I’m at the Nokia Connection 2010 event in Singapore where leading journalists and bloggers are invited to preview the latest technologies from Nokia. I’m interviewing Jo Harlow, who heads Smart Phones for Nokia for my podcast show.

Long ago, I realized the limitations of my intelligence. I also greatly believe in the wisdom of the crowd and that the collective intelligence of the audience is far greater than just one person. This is the reason why I went to Twitter and Facebook and said I’m interviewing a top boss at Nokia and if anyone had a question for her, I would ask her on their boss with full credit given to them.

Here is what I posted on both Twitter and Facebook.

Am interviewing Jo Harlow, Head of Smart Phones, Nokia at 4 pm S’pore time. Have any quest for her? Will ask on your behalf with credits.

Within a few hours, I had a treasure trove of questions and quite honestly I would never have thought of them myself. I may not be able to ask all the quetsions to Jo Harlow considering that it is a group interview wiht 6 other journalists from India asking her questions and another factor that we only have about 45 minutes of time with her.

So, I decided to publish all the questions here so that you can take a look at it for yourself. I will also ask Nokia to help answer these quetsions at a later point in time even if I’m unable to get answers for all these during the face-to-face interview.

Here are the questions with links to the awesome people who have asked them.

Nimit Jain (FB) : How is their business shaping up in India with new players like MicroMax, Karbon mobiles etc in the market?

Ramaswamy Alwarsamy (FB): Apple has just one smart phone and its easy for people to remember. Nokia has a wide array of Smart Phones, way too many to remember all. Is it a disadvantage having a wide portfolio a disadvantage?

Kannan Iyer (FB) : Nokia has been clearly facing a problem with the time to market. They announced the N8, but then the launch is much later and that can affect the mindshare that people may have . What is Nokia doing to tackle this?

Kannan Iyer (FB) : Everyone is talking about iPhone and Android. But there is also the enterprise phone market where RIM has been ruling and almost … See Morea monopoly. The E-series was the closest Nokia came to challenging RIM- what are the future plans to fight in the enterprise phone space?

Kannan Iyer (FB) : Nokia’s developer strategy – How is Nokia thinking differently to get more developers to build apps for the Ovi store?

Bharath Yeshwanth (FB) The i-phone has changed the user experience through its well designed software with no major changes to its hardware.The strategy adopted by Nokia to cater to different genres of users is through changes with hardware. Can we expect a phone soon that will shall be one fit for all?

Bharath Yeshwanth (FB): Today’s news report read “RIM shifts focus from execs to teens”. Can this be seen as a threat to Nokia’s sales numbers?

—————–

(from Twitter)

@BalaSN : Why maemo is not available in the lower range mobiles ?

@talaivar : What according to her would be “the” compelling reason for one to buy a Nokia smartphone? Price? Features? Ovi Store? Why?

@talaivar : Being late into the game, what are the short term goals for Nokia Smartphones division?

@RameshYanthra : When we will get Augmented Reality based browser in Nokia smart phones? ”

@dipanshubehl : When will Nokia let go of its S60 OS in its low end smartphones/touchscreens??

@dipanshubehl : Will Nokia extend its Ovi Music Unlimited to other phones as well?

@jainnimit : How is their business shaping up in India with new players like MicroMax, Karbon mobiles etc in the market?

@mrnitishkumar : 1. When now days, we have very capable hardware in smartphone, why Mobile OS like Symbian even with there latest versions, not supporting widely popular DivX and Xvid video codecs?To be noted that possibility is already shown by their own maemo os that supported all.

@mrnitishkumar : We understand that people could have difference of opinions, but still Nokia sold amazing number of Nokia N900 that shows how popular maemo went even when price was unaffordable to be a smartphone.

@mrnitishkumar : What’re major reason to back off from their first geniunely praised and at least twice faster OS than symbian? Just straitegic partnerships with Intel and Qt?

@adityarao310 : Is Nokia looking at competing with new phones which specialise in in-built ’social networking features’ benq / corby .. If yes. how?

@kursed : Why is Nokia’s software support, for smartphones, so weak? Specially in firmwares.

@vams21 : Can you please ask her if its possible to bring Smartphones in India in the range of 10K ($200).?

@BaskarG : How will Nokia plan to differentiate itslef from the likes of iPhone and Android devices for the “emerging” market?

@prakup : With unlimited data plans being scrapped (proposed) what is the future for smart phones? Esp in a price sensitive market…

@achitnis : Ask her when the N900 will have an official Nokia supported Meego port. Don’t accept any evasive answers like “community supported”!

