PARACELL MALAYSIA GRANTED MSC STATUS

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - June 2009

The Malaysian authorities (Multimedia Development Corporation) have recognized ParaCell (M) Sdn Bhd for contributing to local competence development and increased activities in the important APAC region by granting ParaCell (M) Sdn Bhd MSC status.

ParaCell Malaysia will by this important support from MDeC further strengthen the company’s activities in the APAC region.

For any questions, please contact our Managing Director for the APAC region:
Ahmad Kamal Bin Aminon, tel. +60 192 42 30 20 ahmad.aminon@paracell.se

For more information about MSC Status:
http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12073025559425

http://www.paracell.se/paracell/international/index

DiGi (Malaysia)

DiGi is a leading mobile communications company
providing a comprehensive range of affordable, convenient and easy to use wireless services to simplify and enrich the lives of its customers. We create value for our customers by selecting the most appropriate cutting edge technology so that they benefit from products and services that give them choice, convenience and control.

We have an established presence as a leader in voice and data prepaid services with a number of firsts that have set industry benchmarks for creativity and innovation. These services are offered under the DiGi Prepaid brand name. Our postpaid service under the DiGi Postpaid brand name delivers high quality voice as well as value-added mobile content and data services to both individual and corporate customers.

We aspire to be the Industry Shaper by taking leadership positions through series of innovative value propositions, simplicity and excellent execution

At DiGi, your needs are at the centre of everything we do. Whoever you are, wherever you go and whatever your needs may be, we're there for you!

Contact Us D'House, Lot 10, Jalan Delima 1/1, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor. Tel: +603 5721 1800 Fax: +603 5721 1857 Send us your feedback. We'd love to hear from you.

Freelancer

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a self-employed person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any particular employer. The term "freelance" was first coined by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) in his well-known historical romance Ivanhoe to describe a "medieval mercenary warrior" (or "free-lance"). The phrase later transitioned to a figurative noun around the 1860s and was then officially recognized as a verb in 1903 by various authorities in etymology such as the Oxford English Dictionary. Only in modern times has the term morphed from a noun (a freelance) into an adjective (a freelance journalist), various verb forms (a journalist who freelances), and an adverb (she worked freelance), and then from the verb into the derived, now commonly used, noun form "freelancer."

The author and poet Ernest William Hornung (1866–1921) also used the term in "The Gift of the Emperor" to describe something of poor quality: "I warmed to my woes. It was no easy matter to keep your end up as a raw freelance of letters; for my part, I was afraid I wrote neither well enough nor ill enough for success."

Fields where freelancing is especially common include journalism, book publishing, journal publishing, and other forms of writing, editing, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, copywriting,computer programming and graphic design, consulting, translating, and many other professional and creative services.

Freelance practice varies greatly. Some require clients to sign written contracts, while others may perform work based on verbal agreements, perhaps enforceable through the very nature of the work. Some freelancers may provide written estimates of work and request deposits from clients.

Payment for freelance work also varies greatly. Freelancers may charge by the day, hour, or page or on a per-project basis. Instead of a flat rate or fee, some freelancers have adopted avalue-based pricing method based on the perceived value of the results to the client. By custom, payment arrangements may be upfront, percentage upfront, or upon completion. For more complex projects, a contract may set a payment schedule based on milestones or outcomes.

Note that in most professions involving creation of intellectual property, "freelance" and its derivative terms are often reserved for workers who create works on their own initiative, then look for someone to publish them. They typically keep the copyright to their works and sell the rights to publishers in time-limited contracts. In contrast, workers who are hired to create a work according to the publishers' or other customers' specifications are referred to as "independent contractors" and similar terms. They have no copyright to the works, which are written as works made for hire, a category of intellectual property defined in US copyright law — Section 101, Copyright Act of 1976 (USC 17 §101).

Benefits

Freelancers generally enjoy a greater variety of assignments than in regular employment, and—subject to the need to earn a regular income—usually have more freedom to choose their work schedule. The experience can also lead to a broad portfolio of work and the establishment of a network of clients.

