Technology | Green World Investor

Apple Supernormal Profits Reflects Super Exploitation of Global Oversupply of Labor

2 Feb, 2012

Apple recently reported astounding financial results in which profits grew by an awe inspiring 50% on a huge basis with Net Profits Margin of 30% which is crazy for a company of Apple’s size. It generates massive cash flows and has over $100 billion in its cash war chest. While there are a number of reasons which makes Apple one of the most successful and profitable companies in world history, the global oversupply of labor is one of the chief reasons which is overlooked at .

A recent breakdown of Apple’s Business Model shows that its get almost 2/3rds of the value generated by its globalized supply chain while its main manufacturer Foxconn does not even reach double digits . Foxconn the HK based global outsourcing giant employs 1 million workers and makes products for major global MNCs like Microsoft and others. The condition of the workers in its factories are pathetic with most workers getting hardly $10/day . For Apple earning more than 50% GM on its products paying $10/ day to its workers would generate massive protests. However since its exploits globalization of labor ,it escapes any public scrutiny or protests. Since it is outsourcing manufacturing to Foxconn it escapes the blame for the numerous suicides and systematic exploitation of the workers. Global Capitalism is working too well for the capitalists, corporations and too badly for the global workers.

Global Labor Cost Arbitrage

One of my theories is that a lot of distortions and opportunities for arbitrage that we are seeing in the world today is because “Labor is not Globalized while Capital and Trade are “.However the Restrictions on the “Globalization” or in other words Free Movement of Labor is being reduced through the following trends

Improvement in Communication and Transportation, that has given rise to Outsourcing
Creation of regional blocs like the NAFTA,ASEAN ,EU etc. has allowed broken the labor barriers within the bloc between the members.This has resulted in “winners” in the form of the “poorer members labor” and “losers” in the form of “richer members labor” .
MNCs like IBM,Applied Materials with operations spread across multiple countries exploiting this situation by moving most of their labor requirements to low cost locations .

Apple Results

Net income more than doubled to $13.1 billion as Apple sold 37 million iPhones and posted $46.3 billion in sales. The total ranks among the highest quarterly profits on record. Apple’s earnings were about 11 times the size of Zambia’s gross domestic product.The company’s almost $100 billion in cash and equivalents is larger than the combined market value of Boeing Co., Alcoa Inc. and Travelers Cos. — three of the 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average companies. For calendar 2011, Apple’s sales rose to $127.8 billion, bigger than the size of New Zealand’s economy, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Mass Suicides at Foxconn

Foxconn, which manufactures gadgets for the likes of Apple, Sony, Nintendo and HP, among many others, has had a grim history of suicides at its factories. A suicide cluster in 2010 saw 18 workers throw themselves from the tops of the company’s buildings, with 14 deaths.In the aftermath of the suicides, Foxconn installed safety nets in some of its factories and hired counsellors to help its workers.Several reports from inside Foxconn factories have suggested that while the company is more advanced than many of its competitors, it is run in a “military” fashion that many workers cannot cope with. At Foxconn’s flagship plant in Longhua, five per cent of its workers, or 24,000 people, quit every month.

Polysilicon Manufacturing – Process of Deposition,Industry Growth,Technology Production,Solar Use,Manufacturing Companies,Cost and Prices

6 Jul, 2011

Green Investing,Solar Energy,Technology

What is Polysilicon or Polycrystalline Silicon

Polycrystalline silicon or Polysilicon( poly-Si or “poly”) is a material consisting of multiple small silicon crystals.The difference between Silicon Metal and Polysilicon is that Poly is highly pure form of silicon and is much costlier.Polycrystalline silicon can be as much as 99.9999% pure (also known as 4N pure,the 4 denotes the number of 9s after the decimal point).Polysilicon was primarily used by the semi industry till 5-6 years ago and the electronic industry used 9N pure polysilicon.The Solar Industry which has become the main user of polysilicon nowadays can do with 6N pure poly.

Difference between Single Crystal and Multicrystalline Polysilicon

Polysilicon is refined to single crystal polysilicon before it can be used by the semiconductor industry.However solar cells can be made even from multicrystalline polysilicon.Monocrystalline solar cells on the other hand are made of single crystal polysilicon and have higher efficiency than those made from multicrystalline polysilicon.Polycrystalline cells can be recognized by a visible grain, a “metal flake effect”. Semiconductor grade (also solar grade) polycrystalline silicon is converted to “single crystal” silicon – meaning that the randomly associated crystallites of silicon in “polycrystalline silicon” are converted to a large “single” crystal.

Polysilicon Manufacturing Process

There are 3 methods of manufacturing Polysilicon

a) The Czochralski process is the most commonly used process of producing polysilicon and is also known as the Siemens process.In this process High-purity silicon is melted in a quartz crucibles.Then a pure silicon rod known as a seed crystal is dipped in molten silicon.The process begins when the chamber is heated to approximately 1500 degrees Celsius, melting the silicon. When the silicon is fully melted, a small seed crystal mounted on the end of a rotating shaft is slowly lowered until it just dips below the surface of the molten silicon. The shaft rotates counterclockwise and the crucible rotates clockwise. The rotating rod is then drawn upwards very slowly, allowing a roughly cylindrical boule to be formed. The boule can be from one to two metres, depending on the amount of silicon in the crucible. By precisely controlling the temperature gradients, rate of pulling and speed of rotation, it is possible to extract a large, single-crystal, cylindrical ingot from the melt.

b) Float Zone Method – Note this method is performed by only a few companies and is an alternative high-purity method to crystals grown by the Czochralski process .A polycrystalline rod of ultra-pure electronic grade silicon is passed through an RF heating coil, which creates a localized molten zone from which the crystal ingot grows.A seed crystal is used at one end in order to start the growth

c) The Bridgman–Stockbarger technique involves heating polycrystalline material above its melting point and slowly cooling it from one end of its container, where a seed crystal is located. A single crystal of the same crystallographic orientation as the seed material is grown on the seed and is progressively formed along the length of the container. The process can be carried out in a horizontal or vertical geometry.

