Colombia, en el mapa de Google

17 de Diciembre de 2007 Colombia, en el mapa de Google IVÁN LUZARDO REDACCIÓN TECNOLOGÍA Inmobiliarias, agencias de viajes y sitios nacionales ya utilizan Google Maps. Empresas pueden incluir sus servicios en dicho sitio. El servicio de mapas de Google, que es muy popular en otros países para buscar direcciones, ubicar establecimientos comerciales o ver el estado del tránsito, empieza a ser aprovechado por empresas colombianas para ofrecer nuevos servicios de información. Google Maps tiene varios atractivos para las compañías, pero hay uno que sobresale: no les cuesta un peso. Una inmobiliaria paisa usa los mapas para mostrarles a los potenciales clientes en su sitio web los proyectos de construcción que tiene a la venta; un portal de entretenimiento bogotano los incorporó para ayudar a ubicar restaurantes, salas de cine y teatro; y las agencias de turismo los emplean para que los viajeros conozcan un poco más el lugar que visitarán. La información que brinda Google Maps (maps.google.com) para las ciudades colombianas aún no es tan completa como en Nueva York, Madrid, París o Londres, y los mapas carecen de detalles que los de estas capitales sí poseen. No obstante, según Francisco Forero, representante de Google en el país, lo que hasta el momento funciona es suficiente para que muchos se beneficien de la herramienta. En Bogotá y otras ciudades grandes, los usuarios pueden encontrar puntos de interés como plazas, centros comerciales y edificios importantes. Y aunque el contenido es limitado por el momento, Forero dice que está creciendo a medida que los mismos usuarios agregan información en los mapas. Por esta razón, es posible que al buscar sitios de comida, bancos o empresas en la capital del país el sistema le arroje algunas sugerencias. Así mismo, cualquier usuario puede diseñar mapas personalizados de diversos sitios del país, incluir datos de un lugar, crear recorridos de un destino a otro, y luego compartirlos con amigos y conocidos. Además, está la opción de añadir fotografías o videos de los puntos que se muestran en el territorio nacional. Herramienta de promoción Dos características motivan a empresas y personas a usar los mapas de Google: no tienen costo y es posible complementarlos con datos adicionales (referencias a sitios web, fotos y videos) que permiten dar información relevante sobre una zona. Una de las compañías que los emplea en Colombia es el portal inmobiliario Espacio Urbano (www.espaciourbano.com), cuyo objetivo es que las constructoras promocionen proyectos nuevos (en el futuro incluirán el mercado de inmuebles usados) y mostrarlos en el mapa. Según Juan Suárez, director ejecutivo del portal, la idea no solo es localizar el proyecto geográficamente, sino darles a los visitantes más referencias de la zona, como centros comerciales o instituciones educativas cercanos. Por lo pronto, el portal solo incluye proyectos en Antioquia, pero la idea es hacerlo nacional. En opinión de Suárez, otro de los beneficios de Google Maps es que su integración con cualquier sitio web es sencilla y no demanda grandes recursos tecnológicos. En esto coincide Juan Andrés Martínez, productor de Vive.in, portal de entretenimiento que pertenece a la Casa Editorial EL TIEMPO. "Google ofrece una herramienta de mapas muy poderosa que se puede personalizar fácilmente y es gratuita. Nos permite informar de manera distinta a los usuarios; podemos mostrar cuál es el recorrido de una ciclorruta o hacer una guía sobre los restaurantes de un área", comenta Martínez. Por medio de Google Maps, Vive.in muestra la ubicación en el mapa de más de 750 lugares de la capital del país, entre los que se encuentran restaurantes, museos, galerías de arte, salas de conciertos, teatros y cines. Por su parte, la agencia de viajes en línea Despegar.com ha incorporado los mapas de Google para orientar a la gente que hace reservas en un sitio y no tiene muy claro dónde queda su destino. Diana Salgado, gerente de mercadeo para la región andina de Despegar.com, dice que es un servicio del que se benefician cerca de 4.000 visitantes diarios. Qué falta en Colombia Estados Unidos fue el primer país en disfrutar del servicio de mapas de Google. Por tal razón, al buscar información de esta nación en Google Maps (también funciona en otras regiones, como Europa), es fácil hallar la ubicación exacta de un negocio o casa digitando la dirección, averiguar qué ruta es la mejor para ir de un lugar a otro, ver imágenes reales con vistas en 360 grados de las calles, e incluso saber que tan congestionado está el tráfico en una autopista. Para Francisco Forero, de Google, el principal problema que tiene el servicio en Colombia es que los mapas actuales no sirven para crear rutas o ubicar sitios, y no están muy actualizados. "Se requiere primero la cartografía con ciertas características, como el sentido de las vías y las direcciones precisas. Además, es necesario contar con los datos de los negocios, algo que, dependiendo del país, tomamos de información que es pública, como los directorios telefónicos o de datos que proveen los operadores telefónicos", dijo Forero. Una vez se tenga este contenido, hay que identificar cada negocio o calle con un punto en el mapa (Georeferenciación). "Estamos trabajando en este proceso. El objetivo de Google es organizar la información de todo el mundo y hacerla disponible donde se necesite", agregó Forero. Cómo utilizar Google Maps Para crear mapas en Google entre al sitio maps.google.com. En la parte izquierda, dé clic en la pestaña 'My Maps'; para ingresar necesitará una cuenta de Google. Allí podrá ubicar puntos específicos en el mapa, diseñar recorridos de un lugar a otro, entre otras funciones. No requiere conocimiento técnico. Las empresas que deseen incluir el mapa en el sitio web deberán usar aplicaciones de programación llamadas API, que Google ofrece de manera gratuita en el sitio code.google.com/apis/maps/, previa solicitud de contraseña. Abrir artículo en el Browser. COPYRIGHT © 2007 CASA EDITORIAL EL TIEMPO S.A. Prohibida su reproducción total o parcial, así como su traducción a cualquier idioma sin autorización escrita de su titular. Reproduction in whole or in part, or translation without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Inteligencia ambiental para hogares con redes digitales.

