I received a link to an interesting article in Boston Globe from Neil. This article shows examples of cases where some advanced technology is first developed in third world countries and then will come to advanced countries. The councluding paragraph of the article says it very eloquently:
But the First World will have to share the stage with the Third World in a way it never has before. For centuries, the world’s standards were set in its most advanced nations and poorer ones emulated and imitated. But now, it is likely to be the developing world that dictates many of our technological platforms and sets the pace of change. It has the numbers – and in aggregate, the money. It’s inevitable that innovation’s center of gravity will ultimately follow.
I believe that mobile phone is really bringing the next revoutionary stage in computing that will bring experiential computing to the centre stage. And this will really evolve first in the developing countries and then only it will come to developed country. This is a great chance for some emerging companies in developing countries to take lead and become world leaders.