NEWS: Govt gets RM800mil annually for USP fund

PAKAN: The Government receives an annual contribution of about RM800mil from the country's telecommunications companies, said Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang.

He said each company, earning more than RM2mil annually, needs to contribute 6% of its gross revenue which is channeled into the Universal Service Provider Fund.

"It is this contribution that the Government, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (SKMM), utilises to set up telecommunications services in rural areas, places where the telcos do not operate due to the unattractive profit margin.

"These include the setting up of community broadband centres (CBC) for rural folks to learn to use computers and surf the Internet," he told Bernama after officiating the Pakan CBC centre here yesterday.

He said there are now 18 such centres in the state.

Urging the people to make full use of such facilities, Salang said: "I would especially like our longhouse chiefs to not merely get acquainted with computers but to learn how to surf the Internet to gain knowledge and become better leaders."

On the Pakan CBC set up early this year, he is glad to note it now has about 300 registered members.

Salang said the Government is confident of achieving its target of 50% Internet penetration among the nation's 6.5 million households by year end.

On the distribution of netbooks to targeted groups, he said the Government would spend RM1bil to buy a million such laptops.

"The Government will distribute 650,000 sets to poor secondary students nationwide based on recommendations from their teachers, while the balance will be given to ordinary folk," he said. - Bernama

NEWS: Geeks have more brand loyalty

A consumer survey reveals that geeks are likely to spend more on the products they like and stay loyal to their favourite brands. Geeks are also more susceptible to advertising ploys and buy more goods online.

The survey, undertaken on behalf of tech website Geeknet and market research agency Forrester Consulting and released July 27, was conducted across the United States, Britain and Germany.

It divided respondents into three categories, "IT Geeks," "tech geeks" and "non-geeks."

IT geeks were defined as working in information technology or other jobs involving hardware or software, while tech geeks don't work in IT but agree that technology is important to them and is something they regularly follow.

The survey found 20% of geeks from both categories agreed that advertisements helped them decide what to buy, compared to only 12% of non-geeks; 25% of geeks purchased the advertised product or service online whereas only 16% of non-geeks did the same.

As well as being more susceptible to advertising, geeks were also more loyal to their favourite brands with 60% of geeks versus 17% of non-geeks agreeing that when they found a brand they liked they "stuck to it."

In addition to brand loyalty, geeks were also more likely to pay more for products they liked and 29% of geeks agreed that "owning the best product is important to me," whereas only 14% of non-geeks thought the same.

With viral advertising campaigns, online supermarkets and phone apps playing an increasingly important role in everyday life, technology is no longer the preserve of a knowledgeable few, but geeks may still be the ones to ask about new innovations - 53% consider themselves "the person who knows more about an interesting trend," while only 22% of non-geeks felt the same way. - Relaxnews

NEWS: Many SMEs still ignorant about e-commerce

PETALING JAYA: Many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still ignorant about e-commerce, said Shaifubahrim Saleh, president of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom).

He said these SMEs still believe they have to buy servers and set up an IT department to participate in e-commerce, when in actual fact they can merely subscribe to e-commerce services for as low as RM100 per month.

According to Pikom, 31% of SMEs surveyed in the country believe they do not have the technical knowledge to embrace e-commerce, while 17% said they are not ready to engage in e-commerce.

"That's why Pikom is going to 16 locations nationwide to teach SMEs there about e-commerce and the ease of adopting e-commerce services," Shaifubahrim said.

"They need to understand that in the age of cloud computing, they do not need to possess in-depth technical knowledge to get into e-commerce."

According to Pikom, its roadshows will have educated about 3,000 SMEs by year end. It estimates that there are some 900,000 SMEs in the country.

"It is going to be a long process educating all the SMEs," said Shaifubahrim.

Pikom said the value of e-commerce in Malaysia will be RM92.6bil by year end - a 32% increase from last year. "Yes, there is vast potential in e-commerce here," Shaifubahrim told In.Tech at the opening of its Business Success Forum here.