Solar Use of Polysilicon (Solar Wafers and Ingots Raw Material)

Once Polysilicon is produced it has to be made into flat wafers which require further industrial processes like pouring the metal in crucible to make ingots (Czochralski Process)and then cutting the ingots by wiresaws to make solar wafers.The solar wafers are then converted into solar cells by processes like diffusion,etching etc.Note silicon solar PV panels growth has exploded in the last 10 years and the costs have fallen dramatically.Note solar cells made from a single crystal of silicon are known as monocrystalline solar cellswhile others are known as multicrystalline solar cells.The efficiency of the 2 types of silicon solar cells differs as does the cost.

Polysilicon Prices

The Solar Crystalline Silicon Industry accounts for almost 85-90% of all the Solar Energy Capacity installed globally and is growing at a rapid rate.Polysilicon which is the main raw material for the industry has been the focus of the industry over the last 2-3 years.The reason was the sharp run up in Poly Prices in 2008 to $400/kg despite costing just $30/kg.The rapid increase in the Solar Module Industry had caught the poly producers by surprise as it normally takes 2-3 years for a Poly Plant to come online.This had led downstream producers with a secure cheap supply of polysilicon as the kings of the market.New Business Models based on low or no polysilicon usage were invested in.However the 2009 Crash brought down the price to $50/kg killing many of the companies.Polysilicon prices are expected to come down in the future as more polysilicon plants are built to meet the massively growing demand for Silicon Cells.

Polysilicon Deposition

Polysilicon deposition is the process of depositing a layer of polycrystalline silicon on a semiconductor wafer, is achieved by pyrolyzing SiH₄) at 580 to 650 °C.When the rate at which polysilicon deposition occurs is slower than the rate at which unreacted silane arrives, then it is said to be surface-reaction-limited. Polysilicon layers can be deposited using 100% silane at a pressure of 25–130 Pa (0.2 to 1.0 Torr) or with 20–30% silane (diluted in nitrogen) at the same total pressure.At reduced pressure levels for VLSI manufacturing, polysilicon deposition rate below 575 °C is too slow to be practical. Above 650 °C, poor deposition uniformity and excessive roughness will be encountered due to unwanted gas-phase reactions and silane depletion

Polysilicon Technology and Cost

Manufacturing of Polysilicon was restricted to a small number of companies until a few years ago.Starting a poly fab and expanding it is a tough process and requires both expertise and experience.Till a few years ago only a few European,American and Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Polysilicon used to possess this skill.However polysilicon equipment manufacturers like GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) have started making polysilicon reactors and exporting it to Asian producers.Some of these companies like GCL and OCI have mastered this technology and started producing polysilicon at even lower cost than the Western companies.Newer Polysilicon Technology has been developed like uMg Polysilicon or upgraded Metallurgical Silicon keeping Solar Wafers in Mind.These Technology claims that it can be made at much lower costs of $5/kg than compared to $30/kg cost in standard Siemens process.But the price fall in poly price has made these new technology players in a bind the biggest failure being Timminco.

Polysilicon Industry (Size and Growth)

The Polysilicon Industry has grown by more than 50% in the last few years mainly driven by the demand for photovoltaic wafers made from polysilicon.While the electronic demand for poly has grown by 5-10% per year,the demand from the solar industry has grown exponentially.While the incumbent producers of polysilicon like Hemlock and Wacker have expanded their capacity they have failed to meet the demand.This has led to the rise of giant poly producers from Asia like GCL and OCI Chemicals.From zero in 2008,these companies will become the biggest producers of polysilicon by 2012.Smaller producers though have faced a tough time and some of them like Shunda have closed due to lack of scale and technology expertise.It is expected that the polysilicon industry will continue to grow as Solar Energy usage grows due to demand elasticity.Almost 150,000 tons of polysilicon will be produced in 2011,a huge increase from around 40,000 tons in 2005.The size of the industry is almost $7.5 billion in 2011.

Polysilicon Manufacturing Companies,Suppliers

1) Hemlock Semiconductor (HSG) - This a a privately held company which is a JV between Shin-Etsu Handotai,Dow Corning and Mitsubishi.Hemlock has the largest poly production capacity in the world and has been trying to rapidly raise capacity to meet growing solar demands.However it has not grown fast enough.

2)Wacker Chemie- This German chemicals conglomerate as increased plant capacities rapidly in Germany and is expanding in the USA as well.Wacker has the majority of its profits coming from it nearly 25000 ton polysilicon capacity.It is one of the world’s major producers of semiconductor wafers as well so uses some of the poly inhouse while selling the rest to Asian customers mostly.

