The Hindu Business Line : Handheld computing device developed

WITHIN three months of setting up a unit at the Kongu Engineering College Technology Business Incubator (KEC-TBI) at Perundurai in Erode District, Mr Sathyamurthy, a chartered accountant and Mr Gururajan, a technologist, have developed a handheld computing device which will be particularly useful for Self Help Group personnel.

The device, which is more like a PDA (personal digital assistant) aims to simplify the manual process of maintaining records and books.

According to Mr Sathyamurthy there is a felt need for a computing device with a range of micro financial applications. "At Vyakul Technologies, we decided to develop a product that would suit the requirement of this segment. Though most of the SHG members are literate, they find the manual book keeping and account balancing process, a difficult task," he told Business Line.

He explained that the member, who went for collection entered the details manually in a book and later balanced the entries. In contrast, the member would have to key in the amount collected using the handheld device. A small printer attached to the device would generate a receipt immediately. This would ensure that "the collections are recorded, and no entry is missed out. The receipt is the proof.

"Later, the device is interfaced with the system/PC for updating the transaction. This simple handheld gadget would relieve the SHG member from the arduous task of balancing the accounts," Mr Sathyamurthy said and pointed out that it was neither a digital diary nor a PDA (personal digital assistant).

This user-friendly device has just 20 keys, including the functional keys. The memory is big enough to store data relating to 1000 members at any given time.

Stating that this cost-effective device would be rolled out within the next couple of weeks, Mr Sathyamurthy said Vyakul was also looking at more value-added features like bus ticketing, EB meter reading etc., using the same handheld device. `There is a felt need for this kind of unique handheld device with diverse application,' he added.

If bankers are keen to extend financial support to Self Help Groups (SHGs), technology enablers seem equally keen to make their life easy.