HTC Hero: The Android Phone get a makeover with HTC Sense

This is the new HTC Hero, the Android powered phone beautifully skinned by using HTC’s proprietary and unique UI, named HTC Sense. Previously, this version of the UI was also called Rosie, and has actually upgraded the look and feel completely for Android. And here’s the best part, it adds the multi-touch feature previously not available in Android releases. Yes, it includes the zoom in and out by the pinch.

Here are the specifications, as available from the HTC:

Motivation

Though I don’t believe that I am a speaker, I prefer to remain positive and make others think positively too. Unfortunately, given the current financial situation worldwide, most people have had  to go through a rough patch, so many losing their jobs owing to crunches, and the need to cut down costs drastically.

Honestly speaking, I’m one of those who thought I’d never get affected by it, but did. So one lesson learnt, don’t expect too much, but don’t expect too little either. I’ve been working since 1996, starting off with minor administrative work at my high school. Thankfully I was gifted with a good writing skill, and that just made it all happen. Moving on, I also got a job in direct sales, and the main reason was that I wanted to be able to verbally communicate as effectively as I write. And so far, its been a life changing situation for me, from one organization to the other over the past 10 years. At each place though, I’ve gained more insight into the business, and came out successful (in my honest opinion) in delivering what I could best, given the limitations within the organizational structure and management style.

More recently though, I’ve automatically jumped into the motivational mode, involuntarily. Some of my friends whom I’ve talked to suggest I take this up more professionally. The only thing is, the way I talk is informal, and usually relates to the person I’m talking to, and not a typical presentation approach as it would be in front of the crowd. And I’ll tell you this, I’m not much of a presenter either, rather I just speak my mind.

The same goes for teaching. I can’t teach, yet I can thankfully mentor. Its different, the latter being informal and direct, rather than in a crowd situation. And by and large, I’ve felt that most people don’t open up unless they really have an issue which is more or less common with so many others. This is my observation at any training event I’ve attended so far. Only those who have gone through similar public speaking sessions manage to speak up a bit, the rest are silent.

Last night I involuntarily suggested to one of my former colleagues on what she should be doing while searching for a job. The same thing I guess I’ve done for a few other of my former colleagues, who have been either unemlployed for some time, or have been dissatisfied with their current employment. Either way, motivation works for everyone, and that usually does the trick for everyone. My status for today is:

Mohammad Nawaz believes there is so much more than a person can do than just do his own job… contributions make people great, not just fulfilling the JD.

I strongly believe in value addition, which is actually the main reason why anyone would even go for a brand for that matter. The same applies to human resources, each of us having unique capabilities and things we’ve done while experiencing our finest skills. Thus I suggest that while preparing your CV, you need to list the contributions, which should be a reflection of your job description, and more. We, by default, contribute to the places we work.

The CV thus becomes a marketing pitch, pitching a USP, and potentially getting a job. Thankfully, a few of my friends have finally got a job after being unemployed for over 6 months. I am really happy for them and I really hope that I can help many others who could get some respite from experience.

All of this is part of motivation, which comes from experience in similar or varying situations. Everything adds… and I’m more than happy to add value for anyone.

Happenings

Ok, so lately not much has been happening, yet has been as well. Unfortunately, many a times I feel I shouldn’t tell, as it raises questions, which I like answering too, but not all the time. Nevertheless, I prefer to keep some things under the cover, till they are real enough to be disclosed. Hence some projects that I’m working on, which I keep working on silently, and I’m hoping that it does come to reality soon.

I’m kind of tired of waiting for things to happen. I’m the kind of person who prefers to keep myself active, and boredom makes me feel out of shape. Laziness is no good for me… the more the activity, I can even forget to sleep, which I don’t mind at all, yet when I do sleep, even a couple of hours is sufficient for me.

So just hoping to see things better …

Business Acceleration Program 2009, Karachi

Recently the Business Acceleration Program 2009 was held at the FAST City Campus, organized by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Pakistan. Dr Zaheer Syed, who is the Co-Chairman of the organization, presented the program, and Mr Azhar Rizvi was called on later during the Q&A session.

In the end, we had a chance to gather some views from those present at the event, and capture them on video. The video is part of an initiative to start gathering as much visual content available to promote all the positive elements of Pakistan.

Syed Talha Izhar introduces the event and talks about the online TV channel that will soon be launched to promote Pakistan.

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Tum Ho To (from the movie Rock On)

I finally got to see the movie Rock On. I must say, its one of those that I feel has been produced as a personal attachment. And thanks to Beenish for recommending, or probably would have missed it completely. Here it goes…

Tum ho toh, gata hai dil
Tum nahin, toh geet kahan
Tum ho toh, hai sab hasil
Tum nahin, toh kya hai yahan
Tum ho toh hai, sapno ke jaisa hasin
Ek samaa
Jo tum ho toh, yeh lagtha hai
Ke mil gayi har khushi
Jo tum na ho, yeh lagtha hai
Ke har khushi mein hai kami
Tumko hai mangthi
Yeh zindagii….
Huuuuu……

Oh ho oh ho oh ho ho ho ohh……
Oh ho oh ho oh ho ho ho ohh……
Oh ho oh ho oh ho ho ho ohh……
Tum ho toh, rahein bhi hai (rahein bhi hai)
Tum nahin, (tum nahin) toh rastein kahan
(Ohh hooo..)
Tum ho toh, (tum ho toh) yahan sab bhi hai
Tum nahin, toh kaun yahan (kaun yahan)
Tum ho toh hai, har ek pal meharban
Yeh jahan
Jo tum ho tho, hawa mein bhi
Mohabaton ka raang hai
Jo tum na ho, toh phir koi
Na josh na umang hai
Tum mile toh mili
Yeh zindagii…iii….

