Call them 'virtual' angels if you will. Shirish Deodhar, Hemant Joshi and Madhukar Bhatia are almost like your regular angel investors, minus the money. So what do they do? The three co-founders of Pune-based nFactorial Software provide mentoring services to software product companies that have just started out or those with some revenues and in need of scaling up to the next level.
"Software product companies need mentoring and there is a near absence of that in India," says Deodhar. "In the Bay area (US), people usually work in a company and then set out on their own so they can tap into a mentor or client. In India, there is no such role model for product development companies and hence no support system for them.
We come in by lending our experience to these entrepreneurs." The three co-founders of this mentoring, advisory and `virtual' angel funding company are all serial entrepreneurs themselves--Deodhar founded Frontier Software, which was later acquired by Veritas, which in turn was acquired by Symantec. Later, along with Hemant Joshi and Madhukar Bhatia, he launched In-Reality Software, which was acquired by Symphony Services.
The firm helps the startups identify investors who usually invest in their personal capacities. The method followed is that three-four investors make a small investment in the company, which has the benefit of reducing risk for the investors and gets the recipient company 3-4 investor-advisers. "We are operating on a venture capitalist's model--we sort out ideas, decide the best companies and the best fit for them," says Bhatia.
Factorial mentors 8-9 companies at a time, and its founders say they've deliberately limited themselves to companies that are either in "the white space" that is, brand new start ups which are pre-revenue, or early stage, that is, with annual revenues of Rs 2-4 crore but want to grow 10x. "We identify and mentor startups that aspire to become Rs 20 crore companies. We then ask for an equity stake in the pre-revenue firms.
In the early stage ones we take a small stake in the form of sweat equity and, if they can afford it, a retainer," says Deodhar. Mentoring, for the three industry-veterans, involves sorting out issues for the new entrepreneur. Since technology startups are usually launched by first-generation entrepreneurs, they don't come with much baggage. The downside is that they also do not have access to the inner workings of a business. This is often the area where they need help, or mentoring.
Deodhar explains that they chose the software products space as it's poised to grow at a fast clip, particularly considering the potential demand in the domestic market. "Building products specifically for the India market is an opportunity and there are some sectors that are by nature, Indian. For instance, text messaging is rampant here.
Even on managing your taxes and related issues our regulations are very different, so there's scope for products, which cater to Indian users," he adds. The realisation came early to the trio that there are advantages in creating a cluster (of software product firms) since they can sell to each other, cross-sell to customers or build a reseller network and grow faster.
Some of the companies nFactorial has mentored are Career Vidya Labs (a career management company), Product Dossier, a P3LM (Project, Process and Product Lifecycle Management) company, and Clarice Technologies, a usability and UI solutions venture. While the investment arm used earlier was the IIT-Bombay alumni association funded Pi2 (PiSquare), it's now tapping into the India Innovation Investors (I3), an investor group of successful IT professionals in India and the US.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Richest technology companies
Even as many US companies struggle to stay solvent in one of the worst financial crises in decades, some technology companies are bursting with cash, with the only question being how they plan to use it. Fitch estimates that the US tech industry is carrying a cash balance of around $260 billion, one of the largest among all sectors.
"There's a strong emphasis on the preservation of liquidity, but we think the larger players will use their balance sheets and use their cash balances to ignite mergers and acquisition activity," said Fitch Ratings analyst Nick Nilarp.
The old cliché that cash is king is never truer than in bad times. So as investors navigate tough financial markets, the cash hoards held by tech companies could make their shares more attractive and bolster the argument made by some analysts that the sector will lead the way out of the downturn.
Here are some of the technology companies with huge cash piles.
Cisco
Cisco Systems Inc is the most cash-rich tech company with $29.5 billion in hand, putting it just behind Exxon Mobil Corp's $31.4 billion, despite having a market value less than one-quarter of the oil giant's.
