Can Israel's "G.HO.ST" Bring Coexistance Between Jews And Palestinians?

(Image: Screen shot of virtual G.ho.st OS)

When it comes to computer operating systems (or OS for short), Microsoft Windows is king. Despite the fact that it dominates the desktop space, Windows (as well as many of its user friendly OS competitors) are often expensive, making them legally unaffordable for half of the planet.

Worse, accessing ones data while away from the office could be a hassle (especially if your computer is powered off due to human error or a power outage).

A fairly young Israeli startup called G.HO.ST hopes to resolve this issue by providing a free "virtual computer" for all of its users, which is accessible where ever there is an internet connection. But what makes this company unique is the fact that they are hiring Palestinians coders and teaming them up with Israeli marketers.

(Israel 21^st Century) Zvi Schreiber's G.ho.st (the Global Hosted Operating System, pronounced "ghost") provides users with a virtual operating system, where they can store files, write and save documents, surf the Web, and even send instant messages to their friends. And he does it with a staff made up of residents of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority - who have to meet and collaborate virtually, through video chats and on-line conferences.

But all that virtual-ness is having a real impact on the lives of people in Israel and the PA, who for perhaps the first time are able to collaborate on high-tech projects, just like people in "normal" places, such as Silicon Valley.

In fact, the 30-strong staff at the Ramallah offices of G.ho.st, even have stock options in the company. "I'm not aware of any other company in the PA that gives out options to its employees," Schreiber tells ISRAEL21c. 

While Israel's G.ho.st may not appeal to the western corporate world, power users or super geeks, it may find enormous appeal for users in third world countries who may not be able to afford a personal computer and must access the web via internet cafes.


Either way, this is a good initiative by G.ho.st, and hopefully more companies will follow.


Update: Edited last text, made sure image was uploaded. Blogger's image uploader is having problems, inserted video instead.

Update 2: Video lacked audio (this is just not my day!). Inserted image since it is functioning again.


Update (7/8): Anton has informed me that the G.HO.ST team has open sourced its light weight client for mobile phones.

Will Israel's TruMedia Redefine Traditional Advertising?

Online, the internet advertising wars are heating up--especially in Israel with Yahoo! and Walla! declaring war on Google.

But offline, the war between "entities" may be a little bit blurrier to see, which may have to do with the fact that advertisers using billboards, regular signs, television, etc. have a harder time knowing who exactly is seeing their ad.

TruMedia is hoping to change this with some useful technology, without going "big brother" on interested onlookers.

(Israel 21^st Century) Called iCapture, TruMedia is able to tell ad owners how many people their ad stopped on the street, in the subway or in the mall, how long they gazed at it, and the approximate age of the person.

The company now has its technology installed in about 30 sites across America, and in partnership with Adspace Networks is testing its system in shopping malls in Chesterfield, Missouri and Monroeville, Pennsylvania. [...]

"We just provide numbers," Cohen-Doukhan assures. "You can't go to look to see who watched. A company will just get numbers."  [...]

TruMedia's iCapture technology is based on a camera and computer algorithms to measure distances between facial features on a person to determine gender and age. TruMedia says its technology: "provides a true count of impressions with an accuracy that surpasses any other direct or indirect measurement technology.  

Even though companies will probably be a little sad that they will not be able to read the facial expressions of the various onlookers, they will probably be thrilled that TruMdia's iCapture will be able to at least have some way of reporting results, without having to conduct expensive polling which may simply "guestimate" how effective the ad was.

Note: I wonder how long it will take before Google snaps up this company? (as it would compliment their print, radio and television ad departments)


Image Credit: TruMedia

Welcome To Eilat! (Israel's Future Solar City)

(Image Credit: Thomas Springer via Wikipedia)

Eilat, a city located in the southern half of Israel is often known for its beautiful skies and cloudless days, not to mention

But it looks as if the tourist town may receive a new title in the future, as it prepares to demonstrate to the world that communities can be powered by "green" energy.

(Israel National News) The Infrastructure Ministry has announced a mammoth project that will supply Eilat with almost of its needed electricity by using a solar power station. Approximately 3,000 acres will be set aside for the project. Ministry officials said that there are very few cloudy days in Eilat that would require using electricity from the Israel Electric Corp. (IEC).

Israeli's seem to be very comfortable harnessing the power of the sun, exploring new and innovative ways to improve solar technology, not to mention helping other regions ranging from California to Korea.

Adopting solar energy should help Israel deal with the rising demand of energy, which may help convince other nations that going green is in fact a good idea.

India Looking At Israel For Oil Solutions?

