Teclosion 2011 Spring: Wondershake Wins The Grand Prix Among 15 Finalists

Design IT[J], a Tokyo-based UI-focused media consultancy also known for previously maintaining TechCrunch’s Japanese edition (its management was switched to AOL earlier this month[J]), held the first conference in Akihabara on Friday, for discussing the future of Japan tech industry and introducing great start-up stuffs.

In the morning session, CEOs from Mixi, GMO Internet Group, NHN Japan and Evernote has made their keynote speeches.   After a lunch, Four venture capitalists, including Taiga Matsuyama (East Ventures, Kronos Fund – known as a seed investor for Zynga Japan) and Masashi Kobayashi (IVP or Infinity Venture Partners known as a seed investor for Groupon Japan) , had a panel discussion to look around Japanese start-up trends and its future.

In the final session, there was a presentation competition titled Startup Battle, where 15 start-ups presented their brand new web services to win the Grand Prix prize.   Let’s see each of them.

Appict.me by Nobot

Nobot is a smartphone ad optimizer and also work with with several major foreign ad networks.   Appict.me is a program for developers to promote their smartphone apps by using social media.   It allows users of a smartphone app participating the program to recommend the app to their friends via social media. (see these Asiajin articles for more about Nobot.)

i.ntere.st by tattva

Tokyo-based Tattva just introduced an object-based check-in service called in.ter.est.   I wrote about it here on the Startup Dating website.

zaim by Takako Kansai (The Excellent Award Winner)

Takako is a well-known female system developer working with a Tokyo-based tech start-up UserLocal[J].   Apart from her job at the company, she individually developed this social app that allows helps you keep household accounting on the iPhone.   She introduces it can be also considered as a money stuff version of popular document sharing app Evernote.

Musavy by Musavy, Inc.

The company is named after Mutual Savvy.   This web app helps you to learn more about a topic by having a debate on the topic online.   It has a feature to recommend users to take another topics that they may be interested in.   They intend to launch the service in North America prior to Japan.

forkN by Seesaa[J]

Seesaa is a blog platform company, and they developed a e-publication platform called forkN that allows users to convert documents to ePub/PDF formats and publish them online for PC, smartphone and tablet users.    You can share several experiences with other users on the service, such as writing, reading, commenting and purchasing the publications.

(The Excellent Award Winner)

MoSo by MoSo

MoSo is a desktop app for Macintosh that helps you create your videos instantly.   It allows you to publish the videos on FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube without any additional procedure.   The app ranked in the first place in the free app section at most AppStores within just three days after the release.

(The Excellent Award Winner)

Midonet by Midokura

Earlier this week, the company fundraised JPY100M (USD)125M in its seed round from some VC firms including NTT Investment Partners[J], 1st Holding[J] and datacenter company Bit Isle[J].  They are a cloud enabling tech company, and currently planning to introduce the alpha version app very soon.

shopping+ by Insight Plus

Shopping+ is a smartphone app-based object check-in service that helps you learn realtime quotes and check inventories for what you are about to purchase by sharing them with the other users.   Users can communicate with the others who have the same interest in buying something.   Insight Plus was founded by Takeo Yagi, he previously co-founded TrafficGate[J], a Rakuten-backed affiliate provider and now LinkShare Japan.

4-Treasure by Alpha Do

4 Treasure is a location-based service that allows you to check in restaurants, diners, cofee shops etc.   Unlike other location-based services such as Foursquare, users can gain experience points corresponding to how much you have paid at a specific location.  For shop owners, it allows them to collect information on what kind of customers visit, and to issue discount coupons to potential customers that they wish to invite.

tabeni.co by MyNet Japan

Tabeni.co is a social app for smartphone and helps you find companions who can hang out and dine with you.   MyNet Japan is known for having developed a variety of restaurant supporting services, and the app is expect to integrate with them.

kizna by Kizna

Kizna is a social CRM (customer relationship management) app that Hitoshi Nakamura has developed.   He is currently running several restaurants in Tokyo, and he has developed it to interact with his customers more often more easily via social media.   The app includes a key feature that shows you a list of interactions with your customers via Twitter and Facebook.

(The Excellent Award Winner)

Livlis by kamado

Our buddy Serkan wrote this storyabout Livlis.

fmob

fmob is a fashion-focused social app that allows you to shoot pieces of clothing when you find them while walking on shopping streets, and share them with your friends online.   They intend to extend their global reach through the mobile app.

