We interviewed ZK during the 16th MobileMonday Taipei event, here is the video:
MobileMonday Taipei Short Live Interview With ZK mobile from Toro on Vimeo.
And here is the video of interview with Simon Chen, CEO of MicroMacro,
MobileMonday Taipei Short Live Interview with MicroMacro from Toro on Vimeo.
Just one year ago, Google first unveiled its Android, the open source mobile platform to the world, and in less then one year, the first mobile phone uses Android platform was available in the US market last month. And back in June, Nokia also announced that Symbian became open source after Nokia acquired the whole ownership of Symbian. The focus on open source highlights a growing industry trend away from the closed systems that have traditionally dominated the market. Open source developers remain optimistic users will veer toward their products once they experience the flexibility they provide. Openness allow more choice and allow a richer experience, users can have devices where they can download applications and view a variety of content from multiple sources. There will be less constraint by traditional impediments, either with their device or through their operator. Only time will tell how the various platforms will fare. Industry leaders hope that the concept of choice will drive the open source option to eventual dominance. Is open source really the inevitable course for mobile industry?
This month’s MobileMonday Taipei event, we will talk about the future of mobile open source, we have invited 3 companies who dedicate in developing open source platform and applications to share with their product and their view for the future mobile market.
1.ZK - introduction of ZK Mobile. ZK is the leading open source Ajax + Mobile framework. With 700,000 downloads, ZK empowers a variety of companies and institutions, ranging from small to large, including Barclays, Sun Micro, Swiss RE, Alcatel-Lucent, and many others.
- Introduction of ZK
- Introduction of ZK Mobile
- Benefits and Architecture
- Showcase: ZK Mobile on Java Phone
- Showcase: ZK Mobile on Google Android
2.Bluetouch - Introduction of their mobile solution using ZK mobile platform.
3. MicroMacro - Demo their product, a new type of mobile advertising tool using ZK mobile platform.
Event Program:
Date: 7 PM, Monday, Nov.10th.
Location: Mary’s Bistro, 2F, No.89, Sec.2, Ren-Ai Rd., Taipei City (Tel: 02-3322-1859)
Please click here to register.
Mobile Coupons and Price Comparison -By Steve Follmer
Steve Follmer consulted in Silicon Valley for many years, where he co-founded live365.com. He is currently between startups and analyzing opportunities in the mobile space. Steve holds a BSE degree from Princeton University.
Victor Wu, founder and CEO, demonstrated Vpon, a coupon browser service which is up and running in Taiwan. Vpon was born from an award winning entrepreneurial project he created while completing his MBA in London.
Users install Vpon’s coupon browser, which runs on java and up to 80% of the installed base of phones. Technologically, Vpon has taken steps to economize on bandwidth, and depending on your data plan it costs less than $1 to receive 30 coupons. They also offer a form of location based service to filter coupons for your specific neighborhoods. Mr. Wu values the user relationship and has avoided pushing too much data at the consumer, even on an opt-in basis. There are plans for internet browser based management of the coupons as well.
Vpon has also been responsive to the needs of their advertisers, allowing them to target their coupons to specific demographics, and collecting post-sale customer satisfaction surveys via their mobile app.
In less than a year Vpon has grown to 10 employees, deployed their application, and inked deals with Starbucks, Pizza Hut, and Mister Donut. They have acheived break-even; an infusion of working capital would fuel expansion to additional countries.
Smart Buyer has launched Mprice, a cell phone based price comparison service. They presented a very insightful chart comparing web-based shopping/buying with brick & mortar (B&M) shopping. In the USA 93% of consumer purchase remain B&M, a number which approaches 97% in Taiwan. mPrice forges a unique solution that offers the best of both worlds: the convenience of network based price checking, with the convenience of B&M shopping.
The business model contemplates charging the consumer 15 cents per use. They also gather useful buying data which is sold to the channel. They are signing deals with the top chains, thus offering a countrywide solution. And they have initially singled out the low hanging fruit of 3C products.
Smart Buyer has vision and has made some good decisions. It goes without saying that their spreadsheet is driven by their installed base and daily use. If only an affilliate marketing program were offered by the local chains or could be negotiated, user fees could be eliminated.
Or if any user fees could be made more invisible through some package promotion with their carrier partners like CHT.
Smart Buyer is partnering with CHT and 7-11, and various media outlets.
These firms are on board with their vision and will prove essential in
increasing the installed base.
Commentary
I always stop to ask: list every step needed to get my parents using this product, every mouse click, every keystroke, every credit card authorization, every download, every install. Tonight’s presenters can benefit from carrier distribution deals that pre-install their application and bundle a data plan. Failing that I would set up kiosks with technical staff to install the app along with a pile of v-coupons or free trial incentives.
There has to be a viral angle here too. Let people share coupons with their friends to spread both the app and the coupons virally. Where one users tells their friends that the app is safe and useful, and even helps them install it. With an incentive e.g. “10% off on dinner. If you and your friend BOTH present a Vpon 15% off”. The merchants should also step up to the plate and help seed.
To get these and other products to turnkey simplicity, where not only our parents but our grandparents use them daily, it takes an ecosystem. Japan remains an intriguing example, where indeed parents and grandparents use many advance mobile apps.As with wasabi, Japanese ecosystems don’t always take root in the West. But I have a feeling Taiwan could forge a solution that bridges East and West.
You can see the photos from the 15th MobileMonday Taipei event here.
Steve Follmer consulted in Silicon Valley for many years, where he co-founded live365.com. He is currently between startups and analyzing opportunities in the mobile space. Steve holds a BSE degree from Princeton University.
