BlackBerry losing ground in India

NEW DELHI: Smartphone maker BlackBerry is losing ground fast in India. The struggling Canadian company, which is working out a revival strategy amid deep losses, has seen sales in India — one of its few bright spots — go down sharply to less than 70,000 units in the third quarter of this year.

According to wholesale numbers tabulated by IDC, BlackBerry sold a little over 68,000 units in the July-September '13 quarter, which is 55% lower than 1.5 lakh units it sold in the preceding quarter. The decline was near-similar on a year-on-year basis as the company had sold 1.52 lakh units in the same quarter last year.

The numbers — which are the units sold by the company to its channel partners — should be alarming for BlackBerry, which counts India among the few markets where it still holds some sway over phone buyers. The company has been bringing in its latest devices (Q and Z series), running on its latest BB10 operating system and has even cut down prices of its Z10 phone sharply in late September from Rs 43,490 to Rs 29,990. However, this does not seem to have worked.

When contacted, IDC refused to confirm the numbers, saying it would give third quarter estimates only on Thursday as part of a larger industry report.

BlackBerry, on the other hand, refused to divulge the volumes, but said retail volumes (sold by dealers in the market) are higher than IDC-discovered wholesale numbers. "This data is factually incorrect. BlackBerry does not break our overall sales numbers by country, but we can confirm that our sell-out was significantly higher than the number quoted by you. IDC captures sell-in numbers only, and is not a true reflection of actual sales-out to end customers," Varghese M Thomas, corporate communications director for India & Saarc region, said. "Furthermore, in Q3, we had only two BlackBerry 10 products in market namely Z10 and Q10, both of which were in the plus Rs 40,000 price category. Our Q5 and BlackBerry 9720 launches took place later in that quarter and hence is not an accurate measure of sales figures through a complete quarter."

The rapid growth in sales of devices running on the Google Android operating system as well as Apple's iPhone have gradually eaten into the market share of BlackBerry India which came tumbling down to a poor single-digit against the high 16% just a few years back.

While refusing to speak on the numbers, Manasi Yadav, senior market analyst at IDC, did comment on the recent performance of BlackBerry in India. "BlackBerry went wrong with the pricing of their new launches. Also, they were lagging behind in terms of aggressiveness and the marketing push required in this dynamic market," Yadav said.

Yadav said the company may still have a chance to come back, but this should be backed by a "strong and focussed strategy". "We have to wait and watch as to how Blackberry gets itself back in this game. Although it has lost considerable ground, I would not want to completely write it off already."

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z1 vs LG G2

When it comes to these monster phones, there's no denying that each of these flagship handsets pack state-of-the-art hardware that's more than capable of handling the most demanding computing tasks: multitasking, Full HD videos, and even 3D gaming. We run these smartphones through the paces to find those little features that differentiate one handset from the other.

LG G2
The G2 boasts a 5.2-inch screen with wide viewing angles; its display is capable of rendering crisp text and accurate colours. Besides, top-notch brightness levels ensure legibility even in direct sunlight. The handset ticks all the right boxes when it comes to its shooter. It records sharply-focussed videos - and photos look good with true colours, and just the right amount of contrast. In less than optimum light, it tends to smooth over details, and low-light images suffer from some noise. The G2 is equipped with an infrared sensor and a 'remote' app, which can be configured to control TVs, set-top boxes, etc.

Despite a Full HD screen, the G2's battery lasts for 15 to 16 hours when used with a 3G connection. The G2's shell is fabricated out of glossy plastic, which neither looks premium nor feels good to hold. No expandable memory so you're limited by just the internal 16/32GB storage. The device's volume and power buttons are placed on its back cover, which aren't as intuitive to use. Volume during calls is also on the lower side. When used with a good pair of earphones, however, the G2 works on par with a good MP3 player.

Except for its placement of buttons and glossy plastic build, the LG G2 gets most things right. If you're looking for a feature-packed, compact smartphone that does not seem too large in your hands, this one could be it. 

Samsung: More than just a dream job for South Koreans

BUSAN: In a cram school in the South Korean port city of Busan, 70 college students packed into a classroom, chanting "We can do it!" as they studied for an exam they hope will guarantee them a job for life with SamsungGroup. 

The promise of Samsung, whose sprawling business empire spans consumer electronics to ships, offers not only a good salary and benefits but also holds the key to a good marriage in this Asian country where Confucian traditions run deep. 

The twice-a-year recruitment rounds by the "chaebol", conglomerates such as Samsung and Hyundai, have spawned a cottage industry worth millions of dollars as young Koreans do what they have done from the age of 5 - cram to get ahead. 

"I came here at 10 this morning and will be preparing for the interview until 8pm," said 25-year-old Shin Seong-hwan, whose father is a Samsung employee near Busan. 

