A Model for Future Retail?
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
While an increasing number of people go online for shopping we still go to brick-and-mortar stores to buy most of our requirements. A recent news item about an Amazon fulfillment center made this writer wonder about the possibilities. Can online stores like Amazon that focuses on selling and fulfillment centers widely distributed near production centers be the future of retail?
Of course that kind of arrangement will not allow shoppers to see, touch and feel actual physical merchandise. With advancing technology, however, the fulfillment centers should be able to provide the next best option, video viewing of the merchandise with the prospective customer being able to view it in as full detail as possible. And the customer can do it anonymously, 24/7, and examine merchandise stocked at different fulfillment centers before selecting one.
Such an arrangement can push sourcing to near production centers, create jobs for “lifting, sorting and packing”, and shipping merchandise at the fulfillment centers, and provide the convenience of shopping from home to shoppers. So long as there are effective arrangements for quality assurance of the products involved it should be possible to cover practically every kind of merchandise by such an arrangement.
Tags: fulfillment centers, information technology, online stores
Posted in business, information technology, innovation, online retail | No Comments »
Google Capitalism Emerging
Sunday, November 21st, 2010
Google is the top player in an industry that did not exist in the pre-Internet era. Starting out as a search engine, it has come to dominate the online advertising market. In the process it has created several innovations including AdSense that multiplied the ads exposure. Acquisition of Doubleclick enhanced its advertising offers.
Google has been able to mold the consumer mindset in new ways. With acquisitions like YouTube and other companies, it has been able to offer a complete package that includes news, entertainment and search results in the user’s Web browser. The user can enjoy music and movies, read the latest news and gossip, play games and search for information or products without leaving the computer workstation.
Google TV, with a TV and set-top box is another consumer friendly offer from Google.
Google has become much more than a search and online advertising company now with several new products, such as Google Earth, Cloud computing services offered through Google Docs and other channels, News feeds and Social networking. Software as a Service (SaaS) acquired a new meaning in Google’s hands.
SaaS was a natural next step for Google after it managed to attract a large number of business users through Google Mail. Google Docs has become an alternative to Microsoft Office.
Read about a report on the Google phenomenon and its impact on capitalism at Market Publishers..
Tags: Google, information technology, new business model
Posted in business, business transformation, cloud computing, information technology, innovation | No Comments »
How exactly should Companies go about Using Cloud Computing?
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
Cloud computing is the current hot topic in information technology. In essence it involves doing much of the computing work on the Internet “cloud” rather than locally. This can have a significant cost impact as organizations can reduce their spends on:
* Hardware such as servers and application software
* Upgrading from older versions of software to latest versions
* The time involved in planning, implementing and testing additions to the IT functionality
* Training and retraining staff involved in maintaining the hardware and software with each major change
Under full-fledged cloud computing, the vendor will provide the servers, software and storage while users will need only work at their local “terminals” entering data and doing other work. All software will be upgraded to latest versions by the vendor. Users pay only for what they use.
In actual practice, such complete shift of computing to the cloud is rare. Also, most companies and other users are already using cloud computing to some extent without even being aware of it.
In this fluid situation, few users have a clear idea of how to tap the full potential of the cloud computing development. While the term “cloud” computing might give way to another newly coined word in due time, the underlying technology and practices will be in use for a long time.
The Cloud Computing Fundamentals Report discusses all the issues involved such as its impact on business, selecting the particular model of cloud that meets your needs best and best practices for deployment and management.
Tags: business impact, cloud computing, information technology
Posted in best practices, cloud computing, information technology, innovation | 1 Comment »
Fuel Cells: Significance and Markets
Monday, September 13th, 2010
Fuel cells can theoretically provide energy for everything from running a power plant to running your computer. And they provide it with high efficiency, low emissions and quietly, with the byproducts being heat and water, not carbon dioxide. It is no wonder that governments, businesses and academic institutions are working towards producing this green source of energy.
In essence, a fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to make water, and generates electricity in the process. And unlike a battery, the chemicals needed for a fuel cell, viz. hydrogen and oxygen, do not get exhausted all that easily. What this means is that the fuel cell is not likely to go dead, unlike the battery.
Fuel cell technologies come in different varieties such as PEMFC, SOFC, AFC, MCFC, PAFC and DMFC. Some are more suited for one purpose while others are best in other contexts, such as transportation systems, large power plants and stationary power generators.
Honda’s concept car based on fuel cells has a reported energy efficiency of 60 percent, i.e. 60 percent of the energy that goes in comes out in the form of moving the car. Compare this to the 20 percent efficiency of the fossil fuel burning car, where most of the energy is wasted as heat and for powering incidentals.
Though a battery-powered electric car has an efficiency of 72 percent, the battery has to be charged using AC power, which has a low efficiency, and the charging process itself causes some loss of efficiency. Compared to the 60 percent overall efficiency of the fuel cell, the net battery efficiency is just 26 percent.(See How Fuel Cells Work).
The research report Fuel Cell Technologies Worldwide provides insights into the end user markets for fuel cells and also the various technologies used for making fuel cells.
Tags: energy efficiency, fuel cell technology, green energy, nanotechnology
Posted in business, clean technology, energy efficiency, energy generation, environment, innovation, nanomaterials, renewable energy | No Comments »
Challenge to develop the next Generation Power Grid
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
General Electric, in partnership with venture capital firms Emerald Technology Ventures, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and RockPort Capital have announced a $200 million innovation challenge. The challenge asks technologists, entrepreneurs and startups to share their best ideas for an electric power grid that will meet the needs of the 21st century. The challenge, announced on July 13, 2010, is named as “GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid.”