Amigo Project Ambient intelligence for the networked home environment

Project information By Dr. Maddy D. Janse Amigo project manager

Contract number: IST 004182 Full name: Ambient Intelligence for the networked home environment Type of Project: IP Project participants: Philips Research - Philips Design - Philips Consumer Electronics (the Netherlands), Fagor (Spain), France Telecom (France), Fraunhofer IMS (Germany), Fraunhofer SIT (Germany), Ikerlan (Spain), INRIA (France), Italdesign Giugiaro (Italy), SingularLogic (Greece), Microsoft (Germany), Telin (the Netherlands), ICCS (Greece), Telefónica I+D (Spain), University of Paderborn (Germany), VTT (Finland) For more information see Partners. Budget, Total cost: 24 MEuro; Funding: 13 MEuro Timeline,Start: September 2004 Duration 42 months

Figure 1 Examples of devices in the mobile, PC, CE and home automation domains

Most industrial players that were strong in one domain have had a hard time making inroads into another, except for a few "converged" products such as Smartphone's or Mobile Digital Assistants that combine aspects of the mobile and PC domains, or media centres that combine aspects of the PC and CE domains. By introducing the networked home, also called connected home, that is a home in which several pieces of equipment are connected using a network, the traditional separation of domains is no longer valid (see Figure 2 ). Mobile devices can be taken with us, therefore extending our home environment. By extended home environment we mean bringing what is outside the home inside if we like that, as well as extending our feeling of being at home when we, ourselves, are on the move. The networked home offers great potential to improve people's life, it will allow simple and seamless access to content throughout the home, it will allow much easier user interfaces even to program simple devices, it can use context information to predict and assist user actions, it can automatically detect and act upon situation that affect the security or safety of the home users. This networked home also represents a huge business opportunity, from selling devices and infrastructure through to the software and services. Already, the U.S. networking market is $1.4 billion [source: Cahner's In-Stat group]. Within Europe, even now, a connected household spends on average 360 Euro a year on e-home-services [1], excluding infrastructure, device and software cost. Merging these traditionally separated domains within the home goes quickly. In the year 2005 about 25 million households in Europe will have some local networking [2]. This means that alone in Europe in 2005 the annual turnover for e-home-services will be some 10 billion Euros a year. The US, clearly ahead in this area, already has 32 million home networks in use today; this is forecast to grow to 125 million home networks in 2006 [ 3 ]. The same source foresees that these home networks will be entertainment centred. This is proof of a fast merger between the traditional CE and PC markets. In 2006, 80% of all broadband households will also have home automation systems installed [4]. This forecast is underlies the assumption that an extra merger between home automation and home networking will take place.

Figure 2 Example of home network in which PC, CE, mobile and home automation domain are intertwined

Research today is typically performed for each consumer domain (home automation, PC, CE, mobile) independently, whereas the user moves continually between these domains. Creating consistent and intelligent support between these domains needs new solutions. One of the main challenges at this point in time is bringing existing research activities and domain expertise together to realize the needed total solutions. The networked home offers a huge potential for the improvement of our daily lives and should be seen as an important step towards Ambient Intelligence (AmI). The problem today is that the huge potential of a networked home system in particular and Ambient Intelligence in general is not fulfilled, as a consistent framework for a home system is not in place. Therefore end-users do not experience the benefits of home networking. The main problems in home networking today are: Installation and use of the devices, infrastructure and services is not easy for the general public, together we call this the usability of the system. There are not enough attractive services to make it worthwhile to buy and install a complete home system, i.e. the user benefits are not clear enough. That usability and attractive services are the main issues for user acceptances of home networking is not only our opinion, see [ 5 ] and [ 6 ], which raise the same issues for rapid user acceptance of in-home networked systems but add a third important parameter namely the cost of devices, infrastructure and services. It is thought [by the same authors as above] that cost of the system is for a large part determined by the amount of users, so rapid market penetration will automatically elevate this issue. In our view, to reach the goal of usability three technical aspects are of major concern: The user interface has to be user-friendly, familiar, easy to use, robust against contradictory input, and it must respect the privacy and security of its users. Interoperability is necessary at all levels, despite the fact that devices are built by different manufacturers and use different communication standards and different hardware and software platforms. It is unlikely that all of these are going to be reduced to just one in the foreseeable future so agreement should be found in middleware standards that provide functional interoperability at a SW level. Standardisation of minimal interfaces of middleware components, basic services and protocols is therefore necessary. So far it has never been tried to offer a framework that leads to interoperability over all four, the CE, PC, mobile and home automation domains. Automatic discovery of devices and services as well as service composability and upgradeability and self-administration are a necessity for easy installation and use. Having an open middleware, which is flexible enough to integrate and compose heterogeneous services (heterogeneity including the base middleware relied upon by the services), and high-level enough to enable service description, recognition and composition up to the semantic level can achieve this. To make home systems much more attractive for end-users, the benefits for the end-user of a combined home system must be evident, so the attractive services should clearly offer a surplus over what is offered by non-networked systems today. Most of these attractive services will use knowledge of the world around the device like the other devices in the system and the user. This is only possible in a networked system. This gathering and use of this context and user information leads to the development of new services for the end-user that greatly enhance the attractiveness of the system for the end-user. For example: use a display that is in the neighbourhood to display information instead of on a small PDA display, use the processing capabilities of the home server to do speech recognition and communicating the results back to the camera that has only small processing capabilities in order to combine user-related and context-related information. Within the Amigo project these services that specifically use the knowledge of the world around the device and the user are called: intelligent user services as they make the system 'intelligent' to the end-user. The Amigo project will provide solutions for the major problems that are encountered in the use of home networking today. The project aims to improve the usability of a home network by developing open, standardized, interoperable middleware and improve the attractiveness by developing interoperable intelligent user services. The project will show the end-user usability and attractiveness of such a home system by creating and demonstrating prototype applications improving everyday life, addressing all vital user aspects: home care and safety, home information and entertainment, and extension of the home environment by means of ambience sharing for advanced personal communication. Technological and scientific objectives To improve the usability and attractiveness of home networking for the end-user Amigo's main objective is to research and develop open, standardized, interoperable middleware and intelligent user services for the networked home environment, which offer users intuitive, personalized and unobtrusive interaction by providing seamless interoperability of services and applications. In order to fulfil this main objective we have the following project objectives: Research and development of open and interoperable middleware for a networked home system that combines home automation, CE, mobile and PC functionalities that can be scaled up and down for use on any hardware and software platform within these domains. The project will describe the interfaces and protocols necessary to combine this software with the rest of the terminal software. Research and development of intelligent user services that combine user interaction, user preferences and context awareness. These services will keep the user in control and avoid cognitive saturation of the user, respect user privacy and address security issues. Guarantee interoperability within this home system between services even with the use of heterogeneous networking and diverse devices. The project will contribute and adhere to, preferably open, standards to enable true interoperability. Guarantee automatic dynamic configuration of the networked home system by developing high-level methods and concepts for dynamic integration addressing autonomy, scalability and composability aspects. Verify the technical solutions with application prototypes and related demonstrators, and get usability feedback by user questionnaires, user tests and co-creative user evaluation. The prototypes will focus on home care and safety, home information and entertainment and the extended home environment. They will together form a full demonstration of an Amigo home system in practice.

