Archive for avril, 2006

Over the past few days many aspects of the Cybertigi began to take shape. We have received both of our projectors now, the inFocus LP120 and the Hasbro Zoombox, and will begin testing them later today to gauge how they will handle in the field. On this note, we are pleasantly surprised so far with the Hasbro Zoombox’s performance. Although sold as a children’s toy for around $300 USD the quality of the image ppears more than suitable to meet our needs. The exceptionally attractive aspect of the Zoombox is the $4 replacements bulbs. Over the next week or so we will write a more comprehensive review of the Zoombox to post, seeing as there is comparatively little information currently available on the machine.

After several revisions and careful deliberation Matt finalized the Cybertigi logo last night. Here is the logo we will use to build the Cybertigi brand:

Maimouna and I met with 2 local graphic designers today to discuss how we can put the Cybertigi logo on t-shirts, signs, hats, stickers and so forth for our opening lancement ceremony and the project in general. Early next week we will make our decision on how many of each we need to order.

We have also begun looking for the field agent we hope to use as a liaison between our bureau here in Bamako and the kiosk sites. This person would act as a Jack-of-all-trades for the project and be involved in training the kiosk entrepreneurs, assisting with logistics, providing technical assistance to the kiosks, and acting as a middleperson between our office and the project sites. Employment vacancy announcements have been posted in Ouelessebougou and Bamako. We interviewed our first candidate yesterday and will continue until May 12^th when we plan on making our final decision.

Renaud has nearly finished the bulk of the news via email subscription service and has been working on the email transfer mechanism and interface. Already he’s made some excellent decisions on how to better streamline the interface and make it easier for beginners to operate. After working on the email component, one of the most crucial aspects of the overall system, Renaud will be moving on to incorporate scanning, attachments, and a multitude of other features.

Today we are also testing the lifespan of the projectors when attached to a 12V car battery. Since we will not have a standard power source at our sites we need to know how long we can use each of the components when they are running off a solar charged battery. Today we are testing the Zoombox. We’ve just passed the 2.5 hour mark, the critical amount of time to show a movie and public service announcement, and likely have some time to go before losing power.

We are looking at having a kiosk with limited functions in operation by May 16^th to begin training the field agent with. Between now and then we will formalize all arrangements with our partners, finish our pricing and payment models, itemize our training curriculum, order collateral, more site visits, carry out our interview process and select and assistant, and begin implementing the photo and projector components of the project. Busy few weeks ahead for the GCM team.

Yesterday brought with it new perspectives, some challenges, and a few new opportunities. While visiting Ouelessebougou and Faraba on an information gathering expedition Matt and I we startled on a handful of occasions. The first was at the CLIC where we found they were charging 250CFA for a print from their HP LaserJet 1300 and 100CFA from their HP Officejet 6110 all-in-one. The standard price for a print in Mali is 100CFA. They didn’t realize the cost of the 6110’s prints were twice the cost of the 1300’s after taking the CLIC’s other factors into account. Instead they were charging twice as much for something that costs half as much to print. More shrewd people would think that this inflated margin would be helpful – after all, you’re getting 2.5X the revenue at half the cost of the other print. It isn’t. The CLIC was using the 6110 for nearly all their prints, not the 1300. They had unknowingly selected the option giving them the smallest margin. We explained this to the CLIC staff and hope that in the future more work will be channeled through the 1300 instead of the 6110.

While designing Cybertigi we have always used the idea of using the HP LaserJet 1300 and charging the standard Malian rate of 100CFA per print. We are currently working on how best to divide the margin between the CLIC’s materials cost and each of the Cybertigi’s core components: CLIC/hub, eKiosk, MobileKiosk, and savings/amortization.

