Wow! This is really exciting to start the ball rolling in 2010! Read on guys…..accept the challenge today!

mYprize challenges developers from across the world to create unique applications, content or devices that highlight the benefits of YTL Communications’ 4G Network in Malaysia. To motivate developers worldwide to submit prototypes, YTL Communications is offering USD$1 million in prizes to those with the most exciting and creative solutions that serve consumer needs.

Join now to submit your your ideas, or to share, rate and comment on entries submitted by others.

Apart from mYprize, if you join the 4G Innovation Network, you’ll have access to:

• Newsletters – Get the latest news on projects and techniques delivered right to your inbox.
• Contests – Share, rate or comment and win a prize on any contest which is initiated by YTL Communications.
• Privileges – Get invited to participate in events or product launch.
• Developer forums – Post questions and get answers from experts in the developer community.
• Developer Desktop – Stay on top of bug base updates and track updates to components via automatic desktop notifications.

Join us now

YTL Communications envisions a modern broadband nation enhanced by the Internet and supports technological innovation. In 2009, it created the YTL 4G Innovation Network and opened a testing centre at Sentul Park near Kuala Lumpur that will help to make the mobile Internet a reality throughout Malaysia.

Developers can submit their entries from Jan 8, 2010 until May 1, 2010. Ideas will be judged based on criteria such as the originality of the concept and its commercial potential. Finalists will be invited to demonstrate their products in person to a panel of expert and community judges. Winners will be announced in September 2010 and cash prizes will be awarded in multiple categories:

1. Top Applications: 1^st: USD$200,000; 2^nd: USD$120,000; 3^rd: USD$80,000

2. Top 4G Devices: 1^st: USD$200,000; 2^nd: USD$120,000; 3^rd: USD$80,000

3. Malaysian Only Prize: USD$120,000

4. Top Device Idea: USD$40,000

5. Top Application Idea: USD$40,000

Winning entries may be developed for mass deployment to customers upon launch of YTL Communications’ nationwide 4G network in Malaysia in the second half of 2010. Interested developers can go to the ‘mYprize’ portal at www.myprize.my, to learn more details, register and submit their entries online.

‘We believe this exciting ‘mYprize’ Global Developer Challenge is a strategic impetus in propelling Malaysia into a truly cutting-edge incubation centre for 4G innovations,’ said Wing K Lee, Chief Executive Officer of YTL Communications. ‘We are confident that the applications and devices will help accelerate our mission of providing affordable, world-class quality products and services that improve the way people in Malaysia learn, work and play.’

‘Our YTL 4G Innovation Network expands the 4G ecosystem and enables the next wave of mobile Internet innovations by connecting the best minds across the globe in developing new consumer products via YTL’s nationwide 4G mobile Internet network,’ Lee continued. ‘The network is linked with the Clearwire 4G WiMAX Innovation Network in Silicon Valley, a global hotbed for innovations, and provides developers opportunities for commercialization in Malaysia and beyond. Developers are able to incubate their ideas, with support from the world leaders in mobile Internet, giving people in Malaysia a new level of mobile Internet experience with products and services optimized for a high bandwidth, low latency 4G mobile Internet.’

So guys, what are you waiting for, give out your ideas today.

To begin, here is a definition of creativity by Andy Rutledge:

Creativity is an inborn capacity for thinking differently than most, seeing differently, and making connections and perceiving relationships others miss. But most importantly, it is the ability to then extrapolate contextually useful ways of employing that data: to create something that meets a specific challenge. (Andy Rutledge)

So creativity is the development of an ‘idea’.

Be Creative and Be Innovated

Understand the culture of Technology and  The design of Business.

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At the first place what is Burj-Khalifa?

Burj Khalifa “Khalifa Tower”, formerly known as Burj Dubai, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009 and the building officially opened on 4 January 2010.

