Archive for 'web-software' Category
Why Microsoft Wants the Barnes & Noble Nook Reader Deal ?
Microsoft’s $300mn upfront investment In Barnes & Noble’s yet to be named subsidiary which will have the e-Book Reader Platform Nook plus $25mn per year in cost reimbursement is not financially material to Microsoft. The road map from Microsoft was not disclosed on the companies’ joint conference call leaving everybody guessing about Steve Ballmer’s Moves.
Microsoft wants to make sure that there are alternatives to Amazon’s Kindle for digital content and make sure there is a counter balance to Apple’s [armored with iBooks and iPad] growing partnerships for content and creation of interactive educational content. Apple’s iTunes U application allows universities and educators to publish lectures and course materials which can be consumed by students
Microsoft’s $25mn-per-year cost reimbursement appears intended to help the new subsidiary secure more international / digital content and build more educational interactive content. Microsoft will have a revenue-sharing relationship with the new Nook subsidiary for the distribution of digital content. Microsoft previously disclosed that it would receive 20% – 30% on content purchased through the Windows Store (similar to Apple’s 30%)
Having more competition from Amazon in digital Read the rest of this entry »
Can Microsoft Windows 8 + Office Survive – Apple Mac OS X +iPad and Android Tablet Onslaught ?
We all know that Tablets are making the PC / Laptops Obsolete. I would like to present a thorough analysis on who are still glued to the Laptop / Netbook and who are currently using and will only use Tablets such as iPad / Samsung Galaxies and can Microsoft survive the growing Onslaught on its Golden Turf of Windows and Office Suite ?
The problem that Microsoft faces is how to be both functional to cater to its traditional user base, but also to be cool enough to stop the flood of consumers from Windows to Mac OSX and iOS. I think that Microsoft has achieved this, not just with the Windows 8 OS but with the accompanying program such as Office. I find Windows 8 to have accomplished a rare feat in mastering both keyboard / mouse input as well as touch. Is this enough to stop the defection of users from Microsoft to Apple and Google as Windows 8 is offering dual advantage which consumers can’t get it with Apple ?
Which Consumers will Stick to Windows 8 and Office ? Users who create the content prefer keyboard and mouse. Last time there Read the rest of this entry »
Is LinkedIn threatening Naukri’s Core Recruiting Business ?
InfoEdge India’s Naukri.com, job portal, is the dominant player in the Indian market and enjoys high traffic share and has a significant lead over the competition. The primary portal is supported by four other initiatives (online and offline), thereby creating a full service offering.
LinkedIn the Professional Networking Site has become a big hit amongst Job Seekers and Recruiters and is threatening the old ways of recruitment which offer Resume Bank without any innovative methods to engage candidates and recruiters. We’d say that Naukri’s business is deteriorating due to rising competition from LinkedIn.
Comparison of Naukri to LinkedIn
The hiring activity in India declined by ~20%yoy in mid-08 at the time of the credit crunch, indicating corporates had stopped hiring Read the rest of this entry »
Microsoft to Bundle Office with Windows on ARM – Compete Apple
Microsoft has finally embraced the growing popularity of ARM breaking out of the Wintel Lobby. Microsoft has announced Windows 8 Support for ARM across the board – Handheld, Mobile / Laptop / PC etc. WOA devices are still in development Labs but roll-out is certain within the next 3 to 6 months.
However, the bigger news is that Office 15′s Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be included (nice way of saying bundled) with Windows Over Arm. This is surprising, given that Microsoft is only recently out of the constraints of the antitrust settlement and now it is bundling some of Office with Windows 8. Wow, this is very bold. We would not expect this on the Intel platform because this would be a big antitrust issue, but on ARM where Apple dominates the market, this may be Microsoft’s argument for doing a bundle. Whether this is leveraging a monopoly in one market to dominate an adjacent market is a legal question that we expect Apple and the increasingly Evil Company Google to raise.
Apple bundles calendar, contacts, photos, reminders, notes, maps, Read the rest of this entry »
Flipkart – Initial Challenges for e-Commerce / Online Selling – How did they Overcome ?
We are all fully aware that Indians do not buy much online due to trust issues regarding fulfillment of transaction, quality of goods & services delivered and secure payment methods for the transaction to complete.
In 2010, Flipkart started offering cash on delivery which became a huge success as much as 50% of its sales were from cash on delivery operation. Another key success factor has also been its migration from consignment model to warehousing model that ensures better consumer experience (80% of all deliveries today are from warehouse).
Logistics of Flipkart: It employs over 4,500 with majority of them (>2,500, in our view) in blue collared jobs Read the rest of this entry »
How to get Free Mobile Recharge with Way2SMS Social Ads ?
Way2SMS is a really good FREE Web to Mobile messaging Platform in India [ Disclaimer - We use it regularly and are quite surprised by the Speed @ which they deliver our messages] Way2SMS has launched an innovative Advertising Platform and offering consumers Free Mobile Re-charge. [90% of Mobile users in India are on Pre-paid and hence Re-charge is applicable to them]
How Way2SMS Free Mobile Recharging Works ?
Based on Data Analytics of your Way2SMS Account, Way2SMS Algorithms push 2 Ads from its pool for you to look at when you log-on to the website. Now, you can share these Ads on Orkut, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn for your social network of friends. If your friends find that interesting and click on the same, then your account gets credit for the click. This way you can go on accumulating credits and Read the rest of this entry »
Internet Proliferation to drive Online Advertising + Classifieds in India
There has been a secular shift in the ad-spend mix, from traditional media to new media such as the internet. The resilience in online advertising growth is evident from the fact that internet advertising continued to grow during the 2008-09 slowdown in global economic growth, despite a global ad-spend decline.
Internet advertising is under-penetrated in India. In fact, internet advertising accounts for ~4% of ad-spend in the country, compared to 15% globally. The following Chart Shows how India Compares with the Rest of the World in Internet Advertising. Read the rest of this entry »
IndiaMart – The B2B / SME Online Channel of India
IndiaMART began as a web services company in the mid-1990s. It started offering a standardised web design service to SMEs at a lower price point to differentiate itself in a crowded marketplace. Its template-based approach reduced the time taken to develop professional-looking websites, leading to its services gaining traction. Subsequently, the company used its client relationships to start a directory service for clients, which has now become the foundation stone of the website.
B2B Classifieds – IndiaMART is a classifieds website that charges on a per-listing basis. Banner advertisements and sponsored listings are also a source of revenue. To mine its clients better and improve ROI, IndiaMART is increasing focus on a pay-per-lead revenue model.
Revenue Model:A free membership gives them a basic website on indiamart.com domain, a directory/product listing alongside their peers in the industry. After experiencing the benefits of free membership on IndiaMART, they can achieve greater business growth by upgrading to one or more of our paid services. These paid services provide more comprehensive/advanced web catalogues, priority positioning in our supplier Read the rest of this entry »