TECHNOLOGY

Office 2010 unveiled

Microsoft launched Office 2010, the latest version of the popular MS Office in Sri Lanka a few weeks after it was unveiled globally.

The Country Manager of Microsoft in Sri Lanka, Sriyan De Silva Wijeyeratne said that the company offers the latest technology to the Sri Lankan market parallel with the global launch.

The new product has radical improvements on applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Office 2010 is the technology for the future.

The ever growing demand for technology tools can help employees work smarter and respond to customers, the company said.

De Silva said that Microsoft has three goals in Sri Lanka. Firstly, to take technology to all parts of the country.

Hence, we launched various programs including the Gamata IT program and introduced Sinhala and Tamil versions breaking the language barrier in accessing technology. Secondly, for capacity building we are working with Government institutions, NGOs and private sector organisations. Thirdly, by bringing the latest technology to Sri Lanka.

There have been certain features in existing Office versions that users depend on. What Office 2010 has done is to make them even better.

MS Office has been the productivity standard.

There are features such as Copy and Paste and the Ribbon tool bar which were breakthroughs when they were first introduced. These have now been further enhanced. Advanced capabilities have also been added and they will also become new standards in productivity for the future, De Silva said.

Chief Information Officer of the Hirdaramani Group of Companies, Samath Fernando said, “Companies are constantly under pressure to perform better and increase efficiency.

When employees work at their peak, it is the technology that makes the difference between good work and great work. The new features in Office 2010 and the improvements to existing features are tipped to revolutionise the way organisations work”.

The company has used the beta version of Office 2010 and is looking forward to implement it company-wide.

Office 2010 has been launched in 14 languages with plans to expand it to 94 languages in the next few months.

Already, over 8.6 million people world-wide already use the beta version of Office 2010.

The new features of Office 2010 helps people to connect and collaborate with each other regardless of location.

It also helps people in every section of an organisation to turn data into information that they can use to make the correct decisions faster.

GW

BPO/IT demand exceeds office space

There is an increase in demand for office space fuelled by the growth in the IT/ BPO business and new businesses being formed, said Group Managing Director Overseas Realty Thilan Wijesinghe. He said that inquiries well exceed the space at World Trade Centre.

The urban property market has retreated from the peak of 2005 -2006 which was flourishing due to the inflow of tsunami funds.

Thilan Wijesinghe

In addition the Colombo rental market too has declined but the notable factor is properties which are distinctly located and uniquely developed have seen the demand returning after the dawn of peace.

Most importantly there is a boom in properties related to tourism.

In the eastern province there is a 100% increase in demand for beach properties while beach properties in the south have also seen a 30-40% increase in demand.

There is a general decline in the affordable housing market though there is a demand for more than 100,000 housing units.

Wijesinghe said that they want to position Overseas Realty as the most trusted property developer in the country.

He said that they plan to become more Sri Lankan owned and Sri Lankan managed company and maximize the shareholder returns from the two existing properties World Trade Centre and Havelock City.

We are keen to look at the North and the East but we will not diversify into other areas as I don’t believe in the conglomerate concept, said a confident Wijesinghe.

He said that phase one of Havelock city comprising of 226 apartments was completed end of last year and many residents have already moved in.

The designing of the Rs 250 mln clubhouse has already started while the construction of an access bridge from Skelton Road is completed.

He said that sales are on track for the company to start the next phases of development at the Havelock City.

He was confident that the condominium business will grow due to the unique positioning of Havelock City.

Consolidated profits of Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC recorded Rs. 192.7 Mn for the 1st Quarter 2010 an increase of Rs. 80.8 Mn or 72.1% over the previous year’s corresponding quarter of Rs. 112.0 Mn.

The growth in profits was primarily on account of profits realised from sale of apartments at Havelock City. Thilan Wijesinghe, who assumed the position of Group Managing Director on 1st February 2010, stated that completing the construction of two apartment towers, the vast landscaped gardens and tastefully appointed show-units helped apartment sales.

Total group revenue however recorded a decline of 13% mainly due to the decline in revenue recorded for apartment sales.