3) OCI Chemical - This Korean chemicals company has seen the most spectacular rise in the poly business and has ambitions of becoming the No.1 player in 2012 overtaking both Wacker and Hemlock.Primarily targeting the solar market,the Korean company has plans of reaching 62,000 tons of polysilicon capacity at its plant in South Korea.Formerly known as DC Chemicals it started production only 3-4 years ago in partnership with Sunpower.

4) Renewable Energy Corporation - This Norwegian Producer was the largest solar wafer producer till a few years ago when it lost its leadership to the Chinese.It is now expanding in Singapore to reduce its high cost and integrating vertically. REC is also one of the biggest producers of Silane Gas which is used in making polysilicon.Like MEMC,it uses both the FBR and Siemens process in producing polysilcon.It has plants in USA

5) MEMC - The only big American solar wafer producer is building a wafer factory in Malaysia to reduce costs.The company is one of the biggest manufacturers of semi wafers as well.Like GCL Poly,it is also expanding into the solar systems business without getting into cell and module production.MEMC has old plants in USA and Italy and is now expanding in South Korea in JV with Samsung.

6) GCL Poly - This Chinese company has become one the biggest producers of polysilicon and wafers in 2010 from zero in 2008.Is expanding rapidly but not getting into production of solar cells and panels.The company is also on its way to becoming a Top 3 producer of polysilicon and is expanding by co-locating wafer plants near its customer factories.Has singed massive long term deals with most of the biggest solar panel producers in the world.

7) LDK Solar -This is the biggest producer of solar wafers that are used by crystalline solar panels but is losing its No.1 position to GCL Poly.Is expanding rapidly into other parts of the solar supply chain and could break into top 10 solar panel producer in the next couple of years.The company ran into a lot of debt troubles in expanding its poly plant to 15000 tons but has seemed to return on track in late 2010.

8 Tokuyama - This Japanese producer has been in the game for long but has been the slowest in expanding capacity.Its building a new plant in Malaysia but its capacity has been dwarfed by newer players in Asia like OCI Chemicals.It has missed out on a huge oppurtunity.The company mainly supplies to semi wafer companies .

Besides these 8 Top Companies there are a number of other smaller important poly companies like M.Setek,KCC,Renesola,Yingli Energy,Mitsubishi.Note the 2008 polysilicon price jump to $400/kg led to a number of new entrants but most of the players disappeared in the ensuing post Lehman crash as prices crashed.

LED TV India Comparision Reviews and Prices- What is a LED TV,Differences LCD vs LED and Television Companies (Samsung,LG,Panasonic,Sony),Models

6 Jul, 2011

Light Emitting Diodes,Samsung,Technology,Technology Sector

What is a LED TV

LED TV is an LCD TV that uses LEDs to illuminate the display. these new sets use LED backlights rather than the fluorescent-type backlights used in most other LCD TVs. LED-backlit LCD TVs cost twice more than standard LCD or plasma TVs. Because of the slim line design of these LED tvs not only is less packaging used, but the vast reduction in overall weight means reduced transport and fuel costs. Most of the LED TVs are mercury free making them extremely eco friendly.You can also read what is a Light Emitting Diode.

Types of LED Televisions

Dynamic RGB LEDs – this technique enables dimming in specific local areas of screen which enhances perfect darkness wherever required, thus showing the true intensity of the dark colors
Edge LEDs – allow diffusion of light across the entire screen panel which enables uniformity in colors. LCD TVs using edge-lit LCDs can be ultra-thin, because the LED sources are on the side. They are also less expensive than TVs using backlit technology.
Full Array LEDs – the LEDs are arranged behind the screen to enable the necessary effect in the image quality.

These techniques use less power than plasma TVs and LCD TVs lit with fluorescent tubes.

Differences between LED & LCD TVs

LED TV use about 20-30% less power than LCD TV sets
. Hence there is more energy saving in LED TV set.
No Mercury is used in LED TVs as in some other LCD backlight systems.
There is more balanced color saturation in LED TV sets.
LEDs are more expensive than LCDs.
LED TVs using Edge backlight method have more thinner panel than standard LCD televisions.
LED TVs have a better heat dissipation than LCDs.
LED TVs have a brighter display with better contrast levels.

The most popular LED TV Indian Companies are

1)SONY – A well known brand in providing excellent audio & picture quality & hence its products like mobile phones, music systems, TVs, video cameras & laptops have a superior make. Started in Japan in 1946, Sony is one of the world’s leading manufacturers for consumer electronics and broadcast & professional products. In India, Sony has its presence across all major towns and cities through a distribution network comprising of over 5000 dealers and distributors, 240 exclusive Sony outlets and 19 direct branch locations. Sony India also has a strong service presence across the country with 20 company owned and 190 authorized service centers and 16 exclusive demonstration centers. Sony has launched a range of LED TVs with varying features and in different screen sizes starting from 32 inch up to 65 inches. SONY LED TVs are more sleeker & more glossy and offers excellent picture clarity, contrast and brightness. Hence this brand is more popular with customers. Its full HD feature has improved the image quality. SONY TVs always better in terms of reliability and quality.

