Mumbai: Pyarelal Shankar, a grocery store owner in Haryana does not know ABC about computer, but manages to update his inventory online on regular basis with the help of an application being developed by HP Labs India. The application identifies the email address (identifies @ sign) and automatically transfers the data to the recipient's email address. Shankar uses his cellphone to shoot a picture of the list of goods and items his assistant has written down. The list also has an email address at the end of the text. When he takes the picture of the text, the device application that resides on his cellphone identifies the email address (identifies @ sign) and automatically transfers the data to the recipient's email address. To help people living in rural areas, HP Labs India is also working on applications that can help users keep an eye on what their kids are doing at home, using their cellphones. It is working on an application that will synchronise images from the camera installed at a user's home with the handset. Talking to Business Standard, Sudhir Dixit, Director, HP Labs India said, "There are three components to intuitive and rich user experiences. First is developing compelling application services for the emerging markets especially for the small and medium enterprises and home users. Second is creating intuitive human computer interaction. Finally, developing a standard authoring tool so that people can develop any application they want." Even labs of other companies are also working on similar projects. IBM's 'Spoken Web' project, for instance, is a voice-enabled technology developed by IBM Research-India, which complements the internet, and enables people with little or no literacy, or those with visual impairment, to access and share information, perform business transactions, and create social networks using mobile or landline phones. Manish Gupta, Director, IBM Research - India and Chief Technologist, IBM India/SA said, "This collaborative research programme will result in critical insights to the accessibility requirements of the elderly and people with little or no education in developing nations. With mobile phones becoming ubiquitous, these technologies will make key information sources accessible and relevant to a vast population." Microsoft Research India, one of the six global Microsoft Research labs, also has its eye on innovation in the world of mobiles and PCs. Along with its global counterparts, the India lab is contributing to a project which aims at leveraging the power of the cloud for mobile applications. Even a mobile-based advisory platform 'mKrishi', which has started pilot projects in Maharashtra. The information system for farmers will help them access localised information and advice on agricultural issues through graphic and voice formats in local languages. mKrishi has been developed to provide personalised information and expert advice to rural farmers in their local language, using sensor technology. It is also adaptable to illiterate farmers, who can make a query from a cell phone using voice-specific functions.