Figure 3 Example architecture of Amigo device

Figure 3 shows an example of the high-level architecture of an Amigo device. It is highlighted to show those blocks and interfaces which will be (further) developed within the Amigo project. The white components shown are not the focus of the Amigo project and might or might not be present in an Amigo device. As well as defining the infrastructure and associated interfaces the Amigo middleware consists of the following components: Security and privacy Service discovery Service composition Content distribution Accounting and billing and Mobility management. The intelligent user services that Amigo will develop are: Context aggregation and prediction User modelling and profiling Awareness and notification Content selection and User interface. The above core middleware (components and infrastructure) and intelligent user services will become available as open source software together with architectural rules for everyone to use. In addition, the Amigo project will deliver, prototype applications to show the clear benefits for the end-user and technical proof of working. This shall clearly prove the business rationale for introducing the Amigo networked home system. The Amigo middleware will be built to overcome diversity in e.g. hardware and software platforms and networks. The intelligent user services will incorporated in the Amigo system, though this does not mean that they will be incorporated or run on all Amigo devices. Some devices will not offer enough capabilities to do so. References Datamonitor Study "Digital Home 2003" Gartner Dataquest Networks in the home: analysis and forecasts (third edition), Park associates Strategis Group

For content questions please contact Amigo project. Last modified: 10-10-07 14:02:35 +0200 Copyright © 2007 AMIGO For further information / comments about the project, please contact: Dr. Maddy D. Janse-Amigo project manager Philips Research- -Connected Consumer Solutions (CCS) Sector Digital Lifestyle Technology- -High Tech Campus 34/ Bldg WB 6-43 5656 AE Eindhoven- -The Netherlands Tel.: +31 40 27 49540- -Fax: +31 40 27 46321 E-mail: maddy.janse@philips.com

Localización geográfica con Google.

Diciembre 3 de 2007 Su ubicación en el planeta, sin usar GPS Un servicio gratuito de Google permite, por medio de la señal celular, situarse en un mapa El servicio de My Location, de Google, se puede descargar gratis desde la Red. . En la película 'Enemigo público', de 1998, Will Smith lucha en vano por escaparse de los agentes que lo persiguen. Ellos, con modernos dispositivos, logran ubicar al protagonista gracias a diminutos aparatos mimetizados en su ropa, que indican su posición exacta en el planeta. Estas escenas ya no son ciencia ficción. Algo similar ahora es posible mediante un celular y la tecnología My Location, incluida en la versión 2.0 del servicio de mapas para teléfonos móviles de Google, Maps, lanzada la semana pasada. My Location da una ubicación aproximada del individuo, al tomar la información de la señal que envía el teléfono a las torres de comunicaciones de los operadores móviles. De inmediato, Google recibe estos datos y los muestra en el mapa. De esta forma, es posible acceder a información adicional que ofrece Google Maps, como datos de restaurantes o supermercados cercanos. De acuerdo con la compañía, el sistema tiene un margen de error de unos 1.000 metros -puede aumentar o disminuir dependiendo de la densidad de torres que exista en el sitio-. No obstante, una prueba realizada por el sitio de noticias Gigaom ( gigaom.com) reportó una exactitud cercana al 97 por ciento. En los teléfonos que incorporan GPS (Sistema de Posicionamiento Global) el margen de error se reduce a un metro. Empresas como MapQuest y TeleNav ofrecen un servicio basado en GPS similar al de Google, y en esa clase de teléfonos móviles My Location funciona con gran precisión. No obstante, según Google, la tecnología GPS solo está incluida en el 15 por ciento de los celulares vendidos en el mundo en el 2007. Algunos operadores de Estados Unidos, como Sprint Nextel, ofrecen servicios similares al de Google. Sin embargo, Google ha roto el esquema de todos sus competidores, pues la aplicación que se instala en el teléfono es gratuita y el servicio no tiene costo mensual. El valor que cobran los demás es de cuatro a diez dólares al mes. My Location funciona en aquellas zonas del mundo donde la versión para móviles de Google Maps está disponible, como Estados Unidos, Europa y ciertas partes de Asia. Así mismo, trabaja en la mayoría de teléfonos desde los que se puede navegar por Internet, entre los que se incluyen los que cuentan con sistemas operativos Symbian, Java y Windows Mobile, así como en los BlackBerry. Abrir artículo en el Web Site. COPYRIGHT © 2007 CASA EDITORIAL EL TIEMPO S.A. Prohibida su reproducción total o parcial, así como su traducción a cualquier idioma sin autorización escrita de su titular. Reproduction in whole or in part, or translation without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Programa Ict4bus de financiación para el desarrollo de negocios IP.

Diciembre 03 de 2007 Colombia Financiarán programas tecnológicos Las instituciones deben presentar solicitudes al Fomin antes del 10 de marzo del 2008. Se espera que las pyme puedan adoptar nuevas tecnologías. El Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones, Fomin, está recibiendo solicitudes para el Programa de Tecnología de la Información y de la Comunicación, destinada al desarrollo de negocios electrónicos y de la pyme, conocido como el programa Ict4bus en América. Igualmente, se inició un llamado para recabar propuestas para la facilidad de transferencia tecnológica, que es parte del mismo programa y cuyo objetivo es lograr que las experiencias piloto exitosas puedan repetirse en otros países de la región. Se han destinado US$10 millones para las actividades del programa, concebido para asistir a organizaciones a diseñar soluciones basadas en TIC y negocios electrónicos en beneficio de las pyme. Se otorgarán US$2 millones en donaciones para la fase actual. Pueden presentar propuestas las instituciones con experiencia en el desarrollo de tecnologías de información para las pyme, asociaciones comerciales, universidades y centros de investigación de América. Los proyectos pilotos deberán beneficiar a las pyme en las áreas de integración de cadenas de valor, productividad laboral y penetración de los mercados. Los proyectos incluyen comercio y negocios electrónicos, gestión del conocimiento y sistemas de distribución y aplicaciones móviles. El programa ayudará a las empresas a tomar conciencia sobre las oportunidades de la nueva economía global. Los servicios y soluciones TIC mejoran la eficiencia de las empresas al ofrecer mejor y más rápida comunicación entre socios comerciales, al integrar las transacciones con funciones logísticas, reduciendo los costos de intermediación, facilitando la búsqueda de nuevos mercados y permitiendo mejores políticas de precios. Abrir artículo en el Browser. COPYRIGHT © 2007 El País Cali Colombia

Sistema de información Web2.0, modalidad ASP.

