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| Sunday, 19 March 2006 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Gadget Mania Still in the Stone Age? Try gadgets for productivity! by Sinha Dissanayaka
Everyone knows that the multitude of gadgets, lovingly put together by the Gizmo Specialist Dr "Q", helped the hero of Her Majesty's Secret Service to silence the various Avatars of Evil, together with their plans to take over the world! Technology for life Modern technology has become a part of our very lives, at a pace faster than a Shoeib Akhtar delivery. Admittedly, many of us have found it difficult to adapt to the innovations and technologies available in the market today, and prefer to stick to the old, trusted and "reliable" technologies and methods with which we have been familiar. The question is, for how long can we ignore technology?
Disadvantages Clearly, technology must be harnessed and used by us, and it should never be vice versa. Kids have lost the reading habit and have been glued to the T.V., their "Play Station" or "Gameboy" video gaming units. The Internet has brought in its own hazards, of which we are all aware. The quality of family life has declined, and "family time" and values have been eroded by Cable TV, Soap Operas and hours spent on Internet "chatting". Productivity Clearly, those countries which have used Technology to their advantage have reaped rich economic dividends. Some countries such as Japan, China, Malaysia and Singapore have come up within the last 50 years to become Economic Tigers, thanks to technological advancement. Companies worldwide are now winning over a loyal customer base by providing high quality goods or services and delivering them "better, faster and cheaper" using cutting edge technology. . "Adapt or bust" is the valid slogan for Organizations today. Japanese automobiles have more consumer confidence in America for superiority in mechanical reliability and fuel efficiency than any American brand. Many established long standing Companies in Sri Lanka have been caught napping with antiquated systems (combined of course with a "This is how we have done things for the past 50 years" attitude of the Top Management) and have paid dearly with loss of market share, loss of revenue and high employee turnover. Visible signs in Sri Lanka
A few dynamic companies use live video conferencing for weekly team briefings, etc. with their foreign Parent companies or with local teams in different local locations. Many companies have spent Millions of Rupees (every cent well spent, in my opinion) installing custom made industry specific software applications for enhanced productivity, eliminating wastage etc. We already have thousands of jobs created thanks to outsourcing of tele-banking services, etc. from foreign Banks and other Organizations using information technology to connect, for example, a customer of a British Bank, to a telephone banking assistant from Sri Lanka. Any company worth its salt has a decent looking website, making it immediately more visible to that all important entity, the consumer. Almost every local bank has ATM machines, making life easier to customers. The advent of CDMA phones has made getting a land line connection faster and cheaper, with added services such as SMS and call waiting. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) and doubts about investing in technology: What brand should I Buy? - When it comes to gadgets, I would always recommend recognized brand names, for e.g. Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, Cannon, Kyocera and Kodak for digital cameras. Don't regret later by going for cheap junk! Is it worth paying so much? If it's a product like a PDA or a notebook (laptop) you need to see as to whether all your requirements are met. Considering the personal and corporate productivity as a result of usage, the returns would be well worth the investment. Should I invest in technology for my Company? The answer would be, If you don't, your competitors will. Merely investing in and installing technology would be futile, of course, until proper systems are in place. In other words, there has to be precise ideas as to what corporate objectives are to be achieved using the technology. Some Companies have invested millions of rupees in buying computers for employees, merely to have those computers being used for typing letters, emailing and casual surfing of the internet! What gadgets would be useful for me? There are a whole array of useful technological innovations in the market which are bound to enhance your quality of life! This column will carry a series of articles in future on the subject, keeping you "in the know" before you buy! |
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| Produced by Lake House |
Are you a diehard technophobe? Do you need your teenage kid's assistance
to operate any device at home? "Blackberry" tastes best eaten as jam, with
bread, right? Bytes are served of course with booze, and kilobytes are those
oily bytes which add to your waistline, right? Dou you still think Agent 007
James Bond was victorious over those wicked warlords due to his skill or his
good looks? Of course not! 
Are we doing so as a Nation to our peril? Is your Company losing out on
market share due to the superior technological expertise of your competitors
? Is the next generation of Sri Lankans ready to face the challenges of the
Information Age? 
Signs of technological advancement, albeit slow, are encouragingly
visible in Sri Lanka already. Many Members of Parliament, corporate heads,
executives and professionals are using state of the art PDA (Personal
digital Assistant) cell-phones which take personal productivity and time
management to a new level. 
