Chandigarh administration to recognize UID as valid identity proof

Chandigarh is the first Indian state/union territory to recognize UID (Aadhaar) as a valid proof of identity and address. According to Chandigarh administration, from now, the UID card would be a valid proof for various welfare schemes being run by departments, boards, corporations, public undertakings and agencies under the aegis of the Chandigarh Administration.

As of now, UID enrolment in Chandigarh has crossed the 60 per cent mark as over 6.5 lakh residents have been enrolled with the UID Authority out of which 5.5 lakh people have been allotted with UID numbers.

Will it work in Chandigarh?

Undoubtedly, this announcement has given some relief to the people backing Nandan Nilekani’s ambitious Aadhar project, especially given the recent to the pilots projects it has undertaken in Mysore and Hyderabad.

Earlier in February this year, when three oil marketing companies – IOC, HPCL and BPCL – embarked on a UID-based delivery of domestic LPG cylinders in Mysore. Regardless of such a small target base, the project struggled at every step, right from identification and biometric authentication of customers to non-cooperation of banks in allocating subsidy monies to the end recipients. The failure of the Mysore pilot points out grave concerns about the last-mile delivery abilities of Nandan Nilekani’s expensive INR 18,000 crore Aadhaar mission.

According to an assessment carried by the UIDAI itself, the success rate of all three Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in delivering LPG cylinders in Mysore under the pilot was approximately 67%. Biometric mismatch and assorted technological and human errors resulted in failures in every third delivery. Out of 30,000 transactions over a four-month period, only 20,000 could be completed.

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Line Birzzle Hits Number 1 in App Stores Around Asia

Two days ago we mentioned NHN Japan’s ambitions to expand it’s Line service into a platform supporting things like games, coupons, and virtual currency. The company also announced an interesting puzzle game on that day in Birzzle. Developed by South Korea game developer Enfeel, the title is not a new one. But it has been given a fresh boost in this new collaborative partnership with NHN Japan via its messaging app Line.

Word on the street is that Birzzle was named by rapper Snoop Dogg during an expedition to the Arctic Circle. True story [1].

The free version of Birzzle is currently being featured front and center in Line’s sticker shop (see right), where users who install the app will be rewarded with a free sticker. This seems like a very smart and handy way for Line to promote any of its services in the near future.

Indeed that strategy seems to be working as the free iOS version of Line Birzzle is currently ranked number one in app stores in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Macau.

I took the game for a quick spin and it is pretty addictive, so proceed at your own risk. The free version (iOS and Android) has some in-game purchases available, while the paid version, Line Birzzle Plus (iOS and Android) features some extra playing modes.

You can check out video of some Line Birzzle gameplay below, and if it looks like your thizzle, give it a schnizzle.

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1. Note: Not an actual true story.  ↩

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Inaugural Social Venture Pitching Day by NUS Enterprise and BANSEA

Looking for social enterprises to invest in? Keen to find out more about how the philanthropy of these enterprises create social impact in a sustainable way?

Business Angel Network Southeast Asia (BANSEA) and NUS Enterprise are co-organizing their inaugural Social Venture Pitching Day on 27th July 2012 to provide social enterprises an opportunity to demonstrate their viable business ideas and raise funds.

On that day, Prof Wong Poh Kam, Director of NUS Entrepreneurship Centre and Board Director of BANSEA will deliver a brief 10 minute opening address on social entrepreneurship and share his insights on investing in social ventures. Thereafter, the various social enterprises will each give a start-up pitch highlighting their company’s mission and vision. Finally, the event will wrap up with evaluations and a networking session.

Come and support social entrepreneurship which is gaining momentum here in Asia!

Event Details:
Date: Friday, 27th July 2012
Time: 3:00PM-6:00PM
Venue: Blk 71 Ayer Rajah Crescent #02-18, Singapore 139951
Pricing: NUS Enterprise Partner Investors: Complimentary; BANSEA Executive Members: Complimentary; BANSEA Ordinary Members: S$20 (US$16); SVCA Member and TiE Members: S$30 (US$24); Other Investors (Including Walk-Ins): S$40 (US$32)
REGISTER HERE

Brief Description of Pitching Companies:

Bridge Learning provides quality & more affordable diagnostic learning and specialized intervention for children with learning difficulties or disabilities.