Oh ho oh ho oh ho ho ho ohh……
Oh ho oh ho oh ho ho ho ohh……

Don’t forget!

This is WRONG! It doesn’t make any sense to me why do we have to undergo so much stress each day of our lives. Why are we so self-centered and utterly selfish, that we are so full of ourselves and we completely ignore what we need to do in this day and age to strengthen our foothold for a stronger and better future… The future of our generations to come.

We forget that whatever we do today, or whatever seed we sow, tomorrow, it’ll not be us who will reap it, but those whom we want to be the future leaders. Yes, so if you think your kid can and should become a leader, give him something that s/he and others can remember you in good terms, rather than saying “a thief’s child is nothing short of what his parent was”. What are you giving them, to the future that is currently innocent, and who will have to face the brunt of this world when s/he grows up and stands on his/her feet? Is this so difficult for you to understand?

You know who I’m talking about, so there is no room for misunderstanding or denial. Wake up already from your personalized heavenly dream. It won’t work… you need to do something now. Don’t forget, you don’t want your children to be tortured or forgotten the rest of their lives because of what you did to all those people who expected you to do good for them. Surely, you are ruining everything for them, and in return, you’ll be receiving the worst form of punishment, not only in this world, but in the hereafter.

Rapping to Social Media

Brand Empowerment

Any new business starting off must focus on creating and maintaining the brand name. The aim should be to create a favourable image of the company and its product, by getting it across to the customers in the most appropriate manner, and able to distinguish it as a distinct identity from competing products and services.

The message that you are trying to give to your customers also has an impact on your brand. Each word used in promotional literature, advertisement or even conversation must be strategically positioned. Many companies require sales personnel to stick to a script, which covers all possible questions that customers may ask or enquire. The message should be constructed keeping in mind the relationship the company wishes to build with its customers. It should contain the elements that clearly make the brand stand out against its competition.

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Recipe for a Business Plan

Research at various stages of the business process has proved that a well-addressed business plan is a vital component for the stability of a business. Surveys show that around 40% of world businesses started off with a proper plan in writing, covering every possible detail that could be included, of which around 60% strongly stuck to their plan to every letter. Almost 70% of these businesses owe their success mainly to their planning, which paid off quite well in the long term.

Many small businesses face hardships during start ups as drafting a business plan to suit the requirements of financiers. Although the purpose of a business plan is designed to help the management identify the path of progress, it is increasingly beneficial to produce one that is truly acceptable to outsiders too. It has been proven that companies starting off and adhering to a business plan manage to make around 50% more revenue and profit growth than companies that have not used a plan.

What is it?

In its truest definition, it is a plan to assist a business move in the direction that it was initiated to do so without deviating too much. The designed plan should also act as a yardstick for performance over the years, and to have a catching net ready to prevent swaying movements. Technically, it is a road map, a pathway which tries to ensure a safe journey in the process of learning and adjusting to prevailing conditions in the market.

Who needs it?

Generally, our first priority if not anything else is to please the investors, who may be participating as equity or debt holders or suppliers of goods for trade. They need a clear cut plan outlining the company’s proposal, expected financial performance for the first quarter – if not more, and a schedule of repayment where debt is involved.

You business plan should be adaptable, it should start off with 2 or 3 pages of explanation and as much detail as you would like to add regarding particular elements that you would like yourself, your partners and your financiers to pay attention to. As you progress, you should work up your business plan and make it more comprehensive, addressing each and every element possible situation as possible.

The Outline

• Title page. The title page should contain the company details, such as the business name, address, phone number and the name of the owner or owners.

• Table of contents. This should identify the location of each piece of information in the business plan. Should also contain links to appendices that may be attached to the plan by their names.

• Business Concept or Summary. It should contain a clear description of your business initiative and a study of the market on your personal basis, and of course how would your entry in the market make a difference. Your “argument” in favour of your business should incorporate details of your marketing and distribution method, administrative and managerial policy, and your view on the competitive environment.

• Marketing plan. A descriptive account of how the business would carry out the marketing campaign for its products and/or services, and what are its expectations of the outcome based on the study conducted prior to preparation of the report. The plan should define the target market, the demography of the market and the potential competition that you would be facing and your method of combat. The study should also include your strategy for location and pricing of your goods.

• Tactical and Operational plans. You should identify the members of the management team, their background and track record to date, their qualification, skill and competence, and preferably what made you select them. Here you should also state the legal form of the business – sole proprietorship, partnership, public limited company or private limited company – which the owners are looking forward to obtaining. Other issues are employee relations and how the business intends to control its operational activities.

• Financial Planning. A description of how your business will be financed and how you intend to maintain an acceptable level of financial condition. This would generally include an analysis of the current funding requirement – start up capital and what kind of assets are they willing to pledge as collateral. You will most certainly require a set of budgeted financial statements for at least the first year of operation and preferable for a period of three years. Additionally, you will be required to present you short-term and long-term financial strategy for the period of investment, with focus on the repayment schedule.

• Strategic Plan. It is imperative to include a description of how you see your vision reaching its peak, a few years beyond that and how you are to tackle a possible point of decline in order to ensure survival in the long run. This should also focus on the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats that your business is about to face, and the strategies that are in place to reduce the risks of the business.

Much of the worries end here, a business plan crafted with perfection to survive any scrutiny by investors. Although nothing can be said with a hard and fast rule about investors, after all they are humans, and they generally have a handful of experience to back their decisions and views on your business prospects. Since many of the investors that you may be able to get along with in the beginning are usually small venture capitalists and some lending financial institutions, it is nevertheless important to understand that the bargain isn’t easy and it comes at a price that is comparatively higher than what is available to established businesses, or those having well designed plans.

Happy Planning!

Validate yourself