Sometimes a freelancer will work with one or more other freelancers and/or vendors to form a "virtual agency" to serve a particular client's needs for short-term and permanent project work. This versatile agency model can help a freelancer land jobs that require targeted, specific experience and skills outside the scope of one individual. As the clients change, so too may the players chosen for a virtual agency's talent base.

This can have a positive effect also. On occasion, freelancers and clients may form a relationship based on mutual needs and the professionalism and competence of both parties.

Impact of the Internet

Modern-day Freelance Work System

The Internet has opened up many freelance opportunities, expanded available markets, and has contributed to service sector growth in many economies. Offshore outsourcing and crowdsourcing are heavily reliant on the Internet to provide economical access to remote workers, and frequently leverage technology to manage workflow to and from the employer. Much of the computer freelance work is being outsourced to poorer countries outside the United States and Europe. This has spurred conflict because American and European workers are not receiving the benefits. The compromise has led to student freelancers who now provide a steady source of cheap labor while keeping jobs American and European.

As a result, freelance employment has been especially common in the areas of writing, editing, indexing, software development, website design, advertising, open innovations, information technology, and business process outsourcing.

Also, changes to the publishing industry since the 1980s have resulted in an increase in copy editing of book and journal manuscripts andproofreading of typeset manuscripts being outsourced to freelance copy editors and proofreaders.

Drawbacks

Traditional Freelance Work System

The major drawback is the uncertainty of work — and thus income — and lack of company benefits such as a pension, health insurance, paid holidays and bonuses. However, many freelancers, especially in journalism, regard themselves as having greater income security through the diversity of outlets—the loss of any one of which leads to the loss of only a proportion of income, rather than its totality as with salaried employees.

Furthermore, many periodicals and newspapers offer the option of ghost signing. Ghost signing occurs when a freelance writer signs with an editor, but their name is not listed on the byline of their article(s). This allows the writer to receive benefits, while still being classified as a freelancer, and independent of any set organization. In some countries, however, this can lead to taxation issues (e.g., so-called IR35 violations in the UK). Ghost signing has little bearing on whether a writer is a freelancer or employee in the US.

Another drawback is that freelancers often must handle contracts, legal issues, accounting, marketing, and other business functions by themselves. If they do choose to pay for professional services, they can sometimes turn into significant out-of-pocket expenses. Working hours can extend beyond the standard working day and working week.

In Europe, the perceived disadvantages of being freelance have led the European Union to research the area, producing draft papers that would, if enforced, make it illegal for companies or organizations to employ freelancers directly, unless the freelancer was entitled to benefits such as pension contributions and holiday pay. In the UK, where the terms of integration into the EU have and are being hotly debated, this would lead to a significant reshaping of the way freelance work is dealt with and have a major impact on industry; employers would be required either to give freelances the contractual rights of employees or employ only freelancers already being employed by agencies or other organizations granting them these rights. However, the White Papers that recommend such moves have not yet been adopted in the EU, and the potential impact on UK employment laws is being opposed by key UK organizations lobbying the government to negotiate over the acceptance of EU legislation in such areas.

International freelancing

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

International freelancing is a relatively new development in the global market. Some freelance professionals move from one country to another looking for business opportunities along with travelling experience. These individuals often use the Internet as their main communication technology for running a business. Online outsourcing marketplaces focus on assisting freelancers to find work around the world. International freelance support may differ in developed countries, as opposed to developing countries, which have almost no freelance support at all.

copied from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer

Turn Freelancing Into Your Parallel Career

While you still have a job, why not start a parallel career by freelancing and aim towards the end goal of being your own boss (which is what changing career the Parallel Career Way is all about)? Don't wait until you face a midlife crisis or after you lost or quit your job.

Today, literally millions of people all over the world have established highly-successful careers as freelancers. Many of these work-from-home professionals have found that freelancing offers a dream lifestyle - flexible working hours, free from bosses, total control, independence and 'good money'.

As a freelancer you act as an expert or specialist in your field on a project/contract basis. You're an independent contractor or some call you a Free Agent. You're not on anyone's payroll. You're self-employed. Your remuneration for each project/contract is based on a fee.

