Print what you see (HP Labs)
Want to download broadcast data and print it in real-time? TVPrinCast has run trials for key corporations as well as integrated it into the SatCom-based training programme for gram panchayat members. It can provide reading material, classroom notes, test papers and updates simultaneously during the live broadcast of a television programme.

In other words, the technology augments the TV viewing experience with a printer. HP Labs estimates that it could double up as telemedicine channel, public information dissemination tool, and even provide printable practical guidelines for epidemic prevention in remote areas.

Faster, smaller (Intel)
Intel’s Penryn processors are expected to push desktop PCs to run 40 per cent faster than the latest Intel Core 2 chips. Intel’s latest processor architecture will allow consumer electronics vendors to make simpler designs for digital home products.

By 2008, it will sell chips as a common foundation that spans products from PCs to consumer electronics, including laptops, televisions, set-top boxes and other networked media players.

All this will be made possible by shrinking its chip features from 60 nanometres to 45 nanometres. Intel India Research Centre’s role in producing the next generation silicon wafers and smart chipset processors is undeniably high.

Warana Unwired (MSR)
Microsoft ran an experiment replacing a PC-based system, for helping Warana village, with a mobile phone-based system. The new mobile system replicates almost all PC-based functionality. The project is up and running 24 hours and Microsoft has recorded farmers using data at odd times like 3:30 in the morning. Microsoft now wants to scale up the project to include nearly 54 villages.

Microsoft researchers replaced the client PCs with SMS-enabled phones. A smartphone was attached to the server through a USB port to a PC server, thus creating an SMS gateway. This promises to save nearly $22,000, primarily arising from the maintenance costs of PCs.

Bank on it (IBM IRL)
HDFC Bank receives millions of customer emails. The system requires customer care executives to manually click open each email and respond to it. IBM India Research Lab has developed software that allows the bank to categorise the emails without opening them manually.

The software scans the email for keywords (say “good service”, “change of address”, “lost ATM card” and so on) and groups the email. It also exploits the context information, so it’s easy to find out how many times a customer emails, and whether his problems were addressed or not.

IBM is now planning to market the software to other banks for smart customer information management, targeted marketing, fraud detection and prevention and legal compliance.