Shortly after arriving in Faraba and greeting the mayor and the dugutigi* we were given a personal escort by Mr. Sayon Diabaté, the Secretary General of the Mayor’s office. We met with several entrepreneurs, the local druggist, and the region’s photographer. It was over the course of the meetings with the entrepreneurs we came to recognize how valuable a connection between them and their Bamako supplier could be. Some would have to spend several thousand CFA and an entire day in transit just to replenish their stock. If we can devise a bridge between wholesaler and vendor we bring the ability to ship directly noticeable cost savings for the retailer. Matt and I are looking into the possibilities now.

With the region’s photographer we proposed a partnership between him and Cybertigi. We offer superior quality prints, in a more timely fashion, the same market rate of 500CFA per print, and with roughly the same operating margins as the standard film reproductions. Our goal is not to infringe on the photographer’s operation but instead to complement it. We proposed he use our digital camera and process his prints through the Cybertigi. This would create close to the same profit per print margin for him as before and reduce his work burden. Currently the photographer has to wait until the entire roll of 24/36 prints is taken before he can pay to travel at least 2 hours to Bamako to have the prints developed, often with inferior results. The complete cycle usually takes several weeks from taking the picture to processing to payment for the prints. With our Cybertigi partnership he would have prints delivered at least once per week without having to travel at all. He can also verify with people which prints they want by showing them on the viewscreen before sending the print order in. There are also value-added options such as 2-per-page prints, special designs, or making photo IDs. Simply put, we offered a more streamlined enterprise with some value added components in exchange for using his existing recognized brand of “village photo-tigi”. Instead of competing head-to-head, something we in no way want to do, we found an equitable compromise that benefits all parties. We concluded the meeting with an understanding that we would like to work together and would discuss payment and billing details during our next meeting.

On the whole we left Faraba satisfied that we were able to glean so much valuable information in such a short period of time. This comes in large part from the generous assistance of Mr. Sayon Diabaté, the Secretary General, and Mr. Adama Wattara, the village’s go-to man.

There are still other details to be investigated, but the initial charge is well underway. We hope to begin the first phase of the Faraba component of Cybertigi within the next few weeks.

*Dugutigi: Village chief [“dugu” means village]

This week brought more progress on the technical front. As always, Frederic and Renaud have been moving ahead nicely on building the interface for the eKiosks. This week they were focusing on building the email and relay components of the system. How to best incorporate news and similar feeds are being debated now. To say they are an impressive team would be an understatement.

Matt has been thinking of new value added services and site logistics and came up with a few new ideas. Among them was the sharp idea to offer 2 types of news steams: 1 or more free access feeds for the community at large, and a handful of premium feeds for those who are interested in subscribing to up-to-date news feeds on the topics they are most interested in (say, their favorite football team or the foreign press).

I’ve kept busy working on the project’s budget and earnings projections, as well as some scheduling and planning. We are now at the point where certain elements of the project are coming together and we have to be looking to when we can realistically start implementation. We’ve come to the consensus that the best approach would be to begin shortly with the photo printing opportunity, and gradually phase-in the other elements as they are completed. By adopting this approach we ease ourselves into the community, begin to build our brand, and work out the first technical details before beginning in full force.

Thursday a team consisting of Matt, Renaud, Ludovic, Maimouna, and I went to visit Ouelessebougou and Faraba to greet members of the CLIC and Faraba’s mayor’s office to formally express our interest. Although we had met with these agents in the past, we thought it best to meet again before proceeding any further. Their support will be critical to the project’s success and to review each party’s goals is prudent.

The CLIC will be used as the service hub, and while there we met with Mme. Yattara Oumou Sow, its manager, and reviewed how we could work in partnership. We also had the opportunity to demonstrate the Epson PictureMate Deluxe and discuss how it could be used to increase revenues for the CLIC. While in Ouelessebougou we also took note of the radio and GSM towers in the area. Ideally, we would like to partner with Ikatel, one of Mali’s 2 cellular providers, to use their large tower in the heart of Ouelessebougou to relay a Wi-Fi connection between Faraba and Ouelessebougou CLIC. We envision this allowing us to relay information directly from Faraba to Ouelessebougou to the CLIC, and during the next pahse, create a link between the CLICs in Ouelessebougou, Bougoula, and Kangaba to share one internet connection and divide the its cost between each.