The 1st Quarter 2010 sales reflect the actual sales of apartments committed whereas the 1st Quarter of 2009 reflects the sales apportioned based on progressive revenue recognition on all apartments sold up to that period as construction was not completed at that time.

Recurrent profit growth will also be generated from World Trade Center (WTC) rentals. Income and profits from WTC, Rs. 184 Mn and Rs. 68 Mn respectively for 1st Quarter 2010, were flat in comparison to the same period last year. The fact that the rental business from WTC operations is on an upward trend is underscored by rental income growing 8% and net profits growing 19% in 1st Quarter 2010 compared to the 4th Quarter of 2009. “The rental pipeline is very healthy, and we expect occupancy to be considerably higher by year end” added Wijesinghe.

SG

Samsung strengthens mobile business

Samsung Electronics is putting a fresh thrust on its mobile business in Sri Lanka.

The Company is strengthening its product offering in the market by launching innovative mobile phones across entry level, multimedia and touch screen segments, including its very popular, youth oriented Corby series.

In a bid to strengthen its distribution in the country, the Company has appointed John Keels Office Automation (JKOA), as its National Distributor for Sri Lanka.

JKOA will import and distribute Samsung mobile phones to open market dealers across the Island and to select operator networks.

Thus, commencing this month, Samsung Mobiles will be available at 500 Dealer points across all the 9 provinces of the Island, even as the Company will continue to expand product availability across the country. In addition, Samsung mobile phones will also be sold through exclusive outlets of the Telecom Operator networks.

“Even as we continue to excite the Sri Lankan consumers with innovative, contemporary mobile launches, we are also working on developing the distribution and after sales service networks in the country”, said JungSoo Shin, President and CEO, Samsung South West Asia.

Accordingly, Samsung is in the process of opening up six new Service centers in Colombo, Galle, Kandy very shortly followed by service centers in Ratnapura, Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa which will extend service to the entire, North East part of the country.

Samsung has appointed ‘The Phone Company’ as the National Service Franchisee for Sri Lanka.

A&E a strategic partner to Moratuwa University

CEO of A&E Janaka Gamage (right) and the Head of the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology of the University of Moratuwa Dr. G. L. D Wickramasinghe.

American & Efird Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, the Brandix Group’s world-class thread manufacturing company, has been designated the Strategic Sewing Thread Partner to the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology of the University of Moratuwa, under a new affiliation ratified recently.

A Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two institutions envisages that A&E will also refurbish and maintain the lecture room known as TLR4, and sponsor an annual award for the Best Performance at Industrial Training by a student of the BSc Engineering degree program in Textile & Clothing Technology.

The University of Moratuwa is one of the biggest contributors of graduates to the apparel sector, and A&E is privileged to support its Department of Textile and Clothing Technology, as its strategic sewing thread partner, said Janaka Gamage, CEO of A&E.

As one of the biggest employers in the sector, the Brandix Group is appreciative of the efforts of the university to improve standards and motivate its students.

Farmers in computer business

America’s dairy farmers could soon find themselves in the computer business, with the manure from their cows possibly powering the vast data centres of companies like Google and Microsoft.

While not immediately intuitive, the idea plays on two trends: the building of computing centres in more rural locales, and dairy farmers’ efforts to deal with cattle waste by turning it into fuel. With the right skills, a dairy farmer could rent out land and power to technology companies and recoup an investment in the waste-to-fuel systems within two years, Hewlett-Packard engineers said last week.

‘Information technology and manure have a symbiotic relationship,’ said Chandrakant D. Patel, the director of H.P.’s sustainable information technology laboratory, which wrote the report. ‘And having these data centres locally will give farmers a new opportunity.’ Companies have historically tended to build their large computing centres often called server farms in or near large cities and industries.

As this practice has continued over the years, it has become difficult for companies building the largest data centres to find enough cheap electricity and real estate to meet their needs.

Singer launches Wireless Burglar Alarm System

Singer has launched the world’s leading Visonic’s PowerMax+, Wireless Home Security and Management System.

The product is an Israeli brand. The security system itself works in a way that even if the occupants leave their house, go on holiday or even if they are in bed, they are alerted by voice message to the Mobile phone or on SMS through a GSM link which pin points the exact location of entry, so it’s 100 per cent accurate at all times.