The LED TVs come in various series:

EX520 series:The Ultimate TV and Web Surfing Experience. Features: Full HD 1080 picture quality with Edge LED backlight, Skype, BRAVIA Internet Video & BRAVIA Internet Widgets. The screen sizes vary from 32 inch to 46 inches with a price range of Rs 47,900 to Rs 93,900.
EX420 series: Network Capability with High Picture Quality. Features: High Definition (720p) picture quality with Edge LED backlight, Skype,BRAVIA Internet Video & BRAVIA Internet Widgets.The screen sizes vary from 22 inch to 32 inches with a price tag of Rs 20,900 to Rs 42,900.
NX710 series: Features: 3D Capability (Full HD 3D),Dynamic Edge LED Backlight with Opti-Contrast Panel,Motionflow PRO 100Hz with Image Blur Reduction. The screen sizes available are 40 inch for Rs 93,900 & 46 inch for Rs 153,900.
NX720 series: Features: Edge LED, OptiContrast and CORNING’s Gorilla Glass Panel, Wi-Fi Integrated. The screen sizes available are 40 inch for Rs 93,900 & 46 inch for Rs 123,900.
EX720 series:Features: Full HD 1080 picture quality with Edge LED backlight, Skype, BRAVIA Internet Video & BRAVIA Internet Widgets. The screen sizes vary from 32 inch to 55 inches (Full HD 3D with a built-in 3D Transmitter) with a price range of Rs 57,900 to Rs 179,900.
HX925 series:Features: Intelligent Peak LED, Motionflow XR 800, X-Reality PRO picture engine. The screen sizes available are 46 inch for Rs 153,900 & 55 inch for Rs 259,900.

2).SAMSUNG – Samsung is engaged in providing a diverse service range to its customers right from semiconductors, skyscrapers, petrochemicals, to fashion, medicine, finance, hotels and more. It is in market for more than 70 years.Samsung Electronics leads the global market in high tech electronics manufacturing & digital media. The product range is wide & varied from mobile phones, LCD TVs, cameras, home appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, ACs to laptop, notebooks & computer peripherals. Samsung’s 2010 LED TV series have unmatchable design and picture quality & also consume less power. The LED TV sets ranges from 32 inch to 60 inches to suit all room sizes and budgets. The frames also feature a Touch of Color that come in various distinctive edges, including Brushed Titanium, Mystic Earth, Stone Black, Graphite , Red and Grey that give the panel a smooth lined appearance. By using edge-lighting in their LED TVs they have managed to reduce the electrical consumption by 40 percent when compared to a standard LCD TV in standard viewing mode. They follow an Eco Friendly approach to television design.

Some of the characteristic features of SAMSUNG LED sets are:

• Higher Contrast Ratios up to 8,000,000:1 on the C8000 Series offer a superior range of brightness, making the white and black pixels purer.

• Wide Color Enhancer Pro feature examines each pixel and makes the necessary adjustments to produce the most defined colors seen on a modern television display.

• A marked reduction of motion blur especially when watching sport or fast action scenes has been achieved by increasing the refresh rate of the screens on the Samsung LED TV.

The various series that the TVs come are:

Series 4 – the screen size is 32 inch for 799$. Features include CMR 50, Hi-Definition, ConnectShare Movie (allows to connect a digital camera or thumb/pen drive and view content including movie files or photos on the television), HyperReal Engine, SRS TheatreSound HD, Dolby Digital Plus, Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC), Mega Dynamic Contrast, Ultra Slim White Design, 4 HDMI, Wide Colour Enhancer Plus &Digital Noise Filter
Series 5 – The screen size varies from 22 inch to 40 inches with a price range of 499$ to 1399$. It’s various features include CMR 100,Full Hi Definition,ConnectShare Movie,Smart HUB ,Wi-Fi Dongle Option,USB,Multiple HDMI,Ultra Clear Panel,Ultra Slim Design,Wide Colour Enhancer Plus,SRS technology,TheatreSound HD,Dolby Digital Plus,Eco Sensor.
Series 6 – The screen size vary from 32 inch to 55 inches with a price tag from 1099$ to 3499$. They have also launched 60 inch TV. The features are CMR 400,Oneness Design,Full Hi-Definition,ConnectShare Movie,Smart HUB – (Skype, Web Browser, Samsung Apps, Search All, Your Video, Social TV),Personal Video Recorder,3D,2D-3D Converter,3D HyperReal Engine,3D Sound,BD Wise,3 USB,4 HDMI,SRS TheatreSound HD,Dolby Digital Plus,Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC),built in Wi-Fi ,Ultra Clear Panel,Wide Colour Enhancer Plus & Digital Noise Filter.
Series 7- The screen size available are 46 inches for 3199$ & 55″ for 4099$. They also have 60 inches. The features include Oneness Design,CMR 600,Full Hi-Definition,ConnectShare Movie,AllShare,Smart HUB,Personal Video Recorder,3D,2D-3D Converter,3D HyperReal Engine,3D Sound,BD Wise,3 USB,4 HDMI,SRS TheatreSound HD,Dolby Digital Plus,Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC),Wi-Fi,Ultra Clear Panel,Wide Colour Enhancer Plus & Digital Noise Filter.
Series 8- There is a 55 inch TV for 4699$ & 60 inch is also launched. The various features include 5mm bezel,Oneness Design,CMR 800,Micro Dimming,Full Hi-Definition,ConnectShare Movie,AllShare,Smart HUB,Personal Video Recorder,3D,2D-3D Converter,3D Hyper-Real Engine,3D Sound,BD Wise,4 HMDI,3 USB Connectivity,SRS USB Connectivity,Dolby Digital Plus,Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC),Wi-Fi,Wide Colour Enhancer Plus,Ultra Clear Panel,Wide Colour Enhancer Plus,Digital Noise Filter & Flip QWERTY Remote.

