Angry Birds Coming to Facebook on Valentine’s Day [EXCLUSIVE]

From left to right: Rovio's Henri, and Peter, with PO's Joshua, earlier today in Jakarta.

Speaking exclusively to Penn Olson today in Jakarta, Peter Vesterbacka, the ‘Mighty Eagle’ of Rovio, and Henri Holm, the SVP of Rovio Asia, shared the company’s plan to release Angry Birds to more than 800 million people on Facebook. And what’s more, the company is planning its big launch to be held in Jakarta on February 14th. Why Jakarta? Well it’s obvious, Peter says, as Jakarta is the global capital of Facebook. Holding the launch here would be appropriate as it is a major Facebook hub.

Angry Birds has become a phenomenon in such a short time, and Rovio has been busy building the brand on top of the already successful game title. Now with over 700 million downloads (on its way to pass 1 billion this year) Rovio is becoming an entertainment company which will make comics, animations (it has acquired an animation company), and even plush toys to complete a full circle of online-offline engagement. With this, Rovio aims to have 1 billion fans instead of just 1 billion downloads.

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The Next Billion

While it has been the must-have game on iOS and Android phones or tablets, Rovio wants Angry Birds on every screen. They want it on every possible platform. To make this possible they’ve also worked with Samsung so that Angry Birds will be pre-installed on every new Smart TV and the 2010 and 2011 versions of the TV sets will get an update that will install Angry Birds. Not only that, they are bringing the Angry Birds experience to the next billion by reaching the feature phone market (working together with Nokia on its Asha series). In the near future, Rovio is also working to bring a seamless and connected experience through any platform you play Angry Birds on. For example, if you start playing Angry Birds on your iPad, you can continue your progress on your Samsung TV or on a PC in an internet cafe.

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Angry Birds Power-Ups

So what’s so special about bringing Angry Birds to Facebook? Shown for the first time to the world outside their labs, Peter brings us through the Angry Birds experience on Facebook, showing its full screen capability and higher quality animation to maximize your playing experience. Rovio will also introduce new power-ups (e.g. an earthquake; or special, bigger, or stronger birds) which you can buy (for US$0.99) or earn while playing the game. Peter said that Rovio won’t introduce a product unless it’s a great one, and claims that 40 percent of users are actually interested in buying the power-ups, in contrast to just 3 to 4 percent in most other games.

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Sociable Birds?

The next feature (and perhaps an obvious one) is social. Angry Birds on Facebook will have leaderboards so people can try to beat each other scores by buying power-ups to earn ‘bragging rights.’ When asked about the payment system in Indonesia, Peter said that rather than moaning about how they can’t make money because of it, they are bringing a solution to that problem.

Rovio also plans to release more games than it did last year (it released the Rio and Seasons variants in 2011) including making a more localized game with local content. Rovio released a Year of the Dragon update to Angry Birds Seasons for the Chinese New Year where it has a new theme, animations, and of course, a swooping dragon as a ‘power-up.’ The team is planning to do something like this in Indonesia, and that’s another part of the reason for the visit here. The forthcoming game will include local content such as Batik, Garuda, or even Komodo so that it has a more local touch filled with Indonesian cultural references. This looks set to be a separate, new Angry Birds game, and not just an update to Seasons.

Rovio also plans to recruit an intern by holding a game developer competition in Indonesia. The winner will earn an internship for a month to get to know how Rovio works – and in return, he or she can make a contribution to this localized version of Angry Birds. Rovio, though, is dismissing rumors that there’s any plan to have an office here – but it will have several local partners for the brand.

Angry Birds for Facebook will be released on February 14, 2012 worldwide, and as we heard from the Mighty Eagle himself, it will be launched in Jakarta. We encourage our readers not to get too carried away playing the game that you forget your normal Valentine’s Day responsibilities. Angry Birds are one thing, but angry girlfriends are a different game altogether.

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Mixi And DeNA Allies In Social Commerce

January 25, two of Japan's largest social networking service companies, DeNA(who runs Mobage) and Mixi announced their new alliance on social commerce.