India, a nation composed of over a billion people is trying to find ways of not only meeting its increasing energy demand (via oil), but also find a way to counter the rising cost of importing the stuff as well.

In order to help curb that demand, they are gazing towards the Israeli's in order to help them meet demand.

(Globes Online) The paper says, "India is gazing at Israel for a passage to energy security in the age of high oil prices, a move that will give Asia's fastest growing economy easy access to the abundant Russian, Caucasian and Central Asian crude as an alternative to volatile West Asian supplies but will perhaps also raise hackles of pro-Arab political elements at home." [...]

"The pipeline will also open an easier maritime door for oil from Algeria and Libya where India is pushing hard to get acreages and term supplies. The pipeline company executives told the ministry officials that using the Israeli link will also allow Indian refiners to use very large crude carriers and save in shipping costs. The majority of the Indian oil shipments now come in smaller vessels, classified as 'Suez Max', as they have to cross the Suez Canal which cannot take big carriers."

India is not the first company to consider going the "Israeli route," as Azerbaijan has also contacted Israel about doing something similar.

While the deal is still in its infancy, it should help strengthen the bond between the two countries, who already see each other as important allies residing in a rowdy eastern neighborhood.

(Image Credit: AP, via CNBC).

Jerusalem To Receive Prestigious Hilton Hotel

Often known throughout the world for their style and class, the Hilton Hotels corporation is planning on building one of their hotels within Jerusalem.

But instead of establishing one of their regular building inside the holy city, Hilton is instead going to erect a prestigious brand that has only been constructed in three countries.

(Globes Online) IPC Jerusalem Ltd., a joint venture Hilton Hotels Corp. and IPC US REIT (TSX:IUR), controlled by Canada's Reichman family, has signed a management agreement to manage Jerusalem's Palace Hotel under the Waldorf Astoria brand. IPC is investing $100 million in renovating the historic building, which will have 220 rooms and suites and 30 residential apartments in an adjacent building. [...]

Hilton Hotels has 2,645 hotels worldwide, including two in Israel. The Waldorf Astoria brand, named for the original legendary hotel in New York, is the Hilton's most prestigious brand. There are five Waldorf Astoria hotels in the world, four in the US and one in Saudi Arabia. The decision to establish the brand in Jerusalem is a vote of confidence in Jerusalem by Hilton.

With tourism in Israel rising (especially over the holidays), Hilton's addition to Jerusalem should help compliment Israel's capital (that is, if you can afford it. ;-))

Only In Israel: Google And Microsoft Are Friends?

While the two internet giants battle it out worldwide, both have been taking an increasing interest in the Jewish state, with both Google and Microsoft buying out various startups, respectively.

But despite the heated competition between the two, it looks like geeks from both sides of the aisle can come together and actually accomplish some good for the world--for free.

(Globes Online) Google Israel has started a new tradition, with the opening last week of the company's first engineers' conference. The meeting, which was initiated by engineers at the Google R&D center in Haifa, is a professional conference designed to enable engineers from similar fields to meet one another and share their knowledge. The event included lectures by Google Israel staff on technology-related issues and Google applications.

The event, which coincided with Microsoft Israel's Tech Ed conference, was attended by around 100 engineers and high-tech executives from various companies, including Microsoft Israel itself.

Hopefully both Microsoft and Google will consider doing more events like these in the future (in both Israel as well as overseas) as both companies have a lot to offer the world--especially if Microsoft purchases Yahoo! (something I am not too thrilled with).

Microsoft CEO To Visit Israel

It looks as if Steve Ballmer is going to help inaugurate a new research and development center in Herzliya, Israel.

(Globes Online) Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer is making his second visit to Israel in May to inaugurate the company's new R&D center in Herzliya Pituah. The R&D center is part of Microsoft Corporation's [...] strategy of acquiring start-ups as well as its bid for Yahoo! Inc.

Microsoft is continuing its brisk pace of courting Israeli's, not to mention purchasing a few startups along the way.

Note: Previously Bill Gates encouraged investors to take a serious look at Israel, as Microsoft has benefited tremendously from Israeli minds.

Image Credit: GamerScore

Should Skype Be Worried About Israel's Spikko?

It looks like another company may be positioning itself to dethrone the VoIP King, Skype. But unlike Jajah which hooks into one's email account, Spikko seeks to challenge eBay's chat program by presenting an alternative "business model."

(Globes Online) Spikko Ltd., a start-up that has been operating in stealth mode for three years, claims that it has found a way to offer free telephone calls and make a profit at it. The company's technology offers VoIP telephony services gratis for members. The only way to join the service is by invitation from an existing member. The service currently has 50,000 members. [...]