The challenge, open immediately at Ecomagination Website is reportedly one of the largest of challenges ever announced.
The goals are to find ways to reduce the carbon footprint during electricity generation, optimize the flow of energy through distribution systems to minimize power losses and use energy more efficiently through better designed buildings and in other ways.
GE is already offering digital energy grids and wants to make it a comprehensive one by working with ideas generated globally. By accelerating the development of a cleaner, more efficient and economically viable grid through collaboration, GE hopes to “jump-start new ideas and deploy them on a scale that will modernize the electrical grid around the world.”
The fund of $200 million will be invested globally into promising startups and ideas. GE will also help the entrants in other ways. Read the news release at MarketWatch.
Tags: cleaner energy generation, digital electricity grids, energy efficiency, power transmission losses
Posted in business, clean technology, energy distribution, energy efficiency, energy generation, environment, information technology, innovation | 1 Comment »
Re-Awakening Innovation in the United States of America
Saturday, May 1st, 2010
USA had prospered through innovation and it has now reached a level of prosperity and influence that every nation in the world wants to have a special relationship with it. However, the US has also suffered from too much “financial innovation” that led to an economic near-death experience.
Normally, people and organizations might not consider the present depressed economic scenario the ideal one for ambitious investments, particularly long-term investments such as in science and technology. On the other hand, many companies and organizations think that the present is the best time for such investments. The company Intel and the university Caltech belong to this group.
In a news release, Intel speaks of encouraging new approaches to the vital issues in our society where science and technology can make a contribution. They also note that there is a similar focus in many research institutions and innovative companies across the US, and that together with parallel developments in public policy, there is reason for excitement and hope for the country.
Intel, for example, renewed its commitment to investing in the future at the intersection of technology and education. The company invests in longer-term and exploratory research with U.S. universities seeking breakthroughs not only in semiconductor technology but also in new applications and uses for information technology. In this process, they encourage university students to become the engineers and scientists that create tomorrow’s technology.
At Calech, educational and research initiatives are inspiring some of the world’s best minds to focus on game-changing technologies in critical areas such as energy and health.
At government level, the Obama Administration is rethinking federal innovation policy. The President’s “Strategy for American Innovation” released in the fall of 2009 recognizes that “a short-term view of the economy masks under-investments in essential drivers of sustainable, broadly shared growth”.
Read a news release at Huffington Post.
Tags: caltech, future technology, innovation in usa, intel, long-term research, obama administration
Posted in business, corporate responsibility, emerging technologies, innovation, patenting, technology commercialization | 1 Comment »
Terahertz Technology Opens New Opportunities
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Terahertz radiation is loosely defined as the band of electro-magnetic spectrum between infrared and microwave, from 300 GHz to about 10 THz. A range of developments in photonics, electronics and nanotechnology that have occurred since the 1990’s have opened the possibility of using terahertz technology. Potential areas of commercial application include security, communication, non-destructive evaluation, medicine and electronics.
Terahertz waves are reflected by metallic surfaces and absorbed by water. Most other materials let the radiation pass through in varying degrees. Terahertz technology based systems can provide both images and spectroscopic data, and ranging data to measure layer thicknesses, even in structures with many layers.
Modern developments in photonics, electronics and nanotechnology have made it possible to reduce the bulk of terahertz systems, and also make these easier to use. It is even possible to develop systems that are small and robust enough to be sent through the mail.
Focus is now shifting to developing applications that can exploit the extraordinary versatility of the terahertz band. A wide variety of applications in manufacturing, food, biomedicine, security, imaging and other areas are being foreseen. For example, in manufacturing the technology can be used for process control, product inspection and material evaluation.
The ability of terahertz waves to penetrate a great range of materials is its main advantage. It has been used to peer though the contents of a bottle of tablets to check their quality, without disturbing the contents.
Read more details and of possible applications at Industry Week.
Tags: electromagnetic spectrum, industrial applications, terahertz band, terahertz radiation
Posted in business, innovation, nanotechnology, technology commercialization | No Comments »
Infinite Power from Ambient Sources and Rechargeable Batteries
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Infinite Power Solutions manufactures solid state, rechargeable thin film bateries in volume. The company announced recently that it has achieved the international quality certification, ISO 9001:2008.
The micro-energy storage devices are used in a variety of micro-electronic applications such as in the wireless sensor, RFID, powered smart card and medical devices industries, among others.
The company’s micro-energy cell products, THINERGY™ MEC are reported to be deeply embeddable and capable of providing perpetual power solutions when combined with ambient energy harvesting. According to the company, it is a battery that never needs to be replaced.
Ambient energy harvesting involves converting ordinary things into electricity. For example, the small movements we make, our body fluids, dirt, vegetation, light, UV rays, etc can act as sources of power generation. The small amounts of power so generated can be sufficient for small devices, which are proliferating in this age of micro-everything.
The bicycle dynamo and solar calculator are some “ancient” examples of ambient energy generation. While the dynamo converts our cycling effort into the power needed by the bicycle light, the calculator draws its energy from sunlight. The generated energy can be stored using a capacitor or rechargeable battery.
More details at the company’s website and in an ambient energy article.
Tags: ambient energy generation, micro energy storage devices, rechargeable battery, thin film battery
Posted in business, energy generation, energy storage, innovation, nanotechnology | No Comments »