The company has been rather upfront about its plans to use some of this cash to make acquisitions. Cisco has said it plans to be acquisitive during the economic downturn, and bankers and analysts think it may make a move on virtualisation software maker VMware Inc or its parent EMC Corp.
Taking advantage of loosening credit markets, Cisco recently made a surprisingly large $4 billion debt sale. The company stated that it intends to use the recent debt sale "for general corporate purposes" and to repay $500 million in notes due in 2009.
Apple
Another tech company with some of the largest cash piles includes Apple Inc with $25.6 billion. In spite of spending about $2bn a year on R&D and capital investment, Apple's $26bn in cash has left it with the biggest cash pile in the technology world -- a big contrast to the last downturn, which it started with less than $4bn. The cash now accounts for about a third of its market value.
The company's stock price too has rebounded from its low of $78.20 in the week when Steve Jobs announced his leave. The realisation that Apple's cash can be a big strength during recession has quieted critics, who in the past have called on the company to buy back shares or offer a dividend.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corp too sits on a huge cash pile of $20.7 billion. The rich software giant, however, announced rather disappointing quarterly results recently, unlike IBM. Microsoft recently announced that its Q2 2009 profit sank from $4.71bn a year ago to $4.17bn, a loss of 12 percent. Total revenue was $16.63bn, a 2 percent rise from year before. This was only possible thanks to higher server, tools and entertainment sales. Client sales revenue, which includes Windows products, fell 8 percent.
The company may have missed the analysts’ target, however, the fact is it is still posting big profits -- $4.17B in profit is enough to make even some of the biggest companies drool.
Google
The search giant Google Inc too sits pretty with a cash reserve of $15.9 billion. The Mountain View, California-based company had almost $16 billion in cash at the end of the recent-announced fourth quarter.
According to Google CFO, Patrick Pichette, the cash reserves provided Google with sufficient flexibility "for the right deal at the right price."
Google said its Q4 earnings declined to $382 million, far below the $1.2 billion it earned in the prior-year's fourth quarter. The fall was attributed to losses from Google's investments in AOL and Clearwire Corp.
Oracle Corp
The enterprise software giant Oracle too sits on a $7.4 billion pile of cash. Little doubt that the Redwood Shores-based company is quietly going on a shopping spree.
The software giant completed as many as 10 acquisitions in 2008, ranging from a maker of insurance policy-writing tools, to a designer of `plan-o-gram' software (the software used by stores to optimise shelf space usage). Recently, the company bought mValent Inc, a small software company that helps configure other software. The deals put Oracle in the club of cash-rich companies bargain hunting amid the present economic turmoil.
Oracle made sales of $22.4 billion in fiscal 2008. However, the company hasn't been unscathed from the slump, it recently reported a 1 percent drop in net income, the first decline in three years.
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems might be facing hard times. The company’s stock has been faced considerable hammering in the past few months further accentuated by fears of weakening global tech spending. However, Sun Microsystems too is among the companies with a relatively large amount of cash. The company carries a cash balance of $2.6 billion and a market cap of $3.8 billion.
The high-end computer and software maker posted better-than-expected results as a strong software and open storage business cushioned declining overall sales.
Like much of the industry, the company is now struggling to slash costs as tech spending dissipates globally. It said in November it would cut 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, or 15 to 18 percent of its workforce, as part of a plan to save $700 million to $800 million a year.
EMC
Hopkinton-based EMC Corp's fourth quarter profit though fell 45 percent, the company said that it increased its cash reserves by 9 percent.
In Q4, EMC's profits fell from $526 million to $288 million, on restructuring charges. For the full year, the company reported revenue of $14.9 billion, a 12 percent increase over the prior year, and a profit of $1.4 billion, a 14 percent increase over 2007.
The data storage giant's fourth quarter revenue hit $4 billion, an increase of 8 percent over the third quarter and 5 percent over the fourth quarter of 2007. EMC announced recently that it would lay off about 2,400 employees, 600 of them in Massachusetts.
