There is a naïve belief that, as the rich get richer, they consume more of the world's resources and - in so doing - leave an ever dwindling amount of stuff over for the poor.
In which case, purchasing the new Apple iPhone must lead to poverty. As those from Naomi Klein, to UK-based Enough, to members of the far left, delight in continually saying, "The USA alone, with only 6% of the world's population, consumes 30% of its resources."
I did mention that they were naïve.
At worst the iPhone will have no material impact on the lives of refugees from the conflict in Darfur or those suffering under the dictatorship in Zimbabwe. They are not involved in its production and none of the materials required for its manufacture are sourced from hopelessly impoverished nations.
At best the iPhone will result in a globally improving standard of living. Consider the phone in isolation. To come into existence required the work of designers, materials manufacturers, software coders, factories and assembly lines. The iPhone may become as iconic as the iPod; in which case - on its own - it will result in the creation of thousands of new jobs simply to produce it.
Consider now the iPhone's impact on other phone manufacturers. If, as is to be expected from Apple, the phone is a technological leap ahead of its competitors, then they too will have to invest in their own products just to keep up. More designers, materials manufacturers, software coders, factories and assembly lines will be required. This will create even more new jobs.
More importantly, though, is the change to the overall standard of living. The base level of technology will rise. Our base expectations from the products we buy increases. In other words, even though - initially - the iPod will only be affordable by the wealthiest societies in the world, the ultimate effect will be that the new technology will spread everywhere.
Mobile phones were first the exclusive purvey of the very rich. As they became commoditised they spread to all reaches of society. Now, even a war zone like Somalia with no real government, has mobile phone access.
There are places in the world where it is completely uneconomical to offer formal banking services. Dangerous places where cash can easily be stolen. The ready availability of cellular technology has allowed sophisticated banking services to be offered in developing countries at a price that the poor can afford. MTN Banking, in South Africa, replaces a physical bank with a mobile phone, and requires only a phone call to subscribe.
Cellular phones have improved the livelihoods of millions of poor subsistence farmers by allowing them to contact buyers and learn what consumers want. Daniel Mashva, a rural farmer in South Africa, uses his phone to dial a virtual trading platform and sells his produce direct from his small thatched hut on the fringe of the vast Kruger National Park. "I check the prices for the day on my phone and when it's a good price I sell. I can even try to ask for a higher price if I see there are lots of buyers."
It is consumerism which has resulted in the technological revolution that created cheap telecommunications. And it is this rising standard of living that is improving the lives even of the poorest in the world.
So, congratulations Apple, we wish you every success in saving the world. Even if that wasn't your original intention.
About the Author
Gavin Chait is a director of, South African-based, Whythawk Ratings, (white-hawk) who promote economic development by impartially measuring and rating the effectiveness of the health, welfare and poverty relief interventions of development organisations and charities.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Multi-purpose Mobile Phone
The mobile phone is moving quickly from being just a device you use to make phone calls. It is steadily moving into the world of personal digital assistants (PDA's) and entertainment devices. It is very easy today to get a mobile phone which serves as a phone, diary, MP3 player, video player, word processor, and games console. In short its one device but with many functions which you do not need to buy separately.
This is good news for the mobile phone manufacturers who are now classifying phones as multimedia computers. They are anticipating stealing business from companies who up to now have built single purpose gadgets such as MP3 music players. Interestingly, Apple, who sell the market leading music player, the iPod, have just announced they will manufacture a mobile phone.
It's also good news for the mobile operators who sell the phones, because they can sell a more expensive device with higher profit margins. They can also sell additional services such as music downloads over their mobile network.
The phone which I use is a Nokia E61 which does all of the above things. It has a keyboard which allows me to type notes or indeed articles such as this one. I can download my MP3 files and play them using it's music player, and also download and play video files. There are vast amounts of games which it can play, and I can hook it up to my office diary and email system. It weighs 144 grams and is about 12 cm by 7 cm with a depth of 1.5 cm. So it fits easily in a pocket.
With earlier phones which attempted these functions lack of memory storage space on the device was a severe limiting factor. However my phone can use a plugin memory card which can provide up to 4GB of storage space. In theory this would allow me to play many hours of movies on my phone!
There are many other models of phones offering all or many of the above functions. Some use the standard phone keypad layout so are not so good at typing large amounts of text. Others use a stylus based input mechanism for inputting text by writing on the screen.
