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Play it again, Simputer
There is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Simputer.
Vinutha V says that Encore Software's flagship product has found commercial
acceptance
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We see a huge demand for Encore Simputers from corporates
who want to use it for sales force automation, e-governance projects that
want to maintain records and in micro-banking to manage transactions, says
Mark Mathias |
Encore Software, creator of the Simputer, kicked off operations in 1990. During
its initial years, the company was focusing on executing R&D projects on
a contractual basis. Later with the development of DSP technology, it started
licensing its technology to telecommunication, semiconductor and electronic
equipment manufacturers such as Lucent, Dialogic, Mitsubishi, Infineon, Oki
and ZiLOG. In the recent past, with its entry into advanced computing products,
Encore is bullish about the commercialisation of computing products, particularly
its mobile computing devices, the Simputer product range.
A multi-lingual computer in your pocket
The Encore Simputer is a low-cost pocket computer and portable device that supports
multiple applications and it can be customised for varying requirements. Its
multilingual text and speech output facilities have made it an essential tool
in e-governance projects for keeping land records, data collection and rapidly
disseminating information. Using wireless Internet access, it is ready to tackle
micro-banking by aiding village self-help groups in recording transactions.
In billing, Encore Simputers have been used for electric and municipal services.
Going by their success, Encore is coming up with multiple versions of the Simputer
with features such as wireless GSM or GPRS connectivity. The company expects
to revolutionise the logistics market. The high-end versions can be used for
surveying, while the entry-level variants are suitable for navigation. Targeting
the fleet management and logistics market, these Simputers would be convenient
for both manufacturers and fleet personnel.
"We expect to market these mobile computing devices in the domestic market
and in neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
In fact, we have been getting a lot of enquiries from the US, Europe and South
America," says Vinay L. Deshpande, chairman and chief executive officer
of Encore Software. The company expects to sell 25,000 units in India and another
25,000 units in the overseas market. Encore is outsourcing the manufacturing
of the Simputer to TVS Electronics.
Mark Mathias, president, Encore Software says, " We see a huge demand for
Encore Simputers from corporates who want to use it for sales force automation,
e-governance projects that want to maintain records and in micro-banking to
manage transactions." Encore is planning to introduce Lithium Ion and Lithium
Polymer batteries that will boost battery life and reduce the handheld's weight.
Focus on government projects
 State governments
in India are becoming tech-savvy. Encore has been involved in e-government projects
in a big way. In Karnataka, the company took part in Bhoomi, a project to maintain
land records. The governments of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh have
asked Encore to implement their e-governance projects. In October this year,
the company will assist Madhya Pradesh in the maintenance of land records. Gujarat
will utilise the Simputer in the Mandi project, wherein auctioneers and bidders
will use handhelds integrated with wireless LAN CF (Compact Flash) cards to
connect to a WLAN for placing online bids. Encore is in discussions with the
Tamil Nadu state government to use the Simputer for electricity and water billing.
Managing traffic
When the Garden City is inundated with IT companies, why shouldn't traffic cops
use IT to monitor traffic violations? Encore has offered the Bangalore City
Police, a solution to address traffic violations called the 'Spot Fine Ticketing
System' which is an automated paperless spot fining system. The hardware used
in this system comprises Simputers, PCs installed at zonal office, thermal printers
and rechargeable batteries. Once a traffic policeman enters the details of a
traffic violation and the driver's details, verification is done with the RTO
database and a notice is generated on the spot. These notices are tamper-proof
and non-negotiable. Meanwhile, the entire data from the Simputer including traffic
violation and driver details, as well as notices are uploaded to the zonal PCs.
The traffic official plugs the device into the zonal PC communication link (server)
for this.
A major breakthrough in this system is the improved security of data. The zonal
PCs are accessible at multiple levels, users use passwords or optional fingerprint
identification. It has no public gateways. The network is point to point with
high level encryption and generates reports to indicate dubious transactions.
Data collection requires minimum user action and training. The database is being
created with the help of OCR (Optical Character Recognition). The backing up
of monthly data will be taken onto permanent optical media and consolidated
reports catalogued using CD-Rs. "The system which was implemented two months
back, uses 30 Simputers across the city. In the next six to eight months, 250
to 300 Simputers will be used in Bangalore alone. We have got enquiries from
other states too," says Mathias.
Bhutan e-post
In an effort to make technology available to people in remote areas and demonstrate
the suitability of handheld devices in meeting the communication needs of rural
folk, Encore has committed to run a pilot project called 'e-post' in Bhutan.
Along with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Universal Postal
Union (UPU), Encore has been running e-post and other development services such
as public services through post offices. ITU and UPU are in the process of implementing
projects providing e-post and other development services in different parts
of the world. The projects will be monitored and evaluated and lessons learned
will be disseminated widely. Through e-post, anyone with access to the Net can
send messages to a post office to be delivered as local post. In one case this
will bring down the time taken from 28 days to two days. This project will cover
38 post offices - 8 of which are located at an altitude of 3,000 meters. The
entire activity entails VSAT connectivity, with the required power coming from
solar panels.
"We think that integrating Simputers into the project is one way of addressing
the issue of literacy, computer literacy and affordability," adds Deshpande.
The e-post project in Bhutan will have three phases over three years. The first
year consists of training postal officials, and a sensitisation and outreach
programme. During the same period, the facilities are expected to be a resource
for the local agricultural, health and veterinary workers and schoolteachers.
In the second year there will be expansion as well as introduction of e-post
on a more robust basis with specialised software. In the third year, the project
seeks to make most of the fact that post offices have a communicative presence
in people's lives. "We have tried to ensure that the post office will become
a resource for the local agricultural, health and veterinary workers. For example,
Bhutan's Department of Agriculture has a major programme to bridge the gap between
agricultural research and extension workers. The extension workers will use
the facilities available at post offices to access information available with
the central and regional research centres. In other words, the agriculture department
will be a major corporate customer for Bhutan Post," adds Deshpande. The
initiative presently awaits funding from the ministry of external affairs.
"Focusing on the commercial growth of the company, we plan to come up with
Internet and Internet-enabled consumer appliances in the future. In DSP-based
technology, we aim to introduce wireless networking, application protocols and
Internet telephony. We are also coming up with mobile computing platforms with
wireless technology to offer applications which are otherwise not possible on
Simputers," says Mathias.
| The new versions of the Encore Simputer
will sport: |
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| Processor |
Intel StrongARM |
| Wireless Connectivity |
GSM or GPRS |
| Flash Memory |
128 MB |
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