Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

Google's patent play: RM37.5bil for Motorola Mobility

It may be boldest move yet by a company known for being audacious: Google is spending US$12.5bil to buy Motorola Mobility. But the big prize isn't Motorola's lineup of cellphones, computer Tablets and cable set-top boxes.

It is Motorola's more than 17,000 patents - a crucial weapon in an intellectual arms race with Apple, Microsoft and Oracle to gain more control over the increasingly lucrative market for smartphones, Tablets and other mobile devices.

If approved by federal regulators, the deal announced on Monday could also trigger more multibillion-dollar buyouts. Nokia Corp, another cellphone manufacturer, and Research In Motion Ltd, which makes the BlackBerry, loom as prime targets.


The patents would help Google defend Android, its operating system for mobile devices, against a litany of lawsuits alleging that Google and its partners pilfered the innovations of other companies.

In addition to the existing trove of patents that attracted Google's interest, Motorola, which introduced its first cellphone nearly 30 years ago, has 7,500 others awaiting approval.

Phone makers and software companies are engaged in all-out combat over patents for mobile devices. The tussle has been egged on by the US patent system, which makes it possible to patent any number of phone features.

Patents can cover the smallest detail, such as the way icons are positioned on a smartphone's screen. Companies can own intellectual-property rights to the finger swipes that allow you to switch between applications or scroll through displayed text.

Apple, for example, has patented the way an application expands to fill the screen when its icon is tapped. The maker of the iPhone sued Taiwan's HTC Corp because it makes Android phones that employ a similar visual gimmick.

The iPhone's success triggered the patent showdown. Apple's handset revolutionised the way people interact with phones and led to copycat attempts, most of which relied on the free Android software that Google introduced in 2008.

Legal cover
Android revolves around open-source coding that can be tweaked to suit the needs of different vendors. That flexibility and Android's growing popularity have fuelled the legal attacks. About 550,000 devices running the software are activated each day.

Many upstart manufacturers, like HTC, had only small patent portfolios of their own, leaving them vulnerable to Apple Inc and Microsoft Corp.

Getting Motorola's patents would allow Google to offer legal cover for HTC and dozens of other device makers, including Samsung Electronics Co, that depend on Android.

The deal is by far the largest Google has pursued in its 13-year history. Motorola Mobility's price tag exceeds the combined US$10.2bil that the company has paid for 136 previous acquisitions since going public in 2004, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Buying Motorola also would push Google into phone and computer Tablet manufacturing, competing with other device makers who rely on Android. The largest makers of Android devices are all supporting a deal that Google CEO Larry Page said was too tempting to resist.

"With mobility increasingly taking centre stage in the computing revolution, the combination with Motorola is an extremely important step in Google's continuing evolution," Page told analysts in a conference call on Monday.

Google pounced on Motorola less than two months after a group including Apple and Microsoft paid US$4.5bil for 6,000 patents owned by Nortel, a bankrupt Canadian maker of telecommunications equipment.

Leaving no doubt about the mounting antagonism among the companies, Google's top lawyer lambasted Apple and Microsoft for their legal manoeuvring earlier this month in a blog post titled "When patents attack Android."

"We believe this acquisition was solely driven by the ongoing patent war," Sanford Bernstein analyst Pierre Ferragu wrote in a research note, referring to the Google deal.

Apple and Google were once so close that Google's former CEO, Eric Schmidt, sat on Apple's board. But Google has since rolled out Android and provided hardware makers a way to counter the iPhone and iPad. Schmidt resigned from Apple's board two years ago.

Microsoft, for years one of Google's most bitter rivals, is desperately trying to make inroads in the mobile device market. John McCarthy, an analyst with Forrester Research, said Microsoft may try to counter Google by pursuing a long-rumoured takeover of its partner, Nokia.

Oracle Corp is seeking billions of dollars from Google in a federal lawsuit alleging that Android owes licensing fees for using the Java programming language that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems.

Cash rich
Buying patent protection offered by Motorola Mobility will be expensive. Although Google has US$39bil in cash and can easily afford it, the price translates to US$40 per share, 63% above Motorola's stock price before the deal was announced.

Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc's stock soared 56%, or US$13.65, to US$38.12. Google Inc lost about 1% and closed at US$557.23.

The deal will test Page's ability to avoid a clash of cultures while he is still learning the nuances of the CEO job, which he took only four and a half months ago. With 19,000 workers, Motorola Mobility's payroll isn't that much smaller than Google's 28,800.