3).LG – the company is today known for bringing advanced digital products and applied technologies to its customers. LG Electronics is on its way to becoming a worldwide leader in digital world, ensuring customer satisfaction through innovative products and superior service. The company controls 114 local subsidiaries worldwide, with roughly 82,000 executives and employees. LED, LCD TVs, washing machines, microwave ovens, AC, mobile phones, music systems are the products offered by the company.

The different TV series are:

LW6500 – with screen sizes from 42 inch to 55 inches & a price range of Rs 104,990 to Rs.194,990. Its features include Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving, Cinema 3D,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI,Smart TV, DLNA certified,full HD1080p, wireless ready, infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder. The 55″ has IPS- advanced LCD panel.
LE4600(INFINIA) – The screen size varies from 32 inch to 47 inches with a price tag of Rs51,990 to Rs 97,990. It is JAZZ in LED. The various features are: IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI, color gamut control,infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder, PC connectivity.
LE4610 – The 32 inch TV is available for Rs 48,490.The LG JAZZ series has now started its LED series by the name of INFINIA. It has 460W PMPO sound, which makes the audio effect very good & brings in a theatre like effect.
LV2130 – The available screen sizes vary from 22 inch to 32 inches with price ranging from Rs 16,990 to Rs 38,990. The various features include Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, Dynamic Contrast Ratio100,000:1, PC connectivity, HDMI.
LV3000 – The screen size varies from 26 inch to 32 inches with a price range of Rs 28,990 to Rs 40,990. The various features are Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine.
LV3500 – The available screen sizes are from 32 inch to 42 inches costing in between Rs 43,990 to Rs 62,990. The features it offers are full HD1080p,Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI, infinite surround sound system.
LV3730 – the screen sizes come in the range of 32 inch to 47 inches, costing in between Rs 47,490 to Rs 90,990. It offers various features like Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI,Smart TV, DLNA certified,full HD1080p, wireless ready, infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder.
LW4500 – The screen sizes come in all sizes from 42 inch to 47 inches, costing from Rs 79,990 to Rs 114,990. It offers features like Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI, 2D-3D conversion,full HD1080p, infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder.
LE5300(INFINIA) – The screen sizes available varies from 22 inch to 32 inches with a price range of Rs19,790 to Rs 46,490. It offers various features like DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI, color gamut control,infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder, PC connectivity.
LE5500- LED plus INFINIA – the screen size vary from 32 inch to 47 inches with price ranging from Rs 53,490 to Rs 106,990. It includes features like LED backlight, IPS Advanced LCD panel,broadband, DLNA, wireless ready,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, Color gamut control,PC connectivity, HDMI.
LW5700 – The screen size vary from 42 inch to 55 inches costing in between Rs 94,990 to Rs 164,990. It has features like Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving, Cinema 3D,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI,Smart TV, DLNA certified,full HD1080p, wireless ready, infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder.
LV 5500 – The screen size range from 42 inch to 47 inches with a price range of Rs69,990 to Rs 96,490. It offers features like Edge LED backlighting, smart energy saving, Cinema 3D,IPS-Advanced LED LCD Panel,DivX through USB 2.0,XD Engine, HDMI,Smart TV, DLNA certified,full HD1080p, wireless ready, PC connectivity,infinite 3D surround sound, Dolby digital decoder & Magic motion remote control.

4).PANASONIC - – Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Its operations are across 9 countries, with a workforce of about 385,000 spread over 75 companies. Panasonic has built 297 manufacturing facilities across the world. The new Panasonic Pure Line range of TVs – a new range of televisions with a sleek and sophisticated design, is the perfect choice for living rooms. It has exceptional picture quality & features like Intelligent Frame Creation Pro, Super-High Dynamic Contrast and 178° wide angle viewing. Not only does Pure Line range have a sleek design and exceptional picture quality, it offers built-in dual HD tuners, are DLNA certified and offer other versatile connectivity.

Its Full HD LED TV has a silver finish & has features like Viera Cast Enabled (giving access to selected online content such as Acetrax, Skype, YouTube, Twitter, Eurosport, Google’s Picasa Web Albums), freeview HD Built-in & Freesat HD Built-in. It comes in screen sizes from 32 inch to 37 inches.
The HD LED TV comes in a Purple / White finish & offers features like Viera Link Enabled, iPOD Docking Station & 2 HDMI Ports. It comes in screen sizes from 19 inch to 22 inches.

There are also other LED TV Manufacturers and Sellers in India like Toshiba,Sharp and Philips but they don’t have the distribtution and focus as the above brands.Local Indian LED TV Sellers like Onida,Videocon,Koryo as well as Asahi cater to the lower end segment of the market and make low quality LED TVs

Mobile Phone Companies in India List – MarketShare Churn by Local Indian Players Entry

5 Jul, 2011

Technology,Telecommunications

The Indian telecom industry is the world’s fastest growing industry with 792 million mobile phone subscribers as of February 2011. It is also the second largest telecommunication network in the world in terms of number of wireless connections after China. The industry will reach around $80 billion in revenues by next year showing an astounding CAGR of over 25% and will employ a stupendous 1 crore employees making it one of the biggest value creators in India in recent times. The introduction of mobile phones brought a major revolution in the industry. Mobile phones have become a modern day necessity. Be it a professional, a trader, a housewife or a student, everyone has one. The availability of cheap mobiles in the Indian market, is also a major factor in making it available & affordable to the common masses. Today’s mobile phone is not just a phone, it has a built in camera, music system, games & internet enabled networking. These facilities entertain you as well as make you available to work as & when required.