Next, in Faraba we met with Mr. Diabaté, the Secretary General for the mayor’s office. Over the course of an hour and a half we worked on how to find the right person to use as a local entrepreneur, evaluated where the kiosk could be placed, and what services the eKiosks would offer and how we can work towards meeting other needs of the community.

Here are a few more shots from the day:

Upon returning from the site visit we met Frederic at the office who showed us the substantial advances he made during the day on the email component. Today he and Renaud are building on the work done yesterday.

- BC

Since Monday the team has been working to tie up many of the loose logistical and administrative details we needed to accomplish before progressing any further. The highlight of the week was getting most of the equipment we need to the preliminary phase ordered and shipped.

The following are some of the more noteworthy items ordered:

• Nokia 770
• InFocus LP120 Projector
• Zoombox projector
• T-amp

On that same note, Renaud is making huge strides in building the overall Cyber-tigi interface. The team was fortunate to get him on-board. He’s a great addition to the Geekcorps, Mali team and we’re all looking forward to seeing what he develops in the coming months.

Fred has also been exceptional, as always. From designing the Wi-Fi relay to working on the solar powered sources to working with Renaud on the interface, Fred is demonstrating his talents across all areas of the project. His breath and depth of the technical aspects of the project is staggering. To say the project is fortunate to have him would be a gross understatement. What is truly impressive is that this is merely one of the many projects Fred is involved in, each equally demanding. As we say in Mali, “i ni baara, Fred”.

We are all eagerly anticipating the arrival of these components. The LCD projector is one of the items we spent a great deal of time researching and are keen to see how it performs. The projector will be used in kiosk sites and villages along the way to deliver public service announcements, NGO multimedia, short films in the local language, and so forth. It will be a way for us to build awareness of the Cyber-tigi project while also delivering worthwhile content to these communities.

Using an LCD projector in villages is very appealing to us. It is a way to bypass the cultural hurdle of introducing new products by delivering a service indirectly linked to our Cyber-tigi project. It builds our brand. Also, in the villages we plan on using it in there is little activity in the evenings. Some homes use a television run off a car battery and always draw large crowds every time to watch the nation channel ORTM. In many instances members of the community watch it solely for the visual aspect and don’t catch much of the French being spoken. Remember that Mali is officially Francophone, but the majority of people living in the countryside speak a local language, predominantly Bambara in our part of the country. A fair portion of the materials available to us are in Bambara, something previously nearly unavailable to most.

We are not your standard product testers. Our environment is more harsh and our demands are greater. For this reason you might often find hardware listed here that you otherwise wouldn’t consider for other projects. Point in case: the Hasbro Zoombox listed above. Yes, we bought a child’s toy. Why? Because it seems like just the right fit for our needs. Our communities will be pitch black at night, negating the need for high-brightness lamps; we need portability, and the Zoombox weighs fewer than 6lbs/2.7Kg; we need a lamp that is affordable enough for Malians to be easily replaceable - the Zoombox’s cost roughly $7USD; we need something inexpensive and flexible - the Zoombox meets those criteria; we understand its limitations, but for use as the mobile-projector we believe it will meet our needs sufficiently.

We also chose the InFocus LP120 for the more demanding applications and for delivering messages from our partners in the larger communities hosting permanent kiosks. These communities are always larger than the hamlets and have more demand for larger, crisper projections. We narrowed our choices down to 3 main: the InFocus LP120, the Epson PowerLlite S3, and the Epson PowerLite S1+. Our reasons for choosing the InFocus LP120 are many, but some stand out more than others: the operating temperature on the LP120 is 40C, the others only 35C - major factor here; its power consumption - remember, we’re using solar systems and batteries; the size and weight of the unit; the clarity of the image; where the vents and hot-spots are and how we can build an external casing to reduce the unit’s temperature; and access to the unit to be able to clean it out. There are other considerations, but these were some that stood out on the LP120.

