A MEDICAL tourism council as well as a comprehensive medical tourism policy is in the offing, according to RM Patel, state principal secretary for tourism. Meanwhile, state information commissioner R N Das expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the Right to Information (RTI) Act was used in its one year of existence in the state. They were speaking at an international workshop organised by the All India Association of Urban Local Bodies which began on Wednesday. The two-day workshop has representatives from the Asia Pacific region deliberating on good governance as a tourism asset and right to information.

Patel said Gujarat was focussing on developing its tourism potential at par with other tourist-friendly states like Kerala, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. While underlining the importance of improving governance of local bodies, Patel said it was necessary to promote tourism. Also, Patel said that Gujarat was keen to exploit its medical tourism potential to the fullest, with a medical tourism council also to be formed shortly.

Later in the day, state information commissioner R N Das explained how the Indian version of the Right to Information (RTI) Act was more expansive than the freedom of speech and expression, as it made it possible for an ordinary man to seek information from government and public bodies at large. With the RTI Act, completing one year, Das expressed satisfaction with the way in which the act was being exercised in Gujarat.

Source: Expressindia.com

A changing mix of communications protocols will compete for space in notebook computers as they take a growing share of the personal computer market over the next five years, says a new study. Wireless-equipped notebooks will feature a gradual shift from 802.11g to 802.11n Wi-Fi, as well as significant growth in the number of notebooks with embedded Ultra Wide Band or cellular radios, the study by ABI Research says.

"There is limited room in a notebook computer for antennas and radios," the technology and market research firm says. "We’ll see a battle among competing technologies to reserve a place within the notebook, and number of chip manufacturers are very concerned about that. Notebooks will all (except perhaps the lowest tier of inexpensive Asian machines) have Wi-Fi: the question is, what else will they have? UWB? Cellular? WiMAX?"

Both notebook manufacturers and wireless IC vendors such as Intel, Atheros, and Marvell have a critical interest in how notebook connectivity is going to evolve. With the 802.11n standard still some way off, and the Wi-Fi Alliance aggressively promoting certification of "pre-n" products, the stage may be set for some market confusion.

"Some of the chip makers in particular are unrealistic about their expectations for pre-draft 802.11n," it says. "In our experience, large enterprises are always very conservative about embracing non-standard solutions. As a result, what we’re likely to see in the next couple of years is a solid majority of ‘premium g’ device sales in the consumer sector, but not much traction in the enterprise."

The new study also finds a seismic change in the mix of regional distribution of PCs over the next few years, with Asia growing strongly, and dramatically shifting its mix of consumer and commercial PCs. Unlike other research in this area, the report also breaks down the "commercial" sector’s buying patterns by the size of the business: large enterprises vs SMEs.

HDD will triumph?

Meanwhile, the hard disk drive (HDD) is expected to remain a key component in more and more consumer electronics products through the rest of the decade. HDD worldwide shipments will increase from 380 million in 2005 to 748 million in 2010, with the consumer Electronic (CE) segment continuing to be one of the fastest growing applications for HDDs, according to In-Stat, a high-tech market research firm says.

"While hard drives have become small enough to embed in most portable CE devices, competitive storage solutions, such as increasing Flash capacities, continue to threaten this market," it says.