The leading mobile phone companies in India are:

Nokia – Nokia has played a pioneering role in the growth of cellular technology in India. Nokia started its India operations in 1995, and presently operates out of offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata,Jaipur,Lucknow,Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad. Today, India holds the distinction of being the second largest market for the company globally.Nokia has established itself as the market and brand leader in the mobile devices market in India. The company has built a diverse product portfolio to meet the needs of different consumer segments.products that cater to first time subscribers to advanced business devices and high performance multimedia devices for imaging, music and gaming.Nokia has one of the largest distribution network with presence across 1,30,000 outlets.With the global launch of Ovi, the company’s Internet services brand name, Nokia is renewing itself to be at the forefront of the convergence of internet and mobility.

Sony Ericsson – is a joint venture between Sony & Ericsson. The Sony Group is primarily focused on the Electronics, Game (PlayStation), Entertainment (such as motion pictures and music), and Financial Services sectors. Ericsson provides mobile and fixed networks, multimedia solutions and telecom services which make a real difference to people’s lives. Sony Ericsson phones are known for their stunning hardware and performance. Their Xperia phones have Android features, which gives access to the best applications and services around. It enables launching apps in an instant, viewing messages, mails and more. Sony phones are known for their good camera & sound system. Not only this the camera is excellent & provides great stills & videos.

LG - LG brand is one of the most well-known in the world for different electronic products. LG mobiles offer range of CDMA handsets, GSM handsets, 3G handsets, and cellular phones. LG mobiles are economical and affordable which makes it most approachable brand in the market for people from every class. LG mobile has different models like Viewty, Shine, Dynamite, Pulse and Bullet. These high range mobiles have advanced features and attractive enhancements. Shoot, play music, browse internet, connect with system, store data and many more.

Samsung – is a leading name in TVs, air conditioners & electrical appliances. Samsung mobile phones come in a range of dual sim, Qwerty, CDMA, smart, touch, multimedia phones & tablets. From the coolest conventional and brightest smart phones, to the most stylish touchscreens, bars, sliders and feature-rich devices with full QWERTY keyboards, Samsung has everything to offer.

Research in Motion (RIMM) – Blackberry introduced by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) in 1999, it delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies. It supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information services. It was the first phone which laid emphasis on e-mail service onmobile phones. RIM announced 8 million BlackBerry subscribers in 2007. Most BlackBerry devices come with a QWERTY keyboard. Generally providers offer flat monthly pricing for unlimited data between BlackBerry units. In today’s busy life, credit can be given to Blackberry, which has enabled socializing a lot, be it setting up movie dates with friends or with business associates to attend meetings. It comes in a wide range of GSM, CDMA & GPRS enabled phones with features like camera, speakerphone, Bluetooth, MicroSD, polyphonic ringtones, media player, Wi-Fi etc. Motorola creates numerous products for use by the government, public safety officials, business installments, and the general public. These products include cell phones, laptops, computer processors, and radio communication devices.

Apple – Apple the biggest company in the world by value which has changed the entire technology sector more than any company in history though launch of iconic products like iPhone,iPod and iPad does not have a strong presence in India.This is due to Apple’s premium pricing which means that the vast number of Indians simply can’t afford Apple products.However in recent times Apple has been reducing its prices of older products.Most of Apple’s smartphones in India are brought from outside rather than being sold here.

HTC – HTC the Taiwanese smartphone company which has seen the fastest growth after Apple has small presence in India like Apple.Its distribution structure is not that strong and it does not have the product lineup to cater to the low and middle segments which are dominated by Samsung and Nokia

Motorola-Google -This American-based, multinational, telecommunications company, Motorola’s wireless telephone handset division was a pioneer in cellular phones. It pioneered the flip phone with the StarTAC in the mid-1990s, and had a rebirth with the RAZR in the mid-2000s before losing significant market share. Lately it has focused on smartphones using Google’s open-source Android mobile operating system. The first phone to use the newest version of Android 2.0, was released in 2009 as the Motorola Droid. The handset division has since then been spun off into the independent Motorola Mobility.With Google buying Motorola now,expect the best Android phones to come out of this company.

Spice - Now a subsidiary of Idea Cellular Ltd.which owns more than 80% equity in the company. The Aditya Birla Group took over the ownership of Spice Telecom for over Rs 2,700 crore. The prepaid users(which form majority in India) had problems getting their phones recharged with prepaid balance when in roaming. Hence, Spice could not regain the market share inspite of its low tariffs. Spice provides dual sim, GSM, CDMA, internet enabled phones. It allows cell phone users to publish, convert, and share all kinds of user generated content.

Karbonn – The company is presented by two Indian telecom majors – UTL and Jaina.The UTL Group is a multi division telecom group with an annual turnover of Rs 1600 crore. It is a leading Indian telecom powerhouse with interests that span across manufacturing, services and distribution.The Jaina Group is a reputed distribution house with interests in telecom and consumer durables. The company has represented, prominent brands such as Nokia, Samsung, Siemens, Panasonic and Philips (LCD devices) as regional or national distribution partners & are currently the national distribution partners of HTC and Motorola. The mobile phones come in the range of CDMA, touch screen, dual sim with features like long battery life & FM Radio,quality, technology, service and more, it is the perfect harmony of style and function.