(The Grand Prix Winner)

Wondershake

Wondershake is a social app that allows you to learn what the people around you are interested in, and helps you start talking with them very easily.   They plan to launch the service in the US.   Wondershake was founded by Hitoshi Suzuki who previously worked with Tonchidot, the inventor of Sekai Camera.

 

Caffein / Nota Inc.

Nota Inc., a Silicon Valley-headquareted Japanese tech start-up known for its library book search service Calil[J], has developed a video communication service called Caffein, which allows you to communicate with multiple users in a virtual room.

 

Finally, on behalf of all judges who have chosen the award winners at the event, Mr. Allen Miner from Sun Bridge Partners commented on what 15 finalists had delivered.  He pointed out all they have potentials to achieve their success not only in Japan but also in the world, encouraged them to develop more new services from a global point of view.

 

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Fly Mobile To Launch Four Android Phones in India

First it was Micromax and now it is Fly. It seems phone manufacturers are warming up to the idea of android phone priced below 15k Rupees..They may have taken some inspiration from Samsung, LG, HTC and Acer, all of who have launched android based smartphones in the same segment .Huawei too launched an android based low cost model, called the Ideos, in February earlier this year.

The segment of phone which is below 10K Rupees is particularly interesting as it has around 80% of all phones available in India. And as phone manufacturers clearly see India as a volumes market, this is where phone manufacturers can make a real impact on their growth.

UK based company Fly, has announced its plans to foray into the Indian android phone market with 4 new phones slated for release. The phones will be priced between 7k and 10k Rupees. What is interesting here is that Fly promises to put emphasis on the video and media capabilities of the phone (all of these phones will have 5 MP camera and will run on Android 2.2).

Considering that 3G services are currently being rolled out in the country and will be complete nearing the end of the year, this strategy of releasing these phones in the third quarter of the year will definitely prove advantageous. Fly is also looking at launching its India centric  app store that it plans to roll out later this year.

Looking at the gusto with which phone manufacturers are looking at low cost android phones, it wouldn’t be surprising if you see more phone makers enter into the most lucrative mobile sector in the world. Android has created a stir in high end smartphone market and there’s no reason why it can’t do the same in the low end sector.

What’s your take? Is Android the new Symbian?

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Pure electronic car spontaneously combusted on street in China

This spontaneous combustion happened in Hangzhou, China. It’s a pure electronic car from China auto manufacturer Zotype Auto. On January 26, 15 Electronic cars from Zotype officially went into service as taxicabs in Hangzhou. It’s the first time that Electronic car in China was put into commercial use. Before this accident Hangzhou totally had 30 electronic taxicabs in service.

The taxicab was on duty with tow passengers when the accident happen. Luckily no one was injure. The fire was put off in one hour and no doubt the car was completely destroy, only with the steel shell left. According to the driver, he saw back smoking from the rear of the car. He stopped and opened boot and found the smoke was leaked from the battery compartment. In just tow or three minutes the car was completely enclosed by wild flame.

The reason is still under investigation. After the accident, Hangzhou stop the service of all electronic taxicabs.

[Source:auto.huanqiu.com]

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Androidoll – Android Apps Review Site For Girls

It was 2 months ago that I introduced a new segmented Android Apps review site for Otaku – Moedroid. Now, rapid-spreading Android phones in Japan has brought us another interesting review site, for Japanese female cellphone users, Androidoll [J].

“Android apps review site from the viewpoint of girls” is the catch they put in large on the top.

Another catch, “You need apps to be cute!”,

The site offers Android app generators, by which you can create your original Android apps – 1. your original movie player app (max 15 seconds), 2. your photo album app (max 15 photos) and 3. clock gadget app with your own photo.

Their apps ranking on today:

1. earthquake alerter
2. polygraph app
3. ShootMe – screen capture by shaking handset
4. app to display nail arts overlay on your finger
5. QR Code Scanner
6. Dolphin Browser HD
7. Kaocho – easy typing Japanese emoticons
8. Try On Accessories – display accessories over your photo
9. twicca BETA – Twitter client
10. Skype

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Silicon Dragon: Tick-Tock Goes the Tech Clock as China, India Close Gap

