M.A.D. is a product from Delta Technologies, a startup based in Mumbai, India. M.A.D. is a M-learning program targeted mainly towards students preparing for various competitive examinations. The idea behind the product is to use the mobile phone as a source of learning whenever the student does not have access to his regular courseware, say when he is traveling. The content is not meant to replace the original preparatory material for the exam but rather aims to supplement it.
The package comes as a JAVA file which most mobiles are able to support these days. The file can be downloaded from the Internet to your PC and then transferred onto the phone using a data cable. Alternatively, you can send a simple SMS to a number and get a link for directly downloading the file via GPRS or Wi-Fi. Once the software downloads to your phone, GPRS connectivity is no longer required as the application runs completely offline.
The application UI is interesting - questions appear as if scribbled on a blackboard using a chalk and the correct option from the four given choices can be selected using a pointer. The application covers Geography, Arts, History, Business, Sports, Science and Current Affairs. The font does appear slightly cartoon-ish and lack clarity sometimes. A flash based preview of the mobile application is shown:
Content for these questions is provided by Career Launcher, one of the big players in India for MBA entrance examination coaching. Another freeware bundled with the package is a debit account from ZipCash. When you install the application, an account is automatically created for you and a small amount is deducted from it. A needless addition I would say.
Even though the application does not require GPRS connectivity once it’s installed, this itself becomes a severe blocker in the utility of the application. For example, you cannot download more questions into the app once you finish the questions loaded into the module. There is no option to maintain your score and see the scores of other people using the application to estimate how well you performed. Plus, the application in general lacks focus - as of now, it’s more of a general purpose quiz-like question set rather than focusing on a particular examination and accordingly planning to the interaction with the use.
Overall, an excellent innovative concept which could be tremendously useful for students to use their mobile phones for something more useful and productive than simply staying in touch.
This entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
