Computing Power On Tap- $1 per CPU Hour!!

Sun (www.sun.com) has announced a grid/utility computing resource. They have named it the network.com (www.network.com). Network.com is backed by a large grid of computers running Solaris10 and has a Network.com Applications catalog.

What happens is one could utilize this huge high power computing and pay for the time of actual use. That makes computing super power available to large community of users without making it necessary to buy and own large resources. Applications available cover the following right now.

• Computational Mathematics: Numerical computing, Linear Programming and Statistical computing and graphics applications.
  
• Computer Aided Engineering: Several Finite Element Analysis packages.
  
• Electronic design Automation: Spice simulation.
  
• Life Sciences:Large selection of Life Science related applications.
  
• General :3D rendering and environmental modeling packages.

The portal also allows software vendors to deploy their applications for "pay per use". They are allowed to charge a fee that they think is appropriate. Users too could upload their application.

Right now it is available to users in US only but should get extended to others soon.

IPTV Revenue Set To GRow To $39.1 bn By 2011

According to iSuppli, IPTV market, subscription revenue, is set to grow from $960.5 million in 2006 to $39.1 billion by the year 2011. That's a 40 times increase!!

Typically interactivity, personalization and integration of voice, data and value added services are the attraction for consumers according to the analyst.

Wide-band media to home is a prerequisite for a reasonable consumer experience. As this becomes available more and more, these services become feasible and more services providers jump in. Telcos have wideband media on the ground and are building more and more. It's a natural that they would jump into this triple play bandwagon. Other players are the provders of cable TV services, again with fairly wideband media in the ground. What they need to be able to provide is a return path to enable interactivity. They are addressing this through cable modem developments/standardizations.

What happens to the satellite TV! Besides technological features it is the content that attracts consumers. Satellite TV seems to have taken the approach of providing unique programming!

Overall consumers are in for an interesting time, whichever way this plays out.

ASUS Announces Launch of R2H UMPC

Asus announced the launch in India on the 29th of Mar. Truly ultra mobile, one of the first production systems has really nice features for traveling persons. It's a full featured PC to start with of course.











Real unique touches are a high resolution web cam and a GPS. Applications supporting personal navigation are included. Good web cam helps in staying in touch with home base. Biometric authentication (fingreprint) ensure it is not easily compromised. Usual features of handwriting recognition etc are part of the package. 7" color display is a nice size for this format. Controls are on two sides of the display for easy manipulation and a full featured keyboard can be made available in a soft format on the display. Whole thing is driven by Windows XP, Tablet PC edition. Following are the specifications for the gadget.
R2H Specification
Intel® Celeron® M ULV Processor (900MHz, low power consumption)
Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition
768MB DDRII 667 DRAM
7" WXGA touch screen LCD, ASUS Splendid Video Intelligent Engine
60 GB PATA 1.8" HDD 4200PRM
Bluetooth® V2.0 + EDR, 3x USB, 1x SD Card-Reader,
1x GPS, 1x Finger Print Reader
23.4 x 13.3 x 2.8cm, 830 gm

More information is available on the ASUS website http://in.asus.com/

Building Information Model And All That

It's quite interesting to see how similar concepts take hold in various areas of human endeavor! Back in the early nineties I was part of a set up that created GIS databases. The Automated Mapping/Facilities management based on these databases was a big deal already in the US and we Indians were trying to set a beachhead back then. Real nice twist to this database was that it linked together graphics elements and standard RDBMS entries together. And that gave a complete new dimension to the information, the way it was being used. One could have a map of a place and have lot of information captured for the buildings in it, the roads and so on. One huge application was for the utilities, be it electric, gas or water or whatever. If all the relevant information about a electric feed, the poles, switches etc could be captured and then queried, it becomes a very useful tool during design, construction as well as operational lifetime. During this phase it helps with the maintenance activities too.

Then when later in the nineties I got involved with CAD/CAM slowly PLM or the product life cycle management became all the rage. besides spanning the full product life cycle, it was to become a tool for concurrent design, collaboration etc.Web access makes that even easier. That's how products like Windchill fro the stable o PTC that works with Pro/E became quite the rage.

Now in this new millenium I am into architectural CAD services industry and Building Information Model (BIM) is all the rage. In fact we are differentiating our services by positioning ourselves as a BIM vendor rather than just CADD! By attching pieces of information to the design model we make this model as well as the information a useful tool through the life cycle of the building being designed. Desin is quicker and less error prone, information is useful in the construction as well as occupancy phase. Same way that the GIS or the PLM database is so useful. A simple facility management system can make life so much more easier during occupation phase, helping with the up-keep to so much detail!!