Wanted: help shops for all tech woes

I write this from Santa Monica in California. Worried that I don’t have a wi-fi software in my laptop, I called a tech support company referred to by my hotel, writes N Madhavan.

I write this from Santa Monica in California. Worried that I don’t have a wi-fi software in my laptop, I called a tech support company referred to by my hotel. They fixed the wireline connection over the phone. It turned out there was a wireline link, but someone had disconnected the power to the modem hidden under the table.

HT Image

Thanks to this, I got some nice bending exercises done. But it only shows how the smallest of problems can assume the dimensions of technology challenge.

What people need is a simple way to check and troubleshoot. In India, we are lucky to have people who know a lot about devices, but I often wonder about two things.

One, the techies are sometimes not able to address the concerns in simple language, and end up confusing you.

The other thing is about not being able to get the most out of your computer or mobile phones because

the techies talk too much about the hardware and not enough about the cool stuff you can do.

Last week, Nokia announced the launch of two Care Experience centres in Delhi, where customers can get guidance on buying services, applications and music. I think this was needed a decade ago for computers but it never really happened. I remember once suggesting to Adobe Software’s India chief that we need something like a “software bar” where one can walk in and get help on how to use an application the way one buys a drink.

What Nokia has done shows how the business of software applications, content services and other uses is becoming more critical. We need more such help and service points. I would love to have a shop where I can get guidance on free and open source software or a shop where I can take 15-minute lessons on how to handle downloads and pick up valuable tips on software applications.