The type of projects available for freelancers are as many as there are job functions in the traditional workplace. These include auditing, copywriting, research, text translation, creative and commercial writing, quality assurance, forensic accounting, website design and maintenance, medical law, graphical work, software development, technical writing, data entry, research, training and motivation, engineering design, raising equity funds and venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, international law, etc. etc.

First…You'll Have to Be Sure…

But because you're still working for someone else, there're pros and cons in freelancing as a parallel career. Your current job will surely provide you with some 'Assets' BUT at the same time you've to be sure that there's no conflict of interest with your employer.

*Is the freelance project for a client who is your employer's competitor?

*Is the nature of the project such that to undertake it, you'll have to disclose some of your employer's proprietary secrets? (These secrets could be sources of supplies, technological know-how, formulas/recipes, product costing calculations, or any information that gives your employer's company a competitive advantage in its industry/market).

Re-read your employment contract thoroughly, and if still in doubt, consult a lawyer. Paying fees for such legal advice is money well spent.

The Good Thing Today…

The good thing about freelance project opportunities today is that most likely you'll be undertaking project work for a company too far away to have any conflict with your local employer. Or the scope of your project does not 'threaten' your employer at all.

For example, you live in Los Angeles and work for a medium-size accounting software company twenty miles from your home. It's very unlikely that there's a conflict of interest if you were to take on a programming project for a company in Italy to develop an inventory management program. BUT there'll be a potential conflict if you undertake a freelance project to develop an accounting software for a company not too far from LA (say in San Diego) because this new accounting program may 'eat' into your present employer's product market share.

Another example: You are the head of your company's quality assurance team. You've a good working knowledge of the International Standards ISO9001. There is no conflict of interest if you were to take on a freelancing project to write the quality manual for another company nearby as long as that company is not your employer's competitor.

Is There Demand for Freelancing Professionals?

Yes.. Aye...Si...Ya! There are many reasons why companies need the expertise of a freelancer:

1.There is a sudden burst in business activity and the company's existing workforce cannot cope.

2.The company has a one-off project (example: a takeover of another company or production of a massive catalogue).

3.Deadlines must be met.

4.The company needs specialised skills not available within the company.

5.The management cannot justify the long-term expense of employing a full-time person

What Qualifications Do You Need?

What qualifications DON'T you need? Generally, you don't need to have any special license, insurance, a company, an office or employees.

But you DO need to be sure that you will be able to do the project. Afterall, this is what you'll be paid for. Knowing your 'Assets and Skillset' will give you a good feel of whether you can do the project.

You'll need to put together a profile or portfolio that is more convincing than a resume. It needs to be more like a marketing presentation. Remember there are others out there who can do the project as well.

Keep in mind that there will be opportunities to secure future projects with the same company. So it's worthwhile doing it right for the first project.

The Parallel Career Way

To be a full-time freelancer, the biggest challenge is finding enough work to justify giving up your full-time job. How can you be sure that you will have enough work to pay all your bills?

The Parallel Career Way makes it less stressful and risky because you start developing your freelancing career while you still have a job. And thanks to the Internet, things are now much easier.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

About The Author

Infopreneur, Writer, Engineer and Consultant. Former company high-flyer - shares tips, ideas and information on how to change career the Parallel Career Way at: http://www.parallelcareer.com

Should You Become a Freelance Writer

Going out on your own as a freelance writere can be exciting, but there are a few other things to think about as well.

You would think that writing is writing. You would think that just because you are doing it in freelance mode rather than under contract to a publication or advertising firm, for example, that it's the same thing. You would think, huh?Well, like many things in life, when you step away from the beaten path and eschew the warmth and comfort of schedule, office, guidelines and are forced to do all that that implies for yourself, things change.

Anyone who is good at their job and decides to go out on their own...start their own business...very rapidly learns a bitter truth. Along with all the obligations to the boss, the kowtowing and dog and pony shows, the J.O.B. did provide some things that it can be hard to get along without.

