Wireless Users Carry Redundant Devices
Conventional wireless industry wisdom is that consumers seek a single wireless device with multiple capabilities built into the handset. However, In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com) reports that its research shows that most users carry redundant devices. For instance, In-Stat found that more than 15 percent of people carry two wireless phones.
“Eighty percent of the people that have a camera phone say they regularly carry their digital camera, 75 percent of SmartPhone users also carry a PDA, and more than 50 percent of users of multimedia phones also carry their MP3 player,” said In-Stat analyst Bill Hughes. “It is important to understand this customer behavior if the wireless industry is to offer commercially successful solutions.”
Recent research by In-Stat found that only 43 percent of respondents, all of whom are business users, stated that higher productivity would be obtained with a SmartPhone. And while almost half the respondents believe that they would carry fewer digital devices by owning a SmartPhone, in the end most continued to carry a PDA anyway.
Yunus to Address ITU Telecom World
Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, will speak at the Opening Ceremony of ITU Telecom World 2006 on Dec. 3 in Hong Kong. As one of the inspirational leaders and early supporters of ITU’s Connect the World initiative, Yunus will announce an important milestone in the program, which aims to bridge the digital divide and “connect the unconnected by 2015.” The theme of ITU Telecom World 06, is “Living the Digital World.” The weeklong telecom event will explore the concept of shared digital resources for access to the vast wealth of the world’s knowledge, culture, education and learning.
Earlier this year when receiving the ITU World Information Society Award, Yunus called upon global ICT companies to work with governments and nongovernmental and international organizations to develop technology and business models that would enable ICT to be used as an income generating tool by the poor. “I got interested in information and communication technology because I saw this as a powerful way to help poor people, particularly poor women, out of poverty, very fast,” Professor Yunus said. “I saw how microcredit can bridge the gap between the poor and ICT. What’s needed is a business model where ICT can become an income-generating activity to the poor.”
List Ranks US Universities
Every year, thousands of graduating high-school students make their way from the Kingdom’s secondary schools to universities in the United States. Parents getting ready to pay hefty fees for higher education need to be well-informed about schools that may be better known for their extracurricular activities, than their academics. While the US News & World Report index provides information on the academic value of institutions of higher learning, CollegeHumor.com has created a list of schools where students go to “enjoy the fruits of their parents’ labor for the next four to six years.”
In total, 50 schools were “Power Ranked.” Parents who place a high priority on education, would do well to send their sons or daughters to universities that do not score highly in the power rank listing. Within the chosen schools, this year’s No. 1 “Power Ranking” went to Michigan State University. To view the complete list, click to www.collegehumor.com/rankings.