China and India are coming up fast as tech powers though a big gap still exists between these emerging markets and developed nations. That gap is bound to narrow over the next decade. (Photo: Tsinghua Science Park, site of our Silicon Dragon Beijing program May 25: http://siliconasiainvest.com/2011Events.aspx
A new Global Information Technology Report by the World Economic Forum predicts that these two powerhouses will drive much of the growth in information technology over the next ten years. Out of 138 countries tracked and ranked by widespread use of mobile phones, Internet, personal computer as well as regulatory environment and IT infrastructure, China ranks 36th and India 48th. Among other high-scoring Asian countries, Singapore excelled in second place while Taiwan checked in at sixth, Korea came in at 10th and Hong Kong as 12th.
Take venture capital investment as another indicator of this balance of power tech shift. Last year, China and India accounted for 13 percent of the $37.7 billion poured into startup and emerging companies globally, according to Dow Jones Venture Source. For 2010, China investment was up 59 percent to $4 billion while India weighed in with a 14 percent increase to $895 million – higher than the 11 percent spike for the U.S. to $26.2 billion.
Patent applications are another trend pointer. Over the past four years, quick gains by emerging Asian nations have put this region at more than one-third of the word’s patent filings, statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization show.
See my post in Forbes for more:
http://blogs.forbes.com/rebeccafannin/2011/04/15/tick-tock-goes-the-tech-clock-as-china-india-close-gap/

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Hey Entrepreneur – Which floor are you on? [Penthouse is For Facebook]

I consciously notice the floors of the buildings that I visit and try to identify the people who occupy these floors.

That’s where I see interesting patterns between management styles and the floors of buildings:

The Ground Floor

The people on the ground floor are ‘hands on’.

Mop in the hand, doing the dirty work. Sitting in an office that has no cabins. Talking to the people around them while trying to manage the crowds that come in. Quickly getting hot and tired. Blowing their fuse while trying to be civil. Just wanting to do everything themselves.

The challenge being on the ground floor is that it’s easy to lose perspective. You can’t elevate yourself and peep outside – to get a chance to view what’s new & happening in the big wide world outside or spot encroachments that appear dangerously near you. Your life begins and ends on the ground floor.

All the firms I work with and respect in my personal capacity – my PR & Travel agencies, Tax and Investment Consultants, etc. neatly fall in this category. The more the business leans towards ‘service’, the more it seems rooted on the ground floor. The owners of these ground floor shops are busy running their businesses while personally attending to demanding customers like myself. They rarely get a break to do ‘bigger’ things.

They are martyrs who are happy the way they are.

The 5th Floor

It’s that in-between, hanging, middle floor. Stuck between the ground floor and the top floors. If you operate from the 5th floor, you are involved in day-to-day ops and once in a while manage to get out and lean forward. You can leave your job or work unattended for say a week, before things go crazy.

I’m stuck on the 5th..

It takes hard working people a while to reach the 5th floor. So it’s not even easy to abandon.

This also seems to be the ‘inflection’ floor for lots of entrepreneurs. You can get a view of the world outside and can really see where you stand in your current position and where you can reach.

In early 2008, I met an entrepreneur in San Francisco who ran a Photo Sharing website (piczo.com) for teen and tween girls. The business was fully funded by Sierra Venture Partners. Clearly, this Company and the entrepreneur were on the 5th Floor. The CEO could see the Facebook Tsunami hurtling towards him and yet could do very little to escape. He was so patient during our girls’ games discussion while silently acknowledging the death by drowning that awaited him.

My humble advise to those on the 5th floor is to stand on your window ledge and try to climb upwards. Do whatever you can to ascend that building even if it means using your bare hands & feet like Spiderman – with lots of hard work, prayers and hope thrown in. In the end, if you stumble and fall, it will be worth it because it’s better to launch again and aim for the to once again rather than getting stuck on the 5th floor.

The Club Floor (One below the top).

It’s the floor that belongs to those who have arrived. The kind of floor that’s always granted a special status. It’s the floor everyone wants to visit and check out. The occupants have the world at their feet, silently comfortable with the fact that they are living with one more floor above them.

Unfortunately, heights make some people nauseous. You have to have a strong demeanor to enjoy the height – while not falling sick.

I place Jerry Yang and Yahoo! at the Club Level. Both are cult brands and have attained a very lofty status. However the height of success made Yahoo dizzy. It fumbled. The mist surrounding that floor made Jerry Yang miss the big revolution of Search and Social and he along with his Company now remain humbled forever.

Say what you may, Yahoo will always remain an iconic media brand worth billions of dollars. They have their name etched in Gold on the ‘floor plan’ in the building lobby forever.