Stretching over half a mile high, the skyscraper literally towers above the previous record holder, Taiwan’s 508 meter tall Taipei 101. The 818 meter tall spike of steel and glass now piercing the skyline is the centerpiece of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s plans to transform Dubai into the Middle East’s premier business hub. Will this be a reality?

Now I invite you to have a look on the latest wonder of the world, The Burj-Khalifa or Burj-Dubai.

But my dear readers, what is the significant of this building? Why waste money unnecessarily when there are so many critical and noble things to do? What is the use or who cares for such world records? UAE already boasted big buildings like the biggest or most expensive hotel etc. It’s all for competition- now someone else will go one better and this reminds me of the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he stated that one of the signs for the day of judgement (minor) would be the constructing of high buildings (for competition purposes).
A sign of the advanced technology of the age in which we live and which The Prophet (pbuh) has mentioned is the construction of tall buildings.

“There will be no Judgment—until very tall buildings are constructed”. (Reported by Abu Hurairah)
“The Hour will not be established—till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings”. (Bukhari)

This is so true and it is happening before our own eyes! If we look at the history of architecture and engineering, we see that multi-storied buildings began to be constructed only towards the end of the nineteenth century. Technological developments, the growing use of steel and the use of elevators accelerated the construction of structures called skyscrapers. Skyscrapers have become an important part of the architecture of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries, and have today become a symbol of prestige. What the hadith says has come true: people do compete in the construction of tall buildings, and nations compete with one another in building the tallest skyscrapers. Nauzubillah.

In another famous Hadith of Jibril which we often hear, what we don’t usually know is that in the same hadith the Prophet actually prophesied about the appearance of tall buildings at the end of time. See the full hadith below:

`Umar ibn Khattab (Allah be well pleased with him) said: “As we were sitting one day before the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a man suddenly appeared. He wore pure white clothes and his hair was dark black—yet there were no signs of travel on him, and none of us knew him. He came and sat down in front of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), placing his knees against his, and his hands on his thighs. He said, “O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “Islam is to bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God; and to perform the prayer; pay zakat; fast Ramadan; and to perform Hajj to the House if you are able.”

The man said, “You have spoken the truth,” and we were surprised that he asked and then confirmed the answer. Then, he asked, “Tell me about belief (iman).”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “It is to believe in Allah; His Angels; His Books; His Messengers; the Last Day; and in destiny—its good and bad.”

The man said, “You have spoken the truth. Now, tell me about spiritual excellence (ihsan).”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “It is to serve Allah as though you behold Him; and if you don’t behold him, (know that) He surely sees you.”

“Now, tell me of the Last Hour,” asked the man.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “The one asked knows no more of it than the one asking.”

“Then tell me about its signs,” said the man.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “That slave women give birth to their mistresses; and that you see barefoot, unclothed, beginning shepherds competing in the construction of tall buildings.”

Then the visitor left, and I waited a long time. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked me, “Do you know, Umar, who the questioner was?” I replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.”He said (Allah bless him and give him peace), “It was Jibril. He came to you to teach you your religion.” [Sahih Muslim]

So let’s ponder whether this is necessary or not when we know that Dubai economy is not in a good shape. To understand better about Dubai, read Dubai in debt crisis: Now British banks face fresh crisis after investing billions.

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Guys, today I read about the new Sony Reader PRS-505 which the electronic book for bookworms. The sleeker and more stylish second generation of the Sony Reader is a hardcover replacement. Is that so? We have to wait and see. Sony said the electronic book with enough memory to hold up to 160 novels is due to go on sale in the UK tomorrow. Wow! to those in the UK, check this out and share your review here. Today I look around on the internet and found this Sony Digital Reader at its website with a slogan “Always have the perfect book - wherever, whenever.”

Before you buy, just read the review here, Sony Reader Digital Book PRS-505, and this is a good one. . . .

Saying the gadget will “revolutionize reading”, Sony’s spokesman declared: “What the Walkman did for music on the move, the Reader is about to do for books.”