On the release, it is said that "Mixi, who holds networks of close friends" and "DeNA, who has plenty of knowledge on e-commerce and has been running Bidders (mobile shopping service)" are going to construct a new social commerce service in this growing sector.

Planned in late March, a mall-type social commerce service will be opened in Mixi. There are already some major companies, including Lawson HMV Entertainment, Sanrio(=Hello Kitty) and Cecil McBee decided to have their shops. Other companies are encouraged to contact them to join.

Whilst Gree, the rest of the big three, has been competing severely against DeNA's Mobage on social game platform (1, 2), Mixi and DeNA seemed to have friendly relationship by using phrases co-existence of "social graph" and "virtual graph".

But still, they are common in having social games on their own open platforms. The release does not have single word of "Mobage".

See Also:

Mixi's release [J]

DeNA's release [J]

Mixi And DeNA Allies In Social Commerce

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Japan’s Docomo Experiences Another Network Service Disruption

Docomo CEO Ryuji Yamada

Early this morning I noticed a barrage of Twitter messages complaining of a Docomo (NYSE:DCM) service outage here in Tokyo. According to a Bloomberg report this evening, Docomo says the service interruptions affected as many as 2.52 million users between 8:26am and 13:08 JST.

The report quotes a spokesman saying that a train stoppage ‘may’ (resulting in many sudden phone calls) be the reason for the for the problem, but if that’s the case it’s disappointing. Given that Docomo had just announced a new task force to improve its network infrastructure to address the problem of sudden traffic surges. That was in the wake of its sp-mode service malfunction on December 20th which saw email addresses swapped randomly and messages being misrouted to the wrong people.

Of course in Japan, the big concern with ensuring network reliability is that in the event of an earthquake, the major networks should be prepared to handle emergency communications. Back on March 11 when the earthquake hit Japan, telephone and internet service was severely affected, and the hope is that if such an event were to happen again that carriers would be better prepared.

Perhaps the most important service is the EEW systems, to which all major carriers (including Docomo) have committed. Back in August we saw very welcome news that Apple’s iOS 5 would include this early warning feature, a welcome (native) addition for iPhone users.

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Japanese Mobile Ad Company Mediba Continues Outward Growth With Korea Office

In 2011 we wrote quite a bit about Japanese internet companies expanding their businesses abroad, like GREE, DeNA, and CyberAgent, just to name a few. Mobile advertising company Mediba is making a strong case to be counted among their ranks, with an office recently opened in Singapore, and now today, establishing an office in Korea.

What all these companies have in common is that they are riding the worldwide growth of smartphones, and using platforms like Android and iOS to branch out.

This latest move by Mediba is intended to capitalize on the spread of smartphones, noting that “entry into the market at an early stage is necessary in Korea” in order to solidify its Asia-wide ad business.

What’s next for Mediba? The company has previously stated that it was also considering branches in China, Indonesia, and India. So don’t be surprised if you hear news on that front over the next year or so.

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Oracle Launches Big Data Appliance in India

Oracle has launched its Big Data Appliance in India. Oracle Big Data Appliance is an engineered system optimized for acquiring, organizing and loading unstructured data into Oracle Database 11g. It combines hardware components with software solutions for big data to deliver the most complete big data solution.

Oracle Big Data Appliance includes:

• Open source distribution of Apache Hadoop to transform data
• Oracle NoSQL Database Enterprise Edition to capture and manage data
• Oracle Data Integrator Application Adapter for Hadoop to simplify data integration from Hadoop and an Oracle Database
• Oracle Loader for Hadoop to quickly load data into Oracle Database
• Open source distribution of R
• Oracle Enterprise Linux and Oracle Java HotSpot Virtual Machine

Recommended Read: What is the Big Fuss about Big Data?

Recent Big Data funding: Mu Sigma Closes $108 Million Investment Round, Led by General Atlantic

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Hide it Pro: Hide the Pictures/Videos you don’t want anyone to see [Appnomy App of the Day]

Wanna hide pictures and videos in your phone?