BagoSphere is a vocational training company that provides affordable and effective training programs specifically catered for rural youths living near and at the bottom of the pyramid.

Oceanic Gold creates sustainable rural enterprises in ASEAN countries that could positively impact the entire village and not just individuals or families.

Saught is a social business that creates products from the scrap metal of war remnants to support sustainable development in post-conflict countries.

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Using OpenX? Cleartrip ad server was hacked few weeks back

Almost a week back, Cleartrip’s ad server was hacked and was serving malicious code. However, cleartrip was informed of this breach immediately and the company fixed it immediately.

Cleartrip uses Openx to serve ads on its site. As per Websense, it looks like the attackers gained control of the website’s ad system since malicious code was restricted and served from that area only.

In cleartrip’s case, the local ads were served by cleartrip.com itself and not by any third party. By having unauthorized access to the Openx advertising component on the website, the attackers succeeded in sabotaging and injecting ads with malicious code.

- Importantly, the redirector did not redirect directly to the exploit website, but to a Traffic Direction System, that redirects to exploited site if the visiting browser fulfills certain conditions.

More details at Websense.

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Cebu Pacific Air, the first Southeast Asia low cost carrier to offer in-flight Wi-Fi

A few months following Garuda Indonesia’s announcement that they will soon have in-flight wireless internet service, Cebu Pacific air, Philippines’ very own lost cost carrier, will soon offer in-flight Wi-Fi as well.

Internet connectivity will come to passengers of Cebu Pacific air Airbus A330 fleet starting only in 2013. The move is a strategy for Cebu Pacific to provide more convenience to its passenger as well as providing innovative web-based solutions that will enhance passenger’s flying experience.

However, no further information on the service bandwidth and its limitation are provided. It is still uncertain whether passengers will be able to access websites that requires a high bandwidth such as YouTube, connecting to individual VPNs or downloading large files from servers.

As more and more airlines realize the importance of airborne connectivity, all the other major airlines will soon follow suit and have internet router installed on their carriers too. This may come slowly, but surely.

Read on for the press release:

####

Manila, Philippines, 4 July 2012 – Cebu Pacific Air (PSE:CEB), the Philippines’ largest flag carrier, will provideOnAir Internet service to passengers in its Airbus A330 fleet starting in 2013. The airline also has the option to install Wi-Fi on its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, for short haul flights, in the next phase.

Once Internet OnAir is in service, Cebu Pacific passengers will be able to access the Internet during flights and make calls using Voice Over IP applications, using their Wi-Fi enabled personal electronic devices, such as Android™ phones and tablets, iPhone®, iPad®, BlackBerry®, and laptops. Cebu Pacific’s A330 fleet is scheduled to have Wi-Fi installed mid-next year, in time for the airline’s initial deployment of long haul services. CEB’s A330 fleet, planned for introduction in the third quarter of 2013, will allow Cebu Pacific to provide direct, non-stop flights to regions within the aircraft’s 11-hour flying range including the Middle East, Australia, parts of Europe and the U.S.

Manila-based Cebu Pacific will be the first long-haul, Low Cost Carrier in Southeast Asia to provide in-flight Internet access.

“Cebu Pacific has a highly social community of over 600,000 likes on Facebook and over 380,000 Twitter followers. We are very happy to provide our guests with the convenience of online connectivity while in-flight. CEB can now engage passengers through innovative web-based solutions that will further enhance their flying experience with us,” said Candice Iyog, CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution.

“Cebu Pacific’s focus on social media makes in-flight connectivity an obvious option, both so that passengers can stay connected throughout their journey, and so the airline can continue reaching its passengers,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “Cebu Pacific is OnAir’s first low-cost, long-range Wi-Fi client in Asia. As the air transport market develops, we expect to see more LCCs operating long-haul routes and there is no doubt they will want to provide connectivity.”