Take that scheduling thing a couple of paragraphs ago. For many people striking out on their own, including freelance writers, a first dash of cold water from the fountain of freedom is the realization that they are not as good at scheduling their own time as their boss or office was.

Oh, it's great not to hear the clock go off in the morning, but at some point, if you want to be successful, you have got to get out of bed and go to work. There were good reasons why the boss set a time for you to start work and expected you to stay for a given period. Requiring a certain amount of time out of your life insured that a certain amount of work got done. With no boss to stand over you or glare at you as you come in late, it can be easy to cut the routine and suddenly find that your output has dropped off.

For a freelance writer, low output can mean low wages.

In the routine of the office, you knew that certain jobs had to be done in certain cycles and to certain rhythms. Many times, those rhythms and cycles were there when you came to work at that company. You may have modified them somewhat, but there is a chance you did not create them. As a self-employed individual, i.e. freelance writer, you are going to have to discover and create the cycles, rhythms, and schedules which will help you be successful.

Lkie everyone else, you had to develop your skills so you could grow or you stagnated...and then the boss noticed you. Maybe they provided training for you, maybe they didn't, but at some point you probably realized that if you wanted to advance, or at least keep your job, you would have to figure out how to work the new machinery, fill out the new form, or placate the new boss. A freelancer has to stay abreast of what's going on as well, only now, there is no one standing by to make sure you get the message.

Additionally, your job provided incentive for you to keep working even if things weren't going well. As long as you came in and did your work, you got your paycheck. That, and the prospect of losing their job, can create a great incentive to be creative. When a writer decides to try going the freelance route, he or she may find that their creativity dries up in the absence of outside expectations and guidance. Then, it is up to them to force themselves to produce.

Bosses also set expectations, and you knew as an employee what those expectations were. Many people who decide to freelance feel that they will now be able to call the tune. However, often what they want to write is not what others want to read, and they find that the boss had certain expectations because he or she knew what the market was demanding. Many a freelance writer, and others who take the self-employed route, find themselves doing many of the same things they did, but for less money and with no benefits.

The list can go on. There are a myriad of things that anyone leaving the work force and striking out on their own will realize need to be done. They will also realize that usually somebody else did them when they had a job. Now that they are self-employed, again, i.e. freelance, they are responsible for it all...from bookkeeping to sanitation. It is their responsibility not only to be a good employee but a good employer as well.

Going freelance in any profession can be daunting, and sometimes the rewards are not monetary. Many self-employed people make less than they did at their last job, but would never go back now that they have made the break. After all, where else can you quit work to watch the game or play with your kids, take a couple of days off because you feel like it, and do your work with a beer on the desk?

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

About The Author

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. He also offers free internet advertising services at http://1classified.8k.com/

HTC S740 dan Palm Pre

18 kali pantas daripada 3G

Gajet ini menawarkan keupayaan jalur luas mudah alih terpantas pada kadar kepantasan memuat turun maksimum sebanyak 7.2 MB sesaat.

TELEFON mudah alih ini turut didatangkan dengan fungsi pengesanan global (GPS) manakal rekaan pad kekunci-12 kunci ini amat ideal untuk pengiriman mesej.

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KOMPAK, nipis dan bergaya. Demikian adjektif yang boleh diberikan kepada telefon pintar, HTC S740. Gajet yang menawarkan papan kekunci QWERTY gelongsor yang cukup sinonim dengan kebanyakan telefon jenama HTC ini hadir dengan rekaan telefon tradisional 12-kunci.

Biarpun produk ini bukan yang terkini keluaran HTC, S740 menawarkan pengalaman kiriman mesej paling fleksibel dan efisien dalam pasaran gajet.

Rekaan pad kekunci 12-kunci ini amat ideal untuk pengiriman mesej dengan menggunakan satu tangan. Bagi mereka yang menggemari pengalaman menghantar mesej dengan sepasang tangan, papan QWERTY pula boleh memainkan peranan.