It's a coup for Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha and the company's largest shareholder, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Jha to cash in on the patent portfolio. With an 11.4% stake in Motorola Mobility, Icahn is in line to be paid more than US$1.3bil.

Motorola Mobility, based in Libertyville, Illinois, has been struggling to come up with a product that has mass-market appeal since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005.

The company had some success with the Droid, one of the first phones to run on Android, but it now ranks a distant eighth in the smartphone market, with 4.4 million units shipped in the second quarter, according to research firm Canaccord Genuity. By comparison, the market-leading iPhone shipped about 20 million.

An attempt to counter the iPad hasn't paid off for Motorola Mobility, either. In an effort to drum up more demand, the company recently cut the price on the WiFi-only version of its Tablet, the Xoom, to US$499 from US$599.

The troubles saddled Motorola Mobility with a US$56mil loss in its latest quarter, sinking the company's stock price to one of its lowest points since its January spinoff from the old Motorola Inc.

The remaining part of that company now runs as Motorola Solutions Inc. In contrast, Google earned US$2.5bil in its most recent quarter ending in June.

MyEmail 1Malaysia: The Malaysian Citizen Inbox

Malaysian government has launched a new initiative in ICT advancement for a citizen email program: MyEmail 1Malaysia. This program lead by the government agencies so called MAMPU, PEMANDU and developed by a collaboration of Tricubes Ltd and Microsoft Inc. 

Tricubes Ltd is a local company that capable to roll out this state of the art innovation and committed to deliver the whole infrastructure and integration.

I'm more interested to review the concept of having a citizen email. This project actually can be formal medium of communication between the citizen and the government. I'm totally agree with that statement, because, from now on I can't found any free email system out there (i.e: gmail, yahoo mail, facebook) can validate the real user. Technically impossible to validate that. Gmail can terminate your gmail account if we violate their terms and conditions without your consent.

Do you really believe that brad.pitt@gmail.com really belongs to the famous actor Brad Pitt. Or michael.jackson@yahoo.com really belongs to the late Michael Jackson, king of pops ?

I don't believe that. So many cases happen on identity theft with gmail, yahoo. Anybody can pretending be someone using other people real name.

Or the dangerous part is, we can't complaint to gmail or yahoo mail if our email been hacked or been misused by others. The famous case happen is, when your gmail account been hacked, the hacker will send an email to your colleague or relatives.. asking financial help and urgent. Damn ! You are in big trouble then. Google and Yahoo wont help you much to solve this matters.  

I have been informed that, this citizen email is tagged with Malaysian Social ID number. We can verify and validate that, we are the owner of that email. So now, we can ensure that the owner of that email is really belong to that real person.

If one day, you received an email from ben.escurado@myemail.my ... yes ... that is me. You can verify it with related government agencies in Malaysia. 

How about company email ? can it be validated ? Sometimes yes... jobs@apple.com is belong Steve Jobs. But what happen if you change job ? you might have another new email right ?

So, what is the advantage of having a personal validated email ? Good question mark

Couple of months ago, Aruba Networks introducing a technology so called MOVE. Aruba Networks predict, next generation lifestyle will be in a hyper dynamic mode. People are moving around. Today you might be in Boston, tomorrow you might be at Texas or New York or Chicago. Who knows. 

Aruba got a solution for VBN (Virtual Branch Network) where we can do a remote office any where we go. That is how people move in the future.

If the next generation lifestyle change into a hyper dynamic mode, for sure we need something that follow us anywhere we go.. something like document follow us. Now people are talking about cloud computing. We can store all the important document (digital format) into the cloud.

How about to receive confidential electronic document from government agencies or other similar parties such as banking and insurance.

Look back at the history of email. Email been developed for a military usage (DARPA Project). The military want to sent some confidential message to someone direct to their personal mailbox. The US military can sent message direct to US President personally. Very efficient and confidential.

If we want to received an important or confidential document... can we trust gmail, yahoo! mail ? Or do the related agencies believe that, that is your real email ?

When the Malaysian government announce about this initiative, I said wow ! I heard, Singapore government also want to follow this concept. I believe, other country also will follow later. Since, Tricubes Ltd is the pioneer for this initiative, they can provide consultation to other countries that interested to have this such programs.

