NEWS: Putting an end to the write stuff

KUALA LUMPUR: The huge crowds that are attracted to automobile shows makes it difficult at times to even think, let alone try to get the contact details of people looking for a new car.

This was a problem faced by Sigma International Group Sdn Bhd, an event organiser for Honda cars in the country.

Its employees used to depend on pen and paper at such shows, having to fight the jostling crowd and make themselves heard above the din. Mistakes in the records were common place.

Then Sigma International discovered a more convenient and easier-to-use device that was the answer to their prayers.

It was the Axia A306, a PDA cellphone that can capture contact information on a MyKad, the chip-based national identity card.

With it, Sigma International employees at car shows can now get the information they want accurately and in seconds, just by scanning the MyKads.

The device is marketed by Fifth Media Sdn Bhd which was participating at the recent MSC Malaysia Great ICT Sale. It was there that Sigma International happened on the A306.

Fifth Media is the global marketing arm of ENT Quest — the local R&D company with MSC Malaysia-status that developed the device — and ENT Broadband, the holding company.

“The A306 is reliable and easy to use. I took only five minutes to learn how to work it,” said Ken Chock, managing director of Sigma International.

“It also gets the job done fast so we can attend to more potential customers quickly.”

Technology push

Sigma International bought five units of the A306 and plan to use the product extensively during projects next year.

It is also planning to introduce the A306 in Honda showrooms nationwide, as well as to showrooms run by other carmakers, such as Proton.

Fifth Media, meanwhile, is partnering with software developers to have more applications running on the A306.

“We want to make our product even more attractive to companies,” said Kialee Phua, chief executive officer of Fifth Media.

“We already have a customer in Indonesia and one in Belgium. We have also been getting enquiries from businesses in Cambodia.”

Good response

The Great ICT Sale, held in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor, has been such a hit that its organiser, the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), wants to make it an annual event.

“It generated book sales totalling RM3.1mil (for Kuala Lumpur and Penang) and this is very encouraging,” said Rizatuddin Ramli, MDeC director. The Johor-leg of the event ended Aug 16.

Due to popular demand, MDeC is extending the event to KL Sentral here on Aug 20-21.

The Great ICT Sale was also held inconjunction with the National ICT Month (July 20 to Aug 20) organised by the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom).

MDeC, which is custodian of the country’s MSC Malaysia initiative, put together The Great ICT Sale to give local small- and medium-scale enterprises a boost, as well as to further develop the nation’s software development industry.