OnAir’s use of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband, combined with the most extensive network of regulatory approvals and roaming agreements, means its services are available around the world.

Photo Caption: First LCC in Southeast Asia to offer OnAir Wi-Fi! CEB Chief Executive Adviser Garry Kingshott, OnAir Regional Accounts Director Sylvain Guilbon, CEB President and CEO Lance Gokongwei, CEB GM for Long Haul Alex Reyes and cabin crew celebrate another innovation in the Philippine aviation industry—in-flight Wi-Fi. Available soon on CEB’s long-haul flights.

About Cebu Air Inc. (PSE: CEB)

Cebu Air Inc. is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 20 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 38 aircraft – with an average age of 3.6 years – is one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Asia. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 22 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. In 2013, CEB will take delivery of 4 Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft to launch its long haul operations in the same year.

More information about CEB is available atwww.cebupacificair.com

About OnAir

OnAir sets the benchmark for global in-flight connectivity services, with 47 customers on five continents. We are the only provider to offer consistent global coverage for both in-flight GSM and Wi-Fi, thanks to around 80 regulatory approvals, 350 roaming agreements, and by using Inmarsat’s satellite networks.

OnAir’s products enable passengers to use their own mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and laptops in exactly the same way as they do on the ground, either through the onboard GSM network or the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. The products are available as linefit or retrofit for all commercial aircraft, as well as government, VIP and business jets, and ships.

OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by SITA, the leading IT solutions provider in the air transport world and Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for both SwiftBroadband and Global Xpress services.

More information about OnAir is available at www.onair.aero

####

Link to full article

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Cebu Pacific Air, the first Southeast Asia low cost carrier to offer in-flight Wi-Fi

A few months following Garuda Indonesia’s announcement that they will soon have in-flight wireless internet service, Cebu Pacific air, Philippines’ very own lost cost carrier, will soon offer in-flight Wi-Fi as well.

Internet connectivity will come to passengers of Cebu Pacific air Airbus A330 fleet starting only in 2013. The move is a strategy for Cebu Pacific to provide more convenience to its passenger as well as providing innovative web-based solutions that will enhance passenger’s flying experience.

However, no further information on the service bandwidth and its limitation are provided. It is still uncertain whether passengers will be able to access websites that requires a high bandwidth such as YouTube, connecting to individual VPNs or downloading large files from servers.

As more and more airlines realize the importance of airborne connectivity, all the other major airlines will soon follow suit and have internet router installed on their carriers too. This may come slowly, but surely.

Read on for the press release:

####

Manila, Philippines, 4 July 2012 – Cebu Pacific Air (PSE:CEB), the Philippines’ largest flag carrier, will provideOnAir Internet service to passengers in its Airbus A330 fleet starting in 2013. The airline also has the option to install Wi-Fi on its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, for short haul flights, in the next phase.

Once Internet OnAir is in service, Cebu Pacific passengers will be able to access the Internet during flights and make calls using Voice Over IP applications, using their Wi-Fi enabled personal electronic devices, such as Android™ phones and tablets, iPhone®, iPad®, BlackBerry®, and laptops. Cebu Pacific’s A330 fleet is scheduled to have Wi-Fi installed mid-next year, in time for the airline’s initial deployment of long haul services. CEB’s A330 fleet, planned for introduction in the third quarter of 2013, will allow Cebu Pacific to provide direct, non-stop flights to regions within the aircraft’s 11-hour flying range including the Middle East, Australia, parts of Europe and the U.S.

Manila-based Cebu Pacific will be the first long-haul, Low Cost Carrier in Southeast Asia to provide in-flight Internet access.

“Cebu Pacific has a highly social community of over 600,000 likes on Facebook and over 380,000 Twitter followers. We are very happy to provide our guests with the convenience of online connectivity while in-flight. CEB can now engage passengers through innovative web-based solutions that will further enhance their flying experience with us,” said Candice Iyog, CEB VP for Marketing and Distribution.