May I change it a bit, “It is tip to do for books what the iPod did for music…” Am I right? It is reported that Model Lily Cole launched the Sony Reader at a Waterstone’s store in London ahead of the nationwide release of the £200 gadget. Wow! could we afford it? Looking at 160 books storage, I think it is worth buying, especially is you are a bookworm.
On her review, Miss Cole, 20, who is about to begin reading social and political sciences at King’s College, Cambridge, said: “In these extremely fast-paced times it’s hard for book lovers like me to read on the go. This device allows me the freedom to carry around hundreds of books all under one cover.” But the British Library said the gadget was unlikely to kill off the traditional paper book. A book lover said, “We as the book lovers and pleasure readers would not give up the traditional paper book for an electronic gadget”, which I do agree. Reading a traditional paperback book is more fun but on the other side sometime technology does help to ease our daily life.

Guys, if you need a closer look on this gadget, here is how it looks like. Do you like it? If you are in the UK, get it tomorrow at £200 a piece. Also read about this, “Can eBooks really conquer the world?”

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Wow, sounds like alien huh! Today I went to make a courtesy visit to one of my customer who work at a reputable telecommunication company in Malaysia. Since this month is Ramadan so we talk just in his office. Normally I would have a “teh-tarik” with him.

So along the casual conversation suddently we jumped to talk about Mobile number portability (MNP). Basically MNP enables mobile telephone users to retain our mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another. This is cool when we want to switch to a new mobile service provider, while retaining our existing mobile number.

The service which was launched last Friday, would firstly be on a limited ‘live’ trial basis for prepaid phone users in the Klang Valley. He said the service would be extended to postpaid users later on mid September followed by a nationwide launch in early October 2008. This is what his CEO told a reporter on this seamless tranfer for mobile users in Malaysia.

Read the report in theedgedaily.com for further details.

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I read an interesting gadget today at reuters.com.

Japanese researchers have come up with a device which can help find keys and other misplaced household items.The goggles rely on complicated computer algorithms to achieve the feat.

My question is, could it find a missing person???

Andrew Potter reports via this video.

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There are times when changes in your life - leaving a job, school, or going overseas - will necessitate figuring out how to package up all of your important data to take with you. And if you have been using one PC for a long time, chances are good that you have lots of data you would rather not lose. When you arrive at your new place and settle in with your new PC, you will save hours, if not days, by having packed up a suitcase full of lice-long possessions. Here how it is done.

For the past several months I have been testing Mozy, an online backup from Salt Lake City-based Berkeley Systems, which was recently acquired by software giant EMC (Charts, Fortune 500). I had the service recommended by some colleagues and I liked Mozy’s interface and free service. So I upgraded to the pay plan.

Signing on is simple. Surf over to Mozy.com and sign up for two gigs of free online backup. Unlimited storage costs $4.95 a month for single users. MozyPro - my pick for the small business - offers live support and more robust features starting at $3.99 per seat per month and $.50 per GB of storage. So an average 10-person business with, say, 100 GB of files to protect - should expect to pay about $90 a month, way less than a few hours of professional IT support.

Note that Mozy works best for backing up data files, not your giant system and application files which you should back up on disks. Neat system dick tip: Jot down those insanely long license numbers for your office software and e-mail them to yourself. Than save that e-mail. That way you have your software keys in case of physical damage to the disks.

What makes Mozy so great?

Mozy makes online backup possible for everyone with an affordable, secure solution that’s easy to use. Don’t just take my word for it. Check out the news section to see all the nice awards Mozy have received and what the experts are saying about Mozy.

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This is another fine example on how one could be successful online. I mean an online business. This article was in Forbes.com today. May I ask you few questions?

