TECHNOLOGY

E-waste:

Green Link Lanka shows true potential

by Surekha GALAGODA

Waste has always been a problem as people have to find ways and means of disposing them. E-waste or electronic waste is the latest addition to this debris and disposing it in a proper manner is a must. Otherwise they will get mixed with water, contaminating it or the entire environment.

Managing Director, Green Link Lanka, Nalin Gunaratne is an exporter of catlatic converters to Malaysia who is interested in the subject of e-waste for a long time. Five years ago he started collecting them when he realised its potential. While overseas he had also witnessed the recycling process when its true potential dawned on him.

Chairman CEA Charitha Hearath and MD Green Link Lanka sign the MOU

A pile of e-waste

At present plans are afoot to export e-waste to two countries, said Gunaratne. “While exporting e-waste I got to know that Central Environmental Authority (CEA) is the competent authority under the Basle Convention, relating to e-waste. So, I got the licence from the CEA and began exporting”, said Gunaratne.

In the beginning he got e-waste from Tigo which he exported to China and Malaysia where recycling was done. They don’t quote the price until they have a look at the e-waste. Most people collect the e-waste and separate the plastic, copper, aluminium and iron while the rest is dumped at landfills which causes in sicknesses due to contamination of water. He said that though some waste could be extracted, we don’t have the machinery and resources for a total extraction. Therefore, when it is dumped and parts of it get mixed with the landfill causing diseases and environmental pollution.

For example, a drop of mercury when mixed with earth remains for 60 odd years. Green Link Lanka has signed an MoU with the CEA, Geo Cycle and 14 other companies while the e-waste of most of the telephone companies, Metropolitan, John Keells , Singer, Abans, some BOI companies and the ETAL group to collect their e-waste which is then exported.

Speaking of the future of the e-waste industry, Gunaratne said that in time to come countries such as China and Malaysia will ban import of e-waste. By that time we should have a unit to recycle the e-waste.

We have done two feasibility studies which shows that it is not viable due to the cost, not sufficient items to recycle as well as the inability to extract all the items.

Speaking of the future, he said that they will export as much as they can and thus earn foreign exchange.

He said that though there is a lot of e-waste in the country most of gets buried in the landfills or in the garbage piles.

Therefore, the next time you wish to discard a battery cell think twice before you do it, he said.

Abans launch LG Mobile phone

Abans recently launched the record-breaking LG Optimus One Smartphone which has hit sales of over one million units within 40 days after its launch in Europe and Asia-Pacific countries, to become the fastest selling mobile handset in the company’s history. One of the first smartphones to launch with Google’s latest operating system, the Optimus One allows for up to five times faster internet browsing, web-page loading, and multi-tasking. The Optimus One also incorporates a unique LG-designed user interface (UI) along with a camera that features face tracking and smile shot, a 3.2 inch wide HVGA screen and a long-lasting 1500mAh capacity battery.

Powered by the Android 2.2 “Froyo” OS and optimised for Google Mobile Services, the LG Optimus One has been a big hit with first-time smartphone buyers looking for high performance and useful applications.

The LG Optimus One combines a high performance hardware package with the latest version of Google’s Android Platform. With a 2-5 times better performance than previous versions of Android, a large screen and lots of memory, the LG Optimus One delivers an experience that is great for apps and multimedia. In addition, LG’s enhanced UI makes the Optimus One even more efficient and user friendly.

“The versatile, powerful LG Optimus One was designed to provide an easy transition into the world of smartphones and as these numbers demonstrate, there is obviously a strong demand for this type of device. Optimus One seems to be what many customers were waiting for, proving that smartphones aren’t just for early adopters anymore,” said President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company Dr. Jong-seok Park.

The device also enables professionals to easily sync with Outlook Calendar for improved productivity, while offering portable Wi-Fi hotspots to easily share a single 3G connection. The device is optimised for popular Google Mobile Services including Google Voice Search, Google Voice Actions, Google Googles, Google Shopper and Google Maps with Navigation, and also offer access to Android Market with more than 80,000 applications.