So expect to see people doing more and more with their mobile phone. In fact attempts are now being made to use phones as a type of smartcard for paying for things in place of cash or credit cards. So it may not be long before the mobile phone replaces your wallet!
About the Author
This is good news for the mobile phone manufacturers who are now classifying phones as multimedia computers. They are anticipating stealing business from companies who up to now have built single purpose gadgets such as MP3 music players. Interestingly, Apple, who sell the market leading music player, the iPod, have just announced they will manufacture a mobile phone.
It's also good news for the mobile operators who sell the phones, because they can sell a more expensive device with higher profit margins. They can also sell additional services such as music downloads over their mobile network.
The phone which I use is a Nokia E61 which does all of the above things. It has a keyboard which allows me to type notes or indeed articles such as this one. I can download my MP3 files and play them using it's music player, and also download and play video files. There are vast amounts of games which it can play, and I can hook it up to my office diary and email system. It weighs 144 grams and is about 12 cm by 7 cm with a depth of 1.5 cm. So it fits easily in a pocket.
With earlier phones which attempted these functions lack of memory storage space on the device was a severe limiting factor. However my phone can use a plugin memory card which can provide up to 4GB of storage space. In theory this would allow me to play many hours of movies on my phone!
There are many other models of phones offering all or many of the above functions. Some use the standard phone keypad layout so are not so good at typing large amounts of text. Others use a stylus based input mechanism for inputting text by writing on the screen.
So expect to see people doing more and more with their mobile phone. In fact attempts are now being made to use phones as a type of smartcard for paying for things in place of cash or credit cards. So it may not be long before the mobile phone replaces your wallet!
About the Author
Colin Campbell is a mobile technology specialist. See his mobile business website at http://www.mobilebeacon.com
10 Websites You Can't Live Without
As anyone who has used the Web can testify, there are a lot of websites out there. Most of them are badly designed, difficult to use, or just plain boring. But in amongst the rough are a few gems -- websites that once you discover them, you'll wonder how you ever managed without! This list is dedicated to those sites which can make your life easier and more enjoyable; some you may already know, others you won't, but they are all worth at least a few minutes of everyone's time.
1) Google
THE search engine to use. Yes, Yahoo! might have slightly more visitors, but Google is by far the coolest search engine out there. No clutter, no annoying advertising, just pure, unadulterated search goodness. This truly is The Internet For Dummies -- just type what you want and let Google work its magic.
But Google is so much more than just a search engine. You can use it to do calculations, find images, get your local weather forecast and a whole host of other useful stuff. With its versatility and easy to use layout, Google will soon become you new best friend.
2) Amazon
Does shopping bore you? Does the thought of fighting the traffic to get into town only to be faced with hordes of manic bargain-hunters fill you with dread? If so then you're not alone, and luckily Amazon provides the perfect solution. You can now buy pretty much anything you can think of from the comfort of your own home, and it'll even cost you less! No more pushy sales people, no more queues, all you need is a computer, a credit card and a few minutes of your time. You can even do it in your underwear, something I wouldn't recommend when shopping in the real world...
3) eBay
Amazon is great for brand new items, but what if you're after something a little rarer, something that you can't find in your average high-street or online store? This is where eBay comes in. eBay is like the world's biggest yard sale, only instead of spending your afternoon trawling through one person's junk, you have access to over 200 million sellers worldwide. As eBay's slogan says, "Whatever it is... you can get it on eBay." This couldn't be more true; some of the items listed on eBay in the past include toenail clippings, a ghost in a jar and even the country of New Zealand, listed by an Australian guy who was fed up with his neighboring country! If you are after a rare bargain, eBay is the place to find it.
4) Wikipedia
This free, online encyclopedia stands head and shoulders above all others due to its unique nature. Wikipedia is a community-driven website, which means that anyone with a keyboard and half a brain can add their own articles. This means that this isn't your typical encyclopedia - as well as the usual articles about volcanoes and civil wars you also have the subjects that people really care about; stuff like Britney Spears and information on the latest series of Big Brother. With over 1.6 million entries, Wikipedia is a bottomless pit of useful (and useless) information.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the community-driven format is that it actually works. Rather than the poorly-written and badly-researched entries that were predicted, Wikipedia is actually full of well-crafted, comprehensive articles on practically any topic you can imagine. Once you discover it, you'll probably never need to open a book again, hooray!