With this validated email, and full integration of e-government system, I can see that, in the future, we can simply request what ever confidential and important documents, which traditionally been sent via post (where it takes 1 - 3 days of delivery period) to online systems direct to our citizen inbox. For instance a utility bills, bank statement, tax statement, medical document/prescription, land and property docement and others direct to my validated inbox. I can retrieve it anywhere and I can keep it in a secure cloud. I can use this email for the whole of my life.

In addition, I believe that I can received important notice or announcement from the government, municipal or state governor direct to inbox. (i.e incident, flood, natural disaster, traffic congestion etc etc)

This is part of Green Technology initiative. Truly paperless concept. Save the trees and save the earth.

Everything will be in electronic document. For sure, the concept offers high efficiencies and security. Mr. Obama, please look at this initiatives and try to create something similar to what the Malaysian did. Talk to Bill Gates on how link our social ID and email. No Scammer No Jammer.

The funny things about MyEmail is.... the Government agencies who maneuver this project is really unrealistic in getting the number of subscriber within a short period. The mentioned agency is known as MAMPU. Their target is about to have 9 millions subscriber within a year. Really unrealistic target. Malaysia only got 27 millions population. At most we can assume... active internet user probably 30% = 8 millions. Are they able to meet and convince every 8 millions people just within a year ? Google  world wide also start very slow during their initial start.

Statistically, the online subscriber grows exponentially for certain period of time. Be realistic when targeting something. Everybody in this world believe that, majority of the government worker only know to talk but not know how to walk.

MyEmail 1Malaysia: The Malaysian Citizen Inbox

Malaysian government has launched a new initiative in ICT advancement for a citizen email program: MyEmail 1Malaysia. This program lead by the government agencies so called MAMPU, PEMANDU and developed by a collaboration of Tricubes Ltd and Microsoft Inc. 

Tricubes Ltd is a local company that capable to roll out this state of the art innovation and committed to deliver the whole infrastructure and integration.

I'm more interested to review the concept of having a citizen email. This project actually can be formal medium of communication between the citizen and the government. I'm totally agree with that statement, because, from now on I can't found any free email system out there (i.e: gmail, yahoo mail, facebook) can validate the real user. Technically impossible to validate that. Gmail can terminate your gmail account if we violate their terms and conditions without your consent.

Do you really believe that brad.pitt@gmail.com really belongs to the famous actor Brad Pitt. Or michael.jackson@yahoo.com really belongs to the late Michael Jackson, king of pops ?

I don't believe that. So many cases happen on identity theft with gmail, yahoo. Anybody can pretending be someone using other people real name.

Or the dangerous part is, we can't complaint to gmail or yahoo mail if our email been hacked or been misused by others. The famous case happen is, when your gmail account been hacked, the hacker will send an email to your colleague or relatives.. asking financial help and urgent. Damn ! You are in big trouble then. Google and Yahoo wont help you much to solve this matters.  

I have been informed that, this citizen email is tagged with Malaysian Social ID number. We can verify and validate that, we are the owner of that email. So now, we can ensure that the owner of that email is really belong to that real person.

If one day, you received an email from ben.escurado@myemail.my ... yes ... that is me. You can verify it with related government agencies in Malaysia. 

How about company email ? can it be validated ? Sometimes yes... jobs@apple.com is belong Steve Jobs. But what happen if you change job ? you might have another new email right ?

So, what is the advantage of having a personal validated email ? Good question mark

Couple of months ago, Aruba Networks introducing a technology so called MOVE. Aruba Networks predict, next generation lifestyle will be in a hyper dynamic mode. People are moving around. Today you might be in Boston, tomorrow you might be at Texas or New York or Chicago. Who knows. 

Aruba got a solution for VBN (Virtual Branch Network) where we can do a remote office any where we go. That is how people move in the future.

If the next generation lifestyle change into a hyper dynamic mode, for sure we need something that follow us anywhere we go.. something like document follow us. Now people are talking about cloud computing. We can store all the important document (digital format) into the cloud.

How about to receive confidential electronic document from government agencies or other similar parties such as banking and insurance.

Look back at the history of email. Email been developed for a military usage (DARPA Project). The military want to sent some confidential message to someone direct to their personal mailbox. The US military can sent message direct to US President personally. Very efficient and confidential.

If we want to received an important or confidential document... can we trust gmail, yahoo! mail ? Or do the related agencies believe that, that is your real email ?