While these tech companies are guarding their money and investing in only the safest of instruments, such as US Treasury debt, analysts expect the bigger players to put their cash to work later in the year in the form of acquisitions or share buybacks.
Past learning
Seems the experience of previous downturns and fear that they could need deep reserves to draw on has made technology companies cautious on spending.
Some Silicon Valley veterans point to earlier near-failures, with Intel forced to take an investment from IBM in the 1980s, and Steve Jobs famously accepting a $150m cash infusion from Microsoft after returning to head Apple in 1997.
"There's a strong emphasis on the preservation of liquidity, but we think the larger players will use their balance sheets and use their cash balances to ignite mergers and acquisition activity," said Fitch Ratings analyst Nick Nilarp.
The old cliché that cash is king is never truer than in bad times. So as investors navigate tough financial markets, the cash hoards held by tech companies could make their shares more attractive and bolster the argument made by some analysts that the sector will lead the way out of the downturn.
Here are some of the technology companies with huge cash piles.
Cisco
Cisco Systems Inc is the most cash-rich tech company with $29.5 billion in hand, putting it just behind Exxon Mobil Corp's $31.4 billion, despite having a market value less than one-quarter of the oil giant's.
The company has been rather upfront about its plans to use some of this cash to make acquisitions. Cisco has said it plans to be acquisitive during the economic downturn, and bankers and analysts think it may make a move on virtualisation software maker VMware Inc or its parent EMC Corp.
Taking advantage of loosening credit markets, Cisco recently made a surprisingly large $4 billion debt sale. The company stated that it intends to use the recent debt sale "for general corporate purposes" and to repay $500 million in notes due in 2009.
Apple
Another tech company with some of the largest cash piles includes Apple Inc with $25.6 billion. In spite of spending about $2bn a year on R&D and capital investment, Apple's $26bn in cash has left it with the biggest cash pile in the technology world -- a big contrast to the last downturn, which it started with less than $4bn. The cash now accounts for about a third of its market value.
The company's stock price too has rebounded from its low of $78.20 in the week when Steve Jobs announced his leave. The realisation that Apple's cash can be a big strength during recession has quieted critics, who in the past have called on the company to buy back shares or offer a dividend.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corp too sits on a huge cash pile of $20.7 billion. The rich software giant, however, announced rather disappointing quarterly results recently, unlike IBM. Microsoft recently announced that its Q2 2009 profit sank from $4.71bn a year ago to $4.17bn, a loss of 12 percent. Total revenue was $16.63bn, a 2 percent rise from year before. This was only possible thanks to higher server, tools and entertainment sales. Client sales revenue, which includes Windows products, fell 8 percent.
The company may have missed the analysts’ target, however, the fact is it is still posting big profits -- $4.17B in profit is enough to make even some of the biggest companies drool.
The search giant Google Inc too sits pretty with a cash reserve of $15.9 billion. The Mountain View, California-based company had almost $16 billion in cash at the end of the recent-announced fourth quarter.
According to Google CFO, Patrick Pichette, the cash reserves provided Google with sufficient flexibility "for the right deal at the right price."
Google said its Q4 earnings declined to $382 million, far below the $1.2 billion it earned in the prior-year's fourth quarter. The fall was attributed to losses from Google's investments in AOL and Clearwire Corp.
Oracle Corp
The enterprise software giant Oracle too sits on a $7.4 billion pile of cash. Little doubt that the Redwood Shores-based company is quietly going on a shopping spree.
The software giant completed as many as 10 acquisitions in 2008, ranging from a maker of insurance policy-writing tools, to a designer of `plan-o-gram' software (the software used by stores to optimise shelf space usage). Recently, the company bought mValent Inc, a small software company that helps configure other software. The deals put Oracle in the club of cash-rich companies bargain hunting amid the present economic turmoil.
Oracle made sales of $22.4 billion in fiscal 2008. However, the company hasn't been unscathed from the slump, it recently reported a 1 percent drop in net income, the first decline in three years.
