IBM partners IIT Bombay to develop designs on mobile

Updated on: Friday, August 06, 2010

IBM, a leading technology and IT consulting company today announced an Open Collaboration Research (OCR) project with the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay to develop new designs for mobile device interfaces.
The project is part of IBM's five-year 100 million dollar investment plan to advance mobile services and capabilities for businesses and consumers worldwide. ''The unique research collaboration will focus on the development of new designs for mobile device interfaces that can easily be used by people who are semi-literate or illiterate, as well as individuals who have limited or no access to information technology,'' a company statement said.

The collaboration aims to introduce new levels of ease-of-use to mobile phone interaction via developed software technology that will be made available to the public through open source, it added. ''IBM believes that close collaborative innovation with world-class academic institutions such as IIT Bombay, is the key to finally bridging the digital divide and putting the power of information sources and services in everyone's hands,'' said Director, IBM Research India and Chief Technologist, IBM India/South Asia Manish Gupta. The new research partnership with IIT Bombay is third such engagement in India under IBM's OCR program. Earlier in March this year, IBM had announced an OCR project with the National Institute of Design (NID) preceded by an OCR engagement with the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad.

IBM partners IIT Bombay to develop designs on mobile

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