Archive for August 2014

SingTel’s accelerator challenge for apps

SingTel Accelerator challengeSingapore-based telecom service provider SingTel has launched an accelerator competition to “incubate the next killer app for consumers, focusing on consumer lifestyle and the Internet of Things.”

Besides cash prizes, winners will also get an opportunity to take part in a 3-month incubation program. Out of the winner, 1 will also be chosen to represent Singapore in another competition — the SingTel Group-Samsung Regional Mobile App Challenge. That is a regional mobile application development challenge jointly organised by the SingTel Group & Samsung. The challenge aims to identify innovative start-ups in Asia, & help them accelerate their development as well as gain access to the Group’s 500 million mobile customers.

There are 2 phases to this competition.  In Phase 1, startups will compete in their own markets, hosted by the local operators. One winner from each country will then be selected to participate in the Phase 2 competition which will be held in Singapore later this year.

This initiative is part of a larger group level collaboration between the SingTel Group and Samsung to increase smartphone penetration and the proliferation of mobile apps in the markets where members of the SingTel Group operate.

In Phase 2, participating start-ups will come to Singapore for a one-week mentorship programme, where participants learn to monetise and enable direct carrier billing for their apps through a series of business and technical workshops. They will then return to their respective countries to develop their apps.

The challenge will culminate to a demo day to be held in Singapore in November. On that day, participants will present their apps to a panel of judges that comprises senior operator and industry executives & a winner will be selected.

Entries have to be submitted by September 21.

Image Credit: SingTel

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LINE tops all communication services worldwide with over US $11.86 mln in sticker sales

This press release has been published as it is without any editing. This Website has not verified claims, if any, made it in.

Los Angeles, Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire: LINE Corporation announced the release of its sales and usage results for the three-month period between May 8 and August 7, 2014 since the launch of LINE Creators Market, a platform that allows users to create and sell self-designed stickers.
LINE users can reach global audiences with their unique sticker designs and also profit from LINE Creators Market.

LINE users can reach global audiences with their unique sticker designs and also profit from LINE Creators Market. After being reviewed by LINE, the approved user-created stickers are made available for sale on the LINE Store (https://store.line.me) as well as LINE’s in-app Sticker Shop.

linestickersgraphSince the Creators Market was opened on April 17, 2014, total creator registrations have surpassed 149,000, while over 30,000 sticker sets[1] have been registered in the approximately three-and-a-half month period since launch. In addition, the Creators Market is a global platform used by creators not only in Japan but throughout the world, which is exemplified by the 124 different registered creator nationalities. The U.S. is one of the top participating countries with almost 1,000 registered creators.

Furthermore, in the three-month period of launching the sale and purchase of creators’ stickers, sales of these stickers have exceeded a total of USD 11.86 Million[2]. 10,000 sticker sets are currently on sale as of August 19th, and 12.41 million sets have been purchased. As many users continue to purchase sticker sets, the scale of the service has expanded rapidly since its launch, and the LINE Creators Market has grown to become a platform through which individual creators with excellent and creative ideas can earn income through their own self-made stickers.

LINE’s user base and the use of LINE stickers continue to expand globally. Along with standard stickers available in every region, LINE also offers stickers localized to specific markets based on customs and cultures specific to individual regions, as well as locally popular characters. The LINE platform houses the world’s largest sticker collection, including both official stickers and creators’ stickers, and the total number of LINE stickers sent and received in one day has reached a high of more than 1.8 billion.

As the leading provider of sticker-based communications, LINE will continue its efforts, including the Creators Market, to extend the reach of our communication platform even further throughout the world.

About LINE Corporation

LINE Corporation is based in Japan and develops and operates the LINE app for smartphones. Since launching in June 2011, the LINE app has grown into a global service used in 230 countries, ranking first in the free app category in 60 countries. LINE offers free one-to-one and group messaging, as well as free domestic and international voice and video calls. LINE also includes a wide array of social elements such as fun and expressive stickers, a personal Home, a Timeline, and numerous LINE family apps, including LINE games and LINE camera. For more information about LINE, please visit http://linecorp.com/en/.

[1] Includes stickers currently awaiting review or in the process of being reviewed.

[2] Please note that sales are calculated in Japanese Yen. The exchange rate was determined from Bloomberg L.P.’s rate for August 27 at USD1:JPY103.74.

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