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems might be facing hard times. The company’s stock has been faced considerable hammering in the past few months further accentuated by fears of weakening global tech spending. However, Sun Microsystems too is among the companies with a relatively large amount of cash. The company carries a cash balance of $2.6 billion and a market cap of $3.8 billion.
The high-end computer and software maker posted better-than-expected results as a strong software and open storage business cushioned declining overall sales.
Like much of the industry, the company is now struggling to slash costs as tech spending dissipates globally. It said in November it would cut 5,000 to 6,000 jobs, or 15 to 18 percent of its workforce, as part of a plan to save $700 million to $800 million a year.
EMC
Hopkinton-based EMC Corp's fourth quarter profit though fell 45 percent, the company said that it increased its cash reserves by 9 percent.
In Q4, EMC's profits fell from $526 million to $288 million, on restructuring charges. For the full year, the company reported revenue of $14.9 billion, a 12 percent increase over the prior year, and a profit of $1.4 billion, a 14 percent increase over 2007.
The data storage giant's fourth quarter revenue hit $4 billion, an increase of 8 percent over the third quarter and 5 percent over the fourth quarter of 2007. EMC announced recently that it would lay off about 2,400 employees, 600 of them in Massachusetts.
While these tech companies are guarding their money and investing in only the safest of instruments, such as US Treasury debt, analysts expect the bigger players to put their cash to work later in the year in the form of acquisitions or share buybacks.
Past learning
Seems the experience of previous downturns and fear that they could need deep reserves to draw on has made technology companies cautious on spending.
Some Silicon Valley veterans point to earlier near-failures, with Intel forced to take an investment from IBM in the 1980s, and Steve Jobs famously accepting a $150m cash infusion from Microsoft after returning to head Apple in 1997.
INDIAN GEEK INVENTS ‘SIXTH SENSE’ GIZMO
Pranav Mistry is no ordinary geek. He can just wave his fingers in air to draw a figure on any surface just as you use a computer mouse and a screen to do so. He can simply frame a scene with his hands, snap its picture and project it anywhere he likes.
Not only that, he can also check his email on his palm, draw a watch on his wrist to check the time and use his palm as keypad of his mobile phone.
This is no science fiction or virtual reality. You may call it ‘ mad science’ but Pranav calls it the ‘ Sixth Sense’, a sensational invention that is creating waves in the world of high technology in North America these days.
Pranav, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, is currently pursuing a doctorate in fluid interfaces at the famed Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology here.
He has created a gadget using available hardware — a webcam, a small projector and a laptop — and highly complex software, which allows you to do away with keyboard and mouse, and a screen to connect and communicate with the digital world.
The real power of the device comes from the machine vision and the complex algorithms that Pranav has written.
The combination is a wearable machine that can empower you to use your fingers to access data and use any surface to project it.
“ I got this idea while I was visiting my parents in India last summer. So far, virtual reality and augmented reality has happened only in laboratories. I wanted to make a real consumer product which people can use,” Pranav said. “ So, I thought of this crazy idea of putting a projector on my head and using a webcam as a digital eye to capture information.
The digital eye understands what my hand is doing, whether I am gesturing or holding a product or a piece of paper. Once it understands what I am doing, it can send the information to my laptop or any computing device in my backpack and the information can then be projected on any surface through a projector,” he added.
Not only that, he can also check his email on his palm, draw a watch on his wrist to check the time and use his palm as keypad of his mobile phone.
This is no science fiction or virtual reality. You may call it ‘ mad science’ but Pranav calls it the ‘ Sixth Sense’, a sensational invention that is creating waves in the world of high technology in North America these days.
Pranav, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, is currently pursuing a doctorate in fluid interfaces at the famed Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology here.
He has created a gadget using available hardware — a webcam, a small projector and a laptop — and highly complex software, which allows you to do away with keyboard and mouse, and a screen to connect and communicate with the digital world.
The real power of the device comes from the machine vision and the complex algorithms that Pranav has written.
The combination is a wearable machine that can empower you to use your fingers to access data and use any surface to project it.