1. Have you got a job?
2. If not where do you find one online?

In Malaysia we will search for jobstreet.com. Well, this is the story about Mark Chang the founder of JobStreet.com

When Mark Chang started JobStreet in 1997, he figured it would earn him a regular paycheck and allow him to be his own boss, but he didn’t expect anything more. Fast-forward ten years: JobStreet is now Southeast Asia’s largest online employment company. It’s growing in Hong Kong and India, and it’s entered Japan.

Who is Mark Chang? Mark Chang is an Executive Director and Founder of JobStreet.com. He has also been its Chief Executive Officer since its inception. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin, USA in 1988 and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA in 1990.

After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chang returned to Malaysia and took a job as an engineer at a catheter factory in Perlis, northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. He spent his evenings and weekends tooling around the Internet. In 1995, figuring he was ready to set out on his own, he started Malaysia Online, the country’s first commercial Web site. MOL offered the usual portal services, including online classifieds, and Chang quickly noticed that the job listings were popular. That led to JobStreet.com.

The site’s growth soon bumped into a problem: Malaysia’s then slow Internet speeds were putting off some job seekers. So he wrote software enabling the site to match jobs with job seekers and automatically e-mail them when a suitable opening was posted. That way they didn’t have to keep logging on to the system to conduct fresh searches of the listings.

By 2000 Chang had decided he had too much on his plate with MOL. He spun off JobStreet into a separate company and sold MOL for $3.2 million to Vincent Tan, the chief executive and controlling shareholder of Berjaya Group. He then plowed $2.6 million into JobStreet and began building the site in earnest.

During the early years Chang was basically winging it. “When I started JobStreet, I had no business plan,” he says. “I just thought, ‘I’ll try it for two years and see how it goes.’” His approach worked in his favor as dot-com fever swept through Asia in 1998 and 1999 and Internet consultants and angel investors bombarded Chang with business plans and big ideas.

Read the whole Success story of Jobstreet and Mark Chang at Forbes.com Turning Classifieds Into Cash

Press Releases

2007

• JobStreet.com transfers to Main Board and declares interim dividend Dec 28
• Jobstreet Aims At Japan For South East Asian Job Seekers Dec 6
• JobStreet.com Delivers another Record Quarter with RM 10.56 Million Profit Before Tax Nov 23
• Improving youth’s capabilities and exposure in the employment & entrepreneurship market: 100 graduates benefiting from Employment & Entrepreneurship Career Talk Nov 10
• World Health Organization’s Global Service Centre appoints JobSteet.com for recruitment drive in Malaysia Nov 6
• Recognition, appreciation ranks high among job seekers Nov 5
• JobStreet.com renews eQuest agreement to continue its successful run with global recruitment and job posting distribution Oct 26
• JobStreet.com delivers a strong 47% jump in profits for 2nd Quarter, 2007 Aug 18
• JobStreet.com enters Japan market Jul 18
• Huge demand for talent to fill Information Technology/Computing jobs Jul 12
• JobStreet.com announces intention to move on to Main Board Jun 22
• JobStreet.com delivers strong start to the year with a convincing performance for Q1, 2007 May 16
• SEGI College: SEGi College Launches Internship Programme Apr 12
• JobStreet.com wins top jobsite award in Singapore! Mar 15
• Human Capital magazine: JobStreet.com lands top spot on Hitwise again Feb - Mar
• JobStreet buys 20% stake in leading Hong Kong recruitment magazine Feb 27

To read more Press Releases, go here now.

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Guys, I have read this interesting article that I would like to share here. Since we are still on the 3rd week January read this article meticulously.

After looking into my crystal ball, I have made a cluster of predictions about what will be hot, and what will be not so hot in technology for 2008.

1. Video
YouTube has not shown any signs of slowing down. With the increasing popularity of portability and the increase of video-viewing technology, the growth of video is unlikely to slow down.

2. Healthy
Healthy is in. It is not only fashionable, but now cool to be healthy. Maybe this will help counter the rise in obesity in the US. Even those who give in to their cravings and indulge agree that it is cool to be healthy. Organic foods are at an all time high with an increase of roughly 20% per year in the US! This may also be a top New Year Resolution.