5) YouTube
If you harbor a secret desire to watch a grown man solve a Rubik's Cube with his feet, or are looking for an instructional video on how to wash a cat then YouTube is the place for you. Home to several million video clips, this is the largest online depository of moving media ever. The interface is simplicity itself to use, largely thanks to the fact that Google bought the site and added their own search to it. You can now find videos of anything you can dream of, and you can even post your own comments or send the video to your friends.
The good news doesn't stop there though; if you fancy yourself as a budding TV star then why not create your own videos to share with the masses? It's simple to do and best of all it's completely free. In fact YouTube is becoming so big that TV talent scouts are even using the site to find their next presenters, so who knows where things might lead if you do post your own video?
6) MySpace
Visiting these cool websites is all well and good, but what if you want your own site where you can post your own stories, pictures, videos, and just generally brag about how darn brilliant you are? One option would be to register a domain name, purchase some hosting, learn how to code HTML, install an FTP program... zzzzzz. The second, much easier option is to register with a site that does it all for you. They handle all the boring stuff leaving you to focus on the fun bits.
MySpace is one of the leading sites for creating your own site without all the hassle. You can customize it by changing the colors, backgrounds, adding your own text, images, videos, music, whatever you want -- and it's all as easy as falling off a log. The best part of MySpace though is the message board where you can leave messages for your friends and they can leave messages for you. Just remind yourself to actually visit them in the real world occasionally, virtual friendships can suffer when your internet connection breaks.
7) Hotmail
Keep in touch with your family and friends with this great free web-based email. You can check your emails from any computer with internet access without the need to set up unnecessarily complicated software. It offers you oodles of storage space so you'll never go short, and you can even attach files and photos to your messages. They also offer free spam and virus filtering, to help keep your inbox and your computer clean and uncluttered.
8) BBC
The spiritual home of online news reporting, the BBC website provides instant access to all the breaking stories so you can stay at the cutting edge of current affairs. As well as written reports you can also watch videos, listen to broadcasts or even download stories to your ipod. You can find reports covering every topic from sport to education, business to entertainment. Rest assured, if it ain't on here, it ain't worth reporting. You can even sign up for automatic updates to have the latest happenings sent directly to your email or mobile phone.
9) IMDb
The Internet Movie Database is heaven for all movie and TV buffs. Quickly and easily find a list of all the films your favorite actor has been in, or find cast and production lists for your favorite show. Ever wanted to know who designed the costumes on the latest blockbuster? Well now you can!
You'll also find stacks of interesting facts, quotes and trivia about the people, movies and shows that you love. Then there's the message boards, where you can discuss and debate to your heart's content. To paraphrase Arnie -- if you visit once, You'll Be Back!
10) Monster
Fed up of your job? Think you can do better? Fancy a complete career change? Then Monster is the place to start. One of the largest online job sites, you can search by industry, location or keyword to find exactly what you're after. When a job catches your eye just save it to your favorite list, then get in touch at the click of a button. You can even register your resume for potential employers to browse, then if they like the look of you they can get in touch, making it even easier for you!
I strongly recommend you check out the above sites, they'll provide you with equal measures of fun and usefulness and really enhance your internet experience!
About the Author
Pete Williams is the author of www.beginnersguidetocomputers.com - a simple, jargon-free guide to everything you need to know about computers. It contains articles and tutorials covering all aspects of computers and their uses, including the basics, hardware, software, and the internet.
1) Google
THE search engine to use. Yes, Yahoo! might have slightly more visitors, but Google is by far the coolest search engine out there. No clutter, no annoying advertising, just pure, unadulterated search goodness. This truly is The Internet For Dummies -- just type what you want and let Google work its magic.
But Google is so much more than just a search engine. You can use it to do calculations, find images, get your local weather forecast and a whole host of other useful stuff. With its versatility and easy to use layout, Google will soon become you new best friend.
2) Amazon
Does shopping bore you? Does the thought of fighting the traffic to get into town only to be faced with hordes of manic bargain-hunters fill you with dread? If so then you're not alone, and luckily Amazon provides the perfect solution. You can now buy pretty much anything you can think of from the comfort of your own home, and it'll even cost you less! No more pushy sales people, no more queues, all you need is a computer, a credit card and a few minutes of your time. You can even do it in your underwear, something I wouldn't recommend when shopping in the real world...