“ I got this idea while I was visiting my parents in India last summer. So far, virtual reality and augmented reality has happened only in laboratories. I wanted to make a real consumer product which people can use,” Pranav said. “ So, I thought of this crazy idea of putting a projector on my head and using a webcam as a digital eye to capture information.
The digital eye understands what my hand is doing, whether I am gesturing or holding a product or a piece of paper. Once it understands what I am doing, it can send the information to my laptop or any computing device in my backpack and the information can then be projected on any surface through a projector,” he added.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
THE BILLION DOLLAR IDEA- STORY OF YAHOO - David Filo
Back in 1993 when Jerry (Yang) and I were at Stanford, the web was non-commercial and was mainly used by universities and research labs. It was a totally different world all together. That is until we experienced the web using Mosaic, which had the capability to render rich graphics and support data and forms. This inspired me and Jerry to think, “Wow! there are a lot of possibilities here!”.
As we started to use the web more and more, we realised how difficult it was to find the stuff we were looking for. There were no directories or search services. This led us to start organising the web for ourselves. Eventually, we went on to catalogue the stuff that we were interested in. We categorised the links into a directory structure and loaded it on to a webpage. An unintended outcome of this effort was that other people could come and visit the webpage and find stuff they were looking for quite easily. Our friends started using it and slowly the word spread —here was a tool that you could use to find things that you need on the web.
Within a month people from around 30 countries started visiting our directory page. We started receiving submissions for useful things around the web and building on our list. And that was how we began to build a property as we know it today — looking at w e b - sites, cataloguing them and categorising them based on where they fit in the hierarchy.
We were quite passionate about our work to make the web more practical and usable. Eventually in 1994, what began as a tool that was meant to be used by me and Jerry became Yahoo! — a customised web database that thousands of people from across the world began to use regularly.
In the early days, none of us realised where things at Yahoo! were headed and how quickly we could unleash the potential of the web. We saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the revolution the web was creating, though we did not yet know how to make it a viable business. While there were a lot of people who were looking at web ventures with business models in mind, we were really focused on the consumer experience — how can we create the highest value for the consumers who visited our site, how do we listen to what they want and deliver it to them.
Soon, we saw a rapid increase in the users visiting our site. We had managed to secure one million dollars in funding. While this was a big feat, we quickly realised that we would need more to keep pace with the highly dynamic and fast growing environment of the web. We needed more people to maintain the momentum. This motivated us to pause and think how we could generate revenues. So eventually, it was sometime in late 1995 that we signed up our first five advertisers and since then there was no looking back. Today, Yahoo! is one of the leading internet brands in the world and one of the most visited site on the web.
The author is the co-founder and Chief Yahoo, Yahoo!
As we started to use the web more and more, we realised how difficult it was to find the stuff we were looking for. There were no directories or search services. This led us to start organising the web for ourselves. Eventually, we went on to catalogue the stuff that we were interested in. We categorised the links into a directory structure and loaded it on to a webpage. An unintended outcome of this effort was that other people could come and visit the webpage and find stuff they were looking for quite easily. Our friends started using it and slowly the word spread —here was a tool that you could use to find things that you need on the web.
Within a month people from around 30 countries started visiting our directory page. We started receiving submissions for useful things around the web and building on our list. And that was how we began to build a property as we know it today — looking at w e b - sites, cataloguing them and categorising them based on where they fit in the hierarchy.
We were quite passionate about our work to make the web more practical and usable. Eventually in 1994, what began as a tool that was meant to be used by me and Jerry became Yahoo! — a customised web database that thousands of people from across the world began to use regularly.
In the early days, none of us realised where things at Yahoo! were headed and how quickly we could unleash the potential of the web. We saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the revolution the web was creating, though we did not yet know how to make it a viable business. While there were a lot of people who were looking at web ventures with business models in mind, we were really focused on the consumer experience — how can we create the highest value for the consumers who visited our site, how do we listen to what they want and deliver it to them.
