annual conference held ters. On the other hand,
called the Dreamer robot to be prosecuted under a new law recently. The discussion over three-fourths of the
and it’s under development banning public smoking. highlighted six key issues ventures have been strug-
at the University of Texas. Angry, Tshering decided to related to investing in inno- gling to get to the next
The robot form a Facebook page, a digital vation and partnership level. The critical short
runs on protest unheard of in this models in BioPharma. comings have been an abil-
Willow Himalayan kingdom of 700,000 The first issue for consid- ity of the incubators to pro-
Garage’s people. Within months, the page eration in mitigating any vide the support required
ROS and had several thousand followers risks of investing in part- by the innovating compa-
includes and was the talk of the town, sig- nering models for innova- nies and ventures.
Meka’s S2 naling how a younger generation tion is clearly articulating Next consideration is how
Humanoid Head, which hous- is embracing social media and the financial considera- to live in the era of para-
es expressive eyes and emo- democratic rights, confidently tions and the investments. doxes! While Indian inno-
tive ears. Dreamer’s peepers challenging an established order Our history has been full of vation is an attractive
are high-resolution FireWire of elderly and mostly conserva- cases where innovations proposition for the
cameras and its head can tive leaders. urban, educated elite: village In fact, the prime minister have been great but the investors in the West, it is
move along seven axes. “Facebook was important. It migrants studying in college
Facebook opened the signed up on the Facebook page, mechanics of funding has the size and the scale and
opened the floodgates for open towns are embracing Facebook. floodgates for open a signal that the leaders of this been faulty, leading to the cost of investing and
Tech R.I.P criticism of the government,”
said opposition leader Tshering
And the government is smooth-
ing the way, setting up computer criticism of the
country may see the tide cannot
be turned. But it is not without
early miscarriage of the
venture.
managing the investments
that is an issue. The
Tobgay. “People feel the need to centers in many rural areas. government tension and fear. The second consideration Western innovators would
GOOGLE FINALLY be more vocal. Only two years
ago, criticism — constructive or
Dupthob Tashiyangtse, a law-
maker from a remote rural –– Kinley Tshering
Organizers say the street
protest was photographed by
is that there is no cookie
cutter approach to innova-
like to leverage opportuni-
ties in India, but they need
LOSES ITS BUZZ not — was quite anonymous.”
No one expects any revolution
region in the east, recounted
how, after he was elected, vil-
media consultant plain clothes police. A normally
assured prime minister angrily
tion and funding to new
technology that is being
to know who and how to
partner.
Google is killing off Buzz, in Bhutan, where the king is lagers started making all kinds of accused a newspaper of playing incubated. Once the idea Lastly, the most impor-
the company’s 18-month-old revered. There is broad support demands including asking him to Facebook page. to foreign interests over an has been germinated by an tant issue is of bridging the
first try at creating a social for the kingdom’s cautious charge their mobile phones or “People are coming out,” said investigation into a state lottery entrepreneur, there are a industry and academia.
network. Buzz will be shut embrace of globalization and its pick up their groceries. Tshering, who is now managing scandal. There is a long way to lot of supporting policies The key outcomes of a num-
down “in a few weeks,” philosophy of Gross National “When we campaigned we told editor of Business Bhutan, a go. Many people are still reluc- from the department of sci- ber of successful ventures
Google said in a blog post Happiness (GNH), the idea that them we were here to help them,” newspaper that has spearheaded tant to talk openly. Change will ence and technology and coming out of such partner-
Friday, as the company redi- personal well-being and the envi- Tashiyangtse said. “They took us investigations into the govern- probably come hesitantly. department of biotech on ships have shown us the
rects its social ronment are as important as literally. People are now coming ment. “We were really surprised Asked if he had any more plans the public funding to sup- glimpses of an immense
focus GDP. forward. They are more demand- by the reaction, quite scared for protests, Tshering smiled, port him with. On the pri- potential which we have
toward its The new taste for popular ing.” actually. We were unsure what and said: “That was enough, for vate funding front, there often failed to inculcate
new debate is not restricted to an And everyone talks about the the government would do.” now.” — Reuters are a host of angel enterprise value. I believe
Google+ investors and venture capi- that the emerging and
network. talists he could turn to. maturing venture capital
The third consideration is funding in India could
that every technology inno- improve the key outcomes
Siri Scan
OH THAT VOICE!