HTC S740 ini turut menyokong kemudahan e-mel Exchange Push, POP3 dan IMAP. Antara muka 12-kunci di hadapan gajet ini juga memudahkan kiriman mesej segera (IM) atau khidmat pesanan ringkas dibuat.

Selain itu, HTC S740 juga mencontohi reka bentuk nipis telefon mudah alih, HTC Touch Diamond. Tidak hanya menawan dari segi penampilan luaran, gajet ini menawarkan keupayaan jalur luas mudah alih terpantas pada kadar kepantasan memuat turun maksimum sebanyak 7.2 MB sesaat. Ini sekali gus bermakna kadar kepantasan yang 18 kali ganda lebih pantas daripada 3G.

Telefon mudah alih ini turut didatangkan dengan fungsi sistem pengesanan global (GPS) binaan dalam, radio FM dan kamera 3.2 mega piksel untuk rakaman video serta gambar-gambar pegun.

Palm Pre gugat iPhone?

Hari ini, iPhone seolah-olah menjadi satu fenomena dalam dunia teknologi digital. Persoalannya, berapa lamakah iPhone akan mengekalkan popularitinya?

PALM PRE mempunyai badan yang lebih nipis berbanding kebanyakan telefon PDA lain.

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BAGI mereka yang mengikuti peredaran teknologi, pastinya sudah biasa dengan Palm. Palm merujuk kepada produk pembantu peribadi digital atau PDA yang pada awalnya menggunakan sistem operasi Palm OS.

Selari dengan perkembangan semasa dan permintaan pasaran, Palm kemudiannya meluaskan pasarannya dengan menghasilkan telefon pintar yang menyokong sistem operasi Windows Mobile, selain Palm OS sendiri.

Generasi pertama Palm adalah Pilot. Ia dibangunkan oleh Palm Computing, syarikat milik U.S. Robotics di Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada tahun 1996. Sering dirujuk sebagai Palm Pilot, PDA ini berjaya meraih populariti mereka yang mengikut trend semasa pada ketika itu. Tahun demi tahun, Palm telah menghasilkan banyak model antaranya Palm III, Handspring Visor, Tungsten, Zire dan Treo.

Namun, beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini memperlihatkan produk Asia seperti Samsung, LG dan juga produk Eropah seperti Nokia mendominasi pasaran telefon bimbit dan gajet digital. Dominasi ini kemudiannya digegarkan dengan kemunculan iPhone keluaran Apple sekali gus menampakkan semula penyertaan syarikat Uncle Sam di dalam industri ini.

Hari ini, iPhone seolah-olah menjadi satu fenomena dalam dunia teknologi digital. Cakap sahaja pasal telefon, tentunya iPhone menjadi perbandingan.

Barangkali keunikan reka bentuknya serta grafik serta aplikasi yang menarik menjadikan iPhone sebuah ikon telefon bimbit hari ini. Persoalannya, berapa lamakah iPhone akan mengekalkan popularitinya?.

Kebangkitan Palm menerusi produk terkini mereka, Palm Pre mungkin wajar diberi perhatian iPhone dan pemain lain di dalam dunia gajet digital. Menggunakan sistem operasi WebOS, telefon pintar ini direka mengikut ciri-ciri yang terdapat pada iPhone. Keupayaan pintar untuk melakukan pelbagai tugasan merupakan salah satu ciri utama Pre.

Anda tidak perlu khuatir untuk melancarkan beberapa aplikasi serentak seperti di komputer dan menukar kepada aplikasi yang aktif pada bila-bila masa.

Ciri utama yang menjadi kegilaan ramai, skrin sentuh berbilang pada iPhone turut diadaptasi pada Palm Pre. Tugas membesarkan imej, melayari Internet atau membuat panggilan telefon hanya perlu dilakukan dengan sentuhan jari pada permukaan skrin.

KEUPAYAAN pintar untuk melakukan pelbagai tugasan merupakan satu ciri utama Pre.

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Berbeza daripada kebanyakan telefon kacukan PDA yang menggunakan stylus sebagai peranti input, keseluruhan operasi Pre cuma memerlukan sentuhan jari.

