Paul Golding writes: "Sony's Mylo is a really interesting device. I believe that these larger format keyboard-based devices are the future (the present!). It's a no-brainer really, especially if you're already a DS or PSP user. I remember working on early wireless PDA solutions and there was always this debate about size - does anyone really want to carry a large device? The issue is framing again. Adults thinking about mobile phones, size is important - slim, smaller, sleeker. PDAs seem like bricks. But for kids who carry a DS - which they do - then the comparison isn't with mobiles anymore, nor about size - it's all about what can this thing do and how 'cool' it does it. Mylo brings all those increasingly can't-do-without Internet services into the 'carry with me' space, NOT the mobile phone space."

InfoWorld writes:

We sentenced InfoWorld Senior Contributing Editor Oliver Rist to 7 days of using only Web-based productivity applications. Here's how he survived.
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The point of this little exercise was to see whether anyone would seriously contemplate replacing desktop with Web-based productivity apps. And if not, how close are we? After all, whenever Google waves its hands in this direction, the pundits swoon. Not to mention that enterprises would save gazillions in licensing and desktop maintenance.

WSJ writes:

India's vast postal service, the world's largest, highlights a little-understood feature of this nation's economic transformation. While India often draws criticism for its failure to sell its vast network of state-owned companies, the government has quietly been opening many of its agencies to blistering competition from private-sector rivals.

But as India lets its public sector get squeezed, it faces a big dilemma: What to do with these often huge and politically connected organizations during the painful transition period where they have to become competitive and profitable or extinct?

Nokia Press Release: "Nokia today introduced Wibree technology as an open industry initiative extending local connectivity to small devices. This new radio technology developed by Nokia Research Center complements other local connectivity technologies, consuming only a fraction of the power compared to other such radio technologies, enabling smaller and less costly implementations and being easy to integrate with Bluetooth solutions. Wibree is the first open technology offering connectivity between mobile devices or Personal Computers, and small, button cell battery power devices such as watches, wireless keyboards, toys and sports sensors. By extending the role mobile devices can play in consumers' lives, this technology increases the growth potential in these market segments."

Kim Cameron writes in response to Doc Searls and Dave Winer: "The way I read Doc’s ideas, he’s talking about a real inversion of what advertising is and means. Instead of suppliers advertising what they want us to buy (by spamming our attention), we’ll advertise what WE want to buy, and suppliers will make us offers. Sounds a lot more efficient to me. What am I missing? Why doesn’t everyone want to do this?"

Another big movie hit of 2006 is Rang De Basanti (RDB). Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, the movie is about five youths who discover themselves through the story of five revolutionaries of Indian’s struggle for Independence. Wikipedia outlines the story:

Struggling British filmmaker Sue (Alice Patten) comes to India after she reads the diary of her grandfather, who served in the British Force during India's struggle for Independence to make a short film about some of the unsung revolutionary heroes of the Indian Independence Movement. Her friend Sonia (Soha Ali Khan) helps her find four young men to act in the film: Daljeet a.k.a. DJ (Aamir Khan), Karan Singhania (Siddharth), Aslam (Kunal Kapoor) and Sukhi (Sharman Joshi).

They aren't enthusiastic at first, but Sue wins them over. Laxman Pandey (Atul Kulkarni), a political party activist, later joins the group -- although he is initially unpopular on account of his Hindutva beliefs and contempt for Aslam, who is a Muslim.

As the young men learn more about the history of the Independence movement, they lose their cynicism and start to consider what they can contribute to society.

Then Ajay, Sonia's fiancé,(Madhavan) an Indian air-force pilot, is killed when his plane crashes. The government proclaims that the crash was caused by pilot error. Sonia and her friends know that Ajay was a ace pilot and don't accept the official explanation. They learn that the crash was due to a corrupt defence minister (Mohan Agashe), who had signed a contract for cheap, spurious MiG aircraft spare parts in return for a large kickback.

Not content to accept this as "just the way things are done", the group decide to protest peacefully. Police forcefully break up their protest. The young men then decide that they must emulate the early freedom fighters and resort to violence. Tragedy and a shocking ending follow.

Rakeysh Mehra (RDB): I’d like to confess that for a long time, Gandhi was more of an idea than a person to me. In fact, sometimes he even ceased to be an idea. Sirf naam ke vaaste hi reh gaye the. I had even forgotten that his picture is printed on the currency notes. But Raju’s film has brought Gandhi back in my consciousness. He has made the idea of Mahatma Gandhi relevant for me again.

Raju Hirani (LRM): I didn’t study Gandhi in school. Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi was the only influence. I also grew up hearing ‘ki aaj ke zamane mein Gandhi nahin chalta’. But I always felt that there were two sides to him; one the person who fought for freedom and the other that was the Gandhi way of life, which spoke about simplistic goodness. People say his methods won’t work in today’s world but those times were more turbulent, so if Gandhi could work then, he can surely work now also. Of course, he wouldn’t use the tools of fasting or hadtal, he would have thought of something unique. Like in Lage Raho..., when Sanju gives flowers to Lucky Singh, he is protesting but in a non-violent way. Maybe Gandhiji would’ve done something like this.
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Mehra: Exactly. We should applaud the idea. It’s not one vs the other. There is no debate on which is a better philosophy. Films aren’t meant to preach violence or non-violence. I don’t think there has been an increase in gun licenses after RDB. People who came on the streets to make their point in the Jessica Lall case or the reservation issue made peaceful demonstrations. Integrity and self-reliance are the common thoughts in both the films. In the end of RDB, it’s said that if you want things to change, change yourself first. Join the police, army or air force rather than just point fingers.

Hirani: That’s what Gandhiji meant when he said, "Be the change you want to see in others."

Hirani: I’ve interpreted my reality my way. There are no simplistic solutions for long-term problems. But when you see tears rolling down the faces of some of the most corrupt-looking men, you feel some goodness still exists. I don’t know how much we can implement this goodness. As a filmmaker, I can just offer an idea and hope that people pick it up.

Mehra: A film of a particular era reflects the time it’s born in. These two films are born in 2006 and reflect today’s time to the best of our knowledge and sincerity. If both are embraced with the same warmth, it is a reflection on today’s time. We just tell a story. But maybe people can sense the belief behind both films and that’s why are receptive.