Science & Technology

India’s 21st Century Challenge: Scientific Education

Economists agree that a country with a knowledge-based economy will take global leadership in the future. However, will India participate in the global competition and be a serious contender?

By Kathan Shukla

Jun. 17 – The Indian economy, amid a global slowdown, is likely to grow by about 6% in 2013-14. However, if India wants to become a developed nation, it has to pursue scientific research.

Take the iPod for example, a product developed by Apple, an American company, but manufactured in China. The manufacturer in China receives about $4 out of the sales price of $299. The other $295 goes to component suppliers and product developers in the United States.

The country that holds patent-rights and develops global brands benefits most. If India wants to become a developed nation and compete with China and the United States, it must develop global brands. The first step in this direction is scientific research. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture & History, Science & Technology | Tagged India Education, Science | Leave a comment

Expanding Asia: The Growth of Mobile Internet in Asia

Mar. 14 – As Internet use in Asia continues to develop thanks to Asia’s seemingly infinitely growing Internet penetration rates and a consistently growing number of web users, methods to go online have evolved from the usual desktop experience into something much more, literally, mobile.

Because of Asia’s broadband infrastructure, accessing the Internet has proven to be somewhat of a chore for people located in more remote or underdeveloped Asian cities and countries. However, thanks to the advent of mobile smartphones and their corresponding popularity and high usage throughout Asia, mobile Internet has emerged as increasingly accessible throughout the region. Continue reading →

Posted in Science & Technology | Tagged Asia, Internet, Mobile | Leave a comment

Privatizing Near-Earth

Op-ed Commentary: Dr. David A. Owen

Feb. 19 – When is it necessary to privatize? While there is no single correct answer to this question, it is a question that China and other states grapple with almost daily.

In no industry is privatization more important than in space exploration. More specifically, mining of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEA) is projected to result in significant profit margins.

Peter Diamandis and Eric Anderson, the founders of Planetary Resources, a private enterprise focused on commercial mining on NEAs, estimate that not only would a single mining expedition to a NEA be valued in the trillions of dollars, but will also fundamentally change the global economy as we know it! This effectively increases Earth’s GDP exponentially and potentially creates a new class of wealth: the trillionaire club.

Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Featured, Science & Technology | Tagged China, Near-earth Asteroids, Privatization, Space | 1 Comment

Members of the Global and Indian Community to Celebrate Rolex Awards for Enterprise

Nov. 23 – Five pioneering individuals who are winners of this year’s Rolex Awards for Enterprise will be honoured at a prestigious event to be held in New Delhi on 27 November 2012. This marks the first time that luxury watchmaker Rolex has held the ceremony for the international philanthropic programme in India.

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise were created to foster a spirit of enterprise and advance human knowledge and well-being. Continue reading →

Posted in Culture & History, Science & Technology | Tagged Enterprise, Event, Rolex | Leave a comment

China’s Lenovo Surpasses HP as Largest Global PC Maker

By Daniel Fleishman

Oct. 12 – The days of American dominance over the PC market seem to be coming to a close. According to the research firm Gartner, Lenovo captured a market share of 15.7 percent in the third quarter of 2012, topping HP’s 15.5 percent, ousting the PC giant from the leading position it held for the past six years. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Featured, Science & Technology, Technology | Leave a comment

On the Fast-Track: Technology Transfer in China

Over the past four years, China has switched from being an importer of high-speed trains to the world’s largest manufacturer. Much of this can be attributed to the transfer of foreign technology to Chinese state-owned enterprises. How have Chinese government policies and economic heft aided this effort?

By Spike Nowak

Sept. 3 – Traveling at 300 kilometers per hour, a passenger on China’s domestically-manufactured high-speed trains can go from Beijing to Shanghai, approximately the same distance as Delhi to Mumbai, in less than five hours. Four years ago, the same trip on an older Chinese-manufactured train would have taken more than 12 hours.

China has now become one of the largest manufacturers of high-speed trains in the world. How has it achieved this in such a short time? The same question could be asked of windmills, automobiles, computers, software, and various other products manufactured in China.

Technology transfer – a process by which technology, knowledge, skills and manufacturing methodologies are transferred from one country to another – has made all this possible. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Industry Reports, Science & Technology, Technology | Tagged China, China Technology | Leave a comment

Chinese Hackers Reportedly Breach Indian Naval Computers

Jul. 3 – Hackers have broken into Indian naval computers in Visakhapatnam, where India’s Eastern Naval Command is headquartered, and have relayed confidential data to IP addresses based in China. The Eastern Naval Command is in charge of Indian operations and deployments in the South China Sea, a region in which China currently has numerous territorial disputes. The Command’s Visakhapatnam location is also the current base for India’s first nuclear missile submarine, which was undergoing trials at the time of the cyber-attack. Continue reading →

Posted in Featured, Science & Technology, Technology | Tagged China Hackers, Cyber Espionage, Eastern Naval Command | 4 Comments

For India and China business news and commentary, visit 2point6billion.com. Written by the business experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, 2point6billion reports on the most important stories from throughout south east Asia.