Noviembre 27, 2007. Sistema de Información con Aplicación Web2.0, con sincronización en línea de base de datos de trabajo. (ETC), y VoIP. Ver más información de los ETC en Wikipedia. Ver la imagen ampliada haciendo click aquí o sobre la imagen. COPYRIGHT © 2007 DePapaya.com Reproduction in whole or in part, without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Equipos para "Combo Básico"

COMBOS BÁSICOS NOVIEMBRE 2007 1- Red WiFi 1.1- 2P WiFi Router WRT54G U$60.oo 2-Red LAN 2.1-Servicio Web Log me in $0 para un PC 3-Cámaras Visualización 3.1-Sin Sonido. 3.2-Con Sonido. WVC54GC WVC200 U$110.oo U$250.oo 4-Telefonía V0IP 4.1-ATA+ Puente WiFi+ Tel. Análogo 4.2-Teléfono SIP+ Puente WiFi 4.3-Móvil WiFi PAP2T WBP54G Teléfono Tonos SPA941 WBP54G WIP330 U$60.oo U$40.oo U$15.oo U$140.oo U$40.oo U$280.oo * Los precios son valores promedios obtenidos con Google Products en tiendas virtuales norteamericanas. COPYRIGHT © 2007 DePapaya.com Prohibida su reproducción total o parcial, así como su traducción a cualquier idioma sin autorización escrita de su titular. Reproduction in whole or in part, or translation without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Relay de señal WiFi para SOHO´s

Nov. 20 , 2007 Wireless-G Range Expander. WRE54G Expand The Range Of Your Wireless Network! The easiest way to expand your wireless network's coverage or extend the signal into hard-to-reach areas Save on wiring costs -- no wired connection to your network necessary Easy installation -- one-touch auto configuration Compatible with both Wireless-G and Wireless-B networking devices

Price Nov. 2007 U$ 87.00

Expand the range of your wireless network! The Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander is the easy way to increase the effective coverage of your wireless network. Unlike adding a traditional access point to your network to expand wireless coverage, the Wireless-G Range Expander does not need to be connected to the network by a data cable. Just put it within range of your main access point or wireless router, and it "bounces" the signals out to remote wireless devices. This "relay station" or "repeater" approach saves wiring costs and helps to build wireless infrastructure by driving signals into even those distant, reflective corners and hard-to-reach areas where wireless coverage is spotty and cabling is impractical. The Range Expander is perfect to help cover large areas in multi-story homes, warehouse environments, public spaces, and wireless "Hot Spots" -- anywhere you need extra coverage for your wireless network. Installation is a snap with the Range Expander's Auto Configuration button. Just plug it in and press the button. The Expander will find your wireless network and configure itself automatically. The Wireless-G Range Expander works with most Wi-Fi certified access points and wireless routers. And it works in both Wireless-G and Wireless-B modes so you'll get the benefits of increased coverage even with a mixed network. So, expand your wireless network's effective coverage the easy way, with the Wireless-G Range Expander.

More Information. Data Sheet pdf Product Image Product Image (high res) User Guide pdf Firmware Set Up Wizard Quick Install pdf Press Release Wireless Performance Installation Abrir página web de Linksys en el Browser.

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Servicio de Truphone.

Noviembre 10 de 2007 Truphone en España ¿Qué es Truphone? Truphone es un servicio con sede en el Reino Unido que le permite efectuar llamadas gratuitas o de bajo coste desde el teléfono móvil que utilizan internet en vez de la red telefónica. Nuestro servicio permite a los teléfonos móviles equipados con tecnología Wi-Fi realizar llamadas íntegramente de voz por IP de forma gratuita o a un coste muy bajo, ya que las llamadas se transmiten por internet en vez de por la red móvil habitual siempre que sea posible. Las llamadas entre números Truphone son siempre gratuitas. Sin cuota mensual, sin costes por recepción de llamadas, sin tarifas por descargas y sin costes ocultos: sólo paga lo que usa. Truphone es perfecto cuando viaja por el extranjero, ya que puede llamar a casa de forma barata, con tarifas de internet cuando el cliente está "en red".

Ahora puede probar Truphone antes de su lanzamiento final en España. Puede acceder al servicio Truphone en España para realizar llamadas desde su número de teléfono móvil gratuitas y a tarifas VoIP con Truphone Out+. A continuación encontrará las instrucciones para acceder a Truphone.

Para acceder a Truphone, necesita un teléfono compatible. Si no tiene un teléfono compatible, visite la tienda Truphone y elija uno de los muchos teléfonos aptos para Truphone. También puede enviar un mensaje a es@truphone.com y nos pondremos en contacto con usted en cuanto su modelo de teléfono sea compatible con Truphone. Su privacidad es importante para nosotros y sólo usaremos sus datos para tal fin. Truphone está trabajando para ofrecer números de teléfono móvil españoles. Mientras tanto, cuando utilice Truphone para efectuar llamadas gratuitas y a tarifas de internet desde el teléfono móvil, su número actual se verá como un "código de identificación del número de llamada entrante" (CLI). Cuando llame a un cliente de Truphone o un cliente de Truphone le llame a su número de teléfono actual, los servidores de Truphone detectarán si ambos están "en red". Si es así, se inicia una llamada gratuita entre clientes de Truphone. Todavía no podemos ofrecer atención al cliente en español. Sin embargo, hemos abierto una sección en español en nuestro foro, donde se puede solicitar ayuda.

Video de Instalación en Inglés.

Cómo solicitar Truphone Instrucciones detalladas en español Truphone funciona con los teléfonos Nokia N95, N80i, E60, E61, E61i, E65, E70 y E90. Truphone es muy fácil de instalar. En la mayoría de pasos, sólo tiene que aceptar o continuar. Envíe un SMS (mensaje de texto) con la palabra "Tru" al número +44 7624 000 000. Automáticamente recibirá un mensaje de respuesta en el que encontrará un enlace que deberá abrir. Elija un método de datos para descargar Truphone. WLAN (Wi-Fi) suele ser el método más rápido y barato. Recibirá un número de teléfono móvil Truphone y una contraseña. Con esa información, podrá entrar en su cuenta de www.truphone.com. También recibirá los datos a través de un SMS. Asegúrese de pulsar cada tecla con un intervalo de dos segundos. Así, el teléfono tiene tiempo suficiente para procesar los comandos. Preste atención al paso siguiente: después de seleccionar Options>Save, elija la opción BACK. (Este paso se mejorará en la próxima versión de Truphone.) ¿Dónde está? Este paso le permite configurar el perfil Truphone de viaje, casa u oficina. Elija un punto de acceso WLAN (Wi-Fi). Tenga en cuenta que, si su punto de acceso tiene algún tipo de seguridad (WEP, por ejemplo), deberá introducir los valores.