“Cebu Pacific’s focus on social media makes in-flight connectivity an obvious option, both so that passengers can stay connected throughout their journey, and so the airline can continue reaching its passengers,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir. “Cebu Pacific is OnAir’s first low-cost, long-range Wi-Fi client in Asia. As the air transport market develops, we expect to see more LCCs operating long-haul routes and there is no doubt they will want to provide connectivity.”

OnAir’s use of Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband, combined with the most extensive network of regulatory approvals and roaming agreements, means its services are available around the world.

Photo Caption: First LCC in Southeast Asia to offer OnAir Wi-Fi! CEB Chief Executive Adviser Garry Kingshott, OnAir Regional Accounts Director Sylvain Guilbon, CEB President and CEO Lance Gokongwei, CEB GM for Long Haul Alex Reyes and cabin crew celebrate another innovation in the Philippine aviation industry—in-flight Wi-Fi. Available soon on CEB’s long-haul flights.

About Cebu Air Inc. (PSE: CEB)

Cebu Air Inc. is the largest carrier in the Philippine air transportation industry, offering its low-cost services to more destinations and routes with higher flight frequency within the Philippines than any other airline.

CEB currently operates 10 Airbus A319, 20 Airbus A320 and 8 ATR-72 500 aircraft. Its fleet of 38 aircraft – with an average age of 3.6 years – is one of the youngest aircraft fleets in Asia. Between 2012 and 2021, Cebu Pacific will take delivery of 22 more Airbus A320 and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft orders. In 2013, CEB will take delivery of 4 Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft to launch its long haul operations in the same year.

More information about CEB is available atwww.cebupacificair.com

About OnAir

OnAir sets the benchmark for global in-flight connectivity services, with 47 customers on five continents. We are the only provider to offer consistent global coverage for both in-flight GSM and Wi-Fi, thanks to around 80 regulatory approvals, 350 roaming agreements, and by using Inmarsat’s satellite networks.

OnAir’s products enable passengers to use their own mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and laptops in exactly the same way as they do on the ground, either through the onboard GSM network or the onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. The products are available as linefit or retrofit for all commercial aircraft, as well as government, VIP and business jets, and ships.

OnAir was incorporated in February 2005 and is owned by SITA, the leading IT solutions provider in the air transport world and Airbus, the leading aircraft manufacturer. OnAir is a member of the GSM Association and an Inmarsat Distribution Partner for both SwiftBroadband and Global Xpress services.

More information about OnAir is available at www.onair.aero

####

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Rumor: 360Buy Delays IPO, Seeking D-Round Investment Instead

There has been a lot of speculation about 360Buy’s plans for a US IPO. In fact, word has it the company even filed its application with the SEC on June 18th, but then suspended the application a few days later. The SEC website doesn’t have any filings for 360Buy, so I’m not sure whether or not the company really ever filed, but now the rumors are that after a shareholder meeting, 360Buy’s investors are united against the idea of an IPO and instead plan to push for a D-round of fundraising.

Of course, 360Buy representatives paint a slightly different picture. When questioned by a reporter from Yicai, 360Buy reps said that the company never planned to IPO before 2013 and that the IPO rumors were “definitely spread by one of our competitors.”

Attacks from competitors are nothing new in the cutthroat world of Chinese e-commerce, but 360Buy does face a significant problem: how to convert growing sales numbers into actual profit. The company has stopped sharing official performance numbers with the press, which some interpret as a sign that things aren’t going as well as the company might like them to be. If the company ever was actually planning an IPO, that would certainly be as good a reason as any to stop it and instead seek private funding, especially since filing with the SEC means making all of the company’s financial data very, very public.

[Yicai via Sina Tech]

The post Rumor: 360Buy Delays IPO, Seeking D-Round Investment Instead appeared first on Tech in Asia.

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doo.net launches one of the first productivity apps for Windows 8 Metro

Less than a month ago, we reported that cloud based service doo.net managed to secure a US$10 million dollar funding to round launch their open beta. With the launch, the doo Windows 8 Metro App is now also available in the Microsoft App Store.