Laman web popular seperti Facebook juga boleh diakses dengan pantas menggunakan aplikasi bina dalam, selain aplikasi lain seperti kalendar, e-mel dan sebagainya. Integrasi telefon dengan web ini memudahkan kita mengakses akaun web yang sering digunakan.

Satu satu inovasi kreatif yang ketara hasil integrasi ini adalah telefon ini akan mendapatkan foto teman yang menelefon atau menghantar SMS melalui akaun Facebook mereka, walaupun kita tidak pernah menyimpan gambar mereka di telefon!

Selain itu, pengguna juga boleh menyelaraskan akaun seperti Gmail dan menyalin semua alamat e-mel yang pernah kita hubungi melalui akaun tersebut. Sungguhpun ini boleh menyebabkan maklumat yang tidak diperlukan turut disalin, namun jika dilihat dari sudut positif, ia dapat menjimatkan masa.

Dari sudut reka bentuknya pula, Palm Pre mempunyai badan yang agak nipis berbanding kebanyakan telefon PDA selain papan kekunci QWERTY tersembunyi yang cuma perlu ditarik untuk dikeluarkan.

Pilihan papan kekunci ini berguna untuk menulis pesanan ringkas atau e-mel dengan pantas. Skrinnya lebih kecil jika dibandingkan dengan iPhone tetapi mempunyai resolusi yang sama iaitu 480 x 320. Dengan kata lain, piksel Pre lebih mampat membolehkan grafik yang dihasilkan lebih menarik berbanding saingannya.

Fungsi kamera yang terdapat pada Pre tidak banyak berbeza dengan model-model telefon seangkatannya. Dengan tiga megapiksel, imej yang dirakamkan agak sederhana dan mampu mengambil gambar dalam keadaan yang terang, tetapi apabila mengambil gambar di dalam keadaan kurang cahaya, imej yang terhasil mungkin agak pecah, sama seperti telefon berpiksel rendah lain.

Bagi yang gemarkan hiburan, Palm Pre tidak melupakan ciri yang dianggap ‘harus ada’ oleh sesetengah golongan. Ia menyokong format video seperti MPEG, H.263, H.264, MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3GPP, 3G2, dan 3GP2 yang mempunyai codec yang lebih berbanding dengan iPhone.

Ciri-ciri yang terdapat di dalam Pre boleh dikatakan ke hadapan setanding dengan jenama telefon pintar lain yang berada di pasaran hari ini. Namun reka bentuknya mungkin boleh diperbaiki lagi kerana jika dibandingkan dengan iPhone, bentuknya mungkin agak janggal dan kurang menyerlah seperti telefon keluaran Apple. Tidak mustahil dengan menukar sedikit penampilan fizikal, ia mampu menjadi salah sebuah telefon terbaik di pasaran! -

About Author

KHAIRUL ANUAR ABDUL RAHMAN

http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2009&dt=0624&pub=Kosmo&sec=Infiniti&pg=in_02.htm

Telefon bimbit medium bayaran

Lupakan wang tunai atau penggunaan kad. Telefon bimbit kini mampu menjadi medium transaksi pembayaran menerusi teknologi Near Field Communication (NFC).

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HARI ini, telefon bimbit boleh dikatakan teman kita yang paling setia. Bayangkan, kalau kita boleh membeli barang atau menggunakan perkhidmatan dengan membayar terus menerusi telefon bimbit? Ia pasti memudahkan kehidupan kita.

Dompet kita tidak lagi perlu membonjol kerana menampung banyak wang dan kad, sebaliknya dengan hanya sebuah telefon bimbit, kita mampu membayar hampir segalanya. Pelanggan pula tidak perlu bersemuka dengan peniaga atau jurujual, semuanya boleh dilakukan tanpa bersemuka.

Ia kedengaran seperti dunia yang berbeza. Dunia tanpa tunai dan dunia tanpa bersemuka.