The forum is one of the main initiatives under the National ICT Month (NIM) 2010. The month-long event ends Aug 12. It features talks, forums, workshops and seminars.

NIM 2010 is organised by Pikom and the Science, Innovation and Technology Ministry.

NEWS: Family-friendly game attempts to unlock creativity

CO-OPERATIVE: The PS3, 360, PC and Mac versions of Create allow level sharing via the Internet.

EA's UK outpost have revealed their pet project, Create, promising to provide a digital playpen in which families can club together to beat each challenge.

With a strong DIY aesthetic, players pick from a toolbox of props and objects, altering levels in order to clear a path for buggys, barrels, bikes and dodgem cars.

In some challenges, the chosen vehicle must make its way towards an obstructed destination - like the ooze in Pipe Mania or the cliff-loving mammals of Lemmings - and players work out how to avoid or use the items in its way.

In others, objects must be ferried safely to their destination by tweaking a makeshift transport.

Though popular web browser titles such as Wake The Royalty, Cargo Bridge and Transformice have already shown that games can integrate physics and engineering without losing a sense of fun, Create balances its challenge mode with a level creation suite that allows the construction and decoration of more domestic scenes.

A passing resemblance to two other well recent console titles that came with integrated level-editors, LittleBigPlanet and Joe Danger, may not be entirely co-incidental as EA Bright Light are located in the same city as LittleBigPlanet studio Media Molecule and Joe Danger makers Hello Games.

One key difference is that unlike those two PlayStation3 exclusives, Create is multi-platform, coming out on Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 as well as PC and Mac.

The PlayStation3 version also has Move functionality so that those with the console's new motion controllers can point and click just as on the Wii. Like LittleBigPlanet 2, it's targeting a mid-November release. - Relaxnews

NEWS: Speed boost for Myren research community

Sureswaran: Myren is a platform for creating research communities and to bring them together.

PETALING JAYA: A high-speed network that links researchers in various parts of the country has been upgraded at the cost of RM30mil.

The speed boost for the Malaysian Research and Education Network (Myren), which links 28 public and private universities, will enable the researchers to better carry our their R&D activities.

Myren has been upgraded to deliver speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabit per second), said Prof Dr Sureswaran Ramadass, head of Myren at the University Sains Malaysia in Penang.

With such speeds, Myren can be used to provide video-streaming services and high-definition videoconferencing for the researchers. It was recently used to stream a video of a full solar eclipse that had occurred in Japan.

The other applications that have been deployed on Myren include, telemedicine activities and a virtual lab to teach science and technology to primary school students in rural areas.

"Myren also connects to other global research and education networks, such as the Trans-Eurasia Information Network in the Asia-Pacific region and GEANT in Europe," Sureswaran said.

But it is much more than a high-speed research network, according to him.

Myren, he said, is a platform for creating research communities and to bring them together. "It encourages the researchers to work together, exchange ideas, and aspire for international recognition."

Sureswaran said the Myren project will be transferred from the auspices of the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry to that of the Higher Education Ministry next year.

By the end of this year, another 40 polytechnic and community colleges will become part of the network.

When the Myren project started in 2005, the network speed was a mere 8Mbps (megabits per second).

NEWS: Microsoft lends helping hand to underserved

GRANTS AWARDED: (l-r) Amran, David, Begum and Md Ghani at the award ceremony.

KUALA LUMPUR: To help bring technology to local underserved communities, software giant Microsoft Malaysia made cash and software donations to three non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The NGOs - Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), Yayasan Salam Malaysia (YSM), and Mercy Malaysia - received cash grants worth RM1.7mil in total.

With the donations, which will be distributed over three years until 2011, the YWCA and YSM will provide basic computing and technology skills to the needy, with the aim of helping these people develop entrepreneurial or employment opportunities.

Mercy Malaysia was awarded with a large software grant to enhance its emergency relief efforts with information and communications technology (ICT).

Microsoft wants to help bridge the digital divide, that gap between the technology haves and have-nots, according to Jasmine Begum, Microsoft Malaysia director of corporate affairs for Malaysia and new markets.