Soon, we saw a rapid increase in the users visiting our site. We had managed to secure one million dollars in funding. While this was a big feat, we quickly realised that we would need more to keep pace with the highly dynamic and fast growing environment of the web. We needed more people to maintain the momentum. This motivated us to pause and think how we could generate revenues. So eventually, it was sometime in late 1995 that we signed up our first five advertisers and since then there was no looking back. Today, Yahoo! is one of the leading internet brands in the world and one of the most visited site on the web.
The author is the co-founder and Chief Yahoo, Yahoo!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Tracking the $700 Billion Bailout
Hundreds of banks and a handful of insurers and automakers have applied for funds from the Treasury Department as part of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. The Treasury Department has transferred capital to the majority of these companies.
Senators seek H-1B hiring ban for cos receiving govt money
Lalit K Jha Washington, Feb 6 (PTI) In what could be a cause of worry for Indian IT professionals, two US Senators have introduced amendments to the economic stimulus bill, which if passed would prevent US companies receiving the federal bailout money, from hiring H-1B visa holders. The amendment if approved by the Senate would have an immediate impact on Indian IT professionals, as it is they who are the major beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme.
An amendment in this regard has been co-sponsored by the Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley and the Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Introducing the amendment on the floor of the Senate, Senator Sanders said: "It is essentially saying that there would be a suspension of H-1B programme of any institution, which would be receiving TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Programme) funds for just one year.
" Seeking bi-partisan support to his amendment, Sanders said: "I firmly believe that companies going through layoffs that employ H-1B visas (holding workers) have a moral obligation to protect American workers by putting them first during these difficult times." Sanders also quoted a recent media report that said that the American banking industry had requested for more than 21,000 visas for foreign guest workers over the last six years
An amendment in this regard has been co-sponsored by the Republican Senator from Iowa, Chuck Grassley and the Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Introducing the amendment on the floor of the Senate, Senator Sanders said: "It is essentially saying that there would be a suspension of H-1B programme of any institution, which would be receiving TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Programme) funds for just one year.
" Seeking bi-partisan support to his amendment, Sanders said: "I firmly believe that companies going through layoffs that employ H-1B visas (holding workers) have a moral obligation to protect American workers by putting them first during these difficult times." Sanders also quoted a recent media report that said that the American banking industry had requested for more than 21,000 visas for foreign guest workers over the last six years
Monday, February 2, 2009
INFOPARK KOCHI TO BE DEVELOPED AT AN INVESTMENT OF RS 750 CRORE
The Infopark in Kochi, a prominent IT park in the state, is embarking on second phase of expansion, which will see the organization adding another 350 acres spread over Kochi, Alappuzha and Thrissur districts in a timeframe of 2 to 3 years.
An investment ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 750 crore is expected in developing the infrastructure during this expansion phase. As part of this expansion, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday laid the foundation stone for 5.5 lakh sq ft new IT building called Athulya at Infopark. The building is expected to be completed by 2010.
Achuthanandan said the software exports from Infopark have risen to Rs 400 crore in 2009 from Rs 76 crore three years ago. Apart from the existing 20 lakh sq ft. built-up area, another 22 lakh sq ft. is under construction, he said. The government is planning to acquire another 150 acres near the Infopark to accelerate the development in the next three years.
According to IT secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, the Infopark in Kochi will act as hub for three IT parks to be developed in the neighbouring districts of Thrissur and Alappuzha.. The IT park developed at over 30 acres in Koratty in Thrissur district will be ready for final launch by March this year.
The two IT parks that are coming in Alappuzha will be at Cherthala and Ambalapuzha. The government has already got the SEZ status for these two parks to be developed in 68 acres and 100 acres respectively. In the case of Ambalapuzha, the government is preparing the master plan for the project.
In all, with the completion of the expansion phase of Infopark, the total direct employment in Infopark Kochi would touch 1 lakh.