Acerca de Truphone Truphone es una empresa británica que se dedica a la telefonía móvil por internet basada en IP (protocolo de internet) y que funciona a través de redes móviles GSM/3G y Wi-Fi/Wi-Max. El servicio Truphone permite a los clientes realizar llamadas gratuitas y baratas porque redirige las llamadas por medio de la tecnología Wi-Fi e internet. El servicio se encuentra en fase de pruebas y ofrece tecnología de voz sobre IP y mensajes SMS sobre IP. Este servicio en pruebas se presentó a mediados de 2006, cuando Truphone se convirtió en la primera empresa en introducir la telefonía por internet pura en el mercado masivo de la telefonía móvil. Información importante Las llamadas de VoIP de Truphone son gratuitas entre teléfonos compatibles con Truphone y que estén "en red" (que cumplan con el protocolo SIP). El uso de puntos de acceso Wi-Fi de terceros puede tener un coste adicional. El uso de Truphone a través de una red 3G puede tener un coste adicional para el proveedor de dicha red. Truphone no sustituye al servicio de teléfono ordinario y no sirve para hacer llamadas de emergencia. No obstante, Truphone no impide hacer llamadas de emergencia a través del operador de telefonía móvil normal con el que tenga registrado el teléfono. Truphone no puede garantizar la legalidad de los servicios de VoIP en todos los territorios y jurisdicciones. Es responsabilidad del usuario verificar que la utilización del programa de VoIP de Truphone esté permitida en el lugar en que vaya a usarse. Truphone es un nombre comercial de Software Cellular Network Limited, una empresa constituida según la legislación de Inglaterra y Gales, y cuya sede social se encuentra en Carmelite, 50 Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars, Londres, EC4Y 0DX. Enlaces útiles Foro de Truphone (sección en español) Oficina de prensa española de Truphone Sitio web de Truphone Shop Truphone is not a replacement for your ordinary telephone service and you cannot make emergency calls using Truphone. However this does not prevent you using your mobile phone for making emergency calls via your Cellular Provider as normal. Please check the legal status of VoIP in the territory where you intend using Truphone before using the service or adding credit to your account.

Ir al WebSite de Truphone-Internacional. © Software Cellular Network Ltd 2006-2007 www.truphone.com Privacy Legal Notice Truphone is a registered trademark and the Truphone logo mark is a trademark of Software Cellular Network Ltd in the UK and other territories

Televisión a la hora y en el lugar que uno quiera.

Personal Technology.

TV Anytime or Place: The Sequel By DAVID POGUE Published: November 1, 2007

Slingbox Solo ($180)

O.K., it's happened: we're officially old. When you sheepishly tell your children that you used to have to watch TV shows by sitting down in a certain place at a certain time — well, you know you're old. First came the TiVo and its ilk, eliminating the bit about sitting down "at a certain time." Then came the Slingbox from Sling Media, which obliterated the need to be "in a certain place." Later, SlingPlayer Mobile software for cellphones even wiped out the part about "sitting down." Of course, the Slingbox isn't nearly as famous as the TiVo; you may not even have heard of it. In that case, saying that the new Slingbox Solo has a lower price ($180) than its predecessors and has built-in jacks for high-definition gear probably won't mean much to you. In that case, a primer is in order. The Slingbox's purpose in life is to transmit whatever is on your TV to your laptop or smartphone (like a Treo or Windows Mobile phone) across the Internet. The point, of course, is to allow people who travel — to another room, another city or another continent — to view all the channels and recordings that they're already paying so much money for at home. It comes in handy when you want to watch TV upstairs, but your fancy high-definition TiVo is downstairs. It's also great when you're in a hotel room, bristling at paying $13 for a movie when your video recorder back home is a veritable Blockbuster. And Slingboxes are also a blessing when you are overseas and longing for the news, or the sports broadcasts, of your hometown. There are a few other ways to perform a similar stunt, but none with the Slingbox's high video quality, super-simple setup and ability to display both recordings and live TV. The new Slingbox Solo is tiny; its trapezoidal shape is meant to evoke the shape of a gold ingot, and it's now about that size, too (9 by 4 by 2 inches). That's about half the size of its predecessor, the Slingbox Pro. (The Pro is still available, however — for $230, plus $50 for an accessory if you want to connect to high-def equipment. The Pro lets you connect up to four video sources — TiVo, satellite box, Apple TV, DVD player and so on — and switch among them by remote control. The Solo, as its name implies, connects to only one. For most people, that's the TiVo, satellite box or cable box.) If you're the kind of person who is terrified by the tangle behind your TV set, the setup is no joyride. For anyone else, though, it's not bad. You plug your video source into the Solo's inputs: component cables (for HDTV gear), S-video or composite cables. If a video source has only one output — a cable box, for example — you'll be grateful that the Solo also has outputs that pass the signal on to your TV. (Another existing model, the Slingbox AV, does not.) In other words, you can wire the Solo in between your cable box and your TV. More Articles in Technology »

