HP Labs India Targets “The Next Billion Customers”

Researchers to demonstrate technologies for growing economies.

Apr 3, 2006

What:

HP Labs India researchers will demonstrate technologies designed to help grow rapidly expanding economies like those in India, China, Russia and Brazil. The technologies adapt to the needs of multiple non-Western languages, unique infrastructures, and indigenous cultures and customs. The goal, in the words of HP Labs Director Dick Lampman, is to help HP reach “the next billion customers.”

Who:

Dick Lampman, HP senior vice president, research, and director, HP Labs
Ajay Gupta, director, HP Labs India, and other researchers from the lab.

When:

Thursday, April 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT. Formal presentation ends at 11:15 a.m. PT. Additional question and answer session and lunch follows.

Where:

HP Labs, 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, Calif.

RSVP:

Smita Topolski, Hill and Knowlton, smita.topolski@hillandknowlton.com,
+1 415 281 7167

The technologies to be demonstrated include the following. Both visual and dramatic, their applications are immediately apparent.

* The gesture keyboard: Traditional keyboards, based on the Roman alphabet, don’t work for many of the world’s languages. HP Labs India researchers have created a stylus-and-tablet solution that’s easy for people to learn and use, yet affords all the advantages of electronic data processing and storage.
* Pen-based solutions for filling out forms: Another pen-based application is for filling out forms for business, government and education. The forms can be completed by hand in remote locations using a variety of devices. The “digital ink” can then be transmitted to a central location where the handwritten input is converted to machine-readable text for processing and storage.
* Print-supplemented TV broadcasts: In countries such as China and India, broadcast television has a large reach, far greater than the Internet. HP Labs India researchers are developing technology that delivers print material synchronized with TV programming. For example, education programs could be supplemented by documents sent to a printer near the TV that could be used for further study or for taking tests.
* Secure paper documents: Throughout a large part of the world, public services are being extended to remote areas through Internet cafes instead of using regional government offices. However, in the absence of local officials, all parties have to be assured that transmitted documents are authentic and haven’t been tampered with. HP Labs researchers have come up with a solution based on a barcode printed on the document that incorporates a digital signature.

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