Spikko CEO Shay Gilboa: "Each user receives a local telephone number and an initial grant. For each incoming call, he receives credit to make an outgoing call by either landline or mobile. Each call goes to a computer, and will soon also go to a mobile telephone. The calls go to the devices' data channel, which means that the average payment (for airtime) will be no more than NIS 0.05 per minute, which will be collected by the cellular operator."

It will be interesting to see Skype reaction to this (that is if they actually consider them to be a serious threat). Currently Skype offers users various rates that range from two cents a minute to a quarter (and even more!).

Despite the high rates to other countries, Skype still seems to be cheaper in Israel than Spikko, although if the latter can keep its prices at a nickel a minuete (regardless of which country you call) we may see this author switch over...at least when calling friends in India. ;-)

Israeli Greenhouses To Help India Grow More Food

(Image: Inside a Rizkalla Brothers Greenhouse, Credit: Rizkalla Brothers Limited)

If growing food is good, growing even more is definitely better.

While farmers in India have helped their nation grow the necessary items to "fill the tummy," it looks as if an Israeli company may give them an extra boost using greenhouses.

(Fresh Plaza) Rizkalla Brothers Limited, an Israel-based greenhouse manufacturer, is planning to form joint ventures with domestic strategic partners to bring its complete range of greenhouse solutions to the Indian market. The $40-million (approximately Rs 160 crore) family-run company is in talks with three business associates in the country, including one in Hyderabad, and expects to form joint ventures with them soon, Helmi Abu Much, president of Rizkalla Brothers, told Business Standard.

"Though greenhouse cultivation is still at a nascent stage in India, we expect this to grow by leaps and bounds, considering the increasing awareness among the farming community on the productive advantages through this technology", Much said, adding that the total area under greenhouse cultivation globally was estimated to be around 50,000 hectare, of which India accounted for only 200 hectare. Greenhouse cultivation offers 10 times higher productivity than in open-air cultivation.

Israel's green thumb seems to be touching the globe as they have previously aided Tibet and Nigeria, not to mention receiving some rare praise from the United Nations.

Hopefully Rizkalla Brothers Limited can give India a boost in food production, as well as spread their expertise to other regions of the planet less fortunate enough to raise their own crop.

US Investors: Israeli Med Tech Is The New Black?

With the American economy not doing so well, one would expect to see investors more cautious about spending their money, especially over seas.

But it seems as if a few US investors are taking another glance at Israel's medical tech industry, which may be the sign of a new trend.

(Israel 21^st Century) "We planned to raise $150 million but the fund is already oversubscribed at $162 million," says Jeff Dykan, managing director of the Tel Aviv-based fund, pointing out that the fund could end up turning away investors. "We won't go over $200 million," he says.

SCP Vitalife's success in raising money at time of global economic uncertainty is based on the track record of Dykan, and co-manager Avi Ludomirsky who just four years ago set up a $50 million fund that invested in 17 Israeli startups that have done exceedingly well.

Their success stories include the sale last March of Haifa-based Sightline to Stryker Corp. in a $140 million deal. Sightline is the developer of a new flexible endoscope for gastro-intestinal procedures. Stryker's satisfaction with the deal is reflected in the fact that it has now also invested in the new SCPVitalife Fund.

This comes to no surprise to those already familiar with the real Israel as the tiny nation continues to lead the way in medial breakthroughs.

Hopefully in the future we will be able to see other investors from Asia and Europe get involved within Israeli Med Tech scene, as having it dominated by "US Americans" can get a little old after awhile. ;-)

Important Note: Before you invest in any company you should do your own research to cover your own "rear end." Google Finance may be a great place to start.

Microsoft Gobbles Up Israel's YaData

(Hat Tip: TechCrunch and VC Cafe)

In its eternal quest to conquer Google, it looks as if Microsoft has assimilated another Israeli company--one with the potential to help the Redmond giant compete against Google's AdSense.

(Globes Online) YaData's technology will enable Microsoft to provide its advertisers with richer targeting capabilities so they can connect with their audience in more efficient and engaging ways, at the same time providing its customers more relevant and focused ads. The YaData team will join Microsoft's R&D center in Herzliya and YaData’s solutions will be deployed through Microsoft’s Advertiser and Publisher Solutions group. [...]

YaData CEO Amir Peleg said, "YaData fully believes in the potential of behavioral targeting to enhance the value of online advertising for publishers, advertisers and users. Microsoft has the resources to unlock the potential in YaData's technology and create a truly innovative online advertising solution. We're excited to see what the future holds."

