Arm: Powering Mobile Devices

There is a little giant known as ARM Holdings that produces low-power processors. Arm is a UK-based company which provides licenses for microchip designs to many of the world’s major producers of semiconductors. These microchips serve as the brain of mobile devices like phones, cameras, TV sets, toys, and even cars.

By providing these microchips, Arm is known as the world’s leading supplier of intellectual property (IP). The development of digital electronic devices is dependent, to a large extent, on IPs. Such is the motivation of the 2,000 workers employed at Arm’s headquarters in Cambridge, UK and other design centers in Taiwan, India, France, Sweden and the US.

Since the establishment of the company in 1990, Arm has shipped no less than 200 billion pieces of microchips and sold 800 processor licenses to 250 companies. The company’s revenues are derived from the license fees and royalties they received from the chips.

This is the innovative edge of Arm. Instead of manufacturing and selling microchips, they design and license the IPs to manufacturers of semiconductors they call Partners. These Partners use the chips in producing their own line of products while paying Arm the license fee for the original IP including its design, and royalty for every chip produced out of the prototype. In addition to IPs, Arm also supplies tools and system IPs to optimize system-on-chip designs.

As Arm continues to diversify its IPs and as support for software of Arm-based solutions increase, Arm technology is used by many of the world’s leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). These EOMs include producers of mobile handsets, digital set top boxes, car braking systems and network routers.

Many of today’s mobile devices are recipients of this bright idea. To date, 90% of smart phones, 80% of digital cameras, and 28% of all other electronic devices use Arm technology.

Azul: Creating Fliers Out of Ordinary Bus Riders

David Neeleman founded Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras in 2008. Just two years after it launched its first flight, this Brazilian airline company is servicing 8% of Brazil’s domestic market numbering to about 4 million passengers.

The idea was to establish a low-cost airline company which would cater to the transportation needs of the growing middle class populace in Brazil. They offer a quick alternative to buses which sprawl the entire nation. With Azul, a 34-hour trip can be cut short to 2 hours with almost the same cost to the traveler.

About 25% to 30% of the fares are the same or even less than bus fares. For example, when one travels from Belém to São Paulo, bus ride would take the distance in 51 hours at 428 reais (conversion equivalent to $254). When Azul flight is taken, the travel would only cost 199 reais (conversion equivalent to $118) in 5 hours and 52 minutes. That’s practical.

Azul targets to cover as many as 50 cities, especially those that do not have air service by now. The airline company does not only provide cheap flights across Brazil, they also help first time fliers make a meaningful first time flight.

Zynga: Alpha Dog of Social Gaming

If you have been through the social networking sites, you must have heard about social games like FarmVille, FrontierVille or City-Ville. Have you wondered how the dogs got into the net? It was all Zynga’s idea.

Thanks to the entrepreneurial skills of its founder and CEO Mark Pincus who established the company in Potrero Hill in San Francisco. Its headquarters has 13 “studios” where engineers and designers crowd together for Zynga’s 11 popular online games.

Pincus developed the concept in December of 2006. The idea was to develop an asynchronous online game where people can play with real-world friends. The games would hitch on social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. The whole idea was untested and considered as freak by many of Pincus’ critics.

After his idea was dropped many times, he used a marketing strategy that really worked. Zynga’s are not all about games; it’s about the “social.” With games Zynga has birthed, people from all across the globe have 15 minutes of not only connecting but playing with their folks.

To maintain its fair share of the market, Zynga built an analytics engine which measures every aspect of gaming experience. The goal was to evaluate the users’ behavior in support of Pincus’ effort to improve every game everyday. Pincus believes that its edge is not only about the features but the right social experience.

The analytics provided them with data, such as, which features are more popular, which day of the week people prefer to play; which age group play the longest; and which demographic level invites more people to join the games. They use these precious data to create new game elements. There are hundreds of tests running in every game each day.

No one believed Pincus could become a CEO of a $50-million revenue company. The company is worth $500 million in 2010. Its most popular game City-Ville has about 84.2 million active monthly users. Pincus sees an even loftier opportunity ahead. He vows to improve the games because in five years, there is an expected 2 billion social gamers all around the world.

Data Visualization Made Possible at Stamen

No one does data visualization like Stamen does.

Stamen is a 100% privately-owned company. It was established in 2011 by Eric Rodenbeck. Michael Migurski joined in 2003 and the third partner Shawn Allen joined in 2006.

Stamen combines art and science. Its most compelling work was Stamen’s design of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that went live on Twitter. In that design, Stamen captured how Kanye West seized the microphone from Taylor Swift.