Walaupun ia mungkin masih jauh untuk dikecapi secara sepenuhnya, yang pasti, ia bukan mustahil. Menerusi teknologi wayarles terkini, Near Field Communication (NFC), transaksi seperti itu mampu dilakukan. Teknologi yang buat masa ini disasarkan kepada peranti telefon bimbit itu telah pun berjaya dipraktikkan di beberapa negara di dunia seperti Jepun.

Beroperasi menerusi kerjasama bersepadu tiga pihak iaitu bank, syarikat telekomunikasi mudah alih dan peruncit atau penyedia pengangkutan awam, syarikat telekomunikasi NTT DoCoMo di Jepun telah merealisasikan pembayaran debit atau kredit, di kedai atau teksi.

Ia dilakukan dengan telefon bimbit berteknologi NFC diletak atau diimbas pada satu pembaca (reader). Menerusi sistem yang dinamakan Osaifu Keitai (dompet mudah alih), pada masa ini, terdapat lebih daripada 250,000 pembaca yang disediakan untuk tujuan berkenaan.

NFC merupakan teknologi wayarles jarak pendek yang membolehkan komunikasi antara peranti pada jarak kurang daripada 10 sentimeter. NFC beroperasi pada kadar 13.56 MHz dan boleh beroperasi sama ada secara aktif iaitu menggunakan bateri atau secara pasif iaitu menggunakan tenaga radio.

NFC dikatakan boleh membantu mempercepatkan transaksi dalam menerima dan berkongsi data serta membuat pembayaran dengan pantas dan selamat.

NFC boleh beroperasi dengan tiga mod. Mod pertama adalah mod kad emulasi di mana peranti telefon bimbit itu sendiri bertindak seperti kad pintar tanpa bersemuka untuk pembayaran tiket pengangkutan awam berasaskan MiFare atau pembayaran perbankan sistem Visa payWave, MasterCard PayPass atau American Express ExpressPay.

Mod kedua adalah mod pembaca. Peranti NFC mampu membaca tag identifikasi frekuensi radio (RFID) pasif seperti membaca atau menyimpan maklumat pada poster dan sebagainya. Mod ketiga pula menemukan dua peranti NFC untuk pemindahan maklumat mirip Bluetooth.

Penglibatan syarikat pembuatan telefon bimbit dalam menghasilkan telefon bimbit berteknologi NFC juga dapat menyemarakkan lagi penggunaan teknologi ini.

Nokia juga telah mengeluarkan beberapa telefon berteknologi NFC seperti Nokia 6131 dan klasik 6212. DoCoMo misalnya telah mengintegrasikan cip NFC ke dalam telefon-telefon bimbit.

Selain memasukkan cip NFC ke dalam telefon bimbit, ada juga usaha untuk menghasilkan telefon bimbit berteknologi NFC berasaskan kad SIM.

KINI pembayaran menggunakan telefon bimbit bukan lagi mustahil di negara ini.

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Kosmo! berkesempatan menemubual syarikat antarabangsa pengeluar kad SIM, kad pintar perbankan, kad pasport, solusi sekuriti digital terkemuka, Gemalto berhubung penglibatannya dengan teknologi NFC. Gemalto yang beribu pejabat di Belanda itu telah melakukan pelbagai percubaan terhadap teknologi NFC di merata tempat di dunia seperti Perancis, Amerika Syarikat (AS), Taiwan dan Belanda. Ia juga terlibat dalam projek inisiatif pembayaran mudah alih PayezMobile.

"Teknologi NFC menampakkan potensi yang amat besar. Ini terbukti apabila dunia kini semakin menerima kaedah pembayaran secara tanpa tunai dan tanpa bersemuka. Kita membeli-belah menggunakan kad dan infrastruktur-infrastruktur pembayaran tanpa bersemuka semakin banyak diwujudkan. Justeru, teknologi NFC menerusi telefon bimbit tentunya mampu menyinar," kata Pengarah Pembangunan Bisnes Gemalto, Jean-Philippe Ruault ketika ditemui Kosmo! di Kuala Lumpur baru-baru ini.