"We are providing the tools and resources that can help the underprivileged improve their future and go on to better things," she said.

These grants help NGOs deliver technology skills and training via a network of more than 29 community technology learning centres (CTLCs). This will benefit more than 20,000 people by providing jobs and career opportunities.

CTLCs offer people of all ages and abilities to learn about computers, use the Internet, explore new careers, further their education, participate in community activities, and develop job-related technology skills.

Doing its bit

The NGOs said the grants will help the underserved communities use technology to create social and economic opportunities that can change their lives in positive ways.

YWCA Malaysia's national president, Dr Marina David, said the donations would enable the association to train women and girls in ICT, which will boost their employment opportunities.

As for YSM, its chief operating officer Md Ghani Ibrahim said the grant will help women and youths to venture into IT-based businesses or become entrepreneurs.

Mercy Malaysia honorary treasurer Amran Mahzan sees Microsoft software helping with making its relief efforts more efficient, as well as more accurately matching volunteers to its various types of relief work.

At the event, Begum also presented a contribution to Deborah Henry, the co-founder of the Save Education Centre, a charity organisation for Somali refugee children in Kuala Lumpur.

The grants were handed out under the Microsoft Unlimited Potential - Community Technology Skills Programme, which is a community ICT outreach effort.

Since the launch of the programme in 2004, Microsoft has given out cash and software worth more than RM3.1mil in total.

NEWS: East Malaysians embracing e-commerce

PETALING JAYA: Six out of 10 East Malaysians are booking their Malaysia Airlines tickets online, said Amin Khan, senior general manager of commercial strategy for MAS.

This is a sign that more in the country are using e-commerce facilities, which should encourage more businesses here to embrace the technology.

In comparison, Amin said, only one in four MAS customers in other parts of the world book their ticket online.

"In East Malaysia, the guy with the credit card and PC becomes an 'electronic ticketing agent.' People find it more convenient to go to that guy up their street, than to the city centre to a ticketing office," he said.

"They hand him the cash (for the ticket) and he makes the online booking."

According to Amin, while high-speed broadband is the ideal catalyst to spark off e-commerce adoption, the nation's basic Internet infrastructure can still be taken advantage off and be a convenience to most people.

MAS is embracing e-commerce in a big way. Two years ago, only 3% of its tickets sales were booked online; today it is 25%, thanks to MAS' iPad bookings and mobile booking applications.

"e-Commerce has opened up a new market for us. Online tickets sales do not cannibalise our regular ticket sales. With our online process, we also get more visibility.

"A customer can visit our site everyday until he gets a good price. This beats calling up many travel agents for quotes everyday," Amin said.

The national airline spent roughly RM400mil to set up its Passenger Service System, which includes an e-commerce component, two years ago.

Amin declined to quantify the airline's return on investment for that initiative but said it enjoys a cost savings of RM3 per ticket sold online, which can be passed on to its customers.

He was presenting a paper - Case studies: Lessons for e-commerce ventures - at the Business Success Forum.

Unaware

Earlier, Shaifubahrim Saleh, president of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom), said many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still ignorant about e-commerce.

He said these SMEs still believe they have to buy servers and set up an IT department to participate in e-commerce, when in actual fact they can merely subscribe to e-commerce services for as low as RM100 per month.

According to Pikom, 31% of SMEs surveyed in the country believe they do not have the technical knowledge to embrace e-commerce, while 17% said they are not ready to engage in e-commerce.

"That's why Pikom is going to 16 locations nationwide to teach SMEs there about e-commerce and the ease of adopting e-commerce services," Shaifubahrim said.

"They need to understand that in the age of cloud computing, they do not need to possess in-depth technical knowledge to get into e-commerce."

According to Pikom, its roadshows will have educated about 3,000 SMEs by year end. It estimates that there are some 900,000 SMEs in the country.

"It is going to be a long process educating all the SMEs," said Shaifubahrim.