Stuart Goldenberg

You must also connect the Slingbox to a broadband Internet connection. For most people, that means connecting the Slingbox to a home router. This may be the stickiest part of the installation, since your router is probably in the basement, closet or office — not next to the TV. And the Slingbox isn't wireless. At this point, you could buy a really long Ethernet cable and thread it through the walls, from Slingbox to router. Sling reports that some people have luck with wireless transmitters, but it recommends its own SlingLink Turbo powerline transmitters ($80 a pair). They use your home's electrical wiring to carry network signals. You just plug one SlingLink into an outlet near the TV, and the other near your router. And presto: network jacks within a foot of where they need to be. Finally, you run the setup software on your Mac or PC. It's supposed to be effortless and automatic, but I wasn't so lucky; the setup software told me that my oddball router wouldn't permit automatic configuration. (It's a Linksys, probably the most popular brand on earth. Some oddball.) Fortunately, the company's Web site (slingmedia.com) offers step-by-step instructions for dozens of router models, mine among them; unfortunately, the illustrations didn't match the hideous configuration screens that I was seeing. Nonetheless, it was enough help to guide me through changing some parameters like IP Address, Port Range Forwarding and Service Management. When it was all over — 20 minutes — I was watching live TV on my laptop over my home's wireless network. On your virtual TV screen, you see a perfect replica of the remote control; Sling has re-created on-screen remotes for over 5,000 pieces of video gear. Every button takes a second or two to respond, but it's still pretty amazing to think that as you sit in Singapore, you're controlling your TiVo in Tulsa. The video quality depends on the network speed at both ends. When you're in your house, connected over your home network, the picture quality is superb: clear, crisp, perfectly smooth (though never quite as good as on the TV itself). Across the Internet, the picture is a good deal softer, more like a VHS recording. It's still eminently watchable; you just don't want to watch special-effects blockbusters this way. For $30, you can even buy a tiny copy of the SlingPlayer software that runs on a growing list of smartphones, including those that run Windows Mobile, PocketPC, the Palm OS (like the Treo and Centro families) and the Symbian OS (many Nokia smartphones). BlackBerry and iPhone versions are in the works. (The iPhone's glorious screen should make a terrific TV — while you're connected in a Wi-Fi hot spot. Unfortunately, the AT&T data network is too slow for a satisfying video transmission when you're beyond a hot spot.) Now, a cellphone's Internet connection generally isn't fast enough to permit the kind of picture quality you would get on a laptop. But even though there aren't nearly as many pixels in the picture, they're shrunken down so tightly on the phone screen that they look sharp anyway. Incidentally, don't think that because the Solo accommodates high-def gear, you get a high-def picture on your laptop or cellphone. You don't. You do, however, get a better picture when watching HDTV broadcasts, especially when you're viewing on your home network (rather than across the Internet). There's really only one prominent drawback of the Solo, and that's that it commandeers the whole TV setup. If you're watching in Wilmington or changing channels from Chattanooga, whoever is at home trying to watch TV will be forced to surrender to your tastes. (The more expensive Pro version lets you split the incoming cable signal so that the homebody at least has an independent choice of basic cable channels.) In that regard, the Solo's name takes on even more relevance; this box is best suited for singletons. Otherwise, though, the Solo does well what the Slingbox has always done well, but now for less money, in less space and with more flexibility. Nor is Slingbox finished with its upgrading binge; in a month, the company says, it will unleash a free software update that lets you pause, rewind and then fast-forward the incoming video transmission, much the way TiVo owners can. It will also let you record short clips and post them to Sling's Web site, legal snarls permitting. So, you can imagine today's young people explaining TV to their offspring. "When I was your age, we needed a box to place-shift our TV...." E-mail: pogue@nytimes.com

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Copyright by the New York Times 2007

Google anuncia plataforma en "open source" para celulares y PDA´s.

By Marguerite Reardon and Elinor Mills Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: November 5, 2007, 8:13 AM PST Last modified: November 5, 2007, 10:40 AM PST Google unveils cell phone open software plattform and alliance Update: Google's cell phone strategy took shape Monday with the announcement of a new open software platform and an alliance of wireless heavyweights that will help form the development community for the planned phones.

Mobile with Google "free" software.

Google has long been rumored to be working on software for cell phones that would integrate its applications. On Friday, CNET News.com reported that Google's plans went beyond simply developing software and instead included a whole consortium of companies working to develop an open platform cell phone application. "Today's announcement is more ambitious than any single 'Google Phone' that the press has been speculating about over the past few weeks," Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in a statement. "Our vision is that the powerful platform we're unveiling will power thousands of different phone models." Google officially unveiled Android, the new mobile phone software, during a press conference Monday morning. Thirty-four companies have said they will join the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance that will work on developing applications on the Android platform. Members of the alliance include mobile handset makers HTC and Motorola, U.S. operator T-Mobile, and chipmaker Qualcomm. The Android platform consists of an operating system, middleware, a user-friendly interface, and applications. Consumers should expect the first phones based on Android to be available in the second half of 2008, Schmidt and others said on the conference call. The Android software stack is expected to provide handset makers and wireless operators an open platform they can use to develop innovative applications. The new software will compete directly with smartphone software from other companies like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Palm, and Research in Motion. Unlike some of these mobile operating systems, Android will not be tied to a specific device. Instead, the software will be able to work on a broad array of devices from handset makers such as Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and LG just to name a few. A 200MHz ARM 9 processor is the minimum requirement for cell phones, said Andy Rubin, Google director of mobile platforms who co-founded the mobile software company called Android that Google acquired in 2005. The platform will be flexible, compatible with small or large screens, keyboards and other input methods, he said.

Now on News.com Google launches its cell phone ambitions MIT offers City Car for the masses Green means go Extra: New dirty tricks--decoy candidate sites

"The user experience is top notch...We will see when the software development kit is available in a week," Rubin said. "Google will be providing some hosted services that make it very easy for third-party developers to distribute their services and content" via a USB or memory card or "over the air." He added that more information about system requirements will be available when the software development kit is released. Asked whether Android will be targeted at smartphones or lower-cost phones, Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said the company was focusing on its 7225 chipset and "using that to drive smartphones into the mass market price points under $200." The idea is that through the developer's alliance, handset makers and cell phone operators will be able to develop more user-friendly services and devices that help bring more of the Internet's functionality onto mobile devices. And because of this open model, the companies involved also hope that by scaling the development, advanced functionality will be able to hit the market for less expensive mobile devices that will have more compelling and rich Internet services with more user-friendly interfaces. "Our participation in the Open Handset Alliance and integration of the Android platform in the second half of 2008 enables us to expand our device portfolio into a new category of connected mobile phones that will change the complexion of the mobile industry and re-create user expectations of the mobile phone experience." Peter Chou, chief executive of HTC, said in a statement. Companies in the alliance plan on releasing an access software development kit next week.

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El precio de la banda ancha en la región