When the Malaysian government announce about this initiative, I said wow ! I heard, Singapore government also want to follow this concept. I believe, other country also will follow later. Since, Tricubes Ltd is the pioneer for this initiative, they can provide consultation to other countries that interested to have this such programs.

With this validated email, and full integration of e-government system, I can see that, in the future, we can simply request what ever confidential and important documents, which traditionally been sent via post (where it takes 1 - 3 days of delivery period) to online systems direct to our citizen inbox. For instance a utility bills, bank statement, tax statement, medical document/prescription, land and property docement and others direct to my validated inbox. I can retrieve it anywhere and I can keep it in a secure cloud. I can use this email for the whole of my life.

In addition, I believe that I can received important notice or announcement from the government, municipal or state governor direct to inbox. (i.e incident, flood, natural disaster, traffic congestion etc etc)

This is part of Green Technology initiative. Truly paperless concept. Save the trees and save the earth.

Everything will be in electronic document. For sure, the concept offers high efficiencies and security. Mr. Obama, please look at this initiatives and try to create something similar to what the Malaysian did. Talk to Bill Gates on how link our social ID and email. No Scammer No Jammer.

The funny things about MyEmail is.... the Government agencies who maneuver this project is really unrealistic in getting the number of subscriber within a short period. The mentioned agency is known as MAMPU. Their target is about to have 9 millions subscriber within a year. Really unrealistic target. Malaysia only got 27 millions population. At most we can assume... active internet user probably 30% = 8 millions. Are they able to meet and convince every 8 millions people just within a year ? Google  world wide also start very slow during their initial start.

Statistically, the online subscriber grows exponentially for certain period of time. Be realistic when targeting something. Everybody in this world believe that, majority of the government worker only know to talk but not know how to walk.

MyEmail 1Malaysia: The Malaysian Citizen Inbox

Malaysian government has launched a new initiative in ICT advancement for a citizen email program: MyEmail 1Malaysia. This program lead by the government agencies so called MAMPU, PEMANDU and developed by a collaboration of Tricubes Ltd and Microsoft Inc. 

Tricubes Ltd is a local company that capable to roll out this state of the art innovation and committed to deliver the whole infrastructure and integration.

I'm more interested to review the concept of having a citizen email. This project actually can be formal medium of communication between the citizen and the government. I'm totally agree with that statement, because, from now on I can't found any free email system out there (i.e: gmail, yahoo mail, facebook) can validate the real user. Technically impossible to validate that. Gmail can terminate your gmail account if we violate their terms and conditions without your consent.

Do you really believe that brad.pitt@gmail.com really belongs to the famous actor Brad Pitt. Or michael.jackson@yahoo.com really belongs to the late Michael Jackson, king of pops ?

I don't believe that. So many cases happen on identity theft with gmail, yahoo. Anybody can pretending be someone using other people real name.

Or the dangerous part is, we can't complaint to gmail or yahoo mail if our email been hacked or been misused by others. The famous case happen is, when your gmail account been hacked, the hacker will send an email to your colleague or relatives.. asking financial help and urgent. Damn ! You are in big trouble then. Google and Yahoo wont help you much to solve this matters.  

I have been informed that, this citizen email is tagged with Malaysian Social ID number. We can verify and validate that, we are the owner of that email. So now, we can ensure that the owner of that email is really belong to that real person.

If one day, you received an email from ben.escurado@myemail.my ... yes ... that is me. You can verify it with related government agencies in Malaysia. 

How about company email ? can it be validated ? Sometimes yes... jobs@apple.com is belong Steve Jobs. But what happen if you change job ? you might have another new email right ?

So, what is the advantage of having a personal validated email ? Good question mark

Couple of months ago, Aruba Networks introducing a technology so called MOVE. Aruba Networks predict, next generation lifestyle will be in a hyper dynamic mode. People are moving around. Today you might be in Boston, tomorrow you might be at Texas or New York or Chicago. Who knows. 

Aruba got a solution for VBN (Virtual Branch Network) where we can do a remote office any where we go. That is how people move in the future.

If the next generation lifestyle change into a hyper dynamic mode, for sure we need something that follow us anywhere we go.. something like document follow us. Now people are talking about cloud computing. We can store all the important document (digital format) into the cloud.

How about to receive confidential electronic document from government agencies or other similar parties such as banking and insurance.

Look back at the history of email. Email been developed for a military usage (DARPA Project). The military want to sent some confidential message to someone direct to their personal mailbox. The US military can sent message direct to US President personally. Very efficient and confidential.

