Annotation
Annotation
All the huge
spring exhibitions are over at last. This is a time for summer vacations. Can a
businessman of a small or medium company afford a vacation? Business
philosophers suggest that life of small and medium companies looks very much
like the fight of gladiators. It also means that if one wants to survive one
has to gladiatorise the business rules
and business environment. Are you ready to do it or would you rather enjoy the
hot and inviting summertime?
In
this issue:
·
Microsoft
in Baltics - closer to the customer
(pages 30-31)
Microsoft
office in Riga was opened three years ago and it increased the volume of sales dramatically -
for 100 percent. Quite recently a new Baltic regional manager was appointed.
Torben Andersen has moved to Riga together with his family, and so he is closer
to the customers and can understand their needs and problems much better. He
believes that Microsoft strategy - to
be closer to a customer - is very efficient. One of the first products Torben
Andersen launched in Latvia was the localised version of Windows XP. He supposes that localised software has very good
future prospects not only because it makes computer speak in the same language as the user does but also because even
for members of EU localised versions could be cheaper than the English ones. In
Denmark localised software is successfully used by 90 % of the users for about
10 years.
The new open
subscription licence is a good opportunity to use all the Microsoft software (and receive the upgraded versions) for lower prices, paying only one USD per day for a computer. It is especially
convenient for the companies having at least ten computers.
·
Internet
development trends in Latvia
(pages
32-33)
According to
the data of Harvard University Latvia was the fastest growing (out of the 64
investigated states) Internet user
during last year. In 2001 the number of Internet users has grown for 63 %, and
there are 210 000 regular Internet users in Latvia, i.e. 16 % of economically
active inhabitants.
The revenue
from Internet service providing during the last year was more than 6.54 million
lats. The biggest part (79%) of the income is generated by on-line Internet
services, 13 % - by dial-up and 8 % - by value-added services. Also the
position of e-commerce in Latvia becomes more and more stable and its market
share is slowly but steadily growing.
The fast
Internet development in Latvia is one of the reasons why the international Internet Days are organised in Riga for
the second year. During the conference
the winners of the homepage competition Golden
Spider were awarded. It was initiated last year by the Latvian Internet
Association and has turned out to be extremely popular - the winners were
awarded in 12 nominations.
·
Computer
- my virtual eyesight (pages 44-45)
A special
software and hardware for blind people and for those with a weak eyesight is
well known in the world. However there was no bases and possibility for its
usage in Latvia until the
Rehabilitation Centre of Latvian Blind and Disabled Persons was founded thanks
to the donation of the Foundation of the Queen Juliana (the Netherlands). A
special computer training project for blind and disabled people was started. As
it was told by the teachers of Rehabilitation Centre there are about 60 trained
people in Latvia now. The disabled persons can now freely use Windows, prepare Word an Excel documents,
insert pictures, use floppy discs and print texts as well as use e-mail
programmes and Internet.
Training for
people with a weak eyesight differs from that of blind persons but there are
special programs for both of these groups. People with a weak eyesight may
use traditional PC with a bigger
display as well as special programmes ZOOMtext
Extra and Magic that allow to
enlarge any screen element for 16 times. By means of a special telemagnifying
glass it is even possible to enlarge a text fifty times. Using WinTalker Voice software all the commands and activated screen
elements are named by a synthetic voice. For training of blind people a screen
reading software JAWS is used. There are special printers for braille.
The aim of
the training is to integrate blind people in Latvian society. The only problem
- all the special software and specially designed hardware are extremely
expensive. The Rehabilitation Centre would be grateful for any help.
·
A
new Internet content
(page
58-59)
During the
exhibition Baltic IT&T a new
service for on-line Internet home users was offered by Lattelekom - the so-called Service
Selection Window. It gives the users of Mājas
DSL an opportunity to choose not only a traditional Internet content but
also a specially tailored one. It means that all the possible content providers
like portals, vortals, mass media, audio, video, computer game companies and
others are welcome to prepare special content packets for home users so that they could choose the most suitable
information or game. At the present moment there is just one special content
provider - Apollo that has prepared a
special content packet Home Portal including
games, video clips, movies.
Together with
the new content Service selection Window offers
also a new billing system which may be used even for very small content units. So it is possible to access, for
example, the information agency LETA portal, read an article and pay for it in
the Internet even not being a LETA subscriber. Service Selection Window may be used also for accessing the office
network of the home user.