FECHA El precio de la banda ancha en la región Por Marcelo García, AméricaEconomía.com Un estudio realizado por Cisco y la consultora IDC entrega un panorama sobre los valores de conexión a la red que se manejan en América Latina. La conclusión es clara y lógica: falta mucho para acercarse a lo que sucede en mercados desarrollados. °2007IDC 2 Un estudio revela que la tasa de crecimiento mundial de la banda ancha para los próximos años continuará siendo alta y su principal demanda llegará desde el sector residencial. América Latina no es la excepción a esta tendencia aunque registra importantes diferencias respecto a los mercados más desarrollados: precios y velocidades. El último informe "Barómetro Cisco de la Banda Ancha" desarrollado en conjunto con la consultora IDC incluyó por primera vez una comparación de precios entre algunos países de América Latina y el mundo, como también las velocidades de conexión más utilizadas. Chile se destaca en la región tras experimentar un aumento en 166.000 conexiones a la red de alta velocidad durante el primer semestre de 2007, llegando a un total de 1.201.570 enlaces. El alza representa un crecimiento de 33,4% anual, por sobre la tendencia mundial, que se encuentra en torno al 20%. Al respecto, el subsecretario de Telecomunicaciones de Chile, Pablo Bello, indicó que "estoy seguro que podemos llegar a las dos millones de conexiones en 2010". En América Latina, Chile continúa en el primer lugar de penetración, con un 7,9% por cada 100 habitantes, seguido por Argentina con 4% y Brasil con 3%. Sin embargo, la deuda de la región es que los países desarrollados se encuentran muy por encima de estas cifras. Un ejemplo es Corea del Sur, que se ubica a la cabeza con una penetración de 26%, lo que implica que el 65% de los hogares de ese país cuenta con acceso a internet. En comparación con Argentina, Colombia y Perú, el costo promedio de acceso a internet en Chile es alto, incluso considerando un ingreso per cápita mayor que el de Colombia y Perú. Una conexión de 256Kbps-512Kbps en Argentina cuesta US$ 16,19 frente a los US$ 37,01 de Chile. Pero el caso de Argentina es aún más destacado. Cuando la conexión es de 512K a 1M su precio sólo sube a US$ 16,66, registrando un promedio entre las dos velocidades de US$ 16,57. Según Natalia Vega, Telecom Research & Consulting Manager de IDC Latinoamérica, esta escasa variación de precios "responde al nivel de competencia del mercado. No existe una política de gobierno al respecto". Este escenario es muy distinto al resto de los países parte de esta comparación (Chile, Colombia y Perú). Cómo muestra la imagen, los promedios de velocidades en estos países se elevan a US$ 39.95 (Chile), US$ 34,09 (Colombia) y US$ 67,52 (Perú). Por otra parte, el mismo estudio realizado en Brasil revela que la conexión ADSL de 128 kbps alcanza un valor de US$ 26,9 y por cable modem unos US$ 27. Asimismo, indica que la velocidad que con mayor crecimiento en ese país es la superior a 1 Mbps (12,5%), seguida por la de entre 128 Kbps y 256 Kbps (11,5%). Pero existe otro tema que se desprende de los estudios de IDC y se relacionan a la definición que se realiza de banda ancha. En el Barómetro de Cisco se la define como toda conexión permanente que tiene velocidad igual o superior a 128 kbps, tanto de subida como bajada. °2007IDC 2 Y aunque el propio estudio agrega que la mayor parte de las conexiones –al menos en Chile – ronda entre el rango de 256 kbps hasta 512 kbps, se trata de una velocidad muy lejana a lo que ocurre en países desarrollados. Como modo de ejemplo, recientemente en Estados Unidos diversos parlamentarios están planteando que sólo se considere banda ancha a las conexiones superiores a 2 Mbps. Incluso, apuntan a una política que permita aumentar la velocidad promedio para llegar a 100 Mbps el 2015. En la actualidad la velocidad promedio de banda ancha ronda los 4.8 Mbps según el indicador de The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITF), mientras que el organismo Communications Workers of America (CWA) la ubica en 1.9 Mpbps. Pero incluso las diferencias pueden ser más preocupantes. Un estudio de la ITF revela los índices de 30 países pertenecientes a la OCDE. Algunos datos señalan que entre los países líderes en velocidad de banda ancha se encuentra Japón con 61 Mbps y Corea del Sur con 45,6 Mbps. Muy lejos de la realidad latinoamericana. Pero hay más, el valor de 1 Mbps en los países del ranking alcanza los US$ 0,27 en Japón, seguido de Corea y Suecia con US$ 0,45 y US$ 0,63 respectivamente. Según el estudio, en España cuesta US$ 12 y en México sube a US$ 60, siendo el país más caro después de Turquía donde cuesta US$ 115. Entre los 30 países del ranking (realizado en abril 2007), el precio promedio son US$ 16 por megabit y la velocidad promedio son 9 Mbps. Según la ITF, para obtener banda ancha de alta velocidad los legisladores deben decretar incentivos de impuestos para el despliegue de nuevas redes de banda ancha de alta velocidad y regular la definición de internet de alta velocidad. Ante estas diferencias, Natalia Vega, señala que los países de la región "no deben conformarse con estas cifras (…) lo que debe hacer es mirar a naciones desarrolladas y definir cuál es la próxima meta que como país debiera existir". Asimismo, agrega que se debe trabajar en aspectos que logren hacer que la demanda se incremente, "para lograr una penetración mayor", precisa Vega. Cómo conclusión, se puede señalar que la brecha digital entre América Latina y los países desarrollados sigue creciendo y las diferencias parecen cada vez más lejanas. Para mejorar es indispensable que se realice un trabajo conjunto entre sector público y privado, con incentivos que beneficien tanto a la oferta como a la demanda. De lo contrario, América Latina seguirá considerando velocidades de 128 kbps como banda ancha, con precios que no justifican la calidad del servicio. Abrir artículo en el Browser. © AméricaEconomía 2001-2007 - Todos los derechos reservados Este material no puede ser publicado, reescrito, redistribuido y/o reenviado sin la previa autorización de AméricaEconomía.

Aló India ?, necesito ayuda con mis matemáticas.

WORLD BUSINESS

Hello, India? I Need Help With My Math By STEVE LOHR Published: October 31, 2007

Namas Bhojani for The New York Times Ramya Tadikonda works for TutorVista and tutors students online from her home in Chennai, India.

Adrianne Yamaki, a 32-year-old management consultant in New York, travels constantly and logs 80-hour workweeks. So to eke out more time for herself, she routinely farms out the administrative chores of her life — making travel arrangements, hair appointments and restaurant reservations and buying theater tickets — to a personal assistant service, in India. Kenneth Tham, a high school sophomore in Arcadia, Calif., strives to improve his grades and scores on standardized tests. Most afternoons, he is tutored remotely by an instructor speaking to him on a voice-over-Internet headset while he sits at his personal computer going over lessons on the screen. The tutor is in India. The Bangalore butler is the latest development in offshore outsourcing. The first wave of slicing up services work and sending it abroad has been all about business operations. Computer programming, call centers, product design and back-office jobs like accounting and billing have to some degree migrated abroad, mainly to India. The Internet, of course, makes it possible, while lower wages in developing nations make outsourcing attractive to corporate America. The second wave, according to some entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and offshoring veterans, will be the globalization of consumer services. People like Ms. Yamaki and Mr. Tham, they predict, are the early customers in a market that will one day include millions of households in the United States and other nations. They foresee an array of potential services beyond tutoring and personal assistance like health and nutrition coaching, personal tax and legal advice, help with hobbies and cooking, learning new languages and skills and more. Such services, they say, will be offered for affordable monthly fees or piecework rates. "Consumer services delivered globally should be a huge market," observed K. P. Balaraj, a managing director of the Indian arm of Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. But globalization of consumer services faces daunting challenges, both economic and cultural. Offshore outsourcing for big business thrived partly because the jobs were often multimillion-dollar contracts and the work was repetitive. In economic terms, there were economies of scale so that the most efficient Indian offshore specialists could become multibillion-dollar companies like Infosys Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services and Wipro Technologies.