The Penthouse (with high speed elevators)

Google occupies the Penthouse. So does Facebook. Twitter and Linkedin will join them soon. These Penthouses come with special elevators, which are only meant for the owners of that floor.

The promoters of all these Companies have one amazing similarity – they ride their Penthouse’s high-speed elevators with a vengeance! One moment they are on the ground floor starting up new features and businesses from scratch – the next they are on the 5th floor reviewing what’s happened within the business and then, kaboom – they are back in their Penthouse doing mega deals.

Just look at the way Google monopolized search, bought Youtube, Admob and routinely buys businesses almost every week.

Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Marc Zuckerberg actually own not just the Penthouse but also THE Building. Each and every floor belongs to them and they are comfortable being on whichever floor the situation demands.

The Terrace (with the Helipad)

Rupert Murdoch and Steve Ballmer come to my mind when I think of Terraces with Helipads.

They have the Capital to ‘land’ anywhere, arrive on top of any building as they please and then buy it if they want. ‘Hey – the MySpace building looks interesting; let’s just buy the damn thing. I like this tower called ‘Search’. Let’s just call it Bing.com and party like never before.’

The guys on terraces with helipads fly out when they feel like. One building more or less doesn’t mean anything for them. Observe how MySpace is crumbling and Bing.com is going nowhere. Now look carefully and see that the party is getting wound up as the helicopter’s pilot is whipping up his blades to fly the owners to the terrace of another building.

The Murdochs and Ballmers of the world can never repeat the glory of starting at the Ground Floor and climbing to the Penthouse. They are too spoilt and old.

The Terrace (without a Helipad)

ADAG and the Sahara Group are on terraces, which, unfortunately, don’t have a Helipad.

Their buildings are on fire (ADAG earned the distinction of being the ultimate wealth destroyer last year).

All the floors (see the businesses of these groups) have major problems on them. There are leaks, foul smells and a general rot in their buildings. Sure, from the outside they still look attractive, but those are pretty looking scaffoldings that will soon unravel.

ADAG ‘inherited’ the building with all the floors which is surrounded by crooks and sycophants whose interest is only in looting the furniture and valuables of the building and then take off (Career plan for the unambitious – join ADAG for few years, make a salary of a lifetime and then quit happily ever after).

Such buildings are not only self-destructive but also dangerous – they will ruin the buildings around them when they fall.

Finally, given that we have traveled from the Ground Floor to the Terrace, the point to ponder is not to get stuck on the floor that you are on but to make sure you carefully move UP from whichever floor you are on.

[Guest Article by Alok Kejriwal, Founder of Games2Win. Reproduced from Alok’s blog]

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Pay What You Want–Tamil Movie, 180 Tries An Innovative Music Purchasing Experience

You cannot beat piracy and I have earlier argued that piracy actually benefits certain industries, especially in enabling discovery [tell me honestly if the Pink floyd song you listened for the first time in your college hostel was a pirated one or you really bought the song?].

The online music industry has been through many changes in the past (in terms of delivery/format), but one thing that has come out clearly is that there needs to be innovation in pricing and one needs to get out of clutches of blood sucking recording companies.

Last year, Indian Ocean poked at Recording companies and decided to give away their latest album, 16/330 Khajoor Road for free.

A lot of people are curious as to why we want to give away the music free. Firstly, this greatly reduces the distance between the band and its listeners. A lot of people (specially younger people!) do not buy music any more but rip or download from the web, so we want to make their lives a little guilt-free!

In addition, this means no more negotiating contracts with record companies and fighting over copyright issues, no worries about bad distribution, albums not being available at different places and so on. Also, very frankly, no Indian artist survives on royalty. We make almost all our income playing live shows and composing music for films etc., so it is no great hardship for us to give up this amount. We also hope that this becomes a means for other artists in India to reach out to their listening public

Even in Bollywood, F.A.L.T.U movie’s music offered digital-only purchase of music.  And now, a Tamil/Telegu movie 180 has come up with an interesting model – pay what you want.

You can buy individual track for any money (as less as a 1 INR)!

For the first time in India, we are offering you the chance to pay what you want for songs from the album. Check out sample clips on this page, and if you like a song, simply type in the amount you want to pay for it at the time of checkout.

What’s your take? Does this model pushes the envelope when it comes to product quality (forces others to rethink on pricing)?

If you go to a restaurant which offers good food and asks you to put up a price, do you think you will end up paying more?

What’s your opinion?

[hat tip: iabhishek]

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