@anandan1982 : Most of Nokia’s high end phones face software issues in the long run. Can they do something to curb that?

@achitnis : Nevermind how Nokia will compete with Apple & Android – where does Nokia see A&a lagging behind Nokia, other than numbers

@max4974 : N900. Why did they soft launch this powerhouse product in India? Werent they confident of success in India?

@achitnis : Nokia’s numbers are in their established base/legacy. What is it that Nokia has now that A&a don’t, to stand out?

@max4974 : Will S60v5 users be able to port their devices to symbian^3? What other devices after N8?

@ankurdinesh : What’s next with Nokia which will lead them to next cycle of innovation?-the cycle which they started when they came to India

@bluethroat : Are smart phones making people dumb. They make people think and apply themselves lesser and lesser. Comment.

@max4974 : Is there any truth to buzz in community that Nokia might be towing with a limited windows 7 mobile foray?

@max4974 : What does Nokia genuinely believe is gonna be their WoW PRODUCT thats gonna help them gain traction in the US mobile market?

@sriganeshr : Can you ask Nokia executive what happened to Vertu. Is it in market and how is it doing. Was supposed to be the costliest phone!

@sriganeshr : A strategic Q. If they decide to create sub-brands? Hi-end phones by one name & lo-end something else. Might do good.

@msigeek : What is stopping Enterprises to adopt Nokia platform as a solution? Have they identified it and working towards it?
youmoveyoudie : Is Nokia planning anything new on mobile ads based on location services? its been there but not noticed.

Packed our bags. Recharged my iPods. Snuck in the books. I’m quite excited about the first *REAL* family vacation we are taking in more than 3 years.

We are heading to Coorg for a 5 day vacation. It may not be much but given the work schedule, its a luxury. We have booked ourselves into a 4-bedroom house snuck within a 34 acre coffee estate.

I did an elaborate hunt for a good homestay. I was certain we won’t be staying in a resort or a hotel. Homestay it had to be. What do you expect from a big couchsurfing junkie like me! Anyways, back to my homestay hunt. I checked out over 50 places online but the one that fixed the deal came out of a ‘bad news’ from the owner of the homestay. He almost apologized when he said that the place within the coffee estate does not receive any mobile signals. That alone clinched the deal for me. What better way to unplug!

The second reason that scored for me was the home cooked Coorgi food from the homestay owner’s kitchen. Especially, if it involves home-cooked pork. In fact, that’s my single minded focus this trip. Have as many varieties of Pork dishes as possible. More than half a dozen people have told me that the Coorgi’s make the best pork. All I can say is, ‘Bring it On”!

Oink ! Oink!

‘Personal Branding Tweet’ is my 3rd book that I’m working on. The book delves on nuggets of valuable information to effectively brand and market oneself.

The book is a Tweet Book. What is it? Simply, the book contains 140 tweets. Each tweet, as everyone knows, is within 140 characters. Each of these tweets contains a useful tip, insightful thought or an interesting quote. All pertaining to the subject of personal branding. Some from very successful folks, that I look upto.

OH, what can be said in 140 characters, you ask? You’d be amazed.

The reason why I’m sold on Tweet Books is because of its ease with which information is consumed. Let me draw an analogy. When we listen to a lecture or talk and take notes, we never write down the entire talk. We only jot down the most important points. Reading them will set your thoughts flowing as your mind begins to expand on them. The Tweet book does exactly that.

My previous book, ‘Crowdsourcing Tweet’ was a fabulous experience. I have just completed the book and is in the editing stage. It will hit the stands in the next few months. For a tweet book, I took a really long time to finish it (would you believe 8 months!!) but having finished it, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. As soon as I finished with it, I could not wait to get started with my next book.

I asked myself which are the subjects that I’m truly passionate about. About a few, the one that got me immediately excited was Personal Branding. I’ve been looking at people I admire and been noticing what makes them start apart. I figured it would be a good way to put together the learning. The book also has generous insights from some very successful people and people who professionally advise on branding.

Now, I’d like to take it further by involving you.

As some of you who may know me well, I’m a big believer in the wisdom of the crowds. I strongly believe that the collective wisdom of many is higher than just what I would know. That’s why I invite you to join in. I’d love to hear your ideas and tips on Personal Branding. The good ones will get added to the book and will credit you in the book.

There are many ways you can share your thoughts on Personal Branding for the book.
1) You can email your tweets to Kiruba@Kiruba.com
2) You can leave them in the comments below
3) You can blog about it and pass along the link
4) You can tweet it and pass along the link.