ABI Research projects that worldwide shipments of global positioning system (GPS) enabled mobile phones will reach 550 million units in 2012, up from 240 million units in 2008, representing handset revenue generation growing from $50 billion to $100 billion over that time, with installed base penetration approaching 40%. Who will seize the opportunity this creates?
On the 14th MobileMonday Taipei, we invited presentations from three location-based services providers: jMap.cc , Cogini and GPSStar, discussed how LBS is relevant to our daily life, the innovation they will bring to users, and the value LBS provides.
This industry has been simmering along for years, confronting a chicken-and-egg dilemma, no hardware no solutions, no solutions no hardware. But these presentations made clear that we’re long past the tipping point. To read the complete 14th MobileMonday Taipei event report written by Mr. Steve Follmer, please click here.
You can see some photos of the event here
It has been a little over a year since MobileMonday Taipei discussed about WiMAX for our launching event in June, 2007. Shortly after the event, the government issued 6 licenses for WiMAX operators,. And ever since then, WiMAX is in its full throttle in Taiwan, although there are different voices about the success of WiMAX in Taiwan. Today it seems that all the focus is still about the deployment of equipments, which is very important for WiMAX, but this time we would like to go beyond the hype and discuss what really matters for the users – the services. What can user really benefits from WiMAX and what changes WiMAX will bring to our day-to-day life.
For the 13th MobileMonday Taipei, we invite 2 WiMAX operators , Global Mobile and Vastar TV to talk about their services and what they are going to bring to the users, and how it will change the telecom industry today in Taiwan.
Time: 7PM, Monday, August 4th.
Place:
Mary’s Bistro 2F, N0.89, Sec.2, RenAi Rd.
Directions : Please visit www.maryscafe.com.tw
Event program:
7PM - Check in
7:30PM - Presentations
8:00PM - Networking Time
REGISTER HERE
Please RSVP to attend.
In order to promote our outstanding speakers, We decide to use all means in ours possession (Mac, iMovie, Camera, Web 2.0) to let them speak freely to people who did not have the chance to be with us at the MobileMonday Taipei.
During the 12th MobileMonday (How to get your own 15 minutes), we interviewed 3 guests :
- Shine Chen, Business Development Director at Keytalks.com, a service from HEMiDEMi.com
- Yoser Chen, General Manager at APMobile.com.
- Steve Follmer, Taiwan based entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Live365.com.
In 1968, American Artist Andy Warhol made this statement “ In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”. After 40 years, this has become true with the new technologies and medias. Today almost every mobile phones comes with camera, and the booming of new media like youtube and i’m TV definitely encourages user to create their own video and share. With the rapid growth of Blogs and Vlogs, there are interactive billboards to be placed, virtual product placement strategies to be executed, scripts to be written, friends to be made, avatars to be dressed, fed and equipped, and virtual stores to be opened. Today the hottest celebrity is no one else but the consumer himself. The landscape of tectonic plate of media industry has shifted and the impact on business is more then just fad.
For the 12th MobileMonday event in Taipei, we invite i’m TV, one of the best examples of “Youniversal Branding”, to share with us about their experience from traditional media to digital media (both web and mobile), and how they see the future for digital media growth. And also Ericsson will demonstrate their new solution“MeOnTV”on how consumers can use their mobile phone and broadcast live to TV and the web.
7PM, Monday, July 7th.
Mary’s Bistro Cafe, 2F, No.89, Sec.2, Ren - Ai Rd., Taipei City
Event program:
7PM - Check in
7:30PM - Presentations:
” Multimedia Social Networking “ - Alis Yeh,Solution Architect,Multimedia Solution & System Integration, Ericsson Taiwan Ltd.
” Express yourself : The potential needs for UGC service from consumers in Taiwan” - Julia Liu, Section Manager, Institute for information industry.
” Sharing Mobile Vlog Operating Experience - case study of I’m TV” - Sipher Huang, Assistant VP, Business Development, I’m TV.
MobileMonday Taipei is turning one year old !! MobileMonday Taipei chapter organized the first gathering on June 4th, 2007 and it has been one year since the grand opening. In the past year, we have already organized 10 events with different interesting topics, and certainly generate many interests and attention in the mobile community in Taiwan. For our next MobileMonday Taipei event, we are going to have a first anniversary party to celebrate the birthday of MobileMonday Taipei, and we’d like to invite all the mobile people in Taipei to celebrate with us and to support MobileMonday Taipei!
Besides the birthday party for MobileMonday Taipei, we will also present a special project to you, the PUNCAR ACTION , a charity project to foster mobility and digital awareness to the people in the rural corners of Taiwan!
MobileMonday Taipei 即將滿一歲了！MobileMonday Taipei 即將在六月二日星期一舉辦週年慶派對來慶祝我們成立壹周年, 會中我們要向行動通訊業界的朋友們介紹一向非常有趣的計畫- “胖卡” , 透過胖卡的實戰經驗，來說明電信與網通產業（在台灣）需要什麼樣的新願景與思維。
胖卡計畫的負責夥伴們代表的就是紮實的先期使用者，而且是有 run 過網路 business 的營運者。所以在實戰後所淬煉出對於電信網路服務、網通產品與數位落差和文化的觀察，將在這次活動中與我們分享他們的想法。希望能為我們的產業及社會帶來一些價值。
Place:
Mary’s Bistro 2F, N0.89, Sec.2, RenAi Rd.
Directions : Please visit www.maryscafe.com.tw
REGISTER HERE
Please RSVP to attend.