If we want to received an important or confidential document... can we trust gmail, yahoo! mail ? Or do the related agencies believe that, that is your real email ?

When the Malaysian government announce about this initiative, I said wow ! I heard, Singapore government also want to follow this concept. I believe, other country also will follow later. Since, Tricubes Ltd is the pioneer for this initiative, they can provide consultation to other countries that interested to have this such programs.

With this validated email, and full integration of e-government system, I can see that, in the future, we can simply request what ever confidential and important documents, which traditionally been sent via post (where it takes 1 - 3 days of delivery period) to online systems direct to our citizen inbox. For instance a utility bills, bank statement, tax statement, medical document/prescription, land and property docement and others direct to my validated inbox. I can retrieve it anywhere and I can keep it in a secure cloud. I can use this email for the whole of my life.

In addition, I believe that I can received important notice or announcement from the government, municipal or state governor direct to inbox. (i.e incident, flood, natural disaster, traffic congestion etc etc)

This is part of Green Technology initiative. Truly paperless concept. Save the trees and save the earth.

Everything will be in electronic document. For sure, the concept offers high efficiencies and security. Mr. Obama, please look at this initiatives and try to create something similar to what the Malaysian did. Talk to Bill Gates on how link our social ID and email. No Scammer No Jammer.

The funny things about MyEmail is.... the Government agencies who maneuver this project is really unrealistic in getting the number of subscriber within a short period. The mentioned agency is known as MAMPU. Their target is about to have 9 millions subscriber within a year. Really unrealistic target. Malaysia only got 27 millions population. At most we can assume... active internet user probably 30% = 8 millions. Are they able to meet and convince every 8 millions people just within a year ? Google  world wide also start very slow during their initial start.

Statistically, the online subscriber grows exponentially for certain period of time. Be realistic when targeting something. Everybody in this world believe that, majority of the government worker only know to talk but not know how to walk.

Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

Apple, Samsung outdo Nokia in smartphone sales

Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.

South Korea's Samsung made the biggest jump, from No 4 in the first quarter to No 2 in the second, on the strength of its Galaxy phones, which run Google Inc's Android software.

It sold 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter, up from 10.8 million in the first, according to research firm IDC.

Apple rose to No 1, taking the spot from Nokia, by selling 20.3 million iPhones, up from 18.7 million in the first quarter.

That relegated Finland's Nokia, the long-time leader, to third place. Apple has yet to top Nokia's high-water mark of 28.1 million phones in a quarter.

"But given Apple's momentum in the smartphone market, it may not be a question of whether Apple will beat that milestone, but when," IDC said.

Remarkably, Apple's sales record comes nearly a year after it released its latest model, the iPhone 4, and it's still selling millions of the even older iPhone 3GS. Competitors such as Samsung put out new models every few months.

Nokia sold 16.7 million smartphones, a sharp drop from 24.2 million in the previous quarter. The company has struggled to come up with an answer to the iPhone.

Nokia is now transitioning to smartphone software from Microsoft Corp, but it's first Windows Phones won't be on sale until late this year, at the earliest.

Canada's RIM fell from third to fourth place, as it saw a decline in BlackBerry sales from the first quarter to the second.

Like Nokia, it has been struggling to update the high end of its line to compete with touchscreen phones such as the iPhone. It unveiled five new models with updated software this week.

HTC Corp of Taiwan remained in fifth place, but it's seeing rapidly growing sales. Like Samsung, it has bet on Google's Android software for its phones.

New touchscreen BlackBerrys being launched

Research In Motion Ltd unveiled five new BlackBerry phones with touchscreens, as it hopes to revive the line's dwindling appeal in the face of competition from the iPhone and Android smartphones.

The new phones had been expected earlier this year, but were delayed. Though the company is profitable and seeing growing sales, it is increasingly seen as a has-been that missed the chance to parlay the BlackBerry's popularity as a corporate e-mail device into mass-market dominance.

The Canadian company, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, is updating its high-end Bold models to include touchscreens. It's also launching two Torch models with big screens but no physical keyboards, mimicking the basic design of the iPhone.

RIM launched a keyboard-less touchscreen phone called the Storm in 2008, more than a year after the first iPhone, but the Storm's quirky design and poor software made it a flop.