Pikom said the value of e-commerce in Malaysia will be RM92.6bil by year end - a 32% increase from last year. "Yes, there is vast potential in e-commerce here," Shaifubahrim told In.Tech at the Business Success Forum.

The forum is one of the main initiatives under the National ICT Month (NIM) 2010. The month-long event ends Aug 12. It features talks, forums, workshops and seminars.

NIM 2010 is organised by Pikom and the Science, Innovation and Technology Ministry.

NEWS: Shoppers leave empty-handed and buy goods at home

ONLINE SHOPPING: A quarter of shoppers leave high street stores empty handed and purchase goods on the Internet instead, according to a report released July 30 by retail consultancies Envirosell and RichRelevance. - Relaxnews

A QUARTER of shoppers in Britain and the United States leave high street stores empty-handed and choose to complete their purchases at home according to a recent survey.

Internet users around the globe also searched for information about online retailers more frequently than high street stores.

A quarter of shoppers leave high street stores empty handed and purchase goods on the internet instead, according to a report released July 30 by retail consultancies Envirosell and RichRelevance.

The survey conducted amongst shoppers in New York and London found that almost half of all shoppers leaving stores did so without having purchased anything, but a quarter of those leaving without shopping intended to go home and complete their purchases on the Internet.

The survey also found that consumers in New York were also more likely than their British counterparts to compare prices of goods online first before visiting the store.

Increasing numbers of people are choosing to do their shopping online and, according to statistics from market monitoring group Hitwise, Internet users across Britain, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States searched for information about online retailers more often than they searched for information about high street stores.

The most searched for term relating to shopping and retail in the United States in the four weeks ending July 17 was online marketplace and postings site Craigslist, followed by auction site eBay in second and movie site Netflix in third, while hypermarket chain Wal-Mart came fourth, one place above online retailer Amazon.

In Britain, eBay and Amazon dominated the top two spots in the week ending July 24. During the same period online retailers, rather than high street stores, were also popular search items in Asia and Oceania.

Amazon and Amazon Japan were the top two most searched for terms related to retail in Hong Kong, and in Australia online retail sites eBay, eBay Australia and Amazon were also searched for more often than any high street stores. - Relaxnews

NEWS: Learning English the Disney way

IN A slight lilting American accent, smiling Chinese children ask each other “Do you want a snack?” at a Disney English Learning Centre in Shanghai.

These five-to-seven year-olds learning English with Disney characters such as the AristoCats are the product of a highly successful China branding strategy for the firm that gave the world Mickey Mouse and Snow White.

Pioneered for the Chinese market, the Walt Disney Company opened its first English language centre in Shanghai in 2008 and has since expanded to 14 such centres on the mainland.

Using touchscreen boards, props, games and online media, each centre teaches English to children between two and 12.

“When the words appear on the big screen, the teachers will say ‘Go’ and they will tell you what they want. When you reach for the correct object, the screen will say “You have won,” says five-year-old Paul He, on the joys and excitement he derives from learning at the centre.

Overall, Disney’s foray into the China market has been mixed. Its Hong Kong Disneyland park reported a loss last year, while the firm is still in final talks with Shanghai’s municipal government over a Shanghai Disneyland after the park received central government approval late last year.

Its English language business venture however, has been a resounding success as enrolment numbers soar and Disney plans to double the number of schools on the mainland in a year.

“Here in China, parents place a huge value on education. It is up there as one of the top focuses and top investments that parents make along with probably health care,” said Andrew Sugerman, general manager of Disney English.

So far, Disney English has 10 centres in Shanghai and four in Beijing, with plans to expand the programme to China’s tier-two and tier-three cities.

“It’s been very positive both in terms of our enrolment figures and the responses we’ve heard from parents. We have enrolled several thousand since 2008 and are expecting triple digit growth into next year,” Sugerman said.

English standards in China have remained poor despite compulsory English education in schools. Most lessons are taught in Mandarin and Chinese children speak Mandarin at home.

Yet, with China’s rapid economic development, there has been a drive for English Language education, especially in the big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. — Reuters