3) eBay
Amazon is great for brand new items, but what if you're after something a little rarer, something that you can't find in your average high-street or online store? This is where eBay comes in. eBay is like the world's biggest yard sale, only instead of spending your afternoon trawling through one person's junk, you have access to over 200 million sellers worldwide. As eBay's slogan says, "Whatever it is... you can get it on eBay." This couldn't be more true; some of the items listed on eBay in the past include toenail clippings, a ghost in a jar and even the country of New Zealand, listed by an Australian guy who was fed up with his neighboring country! If you are after a rare bargain, eBay is the place to find it.
4) Wikipedia
This free, online encyclopedia stands head and shoulders above all others due to its unique nature. Wikipedia is a community-driven website, which means that anyone with a keyboard and half a brain can add their own articles. This means that this isn't your typical encyclopedia - as well as the usual articles about volcanoes and civil wars you also have the subjects that people really care about; stuff like Britney Spears and information on the latest series of Big Brother. With over 1.6 million entries, Wikipedia is a bottomless pit of useful (and useless) information.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the community-driven format is that it actually works. Rather than the poorly-written and badly-researched entries that were predicted, Wikipedia is actually full of well-crafted, comprehensive articles on practically any topic you can imagine. Once you discover it, you'll probably never need to open a book again, hooray!
5) YouTube
If you harbor a secret desire to watch a grown man solve a Rubik's Cube with his feet, or are looking for an instructional video on how to wash a cat then YouTube is the place for you. Home to several million video clips, this is the largest online depository of moving media ever. The interface is simplicity itself to use, largely thanks to the fact that Google bought the site and added their own search to it. You can now find videos of anything you can dream of, and you can even post your own comments or send the video to your friends.
The good news doesn't stop there though; if you fancy yourself as a budding TV star then why not create your own videos to share with the masses? It's simple to do and best of all it's completely free. In fact YouTube is becoming so big that TV talent scouts are even using the site to find their next presenters, so who knows where things might lead if you do post your own video?
6) MySpace
Visiting these cool websites is all well and good, but what if you want your own site where you can post your own stories, pictures, videos, and just generally brag about how darn brilliant you are? One option would be to register a domain name, purchase some hosting, learn how to code HTML, install an FTP program... zzzzzz. The second, much easier option is to register with a site that does it all for you. They handle all the boring stuff leaving you to focus on the fun bits.
MySpace is one of the leading sites for creating your own site without all the hassle. You can customize it by changing the colors, backgrounds, adding your own text, images, videos, music, whatever you want -- and it's all as easy as falling off a log. The best part of MySpace though is the message board where you can leave messages for your friends and they can leave messages for you. Just remind yourself to actually visit them in the real world occasionally, virtual friendships can suffer when your internet connection breaks.
7) Hotmail
Keep in touch with your family and friends with this great free web-based email. You can check your emails from any computer with internet access without the need to set up unnecessarily complicated software. It offers you oodles of storage space so you'll never go short, and you can even attach files and photos to your messages. They also offer free spam and virus filtering, to help keep your inbox and your computer clean and uncluttered.
8) BBC
The spiritual home of online news reporting, the BBC website provides instant access to all the breaking stories so you can stay at the cutting edge of current affairs. As well as written reports you can also watch videos, listen to broadcasts or even download stories to your ipod. You can find reports covering every topic from sport to education, business to entertainment. Rest assured, if it ain't on here, it ain't worth reporting. You can even sign up for automatic updates to have the latest happenings sent directly to your email or mobile phone.
9) IMDb
The Internet Movie Database is heaven for all movie and TV buffs. Quickly and easily find a list of all the films your favorite actor has been in, or find cast and production lists for your favorite show. Ever wanted to know who designed the costumes on the latest blockbuster? Well now you can!
You'll also find stacks of interesting facts, quotes and trivia about the people, movies and shows that you love. Then there's the message boards, where you can discuss and debate to your heart's content. To paraphrase Arnie -- if you visit once, You'll Be Back!
10) Monster
Fed up of your job? Think you can do better? Fancy a complete career change? Then Monster is the place to start. One of the largest online job sites, you can search by industry, location or keyword to find exactly what you're after. When a job catches your eye just save it to your favorite list, then get in touch at the click of a button. You can even register your resume for potential employers to browse, then if they like the look of you they can get in touch, making it even easier for you!
I strongly recommend you check out the above sites, they'll provide you with equal measures of fun and usefulness and really enhance your internet experience!
About the Author
Pete Williams is the author of www.beginnersguidetocomputers.com - a simple, jargon-free guide to everything you need to know about computers. It contains articles and tutorials covering all aspects of computers and their uses, including the basics, hardware, software, and the internet.