Shin has already passed the company's aptitude test and now faces gruelling interviews that end late in November. 

In its current recruitment round, Samsung will hire 5,500 young people from more than 1,00,000 applicants, adding to the pressure cooker environment. 

"Jobs at conglomerates can save face for you and your parents," said Hur Jai-joon, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, a government-funded research body. 

It is an impossible dream for most to achieve as the top 30 conglomerates employ just 6.8% of the total workforce, the Federation of Korean Industries says. 

Samsung has not always used such rigorous tests. Thirty years ago, according to former employees, a fortune teller who specialized in reading faces sat in on the interviews. 

Now, spots at the top conglomerate are so coveted that students spend heavily on cram schools, workbooks and online lectures. The phrase " Samsung Gosi" describes the arduous process, borrowing from the term "gosi" that refers to public service exams that South Koreans study for years to pass. 

"If you don't come here, you won't have the right information," said Im Chan-soo, head of LCS Communication, which runs private classes for Samsung job interviews in Busan. 

'Social and financial costs'
Aptitude test workbooks cost around $20 each and figure prominently in every bookstore in South Korea. Private tutoring costs can run into thousands of dollars. 

"I had doubts about going to cram school. It wasn't cheap but they are professional and I am learning a lot," said Han Nam-gyu, a 27-year-old engineering graduate who paid 2,80,000 won ($260) to LCS Communication. 

Critics of the system say it adds yet another layer of misery for graduates, who have crammed from pre-school all the way through high school to try to get into a top university. 

In South Korea, 65% of those in the 25 to 34 age group went to university, the highest rate among the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's 34 member states. 

That is a huge shift in a generation. Just 13% of people in the 55 to 64 age group went to university. 

Samsung appears to recognize that the super-competitive process may not be healthy for the country's young people, warning recently of rising "social and financial costs" of the recruitment system. Still, it did not identify a solution. 

For many students like Han the engineer, "Plan B" is to come back again next year for another shot at Samsung. 

"My mother cried after I passed the second stage. She was really happy," said Han, who applied to Samsung C&T, the group firm that handles engineering, construction, trading and investment. 

"I want to get into Samsung so my mother will be able to boast about her son."

The only three things you need to know about Leadership....!!!!

When I was 23, I attended a 5 day course on Leadership and Management. Being fairly new to the world, I lapped the information up, taking notes fervently and hanging off every word the demi-God-like facilitators shared, usually accompanied by surprisingly neat flipchart writing. And I’m glad I did, because over the past few years I read numerous books, blogs, and articles on leadership; watched countless videos by great speakers given their views on the issue; and been on a few more training courses that promise to provide ‘new tools for your kit bag’. Every single one points back to the three main lessons I learnt during that glorious summer week in 20xx… 

Rule 1 – Know your people, Know your People, Know your People

The difference between managers and leaders is that Managers understand staff, and leaders understand people. For managers, process is king, being functional and efficient and knowing who your staff are, where they should be, and what they should be doing. Leaders understand their people: Why do they come to work? What motivates them? Are they a morning, afternoon, or evening person? What’s important to them in their life outside of work? Where are they heading in life? What do they want and need from you? If they won the lottery, what would they do? Where would they go?

Great leaders act with their team in mind. You may have had a busy weekend working and come 9am Monday morning are ready of offload all of your thoughts and plans, but everyone else may still be waking up, and not appreciate a full-on diatribe the second they walk into the office. They also understand how their team will react in different situations. A regular example is when a boss is heading off on a well-deserved holiday and proudly proclaims: ‘I’m away, but you know what I’m like, I’ll still be checking my BlackBerry!’ Do their employees think:

a) What a great boss! So dedicated to her job, there if we need her, and has really impressive time management skills to be able to do that and still relax with the family.

b) Doesn’t she trust me? Does she think that I can’t cope? That the world will stop if she’s away for a week? That makes me feel worthless.

Understanding your people as people, not staff, allows you to make more informed decisions which are tailored to the person, to frame your questions and requests in an effective way, and to ultimately get the best out of your team.

Rule 2 – Situational Leadership

So you’ve spent time getting to know your people, know your people, know your people… Now what? Ken Blanchard’s brilliant ‘Situational Leadership’ model has the answer.

A mistake a lot of would-be leaders make is to think their style works with everyone. Sometimes they get lucky and a large section of their team responds positively, being a perfect match for their way of working, However more often than not the team will have vast fluctuations in performance, with flashes of success and the odd outstanding performer, but in a largely dis-engaged and ineffective group.

Therefore, great leaders, having got to know their people, are able to adapt their style depending on the situation and person. When people approach a new task, they may be highly knowledgable, relatively confident, or doing it for the first time – and therefore respond to different leadership accordingly. Crucially, the same person may be highly competent in one task, but not at all in another, meaning that great leaders need to use different styles for the same people. The ability to seamlessly switch between these leadership styles is the difference between good managers and great leaders.

