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Android Winning In China, But The Market Is “Going Through A Chaotic Phase”

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 09:40 PM PDT

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At the Android Fever panel here at Disrupt Beijing, Wang Hua of Innovation Works, John Lagerling, Director of Android Global Partnerships at Google, and David Chao of DCM. These folks are bullish on Android, noting that there are currently 40 million android phones in country and that China is number three in terms of development kit downloads.

“The Android market in China is going through a chaotic phase,” said David Chao. He, like Hua and Lagerling, is betting that Android is going to win the day in China, especially in the lower end of the market.

“Nokia is dying much faster than we expected,” said Hua. In the lower-price space, Android is quickly replacing feature phones in the entry-level segment of the phone market.

Lagerling said the that one of the goals of making android open source was to encourage new entrants and that a number of Chinese OEMs who used to depend on custom OSes and stacks, are switching to android. “There’s a focus on customizing, unifying experiences,” said Lagerling.

Chao mentioned his $100 million fund for app development in China. “Nobody is making money on Android software in China,” he said. “But over the next two or three years it’s going to be one of the most lucrative properties.”

“I used to work for Apple and I understand the shortcomings of Apple,” said Chao. “I believe Android is the MS DOS/windows vs. Mac in the 80s and the 90s. Android surpasses the iPhone and iOS and for the ecosystem to thrive it’s all about the numbers.”

“The Chinese market is much more chaotic, more open. It favors the Android ecosystem much more,” he said. He believes Android tablets will become the go-to gaming consoles in the country.

And what about the Google Android Marketplace? As it stands there are almost 70 independent marketplaces right now. Google is working to change that, but refused to say when.

In a third swing at getting a direct answer to the question, moderator Greg Kumparak asked “Do you think the Android Market needs to launch in China? And if so, when will that happen?” Lagerling balked.

“I can’t predict the future,” he said.

Click to view slideshow.


New MobiUs Browser For iOS Makes Mobile Web Apps Act More Like Native Apps

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 08:30 PM PDT

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Mobile development firm appMobi is launching a new HTML5-powered browser for iOS on Monday which will bring additional capabilities typically found only in native apps to the mobile Web. The MobiUs Web App Browser, as it’s being called, works both as a standalone browser alternative or in conjunction with Apple’s mobile Safari, similar to the way browser extensions work on the desktop Web.

Although HTML5 can already tap into some of a smartphone’s sensors, like the GPS and accelerometer, for example, appMobi’s MobiUs Web App Browser will go beyond HTML5′s current capabilities to provide access the smartphone’s camera, the ability to scan QR codes and barcodes, support for augmented reality, accelerated graphics, the ability to lock the rotation of the device and more.

The browser integrates two full sets of APIs from both appMobi and from PhoneGap (1.0) to give the Web apps a native look-and-feel, plus the ability to access all the hardware features of the smartphone. Like native apps, the mobile Web apps can work online or off, deliver push notifications and offer in-app purchasing capabilities. AppMobi’s DirectCanvas game acceleration technology is included as well, for optimized HTML5 gaming.

Users won’t have to switch from using Safari as their primary Web browser in order to take advantage of the new functionality, says appMobi. Instead, when a user encounters a webpage that requires the capabilities provided by MobiUs, the Web app in question will prompt you to install the MobiUs iOS app from iTunes. The experience is similar to how online users are prompted to install the Flash plugin to watch online videos. Except in this case, the additional software is not a browser plugin – it’s an app.

After the initial installation, any future Web apps requiring MobiUs’ technology will be able to seamlessly switch over from Safari to MobiUs as need be, without any user intervention. Mobile Web app developers will be able to configure various settings affecting the user experience during the transition, including the customization of the splash screen. And when MobiUs launches, it will be in full-screen mode.

AppMobi knows that, eventually, HTML5 will be able to do what its MobiUs browser is doing today, but those APIs won’t be added to the standard for years. Other solutions, like the HTML5 capabilities chipmaker Qualcomm is working on bringing to mobile, operate lower in the stack than what appMobi offers, and will be provided to OEMs to be sold on new handsets. That’s another way to solve the problem, but on a slower cycle than what appMobi is now doing.

The company had a few developers testing the technology pre-launch, but unfortunately, we couldn’t go hands-on.  It remains to be seen how truly seamless the experience is for the end user or how “native-like” the apps really feel. However, the launch is interesting in terms of its potential to bring that long sought after “write once, run anywhere” ability to Web developers. Now they can write for the desktop, Facebook, iOS and soon, Android, using HTML5, without having to sacrifice so much functionality when porting the codebase to mobile.

The MobiUs app is available here. The Android version will arrive early next year.


Crunchbase

Company: appMobi
Website: appmobi.com
Launch Date: February 1, 2006
Funding: $8.1M

appMobi is a leading vendor of cloud-based cross platform mobile development and deployment tools and services. The company has focused on products that advance the mobile market’s shift from proprietary native tools and services to industry standards HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript. While the emerging HTML5 standard offers the mobile industry ease of app development and freedom from fragmentation, it lacks a number of key features that drove Apple’s rapid ascent to market leader. appMobi’s mission is to provide the...

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With Angry Birds Merchandise, Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka Plans To Out Pirate The Pirates

Posted: 30 Oct 2011 08:28 PM PDT

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As proven by the massive success of the Angry Birds plush line, the world has a hungry for real-world Angry Birds wares. No where is that more apparent than Beijing, where the halls of countless toy shops and electronics stores are filled foot to ceiling with sundry Bird-themed goods, from sweatshirts and jeans to candy and balloons. The catch? Rovio didn’t authorize any of it.

Where others may see a problem, Rovio Mobile’s Mighty Eagle (read: CMO) Peter Versterbacka sees opportunity. He roams these aforementioned shops in search of unauthorized goods — but not to complain or throw around legal orders. He’s there to find the best unofficial Angry Birds items… so he can copy them.

Vesterbacka joined our own John Biggs on stage at Disrupt Beijing for a fireside chat, bringing a trio of Angry Birds balloons along. When questioned about the balloons, Peter responded:

“I’m going to take these balloons back and tell our guys to make these.”

This act of out pirating the pirates, it seems, is something of a habit for Peter.

And why shouldn’t he do it? The intellectual property being utilized is, after all, his company’s. If someone’s looking to make a quick buck off of his team’s work and creativity, there’s really no reason the tables shouldn’t be turned.

Click to view slideshow.