After that, many other well-known companies hired Stamen for various projects, including Nike Basketball. Stamen is technically savvy, with projects visualizing taxi traffics, real estate values, and crime patterns all captured in revealing maps.

Through the years, Stamen has developed a healthy relationship with a wide range of clients including universities, political parties, technology firms, designers, car manufacturers and architects.

Stamen is committed to research. Inventions and discovery always inspires the work at hand. Rodenbeck says, “We are neither a research and developmental lab nor a design firm. We are something in between – a place where work is valued, good ideas come from anywhere, and results are paramount.”

Nissan and the First Mass-Produced Electric Car

Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn was greatly ridiculed because he insisted on putting a large amount of investment in all-electric technology. His major critics are his own employees themselves. But when Leaf came out of the market, Ghosn proved that his detractors were shortsighted. Nissan’s Leaf led the contest towards a truly sustainable means of transportation.

Ghosn admits that pursuing electric cars was a difficult decision to make. When they embarked on the project in 2006, Nissan had to reflect on a lot of consideration. Initially, they thought of changing the battery. Second, the world’s oil supply is becoming a global issue. And it appears to be a political issue. Third, something needs to be done with global warming. With the market’s explosion, Nissan estimates that 10 years from now, there will be about 2 billion cars running the streets. By then, the emission problems would be great.

Leaf is indeed a great innovation. Because it uses electricity to power its drive, it doesn’t emit gaseous particles that may destroy the environment. Aside from being a zero emission car, when you get behind the Leaf’s wheel, there is zero vibration, zero noise and zero smell.

With the launching of Leaf, Nissan isn’t saying that it can solve the problems. However, Ghosn prides in being able to provide an alternative solution.

Ghosn doesn’t expect this innovation to impact the market immediately. The forecasts indicate that electric cars will take only about 10% of the market in 10 years.

Nissan is looking at China, India, Russia and Brazil to patronize electric cars. Cars are still one of the most desired objects to own.

Ghosn believes that with the way the world evolves, we have to be ready for the future. He tells his staff to recruit people with varied skills including electricians and chemists. They have to adapt to changing technology. It’s not going to be easy, but it is not impossible.

PJP Health Agency’s Affordable Alternatives to Major Medical Plans

PJP Health Agency serves customers in 45 states nationwide, providing them with cost-effective ways of accessing medical plans. Unfortunately, not every consumer can afford a major medical plan. PJP HealthAgency agents have experience in seeking out quality policies that meet specific health care budgets.

In securing a cost-effective health insurance plan, healthy patients who do not need to visit the doctor often may consider catastrophic coverage. While this type of coverage does not extend to check-ups and routine tests, it provides for major medical expenses and hospital visits in case of an accident or serious illness. The majority of people who hold catastrophic health insurance are self-employed and lack sufficient medical insurance benefits. They are seeking an affordable hedge against the possibility of major medical bills in case of an unexpected health crisis. It is important to note that this form of coverage, while extending to surgical treatment and X-rays, does not include maternity or mental health care. The relatively low premiums are reflected in high deductibles. This means that in cases requiring hospitalization, the extra medical costs may exceed the savings associated with the plan.

Another option for people under a tight budget are limited medical or “mini-med” plans. These plans place a strict maximum dollar amount on care. For example, the limit for a night’s stay at the hospital might be $1,000, while a single doctor’s visit might be capped at $60. In addition, there are a designated number of occurrences, past which the coverage no longer applies.

PJP Health Agency agents recommend major medical plans if at all possible, but realize that strict underwriting standards for comprehensive coverage (and the significantly higher premiums involved) frequently make limited or catastrophic care a viable short-term solution. 

Upgrade Your Search Experience with Google

Very few people know that Google still has an unrealized dream – a robot-driven car. But in spite of having an unrealized dream, the Google search engine is still its most successful product.

With the leadership of Google’s product manager Johanna Wright, Google pushed for the launching of Instant, a showcase that increases the usefulness of Google search engine.

Instant is the product of Google’s continuing experiments. According to Wright, Google is launching between 50 to 100 experiments at one time which results to about 100 upgrades every quarter. The unseen changes actually make Google the most sought-after search engine in the world.

Google considers Instant a magical innovation. The concept was an autocomplete. Searches need not completely write the keywords on the search engine. As the keyword is entered, Instant gives suggestions for the searcher to choose from. Google sees Instant as a very compelling product.

Google believes the searchers deserve an intelligent search engine. It should be interactive. It should understand what the user needs and anticipate how the user behaves. This is what makes Google truly an innovative product.