The Hide it Pro app is completely free and importantly one of the few app in android market having full 5 stars rating with 1,000,000 downloads.

The app is cleverly disguised as “Audio Manager” in the App Drawer and can be used to turn the volumes up and down. But if you Long press on the Audio Manager title the actual Hide It Pro app will launch!

You can hide Images/Videos/Audio Recordings etc. from the Phone’s stock gallery by selecting all the pics that you want to hide and selecting SHARE. Applications can be hidden from within the Hide it Pro app.

Features :

1.) Super clean and smooth UI.
2.) Proper segregation of videos/pictures audio with dashboard
3.) Categorize media into folders of your choice
4.) Batch(Multi-Select) support for hiding and unhiding files
5.) Unhide entire folders, or select multiple files to unhide at once
6.) Move files between folders
7.) Sort files by date/size/name and sort folders by count/name
8.) Thumbnails for pictures and videos on all devices
9.) Gallery features Pinch to Zoom , Double tap to zoom , One finger hold and move zoom
10.) Slideshow with Fade and Zoom effects
11.) Send/Share pictures , Get picture details and other miscellaneous options
12.) Image for seamless browsing
13.) Special optimization for low end phones. (uncheck the low memory mod from settings to get crisper pics back)
14.) Video player features play/pause/forward/rewind/next video/prev video support
15.) Ability to choose and save custom video player
16.) Disappears from recent apps list
17.) Two lock screen options viz Pin and Password
18.) Escape pin/password for times when you get caught
19.) Has built in full featured file manager with ability to hide/move/share/delete multiple files
20.) Built in encryption tool(with military standard 256-bit AES encryption) to secure your most important files
21.) Special support for Incognito Browser(vBrowser) with hidden bookmarks ,and special ability like downloading from 14+ video streaming websites
22.) Full Support for Locking apps from within the app. etc.
There are a lot more features like custom slideshow durations/slideshow order/effects , custom folder thumbnails etc.

Hide it Pro: App Details

Operating System(s): Android
Pricing Free
Supported Phone: phones with android version 1.6 and above
App Download Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.smartanuj.hideitpro&hl=en

[Appnomy's One App a Day series is sponsored by Mojostreet - A Real world mobile game with Real world benefits. Submit your app here]

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Hatsune Miku’s Song Used For Google Chrome Commercial Tops At iTunes Japan Chart

"Tell Your World ", the song which is used for Google Chrome Promotional campaign of livetune feat. Hatsune Mike (初音ミク) tops at iTunes Japan among all categories.

iTunes Japan chart at 19th January was following.

The song was released in 18th January on iTunes Japan and right after the release, ranked top 10. On next day, it ranked 1st.

Google's promotional campaign video for its Chrome, "Google Chrome: Hatsune Miku" uses "Tell Your World." The video depicts how Hatsune Miku, the virtual singer, has developed online creativity and tells everyone can be creator on the web.

This video has been viewed over 1.8 million times since its release in 14th December.

Great music choice, Google Japan!

Google Chrome: Hatsune Miku (初音ミク)

Hatsune Miku’s Song Used For Google Chrome Commercial Tops At iTunes Japan Chart

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Insights from Crystal Jade’s Chairman and CEO Ip Yiu Tung

In the restaurant-eat-restaurant world of the F&B industry, few local brands have stood out as clearly as Crystal Jade, one of the market leaders in Singapore. Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year with a refreshing of its identity that involves extensive refurbishments at its restaurants, Crystal Jade enjoyed a turnover of S$240M (US$189M) in 2010.

Over the last three years, it has expanded aggressively, investing S$25M (together with partners) to open 39 new outlets across Asia. This year, the F&B group will sink in a further S$17M to open 17 new outlets across eight cities. These efforts helped it to achieve a targeted 10 percent to 15 percent yearly growth in sales.

Beginning from a single outlet in Cairnhill in 1991 — which was closed and reopened with a Kitchen outlet in Shaw Plaza and a Palace outlet in Ngee Ann City – the group now has more than 100 outlets sprawled across 18 cities in nine countries. Half of these are in Singapore while the other 50 are in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and more.