Google working vation needs to focus on the
business model and risk
moderation differentials.
The issues of risks to be
of taking the innovation to
the market and creating
the market access and ben-
efiting the patients and
APPLE’S WINNER on iTunes rival mitigated due to the part-
nering to create a value
proposition, needs to be
consumers.
Kapil Khandelwal is a
leading healthcare and ICT
Siri’s voice options are as
brilliant as the concept. Here
are the options.
English (Australia): Female
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16:
Google is seeking agree-
ments with record com-
iCLOUD NINE Apps keep users hooked pre-empted.
The fourth consideration
expert.
andelwal.com
Kapil@KapilKh-
voice
English (United Kingdom):
Male voice
English (United States):
panies by the end of the
month to start a music
store that will compete
with Apple Inc’s iTunes,
Apple California, this
month introduced
iCloud, a service that
stores music, photos
to their mobile phones CLOUD SPENDING HELPS TECHS
Female voice you have seen three people with knowl- and documents online SANGEETHA apps is growing, as smart San Francisco, Oct. 16: Big US Internet computing
in most all the videos edge of the talks said. for use on Mac comput- CHENGAPPA | DC A few apps to phone users become more companies should outshine their plainer PC cousins
French: Male voice where Google is seeking per- ers and mobile devices. BENGALURU, OCT. 16 make your day and more dependent on when earnings season kicks off next week, as corpo-
you need to speak French mission to sell downloads their phones. rations and fast-growing Web players dramatically
and then see and hear your and to stream purchased Ayushi Satiya, is addicted While developers from accelerate their pace of hardware spending.
response is in French. music to its customers’ to Screen Muncher, a all over the world con- Corporations are increasingly turning to new tech-
German: Female voice where devices, said the people, smart phone app that tribute interesting appli- nology to make themselves more productive in a
you need to speak German who requested anonymi- allows her to capture her cations to the App Store, downtrodden global economy. Meanwhile, a social
and then see and hear your ty because discussions phone screen as an image, Nokia store, Market etc networking and e-commerce boom is spurring mas-
response is in German. are private. to share with friends or ■ Gully Cricket which are downloaded by sive outlays on the giant server factories that power
Accords with record keep forever. millions of smart phone Internet comput-
labels would help Google, “Whenever someone ■ Mind It by Impetus users across the globe; tal- ing.
Hardware Hut the world’s largest
Internet-search company,
The company also offers
movies for rent through
sends me a funny message,
I use Screen Muncher to ■ Monster Truck Dash
ented Indian developers
are making their mark, as
That's good news
for Intel, which is
extend its push into the Android Market. store it as an image and millions of people across supplying more of
BULLDOZING THE entertainment. In May, The move into enter- then share a few laughs
■ Sanjeev Kapoor Recipes the globe download their its microchips
COMPETITION the Mountain View,
California-based compa-
tainment represents an
effort to diversify rev-
with my friends” she says.
Vinay Kumar, a market-
■ Kiddo Stories apps. Last week, Nokia
honoured a select team of
direct to compa-
nies building their
Desktop manufacturers have ny added music storage enue, boost advertising ing professional can’t get ■ Walletx 11 Indian developers own servers, and
begun releasing gaming PCs and movie-rental features sales and keep users on through his workday with- whose apps have crossed firms like EMC
featuring the new AMD to its Android software Google’s sites longer. out using his Document ■ Draw War the milestone of 1 million and VMware
Bulldozer desktop chips. A for phones and tablets. Apple, based in Viewer-cum-Editor app. downloads worldwide on whose businesses
number of boutique builders In an e-mailed state- Cupertino, California, “This app allows me to ■ Bug smasher Pro the Nokia Store. Now, a are integral to the storage and transmission of remote
now offer configurations ment, Google declined to this month introduced download MS Power Point part of the exclusive data, known as "cloud computing".