All the huge
spring exhibitions are over at last. This is a time for summer vacations. Can a
businessman of a small or medium company afford a vacation? Business
philosophers suggest that life of small and medium companies looks very much
like the fight of gladiators. It also means that if one wants to survive one
has to gladiatorise the business rules
and business environment. Are you ready to do it or would you rather enjoy the
hot and inviting summertime?
In
this issue:
·
Microsoft
in Baltics - closer to the customer
(pages 30-31)
Microsoft
office in Riga was opened three years ago and it increased the volume of sales dramatically -
for 100 percent. Quite recently a new Baltic regional manager was appointed.
Torben Andersen has moved to Riga together with his family, and so he is closer
to the customers and can understand their needs and problems much better. He
believes that Microsoft strategy - to
be closer to a customer - is very efficient. One of the first products Torben
Andersen launched in Latvia was the localised version of Windows XP. He supposes that localised software has very good
future prospects not only because it makes computer speak in the same language as the user does but also because even
for members of EU localised versions could be cheaper than the English ones. In
Denmark localised software is successfully used by 90 % of the users for about
10 years.
The new open
subscription licence is a good opportunity to use all the Microsoft software (and receive the upgraded versions) for lower prices, paying only one USD per day for a computer. It is especially
convenient for the companies having at least ten computers.
·
Internet
development trends in Latvia
(pages
32-33)
According to
the data of Harvard University Latvia was the fastest growing (out of the 64
investigated states) Internet user
during last year. In 2001 the number of Internet users has grown for 63 %, and
there are 210 000 regular Internet users in Latvia, i.e. 16 % of economically
active inhabitants.
The revenue
from Internet service providing during the last year was more than 6.54 million
lats. The biggest part (79%) of the income is generated by on-line Internet
services, 13 % - by dial-up and 8 % - by value-added services. Also the
position of e-commerce in Latvia becomes more and more stable and its market
share is slowly but steadily growing.
The fast
Internet development in Latvia is one of the reasons why the international Internet Days are organised in Riga for
the second year. During the conference
the winners of the homepage competition Golden
Spider were awarded. It was initiated last year by the Latvian Internet
Association and has turned out to be extremely popular - the winners were
awarded in 12 nominations.
·
Computer
- my virtual eyesight (pages 44-45)
A special
software and hardware for blind people and for those with a weak eyesight is
well known in the world. However there was no bases and possibility for its
usage in Latvia until the
Rehabilitation Centre of Latvian Blind and Disabled Persons was founded thanks
to the donation of the Foundation of the Queen Juliana (the Netherlands). A
special computer training project for blind and disabled people was started. As
it was told by the teachers of Rehabilitation Centre there are about 60 trained
people in Latvia now. The disabled persons can now freely use Windows, prepare Word an Excel documents,
insert pictures, use floppy discs and print texts as well as use e-mail
programmes and Internet.
Training for
people with a weak eyesight differs from that of blind persons but there are
special programs for both of these groups. People with a weak eyesight may
use traditional PC with a bigger
display as well as special programmes ZOOMtext
Extra and Magic that allow to
enlarge any screen element for 16 times. By means of a special telemagnifying
glass it is even possible to enlarge a text fifty times. Using WinTalker Voice software all the commands and activated screen
elements are named by a synthetic voice. For training of blind people a screen
reading software JAWS is used. There are special printers for braille.
The aim of
the training is to integrate blind people in Latvian society. The only problem
- all the special software and specially designed hardware are extremely
expensive. The Rehabilitation Centre would be grateful for any help.
·
A
new Internet content
(page
58-59)
During the
exhibition Baltic IT&T a new
service for on-line Internet home users was offered by Lattelekom - the so-called Service
Selection Window. It gives the users of Mājas
DSL an opportunity to choose not only a traditional Internet content but
also a specially tailored one. It means that all the possible content providers
like portals, vortals, mass media, audio, video, computer game companies and
others are welcome to prepare special content packets for home users so that they could choose the most suitable
information or game. At the present moment there is just one special content
provider - Apollo that has prepared a
special content packet Home Portal including
games, video clips, movies.
Together with
the new content Service selection Window offers
also a new billing system which may be used even for very small content units. So it is possible to access, for
example, the information agency LETA portal, read an article and pay for it in
the Internet even not being a LETA subscriber. Service Selection Window may be used also for accessing the office
network of the home user.