Gadgets for the Car - Making Life More Comfortable
Many gadgets for the car are making their presence felt. Not just as a novelty but also as a safety measure.
Gadgets for the Car - Making Life More Comfortable
Cars with automatic window shutters are a rarity and come at a premium no doubt. For the manual roll up window mechanism there is an add-on in the market. The automatic rollup car window gadget is making life easier for many people. These useful little gizmos come with attachment that also detect the brightness outside and switch on or off the headlights of the car. You can set the level of darkness outside to trigger the switching. When you go through a tunnel the headlights will turn on and when you exit it the headlights will turn off. The other little gizmos are electronic sensors that will turn on and off the windscreen wipers whenever the screen gets frosty with dew or rain.
One gadget for the car that Gadgets.in found quite useful is the rear camera that is connected to the rear view mirror. The mirror has a small LCD screen which displays the entire rear section of the car. This enables the driver to see the rear with ease irrespective of anyone in the rear seat blocking his or her view through the rear view mirror. Some people are developing this gadget to record certain periods while the car is moving. In case of an accident the driver can save the recording to replay it as a support for his claim of not being responsible for the mishap. If the driver does not save the clipping then the video will erase the clip a few minutes after the vehicle has stopped.
Other gadgets include state of the art stereo radio players that cone with inbuilt DVD players and CD players. The latest in the range of IPods is the iPod dock that fits into the coffee cup holder. This iPod dock fits snugly into the cup holder and rotates enough to face the controls of the iPod so the driver has easy accessibility to them. Next in the same line of car gadgets is the iPod FM transmitter. This transmits the music on an FM channel that the car stereo FM layer is tuned to creating music for all in the car to enjoy.
Anmol Taneja is a Gadget enthusiast, and crtitique. He has written several articles on various aspects of gadgets and the role they play in our day to day lives. Anmol is involved with several organizations involved in the evaluation and review of gadgets including http://gadgets.in thegadgetcast.com and gadgetenclave.in
About the Author
Anmol Taneja is a Gadget enthusiast, and crtitique. He has written several articles on various aspects of gadgets and the role they play in our day to day lives. Anmol is involved with several organizations involved in the evaluation and review of gadgets including http://gadgets.in thegadgetcast.com and gadgetenclave.in
Gadgets for the Car - Making Life More Comfortable
Cars with automatic window shutters are a rarity and come at a premium no doubt. For the manual roll up window mechanism there is an add-on in the market. The automatic rollup car window gadget is making life easier for many people. These useful little gizmos come with attachment that also detect the brightness outside and switch on or off the headlights of the car. You can set the level of darkness outside to trigger the switching. When you go through a tunnel the headlights will turn on and when you exit it the headlights will turn off. The other little gizmos are electronic sensors that will turn on and off the windscreen wipers whenever the screen gets frosty with dew or rain.
One gadget for the car that Gadgets.in found quite useful is the rear camera that is connected to the rear view mirror. The mirror has a small LCD screen which displays the entire rear section of the car. This enables the driver to see the rear with ease irrespective of anyone in the rear seat blocking his or her view through the rear view mirror. Some people are developing this gadget to record certain periods while the car is moving. In case of an accident the driver can save the recording to replay it as a support for his claim of not being responsible for the mishap. If the driver does not save the clipping then the video will erase the clip a few minutes after the vehicle has stopped.
Other gadgets include state of the art stereo radio players that cone with inbuilt DVD players and CD players. The latest in the range of IPods is the iPod dock that fits into the coffee cup holder. This iPod dock fits snugly into the cup holder and rotates enough to face the controls of the iPod so the driver has easy accessibility to them. Next in the same line of car gadgets is the iPod FM transmitter. This transmits the music on an FM channel that the car stereo FM layer is tuned to creating music for all in the car to enjoy.
Anmol Taneja is a Gadget enthusiast, and crtitique. He has written several articles on various aspects of gadgets and the role they play in our day to day lives. Anmol is involved with several organizations involved in the evaluation and review of gadgets including http://gadgets.in thegadgetcast.com and gadgetenclave.in
About the Author
Anmol Taneja is a Gadget enthusiast, and crtitique. He has written several articles on various aspects of gadgets and the role they play in our day to day lives. Anmol is involved with several organizations involved in the evaluation and review of gadgets including http://gadgets.in thegadgetcast.com and gadgetenclave.in
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