To find out more about Crystal Jade’s longevity in the hypercompetitive F&B market, I had the pleasure of speaking to Mr Ip Yiu Tung, its Group Chairman and CEO. Joining the company in 1992, he was responsible for the group’s sterling performance in the last two decades. With a passion for pianos, the former engineer by training is surprisingly soft spoken with a gentle demeanour despite being the chieftain of such a large enterprise.

Three Keys to Success

Keeping things simple and straightforward, Mr Ip’s business philosophy is embodied in three basic principles:

1) Offering great food;

2) Providing attractive service; and

3) Caring about the dining ambiance.

While innovation is part and parcel of Crystal Jade’s strategy, the group has not veered away from its core competence in traditional Chinese and East Asian cuisine. To ensure that every dimension of the business runs like clockwork, Mr Ip travels extensively to his outlets around the region. He also has his pulse on the business, knowing its ins-and-outs down to the nitty gritty details.

Sourcing and Buying Fresh

Sacrificing profitability for customer experience, Crystal Jade spares no expense in sourcing for quality ingredients in its dishes. Mr Ip shared that its restaurants actually imported higher quality soya sauce from Singapore (which costed about 23 RMB per bottle) rather than buy cheaper alternatives costing 4 RMB in China. They also use hazelnut oil sourced from the UK for their Yusheng dishes, giving it greater fragrance compared to its competitors who use cheaper peanut oil.

Known for its roast meats, Crystal Jade also purchases 49 day-old ducks from a farm in Ipoh. Unlike the more conventional 40-day old birds that other restaurants may purchase, a 49 day-old bird is lighter and leaner with more muscle mass and less fat. Pound for pound, Crystal Jade is willing to pay more to ensure that customers enjoy a premium dining experience.

Innovating to Please the Customer

To understand what its increasingly demanding customers desire, the Group conducts regular surveys to gain their inputs. These insights help to spark new menu ideas or service improvements. It also operates a full-time customer care team since 2005 with a hotline and email for customers to contact them during retail hours. A service call bell is also installed at the tables of new restaurants like Scott’s Square.

While the group is focused on traditional Chinese cuisine, it hasn’t stopped inventing new ways of serving its customers. The group was one of the first to offer takeaway Yusheng back in the old days, and has recently pioneered a new dish called the Pagoda of Eight Treasures. Every quarter, its menu would have a new chef’s special, and seasonal promotions help to keep its customers coming back.

Responding to feedback from businessmen and PMET customers, Crystal Jade has recently launched a new Nourishing Treats menu that combines fresh, high quality ingredients with taste, texture and health. I had a chance to sample some of these dishes and thoroughly enjoyed myself without feeling the typical guilt accompanying a trip to a Chinese restaurant.

Recruiting, Retaining and Motivating Staff

People are the most important resource in the manpower-intensive restaurant business. Running the Crystal Group chain of restaurants is an army of more than 4,000 chefs, waiters, operations, and office staff. To keep them happy, Mr Ip adopts a simple management mantra of giving them respect and allowing them the freedom to innovate. Believing in staff empowerment, managers are free to handle their subordinates.

To ensure that it recruits the most talented chefs — considered the lifeblood of the F&B business — Crystal Jade gives aspiring joinees a cooking test. In a manner reminiscent of Iron Chef, candidates must cook in front of a committee and pass the taste and food presentation test. Once they join the group, however, all chefs follow a strict training programme to ensure that they could meet the high quality and standards needed by the Group.

The Road Ahead

For the journey ahead, Crystal Jade is paying particular focus on marketing strategies that help it to draw closer to its customers. Other than refreshing its logo and restaurant designs, the group will continue to engage both traditional and social media channels, working with journalists and bloggers alike to get the word out. Future innovations include the refreshing of its website and the introduction of a customer loyalty programme to allow priority queueing for members.

Photos courtesy of Crystal Jade

About the author:

Walter Lim is a corporate professional with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, public relations, social media, events management, strategic planning and corporate development. This article was republished with permission from his blog: coolinsights.blogspot.com.

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