with the new FX series comment on the discus- iCloud, a service that and Excel files, edit it and ■ Ship Defender ‘Nokia Millionaire’s But it is less of a boon for traditional hardware mak-
processors, with the flagship sions, which were report- stores music, photos and mail it to my colleagues, League’ these 11 develop- ers such as Dell and Hewlett Packard, which find
eight-core FX-8150 garner- ed earlier by the New documents online for use while I am on the move” ■ Bowling Wizards ers are among just 200 themselves selling PCs at low margins and struggling
ing the most attention. York Times. on Mac computers and he says. ■ Catapult Mania Nokia developers to have to cope with an accelerating migration to smart-
Google’s Music Beta mobile devices like the The demand for mobile accomplished this feat. phones and tablets.
service, announced May iPhone and iPad. The Facebook, like online leaders Amazon.com and
APPly yourself 10, was started without company is in discus- China's Baidu, is buying masses of equipment to fill
record-company licenses. sions with movie studios two major data centers in Oregon and North Carolina,
It stores users’ song to put films on iCloud, but going straight to component makers like Intel for
libraries and playlists, people with knowledge of parts, rather than buying whole servers from HP or
and suggests music based the discussions said this IBM. —Reuters
on listeners’ collections. week. —Agencies
The technology of fun: Four things to keep you going through the week
Ubisoft’s mega-hit series Assassin’s Creed: Revelations leaps into 3D; Sony locks down 93,000 PSN, SOE, and SEN user accounts after unauthorised attempts to gain access
GAMES WEBSITE BORED AT THE OFFICE? GIZMOS
THE THING:
FLAMETHROWER A COMPLETE, FUN FACEMASH LORD OF ULTIMA HTC RADAR TO LIGHT UP DIWALI
Augmented reality start-
Link: www.mono-1.com/monoface/main.html Developer: Electronic Arts he HTC Radar will be available in a week’s
up Metaio has worked
with Universal Pictures
on an AR app to promote
the new The Thing film. It
Mono is an advertising agency based in
Minneapolis, MN that lives by the motto that
“simpler is better.” The ‘Mono’ face site lives
Link: http://www.lordofultima.com
Lord of Ultima is a free-to-play, browser-
based, massively multiplayer real-time strate-
T time for `25,490. The device will come
preloaded with Microsoft’s latest mobile
operating system — Windows Phone 7.5
up to that motto by presenting visitors with a gy (MMORTS) 2D strategy game similar to Mango. It has a 3.5-inch WVGA SLCD display
sees you spinning around fun and simple Flash application that allows Evony. Though the game is nominally free, with a resolution of 480x800 pixels. Under the
flaming virtual aliens that them to sculpt a Mr. Potato Head style face players may purchase “diamonds” for real- hood, the device runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm
appear in the real world that contains 759,375 entertaining possibili- world money. Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM. It
around you. ties. Each staff member had a head shot taken, Gameplay comes with 8GB internal storage expandable
iPhone/Android BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY 9
which was then cropped into individual parts:
mouth, nose, head, and each eye. You can
revolves around
collecting
up to 32GB via MicroSD card.
The smartphone is equipped
ZOMBIE LIFE Console: PS3/Xbox 360, PC
Game type: Action Adventure 10 browse the gallery or have fun making your
own weird combinations.
resources to
develop cities
with a hardware camera but-
ton which enables users to
Mobile social game Developer: Rocksteady Studios and armies and capture vivid images while
Zombie Farm has been a The Good: Atmospheric, fascinating world rich then battle the f/2.2 aperture lens and
huge hit, but now devel- with details and secrets; Satisfying, varied, against each back-illuminated sensor pro-
hard-hitting combat; Grappling and soaring other for power vide improved low-light per-
oper The Playforge has a
around the city is thrilling; Great assortment of and prestige. Players start off with a single formance. It has 28mm
sequel. If its predecessor involving side quests; Makes terrific use of a city, which is protected from attack for seven wide-angle lenses that can
was the undead host of Batman characters. days. A player can choose to settle inactive capture more of the scene
FarmVille, this is much The bad: Boss fights are too easy. cities or create new cites after the required in front of the users while
more of an undead Sims, The verdict: Batman: Arkham City’s irresistible pre-prerequisites have been met. A player can the new panoramic fea-
with your zombie inter- world, joyous movement, rewarding combat, also build a castle to conquer other cities with ture lets users create dra-
acting with citizens. and varied side quests make it an exceptional castles, vice versa. Joining an alliance is cru- matic pictures of sky-
iPhone adventure game. cial for both protection and economic support. lines and landscapes.