Hutch launches MegaPack

Hutch launched a brand new prepaid package, fittingly titled “MegaPack” which the company is certain will take that local telecom industry by storm.

Hutch CEO Shankar Bali recalled how Hutch, over the years, has changed the way people look at IDD, by way of introducing remarkably competitive packages, and MegaPack, he believes, will take this trend several steps further.

“Hutch MegaPack is more than just a new tariff package.

It’s a trend setter. The sheer scale of its enormity, in terms of value addition and customer satisfaction alone will create new waves in the market” he says.

Hutch says that MegaPack was the result of extensive research into customer preferences and usage patterns.

“We wanted to give our customers a package that exactly suited their needs. And that is how we arrived at the Rs. 22 figure, and concluded that a ‘mega’ package which allows our customers to enjoy free IDD, among other facilities, at this easy rate would be a surefire hit”.

For the first time in Sri Lanka, under the MegaPack deal, Hutch is offering its customers the chance to stay connected to the internet - on the go - at just 20 cents per megabyte (MB).

What’s more for Rs. 22 a Hutch customer can enjoy calls of 5 minutes, Hutch to Hutch, 5 minutes of Hutch to any other network, 5 SMSs to any network with 5 minutes of IDD call-time, absolutely free, customers can also enjoy internet at 20 cents per MB for a period of seven days inclusive of all taxes.

Three Need-to-Know Technology Trends for 2011

For small businesses, the new millennium has arrived about a decade late. The big year for innovation was supposed to be 2001, when things like artificial intelligence and a worldwide-networked office were said to be to coming to market. But it has taken an extra 10 years of digital toiling to make some of these tools a reality.

Ruwan Bakmedeniya

In 2011, small-business owners will face a staggering array of new technologies and services. These won’t be for-geeks-only stuff. These are mainstream business systems from the tech giants — tools you may want to consider adopting or you could get left behind.

Here are my thoughts on the top business technology trends for 2011. You’ll need to be familiar with these if you want to stay on the cutting edge of your market.

The Web on your phone might be as fast the Web in your office.

The biggest game-changing tool for 2011 is a new generation of fast wireless cellular standards known as 4G. By midyear, most mobile consumers will be able to receive service that’s similar to the robust, plugged-in Web access found in an office. All the major phone carriers will be offering it, including Verizon Communications Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp., AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA Inc. Look also for offerings from start-ups, such as Antelecom Inc., Clearwire Corp., Xanadoo Co. and Towerstream Corp., and from cable companies like Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc.

However, coverage is likely to be spotty and comparing plans could be a struggle, at least in the early days. The cost may be as high as $60 a month per employee and sharing a Web connection won’t be an option. But those willing to brave the trials of moving to a technology early may not only be able to say goodbye to their existing data provider but they may never again need a hard-wired Web connection. The mobile business race really begins in 2011.

Day planners won’t just track your schedule.

Starting next year, smart Web-based business-automation tools will find their way into business software and begin offering opinions on everything from how you should manage tasks to how you arrange meetings and budget projects. Already, Google is adding a sophisticated feature to its Gmail Priority Inbox email services that is designed to help users sort emails in order of their importance. Companies such as Intuit Inc. are adding financial modeling tools to QuickBooks and Mint.com that are so sophisticated that they can guess when you will lose money.

Startups are also offering tools to help firms write documents and create content. The leader now is StatSheet Inc., a Durham, N.C.-based technology company that specializes in sports content. In October, it introduced a Web-based service that automatically creates legible articles, analysis and data with nearly no direct human involvement.

What does that mean to you? For better or worse, you may soon face the daunting prospect of managing memos and business correspondence that, in some ways, write themselves.

Work life might be controlled by the touch of a finger.

Call it the iPhone effect for businesses. A new generation of Apple Inc.’s iPad-inspired, touch-controlled work tools will go mainstream in 2011.

A range of office standbys from printers to desktop PCs will add iPhone-like touch-pad controls. A slew of touch-enabled kiosks, displays and machine controls will be cheap and widely available.