"Tambahan pula, menurut kajian terbaru, sebanyak 20 peratus daripada telefon bimbit di dunia akan diintegrasikan dengan teknologi NFC pada tahun 2012. Teknologi ini juga tidak mustahil dikembangkan untuk pembayaran bagi membeli makanan dari mesin runcit atau mendapatkan maklumat menerusi poster pintar pawagam," ujarnya.

TEKNOLOGI NFC menyemarakkan perkembangan dunia tanpa tunai dan bersemuka.

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Bagaimanapun, katanya, teknologi ini tidak mampu berkembang sendiri tanpa penglibatan kolektif banyak pihak.

"Ia memerlukan kerjasama bersepadu pihak bank, pembuat telefon bimbit, operator mudah alih, peruncit, pemproses pembayaran, penyedia pengangkutan awam, syarikat-syarikat dan banyak lagi untuk menjadikannya lebih efisien dan menyeluruh," katanya.

Berhubung isu keselamatan seperti kebimbangan data diakses oleh pihak tidak berkenaan atau bagaimana sekiranya telefon bimbit dicuri, itulah sebabnya fungsi Trusted Service Manager (TSM) diperkenalkan Gemalto kepada teknologi NFC.

Menurutnya, TSM menjamin keselamatan end-to-end dengan adanya hubungan dalaman antara operator rangkaian mudah alih, mengaktifkan dan tidak mengaktifkan perkhidmatan, mengurus pangkalan data pelanggan NFC dan sebagainya.

Justeru, sekiranya, kehilangan telefon bimbit, NFC berasaskan kad SIM itu boleh dinyahaktif secara over-the-air.

Kajian yang telah dilakukan pada akhir Ogos tahun lalu menunjukkan ribuan kaunter transaksi over-the-air mengesahkan bahawa pembayaran mudah alih tanpa bersemuka telah membuktikan bahawa pengurusan sekuritinya berada di bawah kawalan.

TAMBAH nilai kad Touch 'n Go menerusi telefon bimbit.

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Bagaimana beliau melihat potensi Malaysia menggunapakai teknologi NFC? Ruault berkata, Malaysia sememangnya negara yang berpotensi memandangkan ia antara negara yang awal menggunapakai sesuatu solusi atau teknologi terkini.

"Operator-operator mudah alih dan bank di Malaysia begitu aktif. Tambahan lagi, dalam suasana serba kompetitif. Dengan infrastruktur sedia ada yang menerima bayaran tanpa bersemuka seperti kad Touch 'n Go, Malaysia dilihat berada dalam posisi yang baik untuk menerima NFC.

"Saya menjangkakan, ia akan berlaku dalam masa yang terdekat ini," kata Ruault.

Nampaknya ramalan Ruault itu tepat apabila beberapa hari selepas pertemuan dengan Kosmo!, Maxis Communications Bhd., (Maxis) melancarkan Maxis FastTap, sistem pembayaran mudah alih bersepadu dengan menggunakan teknologi NFC. Teknologi itu membuatkan telefon bimbit berfungsi menggantikan kad atau wang tunai.

Kerjasama Maxis itu dibuat bersama-sama Nokia, Visa, Maybank dan Touch 'n Go.

Naib Presiden Kanan Maxis, Dr. Nikolai Dobberstein berkata, Maxis FastTap adalah perkhidmatan komersial pertama bersepadu di negara ini yang menggunakan aplikasi NFC bagi pembayaran kad kredit, transit, tol dan letak kereta dengan peranti yang sama. Sentuhkan (tap) sahaja telefon bimbit Nokia 6212 untuk melaksanakan transaksi berkenaan atau pembelian barangan di 1,800 prasarana Visa payWave.

"Kerjasama ini bukan sekadar eksperimen, malah amat optimistik untuk dikomersialkan kerana ia merupakan pasaran baru di negara ini," kata Dobberstein kepada pemberita selepas pameran Maxis FastTap.

"NFC adalah teknologi yang hebat. Ia satu teknologi yang amat pantas untuk menjalankan transaksi dan amat selamat," ujarnya

About Author

ADHAM SHADAN
adham.shadan@kosmo.com.my