Microsoft has previously bought out another startup, not to mention the fact that they have been scouting out Israeli's with super geek skills for quite some time now.

It will be interesting to see whether or not YaData, which means "You Knew" in Hebrew (hat tip: Eze Vidra of VC Cafe) will be able to help Microsoft defeat the search engine king in the near future.

Video: Israeli Designer Turns Tires Into A Fashion Statement

Despite the fact that the government of Israel "encourages everyone" to recycle their tires instead of dumping them, it looks as if one fashion designer has gone the extra step by turning abandoned tires into attractive wallets and purses.

(Israel 21^st Century) Some women send their husbands out of the house to get rid of the trash. Israeli Elanit Neutra, 37, sends her husband to fetch it in: in this case used rubber inner tubes from old tires at a local garage.

After a scrub and clean, Neutra cuts the rubber to a desired shape, patches the pieces together and creates one-of-a-kind designs - wallets, purses, notebooks, and laptop bags - all making treads in the fashion world, both in Israel and in the US. [...]

Wallets are her most popular item, she guesses, but people also like the messenger bags and purses - the trendy accessories that look like leather, but which have distinctive patterns and qualities of their own.

While her products are available at certain stores in Los Angeles and New York, American readers can order her goods over at i Design which features a host of Israeli made products awaiting American hands.

Readers can check out small sample of her work over at Neutra.co.il, although there does not seem to be a way to order these eco chic sensations online (editor's note: that's unfortunate, as I was looking for a laptop bag too).

iDigital To Israel: All Your Macs To Be Served By Us

It looks as if Israeli Mac fans are soon going to receive not only real customer support in the holy land, but also a future Apple store as well.

(Globes Online) Apple users, who are known for their enthusiasm and their passion for the Apple brand, had repeatedly complained about Yeda's failure to provide service and sales and marketing support.

[iDigital Ltd. CEO Eran] Tor promised that this would also change. "You needn't worry. The first Apple Store in Israel will open this year," he said, but declined to state when it would open and where.

iDigital is already boasting about record sales in Israel, claiming more operating systems have been sold in the past five months than in the previous five years.

While an actual store, coupled with excellent Mac service would go a long ways towards appeasing many Israeli Mac fans, hopefully iDigital can convince Apple to launch their iPhone within the Jewish state.

Yahoo! Opening Its First Branch In Haifa

Despite the fact that the company is thwarting a semi-hostile takeover by Microsoft, not to mention celebrating in their latest Israeli startup purchase, Yahoo! has decided to finally "take the plunge" and actually open a development center in Haifa, Israel.

(Globes Online) Yahoo! will soon set up its first branch in Israel. The company will rent a 350-square meter office at Matam at NIS 60 per sq.m. per month under a two-year lease. The company has also rented parking spaces at NIS 400 per space per month. Yahoo! will join other international giants at Matam, such as Google, Microsoft, [and] Intel Inc.

Yahoo! has been busy in Israel, as they are already forming alliances in order to wage a digital war against the Google Goliath.

Hopefully Yahoo! will find some much needed inspiration in the holy land to fight the Microsoft Borg, not to mention some really smart Israeli's well versed in "all things geek."

Finally! Jewish Google Founder To Visit Israel

It looks as if Google's Jewish founder Sergey Bin will finally be seeing the holy land for himself (if he has not already).

(Ynet News) Google co-founder Sergey Brin has accepted President Shimon Peres' invitation to attend a conference he is organizing and is due to arrive in Israel this coming May, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday.

Hundreds of statesmen, businessmen, artists and physicians from all over the world are expected to take part in the conference, which will focus on "how Israel and the Jewish mind can contribute in the medical, scientific and ecological fields".

Sergey Bin is a multi-billionaire who is famous for founding the company Google (which is dominating the holy land as the number one site). He is planning on taking his family on a site seeing tour of Israel, although I would not be surprised if he decided to stop by and say hello shalom to the Tel Aviv office.

Google is already one of the most successful Internet companies of all time, and to the dismay of its rivals is already the number one site in the holy land.

While Sergey Bin will probably not consider making Aliyah to the holy land, perhaps he could show some commitment to the Jewish state by purchasing a house...or two...dozen...while he visits. ;-)

Yahoo! To Purchase Israel's FoxyTunes

After previously forming alliances with Walla!, it looks as if Yahoo! is deciding whether or not to buy out FoxyTunes, a company based in Israel.

(TechCrunch) Rumors popped up here in Silicon Valley that Yahoo is in negotiations to buy Israel-based FoxyTunes.