Similar expansion programmes are on in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. A Cyber Park is planned as a hub in Kozhikode, which will have, spokes in Kannur and Kasargod
An investment ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 750 crore is expected in developing the infrastructure during this expansion phase. As part of this expansion, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Monday laid the foundation stone for 5.5 lakh sq ft new IT building called Athulya at Infopark. The building is expected to be completed by 2010.
Achuthanandan said the software exports from Infopark have risen to Rs 400 crore in 2009 from Rs 76 crore three years ago. Apart from the existing 20 lakh sq ft. built-up area, another 22 lakh sq ft. is under construction, he said. The government is planning to acquire another 150 acres near the Infopark to accelerate the development in the next three years.
According to IT secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, the Infopark in Kochi will act as hub for three IT parks to be developed in the neighbouring districts of Thrissur and Alappuzha.. The IT park developed at over 30 acres in Koratty in Thrissur district will be ready for final launch by March this year.
The two IT parks that are coming in Alappuzha will be at Cherthala and Ambalapuzha. The government has already got the SEZ status for these two parks to be developed in 68 acres and 100 acres respectively. In the case of Ambalapuzha, the government is preparing the master plan for the project.
In all, with the completion of the expansion phase of Infopark, the total direct employment in Infopark Kochi would touch 1 lakh.
Similar expansion programmes are on in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram. A Cyber Park is planned as a hub in Kozhikode, which will have, spokes in Kannur and Kasargod
AFTER GOOGLE EARTH COMES GOOGLE OCEAN
The search engine Google launched a new service on Monday to allow Internet users to explore the depths of the world's oceans from the comfort of their homes on dry land.
The "Ocean in Google Earth" feature will allow users to "dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by marine scientists," a Google statement said.
"Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth," Jean-Francois Wassong, an engineer at Google France, told a news conference.
Nearly four years after Google Earth enabled users to zoom in to view streets, and later explore galaxies in the sky, the latest version of the software allows virtual travellers to dart across miles of unchartered territory underwater.
"Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet's surface but only a little bit has been explored," said Florence Diss, head of Google's geographical partnerships, referring to findings that humans have examined just five percent of world's seas.
By allowing users to explore underwater volcanoes, hunt for whales and learn more about shipwrecks, Google says "Ocean in Google Earth" offers a platform for everyday Internet browsers to link up with the scientific community.
The feature includes 20 different layers of content contributed by leading ocean explorers, scientists and researchers, such as photos and videos of "hot spots" around the world and information on marine protected areas.
It also has an animal tracking device in which users can follow animals that have been tagged by satellite.
Diss said the decision to expand Google Earth to cover the world's oceans "is not about making money". But she would not reveal the project's cost.
Since its launch in June 2005, Google Earth has been downloaded more than 400 million times. The free software gives Internet users access to satellite images and maps around the world
The "Ocean in Google Earth" feature will allow users to "dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by marine scientists," a Google statement said.
"Google Earth is equipping itself with a new dimension: depth," Jean-Francois Wassong, an engineer at Google France, told a news conference.
Nearly four years after Google Earth enabled users to zoom in to view streets, and later explore galaxies in the sky, the latest version of the software allows virtual travellers to dart across miles of unchartered territory underwater.
"Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet's surface but only a little bit has been explored," said Florence Diss, head of Google's geographical partnerships, referring to findings that humans have examined just five percent of world's seas.
By allowing users to explore underwater volcanoes, hunt for whales and learn more about shipwrecks, Google says "Ocean in Google Earth" offers a platform for everyday Internet browsers to link up with the scientific community.
The feature includes 20 different layers of content contributed by leading ocean explorers, scientists and researchers, such as photos and videos of "hot spots" around the world and information on marine protected areas.
It also has an animal tracking device in which users can follow animals that have been tagged by satellite.
Diss said the decision to expand Google Earth to cover the world's oceans "is not about making money". But she would not reveal the project's cost.
Since its launch in June 2005, Google Earth has been downloaded more than 400 million times. The free software gives Internet users access to satellite images and maps around the world
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