Arguably the most impressive item among our order are the T-amps. For those who don’t know, T-Amps are integrated amplifiers which are causing an enormous stir among audiophiles. They deliver heretofore unmatched audio quality at seemingly impossibly low prices. Reviews abound describing how the inexpensive $30USD amps are outpacing systems 100X more costly, They are portable, inexpensive, pack a punch, battery powered, of the highest quality, innovative, and just the right thing for our project. We are eagerly awaiting their arrival.

So that’s the hardware wrap up for the week. The orders are in and we are waiting. We are looking to go out to Ouelessebougou and Faraba next week to begin the formal protocols necessary before beginning any projects. Look back late next week for more pictures from the sites.

The Epson PictureMate Deluxe printer arrived in the mail on Tuesday at the office. What a treat. We had been eagerly awaiting its arrival since the order was placed to see if it held up to the high praise it has received in reviews. Since the printer will play such an important role in the project it is essential that we have a piece of hardware that can perform the way we need it to. From our research the Epson seemed like the strongest lead, at least on paper.

During the course of the project we hope to use the photo printer in a variety of ways. Of course we will be printing photos taken with the Canon PowerShot A410 (yet to arrive), that’s a given. Additionally, we hope to corner the markets of ID cards, wedding and baptism prints (very big culturally here), badges, and myriad other similar services. The photo printer had to be well built and durable, develop high quality prints, and be efficient enough for us to be able to find a margin between the cost of the print and the sale price.

No fewer than 5 minutes after arrival the Epson PictureMate Deluxe was put through its paces. We needed to see what it could do for ourselves. We approached the unit as objectively as possible. As expected, we found the printer easy enough to get set up and ready for the first round of prints. Good. Simplicity is exactly what we’re looking for. Next came printing the pictures. Of course we had to christen the unit by starting with just the right picture. Total printing time took under 2 minutes and we were very pleased with the LCD display and the ease of use of the control panel. The one drawback we noticed was that we aren’t able to switch the language of the display into French, somewhat unfortunate since Mali is Francophone not Anglophone. But since our Cyber-tigi agent will be familiar with how to operate the machine this isn’t too great a drawback.

We started the hands-on part of the test by taking the picture outside and throwing dirt, dust and sand on it and generally just getting it good and dirty. No problem. With a good shake and a wipe the picture was back to normal with no scratches on the page.

Next we took it inside, poured water on it, let it sit for 2 minutes or so, and then wiped it off. Again, no problem. The photo held up without so much as a dribble of ink out of place.

Lastly we took it up to the roof for its real test. We wanted to see how the ink and paper would fare against the intense sun we get here. There is no hotter place we could think of than on the roof where there is no shade all day long. Taped to the ground our shot of Gizmo went 7 days straight exposed to the scorching sun. When we looked at it 7 days later we saw no visible difference compared to a week ago. We understand a week is hardly enough time to judge it fairly, so we’re going to leave him up there for a while longer. We’ll keep you updated if there is any significant loss of quality.

So far we are very pleased with the purchase. The Epson PictureMate Deluxe is more than holding its own in our view. It’s always refreshing to walk away from an investment in a piece of hardware knowing you received value for your dollar.

Next test: how it holds up in the field.

-BC

** Post script: This past weekend Matt and I had the opportunity to grill a PCV, Paul Keljik, who began a photo-printing venture similar to ours in his remote village of Dogofry. We found that among the most important elements of his printing project was the weight Malians would put on having exceptionally vibrant colors in their photos. In some cases people refused to pay for the photo when the colors were not deemed of high enough quality – a surprising statement because of how difficult it is to even find photos in these areas. Additionally, there is a significant competitive advantage to having prints immediately available, or delivered before the 2-3 week average time period it takes for traditional photos to be processed. Paul also gave advice for training the photographer and some cautions on how to manage the operation. Thank you Paul for your input.