Micromax – Since their entry into the Indian mobile handset market in March 2008, the overall market share increased from 0.59% for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 to 6.24% for the quarter ended March 31, 2010. The handset sales have grown by 123.48% from 1.15 million units in the quarter ended June 30, 2009 to 2.57 million units in the quarter ended March 31, 2010. It also offers CDMA, touch phones, besides the normal range of phones. Its marathon battery phone gives an extended battery life to the phone. It also has Qwerty features in its Bling phone.

Summary

The Indian Mobile Phone Industry has seen a massive churn with the success of domestic companies like Micromax,Spice and others which in the short span of time have won huge marketshare .Nokia which used to be the one time undisputed king of the market with more than 60% marketshare has now come down to less than 30%.With its fortunes being destoyed on the top end of the market by Apple and Google’s Androids,the bottom has been taken out by the nimble,street smart cheap Indian players.India is going to see how growth in mobile broadband as broadband companies in India have failed to provide Internet to most Indians.With Internet set to be consumed mostly over Mobile Phones,expect the vibrancy of the sector to continue in the future

You can read more about Nokia’s travails in the Indian mobile phone market here

List of Cloud Computing Companies in India – Poised for Growth

28 Jun, 2011

Technology,Technology Sector

What is Cloud Computing

Cloud computing refers to the use and access of multiple server-based computational resources via a digital network Internet connection using the World Wide Web, etc.). Cloud users may access the server resources using a computer, netbook, pad computer, smart phone, or other device. In cloud computing, applications are provided and managed by the cloud server and data is also stored remotely in the cloud configuration. Users do not download and install applications on their own device or computer; all processing and storage is maintained by the cloud server. The on-line services may be offered from a or by a private organization.

How it differs from the Client Server Model

Cloud computing differs from the classic client-server model by providing applications from a server that are executed and managed by a client’s web browser, with no installed client version of an application required. Centralization gives cloud service providers complete control over the versions of the browser-based applications provided to clients, which removes the need for version upgrades or license management on individual client computing devices.Any computer or web-friendly device connected to the Internet may access the same pool of computing power, applications, and files in a cloud-computing environment. Data is centrally stored, so the user does not need to carry a storage medium such as a DVD or thumb drive. Desktop applications that connect to internet-host email providers may be considered cloud applications, including web-based Gmail,Hotmail. Private companies may also make use of their own customized cloud email servers for their employees.

What does a Cloud User Need

A cloud user needs a client device such as a laptop or desktop computer, pad computer, smart phone, or other computing resource with a web browser (or other approved access route) to access a cloud system via the World Wide Web. Typically the user will log into the cloud at a service provider or private company, such as their employer. Cloud computing works on a client-server basis, using web browser protocols. The cloud provides server-based applications and all data services to the user, with output displayed on the client device.

List of Cloud Computing Companies in India

Cloud Computing in India is also showing sharp growth due to inherent value created by this new technology paradigm.A number of small companies have started taking a lead in the space like Zenith,Wolf etc.Given that Cloud Computing is rapidly becoming pervasive in the entire IT area,most top Indian IT companies have also started rolling out cloud computing products.

Zenith Infotech – is an international company serving IT Service Providers worldwide. It has its headquarters is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Since its inception in 1996,the company has focused around identifying emerging enterprise-class technologies and designing solutions catered to the small and medium business. It enables IT service providers to profitably grow their business with the help of cost-effective solutions. Its cloud computing service includes:

Smartstyle computing – is a private cloud solution consisting of servers, storage and advanced server, network and storage virtualization technology that allows VARs, IT service providers, system integrators to deliver IT as a service to its customers. By creating a low cost private solution for a monthly fee to the IT channel, Zenith Infotech is helping the IT channel capitalize on the cloud computing trend and further their managed service relationship with their customers. The basic building blocks of a SmartStyle Computing solution are cloud servers (CS). Each cloud server is a complete system consisting of processing capacity (CPU, memory), advanced storage and virtualization technology. A customer can start with one cloud server and then add more as further processing and/or storage capacity is needed. Multiple cloud servers combine to form a highly redundant computing grid which can be used for running virtual machines, providing business continuity as well as iSCSI storage all at the same time.

Mirror cloud – MirrorCloud is an add-on technology to the SmartStyle Computing platform, which provides business continuity and data restoration for existing physical or virtual Windows servers or desktops. MirrorCloud is a lightweight software agent, which mirrors the contents of the Windows machine to a SmartStyle environment on a near real-time basis.

Wolf Frameworks – WOLF is a Cloud Computing platform designed to help design, deliver and use Software as a Service applications using only a web browser. It helps professionals and businesses to focus on application innovation, rapid speed to market & continuous enhancement rather than writing routine technical code and managing the infrastructure behind it. It allows designing and delivering comprehensive business applications for managing and collecting data, streamlining collaborative processes and providing actionable analysis.It helps deliver a variety of Web based Business Productivity SaaS applications, Utilities and embeddable widgets. Right from mini ERP and CRM to fully fledged HR and Accounting systems, WOLF is ideally suited for delivering complex business applications 70 percent faster at less than half the cost.