Click to Web Page Management Consultancy offered by Tata Consultancy Services.

It is not all clear that similar economies of scale can be achieved in the consumer market, where the customers are individual households and services must be priced in tens or hundreds of dollars. Then there are the matters of language, accent and cultural nuance that promise to hamper the communication and understanding needed to deliver personal services. Already, some American consumers voice frustrations in dealing with customer-service call centers in India. At the least, the spread of remotely delivered personal services will be a real test of globalization at the grass-roots level. Even optimists acknowledge the obstacles. In a report this year, Evalueserve, a research firm, predicted that "person-to-person offshoring," both consumer services and services for small businesses, would grow rapidly, to more than $2 billion by 2015. Yet consumer services, in particular, are in a "nascent phase," said Alok Aggarwal, chairman of Evalueserve and a former I.B.M. researcher. "It's promising, but it's not clear yet that you can build sizable companies in this market." Veterans of the business offshoring boom predict an emerging market, but most are not investing. Nandan M. Nilekani, co-chairman of Infosys, said there is "definitely an opportunity in the globalization of consumer services," and he listed several possibilities, even psychological counseling and religious confessionals. But, he added in an e-mail message, "This is just 'blue sky' thinking! We have no business interest at this point in this direction." What the offshore consumer services industry needs, it seems, is a solid success story in some promising market

Marissa Roth for The New York Times TutorVista has 600 tutors in India and 10,000 subscribers in the United States, including Kenneth Tham in Arcadia, Calif.

A leading candidate to watch, according to analysts, is TutorVista, a tutoring service founded two years ago by Krishnan Ganesh, a 45-year-old Indian entrepreneur and a pioneer of offshore call centers. Concerns about the quality of K-12 education in America and the increased emphasis on standardized tests is driving the tutoring business in general. Traditional classroom tutoring services like Kaplan and Sylvan are doing well and offer online features. And there are other remote services like Growing Stars, Tutor.com and SmarThinking. Yet TutorVista, analysts say, is different in a number of ways. Other remote tutoring services generally offer hourly rates of $20 to $30 instead of the $40 to $60 hourly charges typical of on-site tutoring. By contrast, TutorVista takes an all-you-can-eat approach to instruction. Its standard offering is $99 a month for as many 45-minute tutoring sessions as a student arranges. TutorVista also stands out for its well-known venture backers, its scale and its ambition. The two-year-old company has raised more than $15 million from investors including Sequoia, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Silicon Valley Bank. TutorVista employs 760 people, including 600 tutors in India, a teaching staff it plans to double by year-end. Its 52-person technical staff has spent countless hours building the software system to schedule, monitor and connect potentially tens of thousands of tutors with students oceans away. "Our vision is to be part of the monthly budget of one million families," Mr. Ganesh said. It is a long-term goal. To date, TutorVista has signed up 10,000 subscribers in the United States, and its British service, rolled out in September, has 1,000. Further gains will depend on winning over more customers like the Tham family in California. Since he was in elementary school, Kenneth has had stints of conventional tutoring, often in classroom settings with up to 10 other students. At times, this cost the family up to $500 a month. Last year, Ernest Tham, a truck driver, noticed a reference to TutorVista on a Web site and suggested his son give it a try. "Kenneth was apprehensive at first, and I wasn't sure how it would work," Mr. Tham said. "But, shocking to say, it's gone very well." Kenneth said he initially found it "very unusual, not seeing another person. You get used to it, though. It's not a problem." He schedules one or two sessions nearly every day, mainly for English and chemistry. With a digital pen and palette, he writes sentences and grammar exercises, for example, and his work appears on his computer screen and on the screen of his tutor. They discuss the lessons using Internet-telephone headsets. "You can also get help with homework problems," Kenneth said, "but they're not supposed to do all your homework for you." In a year with the TutorVista service, Kenneth has improved both his grades and standardized test scores, his father said. Ramya Tadikonda has tutored Kenneth Tham, among many others, from her home in Chennai, India. To achieve its ambitions, TutorVista must recruit, train and retain thousands of tutors like her. Ms. Tadikonda, 26, is a college graduate who had previously worked as a software and curriculum developer for a math Web site for students, but left to raise her children. Earlier this year, she joined TutorVista, took the company's 60-hour training course, followed by tests and practice sessions for two months. She now works about 24 hours a week as a math and English tutor and makes about $200 a month. Ms. Tadikonda says she enjoys tutoring and the flexible hours. "You can have a career and still spend time with your family," she said. "I never thought I could do that." The timing is right for global tutoring, according to John J. Stuppy, TutorVista's president and a former executive at Sylvan Learning, the Educational Testing Service and The Princeton Review. Improved Internet technology and the ability to tap of vast pool of educated instructors at low cost are crucial ingredients. "It becomes possible to make high-quality, one-on-one tutoring affordable and accessible to the masses," said Mr. Stuppy, who joined TutorVista last year. Steve Ludmer, 28, and his partner Avinash G. Samudrala, 27, are betting the time is right for another kind of global consumer service. They left lucrative jobs in management consulting and private equity to start a remote personal assistant service, called Ask Sunday, which began in July. The company is based in New York, but its work force is mostly in India. It is one of a handful of startups trying to create a business in offshore personal assistant service. Some, like GetFriday, charge hourly rates of $15 or so, but Ask Sunday has a per-request model, $29 a month for 30 requests a month or $49 for 50. The requests can be unusual. A few subscribers had Ask Sunday search online dating services for short lists of people who meet their criteria. But the requests are mainly to help busy people like Ms. Yamaki, the New York management consultant, free up time and outsource hassles. During a late meeting at the office recently, Ms. Yamaki said, she sent a one-line e-mail message from her laptop that told Ask Sunday to order her usual meals from her favorite Manhattan restaurant, for delivery at 9:30 p.m. When the meeting ended, her take-out food was waiting. To handle such personal chores, Ms. Yamaki has handed Ask Sunday a wealth of personal information, including credit card numbers, birth dates of family and friends and phone numbers for doctors, car services, favorite restaurants and others. She finds the convenience well worth it. "The service is great in a pinch to make your life a little smoother," Ms. Yamaki said. "And it's available 24 hours a day, which is more than you can expect from a personal assistant at work."

Copyright by the New York Times 2007