The below Ken Blanchard diagram explains this far better than I ever could:

Rule 3 – Team, Task, Individual

John Adair developed his Action Centred Leadership model while lecturing at Sandhurst Royal Military Academy and as assistant director and head of leadership department at The Industrial Society. Put simply, Adair demonstrates that great leaders spend their time evenly in three areas – focussing on achieving the Task in hand, the management of the Team, and the development of Individuals.
Most managers tend to focus wholly on the task because it’s more tangible, working through the correct process to achieve whatever needs to be achieved by the set deadline. However, often this is at the detriment to team morale and individual engagement, leading people to ‘work to rule’ and suppressing creativity.

By taking a ‘helicopter view’ and committing the time to develop a strong team spirit and understanding, it becomes far more likely that the task (and future tasks) will be achieved successfully – potentially even going beyond what was originally expected. And by getting to ‘know your people’, a good leader can make sure that the right people are focussing on the areas in which they’ll be most effective – whilst keeping them engaged and motivated, encouraging them to think more broadly, and driving themselves to achieve further success.

It’s a simple, but brilliant approach – and one that can turn an average collection of people into a great team, and an average manager into a great leader.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, now plans to dominate the world

Mark Zuckerberg now plans to reach 7 billion of the world's citizens online. He plans to enter into partnership with some of the largest mobile technology companies. The young CEO says the web is an essential part of life. Everyone deserves to be connected with one another, which ever part of the world they live.
 

Internet not only connects us to our families, friends and communities, but it is also connecting us to the foundation of the global knowledge economy," Zuckerberg had written in a paper posted to his Facebook page late on the Tuesday. The title asks "Is Connectivity a Human Right?"
 

Connecting more people to the internet is like a philanthropy that will create a number of potential Facebook users. This will also help to improve the company's bottom line.
 

"There is nothing wrong with that," said Fordham University communications professor Mr. Paul Levinson. He is the author of "New New Media."
 

Having access to the internet is a profoundly prominent human right in the 21st century.
 

To reach there, Facebook Inc. on Wednesday had announced a partnership with Internet.org. It includes the world's biggest social network, along with Korean electronics giant Samsung, Nokia and wireless chip maker Qualcomm Inc. More companies are expected to join in partnership with Facebook.
 

Facebook team states that the company's goal is to "get internet access available to the two-thirds of the world who are not yet connected" – nearly about 5 billion people.
 

Levinson called the project "profoundly humanistic while adding  "at the same time, I would never say that Facebook is run by angels."
 

Levinson said “If this effort pays off, then Facebook will expand its user base, advertising revenue and control. Business and philanthropy, in this case, will go hand in hand.”
 

The plan of the group is still in an early rough-draft phase, including developing cheaper smartphones and tools that will reduce the amount of information required to operate mobile applications. For Facebook, this move will certainly add  a number of users to its current 1.15 billion and with them more advertising revenue. Still, Zuckerberg paints the effort as something larger.
 

"For nine years, we have been on the mission to connect the world. We have now connected to more than 1 billion people, but we will have to solve much bigger problems to connect the next 5. The vast majority of people do not have an access to the internet," Zuckerberg wrote.
 

He even pointed out that people who already use Facebook "have way more money when compared to the rest of the world." That means it may "not be beneficial for us to serve the next few billion people for a very long time, if ever. But we believe everyone deserves to be connected together."
 

Most of Facebook's users live outside the U.S., and much of the site's new user base will come from developing countries in the years ahead. While most Americans first got online using desktops, many of the Internet's newest users are bypassing PCs entirely. They rely on mobile phones instead.
 

Javier Olivan, the vice president of growth and analytics at Facebook, said Facebook's move continues what the company has already been doing to get many people online. This includes "Facebook For Every Phone." This is an app that was launched in 2011. This app will allow people with basic and non-smartphones use Facebook. The company has invested more than $1 billion so far to connect people in the developing countries to the internet.
 

The Internet.org project is Zuckerberg's latest venture that seeks to meld philanthropy with ambition.
 

The billionaire CEO had made his first charitable splash in 2010, two years before his company went public, when he donated $100 million in Facebook Inc. stock to Newark, N.J., schools. He then gave another $500 million to a Silicon Valley charity with an aim of funding health and education issues. Earlier this year, he launched Fwd.us, a political group that aimed at changing immigration policy, boosting education and encouraging investment in scientific research.
 

Web browser developer Opera Software and MediaTek, Wireless equipment company Ericsson, another wireless semiconductor company, are also the founding members of Internet.org.
 

Google Inc., which is not a member of the Internet.org effort launched a similar project earlier this year with the purpose of getting the entire Earth online. The project is called as the Project Loon, the effort launched internet-beaming antennas up on giant helium balloons.