3. Long Tail
The Long Tail is still hot. Small businesses and big business are all attempting to capture the famed long tail.

4. Buy USA
Buying USA is in. The falling dollar has made US products more competitive in foreign markets. Moreover, the quality issues that came to light in 2007 (lead in various Chinese products) have made US consumers more conscious about buying US manufactured products.

5. Rich Internet / Interactive Web / Semantic Web / Web Services
The interactive web with user reviews, peer voting, and social bookmarking has never been more popular. The Internet has become more personal and interactive. Contextual content has given way to personal preferences.

6. Aggregate and Attention Data
Suggested purchases, related purchases, and recommended purchases are now an integral part of e-commerce. Aggregate data is becoming a critical component of up-sells.

7. Power of the People
The collective voice and user-generated content is taking the Internet by storm. Yahoo Answers is a pristine twist on the collective voice; it allows visitors to answer questions from others. Good answers are rated and users are rated on a point-based system. Amazon’s MTurk acknowledges the need for humans: pay people to do things that machines cannot. Surprisingly, in a technical society, people still have power.

8. Going Green
Going green has never been more popular. With environmental concerns becoming a global issue, saving the planet, protecting resources and living green is tantamount to being a responsible citizen. Venture capitalists are not turning a blind eye to the needs of clean green technology; alternative energy and green living are attracting interest from deep pockets.

9. Biometrics and Big Brother
Digital data and tracking is at an all time high. Privacy concerns appear to be taking a backseat to cool new technology that is likely to label the 21st century.

10. Prosthetics / Bionic
The revolution of evolution. The devastating limb injuries to soldiers is expediting the growth in the biomedical field of prosthetics. Huge advancements are being made, and super human limbs are a future possibility.

Top 10 Losers - What is Not Hot Predicted for 2008

1. Lead
Lead and harmful chemicals in toys is definitely out.

2. Squat Toilets
Squat toilets are definitely out! The Olympics in Beijing will likely westernize the East and introduce them to modern conveniences of the Western world.

3. DRM
Not much better than #2, digital rights management still has a number of issues to work out.

4. China
Between the claims of spying, rampant pollution and poor quality imports, China is on the outs for 2007.

5. Skinny is Out
Curves are in.

6. Blockbuster / Netflix
The future is downloading movies to iPods. Blockbuster and Netflix are likely to have a difficult time in the future. On demand video rentals available for immediate download offer compact portability and will cut into the current video rental markets.

7. Orbo
Orbo, the promised dynamic new energy source is going out. Orbo fell flat, with lots of hype and little to show. Perhaps Orbo will prove the naysayers wrong and make a splash in 2008, but for now Orbo is not hot.

8. MySpace fell to Facebook
Between perverts and conscientious parents realizing the risks associated with MySpace, the social network toppled. However, it was quickly replaced by Facebook, which promised a higher level of security (which is proven to be a fallacy). Facebook violated user privacy by sharing purchases with “friends”, and with the addition of privacy controls, users are still leery. Social networks not only experienced growing pains but online threats are still an issue and privacy concerns are increasing exponentially.

9. Privacy
Stores tracking purchases, cars equipped with satellite tracking, cell phones tracked, and still few common citizens realize or acknowledge how much privacy they have lost over the last 20 years.

10. Piracy
For the first time it seems people are beginning to comprehend the effects of piracy in the software industry. It seems that software piracy may be on the decline and that software piracy is no longer considered cool.

Last Years Predictions — How Did We Do?
Readers can assess my ability to predict based on last year’s collection of technology predictions at: http://www.small-business-software.net/whats-hot-whats-not.htm.

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This article may be used freely in opt-in publications and websites, provided that the resource box is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net .

Additional articles available for publication available at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm

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About the author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

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