With this release, doo.net will be one of the first to show how the new Metro design philosophy can be utilized to create an outstanding productivity experience. So, what can this new app do? The doo Metro App automatically collects all of your documents from local and online sources, stores them securely in one place and intelligently organizes them for you. Finding the document you are looking for becomes a matter of seconds.

We also learnt that the native Apps for iOS, Android, Windows and the Web will soon follow, together with an integration with DropBox, Google Docs, Gmail and a few other services. ”We truly believe this is one of the most innovative software products emerging from the European Startup scene.”, said CEO Frank Thelen. If you would like to give Doo a try, you can download the Windows 8 Metro App and give it a go.

Read on for the full press release:

****

BONN – July 3rd, 2012 – doo.net, the German startup that revolutionizes the way we work with documents, today announces its new Windows 8 Metro App, which is now available in the Windows 8 App Store. The doo experience of finding your documents in split seconds by keyword- or tag-based search built on intelligent algorithms and smart tagging logic is now also available for Windows 8. The OS X App was released on June 15th of this year.

“We truly believe people will love the new Metro experience on their Desktop and Tablet PCs and it fits perfectly with our philosophy: Focus on content to deliver an efficient and smart experience.” says CEO Frank Thelen.

“We consider the Surface tablet as well as the competitive pricing of Windows 8 in combination with the massive install base of Windows users as significant assets that will help Microsoft ensure the success of Windows 8.” says COO Marc Sieberger.

doo shows, as one of the first Apps, how the new Microsoft interface philosophy can be utilized to create a great productivity App and get work done. Many of the Apps that have been available until today were focused on consuming existing content and did not show how productivity will look and feel on the revolutionary platform.

doo stands out with its proprietary data intelligence technology which lets the user experience all of his documents in a “meaningful” way. Users can easily filter by document types such as invoices, contracts, manuals or by people or organizations and can immediately see pictures of persons, company logos and geo-data related to the respective documents.

Documents can be automatically imported, intelligently tagged and sorted into logical groups and categories. In this way, all documents are securely stored in one place and always organized. Based on intelligent tagging, finding a document amongst the hundreds and thousands of documents is a matter of seconds.

Paper is history. Explorer & Finder were yesterday. Today we have doo.

The doo Windows 8 Metro and OS X Apps are available as a free download:
WWW.DOO.NET/DOWNLOAD/

ABOUT DOO.NET

doo.net provides a cloud-based solution for consumers and small businesses that collects, intelligently organizes and secures all of a users’ documents. Sharing and collaborating with colleagues, friends and family is made easier than ever with doo.net’s native apps. doo.net was founded in June 2011 by serial entrepreneurs Frank Thelen, Marc Sieberger, and Alex Koch. The company is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with 40 employees.

****

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doo.net launches one of the first productivity apps for Windows 8 Metro

Less than a month ago, we reported that cloud based service doo.net managed to secure a US$10 million dollar funding to round launch their open beta. With the launch, the doo Windows 8 Metro App is now also available in the Microsoft App Store.

With this release, doo.net will be one of the first to show how the new Metro design philosophy can be utilized to create an outstanding productivity experience. So, what can this new app do? The doo Metro App automatically collects all of your documents from local and online sources, stores them securely in one place and intelligently organizes them for you. Finding the document you are looking for becomes a matter of seconds.

We also learnt that the native Apps for iOS, Android, Windows and the Web will soon follow, together with an integration with DropBox, Google Docs, Gmail and a few other services. ”We truly believe this is one of the most innovative software products emerging from the European Startup scene.”, said CEO Frank Thelen. If you would like to give Doo a try, you can download the Windows 8 Metro App and give it a go.

Read on for the full press release:

****

BONN – July 3rd, 2012 – doo.net, the German startup that revolutionizes the way we work with documents, today announces its new Windows 8 Metro App, which is now available in the Windows 8 App Store. The doo experience of finding your documents in split seconds by keyword- or tag-based search built on intelligent algorithms and smart tagging logic is now also available for Windows 8. The OS X App was released on June 15th of this year.