The effects are likely to be profound. Touch-enabled screens, just like on iPhones, will allow for a wide swath of new features and functions to be built into just about any business device.

Printers will not only connect to the Web but will also produce custom news feeds.

Touch-enabled PCs will support both traditional office software and sophisticated inventory and business-management tools that once required pricey custom hardware.

Aggressive first movers are already making an impact. For example, San Francisco-based Touch Revolution is developing a line of mobile-phone savvy touch-enabled control modules that are being adapted to everything to office systems to kitchen appliances.

By this time next year, your fingers may not only do the walking around the office. They may do the talking as well.

Trilingual website launched

Union Assurance launched PLC, one of the key players in the insurance industry, steps into the New Year with the introduction of a Trilingual website.

UA has always been a trendsetter in the industry with regard to various aspects and has always relied on its IT capabilities. We have adequately invested in developing the IT infrastructure of the company to provide effective and efficient services for the convenience of internal and external customers said General Manager IT, Ruwan Bakmedeniya.

The objective of launching a trilingual website is to make the concept of insurance more user-friendly and understandable, which will result in increased penetration around the country especially within the Northern and Eastern areas.

The newly developed website is an interactive site, which provides you the facility to purchase or renew a policy and also to pay premiums.

Our brand is one of the most trusted, as we deliver what is promised, which is being transparent, convenient and respectful to all our stake holders.

With the introduction of the trilingual website, we have further strengthened our position by disseminating insurance concepts down to the grassroot level breaking the language barrier. We have set up a dedicated team to maintain the site continuously for consistency to uplift the site to the next level.

World Bank’s MD visits Nenasala

World Bank Group Managing Director Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says that it is encouraging to note that projects initiated by the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) give a new lease of life to disaster-hit communities in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said so at the conclusion of a recent tour of the Eastern Province including the Nenasala (wisdom outlet) at Kallady, Batticaloa, one of the current 601 set up under the initiative of ICTA. “Seeing these communities rebuild after facing tremendous difficulties is very encouraging”, said Dr. Okonjo-Iweala

World Bank Group Managing Director Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala interacted with the staff and clients/beneficiaries of the Nenasala and obtained a first hand knowledge about the services rendered by it during her visit to the Kallady Nenasala

Dr Okonjo-Iweala also alluded to the e-Sri Lanka initiative which ICTA implements and under which come the Nenasalas with a monthly total of 70,000 users and 180 funded grass-roots community-implemented innovative projects: The e-Sri Lanka project is important because it gives access to the entire population to become IT literate.

This will be crucial if Sri Lanka is to expand industries like Business Process Outsourcing and become a knowledge hub, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala guaranteed World Bank’s further assistance to Sri Lanka to reach the goal of a middle-income economy: had an excellent visit to Sri Lanka, especially to the Eastern province and I witnessed the prudent use of information technology for local fishing industry, Nenasala IT centers, and some post tsunami resettlement and livelihood development projects in the area.

These are some of the projects that Word Bank extended its support to and will continue to assist Sri Lanka in the transition to a middle-income country.

During her visit she obtained a first hand knowledge of the services provided by the Nenasala where she also successfully tried out some of the IT applications available at the Nenasala. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was highly taken up by the efficiency of IT applications put in place at the Nenasala for use by the people.

Among these were the Government Information Centre [GIC] (Telephone No. 1919), Happy Life (www.happylife.lk) and Fishing Lanka, www.fishinglanka.com.

Referring to the rapid growth in ICT in Sri Lanka particularly after the war, ICTA CEO Reshan Dewapura said that now that the curtailments that had existed during the conflict were no longer there, thanks to the determined and irresolute guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, ICTA was able to set up 92 Nenasalas in the North and the East. The Nenasala at Kallady is an excellent example of the great beginning of the winning of the economic war.

Under the e-Sri Lanka initiative ICTA is moving fast in contributing towards Sri Lanka reaching the target of becoming 75 per cent IT literate by 2016 and making Sri Lanka the Knowledge Hub and the Miracle of Asia, ICTA CEO attested.