When you do send across the tweets, I would want the following.
a) Your name
b) A 140 bio about yourself
c) Link to your blog, twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc.

Alternatively, if you would like to be anonymous (for whatever reason) do mention that and will respect it.

The book is an inspiration from Rajesh Setty, my mentor and a close friend. He has made an amazing impact on my life and really woken up the writer in me.

The book would be published by Happy About, a California based publishing house run by the awesome Mitchell Levy, who I had the good fortune to meet during my visit to Silicon Valley.

Credit for this book should also go to Radhika, the hard working research assistant who is passionate about New Media and entrepreneurship. She did a lot of heavy lifting on this project. Credit also goes to Murugesan for doing the prototype of the book cover design which follows the book series.

So, would you like to join in the project? I sure hope you do. Look forward to hearing from you. Cheers.

Pecha Kucha is an unconference which encourages people to present their creative ideas.  In the spirit of the season, it follows the 20:20 format. Each presenter should have 20 slides and not more than 20 seconds per slide. So, that’s 6 minutes and 40 seconds is all that a presenter gets. You can learn more about the event here.

Pecha Kucha is pronounced ‘Pe-chak-cha’ which in Japanese means chit-chat or the buzz of discussions.

Pecha Kucha has caught my interest for the main reason that it focuses on creativity. I’ve found that creativily bent people are some of the most interesting folks to meet. Unfortunately, there aren’t many events in Chennai that brings such folks together. PKN attempts to fill that void perfectly.

PKN has taken place in over 291 places around the world.  The events takes place in diverse locations from a design studio to open lawns to  pubs.

The PKN events are famous for creative posters that advertise the event. One such is here.   We are looking for creative folks to design posters for the Chennai event.  If you are game, please raise your hands. Would love to hear from you.

Yesterday a bunch of volunteers interested in bringing this global creative event to Chennai met up at Amethyst to plan for the event.  We had a productive two hour discussion. It greatly helped that some of the folks had attended PKN in Tokyo, Seattle and Tampa and had some good learnings from those.

The PKN Chennai event will take place on May 15th.  As for venue, we are checking out a few options.  Alliance Francaise, Max Mueller Bhavan, Japanese Consulate, Madras House, a design studio in Alwarpet, a futuristic research and development lab in a large IT company and even a large badminton court.  We will nail the venue in the next two weeks.

We are on the lookout for creative folks from diverse backgrounds. If you know someone, do sound them out about Pecha Kucha.  If you are one, do consider presenting at the event.

More info on the event will be announced soon.  Meanwhile, do check out the site http://www.Pecha-Kucha.org to learn more about the event and the format.

My 8 year old daughter, Krithya, has written her first book and we are having a small launch function at our apartment’s community hall. We would like to cordially invite you to the book launch function.

Please treat this as our personal invitation and it would be our delight to have your presence and blessings. I feel its a defining moment in the young girl’s life and your presence would be great encouragement.

Day and Date: Sunday, 14th March

Time: 10:30 AM

Here’s the address:
Community Hall, Raj Paris Apartments, 82, Kamaraj Street, Virugambakkam, Chennai – 600092

Landmark : Near Avichi School.

Directions: The venue is about 1.5 kms from Vadapalani Bus Stand. On Arcot Road, after Avichi School and a big Raymond’s Showroom, take the first right. This is Kamaraj Street. After 100 meters, the road splits into right and left. (a ‘T’ junction). The Raj Paris apartment is exactly at this ‘T’ junction. It’s opposite to an Amman Temple. Once inside the apartment, ask for the Community Hall. Its at the back of the apartment.  If you need help, please call me at 98415 97744.

My friend and Singer Chinmayi, who Krithya has a lot of admiration for, has agreed to launch the book.

I Seek Your Help: I understand that most of you are not in Chennai and here’s my request to you.  It would be a great source of encouragement if you can call and speak to my little girl and give her your wishes.  She doesn’t expect anyone to call and it would be a good surprise for her.

Here are the numbers you can call.

My Home Landline Number: +91.44.42733619

My mobile number: +91.98415 97744

Alternatively, you can leave your words of encouragement in the comments section of this blog post and I will show this to her.  You may also email to Kiruba@Kiruba.com and I will show your message to Krithya.

We received the books from the printer yesterday and here is Krithya, obviously jubilant, with the first copy.

Here is how the story book looks like.

My younger daughter, Kalpitha, with the first stack of her sister’s books.

We look forward to your presence and your words of encouragement. Thanks in advance.