Future newspapers and the need for hawkers will become void

Samarjit Kambam *

Flexible Screen from Samsung

It is really mind-boggling and even hard to believe the pace at which new electronic items with new features are coming up within such short notices. Newer and newer electronic gizmos are coming out in the market for public use. Ordinary Televisions are almost getting extinct with emergence of LCD, Plasma and LED Televisions.

These new TVs occupy less space, have higher picture clarity, high contrast ratios and high resolutions, less radiation, Bluetooth, light-weight, Digital Home-Theatre Sound System(DTS), consumes less power, have USB and mobile phone connectivity, Wi-Fi, 3-Dimensional Mode, computer Interface and even have 3G and many other features.

Ordinary TVs function by the mechanism of Electron Gun(Tube) and have low pixels but the new TVs viz LCD, Plasma & LED TVs use a totally different technology. Its functions by the principles of reflection of light thereby sustaining and functioning with trivial electrical energy. Mobile handsets are coming up every week with newer features.

Laptops with newer features are coming up within every fortnight on an average. Same is the case with other electronic and electrical appliances such as washing machines, fridge, microwave ovens and other household appliances. It can be presumed that at this rate of advancement in science and technology, we will be witnessing many unexpected phenomenons within the days to come.

The future of newspaper hawkers look bleak even though a deceptive calmness in the world of newspaper hawking is going on as usual. A few years from now, a protest of huge magnitude by newspaper hawkers is on the card. As they say, 'technology comes at a price', with the pace of advancement in technology, especially in the field of electronics, the present system of distribution of papers by hawkers near doorsteps will become history.

The gathering of information from required sources has revolutionised the world of mass media with the advent of Tablet PCs. Samsung's Galaxy Tab may be cited as a common example. Such ultra slim piece of electronic delicacy has got every features a PC or a Laptop has but its more portable, easier to carry, can be used for video chatting, conference calls and presentations, access and browse millions of Web pages through the Net, where you can view, share and create.

In fact, a Tablet race among the corporate giants is going on in the world. Now-a-days information from newspapers and magazines can be browsed through Tablet PCs.

Recently, Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resources and Development, Communications and Information Technology launched a tablet PC called Aakash with an aim to provide technology access especially to children of rural areas. It was manufactured by DataWind Limited in partnership with Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan, under the Human Resource Development Ministry.

It's an important milestone in the history of I.T. in India. The Aakash is an Android 2.2 based, 7 inch touchscreen tablet equipped with high definition video co-processor, core graphics accelerator, and also has two UBS Ports. It has browsing capability alongwith 3G and Wi-Fi support.

The device has 2 GB internal memory and comes bundled with 2 GB Mirco SD card. The memory of the device can be expanded upto 32 GB. The tablet will be given at a subsidised rate of only Rs. 1,750/- to all institutes across the country by Govt of India.

Presently, many Governments and private corporations of the world are clandestinely working on various projects which will be revealed sooner or later be it the automobile industry, genetics, robotics, softwares, hardwares, weaponry, nuclear, agriculture, astronomy, extra-terrestrial etc etc. During those nostalgic days where CD was unheard of and VCRs ruled the roost in video and audio media, Japan was the numero-uno of electronic products.

Before mobile goes to public market, Sony Corps in collaboration with Erricsson had shown their mobile handset in James Bond movies during Sean Connery's era. Nokia - one of the most popular brand has the largest stake in the mobile market but it's origin is from Finland even though many mistook it as a product of Japan. But many other Asian countries particularly South Korea are jumping in the bandwagon of E-world.

Mention can be made of South Korea's Samsung company's range of mobile phones which has revoloutionised the world of mobile with their Android series. LG is also keeping pace in this high-end competition. Companies such as i-BALL have produced waterproof floating mobile handsets, Motorola with Iridium mobile (Believe it or not Iridium's atomic number is 66 and Motorola has its own 66 communication satellites circumnavigating the globe so you can communicate or talk to anyone from any part of the planet whether you are in the Arctic or in the Sahara Desert provided you possess an Iridium handset).

NASA had already announced its successful operation of flying cars using Turbo Engines and tested at an undisclosed site which was shown in many infotainment channels some years back. After some years, it may be made available to the public. Now, one jolt from the blue to the newspaper hawkers is the impending arrival of flexible Tablets where many nations or group of nations are carrying on R & D on developing this piece of electronic marvel.

The volcanic lava of hawkers' woes will erupt once this flexible Tablet plasma screen which can be, unlike laptops or palmtops, folded manifold, scrambled in a lump and carried anywhere just like a piece of paper and can be stretched out or unfolded again. Such screens will be transparent because light can pass through from both sides and light energy from both sides are harnessed thereby reducing the consumption of electric power to a great extent.

One can browse the net with it, watch movies, make video calls, use as a means of communication, will have Global Positioning System and other features of multimedia and entertainment. Once it comes in the market for public use, the world of hawkers will collapse and the occupation of hawking will become a chronicle in the history of mass media. That will be the beginning of the end of newspaper hawking.

Just like DTH it can subscribe to all national, international and local newspapers and magazines either through post-paid or pre-paid, just like maintaining account in a mobile phone. At that stage, you can read different newspapers anywhere, anytime and you need not require to wait for hawkers to throw newspapers near your doorstep.

That will become the future of newspapers and the need for hawkers will become void and then there will be no turning back. It is during this transition phase that violent protest by hawkers will arise as they will be losing their means of income or livelihood. So technology helps men as well as it gives suffering to men.

It will no more be a science fiction but will become a reality. That time will be a turbulent stage for the hawkers around the world and the various hawkers' association will make an eminent hue and cry and protests against their respective governments.

So, hawkers BEWARE! that unwanted scenario is lurking behind like a phantom and a new era in the world of newspaper will dawn.