“We truly believe people will love the new Metro experience on their Desktop and Tablet PCs and it fits perfectly with our philosophy: Focus on content to deliver an efficient and smart experience.” says CEO Frank Thelen.

“We consider the Surface tablet as well as the competitive pricing of Windows 8 in combination with the massive install base of Windows users as significant assets that will help Microsoft ensure the success of Windows 8.” says COO Marc Sieberger.

doo shows, as one of the first Apps, how the new Microsoft interface philosophy can be utilized to create a great productivity App and get work done. Many of the Apps that have been available until today were focused on consuming existing content and did not show how productivity will look and feel on the revolutionary platform.

doo stands out with its proprietary data intelligence technology which lets the user experience all of his documents in a “meaningful” way. Users can easily filter by document types such as invoices, contracts, manuals or by people or organizations and can immediately see pictures of persons, company logos and geo-data related to the respective documents.

Documents can be automatically imported, intelligently tagged and sorted into logical groups and categories. In this way, all documents are securely stored in one place and always organized. Based on intelligent tagging, finding a document amongst the hundreds and thousands of documents is a matter of seconds.

Paper is history. Explorer & Finder were yesterday. Today we have doo.

The doo Windows 8 Metro and OS X Apps are available as a free download:
WWW.DOO.NET/DOWNLOAD/

ABOUT DOO.NET

doo.net provides a cloud-based solution for consumers and small businesses that collects, intelligently organizes and secures all of a users’ documents. Sharing and collaborating with colleagues, friends and family is made easier than ever with doo.net’s native apps. doo.net was founded in June 2011 by serial entrepreneurs Frank Thelen, Marc Sieberger, and Alex Koch. The company is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, with 40 employees.

****

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The Power of Small: Entrepreneurs Strengthening Local Economies (competition)

SAP and Ashoka Changemakers recently launched a global online competition titled The Power of Small: Entrepreneurs Strengthening Local Economies on 20th June, 2012.

This competition challenges participants to share ideas about building the capacity of emerging entrepreneurs to enable them to scale their businesses. Entrants may effectively link small businesses to larger supply chains, unlock growth financing for established small businesses, or facilitate cross-sector collaboration to provide infrastructure that support small business and entrepreneurial growth.

Four winners will each receive a comprehensive capital, technology and promotion package from SAP – including a cash prize of US$10,000 and a technology donation to optimize performance and scale operations. Entries submitted before July 25th are also eligible for an early entry prize of US$500. The final deadline for entries is September 5th, 2012.

To learn more and submit an entry, visit Changemakers and follow along on Twitter using #PowerofSmall.

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Rakuten Pushes Pinterest’s Button in Japan

When Rakuten (JSD:4755) announced back in May that it would lead an investment round in Pinterest, the company’s CEO Hiroshi Mikitani noted that he looked forward to introducing the service to the Japanese market. To that end, the online retailer has just rolled out Pinterest’s ‘Pin it’ buttons on some of its Japanese web properties so that users in that country can easily pin images they like to the social site.

According to the announcement, we can expect to see Pinterest’s presence on the Japanese web growing soon:

Rakuten and Pinterest will further enhance their alliance in the future, with plans to accelerate the rollout of Pinterest’s services in Japan. As a first step, however, a “Pin It” button will be added to Rakuten Travel, Rakuten Recipe and Rakuten Ichiba, the largest internet shopping mall in the country.

As we often see when companies introduce new foreign services to Japan [1], Rakuten has added a ‘How to Use Pinterest’ section on its website, giving a brief explanation of what it is and how it can be used.

On a somewwhat related note, readers may recall that Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo recently used Pinterest in a rather creative way to promote a new line of t-shirts.

[h/t to CNet Japan]

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1. For other examples of this, see the ‘navi’ pages from Facebook and Linkedin which we previously wrote about.  ↩

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