The Foxytunes core service is a Firefox plugin that allows users to control their favorite media players from the browser. It has a small but loyal following, who also use their tangential services (an email/blog signature tool and FoxyTunes Planet, a site that aggregates music information).

Since Yahoo! already is investing its resources into music, FoxyTunes makes a perfect purchase for the media/tech giant. While Google still holds the reigns as the champ in Israel, hopefully Yahoo!'s entrance can shake things up a bit in an already competitive market place.

Can Yahoo! And Walla! Challenge Google In Israel?

It looks like one of Google's biggest competitors will be entering Israeli cyberspace to challenge the search engine king on the holy land home front.

But instead of challenging Google on its own strength, Yahoo! has decided to partner with Walla! in a bid to take on the digital Goliath.

(Globes Online) Walla! CEO Ilan Yeshua told "Globes", "We signed a long-term agreement with Yahoo! that enables us to use its innovative search technology. The agreement follows the launch of our search engine at the beginning of the year. The business has caught on, and succeeded, with a great many advertisers already signing up." [...]

When asked if he believed that Walla! could create genuine competition for Google, he replied, "We don’t expect to win half of the search market in Israel, but we expect to become a significant player in Israel, and we'll grab a substantial portion of the market."

While it is good to see Yahoo! wisely partnering up with Walla!, what they need to do is seek (and buy out) a few Israeli startups that can challenge the Google giant on search engine kings weaker fronts (like Froogle).

If not, Google will simply buy out companies with potential (like they did last time), leaving their competitors to settle for either the silver or the bronze.

Organic Clothes For Your Organic Kids

(Image Credit: B Nature)

While some parents are willing to spend their last cent in order to provide safe, comfortable clothes for their kids, others are more interested in getting a bargain for their shekel (or dollar).

Now it seems as if a clothing company has found a unique way of meeting both interests--without harming the environment or the workers who create it.

(Israel 21^st Century) Messer's Tel Aviv based company, B nature, designs, manufactures and markets a line of organic baby and kids clothing made from 100% color grown (non-dyed) and natural dyed organic cotton. A family owned operation, B nature has been on Israel's clothing scene for a year and recently debuted in the US retail market. [...]

"In clothing manufacturing we understood a long time ago that the West is using the East to produce products cheaply. But the entire reason I got into organics was because I wanted to make a change. To show that we can make a product and preserve human rights and give workers fair salaries and get rid of the myth that everything coming from China these days is tainted with poison or child labor," said Messer, who personally visits B nature factories in Shandoong and Canton Provinces several times yearly.

According to the article, B Nature provides not only benefits to its workers in China, but also ownership by giving them corporate shares of the business.

Hopefully this company will be able to demonstrate some of their products within the American market, as many parents their are probably seeking out safe, affordable clothing for their kids.

Israeli Car Industry: Business Is Good!

While the auto industry in the US is going through their own trials and tribulations, the Israeli car industry is experiencing nothing but sunshine.

(Globes Online) Israel's automotive sector ended one of the best years in its history yesterday, with more than 190,000 new cars, including taxis meeting Israel's roads in 2008. Nearly all importers saw double digit growth in deliveries, across all segments in 2007, compared with 2006, with the family vehicle segment recording exceptionally strong growth, including the niche and luxury vehicle segments.

Israel's strong auto market is a bit of a mystery (note: at least to me), but it may have something to do with the new hybrid demand as well as stronger purchases by businesses instead of the typical consumer.

Related Note: Israel may once again revolutionize the world next year when their flying car debuts.

Israel's Kenshoo May Be A Godsend For Small Advertisers

While advertising online may be cheaper than the paper alternative, inexperienced businesses can still waste a lot of time (and money) determining how effective their campaign is at bringing new customers.

Although large companies often have the budget to hire out SEO experts (or web savvy marketing teams), most small businesses may not have the funds to afford the marketing know how to get ahead in this "cut throat" business age.

Fortunately a company called Kenshoo may help the little guys gain an edge online, regardless of which major ad network they use.

(TechCrunch) Kenshoo [is] an Israeli startup that automates the whole process of creating and managing search-engine marketing campaigns. It is a labor-intensive activity that has given rise to an entire cottage industry. Kenshoo competes with bid-management software from all the giants in online advertising (DoubleClick, aQuantive's Atlas Solutions, and Omniture), but it goes a step beyond that to look at the quality of the campagns. It finds relevant keywords across search engines, and changes the campaigns to maximize their returns.

Kenshoo seems to be doing rather well and according to TechCrunch may have secured a few million dollars in its first venture round of funding. While there is not much one can gather about the company from its site, they seem to have a few satisfied customers in TechCrunch's comment section.