Google -Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Beginning in 1996,Google has grown by leaps and bounds. From offering search in a single language we now offer dozens of products and services—including various forms of advertising and web applications for all kinds of tasks—in scores of languages.We provide a variety of services and tools for advertisers of all sizes, from simple text ads to display and mobile advertising, and to publishers, whether small or large. Not only are these programs the backbone of our company; they’ve also enabled entrepreneurs and publishers around the world to grow their businesses and become successful.Google has been pushing the technological bounds of cloud computing for more than ten years.Feedback and usage statistics from hundreds of millions of users in the real world help us bring stress-tested innovation to business customers at an unprecedented pace. From our consumer user base, we quickly learn which new features would be useful in the business context, refine those features, and make them available to Google Apps customers with minimal delay. Advantages of the Google cloud are:

Faster access to innovation drives higher productivity
Users adopt new functionality with less disruption
Employees can be productive from anywhere
Google’s cloud enables faster collaboration
Google’s immense security investments help protect customers
Less data is stored on vulnerable devices
Customers get higher reliability and uptime
Google Apps offers extensive flexibility and control
Customers spend less through Google’s economies of scale

NetMagic – Netmagic Solutions is India’s leading Managed IT Hosting Services Provider, specializing in Internet Datacenter & Managed Hosting, Infrastructure Management, Managed Security, Cloud Computing, Application Hosting, Messaging & Collaboration and Disaster Recovery & Availability.Netmagic’s suite of Cloud computing solutions now includes the public, private and hybrid cloud.designed a comprehensive cloud ecosystem to power up our customer’s business, we made sure to use it to build and support our own systems first. The good news is: the cloud does work. By giving you greater control over your infrastructure and saving costs, our cloud services manage to simplify and scale up business without investing in physical infrastructure. With SimpliCloud, Netmagic’s latest public cloud offering, your projects and ideas can get access to enterprise-class IT setups made up of servers, network, and storage resources at a fraction of cost. With Enterprise cloud enhance operational efficiency and minimize cost, and get scalability and elasticity at the same time.

Ramco – flexible enterprise applications that can be delivered quickly and cost-effectively into complex environments. It also gives companies the agility they need to stay competitive by enabling fast, flexible deployment and change on demand of business applications. Ramco VirtualWorks ensures maximum flexibility to execute a business process strategy – so when business needs change systems change automatically.Ramco, part of the Ramco Group, has delivered enterprise software and services since 1999. Today, Ramco is a global provider with customers in 35 countries and more than 1,500 employees in 9 countries.

TCS – IT services, business solutions and outsourcing bring you a level of certainty that no other competitor can match. You will experience your requirements being met on time, within budget and with high quality; greater efficiency and responsiveness to your business; and the ability to shift investment to strategic initiatives rather than tactical functions.TCS perspectives on various aspects of Cloud Computing: Types of Cloud delivery models, “Public” Cloud Computing for Enterprise business and its challenges, Public-Private & Federated Clouds, Next Generation Computing Services and Benefits of the Cloud

Other companies in this space are Infosys,Wipro and the other India IT biggies besides companies focused exclusively on the Cloud Computing Space like Orangescape

Software Powerhouse India to finally acquire cyberwarfare capabilities

5 Aug, 2010

China,Technology,Technology Sector,USA

India has been the target of cyberwarfare attacks in recent times allegedly by China.This is quite strange since India is known to be a software powerhouse home to world class companies like Infosys,TCS and Wipro.The reason is that the Indian government had not leveraged its huge army of software professionals in order to beef up its cyber security.But this is about to change with the highest security echelons of the Indian administration deciding to set up both offensive and defensive cyberwarfare capabilities.Note India faces hostile neighbours in the form of Pakistan and China whom with it has already fought a combined 4 wars since 1947.Acquiring digital warfare abilities is crucial in this age when communication and IT infrastructure is essential for fighting modern wars.Disabling an enemy’s information and communication network can provide prove the difference between victory and defeat.

Most countries already possess cyberwarfare capabilities

Note other countries like USA and China have already well developed cyber warfare capabilities with China frequently in the news over cyber-attacks on various countries like South Korea.USA’s NSA possesses formidable strengths in this area using American information technology which is the best in the world.USA has denied the export of critical encryption technology in order to safeguard its lead in the cyber security area.India is taking a leaf from these countries albeit in a late manner.India’s plan will involve recruiting hackers and software professionals under the aegis of its intelligence agencies.A new law also will be passed to prevent exiting Indian laws from prosecuting these recruits.

Spy Game: India readies cyber army to hack into hostile nations’ computer systems – Economic Times

The strategy of taking the fight to hackers was drafted at a high-level security meet on July 29 chaired by National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon. The meeting was attended by the director of Intelligence Bureau as well as senior officials of the telecom department, IT ministry and security agencies, documents seen by ET show.According to the government proposal, the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) along with Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) will be responsible for creating cyber-offensive capabilities. NTRO is a key government agency that gathers technical intelligence while DIA is tasked with collating inputs from the Navy, Army and Air Force.

The NTRO will also suggest measures to ensure legal protection to recruits, a move that is expected to coax software professionals into joining the government group because under the Indian IT Act, hacking is punishable with imprisonment up to three years, or carries a fine up to `2 lakh, or both.

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