"The all-touchscreen Torch has been a while coming as a natural successor to the disappointing Storm, particularly when the smartphone market has gone touchscreen mad over the past 18 months," said Malik Saadi, an analyst at Informa.

The phones run a new version of the BlackBerry operating system, which RIM said is much faster, particularly for web browsing.

The Bold models will be the first BlackBerrys to include so-called Near-Field Communications chips, so they can be used in place of credit cards by swiping them across properly equipped payment terminals.

Many companies, including cellphone carriers like AT&T and web companies like Google Inc are promoting the idea of using phones as digital "wallets."

New touchscreen BlackBerrys being launched

Research In Motion Ltd unveiled five new BlackBerry phones with touchscreens, as it hopes to revive the line's dwindling appeal in the face of competition from the iPhone and Android smartphones.

The new phones had been expected earlier this year, but were delayed. Though the company is profitable and seeing growing sales, it is increasingly seen as a has-been that missed the chance to parlay the BlackBerry's popularity as a corporate e-mail device into mass-market dominance.

The Canadian company, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, is updating its high-end Bold models to include touchscreens. It's also launching two Torch models with big screens but no physical keyboards, mimicking the basic design of the iPhone.

RIM launched a keyboard-less touchscreen phone called the Storm in 2008, more than a year after the first iPhone, but the Storm's quirky design and poor software made it a flop.

"The all-touchscreen Torch has been a while coming as a natural successor to the disappointing Storm, particularly when the smartphone market has gone touchscreen mad over the past 18 months," said Malik Saadi, an analyst at Informa.

The phones run a new version of the BlackBerry operating system, which RIM said is much faster, particularly for web browsing.

The Bold models will be the first BlackBerrys to include so-called Near-Field Communications chips, so they can be used in place of credit cards by swiping them across properly equipped payment terminals.

Many companies, including cellphone carriers like AT&T and web companies like Google Inc are promoting the idea of using phones as digital "wallets."

New touchscreen BlackBerrys being launched

Research In Motion Ltd unveiled five new BlackBerry phones with touchscreens, as it hopes to revive the line's dwindling appeal in the face of competition from the iPhone and Android smartphones.

The new phones had been expected earlier this year, but were delayed. Though the company is profitable and seeing growing sales, it is increasingly seen as a has-been that missed the chance to parlay the BlackBerry's popularity as a corporate e-mail device into mass-market dominance.

The Canadian company, which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, is updating its high-end Bold models to include touchscreens. It's also launching two Torch models with big screens but no physical keyboards, mimicking the basic design of the iPhone.

RIM launched a keyboard-less touchscreen phone called the Storm in 2008, more than a year after the first iPhone, but the Storm's quirky design and poor software made it a flop.

"The all-touchscreen Torch has been a while coming as a natural successor to the disappointing Storm, particularly when the smartphone market has gone touchscreen mad over the past 18 months," said Malik Saadi, an analyst at Informa.

The phones run a new version of the BlackBerry operating system, which RIM said is much faster, particularly for web browsing.

The Bold models will be the first BlackBerrys to include so-called Near-Field Communications chips, so they can be used in place of credit cards by swiping them across properly equipped payment terminals.

Many companies, including cellphone carriers like AT&T and web companies like Google Inc are promoting the idea of using phones as digital "wallets."

Skype releases online calling app for iPad

LUXEMBOURG: Skype has released its online calling app for Apple Inc's iPad Tablet computer.

The new app, which can be downloaded at Apple's iTunes store, lets users make free voice and video calls from their iPads to other Skype users over WiFi or 3G wireless connections.

The app also allows users to send instant messages and text messages, and to make calls to landlines and mobile phones for a small fee. - AP

Skype releases online calling app for iPad

LUXEMBOURG: Skype has released its online calling app for Apple Inc's iPad Tablet computer.

The new app, which can be downloaded at Apple's iTunes store, lets users make free voice and video calls from their iPads to other Skype users over WiFi or 3G wireless connections.

The app also allows users to send instant messages and text messages, and to make calls to landlines and mobile phones for a small fee. - AP

Skype releases online calling app for iPad

LUXEMBOURG: Skype has released its online calling app for Apple Inc's iPad Tablet computer.

The new app, which can be downloaded at Apple's iTunes store, lets users make free voice and video calls from their iPads to other Skype users over WiFi or 3G wireless connections.

The app also allows users to send instant messages and text messages, and to make calls to landlines and mobile phones for a small fee. - AP